Books: Fata Morgana by. Steven R. Boyett and Ken Mitcroney

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! Time for another book review and I think you guys may like a historical fiction with a sci-fi twist!

Title: Fata Morgana
Author: Steven R. Boyette and Ken itchroney

Disclaimer: This review is based on thoughts and opinions from the lead writer and producer of this blog. Please respect her thoughts and feelings and there might be spoilers ahead.

Description: This book takes place at the height of the air war in Europe during World War II where Joe Farley and his baseball loving crew are on a mission in their air fortress the Fata Morgana when they go through a vortex that sends them to a different world from their own. After crash landing due to a beast-like fighter that has been a weapon used by one civilization that probably meant to bring them there and sees treachery and other things that takes place in this world. Besides the tech and learning more about it, he meets the girl of his imagination that was painted on his bomber that sparks a romance that he will never forget once he gets his airship back and his crew back home to where the war is waiting for them still!

Thoughts: This book took on a new meaning of not only sci-fi but also on Historical Fiction as a whole! I wasn’t expecting that a future world would exist and would call out to our characters until I kept on reading. I did like how the book did start off with telling the backgrounds of some of the characters that would be important as the story goes on, especially with the character Shorty who painted the woman that they meet in the future world and Martin who is the newest crew member who had survived from a bomber crashing before he joined Farley and his crew. You get to find out more about the crew but as the war was ending and knowing how their lives are going on after the war.

I do like how it goes from World War II to more of the future where the land is more desolate and that people are in domes where the climate is not normal and they have to rely on technology to grow food, having light and time, etc. I do love how both Farley and his men don’t know much of the stuff because they came from 1943 and whenever they talk about their time, Wenda and her men don’t know what are they talking about, especially baseball! They teach them how to play the sport because it got lost over time when things changed. That would be an interesting point to think about if what Farley had seen might be what his later generations or his men’s later generations might experience if this version does exist and how time would lead up to it. That kind of gives the reader a possibility of what we might end up in Wenda’s future. I would say read the book if you are into things like this since when I read the description I wanted to read it for myself since I do love WWII history and the historical fictions do a pretty good job and this one does make it a lot different which brings me up to…

Rating: 5 Star Pawprints out of 5! This book was a change from the sadness of WWII and brings it more of a different light. It gives you a new world within in a time where bombers fight and people distrust each other and takes you into a future where even more people can either unite with each other deceive into mistrust. I like how Farley and Wenda and the other characters interact with each other and how they don’t know the different parts of each world, especially with the tech but when the crew of Farley’s bomber knew what problems might be going on in Wenda’s home then they kind of relate it to what they have experienced in their time. For instance, there was a part where they were trying to figure out why aren’t there any crops growing and their crewmember who lived on a fram finds out there is a unique species of bug that does the same thing of eating and destroying crops like in the 1940s and gave tips on what to do in order to make the soy beans more flourishing and any new crops to grow. I did like the idea of bringing back baseball to the future because it shown the unity of people from two different times coming together into one world but it does lead to deception which I want you guys to read the book to see the point after the big baseball game because I don’t want to bring too much.

I do like the interactions between Wenda and Farley the most because not only they find out that her picture is on the Fata Morgana but Farley wasn’t expecting that he would meet her until they get to her world. It was sad that he had to leave her so he could live his own life and what made it more touching in the end is when he was in the restored Fata Morgana when he was 93 and he had Wenda just appear next to him and he could feel her while in the pilot seat. That does show that he didn’t imagine her and that he really loved her and knew what he and his crew went through wasn’t imagined.

This wouyld be a nice anime movie that Funimation should dub because I can imagine Caitlin Glass do her Evergreen voice but with a slight accent for Wenda and probably Kent Williams as Farley because his voice would fit him the most especially with how he can make his characters be caring and strong at the same time. I mean look at Akisame from Kenichi for example. I would probably see Josh Grelle as Shorty since he is supposed to be one of the younger guys in the seat.

Well, that is it for this review! I have many more books to read and more reviews to come! Until next time!

Rants/Response: Fifteen Things Poor People Do Rich People Don’t Into What Not-So-Rich People Really Do That Is Not Seen!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! Today, I am doing a respon se post to something that is pretty interesting but at the same time face palm worthy!

It might be a bit of a rant but Saturday night, I was in a live chat that Rich Lux was doing and he brought up a video by A Lux.com which talks about how to become a rich person from what I am taking it and he talked about the video they recently made called “Fifteen Things Poor People Do that Rich People Don’t.” This was interesting in a way since yes it is a video that gives facts but at the same time I wonder “Where do they get all their research?” Especially one when I responded in the chat towards “Poor People always eat fast food.” Rich Lux did read out my statement and he did agree that you can eat healthy on budget which I will explain below. So, here is my list of responses because I saw the video myself and it was cringe worthy and face palmtastic!

First….

Disclaimer: This is a response post to something I’ve seen and it is based on opinion and experiences from my own life as a Not-So-Rich person. Please respect my thoughts and feelings and when I do put the video link when I am done to Word Press, don’t give any hate to the person who did this video.
1. Some Not-So-Rich People Don’t Watch A Lot of T. V. and Others Learn While Watching: First thing on their list is that “Poor people watch a lot of T. V.” and goes on that we watch too much reality t. v. and how news is biased, etc. Here is the thing, yes there are people that are glued to the tube and don’t get that much exercise either but of course there are times when people don’t want to watch t. v. and tend to watch stuff on either NetFLix or Hulu or my fave platform, YouTube since the entertainment is there. Most of the time when I watch the tube is basically when my fave shows have new seasons on Primetime, or watch talk shows like the Talk, and I do catch some news and finally any new Doctor Who related stuff like the Christmas special for this year that I am waiting on. Most of watching is online like most people and listening to podcasts because I learn from there which brings my next point of this and that is when we are young we tend to learn from watching Sesame Street, Blue’s Clues, Barney, etc. Heck, one of my nephews learned his Spanish from watching Dora the Explorer as an example when he was four or five. So, t. v. is the basis of our learning when we were kids and haven’t gone to school yet and when we do come home we love to watch cartoons and have a snack. And another thing about the not watching so much t. v., there are people that prefer to play video games when they get bored of watching, heck I did it too when I had my Sega Genesis and N64 after watching an episode of Sailor Moon. So yes, not all people that aren’t as rich as a lot of people watch a lot, there are the some that do it but not all. Also, another point I would like to bring up, there are the rich and successful people that do sometimes watch t. v. or YouTube, for instance Kim Kardatian (I know I always butcher her name) she watches YouTube not only to unwind but see the makeup influencers to help with her makeup line. For instance, she had a video with Nikki Tutorials last week where she tested the Power of MakeUp she started and they talked about watching YouTube and how Nikki got started, etc. In order to have a successful makeup line, you got to be relevant and knowing the trends from t. v. and YouTUbe and even magazines help with that and to become a success in the business.
2. Not-So-Rich People Can Eat Healthy on a Budget: This point of “Poor People Eat a Lot of Fast Food” got me commenting in that live chat and I am glad Rich Lux read it and did agree. Yes, we do turn to the lovely McDonald’s Quarter Pounder or the Wendy’s Four for $4 but I am wondering, “Has this lady been to a WalMart or a Publix lately?” Or even a Trader Joe’s? Yes, there is that comfort food but we do like to eat healthier time to time and yes we can have that option at a restaurant but you can also get it pretty cheap in your local grocery store. For instance, a bag of spinach and cale can set me back $3.50 and I have omelettes with that along with salads and even sandwiches at home when I feel like it. Plus, we can get our own burger patties on special at Publix when they have Fourth of July sales or even Labor Day sales since they do specials on grilling food during certain times of the year. Heck, Publix here puts the Boar’s Head items on sale like the bacon, the deli meats and the hot dogs. So yes, we can eat healthier and pay a lower price when it either goes on sale or look for the deals in the aisle and even compare each product. I even got a pack of six boxes of Mac & Cheese, Publix brand, for $4 and it has saved me a lot when my mom hasn’t come home from shopping until late in the evening. Another point is that this woman talked about is how we don’t want to know what is in our food or know about nutrition. I would say… “Excuuuusssee meee princess!” There are times when some not-so-rich people are afraid of getting more weight and try to find the healthier options over going for the fattier ones. We also know what a salad is thank you very much! Another thing to use as an example, when she mentioned sugars and fats, actually I have replaced the sugar in my coffee for brown sugar which is supposed to be better for you and it still sweetens my coffee and my health is still the same from that small change. Heck, I even enjoy almond milk due to the taste and have it with a piece of toast later on in the night or with PopTarts time to time. Still, hearing this point kind of ticked me off and I feel like yes there are the fatty food options but most of us like to treat ourselves with Five Guys but most of the time you can get chicken for $7 or more on your grocery bill and cook at home which would save you a little more money than doing it for three meals a day because it does add up and your wallet shrinks even when it comes to lobsert night at Red Lobster.
3. Buying From Sales Racks Are Not A Bad Thing! Her next point is that “Poor people buy from sales racks!” She believes that the only thing you should get on sale is stocks. Yes, stocks are great and all if we are working for a big company and can buy them small but clothes are important and it keeps us from running around naked like Blink 182 did in their “What’s My Age Again” video. People can’t always afford the Gucci sweater every month or can go into Bloomingdales or even Lolipop Cotour here in the Millenia Mall or try to see in Hollister. (Yeah, that store is extremely dim from what I heard!) That is why sales do exist at certain times of the year or if it is going on clearance so people can save money. One thing is that there is also a sale on your favorite store sites too almost every month and if you are a member you do get those lovely coupons like I have gotten from Ulta and used on this month. I will use some examples! Every year Hot Topic does the Hot Mess sale and when the first Thor movie came out, I was able to get my Thor shirt during the Hot Mess sales for $2.50 when it would cost me $19.00 originally back in that time and you can get awesome stuff in those boxes like shoelaces if you need them, some accessories if you’re lucky, etc. Even this past month they did a 30% off of a lot of items and that is how I got my Panic! At the Disco shirt and Sailor Moon knee socks to go with my Sailor Moon top for conventions or girls day outs. Another thing is, a lot of people that I like to watch on YouTube love to wait until Sephora does their VIB sale where they get a certain discount based on their Beauty Insider status to get what they want that they have been eyeing on. Heck, I even enjoy Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty when I got my fave Smashbox eye primer and the Urban Decay Perversion mascara on half off. Even Vivi did a Labor Day sale when she got her boots and dresses. You get the picture! Sales aren’t that bad and it feels like these are being looked down upon by this video and it is kind of sad. What also irked me about this was when she said, “When things are on sale, the clothes that the person can afford are the ones that the rich don’t want and the people who get it on sale can look like they couldn’t afford it at full price.” Okay! That is a little snobby in my book! Yes, I didn’t get that Thor shirt at full price nor the Perversion Mascara at full price but one thing that this person doesn’t realize that sotres need to make room for new stock that is coming to their store or website. Yes they can sell more on the website but sometimes the companies also discontinue items like Lush did to A LOT of stuff recently. (Including my fave Blackberry bath bomb!) And in order to make room, the sales happen and this does attract a lot of people to buy those items. Heck, another point which I want to bring up is that there are times where store locations close down if they don’t make enough business. Back during the recession as an example, a lot of businesses closed down due to not enough people were coming in to buy the stuff and that caused a huge hit even if you were rich or poor, you were stretching your money back then! Trust me, I was saving a lot for me and Gondras for conventions and did garage sales. Heck, I did that way for my laptop too. So, when a location closes down they have to clear out stock and that is why they put everything on “It Must Go!” and people run for the hills. Even though it does still happen today, heck Blockbusters went out of business and Radio Shack as well and had to close some locations that it was happening to the most. So yes, sales aren’t that bad when you look at it. Heck, even around the holidays people, rich, middle class, or poor, want to stretch that money as well even if they get it from stocks so don’t look down on them as this video did!
4. Not All Sleep In Late In Their Early Years! It depends on the person because this point was “All Poor People Sleep Late In Their Early Years!” Okay, can you blame me that I woke up super early to catch the bus in high school and take naps during the day and sleep in on the weekends? Can I get an “Amen?” Here is the thing, yes some of us do sleep late while others do wake up early so they can either do errands or have doctor’s appointments which will be talked about later. One thing that this video doesn’t realize but people do have night shifts or work over time. Gondras sometimes has to do closing shifts and his feet hurt like hell at the end of the shift and he does sleep late because he comes home later due to clean up and closing. Another example is Vivi’s husband Tobi works a dsecurity job at night when a lot of crime happens most. Other people that work night shifts includes urses, firefighters, police, doctors at hospitals, heck even writers stay up late to meet their deadlines. I even admit to sleeping late because I write late at night time to time if I can’t sleep. Also, another thing, there are people that do have sleep issues and I do admit that too! When I first dated Gondras, he was an insomniac and he slept a lot later than me and he does still do it today but not as badly. Heck, blind people go through Non-24 Sleeping issues as a good example which I listened to a recent podcast episode about that in detail. My mom even suffers from sleep issues so not everyone can have a goodnight’s sleep and that kind of causes us to sleep later than normal. What also bothered me is not only she didn’t provide any statistics but she talked about waking up late and not educating yourself and spend a lot of time on meaningless things. Truth is a lot of people sometimes are curious people and learn about other things and be educated in other ways whether it is through a web search or what I do is listen to podcasts while putting on my makeup or in the bathroom. I even learn more about tech stuff since I am planning on being an A. T. Specialist. All thanks to the Cool Blind Tech podcast, I was able to learn about the TW Blue Twitter client for my computer and got my mentor interested in it. I am also in a Hadley course currently and she says we don’t educate ourselves due to sleeping late. That is why coffee exists. Another good point to mention about sleep is that people are in different time zones from each other and depending on what they do they have live chats while we do sleep and there is not enough time in the day in the States for us to do our own thing too. In the end, yes sleeping late may be a bad thing but there are night shifts to consider, sleep problems too, and time differences. Heck, even some famous people may have sleeping problems due to their own career like movie stars while shooting a shoe or movie and that does take time. So, yes the rich and not-so-poor aren’t different in that aspect.
5. Not All Of Us Are Into Sports! Jeez louise lady! Have you met everyone that is into sports? Heck, even the big celebrities love to sit in the sky box watching the Super Bowl! Here is the thing, not everyone, poor or rich, is not always into sports because of the interests being so different or if you can’t see it like I do. For instance, I was over at Nerdy Shirts’ place for a Wrestle Mania party and I only can hear grunts and screams from the wrestler’s and remembering Undertaker’s entrance and the thing is I can’t get into wrestling. I was even asked, “Who is your wrestling husband?” I said, “None!” All my gal pals looked at me like I was insane but I was honest about it because I can’t see what is going on. I’d rather read a book on Kindle than watch the Super Bowl. Even when I was doing my university classes, I never went to one Knights football or basketball game because I wanted my dgree to get out. Another point she brought up is that watching sports is pointless as watching t. v. Maybe to some but not all because I have seen rich people get into golf due to how much of it is a gentle sport and I admit I did play golf myself since it is an easy sport for blind people. Heck, even some of the billionaires we know play golf, even most of the football players and basketball players are billionaires by now and some have retired. For instance, Shaq O’Neal, I can imagine him in his mansion still watching a Lakers or Magic game since he was on those teams and want to see how is the line up after he left. I am just using that as an idea. Heck, probably some of the players started in high school to play sports and then went pro after they graduated from high school and college which made them into what they are today. I think this person should’ve researched before mentioning this point.
6. We Shower Like Rich People! We may not have the roomiest showers or the biggest bath tubs or hot tubs but we do shower! I may think shelters might have a place to sshowers for their residents. Still, this point is pointless because when you are on a job, hygiene is very, very, VERY important because you are the image of the company that you work for and smelling like a stray cat that rolled around in sludge won’t help. I always do my morning shower like she mentions and I always make sure my body smells like the shower gel I use, I wash my hair when I need to, even use soap in a certain nook and cranny, showering is an important thing and wishing all convention goers do it so they won’t have that nasty convention funk.
7. Poor People Blame Others for Their Msery? Ummm… Really lady? I think it depends on the person because the only way of blaming anyone is blaming yourself if you haven’t been successful yet. We are only human and there are times when someone being successful can happen over night or it takes time for their success to be gained. For instance, Stephen King did not become a best-selling author overnight. In his memoire, he mentioned how he had a hard time being published with any short stories he sent in and he did get turned down with some but lucky with others. His wife was working at a Dunkin Doughnuts even and he waited for that check to come in until one lucky day he found it and that helped with paying for medicine for his daughter’s ear infection. Even John Grisham had to pass out his books for free before he became famous. A good example, I only sold two copies of my first book and I have a second one. Do I blame it on anyone? No! I keep promoting it and keep on going with my life because I am trying to start a career because I prefer writing as a side thing. There are going to be times where yes they won’t choose you for a certain job or won’t pick your artist’s booth for Artist’s Alley, learning from the mistakes help you move on and yeah you may look down on yourself for not being a success but it doesn’t mean you can’t keep going or trying again. Remember that old saying? “First time you don’t succeed, try try try again!” Which I do agree! Your successes aren’t always hand outs nor expected, that is why a lot of people have to work hard in order to get where they are at even in today’s age where there are going to be times where you may have to go back to school and start over again and then see where you will be next. So, don’t blame others just know what went wrong and try again!
8. We Do Save Up! “Poor people don’t save money?” Okay, um…have you paid any bills lately? Yes, like a lot of people, we do pay bills and that is the main priority of every month and hearing about this does feel like it can happen but there are people who do save money in a jar, a pouch like I do when it comes to conventions or other things I may have to pay out of pocket, or even in a savings account when they open their checking account. I remembered when I had my first account with a bank, they let me put in a dollar for each transaction I do into a savings account and I did protect myself from over withdrawals by tapping into it when need be. Yes, it can be hard to save oney but at the same time when saving your pocket change in a can it does build up. I tend to spend the change from any money from my dad to go towards my next convention and sometimes do need to use it for small things like a medication I needed to pay my co-pay for and glad that I had it. There are the people that don’t save and hold it for a rainy day and there are the ones that do and maybe this point should’ve been looked at better.
9. Poor People Have Credit Cards But Is It Really for Useless Things? I have to put this statement in a question because I feel like it sounds like we can’t build any credit. Usually the credit card is a way of helping in paying for items if you can’t pay for out of pocket and then you pay it back once the billing statement is in. People do use these cards or loans for useless stuff but others do use it for more useful things such as an IPad for instance that may need an upgrade or they may need a certain cosmetic product that works for them and it may cost a lot and need to use the card for that. I admit in the past I did max out but I bought my usual cosplay parts that way and even had to help Gondras with his Fourth Doctor outfit and I did become better about it. I mostly stick to my store cards that I applied for and do pay little at a time, as in the minimum payments that get posted each month and that goes back to your card to refresh itself. For instance, my Hot Topic card was paid quickly in a few months after using it on my Dead Pool hoodie that I needed since it was getting colder and Florida only has that slight chill. Another point she pointed out is using the credit for investments which might be good but the question is who is investing everyday? Yes, I may get my next phone upgrade next year but developing an app well there are already a lot of apps out there that do get used by a lot of people including blind people like me. If I come up with an app then I could talk to IT guys that I may know and then there will be the footsteps to something big. Yes, we do have these nice cards and loans, but there are times when we do save up for the item that we want or pay off the card that we used it for to wait as time goes on. Even though credit is like a baby where we have to take care of it, building it also helps for bigger things and must not runaway with it and spend it everyday.
10. Not Everyone Has Kids Early On! I need to ask for this point did they get their research from an actual place? Because there are times that not everyone has a kid even early on in life. I knew some girls in high school who did have their kid then but at that time they weren’t thinking and didn’t use protection. I am 32 now and I get Social Security and use it towards my phone bill along with cards and now one of my doctors, I am kid-less actually because I don’t want to put that extra expense and stress on myself especially while Gondras is still in college and living with his mom. Plus, I am trying to get myself back to school to get my grad certificate to help me with my career goal and that is important than me settling down with kids. I have seen friends that have had kids while they were in college and that can also be hard due to the added stress of raising a kid while taking classes. One good example is one of my second cousins who just had a kid and yes she is working but can’t get back into school and she is not living in a great place either and her mother gave her everything! EVERYTHING! When that kid comes and if you don’t have the right environment to raise them or right situation, then it will get even more expensive and more time consuming because you have to find the place, get the stuff for the baby such as formula and diapers which are the most costly of the items. Trust me, I have seen my older brother get more packs of diapers while visiting here when he was with his ex-wife when his kids were teeny tiny and of course you have bills on top of that to take care of. Also your own health, any pets you might have, etc. So, yes, I would say think before you want your kid even when you are in your early twenties which is where most people want kids because the financial situation will not always match your family situation. In case if you are curious, me and Gondras will come to that road eventually but not now!
11. Not-So-Rich People Have Insurance And Do Have Check Ups With Doctors! Her point to this is “Poor people don’t have regular check ups with their doctor.” That is not essentially true. There are people out there that can’t afford all the doctors even on insurance, heck it is hard getting a dentist here in my part of town because they don’t take insurance which that is another thing. Not all doctors take the same insurance plans that everyone loves to rely on. Like I said, the dentist offices here have some that do take insurance but after a certain age or depending on what kind they don’t take that insurance especially for what job is needed to be done in the mouth. For instance, when I first chipped my tooth all thanks to a stock cart, I was looking for a dentist that can help and asked if they take MediCare which is what I use and they don’t so I had to pay $300 from my mom’s card to get this fixed. I know it is not much but when you get into the big stuff like extractions and root canals then that is a heavy price! Another example, I used to see one Endocrinologist in one part of ttown and he didn’t take MedicAid and had to pay an $80 co-pay and then found out that they don’t do HMO MediCare. So, guess what? I found someone else and pay a lesser co-payment and my medicines are the same price due to my insurance and do see my Endocrinologist regularly as in now in November due to a slight change to my thyroid. So back to the point, there are people that don’t have insurance that can’t really see a doctor or the doctor’s office doesn’t take insurance and also there are times when people have really bad infections or need surgery and have to go to the hospital that requires a lot more stuff to do and that is referred by the doctor. So, in other words, there are times when you have to do that visit with your doctor if you need help and there are times when it has to be an emergency. Another thing to consider, walk-in clinics are an option even at a pharmacy if it is a lesser problem or for vaccinations themselves. I get my flu shot at Publix all the time now instead of visiting my doctor every year since my insurance is also taken there. So, in other words with this part, for something minor or vaccine related, there is the walk-in clinic or pharmacy. What about major diseases? Should touch on that! Yes, it is important to catch it early but doing it earlier can even help in a greater idea because with tech as advanced as it has been, detection can be easier and find easier treatment within that window such as radiation for a specific cancer in incrinments helps out, I mean my dad went through it and did help. If it is too late, yes it will be costly but it doesn’t mean there are medical trials where people can raise the money. For instance, there are Go Fund Me pages for medical surgeries everyday now and crowds of people are willing to help with that. Heck, one gadget known as E-Sight which costs a buttload of money has help with donations for the people who want it in their life and if I go through an eye treatment myself later on then I would do the Go Fund Me for that because crowd funding is a big thing now when it comes to medical related costs.
12. Poor People Spend Money Before They Get It? Another question statement. Yes, it can be a danger borrowing money and acquiring a lot of expenses before paying it off but like what I said above with bills and other things like food and pets, there are times when there is not enough left over for something special like a luxury item or a luxury dinner. I did mention how I save up my change from spending money from my dad. If I can’t get something that same day like for instance a t-shirt at a concert since I can only afford food and one CD that night. I say, “Okay! I will make sure I have enough next time!” I have that mindset especially knowing the price ahead of time if I do save the amount and have it for next time. I also remember a saying my mom gave me especially with conventions: “If you have the money then spend it, if not don’t!” Trust me, I remembered how Gondras almost had me spend all my savings at one stand during AFO 2012 and had to push him away after the pile of DVDs we picked up at it. I am not kidding about that pile either! It can also go the same way with credit cards too…trust me now I have to clamp myself from using them…which my tip is just budget or know what you are getting and just buy that thing! If you go off track then just tell yourself to keep going! Heck, I even push Gondras out of the candy line or in GameStop to get out of there! Then if you have the money leftover then you can save it for the next purchase or a sale or even for something small you may want. There many ways to save!
13. We Surround Us With All Kinds of People! Rich Or Poor! The next thing on this list that made me cringe was “Poor people surround themselves with other poor people.” Is it me or is she making it sound like we have to hang out with our own group of people? In the nerd community, we come from many different backgrounds even in our college days. Whether that we started off with Star Trek, Star Wars, anime, comics, etc. We are all nerds and we usually associate with them but nowadays everyone is including the sci-fi genre into their normal t. v. watching queue. Heck, I started watching Big Bang Theory a lot more when there is a new season on CBS and I still love anime and read books. But I remembered in the past that I did meet someone or two that didn’t want to be included among us nerds when they were nerds themselves essentially. Mostly one person I kind of excluded due to how bad she ignored us. Anyways, back to the point, no matter what your background is if you make a hundred a week or a thousand a week, people like to hang out with others on a daily basis either at a party or online talking on Skype or AIM (it still exists as an app actually!) If we have something in common and like to be around each other, we are friends and some people do make relationships with another too guy or girl even. Yeah, we can’t always go to a huge penthouse party but it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy boba tea and taro cakes even while wearing a Lolita dress and hightops time to time. What she also pointed out too is the whole if you are hanging with four other poor people then you would be seen as one. Okay, let me say this! Your money status is not really anyone’s business unless you published something really big or made a huge change to life. One good example is the book series from Christie Barth, The Naked Men Lunch where the guys in there are rich guys but they end up falling love with girls that have different backgrounds like Griff the coast guard guy ends up with Chloe who runs her own letter writing business, Knox the huge millionaire guy all thanks to software is with Madison who works at the library and came from Alaska to find her brother, Logan who is a guy who helps people and takes on his family’s business takes on a girl who is a cheerleading coach, well former cheerleading coach, and now Riley who works for the TSB is with Chloe’s buddy Summer who owns her own boutique. It shows in these books how the characters came from prep school and go through their own accidents and come out fine and find their matches all because of love not wealth. If you have rich friends that don’t like it, fine by them! If I was a best seller already, I would rather be with my friends that I have known from my convention experiences because we formed a tight circle already and bring Gondras to the parties and he can look good while he is at it despite how he looks, at least he showers! And finally about this point, she talks about how you should be inspired by the rich friends you make, or was it be inspired by the group you hang out with. I am already inspired by the people I know! I already have a book later on that Vivi asked me to write and I got my inspiration for the idea from other things too not just because of other authors. I would confess this though, I did ask for description tips from Mimi Jean but I know her busy schedule and glad that she did take the time to respond to give me her advice and I am taking it to heart. It would be nice to hang with her but she does have other obligations to do including her writing. I am the same way with this blog, getting press jobs, and finding new things to do in tech to develop my skills more. Yeah, it would be sweet to hang with Stan Lee but I still like my friends to this day!
14. Poor People Don’t Follow Through With Their Ideas? Excuse me? The Blind Perspective was an idea I followed through! Yes, we can’t change our past but we can control our future. Yes, success does come quickly to others but not as quickly to many. The only way of being successful is by working hard finding the mistakes that you have created to try again. Remember that old “IF you don’t first succeed?” When I was trying to get my first job, I always fell on my face but got back up and didn’t we always hear, “Never give up!?” I always never gave up even if I had to change my career path. I am not still giving up you know why? I keep on working at it and improve my skill so I can get my experience. The problem is that today a lot of people are expecting experience over skill and that doesn’t mean giving up should happen if nothing goes your way which there are times it doesn’t always go your way. Things just happen and when it does it might be an accidental success and would lead you into a new avenue. I mean, we still do press for Omni despite a typo years ago and that is still a success story I will never let go. Another part is the whole 9 out of 10 businesses fail, shock a statistic, she goes on that none starts because all of them fail. Yes, a lot didn’t start is because a lot of people kept on working on it and kept going with it. If you guys watched Shark Tank, a lot of those people started their own thing and even if the team didn’t accept their offers they kept going with their business wherever they are. Like the Lip Bar, that was in someone’s kitchen and it still grows from what I have seen on their website last time. Even me with Nerdy Shique Universe! I got the spark all thanks to Hot Topic and yes I did improve on getting the style and moving it to Word Press and then five years later we are here still along with a YouTube channel. So, if you have an idea, just go with it and see how it goes if it doesn’t work then try fixing it and keep going!
15. There Are Times When We Need Help to Reach the Top! Her last point is “Poor people believe in they need help in order to reach the top!” Yes, we don’t always have the hand outs and we usually start alone and believe that we will be successful when we are young. Isn’t that everyone in the world especially a rich person? I bet the Kardatian family didn’t start off with being rich together or as famous as they are now. I even read the authors’ bios of the books I read and see that they started off as university students or just a normal person at home, when they start doing things there are times where things do get tough and they need that help to succeed. I even see the praises the authors give to their agents and editors because they have a team that helps them in getting their product out there on time. Heck, I am visually impaired and I need the help with visuals during our press work and I have to rely on Gondras and Nerdy Shirts to get our work out even after the convention. And don’t rich people have their teams in their companies to help them reach the top? Hmmm? Even though the answers to problems aren’t always handed but the team can solve those problems together and able to face them head on, for instance when Nerdy Shirts accidentally lost our Dameon Clarke video, I came with the idea on the spot to see if we can redo the interview and we worked together to get it done again. Yes, having that help may lead to failure according to this video but there are times when that help and teamwork makes a brand and company successful wehether it is a blog like this or a book coming out, or even a major makeup company that started off small and grew over the next three months we all have teams!
Well, that is it for this post and man it was super long! I did take a break to snack on something because of how long this took. Plus it felt nerve racking and cringey watching this video again too to get all the things mentioned. I will put the video link in here so you can see what was talked about and warning you may have face palm marks like I did.

What is next? More book reviews in the air and still crossing my fingers on Holiday Matsuri 2017!

Faves: July and August 2017!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! It is that time again and that is for my July and August favorites! I tend to do my top ten songs but it is getting hard for me to know what to put into my list so I am doing every three months rather than every month because it gives me time to listen to a lot more music! It doesn’t mean I can’t still mention fave music at the moment so let’s see what I have this month!

Not So Faves:

Essence Brow Gel: So, lately I have been experiementing with a newer brow product and see about a cheaper alternative if I can’t get my NYX Control Freak brow gel. I am trying out the Essence Brow and Lash Gel and well…it is not that bad but I feel like it is not there. Whenever I wear my lash and brow gel from E. L. F. I know it’s there on my brows when I use the brow side but this one I don’t feel it on my brows at the end of the day. I don’t get why it disappears after application. I do have it to use up and if it improves by the end of it then I will go back to the NYX one.

Slim Fast Meal Replacement Shake Powder: I bet you are wondering, “Mari, did you start a new diet?this?” No, I was sampling it because of Pinch Me. Pinch Me is a free sample service where you sign up, take a survey, you don’t pay anything and you get free samples depending on what they have. This box that came recently…well…it had something I hadn’t had in years and that is from Slim Fast. I know everyone is thinking you aren’t fat and I agree I am curvy but I won’t be left alone without trying it. I did and it was gross! It did not dissolve, I think I wasn’t supposed to put in the entire packet but it made the milk taste worse. I think I would rather drink almond milk over this stuff which I do prefer my almond milk thank you very much. I hope I never get a Slim Fast product again because I used to drink it as a teen to get skinnier but never worked and I tasted can! No offense anyone on this diet but I didn’t like it from my first try and never going back again!

Faves:

Ice Cream: Truffle Kerfuffle from Ben & Jerry’s: Starting with a food item and that is an ice cream by Ben & Jerry’s and it is a flavor known as Truffle Kerfuffle! I know it is a tongue twister and I admit I can’t say it either! This ice cream is basically vanilla with pieces of salted truffles and pecans! I tend to have pecans with sweets and this added a great balance of salt to the truffles and I already love sea salt chocolate truffles since I tried the Godiva ones and I am glad they made this one!

New Chocolate: Hershey’s Cookie Minis in Vanilla Cookie: I know, “Say what now!?” Well, for a while Hershey’s has been making these special cookie versions where they put cookie pieces in the bar and they make them look like the nuggets but as segments of three! They have them in caramel, mint, and the ones I have tried recently and loving are the vanilla ones! These are so creamy and you hardly notice the vanilla because it blends so perfectly into the chocolate. So, basically you have a twisted ice cream cone but in chocolate form with cookies. I have to keep my paws off because you know me, I do love my chocolate. What sucks htough, they only come with nine per bag and wishing they added more due to how much space is there in the bag for more. I know Ghiradelli has a ton of room for ten or slightly more squares. Still like them though!

Hair Product: Marc Anthony Hair Growth Leave In Spray! I think I haven’t mentioned this product but it is the Marc Anhthony Caffeine and Ginseng Leave In Spray which is what it does it helps hair grow. Well, helps it to be stronger so it would grow. GOndras wanted me to grow my hair out and I am doing my best and I had so much damage and split ends as time went on. Yes, I do have the R&B tbut it does so much to keep my hair from frizzing up but this spray helps tame those split ends and damage since there are some areas where there is some damage that exists. I am not sure if it is from straightening my hair even though I don’t do it as much or from when I had highlights but this is helping out a lot! I rarely don’t feel so much damage on the right side of my head which was the most of it was going on ever since I have been using this product. I did have to order another and lord and behold Ulta sends me another 20% off coupon and I used that to get another bottle along with the Oil of Morocco spray I love a lot from them along with two other items. Thank you Ulta for that and just in time for getting a new bottle and I did get double points due to still being August!

Best Store Birthday Gift: NYX Birthday Pallet! I know that with everyone’s birthdays we do get gifts and this year was a full pallet from NYX and that is called the Birthday pallet! I thought at first it was going to be from Lancome since they were doing that, I am thinking it was only Platinum members got Lancome and regular people got the NYX pallet which to tell you the truth I am not a big Lancome fan. The face makeup made my skin itch which is kind of sad. So, the NYX pallet is a ten shadow pallet of neutrals and they are pretty pigmented and easy to apply! I hope they keep on having birthday pallets like this, even with other brands, because I think this is better than the sample size gift from Sephora, which I went with the Tarte blush and lquid lipstick which I do like the lipstick by the way and the blush. Even though I do like Tarte blushes already. So yes, hoping another brand does this next year.

Collection Complete: Too Faced Chocolate Bar Pallets! I know! I know! “What!? You never got the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar?” Well, the truth was back during last Christmas, I was choosing between the Semi-Sweet and BonBons and I liked BonBons more which I do still like that pallet out of the three. I am glad I finally finished it to get Semi-Sweet and I saw why some people did start liking it a little more than the original since it did have more unizue colors besides the same old pinks we are seeing from Too Faced pallets. I do like the idea of pink shades but not everywhere! This one did have a good balance and same with BonBons and I did do a small series where I did looks that involved one from each pallet and then shades from all three and liked how it came out! I think my fave shade would be Puddin’ which is a taupe grey shade and it reminds me of my fave character Harley Quin when she says it. And yes, in case people are wondering, I am excited about the new Batman and Harley film! So, since I got this completed, that would mean no more Too Faced unless if I need to get another Chocolate Bar if I hit pan.

Fave Shadow Primer: MAC Paint Pot in Painterly! I know…I know it took me a while to finally try it out and that is the Mac Paint Pots! I heard so many good things about these and how well they keep eye shadow on and I was able to sample it first with Painterly and Soft Ocre to tell between the two and they do keep my shadows on like crazy! I got Painterly first since I do like the idea of a white base to my shadows but will get Soft Ocre after I am done to give a bit of variety to the use of these and it is so satisfying to see my shadow on my cotton pad because I know it works!

New Mascara: Lash Paradise by L’Oreal! Next is a new mascara I got into and that is Lash Paradise. I wanted to try this ever since I saw people try it out on YouTube and they were right that it is a dupe for the Too Faced Better Than Sex and even better than than that one actually because…Too Faced flakes on me like no other mascara! It makes my lashes too normal and it doesn’t work like for most people and when I heard about Lash Paradise I knew I had to get it. I got it on my birthday at Ulta and the girl who was checking me out said, “You will love this mascara!” She was right! I do! Yes I did experience a tiny clot in my lashes but they made my lashes curl like crazy! I felt like I had the good spider lashes rather than the bad. If you hadn’t tried this one, I suggest to do so because it is affordable and it doesn’t flake like crazy like Better Than Sex did and L’Oreal knows how to make mascara work. I mean, look what the Miss Manga does to my lashes everytime I cosplay for example!

New Eyeliner Toool: Wing Stencils! So, I decided to mention a tool since I rarely do it and the tool is a set of ten eyeliner stencils for wings. When I first did my Link cosplay, I tried doing winged liner freehanded and I had a hard time doing it and decided to go hunting on the interwebs for the stencils and I found a set from EBay that was $1 and got them in the mail by July and these aren’t ones to stick, you just put them against your eyes and do the wings like normal. These are so handy and easy to use and I can use them with gel liner which I got a pot of the Essence one and that glided pretty well, pencil which is easy to do, I haven’t tried liquid yet but I will someday but these will be handy when I do Link again which I am planning for Holiday Matsuri if we do press again.

New Lipstick: The Midnight Mermaid Mettalic Cat Suits from Wet ‘N Wild! I know this a bit of a cheat but…I had to mention these! They are the new Metallic Liquid Cat Suits that Wet ‘N Wild released for fall for the Midnight Mermaid Collection! I have been wearing Harbor a Crush and man they do stay put like their original counterparts! All I have to say is WNW is beating it out of the water since they have improved greatly as a brand over the years and happy that these liquid lipsticks are here to add to the collection but for the limited time! I would say hurry and get these as they last especially in store, knowing people would run for these like on Ulta’s website and WNw’s site.

Fave Accesory: Sailor Moon Luna and Artemis Wallet! So, on my birthday Gondras and I went into Hot Topic and I was hoping to get new t-shirts since I was getting bored with what I have been wearing especially in the music department but they didn’t have that many at the location we went to. I do go online and had to go to the Florida Mall location for the second shirt but the item that I did love that I picked up was a wallet of the cats from Sailor Moon. Ever since meeting Linda Ballumtyne and Katie Griffin, hi ladies, I think I went a little crazy for Sailor Moon and when Gondras shown me the wallet…I got it! You know me and cats and these two are no exception! Heck, I am waiting on an Artemis makeup bag to come in the mail!

Fave Album: Wolves from Rise Against! Oh yes, had to mention this and that is the new Rise Against album, Wolves. This album has been out since June and I did get it with some of my birthday money and happy I did! I had to listen to it and now I can see where the notes were talking about because this album was written after the last election. Even though the song, “The Violence,” is something that describes what we face day to day. It does have a good message to it like a lot of their music and I do like “The VIolence,” of course, also the songs “B. S.,” “House on Fire,” and the title track, “Wolves.” I even have the album t-shirt since I couldn’t get the “Time + Tragedy” shirt which made me mad. Anyways, I think this album was shorter than the last even though some of their albums have up to ten songs while others do have thirteen or fourteen unless you get the special edition which there wasn’t any. I would say well cone to Rise Against and hoping to hear more albums in the future since they are known for songs with a message.

Fave Book Series: Accidentally [Yours] by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff! So, covered food, makeup, music, and now onto books! This time it is a series from Mimi Jean Pamfiloff and that is her Accidentally [Yours] series which is one of her more early books which is a paranormal book series hat has gods, vampires, and an incubus…oh my? We first meet Emma who has been hearing a voice in her head and that voice belongs to the god of War and Death, Guy who has been trapped in a zenote for many years. She goes on an adventure to find him and once he is freed her life changes and so many others such as Helena who meets her vampire lover, Niccolo, and many other women who fall for either a vampire or a god according to the fate of Samille, which she has a secret to why all this is taking place. This series was cute and funny despite all the hapenings. Yes, I went into it blindly, tee hee, but it was something new and interesting. I do like the characters and how they got together and the book that I really liked was Vampires Need Not [Apply] which deals with the goddess of suicide, Exstab. I think I was laughing the most because her character was quirky for someone who wanted to hide herself behind a veil and I liked how she shown up at self-help groups to find her true nature and to make her feel better about her talent. It was even funnier when the guy that she fell for…forgot his name…met her at the zenote and had to beg for her forgiveness, it was under the style of Samille’s list of getting it, which I forget to mention, Samille was the best part of everything because she was so ilarious! Yeah…she ight have caused things…but her character was the best and it made it even more entertaining. I do have the first book of the Immortal Matchmakers series which is the sequel on my phone but this is a good start and if you are around my age and into paranormal romantic comedies with some action, this is one series you want to look at!

Fave Release: MY SECOND BOOK! LOVE FOUND IN CINDERS: A BACKWARDS FIARY TALE! ::Final Fantasy Fan Fare Plays:: Thank you! Thank you! And thank you! Yes, your lead writer here has now have a second book out and it is known as Love Found In Cinders. This is the first in a new series I am going to be writing known as A Backwards Fairy Tale where the gener roles of our fave fairy tale stories get switched. Int his one, you meet Sidney, a kindhearted boy, who meets his princess all thanks to a garden tea party and the princess doesn’t like her fiancé as much so she hatches a plan to meet Sidney again in a different way and get back to the ball in time. I did start with Sleeping Beauty but that story…well…that has to go through a re-write but later! I am currently doing a new book but that will come later since I am trying to finish up a fan fic at the moment and my schedule has been busy trying to get around to get back into volunteering again, getting into school for my grad certificate, and many other things. So, yeah I am busy! So, in the meantime, please support my work! You can also get The Blind Perspective: Convention Stories From the Dark on Amazon as well for Kindle. I will have more stuff to release in fiction so keep an eye out! Here are the links again:

The Blind Perspective: https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Perspective-Convention-Stories-Dark-ebook/dp/B01M16V8IO/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1503884736&sr=8-8&keywords=The+Blind+Perspective

Love Found In Cinders: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Found-Cinders-Backwards-Fairy-ebook/dp/B074PYZRV5/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1503884818&sr=1-1&keywords=love+found+in+cinders

That is it for now! I know it was a huge list but hey, a lot of things to talk about! So, next itme I am doing a response to something that was talked about on YouTube. You will see next! Also, follow us on Twitter @ Nerdy Shique, and check out the YouTube channel, and buy my books while you are at it!

Books: Hell No Books 1 & 2 by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! It is time for another book review and it is on another Mimi Jean Pamfiloff book or two!

Titles: SmartAss and Oh Henry from the Oh Hell No Series
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Disclaimer: This Review is based on thoughts and opinions of the lead writer and producer of this blog! Please respect her thoughts and opinions on the books!

Description: The Oh Hello No series is a romantic comedy series that Mimi had started this year which takes a look at nerds hooking up with either jocks or the millionaires that they thought they won’t be able to fit with them.

Smart Ass: Book one of this series is known as Smart Ass which we meet our first couple in the series. We meet Tassie, a very smart college freshman, who has been picked on by the hot, football quarterback, Hunter, all her life and they have been neighbors at home two hours away from their campus. Tassie wants to get into the sorority that her mother was in and the only way of getting in is getting Hunter to go out with her but in the end it is not as cracked up to be and finds out the real reason behind the hook up. Will she and Hunter stay together is it just a scam?

Oh Henry: This book is the second one which I just finished an advanced copy for and it takes a look at Henry, Hunter’s mbst friend that is a millionaire all thanks to his father’s company, and Tassie’s roommate, El, a super smartie that has been going through a lot in her life including her mother being sick with a brain tumor. She thinks she and Henry doesn’t fit due to him being a football player and her being a super computer but in the end love does find a way even if it means sacrificing something you love!

Thoughts: Oh man! These two books were fun to read! I felt like I was reading an adult version of the old Love Stories series. If you guys don’t remember that series, it is basically a teen romance sbok series that shows couples getting together one way or another such as one I remembered that kind of fits with the first one called The Boy Next Door where a girl goes back to her grandpa’s home after getting in trouble at home in New York and her family decided to move out of there due to how bad the city for them and sees a guy she has remembered when they were kids. It ia almost like that but the girl, as in Tassie, is a smart nerd and is into science fiction stuff and even Titanic. I know, I am sounding like a major nerd remembering this old young adult book series but being a teen back then I always believed in falling in love but none of the guys liked me back then in high school. Well, except the tallest guy who played basketball but I did turn him down. Anyways, back to the books!

So, I kind of felt like I was taken back to Love Stories but this was a bit more mature since the characters were in college and going through classes, sports, and of course frat and sorority houses in the first book. I did like in the first book how Tassie didn’t like the Tri Kappas and how they were treating her and how she was standing up to them at sertain parts which she realized that it is not for her and that she and El shouldn’t bother when there are other things better to do and of course she was being used. It does show how nerds can stand up for themselves when there are snobs in the group, trust me I remembered one back in my universtty days and wishing I stood up to her with how she treated some of us.

Oh Henry, it is hard to know what Love Stories book would fit but if I did choose one then I would probably compare it to one that tells the story of this one chubby girl who had a crush on the popular guy but his family and friends want him to be with the most popular girl except in Oh Henry, Henry has a status to uphold in his family to take on the father’s company instead of going pro after graduating from college and marrying a friend’s daughter, etc. He rather wants to be with El instead because of how happy he is even if it meant giving up football for her. I found this story entertaining in how it switched the point of views between both characters and how they were seeing each other’s personalities and how they acted around each other and how they were seeing why are they compatible and how they weren’t, why their attitudes have changed, etc. It is like they were in mirrors almost. It didn’t help that they mentioned that El had a cat! Well, Henry gives her a cat but it is a cat and I had to keep my kitty spazz to a minimum so I could review this book. What else I did like was this book did give a shout out to one of Mimi’s newer works, Mr. Rook’s Island and if you remembered me reviewing book one, I was remembering the book as El was reading it and I had to hold in my laughter since I was reading around midnight. (As a writer like me, you do tend to sleep later due to how much writing takes place, lol!) And yes, I can’t wait for the next Mr. Rook’s Island book.

Rating: 5 Out of 5 Star Pawprints! Mimi has been on a roll with her writing and this series has kicked off pretty well. I do like the interactions between the characters in both books and can’t wait to see what else this series will bring. If I were to pick one over the other I think I like Oh Henry because I liked El and how she was eeveloped from the first book and her unicorn tees reminded me of Samille’s shirts with unicorns from Accidentally [Yours] and I do love unicorns, especially Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony. Not only that, I can see why Henry and her cringed with Henry’s dad doing yoga…if you are my age, around the thirties, read and you will see why! If I were to relate most I would say I think I would be a mix between El and Tassie because I was picked on by the popular guys for being the nerd in high school and being talented for being an artist while El, I do love my cute things and very into technology and becoming an Assistive Tech Specialist so I do become really nerdy around that. Plus, I have been becoming more inquisitive and assertive over time like the both of them even though I have to keep my smart remakks on the inside.

I would say is that Mimi, keep up with the good work! I do have other books by her that I have picked up from IBooks and already completed Accidentally [Yors], which if you are into paranormal romances then this one is for you because it has vampires, gods, and one incubus. I can’t wait to see more books to come by her!

Well, that is enough of this review! If you hadn’t yet, make sure you check out my newest book Love Found In Cinders: A Backwards Fairy Tale! Until next time everyone!

Books: Sherlock Mars by. Jackie Kingon

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! It is time for another review and this time it is another sci-fi book!

Title: Sherlock Mars
Author: Jackie Kingon

Disclaimer: This review is based on thoughts and observations by the lead writer! Please respect her thoughts and opinions of the writer! There might be spoilers!

Description: In this book, we see how Mars is turned into a terra formed planet and we meet Molly Marvels who owns a famous bistro known as Molly’s Bistro. Just when a new restaurant that seves virtual food opens up next door and they hold a joint event, the owner of Virtual Vitals, Rick Frances, ends up dead in her restaurant and she helps with the case in knowing who killed Rick and try to keep her business in tact, try to keep her allies close and even find out secrets about her staff along with helping plan one of her daughters’ wedding in one of the most expensive hotels in the universe! Also, dodge threats that are made against her while being on the case.

Thoughts: When I read the description of this book I was intrigued! I love science fiction mysteries since this one had more of a futuristic vibe with it and how the story started. You never expect someone to die in your restaurant until it happens and I do like how Molly did mention how she started as a detective when she moved to Mars and then started her own restaurant later but she still has that mystery air inside while trying to connect the dots as she lives her life as a bistro owner and a mother/wife.

While I read this book, I remembered how Planetary Radio has been talking about living on Mars as lately and I think this is how Mars would look like when people start living there and many other planets. I have seen Gravion where they had colonies in planets and even Pilot Candidate shown how people can live in space too and of course the Zenon movies did the same thing but with just a satellite. Plus, it does give us the actual space elevators, people living on Mercury, and many other parts of the universe. I think this is pretty much like the Jetsons meet Sherlock Holmes since it had the comedy, the characters to set up the story and the mystery, and all the gadgets in between!

Rating: 5 Star Pawprints Out of 5! I didn’t want to get out of the Kindle app but so may people around me interrupted my reading. (Trust me, I always hate that!) This book’s story had very good characters, a good plot and a good motive and makes you wonder if this person Molly talks to really did it but they pretty much tell what had really happened. I am not giving away who did it but if you want to read it just go for it and if you have loved Sherlock Holmes and the Agatha Christi books then you would also like this one too! I highly recommend to check it out!

That is it for this review! I am going to take a break and catch up with one of my fave authors, Mimi Jean Pamfiloff since I got the latest ARC by her and now catching up before I read it since it is a sequel!

By the way guys! My second book has released! If you are into fairy tales, this is a modern twist on the Cinderella story we know and love but what if it was told from a guy’s point of view! Here is the link and please support my writing outside of this blog because my last book, The Blind Perspective hasn’t sold much but hoping Love Found In Cinders would not only do well but also help boost it! So support!

Books: Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! It is time for another book review!

Title: Bannerless
Author: Carrie Vaughn

Disclaimer: This review is based on thoughts and opinion of the lead writer. Please respect her thoughts and opinions on this book! Spoilers might be ahead.

Synopsis: This story takes place in a dystopian future where population control takes place after economic and environmental problems in the United States cause people to rely on birth control and have households in order to take care of children and earn symbolic banners to prove that they can take care of the children they bare.

We meet Enid Haven, an investigator, along with her buddy Thomas who get called out to a town where a person was killed and must figure out what had happened to him and what the townsfolk might have done leading up to the death. As she investigates the case, she ends up running into an old love who is a minstrel that she traveled while she was younger and had left after a storm taking place and she wonders if this old love had committed murder or he knows something that she didn’t?

Thoughts: This book was a major surprise for me while I was reading it. I wasn’t expecting it to be set in a dystopian future since it felt more like a Colonial-type period but as I read on I did notice that they still had technology and that was used through solar power, especially with cars. It did bring bartering and working for goods back into this and I can see how the economical problems of the past led to this and how the environment changes when typhoon-like weather can hit the areas, especially later on in the book where Enid and Dack, the minstrel she reunited with, went through a storm while traveling back to Haven which is the household she lived in when she was younger.

Besides knowing about the environment, I did like how there was backstory to Enid’s life in how she became an investigator which at first she didn’t know what to do and wanted to run off to travel before she settled with anyone and thought it would be with Dack but along the way she noticed that she had made thoughts and had feelings that being with a minstrel was not a good idea, heck even when Thomas was younger before she joined even warned her about Dack and that minstrels aren’t always the best. This did build up her character into the more demanding personality that we get to see in the more present story and it does go back and forth showing what she was like then and then present to balance out between her past and the current situation in how she couldn’t handle her jealousy with how people were falling for Dack to how she was handling with other people in the case and how they were acting a bit close-offish from her and Thomas wwhile they were gathering clues. I think this book is trying to say, “Be careful who to trust and how to trust them despite what they are telling you.” And I like that in a sense since there are times where mystery stories do take that idea and love to roll with it.

I hope Vaughn keeps on writing books like these or even do a sequel since this was a pretty good read. I liked the idea that they are in a world where they have to work for their keep and for a banner and sometimes people would like to bribe or cheat in order to get that banner to show off their status. Plus, it does paint a picture of what our world might end up if we keep on going the rate we are going as in hard economic times even though it is slightly improving but the environmental changes are weird and we are seeing it more. So, it is an interesting thing to think about when we might end up in this kind of world. I would say give it a read if interested.

Rating: 5 Out of 5 Star Pawprints! This was a very light and easy read. I did like the setting, I like how the idea of this world it painted and of course I did like how the characters interacted with each other. As in, people mistrusted each other in the case, no one wants to talk about what goes on in the households, etc. It also gives us backstory to link to the character’s current situation which made it an interesting read. I would like to read more by Carrie Vaughn and see what else she has written in the past and anything else coming up!

That is it for this review! Check out Bannerless if you can!

Beauty: Anti-Haul #2!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! After one product, it is time for a new anti-haul! But first…

Disclaimer: This anti-haul is based on thoughts that I have towards the product after seeing a few reviews already or based on non-interest in buying the item. Please respect my thoughts since I do like some of the brands I mentioned but there are times when we can’t buy everything. So enjoy!

ABH Cosmetics Sub Culture Pallet: Yes, I have seen the reviews of this thing and I even said on Twitter that I wouldn’t get this thing even as a gift. I know that sounds harsh but the thing is that this pallet had many polarizing reviews and that includes that it is pigmented and some shades aren’t, that there is a lot of kick back when people swirl their brushes but shouldn’t swirl it. Not only that, can hit pan after two or three uses and finally it oxidizes on the eyes. I would believe that people had problems with this pallet since I saw them for myself even when people had to redo their eye looks three times even with the primer issue. I even heard how someone couldn’t use it with the Smashbox Full Exposure primer. The issue is how soft pressed which can be a problem. I did hear that the next batch will be pressed harder. To me, I think it was rushed after Trend Mood’s post or just that the press didn’t work out after the new formula was made. I did also see Stephanie Nicole review this and she said that the colors changed due to how some shades shouldn’t be used together due to how they can blend into a grey and should follow the color wheel. In the end, not getting this pallet since the issues can bring disinterest in people.
Too Faced White Chocolate Bar Pallet: I know I said no more Too Faced after Semi-Sweet which I haven’t gotten it yet, will be doing that Wednesday when I get my Ulta Birthday Coupon. I had to talk about this and that is the White Chocolate Bar pallet that will be releasing with Christmas stuff this year. I heard Andrea Matalano talked about this in detail in her anti-haul video and said it has a rainbow selection with the neutral pinks we tend to see in every single Too Faced pallet. Okay, to me it doesn’t sound like a white chocolate pallet if it has blue, green, and an orange! Plus, it will be including colors from the White Chocolate Chip pallet from what I heard. If I were to design this I would put more of white, greys, taupes, a few light browns, beiges, and a silver or two since that would sound more fitting with white chocolate, especially cookies & cream to add a dark brown for a transition. I know I am blind and imagine this design from my own head but Too Faced get it together! You’re losing fans here and that includes me after my thirty-second birthday. (Yes, your lovely Mari Blue Cat is turning 32!)
Kat Von D Shimmer Shade & Light: I know it is limited edition but I won’t be getting this one and that is the Kat Von D Shade and Light Glimmer pallet. I know I like my glitters but I like to balance it out with mattes to give a better look and blend even after I set my Painterly paint pot with the Vanilla shadow from Maybelline. I did that with one of my Revlon Primer Shadow pallets and it sticks. Which the good thing about the Revlon ones is that not only you have the shimmer in it but you balance it out with mattes. It goes the same with the Full Exposure and the Mini Full Exposure pallets from Smashbox where you have the top row with shimmers and the bottom with mattes where you can mix and match and that is what I would like. This one…well…you need more of mattes to balance it out. If I had this I would only use one shade at a time or have to get the original to balance it out. Sorry Kat but I think I will get your Shade & Light if I can or have it on a list for gifts or work hard on my Shop Kick app. I will get your liquid lipsticks and Studded Kiss lipsticks though!
Update: K. K. W. Contour Sticks: I had to update you guys on this since I may not be a contour fan but this is one thing that I won’t get too. I have seen videos where people had gotten the K. K. W. sticks and even went to the release party and these are a rip off to me! How so? You’re not getting a lot of product for the price, people didn’t like the brush from what I’ve seen and the sticks…well…they broke! I am not kidding, they fell apart in their hands. According to Rich Lux, the NYX contour stick is better and cheaper and they do have highlight sticks now based on the Strobe of Genious pallet from last year. I may think about getting the strobe sticks from NYX. If you want to get the contour sticks but can’t splurge on the K. K. W. ones, I would say get the NYX ones since those are more affordable.

Well, that is it for this anti-haul! I can’t really think of anything else but might have more of these later! Just stay tuned! Also, more posts to come!

Movies: SpiderMan: Homecoming!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! Today, I have a movie review for you all! First…

Disclaimer: This review is based on opinion and observation from the lead writer of this blog! Please respect her thoughts and opinions and spoilers might be ahead!

Title: SpiderMan: Homecoming

Synopsis: We catch up with Peter Parker after the events of Captain America: Civil War where he has the suit that Tony Stark has given him. Even though he is under watch by Happy Hogan and has a few locks on his suit, he finds out there is something od going on in his neighborhood where alien weapons are being used to rob places by a man known as the Vulture. Peter has to get to the bottom of this case and prove that he is the hero that Tony Stark is looking for!

Thoughts: I have to sey that this was a better SpiderMan film! I am not saying it is the best since I did like the first two Sam Ramey films, especially the second one since that took the story to a newer level but this one was better than how bad the Amazing SpiderMan was. How so? First of all, I am glad Marvel took back Spidey, well some of the rights since Sony still has the rest of it but this vilm had what Marvel has done with the other films and made the story much better. It didn’t just do the origin story since we all know what had happened to Peter from the Ramey films. He did answer his friend’s question by explaining how he became Spidey since he catches Peter climbing the ceiling when he got back from patrolling the neighborhood.

What I did like was that they didn’t just go into the big bads of the SpiderMan universe which happened to be Green Goblin and Hob Goblin if you have been fans for the longest time and that and they also didn’t rush into Dr. Octopus either. They just started with Vulture and then did a origin sotry of some of the villains which we got to see Shocker as well working with Vulture to get Spidey off the trail for a moment which is a good idea. I would say Michael Keaton as the Vulture was a good choice! As we all know he played Batman in Tim Burton’s films and he can do a really good villain. I did like ghow the costume was described to me, which Gondras had to describe to me due to the transmitter for the audio description wasn’t working yesterday so we got free passes again, since I heard airplane sounds from Vulture and it was described to have not only robotic wings with one of the Chetari cores but also hydraulics in the arms and legs. I don’t know who was picked for costume design on this movie but they did an awesome job especially with the newer suit Stark was going to give him in the end.

Another thing I did like was how Tony Stark put the different protocols on Spidey’s suit from Civil War in order to figure out how to use it which he was able to break the code and start training for real. The names are hilarious which were Training Wheels and Baby Monitor which does make sense since Peter is supposed to be a young teen and he doesn’t know what he is getting into as a hero. Even though in the Ramey films we always knew the phrase “With great power comes great responsibility.” Ihe message I got is that, “The true power of a hero comes within and not just inside a suit!” Because Stark said towards the final fight, “If you can’t keep the suit then why have it in the first place?” Which does make an interesting point because throughout the film Peter was relying a lot on the suit from Civil War rather than just on his own instinct and he wanted to prove that he can fight crime than just be a kid out patrolling and shouldn’t be watched all the time. Yes, he did make a few mistakes but that does show in a lot of heroes and he did get back up, even from under a collapsed building! This movie shows that you have to earn your heroism rather than just having it handed to you for free since being a hero is not always easy. Look at the first Iron Man film, Tony had to earn his heroism at first before he became the one who saved the world by almost dying in a portal and another example is Ant Man in his first film where he was a thief at first and ended up becoming a hero after taking out Yellow Jacket by saving his family and was seen as a hero afterwards. So, Spidey is not the only one who had to earn his heroism.

Now, hoping Thor Ragnarok is better than Dark World and doesn’t have a argument match between brothers like the last one.

Rating: 5 Star Pawprings Out of 5! I know it seems a little high but to me it does deserve it. It shows what Peter does in a normal day and how he becomes SpiderMan as the movie progresses. He did play the hero detective pretty well by trusting his own instincts in what it is going on and it gives the villains a bit of backstory and shows how they become each villain rather than starting with Doctor Octopus and the Goblins off the bat like Ramey did and they didn’t give you too many at once like with Amazing 2 did and another thing that made this one different from Amazing is that the story flowed better! In order to have a cohesive story is not to put too much into one movie, work with one or two baddies or at least start off with how they get to their bad guy status! Then you have the warm up fights and of course the climactic fight towards the end and then end the story with completing it with characters by tying up their tensions and they either become friends again or hate each other. Unlike Amazing 2, which I heard, it was one big powerpoint presentation which I am glad that Marvel took the ropes in making the Spidey movie that we wanted. And yes, we did get Stan Lee in the movie, which Spidey is his fave hero from Marvel and I wonder since he is 94, how many more movies will he appear in since this past year is supposed to be his final year at MegaCon. (To tell you the truth, I am still happy we got to see that panel!) We have to find out since we are supposed to have another Thor movie, of course Black Panther is pushed back with Spidey’s return, and can’t wait to see what they do in that one!

So, that is it for this review! I am still in the middle of reading one of the other Net Galley books on my shelf. So stay tuned for that! In Spetember, I will be announcing my second book on YouTube and hoping to announce any other press and panel stuff for the end of the year! So, follow us over on YouTUbe if you can and follow us @ Nerdy Shique over on Twitter! Until next time!