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31 October 2012

Trick or Treat


Happy Halloween, everyone! I hope you all have a fun and safe holiday. I don't have any big plans this year except to go to my friend's house and do a tiny bit of trick or treating with her and her 1-year-old. This means I can have some candy, too, right? After that we plan on watching a bunch of scary movies, handing out candy, and eating a lot of candy. :) I have no costume this year but I'd love to know what you guys are going as. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!



30 October 2012

Top Ten Kick Ass Heroines


Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is Top Ten Kick Ass Heroines. I think that's pretty self explanatory so let's get on with the show!

Mercy Thompson (Mercy Thompson)
I love Mercy because, while she's not usually the strongest one in a fight, she never backs down. She's also extremely loyal and tenacious and she knows her to play to her strengths in order to win a fight. 

Rose Hathaway (Vampire Academy)
Rose is one my favorite heroines. She's totally badass and trained to take down vampires. From hand-to-hand combat to weapons, Rose can handle herself in any situation. But she's not just a great fighter. She is also a great friend and she will go to any lengths to protect those she loves, even if it's from themselves.

Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)
I think Hermione is going to make a lot of lists. She's not kick ass in a traditional way. Hermione uses her intelligence and wit to solve her problems. She doesn't need combat skills or weapons to save the day and she's saved Harry and Ron on more than one occasion.

Eve Dallas (In Death)
Eve is a great character because of her imperfections. Eve survived a pretty traumatic childhood to become a successful police detective. But she is still haunted by those memories and is constantly working through them. I admire the fact that she hasn't been destroyed by her experiences and instead, has channeled it into something positive. She knows what it feels like to be a victim and her endless compassion and sense of justice fuels her to solve crimes when no one else can.

Elena Devereaux (Guild Hunter)
I love Elena! She could kill you with her hands or any number of weapons. She's a little more of a traditional kick ass heroine because she could actually kick your ass. But she's not only a fighter. Elena's went through some bad things when she was a child and her dad's a total asshole. That didn't stop her though from becoming the best Hunter in the Guild. She is also very loyal to those she calls friend. 

Elizabeth Bennett (Pride & Prejudice)
I think Lizzie Bennett is kick ass because she doesn't conform to societal pressures. At the ripe old age of 20, Lizzie knows that she should be looking for advantageous marriage before she's fully on the shelf. But she wants to marry for love, not convenience, and doesn't take the first proposal that comes her way. That may not seem like much but, at the time, it was a big deal. Women weren't expected to marry for love and to pass on a good marriage proposal (especially when your family has 5 daughters) was a courageous thing to do. 


Agent 355 (Y: The Last Man Standing)
Agent 355 is a super secret agent sent to protect Yorick, the last man on earth. If you've never read this comic book series, you really need to. It's so good. I don't want to give too much away but Agent 355 is a total badass and can hold her own against anyone. Fans of dystopian reads definitely need to check this series out. 

Buffy/Faith/Willow (Buffy)
So my last three characters come from the same series and they're all kick ass in their own ways. Buffy can actually kick ass but she also has an inner strength that she relies on to take her through her vampire hunting days and all of the bad things that happen throughout the series. I've always had a soft spot for Willow, the shy, quiet one. She comes into some powers of her own later but I love the early seasons Willow who is soft spoken and smart and who is always there for her friends.  My last kick ass heroine is Faith. I've always loved bad girl Faith. There's just something about her attitude that I've always admired and she has some mean fighting skills.


That's my list! I'd love to know what you think of my picks and would love to know who you picked. So leave a comment with a link to your post and I will stop by. Thanks for reading!


29 October 2012

Carrie - Trailer


Hello! This trailer came out a little while ago and, frankly, I had no idea that they were even making a new Carrie movie. I shouldn't be surprised though since Hollywood is always trying to re-invent things into modern versions in the hopes of cashing in. Sometimes it's good (Dawn of the Dead, Ocean's 11), but most of the time it's really, really bad (Prom Night, The A Team). I am not sure how I feel about this one yet. It's more of a teaser than anything so we're not getting much. It does have a good pedigree though and I love Chloe Moretz, Judy Greet and Julianne Moore. And director Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don't Cry) is known for making edgy, intense films. Given those factors, it has potential. Plus it's based on a really great story by Stephen King. I am usually pretty skeptical with these kinds of things but I will reserve judgement for now.

What do you guys think? Yes on the Carrie remake or no, the original all the way? I'd love to know. 




27 October 2012

Stacked (27)


Yay it's the weekend! I hope you all had a nice week. My week was just OK but it was made better by some book signings that I got to go to. This means that I was not on a book diet this week though I didi try to control myself. I finally saw Argo during the week, too, and thought it was really good. Man the 70s hair and clothes were bad though. :) Anyway, thanks for checking out my book haul this week. Please leave a comment and I'll stop by your blog if you have one.

Borrowed


For Darkness Shows The Stars by Diana Petrefreund - Finally managed to get this from the library!
The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood - Yum.

Bought




I went to several book signings last week and could not resist picking up some books. Saw David Levithan, Rachel Cohn, Lissa Price and Melissa de la Cruz at B&N The Grove. I also got to see Heather Brewer at B&N Americana. I love, love Heather Brewer and got all of my Vlad Tod books signed as well as picking up a finished copy of Soulbound and her new book, Second Chance. Heather recommended A.S. King's new book Ask The Passengers and my friends and I bought out their inventory. :)

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan & Rachel Cohn (signed)
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by David Levithan & Rachel Cohn (signed - for a friend)
Ask The Passengers by A.S. King
Soulbound by Heather Brewer (signed)
Second Chance (Slayer Chronicles #2) by Heather Brewer (signed)
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling (audiobook)
Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz & Ron Bass (audiobook)

i really need to take this advice
Is anyone getting ready for Halloween yet? I am not doing much this year but am always excited for it. I need to buy candy. Yeah for all the...kids....that come to my house. Not for me. Really. I never eat candy. 




26 October 2012

Uncovered (36): The Forsaken


Hi, y'all. Happy Friday to you. I hope you all had a fun week. Work went by really slow this week so I am very happy it's Friday. Today's Uncovered book is The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse. This is totally my kind of cover with the mix of photography and illustration. I love the profile of the girl with the image of the forest and satellite over it. It makes me think of things like government experiments and mind control. And I really like the connect the dots mapping for the girl's face. It looks really cool and the colors really pop. The typesetting is also really unique and I like that it vertical instead of the traditional way. It's just a cover that stands out to me when I see it. I haven't bought it yet but I pick it up every time I see it. 

Anyone else love this cover as much as me? Thanks for stopping by!
 



25 October 2012

Tough Sh*t: The Story of a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good - Audiobook Review


Tough Sh*t: The Story of a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good 
by Kevin Smith
Read by Kevin Smith
Publication date: 20 March 2012 by Gotham
ISBN 10/13: 0446574503 | 9780446574501
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Audible

Category: Adult Biography/Comedy
Keywords: Comedy, biography, inspirational, film
Format: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Source: Purchased from Audible


Thuy's Review:

Let me start off this review by saying that I am a fan of Kevin Smith. I’ve seen all of his movies, listen to his podcast, am a regular attendant at his Hall H panel at Comic-Con every year, and even visited his comic shop, Jay and Bob’s Silent Stash, back when they had a location in Los Angeles. When I heard that he had a new book coming out, I knew that it would be funny and entertaining, like the man himself.

Tough Sh*t: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good, is partly and inspirational tome and part biography. In it, Smith chronicles his rise to indie fame with his first film Clerks and his film industry education at the hands of Harvey Weinstein. Smith leaves no rock unturned and chronicles each of his films, from Clerks, which was funded by credit cards and sold at Sundance, to his newest film, Red State, which he sold the rights to himself for $20 and took on tour through indie movies houses across the U.S.

A lover of all things pop culture, Smith’s book is peppered throughout with references to comics, Batman, Wayne Gretsky, and John Hughes, all of which had a large impact on his life. Smith also gets into the nitty gritty of life in Hollywood, telling of his falling out with Harvey Weinstein as well as the story of which star on the set of Cop Out was a nightmare to work with (hint – it wasn’t Tracy Morgan). But the book isn’t all film and Hollywood gossip. Smith talks extensively about his family, namely his father, wife Jenny and their daughter Harley Quinn (best name ever!). Smith may be the most humble man in Hollywood as he makes it clear that much of his success and sanity are due to the support and talent of his friends and family.

Through all of these life lessons and experiences, Smith’s message is clear – if a fat f*ck like him can make a living doing what he loves, then so can you. Smith encourages you to dream big and “follow your whimsy.” Life may not turned out the way you planned, Smith says, but keep an open mind and it may turn out to be a slightly different and more over the top version of what you were aiming for. In an age of cynicism, following your dreams may sound too idealistic, but Smith has his own unlikely and inspirational story to hold up as an example. He’s built an empire just by being himself.

Smith is the perfect narrator for his own book and I couldn’t imagine anyone else doing it justice. For the past few years, Smith’s been doing a weekly podcast and it’s clear that he’s comfortable behind the mic. Already funny on the page, his words take on a whole new life coming from the source (especially the cuss words). Smith speaks with charm and enthusiasm and his attitude is infectious. I actually wanted to stay at the gym a little longer just so I could keep listening (and it takes a lot to keep me at the gym, folks). The audiobook is also peppered with little asides from Smith as he reads – little side notes not in the book that are an added bonus of getting the audiobook.

Fans of Kevin Smith will no doubt be highly entertained by this book. If you've been listening to Smith for a long time like I have, some of the stories may be familiar. But this doesn't detract from the book because Smith has a way of never telling a story the same way twice. I'd recommend this for fans of Kevin Smith and those with an open mind who don't mind some crude language and humor.



You can find Kevin Smith all over the internet. Find him on Twitter @ThatKevinSmith, View Askew, and SModcast

23 October 2012

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop (INTL - Ends 10/31)


Welcome to the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. I love Halloween and am super excited to be a part of this hop. There are over 400 blogs participating so be sure to check out the list below and hop along with us.

So what are we giving away? We're giving away one SIGNED copy of Heather Brewer's Soulbound, the first in a new series. I am a huge fan of Heather's and she is actually going to be in town the day this hop starts. So that means we'll be getting a shiny, new copy of this book signed just for you guys. You can check out the synopsis on Goodreads here. See the contest rules below. Thanks!



Rules:
  1. Open Internationally (though it may take awhile because it might take a little while for me to get to the post office)
  2. We are not responsible for lost or stolen items. 
  3. One set of entries per household please. 
  4. If you are under 13, please get a parent or guardian's permission to enter, as you will be sharing personal info such as an email address. 
  5. Winner will be chosen randomly via Rafflecopter widget a day or two after the contest ends. 
  6. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to to the email, otherwise we will pick a new winner. 
  7. If you have any questions, feel free to email us. You can review our full contest policy here
  8. PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ANY PERSONAL INFO IN THE COMMENTS. Sorry for the caps but we always get people leaving their email in the comments. Rafflecopter will collect all that without having personal info in the comments for all the world (and spambots) to find. Thanks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 



22 October 2012

Jack Reacher - Trailer



So I've seen the Jack Reacher trailer a few times now and I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I love action movies and this looks like it has a lot of it. On the other hand, I kind of have no idea what this movie is about and Tom Cruise seems to be evoking Ethan Hunt (Mission Impossible) in it. I've never read the books, so I don't have anything to to reference. I have heard though that there have been a lot of complaints that Tom Cruise doesn't look like Jack Reacher as described in the books. But movies are different and sometimes you have to make allowances. I can't resist an action movie though, and I am pretty sure I'll be seeing this.

What do you guys think of this trailer/movie? Anyone read the books and do you recommend them?




20 October 2012

Stacked (26): The Haunted Edition


Did you guys have a good week? I had a good but somewhat strange week. I took a couple of days off during the week to go to Disneyland with some friends (hi, friends!). If you know me, you know that I rarely take days off work unless I am going on vacation or something. To take a day off in the middle of the week was strange but awesome. And I haven't been to Disneyland since I was a little kid. I don't have much memory of  it so it was all new to me. I was told that it wasn't very crowded (even though it still seemed crowded). The longest we waited was for the new Cars ride (about 1.5 hours) but it was a really fun ride.There was much sensory overload and I had a great time. My fave ride was the Haunted Mansion which was decorated with A Nightmare Before Christmas.

Yeah, that didn't have anything to do with books but see what I got below. :)

Bought


Death and the Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones - I am a fan of Darynda's Charley Davidson series and could not resist her new YA release. Plus it came out in paperback, which means it was affordable. In my cart it went!

Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey - This was free for Kindle. I've seen it around and decided to give it a go. 

Borrowed


A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray - I just saw Libba speak last week and she is so funny! I didn't have the funds to purchase a book but I went out right away and got the first book in her Gemma Doyle series from the library.

Grave Peril (The Dresden Files #3) by Jim Butcher (audiobook) - I got this from the library as well. I am going to do a mini read/listen-a-long with a Goodreads friend. Can't wait to hear James Marsters.

Something Red by Nicholas Douglas - This is my book club book this month. I have to say that has been a difficult read. It's not scary like I thought it was going to be and the language is hard to get through sometimes. I am about halfway through. 

I'll leave you with a picture of the Haunted Mansion all dolled up for Halloween. I love it. Hope you're having a great weekend!





18 October 2012

The Siren - Review


Publication date: 24 July 2012 by Harlequin MIRA
ISBN 10/13: 0373605692 | 9780373605699
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Category: Adult Erotica/Romance
Keywords: Erotica, romance, BDSM
Format: Paperback, eBook
Source: Library


Synopsis:

Notorious Nora Sutherlin is famous for her delicious works of erotica, each one more popular with readers than the last. But her latest manuscript is different—more serious, more personal—and she's sure it'll be her breakout book...if it ever sees the light of day.

Zachary Easton holds Nora's fate in his well-manicured hands. The demanding British editor agrees to handle the book on one condition: he wants complete control. Nora must rewrite the entire novel to his exacting standards—in six weeks—or it's no deal.

Nora's grueling writing sessions with Zach are draining…and shockingly arousing. And a dangerous former lover has her wondering which is more torturous—staying away from him...or returning to his bed?

Nora thought she knew everything about being pushed to your limits. But in a world where passion is pain, nothing is ever that simple.

Review:

“Love isn’t always gentle. Sometimes love is rough and brutal. Sometimes it needs to be.”

The quote above is from a free short story on Tiffany Riesz’s website (Daniel, Chapter 7) which is a prequel to Seven Day Loan, in which The Siren’s main character, Nora, first appears. While it isn’t in specific reference to The Siren, I think it perfectly sums up how I felt about the first book in Reisz’s Original Sinner series. Let’s be clear. The Siren is not a traditional love story. The relationships in it are complicated, messy, and painful. Happily ever after is not a foregone conclusion and love doesn’t always conquer all. You’ve been warned.

The Siren is the story of best selling erotica writer and Dominatrix, Nora Sutherlin, who is writing her next and most personal novel. A major publishing house agrees to publish Nora’s book, but only if editor Zach Easton can get the novel up to his high standards in three weeks. Zach doesn’t want to be Nora’s editor, and hopes to intimidate her into quitting. But things don’t work out quite the way that Zach anticipates and he finds himself drawn to Nora and her world. They push each other to their breaking points and each must decide what they really want.

I don’t think I’ve ever met another character like Nora. Unapologetic and full of life, Nora is a woman that you both love and hate. She’s complicated and constantly evolving. Nora is a rare bird in the BDSM world. She’s a switch - a person who can be both dominant and submissive. I think this matches her personality well, as she is a blend of both extreme confidence and extreme vulnerability.

The Siren also has a great cast of male characters. Zach is the hard assed editor who challenges Nora to be a better writer. He’s a bit lost at the beginning of the book, but he eventually finds his way. And Wesley, sweet Wesley. His innocence is such a contrast to Nora and the affection and love they have for each is surprisingly tender. Then there’s Soren, who is probably the most mysterious character on the book. He and Nora have a...complicated relationship. I don’t know if I like Soren or not but I am looking forward to learning more about their relationship as the series continues.

The Siren isn’t for the faint of heart. Don’t expect to come out of it with the warm and fuzzies.Though it broke my heart a little, I think the ending was perfect for these characters. Brutal and raw but also hopeful, The Siren is a book that you will think about long after you’ve put it down.
 


Visit the author online at tiffanyreisz.com and follow her on Twitter @tiffanyreisz. You can also find some free great short stories set in the Original Sinners world on Tiffany's blog (but read The Siren first).

17 October 2012

Favorite Scary Movies

October is probably one of my favorite months because it has the best holiday - Halloween. I love everything about Halloween from the cooler weather, miniature candies, and of course, scary movies!  I don't know what it is but I just love scaring myself. I love psychological thrillers, slasher flicks, ghost stories, bad B movies; I like them all.  So just for fun I am listing some of my favorite scary movies. This is by no means an all inclusive list and just includes some of the movies that scared me as a kid and some recent faves. I'd love to know what your favorite scary movie is, too, so leave a note in the comments. (and these are in no particular order)


Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Dudes, you don't know how much this movie traumatized me as a child. For one thing, Freddy is freaky looking. And this is one of the only movies I can think of where the bad guy gets to come back for revenge. Sure, he died a terrible death, but he was child molester for goodness sake. But what really terrified me about this movie was the idea that someone or something could come and kill you in your dreams. I mean, how scary is it to think that you'll die if you fall asleep? Seriously this movie kept me up many a night as a teen. Plus, Johnny Depp.



Slither (2006)
Slither is a super campy horror film starring Nathan Fillion (yay!) and Elizabeth Banks about an alien creature that takes over a small town, turning everyone into zombie with worm-y mind control. This one is just really fun movie that's very clever and embraces all of the tropes of horror movies.



Dawn of the Dead (2004)
I know, I know, this remake doesn't compare to the classic George Romero flicks but I have to say that I kind of love Zach Snyder's update of Romero's classic. A group of people take refuge in a mall after a zombie plague. This is one of those films that's really about people, not zombies. I just thought that the human drama was really tense and realistic and the zombies were freakin' scary. 



Poltergeist (1982)
This is another one from my childhood that totally traumatized me. For years I had nightmares involving scenes from this movie. Seriously, nightmares through my teens and college. I finally mustered up the courage to watch the movie again when I was an adult and it was surprisingly tame. Though it didn't have the same impact years later, I still think fondly of it.  The real life legend of the Poltergeist curse makes the whole franchise that much creepier.



28 Days Later (2002)
Yessss, I love a good zombie (sorry, K) and this really was one of the first modern movies to bring zombies back in a big way. Danny Boyle's version of the future with zombies who don't stumble aimlessly and are freakin' fast is terrifying. And like any good zombie movie, it's really about humanity. The idea of a military takeover and the crazy lengths they will go to in order to maintain the human race is very plausible to me and very scary. 28 Days Later also introduced the world to Cillian Murphy, for which I am forever grateful. 



Silence of the Lambs (1991)
What can I really say about this movie that hasn't been said already? It's pretty brilliant and I am only sad that I never got to see it in the theaters. Serial killers will always be the scariest thing to me because they actually exist. I've personally never seen any proof of zombies, aliens, or ghosts so they don't scare me as much. But serial killers. They're very, very real. 



The Devil's Backbone (2001)
I haven't seen this one in a long time but I remember it being very creepy. It was probably the first Guillermo del Toro movie I ever saw.  A boy's orphanage is haunted by a ghost. But is the ghost good or bad and what's really going on at the orphanage. Really well done and made me a fan of del Toro. 



Halloween (1978)
Another classic. Horror movies today have to rely on a lot of gore and effects for their scares but this one doesn't need those tricks. I remember that scene where stabs a kid and leaves him hanging in the door. You don't see much, but it's totally effective. Plus, great score.


Shaun of the Dead (2004)
A mix of comedy, horror, and buddy flick, Shaun of the Dead is one of my more recent faves. Gotta love Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as two hapless dudes trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. This movie is just brilliant and there are so many memorable moments from it. One of my faves is the zombie walk practice. Man, I think I am going to go watch this right now.


The Walking Dead (2010)
I am just getting back into The Walking Dead after getting rid of cable last year. Thank goodness for Netflix. Even though zombies have been popular for awhile, I think this show really brought them out to the masses. Limbs are being chopped off and brains are being eaten on TV, people. The characters on the show are really complex and diverse. Each episode is fraught with tension. I also love that the production value is so high and all of the makeup and effects are just awesome. It's my weekly zombie fix.

So that's my really long, drawn out list of favorite scary movies/shows. I am sure there is stuff missing that I'll remember two minutes after I post this. What's our favorite scary movie? I'd love to know so I can add them to the Netflix queue. Happy October, everyone!



all images are copyright their respective film/production companies. 

14 October 2012

Stacked (25)


Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week's Stacked post where I share what I've bought, borrowed and received this week.  I hope you all had a nice week. It was finally starting to feel a little bit like fall around here. I even bought a mini pumpkin to celebrate. The temp did spike up over the weekend but I did get to go to the beach, where the weather was pretty perfect.   A relatively low book haul this week. I feel like I have been in a bit of a reading slump lately. I just haven't been reading as much. I am sure it'll pick up again but, for now I am just reading at my own pace. Let's see what I got, shall we?


False Memory by Dan Krokos - I got this one from the library. I'd heard some good things about this sci-fi teen thriller. I just started it and it's pretty good so far.

Sean Giswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt - I have so many friends who love this book and I was lucky that it was the Kindle daily deal recently and picked it up for only $1.99.

I won some awesome books from Addicted 2 Heroines that arrived this week. I actually already have The Siren and Archangel's Storm on my Kindle already but I picked them because they are awesome and I wanted print copies as well.

The Siren by Tiffany Reisz
Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh
Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

I leave you all with this picture I took on Sat at the beach. Have a great weekend!