Happy Easter & A Hop To Boot!

Happy Hoppy Mechinal

Steampunkery Easter to all!

How to Make a Steampunkery Egg brought to you by Instructables!

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Steampunkery Egg is a Must!

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Curious Oddities



Blog Hopping is Must!!!

Blog Hop Friday is hosted by Crazy-for-books, Thank you For that!   This week's question comes from Christina who blogs at The Paperback Princesses. She asks:

 "If you find a book you love, do you hunt down other books by the same author?"

The Mad Scientist

I would have to say that sometimes this is a yes and sometimes this is a no.  I don't always read a series straight through but I do gradually.

I admit I loved one historical writer, Margaret George, so much that after reading one of her books I rand out and bought another one.  Today I own her whole library including Elizabeth I that has recently come out.  As well as that I am very lucky to say that I made it a point to meet her and get every single book of hers signed!  Oh yes, that is some author <3

Kimberly Derting author of The Body Finder series is another author that I would go out and buy every book.  I'm very please to say that she has another coming out in November, The Pledge!  I also admit that I drover 5 hours to meet this dear author as well!  Love my signed Body Finder books!

Zakiya LadyWings
For me, "hunt" isn't really the correct word. If I happen to see something by the same author, I immediately take the time to figure out what it's about. I don't necessarily go looking and searching for another of their books, though.

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Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee, also a big thank you for that!

Caitlin @ The Cait Files asks:

"What is on your current playlist right now?"

The Mad Scientist

On my Playlist I'm currently listening to some Korean Pop!  I know!  Not very Steampunkish but it is not always wise to stay constricted in one genre.  It opens your mind to a genre in the beginning but closes it once you are consumsed.  Reach for something different every once in a while.  Keep the box open.  Much better is don't even get in the box!

Plus I love to through everyone for a loop every once in a while.

Zakiya LadyWings
Right now my playlist consists of Kelly Clarkson, anything Pop, and a few rock songs. I am also still sing-songing to the music we used Thursday in my dance team's annual recital. All of that, plus just a tad bit of R&B, keeps me going. It's not all the same stuff, but I love listening to some of the songs repetitively :).

Happy Easter to Everyone!

Enjoy Family, Friends, & Good Books Always!

Desires of the Dead, XVI, Forget You & It's Not Summer Without You - Mini Reviews

Okay, this post is going to cover a slew of books I read recently and how I felt. if I feel the need to expound on any, later on I'll do a separate post.


Title: Desires of the Dead (Body Finder No.2)
Author: Kimberly Derting
Pages: 368
Published: February 15th, 2011 by HarperCollins
Synopsis (click link for summary)

I really did love this book. However, I didn't think it was as good as the first one. Maybe it's because the newness of it is over, but I don't think that was it. I still loved Violet and Jay, but I thought Jay was obsessively protective and that annoyed. Don't get me wrong, still love him, still love the book, but obsessive protectiveness, I DID NOT LIKE at all. The story was still fun though and definitely worth reading.
Rating: 4/5



Title: XVI
Author: Julie Karr
Pages: 325
Published: January 6th, 2011 by Puffin/Speak
Synopsis (click link for summary)

This book wasn't exactly like I expected it to be. I was telling one of my good GR friends that I probably would have liked it better had it not been for the hype. However, I still felt that the writing wasn't that great, although I've definitely seen worse. I did like the characters and what they brought to the book. I'd like to see more character development for Nina and Sal as well as relationship development, but maybe in the next book. Some of the events seemed funky, but I liked the twist on dystopian and felt like I was reading something new rather than something retold in a different way. Overall, I'd say I liked it.
Rating: 3/5


Title: Forget You
Author: Jennifer Echols
Pages: 304
Published: July 20th, 2010 by MTV
Synopsis (click link for summary)

I'm a fan of Jennifer Echols, so it's not crazy to say that I loved this book. It's basically the story of a girl who ends up with amnesia and then tries to find out the part of her memory that is missing. As the reader we get to follow along in her search. My only complaint is I wish the ending would have been a little longer, meaning I would have liked to have seen the actual display of her relationship. I thought it was cut short too soon. Other than that, I loved the book and the subject matter and I recommend it to YA contemporary fans.

Rating: 4/5


Title: It's Not Summer Without You (Summer No.2)
Author: Jenny Han
Pages: 288
Published: April 27th, 2010 by Simon & Schuster
Synopsis (click link for summary)

I don't know who's read this series, but I love it. Jenny Han does an awesome job of bringing love and life into her contemporary fiction novels. Her writing is simple and prosaic and gets to the point without too much hoopla. This second book hits the spot with some tears and laughter. We get to see so much personality behind Belly and we get to see another side to Jeremiah. I loved the twisted events that occur and I can't wait for the third in the series to be released. This book was amazing and I recommend the series to anyone who enjoys YA contemporary fiction. I love Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah. Beach reads really are the best!

Rating: 5/5 (with chocolate ice cream on top)

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Body Finder

Author: Kimberly Derting

Published: March 16^th 2010

Pages: 327

Genre: Young Adult, SciFi/Fantasy, Fiction, Romance

Overall Rating: 4.5 Kisses

Summary: "A serial killer on the loose. A girl with a morbid ability. And the boy who would never let anything happen to her.

Violet Ambrose can find the dead. Or at least, those who have been murdered. She can sense the echoes they leave behind... and the imprints they leave on their killers. As if that weren't enough to deal with during junior year, she also has a sudden, inexplicable, and consuming crush on her best friend since childhood, Jay Heaton.

Now a serial killer has begun terrorizing Violet's small town... and she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him." (From Goodreads.com)

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As I’m sure you’ve surmised from the summary, that this book is a murder mystery with a paranormal twist. The main character, Violet, has a sixth sense for murder victims.

Pretty sweet huh?!

The beautiful cover art is what drew me into reading The Body Finder in the first place. I actually started reading it on a very comfy chair in the middle of Borders books. Husband and I had had a fight and Borders had housed me during my cooling off period. Well, Borders and this lovely novel (Husband even texted me to see if I was ever coming home).

One of the most deliciously mischievous things about the book was that Derting gave us a look into the mind of the killer. Pretty devious huh? She makes you hold out to the end and puts a couple twists throughout that you don’t expect, but she still lets you hear the demented thoughts of an icky serial killer. Yes, I know I used the word “icky”, but doesn’t it work so well in this scenario? I mean, to hear the creeper for himself luring these young girls into his snare… makes you wanna lock the doors!

…That was when he saw the car. Its hazards flashing through the damp blackness of the night

He slowed down as he drove past, peering into the interior of the stranded vehicle.

She was alone. Young and pretty, and alone.

This was better than he could have hoped for.

Breathtaking in all it’s malevolence, it took away my ability to put it down, hook, line and sinker. *licks lips*

The romance was an added bonus for me and I even went back and reread sections of the book because it was that good. I loved the way Violet and Jay interacted and the feelings flaring between them. I remember feeling the exact same thing at that age and hoping for all the things Violet hoped for. Kimberly Derting did an amazing job on her first novel giving me serial killers, dances, echos, an 8 year old murder discoverer, and a scrumptious love story to boot so much so that I cannot wait for the sequel to be released The Desires of the Dead in March of next year.

4.5 out of 5 Kisses

(cartoon courtesy of What I Red on my Hols)

--Jen the Bibliophile