tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91419437386103152772024-02-07T00:55:24.236-05:00Christi the Teen LibrarianA blog about all things YA.Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.comBlogger589125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-12092191874928603242013-05-21T08:03:00.002-04:002013-06-18T23:11:12.563-04:00HiatusSo, I think everyone knew this was bound to happen. I haven't written a full-fledged review in months and the only posts that were going up with any regularity were my IMM posts. Occasionally I will toss us some movie reviews, but even those are few and far between.<br>
<br>
The reason for all of this is that I've been in a quite a funk for the last several months and it doesn't appear to be getting any better. There's been a lot of upheaval in my personal life and unfortunately my reading and blogging have taken a hit as a result. I have read maybe 7 books that I loved so far this year, and only a few of them are YA books. I'm not reading as much as I used to, and I'm not liking much of what I do read.<br>
<br>
So after thinking long and hard, I've decided to step away from my blog for a while. I will probably still update my Books Read in 2013 page, but I hate looking at my blog and only seeing IMM posts. I don't want anyone to think that I'm keeping this blog open just so I can brag about what I get every week. The reality is that the IMM posts are the ones that require the least amount of thinking for me to prepare.<br>
<br>
My heart just isn't in the YA world right now. I'm still reading YA, but not with the fervor I had been. It has nothing to do with the genre itself and everything to do with me. I'm in a weird place in my life right now--my heart just isn't in anything except taking care of my Best Girl.<br>
<br>
So I hope you will understand my absence (I know I just gave you a convoluted mess to read through, and I apologize, but that's how my brain has been working as of late). I am not deleting my blog because I do hope to return to reading and reviewing. Right now I just need to figure some things out and try to get my life to a better place.<br>
<br>Thank you for your patience and understanding.<br>
<br>
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br>Christi</span></b>Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-68365422219987493652013-05-19T08:07:00.000-04:002013-05-19T08:07:00.648-04:00In My Mailbox (135)<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">In My Mailbox is a meme created by </span><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #2200a9; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;">The Story Siren</a><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"> to showcase new books received.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So here's what I got this week!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ARCs received from publisher to share with my teens (thank you, Little, Brown!): Two copies of <i>Boy Nobody</i> by Allen Zadoff, <i>Rapture Practice</i> by Aaron Hartzler, and <i>Pi in the Sky</i> by Wendy Mass!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtaglnR53btHoMpLkXtW4e8j0ujuuTPZNM-BM6w8M-VY1mcNLxflC487Nr0IXbJ-7W0jOsTdPES7r832Vu9PuwHgkPwGgHay4kVJKmOTmW3nwGt0AIZXtw5v42OK85vXY2AeeiZ0Vsfs8/s1600/IMG_0482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtaglnR53btHoMpLkXtW4e8j0ujuuTPZNM-BM6w8M-VY1mcNLxflC487Nr0IXbJ-7W0jOsTdPES7r832Vu9PuwHgkPwGgHay4kVJKmOTmW3nwGt0AIZXtw5v42OK85vXY2AeeiZ0Vsfs8/s320/IMG_0482.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1;">
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Borrowed from the library:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><i>Free Fall</i> by Chris Grabenstein (adult fic)</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Um, yeah, that's it! I have some other movies on hold but I'm not checking them out until next weekend, so I'll add them to next week's IMM. And I have most of last week's stuff to catch up on, anyway.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><span style="color: #323232;">What did you get?</span><br /><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b></span></span></div>
</div>
Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-8444215323834375172013-05-12T10:13:00.000-04:002013-05-12T10:13:00.326-04:00In My Mailbox (134)<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">Happy Mother's Day! I hope all the moms out there have a great day. This is my first Mother's Day without my mom, and also my first Mother's Day as a single mom, so it's a bit difficult for me. But I've got my Best Girl and that's all I need!</span></div>
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">In My Mailbox is a meme created by </span><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="color: #2200a9; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;">The Story Siren</a><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"> to showcase new books received.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So here's what I got this week!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A big, beautiful box of ARCs from a co-worker! She knows that I host a huge giveaway for my teens at the end of the summer:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpKfvB7oWaeH7LaiJkvNwRBr2LVoDHjAe9nWZCjh4p7czCIVAl4Ju3CSTQAdC9XHT5AON31MrsNEUhVTPA-LbWvpzQNdk7zgJZRjmc4bG1tZC8fykw79gjN224eqpzgj7zN4In6IkoIA/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpKfvB7oWaeH7LaiJkvNwRBr2LVoDHjAe9nWZCjh4p7czCIVAl4Ju3CSTQAdC9XHT5AON31MrsNEUhVTPA-LbWvpzQNdk7zgJZRjmc4bG1tZC8fykw79gjN224eqpzgj7zN4In6IkoIA/s1600/1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq29vb1JHIDb2zDWcR2lQx9WnktkjjUsA9tiDxl_GU72ObqBV_wLSKQj5HovnuWvLI3afcb0u1jDKTSJHBAweou1LlWd7LO67qoOfWP8wpW8wuBJi7QX2ucBN6iZWu6HKDNn1BSdqlzVo/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq29vb1JHIDb2zDWcR2lQx9WnktkjjUsA9tiDxl_GU72ObqBV_wLSKQj5HovnuWvLI3afcb0u1jDKTSJHBAweou1LlWd7LO67qoOfWP8wpW8wuBJi7QX2ucBN6iZWu6HKDNn1BSdqlzVo/s1600/2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">(<i>The Originals</i> by Cat Patrick and <i>Nantucket Blue</i> by Leila Howard have been on my to-read list forever, and since my nook is no longer working, these are the two I have chosen to accompany me on vacation...the timing couldn't have been more perfect!)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; line-height: 21px;">
<div style="color: #323232;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Borrowed from the library:</span></div>
<ul style="color: #323232;">
<li><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The 5th Wave</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> by Rick Yancey</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Freak Show</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> by James St. James (June's Book Club selection at my library)</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #323232;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">DVDs borrowed from the library:</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Broken City</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>The Impossible</i></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #323232;">What did you get?</span><br /><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b></span></div>
Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-13933570467843058652013-05-06T08:49:00.000-04:002013-05-06T08:49:00.440-04:00Movie review: Iron Man 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35PMkVeBzJWuzMw9uPKbIPDVFoXgdygT635LUjn0A1TUrurzO11yWeHogyBDWnA881HD7FjRehlzGgkgZ2L6AvwWZN-1xXrm5FojHvYh-hsBaPTwKb-WNJFN1X-Ad9gTo476m75TN-ZQ/s1600/ironman3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35PMkVeBzJWuzMw9uPKbIPDVFoXgdygT635LUjn0A1TUrurzO11yWeHogyBDWnA881HD7FjRehlzGgkgZ2L6AvwWZN-1xXrm5FojHvYh-hsBaPTwKb-WNJFN1X-Ad9gTo476m75TN-ZQ/s400/ironman3.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<br />
So Best Girl and I went to see <i>Iron Man 3</i> on Friday. We are big Marvel movie fans--I specifically say movies because neither of us read the comics, but we do enjoy the films and the superheroes (I, especially, enjoy watching Thor, preferably shirtless. Yum.).<br />
<br />
So this is just a brief review of the movie. We loved it.<br />
<br />
Did you want more? LOL Truly, we enjoyed this movie from start to finish (stick around for the bonus after-credits scene!). I can't imagine any other actor succeeding in this role like Robert Downey Jr. does. His constant stream of consciousness talking is something that not many people can do well, but you can tell it's just second nature for him. The scene between Tony and the kid, Harley, he meets in Tennessee, was one of my favorites in the movie, just because of the quick-witted back and forth between the pair.<br />
<br />
<i>Iron Man 3</i> shows us a different side of Tony Stark, one that makes him seem a little less Iron and a little more man. I love Don Cheadle, so it's always a pleasure to see him as the Iron Patriot (although we totally agree that War Machine sounds way cooler). I wonder if there's been any consideration of expanding his story? Would love to see that!<br />
<br />
And of course Pepper gets to wear the suit! I'm not sure how I feel about Gwyneth Paltrow, honestly. She's pretty good in these movies, and I get the sense that not just anyone can keep up with RDJ, so she's got that going for her. Do I think she's the most beautiful woman in the world? Um, no. But anyway, she has many of her own kick-ass moments in this movie. It's always awesome to see girls fighting the baddies right there with the boys.<br />
<br />
The reason I opened this review with the declaration that we like the movies, not the comics, is because I'm sensing that a lot of comic book purists will not be happy with some of the events in this movie. The little research I've done suggests that the Mandarin, is a completely different villan in the comic books than he is in the movie. I can absolutely get and appreciate how screwing with a book character in a movie is totally wrong (Madge from <i>The Hunger Games</i>, anyone?), but for this movie, I thought the Mandarin twist was pretty cool.<br />
<br />
So overall, we felt the movie was very entertaining and had us completely engaged from start (actually, pre-start, because they showed the trailer for <i>Thor: the Dark World</i>. Again, YUM.) to after-credits.Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-79498309246784400402013-05-05T09:09:00.000-04:002013-05-05T09:09:00.836-04:00In My Mailbox (133)<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">In My Mailbox is a meme created by </span><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="color: #2200a9; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;">The Story Siren</a><span style="line-height: 21px;"> to showcase new books received.</span></span><br style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"></span></span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So here's what I got this week!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Borrowed from the library:</span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>Panic </i>by Sharon Draper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>Notes from Ghost Town</i> by Kate Ellison</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>The Sin-Eater's Confession</i> by Ilsa Bick</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>That is Not a Good Idea!</i> by Mo Willems (picture book)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">DVDs borrowed from the library:</span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>Parental Guidance</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>Rise of the Guardians</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>This is 40</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>Life of Pi</i></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">What did you get?</span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b></span></div>
Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-13383378031277261342013-04-28T07:42:00.000-04:002013-04-28T07:42:00.273-04:00In My Mailbox (132)<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">In My Mailbox is a meme created by </span><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #2200a9; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;">The Story Siren</a><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;"> to showcase new books received.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;"></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So here's what I got this week!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Borrowed from the library:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Pretty Girl-13</i> by Liz Coley</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">DVDs borrowed from the library:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Django Unchained</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The Sessions</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What did you get?<br />Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-61943805915724176352013-04-21T09:41:00.000-04:002013-04-23T07:40:46.280-04:00In My Mailbox (131)<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">In My Mailbox is a meme created by </span><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #2200a9; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;">The Story Siren</a><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;"> to showcase new books received.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;"></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So here's what I got this week!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Borrowed from the library:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><em>Out of the Easy</em> by Ruta Sepetys</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><em>Period 8</em> by Chris Crutcher</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><em>Chloe and the Lion</em> by Mac Barnett, pictures by Adam Rex (picture book, super funny)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What did you get?</span><br />
<div>
<strong><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!</span></strong></div>
<strong><span style="color: #351c75;"></span></strong><br />
<div>
<strong><span style="color: #351c75;">Christi</span></strong></div>
<strong><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span><div>
</div>
</strong><br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-67191627093162375892013-04-17T09:59:00.000-04:002013-04-17T09:59:05.252-04:00Catching Fire--RamblingsI finally got around to re-reading <i>Catching Fire</i> and finished it up last night. Can I just say that I am so, so nervous about the movie? <i>Catching Fire</i> was my favorite book of the trilogy, and I think that there's <i>so</i> much going on that perhaps this should have been the book to split into two movies.<br />
<br />
Here are just a few of the things that bother me (these might be spoilers if you haven't read CF yet):<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Bonnie and Twill--the two runaways from District 8 that Katniss meets in the woods--aren't mentioned on the IMDB Catching Fire page. This, to me, is a pivotal plot point and I'm scared to see how it's going to be mangled.</li>
<li>Madge--I had forgotten how important the roles of her and her family were in CF. Not only the whole thing about her mom and the reaping, but Katniss really sees the uprisings for the first time on a TV in her house. AND SHE WASN'T MENTIONED IN THE FIRST MOVIE. No record of her character on IMDB, either.</li>
<li>And after watching the trailer? I am even more scared. Yes, I know they didn't show any of the Quarter Quell, but remember, they didn't show any fighting in any of the trailers for the first movie, either. That doesn't bother me at all (although I fear they will dumb down the monkeys the same way they dumbed down the Muttations). I got the impression that they are going to great lengths to spell things out for the viewer, which pisses me off. President Snow did not admit to doctoring the Quarter Quell decree-things in the book (at least, not in <i>Catching Fire</i>)--readers knew it was all too perfect to be coincidental but we were with Katniss as she slowly came to that realization. Here, we learned <i>in the trailer</i> that Snow has tricks up his sleeve.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Ugh, I don't know. Of course I will be at the movies the weekend Catching Fire opens (I don't think I can do a midnight showing!), and I will be GLAD, ECSTATIC, to come back here and tell you all that I was SO WRONG AND THEY ROCKED <i>CATCHING FIRE</i>. Will I be doing that? Only time will tell.<br />
<br />
I do know that I found Liam Hemsworth immensely less stupid-looking--dare I say, almost hot?--when he presented the trailer at the MTV Movie Awards. The facial hair made him look more like his brother, my next husband, Thor.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">What do you think? I know I've missed a ton of stuff here.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b><br />
<br />Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-837799553821386812013-04-14T11:49:00.000-04:002013-04-14T11:49:00.055-04:00In My Mailbox (130)<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">In My Mailbox is a meme created by </span><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #2200a9; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;">The Story Siren</a><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;"> to showcase new books received.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So here's what I got this week!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Borrowed from the library:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Four Secrets</i> by Margaret Willey (it's been on my radar ever since I processed it a few months ago)</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">DVDs borrowed from the library:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Zero Dark Thirty</span></i></li>
<li><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Killer Joe</span></i></li>
<li><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Killing Them Softly</span></i></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What did you get?<br /><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b></span></div>
Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-33135442266754974692013-04-08T19:19:00.000-04:002013-04-08T19:19:00.749-04:00Early April Movie ReviewsSince I haven't been reading as much lately, and I really haven't been enjoying what I've been reading all that much (with a few exceptions, god I have to get some reviews up!), here are some thoughts on some movies I've seen recently:<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>Jurassic Park </i></b>(in 3D, natch) (rated PG-13): Best Girl and I saw this over the weekend. I have ZERO memories of this movie from its first release EXCEPT: when my parents got their big, 50-inch TV, my mom would always pop JP into the VCR to demonstrate the surround sound system. Best Girl LOVED the ride at Universal, and we were pleasantly surprised to see how true the area in Florida was replicated from the movie. The movie was pretty scary (I will venture a guess that 1993 PG-13 standards are not the same as 2013 PG-13 standards!), but overall we very much enjoyed the movie. We enjoyed it so much, in fact, that we picked up the movie on DVD at Target<i> the same day.</i> :)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>Robot & Frank</i> </b>(rated PG-13): my colleague at work does lunchtime films for the adult population once a month, and she decided to show this one. I'd never heard of it, so I put it on hold. It was interesting--it takes place in the "near future" and is about an ex-con (Frank, played by Frank Langella, who I love) whose son gives him a robot health aide to make sure he's eating well, sleeping enough, and to basically be a loyal companion. It seems Frank might be starting to get a little...forgetful. Frank soon realizes that Robot might be the perfect companion to pull off one more big heist. This was a cute movie with a great cast (James Marsden, Susan Sarandon, and also Liv Tyler, who I'm not really fond of). Much of the movie revolves around the local library and it's transformation to a digital repository, which of course I found especially interesting. It wasn't a movie I would've picked up on my own but it was cute enough.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>Easy A</i></b> (rated PG-13): my brother and I were discussing how much we love Stanley Tucci one night, and he (my brother) pulled up a few of Tucci's scenes from this movie on YouTube, so of course I had to borrow this from the library. I have to say I thought this movie was absolutely adorable. Of course Stanley Tucci OWNED this movie, but Emma Stone is adorbs and Thomas Hayden Church was a nice surprise, too. I don't know why I was so hesitant to see this one; I loved it!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What have you seen lately?<br /><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading (and viewing)!<br />Christi</span></b></div>
Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-89585911797937825202013-04-07T19:20:00.000-04:002013-04-07T19:20:26.456-04:00In My Mailbox (129)<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">In My Mailbox is a meme created by </span><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="color: #2200a9; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;">The Story Siren</a><span style="line-height: 21px;"> to showcase new books received.</span></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">So here's what I got this week!<br /><br />Borrowed from the library:</span></span></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>Reconstructing Amelia</i> by Kimberly McCreight (adult fic)</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>The Adults </i>by Alison Espach (adult fic)</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>Hysteria</i> by Megan Miranda</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #323232;">DVDs borrowed from the library:</span></span></span></span><br />
<ul style="color: #323232;">
<li><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i>Robot & Frank</i></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i>Breaking Dawn Part 2 </i>(It's over. Thank the lord, it's finally over!)</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i>Last Play at Shea</i> (Billy Joel's concert, the last one held at Shea Stadium. My brother thought I'd enjoy it.)</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #323232;">
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">ARC received from publisher to share with my teens at the library (thank you, Little, Brown Books!):</span></span></span></div>
<div>
<ul style="color: #323232;">
<li><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><i>Wise Young Fool</i> by Sean Beaudoin </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #323232;">What did you get?</span><br /><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-27595384662793691042013-03-31T04:56:00.000-04:002013-03-31T04:56:00.339-04:00In My Mailbox (128)<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Happy Easter to all those who celebrate!!!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">In My Mailbox is a meme created by </span><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="color: #2200a9; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;">The Story Siren</a><span style="line-height: 21px;"> to showcase new books received.</span></span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">So here's what I got this week!</span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1;">
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Borrowed from the library (I actually made a trip to work--during my vacation!--to pick up my holds!):</span></span><br /><ul>
<li><span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><i>Bluefish</i> by Par Schmatz</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">eGalleys downloaded from NetGalley:</span></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><i>Rotten</i> by Michael Northrop</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><i>Dare You To</i> by Kate McGarry</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">DVDs borrowed from the library:</span></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><i>Argo</i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><i>Lincoln</i> (see why I made the trek to work?)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><i>Girls</i>, Season 1</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;"><span style="color: #323232;">What did you get?</span><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-83471920377316278392013-03-27T08:03:00.000-04:002013-03-27T08:03:00.249-04:00March 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.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Still, I enjoy some of his work. Of course I loved him in the Spiderman movies :) and he was absolutely amazing in <i>127 Hours </i>(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.<br />
<br />
Best Girl and I (and a few of my friends) saw <i>Oz: The Great and Powerful</i> (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.<br />
<br />
Finally, this evening I treated myself to the movies to see the other Franco film out right now, <i>Spring Breakers</i> (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.<br />
<br />
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:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhae85RUJFSViEF9zMh25PxUfukYiS5ZOgdN0qWSRiB7R7K9HNb0KIOM0DnwmUva9gi6LjuKn9dgBst7D6VJDyIR6a-H3-i2J8K8FHmpPS0HGvSyXfulj-ucE7FOwrmKfKurWYP8Ql6Ptw/s1600/franco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhae85RUJFSViEF9zMh25PxUfukYiS5ZOgdN0qWSRiB7R7K9HNb0KIOM0DnwmUva9gi6LjuKn9dgBst7D6VJDyIR6a-H3-i2J8K8FHmpPS0HGvSyXfulj-ucE7FOwrmKfKurWYP8Ql6Ptw/s320/franco.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Until Franco took off the sunglasses, you couldn't even really tell it was him. He didn't just embrace this character, he <i>became</i> this character. It was an amazing transformation. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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 <i>always</i> acting.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b></div>
<br /></div>
Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-42359117798621281652013-03-24T08:24:00.000-04:002013-03-24T08:24:00.349-04:00In My Mailbox (127)<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">In My Mailbox is a meme created by </span><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="color: #2200a9; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;">The Story Siren</a><span style="line-height: 21px;"> to showcase new books received.</span></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">So here's what I got this week!</span></span></span></div>
<br />
Borrowed from the library:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Banished: surviving my years in the Westboro Baptist Church</i> by Lauren Drain (adult nonfic)</li>
<li><i>Six Years</i> by Harlan Coben (adult fic)</li>
</ul>
<br />
DVDs borrowed from the library:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Easy A</i></li>
<li><i>Boiler Room</i></li>
<li><i>Arbitrage</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">What did you get?<br />Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b>Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-16794412972834276382013-03-17T08:18:00.001-04:002013-03-17T08:18:07.404-04:00In My Mailbox (126)<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">In My Mailbox is a meme created by </span><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="color: #2200a9; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;">The Story Siren</a><span style="line-height: 21px;"> to showcase new books received.</span></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So here's what I got this week!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Received from author for review:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>When You Were Here</i> by Daisy Whitney</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">DVDS borrowed from the library:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Compliance</span></i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A pretty slow week for me, but that's OK. Some weeks are like that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What did you get?<br /><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b></span>Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-34886039417991118232013-03-15T08:40:00.000-04:002013-03-15T08:41:33.486-04:00Ugh, word verificationEven 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.<br />
<br />
Does anyone have another suggestion for me? If you're willing to do the verification, that is!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b>Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-62829802393868689672013-03-10T07:59:00.000-04:002013-03-10T07:59:00.956-04:00In My Mailbox (125)<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://christitheteenlibrarian.blogspot.com/2013/03/island-eyes-island-skies-review.html?showComment=1362650328334">Click here to enter to win a copy of <i>Island Eyes, Island Skies</i>!</a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">In My Mailbox is a meme created by </span><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #2200a9; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;">The Story Siren</a><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;"> to showcase new books received.</span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's what I got this week!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Borrowed from the library:</span><br />
<ul style="color: #323232;">
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Who Done It? Investigation of Murder Most Foul </i>(an anthology compiled by Jon Sceiszka featuring over 80 children's and YA authors proclaiming their innocence in the murder of an editor)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The Silver Linings Playbook</i> by Matthew Quick (adult fic)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Give Me Everything You Have: On Being Stalked </i>by James Lasdun (adult nonfic)</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">DVDs borrowed from the library:</span><br />
<ul style="color: #323232;">
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The Men Who Stare at Goats</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Looper</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Wreck-It Ralph</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Red Dawn</i> (2012)</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What did you get?</span><br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">
<br /></div>
Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-12159708490384383142013-03-07T06:09:00.000-05:002013-03-07T08:41:36.063-05:00DVD Reviews 5<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://christitheteenlibrarian.blogspot.com/2013/03/island-eyes-island-skies-review.html?showComment=1362650328334">Click here to enter to win a copy of <i>Island Eyes, Island Skies</i>!</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Here are a couple of DVDs I watched recently--borrowed from the library, of course!<br />
<br />
<i><b>Seven Psychopaths</b></i> (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.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Inglourious Basterds</b></i> (rated R): EXCELLENT movie. I now officially love Christoph Waltz--he was such a good character in <i>Django Unchained </i>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!<br />
<br />
Have you watched anything fun lately?<br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b>Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-30090380511228421202013-03-04T06:51:00.000-05:002013-03-04T06:51:00.311-05:00Island Eyes, Island Skies review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicD5zkcZuoTq5L7RYmUMIYSR_X2Vfku1xgWdF-dypNFGuqbW0hRQk_fK392N1ROtLj96PAcf6dphhpPLsfoID5ScwHLFG8XfWms5-qH_cWa8L-EDZ6x5aBKjD9u22-yAH6ahkKeFlQZn0/s1600/island.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicD5zkcZuoTq5L7RYmUMIYSR_X2Vfku1xgWdF-dypNFGuqbW0hRQk_fK392N1ROtLj96PAcf6dphhpPLsfoID5ScwHLFG8XfWms5-qH_cWa8L-EDZ6x5aBKjD9u22-yAH6ahkKeFlQZn0/s320/island.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Island Eyes, Island Skie</i>s by Richard Levine</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Feathered Tale Books, January, 2011</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">RIRI: Author provided copy in exchange for an honest review</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Summary from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13824887-island-eyes-island-skies">Goodreads</a>:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">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.</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">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 <i>kids</i>. 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.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />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.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9d52c115/" id="rc-9d52c115" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b>Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-12971818935143852792013-03-03T21:54:00.000-05:002013-03-03T21:54:58.876-05:00In My Mailbox (124)<span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">In My Mailbox is a meme created by </span><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #2200a9; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;">The Story Siren</a><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> to showcase new books received.</span><br />
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">
Here's what I got this week!</div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #ffe4f1;">
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Borrowed from the library:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The Zodiac Killer: Terror and Mystery by Brenda Haugen (nonfiction)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Leverage by Joshua Cohen </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">DVDs borrowed from the library:</span></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Inglourious Basterds</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Seven Psychopaths</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #323232;">What did you get?</span><br /><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-57986070376082533192013-02-24T06:00:00.000-05:002013-02-24T06:00:08.752-05:00In My Mailbox (123) <br />
In My Mailbox is a meme created by <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/">The Story Siren</a> to showcase new books received.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's what I got this week!<br />Borrowed from the library:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i>Crash</i> by Lisa McMann</li>
<li><i>The Ruining</i> by Anna Collomore</li>
<li><i>Cross My Heart, Hope to Die </i>(<i>Lying Game</i> #5) by Sara Shepard</li>
<li><i>Candy Experiments</i> by Loralee Leavitt (for Best Girl. I have to get a review of this up for you guys, she's having such a good time with this book!)</li>
<li><i>Hotel Transylvania</i> (DVD)</li>
</ul>
<div>
What did you get?<br /><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b></div>
</div>
Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-72878327779742626882013-02-22T11:30:00.000-05:002013-02-22T23:31:08.864-05:00The Ruining by Anna Collomore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-J2Dn8N3ABoDLc6pi7-VZDxJ60dPOOvbRJER9Dj3Dbw4d4cfe-PvHltjHuDpbFfUqjbIpAEIjNBxFunxPBBWDQf_F37J0v8J4YEBYwgvaahpvgvnLJ_HqWnAbcBiACdwLrJF3eT1LaY/s1600/ruining.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-J2Dn8N3ABoDLc6pi7-VZDxJ60dPOOvbRJER9Dj3Dbw4d4cfe-PvHltjHuDpbFfUqjbIpAEIjNBxFunxPBBWDQf_F37J0v8J4YEBYwgvaahpvgvnLJ_HqWnAbcBiACdwLrJF3eT1LaY/s320/ruining.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>The Ruining</i> by Anna Collomore</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Razorbill, February 2013</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
RIRI: 2013 Debut Author</div>
<br />
Summary from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15715847-the-ruining">Goodreads</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">Annie Phillips is thrilled to leave her past behind and begin a shiny new life on Belvedere Island, as a nanny for the picture-perfect Cohen family. In no time at all, she falls in love with the Cohens, especially with Libby, the beautiful young matriarch of the family. Life is better than she ever imagined. She even finds romance with the boy next door. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">All too soon cracks appear in Annie's seemingly perfect world. She's blamed for mistakes she doesn't remember making. Her bedroom door comes unhinged, and she feels like she's always being watched. Libby, who once felt like a big sister, is suddenly cold and unforgiving. As she struggles to keep up with the demands of her new life, Annie's fear gives way to frightening hallucinations. Is she tumbling into madness, or is something sinister at play? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">The Ruining is a complex ride through first love, chilling manipulation, and the terrifying depths of insanity.</span></blockquote>
I had such a hard time reading this book. I get it that Annie has a crappy home life and that escaping to San Francisco is a dream come true, but for the first half of the book I was cringing and I really thought I knew how the book was going to turn. I mean, if it sounds too good to be true (Annie's job, in this case), it usually is, right? And there were so many things that just felt familiar, like I've read them before.<br />
<br />
Happily, this novel twists in a way that other too-good-to-be-true stories doesn't, and that's what made it interesting for me. Truly, Annie has no self-esteem or courage to be her own person and that comes through in the events in the middle and towards the end of the book. This is one of those books that you can't really review because everything is a spoiler, but suffice it to say that I thought the turn was a good one. I did think the ending was a little too neat, but another reviewer mentioned that the ending shows that Annie hadn't really learned anything from her experiences, and I think that's pretty spot on, and if that's the case, the ending totally fits.<br />
<br />
Anyway, a decent trek into mental illness and an enjoyable psychological thriller.<br />
<br />
Borrowed book from the library.<br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b>Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-41119743202274219302013-02-19T08:42:00.001-05:002013-02-19T08:42:35.069-05:00February Movie ReviewsSheesh, I really suck at this whole blogging thing, don't I? To be fair, a lot of what I'm reading now are books for consideration on the awards list I read for, and I'm not loving most of those titles. And you all know how I feel about reviewing books I hate.<br />
<br />
BUT! I watched a bunch of movies this weekend!<br />
<br />
<i>Flight</i> (rated R): borrowed this one from the library because I'm trying to get as many Oscar noms in as possible before Sunday (not doing too well on this one, I gotta be honest). Good movie, difficult to watch. My coworker worked for an airline in a past life and won't watch this out of principle. I gotta admit, the idea of a drunk and high airline pilot is scary. Denzel Washington pulls it off, though, and I thought the movie addressed the theme of culpability fairly well--was the pilot's state of inebriation to blame for the accident? If not, should he still share some of the responsibility? And, I have to say that the actual crash scene was soooo difficult to watch. Very well done.<br />
<br />
<i>Django Unchanged</i> (rated R): drove to a movie theater an hour away to catch this one before it comes out on DVD, and I'm so, so glad I did. Lots of blood, more so than Pulp Fiction and I think less than either of the Kill Bill movies, but this film is quintessential Quentin Tarantino. EXCELLENT acting all around. Christoph Waltz is AMAZING, Jamie Foxx is endearing, Samuel L. Jackson was PERFECTLY cast, and yes, I even enjoyed Leonardo DiCaprio--he pulls off evil surprisingly well. (Seriously, WTF is it with that kid, that he doesn't age at all? He looks almost exactly the same as he did in his<i> Growing Pains</i> days!). I liked the dig at the Ku Klux Klan, and I truly enjoyed Quentin's cameo role. My bladder felt the movie ran a little long LOL but it was a great movie and I'm glad I made the effort to see it on the big screen, the way it was meant to be watched.<br />
<br />
Tiny Furniture (NR): I borrowed this from the library. After seeing Lena win the Golden Globe for her series <i>Girls</i> (which I haven't yet seen but am on hold for), and reading her cover article in <i>EW</i>, I was a little intrigued by her. This movie, though, was just beyond me. I get it--it's about a post-grad with no job prospects moving back home--but sadly I just couldn't get into it and was just WAITING for something to happen. Sigh.<br />
<br />
What have you seen lately?<br /><b><span style="color: #741b47;">Enjoy your reading!<br />Christi</span></b>Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-53608128506638737822013-02-17T08:54:00.000-05:002013-02-22T23:33:27.193-05:00In My Mailbox (122)In My Mailbox is a meme created by <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/">The Story Siren</a> to showcase new books received.<br />
<br />
Borrowed from the library:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>12 Things to Do Before You Crash and Burn</i> by James Proimos (for award committee)</li>
<li><i>Seventeen's Ultimate Guide to Style: how to find your perfect look </i>by Ann Shoket (for nonfiction award committee)</li>
<li><i>Little Rock Girl 1957: how a photograph changed the fight for integration</i> by Shelley Tougas (juvenile nonfiction for award committee)</li>
<li><i>World Without Fish</i> by Mark Kurlansky (for nonfiction award committee)</li>
<li><i>The Talk-Funny Girl </i>by Roland Merullo (adult fiction, for award committeee)</li>
<li><i>Ultraviolet</i> by RJ Anderson (you guessed it, award committee assignment!)</li>
<li><i>Unravel Me</i> by Tahereh Mafi (sequel to <i>Shatter Me</i>!)</li>
<li>
<div class="p1">
<i>Sever</i> by Lauren DeStefano (final book in the<i> Chemical Garden </i>trilogy!)</div>
</li>
</ul>
DVDs borrowed from the library:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Flight</i></li>
<li><i>Tiny Furniture</i></li>
</ul>
Have to get my committee work done so I can get back into my must-read list!!<br />
What did you get?<br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">Christi</span></b>Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9141943738610315277.post-19938085375544456902013-02-10T05:25:00.000-05:002013-02-10T05:25:00.664-05:00In My Mailbox (121)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">In My Mailbox is an Internet meme hosted by </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="color: #2200a9; text-decoration: none;">The Story Siren</a></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"> to share new books </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">received, purchased, or borrowed.</span><br style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 21px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">So here's what I got this week!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">Borrowed from the library:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>Dreamland Social Club</i> by Tara Altebrando (for reading committee)</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>In Darkness b</i>y Nick Lake (Printz winner and it's up for consideration on the summer reading list)</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe</i> by Benjamin Alie Saenz (BIG award honoree and winner)</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">DVDs borrowed from the library:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>Here Comes the Boom</i></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>Red Dawn </i>(original)</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">I have a ton of reading to do for the award committee I'm on, so a lot of what I've been wanting to read might have to wait for a while. I think I have nine books to read before the next meeting (which is in early March), and unfortunately for me, I'm in a bit of a reading funk lately. Sigh.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; color: #323232; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">What did you get?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Enjoy your reading!</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffe4f1; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Christi</span></b></span>Christihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207913993047711075noreply@blogger.com2