Jennikinz

Benry Benry the Snowman Born: January 1, 2018 Height: 4 foot 8 inches I have always wanted to build a giant snowman. It's been on my bucket list ever since I can remember, but I've never been able to successfully build one.  This winter season, I went to Toronto, Canada where it snowed a lot . There was tons of fresh snow everywhere (great for skiing and sledding). And, that was the key to building a successful snowman: fresh snow and lots of it. I built this snowman with my sister and cousins, so I can't take full credit, but I can say that it was a very rewarding experience although it was really cold and my toes and fingers almost fell off when I was taking pictures of our snowman.  I have compiled a list of tips and tricks to help you build your own snowman: YOU MUST USE FRESH SNOW! The kind of snow that has just fallen and is perfect for making snowballs. Which brings me to my next tip: LEARN HOW TO MAKE GOOD, TIGHT, FIRM SNOWBALLS. It'...

Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.5/5 Title: Textrovert Author: Lindsey Summers Series: Stand-alone book Published: May 2nd, 2017 Pages: 235 pages Genre: Contemporary romance, high school Review:  This book is hilarious. I loved it. I could relate to Keeley a bit. For example, I usually find myself able to express myself through text better than face-to-face. But, I expected Keeley to be more afraid to talk rather than just choosing not to talk, like having social anxiety.  Aside from Keeley’s personality, I think all high school students can relate to some part of the story, especially since Keeley is a high school senior dealing with college apps and boys. This book really highlights the struggles of high school seniors like grades, dating, friends, driving, procrastination, etc.  The texts, corny jokes, and teasing between Keeley and Talon really give you laugh. AND THE PEEPS. OMG I never would have thought Peeps could add such a nice touch to the story. I a...

Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5 Title: Red Queen Author: Victoria Aveyard Series: Red Queen #1 Followed By: Glass Sword Published: February 10th, 2015 Pages: 383 pages Genre: Fantasy, Dystopia YA Review:  This book is so good I'm probably going to fangirl about it for months. The story and the telling (of storytelling, ha, get it?) are impeccable. This book draws you in right from the beginning. It’s filled with action that gets you excited and your adrenaline going. Mare is a caring but somewhat badass girl whose life turns upside-down with the discovery of her new power. There are betrayals that leave your eyes wide and jaw dropped. And, best of all, it’s realistic (not counting the superpowers or blood color the characters have). Characters die, they lie, they betray, they lose hope, they learn, they fail. Mare isn’t always lucky and she doesn't always have the power to be successful at everything she does. When books make the main character so powerful that nothing...

Oatmeal cookies with a twist! Instead of adding all raisins like in traditional oatmeal raisin cookies, I replaced half with goji berries. Goji berries have many health benefits. Some even call it a superfood. They are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, iron, zinc, and antioxidants. They can boost your immune system, protect you from the flu, help you lose weight, maintain blood sugar, and protect your eyes and skin. Compared to raisins, goji berries have less calories and lower sugar content (1/4 cup raisins has 120 calories, while 1/4 cup goji berries has 90 calories). If you want to read more about the health benefits of goji berries, I recommend this website . But, enough about goji berries. These cookies taste just like a regular oatmeal raisin cookie. The goji berries have a subtle sweet taste the pair nicely with the cookie. It's chewy, soft perfection. Oatmeal Raisin Goji Berry Cookie This recipe makes 12-18 medium-sized cookies and takes about 30-4...

Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5 Title: Until I Die Author: Amy Plum Series: Revenants #2 Followed By: If I Should Die Published: May 8th, 2012 Pages: 353 pages Genre: Paranormal Romance, Supernatural, YA Review:  Introducing action and suspense! This sequel to an already amazing series is phenomenal. If you haven’t read my review for the first book you should go read it cause the sequel basically has similar elements, except with more action and suspense. There’s also a betrayal that you might be able to guess early on, but it’s impossible to be 100% sure it is that character, which makes the revelation somewhat shocking and not entirely believable. And, lemme just say, I officially hate this certain character who betrays, grrr. Kate is also less of a damsel in distress. She learns to fight in this book and she takes matters into her own hands. There is a bit of tension between Kate and Vincent due to secrets they hide from each other, but they are still very romantic ...

I wanted to share a school project that I worked on in my junior year of high school. It was for an advanced biology course (my favorite class of all time, btw). The goal was to write a 5000 — 7500 word research paper (well, more like a review paper) on a topic of our choice. I chose to write on the chemotherapy resistance of pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancers of all time. The story behind my choice is quite personal. But the basic gist is that two of my family members currently have pancreatic cancer, and it's devastating to know they might only have a few months or years left with me. I wanted to learn more about why this disease is so hard to treat and why the 5-year survival rate is only 7%. As you guys know, cancer is extremely hard to cure. They have lots of ways to hide from our immune system and resist therapy. It's super complicated and I spent almost half a year compiling, writing, and editing what I learned into a paper, and I want to share this so t...

Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5   Title: Die for Me Author: Amy Plum Series: Revenants #1 Followed By: Until I Die Published: May 10th, 2011 Pages: 341 pages Genre: Paranormal Romance, Supernatural, YA Review: This book is honestly written very, very nicely. The overall story is quite simple about a human girl’s paranormal romance with a revenant or undead guy. But, the way the story is described and the flow of the story is so well done this book deserves 5 stars. I felt the strongest emotions I have ever felt while reading a book, especially a book based on a girl who isn’t a superhero and who isn’t perfect. Instead, she's just like you and me. She goes to high school, she goes on dates, she reads, she parties, she does everything normal people do. The only paranormal part is the undead guy and his “family” of other undead guys, as well as the bad undead guys who fight the good undead guys (ha, too many ‘undead guys’ in this sentence).  The emotions I felt weren’t ...