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Showing posts from 2010

The Expendables - Movie Review

I went tonight and saw this movie and I have to say I loved it. I found it entertaining and action packed. I am usually not a big fan of Sly Stallone but this movie had many more attractions to it. Jet Li, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis, Steve Austin, Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke and many more. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised as to how many one liners this movie had. Seeing the heads blown off the bodies was fantastic. The martial arts moves that all the actors performed was awesome. I was sorry that Bruce Willis didn't get any fighting in this movie but it was nice just to see him in the film. The expendables are a group of guys that go in and rescue or stop things from happening. Sly is the lead of the group. He is the one that arranges the jobs. Jason Stratham's character was unbelievable. All I have to say is he can be my man any day. Just the way he defended his friends and his girl were unforgettable. If you like a movie with action, romance (yes

French Cuisine?

Well I just finished reading Julie and Julia, the book about the blogger that decided to cook all the recipes in Master the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. I don't even know where to begin with this review. I didn't love the book that is one thing. I didn't really hate the book either. I just know that I will never try to Master the Art of French Cooking. I like to cook but I wouldn't want to torture myself or anyone that I am cooking for either. I had decided to read Julie and Julia since I had seen parts of the movie already. I enjoyed most of the movie that I have seen. I hope to watch the movie from beginning to end at some point then I can give a better review of the movie. There are a few things that I didn't care for in the book and that was the ramblings of Julie. The book just felt like she did a lot of rambling and whining. She would complain about her real job, her decision to do this project, her friends, her biological clock ticking away,

I am back!!

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, yet. I have been busy with work and life. I also have had problems with the computer and I finally got my new one set up. My Apple died on me again, and I am sad. I hope to get either a new one or to get the Apple fixed again. I am currently reading 4 books. I am reading Julie & Julia, King Lear, Their Eyes were Watching God, and I always forget the 4th book. I am also reading an e-Book called Cape Refuge. I have been reading that one for awhile because I only read it when I don't have any other book on me, which is very rare. I don't have a kindle, nook or any e-Reader. I use my i-Phone and it is hard to read that for long. Maybe some of you could help me with a decision of whether to buy an e-reader or not. The reasons I am thinking of buying an e-reader are because I will most likely be looking for a new place to live and I don't know if I will have much space to store my actual books. Plus I like the idea o

Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks- my review

Nights in Rodanthe is another love story by Nicholas Sparks. Adrienne Willis and Paul Flanner are the main characters in Nights in Rodanthe. Adrienne's husband abandons her for a younger woman and she is heartbroken over it. She is trying to figure out who she is now. Adrienne goes to Rodanthe to look after her friends Inn. Adrienne is hoping to have a relaxing time in Rodanthe except for the major storm that is forecasted. Paul is a doctor who has recently sold his medical practice so that he can go to Ecuador to be with his son and to hopefully repair their relationship. You can feel the spark between Paul and Adrienne as you read Nights in Rodanthe. With the nor'easter forecast Paul and Adrienne have to prepare the Inn to protect it from the storm. Paul and Adrienne whether the storm together and they get closer very close. I found myself able to relate to Adrienne in the aspect of having her husband leave her for a younger woman. I was able to understand Adrie

Act Like a Lady Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey- My review...

This book has been sitting on my TBR pile for about a year and I decided to read this book now for a few reasons. One of the reasons is I had seen Steve Harvey on the Dr. Phil Show promoting this very book. Reason number 2 is with the problems I am currently having in my marriage I thought this book could possibly enlighten me about men. Now you know there is a third reason, always a third reason. The third reason is because I had read Maria Bastillo's book Act Like a Gentleman, Think Like a Woman, (Absolutely wonderful book), which was written in response to this book. Those are the reasons I decided to read Act Like a Lady Think Like a Man. So far I have to say this book is funny, informative and is proof that women are superior to men. Okay now that I have your attention you maybe asking yourself why I say women are superior to men. I will just say that is my opinion. The reason I feel that way is because from just reading 50 pages, I feel that men have no depth to

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

I have been reading a big variety of books this year. A mixture of Early Reviewer books and books that have been sitting on my shelf for ages. Well Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is one of those books I have been putting off reading for awhile. Here is my review of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is a charming young adult book about relationships, love and music. I loved the book and found it very entertaining. Nick is a bassist in a Queercore punk band and he is straight. Norah is a girl whose father is a music executive and is usually very straight laced and doesn't do anything wrong or out of the ordinary until she meets Nick. I loved how they met in the book. Nick's band has just finished performing and he sees his ex with another guy and it hurts him. So he asks Norah is she will be his girlfriend for the next 5 minutes. The way Norah answers him is just so not typical most girls, she decides to kiss him.

The Most Awesomeness Movie of the Summer!!

Inception is fantastic!!! Well I just came from seeing Inception and I have to say that I loved the movie. I can't believe that I had to wait until I had no one to go to the movies with to see it. This movie is a movie with everything, suspense, action, characters with depth and so much more. Leonardo DiCaprio does a fantastic job of portraying his character Cobb. I found myself so engrossed in the movie that I didn't want the movie to end. The special effects are so intense you could hear the audience marvel at them during the movie. When you go to see Inception, you need to have no other distractions. This movie is understandable as long as you pay attention. Inception is not a movie to go to with people that like to make comments during movies. Your full attention will be on the screen the whole time. The music score for Inception is perfectly composed. I recommend this movie for mostly everyone over the age of 14. Go see INCEPTION!!! 5 stars

In Harm's Way by Ridley Pearson ~ Review

Well I won this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers Program. Most of the ARCs I have read and reviewed on this blog have been won through that program. I am always thrilled when I win a book from the ER program. I know some people that seem to do this for a living. They either receive books from actual publishers or authors. There reviews are also much better written then mine, even though sometimes I just skim the review because the review is too long for my liking. Now onto my review. This is the first book that I have ever read by Ridley Pearson and I have to say I find his work pleasantly enticing. I love reading mysteries and was thrilled to win this book from the Early Reviewers program. I started reading the book as soon as it arrived in my mailbox. In Harm's Way is the 4th book in the Walt Fleming Novels. I am honored to say that I was able to enjoy the book even though I was not familiar with the characters in the novel prior to reading this book.

Salt ~ Who is she really?

So I went and saw Salt this afternoon with my friend Amy. She actually asked me what I would say on my blog about the movie. I replied that I was going to tell everyone how I was dragged to the movies again. No one has to drag me to the movies at all. I love to watch movies and I always give each one a chance. I did want to see Salt since I had seen it in the previews this year. I am not one that has followed Angelina Jolie's acting career. I don't know exactly what she is best known for besides having stolen the heart of Brad Pitt from Jennifer Aniston. Angelina is a wonderful actress in the movies that I have seen her in. Salt is a movie about a CIA agent (Angelina Jolie), who is told by a Russian informant that she is a Russian spy and will assassinate the Russian President. That is what draws you into this movie. You will wonder if Salt is a spy or is she really being set up by someone during the whole movie. This film is action packed and the twists and turns in S

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows REALEASE DATE 11/19/10!!!!

This is to all HP fans. I just happened to go to my email and had a message in my inbox about what this post had been about. Here is the message: Hi there, We found your blog post about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1's release date being moved to February 2011. This rumor is not true, and the film is still scheduled for release on November 19, 2010. Please remove this blog posting, as we don't want this rumor to continue being circulated. Thank you so much for your cooperation! Best, Alicia Leung Interactive Marketing Coordinator / Warner Bros. Pictures All worrying can now stop!!

The movie I didn't enjoy...

Well this may be a humdinger to those that know me. I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I have to say that what really got me into Harry Potter was the fact that they were making a movie of the first book, The Sorcerer's Stone. Once I heard about the movie I had to read the book and all I have to say is Thank God for WB doing the movies otherwise I don't think I would have picked the books up. I am sure you have guessed that the movie I didn't enjoy was an HP movie. Yes that is correct. There is an HP movie that I didn't like when I saw it for the first time in the movie theater. Let me give you some background on my HP movie experiences. When the first movies came out I would see them usually once. At about the 3rd movie I decided to see the movies at midnight and then take the next day off and see it either 3 or 4 times that day. Well I loved each one the first time except for one. I will say that I did learn after the first couple of movies not to expect everythin

My ramblings..

This post isn't going to pertain to books or movies. This is just a post of some of my meandering thoughts. So forgive me for my babble and thanks for taking the time to read my babble. I hope everyone is enjoying this time of year, since it is summer in my part of the country. I know I am quite enjoying this summer even though I have had some ups and downs over the past year. Some of the upsides to this year have been my daughter graduating high school and completing her first year at college. I am thrilled that she is enjoying her college life and education. I sometimes wished I was able to attend a 4 year college and have the experiences she is having, then when I think of that I think I may never have had her or my son. The other great thing is that my son graduated high school this year. I am thrilled that he graduated because he gave us/me a hard time in high school. He always loved school and then high school he just changed. He didn't want to go, he seemed dep

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

I forgot to post about seeing this movie this past weekend. I am not one that is great with words when trying to write. So I just type what I feel or think about things. Okay now onto my thoughts of this movie. My friend Amy wanted to go to the movies and she wanted to see this movie. Personally I want to see Inception with Leonardo DiCaprio. Since I am a very nice friend and will pretty much enjoy just about any movie (only one exception to that), I decided to go. I wasn't thrilled with seeing The Sorcerer's Apprentice and I think that is because I have watched all the Harry Potter movies, and I am a huge fan of them, I felt that this movie was just trying to cash in on that idea. I still feel that way but will say that I enjoyed the movie. I have a retention problem when it comes to recalling movies or even books after I have viewed them or read them, so please forgive me if I mention anything that is not absolutely correct about this movie. First off I have to say tha

Knight & Day

My friend and I had decided we need a night out to the movies and she chose to see Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. This wasn't one of my most wanting to see movies but I will go to almost any movie. We chose to see the movie on a Friday afternoon. I didn't anticipate any problems with the movie being sold out. The movie was entertaining yet I felt it was predictable in some areas. Tom and Cameron were great together in this movie. Tom does a fantastic job of playing a character that you are trying to figure out if he is really insane and paranoid or just doing his job and trying to prove his innocence. I found myself laughing at the interaction between Cameron and Tom in the fight scenes and just in general. Seeing Tom fight in this movie compared to the Mission Impossible movies was quite refreshing. This is a nice comedy movie to pass a rainy summer day or even a very humid summer day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0cSz62nq9Y

Genoa Bay by Bette Nordberg ~ Review

Another book from the ER program at Library Thing. When I won this book I was delighted and excited about reading the book. I liked and disliked the book. The writing was great and interesting. The story is about a widow, Brandy Beauchamp, who inherits a bed and breakfast in Canada from a woman who took her in as a teenager after she had runaway from home. The characters you meet in the book are Brandy, her daughter Gabby (just adorable), Eve (Brandy's friend from Florida), Cliff, and Herbert Karras. Brandy's 'adoptive' mother, Maggie, dies and leaves Brandy the old Bed and Breakfast. Brandy receives this inheritance at a time when she is trying to figure where she really belongs since her husbands death. Gabby is a lovable little girl of 7. Gabby is what keeps Brandy going and also questioning everything she does. Brandy decides to try and resurrect the Bed and Breakfast again after much debating in her head. She is afraid of the money she doesn't have

The Broken Blue Line by Connie Dial ~ Review

This is another book I won through Library Things Early Reviewers program. I have to say that I have been quite pleased with the books I have recently won through the ER Program. The Broken Blue Line is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I love mysteries with suspense, and a little bit of romance thrown in for some smiles and laughs. I have to say that The Broken Blue line did not disappoint me. I found the characters very endearing and able to appreciate them. I did find myself confused when I first started reading the book. I was getting the characters confused. The Broken Blue Line is about Internal Affairs and crooked cops. Those styles of books are always very interesting reads. When I read books like this I always visualize it in real life and not just being fiction. Most of these books I feel are based on some actual facts. Turner is a memeber of IA and soon becomes the focus of an investigation. I found it interesting how the members of his squad were divided

Sidney Sheldon's After the Darkness by Tilly Bagshawe ~ Review

I won this book through Library Things Early Reviewers program. Sidney Sheldon's After the Darkness is a wonderfully written story of suspense, intrigue, mystery and betrayal. The principle character in After the Darkness is Grace Brookstein. Her character goes through so many changes and growth from the start of the story. Grace is the wife of Lenny Brookstein, who died while out on his boat and the death is ruled a suicide. Lenny is the financial wizard behind an investment company called Quorum. After the Darkness starts out with Grace on trial for theft of billions of dollars through Quorum. She is innocent and feels that she will be cleared of all charges. Her trusting nature is what causes her many problems and heartbreak through the story. Those who she thought were her family and friends turn on her and don't want to help her during her trial and even after her day in court. She is surprised by her family's reaction. This is when Grace starts to go thr

The Lovely Bones ~ Review

The Lovely Bones is the fictional story of a girl who is brutally murdered and raped. The story starts with her stating she is dead. She then goes on to tell you how it happened. The girl is named Susie and is only 14 when she is murdered. You will not be able to put the book down when you are reading it. Susie explains how her rape and murdered happened. You know who the culprit is from the very beginning of the story. Susie is the narrator through the whole book. You see things through her eyes. Seeing how her family is dealing with her first missing and then learning she is most likely dead when her elbow is found by a neighbors dog. Her family consists of her sister, Lindsey who is a year younger, her brother Buckley who is only 4 at the time, her mother and father. Her Grandmom comes to help the family cope with the problems that arise during the years after Susie's murder. Susie's father takes her death hard because they are very close. Her mother deals with

Living Dead in Dallas ~ Review

The second book in the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris is a very interesting read. The story starts with Sookie discovering a dead body in the police chiefs car that was left in Merlot's parking lot since he was too drunk to drive home last night. The body turns out to be the cook from Merlot's. There are new characters introduced as Sookie and Bill travel to Dallas to help out other vampires who are looking for a vampire that has been missing. While in Dallas, Sookie meets another person who is a telepath, finds others who transform into other animals just like same. I found the story one that I couldn't put down. I enjoyed seeing Sookie learn more about her powers and to also try communicating with the other telepath when she needed help. I have been on a kick of reading the Sookie Stackhouse books this year. I would like to read all of the books in this series that have been released but then I don't want to have to wait too long for the next

The Picture of Dorian Gray ~ Review

Wow is all I have to say about The Picture of Dorian Gray. I didn't think I would like this book and I was pleasantly surprised with this book. This is the first book I have ever read by Oscar Wilde. The writing in the book was wonderful. The characters words just flow like music as you read the book. I found myself not wanting to put the book down as I was reading. Dorian, Lord Henry and the Artist Harry interact so well with each other. There is a different relationship between all 3 of them and to see the relationships change through the book was enthralling. The ending of the book was quite a surprise to me. When I read it I laughed at how well written the story was and the fact that I never realized the ending until the very last second. I can't wait to read more books written by Oscar Wilde!! I have to say that I am now more curious to read more of the classics then I was before I had picked up The Picture of Dorian Gray 5 stars

American Wife ~ Review

American Wife is a book I don't feel I would have read on my own. This book was chosen for my Library Book Club. I was quite pleased with the story. American Wife chronicles the life of a girl, Alice Lindgren, whom has become the First Lady. American Wife is written in 4 parts, each part represents where she was living at that time. The story takes place from the 1950's to about 2007. The first part is her young childhood through about her college years. She goes through a lot during her young life. She discovers her grandmother is a lesbian, she has an abortion and is involved in an accident that kills the boy she has feelings for at this time. The story starts with Alice and her grandmother running into a child from her class and her grandmother thinks the child is a girl when actually the child is a boy. The boy's name is Andrew Imhof. When Alice travels to Chicago with her grandmother is when I really felt the story had drawn me in. I wanted to know what w

My Challenges!!

Those that know about LibraryThing will understand what I mean by my challenges. Here is some information about LibraryThing (LT). Library Thing is a website that I joined to catalog all my books, either that I own, or borrow. Plus it helps me with keeping track of what I have read and so that I can also remember what certain books are about. On LT there are challenges to do if you are interested. This year I have decided to do a bunch of challenges. They are: 50 Book Challenge 1010 Challenge Alphabet Challenge Books off the Shelf Challenge Here is some information on the Challenges... 50 Book Challenge My goal is to read 50 books this year. The books can be from any genre, year, writing style etc. I have also included Comic Books. I tried this last year and came up short, so I decided to try for 50 again this year. If I am able to make this challenge I may decide to try for 75 books next year. Here is a link to my 50 Book Challenge: http://www.librarything.com/topic/8116

I've been MIA for too long!!

I am back!! I am sorry to have been missing my posts. I really don't know why I haven't posted recently or that often besides having things going on in my life that I just couldn't handle at the time. I am going to start posting my reviews and thoughts on some books I have read over the past couple of months. Hopefully some people will notice that I am back and will comment on my posts. Hope to see everyone again soon!! Happy Reading All!!!

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

This is my first Agatha Christie book. I have been informed by many people that I would love Agatha Christie's books. I admit that is true. I started The Body in the Library this morning. Every free moment I had I was reading the book. How would you react to finding a body in your library? I don't know if I would be as calm as the woman in this book. Mrs. Bantry was thrilled with finding a body in her library. This was her chance to be a sleuth. That is what she was eager for. The Body in the Library is a Miss Marple Mystery. Miss Marple is the sleuth in the village of St. Mary Mead. Mrs. Bantry calls Miss Marple up to the house when the body is found. I enjoyed the book except for the parts that were written in French. Since I have never taken French some of the jokes were lost on me. Ms. Christie's writing style is one that is new to me. The book was a nice easy week end read. 5 stars since I didn't know until the very end who the murderer was.. I borrowed this book f

The Outlander by Gil Adamson

This book I had started reading and then had my rough patch that I was going through and had trouble concentrating on the book that is why it took so long to read it. It took me a long time to read this book just because I went through a rough patch in July and Aug. I had borrowed the book from the library in the beginning of July and was really enjoying it when my life took a turn for the worse. I just couldn't read any books with out crying or not knowing what I was reading. I finally had to return the book and waited a few months before I borrowed it again. I am glad I waited and didn't try to read it or just gave up on it. I really enjoyed the book. The Outlander is the story of a woman in the early 1900's. The story starts with her running from her brother-in-laws. She goes through all these changes as she is on the run. The woman is Mary Boulton. She is a widow. On her journey she meets many interesting people and really discovers things about herself that she didn

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

The Secret was recommended to me by a friend on Facebook because of something very difficult I am going through. He just kept going on how the book changed his life and that how what you are thinking and feeling is what will happen. I went into reading the book with skepticism. The basis of the book is the Secret to living a wonderful life and being able to receive everything you want and deserve. As I was reading the book I noticed how my emotions were influencing the things around me. I started to tune into my feelings and try to think positive thoughts. I noticed myself starting to feel better and getting happier as I read the book. I know that I will use this book as a reference when ever I feel negative feelings or thoughts. I am not going to try and persuade anyone that this book is the meaning to life. I will tell you that The Secret is a great book to help you find the real you and to discover the positive energy from with in you. So I would recommend reading The Secret for som

Act Like a Gentleman, Think Like a Woman by Maria Bustillos

Well this was a fantastic book!! I won the book in the Library Thing Member Giveaway program and was looking forward to reading it. I have yet to read Steve Harvey's book that this book is written in response to. I will be reading Steve Harvey's book soon. Act like a Gentleman, Think like a Woman was a very entertaining read even though I am a woman. I could see myself in some of the descriptions of the different types of woman she talks about. I know I am not a Patsy, the name she gives to the woman that every man wants. Maria writes that Steve's book is talking about how all women want is to get the ring from the guy. She counters with the fact that all men want is to get laid. I found myself laughing while reading the book, because of the things she revealed about women and saying how we love to hear how beautiful we are and that it should be all about us. I have to agree and disagree with that. It is great when a guy praises you and flatters you but sometimes it can get

Look Great, Live Green by Deborah Burnes

I have to thank the publisher for emailing me about this book. I am glad I decided to read and review this book. I found the book very interesting and informative. When I first started this book I thought it was just going to be someone trying to tell me how I should be using certain types of personal care products and pushing their own products on me. I was truly mistaken. Look Great, Live Green is a book that teaches and informs you of the misconceptions we have been raised to believe. I found the book well written and easy to follow while reading. If you are trying to figure out why your skin keeps looking older, dryer or just not what you are use it is most likely due to the so called 'natural' products you are currently using. Most of the cosmetics out there are not as natural as you may think. I learned that some of the products that I have now are not as natural as I thought. Anyone that is interested in saving money, time, their skin, and the environment should take a

Highland Hearts by Virginia Brown

This book I am giving away over at Librarything.com in the member giveaway of the Early Review program. I also registered it with Bookcrossing.com so it has a BCID number so whomever wins can journal it on there and possibly send it to someone else or leave it somewhere in the wild. I finally finished this book. This book took me awhile to get into the characters and just the story itself. This book started off slow for me with not much action or love interest. Once the story got interesting I was able to read the book without feeling like a chore. This is the story of a Scottish Lass named Lianna. She is a proper lass and educated, she is just a naive young lady about life, relationships and the such. Lianna and her cousin Mary are watching these soldiers march into Glencoe when Lianna falls into the arms of a very handsome Scottish fellow, Cameron. Right from that moment you know that they have feelings for each other but it felt so boring. Once the massacre happens at Glencoe is wh

Here's to you Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume

One thing about my blog is that I try to post all book reviews, whether they are new or old books. I know I haven't been posting them as much lately, it is just that I have been busy with the holidays and the new year. I am going to post most of my reviews that I wrote since May of 2009. Hopefully I will be better this year with posting all of them on time. Here are my thoughts on Here's to you Rachel Robinson, a kids book. You may wonder why I decided to read a kids/childrens book, well it is because I was doing a challenge last year and one of the categories was to read YA/Children books. It is nice to see what you think of a book that you had when you were little now that you are older. This is a very nice easy read for young pre-teens. I read the book just because I wanted a nice light easy read. I found myself laughing at the girls in the book as I remembered acting sometimes like them. Rachel Robinson is a 13 year old girl who is highly intelligent and loves to lear