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Saturday, February 27, 2010

Movies I like!

I like to watch movies that are fun. I am not particularly fond of the big, sweeping dramas that are nominated for Academy Awards. And I refuse to watch movies if I know the dog or other significant animal dies (This goes back to my childhood and bawling my eyes out when Dumbo wasn't allowed to see his mother and she cradles him in her trunk outside of her crate and sings to him *sniff*) But fun for me and fun for a lot of other people are vastly different...For instance I hate Will Ferrell movies-especially Elf. I also hate movies like Super Troopers, etc. I think it has something to do with people acting dumb.

I also want to know what's going to happen in movies so if we are watching one at home I will get on a movie spoiler site to see what's coming. I really don't like the edge-of-your-seat feeling that some movies cause so I'd rather know ahead of time what's coming. (I also glance at the back of books to see if character names are still showing up. I have to know! Except I didn't do this with the last Harry Potter book or Breaking Dawn. Those stayed spoiler free, amazingly enough)

Here is a list of some of the movies that I watch over and over. Sometimes I pop one in because there is nothing on tv worth watching. Sometimes it's because I border on being attention deficit and have to be multitasking, so I will put a movie on in the background as I am grading papers or whatever. I know these aren't what movie snobs consider marvels of film making but I don't watch movies for that. I watch them because I like the stories or the characters or they are just plain fun.

In no particular order:
1. All of the Harry Potter movies
2. Juno-Ellen Page!
3. Day After Tomorrow (what! I love this, especially the tornadoes in Hollywood. It's flawed and I can only remember one character's name but I like it!)
4. Whip It- Ellen Page!
5. Penelope
6. Twilight
7. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
8. Napoleon Dynamite
9. Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist
10. All of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies

I would put the Lord of the Rings Trilogy on this list because I can watch them over and over, it just takes a long time. LotR movies are some of my all time favorites!

So, what are some of YOUR favorite movies? or movies that you watch over and over?

2010 books- February

February
Seeker bk 10~ Cate Tiernan (pgs 172)
Origins bk 11~Cate Tiernan (pgs 188)
Guardian of the Gate~Michelle Zink (340 pgs)
Eclipse bk 12~Cate Tiernan (pgs 184)
Reckoning bk13~Cate Tiernan (189 pgs)
Full Circle bk 14~ Cate Tiernan (190 pgs)
Night's Child bk 15~Cate Tiernan (318 pgs)

7 books 1554 pages

cumulative- 17 books 4393 pages

I am finishing up Cate Tiernan's Sweep series. Seeker is told from Hunter's pov as he looks for his parents and tracks down someone collecting the true names of things. It was different to read Hunter's story but I didn't feel it was as strong as some of the earlier books in the series.

Origins This was the story of Morgan's ancestor Rose and is told from her perspective. It is the story of where the Dark Wave originated and gave some background on the Woodbane clan.

Guardian of the Gate is the following up to Michelle Zink's Prophecy of the Sisters. In this installment, we follow Lia as she searches for the missing pages to help her end the prophecy. She travels with her two companions and keys, Sonia & Luisa to Altus, a safe haven for the Sisters to meet her Aunt Abigail. She discovers much about herself, love, & betrayal.

Guardian of the Gate moves us closer to a final showdown between Lia & Alice. I can't wait to see what comes next!

(for the purpose of disclosure, I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher and consider Michelle as an online friend. I was in no way compensated or influenced in my review of Guardian of the Gate)

Eclipse This installment is told from both Morgan's perspective and Alisa's perspective. Alisa is the youngest member of the Kithic Coven and is not sure if she still wants to be part of the coven. She discovers something about her late mom that changes her outlook. At the same time Morgan and Hunter are still battling Ciaran and trying to find a way to stop a Dark Wave.

Eclipse moved along better than the previous two books. A major event happens close to the end of the book and I am curious about the fallout

Reckoning is the 13th book in the Sweep series. This one is told solely from Alisa's pov. She is still coming to terms with being a witch and runs off to Massachusetts to meet and get to know her late mother's family. There, she helps uncover the reason behind the strange hauntings at her grandmother's house.

I do enjoy getting to know some of the back story with some of the characters from this series and it's interesting seeing how Alisa works through what she learns. I hope a certain male friend of hers shows back up
.
Full Circle is another installment written from dual perspectives- Hunter and Morgan. Morgan is being haunted in her dreams from someone from her past. Hunter has given up being Seeker but is approached by someone who needs his services to help check on the leader of her Coven. (I'm not wanting to spoil too much)

While I did enjoy this one, there were times I felt Hunter's part was forced
.

Night's Child is the final book in the Sweep series. I was a little worried since this one jumps ahead 20 years when Morgan has a 15 yr old daughter,Moira Byrne. Moira discovers some painful truths about her family that shakes everything she has believed to its core. This one is action packed and ties up many of the loose ends. I was pleased with how this wrapped up the series.



To see my January books- go here

Monday, February 01, 2010

2010 books

I have a goal to read over 100 books this year. so far, so good!

January
Pendragon:The Pilgrims of Rayne~ DJ MacHale (547 pgs)
Dark Magic bk4~Cate Tiernan (186 pgs)
Pendragon bk 9: Raven Rise~DJ MacHale (544 pgs)
Awakening bk5~Cate Tiernan (188 pgs)
Spellbound bk6~Cate Tiernan (190 pgs)
The Calling bk 7~Cate Tiernan(189 pgs)
Changeling bk8~Cate Tiernan (188 pgs)
The Lightning Thief~Rick Riordan (375 pgs)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid~Jeff Kinney (217 pgs)
Strife bk9~Cate Tiernan (188 pgs)

10 books, 2812 pgs


The Lightning Thief was my favorite from this month. Action, adventure, mystery.... and a movie coming out!
I love stories where kids get to be the hero. I know several kids at my school who have read and love this series. RECOMMENDED!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a very quick read. I wanted to read it when I saw the movie trailer. It is so funny and if the movie is as good as the book and trailer, it's going to be hilarious.

Pilgrims of Rayne & Raven Rise are the 8th & 9th books in the Pendragon series. Bobby Pendragon discovers he is a traveler who has to help save the different territories of Halla from the evil Saint Dane (current day Earth is known as second Earth. Bobby and his fellow travelers visit past and future Earth along with places on others "worlds") They are pretty good, but could have been better if trimmed some. I like long books as long as the story doesn't drag and these tended to drag in spots. There is one more in this series that I will get to soon. Overall, I think it is a great series for boys (and maybe some girls who like this kind of action)

The books by Cate Tiernan are part of the SWEEP series. At 17, Morgan discovers she is a blood witch from a long line of powerful witches. These books follow her as she deals with learning more about her powers, betrayal, and someone she loves trying to kill her. I love the underlying story, but some of the books could have been combined and trimmed. In every book, the author tells back story......and honestly, 10 books in I don't need to be reminded of some of these details.