Top Ten Tuesday

Today  The Broke and the Bookish asks the question: What are your top ten beach reads? Link on over and join us.

Well, first off I'm land locked so unfortunately, really unfortunately, I don't get to sit by the beach, listen to the waves, and read a great book. However, I always think of beach books as something light and easy to read. Something you can take your eyes away from, every so often, to stare at the beauty around you and then dive back in without missing a thing. So here they are. The top ten books I'd love to read on a beach.

1 Something Blue by Emily Giffin.
Well, any of her books would do. They are so fun and light and totally draw you in.

2 The Weather Warden Series by Rachel Caine
Oh, I hate even admitting I like these but I can't resist. I wouldn't call them deep or amazing but there just so dang fun and creative!

3 Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Alright, it's Paris not the beach, but it's a fun read!

4 The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
The whole time I read this book I wanted to go to the beach soooo bad! So, where else does it belong but the beach?

5 Need series by Carrie Jones
Freezing cold Maine in the winter...Come on who wouldn't want to be someplace warm while reading these?

6 Undine by Penni Russon
OK, I think this one is pretty self explanatory.

7 The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
Any of her books will do. I read one, or try to, every summer. This one was my favorite.

8 Persuasion by Jane Austen
Everyone should read a good Austen at the beach, and this one is so fitting.

9 Harry Potter series by...seriously? You need me to tell you?
These are just ones I've read over and over and wouldn't take much concentration or attention away from the view.  

10 I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak
This is a absolute favorite of mine, and I think favorites belong at the beach. Don't you?

So, there you have it. What books would you bring to the beach?

Review: Garden Spells

Title Garden Spells
By Sarah Addison Allen
For Fun
Source Library




Synopsis
Claire lives contentedly in the house her grandmother left her, tending the mysterious, magical Waverly garden and running a successful catering business. But with the return of her younger sister Sydney and her daughter Bay, and the arrival of a handsome neighbor, Clarie's life is about to be turned upside down.

General thoughts
I've only read one other book by Allen and I recall liking it so it's no surprise that I enjoyed this one as well. Allen creates wonderful, relatable characters. The writing is simple and easy and draws you in. The storyline, though predictable and maybe a tad convenient, is fun. I wanted to see the Waverly's garden and have the apple tree throw apples at me. I wanted to eat Clarie's food and have Sydney cut my hair. And who wouldn't want Evenelle to give them something they just simply had to have? I don't have anything bad to say about this book but I will say it didn't completely captivate me and probably won't be horribly memorable, but only time will tell.

Characters
It's perfectly understandable why Claire was as uptight and withdrawn as she was but at first it was driving me crazy. She does stick up for her sister and fights the fear that she'll be abandoned, which was admirable. Sydney's complete turn around felt slightly convenient but I liked her. Evenelle was a delight. I loved how she would go walking just to stare at cute guy's backsides. To funny. Bay was sweet and I enjoyed her insights but she seemed a tad old for a five year old. Even with her background I don't think she'd be that mature.  I even enjoyed watch Emma and Fred grow and mature.And Henry and Tyler? Well, either one would be a fine catch, though I do lean more towards the Henrys of the world.

Would I recommend it?
Yes, if you're an Allen fan and have missed this one, I'd give it a try. If simple, convenient writing bothers you, you might want to look elsewhere.

We Have a Winner!

The masses have spoken. And the winner is... um, duh, look at the picture. Followed closely by Room. So, I'll read Firelight first and then Room. Oh, you all better pray I like Firelight or else! I'm teasing. I just though it funny that so few people voted. It's not like I'm actually going to hurt anyone if I don't like the book.
K, I need sleep. I said "duh" like I was a teenager in the 80's? 90"s? and then threatened you AND THEN snapped at people for not voting. Sigh.

Shelving Saturday

Shelving Saturday is hosted by Eastern Sunset Reads

This is a fun  new idea and I've been wanting to do it for weeks, so today I join her. And if you want to join, you can too just head on over to her awesome blog and check it out.

This week's question is how do you decide what genre shelf you put your books on, if you shelve by genre? Do you go by what the book store has it shelved under? Or do you read it and then decide for yourself where the book belongs?

Well, unfortunately I don't have any organization to my book shelves. I really ought to do something about that. Wait I do have one book shelve that is actually, sort of organized and the rest are just a mess.  

 This is my sort of organized shelf. We've got classics on the top the my Jonathan Kellerman collection and some John Grisham...Alright, the second shelf is not organized. Then the third shelf is books on writing and the bottom shelf that's really hard to see is religious books. 

 These are some of my other shelves, and, as you can see, they are just not organized at all, well, unless you consider that at least the series are together. 

So, in answer to the actual question: if I buy a classic, religious, or writing book, I will squeeze put it on my book shelf where it goes. And probably without reading it but those are pretty cut and dried genres. My other books...well they just go where ever, and even if I was organized I'd just take the bookstores word for it. 

So, how about you? Do you just throw your books on the shelf like me, or do you have a nice organized shelving system? And do you trust the stores genre shelving, or do you judge for yourself?

What To Read, What To Read?

Dear blogging buddies, I seem to be in a bit of a reading slump. I'm not really enjoying anything. This may be due to forces beyond the book I'm reading's control but I'm hoping not. I want to read a book that makes me think, that has me in a euphoric bliss. Turning page after page, unable to put it down. Alright this might be too much to ask for as I am a picky reader and can find fault with just about anything, (I know, for shame) but I have to ask.
So, that's where you come in. These are the books I'm thinking about. If you've read one and  absolutely adored it, not just "liked" it then vote for it. If you haven't heard of any but have another suggestion please let me know. I need help! I can't take another mediocre or just plain BAD book.  So here's what I'm thinking.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan
Yeah, so this probably the best choice for my mood but, oh well.

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
My mother was totally intrigued by this one so maybe it will drag me in.

Room by Emma Donoghue
Is it too childlike to enjoy?

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Well, Elizabeth found herself, maybe I can in her journey. ;)

Thanks for all help. And if you have a different suggestion post it in the comments. 

Review: Heist Society

Title Heist Society
By Ally Carter
For Fun
Source Library





Synopsis
Katarina Bishop grew up in a family of thieves, it's all she's ever known. When she tries to get out of the life and start a "normal" life a surprise visit from an old friend  pulls her back in. Now to save her father she'll have to pull the heist of a lifetime.

General thoughts
Well, I wanted to like it and all in all it turned out OK, but it just started so slow and throughout the whole book you want to get to know the characters but you never really get to. It's all about the Heist and that was fine, especially at the end, it got exciting watching it all work out, but I need a little more character connection, you know? It just took to long to get into and we never got to know the characters.

Characters
Well, normally I talk about the characters and what I thought about them here but as I said I didn't really get to know any of them.

Would I recommend it? 
For a good heist story, sure, but if you're a character driven reader, look elsewhere.

Waiting on Wednesdays

Waiting On Wednesday, is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and asks the question, "What are books are you anxiously waiting on?"

(From Goodreads)
Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.
 
Most of the chosen do.

This one just sounds like an old time fantasy with a new YA twist. What are you waiting for?

TV Seson Wrapup 2010/2011

Well, I know you're all dying to know what TV shows I watch and what I thought about the season finales so I'll tell you. =) I figure either you watch the sames shows and would get bored with a play by play, or you don't and will have know idea what I'm talking about so I won't elaborate too much on each show.

Well, this show I started watching because of Timothy Olyphant. But I ended up really liking the it. The second season was awesome! And the finale? Oh my gosh! I can't believe where it all ended up.

GRRRR! Why on earth did they end such a great show like that?! Anyone else see it? Were you as confused and frustrated as me?

This show just started this season and has already finished up and I have no idea if it will be back next season but it was hilarious and I certainly hope so.  The season finale wasn't a huge cliff hanger but there were some things left hanging and I'm hoping for more.

I like this show mainly because House is such a sarcastic guy and I find that amusing even though other people don't, but this season finale had me just shaking my head. His emotional jerk issues are starting to get tiresome.

 

Yes, I watch Americas Next Top Model. This season was a little disappointing. I didn't like the two finalists, Molly whined way too much and Britni was just so immature, but at least the one I liked a little bit better won.

 

Ah, SVU. Once in a blue moon they have such a great episode and sometimes they're just plain disturbing, but lately they've been so dang agenda pushing! And the season finale was no exception. Sigh! Oh well.

 Holy crap!!! This one had be screaming and crying and smiling and pulling my hair out! Sheesh! What an ending! Luckily it wasn't quite a cliffhanger as the first sesason was. 

Holy crap!!!! I was even warned it would be a cliffhanger but wow! I can't believe he did it! I can't believe he shot Red John, or did he?!! Ahhh! I can't wait for next season.

Ahhhhh! I can't believe it ended that way! Oh my gosh! You've got to be kidding me! This show got a little slow for a few seasons but this season had me really getting into it again and now this?! Definitely wins the cliffhanger of the year!

So, there you have it. What a year! As you can see I like scripted TV way better than reality shows but what about you? Do you watch any of these? Are you freaking out as much as me?

Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty

Title The Summer I Turned Pretty
By Jenny Han
For Fun
Source Library




Synopsis
Two things have always been a constant for Belly: summers are spent at her mother's best friend's beach house, and her love for Conrad. Conrad and Jeremiah are practically brothers to Belly but this summer everything changes.

General thoughts
Ha ha! did you like my pathetic synopsis. I feel like the movie preview guy. Anywho, this book was a fun fluffy read for me. I was drawn in and kept turning pages, finishing it in a day, but  Belly's immaturity (and yes, I know she was only fifteen and I kept reminding myself of that) was rather annoying. Still, I liked the book well enough and will read the other two in the series just to see what happens. It was a good reminder of how selfish we all really are; thinking the world revolves around us, and how the reality check can be a huge slap in the face to make us see what really matters. Plus it was romantic...sort of.

Characters
Belly was pretty immature but she was only fifteen and I was rather stupid at that age too. Heck, I'm still pretty stupid! She had her good moments though and made for a realistic, teenage protagonist. Jeremiah was by far my favorite! He was funny and amiable and made me smile. Conrad by contrast was the selfish dark broody guy that woman find sooooo sexy, and that I just roll my eyes at. Please! Cam, was blah to me. Taylor was portrayed very badly and I'm not sure why she was even in the story. Laurel and Susannah, the mothers, were a delight. I loved Susannah as much as Belly did and Laurel was strong and kind, if not great at voicing her thoughts.

Would I recommend it?
For a fun summer read? Yes.

The Sunday Salon

And now a bunch of useless information you never wanted to know about me. ;-)

Outside my window: Lovely! After a week of rain and some rain this morning it's quite nice now.

I am listening to: Nothing. Sigh!

I am watching: All the TV show's I watch are over for the season, well, except for House that finishes tomorrow so besides a few summer series I might check out, I'm not watching much of anything.  

I am thinking: That it's probably too late in the day to be posting this and no one will read it, but oh well.

I am grateful for: A brief bit of sun. It's supposed to rain again all week.

I am reading: Heist Society by Ally Carter and it's a little slow...well it's not really I'm just having a hard time. 

I am photographing: Ahhh! My nephews lying side by side watching Spongebob.

I am listing: Nothing. 

I am creating: Quite the selection of sugar free candy. It's pathetic I need to get over my hoarding tendencies. And yeah, I know sugar substitutes are evil. 

Around the house: I'm having a small ant problem and it's driving me nuts! Thankfully, my cat sometimes takes a notion to eat them. 

From the kitchen: Yay for leftovers!!! I don't have to cook today, just pop in some leftovers.

One of my favorite things: This week I'd have to say nectarines! I'm loving them like crazy.

The children this week: No kids, just my cat Buns. I promised last week I was going to work on getting her outside and, surprise, surprise, I got her to go out twice. OK, it was after dark and only for a few minutes but it's something!

Plans for the week: I've got to get out and DO something fun! And my friend is visiting this weekend! Yay! We have a Zac Efron marathon planned.  



Thanks to Ibeeeg of Polishing Mud Balls for the inspiration for this post's layout.

Review: Forever

Title Forever
By Pete Hamill
For Fun
Source Library




Synopsis
Early in the eighteenth century Cormac is young Irish man whose mother and father are killed by an English Earl. Vowing to seek vengeance, Cormac follows the Earl to America. Befriending and saving the life of a black slave named Kongo, Cormac is gifted with eternal life and lives to see the rise of New York.

General thoughts
The first two hundred pages were absolutely thrilling! I was swept away in this amazing story and totally enthralled, then Cormac gets to New York and gets the gift of eternal life. (no, he's not a vampire) For three hundred pages the author seems to have forgotten he was writing a fiction book. The author is from New York and I know he wanted to capture the history of the city but it was done really poorly and I was so bored it took me forever to get through Forever. Ha ha! Enjoy the pun. It didn't make me have a love or even respect for New York so if that's what the author was going for I wasn't impressed.  Any who, by the time he got back to the story I'd lost interest and just flipped pages trying to finish the dang thing. Even when Cormac lives though 9\11 I was completely emotionless.  There was one thing I liked and it is this: for Cormac to live forever he had to stay on the Isle of Manhattan and truly live. Live. And anytime that Cormac stopped learning or immersing himself in life he could feel his brain turning to sludge. I did like that.

Characters
Cormac was likable enough and I enjoyed his progression...when the author was talking about him! Obviously, as this book was just over six hundred pages and covers the span of almost three hundred years, there are a lot of characters and truthfully none of them really impressed me so I won't bore you by listing them. As for the "character" of New York...like I said before, I wasn't impressed. I hoped with all that long boring history the author could have captured my interest and made me appreciate New York and it's people but it didn't.

Would I recommend it? 
If it was the last book in the world and you had nothing but time then, sure, why not? Or, I guess if you are a New Yorker and love your city and wanted to know more about its history I might recommend it but I bet there's better books out there to choose from.

Review: A Wizard of Earthsea

Title A Wizard of Earthsea
By Ursula K. Le Guin
For Book club
Source Mom's Library




Synopsis
Trying to impress his wizard friends Ged releases an evil shadow and grows up trying to stop the evil he has unleashed.

General thoughts
First of all, sorry about my synopsis I hate trying to explain what a book was about. You can always check the Goodreads synopsis. So, that being said....on to my thoughts. This is one of those books that isn't a book, it's a story. The kind of story you want to kneel at the authors knee and hear in their own voice. I was pleasantly surprised with this one; I thought it was going to be slow moving and hard to read but I ended up really enjoying it and taking away some good messages from it. Of course, the first being how pride can make us do stupid things. But more than that: you can't run from your mistakes forever, or evil  at some point you're going to have to see evil, truly see it and overcome it. (that's just what I took away from it. I know some people would wholeheartedly disagree with me but that's OK)  All in all, I enjoyed it and am interested in reading the rest of the series.

Characters
I won't go into a all the characters and how I felt about them because I didn't find this book necessarily about the characters. Don't get me wrong I rolled my eyes at Ged's pride and was relieved at his humility but I took more away from the character's progression than the characters themselves.

Would I recommend it? 
Yes, of course.

Character Connection, Matthew Swift from the Matthew Swift series

 

Matthew, Matthew, I don't think there is any character I like as much as him! I'll begin by telling you a little about the series because if you haven't heard of it and you enjoy a truly well written, adventure packed urban fantasy you have got to read these books!  Matthew was a sorcerer in London, I say was because two years before the first book starts, Matthew was killed. But as the first book opens Matthew is resurrected and he dosen't know by whom, but he does know who killed him and thus his adventure begins. And if that doesn't interest you, you should know he didn't come back alone; a powerful entity came with him, inside him. I wont say more about that you'll just have to read these books. (yes, I'm a book pusher) 

  Matthew is incredibly loveable. He's absolutely hilarious in my favorite way; sarcastically. He says the funniest things that have me laughing nearly every page. He's humble and laid back in situations that would have anyone else curled in the fetal position; not to say he might not curl likewise if he felt so inclined, and, yet he never, and I mean, NEVER gives up. With a love for food and walking the city he calls home Matthew has the unfortunate habit of getting into sticky situations that always leave him saving the day and still remaining so freaking humble! I love it. 

Now, for some fun. There are three books out in this series so far, and each of them has an awesome cover, but there's a different guy on every cover which is just plain weird to me. So, I thought I'd post them here and let you tell me which one you like best. I know you might not have read the books and don't know which one best portrays Matthew but I'm still interested in your opinion. 

There, I hope those are big enough for you to see. Good heavens! Just talking about Matthew makes me want to read these books all over again!

Movie Reviews: Something Borrowed and Hanna

I was really exited to see this one. I wanted to know what the big mystery was. Why this girl was special. Why she was trained to fight....And then I finally saw it. Sigh! First of all the whole movie was filmed like a bad acid trip or a scary fever dream with freaky, weird music and moments that were giving off 90's music video vibes.  It was an interesting story but there were too many things left unanswered. Not like there's going to be a sequel just bad un-thought out writing. So all in all, it wasn't the worst thing I've seen but it just wasn't very good.

I haven't read the book that this movie was based on, but I did read the sequel to this one so I sort of knew how it all was going to end. Still, that didn't change the fact that it was very emotional for me. I think because the guy who played Dex took me by surprise. I figured I wasn't going to like him because I was an Ethan fan but he totally messed with my emotions! He did such a good job. Rachel and Darcy, the female leads, both did a fine job but I wasn't wowed or anything. and Ethan...Wow!John Krasinski did a really good job too! And how has he been hiding that HOT body as Jim on The Office all these years?!!! So, yeah this one wasn't an all time favorite or anything but I enjoyed it and now I want to read the book.

So what movies have you seen lately? Have you seen these two? Do we agree?

Top Ten Tuesday

Today  The Broke and the Bookish asks the question: who are your top ten minor characters?


1 Colonel Fitzwilliam from Pride and Prejudice
(long breathy sigh!) I love this character. He's so funny and amiable and, oh, so observant. He sees Elizabeth for who she is and sees Darcy for who he is long before Darcy and Elizabeth see each other. 



2 Death from The Book Thief
Well, I don't know if I'd call him a minor character but even though it's narrated by him I think we often over look him. Death is exactly how I imagined him, well, if death were a person. He's aloof and reserved and maybe even slightly scared of us, yet so warm and compassionate and careful. (and yes, Death is male in my minds eye) 


3 Xander from Matched
Yeah, he starts out as a main character but after Cassia becomes obsessed with the annoyance that it Ky, Xander sort of falls to to minor character which is a shame because I think he's quite sweet. He's loyal and easy going and is so much deeper and wise to what's going on than Cassia realizes. 


4 Mr Palmer from Sense and Sensibility
Yeah, I know, weird! But this is one of those character I always thought was a good, kind man who unfortunately married the wrong woman and as a result become rather unlikable. But I still think he's a good man somewhere deep down and I like him. (and, yes, I'm basing my opinion more on the movie than the book though I still believe it true in either) 


5 Ben from The Mercy Thompson series
Alright, he can be a jerk sometimes but as the series progresses and we learn about his past is it any wonder?  Oh, how I wish Mercedes would get rid of yawn fest Adam and Run off with Ben, and not even romantically.


6 Zara's mom from Need
She's selfless and kind and, oh, how I wanted to read about her story! 


7 Hareton from Wuthering Heights
The only redeeming person in this book! He's shy and quiet and, yeah, he has a nasty temper but wouldn't you if Heathcliff raised you?!


8  Charles Musgrove from Persuasion
He puts up with his annoying wife Mary and had the good sense to want to marry Anne fist. Need I say more? 


9 Elivs from the Odd Thomas books
Yes, you heard me THE Elvis. He doesn't talk he doesn't sing and he's been dead for a long time, but he's so  protective  and concerned  for Odd that you just have to love the guy.

10 The Voice in Max's head from The Maximum Ride series
I still don't know what it is but this voice, though not very fleshed out, is always protecting Max and, yes, sometimes annoying the crap out of her.
  
What minor characters are on your list? 

Review: That Summer

Title That Summer
By Sarah Dessen
For Fun
Source Library





Synopsis
Um, let's see, what is this book about? A girl named Haven who is really tall which really isn't that unique but with the way she whines about it you'd think she had a lamppost growing out of her back! Meanwhile her Dad's just remarrying some new young thing as the book opens and Haven whines about that for awhile and her older sister Ashley is getting married and the wedding plans litter the book as a reminder that, hey, Ashley is annoying, but not really. OK, yeah, I get it!

General thoughts
As you can see by my synopsis of the book I was not very fond of it. This is the first Sarah Dessen novel I've read and maybe I should have picked a different one or maybe they're all like this and it wouldn't have mattered. Anywho, It just wasn't that impressive. First off, as I mentioned above, I didn't get why Haven was soooo upset and self conscious about her height. Several times she has people tell her she's pretty or overhears people commenting on how beautiful she is and yet all she can whine on and on about it her height. Now, I know we're all like this, we only see the bad in ourselves but since when has being tall been bad? Seriously, this girl never spoke up and when she does it's like a freaking dam has burst and there's only a few pages left in the book and you're thinking: that's it? That's what I've been reading this for? A meltdown?!!! Grrrr.  I'm not completely stupid. I got the moral of the story, I understood what the author was trying to say but the storyline to teach said moral could have been a little more interesting. Just sayin'

Characters
Haven was completely un-relatable to me. One, I'm not freakishly tall. Two, I speak up if something is bothering me and three, I don't base my whole existence on other people and what they think of me. Wait, maybe it's because I related to her that I hated her. Who knows.   Ashely was seemingly self centered but I had the impression that if we read the book from her perspective we would have sympathized with her.  Obviously there's a lot more characters but the truth is I felt that they were all rather trivial and yet, as with Ashley, the author could have picked anyone of them to use as the main protagonist and we would have seen their side of things and disliked Haven instead. Maybe that was the whole point. Well, I don't know if my ramblings make sense but there you have it.

Would I recommend it?
Fat, freaking chance! But, hey, what do I know, maybe it was amazing and I just didn't get it.

Sunday Salon

And now a bunch of useless information you never wanted to know about me. ;-)

Outside my window: Well, actually it's Saturday night when I'm writing this. It's been a mixture of sunny and cloudy with wind and rain.

I am listening to: Nothing, it's quiet besides a dog barking somewhere.   

I am watching: This week the season finale of four of the shows I watch will be on and I'm nervous about two of them. Oh, how we let TV rule our emotions.  And Vampire Diaries this last week? Oh my gosh!  

I am thinking: I've been go, go, going all week and I hurt my hip and back and I need to freaking relax and let them recover.

I am grateful for: Hindsight.

I am reading:  Still reading Forever by Pete Hamill. Good heavens, I need to finish this one! It's gotten a little slower in the middle and I'm struggling. 

I am photographing: My garden that I planted this week and sending pics to my mom and sister so they can smile and nod and act interested.

I am listing: Unfortunately, bad qualities I see in myself so hopefully I can work on them! Grrrr! 

I am creating: My garden. Well, it is a creation right?! 

Around the house: I'm finding ants and I don't know where they're coming from. So annoying! 

From the kitchen: My diet is very restrictive and it makes eating very boring and routine. Sigh! I need some new recipes that will adhere to my diet.  

One of my favorite things: The feeling of accomplishment. (even if my back and hip ARE killing me!)

The children this week: No kids, just my cat Buns; we're going to work on getting her to come outside with me this week! Yes, that's a threat.

Plans for the week: Now that the gardens are planted I'm really going to buckle down and read, dang it! 

On this date: It's my sister's Birthday. I called and chatted with her for a while. I hope she has a good evening. (yes, I'm writing this on Saturday night, remember?)    


Thanks to Ibeeeg of Polishing Mud Balls for the inspiration for this post's layout.

Book vs Movie: We Have A Tie

Well, to finish off my book vs movie competition I have to mention the one's that are equally good in my opinion. So, without further ado...

Falling for a Dancer
So if you haven't heard of this one, seen it, or read it, please see it! It totally took me by surprise. Now actually I have something to confess. I haven't read the book yet. But Deirdre Purcell, the author of the book, wrote the screenplay for the movie so I would imagine it's rather similar. I loved, loved, loved the movie and can't wait to get to the book.

The Magic of Ordinary Days
So this one isn't horribly similar in book and movie form but both had things I liked. The movie has Skeet Ulrich and I've always thought he was a little cute and he does such a great job in the movie. It's fun to have the visual element of the movie, as well.  The book had a little more romantic moments that made me smile that unfortunately the movie, being a Hallmark movie, couldn't put in. Both are great and if you haven't seen the movie or read the book and you like sweet romances, then get to it!

Interview with a Vampire
Once again we have a movie who's screenplay was written by the author of the book, however, these were rather different. The movie is creepy and visually pleasing but the book has so much more description and character development. I love them both.

  Charlie St Cloud
Once again, very different, but both had their strong points. The movie...um Zac's blue eyes. ;) The book, just a lot more information that often gets lost in movie versions.








Well, I thought about listing a few that were similar but were awful, cause there's a lot of those but I won't. So, what books and movies did you like equally?

Waiting on Wednesdays

Waiting On Wednesday, is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and asks the question, "What are books are you anxiously waiting on?"

Lexi is cursed with a dark secret. Each day she goes to school like a normal teenager, and each night she must swim, or the pain will be unbearable. She is a siren - a deadly mermaid destined to lure men to their watery deaths. After a terrible tragedy, Lexi shut herself off from the world, vowing to protect the ones she loves. But she soon finds herself caught between a new boy at school who may have the power to melt her icy exterior, and a handsome water spirit who says he can break Lexi's curse if she gives up everything else. Lexi is faced with the hardest decision she’s ever had to make: the life she's always longed for - or the love she can't live without? (from Goodreads)


It seems like I've been waiting for this one forever! It probably won't even hold up to my expectations but I still am excited to check it out. There's a lot of siren\mermaid YA books being published lately and though I have most of them on my TBR list I haven't read any yet so maybe I won't be bored with the subject matter before I get to this one.  I also have to add that even though I think this cover is cool the guy is YUCK! 


So what are you anxiously waiting for? 

Miracles do happen!

In one of my previous posts when I talked about soccer I posted a picture of Christiano Ronaldo with his shirt ON because he's arrogant enough not to deserve anyone oogling him. However, today he redeemed himself a bit.  During the game between Real Madrid and Getafe, Christiano Ronaldo cleared the ball and it flew into the stands and nailed a fan right in the face. He actually had a horrible bloody nose. Well after the game Ronaldo did this...

The Portuguese player sent the ball to the stands in the first half and apologised after the match was over

A fan was accidentally hit by the ball in the first half of the match against Getafe when Cristiano Ronaldo cleared it. After the game was over, the Portuguese player apologised personally and gave him his autrographed shirt. "I didn't mean to hit him," he said later, "I just wanted to clear the ball. I wish to apologise." 

Well, it's a freaking miracle! He's not quite as arrogant as I thought so he deserves a shirtless picture on my blog. Oh, it's all in good fun. There's nothing like mocking this arrogant guy.
Oh, PS, they won 4-0

Top Ten Tuesday

Today  The Broke and the Bookish asks the question: who are your top ten biggest jerks in literature?


So here they are in no particular order.

1 The Earl of Warren from Forever by Pete Hamill.
K, so I'm just reading it now and so I'm a bit biased but this guy is such an arrogant SOB.

2 Matthew from The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty
What a creep! Seriously what's wrong with this guy?!

3 Keiro from Incarceron and Sapphique by Cathrine Fisher
OK, Actually I love this character but I'll admit he was sometimes such a jerk I wanted to slap him.


4 Damon from the Vampire Diaries L.J Smith (the books, Suey, not the tv series;) )
Well, this guy is totally misunderstood and I like him well enough to keep reading the badly edited books but sometimes I seriously have to wonder what's up with his bad attitude! 


5 Willoughby from Sense and Sensibility
Yuck! This guy is a weasel! 


6 Murtagh from The Inheritance Series by Christopher Paolini
K, I want to like him and I do, but he's so heartless and frustrating sometimes.


7 Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter
Another misunderstood guy, but that's no excuse for his attitude! 


8 Terra's Dad from North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
This one is evil through and through! I hate these types! 


9 Ariel from The Chronicles of Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody
This guy is ending up to be one seriously messed up jerk! 

 10 Malik from The Chronicles of Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody
Betrayal, prejudice, arrogance. You name it this jerk sports it!


I'm sure I could think of ones that made me more crazy but this was actually harder than I thought it would be. That's why some of my guys aren't really too bad. Oh well, today, these are the ones that bug me.

Mondays

I think I'll take a cue from my Kitty.  Happy Rainy Monday Everyone!

Sunday Salon

And now a bunch of useless information you never wanted to know about me. ;-)

Outside my window: I don't even want to look.

I am listening to: Literally? The hum of my fridge and Iron Man is on in the background.  




I am watching: Nothing at the moment but I'm stressing over Vampire Diaries, (oh, Damon, say it aint so!) And just finished the second season of Justified! Wow, what and ending!

I am thinking: Are my "sugar free" chocolate covered peanuts REALLY sugar free. When you buy from a bin you never can be sure. 

I am grateful for: Light.

I am reading: Forever by Pete Hamill and I'm so freaking intrigued!

I am photographing: Nothing, but I'm thinking about it. That counts right? 

I am listing: Movies based on books I loved equally. For a future post.

I am creating: Ideas for possibly organizing my bookshelves. Ha! Ha!
Around the house: I cleaned really well this week and had the windows opened letting in the warm sunshine. I love Spring. Well, for about two weeks and then I just hate the heat.

From the kitchen: Yawn! I hate trying to decide what to eat!

One of my favorite things: My mom. And no I'm not sucking up just cause it's Mother's Day

The children this week: No kids, just my cat Buns. She spends the evenings gazing out the window at birds.

Plans for the week: Well if the warm weather holds I'd like to plant my garden.

On this date: It should be warm from here on out. Or else!   


Thanks to Ibeeeg of Polishing Mud Balls for the inspiration for this post's layout.