Welcome to the Creative Corner!

Hi! Welcome to the Creative Corner! This is going to be a site devoted to book-lovers like me who are always looking for a good read. I am going to do book reviews, recommendations, list off short stories and post some of my own. If you are looking for a good, reliable source for all things book, you've found it. So, again, welcome! Hope you visit my site again soon!

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Cross my Heart and Hope to Die . . .

I promise to all of you picky people out there that I will start blogging more again when the holiday season is over. I know that I am still kind-of neglecting this blog in the name of the holidays. I will fix that come January. Well, then again, I have some other stuff going on in January . . . but I'll still try . . . I hope. Sorry!

Twas the Night . . .

Well, yes, Christmas is over. But that doesn't mean that I can't add in more Christmas-y things before the end of the year! Here are five things that you probably didn't know about the poem 'The Night Before Christmas'.

1. The writer, Clement Clarke Moore, tried to pretend that he didn't write this poem before eventually fessing up to doing just that. Nobody quite knows why.

2. 'The Night Before Christmas' was originally called 'A Visit from Saint Nicholas'.

3. The poem was first published in 1823.

4. The poem was released only two days before Christmas.

5. Mr. Moore was 41 years old when he wrote this historic and memorable poem.

Anyways, in addition to those facts, look at how the cover of the book has changed over time as well;















and, finally . . .



Again, isn't it interesting how the cover of a story can change overtime? This last one is from a year or two ago, and still, throughout this journey, I find it amazing that the story itself can remain untouched by time but still varies by trade and outwardly appearance. Cool, right?

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

The Ability

* * * * */ Five Stars

Genre: Action, Adventure, Danger, Drama, Mystery, Fantasy, Intellect, Suspense

In this amazing book by M.M. Vaughan, nobody has any confidence or trust in 'troubled youth' Christopher Lane. His mother in a strange mental instability (who doesn't even take care of their house, much less her son), his school has expelled him, and he has to steal money to get by. Despite all this, he is a good person at heart, though. Then, one day, a spark of hope shines through; he is allowed to take a very strange and unorthodox test, which he passes with flying colors. He is now invited to go to the amazing Myers Holt Academy, for 'special kids' like him. Other kids who have 'the ability', or exceptionally strong mental powers. As he and his new friends grow stronger and stronger, they begin to see that their teachers, past students at the academy, are getting worried. Something - or someone - is using an 'inferno' to put people from a past and troubling year at the academy into irreversible comas. It's up to Christopher and his new friends to stop them. But, the biggest question is; are they ready?
I personally adored this amazing book. If you are looking for your next favorite, you've found it!

Check it out!

Just a reminder to check out Imagine Works this time of year. It is posting a lot of great how-to's and family recipes that everyone will enjoy. And, as a matter of fact, they are also having a holiday entry. Check it out, sometime!

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Yeah, yeah . . .

Yeah, yeah. Yes, it's weird. Well, I know what you are going to say when you see this; just, why? I have no answer as to why I wanted to post this, but here is pure awesomeness:





Again, call me crazy, but I just really liked these photos. Oh, well.

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . .

This is the extra harmony of the original song 'It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas' that is very little known. I don't know of any artists who actually play these extra words with the new releases of this song. So, here it is. Something to think on for the day.

Pine-cones and Holly berries
Popcorn for you,
apples for me.
Red stripped candy,
Nut-cracker handy,
Kettle a bubble`in,
holiday tea.
Storm clouds hang
low and threatening;
Maybe it won't,
praying it may.
Brightest fireplace
glows in every place
waiting for Christmas day,
Waiting for Christmas day!

Again, some serious brain-candy. I wonder how this fits in with the song itself . . .

Thursday, December 11, 2014

The Last Dogs

* * * */ Four Stars

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Danger, Suspense, Mystery, Humor (LOTS of it)

Max is a Labrador. When he is dropped off at the vet's office, he doesn't think that anything is out of the ordinary. He's wrong. A fire starts, wolves attack, and all of the humans seemingly disappear from the area. Now Max and his new friend Rocky, another dog who had been abandoned at the vet's office, are going on an amazing adventure to find the humans and bring them back to the beloved pets that they left behind. On this quest, they will encounter; nice cats (can you believe it?), a seemingly endless supply of dog food, a peppy little dog named Gizmo who lives in the woods, a society of 'perfect' dogs, and a secret that will undermine all that they knew and all that they will find out. In a world without humans, it seems like Max and his new friends are the 'last dogs' who can figure things out and set things right. The only question is, are they up for the challenge?
I personally really liked this fantastical new novel by Christopher Holt. It 'sheds' new light on the idea that our pets could/couldn't survive . . . well, without us to take care of them! If you liked the Warriors books by Erin Hunter, you will love this inventive new series!

A Christmas Carol

This a tiny piece from the original novel 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens. It is about how Scrooge views Christmas and why his nephew, Fred, views it differently, with heart and forgiveness. So, without further ado, here it is:

Excerpt from A Christmas Carol


By Charles Dickens


Once upon a time-of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve-old


Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house. It was cold, bleak, biting weather:


foggy withal: and he could hear the people in the court outside, go wheezing


up and down, beating their hands upon their breasts, and stamping their


feet upon the pavement stones to warm them. The city clocks had only just


gone three, but it was quite dark already-it had not been light all day-and


candles were flaring in the windows of the neighbouring offices, like ruddy


smears upon the palpable brown air. The fog came pouring in at every chink


and keyhole, and was so dense without, that although the court was of the


narrowest, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. To see the dingy cloud


come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that


Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale.


The door of Scrooge's counting-house was open that he might keep his


eye upon his clerk, who in a dismal little cell beyond, a sort of tank, was


copying letters. Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk's fire was so


very much smaller that it looked like one coal. But he couldn't replenish it,


for Scrooge kept the coal-box in his own room; and so surely as the clerk


came in with the shovel, the master predicted that it would be necessary for


them to part. Wherefore the clerk put on his white comforter, and tried to


warm himself at the candle; in which effort, not being a man of a strong


imagination, he failed.


"A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!" cried a cheerful voice. It was


the voice of Scrooge's nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was


the first intimation he had of his approach.


"Bah!" said Scrooge, "Humbug!"


He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this


nephew of Scrooge's, that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and


handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again.


"Christmas a humbug, uncle!" said Scrooge's nephew. "You don't mean


that, I am sure?"


"I do," said Scrooge. "Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry?


What reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough."


"Come, then," returned the nephew gaily. "What right have you to be


dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You're rich enough."


Scrooge having no better answer ready on the spur of the moment, said,


"Bah!" again; and followed it up with "Humbug."


"Don't be cross, uncle!" said the nephew.


"What else can I be," returned the uncle, "when I live in such a world of


fools as this? Merry Christmas! Out upon merry Christmas! What's Christmas


time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding


yourself a year older, but not an hour richer; a time for balancing your books


and having every item in 'em through a round dozen of months presented


dead against you? If I could work my will," said Scrooge indignantly, "every


idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled with


his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He


should!"


"Uncle!" pleaded the nephew.


"Nephew!" returned the uncle sternly, "keep Christmas in your own way,


and let me keep it in mine."


"Keep it!" repeated Scrooge's nephew. "But you don't keep it."


"Let me leave it alone, then," said Scrooge. "Much good may it do you!


Much good it has ever done you!"


"There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I


have not profited, I dare say," returned the nephew. "Christmas among the


rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has


come round-apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if


anything belonging to it can be apart from that-as a good time; a kind,


forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long


calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open


their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they


really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of


creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has


never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done

me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!"

Again, Sorry . . .

Not only was I behind on my blogging, but Blogger is acting up. I just tried to publish a post of mine, and it all got deleted. UGGHHHHHGG! Well, anyways, I just want to apologize for, well, everything. And with that, sorry. Moving on, since its Christmas, I will be doing some holiday stuff that you should look for. Speaking of which . . .

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Steelheart

* * * * */ Five Stars

Genre: Fantasy, Futuristic, Intellect, Humor (some of it dry), Romance, Danger, Drama, Action, Adventure

Brandon Sanderson has outdone himself in Steelheart, the first book in the Reckoners series. It is about a teenager named David, who has had his share of problems with the 'Epics'. Epics were created when an explosion in the sky called the 'Calamity' blessed the people it touched with extraordinary powers. That was a while ago. An Epic called Steelheart had killed his father when he shot someone trying to kill Steelheart. His bullet scratched the side of Steelheart's cheek, and it made a scar. He killed the poor, innocent man because of it. David has spent his life trying to find out all of the secrets of the Epics ever since; he wants to someday join the 'Reckoners', a secret group of regular people also trying to find out how to strike the Epics down by learning about them. When David walks in on one of their attempts to take down an Epic, things change unexpectedly. He gets invited to join the team since he knew their hide-outs and understood their patterns. Now David has plans to get revenge on the Epic that killed his father. What will happen to David and the rest of the Reckoners? What is Steelheart planning? And what would happen if Davis lost his humanity in this twisting plan to even the score?
In this fast-passed novel, nothing is as it seems. If you are prepared to travel the unknown, sob inside, and get lost in the twists and turns of this riveting plot, then this is the novel of your dreams.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! It has been a very eventful 3 months for me since I started my blog. And, yes, if it wasn't clear before this blog was only started 3 months ago. Crazy, right? Well, in the spirit of the holiday, I just had to post this:



Enjoy this funny Charlie Brown special. I know I loved this!

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

The Outsiders

* * * */ Four Stars

Genre: Action, Adventure, Intellectual, Drama, Danger, Suspense, Humor (very little, though . . .)

Ponyboy (and yes, that's the name his parents gave him) is an orphan. His brothers Darry and Sodapop are, too. All three of them are 'greasers', the name of the gang they are in and live to. There are two rules to a greaser's life; stick together, and don't get caught. Ponyboy is the youngest of the three (and of the 'gang') and therefore him and his friend Johnny get beaten up a lot by their rival gang, the Socs. They are the 'hoods' of the two and the Socs are the snobby, rich jerks that hit them where it hurts. Ponyboy's life isn't easy. He fights with his oldest brother (Darry), he gets beaten up (a lot), and he's 'smart' but doing poorly in school. If the trio get in trouble, they might be separated and put in home. When Ponyboy, Two-Bit (another friend/gang member), and Johnny meet Cherry and Maria, some Soc girls, their perspectives are turned a little. What makes the two gangs different, if they all share the same town and have the same problems? The same night, Ponyboy and Johnny get jumped by some Soc boys for hanging out with their girls. They try to drown Ponyboy, but Johnny intervenes. Now, on the run from the law and with seemingly nobody who still truly accepts them, the duo stow away. What will happen to these two 'outsiders'?
I really loved this book by S. E. Hinton. It is truly inspiring and makes you think more about the inspiring world around you and the way our society works.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Gregor the Overlander

* * * */ Four Stars

Genre: Action, Adventure, Loss, Drama, Danger, Humor, Mystery, Suspense

Gregor's sister falls down the laundry chute. So, naturally, he does what any good older brother would; he ends up going in after her. At the bottom of the chute, the two find a hidden city; one filled with princes and princesses, giant bugs, priceless trinkets, and talking rats. He and his sister are welcomed into the city, for it is very rare that someone coming down the chutes will actually live to tell the tale. The last one was his dad, who happened to disappear years ago. Now they know he fell into the world of the 'underlanders'. As the two grow more and more anxious to find out what happened to their father in this world, they discover he is a prisoner to an evil rodent deep within the heart of this world. Will the two lowly 'overlanders' be able to fins their father and fulfill the ancient prophecy of that of this world?
I really liked this book by Suzanne Collins. It really opens up your eyes to the amazing, whimsical world around us and is destined to be a classic.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Flipped

* * * */ Four Stars

Genre: Romance, Adventure, Action, Humor, Drama, Intellect

The first time Julie saw Bryce, that was it. She was head over heals. The first time Bryce met Julie, he ran behind his mother's skirts and hoped he would never see her again. He was wrong. He was stuck in every class with her in every grade. It's now middle school, and Julie is still hung up over Bryce, who has been desperately trying to avoid her all these years. This year, though, things are different. All the things that Julie had done over the years, like hatching chickens for the science fair and protesting the chopping of a huge tree, are finally catching up with him, and he suddenly feels differently about her. On the other side of the road is Julie. After all her years of chasing after Bryce, she is starting to realize that Bryce has never done anything with her or for her. He hasn't ever joined her in a game of ball or even stopped to say hello when he saw her outside. Julie is beginning to really look at Bryce . . . and he doesn't seem nearly as much of the selfless, amazing person she thought he was when they were little. Is Bryce falling in love with Julie? And, if so, what will happen if she gives up on him before he does?
I really like this book by Wendelin Van Draanen. It is one that is destined to be a classic, and is for the people who want to curl up in bed, read some 'mush', and sit there until the feelings have long passed.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

The Red Pyramid :Book Trailer

Here is the book trailer for the Kane Chronicles book 1, The Red Pyramid. If you haven't read it, please do so! Go to your library and pick up this awesome book.


Friday, November 21, 2014

Life As We Knew It

* * * */ Four Stars

Genre: Action, Adventure, (mild) Humor, (some) Romance, Danger, Drama, Futuristic, Suspense

The world is in chaos. Or, at least Miranda's. It started with the moon getting hit by a meteor. Then the tides began rising, the stores went out of business, and the electricity went out. Now Miranda and her family are trapped in their own house while the people around them slowly starve, move, or kill themselves because they fear they won't make it otherwise. Miranda and her family have 'survived' since they were prepared for the tough, harsh times ahead of them. Miranda is worried, though. As the years pass and the seasons turn, Miranda is afraid that she and the rest of her family may not survive this. Will they all make it out alive together, or will the family be lost like the rest of the world?
This book by Susan Beth Pfeffer is truly inspiring. I loved it, and I know that anyone else looking for a new favorite will, too.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

No. Just, no.

Okay, so I know that this is a blog about books (and other pieces of writing). But, frankly, I just had to share this other blog with my blogger fans:

http://www.mandatory.com/2014/03/28/the-best-worst-jokes-from-pun-husky/

Take a look at this page. You will be laughing your socks off- I swear! Here's one of the corny jokes on there . . . and if you like it, there's more where that came from!!!

A Winter Poem

This is a poem by Nikki Giovanni. It is about the magic of winter and the first signs of it. Check it out:

Winter Poem
by Nikki Giovanni

once a snowflake fell
on my brow and i loved
it so much and i kissed
it and it was happy and called it cousins
and brothers and a web
of snow engulfed me then
i reached to love them all
and i squeezed them and they became
a spring rain and i stood perfectly
still and was a flower