Nothing Smells Better

There are few things in life that smell as good as a new book...

Or, in my case, a new game.

And by "game" I mean board game.

Yes, I went shopping this weekend (for my birthday) and absolutely loved it!  Friday was spent at a [board] game store, Barnes & Noble Bookstore, Toys 'R' Us, Deseret Book, and a party store!

This is what I ended up with:

Birthday 2012

 So, as you can see, I obviously prefer getting things over clothing and such. ^-^

It boils down to 3 games (2 full games, 1 expansion), 2 CDs (both Kelly Clarkson), and 3 books...

Yeah, I spoiled myself... But we all deserve at least 1 day out of 365 to spoil ourselves!  Yesterday just happened to be my day!

The Harry Potter Clue was actually cheaper to buy from Toys 'R' Us than from Amazon (because of shipping) so I had to pick it up.  (Can you blame me?)  I've since opened it and analyzed the contents and how to play, and it looks awesome!!!  It is the game of Clue, but with some serious twists and turns!  I can't wait to play this game!

Agricola is a game I have heard a lot of good reviews about.  My dad offered to buy me either this game or Dominion and I opted for this game.  Granted, I have never played this game and I honestly don't know anyone personally who has, but it has great reviews and was listed on the "often bought with" recommendations from Amazon on other games I own and love.  After pulling everything out of the box and looking over the pieces and rules, I'm stoked!!  Those people over in Europe can make really good games!!  I only have two complaints about this game:  1) The box is not nearly sturdy enough to hold all the heavy pieces (my box already has a slight bend to it, causing a crease in the back image), and 2) I hate the blocks and round pieces meant to represent everything from sheep to bricks (they are simply different colors).  Are you kidding?  Luckily, Mayday Games specializes in making game pieces and I plan to order some from them (they have cute sheep and food, not to mention a way cute farmer set!!).  Unfortunately, the big combined sets on this site are only available for preorder, and I have no idea when I'd be able to get the (I assume the big sets are cheaper than trying to buy them individually).  Can't wait to get these ordered so I can do away with the cubes and round tokens and thus fixing my complaint problem.  This will make the game excellent in my opinion.

Moving on...

The last game I purchased was actually an expansion pack for Smallworld.  It's the Cursed expansion, which will spice things up a bit with the main game.  I look forward to implementing this expansion!

The two Kelly Clarkson CDs ("All I Ever Wanted" & "Stronger") I have been meaning to get for quite some time.  I saw those at a really good price (one of which was the same price as a used copy, which I couldn't figure out because they are the same CD!).  Also, the advantage to getting new music is adding to my writing playlist for my Destroyer Series.  The song, "Save You" will be added to the playlist. =D

Lastly, for the books...  (Not that I need more books to read this year... have you seen my current list of books I want to read this year already??)

"Ranger's Apprentice" has been screaming at me for quite some time.  When a book does that, it often means I need to read it because I will like it.  The reviews on Amazon were raving about it, so I decided to get the first book and try it.

"Of Grace & Chocolate" is an LDS fiction novel about a girl named Jillian, who lives alone and has her life in perfect order--the only messy part of her life involves a novel she is writing and chocolate.  Her life gets turned upside down when a guy pulls a joke on her (by taking a few critical things of hers) and her long-lost sister arrives on her doorstep holding a baby.  Her sister stays the night but disappears in the morning, leaving the baby.  Now, Jillian's world will never be the same...  This book appealed to me because I instantly related to the main character in certain ways, and the story seemed rather amusing.

The last book is entitled, "Unearthly".  Now, first of all, can I just say that this cover looks amazing?  I love the artwork and the font is great!  As I read the back of the book, I went... Wait a minute!  This sounds a LOT like my Destroyer Series!!  The story did sound interesting, but I think I bought it more to compare it to my own story than anything else.  I'm a little nervous, because if this story is too similar to mine (which I pray it is not), there's no way I would get Destroyer Series ever published because the publisher will know the story has already been told.  *face plant*  Here's the summary from the back of the book:

"When Clara Gardner learns she's part angel, her entire life changes.  She now has a purpose, a specific task she was put on this earth to accomplish, except she doesn't know what it is.  Her visions of a raging forest fire and a mysterious boy lead her to a new high school in a new town but provide no clear instruction.  As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make--between the boy in her vision and the boy in her life, between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil... When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?"

- Cynthia Hand, "Unearthly"

So, with that, let me tell you a few similarities I see between the "Unearthly" story and my own (keep in mind, I have not yet read "Unearthly" but I am simply sharing my first impressions):

• Both stories involve a young girl realizing she's an angel
• Leah (my character) has her powers awoken within her, for she is chosen instead of having been sent to Earth for a specific purpose.  But she also has to come to the realization she is an "angel" and she does have a purpose.

• Both stories involve a fire
• However, Leah's fire is a village burning, not a forest.  But it's a fire nonetheless... one which makes Leah realize exactly what she is and the power she is capable of--power which she does not want.

• Both books deal with facing the main character's "Destiny"
• This is a big deal with Leah, especially in the third (and final) book of my series.  She is constantly questioning her destiny and if it really is something she can choose or if it is per-determined for her.

• The phrase: "As [enter character name] tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make..."
• This could be easily applied to my own story as well.  Leah is literally thrown into a world she does not understand and as new characters are brought into the picture, there will be critical decisions that need to be made.

• There appears to be a love triangle
• This is not new to the YA genre (especially since Twilight entered the scene), so I can't hold this against the author in any way... but my story also has a love triangle, and if that boy that Clara sees in her visions is a demon or can shape-shift into a wolf... I might just cry...

So really, I guess the series will be different enough (I hope) that it won't cause problems.  I am a bit interested to see how this story evolves and turns out.  Unfortunately, I will have a little critique in the back of my head constantly comparing this book to my own, but I will try to control it... =D

Until I get around to reading my books, I plan to play my games and keep listening to my new CDs!  This birthday has been amazing and I am truly grateful.  After all, this last year has not been an easy one, and there has been a lot of growth that has occurred.  I am truly very blessed to be in this life.

And nothing smells better than new books and new games... <3