Hoppergrass

TITLE: Hopper Grass

AUTHOR: Chris Carlton Brown

OVERALL-RATING: 3.5/5.00

I was a victim of circumstance.

Bowser is forced to do time at The Hill. No matter what the circumstance was, he was the victim. The past is the past, we move on. But this time, the past will become the present.

Story Time, and Hill Time, which consists of constant, use-less work, is the daily process. Plowing the fields that feel as if there is no end, by hand in the heat of the day is the lesson the boys are taught. You measure Hill Time in progress.

A long life ahead of Bowser starts off with a bad beginning with a black boy nicknamed Nose. Becoming the worst enemies at Belmont, they must face off in secret wars. Fights erupt between the two groups. Bowsers (the whites), and Nose's (the blacks). Blood is the only thing shared between the groups. But when going down a hall, Bowser is beckoned by Nose to come visit with him in a small room.

Bowser follows. Expecting the worst, things turn out for the best. A new friendship blooms, fury dispersed, and hope bursts. Keeping their new friendship a secret, not one person knows of it. Except Mr. Woodrow. A black man that helps out at the facility.
But when a white boy is killed while on duty pulling a stump out of the ground, Nose looks as if he is guilty of murder. Even though Bowser wasn't there to witness the crime scene unfold, he knows he needs to defend Nose, no matter what secrets unravel, mysteries emerge, or even if it means risking his life to go deeper. Teachers are guilty, and the truth is hidden. But what will it take for someone to believe him. No matter how ugly the secret can be?

"O Lord my God, in thee do I take refuge;

save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me,

lost like a lion they rend me, dragging me away,

with none to rescue."

MY THOUGHTS:

The title took me off guard while I was in the process of reading this book. Not knowing what a simple little bug had to do with such a story, it came to me at the very end. It resembled the past, and a friendship that cannot be broken.

But I had a problem with the way the book was written. I felt as if I couldn't connect with the plot, or its characters at all. It felt as if this whole story happened in a day, even though the book said weeks. It just went by so fast, my mind was in one time frame. The detail was fine, nothing bad about that. But the ending really caught my attention. It wasn't what I was expecting. AT ALL. Some things were confusing though. I think the author rambled on about some things, but went right on through more important stuff that should of been talked about more. None of the characters came clean to me, and I was a bit disappointed.

Somehow though, there was something I really enjoyed. The Message. The whole meaning to the book. Simple, yet deep, it took time to get into. I really can't describe what I learned from this book, I think everyone will learn something different in their own way by reading this.

Honestly, mixed emotions are flooding my mind, so I cant really tell you if I liked it, or disliked it. Not sure if it's just me, but it went by fast.

I have a fabulous Blog?

Awesome! I just recieved this award from Laina! Thanks so much!

So now, here is what I have to do, along with the other 5 people I will be handing this award out to!

*Say five things you are addicted to

*Nominate 5 other bloggers/people with this award.

Here are the five things I am addicted to!

1) Reading/books....duh!

2) Writing poetry, stories, etc

3) The computer (a habit I NEED to break soon)

4) Food!! (who isn't?)

5) The outdoors in the summer/spring/fall....I hate winter!

5 blogs I nominate inlcude:

*The Book Muncher

*Another Page Is Used

*CupCake Witch

*The Story Siren

*The Page Flipper

I hope you enjoy this award as much as I did!

IN MY MAILBOX...week 3

Ok, I havent gotten any review books this week, but I think Im going to in the near future...I'll keep you posted.

THE RECIEVED:

none

THE BOUGHT:

*You Are So Undead To Me

**Private by Kate Brian

(I feel very, very oh so guitly about buying these books, because I took it out of my "Laptop" fund. I've been saving ever since '08 to get a nice laptop, and promised not to spend a penny... As you can tell, its hard to not keep a promise when it comes to buying a book with money to be saved.

THE BORROWED:

None

Spud

TITLE: Spud

AUTHOR: John van de Ruit

OVER-ALL RATING: 4.0/5.0

Everything is extra-ordinary around Milton (nick-named Spud.) After all, he is the grandson of the whacked out Wombat. His dysfunctional parents send him off to an all boys boarding school in South Africa, trying so hard to adapt. Everyone gets nicknames. He becomes Spud. (You will have to read this to find out why!) The boarding house in which he lives, is called the Crazy Eight.

This particular group of boys, including Spud, Gecko, Simon, Boggo, Mad-Dog, Fatty, Vern, Simon, and Rambo begin to do the craziest of things (refer back to nickname of their house!). Swimming at the lake, regardless of what the rules are for the school, lying about what they were doing when coming back from the lake, and more.

1) Thou shalt not disobey those in authority.

2) Though shalt not behave in a depraved fashion

3) Though shalt no tease my cat.

4) Though shalt not waste toilet paper

5) Though shalt not play with yourself( or others) after lights out.

6) Though shalt not go night swimming.

7) Though shalt not play darts (a bit strange considering lack of a dartboard)

So there you have it. Rules, rules, rules. Vern is Spuds cubicle mate, who is known as the bed wetter, and is a little sphycotic. Fatty, the one who wants to set the record for the longest fart (gross!), and Gecko, the one who comes down with the strangest diseases and illnesses. Spud is just a spud, none-the-less. Until, play auditions. Having the voice of an angle, he enrolls in the play Oliver. Amanda, one of the girls from another boarding school, who comes to audition as well, begins to make Spud dream about her and a hamburger she begs him to eat. Not knowing what the hamburger means, Spud takes it as a sign. But he is already dating The Mermaid, a girl back in his South African Community. He is torn between girls. So, his friend Gecko, guides him through the rules of girl dating. (which is weird, since he doesn't have a girlfriend).

In the meantime, caught between the play, girls, Wombat's crazy stories, dad's non-stop talk about how black Africans are going to take over the whites, Cricket competitions, and a mysterious under-wear thief, who has yet to be caught, Spud decides to make a name for himself. But what will it take?

MY THOUGHTS:

I have to be honest. The beginning was super slow and boring. I had no idea where the story was headed. All the names confused me, because there were so many that were important to the story. But, as I got further into this book, it dawned on me. There was no meaning to it! It was beginning to catch up. The plot became hilarious, and worth-while in the middle. I felt as if I were part of the Crazy Eight. The story became deeper, as Spud was caught between 3 girls. Only being 13/14, the relationships are becoming serious for his age, as well as the others. I do have one question though. Are kids/teens allowed to drink wine, and alcohol without getting busted for it in South Africa? The only reason I ask just a random question, is because there was quite a bit of it going on.

The ending is totally unexpected. Though I will not reveal it all, I will tell you one thing. Some one dies!!!! Yes! Through all the humor, love, rule-breaking, mean birthday presents, and book discussions, there is death involved!!!! Which, was super sad, I must say.

Overall, I do recommend this book. But I am warning you...SLOW BEGINNING! Parts made me laugh UN-controllable, so if your in the mood for a few laughs, this is a book for you! Oh, and there is some *adult content* involved. Not as bad, but they do mention a few in-appropriate things.

TAGS: alcohol, funny, humor, africa, boarding school, school, laugh, big, death, life, books, reading, list

Author In The SpotLight!!! ~February~

Welcome to the very first edition of Author In The Spotlight! I will try to get one up for each month!!!

So, please give a warm welcome to Christine Rose, author of Rowan Of The Wood. (which I currently reviewed!!)

Please leave comments, and welcome Christine to my blog, as well as yours! So, here it is!

Q: What first inspired you to write?

A: I've been writing since I was a teenager. I suppose it has always been a way to express myself, and over the years, I have found it very comforting to work out emotions through characters.

Q: Is Rowan of the Wood, your first book written by both of you?

A: This is our premiere novel, and it is the first in a series of five.

Q: Do you plan to write more books?

A: Yes, Rowan is the first in a series of five books centered around Cullen, Rowan, Fiana, and the others. Ethan is working on a book of his own, and we hope to see that published in the next year or so. I have written many screenplays over the years, and I'm thinking about converting one into a novel.

Q: If you plan on writing more, do you want to add a second book for Rowan of The wood?

A: We're currently working on the sequel (Witch on the Water). It will be published later this year.

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?What spare time?

A: I work 12-15 hour days promoting, writing, and networking.

Q: Do you have any animals?

A: We have three dogs and a cat. They are our children :-D

Q: What kind of books do you like to read?

A: All kinds. I especially like fantasy for pleasure reading, but I read a lot of non-fiction books that will help me in my craft.

Q: Do you have a hard time handing out review books to reviewers, worrying if you will never get a review back?

A: It certainly can add up. Because we're with a small publisher, we don't get an unlimited amount of books for publicity. The price of review books comes out of our pocket, along with the price of promotion.

9) Who is your all time, favorite author, and why?

A: I can't pick just one. Shakespeare. Vonnegut. Rowling, just to name a few. Shakespeare -- goes without saying. Vonnegut for his sardonic brilliance, and Rowling because she brought magic back into my life during a very difficult time.

10) Is it hard for you to get ideas when writing a story?

A: Not at all. The ideas are always flowing. The hard part is developing the ideas into a coherent story.

Alternate Covers!

I finally found one book with multiple covers!

Cover #1 Cover #2

Which one do you like? Personally, I like the first one! The second one is aaawwwwkkkwwaarrdd!

AND THE WINNER IS...

Drum roll please????
............................................

Wdebo

is the winner that will be recieving a special edition copy of Revolutionary Road!! I have already emailed you!

Waiting On Wednesday

Paradise Lost by Kate Brian.

I have yet to read this series, ever since I fell in love with this authors writing, through her latest book, Privilege. But once I came across this new Private novel, I am definatly going to start the series this summer, when I get more reading time!

Here is a snippet found on amazon.com!

...."Now that Cheyenne's murderer has been revealed and Reed knows the truth about who's been stalking her, she's ready to leave the heartache and turmoil of last semester behind. And what better way to recover than a five-star Caribbean vacation?
Reed is reunited with former Billings Girls Kiran and Taylor, and she and her friends take over the exclusive island. They spend their days tanning on white-sand beaches and their nights partying on sixty-foot yachts.
It's heaven on earth.
But as they raise their champagne flutes to toast their friendship, Reed worries that it's all too good to be true. Because even in paradise, the Billings Girls are never far from trouble -- and nothing's more dangerous than the calm before the storm...."