New Books for Teens 12/19/2009

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl–”In a small South Carolina town, where it seems little has changed since the Civil War, sixteen-year-old Ethan is drawn to Lena, a new classmate with whom he shares a psychic connection”–from jacket flap

A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper–Sophie keeps a journal while she is living in exile on an island off Spain.  While the war is brewing in Europe, it doesn’t touch her and her family’s lives until two German officers show up at the island.

The Tear Collector by Patrick Jones–Now this sounds interesting: Cassandra is masking as a high school student who does lots of volunteer work where she comforts her peers.  The truth is Cassandra is a vampire who feeds off the sorrow of others.  She needs desperation to be filled.  But when she falls in love with a human, she considers leaving the lifestyle.

More books follow

The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

So I was writing a review for New Moon for my school blog, and it turned into something a lot longer…

Synopsis (of New Moon):

The ever-popular sequel to Twilight, New Moon, has been constantly praised by “Twilighters” while being bashed by, basically, everyone else. This is the new hype, if you will, of glittering vampires and the fragile human who just wants to be like them. New Moon takes place only mere days before Bella’s 18th birthday, which she truly does not want to celebrate. Why, you ask? It will make her, officially, one year older than Edward.

Shilin Night Market

A stall selling freshly squeezed fruit juice and shaved ice. The mango shaved ice (the flavor I tried) was delicious and was made from fresh mangos

Despite what the name implies, the Shilin Night Market is not a marketplace that is only open at night.  It’s open all day, seven days a week.  However, it is the most crowded at night, and on weekends.  This market is famous for being the largest of it’s kind in all of Taiwan.  The stalls here don’t just sell produce though, unlike the traditional markets.  There are foods of all kinds (mostly snacks that you can eat as you walk), games and activities to enjoy, and clothing stores stocked with the latest fashions.

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

I just finished Rampant by Diana Peterfreund almost an hour ago now. I absolutely adore this book, and I think if you want to make fun of a book but then fall in love with it, this is your book.

HICCUPS! Hic-hic

HICCUPS! Hic-hic

Don’t you feel extremely irritated when you suddenly get the hiccups? I’ve heard several methods of getting rid of them, including looking up at the sky and saying “cow” (I’ve tried it; it worked four times but then it didn’t work anymore), holding your breath, having someone else scare you…the list goes on and on.

Book Review: Full Tilt

Click here to request this book from your Wake County Public Library:)

Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman (Author of Downsiders)

“A roller coaster ride of a book…” says KLIATT, and it truly is. It was a page-turner for sure.

UP: Movie Review

Summary: Ever since he was a little boy, Carl Fredricksen’s idol has been Charles Muntz, an explorer who was disgraced and accused of falsehood for bringing back the skeleton of the monster from Paradise Falls. Legend has it that he travels back to Paradise Falls to prove he didn’t make up the monster and never returned.

Paradise Falls is a legendary place that rests above South America, and Ellie, Fredrickson’s wife, wants to one day journey to Paradise Falls and live right beside the Falls. But the years go by and they never manage to save enough money, always having to spend it on someone else. And the time comes when Ellie breathes her last breath and lonely Carl has to cope by himself. He refuses to move from his house, but when he knocks a worker on the head with his cane, he has to move to a retirement home. But the next day, when the retirement home people come to pick him up, they watch in amazement as millions of balloons sprout out of Carl’s house and the house lifts up, up, out of the ground, and into the sky, towards Paradise Falls…

10 Quick Reads

Christmas season: the best and worst season of them all. Parents think they have it bad, but at least they have money to buy presents, and they don’t have exams to study for.

When Christmas/exam season comes around, most of us sadly stack away our 300+ page novels, and watch them longingly every day, wishing we had time to read one–time to read anything.

Yes? Well, I have an idea. Some authors have gladly gifted our world with shorter novels. Or, if you want something even better: children’s novels. Here’s a list of some of the best of both of them:

Street Performances Near Taipei 101

Have any of you guys ever seen a street performer in action?  They’re pretty rare in NC, but in heavily populated areas like the metropolitan, they’re a dime a dozen.

One of the most popular places for street performers to go is the shopping plaza near Taipei 101.  Weekends especially, the streets and courtyards are lined with people doing stuff ranging from card tricks to break dancing.

This performer acted like a cat, and did stuff like leap from bench to bench and crawl around on all fours

Communication in Taiwan

One problem that people always encounter traveling to other parts of the world is communication, both with the locals and with people back home.  The problem is that most people don’t think about this until they get there.

New Books for Teens 12/4/2009

New Moon:  The Official Illustrated Movie Guide by Mark Cotta Vaz–Lots of glossy photos and behind-the-scenes info about the movie set

God Guy: Becoming the Man You’re Meant to Be by Michael DiMarco–Learn to be a God Guy and see how it could improve your life.

Click on the links to request a copy

New Books for Teens 12/3/2009

Gentlemen by Michael Northrop–A group of boys that are thought of as “bad boys” investigate their teacher when one of the group goes missing.

The Everafter by Amy Huntley–Madison is dead, but she still has all of her possessions.  Surprisingly, she discovers she can use these artifacts to relive or even change moments in her life.  Sounds intriguing.

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst–Cassie’s long lost mother can be returned to her if Cassie agrees to marry a polar bear in this amazing journey through the Arctic.

Click here to read the rest of the new titles

Taipei 101

No, this is not a college course on Taipei.

Taipei 101 is a 101 floor skyscraper here in Taiwan.  When it opened in 2004 it was officially the tallest building in the world.

A picture of Taipei 101 I took the other day near it's base.

 The first couple of levels are pretty much a high-end shopping mall, with mostly designer names like Gucci, Chanel, and Armani. There are also several floors underground filled with restaurants. The top has an observatory, which I have only been to once several years ago.  

Every year on New Year’s Eve a couple of sponsors pool some money together and put on a fire work show for the people of Taipei.  Starting from the 2004-2005, the fireworks show has gotten bigger and more spectacular every year.  Well, a couple of days ago I read online that this year there wouldn’t be a firework display

More New Books for Teen 12/1/2009

The Guidance by Marley Gibson (Ghosthuntress series)–Three members of a love triangle are impacted when one of them starts dabbling in the paranormal because of jealousy.

Devoured by Amanda Marrone–A High School senior who has been haunted by her twin for ten years has to begin to listen to those warnings when she begins working at an amusement park with an evil underbelly

Flipping the Script by Paula Chase (A Del Rio Bay Novel)–It’s the guys’ turn to shine, in this novel in a series new to Wake County.

keep reading for more titles . . .

Traffic in Taipei

So…the traffic here in Taipei.  Where do I even begin?  First off, let me just say that I most certainly would not want to operate a motorized vehicle here.  Well at least not one that I don’t want damaged beyond repair.

The first time I was here in Taiwan, several years ago, I hadn’t yet learned to drive.  So, whenever I got into a cab, I would just get out my iPod and fall asleep for the whole ride.  Now that I’m older, I’m more aware of the cab driver’s actions. I gotta say I’m both impressed and horrified with the cab drivers here; horrified by the number of crashes we narrowly avoid and impressed by how well the cab drivers take it.

Local Band- Stolen Youth

One of my favorite local bands in this area is a band called Stolen Youth. Stolen Youth’s leader, Grant Barnes, was super kind and answered all the questions I had had about the band. If you’ve heard of them, excellent. If you haven’t you should go check them out here.  They are also on Facebook.  If you like funky music, or alternative rock, this band is definitely something you should check out.

New Books for Teens 12/1/2009

Destiny’s Path by Frewin Jones (Warrior Princess, Book 2 of series)–Do you like your princesses tough?  This may be the book for you.  Branwen has a prophecy hanging over her head that she will save her country from the Saxons, but she’s not ready to take on that responsibility.  When she sees a vision of the future without her intervention, though, Branwen must choose if she is willing to allow that future to happen.  It’s got a great cover, too. 

The Shadow Dragons by James A. Owen (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica; book 4)–In an alternate universe set during World War II, the Caretakers of past and present go on a quest to stop the evil.  The Caretakers include Don Quixote and people from the Grail myth. 

Click on the links to request your copy or see where it’s checked in.

Forest Born by Shannon Hale

As always, Shannon Hale’s Books of Bayern do not cease to impress me. The series continues with Razo’s younger sister, Rin, who has always felt isolated from her family. Rin has a special connection with the trees that no one understands; they seem to calm her instantly. But lately, the trees have not been “speaking” to her. When her older brother Razo comes with his girlfriend (or beau, I suppose. I’m not sure what they would call her in that point in time.), Dasha, she sets out with them to see the city, and find who “Rin” truly is.

Traditional Markets in Taiwan

In Taipei, you can find 5 star hotels, fancy restaurants, and modern coffee joints.  However  you can also find traditional marketplaces in alleyways that sell items ranging from kitchen appliances to roasted duck to dried herbs and spices.  This is the kind of marketplace I went to last night.

A typical fishmonger selling his goods. The people of Taiwan don't have much meat in their diet, as there is little space to raise cows, but there is plenty of fish!

These marketplaces are about equivalent to farmer’s markets back in the US.  But  they don’t just sell raw fruits and vegetables; you can also find stalls that sell meals that are ready to eat, and bakeries with all kinds of bread. I personally sampled everything there that seemed even remotely edible.  

New Books 11/25/2009

White-Out by Walter Sorrels (Hunted series)–mystery thriller that takes place during a blizzard

Why I Fight by J. Adams Oaks–At the age of 12, Wyatt begins traveling the country with his uncle and earning money by fighting.  After six years away, Wyatt finally confronts his parents

Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser–The day after an anonymous blogger writes that he wishes Lucy were dead, Lucy vanishes from school–a thriller in the vein of I Know What you Did Last Summer.