The Word Exchange Book Review

Book: The Word Exchange

 

Author: Alena Graedon

 

Given by: Doubleday Books

 

Rating: 2/5 Won-derfuls (It was okay)

 

I was so excited when I read about this book and even more excited when I was approved for an ARC! For a while it was interesting. A "word flu" breaks out and kills language as we know it. The days of print and even electronic reading are long dead. Instead society uses Memes for everything under the sun. These machines are so in tune with their owners that they order food and taxis with the merest hint from the human's mind.

One man, Doug, stands against this change and has the foresight to see the damage being done to society. He works against those trying to profit from the death of the language he loves so much. That is until he mysteriously disappears. Sounds exciting, right? Let's just say it has a lot of untapped potential.

First of all, our heroine is a bloomin' idiot. As Doug's daughter I would hope for a strong, intelligent young woman. Not so much. I love a good character flaw as much as the next person but there is only so much stupidity I can take. She's basically in love with a sociopath and frequently goes against the warnings of those she trusts most, i.e. dear old dad. I wanted to punch her right in the dome the third time this happened.

Second, the book got really confusing around the whole word flu thing. Cool idea, but deadly? There were links made between human viruses and computer viruses that were kinda cool, but really they didn't make much sense. Then people started dying. From nothing. The word flu caused mysterious fevers and eventually death but I couldn't quite figure out why. As far as I can tell there was not a virus as we know them that effected the brain and, therefore, speech and language. I could see that becoming septic and killing someone. But I don't know how having a device controlling one's language would lead to their death. Did I miss a key part of the story? Am I thinking too much about it? I don't know. What I do know is that I wanted the book to end long before it did.

Basically, awesome idea. Great potential. It didn't hit the mark with me.

If you want to check out the book yourself or see what others have to say look here.

DIY Bookish Birthday Card

I wanted to make a card for my fabulous, book-loving cousin's birthday. I have a few books that I got from the library's used book section that aren't in great shape. Instead of letting them be thrown out I have been making things with them.

For this card I used one piece of scrapbook paper and a book page. I cut large petals and a circle from the book page and small petals from the scrapbook paper. They glued together nicely to make a cute flower. I love the circle which says "was it a bird... was it a fairy..." which suits my cousin beautifully.

This inside is half a piece of scrapbook paper folded in half. I picked this piece because it had lines on it for my message and needed very little adornment. Finally, I cut "Happy Birthday" from paper scraps from a different project.
 
 

This was quick and fun to make. I'm excited to mail it off tomorrow :) Next up: Mother's Day card!

Sally's Baking Addiction Book Review

Book: Sally's Baking Addiction

 

Author: Sally McKenney

 

Given by: Quayside Publishing Group

 

Rating: 5/5 Won-derfuls (Amazing!)

 

Love! Love! Love! I am a decent baker, but not anything particularly spectacular. With the help of this book I was baking like a pro without any special equipment or complex instructions. The directions are short and simple. The pictures are gorgeous and the pages high quality. The baked goods are DELICIOUS. In short, this is a great cookbook.

The 77 recipes in this book are divided into eight sections: Breads and Muffins, Breakfast, Brownies and Bars, Cakes Pies and Crisps, Candy and Sweet Snacks, Cookies, Cupcakes, and Healthier Choices. I made three recipes from different sections before writing this review.

First, I made lemon poppy seed muffins to take to work. Twice. They didn't make it to the office. Twice. Start to finish they took me less than 30 minutes to make and the outcome was scrumptious! I had plenty of help in my house testing these babies out. We all approve!! I plan to make these whenever we have company stay the night.

  

Next I tried out a recipe from the Breakfast section... crepes! With Nutella! YUM. I only made these once and they were easy peasy as well. This basic recipe is easily customizable, so we're going to try out some different toppings this weekend. This is another great thing about Sally's Baking Addiction. There are tips throughout about ways to modify or customize the recipes to make them more versatile.

The final recipe I tried out (for now) was for Blueberry Almond Oat Squares. Mine did not turn out pretty, but that is because we gave in to temptation before letting them cool fully. Maybe next time I'll give them a chance to settle before stuffing my face with deliciousity, but probably not.We had these filling squares for breakfast throughout the week and enjoyed every bite.

I highly recommend this book. It would make a great for any who enjoy baking because it is not a cookbook that sits out for show (although it is lovely). It is functional, practical, and perdy.

Want more information? Check out the book and blog here.

Printing Press Adventures

To celebrate National Poetry Month, Phoenix Public Library hosted an open house with their printing press! The Washington Press (circa 1895) made by the Ostrander Seymour Company of Chicago and donated to the Library in 1988. 

I took advantage of this great opportunity and printed my very own page to take home. I learned a lot and got to experience the energy that went into printing a single sheet. This was a very fun and unique experience!