Saturday, March 26, 2016

Book Review: The Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman

Hi guys and welcome to my first book review, so bear with me! :)

I was pretty pumped when I saw we had a new book series sitting in Teen and couldn't wait to check it out. Unfortunately, the first book had already been checked out, but, right before I left on my vacation, both the first and second books were in. I knew that was my moment to shine. Time to get reading.

This book series takes place all over the United States, but frequently stops by familiar cities, including Akron, where the main character is from.

In short, the story all circles around the idea of "unwinding," which is like donating a kidney but it can be done with every single part of a person. Creepy, right? In the time period this series takes place, parents are allowed to sign an "Unwind Order" while a child is between the age of 13 and 17. If that child is able to escape before being unwound, he/she has to go into hiding until his/her 18th birthday, when he/she can no longer be unwound. Later in the series, this law drops from 18 to 17, allowing more children the chance to live a life free of an unwinding.


The main characters, Connor, Risa and Lev, are all set to be unwound. Connor's parents signed his unwinding order, Risa was set to be unwound by the state home where she was a ward and Lev was chosen to be tithed, which is a nice way to say his parents gave him life so he could be specifically unwound and given back to God. Unlike most unwinds, tithes are happy to be chosen and want to be unwound.

Essentially, Connor escapes custody, he causes a bunch of accidents, including ones for the vehicles carrying Risa and Lev. Connor, thinking Lev is another unwound needing saving, pulls Lev out of his car, while Risa breaks out of the bus carrying her. From this point on, they live as fugitives running from their fate to be unwound. Lev eventually decides to not be unwound and all three take a stand against unwinding.

The series has so many twists and turns that it's simply impossible to put these books down. I actually had to double check that I read all four because they went so quickly I was certain I had missed one in the process. Shusterman, the author, has a really wonderful writing style, giving just enough detail while keeping important details concealed until later in the books. Matter of fact, one of my friends started to read these after I had finished the first one and she asked me what "clappers" were. They were mentioned in Unwind (book #1), but not even truly explained for a while, keeping the reader guessing.

I cannot recommend this series more--especially if you're into a good chase with some mystery. Maybe it's just me, but the whole concept of unwinding is something that could actually happen, which also made this a bit of a horror series.

If you're looking to try a series that is like watching the Empire Strikes Back, definitely start reading the Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman.


Saturday, March 12, 2016

Miniature Food?!

This has been a sort of "underground" trend in fun for the last two or three years, but, in the last 6 months or so, this trend has moved on to be everywhere.

What is miniature food? Are people just cutting recipes in 1/20th and making tiny muffins like you can get at the grocery store?
Miniature food is mini edible food, yes, but it's made using special kits that use a combination of powder mixes and water, as well as a microwave in some. Pretty simple, right?

The cool part is that there are so many different varieties--from a hamburger and fries to sushi made out of gummy candy. Of course, the down side is that a lot of these kits are only in Japanese, as that's where they originated.
Kracie's Popin' Cookin' is probably the most popular set of kits out there and they can be easily bought on Amazon (Ebay as well, but I'm always afraid of knock-off/fakes that won't work as well). I know, I know, the instructions are impossible because you're not fluent in Japanese. That's perfectly fine! There's like a billion YouTube videos teaching you how to do each kit, as well as tutorials people have typed up on blogs and other websites. Personally, I prefer using videos so I can make sure mine looks exactly like the one created by the person I'm watching.


The English version of this wasn't created all that long ago from what I could find, but that brand is called Yummy Nummies. If we're being honest here, the name is sort of lame and the commercials look like this is only meant for young kids, but definitely not. I personally think these are fun for anyone who wants to make a silly snack with friends. I made the Popin' Cookin' ice cream kit with one of my best friends and, though it didn't take long to make, we had a lot of fun putting them together.

These kits are super cheap and run from $5-10, depending on where you get them, and are perfect for sleepovers and movie nights with friends. They make adorable little snacks and, while there might not be much of them to eat, they are all tasty.







Be warned: the hamburger and fries really taste like a hamburger and fries, and the pizza tastes like pizza. But the sushi? Definitely tastes like grape, melon and "soda" flavor (soda is a flavor in Japan that's impossible to explain unless you've had it).

If you have tried these kits or are interested in them, also check out the Neru Neru Ne! They usually only have 3 steps to make and are more fun than delicious!

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Pokemon Sun and Moon

Helloooo! Today, we have an exciting entry because a new set of Pokemon games was announced.

Maybe I'm a bit of a dork to love Pokemon as much as I do after many years of playing them, but I'm still super pumped.

The two that were announced are Pokemon Sun and Moon and they are set to release late this year.
Nintendo was kind to all of us Pokemon fans for this epic moment and provided us with a trailer on YouTube that you can watch below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmzDL1l3Fag

It doesn't give us much of a preview of Sun and Moon, but it does take us back to the beginning showing players how this gaming series has developed and grown over the years, starting back on the original Gameboy to the 3DS.

This is the 20th anniversary of the Pokemon series/the release of Pokemon Red and Blue (Blue was my favorite, by the way), and a great way to celebrate such a big anniversary.

As Nintendo likes to do, we have not been given much on the new set of games. We know there will be a new bird Pokemon, as well as Magearna (who is adorable, if you ask me), who was announced in a magazine talking about the Pokemon movie set to release this year.


One of the few secrets the video did reveal, however, was the possibility of vehicles. We don't actually know if these will be means of transportation players can use or not, but the art work is pretty awesome and I'm looking forward to knowing why they put so much effort into these. (Please let me drive an ambulance filled with my team of Pokemon, Nintendo!!!)

Finally, by utilizing the Pokemon Bank app on our 3DS's, we can officially transfer Pokemon over from our DIGITAL DOWNLOAD ONLY Red, Blue and Yellow games. I think at this point, I've given up ever being able to get my team from my original Blue and Yellow games to new games. But, at least Platinum allowed me to get all sorts of early gen Pokemon (including legendaries), so I can't complain too much.

If you're a Pokemon fan yourself, which is your favorite game in the series? I have to say I enjoyed Platinum the most, simply because you could, essentially, catch them all. I enjoyed the wide variety of generations you could get and I loved the fact that I could get basically every legendary Pokemon ever. Whoo!

Who's excited for Sun and Moon!?