Hi! I'm Brooke, and I'm an author. I love writing; I always have, and I love anything that has to do with words and poems and reading. I also like to sing, act, swim, and laugh (a lot.)
Today was National Poem in Your Pocket Day. As a writer, I was naturally anxious to participate and found the whole event quite silly and fun. “I have a poem in my pocket!”
Anyway, I didn’t find out until first poem, but I was able to copy one of my favorite poems from a textbook, and for the rest of the day the poem resided in my pocket.
I’ve never heard of Poem in Your Pocket Day, but April is poetry month, and what an awesome day for someone who enjoys reading and writing poetry! Here is the poem that was in my pocket today:
Metaphor
by Eve Merriam
Morning is
a new sheet of paper
for you to write on.
Whatever you want to say,
all day,
until night
folds it up
and files it away.
The bright words and the dark words
are gone
until dawn
and a new day
to write on.
The books I’ve waited so long for are being released…all at the same time. For the past several months, I’ve been without a truly GOOD book, and now several will be put on the shelves simultaneously.
Why does everything seem to happen at once? This principle seems to apply to almost everything in my life: holidays, birthdays, tests, applications, vacations…
Here are the books I am most anxious to read (in no particular order):
1. Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter – March 13
2. The Serpent’s Shadow, Kane Chronicles Book 3, by Rick Riordan – May 1
3. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare – May 8
Is it worth it to buy all three books at a relative price of $20, considering all three will be hardback? Probably not. Do I really want to spend the money to buy all three books on my Kindle Fire, which would be somewhat cheaper? Probably not. Last option: do I want to reserve the books at my public library so I can be put on a waiting list that is already 8 people deep? No. But I’m going to anyway.
Authors and those involved in the world of publishing…here is something to think about:
Don’t publish your books at the same time. I’d like to be reading quality literature year-round. Also, maybe I could afford your books if I only needed to purchase one every few months.
Son of Neptune was even BETTER than the Lost Hero, which I did not think was possible. I hold Rick Riordan in very high esteem, because his second series containing some of the same characters is just as amazing as the first Percy Jackson series.
I loved that both Jason Grace and Percy Jackson, the most powerful of each camp, lost their memories and switched places. I loved Jason’s characters, as well as Piper and Leo, but reading about Percy and his adventures and new friends brought back the magic of the older Percy Jackson series.
I couldn’t put the book down! The action and excitement of a new quest kept me turning pages, but the action was never too overwhelming.
Percy is an awesome character. He’s brave, and loyal, and downright awesome because he’s a son of Poseidon – or Neptune, rather. But Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang gave him a run with his money! Both new characters, with secrets of their own to hide, were intriguing and different. Their powers were fun to read about.
The cliffhanger ending killed me. Can’t wait for the next book in the series!!
I am a huge computer person. It’s why I have a blog, a Facebook profile and Facebook pages, and a Youtube account. Not to mention the bazillion other photography websites, online shopping sites, and game sites I’ve signed up for that send me emails that usually wind up in TRASH and sometimes SPAM.
So, naturally, I have become a Pinner.
I discovered Pinterest last winter when my aunt showed it to me. I was taken by the site immediately, and signed up that afternoon. I knew the website must be totally awesome if you had to be ‘accepted’ by it. (I realize now that the website accepts everyone. But it was still a good feeling to be ‘invited/accepted.’)
On Pinterest, I have virtual pin boards (like cork boards/bulletin boards) where I can ‘pin’ great ideas that I find from any online site, or other Pinterest users. The website is easy to use, very user-friendly, and FUN. Have you ever found an awesome recipe online, or a really cute outfit or idea that you didn’t want to forget? By adding the ‘Pin It’ tool to my bookmarks, I can ‘pin’ whatever I want right away. I’ve created pin boards like ‘Food,’ ‘Jewelry,’ ‘Style,’ ‘Organization,’ and ‘Holiday.’
Because you can sign up for Pinterest through your Facebook account, I am ‘following’ many of my Facebook friends and they are following me. I follow my mom.
Best part is: I had no idea a cereal box had so many uses.
My advice: Check out Pinterest. Become a member. Follow me. 🙂
Another site that I love is Wordle.net. You can create your own ‘word clouds,’ which, trust me, are a lot of fun. Click ‘create,’ and type in a long list of words that describe you. Click ‘generate,’ and the words become a collage. By playing around with the ‘randomize’ button, you can generate new styles. If you have specifics in mind, change the font, font color, and positioning of your Wordle.
If you enjoy Wordle, (and I know I’m not crazy – several friends of mine totally agree that it’s the best), you’d probably enjoy Tagxedo even MORE. Tagxedo is Wordle times 10. You type in your words but choose a SHAPE – like a bird, peace sign, or heart.
A couple of friends and I kept ourselves entertained in the computer lab this morning during English class designing word clouds with Tagxedo. I printed my Wordle in the shape of a whale. 🙂
I realize this was a pretty random blog – but I just wanted to share it with my readers in case you haven’t already heard of these AWESOME websites. You’re welcome.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
and sorry I could not travel both
and be one traveler, long I stood
and looked down one as far as I could
to where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
and having perhaps the better claim,
because it was grassy and wanted wear;
though as for that, the passing there
had worn them really about the same,
and both that morning equally lay
in leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.
This was such an inspiring book about facing fears and acknowledging Christ Jesus as Savior. I actually had the opportunity to hear Jeff Streucker, the author of ‘The Road to Unafraid’ speak, and I was so moved by his story and his words that I bought this book a day later.
What I loved most was that this man had real struggles, and faced very real fears. Yet he had the strength (and I’m not talking about his physical strength), to overcome those fears in a realization that even in the face of death, he could emerge victorious because he was firm in his faith. He realized that life or death situations were ‘win-win.’
Even if you aren’t a Christian, or religious in any way, I’d recommend this book just because it was such a great read. It gave an inside look at the U.S. Ranger missions, including Black Hawk Down and more. What made this book even more interesting was the fact that it was told through Struecker’s perspective, and reading about his reactions and emotions to certain dangerous situations made me realize that some of the toughest men in the military struggle with the same things I do – fear of losing friends, fear of failure, and fear of death.
Just to warn you, this is a pretty random blog post. Here goes!
Harry Potter and Star Wars are very similar. No; I’m not talking about similarities between Hogwarts and galaxies, Harry Potter and the Skywalkers. I’m talking about the millions of die-hard fans who dress up as their favorite characters and will watch the movies countless times. This past week of mine has been a Harry Potter and Star Wars mania week. 🙂 I couldn’t wait to tell you ALL about it…
Most kids I know grew up with Star Wars. When I was little, I was told to read a book instead of watching T.V., (which I didn’t mind at all), so I never watched Star Wars or cartoons. Until recently, I really didn’t know what Star Wars was. Sure, I had heard of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, and of Darth Vader. (Although, until recently, I thought it was Dark Vader. Which still seems to make more sense to me than ‘Darth.’) But I never knew that Luke and Leia were related (I thought they fell in love), and I never knew that (SPOILER ALERT), Vader was Luke’s father. Two of my younger cousins are HUGE Star Wars fans, and they told my sister and I to watch the movies. So we borrowed the series and have been watching the movies with my dad. We have finished movies 1, 2, and 3, and are currently watching movie #4, the original Star Wars movie. My favorite character WAS Anakin Skywalker, and still would be if he weren’t Darth Vader. (I don’t blame him for becoming evil. The Jedi and the Dark Force seemed to be pushing him in that direction and the poor guy was trying to save his wife.) In short, Star Wars is awesome, and even though it is confusing and sometimes hard to sit through, I find myself caught up in the intricate story line and nearly moved to tears. I love the characters, the adventure, and the excitement, and I couldn’t wait to write about my new-found interest. 🙂 P.S. Vote on my newest Star Wars poll!
So – Harry Potter. I am in love with Harry Potter, as well as J.K. Rowling, and I have written other blog posts that say so. (Check out my very forward post.) Last week, I am sorry to say, was the end of Harry Potter. 🙁 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 premiered at midnight on July 14th, and I was part of the audience. Cool, right? The movie was AWESOME – best one yet. My friend and I didn’t even realize that we had bought 3D tickets, so watching the movie in 3D (from the 2nd row) just added to the experience. I’m also rereading the series (yes, again!), and just finished Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Check out my Brooke Review on the series on my Youtube channel. 🙂
Just wanted to let everyone know to have a wonderful 4th of July! I slept in this morning (I actually just got back from a 10 day trip with my youth group) and I have dinner with family later this afternoon! I hope everyone remembers that today marks the anniversary of our wonderful country, and we are so LUCKY to have freedom.
Happy Birthday America!
Updates:
1. Posted below is my latest book review. Check out my YouTube channel to watch Brooke Reviews – reviews on other books I’ve read and enjoyed. 🙂
2. I have added a new poll, so be sure to vote!
3. I was recently asked a couple of questions about writing advice, which I have posted and answered to my Q&A w/ Brooke page!
This book is my dear, dear friend. I am totally in love with Anne of Green Gables. Orphaned, red-haired, skinny and ‘homely’ Anne Shirley is a delightful, cherished, and beloved character. From start to finish, I thoroughly enjoyed Anne of Green Gables.
Let me tell you why – Anne is so unique that I find myself caught up in her imaginings, and her exploits and ‘scrapes.’ I want her to find a ‘bosom friend’ and kindred spirit. I want her to stay ahead of Gilbert Blythe, but now I want them to fall in love!
I was so sad when I finished the book – and surprised when I realized that Anne was already 16, and five years had gone by since the first chapter when she arrived at Green Gables as a gangly 11 year old.
L.M. Montgomery walks you through Anne’s life as an adolescent, and makes you smile, laugh, and cry as you read. Some of the highlights were when Anne blew up at Mrs. Lynde, set Diana drunk, almost drowned, dyed her hair green, and flavored a cake with liniment. But the best part was watching Anne change as she grew older to become a young women.
