OH MY FUDGIN', HOLY EPIC POWER RANGERS, I BOW DOWN TO KEVIN SMITH, AND IS THAT GEORGE TAKEI!!!  SUPERCON IS NEXT WEEKEND! NOT THIS WEEKEND, NEXT WEEKEND!!!

WHO HAS TWO THUMBS AND A WEEKEND PASS?  THAT'S RIGHT THIS NERDY GIRL DOES!

Okay, okay, sorry for the yelling, but I'm EXCITED!  It's not like I'll ever make it to Comicon unless I hit the lottery, and this year Supercon having so many epically fantastic guests just makes me want to have a party in my pants!!

I went last year and there were not nearly as many media guests or panels.  This is why we got our tickets early this year.  It's going to be insanely packed!  There are a few writers panels I want to attend.  Okay, let's be honest, if there was time enough (and money) for me to do everything - I would totally do everything. :) 

Is anyone else heading out to SuperCon?

Lizzy Speare and The Cursed Tomb by Ally Malinenko is a young teen read that in some aspects is a lot of fun.  That’s saying something since, this particular writer, reader, and reviewer, doesn’t particularly like Shakespeare.  At all.  In fact, my personal opinion is that he’s shoved down our throats so much from middle school, high school, and college, that you just want to find every work he’s ever done and burn it so that no one else will ever be subjected to it again.  Once a person is introduced to Shakespeare academically he always seems to come up again.  So it’s refreshing to see Shakespeare in a new light, with a modern twist, and a unique way to draw readers in.



"MEET LIZZY SPEARE…

…a normal twelve year old girl with a talent for writing, who has a very not normal family secret. And when Lizzy’s father vanishes, that secret will change her life in ways unimagined. (Spoiler Alert! It turns out that Lizzy, or Elizabeth S. Speare, is the last living descendant of William Shakespeare. Shhh! Don’t tell anybody!)

Then Lizzy and her best friend Sammy are kidnapped, awakening in the faraway land of Manhattan. Their host is Jonathan Muse, whose job is to protect Lizzy from becoming the latest victim in a family feud nearly five hundred years old. Could that be why the mysterious, eye patch-wearing Dmitri Marlowe is after her? (Spoiler Alert 2—he’s the last living descendant of Christopher Marlowe, a friend and rival of Shakespeare’s. But keep it to yourself!) Is Marlowe after Lizzy’s family fortune rumored to be kept in Shakespeare’s tomb? Does he seek artistic immortality? Or Revenge (with a capital R) for a death long, long ago?

In a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, Lizzy and Sammy are thrust into the realm of the mythical and fantastic—from satyrs and Cyclopses to Middle Eastern cab drivers and Brooklyn hipsters—in what is truly “an improbable fiction” as the Bard himself once wrote"

-Ally Malinenko

That being said, while it’s meant for a younger group of readers, in some aspects I think that the author would have done better by showing instead of telling.  There’s an overabundance of pronouns in some areas of he did, she did, they did – that could have been revamped into a bit of showing that wouldn’t make it so repetitive.  Is a middle school kid likely to pick up on this? Probably not.  They may well be too engrossed in the story to notice, and the story is worth picking up – especially if you’re a Shakespeare fan.

It’s an easy read, and doesn’t go too overly in depth – which makes it perfect for that young teen and tween.  I give Lizzy Speare and The Cursed Tomb by Ally Malinenko three stars, for a unique twist on Shakespeare, and an easy read that a lot of kids will enjoy. 

 

For more information on Ally Malinenko and her Lizzy Speare's books you can visit her website at: http://allymalinenko.com/

Twitter: @AliMalinenko

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TETRIS!!!

Holy crap, Tetris came out when I was one year old!  ONE!  God damn!  They are 29 years old!  Wait till they hit thirty.  Maybe then they'll be as fabulous as me ;) It's all about the thirties baby!  Still, this is an epic nostalgic piece of 80's history.  My childhood - the frustration of wanting to throw my clunky Gameboy across the room because the shapes were coming to fast, the warning music that I was about to die - ahh childhood, how I miss thee sometimes.  Then I remember all the awkward phases, and imagine that Tetris is happy to be all grown up and have gone from the ugly green to full color!

A little background on Tetris for those of you tots who are completely lost as to what this is.

Year of Release: June 6, 1984

Originally Designed and Programmed by: Alexey Pajitnov of the Soviet Union.

It was the first programmed software that was make in the UK and exported to the US.

That's right - Tetris was leading the way for all the epic games we have today!

WAIT!  There's more!!  

HAPPY NATIONAL YO-YO DAY!!

Who knew right?  I didn't, but hey Geeks and Nerds are always learning and enjoying a classic throwback.  There is even a Museum of Yo-Yo History!  Holy crap!  The Yo-Yo is much more popular than I thought!

Okay, honestly, there's a crap ton of history on the Yo-Yo!  I would suggest clicking on the museum to start, but there's way too much info for me to put into this post.  However, I will say that while Yo-Yo's are cool in theory - I always completely and utterly failed at them.  I could never get them to come back up!!!  Misadventures of the Yo-Yo!  At least for this Geek.  

AND THAT, DEAR NERDS, IS YOUR RANDOM NERDY FACT OF THE DAY!

Greetings and Salutations Nerds!

I know, I know it’s been a minute between blog posts. Things got a little busy, but fear not! I have not forgotten about thee! I’m in the middle of reviewing two books, writing my own, writing four critical analysis for my short story class, and drudging my way through my oceanography lab. You would think that would be enough for me, but come on now! I’m a multitasking nerd, and I found some awesome motivation for my story.

Now, most people have heard of NanoWrimo – at least the people I speak to online. Not everyone in my real life knows what it is because they are not absolutely obsessed with reading and writing like I am. However, what some people may not have heard of – but still have the chance to get involved with is:

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!

JUNOWRIMO!!

JUNE NOVEL WRITING MONTH!

This is brought to you by:

Becca J.Campbell and A.E. Howard (Anna)

These two lovely ladies have personalized JunoWrimo. Now, I generally participate in NanoWrimo – but I rarely if ever finish. The truth is I’m not a big fan of the layout of their site, the mass groupings, and to me, it's just not very personal. Now don’t get me wrong, NanoWrimo is great! It motivates and prompts people to write their asses off! But, I’m more of an interactive person. I work full time, go to school full time, sleep part time, review books, write stories, and so many of the Write-Ins for NanoWrimo just don’t happen for me. (Of course that won't stop me from trying again this year.) Their motivational posts by published authors also help, but with JunoWrimo – at least to me – there’s more of a sense of community.

If you have a Twitter account I highly recommend following @JunoWrimo on twitter. There are writing sprints, word mongers, and these wonderful ladies take the time to reply back to people individually, personalizing JunoWrimo and the motivation that comes along with it. I also very much enjoy the layout of their site, and the fact that they add little prompts into the tweets for the writing sprints. They also remind you to take breaks and stretch your legs. For someone like me, who has a million and one things to do during the day, but is still pursuing my dream of becoming a writer, this is perfect. I’m meeting new people, fellow writers, and truly enjoying this experience.

My suggestion – whether you think you have the time or not – sign up at www.JunoWrimo.com You may well surprise yourself at how much you get done with the support of this fantastic community. Also if you get a moment don't forget to like them on facebook. :)