The ring, which depicts a bull-leaping scene, was initially dismissed as fake before its authenticity was established by a team of Culture Ministry experts.

The scene depicted on the 15th century BC artifact also includes a lion and a tree.

Source: Kathimerini [January 12, 2015]

Real brilliant

VIA «Symbol of illusory love»

Price was dressed in a pair of tight jeans and an off-the-shoulder cream knitted jumper which emphasised her extremely dark tan.
Lovebirds: Price and Penna dress down for their night out in Soho. Price's boyfriend appears very protective of her
The mother-of-three had her bleached locks loose around her shoulders and added a flash of colour with bright pink nails.
Penna, 26, was wearing a grey jumper and ripped grey jeans and appeared extremely protective of Price. He held her hand tightly and ushered her into their car as they headed home at the end of the evening.
Toned down: We are more used to seeing Price in full make-up, as at her novel launch last year, left, compared with her natural look last night
It was at this point that Price turned her own camera on the paparazzi.
She picked up a camera, and after working out how to take pictures on it, wound down the window of the car and snapped a few shots of the photographers as they took pictures of her.
Snap happy: Price turns her camera on waiting paparazzi at the end of her night out with Penna
So no upcoming nuptials? Price gets to grips with the camera. She appears ring free, having sported a large sparkler on her engagement finger last week
Price had sparked rumours, albeit with a large helping of scepticism, that she and Penna were engaged when she wore a huge ring on her engagement finger at a book signing last week.
But while she was ring-free last night she kept her new tattoo, which she had completed on her most recent visit to South America, under the sleeve of her jumper.
source: dailymail

VIA Is that really you Katie? Make-up free Miss Price looks fresh faced

I am so excited to have Danya from A Tapestry of Words back for another Fairy Tale Fortnight Guest Post! Danya is awesome — definitely a blogger I enjoy and she always has such awesome post ideas. Last year she talked about Japanese Fairy Tales and this year, she contributed two guest posts! The first is already up on Misty's blog — All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Fairy Tales. Read it. And now, she's going to tell us "Why Rumpelstiltskin Freaks Me Out".

Fairy tales can be very creepy, and to my mind one of the creepiest of the bunch is Rumpelstiltskin. It's not as dark and gritty as some of the other original Grimm's fairy tales, but there's a more subtle kind of unease it creates in a young listener. At least, it did for me when I was a kid. Why? Well, here, let's consider what happens...

A miller's daughter is sent off to the king of the land because her father is poor and needs money. You'd think he would try surviving with his own skills, but no, he thinks that claiming his daughter can spin straw into gold is a way smarter strategy.

The king is more than happy to take this miracle-working hay-into-riches girl off the peasant's hands, and into a locked chamber in his palace filled with... you guessed it. Straw. He tells her that she must spin the straw into gold every night for 3 nights, or else. (Some versions say execution, some say dungeon. Bad things are threatened, in any case.) Just the sort of stay in a palace every girl always dreams about, right?

Only, the father kind of conveniently forgot one important fact: his daughter can't actually do this spinning-straw-into-gold thing he boasted about. But, like a true fairy tale heroine, she takes her best stab at it. She spins and spins and spins that straw until her fingers bleed with the effort.

The result? It's still straw. Surprise!

Of course, just when she is at her wit's end, she is paid a call by a most unexpected visitor: a creepy little gnome of a dude. I'd wonder, personally, how he got INTO this locked chamber of hers, but she doesn't think to question that. No, she is overwrought over the failure of this whole straw-into-gold enterprise.

And he, clever fellow that he is, offers his help. Because spinning straw into gold is — most conveniently — his specialty!

The girl, exhausted, is overwhelmed with relief at the appearance of this saviour, and offers her necklace in exchange for his spinning services. Note that she doesn't even bother asking his NAME before agreeing to this bargain. Clearly her dad never had the "Stranger Danger" talk with her.

When the king opens the door the next morning, there are piles of gold everywhere, but no strange little man (he leaves as easily as he entered. No walls can contain him!). Well, the king is very pleased, of course, and because he is as greedy as every other fairy tale king, he puts her in a larger room and brings her a whole lot more straw to spin.

The girl realizes she's once again in a pickle, but who happens to turn up in the nick of time? That sneaky stalker of hers. This time she offers him her ring if he spins the straw into gold. So the next morning, the room is overflowing with gold, the king is ecstatic, and we are left wondering when this girl is ever going to learn that the king will always want more gold.

Well, same thing happens again: bigger room, more straw, girl in tears, convenient appearance of the odd little man whose name the girl still doesn't know. This time, though, the girl realizes she doesn't have any more jewelry to hand over. (... how did she not see this coming??) Anyway, what does he want? A tiara to match the necklace and ring, perhaps?

No, nothing as extravagant as that. He just wants a little something like HER FIRST-BORN CHILD. (What does he want this child for? He doesn't tell her. Actually, we never find out, but I think we can assume he has nefarious purposes in mind.)

As far as I can figure, her reasoning is this: "If I don't get this straw spun into gold, I will end up starving to death in the dungeon or being hanged, and then I definitely won't have any chance of a child, first-born or otherwise." Or it might just have been, "Babies? Yeah, right. I'm not even married! So not happening!" In any case, she agrees to his terms.

Naturally, this is just the kind of deliciously twisted bargain that this weird guy likes best, so he springs into action. He spins all night, the palace is swimming in gold come morning, and best of all: the girl gets to marry the king!

(Break for confused questions of: but wait! Isn't this the king that has imprisoned her for the past 3 days and demanded that she spin for him OR ELSE? What is she doing marrying him? And why is her father allowing it? Questions not answered. Sorry, folks.)

All seems set for a happily ever after — that is, for the king, anyway — but it is not to be. (At least, not yet.) Because soon after their marriage, she has a baby. And guess who comes calling...

Yes! The creepy little stalker dude that the girl was seriously hoping she was rid of forever!

He demands that he collect on her IOU. She's all, "What? No! Not my baby! The child whose father I fear love so much! I have so much jewelry now. Here, take a necklace. Take two necklaces!"

But the disturbing man we have come to know and loathe so much doesn't want jewelry. (You'd think this would have been obvious. The guy can spin straw into gold, for crying out loud. He can probably spin sheep's wool into emeralds.) He just wants her to uphold her side of that bargain.

To which the girl repeats, "Um, no! No way! I want my kid, actually. Changed my mind. Ask for something else, please!"

To which the creeper goes, "I have an idea! Let's make this even more interesting," and invokes the fairytale Time Limit tenet. As in, "You have 3 days to guess my name, because I'm a sick little man with a disturbed imagination and I like playing guessing games with your future. Or I take your kid."

At which point the most ludicrous name-guessing-game in the history of name-guessing-games commences.

Her: *guessing the most boring names ever, despite the fact that this is obviously NOT a normal man*

"John?"

"No."

"Carl?"

"No."

"Matt?"

"No."

*branching out* "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt?"

"Nope!"

This goes on for a long time as it becomes more and more apparent that either the girl really sucks at guessing or the dude has the weirdest name ever.

A couple of days pass without success and the girl becomes desperate. Her time is running out! My, doesn't it feel just like it did when she was trapped in the palace trying to spin straw into gold.

So, she decides that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and she sends a spy after her stalker pal. Considering how much sneaking he's been doing, I can't really blame her. The spy follows him into the woods, and what does he catch him doing?

If you guessed roasting something on an open spit or slitting throats, you'd be wrong.

No, the bizarre man is dancing happily around a campfire, singing, "My name is Rumpelstiltskin and she'll never guess it," or words to that effect.

Which is when the reader finds out that the dumbest fairytale villain ever is named Rumpelstiltskin.

I think we all know how this ends: she "guesses" the name Rumpelstiltskin, he is very disappointed to relinquish his designs on her first-born child (seriously, WHAT did he want it for?), and the girl and the king live 'happily ever after.' There are various endings for Rumpelstiltskin's fate, from the mundane (him fleeing, never to return) to the violent (he rips himself in two).

And you're wondering what I found disturbing about this fairytale?

It involves a man who repeatedly breaks-and-enters without getting charged and desperately wants someone else's child, a girl who has virtually no street smarts and wouldn't last a minute in our world without being taken advantage of, a father who doesn't have a speck of family feeling, and a king whose greed is only exceeded by his desire to treat women as property.

There are no heroes in this story, and quite frankly, there isn't even a proper villain.

What's wrong with Rumpelstiltskin, you ask? Tell me: what's RIGHT with it?

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VIA [VIDEO Trailer] Real Steel (2011)

A Season of Eden by Jennifer Laurens is not my normal read. While contemporary has long been my favorite genre, I don'r really read a lot of romantic fiction. A love story alongside my plot is nice, but I don't generally read books where the main plot revolves around a love story. But, I had really been in the mood for a nice YA Contemporary Romance, and I had won a copy of Laurens Overprotected. I read it, and it was exactly what I had wanted in a book at the time. Absolutely perfect. So, when I was given the opportunity to read Eden, I took it.

Unfortunately, this book didn't live up to what I had hoped it to be. That's not to say it was a bad book, but it just... didn't quite work for me. Eden is an 18 year old, (hot) senior in high school who develops a crush on her young, handsome, 22 year old music teacher, James, and the feelings are mutual. Eden is used to getting whatever and whoever she wants, although she's an awful lot nicer than the 'mean girls' she's stereotyped as. She wants James and so she goes after him. She's a little uncertain, which is definitely a new feeling for her, and she is very aware of the potential consequences of being caught in a compromising situation with a teacher.

For the most part, the growing interest between these two characters really worked for me. Eden quickly becomes infatuated with James, and she wants to know more about it. So, she gets a little teenage creepy and does a little undercover stalking (like following him home from school, so she can figure out where he lives) and tries to make sure he is aware of her. She offers to help out in class, stops by at lunch, etc. James was a bit of a nerd in high school and doesn't have a lot of experience with women. He's fresh out of college, concerned about his job and still lives with his mom. I totally get that being right out of college is hard, that sometimes you don't have anywhere else to go, other than home. But if I were a student, and I found out my teacher still lived with his or her parents?! It would have seriously undermined any respect I had for them, and I can't imagine it being different for very many teenagers.

The biggest problem I had with this novel is that every single relationship seemed to ring flat and false. Eden pretty much completely drops her group of friends, now that she is spending more time with James, (although in her defense here, they were also pretty harsh after she dumped her boyfriend), her relationship with her dad and his much younger wife is incredibly strained and, well... really non-existent, but worst of all, Eden and James are awkward together. I don't mean that cute awkward where you are trying to learn how to move and interact together, I mean that awkward that makes any of those 'swoon' or 'sigh' moments impossible because you can't stop thinking about the fact that no one talks like that, no one reacts like that, eye roll here, did she really just say that?! etc. It's... awkward and if you want me to believe in or care about a relationship, don't make it painfully awkward.

Going hand in hand with the awkward interactions between Eden and James is their big 'confrontation/conflict' toward the end of the story. I don't want to give spoilers away here, but both of the characters crossed some lines. One of the characters (who should have known better) shifted all the blame to the other character, who accepted this as truth and let it really get to them, let it really hurt them. Because, the relationship is now going to disappear because I couldn't manage to (blablabla spoiler). Now, I'm all for making someone apologize when they are in the wrong. But when both people are clearly in the wrong, or worse, when no one is actually in the wrong but through misunderstandings and what have you people get hurt, one party should not be shifting or shoving the guilt and blame onto the other. That is wrong.

I spent a lot of the novel feeling like their relationship is one sided. And they don't seem to really communicate well. Eden is struggling with the fact that she is more sexually experienced than James, and this makes her feel dirty and unworthy. But, instead of telling him this, trying to talk to him about it, she avoids the subject, and redirects the conversation, and answers just enough of James' question that he stops asking, but doesn't actually give him the information he's looking for. And James doesn't really know what to do with or about Eden. It's a little bit sad, actually...

Even though this book wasn't quite what I had hoped for, and there were certain resolutions that felt forced and out of character (specifically what ends up happening between Eden and her dad) I did enjoy the read. I had a long Twitter conversation about this book with someone who absolutely loved it (read her review here) and while I'm not going to replay that conversation for you, we talked about a lot of things that made me see the characters in a slightly different light, which did ultimately leave me with a more positive feeling about the book in general.

I'll be honest here. While I did enjoy this story, it isn't my favorite, and it's not one that I would recommend to people who aren't normally fans of YA Contemporary Romance. If this is a genre you read and enjoy regularly, then this might be a great book for you. But, if it's not, I think starting somewhere else could be a better option. I am glad I read this book. It gave me an opportunity to get to know someone I hadn't really talked to before, to share and discuss different thoughts and attitudes we noticed within the story and to grow and change. The story wasn't perfect. There were things I would have changed if I could. But I'm not the writer here, and I understand (mostly) why Laurens took her characters where she did. Have you read this one? Please, let me know what you think!

*Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair review through the Teen Book Scene tour site.

The Queen Bee of Bridgeton by Leslie DuBois is the story of 15 year old Sonya who wants nothing more out of life than to be able to dance. She understands that homework is important, but it would always take a back seat to her dancing, if her older sister didn't push her so hard to make something better for herself. She attends the prestigious Bridgeton Academy and for years she been anonymous. But she attracts the attention of Will, one of the most popular and notorious boys on campus and suddenly, everything starts to change. People start noticing her, and not all of the attention she starts getting is good. She somehow attracts the attention of the schools group of 'mean girls' and she's shown a side to people she's never seen before.

Sonya doesn't really understand cruelty. She doesn't understand why people do things deliberately with the intention to hurt or harm. It's not in her nature. So when the mean girls in school start popping up, Sonya doesn't really understand what's going on, or why people could be like this, but she definitely wants to help those who have been harmed by this group of mean girls. But, the mean girls have a system worked out, a system where they rule the school and they really don't like this girl getting in their way.

I really liked Sonya's character. She was just a genuinely nice person who looked for the good in everyone. She is both observant and blind, seeing a lot that most people overlook, but missing out on a lot of details that are right in front of her. She's fairly innocent without being completely naive and I found her to be completely believable. That's about the way I'd expect a 15 year old with a good heart who only cares about dancing to react. But, Sonya was the only character I completely believed in. Most of the other characters in the novel were well written, well rounded and well developed, but they were somehow missing that solid ring of authenticity I got from Sonya.

I liked Will. Mostly. I found the game he played with his jock buddies to be absolutely and completely reprehensible, which gave me a bad taste for this kid from the beginning. I don't know if high school kids really play games where they get points for sexual acts. Some probably do. I don't want to think about it. (Not in a, let me stay naive-stick my head in the sand way, but in a — if I spend to much time thinking about this I might hit something-way). It disgusts me. Completely and totally. So, I knew I'd struggle with Will when the only thing Sonya knows about him is that she thinks he has sad eyes and that every time she sees him, he's leaving some dark and semi-public place with a half naked, very disheveled girl. So, when he approaches her (wait, me?! Are you talking to me?!) she's a little confused, somewhat concerned, and a lot not interested. And I loved that. I loved that Sonya told him no the first time he asked her out, and that Sonya wasn't afraid to be true to herself.

I will admit that while I didn't guess every single plot detail, I did see a lot of the big stuff coming. Which is okay. Every book doesn't have to be a complete and total surprise, but a lot of the stuff I'm assuming was supposed to be shocking, wasn't. Sometimes this bothers me, but it didn't this time. Which is, of course, a very good thing.

I thought that the book was very well written and it had a great pace. The character development was wonderful, both individually and in relationships and interactions and I loved the speed at which DuBois had Will and Sonya's relationship progress. And, while I was initially very put off by Will, he really wanted to do right by Sonya and he tried, hard. You could see that. It was clear that he was unsure of himself for the first time around a girl and I found that very endearing and very believable. When you are completely confident in your ability to make a conquest and have never tried to have a relationship, it's going to be hard and it's going to get awkward sometimes.

I was explaining this book to someone, mentioning what the book was about and things and they mentioned that it sounded like a cross between Mean Girls and Step Up. And, ya... I'd have to agree with them. The school itself isn't an artistic school, and Sonya is the only one who dances or anything in the story but elements from both movies are present in the book, and I can easily see how you would enjoy this book if either (or both) of those movies are ones that you enjoy watching.

The book also offers a sneak peek at the beginning of book two in the series. While I genuinely liked this one and thought it was well written with well developed characters, I don't really feel like it needs to be a series. I felt like the characters stories were finished. Obviously, there is the possibility for more to tell, because people continue to live, but I thought this book was perfectly complete. So, I don't know if I'm going to pick up the sequel(s) to this one yet. I haven't decided. I might be happy to just let these characters rest in my mind, leave them with their (mostly) happy endings.

*Disclaimer — I received a copy of this book from the author as part of a Teen Book Scene Tour.

One Christmas while growing up, my parents gave my older sister a set of books for Christmas. She had them, which meant that I wanted them. But they weren't mine. (I'm still surprised at the number of times over the years that they have given a gift to one of us that would have been better suited for the other. Like the sewing machine... Seriously...) Anyway. I digress. So, I had to wait for the sister to either finish reading all nine books, or wait for her to get tired of them. I don't think she made it past the first few books before losing interest and then grudgingly allowed me to borrow them. (I'm pretty sure the parents were involved in pushing that...)

And let me tell you... I devoured those books. Seriously inhaled them. The Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder was insanely loved by me. I cannot tell you how much I loved these books. There are nine of them, and I was reading them when I was probably about 7 or 8. Nine books. Big books too (at least for a kid that age) But I read them. And I loved them. I loved them so much that I thought they were the greatest books ever. I wanted to be Laura. For real... I begged my mom until she made me a bonnet and then I would run around outside, letting my bonnet flop off my head and stream behind me like Laura's did. (And really people, Laura was right! Bonnets are seriously annoying.)

I remember so many games played by myself that involved me being Laura in some way or another. I loved all of the books, but my very most favorite was These Happy Golden Years because that's when Almanzo proposes to Laura. It's been years since I've read these books, but I've never forgotten that scene. I even looked it up a while ago to make sure I was right, and I totally was. 'That would depend in the ring.' Sigh. It gave me butterflies. I don't even think I was 10 yet when reading this book but I remember thinking how amazing and romantic that scene was.

But then... Book the ninth. I remember starting it, so happy and eager to read about them after they had finally gotten married. But as I started reading, nothing felt right. The writing was different and even as a young kid, the narrative voice felt... off. Somehow awkward and stilted. I remember forcing myself to finish the book, because it was the end to this deeply beloved series but being incredibly disappointed in the final book. It wasn't until later that I learned that Laura had died before writing this book and her daughter (I think...) had compiled the notes she had left behind and written the final book for Laura. Made me feel pretty good that I'd picked up on the differences as a 9 year old.:)

I really want to go back and reread these books because of how much I loved them growing up, but at the same time, I'm very afraid to. I'm afraid that they won't live up to the pedestal I've placed them on in my memories. Maybe I'll wait until I have kids of my own and then try and read them together. I'd love to go back and see how many of the scenes I vividly remember from these books are the same as I remember them, or if they are even in these books (like Laura running through the rain so fast she managed to dodge the raindrops. Do you have any idea how many times I tried that?! I lived near Seattle, WA. We were no stranger to rain and I used to try, so hard to run fast enough to dodge the rain. But alas. I never managed it.)

Any of you have memories of reading about the many adventures of Laura on the prairie?

Complete List of the books:

Little House in the Big Woods
Little House on the Priarie
Farmer Boy
On the Banks of Plum Creek
By the Shores of Silver Lake
The Long Winter
Little Town on the Prairie
These Happy Golden Years
The First Four Years

(Also, I hate the cover art with the real people on it... I loved the Garth Williams illustrated covers, even as a kid. They just fit the books so much better)

According to an announcement of the Culture Ministry, the coins were found in the luggage of a Greek citizen travelling by car to Munich and seized by the German police.

Most of them are made of copper and date back to the Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and post-Roman eras.

It should be noted that several members of an antiquities smuggling ring that was dismantled in March 2012 were involved in the case.

Source: Protothema [January 24, 2015]

A court in the capital Skopje convicted another six people Friday, including two more former museum officials, over the theft of 160 artefacts that was reported in November 2013.

At the time, police had said that the antiquities, which date from the 4th century AD and include gold and silver jewelry, were believed to have been sold abroad by an organized crime ring. The artefacts have not been located.

The theft from the 'Museum of Macedonia' in central Skopje occurred between November 2011 and October 2013.

All seven defendants denied wrongdoing, and appealed their convictions.

Source: The Associated Press [March 20, 2015]

Inspectors with the Israel Antiquities Authority's (IAA) Unit for the Prevention of Antiquities Robbery say they found pickaxes and other signs of looting in a cave near Kibbutz Lahav in southern Israel.

Upon further investigation, the excavators discovered a hoard of ancient artifacts. IAA officials say they don't yet know how the cave was used or why these objects were placed there, but they found several intact ceramic pots; jewelry made of bronze, shells and faience; oil lamps; small amulets; alabaster jars; cosmetic vessels; and Egyptian scarab seals that date back to the 15th and 14th centuries B.C.

"During this period, Canaan was ruled by Egypt," Daphna Ben-Tor, curator of Egyptian archaeology at the Israel Museum, explained in a statement from the IAA.

"The names of kings appeared on some of the seals," Ben-Tor added. "Among other things, we can identify a sphinx lying opposite the name of the pharaoh Thutmose, who reigned from about 1504-1450 B.C. Another scarab seal bears the name of Amenhotep, who reigned from about 1386-1349 B.C. Still another scarab depicts Ptah, the principal god of the city of Memphis."

The announcement was timed just before Passover, the Jewish holiday celebrating the biblical story of the Israelites leaving slavery in Egypt. There's no solid archaeological evidence to back the Exodus as a historical event, and these newfound artifacts don't offer new insights on that front. But from these findings, historians could potentially "learn about the great influence of the Egyptian administration and culture on the inhabitants of the Land of Israel during the Late Bronze and Iron Age periods," Eitan Klein, an archaeologist with the IAA, told Live Science.

Author: Megan Gannon | Source: LiveScience [April 01, 2015]

Paradise by Jill Alexander is a book I'm really torn on. I've had a hard time deciding how I felt about this book overall because I felt so different when I finished from when I started. I asked on Twitter if my review could just be — "I loved this book. Until the end. When I didn't... " — I know it's not really enough to be a review on it's own, but it actually sums up how I felt about this book quite nicely. So, I'm saying it.

This is a book about so many things — music, passion, first love, parents, family, life, trust, pain, hope, etc. But at it's core, it's the story of a young girl, filled with more than she knows what to do with, trying to figure out who she is, and where she belongs.

I think the strongest part of this book is the characterization. Alexander has created such a strong and unique cast of characters and each character has their own very distinct voice. I was amazed at how much Alexander was able to convey about each character with so little. Cal is the perfect example of this. The only time we hear his thoughts is through the lyrics he writes in his song journal and yet those few lyrics tell us so much about him and how he feels and how he views life. It's amazing. But, all of the characters are full and whole and so well developed. I could go on and on and each has something unique to bring to the story that no one else would be able to offer.

I also loved Paisley's character. She's fierce and strong and a little unsure of herself at times. Gabriela is a completely new experience for Paisley. He comes from Paradise, Texas, so that's what she starts calling him and it seems to fit him really well. He's good looking, confident (or cocky, depending on the day and who you ask) and he's into her. Like, really into her. But Paisley has an interesting mom. One who has drilled and drilled and drilled it into her that she is not to get pregnant and stuck in their small town. So, Paisley has worn an abstinence ring for years and because she is so focused on her music, boys have never really been a priority before, so it isn't a big deal to her. But Paradise makes her starting thinking about things and makes her wonder how she really feels about it.

I loved this part of Paisley's character. I know that teens have sex. Really, I do. I promise. I know that it happens. But I also know that it doesn't happen as often as media makes us think it does. There are teens out there who have never had sex and don't feel ready for it as teenagers, and that's okay! So, Paisley is working out for herself whether or not she is ready to make that choice. And she thinks about it. A lot. Which I thought was incredible. It's a huge choice and it is one that, once made, you cannot take back. I loved the line where Paisley and Paradise are making out and Paradise tries to go farther than she is ready for. She backs away and he tells her that she doesn't have to be afraid to say yes to him. She replies with something along the lines of, I know. I'm not afraid to say yes, but I'm also not afraid to say no. I think more teens need to realize this. Especially if they are feeling under pressure to make a choice they aren't sure they are ready for. Be sure. And if you are not, there is nothing wrong with saying no.

I also thought it was very interesting to watch Paisley's interaction with her mother and the ways that Paisley and Lacey (her older sister) both handled their mother's controlling nature. She's so worried that they are going to end up like her — stuck in a tiny town because they got pregnant in high school (even though she is still married to their dad and he is awesome!) so she takes the extreme on everything. Boys are terrible and forbidden, as is anything she doesn't believe will help them leave the town. So Paisley hides the fact that she's in a band, hides a huge part of her true self from her mother and you definitely feel the strain of that begin to weigh in throughout the book.

It's such a strong book. It's a realistic story full of believable characters, people that I would love to know in real life. This book is an example of Contemporary YA at it's finest and a great example of why I love Contemporary. Why it's always my favorite genre. Or, at least it was... Until that ending...

I don't want to say to much about the ending of this book, because not only has every review I've read for this book talked about the ending, but also because it is something that really should be experienced for yourself and I really don't want to spoil it for anyone. I knew when I started the book that the ending was going to be shocking and huge, but I didn't know anything more than that. To be honest, it gave me serious anxiety when I reached the part of the book where I knew the shocking moment was close. I stalled myself at those last chapters for a long time because I was afraid to see what happened.

And the thing is, I didn't like it. It was shocking, it was a big thing, but I felt like it was there just to be shocking. Not because it really added to the story, not because it was necessarily the best place for the story to go, but because it made for some awesome drama. Maybe that's not really fair of me to say, or to assume. But it's how I felt reading it, and what you take away as the reader is ultimately what the story becomes. To me, the ending is one of the absolute most important parts of a book. An ending can turn a really great book into something terrible (I'm looking at you, Julie of the Wolves) or it can take a book I'm fairly lukewarm about and make it into something really special (mad props to The Bronze Bow). Unfortunately, this book was more of the former. While the ending didn't completely ruin the book for me, it definitely changed (and lowered) my overall feelings for the book.

Even though the ending was a disappointment, this is still a book that I would recommend to people, and I'd actually even recommend it strongly to most people. Alexander is a great writer. She writes strong characters and I'm amazed by how much she's able to convey with this story. I just wish that it had remained that way through to the end.

*Disclaimer — I received an ARC from the author through the Teen Book Scene for a fair and unbiased review.

I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert was a novel I had very high hopes for. When the first novel you read by an author easily makes the top 5 books read this year, you expect a lot.

I asked Stephanie to take part in Just Contemporary month, and because she is awesome, she said yes. I knew that I wanted to read Joey Ramone to review it around the same time I posted her interview, so I did. And, in case you are wondering whether or not it lived up to my expectations, here is (and I quote) what my GR initial review was once I finished the book:

DUDE. Stephanie — THOU ART GENIUS and I am now basking in your glow.

Our main character, Emily, feels music intensely, with every part of her body. It's just her and her dad, because her mother walked out on them when Emily was 4 months old and has had no contact with any of them since then. Her father told Emily that her mom left to follow the music and that's what Emily has grown up believing. And so when the music begins to call to her as well, she embraces it, body and soul and the music gives life. She starts a band with her absolute best friend (the daughter of her mother's best friend, actually) and her friend Regan's crush, Tom. And although the road is rocky getting there, the three of them make amazing music together that the people love.

This book read a little bit like a love letter from Stephanie to Punk Music. And I loved it. I will be the first to admit that I'm not a music junky. I love music, but I don't actively seek out new songs or bands and I often go days without listening to any. (I don't even own an ipod...) . But reading this book made me desperately wish that I felt the music the way Emily does and the way that I suspect Stephanie does as well. The descriptions of the concerts and the sounds and the heightened emotions just sunk into my blood and made me wish that I had been old enough to truly appreciate the Punk revolution in the 90s. (I was in elementary school then. A bit young to be moshing).

Music was a huge part of the story, and it could have been a story on it's own, but the true complexity of the story, what makes it more than another story about kids loving music is the story of Emily and her mother, Louisa. As the book progresses, we learn more about what made Louisa leave and how it eats at her, little by little every day that she is gone. She has not led an easy life since leaving and every decision makes her feel worse and worse and less and less worthy to ever rejoin her family. My heart hurt a little for Louisa, even though I found myself to be incredibly angry at her. I have a really hard time with people who walk out on their family and I tend to be a very harsh judge. So I was quite surprised to find myself feeling compassion for Louisa instead of just disdain. (Don't worry, that was there too, but my feelings were far more complex than that). She convinced herself that she was doing what was ultimately best for her daughter and she never let them see her looking back.

Emily grew up not knowing much about her mom. It's really hard for her dad to talk about it (he still wears his wedding ring) and Emily has convinced herself that she doesn't need a mother and that she doesn't even miss her or care that she's gone. But that pain lingers. When a parent leaves you, whether you ever knew them or not, it changes you and it's pretty much always going to be a part of you. That pain and anger and confusion slips into her music and fuels a large part of her passion. And it broke my heart completely. I cry a lot in books where people die, but I don't often usually cry at other places. But this book, this one made me choke up more than a few times as Emily was struggling internally with her emotions and facing demons she wished didn't even exist.

As much as I loved this book overall, I do have to admit, I was a little (or okay, a lot) concerned by the very casual and completely destructive drug and alcohol abuse in just about every character. Almost all of the main characters have some serious substance abuse problems and aside from two scenes, it's never really portrayed as a problem. It's just what you do in Rock & Roll. Which I understand. It was a huge part of the music scene, especially that punk/grunge era. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a problem. And it was, IMO, far too easy for the characters who did realize they had a problem to just 'fix' it. Addictions aren't really that easy to kick. That's why they are addictions.

But even that wasn't enough to dampen how much I liked this book. Part of that is because I recognize that as a personal choice/preference. But either way, this is a powerful story about growing into yourself, accepting who you are, and loving music. This is another of those books that keeps going for me. I can't stop thinking about what choices each character might make next, where they might go, what they might say or do. And while the book did give you a sense of closure, the story of these characters is by no means over. There is a long way yet for them to go and I, for one, hope that getting there is smoother than their previous journey.

This book has cemented something that I had strongly suspected after reading Ballads. I will read anything, anything that Stephanie will write. She has this way with words that just seeps into your mind and soul, filling your thoughts and popping up at odd moments saying Don't forget about me. As I mentioned before, Stephanie, Thou Art Genius.

Jill wants to be popular, but it's kind of tough when her best friend is in the other fifth grade class. It's important to be friends with Wendy, the class know-it-all and ring leader, because if you're on her bad side fifth grade can be pretty tough. Unfortunately for Linda she is not on Wendy's good side. Linda is a little heavy, and when she gives a report on whale blubber she is just asking for a nickname to formulate. At least that is what Jill thinks, because she is the one who starts to get everyone calling Linda Blubber. This is the story of Blubber.

Fifth grade is rough, I remember it well. I think I was probably the Linda of my class, so reading this book was kind of painful for me. I found it a little hard to sympathize with Jill because she reminded me of other people that picked on nerds in elementary school. Still, Jill does become sympathetic as she learns what it's like to get picked on throughout the book. And she can be kind of funny sometimes; "My father doesn't have to worry about wrinkles so he never has to wear anything on his head. I'll be like him when I grow up" (19). I can imagine saying something like that when I was in the fifth grade.

This book says a lot about getting picked on and picking on people, but there is also a pretty clear message about weight issues. Fifth grade is about the time most girls start obsessing with their weight, at least I think that was how it worked in my school. Jill eats and eats and never gains any weight even though her school nurse says she needs to. Linda diets and diets and can't lose a pound. The story is a chance for girls to realize that everyone around them is struggling with weight, and I think it tries to argue for acceptance as well. I think it could do a little more of that though.

This book earned a B. I read this for the Shelf Discovery Challenge.

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As we ring in the New Year, the Weekly Geeks team is looking to get some more volunteers to keep us going. There are lots of ways to help -- doing weekly wrap ups and weekly topics, brainstorming more ideas, helping maintain and update the blog, other stuff we haven't thought of yet... basically, anything you're interested in doing! We want more voices and ideas for Weekly Geeks, so this is the time to get involved.

If you're interested in helping out or just want to find out more information about what the time commitment might be, please send an e-mail to geekstimeout@gmail.com. Sometimes we're slow to respond to e-mails, so hang on for just a couple of days to hear back from someone. But rest assured, we're looking forward to hearing from you!

The 32-year-old star looked stunning in the Dolce & Gabbana dress, which she teamed with a pair of black Christian Louboutin heels and a sexy side-swept hairstyle.
Red carpet style: Christine teamed her white Dolce & Gabbana dress with a pair of black Christian Louboutin heels
Christine, who presented the National Movie Awards on ITV, spoke recently about her future with Lampard, admitting she wasn't sure if marriage was on the cards.
She said: 'People keep asking when he’s going to ask me to marry him. But I’m the last person who should know that.
'We went to Paris for two days a few weeks ago and suddenly it was, “Look, they’re ring shopping.” No, we weren’t and he certainly hasn’t asked.
Quick change: After her red carpet appearance, Christine changed into three more dresses for the show
'We’ve only been seeing each other a year and a half, which isn’t long enough for me.'
However, Christine added: 'I can’t imagine not being with Frank, and I’d like to enjoy being married to him for a while before having children. Frank would have more tomorrow, but he knows I’m not ready for it.’
Following her walk down the red carpet, Christine changed into a stunning figure-hugging red dress as she began presenting the ITV coverage.
Date night: Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton were another celebrity couple to attend the event
Relaxing: Nicole and Lewis looked as though they were enjoying themselves at the event
She then decided to showcase her sense of style in a further two dresses - a mint green pleated number and a tight knee-length dress.
Other couples to arrive at the ceremony included Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton, who made their first red carpet appearance in a while at the event, held at London's Wembley Arena.
Don't Hold Your Breath singer Nicole wowed in a pretty nude dress and matching sky-high heels, while Hamilton looked smart in his grey three-piece suit.
Screen stars: (Left to right) Jodie Whittaker, Mandy Moore and Georgie Henley all glammed up for the occasion
Nicole spoke recently about her figure, and while she looked stunning on the red carpet, she said she has 'gained a few pounds'.
She told Glamour magazine: 'I’ve grown as a woman to just accept myself. You’re not going to feel great all the time – so you’ve just not got to be hard on yourself.
'Right now I’ve probably gained a few pounds, but it’s OK because at the right time I’ll lose a couple of pounds. When I put my mind to it, I hit the gym.'
Take That opened the night's entertainment with a performance of their never-before-heard single Love, Love - taken from the upcoming X-Men: First Class.
Full-length glamour: Singers Dame Shirley Bassey and X Factor reject Katie Waissel went for all black outfits
Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald were joined on stage by a group of dancers as they performed the bass-thumping track.
But the song didn't go down too well with viewers, with many taking to Twitter to voice their disappointment over the record.
One viewers tweeted: 'Take that are massiveeeee let downs, what the hell is this? and robbie williams just ruins everything.'
Boys will be boys: JLS stars (left to right) Jonathan "JB" Gill, Marvin Humes, Oritse Williams and Aston Merrygold pose on the red carpet
Suited and booted: Inbetweeners stars Blake Harrison, Joe Thomas and Simon Bird look smart
While another added: 'What the chuff happened to Take That's songs when Robbie came back? Awful!'
The first award of the evening was for Best Comedy film, presented by The Inbetweeners stars Blake Harrison, Joe Thomas and Simon Bird.
After shamelessly plugging their own movie, the trio gave the award to Paul, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's alien comedy.
Opening the show: Take That kicked the evening's events off with a performance of their new single Love Love

Men in black: The boys pose up for photographers ahead of their performance
Dame Shirley Bassey was next to take to the stage, ready to present the award for Best Drama.
And the winner was The King's Speech, with Geoffrey Rush accepting the award along with director Tom Hooper and the film's producers.
Explaining star Colin Firth's absence, Rush said: 'Colin Firth sends his apologies. He is off shooting a light comedy, which is a form of therapy I guess.'
And when Hooper took the microphone, he joked: 'I would like to thank the Queen and the Royal Family for thoughtfully arranging the Royal Wedding the Friday before the release of The King's Speech DVD.'
Winners: Nick Frost and Simon Pegg accept the Best Comedy Award for their alien movie Paul
Speech time: Mandy Moore accepts the Best Animation award for Tangled, while Dame Shirley Bassey presented the prize for Best Drama
After an exclusive clip of Cars 2, Lewis Hamilton, who makes a cameo in the movie, presented the award for Best Animation to Disney's Tangled.
Accepting the award was one of the film's main voice characters, Mandy Moore, who looked incredible in a long moss green dress.
But after the diminutive Hamilton had spoken into the microphone, statuesque Mandy had to stoop down to accept the prize.
Performers: JLS got one of the biggest screams of the night when they performed their new single Eyes Wide Shut
Victory: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I producers David Heyman, David Barron and actress Bonnie Wright
James McAvoy was up next, presenting the Best Fantasy prize to Bonnie Wright for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
JLS were the next performers of the evening, performing their new track Eyes Wide Shut.
Alice Eve took to the stage next to present the award for the L'Oreal Paris Performance of the Year award to Colin Firth for The King's Speech.
As Colin couldn't be there, he requested his two on-screen daughters from the film, Freya Wilson and Ramona Marquez, to collect the award on his behalf.
Excited: Colin Firth's on-screen daughters from The King's Speech, Ramona Marquez (left) and Freya Wilson, accepted the Performance of the Year award on his behalf
Tribute: Keith Richards recorded a special video message to Screen Icon winner Johnny Depp
Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick presented the Must-See Movie of the Summer award to Bonnie Wright and the film's producers for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II.
Geoffrey Rush returned to the stage to present the Screen Icon award to Johnny Depp.
Talking about Depp, Rush said: 'Johnny Depp is so cool. He can come to rehearsal in a crazed blouse and a bit of mismatched jewellery and he can look hip - I would look like my mother.'
Success: Eliza Doolittle and Lloyd Wade performed their huge hit Pack Up
Here come the boys: James Corden and James McAvoy were among the guest presenters for the evening
And Depp's other Pirates co-star Keith Richards recorded a special tribute video message in honour of the actor.
In the message, which had been interspersed with footage of Johnny's most famous films, Richards said: 'There ain't another movie star who comes close to this guy. And to think that he didn't even start off as an actor first of all. That's my boy.'
And, as Depp was unable to attend, he recorded a message of thanks for viewers, calling the award a 'sublime honour'.
Eliza Doolittle was the third musical performance of the evening, having changed out of her Missoni dress into a pink crop top and blue pleated skirt.
James Corden was next up, treating viewers to a glimpse of which films to look forward to during the rest of the year.
Gwyneth Paltrow was next to take to the stage, presenting the Special Recognition Award to The King's Speech.
Accepting the award, director Tom Hooper said: 'This isn't the first award we have received for The King's Speech and of all those presenters, I have to say a special thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow for presenting this award.'

In honour: Geoffrey Rush collected the Screen Icon award on behalf of his Pirates of the Caribbean co-star Johnny Depp
Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton interview at the National Movie Awards 2011

Harry Potter wins big at National Movie Awards,click
JLS - Eyes Wide Shut at 'The National Movie Awards'

Eliza Doolittle - Pack Up - National Movie Awards 2011 Live

Simon Pegg interview: Star Trek 2 and Tintin at the National Movie Awards 2011

Eliza Doolittle interview at the National Movie Awards 2011

source: dailymail

VIA Trying to drop a hint, Christine? Ms Bleakley arrives at National Movie Awards

Book Description:
For nearly a decade, Ecstasy kingpin Oded Tuito was the mastermind behind a drug ring that used strippers and ultra-Orthodox teenagers to mule millions of pills from Holland to the party triangle—Los Angeles, New York, and Miami. CHEMICAL COWBOYS: The DEA’s Secret Mission to Hunt Down a Notorious Ecstasy Kingpin is the thrilling, never-before-told success story of the groundbreaking undercover investigations that led to the toppling of a billion-dollar Ecstasy trafficking network, starting in 1995 when New York DEA Agent Robert Gagne infiltrated club land to uncover a thriving drug scene supported by two cultures: pill-popping club kids and Israeli dealers. Gagne’s obsessive mission to make Ecstasy a priority for the DEA and to take down Tuito’s network met with unexpected professional and personal challenges that almost crippled his own family. Woven into the narrative are the stories of Tuito’s underlings, who struggled with addiction as they ran from the law, and the compelling experiences of a veteran Israeli police officer who aided Gagne while chasing after his own target—a violent Mob boss who saw the riches to be made in Ecstasy and began to import his own pills and turf warfare to the U.S.

My review:

Although this is a non-fiction book, it doesn't read like one. Sweetingham's extensive research into the world of drug trafficking is very eye-opening. The detail she goes in to detail both sides of the drug trade are stellar. The reader learns a great deal about the DEA as well as the hidden aspects of the Ecstacy trade. While I don't read a lot of non-fiction, the first few chapters grabbed me and took hold. The detail on the characters lives is very insightful. This was a very entertaining and educational read. With Father's Day coming up in a few days, I can't think of a better book to buy as a gift.

Check out the author's Web site: http://www.lisasweetingham.com/

Live Growing Jewelry

VIA «Bouquet on a finger»

I put off reading the second book in the Luxe series for awhile because I wanted to the savor the end of the first book. Luckily the beginning of Rumors by Anna Godbersen drew me right back into the dramatic ending of the first book. This review will not spoil anything in Rumors, but it will assume that you have read the first book in the series.

At the beginning we are reminded that Elizabeth Holland is dead, of course we know that she actually is not dead. Instead she has traveled to California to meet her lover and her family's former footman Will. Will has it in his head that he will strike it rich with oil. Elizabeth loves Will and wants to believe in him, but her wealthy past and good sense tells her this might not be the case. She has a lot of time during the day to think about her life back in New York as well, so Elizabeth isn't as happy as she thought she might be. She takes solace in the fact that she still has her engagement ring from Henry Schoonmaker. If things ever got too bad, she could always sell that.

And back in New York Elizabeth's sister Diana is desperately in love with Henry. Henry, however, doesn't know that Elizabeth is still alive. When he finally comes out of mourning he can't wait to get back to Diana, but his best friend Teddy assures him that he cannot fall in love with Diana. It just wouldn't be right. This gives the semi-evil Penelope the perfect opening to win Henry's attention... or bribe him for it.

I love, love, loved 89% of this book. This of course is a completely false percentage because I'm horrible at math, but we'll say that is how much I loved. There was so much of Diana in this book that I couldn't put it down. I just adore Diana. Elizabeth was a little flaky to me. I was so annoyed with her faithless attitude towards Will. Poor Will though... such a dreamer. My two biggest complaints about this book are Lina Broud and the ending.

Lina Broud is a side character. She used to be a maid and is also in love with Will, but when she is fired from the Holland household she lies about her past to everyone she meets. In this book Lina is climbing the social ladder in a completely idiotic way. Basically I thought there was too much Lina in this book. Her character is annoying. She is unappreciative (which makes no sense because she used to be a maid) and kind of full of herself. I liked her more in the first book when she was genuinely in love with Will. You will see in this book that she is not.

The ending, you'll have to decide that for yourself.

This novel earned a B.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

A report reveals how during Winter Solstice celebrations at the site in December last year, chewing gum was stuck onto the ancient monument, graffiti was sprayed on the ancient stones, attempts were made to light fires on them, and lines of oil were dripped on several stones.

Things were much worse during the Summer Solstice in June, when volunteers and staff were "left in tears" and had to clean up vomit and feces. The "appalling stench" and the "urine, vomit and feces" were left around the stones after 37,000 revelers descended on the site to watch the sunrise.

Winter Solstice numbers were much smaller, and amounted to around 1500, though the damage done to the stones was still considerable. A spokesperson of the English Heritage conservation group said of the oil, "It's still there and it's not degrading. This is an additional concern as there is still graffiti on the stones from the summer solstice."

Solstice revelries were banned between 1985 and 2000, when they were finally opened up after a long legal battle by King Arthur Pendragon, a self-professed "pagan leader". Pendragon said pagans were also unhappy about the vandalism. However, he states that the Heritage Journal are calling attention to this because they wish to halt future solstice events. "Heritage Journal have been doing that since they were formed in the first place. Basically they're just a number of archaeologists who don't want 'the great unwashed', as they see it, anywhere near Stonehenge. Obviously, we abhor the vandalism. We always keep an eye out for these sorts of things. From my point of view, as a druid and a pagan priest, it's not on."

Solstice events are marked by various denominations and faiths around the world. However, a spokesperson of the Heritage Journal remarked, "The latest research suggests the stones were designed to allow people to view the summer solstice sunset from outside the circle, not crowded inside it."

Stonehenge, a UNESCO World Heritage Monument, is the remains of a ring of standing stones set within earthworks, built between 3000 BC and 2000 BC.

Author: Sravanth Verma | Source: Digital Journal [March 10, 2015]