Alive and Kicking!

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Hello fellow bloggers, I'm just here to say that reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. I am here, I'm still writing, just not fiction. Grad school has swallowed me whole for the moment. I'm knee deep in thesis writing/revising and I just don't have time for hardly any writing for fun.

BUT, every once in a while I squeeze in a little. Here are a couple things I've managed:

1. Hopstories



A buddy of mine and I are going around to a select number of Pacific Northwest microbreweries to conduct interviews and footage for a web-series we're producing called Hopstories. Basically, we're trying to tell the story of the breweries that make the craft beer we love so much. It's a lot of fun and I'm learning a lot about visual media (which I have no experience with). We're planning to release our first video this week so keep an eye out on our Facebook page (please "Like" us and share with your friends if you feel inclined) and check out our website.

2. Cartoons

I've also been doing a little drawing. After writing for academia all day it's nice to be creative in a little different way. I'm still a science geek so the cartoons I've been drawing are pretty science-geeky but my science-geeky friends seem to like them. I promise I'll post my first comic soon (maybe latter today), I just need to scan it in.

I hope everyone is rocking their own projects and surviving the winter.

Lollipop and Grandpa's Back Garden Safari - Penelope Harper and illustrated by Cate James

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Summary:
Back gardens have never been this exciting! Lollipop and Grandpa are intrepid explorers, always on the lookout for the next adventure! It’s often just the two of them against the world in their expeditions, armed only with ham sandwiches and imagination. In this book they set out on an exciting expedition in the back garden where they encounter Chimpan-trees, a Hippo-potta-compost and even a Croco-logus. They’re prepared for action, but will Lollipop and Grandpa make it back home safely?~~~

I was given this book a little while ago and I completely fell in love with it. The story is charming, imaginative and heart-warming. It's great for kids who want to have some adventures in their garden or in the park - instead of a boring patch of grass, they can discover a world full of danger and scary creatures like the Chimpan-trees or the Croco-logus. Any corner of the garden can transform into a scary creature and there really isn't a peaceful place to eat ham sandwiches!
The illustrations by Edinburgh-based illustrator Cate James are simply fantastic. They're very stylish and evocative and play on textures as well as colour. The font is really easy to read and Penelope Harper's story is well-paced, funny and an amazing springboard for children's imagination. 
This is an adorable book for grandparents to read to their own little explorers and this is the start of an amazing picture book series about Lollipop's adventures with her Grandpa. Thumbs up from me!

Lollipop and Grandpa's Back Garden Safari, by Penelope Harper and illustrated by Cate James | 2012 | Phoenix Books | Age 3 to 5 | Gift

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal - Jeff Kinney

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal - Kinney, Jeff

Summary: Greg records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship.


Fabian's Review
The book is great. This book is a fun book to read. And it is a funny book and it is also a great book for kids that who really do not like to read. When you start reading this book, it is going to be kinda hard to put it down. I loved it.

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You're the One that I want - Cecily Von Ziegesar

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You're the One that I Want - Von Ziegesar, Cecily 
Summary: After an agonizing wait for college acceptance letters, Blair, Serena, Nate, and their classmates at elite Manhattan prep schools discover that their college choice depends a lot on relationships--old and new. 


Cecilia's Review It's spring on the Upper East Side and all the senior girls and boys are finding out which colleges accepted them. Serena van der Woodsen goes off to the schools that accepted her and falls in love with every school (tour guides included). Will she be able to make the right choice? Blair Waldorf has her eye on Yale and only Yale. Nate Archibald decides to test how bad each school wants them but, will that help him to choose the right school? Vanessa Abrams and Dan Humphrey decide to take a big step in their relationship by moving in together. Dan is debating whether or not to stay in New York for college. Dan's little sister, Jenny, idolizes Serena and pursues a modeling career. Decisions, decisions. Who knows if they will make the right ones. Most of the characters find spots at colleges or universities in the northeastern United States, conveniently within watch of the Gossip Girl, who will no doubt be reporting on them for many volumes to come. This series is quite addictive, and as the other Gossip Girl books, you wont be able to stop reading it. I definitely enjoyed reading this book. 
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Charlotte's Web - E.B. White

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Charlotte's Web - White, E.B. 
Summary: Wilbur, the pig, is desolate when he discovers that he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him. 



Jinnee's Review A little piglet, Wilbur, was saved from a horrible fate by a little girl named Fern. When he's all grown up, his life was in danger again. He met a spider named Charlotte and she is trying to save Wilbur's life by using her web. I think this is a good book because you can learn about friendship, trust, love and how important they are. Interest readers need to understand how writers uses metaphor to express their message of the book. I loved it. 
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You're the One that I want - Cecily Von Ziegesar

To contact us Click HERE
You're the One that I Want - Von Ziegesar, Cecily 
Summary: After an agonizing wait for college acceptance letters, Blair, Serena, Nate, and their classmates at elite Manhattan prep schools discover that their college choice depends a lot on relationships--old and new. 


Cecilia's Review It's spring on the Upper East Side and all the senior girls and boys are finding out which colleges accepted them. Serena van der Woodsen goes off to the schools that accepted her and falls in love with every school (tour guides included). Will she be able to make the right choice? Blair Waldorf has her eye on Yale and only Yale. Nate Archibald decides to test how bad each school wants them but, will that help him to choose the right school? Vanessa Abrams and Dan Humphrey decide to take a big step in their relationship by moving in together. Dan is debating whether or not to stay in New York for college. Dan's little sister, Jenny, idolizes Serena and pursues a modeling career. Decisions, decisions. Who knows if they will make the right ones. Most of the characters find spots at colleges or universities in the northeastern United States, conveniently within watch of the Gossip Girl, who will no doubt be reporting on them for many volumes to come. This series is quite addictive, and as the other Gossip Girl books, you wont be able to stop reading it. I definitely enjoyed reading this book. 
Check Availability

Charlotte's Web - E.B. White

To contact us Click HERE
Charlotte's Web - White, E.B. 
Summary: Wilbur, the pig, is desolate when he discovers that he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him. 



Jinnee's Review A little piglet, Wilbur, was saved from a horrible fate by a little girl named Fern. When he's all grown up, his life was in danger again. He met a spider named Charlotte and she is trying to save Wilbur's life by using her web. I think this is a good book because you can learn about friendship, trust, love and how important they are. Interest readers need to understand how writers uses metaphor to express their message of the book. I loved it. 
Check Availability