Dansé (verb)
Dance
Aswè a nou pral danse lakay Pé Yoyo. (Translation: Tonight we are going dancing at Pé Yoyo’s house.)
Tag: Learning Curve
Kreyole Word of the Day: Chante
Chante (verb)
Sing
Mwen pral chante demen nan lekòl la. (Translation: I am going to sing at the school tomorrow.)
Book Report: Marooned (The Communion Wars #1) by P.J. Druce
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
High above the streets, the skyscrapers in the cities of the American Union exude wealth, luxury, and for the privileged few, immortality. Those with the means to take Communion are immune to the diseases and risks that ravage those who live outside the city walls. While life is a struggle for the less affluent, their existence is subsidized by the rich. Food and medicine are cheap, transportation is free–and for those with needed skills–indentured servitude to the wealthy or to the government can buy your own expanded longevity. They are two different worlds, and those above and those below share little in common except for one thing: A love for the Professional Seeder matches, where immortal combatants fight until only one is left standing.
With two weeks left before her sixteenth birthday, Punk Jordan lives out the last days of her mortal existence by competing in underground Seeder matches where only the best martial artists excel and the rules stop the moment the match begins. The daughter of William Jordan, founder of the company that makes the Communion drug, Punk’s elevation to immortality is guaranteed and a life of fame and wealth on the professional circuit awaits. But when those closest to her–including her own mentally ill mother–turn out to be part of a heretical anti-government movement, her comfortable life is shattered. To protect those she loves the most, Punk flees the only home she’s ever known and is forced to make choices that weigh family against compassion, privilege against promises and love against immortality itself. Continue reading
Book Report: Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Trapped in a hidden fortress tucked between towering mountains and a frozen sea, Solveig, along with her brother the crown prince, their older sister, and an army of restless warriors, anxiously awaits news of her father’s victory at battle. But as winter stretches on, and the unending ice refuses to break, terrible acts of treachery soon make it clear that a traitor lurks in their midst. A malevolent air begins to seep through the fortress walls, and a smothering claustrophobia slowly turns these prisoners of winter against one another.
Those charged with protecting the king’s children are all suspect, and the siblings must choose their allies wisely. But who can be trusted so far from their father’s watchful eye? Can Solveig and her siblings survive the long winter months and expose the traitor before he succeeds in destroying a kingdom? Continue reading
Book Report: Superior Saturday (Keys to the Kingdom #6) by Garth Nix
Superior Saturday by Garth Nix
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
On the sixth day, there was sorcery.
Arthur Penhaligan has wrested five of the Keys from their immortal guardians, the Trustees of the Will. But gaining the Sixth Key poses a greater challenge than any he has faced before. Superior Saturday is not just one of the Trustees – she is also the oldest Denizen and the most powerful and knowledgeable sorcerer within the House. She has tens of thousands of sorcerers at her command, and she has been preparing her forces all along for the Will’s escape and the activities of the Rightful Heir.
As Saturday’s schemes become evident, Arthur is beset on all sides. The House is being destroyed, and only the power of the Keys can hold back the tide of destruction. Arthur’s home city is under attack. His allies are unreliable. He can’t even get into the apparently impregnable Upper House . . . and even if he does, finding the Sixth Part of the Will and gaining the Sixth Key might not be enough to counter Saturday’s bid for ultimate power.
Can Arthur survive?
Book Report: Realm of the Reaper (Everworld #4) by K.A. Applegate
Realm of the Reaper by Katherine Applegate
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Things have gotten way beyond weird. First April, Jalil, David and Christopher end up in Everworld. Since then, they’ve been hunted by trolls, entertained Vikings, fought in a war against Aztects and their heart-eating god, encountered Merlin, met some strange alien metalsmiths, and got a chance to see their very first real, live dragon. It’s been a strange few days, to say the least. Their “journey” started out as a search for a friend, but things have turned dangerous. Because now April and the others are about to discover the true opposite of heaven – and it isn’t a very nice place…. Continue reading
On the Go: Death to the Storm – Joe Henry
I downloaded a bunch of free music when iTunes was giving promotional music on Facebook back in 2009. I listened to a few and then promptly forgot they existed. Well, now that I have a new iPod, my entire playlist is currently on shuffle. And thank the powers that be, because I happened to stumble upon this little beauty right here! It’s very jazzy and smooth. Looking forward to finding more gems on my iPod.
On the Go: Anberlin and Switchfoot Concert
A couple of months ago, I went to see Anberlin and Switchfoot at the Best Buy Theater. Needless to say, it was amazing!
I’ve written about Anberlin before, but this post is mainly about Switchfoot. They are by no means a new band, in fact, they’ve been around for years. I knew about two of their songs, but I was blown away by their performance. They truly know how to entertain a crowd and they sound absolutely stunning!
Their current album, Vice Verses is a well crafted work of art! I’m not big on buying whole albums, mostly because I never like enough songs to justify paying for the entire thing – but I preview the album and I found myself clicking buy song after song until it made more sense to pay for the entire album than each individual song.
Some of my favorite songs are:
- The War Inside (track 3)
- Restless (track 4)
- Dark Horses (track 8 )
- Vice Verses (track 11)
- Where I Belong (track 12)
- Needle and Haystack Life (track 13)
- Always (track 20)
- Red Eyes (track 24)
You can now understand why I had to buy the album, I could keep adding songs to this list, but then I might as well just include the complete track list. Go to iTunes or amazon and have a preview of the songs. You won’t be disappointed. Promise!
Related articles
- Music Review: Switchfoot – Vice Verses (blogcritics.org)
- Album Review: Switchfoot ‘Vice Verses’ (screaminggoose.wordpress.com)
- On the Go: Anberlin and Story of the Year (saytaina.com)
Book Report: Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
Blood and Chocolate
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf?
Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy. Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. He’s fascinated by magic, and Vivian longs to reveal herself to him. Surely he would understand her and delight in the wonder of her dual nature, not fear her as an ordinary human would.
Vivian’s divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack. Moving between two worlds, she does not seem to belong in either. What is she really—human or beast? Which tastes sweeter—blood or chocolate? Continue reading
Kreyole Word of the Day: Naje
Naje (noun)
Swim
Si ou pa ka naje, pa jwe nan dlo. (Translation: If you can’t swim, don’t play in water.)
sayTaïna 