As of now, I'm not only going to rate books on a scale of 5-hearts, but also on their characters, plot, ending, writing, recommendability, the book as part of a series, and the cover.
Here's my 5-Heart Rating Scale:
LOVED it! I only put this book down when forced to, or when I had to get more sustenance to continue reading.
I totally walked into a table yesterday, and now I have a HUGE bruise on my thigh. It's the size of a large apple, and it's black, blue, purple, and green. Sick! It's swollen too! Oh, the woes of being clumsy...!
or 
First of all, I have been kind of MIA, posting as much as possible with my crazy whirlwind of a life right now. I have a request, please: if you have given me any awards or have linked me to any fun posts you wanted me to do as well, please link me to them! If you haven't linked me to them, I probably don't know about them. I'm not ignoring them! Now, here are the current awards:
Jackie gave me beautiful Splash Award! Thank you, Jackie. This is really one of the most beautiful ones I have seen... I love your blog too, hun : ) Thanks for being one of my new blogging buddies, girl... you are NOT spam, anymore!
This is the Splash Award it is given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive, and inspiring blogs.
Rules:
Nominate & link up to 9 blogs that you pick for this award. Let them know that they have been splashed! Remember to link the person that nomiated and awarded you.
My Splash Award Winners:
1) Juju (Tales of Whimsy)
2) JessicaSecret(Shut Up I'm Reading)
3) Michelle (Michelle's Masterful Musings)
4) Sandy (Pirate Penguin's Reads)
5) Melanie (Melanie's Musings)
6) Jessica (BookLover)
This award was really hard to give... I love all of your blogs, and you should all be proud of them!
Sandy, gave me the Honest Scrap Award. This is a new one for me... thanks, Sandy! It was really fun to read your answers, btw. <3 <3 <3
This is the Honest Scrap Award. It is for those bloggers who write from the heart. The rules are to pass it along to seven bloggers and then list 10 honest things about myself. Here are those deserving of this honour, bloggers who write from the heart and touch me because of it.
I was given this award by Arielle over at B.A.M. Book Reviews. So thank you! Oh, and I only chose five bloggers for this one. Please don't be mad if I didn't select you! You're all winners in my book ;) I'm going to give this to the people listed below, AND ANYONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO LIST TEN HONEST THINGS ABOUT THEM. My only request is that you leave me a comment saying you posted your ten things bc I would love to read them and learn more about you!
1. La Cocinelle (The Ladybug Reads)
2. Alyssa and the boys (Teens Read and Write)
3. The Little Flower
4. Ceri (Not in the Pink)
5. Lisa (Book Blab)
6. Eleni (La Femme Readers)
7. BrownEyedGirl
8. Rebrebs (Rebs Rants)
Now for ten (okay, so I have 25, but that's bc I already had this list done for another survey and I didn't want to rewrite it, so bear with me, k?) honest things about myself:
1. My first and middle names are Fleetwood Mac songs... if you don't know who Fleetwood Mac is, you need to look them up NOW. They are a-ma-ZING! “Sara” and “Rhiannon.” Both are very good songs – I think one of them is on Rolling Stone’s best songs of all time list. Listen to them. You’ll like them if you keep an open mind for old things.
2. I've always wanted to write a YA novel but I just haven't found my story yet.
3. I am also always worrying about how I write my own reviews.
4. All throughout my life, I have had weird encounters with birds. When I was barely 4 years old, a hummingbird flew into the sliding glass door at my Grandparent's house. It was unconscious so I picked it up and was so sad that it was dead... after a few minutes, it woke up and flew out of my hand! I've walked up to wild birds and have been able to just pick them up countless times. I've run into countless other birds that have knocked themselves out or are hurt, and have been able to get them to safety. Or they just follow me and squawk at me. I've held magpies, crows, hummingbirds, sparrows, chickadees, pigeons, and even a merlin (a small hawk) and a peregrine falcon! Maybe this happens to everyone? Hahahaha. Birds are great, but they aren't even my favorite animal! Am I going to be that old bird lady when I'm older - the one that sits on the steps and is like, "Toppins, toppins for the birds?" and just her crazy hair scares people off? Psh, no way!
5. I LOVE having my back cracked. LOVE IT. My neck too.
6. I get airheaded sometimes, so I’m used to people thinking I’m dumb when I’m just being my friendly self. Sometimes I get self-conscious about it, or if I get embarrassed, then that makes me act even dumber. Like in my chemistry class. I mess something up then my cheeks turn red and I can’t stop laughing, lol. But you see, it’s not that I’m dumb or random, it’s more so that I just think REALLY fast – I always have, so people might not follow the connections I’m making in the conversation then think I’m random, or they might think I’m dumb because I space out a lot… really stuck in my head a lot. Daydreamer… really get to know me and you’ll be sweetly surprised ; ) Also, it really bugs me when I meet someone and I’m very friendly and they just act weird – like rude or sizing me up. There’s no need for it! Or the worst is when I met them and I was so friendly and trying to make them feel welcome and then later they tell someone I was stupid or annoying or weird. Come on, people! Can’t you just LIKE someone who is nice for once? It seems to me that people kind of get in these patterns where everyone is so mean to everyone else that everyone becomes vindictive and defensive so if someone is actually genuine and kind, they assume the worst.
7. When I was in high school I had a group of admirers that called me “the wow chick.” I never knew that until later! Hahaha I wish I had known that then... I might have been a little more confident back then!
8. I've been told I have a very good memory but I'm not so good with names. I remember the weirdest things though. Not always the stuff I should remember (such as names). Like I'll remember how someone smelled, their voice, or the events around when I met them. Let's just say I have a very good audial memory -- I can pretty much remember every note of a song once I hear it. It drives people nuts cuz when other people are singing the words, I'll be singing the words and the guitar and the drums and the bass. I can see how it's annoying, LOL. But it’s all in my head! I prefer to listen to the actual music, but quite honestly, I don’t even need it.
9. My pupils have been 2 noticeably different sizes since birth. That can be a sign of shock or brain damage but I don’t BELIEVE I have either... heheheh... On another note, I was almost terminated while my mom was pregnant with me. I was a tubal/ectopic baby, and didn’t move all the way down to the uterus… I was stuck in the tubes until the last minutes, basically, then I moved on down to the uterus. Saved my life, lol.
10. Another weird thing about me: I must be evil or something because I’ll walk by lights and they’ll turn off – when I pass they’ll turn on again. I’ll watch other people pass them and they won’t flicker or anything. It happens all the time. Different parts of town and different cities. And this is not just one light, but rows of them. Sometimes I’ll touch a TV and it turns off. Or a light. It happens quite often, actually. Uh oh… it has happened since I was electrocuted, once, I think. Maybe it manipulated the charge around my body or something. I've read about other people who have been electrocuted and have the same problem. It's really annoying. I dunno enough about that subject. Sucks to have superhero powers you can’t even use of your own free will!!!
11. My tongue sticks out just a teensy bit when I smile… drives me CRAZY! Go look at my pics and you’ll see.
12. I used to do art, but I kind of stopped doing it because I got too busy with school and, quite honestly, so sick of the criticism involved. It made me not enjoy doing it anymore – I’m so self-critical as it is… I threw away all of my old stuff and notebooks one day, when I was totally pissed. Now I wish I would have kept them, but oh well, I can make more.
13. My dream job would probably be… comic book artist, LOL. OR be in movies. But I’ve never really acted so dream on, Sara! Or a novelist. I could never keep diaries growing up because I’d rather live life than sit around writing about myself. So I'll have to write about imaginary things.
14. I really love watching artistic movies or films that just make you think about life. The last two I saw were The Fall, and Vicky, Christina, Barcelona. Other ones I like are Lost in Translation, Garden State, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I love watching movies with really great music and film composition. I love to think about the music and life and then think about the songs later, driving around in my car, like they’re a soundtrack to my own life. Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE comedies and every other genre as well, but I’m just saying this for the sake of this list. I should also add that I watch horror films with my sisters and Dad. It has kind of become a tradition. Any one of them that looks good, we watch. I really liked 30 Days of Night.
15. I have phases where all I want to eat is one kind of food for a long period of time, then I switch to another one… well it’s not ALL I’ll eat, but I’ll eat a ton of it. Right now it’s probably oatmeal cookie dough. In the past it has been spaghettios (cold), macaroni and cheese, cream cheese, captain crunch, those really unhealthy pink cookies, yogurt, tea, bananas, scrambled eggs with cheese, apple pie, corn dogs, mashed potatoes, beets, stuffing… yummy! Maybe that’s not something weird. K, maybe it is : )
16. I love learning about foreign cultures and I catch onto learning new languages quite quickly. I want to go to China soon.
17. I don’t really dance in front of anyone unless there are a LOT of people dancing, but believe me: I can shake it like nobody's business! Alas, I'm not a performer...
18. When I was 18, I got in a huge fight with my Mom and I hadn’t gotten in touch with my sisters yet. I didn’t have anyone for a long time. I know what it’s like to truly be alone. It’s very much like that song, “Hurt,” by Nine Inch Nails. If you have ever had a song speak to you, like this songs speaks to me, then I hope you understand me. If you haven't, it really is a life-changing moment. It can be a very comforting moment, knowing that someone else felt the exact same way-- as angry, happy, winsome, tired, exhilarated, as alone-- you do, even if you don't know them. It speaks to your soul, who you are, what you have become, what you want to become... A song you never heard truly understood before, but then life happens and it means something to you.
19. I take hot soaks in the tub a lot. I get achy knees and sore muscles. Or if I just get cold, a soak always fixes it. The water has to be so hot I can hardly stand it.
20. I love reading. I got an e-reader for Christmas and I think it’s the best thing EVER. I can read all my books on like a little computer thing. And they’re all stored on it! I was behind on reading in the first grade until I decided I was going to be good at it, then I started reading whole novels from that point on. I find it very aggravating for me that my little sister is 10 and can only read at a Dr. Seuss level. Sad thing is, text messaging is teaching her to read faster. I bought her books but she just won't do it alone yet.
21. I’ve never been bothered by blood or surgical situations. I feel bad for the people who are injured but I don’t have a weak stomach at all when it comes to that stuff. Also, when I’ve donated blood, I’ve gone and played lacrosse games afterward. I was a little short of breath but that’s pretty good, I think, considering many people I know will faint when their fingers are pricked. I wonder why some people don't handle it as well.
22. I grew up in a small family of all girls. It was crazy. Enough said.
23. I get hooked on some TV series, like Battlestar Galactica, America’s Next Top Model, Supernatural, The O.C., CSI , and I watch them while doing homework. Not the most effective way, but I am a multitasker, and it’s a way for me to focus. That may sound contradictive but if you’ve been in my situation, you’ll agree.
24. I have crushes on characters. Not the real actors but the characters. For example, Edward Cullen is beautiful, but that actor is nasty. His hair is greasy, his eyebrows are overgrown... CSI Miami’s Horatio Kane is HOT—not good looking at all, but personality is HOT! Something about him… whew. I think it’s the way he talks. All raspy and sexy-like. Same goes for Jason Statham in the Transporter movies, Daniel Craig in the James Bond movies and Dominic Cooper in the Duchess. But the problem is… I love their characters. Not the real guys. I’ll always have a place in my heart for Dean Winchester. Sigh….
25. I can’t go telling everything about myself … you’ll all grow tired of me! There you have it.
I hope that not too many people looked -- I've deleted the spoiler. To those who did see it, I apologize. I had a forgetful moment : ( I just want you to know that you still have a lot to look forward to.
Okay, I know this is a really long list but it is SO freaking FUNNY. It cracks me up. I found these on Slashermania, and added my own comments to some of them. Here are some rules to survive a horror film:
1. When it seems that you've killed the monster, never stop to make sure it's really dead, unless that involves further killing it (i.e. chopping the head off).
2. If you find that your house was built upon a cemetery, was once a church used for black masses, had previous tenants who went insane or committed suicide, or died in some horrible fashion, or who performed necrophilia or satanic practices, MOVE OUT IMMEDIATELY.
3. Never read a book of demon summoning or dark magic aloud, even as a joke.
4. Do not search the basement, especially when the power has just gone out. If you choose to do so, take the damn flashlight, not the candle!!!! It's gonna blow out!!!
5. If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language which they do not know, or if they speak using a voice other than their own, shoot them a tonce. It will save you a lot of grief in the long run. Note: it's unlikely they'll die easy, so be prepared.
6. When you have the benefit of numbers, never pair off or go it alone.
7. If the gang plans a fun midnight party in the town's old abandoned mansion, don't tag along. Especially don't tag along if everyone's going as couples, except if you're the odd guy/gal out. And if you're the gang's jokester, you may as well write up your last will and testament while you're driving with them to the place.
8. Never stand in, on, above, below, beside, or anywhere near a grave, tomb, crypt, mausoleum, or other resting place of the dead. They will grab you!
9. If you're searching for something which caused a noise and find out that it's just the cat, leave the room immediately if you value your life.
10. If appliances start operating by themselves, move out.
11. Do not take (or borrow) anything from the dead.
12. Don't fool with recombinant DNA technology unless you're sure you know what you are doing.
13. If you're running from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at least twice (more if you are female). Also note that, although you are running and the monster is merely shambling along, it's still moving fast enough to catch up with you.
14. If your companions suddenly begin to exhibit uncharacteristic behavior such as hissing, fascination for blood, glowing eyes, increasing hairiness, and soon, kill them or get away from them as fast as possible.
15. Stay away from certain geographical locations, some of which are listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, Crystal Lake, any hotels such as the Bates and the Overlook, the Bermuda Triangle, pet cemetaries, indian burial grands, or any small town in Maine, Connecticut, or Massachusetts.
16. If your car runs out of gas at night, do not go to the nearby deserted-looking house to phone for help.
17. Beware of strangers bearing tools such as chain saws, staple guns, hedge trimmers, electric carving knives, combines, lawnmowers, butane torches, soldering irons, band saws, weed-whackers or any device made from deceased companions.
18. Listen closely to the soundtrack, and pay attention to the audience, since they are usually far more intelligent than you could ever hope to be.
19. Never, never, NEVER try to communicate with something icky because "there's so much we can learn from them".
20. Don't make fun of or play with dead things.
21. If you find a town which looks deserted, it's probably for a reason. Take the hint and stay away.
22. If a meteor strikes nearby, move out of town.
23. When something bad is chasing you, bear in mind that when you try to start your car, no matter how reliable the vehicle is normally, you'll have to crank the engine over many times before it will fire up.
24. If you walk into the local abandoned-looking church to seek help or shelter, and you notice that the crucifix is mounted upside down, turn around and go back outside as quietly as possible.
25. When you happen to be one of the fortunate ones and actually make it through the film alive, never, NEVER sign on to do a sequel. If you do, expect to depart this world in the first five minutes.
26. Never have sex in the bunkbeds of recently renovated summer camps.
27. Strange lights are seldom harbingers of joy.
28. People arriving to rescue you generally get ambushed by the monster, so don't rely on them as your only means of escape. In fact, expect to be surprised and delayed by encountering their flayed corpse at some point.
29. On no account do ANYTHING because someone dares you to.
30. If you realize that the people in your town/county are having their minds taken over by some strange force, alien or otherwise: DO NOT call the police as they are A) either already taken over themselves and will turn you in, or B) will not believe you and will laugh at you. Either way, you must handle the problem yourself.
31. If a small band of children appear to be smarter then the adults that are around them, be cautious. If they stay together in a small, secretive group, and display nothing but hostility towards their elders, authority, and the church, leave town at once. If you wish to stay, be as kind to the children as possible, but expect to die anyways because you are inferior to them.
32. If you assist the villian of the film, do not expect gratitude in exchange for your services. In fact, do not expect anything other then death, which will comein the final minutes of the film and usually over the girl you have become attracted to, but the villian wants as their own.
33. If any animals, such as Birds, Pirahna, Spiders, etc. begin to exhibit behavior that seems a bit more hostile towards mankind than normal, immediately call in the authorities, get out of that town, and do not try to talk to any scientist who specializes in that animal (ornithologists and the like), for they will not believe you.
34. Whatever you do, DO NOT keep pets such as cats, dogs, hamsters, or anything cuddly. If you must, do not let them out of your sight for so much as a second.
35. When you land on a distant planet and find some objects that look like eggs, leave them alone.
36. When one of your spaceship's crew finds a hideous parasite attached to his body (as a result of disobeying the previous rule), don't let him back on the ship. The guy's dogmeat anyway.
37. When a hideous alien menace is hunting you (as a result of disobeying the previous two rules) never wander off alone to hunt for the ship's cat. Dang Sigourney!
38. Never, EVER go in/out there (there being the attic, closet, barn, basement, dark alley, dark anywhere else, the all-concealing shadows, the woods, or thelake).
39. If someone who seems important tells you to do or NOT do something (like DON'T fall asleep, DON'T leave me, DON'T look for the homicidal-chainsaw-wielding-psychopath by yourself), by all means, listen to them, unless doing so would break another of the guidelines.
40. If you manage to lose a few body parts along the way, don't despair. Take this opportunity to replace them with weapons, such as chainsaws, harpoons,etc.
41. If you are using a gun to combat the all-comsuming evil, it is a good idea to quickly find a new means of defense, because no matter how much ammo you have, you'll run out just before you kill the monster (unless your name is Ash, in which case, you'll never have to reload).
42. If you are wounded by flesh-eating zombies, aboandon all hope, because sooner or later, no matter how many anti-biotics you take, yer gonna become one of 'em.
43. If you're the the last main character left, and a bunch of people are hunting the monster/monsters, DON'T stand out in the open, because you willimmediately be mistaken for a/the monster.
44. Don't open the closed door, especially if you hear scratching, heavy breathing, or any other strange noises from the other side.
45. DO NOT go into the dark room. For the love of god!
46. If you're a male, get out of there as fast as possible! The only one who ever survives is a female.
47. While in a horror film, never bathe, especially when in the house, alone.
48. In terms of weaponry and general equipment for fighting the monster, never rely on any tool more complicated than a pointed stick. Generators will inexplicably run out of power, just as the nasty space-vegetable climbs onto your jerry-rigged electrical grid. Just when you've got the ghoul lined up in your sights, your gun will jam.
49. If you are a female, never show your breasts, easy women are expendable.
50. Never camp or build homes on Indian burial grounds.
51. Ask why the estate is being sold so cheap.
52. If the phone lines are dead, and you hear footsteps upstairs, when you're supposed to be alone, don't follow the noises to see who your "guest" is. LEAVE IMMEDIATELY. Unless you want to die!!
53. Never pick up the phone and call for help, chances are your phone will be dead and the next thing you'll see is the monster swinging some sort of sharp object.
54. If you have defeated the monster, pay close attention to the camera, if it pans away for no apparent reason at all, get the heck out of there.
55. If the Master does not approve, neither do you.
56. Never handle the rat-monkey cage.
57. Your dog can take care of itself..
58. So can your spouse...
59. And your kids.
60. Self-sacrifice is a bad idea, as the person you saved will usually die anyway.
61. Skeptics are always proved wrong in some horrible, nasty, painful way. Be a believer.
62. If you're not a main character, suicide is a quicker and easier way out.
63. Your plan takes into account all possible situations...except for the one that actually occurs.
64. Don't be a smart-ass. It'll only get you killed.
65. When you have actually gotten a monster down on the ground with your gun, immediately empty all your shots in the monsters' head. Do not sit around and discuss the ethics of the situation.
66. Never be present immediately before, during, or anytime after a successful demon/devil/monster summoning.
67. People driven by veangance always die.
68. Mentioning any goals in life, anything to look forward to, or any loved ones will get you killed.
69. Never, under any circumstances, go to summer camp.
70. Puzzle boxes are hard to solve for a reason.
71. Feel no guilt.
72. If you throw away some possession of yours (antique dolls and ventriloquist's dummies, in particular), and you find it again in your house/car/pockets/etc., move to another country IMMEDIATELY! Of course, it WILL be waiting for you in the car as you go to leave.
73. If you try to run away, always take the bus. If you take a car, the monster will be in it. Cabbies are always demonically possessed. Monsters will destroy any plane/boat you try to take. And you have to go through dark, underground stations to get on a subway. The worst that will happen on a bus is you'll see ghosts.
74. If you are a child, don't panic! Monsters only attack overly horny teenagers. Children can NOT be killed in a movie, only possessed or absorbed. So cheerup!
75. If you see a loved one you know to be dead, RUN AWAY! Many people will ignore this bit of common sense, but remember: you can always buy a new pet, always have more kids, and always get a new spouse.
76. If you're being chased by a monster and you think it's behind you, chances are it will appear in front of you (and if you're a girl, this will happen right after you trip and fall, and then stand up and look behind you).
77. If you've beaten the monster into a bloody pulp and you're sure he must be dead, take the opportunity to dismember, burn, eat, blow up or otherwise destroy him.
78. If you're being chased by a monster and you find one of your friends and they ask "what's wrong?", don't stop and try to explain. Just tell them to run as you go by. If they're really your friend they'll follow. If not - that's their tough luck.
79. If you should easily enter a home that you've either heard a scream from or there is no sign of life when there should be, do not be surprised to find that all means of escape (i.e. doors, windows, etc.) will be locked, effectively allowing the monster to come within a gnat's hair of you.
80. If you should run across one of the escape routes from the previous rule that is made of glass, DO NOT waste time pounding on it. Breaking it wouldprove to be a better course of action. Remember, a cut-up hand is better than a chest wound.
81. If you are a good dog, you have a 50-50 chance of survival. Good dogs will only die if they stand up to the monster in defense of their master. Bite the hand that feeds you and run away!
82. If you are a bad dog (bad dog!), you WILL be dead by the movie's end. Therefore, kill all people you encounter, except for your ex-master, whom you feel strangely compelled to avoid.
83. If you're a cat, just hide your head and pray that the monsters won't eat you, the Catholic Inquisitors won't burn you as a witch's familiar, and/or the horny teen-age guys don't throw you over the edge of a cliff to see if you land on your feet.
84. If you're a bird, CONGRATULATIONS! Your people will triumph and rule all in the end (or you might at least escape your $%^& cage!).
85. If you are even somewhat religious, BECOME AN ATHEIST IMMEDIATELY! Otherwise, monsters will invariably seek you out, gloat in defiance of "your weak faith," and say mean things about your deity.
86. Whenever a strange weapon is presented (e.g. a harpoon gun, flare gun, can opener, etc.) TAKE IT! If you don't, the monster will, and sooner or later the weapon WILL BE USED! Better you use it than the monster.
87. If you find a lot of dead people running around making zombies out of the living, kill yourself IMMEDIATELY! There is no happiness to be found when you're being eaten alive.
88. A single monster can never be killed. Multiple monsters can never be driven to extinction. Therefore, try to get one kind to go after the other.
89. When you fight a monster use fire, electricity or acid whenever possible. Prefferably use all of the above. And an atom bomb.
90. ALL atomic weapons cause normal creatures to grow huge and carnivorous. As do all chemical and germ weapons.
91. ALL genetic experiments will create humanoid mutants (whether or not human/primate DNA is used) with BIG teeth and claws, and a tough hide that is impervious to bullets. NEVER play god and try your hand at gene-splicing!
92. Always make eye shots whenever possible as all mosters ignore chest/limb attacks. If you hit the ey,e the monster will be blinded for a while (maybe ...and if you're reaaalll lucky... and if the creature even has any eyes to shoot in the first place).
