10/17/12

The Shifty-Eyed Embarrassed Stare

Sorry for such a long absence! I just got really busy with school and writing (yeah, yeah, I know, more excuses! :P). But I'll be posting the review for Small Medium At Large in a few days- I just can't get it right now, as there's something wonky with my computer. -_-

Anywhoo, catch you soon!
-Alex :)

7/26/12

New Book Review Coming Soon!

Hey, guys (and girls)!


First off, I'd like to apologize for my very long MIA stint.  I've been busy writing some stories, and this blog slipped my mind for a little while.


Also, I'd like to announce that I'm working on another book review. It's for Joanne Levy's book Small Medium At Large. I don't want to spoil anything for you, but if you want to read an excerpt from the book, you can read it here.


Hopefully, I'll have it done sometime this weekend, because I'm meeting the author at a book signing at the local Chapters.


I'll post the review here as soon as it's out, promise!


-Alex :)

6/22/12

Book Review for 'Between the Lines'

 BOOK REVIEW FOR 'BETWEEN THE LINES' BY JODI PICOULT AND SAMANTHA VAN LEER
Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Oliver who was born without courage. His loveSeraphimahad been stolen away and locked in a distant castle, and Oliver must go on a quest to save her. After an arduous journey across the kingdom, Oliver finds his true love and rescues her from the evil villain, and they live happily ever after.
If only life were that easy. Oliver lives in a twisted fairytale world, where he can talk to anyone and do anythingunless the book is opened. 
As soon as a reader cracks open Between the Lines, the characters have to act out the story. Day, after day, after day.
Nothing is as it seems. Oliver doesn't really love Seraphima, and Rapscilliothe evil villainis actually a kind-hearted man who enjoys collecting butterflies.
Oliver is the only one who tires of acting out the story time after time. Everyone else is happy to do it, but all Oliver wants to do is live. He wants to explore the real world. He wants to live his own life, not act out a role that was created for him.
Then one day, the book is opened again, but something is different this time. This Reader notices more than anyone else ever has, and Oliver's enraptured by her. Her name is Delilah and somehow, some way, she and Oliver begin to talk and find solace in one another. 
But Oliver soon tires of just talking to her. He wants to escape the book, live real life, and be a normal teenager. He tries and tries and tries some more to escape out of his life, but nothing works. He’s stuck in his fairytale world, and there’s nothing he can do about it.
Or is there?
Between The Lines, a suspenseful tale of love, adventure, and hope, is sure to have you reading with your hands clenched around the pages. Told from three different points of view, this story is easily one of the best things I have read all year, and is (in my opinion) an essential for everyone’s bookshelf.

Read more here.

5/26/12

Bullying Needs To Stop.

As some people may know, Mental Health Week just finished, it is only one week long  but people do deal with it on a daily basis;  I've decided to join the anti-bullying campaign bandwagon.  I may only be 13 years old, but I've seen enough bullying to know that this needs to stop.
Bullying can kill. Even if all you do is taunt someone, your words can kill. Bullying-related suicides have become so common over the past few years that we now have a word for it- bullycide.
Did you know that every 40 seconds someone commits suicide, and that over half of all suicides as bullying related? That adds up to someone trying to take their own life because they can't deal with it anymore every one and a third minutes.
Bullying isn't just the stereotypical physical punching and kicking; no, it's often way more than that. There's cyberbullying, emotional bullying, and verbal bullying as well. And that all includes a wide spectrum of things; bullying can be anything from calling someone ugly to shunning them or to hitting them.
I've had my own experiences with bullying, and I think it's time to talk about them.
I guess the first incident started when I was 10, and my father was going through cancer treatment. My best friend suddenly turned against me, and for weeks and weeks she punched me, kicked me, and told me I was worthless, fat, ugly, and stupid. I began to think she was telling the truth, and my self image took a real hit.
This went on for weeks and weeks and I started to hate my body, hate what I looked like. I didn't even snap out of it until she started bringing my family and friends into the equation, and that's when I finally got enough gumption to tell my parents.
We stopped being friends, but to this day she's still there, trying to do things to annoy me and make me mad. It used to bug me, but now I know who she really is, and she doesn't bug me anymore.
I'm going to be honest with both you and me and just say it: sometimes I  get depressed because of many things. It's not extreme bipolar-ness or anything, it's just that all this stuff in my life adds up and I fall into that  trap of depression, we all do.
But I  always get out of it after a little while, because I know somewhere deep down that it isn't worth all the tears and the heartbreak. I know now All those fairweather friends who suddenly shun me for no discernible reason, and all those people who badmouth me when they think I'm not listening- they're not worth it.
And if you're being bullied, remember this: they're not worth it. They're just petty, selfish human beings who hate themselves so much that they have to take it out on others. And anyone who does that to you isn't worth the pain.

5/20/12

Olivia Penpraze: 900 Cries for Help

As most people probably already know, a 19 year old girl by the name of Olivia Penpraze attempted suicide on the 29th of March, and for close to a month she was left brain-dead and on life support. Recently, she was taken off and is now dead.
Olivia was bullied for years and years before this happened. She was called worthless, stupid, and told that she should die. She has pychsosis, and hears voices and sees people that try to hurt her. Because of this, Olivia started hurting herself in Grade 10 and since 2008, she has attempted suicide on every single May 1st.
And this time, she succeeded.
The thing that angers me the most about this is that this could have been prevented. She could have been saved, if someone, anyone had been there for her. But no one was.
This is the video she posted on youtube:


Olivia also had a tumblr account, now deleted, under the name 'bulimickittens'. She posted 900 over posts, over 900 cries for help, and no one cared. Some of them did, probably, and left her supportive messages, but the majority didn't.
She got messages telling her to kill herself, and messages calling her a multitude of names. People egged her on, people egged her on.
It's things like this that lead me to lose faith in the human race. There were probably dozens of people heartless enough to post things like that, and for what reason? Did they get a kick out of it? Did they think that it was fun?
This is what her dad posted on her tumblr before deleting it:
"To all of my daughter’s followers, this is to let you all know that on Thursday, 29th March, Olivia attempted suicide, as a result she is on life support and this will be terminated shortly due to her being brain dead.  So, to all of the people who posted support of this outcome on this blog, you can be real proud of yourselves.  As a father who witnessed her first breath of life and now to witness her last, I thank you for your utmost disregard for life.  If this sort of activity gets you off, you are nothing.  To those of you who offered her support to refrain from killing herself, thanks.  You should all try to make contact with family even if it is against your wishes.  At least leave a contact somewhere on your blog in times of need.  I know that you all need somewhere you can vent your anger and feelings and that these blogs can help, but in reality family must always come first…"
 I agree with him totally. The parents of a suicidal person need to be notified in such cases like this. I have things, on my own tumblr, set up if anyone needs to talk. I have the numbers for the suicide hotline, the depression hotline, the sexuality support hotline, and many others, and I shall re-post them all here if anyone needs them. 

Depression Hotline: 1-630-482-9696
Suicide Hotline: 1-800-784-8433
LifeLine: 1-800-273-8255
Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386
Sexuality Support: 1-800-246-7743
Eating Disorders Hotline: 1-847-831-3438
Rape and Sexual Assault: 1-800-656-4673
Grief Support: 1-650-321-5272
Runaway: 1-800-843-5200, 1-800-843-5678, 1-800-621-4000
Exhale: After Abortion Hotline/Pro-Voice: 1-866-4394253
If you ever want to talk: DM me on twitter, or ask me something on tumblr.
 And with that, I say RIP, Olivia Penpraze. I sincerely hope your next life is better then your last.

5/11/12

New Book Review Coming Soon!

Hey, everybody! I've started writing a book review for Jodi Picoult's new book, Between the Lines. It's a really really good book, and she wrote it with her daughter (who's in high school, by the way!), Samantha Van Leer.
I'll probably finish it in a few weeks, as I have a few MASSIVE projects for school that are due in about a week or so, and I won't have any time to write anything until then.
Thanks!
Alex :)

4/21/12

The Hunger Games Movie Review

So, I saw The Hunger Games today! It was really really really amazingly  awesome (I used three reallys just to show you how amazing it is). I still have to say that the book is better, but this is a really close second. All the emotions that were in the book were conveyed in the movie; the intensity of it was very well captured without it seeming Capitol-ized.
The movie was actually surprisingly true to the book, even though some of my favourite lines were taken out :( . But the characters were all really well cast (Jennifer Lawrence (aka Katniss) is perfect for her role especially), and the male leads (Peeta, Gale and yes, even Cato) were nice looking enough that all of the (other) girls were like:


…And, moving on. I really liked how the movie showed showed scenes from the Gamemaker’s lab, and district 11 in that one scene (which, by the way, was totally heartbreakingly touching and sad). The mutts, and the arena and almost everything was really well done. Especially Rue, who’s definitely one of my favourite characters in the books. I really really liked what they did with her character; I liked how they gave her time to shine and made her mischievous.
All in all, the movie is really really good, and definitely worth spending some money for a ticket on.
And now, movie commentary from me!

The fact that the “Well, don’t step on me, sweetheart,” line was taken out:



“I can still cook you, you know.”

“Well, win. And when you come home, she can’t refuse!”
“Thanks, but that’s not going to work in my case.”
“Why not?”
“Because she came here with me.”



“That’s mahogany!”



“I keep wishing I could think of a way to show them them they don’t own me. That I’m more then just a piece in their Games.”



“Katniss… sing to me.”

“You call that a kiss?”


“You know that day when you came to school in a red plaid dress, and your hair was in two braids instead of one? The music teacher asked who knew the valley song, and you… you put your hand up. *laughs* And everyday after that, I watched you walk home.”
I don’t own any of these pictures. Just saying.
That’s all for now! See you later!

4/15/12

BOOK REVIEW FOR LOST ON BRIER ISLAND

Alex is lost inside herself. She has been filled with grief and remorse ever since her twin brother Adam died in a freak accident, and she blames herself for anything and everything. Her family is broken: her mom and dad are at each other’s throats nonstop, and for no apparent reason. To get away from her heartbreaking past, Alex’s parents have shipped her off to her Aunt Sophie’s on a small island called Brier Island. She hates everything about it there; the nosy people that seem to know everything about everybody and especially, the endless questions.
She shuts herself off from the outside world and puts up mental barriers so no one can really get to know her. And so slowly she begins to bond with a baby humpback whale named Daredevil, aptly named for its endeavors away from its mother. Alex finds that Daredevil is a copy of Adam in many ways, and the baby whale becomes her only joy in her island prison. After an accident occurs on a whale watching expedition, Alex slowly begins a friendship with Rachel, a little girl with a mind of her own, and starts to open herself up to her newfound friend. In this wonderfully thrilling tale of self-discovery and friendship by Jo Anne Yhard, Alex learns to come to terms with the death of her brother, and is able to find herself again through a life-or-death situation. This book will leave you feeling warm inside and waiting for more, and is a necessity for everyone’s bookshelf.
By Alex W. 
Originally posted here

4/9/12

BOOK REVIEW FOR APPLE'S ANGST


Apple's Angst has what every teenage girl will love: boys (like a secret crush on her best friend's bf), a co-worker with a grudge (who suddenly turns suspiciously nice), and of course, drama.

When Apple finds herself in the spotlight, it changes her into a new more confident Apple. Even though she likes the new Apple, will she realize that her friends don’t agree with her? Will she be able to save herself from all the angst?

Apple is a character that we can relate to; she is intriguing yet still seems very real. She goes through the ups and downs of friendships and relationships, especially when Apple needs a dose of reality.
I found myself envying Apple throughout this book because she seemed to have everything that we all want: a perfect life, popularity, and money. But my envy quickly changed to sympathy when her world came crashing down. 
Rebecca Eckler very intricately weaves the story of Apple, the new fashion magazine intern, throughout her adventures and misadventures in the spotlight. Can’t wait for the next book!
By Alex W. 
Originally posted here.

4/3/12

BOOK REVIEW FOR ROTTEN APPLE
Rotten Apple introduces us to 16-year-old Apple, daughter of the very famous TV personality, psychologist Dr. Bee Bee Berg, the “Queen of Hearts”. Apple seems to have the life we all dream of, wonderful friends, money, and (sigh) a crush on her friend, Zen. Apple is the complete opposite of her mom (her nickname is the “sponge”), because she takes it all in and doesn’t let anyone know how she feels.  Apple doesn’t tell anyone about her crush, especially Happy, her BFF.
In the beginning everything is normal, then her hot crush Zen returns after being away in Australia and things change drastically; he now harbours a crush on Happy – and Apple loses her cool.  She initiates Plan Z to get Zen to like her. When this fails, she turns to more drastic measures - like hacking her mom’s computer and giving out bad advice. Unfortunately, all the lies and manipulation get her into a load of trouble. Happy, upset with Apple and her antics seeks vengeance and goes on “The Queen Of Hearts” to tell the world what Apple has done.
Apple starts to realize she made some bad decisions; she starts to understand why she did it and what she could have done to handle it better.  In the end, she realizes that family and friends are too important to lose. In order to keep what happened from happening again, she needs to open up to people and express her feelings.
By Alex. W.