The Real Neat Blogger Award!

In August, the awesome Red Metal over at Extra Life Reviews nominated me for The Real Neat Blogger Award. That was Real Neat of him! 😉 I’m always flattered and I always really appreciate when I get a little award- plus, answering random questions is pretty fun! So, let’s get started! Here’s the questions that were asked of me.

1. Have you ever watched a film in theaters that featured an intermission?

Nope, not that I can remember! I don’t know if my attention span could even handle something like that these days, haha!

2. What is the most expensive ticket you’ve ever purchased?

Hmmm… probably the tickets for my husband and I to go to the Slipknot concert in 2009. They were floor tickets and I don’t remember how much they were, but I know it was a little pricey. Totally worth it though… seeing Slipknot up close and personal was EPIC and I’m glad we did it. Probably won’t happen again though- I’m getting too old to participate in mosh pits!

3. If you had to trade in fluency of your first language for another, which one would you choose?

Definitely Japanese. I’ve always wanted to learn Japanese, but it’s very difficult!

4. If you could appear on any game show (including ones that have ended), which one would you choose?

This is a great question! I’m convinced that I’m one of those people that know all the answers at home but would freeze and forget everything, including my name, if I had to appear on television. You know which one would be fun though? That one that used to be on Nickelodeon where families had to go through obstacle courses… *looks up the name* Double Dare! Some of that shit was so gross and messy, but it looked like a ton of fun!

5. As someone who has watched many classics over the past few years, I’ve concluded that old films are overall better than recent efforts. What do you think the current generation of filmmakers lacks that allowed their predecessors to shine?

There is a definite lack of new ideas! People keep re-hashing the same shit in a different format. Some is good, some isn’t… but I’m ready to see more unique ideas!

6. How do you like your eggs prepared?

EEWWWW!!! I HATE EGGS!!! I don’t know why, but I’ve hated them ever since I was a kid. Every once and awhile I will make scrambled eggs for my husband for breakfast, and I have to struggle not to puke just looking at them. Don’t even get me started on how slimy and snotty it looks when you first crack it open! Recipes that call for eggs make me want to cry… good thing I don’t bake cakes very often.

7. How do you like your potatoes prepared?

Now this question is more like it! 😉 I love potatoes…. baked potatoes, potatoes au gratin, mashed potatoes, french fries, potato chips… yeah, potatoes are awesome in pretty much any form. Yum!

8. If you found yourself directing films, which genre would you want to specialize in?

 

Since horror is my favorite genre, that’s what I would chose! And I would not kill off any animals dammit!

9. What is your favorite band/artist with a limited discography (i.e. no more than four studio albums)?

Oh wow, that’s a great question! I used to be so much better at keeping up with bands I like, but now I’m in the “this is the music that I like, I don’t want to hear new stuff” category. Yikes, I’m old! Anyway, many of the bands that I like seem to have released more than 4 albums, so this is a hard question to answer. Poking through my music collection, I only have one cd from a band called 16 Second Stare, and by the looks of it, they have only released one other cd and a few extra songs, so let’s go with them!

I actually remember picking up their cd for 25 CENTS at Best Buy many years back. I took a chance on it because it was cheap and the album cover is a toilet with roses coming out of it- classy! Turns out, there’s some pretty decent hard rock/ metal tracks on the album, which is fine by me!

10. There are many stories over the years of projects or ideas never getting off the ground or being canceled mid-production. Which one would you bring into reality if you could?

I’m hopeless when it comes to news about what’s up and coming, so I’m probably oblivious to most things that get cancelled.

11. What series do you feel managed to be consistently good for an extended period of time?

As far as video game series go… the Donkey Kong Country series. I loved the original trilogy and loved the revamped Returns series too- I feel like each game has something different and exciting to offer.

As far as book series, I’ll have to say Harry Potter. Every one of those 7 books keep me enthralled and entertained!

TV series… definitely Breaking Bad! I watched all 5 seasons without once saying “Wow, that was boring” or “That episode was pointless.” I can’t say the same for most other series I’ve watched, even if it’s a series I really like.

So that’s that for this award! Thanks for reading!

Book Review: Assassin Witch by Ashley McCleo!

Assassin Witch is the 2nd book in the Bonegates Series by Ashley McCleo. I reviewed the book for her recently on Goodreads! Here’s the blurb for the book:

Doing away with an evil fae queen to help her kingdom is Princess Lana’s ultimate goal.

But first, allies must be secured. Which means embarking on diplomatic missions that make the introvert in Lana cringe.

Even with the assistance of Garret, her friend, and maybe something more, Lana hates the idea of being an ambassador. And as it turns out, she’s not a natural either.

As her struggles deepen, doubt creeps in. Is she simply an imposter? Can she span the cultural divide between what she knew in the human world and mafias of fae or tribes of giants? Will she deliver on her promise to make a difference in the lives of the fae of Lyonesse?

Lana must convince the skeptics that although she’s not a pure-born elf of Faerie, she’s a worthy leader. And she will fight to improve their lives.

Because war is coming to Faerie, and she could lose everything she’s come to love if she fails.

Assassin Witch is perfect for fans of the Throne of Glass Series and The Cruel Prince. With a slow-burn romance, intricate world-building, and danger lurking in every faerie wood and mafia-run city, it will keep you enthralled long past the last page.

And the cover:

Here’s my review!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review 🙂

Assassin Witch is the 2nd book in the Bonegates series. The book begins with Lana getting her much-anticipated conversation with her father, the king of Lyonesse. She has such a desire to talk to him and get to know him, she is so happy to finally get some one-on-one time with him! After they talk about her life, make other small talk, etc., he drops a bombshell on her: he wants her and her siblings to assassinate Queen Pari of Buyan!

Naturally, Lana has her doubts, because she barely has control over her powers and doesn’t feel quite strong enough to carry on an assassination attempt. Nevertheless, she tries to fake it til she makes it, and it is painfully obvious for her that she is unprepared and knows little about how things work in Faerie. Because of this, she finds it hard to gain her sibling’s respect.

Lana struggles quite a bit throughout this book, because she finds it hard to balance becoming a more knowledgeable Princess General and becoming more friendly with her siblings. In the end, she devises a half decent plan to go after Queen Pari… though it doesn’t go exactly as planned. The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and definitely leaves me wanting more!

One thing I wanted to add: at one point, a strange fae approached Lana and said to her “Your father is a bad man. He brings the darkness with him and will drown out the light… especially yours, princess.” This makes me wonder just how benevolent the king actually is, and what his true intentions are. I cannot wait to see what happens next!

I gave Assassin Witch 5/5 stars on Goodreads!

Sunshine Blogger Award!

In June, The Dragon’s Tea Party answered some interesting questions for the Sunshine Blogger Award. She then came up with her own questions and invited everyone to answer… so here I go! 😉

1. What’s been your favourite movie released in the last year?

Hmm… I don’t always watch movies anywhere close to the time they come out… but I just recently saw John Wick 3: Parabellum and that came out earlier this year, so let’s go with that one!

2. Does tea taste better from a pot or from a cup?

When I drink tea, I always just make it in the cup! I don’t know if it necessarily tastes better, but that’s just how I roll.

3. Which biscuit do you dunk in tea/coffee?

I actually don’t really dunk anything in my tea or coffee much anymore, not sure why. But for some reason, whenever I have a bagel and coffee, I dunk the bagel in the coffee, cream cheese and all. Is that gross? That’s probably gross. Oh well!

4. When it’s a sunny, warm day what do you like to do?

Go to the beach or the pool. Lounging in the sun (with copious amounts of sunscreen) and listening to music is one of my favorite ways to spend a day!

5. What’s your comfort food of choice?

When I’m having a shit day, nothing is better than stuffing my face with delicious french fries!

6. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Google tells me 700lbs. worth. Who knew?

7. Which game gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside?

Definitely any game from the Animal Crossing series! I have happy thoughts just thinking about that series. ❤

8. What was the last game you rage quit?

Hmm, let me think for a moment here… I haven’t really rage quit anything in awhile, but some of the puzzles in Samsara: Deluxe Edition for the Switch really tested my patience! I’ve realized I’m not great at games like that, so when it gets really difficult, I want to move on to something else.

9. What’s your feelings on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite?

I actually haven’t played this game, because I’m not interested in walking around/ going to different places to try to play. I’m lazy and prefer to game with my ass planted comfortably in a chair!

10. It’s your birthday and you can have any cake you want! What do you go for?

I’m not much of a cake person, but I had carrot cake for my birthday a couple months ago, so I’ll go with carrot cake!

11. Name your snacks and beverages of choice for while you game.

I don’t eat while playing games as much as I used to when I was a kid, because I don’t like touching my controllers with dirty hands, haha! Every once and awhile I’ll snack on some chips though! As far as beverages… I usually like to drink some iced tea or coffee! 🙂

When I WAS a kid though… I would totally eat Lunchables pizza while playing games. I would carefully make each little piece of pizza (bonus points if one of them was a dessert pizza!), have them set out on a plate, and take a bite every now and then while gaming! Man, that was fun…

So that’s it for this award. I’m too lazy as you all know by now, so feel free to answer these questions if you want! 🙂

Gaming Goodie of the Month: My First Pokémon Card!

I’ll admit, it took me WAY too long to come up with a snazzy title for this new set of posts I want to attempt. My idea is once a month, I’ll feature something in my video game collection… whether it be a collectible card, a manual, a guide book, a game, blah blah blah. I thought this would be a fun and interesting way for me to showcase something of mine and give a little backstory if applicable. Problem is, I’m about as creative as a stick and had a lot of trouble thinking of a title that would describe what I was trying to do. I literally had “Thing of the Month” in the title because I was getting annoyed at myself. Then I remembered that when I get some new gaming related stuff, I put my posts under a category called “Gaming Goodies”… so DUH… I’ll call this GAMING GOODIES of the the Month!

How many months in a row can I keep this up? My guess is 2, maybe 3, but miracles can happen. I actually feel motivated to do this for some reason, so maybe I’ll stick to something for once! Anyway, I’ll try to do these posts on the first of every month, unless it’s a holiday or I’m busy or I just don’t wanna. Without further ado, here’s the very first post in this category…

Introducing… My First Pokémon Card!

Squirtle is hanging out in my little graveyard because it’s the spookiest time of the year!

Back in 1998 when Pokémon was first introduced in the states, I’ll admit I was a bit lukewarm on the whole thing. Some of my friends played Red and Blue but for whatever reason, I wasn’t really into it. That is, until I started realizing how cute some of the characters were. I’ve never been able to resist cute stuff! Anyway, in 1999 (as Dr. Google tells me) the trading cards came out, and one of my neighborhood friends, Jason, had plenty of them! He showed them to me and I was intrigued by them, but still unsure if I wanted to play the actual games or not.

One day, Jason stopped by my house with a little present for me: an ADORABLE Pokémon card featuring Squirtle! He said he wanted to give it to me because he knew how much I loved turtles. He even put it in a sleeve for me so it wouldn’t get dirty or bent. I was so overwhelmed by this small gift, I didn’t know what to say. It meant a lot to me that he would give me something from his own collection based on what animal I liked! Little did he know, this little Squirtle card started my love for Pokémon! Soon, I had a decent card collection of my own, mostly thanks to my grandmother, who would buy me a few packs of cards every time she went to the mall! Jason also gave me several more cards, including some Japanese cards that are highlights of my collection to this day.

And yes… I still have all of my Pokémon cards, save for some duplicates that I passed on to my cousin Matt years ago. I’m sure you’ll see more of them as the months go on 🙂 Thanks for reading!

P.S. To this day, I still have NO CLUE how to play the actual Pokémon Trading Card Game. I was only ever interested in collecting the cards! 😉