Kit Kittredge, An American Girl

Kit Kittredge: An "American Girl" is not just another movie with childish charm, it contains a lot of wonderfully mature based subject matter that I found to be very interesting and really held my attention throughout the entire movie. The characters delicately, but boldly display the desperately hard times experienced during the Great Depression. I was expecting a flighty almost boring movie, however I was pleasantly surprised. Great friendships are formed, important lessons are learned and the characters have a lot of fun in the process of both. I recommend that you watch this movie. It is worth your time.

The Artist's Guide to GIMP Effects by Michael J. Hammel

This is an excellent book for new users and those just wanting to learn a few new tricks in GIMP – the GNU Image Manipulation Program, which has become one of the most admired freeware rivals to Adobe Photoshop.

The book takes you detailed-step-by-detailed-step through each stage of your image's development to produce professional looking images, text effects or logos from scratch and how to create fabulous photographic effects. Michael J. Hammel also shows you where, on the drop down menus, to find each effect you need.

From a crash course in using GIMP, this book helps you create fancy gel, metallic or distressed texts, tiled patterns, perspective shadows, different textures, (to just name a few!) for fantastic movie posters, web designs and so much more.

Still not impressed? Then take a look at the logo for this blog, the graphics on the teen and youth pages on the GPL website. All of those images where created using GIMP with the help of this book!

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Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

In this disappointing third book of the Inheritance Cycle, after losing his fight and the sword Za’roc to his brother Murtagh, Eragon and his dragon Saphira must now begin to fulfill their promises. Having sworn to help Roran, rescue his betrothed from Galbatorix’s keep, Eragon and his cousin, Roran, set off on this dangerous mission against the advice of his friends. On their return to the Varden the cousins soon find that their duties keep them apart. Roran, having led his own people must now prove to Nasuada, the leader of the Varden, that he can be trusted and is sent out on raids under various captains.

Eragon’s oaths are beginning to conflict. Having lost to his brother, Eragon knows he must keep his promise to his elven teacher to return and learn as much as he can. Saphira has made promises to the Dwarves too. Eragon is forced to make a choice. But how can he leave when the Varden desperately need him to fight against Galbatorix’s army? And how can he fight when he no longer has a weapon?

Again Paolini leans too heavily on other fantasy plots but this time without a spark of his own originality to keep a book of length interesting. Eragon has not grown in character and Roran’s increasing feats of arms are ridiculous. Nothing of note really happens until the last chapters, leaving the readers wondering why they bothered picking up the book and not just waiting for the synopsis in the final book. Let us hope Paolini redeems himself with his final book in this series.

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

City of Ember is a captivating tale about an underground city called Ember. A group of people known as the Builders constructed the city to preserve the human race. The Builders gave Ember a timeline of 200 years and then a box would open up and there would be instructions for how to leave the city. But one of the mayors was less than honorable and the box was lost to them.

The story starts out after the box has opened and the city is starting to crumble around the people. Lina and Doon must find a way to save their city from devastation. Can they find the way out in time?

This is a wonderfully illuminating tale of courage of two young adults. It is hard to put down.

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Written by Amber Young

Chalice by Robin McKinley

Mirasol is a beekeeper, brought up on a small woodlot in the corner of Willowlands. She knows little of the manor house and the Master’s Circle that governs their lands. When the Master and his Chalice die in a fire without naming heirs, Willowlands is thrown in to turmoil, but Mirasol barely has time to notice as her goats are producing vast amounts of milk and honey literally pours out of her beehives, leaving her little time to care for the woodlot.  So, when the Circle come to her cottage, she believes they will send her away for her poor tending of the land she holds, but instead she discovers she is to be the new Chalice, the most important member of the Master’s Circle.  She will be the one who binds the Circle, land and people together and creates harmony among them.

Although ill prepared for her new life and uncomfortable in the presence of the other members of the circle, Mirasol wants their new Master to have a fair chance. But how can she reconcile the demesne and it's Master when the Master is a Priest of Fire, taken from his training by the death of his older brother, a man whose very nature is fire and whose touch burns flesh to the bone?
 
This enchanting retelling of beauty and the beast, smoothly weaves together a tale of magic, healing and honey.

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A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber

This story could be called a "tear-jerker".

Mary Jo Wyse, a young woman who lost her parents in an accident several years ago, has been under the protection, love and care of her three older brothers. But when she falls for David Rhodes, an older man from another city, one thing leads to another and you’ve guessed it she becomes pregnant. When David finds out he tells Mary Jo he would go to birthing classes with her, which never happens.

David tells Mary Jo he would be in Cedar Cove for Christmas and heavily pregnant, Mary Jo slips away from her brothers on Christmas Eve to warn him and his family about her brothers. After reaching Cedar Cove she discovers no one has anything good to say about the man, and that his parents will not return from a cruise until Christmas day.

The people of Cedar Cove take Mary Jo under their care. The three brothers arrive, after getting bad directions, only to find Mary Jo after her baby girl is born on Christmas Eve whom she names Noel Traci.

Mary Jo returns home with her brothers with the understanding that EMT Mack McAfee who delivered the baby is very much interested in seeing Mary Jo

and her little one again.

Written by Bunny Cowart

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Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

For Mercedes Thompson, taking over a mechanic workshop of a fae by the name of Zee, living next door to the pack leader of the local werewolves and working on cars for the vampires, a quiet life is hard to come by.  Especially as Mercy isn't what you would call normal herself - she's a walker, having the ability to change, without a full moon, into a coyote.

Having used a weapon of the fae to help kill a demon vampire, Mercy has a debt to pay, and the fae are not ones to let her off lightly.  So, when several deaths on the fae reservation occur, Mercy is asked to put her nose to the test and sniff out what others might miss.  Finding the killer isn't a problem, but when her ex-boss and mentor, Zee, goes to confront him, someone has got there first and the police arrive just minutes later.  Now Zee has been charged for the murder of a human and the fae may just let him swing, but Mercy isn't about to let that happen, no matter the cost to herself.

This third crowd pleasing, paranormal mystery following Moon Called and Blood Bound is a well balanced novel.  Set in a believable world were humans have an uneasy truce with werewolves and the faery kind, having yet to discover the vampires that roam among them.  The troubled atmosphere among the races adds a realist aspect and detail as the story moves us fluently between the pack psychology, human legal proceedings and the fae mentality.

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