I'm back...

Hey I'm back with sports. Its been awhile and I want to talk about the NFL and NBA season so far. In the NFL, it is winding down to Week 16. Teams are fighting for playoff spots, and its ugly. Some of the toughest battles are AFC North and the AFC West. In the AFC North the Steelers and Ravens have already clinched a playoff spot, but their tied at 11-4 to clinch the division. The Cincinnati Bengals are fighting for a playoff spot, and with a win against the Ravens, their in. Many people think the 9-6 Bengals can pull through against the 11-4 and Ravens. Honestly I think they can do it too. They're confident, good, and pumped up after Jerome Simpson did a front flip over a defending Arizona Cardinal for a TD (seen here), and he landed it! On to the NBA. The Lakers have started the season 1-2, which doesn't surprise me because Andrew Bynum is suspended, Kobe Bryant is hurt, and Lamar Odam got traded to Dallas. The Miami Heat are undefeated with rookie Norris Cole stepping up in the fourth quarter yesterday against the Celtics. One good thing came from the loss, Miami cant play against the zone defense. One thing is sure... Play zone against the Heat and maybe, maybe you'll defeat the big 3.

This World We Live In

This World We Live In by Susan Pfeffer is the last book of The Last Survivors Series.

Told in Miranda's point of view via her diary entries again, this book starts of almost a year after the meteorite hit the moon, causing catastrophe worldwide. There's hardly anyone left in Howell, the climate is unpredictable, and food supply is low. She, Matt, and Jon spend their time scouring through homes looking for supplies; heaters, toiletries, and if they're lucky, food. Their mother stays home, trying to act as though things are normal, but everyone knows nothing will ever be normal again. Things are about to change as Matt brings a girl into his life, and on top of that, Miranda, Matt, and Jon's father and step-mother arrive with a new baby and three other strangers, Charlie, Alex, and Julie. They have no idea what complications are coming; from feelings, to plans for the future, to new disasters.

10/10 I loved this book. Absolutely loved it. I'm talking it's up there on my absolute favorite books with The Hunger Games Trilogy. I'm about to talk a lot about this amazing book, but...
[FROM THIS POINT ON THERE WILL BE SPOILERS] so beware.

First of all, I really like how Pfeffer pulled Alex's life into Miranda's. Of course, me being a romantic, I loved how they fell in love and how Jon and Julie grew fond of each other as well. On the other hand, this book was incredibly sad. I thought Syl or baby Gabriel were going to die in the end, not Horton (well to be honest, I didn't quite consider him), Charlie, and the most devastating to me, Julie.

As for characters, I really liked Matt for some reason in Life as We Knew it, and Briana in The Dead and the Gone, but she died. In This World We Live In, I can't really say who my favorite character. I suppose it would be Julie, who, of course dies. I think I liked Matt because I felt like he really made an effort to protect Miranda and his family, but in This World We Live In, his focus shifted to Syl, and in my opinion, he turned into kind of a jerk. I can't totally blame him for falling in love though.

Sigh...once again we have, what I call an open ending. This reminds of Forever by Maggie Stiefvater when the story basically ends with the main character saying something right before a big event that, depending on how it turns out, could either make or break their future. Though this is even more open ended than Forever. I want to know what happens to Miranda and Alex once he finds out the truth. I want to know about Jon and everyone for that matter now that they've lost Julie and Charlie. I want to know about Matt and Syl's future. I want to know what happens to baby Gabriel. I want to know where they go next. I want to know what life will be like as it goes on.

Well, I thought I had found my answer. The Shade of the Moon, aka the fourth book of the series, was due to come out next fall, but on a post on Pfeffer's blog (yes, I read authors' blogs) that was posted only about 9 days ago saying that she and the publishing company decided against a fourth book. I was heartbroken (FYI, figuring out about the fourth book and figuring out it wasn't going to exist happened in about 2 hours). Then I started thinking. It was probably meant to be. And, when I thought about it more, real life is like this too; a mystery. You don't know what's going to happen next in your life, as we don't know what's going to happen to Miranda and her family.

In my mind, they all make it to a safe town, but either Miranda's mother, Syl, or Lisa die along the way somehow. Once at the safe town, Alex finds out the truth, and eventually forgives Miranda, but only after a few months. Baby Gabriel grows up healthy. The climate gets somewhat back to normal, and one day they see sunlight again, but it still isn't back to normal. Electricity is more reliable, but not consistent. Phone and Internet services are still out. Food is less scarce, but they still have to be conservative. Matt and Syl (assuming she's still alive) would have a baby boy (maybe named Lucas), and Alex and Miranda would eventually get married and have a baby girl, Rachel. Jon would meet a girl (maybe named Talia), but will still have grief over Julie's death.

Maybe I should write this one day. Haha.

If you read this far, wow. This was really long.

♥Skittlez

CЯOSSED

CЯOSSED by Ally Condie is the second book of the Matched Trilogy.

The future is now completely at question. Cassia goes to the Outer Provinces hoping to find Ky, only to find that he's missing. She ventures into the Carving with her new found friend, Indie, in search of him, encountering things he had left behind that could lead her to him. Along the way, secrets about the Society, Ky and Xander, and herself rise. The love triangle continues. While Cassia is looking for Ky who is an invitation for rebellion and who she believes she wants a future with, Xander may have the key to the rebellion--and her heart. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

8/10 Well, I must say that this was definitely worth the wait, but I liked Matched better. To be honest, I thought that the story was kinda slow until . Anyway, I liked how Ally Condie wrote this in both Cassia's and Ky's perspective. It was really interesting seeing Ky's thoughts and stepping into his shoes. I will definitely be on edge waiting for the third book coming out in November 2012.

♥Skittlez

Don't Look Behind You

I had to read this for Writing, but it was actually a really good book, by Lois Duncan. 

April Corrigan thinks her life is over when she discovers her father works undercover for the FBI and she and her family must go into the Federal Witness Protection Program. Now, since they have new names, new looks, a new house, nobody should be able to find them, right? Wrong. Mike Vamp, a killer, is tracking down the family. They are put into horrible danger by one silly mistake that April makes, and they must try to protect themselves, and protect each other. 

Don't Look Behind You is action packed, and you will not want to put it down. I loved this book. 9 out of 10 stars from me. 

~~~Jellybeans~~~