The Birth of Venus book review

Recently I took a trip to the goodwill nearby to donate some clothes with my husband. Since we were already there we decided to look around, and in the store there was a fairly large book area filled with pretty decent books. I picked this one up because (I know you aren't suppose to judge a book by it's cover) it caught my eye in the crammed bookshelf it occupied. After reading the synopsis of the book I decided to give it a try, and boy am I happy I did!

Sarah Dunant portrays the Italia Renaissance scene with vivid and great details (without being too wordy). When I closed my eyes I could imagine being the houses and streets that the main character was in. The language was neat and easily understood. All in all, I thought the author's writing style was great.

As for the story line itself, I thought it was pretty sweet. It follows the life of one Alessandra Cecchi as she grows into adulthood and describes the world of women during this awesome time in Europe. There was a lot of detail about the way females lived and what they did, where, and why packed in this book. And although the way they lived their lives and where they lived are very different from the world we live in today, I think many of the things Alessandra struggled with could be related to by young adults.

The main character wants nothing but to be able to paint, draw, and read books instead of doing "womanly" things. One night her father accompanied by a strange painter from a monastery comes into the picture and flips her world upside down. She is immediately fascinated by this painter and tries to learn and be friends with him even though he refuses to speak to her because of his vows of never speaking to women.

But to Alessandra's surprise and disappointment, she is soon married off to a much older person who is as intelligent and artistic as the bride herself. However, there is a secret he is hiding from the public eyes and begs his new wife to keep it a secret as well. Disaster could happen if anyone else finds out about it, and the burden is heavy.

Overall this book was quite enjoyable. It wasn't extremely long, but it had just enough details in it to be great. Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes I would, especially an artistic one :3

Bobbi Brown makeup manual review!

Hello world, no reviews the last month because I just got married! Now that things have settled down and I am moved into the apartment in Ca, I have time to to do whatever (at least until I start school next month). Recently I discovered a library that is located only two blocks away! Hello goldmine :3 I checked out a few books from there, and one of the books I picked up was the Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual by none other than Bobbi Brown herself.

I've read all kinds of reviews about it good and bad, but I haven't gotten a chance to physically look at it because I've been over seas. So when I saw this book on the shelf I was ecstatic. It only took me a day to read it because I zipped right through it.

For a book that is suppose to addresses basic info about makeup I thought that this is an excellent book! I'm pretty into makeup and I know the basics pretty well I think. That is probably why I went through the book so fast. I can tell you right now though that if I had this book years ago because it would have saved me a lot of time!

BBMM has a lot of info about everything from skin type, foundation, to eyebrow structure. I won't say that I learned nothing from this book because that would certainly be a lie. I think everyone can take a little something away from this. The book is filled to the top with pictures and step by step info that is very easy to follow :3

The instructions include things from how to pick foundation to applying the popular smoky eye technique! After studying this book and practicing you'll be able to apply makeup fast and easy!

Hmm... What else is good about this book? Well there is a section in the book on pointers to becoming a makeup artist, and advice on working on your career in the makeup art world! I thought that the chapter was just peachy!

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot. It gave me a lot of cool advice and techniques on makeup application that I was giddy with the thought of trying everything I'd found. I guess I'll need to buy more to get some practice!! :3

★For Matrimonial Purposes Review★

Although there are a lot of negative comments about this book on Amazon.com, I for one loved it. I found it in the library while I was browsing, and I was really excited when I found this one. Indian novels being one of my favorite subjects of literature, I couldn't wait to sink my claws into this.
As soon as I started reading this book I knew I wouldn't be able to put it down. The story follows a young lady named Anju, an independent Indian girl living in New York city away from her family in Bombay. While she lives away from her home country she still wants to stick to the tradition of finding a husband and settling down like all of her past friends who still live in Bombay. I related to this character because I am half Japanese and I feel the same struggle of not wanting to stray from the Japanese way while being influenced by western culture.
The down side to this story in my opinion, was that it was a hurried ending. The story took a long time to unfold, and then it suddenly ended. Again, I enjoyed the novel very much and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in this subject matter, but there were some downsides to it. It was a very easy read, and if you are looking for an in depth description of Indian culture this book probably won't fit the bill. But I say go for it! :D

★Belly Dancing Performance!★

Yay, another performance! This was a couple weeks ago at a salsa club (i know, kind of weird), and I had a LOT of fun! I cut out someone next to me because of internet exposure. Anyway, here are some videos on youtube courtesy of my teacher :3

★LisaFreemontstreet Contest!★

So one of my favorite youtube gurus is doing a fabulous giveaway! There are all kinds of prizes galore to win from many great companies that aren't in the mainstream, which I think is an awesome way to promote these small companies! I'm posting her link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVqqEQCWRqw&playnext_from=TL&videos=x2Ymlzr9G0Q&feature=sub) and all the info about the companies that are participating in the giveaway! So, enjoy <3

Hand Crafted Jewelry by Andewyn Designs:
http://www.andewyndesigns.com/
Layrite Products from The Shop at Lisa Freemont Street:
http://lisafreemontstreet.bigcartel.com/
Sigma makeup:
http://www.sigmamakeup.com/
Pin Up Girl Clothing:
http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com
Besame' Cosmetics:
http://www.besamecosmetics.com
Belle Blossoms:
http://www.belleblossoms.com
Heartbreaker Cosmetics:
http://www.heartbreakercosmetics.com
Tuck N Roll Kustoms:
http://www.tucknrollkustoms.com/
Dolly Bags:
http://www.dungareedolly.com
Va Va Va Voom:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/misscasseycakes
Mama Gnome:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/mamagnome
Cataphract Cold Creams and Scrubs:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Cataphract
Sulilo Fused Glass Jewelry on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sulilo

★The Dead-Tossed Waves Review★

Hello, today I will be talking about Carrie Ryan's second book, The Dead Tossed Waves :). I'm happy to report that this was another great success in Ms. Ryan's young series of the zombie world dubbed "the return" in her books. It was full of wonderful detail and a gut wrenching story line that left me hungry for more!

Young Gabry, the daughter of Mary (from the Forest of Hands and Teeth) must face everything she fears as her whole world goes upside down in one fateful night. What was suppose to be a fun filled adventure with a group of friends turns into a nightmare for some of them, and death for the others. Gabry is the only one that didn't get caught and escaped, but at what cost?

I feel like the end of the book opened up a thousand more possibility for the characters that Ms. Ryan built up, and I can't wait for more. On her blog she's mentioned that she had written a couple of short stories that also take place in the world that she's made up. The short stories are part of zombie books with a collection of short stories from other authors! Check out her blog for more info :3 http://www.carrieryan.com/

★Burned Book Review★

I've been a long time fan of The House of Night series, and I was super excited when this book came out last week! I love how the books pick off from where they left off like some books DON't, and the details are just enough that it doesn't bug the crap out of me. And dialog! There is so much fun dialog to read in these books!!

But anyway, in Burned the eighth book of the series, Zoey is still trapped in the Other world, and her warrior/guardian Stark has to help her come back! Meanwhile, Stevie Rae is figuring out how to be a super red vamp high priestess while juggling her feelings and guilt about Raphaim, the top raven mocker, and Aphrodite, the prophetess is getting some crazy ass visions that are going to come home if Zoey doesn't come home!!

jeez.. that's a lot of stuff that happens in about 280 pages! I cannot wait for the next one to come out! I read on fantasticfiction.co.uk that the next book is called Awakened, and I'm confused over whether it is coming out this October, or next January (I hope its October XD) But We'll see!!

Currently reading: The dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Next Review: Soulstice by Simon Holt

Book Review, People of the Raven

Hello, today I am reviewing the book People of the Raven by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear. They are the authors of an exceptional series ("The People Series") which are fictional tales that focus on North America's "forgotten past". The settings are usually hundreds of years before Europeans discovered the north american continent, and really dissects the way people lived back then.

I've been reading this series for almost two years now (I've read about 5 of them and 3 by just Kathleen O'Neal Gear), and I absolutely LOVE the books they've written. It is DEFINITELY a series I would recommend to anyone. All the books (in my opinion) have plenty of mystery, romance, action, enlightenment, etc! They hit all the points I would want in a novel.

NOW on to People of the Raven. This book's setting was somewhere around the coast of Washington I believe, and it described a lot of beach scenes and forest, and COLD. There were good guys and bad guys, and a whole lot of drama and action. There were battles and loving relationships that developed throughout the book, and it was a definite page turner. I think it was one of my favorite people books (although I adored people of the Weeping Eye and Thunder the best).

The story starts out with the discovery of the Kennewick man (Caucasian male). It's a mystery, and the Gears developed an idea, a story out of this anomaly. The time this novel is set in has a huge impact of the people living their daily lives and influences much of the events in the story. At a time when people are struggling to keep up with the changes of the Earth's climate, a power struggle between two peoples occurs, and folds out into a tale of twists and turns!

**From the Gear-Gear site: One day a strange and beautiful red-haired woman, Evening Star, stumbles into his council lodge and begs him for sanctuary. Rain Bear soon learns that she is an escaped slave from the North Wind People, the Raven People's mortal enemies. If he offers to protect her, the North Wind People will attack, but if he sends her back, Rain Bear knows Evening Star will be tortured and perhaps killed.

But when Evening Star warns Rain Bear that the North Wind warriors are already on their way to Sandy Point Village, Rain Bear must decide at once if he should take his people and run or gather them into a battle that could result in the Raven People's complete demise.

Belly dance performance 4/11/10

Hey everyone, another (my second) belly dancing performance with the troupe! I don't have great pictures, so I'm posting the only ones I have that I look normal in haha. :D Okuma 2010 performance

I didn't do too well with my makeup this time because of the time limit that I thought I had, and the lack of makeup (forgot tot bring some colors). Next time (my final performance) I hope I will do better haha, and have a better camera XD

The Forest of Hands and Teeth Review :D

Now this is a book to get SUPER excited about. It's got adventure, mystery, and zombies!! :D

The book was a satisfying page turner of over 300 pages, and let me tell you, it was a great read. Author Carrie Ryan is an awesome writer that described everything just right to fill your head with her fictitious world. The book reminded me of the film The Village first, but I soon found out that it was pretty different, and pretty interesting.

The book revolved around a teenage girl named Mary, who lives in a secluded village in the woods. In her and her village's fenced in lives surrounded by the un-dead, there are secrets and twists to a forgotten path that the curious and robust Mary explores.

Although I really LOVED the book, I found myself wanting to know more about this world that Mary and her friends lived in. One clue I got about this book was that it was (perhaps) taking place in the future (she finds clues of society as it is now). Also the ending was a huge cliff hanger that made me question; "what happens now?" But it also led to endless possibilities, which a lot of authors seem to favor these days.

Overall, I loved this book. Even though I didn't think it was going to be as "scary" as The Devouring, I often found myself more "into" the book with my heart hammering away than the previous book I read. I think The Forest of Hands and Teeth is going to rank high on my list for a while (until I read some other great book, which I hope will be soon! :D)

★The Devouring review★

Hey guys, I just got done reading The Devouring by Simon Holt! Let me just say, that it did NOT take me long to zip through this book. It was an incredibly easy concept to grasp and it was very easy to read (I'm not complaining). It was a nice change from reading complicated text books for school haha. But anywho, The Devouring was a pretty good book. It's suppose to be a "horror" fiction, but it wasn't so scary that I couldn't read it, and I'm a wimp XD.

The story was about a freshman girl named Reggie "battling" an evil spirit(?) that lives on people's fears and posses bodies. It is personal for her because a vour(the evil thing) takes over her little brother's body. Reggie and her friends (Aaron and her boss Eben) research the ancient Vour and try to get the thing out of her brother. As the vour takes over a body, the person's soul goes to a place called the fearscape and goes through horrific and scary things forever while their life is lived out by the vour D: ugh that is so creepy.

As for the characters, I wasn't too fond of Reggie (just sayin, :/ I thought the way she rationalized things was dumb), but I did like a lot of the other characters, especially her little brother. The whole idea of the book was centered around fear, and I think the author emphasized in a clear manner. Holt really described things to get a good visual of what was going on without using too much detail (some authors go seriously over the top with DETAILS D: ), which I loved. It was a no non-sense story that dove straight into what was happening with little bits of mystery that was nice and exciting. Most of the time it kept me reading at the edge of my seat and I would definitely recommend this (it's probably going to my sister next lol), and I'll get the next book when I have the chance/money. Until then, I'll keep RxR!

I wanna be your Joey Ramone

So I just got done reading I want to be your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert. It was one the best books I've read in a while (and I read quite frequently :D). I recommend this to anyone, not only the punk rockers out there that this book revolves around. There aren't a whole lot of books about the punk culture out there so it was like special treat for me. I got plenty of new artists and songs to check out thanks to Kuehnert, and I feel like there was a rock n' roll revival inside of me (haha). Anywho, this book is probably one of the few that I will be taking with me when I move. (I usually donate all my books to the library so others can read it. You should too, books are expensive, and some can't afford it!)

★Fallen Book review ★

I recently finished the book Fallen by Lauren Kate. After reading chapters and chapters of boring history books for my research report I needed something that I could chill with. Now the 'chillin' did not last too long, because the book was only about 200 pages. Still, it was an easy read. Although I found some grammatical errors and thought the story could have been written better, the story line was nice n' simple just the way I like it (after a daunting task such as a report). I'm not going to give any details away, just a key word(s) Fallen Angels. It's a typical theme in YA books these days, and I'm looking forward to book 2 of the series.

According to shockya.com Disney is creating a movie adaption to the book! The fallen series it self is composed of four books, and supposedly they're all going to turn into movies. (We'll see how that goes, because some books such as A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray were cancelled after considerable time and effort :/ )

Belly Dance performance

Valentine's Day Belly dance performance was today~★

It was a lot of fun! This was my first time performing so I was a little nervous, but I did a lot better than I thought I did! yippee!