Cupcakes.
My roommate brought me lunch this afternoon, and we watched Teen Witch (my love for which I've written about before). I hadn't watched it all the way through in years, and it was great to relive the insane outfits, big hair, hokey song/dance numbers, and creepy brother scenes of my favorite movie in middle school. Plus, Madame Serena is great. Oh, and there's a rap. Five stars! You know, if it weren't for the lack of Internet, I think I would have really liked the 80s.
I also finished Charmed Thirds this afternoon! I liked it for the most part. It was as hard for me to put down as the first two, and McCafferty did an excellent job of developing the characters in a realistic way. It wasn't as funny or emotionally engaging as the previous books, but I don't think it was meant to be.
Depending on how strict your definition of "spoiler" is this may contain some slight ones.
It reminded me of New Moon actually. Or, rather, what I think Stephenie Meyer intended for New Moon to be. A lot of people didn't like New Moon because Edward disappears early on and doesn't come back until almost the end of the novel. The interim between Edward leaving and Edward returning is supposed to prove to Bella, Edward, and the reader how special/strong her and Edward's relationship is. It is the knowledge gained from this separation that Bella falls back on in the end of Eclipse when she's torn between life with Jacob and immortality with Edward. Well, the same sort of thing happens in Charmed Thirds, but McCafferty took the idea farther and executed it better. And I think it probably isn't liked as well as the earlier books for the same reason some didn't like New Moon as well as Twilight -- the relationship of the lovebirds is tested, and the gallant hero is absent*.
There were a couple plot points I thought were a bit extreme or didn't care for, and Jessica will never be my favorite heroine. She loses some of her arrogance in this one, but with it goes some of her harsh criticism and personality, and the narrative suffers for it. Honestly, I'm surprised I feel this way. I frequently found her commentary too mean or unfair, but her maturity made her feel more flat.
Overall, I think it's a compelling read that achieved what it set out to achieve and showed believable growth of the characters both as individuals and in their relationships with each another.
*I know there are many more complicated reasons people dislike New Moon, but there are people who just skipped the middle simply because Edward wasn't there, which I disapprove of. Though I will admit the books are more interesting when he's present.
I liked Charmed Thirds much more than I expected to, but I'm still skeptical about the final two books in the series. It bothers me that the fifth one is in third person. Won't it feel to distant from Jessica? Thus far we've seen everything entirely through her eyes and with her analysis. I think the transition will be jarring.
On a completely unrelated note, I baked Spice Cake cupcakes last night. They turned out pretty well. Spice cake, if you don't know, has ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg in it. So they aren't as sweet as regular cupcakes but are very good with vanilla icing, which can be too much for me sometimes on sweeter cakes. I wanted to add a picture of them here, but I currently have no way of getting photos from my camera to my computer.
Hope everyone is having a good week.
Later.
I also finished Charmed Thirds this afternoon! I liked it for the most part. It was as hard for me to put down as the first two, and McCafferty did an excellent job of developing the characters in a realistic way. It wasn't as funny or emotionally engaging as the previous books, but I don't think it was meant to be.
Depending on how strict your definition of "spoiler" is this may contain some slight ones.
It reminded me of New Moon actually. Or, rather, what I think Stephenie Meyer intended for New Moon to be. A lot of people didn't like New Moon because Edward disappears early on and doesn't come back until almost the end of the novel. The interim between Edward leaving and Edward returning is supposed to prove to Bella, Edward, and the reader how special/strong her and Edward's relationship is. It is the knowledge gained from this separation that Bella falls back on in the end of Eclipse when she's torn between life with Jacob and immortality with Edward. Well, the same sort of thing happens in Charmed Thirds, but McCafferty took the idea farther and executed it better. And I think it probably isn't liked as well as the earlier books for the same reason some didn't like New Moon as well as Twilight -- the relationship of the lovebirds is tested, and the gallant hero is absent*.
There were a couple plot points I thought were a bit extreme or didn't care for, and Jessica will never be my favorite heroine. She loses some of her arrogance in this one, but with it goes some of her harsh criticism and personality, and the narrative suffers for it. Honestly, I'm surprised I feel this way. I frequently found her commentary too mean or unfair, but her maturity made her feel more flat.
Overall, I think it's a compelling read that achieved what it set out to achieve and showed believable growth of the characters both as individuals and in their relationships with each another.
*I know there are many more complicated reasons people dislike New Moon, but there are people who just skipped the middle simply because Edward wasn't there, which I disapprove of. Though I will admit the books are more interesting when he's present.
I liked Charmed Thirds much more than I expected to, but I'm still skeptical about the final two books in the series. It bothers me that the fifth one is in third person. Won't it feel to distant from Jessica? Thus far we've seen everything entirely through her eyes and with her analysis. I think the transition will be jarring.
On a completely unrelated note, I baked Spice Cake cupcakes last night. They turned out pretty well. Spice cake, if you don't know, has ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg in it. So they aren't as sweet as regular cupcakes but are very good with vanilla icing, which can be too much for me sometimes on sweeter cakes. I wanted to add a picture of them here, but I currently have no way of getting photos from my camera to my computer.
Hope everyone is having a good week.
Later.