Book Suggestion: Prophecy of the Sisters

You all know (or if you don't, you're being informed now), that I do not consider myself a book reviewer. I am a writer, first and always, and a YA book lover second. I don't do book reviews, however I will occasionally talk about or suggest a book. This would be one of those times.

For those who haven't read Prophecy of the Sisters or Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink, you're missing out and need to go buy/check out/borrow them ASAP. The story is set in the late 1800s and has a very dark, eerie, mysterious feel to it. I won't get into the plot too much because I don't want to spoil the story for anyone. The characters Michelle has created are so realistic that when I finished Guardian of the Gate last night, it felt like I was saying goodbye to old friends. I also love Michelle's flowy writing style, it makes me actually feel like I'm living in 1891. Few stories can immerse me that much, she is truly a weaver of words. It amazes me how this book is a historical, fantasy, and paranormal, all rolled into one neat, perfect story. It also doesn't hurt that there are a couple of super dreamy (Did I just say dreamy? Looks like I did.) guys that the main character meets along her various journeys.

If you'd like to know more about Prophecy of the Sisters or Michelle, here is some links that will be helpful to you:
Michelle's site and blog
Michelle's Twitter
Michelle's Facebook
Michelle's Goodreads
Prophecy of the Sisters website
Prophecy of the Sisters Twitter

Shiver Winner!!

Congratulations to Melissa Buron! She is the winner of my signed copy of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater! Melissa I have emailed you, you now have 48 hours to respond with your mailing address so I can mail this puppy off to you! Thanks to everyone who entered! I'll have another giveaway soon!

My bucket list

As many of you know, dear readers, we are moving to a new apartment next weekend. That translates to a very frustrated and stressed out Stephanie. I don't like clutter and we have boxes of stuff everywhere. Today I was going through some boxes and found journals I kept from 2001-2003. First off let me say that my handwriting is nearly illegible. I remember thinking I had the coolest handwriting ever back then. Why do all tween/teenage girls write strangely?

I'm flipping through the countless pages of teenage angst when I come across a page that's in a list format and is numbered. I have stumbled upon my bucket list from 2001. I've been meaning to write a new bucket list and blog about it for a while, so this seems like the perfect opportunity to share. Here is the bucket list of a 16 year old girl, with a little commentary from a 24 year old girl:

1. Go to England
2. Go to Scotland (I spelled it Scottland)
3. Go to Ireland
4. Go to France
5. Go to Germany and Amsterdam
6. Go to all 50 states (I apparently wanted to travel a lot?)
7. See a rainbow in Hawaii
8. Find a real seashell
9. Put my toes in the Pacific Ocean
10. Put my toes in the Atlantic ocean
11. Get a tattoo
12. Get married
13. Have a bay window
14. Tour a castle
15. Own a castle (Big ambitions, hu? So do I tour it then make an offer on it?)
16. Be in 2 places at once
17. Feed a pigeon in Times Square (Spelled pidgeon, I was an awful speller.)
18. Ride in a limo
19. Go to all the Hard Rock Cafes in the US (What?? Why??)
20. Pet a dolphin
21. Go to DisneyWorld and stay in Cinderella's castle (I thought it was a hotel.)
22. Own all the Rainbow Brite dolls (I'm a collector of '80s memorabilia.)
23. Own all the Care Bears
24. Have a pony
25. Own a VW Bug
26. Go on a hot air balloon ride
27. Go on a moonlit stroll on a beach
28. See a Broadway musical


I've crossed out the ones I've already accomplished. It's funny to see how many of my wishes were travel oriented, and it's funny to think I wanted to have everything on this list done by now. Times change, people change, I changed. I'm planning on adding to this bucket list and keeping the tradition going. I know I'll never get everything done, but that's the point right? Life is so short and precious that we can't do it all; We must pick and choose what's most important to us.