I'm gone

This is just a quick post to let all of my dear readers know that I will be leaving on vacation starting this afternoon. We're going to Walt Disney World (!) and I'll be back on Saturday, May 6th with a new review. In the meantime, keep leaving me comments, I love to hear from all of you! :-)

Talk to you all soon!

Fun times!

Everyone else is posting these, so I just couldn't resist:



So what do you think? My daemon isn't final yet, so you can vote for it to change shape in the next 12 days.

Review: To Dance

OK, so I'm really behind on reviews. In fact, this one is from the Cybils awards (which were in December!). Hope you enjoy it anyway... :-)

To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel by Siena Siegel

Siena was born to dance. At six years old she began to take dance lessons in Puerto Rico, before moving to New York. There she is accepted to the American School of Ballet, where she learns the new heights that dancing can take her. Follow Siena’s journey through the world of ballet, as this ballerina pens the memoirs of her childhood.

This beautiful graphic novel will appeal to both younger children and any person who has participated in the world of dance. The text (based on the actual events of the author) is simple, yet beautiful and makes a wonderful accompaniment to the lovely watercolor illustrations. It’s not very long, but just reading this book made me want to be a ballerina. These days, its often hard to find books that focus on the positive of the world of dancing. This book not only does that, but it shares that joy that comes from dancing with all its readers. Perfect for any dancer, check out To Dance!

Shady Glade Rating: 8/10

Ramblings: The Blog Review Debate

For those of you who are up-to-date on the happenings in the Lit Blogging world, I’m sure you’re familiar with the whole debate of whether or not blog reviews are better/just as effective as professional reviews.

So after reading about it for a week or so, I’m going to throw in my two cents.

I blog mostly for me. It’s a personal thing. A way to share my own personal thoughts/feelings with all you wonderful readers out there. And because I can’t keep a journal regularly (but let’s not go into that).

That being said, the reviews I publish on this site are merely my own personal reflections of books that I’ve read. Chances are if I don’t enjoy the book I don’t post a review, unless it’s one I can recognize as having merit (even if I didn’t enjoy it myself). I’ve written book reviews for years, even before I got this blog. To me reviews are a great way for me personally to keep track of what I’ve read and whether or not I enjoyed the book. Because, let’s face it, I read so many books I can sometimes never keep them straight (even if I re-read them, which I do a lot).

Anyway, this brings us to the close of another ramblings session with Alyssa. As always, comments and opinions are encouraged, even if they don’t match mine!

Support Teen Reading!

Today is the first ever Support Teen Literature Day. You can find out more from ALA's website. Thanks to Becky for the tip-off! To celebrate, Becky created what I call (for lack of a better word) a Title Poem. So I decided to join the fray with books I own and love. So without further ado, for your viewing pleasure here it is (You can see Becky's poem here):

Scarlet Moon by Debbie Viguie
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Pretty Little Liarsby Sara Shepard
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Oddly Enough by Bruce Coville
Red Is for Remembrance by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Enchanted, Inc. by Shanna Swendson
Emma: Volume 1 by Kaoru Mori
Night Dance, The by Suzanne Weyn

Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst
Twenty Pageants Later by Caroline B. Cooney
Earthly Knight, An by Janet McNaughton
Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest by Nancy Springer
Avalon High by Meg Cabot
Three Wishes by Darlene Scalera
Under a Stand Still Moonby Ann Howard Creel
Return to Labyrinth Volume 1 by Jake Forbes
East by Edith Pattou

Dramacon Volume 2 by Svetlana Chmakova
Anatopsis by Chris Abouzied
Young Warriors: Stories of Strength edited by Tamora Pierce

Update: Spring Reading Thing, Progress Report 2

Whew! I've had a busy week. Despite the madness of trying to find a summer job, I've still managed to chip away at the Spring Reading Challenge posted over at Callapidder Days. My problem is, I keep adding books! I'm going to try to take some time out this weekend to catch up on my reviews, and I still have reviews from January I need to post too! So here’s an update on the Challenge:

Books I’ve finished (reviews coming soon... more or less, anyway)
Travels of Thelonious (Fog Mound, the) by Susan Schade and Jon Buller
The Phantom of the Opera: The Original Novel by Gaston Leroux
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Alena and the Favorite Thing by Eric Anderson
Totally Spies #3: Evil Jerry by Marathon Team
Flight Volume 1 by Various
Dancing with Dragonflies by Jack Francis Gorfien (This was both added and finished this week)

Books I’ve started
Star Baby (Hollywood Daughters, No 1) by Joan Lowery Nixon
Peace I Ask of Thee, Oh River by Lyda Phillips

Books I’ve added
Princess School #06: Apple-y Ever After by Jane B. Mason and Sarah Hines Stephens
Princess School #07: Thorn In Her Side by Jane B. Mason and Sarah Hines Stephens
Oh My Goddess! Volume 21 by Kosuke Fujishima (My guilty GN pleasure...)
Oh My Goddess! Volume 22 by Kosuke Fujishima
Oh My Goddess! Volume 23 by Kosuke Fujishima
Oh My Goddess! Volume 24 by Kosuke Fujishima
The Wizard Test by Hilari Bell

So that leaves the rest of everything as follows:

Already Reading
An Acceptable Time by Madeline L’Engle
Before the Storm (Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis, Book 1) by Michael P. Kube-Mcdowell
Terrier (Beka Cooper) by Tamora Pierce

Graphic Novels
Flight Volume 2 by Various
Full Moon O Sagashite 1 by Arina Tanemura
Full Moon O Sagashite 2 by Arina Tanemura
Full Moon O Sagashite 3 by Arina Tanemura
Full Moon O Sagashite 4 by Arina Tanemura
The Hardy Boys #6: Hyde & Shriek (Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers) by Scott Lobdell and Daniel Rendon
Saint Tail, Book 4 by Megumi Tachikawa
Saint Tail #5 by Megumi Tachikawa
Saint Tail, Book 6 by Megumi Tachikawa

Series Books
Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Clique #6, The: Dial L for Loser (Clique Series) by Lisi Harrison
The Magic Medallion (Cynthia's Attic) by Mary Cunningham
Into the Cold Fire (Daughters of the Moon #2) by Lynne Ewing
Night Shade (Daughters of the Moon #3) by Lynne Ewing
Secret Scroll (Daughters of the Moon #4) by Lynne Ewing
Public Enemy Number Two (Diamond Brothers Mysteries) by Anthony Horowitz
Missing Persons #1: Rose Queen by M. E. Rabb
Prairie River 2: Grateful Harvest by Kristiana Gregory
Winter Tidings (Prairie River, Book 3) by Kristiana Gregory
Hope Springs Eternal (Prairie River #4) by Kristiana Gregory
Barbarian (Sons of the Dark #1) by Lynne Ewing

Everything Else
A Matter of Profit by Hilari Bell
Allie's Journey by Veronica Janczuk
Dragon Keeper by Carole Wilkinson
The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker
Hope's Crossing by Joan Elizabeth Goodman
The Legend of Lady Ilena by Patricia Malone
Lost: A Novel by Gregory Maguire
Mates, Dates, and Inflatable Bras by Cathy Hopkins
May Bird and the Ever After by Jodi Lynn Anderson
My Alien Penfriend by Faiz Kermani
My Lady, Pocahontas by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
Mystery Stories: An Intriguing Collection by Helen Cresswell
Sword of the Rightful King: A Novel of King Arthur by Jane Yolen
Raven Hill Mysteries 1-2 by Emily Rodda
Tales from the Secret Annex by Anne Frank
Torn Thread by Anne Isaacs
The Vampire Hunters Stalked by William Hill
Water Shaper by Laura Williams McCaffrey
The Whispering Road by Livi Michael
Pretty Pretty by KC Oliver

Visit the Shady Glade Store for more recommended reads, movies, music and more!

And this ticker is WAY off right now. I need to go update it!