Harry Potter - Anime Vision!!!

Harry Potter - Anime Vision - http://funnymama.com/post/185528

Just came upon this and HAD to share!!! <3 nbsp="" p="">

A SLICE OF CAKE ANYONE?

Hey, guys! Now sorry to disappoint those who're waiting for the rest of the reviews but I'm gonna babble about cakes in this one because I finally bought CREAM CHEESE!!! I think you know by that hint the type of cake I'm talking about... YES, bingo! It's the RED VELVET CAKE!!! *dreamy sigh* God, I can still taste the first time I tasted it two years back in the Mumbai bakery called 210 degrees c!!!!! It was the Red Velvet cake pie with an AMAAAAZING CREAM CHEESE FROSTING!!! The first bite I took made me swear off any other sweet thing and even until now, I haven't recovered from the food-gasm!!! God, it was so delicious!( Yes, it needs multiple mentions and taking the name of the lord in vain!! It's that good!) From then on, I never missed a trip there to eat that pie!!! But soon I wanted to begin experimenting and try to make it at home because summer holidays saw me stuck at my countryside home... So I researched nights for the best and most moist Red Velvet cake ever! It wasn't easy because Google coughs up so many average recipes that you've gotta sift through at least 50 till you get that best sounding recipe!! (And, yes, I'm exaggerating!) Now for those of you who don't know about it, Red Velvet cake is a Southern classic soul food and favourite dessert and the red comes from- Food colouring! (Hah, bet you thought it was some other 'magical' ingredient...)  Now, basically this cake is supposed to have a tangy but slightly sweet flavour and for some traditional sweet-cake lovers, it might not do it but if you don't taste it, how will you get it? It certainly was a different but surprisingly great ride for me when I tried it the first time! Even if it is called red velvet there is some amount of cocoa in it and that does miracles for the flavour!! There's the earthy heat of cocoa but it's balanced by the tang of buttermilk and the balance is so good that neither overwhelms the other!!!  From the beginning, I found it a li'l bit hard to bake a moist cake- maybe it was because of the oven or some mess-up in the quantity of ingredients... but I did research the recipes again and you can decide on your own if you want a normally crumbly cake or an extra-moist  one.( Hint: The oil makes the cake moist..)

This recipe is the first I have tried and it's the normal crumbly textured one-

http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/red-velvet-cake-L7335.html#.Ucno3I5qJoQ.blogger



The extra moist one is here-

http://www.simplyscratch.com/2012/10/classic-red-velvet-cake.html



Getting started on CHOCOLATE CAKE recipes!! I tried my first one, 5 years back and this time I found THE PERFECT RECIPE EVER!!! I only ever tried to bake in vacations so I didn't really get time to experiment and stuff but at least I'm here in the end! Believe it or not I was NOT good in the kitchen and my first attempt at baking was a disaster but I liked it so much that I still continued with it and today I can make amazing cakes at the least! ^_^ (I don't know about souffles and such as I haven't tried them but I make a mean creme brulee- without a blow torch!!! and naturally, the custom caramel custard -YUM! On another note, I've always wanted to try the orange caramel custard recipe from Simon Hopkinson..)
All the other cakes of chocolate that I have baked were nothing compared to this one! That's how good it was! So moist and melt-in-your-mouth that we (my li'l sis and me) finished TWO tiers of that cake in just 2 days!!! There was never even the need for any frosting!!! Now there's coffee in this one and that makes so much of a difference in the flavour! Also the kind of chocolate you use is so important. I would recommend dark chocolate (Don't worry there's enough sugar that you won't taste any bitterness! Duh...) and authentic espresso powder or even any authentic ground coffee beans (like French Press from Starbucks, etc-this would be the best option, actually). Here's the recipe-

http://addapinch.com/cooking/2013/01/25/the-best-chocolate-cake-recipe-ever/

Hope you find these useful!! Wish me luck for the Red Velvet Cake recipe and pray that this time I will get the CREAM CHEESE FROSTING down, perfectly!!!!!
The reviews of Rock Chick and other books + mangas are coming soon!!!!! 

Books and more... BOOKS!

Okay, guys, here I come again with the next load of reviews! *wink wink* told you I was not idle!!

I decided that the Rock Chick lot will be next and not today cuz there are just so MANY of them and obvio, I LOVE THEM ALL!!!!!! but these are also quite interesting! Enjoy and see you tomorrow! Oh by the way, I didn't have the time to sleep today after all and was so focused on getting these reviews set even with the frustrating internet troubles...that I forgot to sleep!

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I do not know where to begin with this one because whether its the start, the middle or the end, all of it's pretty much incredible !! I loved the quirkiness throughout it and Celeste is what made me love the book. There have been tons of reviews already describing how the plot amazed everyone and how original it was. For me, when I first read this book I had never known anything like it because it was smart quirky and refreshing- not the boring routine of attending keg parties with dumb pretty friends-for-namesake, getting asked out by the most popular guy at school and fluttering those eyelashes just to get dumped for what seemed like an obvious reason from the start, etc... This book is definitely NOT that. Now there was just one thing that poked me- (view spoiler)[ It was actually Matt that was posing as Finn and that there were so many mannny pointers in there, whether through spoken words, by those chat messages, e mails or actions...  I agree with Julie's Psych Prof that it was very very sad, the whole coping mechanisms of each member especially Celeste and her mom. What happened with Celeste was that due to Erin's depression, and her father's diversion of attention towards Erin instead of Finn, Matt or Celeste. So as eldest brother, Finn took up the role of being with Celeste because really, all children need is attention from their parents to have the security of growing up. Celeste's only parent being gone, she had to cope up by standing still in her shell. But you can never make time stop; time always goes on. I loved it as Celeste let her own time go on, little by little.  (hide spoiler)] Another one of my gripes was that why hadn't Roger been given that same all-round character like the others? Also why did Julie keep avoiding to find out how Celeste got the way she had been?? And if Julie wants the chink-in-the-armoured boy with flaws how does she know Seth isn't one?? But I could easily overlook them and I'd already read this one thrice before FLAT OUT MATT came out. The first time, I couldn't understand why Julie goes back to Matt even after his deception if she has such a huge problem with it because I was not seeing this from Matt's point of view but after the novella, I was screaming at her to see the light and stop the drama already! I'm  ashamed to admit that I was completely fan-girling!!! And still am- SQUEEEE!!! MATT!!
So Miss Jessica Park you've won me over! Please give me another one soon, okay??


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Flat-Out Matt by Jessica Park
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

WHOOP WHOOP!!! I was swooning and fan-girling, quite a tread off the normal path for me! I, of course LOVED   Flat Out Love and to read some of the points from Matt's point of view helped to actually round the book for me rather than how other sequels just disappoint and repeat the prequel in a demented (at least according to me) perspective, like, Walking Disaster .... Ah well, this book changed my understanding of Matt although, yes, I did feel it was a bit high on the melodrama but ,I felt more sympathetic towards Matt and how he was feeling because of all that dysfunction. The conversation between Finn and Matt during their trek seemed nostalgic, heart-warming but there was something missing, I felt.. I have to admit it was real to a point and I have to admit, I fell in love with Matt- all the parts of him... *sheepish grin*


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The Future of Us by Jay Asher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was really honestly intrigued by this concept but i dunno how it happened but maybe cuz it was two authors collaborating that it made the characters flat and one dimensional. Like, Emma was this child of Divorced parents feeling neglect and also when she discovered Facebook she bought the 'Future' concept really fast and became obsessed with twisting it according to her wishes which i found pathetic. Then there was Josh and for me he saved the book COMPLETELY! I loved him right off the bat and he simply kept getting better and better, I especially loved that moment when he sat contemplating his vague sketches and faced his feelings regarding Sydney. There were no cliches/stereotypes except for Emma. Also I expected the concept of being able to browse a website created in the future to be explained a LOT better than it was. What kept me reading was how their actions in the present immediately caused 'ripples' and changed the future.


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Legend by Marie Lu

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow!! sure didn't see that coming... Marie Lu has gotten me hooked! I read both the books back to back and now am hungry for the last one! Break-neck pace, action, romance and a new perspective in familiar wrappings... It's reminiscent of Hunger Games in so many respects and yet Marie Lu has a distinct style that is believable and sympathetic. I loved this book even when some of the finer points sometimes, disgruntled my pace. Hope she writes more!

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Live Through This by Mindi Scott

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hmmm WOW. And I mean that not in the amazed sort of sense but the more horrific one. This book talks about (view spoiler)[ incest  (hide spoiler)] and sexual abuse, both of which topics are very rare and impossibly hard to get a hold of. I came across this one while searching for real and non-romantic or gritty stories and this plot promised so much that I was eager (because it was before I knew about the (view spoiler)[ incestuous  (hide spoiler)] tone of this book) to get started. Personally, I have not read (view spoiler)[ incest  (hide spoiler)] except in mangas and stuff so for me this was a disturbing and gigantic first without the knowledge that I was reading this topic. I will specify that, yes , I'm traditional in these kind of matters and dislike to read about (view spoiler)[ incest  (hide spoiler)]. But when the book throws a curve-ball at you, you've gotta hit it because when you realise it's a curve, you have rather no other choice but to hit it. It did take me time to finish it and wrap my head around Coley's voice and her words but it's fine. After finishing I was torn because it was sort of good but also really bad... *pursed lips*
Eh, moving on, I didn't get any other palpable emotions except shame- an enormous amount of shame, and angst. I understand that, empathize and sympathize but some things pushed me back from feeling more and with such serious topics I expected more grit and emotion or even drama *shrugs*. The pace was at first, strange like being suspended and then it went so fast that at the end, it was like, 'BAM! And it's done.' I didn't agree with that. It felt that Coley was finally, finally , at the breaking point of the abuse she had suffered and had snapped. I think some character development or depth in secondary characters like Reece was lacking. It seemed like a snippet from a good song was cut and made to be heard as an individual melody. There was potential but maybe, Scott couldn't grasp it wholly? The thing with books based on these sort of topics is that it depends on the author. If someone else had taken this up, the story would have been drastically different because the thoughts on such premises scatter off in too many different tangents when you try to dissect them; these topics are made up of so many tiny but nonetheless-important-in-their-own-right particles and separate authors choose separately unique ways to take it up and keep it going. But I commend the amazing effort from Scott to bring to life such a story without overwhelming the readers and look forward to her writing because she has a certain knack of colouring teenage voices.   

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My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I go, 'Awwwwwwww!' When I remember this book anytime, anywhere and thinking of it never fails to make me smile! Of course, it's all because of the romance!!! *giggles* I am not much of a believer in happy endings and romances that sweep you off your feet but with this book, for some bizarre reason, I wanted it to be a happy-ending and to let it sweep me off my feet! Yes, I see that expression on your face, I know !! I loved Samantha but it was George who was the star of the show!! Oh GEORGE ! Now, Samantha Reed's family and their next-door-neighbours, the Garretts are as similar as the sun and the moon. That's why Samantha had always been fascinated by them even after hearing all her mother's taunts regarding them. She saw something that she never got in her family- Love (I know it sounds cheesy but even reality can sometimes be corny even if it is true!) The kind of chaos and disorder with this love is also hypnotizing because even if the Garretts have problems they fare them together and love each other openly, the kind of love that is hard to find. As Jase (the wonderful animal-geek!! *squeels*) falls into Samantha's life like the first snow- quiet but momentous, changing her perspective completely. Their romance is easy, real and earthy. It captivated me in absolution. The Reeds and the Garretts felt like opposites of a town; thrown together, like artifice and reality. It felt jarring but weaved harmoniously because of Fitzpatrick's writing. Damn I hated it, when tragedy struck and (view spoiler)[ Samantha broke up with Jase  (hide spoiler)] But if anything, the ending was even more in the realm of reality. I came to, if not like, then at least to understand Samantha's mother.
It's a dreaming girl's coming-of-age story in the most real way possible without an ounce of drama (which factor is used to spice up any ordinary story, these days and thus, has become monotonous... But, PEOPLE, there is an extra in every ordinary!!) and it still managed to clutch my heart tightly! Great read!


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I wanted to put on the Kristen Ashley reviews but then to do them in bulk is better, no? I can rant at length like that! ^_^  There are so many more books and mangas I wanna get into but I dunno if I can put them up fast but we'll see... Wish me luck with the internet conn.!! Oh and on a side note one of my profs went to T.O.K.Y.O. 'Nough said. Because I CAN NOT STOP SCREAMING!!! ( even when my lil sis looks at me like I've gone mad. Again, 'Nough. Said.) *still. screaming.*  I envy that guy and i kept reading and re-reading his entry... *again. with. the. screaming.* Ok, giving you (and myself) a break. Good Morning everyone.

Finally! Here I am!

WHOA! Techno Freeze! I was on a really LONG and tedious task of giving up technology for these months and I have succeeded! Well if you don't count reading books that is... Eh.. I don't. SO, moving on, I have read some fantastic and some not so amazing books in all this while! Like I could live without reading... *sarcastic snort* Also, I have been doing modifications to my book but reading so many has really impaired my progress. I have lots of reviews lined up and am itching to get started but if I do begin right now, I am not gonna be able to sleep and that will be a serious problem for me and my 'rents cuz my mom nags me to get to bed early although really, this isn't early, like, at all... (HAH! In your face!) *evil grin* Let it be known that when aliens come invading I'll be the first to rebel just for the sake of rebellion....Anyway, here I am, putting some of my Goodreads reviews and hoping to here from you guys soon. WARNING: I have been on a Road-trip novel spree!!! ^_^ SQUEEEE!

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I LOVE ROAD TRIP NOVELS!!! Now that that's out of the way, it's obvious I would mark this one to read. The thing about this that's special is the real characters with impossible situations. I loved the reactions, emotions, feelings of all of them just the coincidences were unreal. I still liked it and the ending was phenomenal! The sole focus of it was Amy and the others were supporting everything happening to her wonderfully but I began liking them as well especially her dad and I would have liked to get to know them more... I feel road-trip novels are all the same but still each one is so different from the other because the author sees things differently. I love how my perspective changes and I can see the miracle in a common and taken-for-granted every-day thing. But I will still wait for that completely real plot that manages to sweep me off my feet...
You're welcome to read this review on my blog- http://samsoulsearcher.blogspot.in/


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The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read the reviews for this book and maybe my expectations for it racketed up or something; i can't exactly pinpoint the reasons but to me it seemed like any other YA romance/ coming-of-age but obviously realistic fiction. I felt that the relationship between Devan and her mother could have been explored in a deeper fashion, maybe? or that the Drama-nerdness going on could have been explained better... I think i cut off one star for the disappointment in the tone of her voice- a slight mediocrity to it, kind of? I did like how she listed things she knew about her mother although i felt that a child neglected by both of her parents could have turned out different from the character of Devan. I felt so excited at the prospect of Sai but that avenue was felt inadequately explored to me as well.. AH, i felt as if there was something missing and I have no idea what!

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How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Okay, um really? goes through my mind as I read that (view spoiler)[ Rosie kisses Spencer whether out of some misplaced attraction for his dorky ways or out of pity. I have to say it seems more like the latter...  (hide spoiler)] I mean when it started out, I really liked Rosie but as the pages turned, I felt there was something that was wrong !! The whole road trip experience of hers, I loved reading but her actual behaviour as a person, at first I found quite entertaining and dramatic, and as she described herself, passionate and then she goes and disappoints me by (view spoiler)[ kissing  Spencer, crushing on the jerk Logan and knowing about Matty's feelings but ignoring them until she is sorta forced to confront them...  (hide spoiler)] It was SO very obvious that she liked Logan and I got too annoyed with her to just sigh, bat eyelashes and flutter about around him just because of his looks.. BLECH. Also, I didn't like her selfish actions or thoughts at all but I took them in my stride and hoped and hoped so much for the glimpse of real person but it didn't happen. I always look for something different in a story but most of the things like (view spoiler)[ Rosie and the Harem thing going on around her, the 180 degree change of heart/ personality in her after the trip and the fact that there appeared to be something wrong about the whole car setting on fire thing because according to Rosie she had just set the stupid box of memories aflame and I hazarded a guess that she set it on fire a safe distance away from a vehicle.  (hide spoiler)] they felt so typical, predictable and I was just huffing and sighing inside and screaming "JUST GET IT OVER WITH!!" I'm a person who likes surprises in life and plots so this did NOT jive... At first I half liked and half disliked it but then near the end, I only liked about 30% of it... Though the road trip saved it for me... because obviously, I love road trips!! I have to say her voice was colourful, funny, sarcastic and real but her actions o-Oh my god!  sometimes i couldn't believe she was doing that whew! I loved to hear about her feelings after the break up and felt sympathetic with her although about Avery, i don't understand how someone can be that intimately friendly with a stranger right from the moment they see them! But the words o' widom through the book, I liked.

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The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I stumbled upon Whitney's When You Were Here and as it was a looong wait, I moved onto read this series to kill the anticipation and thankgod it didn't disappoint! The outline is so promising and I could tell that it was inspired from To Kill A Mockingbird even though I haven't read it (it was obvious...). Now, I'm a huge fan of vigilante justice so this hooked me on and of course the fact that our girl Alex goes through being date-rape drugged and that struggle to find and be herself that she undergoes. The thing is that I sort of do understand the whole institution of Education tends to ignore the reality of what actually goes on in the personal lives of students at school especially boarding school. The whole attitude that grades are the most important thing in existence is all too real and that Whitney has managed to either symbolise it or actually show it in the open, is what I loved. Alex is a wonderful girl even though she managed to infuriate me sometimes. The skilful weaving of broken memories and the present is almost too dramatic to be true but the feelings coming from Alex are so so absolutely substantially animate and they cut right through to me. Whitney has added in the afterword that she herself has faced being date-rape drugged which explains the beautiful narration of emotions. I also find that the existence of a democratic jury for justice is really impossible in reality but Alex and her coming-of-age story won me over.   

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When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was the first book that caught my attention while scanning for off-beat stories when i got bored with the boring mainstream themes in other books. I had marked it to read as soon as I saw the word Tokyo because, yup!, i'm a fan of Japanese culture. then to pass time I read her 'mockingbirds' series and I was definitely not disappointed. I got it yesterday night and finished it like, today. I very much liked the coming of age story of Danny but the only thing that felt extremely unrealistic was his accepting Holland back. I loved how Whitney created the Tokyo atmosphere even when Danny was feeling his emotional turmoil. |Regardless of my few let-downs in the end and a feeling that she hurried to end the book, she put forth a magnificent story and I loved the wise revelations that whizzed through. It's clear, simple and yet very deep if we look it that way. 

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Well, that's all for right now but I promise as soon as I get on tomorrow, I'll post the rest of them as well. Enjoy! Upcoming reviews have Rock Chick series and many others by Kristen Ashley into which I'm going to get into real looong!