Skyrim: My Game of the Year 2011

I've been waiting quite a while for Skyrim to arrive. I've travelled with my Dunmer through the plains and dungeons of Morrowind, fought the Oblivion in Cyrodiil and now my Dunmer has inflicted some serious Dragon damage!

Skyrim is the province in the north ruled by the nord. It is located in between Hammerfell, Cyrodiil and Morrowind. This is also the place where dragons were said to have lived, and will now relive again. You are a Dragonborn also known as Dovahkin, a person born with a dragon soul and a person who is able to use the dragon's language called Dragon Shouts. You are able to kill dragons and absorb their spirits, which can be used to learn more Dragon Shouts.

The World Eater or commonly called Alduin has returned to Skyrim and this malevolent dragon has to be killed. This is where you come in as the Dragonborn. The legends say that only the Dragonborn can kill Alduin. Alduin was once banished by an Elder Scroll and now you have to use such a scroll in order to gain knowledge of the past and how to kill Alduin,

In the end you are the Hero of Skyrim and all is well. You are then left with a number of side- and miniquests you could do. You could buy yourself a nice shack or become the archimage of the Academy of Winterhold (Mages). The world is open for your conquests and hopefully open to new expansion packs from Bethesda.

I thank the Bethesda Team a million times in my head every day for having created this epic game. The graphics are so real that they are even better than reality. You get absorbed into the game and forget that for once you actually have a life outside too. The combat modes are much better now than in the predecessor Oblivion. You can now combine attacks such as two spells or magic and melee etc. The third person view also improved and it doesn't seem like you don't have control over your character anymore.

The classes are still the same, but the levelling has changed. While you work on levelling skills in order to gain a level up, you can now distribute Talent Points in which you can choose a skill such as Destruction and level a certain Talent such as Fire Damage which will allow you a 30% higher damage rate or such. This makes levelling extra fun and the skills are shown in form or Zodiac Signs.

There are plenty more additions and improvements such as the alchemy lab and blacksmith equipment. You can now mine raw materials such as coal or mercury and smelt them into ebony or mercury bars and then again smith them into armor, weapons or jewelry. There is just so much time that you could spend in this game and you will never regret a second. Skyrim is my personal favorite of 2011. I don't even think it can top other games that are to come out except a new Elder Scrolls adventure.

As always, let the pictures talk. (Game is in German)

Alduin

Dragon Shout

Alduins defeat

Paarthurnax, brother of Alduin

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

I am literally giving you everything Sarah has to offer at this moment when it comes to published books. (Soon I will be reviewing Peach Keeper too). The Sugar Queen has captured me from the very first moment I laid eyes on the words. I am and have always been a big fan of Sarah Addison Allen and each book has its own charm, its own world and its own independent story with the same charm. She has a talent of creating characters that are absolutely unique and lovable. The characters feel real and it feels like you would cross paths with them anytime or at least you hope to.

Sugar Queen tells the story of Josey Cirrini who is a rich but chubby woman. She lives with her widowed mother in Bald Slope, a winter wonderland that has been popularized by her late father Marco Cirrini. Josey takes care of her mother Margaret because she recently had a hip surgery, but the real reason why she clings on her is because she hopes that Margaret will someday forgive Josey for her moods and bouts cruelty as a kid. Josey also has a secret stash in her closet full of sweets thus explaining the title.

One day Della Lee Baker pops up in her closet and decides to stay with Josey for a while. Della keeps on asking for a special sandwhich found in a little bistro in the courthouse, so eventually Josey visits the shop and gets to know Chloe. Chloe has inherited the little food stand from her diseased grandparents and has run it ever since. She has special relationship with books and they follow her wherever she goes, whether she likes it or not. Chloe recently broke up with her boyfriend Jake, because he cheated on her. When they are together their passion can engulf an object in fire or their passion makes water boil.

Josey is also in love. She loves the mailman Adam who also seems to carry a secret around that she unearths. The fate of the three women are constantly connected throughout the story and in the end they, in fact, do live happily ever after. It's just not the happily ever after everyone thinks of.

Sugar Queen keept me up reading for about 6 - 8 hours. I loved every bit of it and hope that you will too.

Excerpt The Sugar Queen:

Jake approached Chloe's shop the next day, Monday, her first day back at work after the holiday. After not being able to reach her by phone, he'd stopped just short of going to the apartment to see her. She was buying a house. She was slowly, surely, moving away from him, and he didn't know how to stop her. It was just after lunch, a slow time for her, and she was sittig at one of the cafe tables reading a book title The Complete Homeowner's Guide. Her hair was braided into one long plait down her back. She always wore it like that when they would go skiin or hiking. And sometimes she would stand in front of the bathroom mirror and sigh in the mornings, lifting her arms to brait it because she couldn't do anything else with it. He remembered how her breasts moved under her shirt when she braided it, how he would come up behind her at the sink and kiss her neck, cupping her breasts. Once they'd even made love that way, her arms lifted and in her hair, his hands on her breasts, watching each other in the mirror. Chloe took a deep breath, like there was something in the air she had picked up on. She looked up and saw him walking toward her. She immediately stood and hurried around to the other side of the counter. He counted his blessings that she didn't hide in the storeroom this time. He stopped a few feet from the counter when he saw she was backing into a corner. "You don't have to stand back," She pointed to the coffeemaker. "The water."
That surprised him, that she would still have the ability to sense his feelings, and that his feelings still had the ability to cause a passionate physical response in her. "Still?" "It didn't stop the moment you said you cheated on me. This might be a little easier if it did."

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

This is yet another enchanted novel by Sarah Addison Allen. I have enjoyed reading Garden Spells so much and I did enjoy this particular book even more. Every character had its quirks and secrets yet again and everything in that story seemed dipped in magic.

The story revolves around two women living in the town of Mullaby in North Carolina. Emily Benedict just moved into Mullaby hoping to uncover secrets her late mother seemingly had. She moves into her Grandfathers house who was litterally a giant at almost eight feet. Her room used to be that of her mother and the wallpapers change and adapt to the mood of the person within.

She soon meets Julia, who also just returned to Mullaby to restore her fathers grill. Her plan was to sell the grill because her father past away and take off to restart her life in the big city. She adds sweetness to the grill with her cakes and pastries. Julia hides yet another secret that she shares with her teenage love Sawyer.

Emily meets Win Coffey who is instantly attracted to her but who also hides another secret. Both Julia and Emily fall in love and discover themselves in the process. In the end, all is good where some secrets were grave mistakes that have been done in the past and other secrets are little magical traits shared by members of a family or a skill.

I really loved reading this book because it tickles my fantasy nerve and it still stays real. I can relate to the characters and the small town environment just made me feel like home. I am already looking forward to reading Peach Keeper.

Of course I didn't forget to include an excerpt for your guys:


The Girl Who Chased The Moon

'I've been thinking about you a lot this past week,' Emily said, and it came out a lot more moony than she intended. He lowered his gaze from the sky and met her eyes. His smile was mischievous. 'Oh?'
'Not like that,' she said, laughing. She stopped laughing when their seat swayed back and forth in the wind. She grabbed the safety bar in front of them. Of course he didn't seem afraid to be up this high. 'I just can't get my mind around something.'
'What is it?' 'You wouldn't happen to be a werewolf, would you?' 'Excuse me?' he said.
She slowly loosened her holds on the bar and sat back. 'There are only two reasons I can think of for why you don't come out at night: night blindness of werewolf.'
'And you decided to go with werewolf?'
'It was a toss-up.' Win didn't answer for a few moments. He finally said, 'It's tradition. It's gone on for centuries.'
'Why?'
'That's a good question. I guess because that's what traditions do.'

Oh YES! He is just SO NOT into You!

Girls and boys, this is the book we have all been waiting for. The universal dating truth and the end to all the hopes, what if's and analyzing moments! "He's just not that into you" by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo.
Both Greg and Liz were also writers for Sex and the City and while discussing relationships and men (since the writers pool were mainly female) Greg and Liz came up with this book.

I have learned to love and treasure this book and so should every woman who knows she deserves a MAN. The book comes with an introduction about how this book works and why it was written. The body itself is written in a question and answer letter type. After a couple of questions both Liz and Greg comment the letters with their take on This is What it Should Look Like and This is What's Hard About This One. Lovely comments where you see the angle of the man in action or better said in no action and the point of us women and why we sometimes can't accept the ugly truth.

Greg and Liz discuss all the different kinds of excuses that you may encounter in a relationship or while dating, that should show you: GIRL! He is not even a little bit into you! Let me give you a quick list of chapters that you will encounter in this book: He's Just Not That Into You If He's Not Asking You Out,  He's Just Not That Into You If He's Not Calling You,  He's Just Not That Into You If He's Not Having Sex With You,  He's Just Not That Into You If He's Not Dating You, He's Just Not That Into You If He's Married and the list goes on.


I love the little details and funny answers and after every chapter Greg and Liz have a little exercise for the reader which is called Our Super-Good Really Helpful Workbook. Lovely book with life changing insights. Girls he is just not that into you if he does nothing and there ain't any excuse that is going to make him like you. Don't waste your time on trash because Prince Charming could be the guy your missing out on while dating trash.

And as a little teaser I got some excerpts for you.

he's just not that into you if he's not calling you. Men know how to use the phone.


The "But He's Got a Lot on His Mind" Excuse

Dear Greg,

On New Year's Day, a guy I'd had a few dates with, who I was very excited about, was late for a date. I called him, and he, very apologetically, told me he had to go out of town to take care of his mother. He totally forgot to call me. I'm so confused. His mother is really sick, but it wasn't a desperate emergency; he just had to drive out to Connecticut. Greg, I really like this guy. Please say a sick mother is a good enough excuse to forgive him, and believe he still can be into me.
Bobbie.

Dear New Year,

Ah yes, here's a bad excuse in sick mother's clothing. Because still, no matter what, what he's telling you is, "You're not on my mind." Because if you were, he would have called you expressing great regret at not being able to spend the day with you. If he had the time to pack an travel, he had the time to call you, and he chose not to. (You call it "forget." I call it "chose not to.") When you like someone, they don't just slip your mind. Especially on New Year's Day. I know it may seem like he had a good excuse, but sadly, I think your New Year started off with a big glass of "He's just not that into you." Now nurse your hangover and find someone who won't forget to call you.


The big question here is, "Is it okay for a guy to forget to call me?" I'm saying to you, "No." Barring disaster - someone had to be rushed to the hospital, he was just fired from his job, someone keyed his Ferrari (kidding) - he should never forget to call you. If I like you, I don't forget you, ever. Don't you want the guy who'll forget about all the other things in his life before he forgets about you?

The Sims Medieval: Just a lousy Sim remake or a cool new adventure?

I have been playing The Sims Medieval and I have to tell you that it's not what I expected it would be. It's more of a role-playing adventure game than a Simulation.

You are the Watcher, in other words God, and you are responsible for your kingdom. You start out the game by choosing a mission that you want to finish e.g. Leven all heroes to level 10 etc. You then get to choose your monarch. You can create him or her or you can choose a ready-made character.

There are 10 heroes in a kingdom namely; monarch, pateran priest, jacobean priest, sorcerer, spy, knight, healer, blacksmith, merchant and bard. You can do a quest with each hero and use the quest to level them up. Each hero has two traits that are usually good such as Good or Chivalrous and every hero has one bad trait which ranges from glutton to bloodthirsty.

The heroes act and react just like the Sims and you have the same interaction patterns with other characters, but each hero has different tasks and duties he or she can fulfill. Each task fulfilled gives your hero experience points with which they can level up. Each completed quest gives experience points but it also increases an aspect  that your kingdom has. Each kingdom has 4 aspects; security, well-being, culture and knowledge.

Just like in The Sims, there is no goal and the game can be endless. There are however main missions and Watchers collections that you could complete. Enough of the talk, let the pictures speak!