Sunday, September 29, 2013

13 Weirdo Facts (a Sunday Lexi post)

Dear Readers,

Here are some weird facts for this awesome Sunday!

1.) If you eat a polar bear liver, you will die. Humans can’t handle that much vitamin A.

2.) Michael Jackson cast Crips and Bloods gang members in the music video to "Beat It" to foster peace between them.

3.) The Caesar Salad was not invented by the Italians, but by a restaurant owner in Tijuana, Mexico.

4.) 80% of the brain is water.

5.) The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie.

6.) A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad and sting itself to death.

7.) Cleopatra lived closer in time to the Moon landing than to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

8.) A hummingbird weighs less than a penny.

9.) The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.

10.)  A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.

11.) There really was a Captain Morgan. He was a Welsh pirate who later became the lieutenant governor of Jamaica.


13.) One species of jellyfish, Turritopsis nutricula, are immortal.

Hope these were weird enough for you! Have a splendid day!


Saturday, September 28, 2013

"Through Her Eyes" (a creepster Lexi review)

Hi, Readers,


Every ghost has a story to tell.


Thursday, September 26, 2013

"Severed" (a headless Lexi review)

Hello, Internets People,

This is Alexis, bringing you another great novel to read! Again, because my mind is focused on costumes at the moment, we'll go to this novel: Severed (A Tale of Sleepy Hollow) by Dax Varley!



But the Horseman awaits. Now it’s up to her to sever the horror and alter the Legend of Sleepy Hollow." (Thank you, Goodreads!)

This novel had me hooked. I'm neutral on the usual Sleepy Hollow story, but this one had me absorbing each page as fast as possible. The love story wrapping into the legend (that is much, much creepier in this novel) is wonderful!

I honestly believe that everybody should read this version! The characters and storyline is actually believable, and the mysteries that you try to solve along the way are deeper than you could ever imagine.

In Conclusion: This novel is GREAT!!! READ IT!!!


5/5 heads

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

"Jade Green" (a haunted Lexi review)


We're getting closer to October, which means Halloween is coming up! So, in honor of that awesome holiday, this week will consist of freaky books. Today's is Jade Green by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.

Summary: "

So how would you feel if this disembodied hand started to haunt you? I'm thinking as freaked out as Judith was, but probably even more so. I know I wouldn't be as brave as she is throughout this whole book!

This novel is a nice glimpse into the past, and the creepy parts truly will have you looking over your shoulder!

In Conclusion: It's a good, quick read, so go for it!


3.5/5 hands

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

"Anthem for Jackson Dawes" (a heartfelt Lexi review)

Our dear Readers,

Yesterday, Ash and I went to two bookstores, one being three stories!!! Ash found tons, including a leather-bound, illustrated Pride & Prejudice and a beautifully illustrated Beauty & the Beast!!! I found a first edition of the book Eloise, from 1955, and in great condition!!! Oh, it was an absolute dream. We had sister time, and read, and got Italian food. Now, honestly, how can you top that? You can't. lol

Okay, onto my awesome book review of (drum-roll, please!)... Anthem for Jackson Dawes by Celia Bryce.


Before anything else, this is a British literature book, so expect that when it comes to language (like Brit slang).

This novel was very touching, and very sweet. It's also funny, and relatable. You feel as if you'd be the same as Megan if in that particular situation. This novel truly was just a great book. I hope you guys choose to read it. It's short enough to keep up with, and long enough to have a good conclusion that is satisfying.

In Conclusion: Read away, and be sure to bring out the Kleenexes!!!

5/5 hearts

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Challenge: A Secret Book, Tragedy, and Leaving a Legacy (a Sunday post by Lexi)

Dear Readers,

Today, I'm writing in a secret book.

See, my little brother is 17, and he has such a sweet heart (but still acts a 17-year-old guy, of course, lol). We're extremely close; I was his "other parent" in a way. I still try to teach him by my walk in life, and he still comes in my room sometimes and watches TV at night with me. Or he'll not want to go to a place if I'm not. I do the same things, and even interpret for he and our mother when they are in a place in an argument where they're not getting eachother. (He speaks "Lexi," lol.)

One day a few months ago, my mom came to my room with this notebook that I had written in for my semester's classes, and she asked if I needed it. It was just a small turquoise notebook that held notes for my last semester in college, including Spanish IV and Philosophy of Literature. I glanced through it, and said no, I didn't, and asked why. My little brother wanted to keep it, she told me, so that when I'm gone, he can remember what my writing looked like. This was completely out of the blue, you guys. He does this. It seems that he'll be quiet and not say things unless he's thought them through. I don't know why he's already thinking about when I'm gone, but I knew in my heart that this was very important to him. So I told her that he can definitely keep it.

Then, I remembered: the focus of the philosophy course was "tragedy." Yeah, as a chica with depression and anxiety, I was not enthused when the professor told us that we were going to be studying it. What sucked worse is when I realized he meant the entire damn semester. I didn't want my little brother reading notes I had to take on lectures that included one philosopher's view that nobody is worth a thing and that the best thing we can do is to kill ourselves. That's not something I needed him to ever even glance at. I don't want him to know about these things, or think that any of the arguments for giving up on life were real.

In the end, I let him keep it. However, I began (yet another) quote book. I love writing these, and have been working on one for my future kids for a few years. (It's a big, huge book. Not my best idea, lol.) My mom found a notebook with a cover that says "Do small things with great love," and it's this perfectly sized, lined notebook. I'm going to fill the entire thing up with inspiring, funny, insightful, etc. quotes.

This is how I want him to remember me. I want him to see funny things, and wonder why I picked certain ones especially for him. Was it a joke? a silly thing? something that does or eventually will be applied in his life? I want him to remember me through these things. In the end, I'll write a letter in it for him, one that tells him the truths that I can never seem to verbalize, like: he's the reason I'm still alive; I love him as if he were my kid, and I'm scared I won't love my children as much as I love him; and that he is an astounding person, and I'll never turn my back on him, no matter what.

I want him to know these things before I'm gone. I want him to know that he's always been the most important person in my life, even before he was born. He is brilliant, and his own person, and ready to debate everybody on everything, etc. But he should know these things before I'm gone from this earth. And it's making me wonder what else I haven't said to people, things that they should know -- how much I love them, how much I care, how strong they are, how beautiful, etc. All those things we think but never say.

So here's the challenge...

Tell at least one person the truths that they should know, the things you think but never express in the correct way or context. Try your best. Do it through words, actions, letters, etc. Let the people who changed your life know that they did, and how they did it.

Try it out, and let us know how it goes in the comments or through our contact page.



Saturday, September 14, 2013

"Fangirl" (a huge fanatic Lexi review)

You Awesome Readers,

OMG. I stayed up past 4 a.m. (with work the next morning) reading this entire book because I literally couldn't put it down and just stop. For some reason, it's 300-whatever pages turned to 600+ on my Nook, but it was just too good to stop once I began. What would this novel be? Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.

Summary: "Cath is a Simon Snow fan.






For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?" (Gracias, Goodreads!)

I have been jitter-ly waiting to write this review, and I can't give this book enough justice to how great it is. But I'm going to try.

So this girl writes. Fanfics. Fiction. And she's introverted a bit, with a twin that's outgoing. So how's she going to survive her Freshman year without her sister by her side??? This can help those who are in the same boat (alone Freshman year, bookworm, fanfiction fan/writer, writer, etc.) It shows that you can make friends in college and do fine if you open yourself up just a tad bit for that possibility. I know I had issues my first year in college. I was scared as hell. I also wrote fanfiction, and was a tiny bit introverted in certain cases, but still would talk to anybody (thank God for my gift of gab). But it was difficult to establish myself when I was so new to this experience, and I chose to be homeschooled for high school, you know? Plus, who was I in this new place, and who did I want to be?

On top of this, I could "see"/imagine the college and town they lived in. The characters were fun and complete. The best part was the way this novel was written. It reads in a very comfortable way, and the book had me laughing out loud all night long, and thinking about what kind of special hell it would have been for our parents if me and Ash were to have been twins... lol. (Lots of Emergency Dance Parties. Lots of noise. Lots of plotting and sarcasm. That's why we're best friends now, lol. We were supposed to be twins, but God decided to just release one of us at a time to different people, until we met in our teens, lol.)

This is such an amazing book overall. I can't tell you guys how great it is with words or fangirl squees or even sorority snaps. I just can't. I have so much energy and excitement as I write all this, just thinking about this book. You should have seen me reading it!


6/5 laptops

Thursday, September 12, 2013

"8 Songs That Should Become Books" (a lyrical Lexi post)

Lovely, Forgiving Readers,

It's super late, and I'm sorry, y'all. Fell asleep after work, and then thought it was Wednesday. How I do that, I have no clue whatsoever. lol.

Okay, so I'm going to do tonight's post on something different since it's like 9:03 here, and I don't want to just do a normal book review, especially for those who are up reading this. So, let's do songs that I wish would become books. Yes, random. But oh-so fun.

I'm a lyric girl all the way, while my little brother is one who loves the beat. But we both would choose this first one...

1.) "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons

If you listen to the lyrics, it's seriously a book in song form. (That's how I describe it anyways.) The lyrics have you playing this little movie in your head, and then you have to ask why everybody is red ("We're painted red/to fit right in"). Is it a chemical bomb side effect? Is it blood? Why was he in prison? etc.

2.) "There's Us" by Alexz Johnson

Yes, this is from the show "Instant Star," but I didn't like the story that led to this song. It didn't feel like it warranted these lyrics or anything. So let's strip the song down to its lyrics and let me show you the first lines with no background piano or anything: "There's me, looking down at my shoes. The one smiling like the sun, that's you. What were you thinking? What was the song inside your head?" Then it just gets better from there.

3.) "Heartache Every Moment" by HIM

Oh, I love this band's old songs; they're so raw and the lyrics actually mean something. Yeah, I know, so do many artist's, but Ville Valo painted these canvases with beautiful words, and they called it a song. It is so difficult to choose which song to choose, but this one wins with the lyrics "Cuz there's no smile of an angel/without the wrath of God."

4.) "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey

Y'all had to know this was going to be on here; it's a classic! It has a story in it, but you just want to know the characters, their lives, their worlds, why exactly they'd want to stop believin', and how they keep going on.

5.) "Red Light" by Jonny Lang

This song is so deep and true. One moment could change everything in your life, even caused by a red traffic light. Imagine this as a book where each chapter is a different character at a red light. Screw that. Don't imagine it. I'll be the one to write that book.

6.) "To Be With You" by Mr. Big

Okay, so I love this song. It's so sweet. Why can't we all just agree that this song is amazing? It is. Again, go to the lyrics. Think of it in all the different points of view this could be taken into. It would be wonderful!

7.) "Chaos" by Mute Math

A complicated life, and who's he looking to? Okay, I know it's supposed to be him looking to God in this song, but think of the possibilities! Every time his world is in chaos, he goes to the same person over and over. "I know you stay true when my world is false/ Everything around's breaking down to chaos./ I always see you when my sight is lost./ Everything around's breaking down to chaos." And that's only the chorus. I have a friend who does this, and I do, too. It's like a drug. You have to keep going back to this person cuz at least they'll tell you the truth to your face, and vice versa. Maybe I need to write this one as well, lol.

8.) "Satellite" by Jorge Moreno & Carlos Santana

The lyrics, again, are telling this awesome story. You can take them as you want, but this is just such a great song. If you haven't heard it, go listen to it. You'll come out inspired by the end, and wanting this man as your own.

And that's the list! Let me know what you think in the comments! Any songs you'd want turned into a book???


Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Syria and You (a Lexi post)

My lovely Readers,

President Obama just delivered his speech on the conflict and use of chemical weapons. I hope that you guys listened, as it's always important to listen to the news and know what's going on in the world. I don't care what side you're on -- if you're on any side -- nor what political affiliation you have -- again, if you have any. One should always know what's about to happen. Feel free to read Obama's speech, for that's the real way to find out what he said, instead of reading the news. (I know that I have a BA in journalism, and truly, that's why I'm saying this.)

Okay, so here's the transcript of his speech. Go read it.


Sunday, September 8, 2013

"A Really Awesome Mess" (a therapeutic Lexi review)

Oh, readers,

I found a book that I'm absolutely in love with. Yes, this book is so wonderful in the true sense of the word. It's called A Really Awesome Mess, and it's written by both fabulous authors Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin.




This book had me involved in the feelings of the characters, and yet distanced enough to appreciate the storyline of each character in there. I wanted to join the characters on their journeys in getting better. I wanted to go hang out with them. You can't just read this book and feel nothing. This novel was hilarious, touching, and reminiscent of the movie "The Breakfast Club" with their fun, completely different characters. I think that this novel truly is "The Breakfast Club" of our generation(s). Everybody should read this, because both guys and chicas will appreciate the messages, and the writing of these two great authors.

In Conclusion: Choose this novel and indulge yourself in it, because it is a GREAT read!!!!!

5/5 therapy couches!

Thursday, September 5, 2013

"The Island" (a starry Lexi review)


Well, this novel took me by surprise! I thought it would be just another dystopian novel, but it was surprising and kinda funny when you think about it. It's The Island by Jen Minkman.

Summary: "‘I walk toward the sea. The endless surface of the water extends to the horizon, whichever way I look.



I have never seen one.’


The novella is basic, but stupid. It's interesting though. That's all I really have to say about this one...

Conclusion: Go for it, but only if you can get it for free.


2/5 islands

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

"Katana" (a warrior review by Lexi)


I adore y'all, and thank you so much from the both of us. We just love doing this, and you guys just brighten up our lives!

Today's awesome book is Katana by Cole Gibsen.



Ever feel like becoming a warrior instead of constantly being a worrier? Ever want to learn to fight, to defend yourself, to the death? How about just to maiming? Ever feel like there's another you that you keep hidden? One that's wanting to burst forth and change your life forever?

Well, Rileigh's randomly shows up one night, and her old life is gone, and her new life is terrifying. This novel is soooo much fun. For those who want to be a warrior (like this chica writing does), this is the novel we've been looking for to confirm that maybe we are samarais. (I get that this is probably not true for myself, but let me have this fantasy! lol) Not that Rileigh is too thrilled about this whole "life changing big time." No. In fact, she despises it. However, this is a story about embracing your true self, and Rileigh is going to have to learn how to love this other girl that's inside of her.

The book is well-constructed, and the characters are very cool.

In Conclusion: If you've dreamnt of being a kick-butt fighter, or embracing the true you, or maybe gone through a big life change and are not sure about it or handling it well, you should read this novel. If you like action, fantasy, fiction, chick lit, and YA all meet up, then you seriously need to get on to reading this STAT.


5 katanas