Reviewing but not enchiladas?!

Today I'm doing many things. Two of them are writing a review for Ryann In The Sky by author Jammie Kern, which I already did (will be posted in the near future) and the other eating at a local Mexican restaurant. I want to try this new place, you all know how it is when you get great feedback from family and friends.  But right know I'm asking myself: Where is your food, Jessy? Why your food isn't on your table?
After writing a review you deserve a good meal and that is why not having my food is making me sad. I'm writing this with just some complementary chips... but at least the salsa is phenomenal. Meanwhile, on more bookish ideas I'm thinking about next time cooking at home. DIY is always better. One of my kids keeps asking : "Where is my rice?" And I think this world is great because it has smartphones. Some minutes ago, I found some cooking books online which look promising. Take a look, I borrowed these images from that amazing site we all visit, goodreads (thank you).

Author Rick Bayless

Authors Evie Righter & Steven Needham

Author Roberto Santibañez

I love the three concepts. So I think any of them would be great guides to improve my cooking skills. Try any of these at home, or all of them. Cookbooks are always useful to have around.
You can find more of these books at goodreads :
The Best of Mexico
Truly Mexican
Authentic Mexican

My food has arrived and it looks delicious.I hope it is...after waiting for almost an hour, it better be.

Booking Through Thursday: Who taught me to read?

Who taught me to read?

Reading is one of my favorite things.  To me, it is imperative to read everyday. That's why I have to read at least some pages everyday. I cannot remember my no reader self.

I remember my aunt used to practice with me my reading in Spanish using a "cartilla fonetica". Basically phonics in my native tongue. Spanish is a complex language, many grammar rules structure this language, so to learn how to read and write it is not an easy task. But once you learn, a rich language becomes part of you.

Also, I remember she taught me to read English language when I was in Primary School.  I have to say it was weird, looking in retrospective because she married really young and she used to babysit me...we were two kids together. But she was really mature and she was an integral piece on my education.Thank you Aunt, you created the reader in me.

And as I learned I began devouring every book at my house. Thanks Mom for having an unending supply of books at home so I could read many stories and classics when I was only a child.

Waiting On Wednesday: Kindred by J.A. Redmerski

I've been out of the blog's dimension for a little bit.  Today I'm back and  with my first Waiting On Wednesday (event hosted @ Breaking The Spine) post.  

 I choose Kindred, the second book of The Darkwoods Trilogy by author Jessica Redmesrski.  I just finished the first one, The Mayfair Moon and can't wait until July 20 to get my hands on the next chapter of this story.  

This is the first book of the trilogy:  The Mayfair Moon (Review coming soon!)

 Source 

I found it at Amazon.  Lately, I have been browsing a lot on my android  and the Kindle App has been a great help.  Great books, great bargains.

This is the story of Isaac and Adria.  She is a 17 year old  and he is a werewolf.   Destiny unites them when her sister is turned by another clan and Adria needs protection from her sister and her new company.  Adria's life has never been easy, but on The Mayfair Moon she will find her life changed forever.

The second book is Kindred.  Adria discovers Isaac has a secret, something dark.  Also she discovers that werewolves are not the only supernatural beings on her world.  I wish I could show you a cover for Kindred, but there is no final cover yet.

WWW Wednesday

I haven't wrote a WWW Wednesday's post in a while but I decided to begin again today to establish a reading plan.  It helps me keep track of my reading progress.
What am I currently reading?  Right know I am reading The Girl In The Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles #2) by Kady Cross. 
What did I recently finish reading? I read Gone by Michael Grant.  This is a YA book about a town where all adult presence disappears and children remain to fend for themselves.
What do I think I'll read next? The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by MiB at Should Be Reading.


Current WWW Wednesday by Miz B http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/2012/06/13/www-wednesdays-june-13/

Review: Gone by Michael Grant

Gone by Michael Grant
Published : 2008 / HarperTeen
Source: Purchase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first time I read something from Michael Grant's. I took interest on this book one day while browsing for a new read. I was looking for a YA read and found Gone.
Where are the adults?
Grant took the apocalyptic world and probably asked himself: what if adults were gone? He puts children on a town isolated by a barrier. We don't know what happened to the rest of the world and it is a question you will ask yourself during all the time you invest reading this book. This would be a difficult situation for an adult, so imaging how challenging it would be for kids. Children are less resourceful than adults, also immature, so every problem could escalate like a wild fire.
Follow the leader... but who?
The setting of this book is Perdido Beach. The city is surrounded by a barrier and no adult presence is found. Keep this in mind, Perdido Beach is a name fit for the place because Perdido is Spanish for lost. In this city's weirdness at first the kids are disorganized but see some hope on Sam. Sam is a kid just like them, but he had gained their trust due to his heroic actions in the past. They think of him as the one with the answers, but Sam is not ready to take a leader's role. When a new kid emerges on the scene entourage included -the town and especially Sam get more than they bargain for. Caine and his crew act in pro of the interest and well being of all the kids ...All appearances! Their dark motivations are soon shown, triggering a chain of events that will awaken Sam's leadership.
Inside that barrier things are crazy. The place is govern by a new ecosystem where laws of physics no longer apply and reality blends with fantasy. Even the characters will evolve, and in Sam and Caine, this will happen exponentially. Alliances will form, after all they feel insecure and kids will be on edge. The climate is one of immediate survival, not one of long lasting survival. We confirm all of this as they establish rules that soon become excuses for bullying and persecution. Sam will be the one who will provoke positive change for everyone.
The bunch had common sense
When people is trying to survive, they will be on edge. These kids are by themselves, but it surprised me how they handle things. The daycare center continues taking care of the little ones (underage staff). The fire department and police keeps going. Even the McDonald's is offering services!
At some point factions are forming: Perdido Beach Kids vs. Coates Academy Kids (school nearby) They decide who to follow based on: moral, accessibility to resources, protection or power. Caine exemplifies power by generating fear and use of manipulation. He keeps the children fearful using a set of strong powers he acquired. He had been altered by something unknown as everything has been altered on Perdido Beach. Caine is at the top of the list of children with powers. Kids will have to decide who to follow and a big fight will define the near future of all of them... at least for a while.
About the book
I read the kindle version of Gone on my smartphone. It's a good version easy to read and mine is full of notes. I'm planning on reading the next book. Already got the sample of Hunger at Amazon and from what I read on its synopsis, things won't get easier. The children of Perdido Beach simply live everyday as it comes. Gone had an optimistic ending reflecting unity in the kids. I was delighted to see how they find common ground with tradition and a big feast. The big feast part is what drives me mad. How are they going to find food in the future when probably their supplies are already low? The smart thing would've been to ration their food. Sooooooo, the second book is Hunger and I rest my case!
While reading this book I kept turning electronic pages for it was difficult to stop reading. The story is full of surprises. I liked about this book that Grant didn't sanctify children. He put them on a stressful environment and let his characters play. There will always be kids more mature than others. The story has many characters but just a few kids take responsibility for the general well-being. Unfair, but not everybody will be proactive on a community, it would be an Utopian state of mind.

Recommend for Middle age and up

View all my reviews

I haven't wrote in quite a while and I've been missing it.  I've had a full schedule, but soon I'll retake my blogging duties.  Probably I'll begin during this weekend by visiting some blogs.  My weekend will be full with read great posts and I certainly know I will find helpful and insightful book reviews.

Yesterday, I finished reading Gone by author Michael Grant.  Soon, I will share my thoughts on this book.  As soon as I finished it, I went to Amazon to get the sample of Hunger, the next chapter of this series.  When I checked on Amazon, I found out this series have more books that I thought.  With six books.

Also, I want to announce the winner of a copy of Prom Dates To Die For:
Krista - Congrats!

Musing Mondays: 2012 Reading Goal

Weekly meme at Should Be Reading

Do you have a reading goal for the year, such as __ books? Why or why not?
Currently my goal for this year is 25 books.  Already, I have read 15 books from my 2012 books reading challenge at Goodreads.  Also, I'm doing a A to Z challenge, so I'm trying to include books that match the criteria for both challenges.  Soon, I will have to set a new goal for this year.

Why do I have a goal?
I think it is the best way to make some progress on my TBR.