Book Review: The Lunar Chronicles #3 "Cress"

I recently finished the third book in "The Lunar Chronicles" series, Cress.

I don't want to give spoilers away so I will be vague.  This book does a great job of weaving a third new storyline to the existing storylines of books one and two.   All of the pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place.  The importance and relevance of each character is revealed throughout the book, and some of them are very surprising.  The ending to the book will make your jaw drop!  Then again, the endings in the first two books did that as well. There was a part of the book that was a bit slow, but otherwise the book was fast paced and engaging throughout. 

Marissa Meyer does a great job of flipping the fairy tales we all know and love on their heads and creating great new pieces of literature.  I highly recommend this series to anyone interested in fantasy, sci-fi, or romance. 

I want to give a Shout Out to one of my readers, Jon. 

Tweet me @chelseabug18 if you want a Shout Out.  Thanks for reading!

A New Opportunity

I found this new website a couple of days ago and it is a really interesting find.  It is a website that provides goods and services, starting at five dollars, from independent sellers.  For example, I started selling my writing skills on this website.  I have a few different service options, and I offer extras if you want them.  I would also be willing to negotiate for other writing related services. 

So go ahead and check out my profile!  There are a lot of other great services offered by fiverr sellers on the website as well. 

 https://www.fiverr.com/chelseabug18 

The End of a Good Thing

All things in life inevitably come to an end.  

Due to this unfortunate fact, there are those things that when they do end, just truly break your heart.  A few things that tend to end, just too quickly are books, TV shows, and book and movie series. Whether you're a reader or you prefer movies and TV, everyone can understand this pain.  I recently experienced this as a TV series I watched ended.  While the ending was fantastic and the writers did a marvelous job with the story, it still ended.   Thus, it was a sad, sad day. 

Tea By Bridget

This evening my mother and I attended a 'High Tea' at the Yesteryear Antique Center of Hanover.  The Yesteryear Café is one that we have gone to numerous times, the food and service is always great.  Bridget Weaver is the new owner of the café in the Yesteryear Antique mall.  Today from 4-6 she held a High Tea with five courses.  Each course was carefully selected and home made by Bridget at the Café.


When asked why she decided to do the High Tea, Bridget said that she just decided to try a High Tea.  Adventurous as that may seem, the Tea was highly successful and Bridget was very excited to fill up all of the seats. 

A ticket for the Bridget's High Tea was $17 per person, but as you can see by the menu here, it was well worth the price.  Especially when noting that Tea Houses in the area charge, on average, anywhere from $24-$30 per person. 

The food was simply delicious!  Pictured to the left are the first three courses in the order in which they were given. First was a Cinnamon Pecan Scone with Honey Cream.  Then, we had Curried Cream of Squash Soup and to follow that, we had a Ribbon Salad with Vinaigrette. 


 

All three of these first dishes were delicious to say the least.  I have never had any of these before and I'll be honest; I was very nervous to try the Cream of Squash Soup.  But Bridget did not disappoint, it was very good, as was the Cinnamon Pecan Scone and the Ribbon Salad.  The Vinaigrette on the salad was very well made and as you can see from the picture, there were pieces of olives, onions, cucumbers, and peppers on the salad as well. 



The two pictures to the right are of the fourth course which consisted of Shrimp Salad on Cocktail Rye and Welsh Rarebit Croustades (the first picture) and Canadian Bacon with Hot Pepper Jelly and "a Touch of BBQ Sauce" on cornbread (the second picture).  I was a bit apprehensive about tasting the hot pepper jelly as I am not a fan of very spicy foods, but it was paired perfectly with the "Touch of BBQ Sauce" that it was delicious and definitely not too spicy.






At this point in the courses, I was getting rather full as was my mother and the friends we were sitting with at our table.  So, when dessert came we were worried we may not have enough room for it.  Thankfully, this was not the case.  Pictures below are the three little desserts that we were given.












These three desserts in the picture on the bottom were sweetheart truffles, Raspberry truffles, and Petit Fours.  These little desserts were the perfect way to end this wonder tea.  They were light and sweet and just hit the spot.  I would definitely encourage everyone to go to the Yesteryear Antique Center of Hanover and visit the café.  Bridget does a magnificent job.

Here is a link to Yesteryear's Facebook page and their information: https://www.facebook.com/YesteryearAntique
There is information on the cafe's hours and a picture of the menu as well.

I know that Bridget is planning to do more High Tea's in the future and I for one, can't wait to see what she has in store for next time!

Pure Art

What is Pure Art?  This is a debate that goes on in the minds of artists, authors, and musicians alike.  Many people have different views on what pure art is.  Is it just any new piece of art or composition that's produced?  Does pure art need to be new and unique and stick the rules of culture?  Can pure art break the rules of the standard human understanding of art?  Is there actually any pure art, or do artists just complete pieces to make money and achieve fame?  All valid questions, but what are the answers? 

Simple.  The answer is whatever you want it to be.  In one way or another you are an artist, the answer is whatever you want it to be. 

Saturday Lunch: Aunt Nettie's Kitchen

For our 42nd week having Saturday lunch we went to Aunt Nettie's Kitchen in Spring Grove, Pa.  I have known about this place for a while and have been wanting to go for some time. So today we made the trip there, and it was well worth it.  I had the Club Wrap and it not only my lunch, but will be my dinner as well.  The portions are great for the price of the food and it is nearly all homemade! I suggest trying the club wrap, it had French fries in it!  Or the bacon Mac and cheese burger; it too was delicious, that was what my boyfriend had and he loved it. (The Bacon Mac and Cheese Burger is pictured below).  We will definitely be returning for another visit sometime soon and we both highly recommend Aunt Nettie's Kitchen to anyone.  It is a family owned restaurant  and the service was great, they were extremely attentive and kind.  I would definitely give this restaurant 5/5 stars.

NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month and it is fast approaching!  I am very excited to participate this year.  This will be my first year taking part in the month long event, more like a writing marathon.  For those of you who don't know about NaNoWriMo, it is a non-profit organization that encourages creative writing in a fast-paced and fun way.  They run several programs to encourage writing and expanding creativity for all ages.  I support the expansion of creative arts in all forms from a very young age, so I think that NaNoWriMo is a great organization and I am extremely excited to be involved in it this year. 

If you'd like to check out more about NaNoWriMo here is their website:

http://nanowrimo.org/about

Otakon at the Baltimore Convention Center

This past weekend was the Annual Otakon at the Baltimore Convention Center.  I attended this three day event with a group of friends this year.  It was August 8th, 9th, & 10th.  This was my first experience at an event like this and it was very interesting.  There were about 35,000 people at Otakon.

 For those of you who who may not know, Otakon stands for Convention of Otaku Generation.  An Otaku is term for someone who either draws manga (Japanese graphic novels), or someone who is very invested in reading manga or watching anime (Japaneses cartoons). 



At the Convention:

There were a lot of different activities to do at Otakon.  There were many panels and guest speakers, there also a lot of anime viewing sessions.  There were opportunities to get autographs from voice actors and actresses, as well as Maid Cafe Performances.  There was a very large Game Room with a plethora of video games ranging from, Smash Brothers, to Just Dance, to tables set up for playing Magic The Gathering and other card games. 

One of the biggest attractions however, may be the Dealers' Room.  This is an immense room filled with any kind of otaku and gamer merchandise you can think of! There were posters, plushies, stuffed animals, costumes, DVDs, books, comics, wigs, key chains, pillows, t-shirts, and so much more. 

Saturday The Big Cosplay Day:
[Cosplay is when you dress up as a specific character, its a combination of Costume and Role Play]

These two pictures below are one example of just how many people not only attended Otakon but also how many of those people actually dressed  up!  There were all kinds of different costumes as well.  If you look through these photos you can see there were people as Elsa, there is a TinkerBell, there were people from video games such as Final Fantasy and Halo, there were Storm Troopers and Disney Villains and Princesses.  There were also people dressed up as people from more well known animes such as Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Fairytail, and many more. 

 

Here are two examples of some amazing costumes.  One the Left is a very nice Elsa costume, she even has a little Olaf doll.  To the Right is my friend Hannah, she found a picture online and decided that she really wanted to make a costume for; and  right there is the beauty of Otakon.  You can dress up as anyone you want.  You can express your creativity like Hannah did or you can be that Princess you'd love to be like this Elsa cosplayer did.  

 So, if you have any questions about Otakon or want to see more pictures just leave a comment and let me know!

Saturday Lunch Review: Clair's

For week 30 we went to Clair's Family Restaurant for lunch.  It's been around for a while and we finally got to go for our lunch.  We had both been there before but haven't been for quite some time.  The food was very good, the staff was nice, a little odd but very nice all the same.  We very much enjoyed the atmosphere.  They also have an area for ice cream if you'd like to stop in for a sweet treat.  I've heard their milkshakes are delicious but we didn't get one while we were there, so maybe next time. 

Saturday Lunch Review: Tropical Treat

For our 29th week doing our Saturday lunches, we went to The Tropical Treat.  We both had their specialty, The FatBoy.  Its a burger with two patties and a special sauce on it that make it very delicious.  I've been to the Treat many times before and it is definitely a favorite of mine.  Be warned, its a drive in place, or you can park and eat outside at picnic tables.  But it is very relaxing to sit out on a nice day and eat.  It is often pretty busy because it is a very popular place.  I would recommend anyone go and try the FatBoy Burger, at least once. 

Book Review: The Great Gatsby

I came into The Great Gatsby knowing what was going to happen.  I've seen the movie several times before reading the book.  But I was still very interested and enthralled by the book.  The descriptions of the characters, Daisy especially gave me a knew respect for, and understanding of her.  The way I viewed her in the book and in the movie were very different, due to the way that Fitzgerald depicts her.  You can truly feel the tangled, heart-throbbing mess that the characters find themselves in.  Fitzgerald does a great job of portraying the emotions of the characters and showing what really drives them.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good classic or love story.

Review: Jersey Boys

 

Jersey Boys was a fantastic portrayal of the successes and trials of the Four Seasons rise to fame.  The actors do a fantastic job and the singing is phenomenal.  The way that they narrated the movie was very unique and the perfect way to tell their story.  The movie was a little longer than I expected but it was well worth it  I would definitely recommend seeing this. 

Saturday Lunch Review: Genova's

For our 26th week, we went to Genova's, a pizza and sub shop, for lunch.  The food was very good, we both had subs that were delicious.  Their bread was freshly made and very good.  They were also doing a deal that you got a coupon and if you spent at least $15.00 you would get a free 16 inch pizza.  The pizza, which we ate later that evening, was also very good.  They had a large dining area and also offered carry out options.  We enjoyed eating there and will definitely be returning. 

Movie Review: 22 Jump Street

Twenty-two Jump Street was a really funny movie.  A big part of the movie was that the storyline be "exactly the same as last time".  They were supposed to solve this case exactly the same as last time, but this case is totally different.  There were quite a few surprised that had me really busting up.  In my opinion, the first movie was funnier over all, but the sequel had better funny moments.  I would definitely recommend this movie to any comedy lover or anyone who has seen the first movie.  It's definitely worth it. 

Saturday Lunch Review: The Hanover Hub

For our 25th week, we went to The Hanover Hub under the McAllister Hotel.  The lunch was very delicious and extremely reasonably priced.  Everything was priced very well and we really enjoyed the food.  The fries stood out, they had old bay on them and they were very good.  Most of the menu had some sort of chicken with it, but they also had a Philly cheese steak, which is what I got.   I would definitely recommend The Hanover Hub to anyone and I know that we will definitely be returning here to eat again.

Movie Review: Maleficent

The movie Maleficent was a fantastic spin on the old Disney Classic, Sleeping Beauty.  I will say this to start, if you are a die hard Sleeping Beauty fan and you live by the way the story is told in the Sleeping Beauty movie, I would not recommend Maleficent as the story is changed from the original.  However, the story of Maleficent is much more interesting and captivating.  Angelina Jolie does a magnificent job portraying the twisting and changing emotions of Maleficent in the movie.  The young actress, Elle Fanning, does a wonderful job showing the youthful innocence of Aurora as well.  Now I don't want to spoil anything, but the ending to the story gives a wonderful message about true love and the meaning and existence of true love.  It is a fabulous message for young girls and Disney does a fantastic job showing the real meaning of true love.  I would definitely recommend this to anyone, Disney fan or not, this movie is definitely a must see. 

Saturday Lunches: Warehouse Gourmet

Today for lunch we went to the Warehouse Gourmet for lunch.  The atmosphere was very nice, it was a subtle but classy place.  We were served water in glass carafes and bread with a tasty spread once we were seated.  We ate at the Bistro, but there is also a bar upstairs.  The staff was very polite, however we did not get checked on at the table very often.  But the food was very good, we both had a honey mustard chicken wrap and it was very good, it was smaller than we expected, but was very reasonably priced.  We enjoyed lunch here very much and definitely intend to return! 

Brain Training App - Elevate

There is a new app for Apple products, I'm not sure if it is also for Androids as I don't have an Android device.  This app is called Elevate.  To the left is the Icon for the app.  This app is a really neat one, its meant to help improve your intelligence.  The app consists of levels and different games to play.  You can choose what you want to improve on, there are four or five different options, the include; reading skills, memory, writing conciseness, spelling, and listening.  Elevate is a "brain-training" app.  Its also very fun to play.  The catch is that you can only play it once a day.  You are given three games or "sessions" to complete each day.  The game tracks you on how well you do and gives you stats and rankings against other players.  You also get stats for how well you day based on previous days.  I've been using this app for about a week now and I definitely think its working.  Its a lot of fun and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.  Give it a try, I hope you enjoy it!

Saturday Lunch Review: Pickle Barrel Cafe

We have started running out of places to go for lunch in our town.  There are, however, a few places left, one of which is in the mall.  It's a little cafe called the Pickle Barrel Cafe, it hasn't been there for very long.  The staff was polite and we did not have to wait long for our meal.  I had a turkey club that was very good and Ronnie had an egg salad sub which he said was good.  We both had their potato salad and we agreed that it was a little spicier than we preferred.  The atmosphere was very quaint and quiet.  The decor was a little interesting, there were large pickles all over the walls depicted doing various actions.  I would go back again if I was in the mall and hungry but I would not go out of my way to go there again. 

Saturday Lunch Review: Shady Maple Smorgasbord

I know this is later than intended but with it being Memorial Day weekend I was a little busy.  Anyway, this past Saturday my boyfriend, Ronnie, ended up picking our lunch venue.  He chose Shady Maple Smorgasbord in Blue Ball, Pennsylvania, a very Amish town.  Shady Maple was huge the building for dining in was enormous on it's own.  It was a self-serve style buffet and there was plenty of food!  We arrived at about 10:00 so we had brunch.  Their breakfast foods were fantastic, and they had such a variety!  There were three different kinds of bacon alone.  They also had four different grill stations that you could get your own omelet made.  My personal favorites however, were the cheesy hashbrowns, the sausage gravy, and the bacon might have been some of the best bacon I have ever tasted!  We also had some of the lunch food as well, but we were less impressed with those options, the crab cakes were a little too spicy, however the mashed potatoes were good.

There are additional attractions to Shady Maple besides the food.  There was an enormous gift shop underneath the dining area.  There were so many different things; adorable knick-knacks, sports paraphenalia, and handmade quilts, along with so much more.  There was also a wonderful farmer's market in the building beside the buffet.  It was huge and smelled simply delicious.  They were giving out so many free samples, but unfortunately we were too stuffed to try anything.  Going to Shady Maple, even though it was a bit of a drive was a greast experience, the food was very good and there were other attractions that made the trip even more worth while. 


Here is the website for Shady Maple if you'd like to try it out:
http://www.shady-maple.com/