The gift of gifting

It’s the father’s day – birthday lead up into Christmas for my family which means one thing… gifts.

*If you’re family, reading this, and you get any of these gifts, do me a favour and act surprised. Okay?*

The one thing I always try to keep in mind when buying or making gifts for the people I love is the one question you all should ask yourselves when procuring gifts. ‘Would I like to receive this?’ If the answer is no, you’re either not thinking hard enough, or would rather not be buying a gift for this person… in that case, gift vouchers are the way to go.

ANYWAY!

The easiest place to start is to think of the things the person/ people like.

Couples quite often have a common favourite movie. The gifts I am really wishing someone would buy my hubby and I, are matching Princess Bride t-shirts. One says “Get Back Witch!”, while the other says “I’m Not a Witch, I’m your Wife!” See? Classic.

For the wordy types you can’t go past a great blank journal and a pen. Café Press is brilliant for most print based products.

For the coffee or tea addict (there’s more than one in every family) You could try Zazzle. This link happens to take you to a familiar design. *wink*

If you’re not into online purchasing and have a teeny budget (like me), you can look to $2 shops and craft stores to create some fabulous personalized gifts. I have 2 tutorials on making nice hair combs that are really budget friendly and easy to make on Marianne’s YouTube channel.

Another idea is also taking a simple hessian or calico bag, decorating it with things that speak volumes about the person you’re making it for.

For a book worm, you could use an iron on transfer and a printer to put the cover of their favourite book on the side of the bag. Or for angst filled cousins you could try to find punk themed badges and use different coloured sharpies to graffiti over the fabric.

If you do happen to go the gift voucher route, you can try jazzing up the gift giving process by making a groovy card. I hope to make more card tutorials in the future.

However you want to cut it, gift giving doesn’t have to be a pain in the butt, you just need to plan ahead a little.

My fail safe gift, no matter what, if I am truly stuck, is a calendar. 2013 calendars are starting to trickle in already. For a nice touch try personalizing it at your local photo printing kiosk.

Instead of pulling your hair out, keep in mind… Today is a gift, enjoy it!

Don’t Sweat. Don’t Laugh. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them. Gene is different from everyone else around him. He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood.

Gene is a human, and he knows the rules. Keep the truth a secret. It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night – a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood. When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible – and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever – but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

©2012 Andrew Fukuda (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

The Hunt is about to begin. There is a lottery that will take place to choose the lucky winners – Vampires who have not tasted real human blood, since humans are almost extinct and a rare delicacy only tasted by the very few. Gene is one of the lottery winners and is whisked away to the hunting grounds, with no time to prepare. The Vampires are housed in close quarters preparing for their hunt only days before the humans will be released from the dome they now live under.

Gene is hiding his true identity. Living in close quarters with vampires is very dangerous. He may be considered one of the lucky ones by winning a place in the lottery but that is not how he sees it. Each day spent at the headquarters preparing for the hunt is another day Gene has to be on constant guard. Every glance, smell, look is noticed by the ever vigilant vampires. They are all on edge, ready to taste human blood, ready to hunt.

The Hunt is an intense read, the growing stress that every day brings upon Gene, who’s secret must not be revealed.  The story has its bursts of action, which is overlaid with fear, paranoia and curiosity. I enjoyed reading a book that takes on the view of a socialized vampire,  living in cities and attending school. Though very few of them have experienced human blood, it is still a constant desire. Gene’s character brings emotion into an otherwise cold, dispassionate world. The one thing that makes Gene different, his secret makes for an entertaining twist to the vampire stories today.

Sean Runnette is an award-winning audiobook producer, director and narrator. As a narrator he has a gripping tone that brings out the danger and the careful and unambiguous way the vampires speak and represent themselves. He makes it a very memorable story. The anxiety that Gene feels and the intimidation of the vampire elders are what stood out to me while listening. It must be hard to imagine a world in which vampires rule, human’s are farmed. You would do just about anything to live…wouldn’t you?

“The Hunt” audio clip

Nothing has been the same since Rose Smith’s mother disappeared when she was twelve. Her life, home and family were torn from her on the night that Kathy Smith and Rose’s step-father, Brendan, went missing from the restaurant they had gone to for dinner. Rose lost not only her parents but her step-brother, who was taken away to live with his relatives when she was sent to live with an emotionally distant grandmother that she had never known.

Now, at seventeen, she is finally about to see her step-brother, Joshua, again. Only, before she boards the train that will take her to him, she witnesses a murder. With two mysteries to solve, Joshua and Rose must find out whether their parents’ disappearances have anything to do with the murder before they become targets.

Dead Time begins with an interesting premise that will keep readers turning the pages to find answers. Joshua is more embroiled in the mystery of the past, to the point of almost obsessing over the fate of his father, while Rose is more concerned with the murder that she has seen. Since the disappearances of Kathy and Brendan are so much more personalised, this is the mystery that really hooks the reader in.

Anne Cassidy does a great job of writing an unsympathetic hero in Dead Time. Rose is the epitome of socially awkward teen. She is undemonstrative with gratitude, even when she wishes that she could be more gracious. The relationships around her suffer because she consistently misconstrues people’s meanings and intentions. You get the impression that when Rose was cut off from her mother, she found it hard to allow anyone else in. Fortunately, her relationship with Joshua is on firmer ground; possibly because he shares a loss so similar to hers. Even so, I found it difficult to relate to Rose much of the time.

The supporting characters showed hidden depths that I hope will be explored more fully in the next book in the series. Rose’s grandmother, Anna, is an immaculately groomed, reserved woman who doesn’t seem concerned with anything aside from appearances. It later becomes painfully apparent that the weight of her daughter’s disappearance is crushing her. Joshua’s flatmate, Skeggsie, is another character who breathed some fresh air into this novel. Though he is antisocial and intrinsically flawed when it comes to manners, his actions betray him as being loyal and honest to the point of discomfort.

The London setting in Dead Time is a refreshing change, as is the lack of supernatural themes. Readers who have a penchant for reality in their novels will enjoy this new series by acclaimed Young Adult author, Anne Cassidy.

Dead Time – Anne Cassidy

Bloomsbury (May 22, 2012)

ISBN: 9781408815502

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone – one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship – tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

This title was incredibly hyped within the YA community prior to and upon its release, and has since received a large amount of praise and recognition. While the attractive cover and the Beatles-inspired title certainly earned my interest, I was a little hesitant as to whether the science-fiction elements would prove to have any substance and originality, or whether this would fall into yet another trap of being a romance hiding behind another genre.  Thankfully, the former won out, and in addition, the book proved to have strong elements of murder mystery and dystopian fiction which melded seamlessly with the inter-galactic setting.

Told in dual narration, Across the Universe offers two unique perspectives on an uncertain future in the vast nothingness of space; Amy is our connection to the Earth that we know, and Elder is a resident of the human population born into space. Both characters have incredibly jarring and contrasting views on basic human behaviour as well as larger moral issues (evident in some quite disturbing scenes of sexual activity) which help to present a more immediate portrayal of the dual decline and advancement of human nature during its time in space.

Amy and Elder boast strong character traits, making for worthy protagonists, and their eventual romance doesn’t feel too forced or rushed, and is in fact quite credibly drawn, given the wider context of murder and social collapse that surrounds them. However, the true drawcard of this novel came for me in the supporting characters, namely Elder’s friend Harley, whose emotional breakdown was the real moment of connection for me as a reader.

The pacing of the novel was well-crafted, with much of the mystery remaining out of reach until effectively unravelled; also, as this is the first instalment in a series, there was the sense of ‘to be continued’ but never the infuriatingly feeling of details being purposefully omitted. Beth Revis also does atmosphere superbly, and this is evident from the novel’s opening chapter, in which Amy is cryogenically frozen, narrating each stomach-churning detail as it happens. Never before have I felt so incredibly claustrophobic while reading!!

I found Across The Universe to be an enjoyable read, with some interesting moral dilemmas raised, and given its popularity and strong readership, I think it will continue to have a great deal of well-earned success. Now I must just get my hands on its sequel, A Million Suns!

Across the Universe – Beth Revis

Razorbill Australia

ISBN – 1595143971

416 pages

January 11th 2011

Savannah Colbert has never known why she’s so hated by the kids of the Clann. Nor can she deny her instinct to get close to Clann golden boy Tristan Coleman. Especially when she recovers from a strange illness and the attraction becomes nearly irresistible. It’s as if he’s a magnet, pulling her gaze, her thoughts, even her dreams. Her family has warned her to have nothing to do with him, or any members of the Clann. But when Tristan is suddenly everywhere she goes, Savannah fears she’s destined to fail.

For years, Tristan has been forbidden to even speak to Savannah Colbert. Then Savannah disappears from school for a week and comes back…different, and suddenly he can’t stay away. Boys seem intoxicated just from looking at her. His own family becomes stricter than ever. And Tristan has to fight his own urge to protect her, to be near her no matter the consequences….

Belinda:

Cover

A sepia picture of a girl in a white strapless gown on a leaf strewn lawn. Her eyes are accented in blue and her hair has slightly auburn tinges. Around the edges of the cover are the foiled images of foliage.

Characters

Though there is a cast of many in Crave, the non-essential players are useful tools to move the storyline along.

Favourite

Emily, mainly because she kept her cool, was supportive but protective all at the same time.

Least Favourite

Savannah’s Mum. If I was going through all the changes Savannah was and my Mum wasn’t there I would be royally p.o’d.

Beginning

The beginning is a little confusing, and makes very little sense until later on.

Storyline

Savannah falls ill and is made aware of her true family heritage upon awakening. The consequences of  her family’s past demons is more than enough to alter her future.

Ending

Finally the beginning makes more sense and that’s all I will say on the matter.

Thoughts

Initially when I started getting into Savannah’s dance club whimsy, I was rolling my eyes. Melissa managed to keep things atypical and I was really getting into the groove of it by the time Tristan entered and added his spice in the mix. Then the whole scenario went to a whole new level.

Score one for the guy following the girl for once!

Quote

“I’m sorry, was there something to actually see?” Savannah to Dylan

Krista:

Savannah Colbert has never known why she’s so hated by the kids of the Clann. Nor can she deny her instinct to get close to Clann golden boy, Tristan Coleman. Especially, when she recovers from a strange illness and the attraction becomes nearly irresistible. It’s as if he’s a magnet, pulling her gaze, her thoughts, even her dreams. Her family has warned her to have nothing to do with him, or any members of the Clann. But when Tristan is suddenly everywhere she goes, Savannah fears she’s destined to fail.

For years, Tristan has been forbidden to even speak to Savannah Colbert. Then Savannah disappears from school for a week and comes back…different, and suddenly he can’t stay away. Boys seem intoxicated just from looking at her. His own family becomes stricter than ever. And Tristan has to fight his own urge to protect her, to be near her no matter the consequences….

Paperback, 416 pages  Published October 25th 2011 by Harlequin Teen (first published October 18th 2011)

ISBN  0373210353 (ISBN13: 9780373210350)  series: The Clann #1

Cover

I love the colors and the contrast between the background and her dress. The dress does make some sense for the story as the main character is a dancer.

Characters

There is more than just a paranormal romance factor in the story. We get to see great family dynamics as well as the friendships, romance and a generations-long battle that has been happening between creatures living in the world.

Favourite

Savannah was my favorite character. She is a little headstrong in some scenes of the story, especially when it comes to the relationship she has with her father. But I felt all of her reactions and actions were something I myself would do in her situation.

Least Favourite

I agree with Belinda on this one. I, for one, did not like Savannah’s parents. The mother or the father. I was happy to see a novel in which the parents actually take a pretty large role in the story, but the scenes that they were in really made me the most upset. More the father than the mother, but that is how I came to understand Savannah’s actions better as well. The relationship she had with her parents may have been understandable, but at most times they were not very supportive. That is where her grandmother comes into play.

Beginning

In the beginning of the story we learn that both Savannah and Tristan have been feeling really sick lately. Savannah has never been sick a day in her life so the reader knows that something is off.  We also learn that Savannah is bullied and somewhat of an outcast at school, but Tristan is pretty popular and outgoing. And that they have a long past that has been broken somehow.

Storyline

We get alternative perspectives between Savannah and Tristan’s points of view. They have both been feeling ill lately, and because of some long history in their town, there is rumors and mysteries surrounding the Clann. Most of the town is part of this mysterious Clann, and Tristan is from one of the well known Clann families as well as hanging out with the popular girls at school. Savannah used to be best friends with this group, but in the fourth grade something happened and she has been pushed out. When Savannah’s illness takes a turn, her family sits her down to explain to her that nothing she ever could have imagined was happening to her, and everybody in the Clann knows she is different. But her and Tristan have a overpowering attraction to each other that must be confronted.

Ending

This section is the only part I have a hard time commenting about because I hate spoilers. The ending is perfect, it ties up all of the mystery and confusion. This is my second time reading this book and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. But I went into it knowing the ending. It’s action packed, mysterious and intriguing. You will definitely want to pick up book two COVET.

Thoughts

My favorite thing about this book is Tristan and Savannah’s “Dream Dates”. These are the parts when these characters seem to really open up for the readers. They are so open and honest with each other, you get the dialogues between Savannah and Tristan in the dream sequences.  There is a good balance of events that happen, great anticipation and I loved all the twists to paranormal aspects that this story brings. Tristan learns a lot of new things about his heritage and Savannah is put through several different tests to determine who she is meant to be.

Quotes

“I understood then why humans have noses. So we can find each other to kiss in the dark.”

Lisa:

Cover

I don’t have very much to say about the US paperback cover. It doesn’t have any connection to the story, at all. This cover is so generic, it could be used for any other Young Adult paranormal novel. Besides having no real meaning (towards the story line), nothing really sticks out or catches your eye when walking by. This cover is such a disappointment, especially since Crave was such an AMAZING read!

Characters

The main character is Savannah who is in the process of changing into a vampire. Though her mom and grandmother are both witches, the vampire inside of her is from her dad’s side of the family. What I thought was the most interesting was the tons of rumors going around that the Clann had some sort of magical powers, which is true, but no one really believed it.

Favorite

I really loved the main character. Savannah wasn’t as dramatic about all the things changing, not only in her appearance, but also her thoughts, emotions, and…cravings as Twilight made vampires seem. She was so down to earth, and that’s what I really liked about her.

Least Favorite

At the beginning of Crave, I had to say my least favorite character was Savannah’s dad. But after finishing the book and learning why he isn’t around as much as a dad should be, I can happily say I don’t dislike any of the characters!

Beginning

Crave seems to start off with a normal teenage girl, going to high school, dealing with not only the daily bullying from the Clann kids who run the school (The Clann, are the decedents of the original founders of the town), but also with her father, who isn’t around. When he is there, he doesn’t care about Savannah or her hobbies.

Story Line

Soon Savannah starts the process of changing into a vampire. At first she assumes it’s just a seasonal flu. But sitting down with her mom, grandmother, and dad (shocker!), she learns a lot about herself, and her family. Her dad is a vampire, her mom and grandmother are witches, and Savannah’s family was part of the Clann, until they were kicked out, due to some of her mother and father’s decisions and life choices.

Ending

Besides dealing with the changes of becoming a vampire, trying to impress her father, and following the directions of her mother, Savannah is having a hard time staying away from the boy she loves, Tristan (who is next in line to become the Clann’s leader). I don’t want to say much more, because I don’t want to ruin the ending for you. Buuut … Savannah doesn’t have a choice, she has to do, what her mother and father didn’t do, stay away from the one she loves.

My Overall Thoughts

his is one of the best books I’ve read this summer! Though the cover isn’t anything special, the story is! The ending is like nothing I’ve read before. Rumors of it being a cliff-hanger are true. But it’s the good kind of cliff-hanger that makes you want to run to the bookstore at midnight in your pajamas just to pick up the next book!

Paperback, 416 pages

Published April 6th 2012 by MiraInk (first published October 18th 2011) ISBN 1848450966 (ISBN13: 9781848450967)