Valentine: My Love Goes to You (Part III)

There was a blind girl who was filled with animosity and despised the world.

She didn't have many friends, just a boyfriend who loved her deeply, like no one else.

She always used to say that she'd marry him if only she could see him. One day, someone donated her a pair of eyes, and that's when she finally saw her boyfriend…

She was astonished to see that her boyfriend too was blind…

He told her, "You can see me now, can we get married?"

She replied, "And do what? We'd never be happy. I have my eye sight now, but you're still blind. It won't work out, I'm sorry."

With a tear in his eye and a smile on his face, he meekly said, "I understand. I just want you to always be happy. Take care of yourself, and my eyes."

Two butterflies were in love.

One day, they decided to play Hide and Seek.

As they were playing, the Boy Butterfly suggested, "How about a small game between the two of us."

 "Okay," said the Girl Butterfly.

Boy Butterfly said, "The one who sits in this flower tomorrow early in the morning is the one who loves the other one more."

Girl Butterfly smiled, "Okay."

The next morning, the boy butterfly waits for the flower to open so that he can sit before the girl butterfly does.

But, finally, when the flower opened...

What did he see?

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

The girl butterfly had died inside the flower.

She stayed there all night so that early in the morning, as soon as she sees him, she can fly to him and tell him how much she loved him.

This is true love...

Life is love.

Valentine: My Love Goes to You

I'd tell Four in Divergent how much I loved him, but never would it be as much as Tris.

I'd tell Peeta in Mockingjay how much I liked his smile, but his smile would only be for Katniss, wouldn't it?

I'd tell Noah in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer how much I would love for him to stand beside me, but what would he be without Mara?

We each have someone waiting for us, a true love that belongs to us and us only.

Every Valentine's Day, we celebrate the love that's in our world, those great love stories that sometimes put some novels to shame.

Piercing.

Touching.

Heart-rending.

One day, maybe ours will be told with the same reverence by others.

Because, you see, everyone has a Prince Charming waiting beyond the horizons.

And you ask, will today be the day you find me?

Hope you've had enjoyed the three-day Valentine Event! Try out the quiz and check the profiles of the boy you are matched with >:)

Valentine: My Love Goes to You (Part II)

The 4 great YA boys who were featured in the spotlight yesterday are:

*drumroll*

Patch

Peeta

Four

Edward

*

Here's a more intensive profile for these four hotties! I am getting totally caught up in the mood!

*

Name: Patch Cipriano

Patch, a new senior at Coldwater High, is described as a “dark-Levi’s dark-Henley dark boots kind of guy” who smells of mint and earth. He is Nora's biology partner. He keeps his past under wraps and is accused of more lies than truth from Nora- he is not, in fact, lying, he simply avoids the questions. He can be sly and brooding, and frequently leaves Nora alternately furious or tongue tied. He invades Nora's thoughts and puts images into her head and speaks into her thoughts multipule times. He uses his charms as a way of getting what he wants and avoiding unwanted questions, though he begins to open up as the novel progresses. He spends most of his time playing pool at Bo's Arcade.

He is described to have slightly curly, long, black hair, black eyes and six-foot-two.

Quotes:

"She'll kill me if she finds you in here. Can you climb trees? Tell me you can climb a tree!"
Patch grinned, "I can fly."

*

Name: Peeta Mellark

Peeta is 16 and has bright blue eyes and blonde hair, unlike most families that live in the Seam. Peeta is gentle and kind, but when he is threatened, he fights well. He's bold; he announced he was in love with Katniss to the entire nation. Peeta thinks on his feet very well and is very kind despite his somewhat better upbringing than Katniss. He is also wise beyond his years in his approach to the Games and able to work with Haymitch on goals and strategy even though he does not possess any strong talent with weapons except a knife. Peeta is very self-depracating, and willing to do anything to protect Katniss, the girl he loves. Peeta is also very persuasive, able to sway crowds in his likable way and have them do what he says, even Katniss admitted he was better with words than she. It was his declaration of love for Katniss that began to sway the crowd to rethink the morality of the Hunger Games. Peeta is an excellent liar, but only lies to protect the people he loves. In Catching Fire, Finnick states that Peeta is one of the only truly good people to survive the arena.

Stocky build and medium height with bright blue eyes and ashey blonde hair that falls in waves over his forehead.

Quotes:

“It’s lovely. If only you could frost someone to death,” I say.
“Don’t be so superior. You can never tell what you’ll find in the arena. Say it’s actually a gigantic cake —” begins Peeta.

“What about you? I’ve seen you in the market. You can lift hundred pound bags of flour,” I snap at him. “Tell him that. That’s not nothing.”
“Yes, and I’m sure the arena will be full of bags of flour for me to chuck at people.”

“I’ll kill and you cook,” I say. “And you can always gather.”
“I wish there was some sort of bread bush out there,” says Peeta.


*

Name: Four (Tobias)

Who knew a cliche could ever be so good! Roth doesn’t call Four dark, she doesn’t tell us Four is dangerous, she shows us. Where a lot of YA books these days sell us these tall, dark, handsome and mysterious lead males, most of them fail to deliver. DIVERGENT doesn’t. Four isn’t perfect and again I love him (and Roth) for it.

He is grounded and trained, and known for his fearlessness.

Dark, dangerous, drop-dead gorgeous.







Quotes:

“Can you be a girl for a few seconds?"
"I'm always a girl" I frown.
"You know what I mean. Like a silly, annoying girl"
I twirl my hair around my finger. "Kay.”

“Yeah, well," I say, "I left Abnegation because I wasn't selfless enough, no matter how hard I tried to be."
"That's not entirely true." He smiles at me. "That girl who let someone throw knives at her to spare a friend, who hit my dad with a belt to protect me-that selfless girl, that's not you?"...
"You've been paying close attention, haven't you?"
"I like to observe people/"
"Maybe you were cut out for Candor, Four, because you're a terrible liar.”

*

Name: Edward Cullen

Edward is described in the book as being charming, polite, determined, and very stubborn. He is very protective over Bella and puts her safety, humanity and welfare before anything else. He often over-analyzes situations and has a tendency to overreact, especially in situations where Bella's safety is at risk. He retains some outdated speech from his human life in the early 20th century. Edward sees himself as a monster, and after falling in love with Bella, he desperately wishes that he were human instead of a vampire.

Like all the vampires in the Twilight series, Edward is described as being impossibly beautiful. At various points in the series, she compares him to the mythical Greek god Adonis.
Quotes:

What if I’m not a superhero? What if I’m the bad guy? 

Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you again?

Do I dazzle you?

Honestly — I’ve seen corpses with better color. I was concerned that I might have to avenge your murder.

*

Psst... Do all of you have a date for Valentine's Day?

Valentine: My Love Goes To You (Part I)

My Dreamy YA Valentine

Enough being said, Valentine's Day is coming!

Bookcase To Heaven will be kicking off a three-day event with a test to see which YA Boy is THE ONE for you!

Dive straight in!

*

1. There's a new boy in school. You heard that he is a fighter (bad boy). You:

a) try to catch his attention

b) avoid him at all costs

c) pokes around his past

d) go on with life

2. You like the way he speaks as he:

a) pierces you with his intense gaze

b) speaks his way to your heart with sarcasm and humor

c) smirks with confidence and layers his words

d) toys around with formal language that sounds royally charming

3. How do you want to spend a Friday night with him?

a) in an arcade with loud music and lots of dancing  

b) taking a walk and sharing about ourselves

c) an adventure, the more thrilling the better
d) dinner with slow music and fancy forks

4. Your latest crush was your:
a) partner (i.e. table partner, lab partner etc.)

b) friend who had helped you more than once

c) senior, mentor, trainer, teacher etc. (older than you)

d) the guy you thought you hated and whom you thought hated you

5. You would want his hobbies to be:

a) snooker, games

b) baking, stuff related to food

c) sports, all kinds

d) reading and music and collecting cars

6. You would love it if he asks you out like this:

a) corners you and "kidnaps" you

b) properly with gifts, words and everything

c) gives you a hand (it's your choice he cares about, nothing else)

d) appears when you need him the most and automatically becomes your date

7. In short, you prefer boys (who are):

a) sexy and dangerous and hot

b) charming (good with words), kind and caring

c) smarter than you and stronger than you 

d) protective, mysterious and doting

And you ask, will today be the day I find you?

 

xoxo,

Sel

Answers to the Test:

Mostly As: Patch (Hush Hush)

Mostly Bs: Peeta (Hunger Games)

Mostly Cs: Four (Divergent)

Mostly Ds: Edward (Twilight)

Tell me who you are matched with!

Review: The Crimson Thread (A Retelling of 'Rumpelstiltskin')

The Crimson Thread (The Fairytale Campaign: Book 1)

Author: Suzanne Weyn

Summary:

The year is 1880, and Bertie, having just arrived in New York with her family, is grateful to be given work as a seamstress in the home of textile tycoon J. P. Wellington. When the Wellington family fortune is threatened, Bertie's father boasts that Bertie will save the business, that she is so skillful she can "practically spin straw into gold."

 

Amazingly, in the course of one night, Bertie creates exquisite evening gowns — with the help of Ray Stalls, a man from her tenement who uses an old spinning wheel to create dresses that are woven with crimson thread and look as though they are spun with real gold. Indebted to Ray, Bertie asks how she can repay him. When Ray asks for her firstborn child, Bertie agrees, never dreaming that he is serious....

Published 27 October 2009

*

This was the first book I read in the Once Upon A Time series, and it sure was a good novel for the uninitiated!

The Crimson Thread is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, but it's refreshing. What's so surprising about this retelling is that it takes place in Early America. How original is that?

And now, brace yourself for the biggest surprise!

Our heroine, Bertie, actually rides off into the sunset with Mr. Rumpelstiltskin-- Ray. It's a wonderful romance, everything so perfectly weaved together all the way till the end.

This is a good enough fairytale with more details than the classic tale. There's a rich young man, heir to the Wellington fortune, who flirts with Bertie and they are engaged because of her ability to "spin straw into gold". But, what can I say about spoilt wealthy heirs and servant girls? The wealthy heirs never mean it.

As J.P. Wellington, master of the business, orders Bertie to do another dress, she is stuck in a situation of her own making since she didn't deny her father's boast and was too delighted by the attention. At this point of time, Ray appears once again to help her. However, this time, Bertie has nothing left to give him and we hear the classic line of: "Give me your firstborn child, then."

I won't disclose the ending because there is an awfully amazing twist at the end.

One thing for sure, The Crimson Thread is a rather thought-provoking fairytale with mentions of prejudice to the Irish immigrants, slums, workers' strikes and the like. However, Bertie and Ray's relationship are quite simple and left unexplained towards the end, but isn't this what all fairytales have to work on? 

This must be the best retelling of Rumpelstiltskin I've ever read!

Source: Library

xoxo,
Sel

Campaign: Once Upon A Time Series (Retellings of Fairytales)

ONCE UPON A TIME series

I grew up with fairytales and when others outgrown them, I stayed where I was.

With fairytales come a sense of magical narration, kind heroines, true love and happily-ever-afters. This was what made me keep these ancient fables close to heart. I can never handle tragedies and love triangles, tragedies make me cry and love triangles simply just annoy and complicate a good pure romance.

But, of course, my huge and heavy book of Disney fairytales eventually got placed on the shelves and it stayed there for a very very long time. And as I ventured into the world of paranormal fantasy, the fairytales sang a faded tune and was stored at the corner of my mind.

There was no doubt to the joy and surprise when I found my favourite tales retold in a more mature writing style, with teenage heroines and more complex storylines, and all in a series some more! 

Thank you Simon & Schuster (publisher) for giving the youths who yearn for the simple happiness of fairytales a delectable cure!

Starting from now, I will start my blog's first CAMPAIGN. For the next week or so, I will post reviews for my favourite novels in the Once Upon A Time series, with my  wistful and nostalgic sentiments. I do hope that you will be enchanted by these wondrous novels that accompanied me for two years. Here they are:

• The Crimson Thread by Suzanne Weyn (A Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, published June 2008)
• Water Song by Suzanne Weyn (A Retelling of The Frog Prince, published October 2006)
• Before Midnight by Cameron Dokey (A Retelling of Cinderella, published March 2007)
• Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey (A Retelling of the Ballad of Mulan, published February, 2009)
• The Diamond Secret by Suzanne Weyn (A Retelling of Anastasia, published June 2, 2009)
• The Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey (A Retelling of The Arabian Nights, published September 2002)
• Spirited by Nancy Holder (A Retelling of Last of the Mohicans and Beauty and the Beast, published November 2004)
• Golden by Cameron Dokey (A Retelling of Rapunzel, published February 2006)

 

Stay tuned!

xoxo,

Sel :)