May 2013
2 posts
13 tags
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker (Book...
The Age of Miraclesby Karen Thompson Walker 269 pagesRandom House, 2012young adult/fictionRead in 4 daysAnother Review… My Rating:Amazon.com | BN.com “We didn’t notice right away. We couldn’t feel it.” Review: What amazing storytelling! In a nutshell, what would you do if to Earth suddenly started spinning at a much slower rate than it already does, thereby causing...
4 tags
The Great Novel
Everywhere I look this week I see The Great Gatsby in people’s hands. Why? Because they’re like me, scrambling to read the book before they rush to see the movie. And while I’m not a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio I do want to see this movie. I’ve seen so many previews for it for so long I honestly thought the damn thing was out on DVD already. But this is not why I’m...
April 2013
7 posts
9 tags
The Sherlock Holmes Handbook by Ransom Riggs (Book...
The Sherlock Holmes Handbookby Ransom Riggs 203 pagesQuirk Books, 2009fictionRead in 2 daysAnother Review… My Rating: ★★★Amazon.com | BN.com “The mere fact that you are holding this book allows one to make a number of elementary deductions concerning your disposition: that you nurture an interest in criminals and criminality; that you are at least passingly learned in the literary...
17 tags
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Book Review)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 299 pages J. B. Lippincott & Co. / July 1960fictionRead in 7 daysAnother Review… My Rating: ★★★★Amazon.com | BN.com “When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.” Review: Let me start by saying I’ve never read this book. I was never assigned it in school and it just never struck me as a book I...
20 tags
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Book Review)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
550 pages Knopf, USA / March 2006 historical fiction Read in 7 days Another Review…
My Rating: ★★★★
Amazon.com / BN.com
“First the colors.”
Review: This book, I don’t mind or hesitate in saying, is the best book I’ve ever read in my entire life! I never thought I’d ever find a book that would touch my heart and soul as much as this one did. From the opening...
12 tags
The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket (Book Review)
The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket 190 pages HarperCollins, 1999 gothic fiction/absurdist fiction/steampunk/mystery Read in 2 days Another Review… “The stretch of the road that leads out of the city, past Hazy Harbor and into the town of Tedia, is perhaps the most unpleasant in the world.” Review: Another 13 chapters down in another easy to read yet highly enjoyable book. The poor Baudelaire...
12 tags
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (Book Review)
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket 162 pages HarperCollins, 1999 gothic fiction/absurdist fiction/steampunk/mystery Read in 1 day Another Review… My Rating: ★★★★Amazon.com / BN.com “If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book.” Review: I read this book in two hours flat. That should tell you how easy a read it is. But...
5 tags
March, The Wrap-Up
In the reading department I did much better this month. Of the 6 books I listed to read this month I read through 5 of them! I’m very proud of myself. Although, one of them ended up on my short list of “unfinished” books. Ah well, what can you do? As for movies, as you can see I haven’t reviewed any, doesn’t mean I haven’t seen any on tv or gone to the movie...
15 tags
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz...
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz 352 pages Riverhead, 2007 fiction unfinished Another Review… My Rating: n/aAmazon.com / BN.com “Our hero was not one of those Dominican cats everybody’s always going on about—he wasn’t no home-run hitter or a fly bachatero, not a playboy with a million hots on his jock.” Review: This is not the first book I...
March 2013
10 posts
4 tags
Top Ten Books I Recommend the Most
For future Top Ten Tuesday topics & info on how to participate, click here! Strangely enough, I’m not asked very often for book suggestions! Which is odd because I read almost every genre and have quite a library of choices depending on what genre you enjoy most. I truly enjoy this Top Ten Tuesday the most. I’ve thought long and hard about all the books I’ve read over the...
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (Book Review)
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson 200 pages Square Fish, 1999 young adult Read in 3 days Another Review… My Rating: ★★Amazon.com / BN.com “It is my first morning of high school.” Review: I can’t remember what made me so interested in reading this book. Perhaps it was the cover? Tremendous cover by the way! At this point it doesn’t matter because this is one of...
1 tag
Top Ten Books I HAD To Buy...But Are Still Sitting...
For future Top Ten Tuesday topics & info on how to participate, click here! If I told you just how many of these books actually exist on my book shelves today! They far exceed 10, but I will simply mention those I really want to get to before this year is out that have been on my shelf for at least the last 6 months if not longer… A Lion Among Men (Wicked Years, #3) - Gregory Maguire...
9 tags
A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle (Book...
A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L’Engle 240 pages Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1973 Young Adult Science Fiction Read in 3 days Another Review… My Rating: ★★Amazon.com / BN.com “There are dragons in the twins’ vegetable garden.” Review: Oh Charles Wallace! A young boy after my own heart. The best way I can think of to describe what reading this book was like for me is...
7 tags
The Narrative of John Smith by Arthur Conan Doyle...
The Narrative of John Smith by Arthur Conan Doyle 120 pages The British Library, 2011 fiction Read in 2 days Another review… My Rating: ★★★★Amazon.com / BN.com “Gout or rheumatism, Doctor?” I asked. Review: By page 19 I was hooked. One small passage I’d like to share now made me want to finish this unfinished novel. But before I share the best part of the book allow me to...
6 tags
Top Ten Books On My Spring 2013 TBR list!
For future Top Ten Tuesday topics & info on how to participate, click here! Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn Fever – Mary Beth Keane To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee Insurgent – Veronica Roth A Lion Among Men – Gregory Maguire The Zombie Survival Guide – Max Brooks The Sherlock Holmes Handbook – Ransom Riggs The Age of Miracles – Karen Thompson Walker Fountainhead – Ayn Rand Oz, the Complete...
15 tags
Quiet by Susan Cain (Book Review)
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain 266 pages Crown Publishing Group, 2012 success, management, psychology, self-help Finished in 10 days Another Review… My Rating: ★★★★Amazon.com / BN.com “Montgomery, Alabama. December 1, 1955.” Review: I normally don’t read “self-help” books. Probably because the introvert...
7 tags
Top Ten Series I'd Like To Start But Haven't Yet
For future Top Ten Tuesday topics & info on how to participate, click here! I know this is a top ten on “series I’d like to start” but I’m also going to mix in a few “series I’d like to finish!” because there are a few that the author has completed but I haven’t had the time or opportunity to get to them. You will see what I mean by my list...
1 tag
February, The Wrap-Up
In February I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped I would. I wanted to have read 8 books this month but only got around to reading 5. Mostly because I was SO busy this month with work and projects that it was harder for me to find the time. And it didn’t help that this happens to also be the shortest month out of the year. In any event, here’s how I did… Books The...
15 tags
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (Book Review)
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 179 pages Ballantine Books, 1953 dystopian novel Finished in 1 day Another Review… My Rating: ★★★★Amazon.com / BN.com “It was a pleasure to burn.” Review: I’m almost ashamed to say this was my first time reading this book. I say almost because I’m glad I’m reading it an age where I feel I’m truly able to understand it and...
February 2013
5 posts
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (Book Review)
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer 452 pages Feiwel and Friends, 2013 Young Adult Finished in 3 days Another Review… My Rating: ★★★★Amazon.com / BN.com “Scarlet was descending toward the alley behind the Rieux Tavern when her portscreen chimed from the passenger seat, followed by an automated voice: ‘Comm received for Mademoiselle Scarlet Benoit from the Toulouse Law Enforcement...
12 tags
The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd (Book...
The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd 420 pages HarperCollins Publishers, 2013 Young Adult Finished in 5 days Another Review… My Rating: ★★★Amazon.com | BN.com “The basement hallways in King’s College of Medical Research were dark, even in the daytime.” My Review: This book reads like a Frankenstein movie. The idea behind a mad scientist who does experiments that...
15 tags
The Shining by Stephen King (Book Review)
The Shining by Stephen King 447 pages Doubleday, January 1977 gothic novel/horror Finished in 7 days Another Review… My Rating: ★★★★Amazon.com / BN.com “Jack Torrance thought: Officious little prick.” My Review: I know Stephen King is one scary dude when it comes to what he writes. This book is no exception. I saw the movie version of this book over a decade ago and remember...
5 tags
Top Ten Romances in Books
For more info on Top Ten Tuesday & the future schedule go here! I don’t read much romance novels, although lately with all the YA books I’ve been reading they are riddled with an obvious coupling about to happen or a love triangle. In any case, I have gone back in my memory banks and picked the few romances I remember. While these might not ever be considered “the...
10 tags
The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James...
The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller 174 pages Warner Books Inc., 1992 fiction Finished in 1 day Another Review… My Rating: ★★★★ Amazon.com / BN.com “On the morning of August 8, 1965, Robert Kincaid locked the door to his small two-room apartment on the third floor of a rambling house in Bellingham, Washington.” My Review: For a book that is only 174 pages in...
January 2013
10 posts
19 tags
January, The Wrap-Up
I am very excited to share my first “updates” post of what I’ve reviewed this month. If I can accomplish it I’d like to have at least 10 reviews on my update posts every month. Between the books I’ve read and the movies I’ve watched (on TCM and in theaters) I think that should be easy to accomplish. So here we go… (disregard Eragon since I never finished...
4 tags
Agenda 21 by Glenn Beck (Book Review)
Agenda 21 by Glenn Beck w/Harriet Parke 277 pages Threshold Editions, 2012 Fiction Finished in 5 days Another Review… My Rating: ★Amazon.com / BN.com “They took mother away today.” My Review: I think I have become far too immune to these kinds of books. All I have are reminders of Animal Farm, The Hunger Games, & 1984. They are all the same concept. The government is...
12 tags
Divergent by Veronica Roth (Book Review)
[caption id=”attachment_5537” align=”alignleft” width=”257”] My Rating: ★★★ Amazon.com / BN.com [/caption] Divergent By Veronica Roth 487 pages HarperCollins, 5/3/2011 Young Adult Finished in 7 days Another Review… “There is one mirror in my house.” My Review: Choosing to read this book right after Under the Never Sky I can’t help but to...
11 tags
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (Book...
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi 374 Pages HarperCollins, 1/3/2012 Young Adult Finished in 5 days Another Review… My Rating: ★★★★Amazon.com / BN.com “They called the world beyond the walls of the Pod “the Death Shop.” My Review: Although this has a bit of a love story towards the tail end of the book it isn’t overwhelming at all. It took me longer than usual (five...
8 tags
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut 303 Pages Delacorte Press, 1973 satire Finished in 4 days Another Review… My Rating: ★★Amazon.com / BN.com “This is a tale of a meeting of two lonesome, skinny, fairly old white men on a planet which was dying fast.” My Review: This book reminds me of one of those paintings you see hanging in a museum. You wonder to yourself, or...
1 tag
Top Ten Bookish Goals For 2013
For the list of past topics and future schedule, click here! Another edition of TTT is here and I think I’ve got a full 10 to put down this time for this topic. I must admit I never realized just how much there is to know about the blogging world, especially when it comes to those of us who read books then review them. One thing I came across is reading challenges. I’ve never been one...
11 tags
The Pigman (Book Review)
Written By: Paul Zindel Pages: 166 pages Publication Date: October 12th, 1968 Genre(s): Young Adult literature Publisher: Harper Trophy My Rating: ★★★★ Finished in 2 days Another Review… [mantra-button-dark url=”http://www.amazon.com/Pigman-Paul-Zindel/dp/0060757353”]Amazon.com[/mantra-button-dark] / [mantra-button-dark...
8 tags
Mind Over Murder (Book Review)
Mind Over Murderby Allison Kingsley 262 pagesThe Berkeley Publishing Group, September 2011 crime/mysteryRead in 5 days My Rating: ★★★1/2 Another Review… “Stephanie Quinn Dowd you’ve got to be kidding!” First Line My Review: I don’t normally read “penny mysteries” but whenever a title captures my attention I am willing to give it a try. A Raven’s...
10 tags
TCM Presents... Cabin in the Sky (1943)
Director: Vincent Minnelli Screenwriter(s): Lynn Root (play) & Joseph Schrank Starring: Ethel Waters, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Lena Horne & Louis Armstrong Genre(s): musical/fantasy Premiere: April 9th, 1943 Run Time: 98 minutes Producer(s): Arthur Freed & Albert Lewis Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer My Rating: ★★★★ [mantra-button-color...
8 tags
TCM Presents... We're No Angels (1955)
Director: Michael Curtiz Screenwriter(s): Albert Husson (play) & Ranald MacDougall Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, & Aldo Ray Genre(s): comedy/crime/romance Premiere: July 7th, 1955 Run Time: 106 minutes Producer(s): Pat Duggan Distributor: Paramount Pictures My Rating: ★★★★ Taglines: A strangler… A swindler… A safecracker… Yet you’ll love them!...
December 2012
7 posts
3 tags
My Overstuffed Bookshelf Challenge (2013)
The goal is to reach 150+ books for this challenge. Now don’t get discouraged! I know 150 books or more sounds like a lot. When you read the rules below though, you will find that it is quite easy to reach 150 books. Don’t be shy! Come sign up and spread the word! The challenge doesn’t officially start until January 1st, 2013. Only books read on this date or after count...
13 tags
Les Miserables (Musical) (2012) (Movie Review)
Director: Tom Hooper Screenwriter(s): Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boublil, Victor Hugo Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe & Anne Hathaway Genre(s): drama/musical/romance Premiere: December 25th, 2012 Run Time: 160 minutes Producer(s): Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, & Cameron Mackintosh Distributor: Universal Pictures My Rating: ★★★★ Taglines: Fight. Dream. Hope. Love. ...
1 tag
The Moral of the Story Challenge (2013)
I love fairy tales and fables so why not make a challenge out of it? The purpose of this challenge is to see how many (Aesop’s Fables, Hans Christian Anderson, & Grimm Fairy Tales) you can read and compare to each other? What are the morals to each short story? Rules: Aesop (284), Anderson (64), or Grimm (120) are just examples of where the best and popular fairy tales can be...
2 tags
A to Z Challenge (2013)
The purpose of the A to Z challenge is to read through the alphabet by Title or by Author, or both if you’re really ambitious! The rules: Author must be by last name You may exclude a, an and the from the title Books can be in any format Books can be any genre Books can be used in other challenges Books must be read from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013 (books maybe started in December...
2 tags
Outside the Box Book Challenge (2013)
Okay – for something a little different and a little fun! I hope that you will join me on this excursion through the literary genres! Choose your level, post with us at the end of the month about your experiences, and we will have a winner at the end of the year for a $50 GC from that great book place in the Ethernet! Each posting will get your name in the hat for a chance to win! So,...
2 tags
Wishlist Challenge (2013)
Here is the challenge: Read 12 books (one for every month of the year) that you would like to read, but don’t already have on your shelves. Rules: 1. The challenge runs from January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2013. 2. You are to read 12 books from your current wishlist. If you don’t have a list anywhere, write down books that you are eager to read, that you don’t own yet, and choose 12 books...
2 tags
52 Books in 52 Weeks (2013)
Are you ready for another round of Reading 52 books in 52 Weeks? Whether you are just joining in or continuing on for another round, the rules are very simple. The goal is to read one book (at least) a week for 52 weeks. Make the year easy and casual or kick it up by exploring new to you authors and genres. Challenge yourself to read at least some classics or delve into that chunkster (more...
August 2012
11 posts
2 tags
Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Confessions
Learn more and check out the TTT schedule now available through November! I’ve been told by friends and co-workers that my treatment of books borders on Obsessive Compulsive. Maybe they’re right? You tell me… 1. I don’t dog-ear, use a book mark, write in, break the spine, or damage the sleeve of any of my books. 2. When I buy a book I have to go through every book on the shelf to make sure I get...
12 tags
The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell (Book...
The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spellby Chris Colfer 438 pages Little Brown Books, July 2012fairy tale/fantasy/magicRead In: 3 ½ days Another Review… My Rating: ★★★★Amazon.com or BN.com My Review: Even though this book is geared towards young adults ranging from 8 - 12 years old, I read this 400+ page book for two reasons: 1. Chris Colfer wrote it & 2. Who doesn’t like a good fairy tale?...
5 tags
Blacklash by Deneen Borelli (Book Review)
Blacklashby Deneen Borelli 304 pages Threshold Editions, March 2012politics & governmentRead in 20 days My Rating: ★★★★ Another Review… My Review: All the reasons why I am not a registered Democrat and probably never will be are laid out in this book. It’s a very telling argument for why many Black Americans actually don’t stand behind the Democratic Party despite what the MSM would...
6 tags
Bringing Up Baby (1938) (Movie Review)
Director: Howard Hawks Screenwriter(s): Dudley Nichols & Hagar Wilde Producer: Cliff Reid & Howard Hawks Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures In Theaters: February 18th, 1938 Run Time: 102 minutes Starring: Katharine Hepburn & Cary Grant Genre(s): comedy/romance Storyline: Mild mannered zoology professor Dr. David Huxley is excited by the news that an intercostal clavicle bone has been...
10 tags
The Expendables 2 (2012) (Movie Review)
Director: Simon West Screenwriter(s): Richard Wenk & Sylvester Stalone Producer: Avi Lerner Distributor: Lionsgate In Theaters: August 17th, 2012 Run Time: 103 minutes Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis & Arnold Schwarzeneggar Genre(s): action/adventure...
9 tags
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Book...
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 352 pagesQuirk Books, June 2011horror/mystery/fantasy/young adultRead in 4 days Another Review… My Rating: ★★★★Amazon.com or BN.com My Review: Before I get into my review I must first explain I had no intention of actually finishing this book. Prior to picking it up, while waiting for a Molly Ringwald book signing, I never heard of...
8 tags
Top Ten Tuesday: Posts I Think Give You The Best...
Learn more and check out the TTT schedule now available through November! My blog is still pretty new. Although I imported my “more opinionated” blog that I kept from previous years, I’ve learned to enjoy the arts more and leave my troubles behind me. It’s been almost one year since I’ve decided to shed my old skin and embrace a new one which involves going to the movies, the theater, and...
9 tags
TCM Presents... Kings Row (1942)
Director: Sam Wood Screenwriter(s): Casey Robinson Producer: Hal B. Wallis Distributor: Warner Bros. In Theaters: February 2, 1942 Run Time: 127 minutes Starring: Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan & Claude Rains Genre(s): drama/mystery/romance Storyline: Five children in an apparently ideal American small town find their lives changing as the years pass near the turn of the...
8 tags
Step Up Revolution (2012) (Movie Review)
Director: Scott Speer Screenwriter(s): Jenny Mayer Producer: Jon M. Chu Distributor: Summit Entertainment In Theaters: July 27th, 2012 Run Time: 99 minutes Starring: Kathryn McCormick, Ryan Guzman, & Cleopatra Coleman Genre(s): drama/music/romance Storyline: The Mob sets the dancing against the vibrant backdrop of Miami. Emily arrives in Miami with aspirations of becoming a professional...
