In My Mailbox (128)

Happy Easter to all those who celebrate!!!

In My Mailbox is a meme created by The Story Siren to showcase new books received.

So here's what I got this week!

Borrowed from the library (I actually made a trip to work--during my vacation!--to pick up my holds!):

• Bluefish by Par Schmatz

eGalleys downloaded from NetGalley:

• Rotten by Michael Northrop
• Dare You To by Kate McGarry

DVDs borrowed from the library:

• Argo
• Lincoln (see why I made the trek to work?)
• Girls, Season 1

What did you get?

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

March Movie Reviews (and my feelings on James Franco)

I have been on the fence about James Franco for a long, long time. I really want to like him--I love the idea of him being our generation's Renaissance Man--but something about him just doesn't ring true. My ex-husband has always said never to trust anyone with beady eyes, and for the most part he has been completely spot-on with that advice. Something about James Franco just doesn't ring true for me, like he's made it his life's mission to make us all look like idiots or something.

Still, I enjoy some of his work. Of course I loved him in the Spiderman movies :) and he was absolutely amazing in 127 Hours (rated R)--especially THAT scene, which was done in one horrifying take (I really feel he deserved the Oscar that year, not just a nod). If you can stomach it, I highly recommend it.

Best Girl and I (and a few of my friends) saw Oz: The Great and Powerful (rated PG) a few weeks ago. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Mila Kunis is, as aways, stunning. James Franco was better than expected, although I felt the cockiness of the character was more along the lines of how I think Franco might act in real life. But who knows?  The two things I loved best about this movie were Finley, the flying monkey, and the China Doll. I want each of those things for my very own.

Finally, this evening I treated myself to the movies to see the other Franco film out right now, Spring Breakers (rated R). Entertainment Weekly has been raving about this movie for several weeks, and naturally I was curious to see Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens fully breaking out of Disney. Hudgen proved herself, but Gomez's character was a little too clean-cut to really gauge how well she's going to do outside of the Disney bubble.

I was also curious to see how James Franco did as Alien, rapper and local thug. I was not disappointed but instead quite surprised at how well Franco transformed himself:

Until Franco took off the sunglasses, you couldn't even really tell it was him. He didn't just embrace this character, he became this character. It was an amazing transformation. 

This movie is not for everyone, of course. Lots of drug use and drinking, sex and gratuitous nudity, and violence abound. But it was an interesting film that I enjoyed. I never took a spring break trip during college, and you can bet your butt I'm not going to let Best Girl take one, either!

I don't have a final verdict on James Franco. I do enjoy his performances as an actor, but I get the feeling that he's always acting.

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

In My Mailbox (127)

In My Mailbox is a meme created by The Story Siren to showcase new books received.

So here's what I got this week!

Borrowed from the library:

• Banished: surviving my years in the Westboro Baptist Church by Lauren Drain (adult nonfic)
• Six Years by Harlan Coben (adult fic)

DVDs borrowed from the library:

• Easy A
• Boiler Room
• Arbitrage

What did you get?
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

In My Mailbox (126)

In My Mailbox is a meme created by The Story Siren to showcase new books received.

So here's what I got this week!

Received from author for review:

• When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney

DVDS borrowed from the library:

• Compliance

A pretty slow week for me, but that's OK. Some weeks are like that.
What did you get?
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Ugh, word verification

Even though I know I don't get many comments, I am being forced to turn on the word verification for a while. Amidst the few but very sweet comments I have been getting lately is an increasing number of spam comments. The only way I know how to deter them is with word verification. Hopefully it will be only temporary.

Does anyone have another suggestion for me? If you're willing to do the verification, that is!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

In My Mailbox (125)

Click here to enter to win a copy of Island Eyes, Island Skies!

In My Mailbox is a meme created by The Story Siren to showcase new books received.

Here's what I got this week!

Borrowed from the library:

• Who Done It? Investigation of Murder Most Foul (an anthology compiled by Jon Sceiszka featuring over 80 children's and YA authors proclaiming their innocence in the murder of an editor)
• The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick (adult fic)
• Give Me Everything You Have: On Being Stalked by James Lasdun (adult nonfic)

DVDs borrowed from the library:

• The Men Who Stare at Goats
• Looper
• Wreck-It Ralph
• Red Dawn (2012)

What did you get?
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

DVD Reviews 5

Click here to enter to win a copy of Island Eyes, Island Skies!

Here are a couple of DVDs I watched recently--borrowed from the library, of course!

Seven Psychopaths (rated R): I just could not get into this movie,  I don't know why. I thought all the actors were interesting but the storyline was just all over the place for me. There's just something a little scary about Christopher Walken, I gotta be honest. Woody Harrelson was fun as a psychopath with a soft side for his puppy, though.

Inglourious Basterds (rated R): EXCELLENT movie. I now officially love Christoph Waltz--he was such a good character in Django Unchained and such an evil character in this movie but good or bad, his characters definitely made each movie. I thought this movie was very engaging, although with more subtitles than I was expecting. Still, I was definitely kept involved in this movie, and of course, being a Quentin Tarantino film, there were more twists and turns than expected. Brad Pitt played a redneck with ease, and the actress playing Soshanna was stunning. I did love that Samuel L. Jackson and Harvey Keitel loaned their voices to some small parts, too!

Have you watched anything fun lately?
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Island Eyes, Island Skies review

Island Eyes, Island Skies by Richard Levine

Feathered Tale Books, January, 2011

RIRI: Author provided copy in exchange for an honest review

Summary from Goodreads:

While at her cousin's birthday party, young D.C. meets Rob. They have a great time and promise to meet again over the summer, but a father's untimely death and a mother's miscarriage keep them apart. Reunited at school, smart-alecky D.C. and introspective Rob slowly form a bond, as they share time, adventures and sporting activities together; they also share thoughts about the workings of the mind and nature, and observations about the quirky qualities of certain members of their own families. When tragedy strikes again, they try to come to terms with what it leaves behind, struggling to accept the uncompromising, unidirectional nature of time. In the end though, separately, they come to believe in the future and the second chances it will bring.

I thought this was a very sweet coming-of-age story for middle readers looking to bridge the gap into YA literature. The chapters alternate mostly between twelve-year-olds DC and Rob, but there are some chapters narrated by moms, teachers, and even younger siblings, giving readers an even more intimate look at the lives of these characters.

DC and Rob are both so individual and completely likable. DC is tall for her age and is on her way to being a striking young woman, but she's also got that awkward "I'm 12 and have no idea what to do with this body" thing going on, which pretty much makes her a normal kid. Rob is an easygoing kid who knows right from wrong and is just a good kid. Together, the pair spend time playing sports and creating elaborate made-up scenes--his servant to her queen, etc. If it all seems a little innocent, that's because it is. It's so nice to see two kids just acting like kids. It's totally obvious that each has feeling for the other, but they are also so content to just hang out. It's really, really sweet.

I have to say, though, that the second tragedy (or third, I suppose) happens, it totally took me by surprise and was sudden and extremely unsettling. Seeing how the pair will recover from it just made this a very engaging read.

The author has graciously provided a giveaway copy! Entering the giveaway couldn't be easier, just enter the Rafflecopter! Contest is open to US residents ages 13 and up, and closes on March 15.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

In My Mailbox (124)

In My Mailbox is a meme created by The Story Siren to showcase new books received.

Here's what I got this week!

Borrowed from the library:

• The Zodiac Killer: Terror and Mystery by Brenda Haugen (nonfiction)
• Leverage by Joshua Cohen 
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

DVDs borrowed from the library:

• Inglourious Basterds
• Seven Psychopaths

What did you get?
Enjoy your reading!
Christi