Mini Book Reviews (3)

1.  The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Not my favorite of John Green's but it's still great and makes you keep a box of tissues nearby. A beautiful story on dying. What do we do when we have a disease that will inevitably kill us in a short amount of time? Lots of philosophy throughout this one and dealing with death is something we should always be aware of. It happens to us all and to all those we love.

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2. Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism by Susan Jacoby

Jacoby is a great writer and she is able to seamlessly combine history and mini-bios into one great book. There are so many great people that history seems to have forgotten--Ernestine Rose, Robert Ingersoll, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, all due to their outspoken views on patriarchal religion. I loved getting to know these beautiful people that all helped shape our great nation.

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3. Trapped by Kevin Hearne

This is the fifth installment of Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles. This time Atticus is trying to bind his new druid apprentice to Gaia but somehow the only place he can do it is in Greece near the Olympic Gods!

This one has funny pop-culture references, talking dog, hilarious gods, monsters, and goddesses he's always annoying and killing! Even a bit of romance! If you haven't read the first book go do it now!

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4. The Pirate's Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke

This is the finishing sequel to Clarke's Assassin's Curse. Both are amazing kick-booty female-driven fantasies. Ananna and Naji are bound together because of a curse. She's a pirate and he's a blood assassin. He must keep her alive to live and if she actually wants to be a pirate captain she must find a way to break the impossible curse.

She's tough, smart, and gets things done. It's great to see female-centered books that don't only focus on romance and finding a man. One of the best adventure-fantasy series I've read in a long time!

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5. Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters by Donna Jo Napoli

I picked this one up to read with my son. It's beautifully illustrated and Napoli adds in some commentary that helps with discussion. She also has little info boxes about science, history, and geography to help put times and stories into context. My son is still little so I think I enjoyed the stories more than he did but he loved the pictures! I will be returning to this one again and again.

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On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers and Giveaway! CLOSED!

As part of vvb32 reads's ...and a bottle o'rum-Pirates all May, I be reviewing On Stranger Tides and be givin' away a brand new book as part of me bootie!

Genre: adventure, piratey
FTC Disclosure: bought from Amazon.com
Published: 1987
Pages: 336
Content: zombie and pirate mayhem and a bit o'romancin'....

Ahoy, me hearties. This be a grand adventure fer any pirate! We follow Jack Shandy as he be taken captive aboard the Jenny...he be fightin' the bocors, the zombies, and the dreaded Blackbeard, as well as savin' t'love of his life, Elizabeth. Lots o'rum to be had, swords t'be fought, and zombies t'kill in this harrowing tale of t'Fountain o'Youth and the strange tides that be....

Ratin': 4/5 stars! Ahoy! A pirates life for me!!!!

If this book be o'interest please leave your name, email address and why ye be lovin' t'pirates' life! That be all, me hearties. Ye be havin' til Friday at midnight to enter MST and me wee lil' boy will be drawing randomly from 'is pirate hat! Winners will be notified by email and please be respondin' within 24 hours or I will be forced to choose a new winnah! Arrrr, me be not wantin' to do that. Name, email, why ye be lovin' t'pirates life! Or no entry....

Dead men tell no tales....Arrrr....Enter at yer own risk!!! ;)

CLOSED GIVEAWAY

The Parting Glass...RMT: Pirates! Wrap-up

Today’s the wrap day for Random Magic Tour: Pirates!.
 
As one of the mates - ahoy, matey! - sailing with this crew of
buccaneers, would like to say thank you for visiting the blog on May 25 for 

my review and how to dress like a pirate post, and hope you also 

enjoyed some of the other great blogs on the tour.

I'm also reviewing On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers for Velvet over 

at vvb32 reads and am hosting a giveaway for the book tomorrow. So come

back for a chance to win!

Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoyed the tour!

  
For the wrap day of the tour, we’re just going to raise a final pint
o’ grog to say thanks for the good company and may your days be filled
with smooth seas ahead, good grub, solid comrades, romance and
adventure. Yaaaargh.
 
As this particular traditional toasting song goes, good night and joy
be to you all!

PSSSSSSSS...... 

Message in a Bottle: visit Liana's Paper Doll Blog today to see the Pirate 

Queen Sasha and read more about her at  

Moonlight Gleam's Bookshelf!!!!!!
  

How to Dress Like a Pirate and The Sea Hawk

Random Magic Schedule

Reading about Captain Jack, the pirate king, was quite a treat! He's definitely what I think of when I think pirate. Here's what he looks like:

"The king of sea thieves was decked out in eye patch, peg leg, curly black hair, and big floppy hat with a floofy ostrich feather, as if he'd stepped out of a coloring book about pirates." (p. 216)

starcostumes.com

Imagine him to look a bit like this:

 Well, maybe a bit fatter and dirtier and maybe with a floofier hat:

funhousetheatrical.com

Dressing like a pirate is fun anytime of the year!!!!

Here's what me hubby and I like to dress as:

 Here's some fun pirate fashion for the ladies!

This is a great one with pants, sexy but not porny

costumesgalore.net 

Here's for the wee lasses:

buypiratecostumes.com

Here are some pirate accessories to go with any ensemble:

Skull Bag

Fancy necklace and earrings.

Kiera's sword.

For the buccaneers:

Cartoon getup is sooo in season!

Three classics!

When all else fails go for an awesome pirate bandana, me hearties! 

They will never fail you in a pinch. 

Drink up me hearties, yo ho! 

Random Magic Tour: Pirates!
Bonus: Free audio book: The Sea Hawk 

As part of Random Magic Tour: Pirates!, it’d be fun to
swap some great pirate yarns - or just listen to a few great tales
about the sweet trade, the black flag, pirate queens or the Brethren of the Coast.
 
On this blog, you can listen to the audio book The Sea Hawk, by
Rafael Sabatini. Here’s a description of this novel about vengeance,
adventure, and the brethren of the Barbary coast:
 

From Wikipedia: The Sea Hawk is a novel by Rafael Sabatini, originally
published in 1915. The story is set in the late 16th century, and
concerns a Cornish sea-faring gentleman, Sir Oliver Tressilian, who is
villainously betrayed by a jealous brother. After being forced to
serve as a slave on a Spanish galley, Sir Oliver is liberated by
Barbary pirates. He joins the pirates under the name ‘Sakr-el-Bahr,’
the hawk of the sea, and swears vengeance against his brother.

If you enjoy the stories, you can download a free MP3 version of this
classic book:

Listen to or download audio book (MP3 format)The Sea Hawk by Rafael Sabatini.
Courtesy of LibriVox.

Click here

RMT: Pirates! Special Bonus Feature- Pirate Movie Night!

Random Magic Tour

 
Pirate Movie Night
 
The world of Random Magic is vivid and painted in bold and brilliant colors,

and the Nine Muses actually paint 

with the colors of life, itself.
 
A lot of people have commented that Random Magic unfolds
visually, like a movie, and that it would make a great movie. And Random Magic 

Tour: Pirates! is all about pirates.
 
So, the special bonus feature on the tour today is -- pirate movie
night! Grab your popcorn, get comfortable, and pick your drama: Either
a feature film about the return of Long John Silver, that infamous
character who originated in the novel Treasure Island, or a
marathon of the first season of The Buccaneers.
 
The Buccaneers can currently only be viewed in the U.S.,
Canada, and selected other regions, so Return to Treasure
Island is provided for international viewers, so that everyone has
a chance to enjoy pirate movie night.
 
Oh, and for a pirate quote from Random Magic? Sure, here’s a quick one:
 
  
Random Magic quote of the piratey persuasion:
 "'Aye! Use yer deadlights, mates,’
yelled Hammer Jack, ‘the captain’s naught but a scurvy tar -- let's
send 'im to Jack Ketch! Take the ship!’
‘Crk!’ said the parrot."
 
And here’s a quick run of pre-feature trailers! A book trailer for
Random Magic and a short, pirate and odd international film --
that’s for the people who love indie, quirky, international and art
films, Random Magic author Sasha Soren enjoys unusual, cool projects.
 
COMING ATTRACTIONS
 
Random Magic video short

Shown above: Book trailer, Random Magic
Find Random Magic: Amazon  | Kindle 

 
Shown above: Short film, Pirate Girl vs. Evil Toys
The film is in Swedish only, with no subtitles, but you won’t need
subtitles to know what’s going on, as it’s a quirky, stop-motion
action short.
 
MAIN FEATURES

 
Shown above: Start marathon, The Buccaneers (Season One), The
adventures of Captain Dan Tempest (Robert
Shaw).
This episode: Captain Woodes Rogers arrives with an official pardon,
from King George, for all pirates. Most of the pirates accept the
King’s offer, but Blackbeard and his gang resist, make a getaway, and
scheme to have Rogers’ own ship attack the island.
All episodes
Viewing license and info: Rightsholder approval, includes advertising,
free, available to viewers in selected regions. Recommendation:
Viewers in U.S., Canada, U.K., some other regions.
 
 
Shown above: Feature film, Return to Treasure Island
About: Captain Long John Silver heads back to Treasure Island to see
if he can dig up a buried treasure.
Viewing license and info: Public domain film, available to viewers in
most regions. Recommendation: International viewers.
Get an audio book version of Treasure Island: Listen or
download.
 
For international fans of animation, a second feature has also been
provided below:
 
 
Shown above: Series episode, Yolanda, Daughter of the Black Corsair
About: Spanish cartoon series dubbed into English. Based on the
adventure novels, originally in Italian, by Emilio Salgari.
Viewing license and info: Rightsholder approval (BRB), free, advertising.

Recommendation:
International viewers. You might also enjoy reading about more pirate
queens during the RMT tour!
 
Finally, for people who enjoy some of the cool indie show selections
on YouTube, here’s a video discussion about pirates, from this very
tour!
 
 
Shown above: Documentary or YouTube reality series - Book Lover-BookChicks 

discusses real-life pirates.
Viewing license and info: Rightsholder approval, YouTube show, host is
LexieVamp666, pirates episode
specifically for Random Magic Tour: Pirates!
 
If you’d like to find more cool piratey things, feel free to join us
on the tour, there’s a lot going on --
features about pirate grub, gear and eats, music and games, a great
art series, an interesting series on pirate queens, lots of prizes and
a fun treasure hunt.
 
Set sail with us! Browse the tour schedule.
 
Here's another interesting tour feature you might also enjoy: Find
some pirate plunder, with Little Pirate Prizes, these aren't marked on
the schedule and they're not part of the hunt, but they’re out there
for visitors to find and they could be ANYWHERE! Find some Little
Pirate Prizes.

 
Have fun and good luck!

Random Magic by Sasha Soren

Genre: fantasy, humor
FTC Disclosure: received from author for review
Published: 2010
Pages: 397
Content: Nothing to get antsy about
  
This was definitely a different book. It was really quirky and zany and kind of tough to understand what was going on with whom and why and how even. A few parts got more serious and were easier to understand and then it got zany again and back to bewilderment. She has a lot of mythical and literary references that just went completely over my head. I'm sure over half the book went over my head in that case. I'd like to read it again one day and take the time to look this stuff up!

But I loved Winnie. She's the best thing about the whole book. She's strong, smart, funny, zany, sassy, etc. A great heroine. I love strong female characters. Henry? Henry who? Yeah, I don't really have much to say about him since he wasn't a strong presence in the book. He didn't really have any qualities I remember...Plus the one time he's alone and not with Winnie the book goes all serious and hits us over the head with morality and right and wrong. I'm not sure if the author was doing that on purpose or not...the book is crazy, whacky fun...so it could be.

This book definitely isn't for everyone. I liked it but I just didn't understand a lot of it and that made it hard to get through. I liked what she was trying to do, though and I'm sure there are some really smart people out there who get most of it and makes it amazing.

I received the book courtesy of the author and this in no way affected my review.


Rating: 3.5/5


Join me later today for my piece on how to dress like a pirate!

Thanks for dropping by, hope you enjoyed your visit here! Here's another
interesting tour feature for the Random Magic Tour that you might also enjoy.

 
The main Rum + Plunder treasure hunt is open internationally!
Here’s a fun way to win something piratey and cool:
Browse prizes at vvb32 reads or join the hunt… (click coin for more info).

Click here

Bonus: Find even more pirate plunder, with Little Pirate Prizes,
these aren't marked on the schedule and they're not part of the hunt,
but they're out there for visitors to find, so have fun finding some
cute pirate things. Follow the tour schedule!
 
Have fun and good luck!

Arrr! It be de beginnins' of some Pirate Talk, Reviews n'Fun, Arrrr!

I be joinin' the blog tour of Random Magic by Sasha Soren on May 25th with a reviews and giveaways and some classy pirate dressin' how-tos! I also be tryin' me reviews n'other stuff throughout the month in dis here pirate talk (we'll see how it goes...). Check out the RMT: Pirates! link for tour updates and schedule! Also check out Velvet over at vvb32 reads; she has awesome pirate stuff going on all month long!

Book Review: Pirates! by Celia Rees

Pirates! by Celia Rees (published 2004).

Summary by Goodreads:

Nancy Kington, a wealthy merchant's daughter living in Bristol, England in the early 1700's, is sometimes lonely but enjoys the privileges her father's business brings. Minerva Sharpe is a penniless slave's daughter living and working on the Kington's Jamaican plantation. These two young women, united through a set of extraordinary circumstances including a brutal murder, an arranged marriage, and set of ruby earrings, find themselves sailing the high seas in search of love, adventure and freedom—as pirates!

My Review: This book was so fun! I really enjoyed being able to "live" as a female pirate during this time! I know it was toned down since it was a teen novel, but I felt that it was still significantly gruesome where it needed to be and I felt the ending was a bit rushed.


I found myself inside the story, feeling what Nancy and Minerva we're feeling, what they were experiencing. I wanted fight alongside them! I also craved Nancy and Minerva's relationship. To be close to my sisters like that would be amazing!

I love all things piratey so this was an exceptional read for me!

How To Be Talkin' Like a Pirate, Arrrr!

I be wishin' all me fellow bloggers a happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day, arrrr! Tis me wish that ye all ha'e fun bein' swashbucklers dis day!

Here be some fun ways to be soundin' as pirates dis day:

Greetings n' Partings:

1. ahoy as in Ahoy, me maties!
2. By your leave as in By your leave, sweet lady!
3. Fair dreams atten' ye!
4. Good luck t'ye n' a fair wind- a parting used to wish another well.

Commands

1. bring to stop or halt "Bring to! Bring to for a queen's officer, or you shall all hang!"
2. Clap a stopper on yer eyes! Stop crying. "So clap a stopper on your eyes, or I'll give you something to cry for!"

Threats

1. Death n' damnation shall be yers!
2. I a'e a pistol n' a brace o' balls ready fer ye!
3. I'll come aboard o' ye n' gut ye upon yer own poop!

Oaths

1. Blimey- a sound alike for blind me.
2. Blow me scuttle-butt! (scuttle-butt is a cask aboard a vessel used to store the day's supply of drinking water).
3. Gut me for a preacher- An oath that sets out both a gruesome fate (implying that the speaker is willing to be disemboweled if his statement proves false) and an absurd proposition (implying that the notion that the speaker might be a preacher is as absurd or shocking or noteworthy as the subject of his current comment).

Insults or epithets

1. The blood in yer veins be skim milk!
2. I leave it t'fancy where yer mothers was that let ye come t'sea! An insult that indicts both the addressee's competence as a seaman and his mother's virtue (by suggestion that she may have been where she wasn't supposed to be).

Wrong Talk

1. Replace the first-person verb with third person- know to knows
2. Replace the past tense verb with present either singular or plural.
3. Replace an adverb with an adjective.
4. Use lots of double negatives!
5. Use malapropisms for comic effect! (One thing ol' Blackbeard don't take kindly to it's them sort of insinuendos.)

May ye ride t'winds with t'love o' pirates on yer heart this day! Grrr!
All sources are from The Pirate Primer by George Choundas

Pirate Gold and Silver!

Aye, they be a blood-thirsty lot, alway seekin t'treasure t' be foun'!

Pieces-of-eight: Also known as the Spanish Dollar. According to Wikipedia:

The piece of eight is a silver coin, worth eight reales, that was minted in the Spanish Empire after a Spanish currency reform in 1497. It was legal tender in the United States until an Act of the United States Congress discontinued the practice in 1857. Because it was widely used in Europe, the Americas, and the Far East, it became the first world currency by the late 18th century. Many existing currencies, such as the Canadian dollar, United States dollar, and the Chinese yuan, as well as currencies in Latin America and the Philippine peso, were initially based on the Spanish dollar and other 8-reales coins.

Doubloon: Also according to Wikipedia:
The doubloon (from Spanish doblón, meaning "double"), was a two-escudo or 32-reales gold coin, weighing 6.77 grams (0.218 troy ounces). Doubloons were minted in Spain, Mexico, Peru, and Nueva Granada. The term was first used to describe the golden excelente, either because of its value of two ducats or because of the double portrait of Ferdinand and Isabella.
In Spain, doubloons were current up to the middle of the 19th century. Isabella II of Spain replaced an escudo-based coinage with decimal reales in 1859, and replaced the 6.77 gram doblón with a new heavier doblón worth 100 reales and weighing 8.3771 grams (0.268 troy ounces). The last Spanish doubloons (showing the denomination as 80 reales) were minted in 1849. After their independence, the former Spanish colonies Mexico, Peru and Nueva Granada continued to mint doubloons.
Doubloons have also been minted in Portuguese colonies, where they went by the name dobrão, with the same meaning.
In Europe the doubloon became the model for several other gold coins, including the French Louis d'or, the Italian doppia, the Swiss duplone, the Northern German pistole, and the Prussian Friedrich d'or. In New Orleans, Louisiana and Mobile, Alabama, "doubloons," usually made of aluminum, have been thrown by Mardi Gras carnival krewes since 1959, when the Rex Krewe reportedly first used them.
On a doubloon was a picture of the Pillars of Hercules (the Straits of Gibraltar) overlaid with a scroll. This is the origin of the dollar sign.
A Doubloon is also used as a slang term for a poker chip.
Arrr, me want me treasure, garrr!

Vampirates!

Vampirates by Justin Somper: Amazon.com:

Twins, Connor and Grace, never dreamed that there was any truth to the Vampirate shanty their father sang to them before he died, but that was before the two were shipwrecked and separated from each other. For Connor, who is taken aboard a pirate ship, there's the chance to learn to swordfight, but for Grace, aboard a mysterious ship of vampire pirates, the danger is great. What will it take for them to find each other?

I've heard about zombies and pirates! But now we have vampires and pirates! What a fun combo! I'm definitely putting this on my TBR list. This is a children's book series so it probably doesn't get too bloody! So I wonder whose blood they suck when they're out at sea? Maybe they are more "humane" vampires and only eat the blood of fish? Or do they ravage ships and ports alike? Maybe if this were a more adult series they'd be doing more ravaging! But in any case, it looks fun!

Lady Pirates!

The two most famous females pirates are Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

Anne was born in 1698 in Ireland as the illegitimate daughter of William Cormac. He took her and her mother to North Carolina where he became a prosperous rice planter. No one quite knows what her childhood was like but speculation abounds that she was quite the wild child. She left home in her 20s and married James Bonny. Anne's father was not too happy about the marriage and wanted it annulled!

But she soon came under the spell of the infamous pirate Captain Jack Rackham and left James for him. As she joined his crew she became quite skilled in the use of a flintlock, boarding axe, and a sword. She also acquired the reputation of being fearless and headstrong in battle.

Mary Read was usually known as Mark Read; she kept her gender concealed for most of her life! Her mother raised her as a boy in order to receive payments from her mother-in-law. When she was found out and the payments ceased she sent Mary to be a page "boy" to a wealthy Frenchwoman.

She soon signed on as a boy on an English man-o-war and later traveled to Flanders where she met and fell in love with her bunkmate and then revealed her true identity. Soon after their marriage her husband died and she became Mark once again and joined the pirate ranks of Captain Vane. Soon her paths crossed with Captain Jack Rackham and she joined his crew and was eventually discovered by Anne Bonny!

Mary fell in love with another of her crewmates and ended up saving his life. Her lover was known for his temper and he started a fight with another shipmate. They were to go ashore and duel to the death. But since Mary was a stronger fighter she came up with a plan that would save his life and save his reputation. She (as Mark) started a fight with this man and timed the duel two hours before the duel with her lover...she killed him before he had the chance to kill her lover!

After Rackham's ship and crew were captured Anne and Mary exclaimed they were pregnant and avoided hanging til after their children were born. Jack Rackham wanted to see his lover Anne one last time, but instead received this line from her: "I'm sorry to see you so, but if you'd fought like a man, you need not have been hanged like a dog."

Mary died in prison on April 28, 1721 possibly from child birth. And Anne Bonny? Before she was to give birth she disappeared! Though, there are no records many believe she her father rescued her by his wealth and influence and that she returned home and bore Rackham's second child and later married again and had eight more children!

I think I could've made it as a female pirate!

Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Arrr, this mo'ie be me fa'rite o' all t'pirate mo'vies aroun'. Cap'n Jack Sparrow be a pirate, but also a goo' man. We join be joinin' him wit' Wil Turner an' Elizabet' Swann t'regain his beloved ship t'Black Pearl. But avast, it be cursed by t'heathen gods o' t'Aztecs! Will they survive for dead men tell no tales! Me hopes to be seein' lots o'sword fightin' n' action! Shiver me timbers, ye better take a gander at this movie before ye succumb t'Davy Jones's Locker, arrr!

Why I Love Pirates

A Pirate's Life For Me

My Pirate Captain!

I always thought pirates were on the more cool side of the spectrum while growing up. I always enjoyed Disneyland's Pirate's of the Caribbean ride and Garfield's Halloween Adventure. But it wasn't until I met my hubby that I gained a true appreciation and love for all-things piratey! OK, I'm not really promoting acts of piracy since if I ever actually met a pirate from way back when I'd probably die. They were cruel and blood-thirsty! But it's the adventure lifestyle. The idea that I can do what I want and no holding back. Plus, they're just fun. Talking like a pirate, dressing like a pirate, reading about pirates, having parties, etc! They're an awesome excuse to have some great fun!!!

Here are some fun ways my hubby and I have celebrated pirates!

• We actually had our first date attending Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl when it first came out, so this movie holds a special place in my heart just for that! My hubby even set up a treasure hunt for my Christmas presents that year that eventually led to the newly released DVD of this wonderful movie!
  
• We've taken cute pics of ourselves and our baby in pirate getup!
• We've collected a few books and movies, and music over the last few years such as:

The Pirate Primer
Complete Idiot's Guide to Pirates
The music and stories of Captain Bogg & Salty
Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy
Cutthroat Island
How I Became a Pirate
the website How to Talk Like a Pirate

• We attended the Portland Pirate Festival last year and that was so amazing!
• We've also decked out our computer room and our second bathroom in all things piratey!

I wersh ye a farr win' e'er an' alway!