My Signature

So I went on mylivesignature.com today to look for my signature, because a good amount of the people of TEEN TUESDAY had them and I felt left out so I checked it out. My signature is more bubbly and connected, but this is the one I choose

It's sort of similar, but the letters are closer together and my m's, n's and h's are more bubbly. Maybe one day I'll take a pic of my handwriting so I can show you, but here it is, nonetheless.

September Contest!!

The Book: The Elite by Jennifer Banash




Timespan: September 5th through September 26th

How to Get Points:
1 ENTRY
- Post a new comment on this post with your name and email address.
- Post a new comment on a book review on my blog.
- Post a new comment on an interview on my blog.

2 ENTRIES
- Make a bulletin on MySpace advertising my blog. (Make sure we're friends first, so I can see it.)
- Post a link about this contest on your blog.
- Join Wired Wednesday, which is another of my blogs.
- Refer someone to my contest and make sure they tell me.

3 ENTRIES
- Make me a banner or button to advertise my blog or Wired Wednesday.

4 ENTRIES
- Make me an animated banner or button to advertise my blog or Wired Wednesday.

When you've done something to gain points, please email me with what you did in the subject line (a different email for each task, please). words.speak.volumes@gmail.com is the address. Have fun.

I have decided to do this on Friday, so that I can call it Free Friday. I love alliteration. I am now part of Salon Sunday, Teen Tuesday, Wired Wednesday, Booking through Thursday (no alliteration, but it sounds cool all the same), and Free Friday. Free Friday will occur on the FIRST Friday of every month.

P.S. If you have any more ideas, you can email them to me and I'll pick the amount of points.

Booking Through Thursday: Volume Two

Peer Pressure

I was looking through books yesterday at the shops and saw all the Twilight books, which I know basically nothing about. What I do know is that I’m beginning to feel like I’m the *only* person who knows nothing about them.

Despite being almost broke and trying to save money, I almost bought the expensive book (Australian book prices are often completely nutty) just because I felt the need to be ‘up’ on what everyone else was reading.

Have you ever felt pressured to read something because ‘everyone else’ was reading it? Have you ever given in and read the book(s) in question or do you resist? If you are a reviewer, etc, do you feel it’s your duty to keep up on current trends?

Giving that I am a reviewer, I often feel as though I am expected to be up on the trends. I read Twilight and New Moon in seventh grade and I just started my Freshman year on Tuesday. I want to re-read them to be ready to read Eclipse and Midnight Sun. My friends love the series. I have one friend who's read Twilight at least eight times. My other friend finished Midnight Sun in less than forty-eight hours. I am not pressured as much to read Eclipse as I am to read Midnight Sun, because it just came out. It's new. At school, nobody except me and my friends view reading as a fun, relaxing, voluntary experience. So nobody can really pressure me to read something. My friends wouldn't do that. They just want me to enjoy it. If they really liked it, they'll recommend it and leave it at that.

What I really don't like is offering to review a book for someone and I don't enjoy it. Then I feel as though I'm obligated to finish it. I do it anyway because my curiosity overcomes me, but sometimes I just think, 'There's so many way better books out there that I could be reading. Why do I have to read this?' Then I remember that I offered to read it and review it and that's like a client.... kind of.

Well, I hope that answers your question. Thanks for reading.

Wired Wednesday: Volume Two

Feeling: Pretty energized

Current Book: Fringe Benefits by Valerie Frankel

Next Book In Line: Top Ten Uses For An Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro

Last Book Blog Seen (besides your own): Teen Tuesday

Link This Blog Please. Click Here.

Are you impressed by that Blog? Of course, there are so many thoughts and ideas there from other reviewers.

Any plans for today? Well, I plan to take a shower and get dressed. I will do my hair and makeup, and then I will make some breakfast. Then I have SCHOOL = Physical Science, Spanish II, World History, Band/Choir, World Lit, Lunch, Health, Intro To Food Service, and Geometry. After that, I have practice from 3:30 until 6:30ish. On the sheet, it says we get out at 6:15, but that never happens. Then I might get a haircut and eat some supper. Yup, that's pretty much it.

Teen Tuesday: Volume One

Okay, people! I though this must be a joke, but nope. There she was all perky sitting in her seat a big cup of coffee next to her newly organized desk. Mrs. Blank (for security), my Freshmen Physical Science teacher, was ready. Ready to torture and rudely awaken the awaiting freshmen sitting at the tables in front of her. She then explained to us how this year would go and how there would be no way we could get by cheating the way that most of us did last year (not me, I didn't need to cheat) because we have tests/quizzes every Friday.

I have really survived my first day of high school unharmed, unless you count the matching blisters on the back of my heels from the cutest purple flats in the world. I however didn't have time to read at all and was officially about 20 minutes late to Health class with Mr. Blank (nope, no relation :D) because I had to refill the water machine for Student Council.

This week was a good one for me. I posted reviews for the following:

Anatomy of A Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky - 4.5

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen - 4.5

How I found the Perfect Dress by Maryrose Wood - 2

Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita - 3.5

Violet On The Runway by Melissa Walker - 4

Ambition by Kate Brian - 5

Legacy by Kate Brian - 4.5

Inner Circle by Kate Brian - 4

I am currently reading Fringe Benefits by Valerie Frankel. It's pretty good. I read it until ten last night when I went to sleep. I still can't believe I fell asleep at such an early hour. :)

My blog will be hosting a contest for a surprise author coming soon, plus an author review. Just stay posted.

29. Anatomy of A Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

Before all this happened, the closest I’d ever come to getting physical with a guy was playing the board game Operation. Okay, so maybe that sounds pathetic, but it’s not like there were any guys at my high school who I cared to share more than three words with, let alone a relationship.

Then I met Wes, a track-star senior from across town. Maybe it was his soulful blue eyes, or maybe my hormones just started raging. Either way, I was hooked. And after a while, he was too. I couldn’t believe how intense my feelings became, or the fact that I was seeing-and touching-parts of the body I’d only read about in my Gray’s Anatomy textbook. You could say Wes and I experienced a lot of firsts together that spring. It was love. And then came the fall.

I enjoyed this book, but it definitely wasn’t as good as others that I’ve read. The main character, Dominique, isn’t very strong. She spends too much time with her boyfriend and becomes obsessed with the way that they are seen and how much time they spend together.

RATING: 4.5 stars

Back To School

13 hours and counting before my first day of high school starts.....



I'm only a little nervous. I know at least one person in each of my classes which is good. One of my best friends, Jade, is in 8 of my 9 classes, which is pretty exciting. I have a new book that I started tonight. FRINGE BENEFITS by Valerie Frankel. I'm bringing it along in my new purse. For school, I always get new stuff, that's part of the fun.

Tomorrow is a big day for me. I have my first day of high school, which is exciting, of course.
Then tomorrow is also my first high school volleyball game. I'm on the freshman team and I can't wait. I just got new shoes and they're orange, one of my school colors. I'm going to get back to reading, because being in school makes me want to read even more.

28. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

"Ruby, where is your mother?"

With that question fromt he social worker, Ruby knows the game is up.

She's been living alone in the old yellow house, waiting out months until she turns eighteen and can finally be on her own legally. It certainly wasn't in her plan to be reunited with Cora, the sister who left ten years before, and broguth to live with Cora and her weathly entrepreneur husband.

Suddenly life is transformed: a luxurious house, private school, new clothes, and even the chance of a future Ruby couldn't have dreamed of. So why is she wary and unable to be grateful, incapable of letting anyone close? Her old life has been left behind, but where does she fit in this new life? Only Nate, the genial boy next door, seems to understand, perhaps becasue he's hiding some secrets of his own.

Funny, perceptive, and touching, Lock and Key will delight the legions of Sarah Dessen fans and win many new ones.

Lock and Key was a good read. It was longer, over 400 pages, but sometimes you love books like that. You just want to keep reading when the book ends, you wish it hadn’t. The storyline has so many plot twists and it’s different from the other Sarah Dessen novels you love, but you still wish you were like Ruby just like you do with Dessen’s many other protagonists.

I would have to say that some of the story was predictable. You knew how she would handle the situation, but you just as to read it to make sure. I would definitely recommend it.

RATING: 4.5 stars