Lost Girls Adventures

By Marissa Meyer
I LOVED this book! I didn't think it could possibly surpass Cinder, but it did, in a big way. Cress is the Rapunzel-like character of Marissa's series. She's an incredibly talented hacker who has been trapped on a satellite by Sybil, one of Levana's minions, since she was a child. She is socially awkward and naive but all that made her the perfect mix of damsel in distress and strong, capable woman. I found her absolutely adorable. She has a major crush on Captain Carswell Thorne and I just loved their scenes together.

Thorne loses his eyesight and there is a particular scene I thought was so sweet yet incredibly funny when he attempts to burst in heroically to save Cress but instead runs right past her, tries to shoot her attackers but can't figure out where to aim his gun, swings his cane wildly but can't hit anyone. I felt bad for the guy but couldn't stop laughing. He is cocky and full of himself but so funny and real and always has the best lines.


"Listen, Cress, I hate to break this to you, but I am sweaty and itchy and haven't brushed my teeth in two days. This just isn't a good time for romance." - Thorne

Which path shall we take?

It was the perfect day for a mini adventure. We headed to Gainesville, Florida to Devil's Millhopper, a Geological State Park. We arrived at this sign. We can either take a half mile nature walk around the rim or head down 212 wooden steps to the bottom of the sinkhole. So down we went! This limestone sinkhole is 120 feet deep and looks as if you had stepped into a different world.

Heading down

If you are quiet and patient there is a chance you will see various birds, squirrels and even bobcats. We didn't see any bobcats but we did run into Kermit who was out enjoying his day like the rest of us.


Halfway down and it was clear we weren't in Florida anymore. It felt like we were in the middle of a miniature rain forest. The temperature was cooler, there were streams trickling down and small waterfalls surrounding us.


Once at the bottom we were greeted with this amazing sight. I half expected the creature from the black lagoon to pop out at any second. This limestone sinkhole has 12 springs that run into a small pond in the middle. Various fossils have been found including shark teeth and extinct land animals.


If you plan to take a trip to this beautiful little gem be sure to bring comfortable shoes, water, a camera and even a picnic. There's a small visitor center, a picnic area and a hiking trail. The fee to enter is $4 for up to 8 people per vehicle.

Heading up

Off to hike the trail and enjoy the scenery! October was a great time for this mini adventure. We highly recommend visiting if you want to get outdoors for some exercise, fresh air and new sights.

By Marissa Meyer
Scarlet is the second book in the Lunar Chronicles and follows Cinder as she attempts to escape from prison before Queen Levana has her executed. We meet some interesting new characters; Scarlet who's grandmother is missing, Wolf a mysterious street fighter and "Captain" Carswell Thorne (my personal favorite addition).

This book is written in multiple POVs so it jumps back and forth between the characters. I like Scarlet, she's tough and compassionate, she refuses to give up. She is selfless and kind but will not back down and knows how to kick butt when she needs to.

Wolf is a big, bad, undefeated street fighter with a softer side, and a little mystery going on there, who offers to help Scarlet find her grandmother when no one else will. As much as I enjoyed Scarlet and Wolf's story line I just couldn't wait to get back to Cinder!

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By Marissa Meyer

In this futuristic re-telling of the classic fairy tale, Cinderella, Cinder is a dirty, greasy mechanic who lives with her stepmother and two stepsisters, while working endlessly to pay their bills. She is also a cyborg. Hold on. A cyborg? This is definitely not something I would normally pick up, but I heard so many good things about this book that I had to give it a try.

I'm a big fan of Cinderella and the Terminator series including the Sarah Connor Chronicles. I loved seeing a female terminator. How anyone could think to mix aspects of the two together and create a unique story is beyond me, but it works!

   Eve has been living in Califia for 3 months. She is desperately missing Caleb and doesn't feel like she quite fits in with the other women in the camp. After hearing rumors that Caleb is injured and in an abandoned warehouse ouside Califia, Eve sets off to rescue him. It was all a trap of course and she is captured and taken to the City of Sand. When she meets the King he is not at all what Eve or I had expected. I'll just leave it at that. 

 As soon as we landed in Vancouver we headed to Stanley Park. I had read so much about all the wonderful things to see and do there. It did not disappoint! We walked around for hours and still did not get to see everything. We started off walking along the seawall and just taking in the scenery. It was so beautiful! Then we decided to go deeper into the park and explore the forest trails. Did I mention we didn't have a map? We had no clue where we were going, but that's what made it so fun!
There were several beautiful gardens, my favorite being the Shakespeare Garden. Many of the trees had plaques with Shakespeare quotes and we enjoyed reading them all as we explored. After walking for about 2 hours we we came upon a nice little restaurant, The Stanley Park Pavilion. The food was sooo good!

After our much needed break we started walking again. This time we grabbed a map and headed over to the Lost Lagoon. As soon as we reached the edge of the Lagoon you could see an amazing view of the city. I had waited so long to be here and I just took a few minutes to soak it all in.