It's been a really busy month so I haven't been keeping up on my book reviews like I want. So I'm just throwing short versions out of all the books I've read this last month or two!
1. Bloodshot by Cherie Priest (read March 19-April 7): Fun story and premise but Raylene (vampire protagonist) was really annoying but no "Angel," which was a nice change. Overall a fun story and I look forward to more in the series. 3.5 stars.
Genre: urban fantasy FTC Disclosure: library Published: 2011 Pages: 359 Content: Bloodsucking violence and language!
2. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (read April 6-15): Zusak can write, that's for sure. But I didn't enjoy the moral ambiguity in this one. The ending was lackluster for me. I enjoyed The Book Thief more. 2 stars.
Genre: Young adult
FTC Disclosure: library Published: 2002
Pages: 356
Content: Mild violence, sex, and language.
3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (read April 15-22): Fabulous! This one was just pure pleasure and fun. Anna's journey is one to be remembered! 4 stars.
4.Where She Wentby Gayle Forman (listened from April 21-26): This is the sequel to If I Stay. This was a perfect ending to the story. Forman really knows how to punch out emotion and make you feel like you've been crying all night. Beautiful, just beautiful. 4 stars.
Genre: Young adult
FTC Disclosure: library Published: 2011
Pages: audiobook on 5 discs Content: Language.
5. Matched by Ally Condie (read April 27-30): Not my favorite dystopia teen novel. Characters were a bit boring, and I have a good idea how it'll end...but it was an overall decent read. 3 stars.
Genre: Young adult, dystopia FTC Disclosure: borrowed from friend
Published: 2010 Pages: 366
Content: Implied violence.
6. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathon Safron Foer (read May 11-17). I loved following Oskar on his journey to discover the last vestige of his father after his tragic death in the 9-11 terrorist attack. Beautiful writing, beautiful characters. It's weird and different, and I loved it! 4 stars.
This week is all about those awesome epic battles!
1. Back to the Future (1985): OK, no big battle scenes here but I love how epic the scene is with Marty's father and Biff, where he finally stands up to Biff and sends him flying! Sorry, but that's just epic in my mind.
2. Braveheart (1995): Awesome, awesome epic battle scene in the end with Mel. It's a classic.
3. The Matrix (1999): The scene where Neo finally realizes what he can do with the Matrix is awesome. Buh-bye Agent Smith.
This weeks theme is all about movies that involve the giving and getting of gifts....
1. A Walk to Remember (2002): Shane West changes his ways as he falls for the dying preacher's daughter and ends up making her a telescope!
2. Stardust (2007): Young Tristan wants to prove his love for the local snob girl and sets outside the Wall to find her a star...ends up being a gift of coal dust.
3. Return to Me (2000): David Duchovny gives Minnie Driver a new bike with all the trimmings and basket and bell ringer! She even takes the fabulous gift over to Italy.
Thanks to everyone who signed up for my giveaway! I really enjoyed the book and hope.................................................................................................................................................................
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Phastings!!!!! enjoys the book!!!!
Details: Check out any of these links for more details!
Summer Reading Classics Challenge & Giveaway:
Read at least 1 Classic over the summer – between June 1st and the end of Labor Day Weekend, September 5th
You can have begun the Classic prior to June 1st, but it needs to have been completed between the challenge dates above
Post a review on your blog of each Classic that you read during the challenge period and reference a link to this The Classic Bribe challenge page
Link to each of your reviews separately by clicking on Mr. Linky below
Each linked review counts as 1 entry – no entry limit per blogger – read and review as many as you like
Each entry builds up $1 toward an Amazon gift card – the more entries the higher the balance can grow – capped at $35
Random winner selected Labor Day weekend from all entries- no restrictions on region
Winner receives the full Amazon gift card balance accumulated based on entries received
I have a huge shelf full of TBR classics, including a shelf on my Nook! The Portrait of Dorian Gray, Persuasion, and Middlemarch have been on my mind lately....so these are my top three this summer! Join the challenge and join the fun!
As part of vvb32 reads's ...and a bottle o'rum-Pirates all May, I be reviewing On Stranger Tides and be givin' away a brand new book as part of me bootie!
Genre: adventure, piratey FTC Disclosure: bought from Amazon.com Published: 1987 Pages: 336 Content: zombie and pirate mayhem and a bit o'romancin'....
Ahoy, me hearties. This be a grand adventure fer any pirate! We follow Jack Shandy as he be taken captive aboard the Jenny...he be fightin' the bocors, the zombies, and the dreaded Blackbeard, as well as savin' t'love of his life, Elizabeth. Lots o'rum to be had, swords t'be fought, and zombies t'kill in this harrowing tale of t'Fountain o'Youth and the strange tides that be....
Ratin': 4/5 stars! Ahoy! A pirates life for me!!!!
If this book be o'interest please leave your name, email address and why ye be lovin' t'pirates' life! That be all, me hearties. Ye be havin' til Friday at midnight to enter MST and me wee lil' boy will be drawing randomly from 'is pirate hat! Winners will be notified by email and please be respondin' within 24 hours or I will be forced to choose a new winnah! Arrrr, me be not wantin' to do that. Name, email, why ye be lovin' t'pirates life! Or no entry....
Dead men tell no tales....Arrrr....Enter at yer own risk!!! ;)
Today’s the wrap day for Random Magic Tour: Pirates!.
As one of the mates - ahoy, matey! - sailing with this crew of
buccaneers, would like to say thank you for visiting the blog on May 25 for
at vvb32 reads and am hosting a giveaway for the book tomorrow. So come
back for a chance to win!
Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoyed the tour!
For the wrap day of the tour, we’re just going to raise a final pint
o’ grog to say thanks for the good company and may your days be filled
with smooth seas ahead, good grub, solid comrades, romance and
adventure. Yaaaargh.
As this particular traditional toasting song goes, good night and joy
be to you all!
PSSSSSSSS......
Message in a Bottle: visit Liana's Paper Doll Blog today to see the Pirate
Reading about Captain Jack, the pirate king, was quite a treat! He's definitely what I think of when I think pirate. Here's what he looks like:
"The king of sea thieves was decked out in eye patch, peg leg, curly black hair, and big floppy hat with a floofy ostrich feather, as if he'd stepped out of a coloring book about pirates." (p. 216)
When all else fails go for an awesome pirate bandana, me hearties!
They will never fail you in a pinch.
Drink up me hearties, yo ho!
Random Magic Tour: Pirates!
Bonus: Free audio book: The Sea Hawk
As part of Random Magic Tour: Pirates!, it’d be fun to
swap some great pirate yarns - or just listen to a few great tales
about the sweet trade, the black flag, pirate queens or the Brethren of the Coast.
On this blog, you can listen to the audio book The Sea Hawk, by
Rafael Sabatini. Here’s a description of this novel about vengeance,
adventure, and the brethren of the Barbary coast:
From Wikipedia: The Sea Hawk is a novel by Rafael Sabatini, originally
published in 1915. The story is set in the late 16th century, and
concerns a Cornish sea-faring gentleman, Sir Oliver Tressilian, who is
villainously betrayed by a jealous brother. After being forced to
serve as a slave on a Spanish galley, Sir Oliver is liberated by
Barbary pirates. He joins the pirates under the name ‘Sakr-el-Bahr,’
the hawk of the sea, and swears vengeance against his brother.
If you enjoy the stories, you can download a free MP3 version of this
classic book:
Listen to or download audio book (MP3 format)The Sea Hawk by Rafael Sabatini.
Courtesy of LibriVox.
with the colors of life, itself.
A lot of people have commented that Random Magic unfolds
visually, like a movie, and that it would make a great movie. And Random Magic
Tour: Pirates! is all about pirates.
So, the special bonus feature on the tour today is -- pirate movie
night! Grab your popcorn, get comfortable, and pick your drama: Either
a feature film about the return of Long John Silver, that infamous
character who originated in the novel Treasure Island, or a
marathon of the first season of The Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers can currently only be viewed in the U.S.,
Canada, and selected other regions, so Return to Treasure
Island is provided for international viewers, so that everyone has
a chance to enjoy pirate movie night.
Oh, and for a pirate quote from Random Magic? Sure, here’s a quick one:
Random Magic quote of the piratey persuasion:
"'Aye! Use yer deadlights, mates,’
yelled Hammer Jack, ‘the captain’s naught but a scurvy tar -- let's
send 'im to Jack Ketch! Take the ship!’
‘Crk!’ said the parrot."
And here’s a quick run of pre-feature trailers! A book trailer for
Random Magic and a short, pirate and odd international film --
that’s for the people who love indie, quirky, international and art
films, Random Magic author Sasha Soren enjoys unusual, cool projects.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Random Magic video short
Shown above: Short film, Pirate Girl vs. Evil Toys
The film is in Swedish only, with no subtitles, but you won’t need
subtitles to know what’s going on, as it’s a quirky, stop-motion
action short.
MAIN FEATURES
Shown above: Start marathon, The Buccaneers (Season One), The
adventures of Captain Dan Tempest (Robert
Shaw).
This episode: Captain Woodes Rogers arrives with an official pardon,
from King George, for all pirates. Most of the pirates accept the
King’s offer, but Blackbeard and his gang resist, make a getaway, and
scheme to have Rogers’ own ship attack the island.
All episodes
Viewing license and info: Rightsholder approval, includes advertising,
free, available to viewers in selected regions. Recommendation:
Viewers in U.S., Canada, U.K., some other regions.
Shown above: Feature film, Return to Treasure Island
About: Captain Long John Silver heads back to Treasure Island to see
if he can dig up a buried treasure.
Viewing license and info: Public domain film, available to viewers in
most regions. Recommendation: International viewers.
Get an audio book version of Treasure Island: Listen or
download.
For international fans of animation, a second feature has also been
provided below:
Shown above: Series episode, Yolanda, Daughter of the Black Corsair
About: Spanish cartoon series dubbed into English. Based on the
adventure novels, originally in Italian, by Emilio Salgari.
Viewing license and info: Rightsholder approval (BRB), free, advertising.
Recommendation:
International viewers. You might also enjoy reading about more pirate
queens during the RMT tour!
Finally, for people who enjoy some of the cool indie show selections
on YouTube, here’s a video discussion about pirates, from this very
tour!
Shown above: Documentary or YouTube reality series - Book Lover-BookChicks
discusses real-life pirates.
Viewing license and info: Rightsholder approval, YouTube show, host is
LexieVamp666, pirates episode
specifically for Random Magic Tour: Pirates!
If you’d like to find more cool piratey things, feel free to join us
on the tour, there’s a lot going on --
features about pirate grub, gear and eats, music and games, a great
art series, an interesting series on pirate queens, lots of prizes and
a fun treasure hunt.
Set sail with us! Browse the tour schedule.
Here's another interesting tour feature you might also enjoy: Find
some pirate plunder, with Little Pirate Prizes, these aren't marked on
the schedule and they're not part of the hunt, but they’re out there
for visitors to find and they could be ANYWHERE! Find some Little
Pirate Prizes.
Genre: fantasy, humor FTC Disclosure: received from author for review Published: 2010 Pages: 397 Content: Nothing to get antsy about This was definitely a different book. It was really quirky and zany and kind of tough to understand what was going on with whom and why and how even. A few parts got more serious and were easier to understand and then it got zany again and back to bewilderment. She has a lot of mythical and literary references that just went completely over my head. I'm sure over half the book went over my head in that case. I'd like to read it again one day and take the time to look this stuff up!
But I loved Winnie. She's the best thing about the whole book. She's strong, smart, funny, zany, sassy, etc. A great heroine. I love strong female characters. Henry? Henry who? Yeah, I don't really have much to say about him since he wasn't a strong presence in the book. He didn't really have any qualities I remember...Plus the one time he's alone and not with Winnie the book goes all serious and hits us over the head with morality and right and wrong. I'm not sure if the author was doing that on purpose or not...the book is crazy, whacky fun...so it could be.
This book definitely isn't for everyone. I liked it but I just didn't understand a lot of it and that made it hard to get through. I liked what she was trying to do, though and I'm sure there are some really smart people out there who get most of it and makes it amazing.
I received the book courtesy of the author and this in no way affected my review.
Rating: 3.5/5
Join me later today for my piece on how to dress like a pirate!
Thanks for dropping by, hope you enjoyed your visit here! Here's another
interesting tour feature for the Random Magic Tour that you might also enjoy.
The main Rum + Plunder treasure hunt is open internationally!
Here’s a fun way to win something piratey and cool:
Browse prizes at vvb32 reads or join the hunt… (click coin for more info).
Bonus: Find even more pirate plunder, with Little Pirate Prizes,
these aren't marked on the schedule and they're not part of the hunt,
but they're out there for visitors to find, so have fun finding some
cute pirate things. Follow the tour schedule!
Have fun and good luck!
1. Due Date (2010): Aye, this be yer typical bosom buddy comedy an' nothin' special, arrrr.
Rating: C
2. The King's Speech (2010): Shiver me timbers, this be an excellent, touchin' story on that nefarious head o' state King George VI overcomin' his demons.
Rating: A+
3. The Tourist (2010): Be that Cap'n Jack...er, is Johnny Depp just a normal math teacher from the States?
Rating: B-
4. How Do You Know (2010): There be too many issues...gender roles, feminism, love/relationships, which turned this into some vile smellin' swill.
Rating: C+
5. Fair Game (2010): This be a sea worthy docudrama on why de Bush President invaded Iraq.
Rating: A+
6. Tron: Legacy (2010): Weird and confusing continuation of the original Tron.
