Follow Friday and Nation Poetry Month

5 silly book facts about me:

1. I read faster now that I have reading glasses!
2. I believe in the statement 'don't judge a book by it's cover', but don'e always follow it
3. Though I am an avid fantasy reader I haven't read Lord of the Rings until now
4. In my own book-match-making world, Cinna from 'The Hunger Games' would get together with Magnus Bane from 'The Mortal Instruments'
5. I was walking and reading once and almost stepped into a puddle!


Be sure to leave a link so I can follow you back!


I would also like to announce that April is National Poetry Month (For the U.S. at least but it might be in other places too). I have gotten quite a few new followers since my last announcement, but in honor of National Poetry Month I am hosting a haiku contest on this blog. The guidelines for which are here!

p.s. I know most of you guys know this already, but I want to remind you that you can't post a comment on the guideline page itself you can only post under posts, like this one!

Exciting News!!!

I am super excited, today I found out that my poem A Day at the Beach won second place in a poetry contest! (This is kinda funny because I have won two other big-ish poetry/writing contests in my life and have always gotten second, so it is a lucky place for me).

It's strange how my creative process works with poetry- or with anything really. Sometimes I have a prompt that I use, sometimes I resolve to write something and stare into space for an hour before any sort of inspiration comes. I don't always remember how I had the inspiration to write something, but I do with this one. I found this beautiful piece of music called 'Promise' and I just put it on repeat while I wrote, the poem just sort of morphed from that.



A Day At The Beach
Charcoal washes down the beach like ink
The blackened logs carried out from their pits to the tide
Prints of animals write fables in the sand
Gulls screech as they pirouette across the sky
Diving between kites
Silhouetted like a shadow show
Of masterful carving
Iridescent kelp lies floating in
The tide’s current
Mermaid hair attached to a sandy scalp
And just adjacent to the rock
With the myriad of anemones and sea stars
A child screams with delight
For she has just found
The perfect sand dollar
Completely round
Not even chipped at the edges
And in a chubby fist she raises it for all to see
Though her parents are the only spectators around
Until the sun peeks out from its cotton curtains
Smiling down at the giggling toddler
And lays a diamond kiss on the dollar
And weaves gold into the girl’s hair
And binds the fables of the shore creature’s prints
Into a charcoal ink volume
In a cover the color of warmth and summer breezes
Just for a moment
Then it slips back like the tide
Receding from the shoreline
Its beaming light playing the water like a harp
Plucking out dolphin song

What do you guys do for inspiration for your writing???

Follow Friday

Question: What are five silly book related facts about you?

Answer:
1. When I was four I told my mom I was going to be a book-worm, even though I didn't know how to read yet.
2. I am related to Stephan Crane, the author of 'The Red Badge of Courage' (he's like my great-great uncle or something)
3. I can spend hours in bookstores just staring at the books.
4. My friend recommended that I read 'The Mortal Instruments' even though I didn't like the cover very much, I thought because of Jace's bare chest that it was a romance novel and I have never liked those. It is now one of my favorites.
5. I have an absurd passion for fantasy.


Please be sure to leave a link so that I can follow you back!

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

Nightspell
By Leah Cypess
Released: May 31, 2011
HarperCollins

When Darri rides into Ghostland, a country where the living walk with the dead, she has only one goal: to rescue her younger sister Callie, who was sent to Ghostland as a hostage four years ago. But Callie has changed in those four years, and now has secrets of her own.

In her quest to save her sister from herself, Darri will be forced to outmaneuver a handsome ghost prince, an ancient sorcerer, and a manipulative tribal warrior (who happens to be her brother). When Darri discovers the source of the spell that has kept the dead in Ghostland chained to this earth, she faces a decision that will force her to reexamine beliefs she has never before questioned – and lead her into the heart of a conspiracy that threatens the very balance of power between the living and the dead

Nightspell is a stand-alone companion novel to Leah Cypess's other book 'Mistwood'

Spreading the Word

Spreading the Word isn't exactly something that I 'host', but it is something I do once in a while to promote a blog I think should be promoted. If you decide to catch on and do it too, I think it is super cool to give deserving bloggers a bit of time in the limelight.

This time I am featuring a blog called The Girl With a Book. I try hard to find blogs with not many followers to feature, and the reason I chose to feature this one is, partly because she only has 6 followers, also partly because she is going to give book giveaways as she gains more followers! It is a really cool blog, and if you want to be part of the giveaway ;-) you should definitely hop on by and give her your follow.

Review: Angel by James Patterson

Description:

Maximum Ride and her best friends have always had one another's backs. No matter what. Living on the edge as fugitives, they never had a choice. But now they're up against a mysterious and deadly force that's racing across the globe - and just when they need one another the most, Fang is gone. He's creating his own gang that will replace everyone - including Max. Max is heartbroken over losing Fang, her soulmate, her closest friend. But with Dylan ready and willing to fight by her side, she can no longer deny that his incredible intensity draws her in. Max, Dylan, and the rest of their friends must soon join with Fang and his new gang for an explosive showdown in Paris. It's unlike anything you've ever imagined ...or read

Review:

This has been a rather James-Pattersony month for me since I have reviewed two of his books this month. As a personal preference, I liked ‘Angel’ better that I did ‘The Gift’. It had the same could-not-put-it-down suspense, but at the same time the characters were more in depth.

Like I said with ‘The Gift’, ‘Angel’ is not the first book in the series, in fact, it is the second-to-last, so you should read the previous ones before this one. I like the way that Max’s story and Fang’s story were written and then interwoven as the characters came together. Maximum’s witty narrative of the novel made it an extremely entertaining read.

This book had me hooked from the beginning until the cliffhanger ending!

4/5 Stars

*My Book Review Dealio*
This isn’t necessarily a book reviewing blog, but I am happy to do one or two a month. If you see that I am reading a book that you would like a review on let me know and I’d love to write one up!

(Just a reminder if you haven’t submitted yet for my Haiku Contest, you can leave your submission as a comment!)

Follow Me Friday

Hi, this is my first follow me Friday, so I am just figuring this all out. If you follow me, please leave your URL so I can follow you back ;-) Happy Saint Patty's Day from the Howling Turtle!

~ Larissa





Q: how did you name your blog?
A: when I was little, I used to make this face where I tilted my face back and puckered my top lip out. My family and i called it the 'howlilng turtle' look. I Couldn't do it as well when my teeth grew in properly, but when I was starting this blog, i wanted an original name, and this is what I came up with. Plus i think the image of a howling turtle is kinda cool, even without the little back-story.

Review: The Gift by James Patterson

Description:

When Whit & Wisty were imprisoned by the wicked forces of the totalitarian regime known as the New Order, they were barely able to escape with their lives. Now part of a hidden community of teens like themselves, Whit and Wisty have established themselves as leaders of the Resistance, willing to sacrifice anything to save kids kidnapped and brutally imprisoned by the New Order.

But the One has other plans in store for them: He needs Wisty, for she is "The One Who Has the Gift." While trying to figure out what that means, Whit and Wisty's suspenseful adventures through Overworld and Shadowland lead to a jaw-dropping climax and conclusion: the highly-anticipated fulfillment of the heart-pounding opening prologue of book one... The Execution of the Allgoods.

Review:

As is typical of all James Patterson novels, I could not put 'The Gift' down! It is the sequel to 'Witch and Wizard', so if you just pick up 'The Gift' without having read the first one first, you may be slightly confused.

'The Gift' is the absolute perfect book for reading on a long airplane/ car/ bus/ train ride. (I would know, I read it on Amtrak). I would not, however, recommend it if you are looking for something with a deep hidden meaning or worthy of a Pulitzer prize in writing. Yes, I was hooked from beginning to end, but the characters at some times seemed superficial, and the plot kept jumping around so much it was a little confusing to follow.

Having said that, it was sure a very entertaining read, and I would still recommend you reading it at some point, especially if you liked 'Maximum Ride' or have read 'Witch and Wizard'. My advice though is maybe to wait until it comes into paperback, or if you cannot wait to find out what happens (and I understand that) get it on ebooks where the price is reduced or go to the library to check it out. But don't spend twenty dollars on something you are probably only going to read once.

3.5/5 stars

Up and Running

I would like to let y'all know that my haiku contest is now officially up and running! As it says on the page, you will be able to submit until the end of the second week of April- but why wait!

If you want to enter, you can visit the page or click here.

Haiku Contest!

Hey everybody! I am planning to host a Haiku Contest in honor of National Poetry Month (April). As you can see, I've added a page and am writing the guidelines now. I should have the page up and running later today if everything goes as planned. I will have a button up that you can grab for your blog to say you participated in this contest. (The buttons are my way of publicizing). The picture above is not the button, but it is what it will look like (I still have to put together the code). I hope you guys are enjoying the approaching Spring!

~ Larissa

The Throne of Fire
Rick Riordan
May 3 2011
From Hyperion Books for Children

In this exciting second installment of the three-book series, Carter and Sadie, offspring of the brilliant Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane, embark on a worldwide search for the Book of Ra, but the House of Life and the gods of chaos are determined to stop them. (From Border's website)

You gotta love anything with the name 'Rick Riordan' on the cover!

One Lovely Blog Award!!

Wow, thanks so much to Book Addict for giving me this wonderful award!!! Make sure you take a look at her blog if you haven't already.

Here are the rules if you are awarded:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 random facts about yourself.
3. Pass this award onto 15 other lovely bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.

Alright, so, for the seven things....

1. I have three adorable pooches: Cous Cous, Kasha, and Barli
2. I have a strange obsession with Two Steps From Hell, which is a group that composes classical music that is used in theatrical trailers. (Though I am not a fan of what you would call 'traditional classical' music.)
3. My top three favorite non-reality TV shows at the moment are: LOST, Firefly, and Portlandia
4. I was first in line for a book signing with Suzanne Collins, and I got to the store even before it opened!
5. I love dark chocolate, but I think that white and milk chocolate are only okay. (Still, any type of chocolate is better than no chocolate!)
6. The slow loris gets my vote for cutest non-baby animal.
7. I wear reading glasses


And my 15 winners!

1. Truth, Justice, & Other Stuff
2. Nikki
3. Aleetha
4. Alleged Author
5. Lindsey Brooks
6. Christy
7. Lolz
8. Moonlight Gleam
9. Aimee
10. Aylee
11. Okie
12. Demitria Lunetta
13. John Caliburn
14. Must Love Books
15. ComaCalm