Book Review: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Warm Bodies: A Novel

Author: Isaac Marion

Publisher: Atria Books

Date:  April 26, 2011

Length: 256 Pages


This book review was written by guest blogger Cindy Phelps Thomas.

About The Author
Isaac Marion is an American writer. He is best known as the best-selling author of the "zombie romance" novel Warm Bodies.

Favorite Quotations
“You should always be taking pictures, if not with a camera then with your mind. Memories you capture on purpose are always more vivid than the ones you pick up by accident.”  

“What wonderful thing didn't start out scary?”  

“We are where we are, however we got here. What matters is where we go next.”  

“The past is made out of facts... I guess the future is just hope.”  

“Here it comes. My inevitable death, ignoring me all those years when I wished for it daily, arriving only after I've decided I want to live forever.”  

A Zombie Romance
R is a zombie. He lives in an abandoned airport with his fellow undead, zombies and boneys. He can’t help but think he’s different from the rest as they shuffle around all day without a thought.

R does have thoughts, but he’s not sure what they mean or why he has them since he has no recollection of his past life. He does go to town occasionally to feed with other zombies, one of which is M, his friend. While feeding, the zombies can experience memories of the human life they are taking.

On one occasion, while feeding, R experiences the memories of Perry. Perry’s memories all include Julie, his longtime friend and girlfriend. R feels something for Julie through these memories and concludes that he must save her from the other zombies that are feeding. He takes her back to the 747 plane that he lives in. She is scared and he cannot communicate well with her, but as the days pass they become friends.

Julie tells R that she needs to return home to prevent her father from looking for her and attacking the airport. R begins the journey to take her back but also feels the overwhelming desire to keep her with him to ensure that she is safe.  The boneys, the high order of the undead, have discovered that R is different and Julie is living. They are unhappy and start a fight to try to capture her and kill her.

R and Julie manage to make it away from them with a little help, but Julie escapes from R once they are further down the road.  She manages to return home safely, but R cannot be without her. R, M, and a few others who are all starting to experience thoughts and feelings that they don’t understand decide to leave and go to Julie. The boneys are angry and still looking for the group of them.

The feelings between R and Julie are growing, but will R make it out of this? Will the boneys conquer the humans and the zombies?

All they know is there are big changes in the future and the future is coming fast.
 
My Thoughts

Warm Bodies is an interesting tale of a zombie romance. The love of a zombie for a human which is normally considered hunter and prey. I enjoyed this book. It was my first experience with zombies and kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. The book does have a considerable amount of adult language so I would not suggest it for children, but if you are looking to try something new, or this is the genre you usually look for, I definitely recommend this easy read.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

Thank you to Cindy for sharing this book review with us. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Review: Witch Weigh by Caroline Mickelson

Witch Weigh (A Paranormal Romantic Comedy)

Author: Caroline Mickelson

Publisher: Bon Accord Press

Date: April 24, 2012

Length: 154 Pages




This book review is a guest post written by Cindy Phelps Thomas.

About The Author
Caroline Mickelson loves her family and loves to write.  She lives in the American southwest with her husband and their four children.

She Uses Her Magic To Make Sure She Gets Her Way

Contessa Von Hellengaard is a real witch living in a normal world. Tessa is selfish, rude, and if anyone or anything gets in the way of what she wants, she uses her magic to make sure she gets her way.

The other witches in her coven see her behavior as a problem that is eventually going to have them all exposed. They have tried talking to her time and again, but they see no change in her personality. At their latest meeting, the others have planned an intervention of sorts.

They introduce her to Liam Kennedy. Little does she know, her life is about to drastically change. Liam is her charming fairy godfather. He takes her on a journey to better herself and teach her a few lessons. Tessa and Liam go to a beautiful resort. When Tessa wakes in the morning, she has gained hundreds of pounds, her beloved black cat is a white dog, and her magic no longer works.

She learns that she is in a camp to lose weight.  Although enraged, Tessa has no other option but to go along with the rules. As she sheds the pounds, she also gains a few friends, learns to love herself, and may even fall in love.

Will this all be for the best, or will she end up heartbroken wishing she could go back to her less caring days?

This paranormal romance is a fun and fast novella. It was touching at times and comedic at others. If you are looking for a good, quick read, I definitely recommend Mickelson’s Witch Weigh.  

MY RATING:  4 STARS OUT Of 5

Thank you to Cindy for this YA book review. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Review: The Short Second LIfe of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella (The Twilight Saga)

Author:  Stephenie Meyer

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Date: May 28, 2010




This book review was written by guest blogger Cindy Phelps Thomas

About The Author
Stephenie Meyer is an American young-adult fiction writer and film producer, best known for her vampire romance series Twilight. The Twilight novels have gained worldwide recognition and sold over 100 million copies with translations into 37 different languages.

Quotations
“Don't watch" the redheaded mind reader whispered.
I closed my eyes.”  

“Super-secret Ninja Club sounds way cooler than the whole BFF thing.”  

“I couldn‘t make sense of the mess in my head. Diego was dead, and that was the main thing, the devastating thing. Other than that, the fight was over, my coven had lost and my enemies had won. But my dead coven was full of people who would have loved to watch me burn, and my enemies were speaking to me kindly when they had no reason to.”  

Life As A Vampire
Bree Tanner is a 15 year old runaway trying to escape an abusive father, her mother left when she was young. She is barely surviving when a young man named Riley asks her if she would like to get a hamburger with him. She jumps at the chance for food. She is intrigued by Riley and thinks he is very attractive even if he won’t remove his sunglasses. Riley is nice to Bree, but in an instant strange things happen.

Bree is dragged to a house and feels a tremendous pain in her neck that seeps through her entire body. This is the first night in her life as a vampire. Bree now lives in a crowded basement with 20 other “newborn” vampires. There are often fights among them causing the coven to have to move around and sometimes causing the death of members of the coven.

Bree befriends Diego during a hunting trip to Seattle. He is a wiser and nicer vampire, the first she has felt comfortable around in her three month life. They travel together and discover that sunlight is not as lethal as they had been repeatedly told by Riley.

This gets the two discussing what else Riley may be hiding from the coven. Bree and Diego’s love story is short lived as they discover that the coven is actually intended to be soldiers in an unknown battle with the “Yellow-eyes”.  These yellow-eyes are known throughout the Twilight Saga as the Cullen coven. 

Fred, another loner Vampire, runs away and offers to wait for Bree and Diego in Canada, but first she must tell Diego the plan. Bree becomes entangled in this messy battle, Riley has fled, and Diego is nowhere to be found.

What will come of Bree Tanner in this messy second life of hers?

Readers of Eclipse (Twilight, Book 3) will remember the battle scene in which Bree Tanner debutes. This is the details of the life of the young, desperate newborn vampire, Bree.

RATING:  5 Stars Out Of 5

Thank you for reading this book review. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

ABCmouse.com Review and Giveaway

I was recently contacted by ABCmouse.com and offered a generous ONE YEAR subscription for one of my lucky readers. I don't have any young children at home so I asked my daughter, Cindy Phelps Thomas, to try this site with my granddaughter for one month.

Cindy is my guest blogger today and tells you about her experience with ABCmouse.com.

ABCmouse.com is a computer-based learning program for young children, ages 3-kindergarten. My daughter is 18 months, but I decided to try this program. The program is personalized, it is set up to your specified age group and even says hello with your child’s name at the beginning of each session.

There is a classroom setting to start. From there you can enjoy the variety of activities they have available, including games, songs, personalizing your classroom, and learning geared toward your child’s age group.

There are multiple themes that you can choose including the beach, the farm, the seashore, etc. In each of these settings there are courses that include learning through puzzles, electronic coloring sheets, songs, math, and more. There are lesson builders available also, if you want to design a particular lesson for your child. As you finish each activity there is a reward of tickets that your child can cash in for prizes.

Although my daughter was a little young for the program, she thoroughly enjoyed learning about zoo animals and listening to the songs. We were able to learn about the specific zoo animals and listen to the sounds that they make. The songs had various settings to listen and sing along with the words. We decided to choose the bouncing ball to guide us along in the song; my daughter was able to point to the ball as it went.

I highly recommend this program to parents of children in these age groups. ABCmouse.com is a great resource for parents to use with their children to encourage the learning process and prepare them for future grade levels. Parents can track the process on this program too. The best part is that the program is not expensive! I will definitely continue to work with my daughter through ABCmouse.com!

How To Win An Annual Subscription to ABCmouse.com
One lucky reader of this blog will win a subscription code for 1 year free use of the ABCmouse.com educational service.

I will conduct a random drawing at 12:00 noon on Thursday, August 29.

To enter the drawing for a chance to win, just leave a comment on this blog post. All you have to say is "I want to win ABCmouse.com!"

Please leave an email address with your comment. I will email the lucky winner on August 29 with the 1 year subscription code. I will annouce the winner on this blog the following week. Good luck to everyone!

The Advantages Of DIY Greeting Cards by Christina Delgado

 
Happy Easter! I hope you had a wonderful and blessed holiday weekend.
Many of you know that making handmade greeting cards is one of my favorite hobbies. I am happy to welcome a fellow paper crafter and guest blogger Christina Delgado.

Today we find ourselves in the age of Do-It-Yourselfers. There are many reasons that people are shifting toward making their own products. The first, and probably most influential reason, is to save money in a time of recession. However, people are also finding that by making products that they would normally buy, they can get exactly what they want, rather than settling for mass-produced items that are close, but not perfect. One industry that is not immune to the effects of the Do-It-Yourself generation is the greeting card industry. The number of people engaging in DIY greeting cards is increasing every year and here are the biggest reasons why:

1. Money

Although buying all of the different materials that are required to make greeting cards can be expensive if you're not doing it right, the cost is actually generally still cheaper per card than the cards one would buy at the local drugstore or grocery store. The benefit is that you buy a good amount of materials once and don't need to spend more money every time you need to send out a greeting card. You simply gather the materials you bought and make your own. This makes every greeting card you make after the initial purchase seem free!

 

2. A Personal Touch

Even the most unique cards from a store will be somewhat generic. Although some of them have funny sayings or cute animals on the front that you think your loved one will enjoy, the card was not made just for them. There will be other copies out there, and ya never know - they might get the same one twice. When making your own greeting cards though, you can personalize them so that you can demonstrate how well you know the person you are giving the card to, and you can make sure that they will truly enjoy it. A personalized card shows that you took the time to design and construct a card that celebrates their unique personhood. They will seem exponentially more thoughtful.

3. Creative Outlet

Everyone has those days where all you want to do is come home and unwind. You don't want to think about the stresses of work or family life. You simply want to do something that you truly enjoy to get your mind off of the things that you don't want to think about. An activity that can help you to take your mind off of all of these things is making greeting cards. It allows you to be creative, but also gives you a finished product that you can be proud of, a definite mood lifter for most everyone. If you are looking for a hobby that will make other people happy and will allow you to get your creative juices flowing, DIY greeting cards are a great choice.

Christina Delgado is an art teacher that writes about the arts and education. Her recent work can be found on the list of 30 Great Blogs for Teachers and Educators.

Do you make handmade greeting cards? If you enjoyed this article by Ms. Delgado, please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Guest Blog Post: Christopher Smith On Social Media Marketing Part 2

I would like to welcome guest blogger Christopher Smith back to JanetteFuller.Com. Mr. Smith is a Social Media Marketing Specialist and an Online Auction Coach.
Yesterday our guest blogger shared some excellent advice for using Facebook and LinkedIn.
Today Mr. Smith will show us how we can use YouTube and Twitter to build our brand and our business.



YouTube

YouTube is the world’s largest online video community. You can literally find a rare commercial from the 1980’s to seeing what the latest bad choice by a current pop-culture celebrity was. YouTube is a great place to promote items.  Depending upon which article you consider, many experts say that as much as 60% of online sales will be derived from video. If you are not camera shy, you can promote anything that you would like. There are even ways to make videos that don’t require you being on camera. Facebook and LinkedIn require some level of connection in order for people to see your photos, comments, suggestions, etc.  On YouTube, anyone can subscribe to you. Anyone can see what you are up to. I have enjoyed some success using YouTube. Once you record a few videos, you begin to get relaxed and are able to be yourself. The more genuine you are in your videos, the more likely you will get customers.  This would be a perfect place to upload your vacation video and then explain how you would like to share with others how you were able to go on your vacation. 

Twitter

Twitter is almost always mentioned in the top five of all social media websites.  I’ve found that people either love or hate Twitter. The people that hate it don’t see the value in having only 140 characters to say what you need to say. They don’t grasp all of the weird ways people communicate with their @’s and #’s.  The people that love Twitter are almost addicted to seeing what others have to say. They love that you only have 140 characters to get out what is essential.  They love that you can personally connect with celebrities and hear what is on their mind. If you are lucky, you may even get a reply from a famous person (or at least a celebrity in your area of expertise). On Twitter, you can share your YouTube vacation video. You can reach out to anyone who wants to #workfromhome and then connect with them on Facebook or LinkedIn. You can send a Tweet with a direct link for people to check out what you are doing. 

Where Should You Start? 

If you are looking to build a social media following, you shouldn’t read every “how to” blog, book or eBook. You should simply get started. I would recommend joining one social media platform and begin to understand the strengths and weaknesses of that social media. Once you have developed a following, look at opening another account on a different social media website. You will quickly discover if a social media platform isn’t for you. Establish your primary goal for using social media and let that be your driving force. 

About Christopher Smith 

Christopher Smith is a Social Media Specialist and Online Auction Coach / Mentor. Between his Twitter accounts, eBay accounts, LinkedIn account, professional / personal Facebook pages and YouTube Channel, he reaches thousands of people each day.

http://linkedin.com/in/chrissmithblog

http://facebook.com/chrissmithblog

http://twitter.com/chrissmithblog

http://www.youtube.com/chrissmithblog

Please CLICK HERE to read Part 1 of this guest post by Christopher Smith.

I want to thank Chris Smith for sharing his thoughts on social media marketing.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Guest Blog Post: Christopher Smith on Social Media Marketing

I would like to welcome guest blogger Christopher Smith to JanetteFuller.Com. Mr. Smith is a Social Media Marketing Specialist. He is passionate about using Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube to help online entrepreneurs network and build a brand that will be rewarding and profitable.

Simply do a Google search on “Social Media” or “Social Websites” and your computer may blow up from all of the links that will show up. Depending upon which source you consider, there are around 100 global social media websites with a large number of unique visitors. These range from Facebook with approximately 908,000,000 registered global users to lesser known websites like Nexopia that caters to Canadians and has over 1,000,000 active users. I’ve had the blessing of being able to utilize Social Media to generate a substantial second income from home. Here are my thoughts on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Facebook

Facebook by far is the largest global social media website. Facebook is great for cultivating personal relationships. You can reconnect with friends from grade school. You are able to get in touch with family members that you see every few years. I’ve been able to re-connect with friends that I’ve lost touch with over 15 years ago. Most of my family is a 10 hour car ride away. It is great to see baby pictures of new additions to our clan before they turn three years old. Most people get a card or two on their birthday. When your birthday shows up, your Facebook profile will explode with birthday wishes. Facebook is great for building relationships and building your personal “brand” but not the best choice to market products or services. Share your vacation pictures but not your investment ideas on Facebook.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is considered by many to be the best professional social media website. In my opinion, LinkedIn is a combination of an online head-hunter, a chatty friend and a potential boss. People literally make professional connections on LinkedIn that result in employment and / or contracted work. You are encouraged to network with your personal connections and even make introductions between your connections. LinkedIn makes it super easy to target a search to locate a professional.  Hypothetically speaking, you could find a basket weaver with a four year degree living in Mystery, Alaska. If he or she didn’t exist, LinkedIn would show you other basket weavers in this general area. LinkedIn is great for making professional connections, developing potential business relationships (partners, contacts, professional networks, etc.) and building your personal “brand.” You will not want to share your vacation pictures here but maybe offer to show others how you were able to go on vacation from your business venture.

About Christopher Smith

Christopher Smith is a Social Media Specialist and Online Auction Coach / Mentor. Between his Twitter accounts, eBay accounts, LinkedIn account,  professional / personal Facebook pages and Youtube Channel, he reaches thousands of people each day.

http://linkedin.com/in/chrissmithblog

http://facebook.com/chrissmithblog

http://twitter.com/chrissmithblog

http://www.youtube.com/chrissmithblog

Come Back Tomorrow For More With Chris Smith!

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.