The Twelve Tales of Christmas

If you are looking for a nice gift for yourself or someone else, I highly recommend THE TWELVE TALES OF CHRISTMAS by my dear friend, Miranda Koerner. I'm not biased because she's my friend! I had the joy of reading these stories and I loved them all! Filled with short stories that will warm your heart, make you smile and even bring tears to your eyes, it gives me that magical, whimsical Christmasy feeling I love so much. It's also full of good stories to read to the special people in your life, because you will want others to enjoy it, too. Click on the title to go to the order page.

Water For Elephants

It's been awhile since I've posted a book review, but this was one of those I felt deserved my attention. I didn't expect to like it. Too much hype. I hate hype and will usually avoid books or movies with too much hype (okay, except the Pirates movies, superhero movies and...I could go on). Still, I normally read thrillers, suspense, and romance and normally avoid hype, though not always. You can't publish enough romantic suspense for my taste. This was none of those.

I confess that I decided to read WATER FOR ELEPHANTS because of an article in the Poets and Writers magazine by Sara Gruen's agent and because I thought reading outside my normal genre might help inspire me.

I was not disappointed. I started it on Wednesday before Thanksgiving and only read for the hour and a half long trip it took to get to my destination. Then I read it going home that Friday (didn't get a chance during the Thanksgiving holiday) and I couldn't put it down, even after the drive. (Thank goodness I was only a passenger, huh?) All in all, it took me 2 days.

There was something about the writing that just drew me in to the story, as if I was actually reading the man's account of his time at the circus. Even when he was brought back into his present reality (a 90 year old man in a nursing home remembering his time in the circus during the great depression) I didn't feel like I was being jerked out of the story.

The characters were real, even written from a first POV. Actually, they were made more real in that way. I was disappointed to finish it, because now I feel I have nothing to read. You know how it is when you're finished with a good story and nothing seems to compare. I'll have to let it sit in my brain for a few days before I can get into another one.

So if you love to read and haven't yet read this one, I highly recommend it. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen.

Step Brothers

No, it doesn't open until this Friday, but I had the privelege of watching it last night in a special screening. If I had the choice, I wouldn't have picked STEP BROTHERS as the movie I would have watched in a theater, but my friend had tickets given to her from her job and she invited me. I don't get a chance to spend a lot of time with my friend (whom I've known since the 2nd grade), so I was excited about this evening. Plus, it was at the ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE. I've never been there, but I've heard a lot about it, and it met or exceeded my expectations. It was worth it just for that experience.



The movie is what you would expect from Will Farrell and John C. Reilly. Corny, funny, crude. The girl that exited the theater was asked her opinion on it from a reviewer, and she said it was the most awful movie she'd seen. I know some people would probably be offended, but I say you should know what to expect, considering the actors, the screenwriter, the producer. (Hint: Will FarrelL!)



It was crack up funny, even better because I was sitting in an awesome theater with my friend and drinking wine and eating pizza. Come on! What could be better that movies, wine and pizza???

No Country for Old Men

Okay, so my blogging hiatus has taken a hiatus and I'm skipping over my tentative blogging schedule (which I haven't stuck to) to do an early movie review.

After a hard weekend of working, my hubby and I cooked dinner and sat down to relax and watch NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. I didn't expect to like this movie, but I was quickly enthralled. Twenty or so minutes before the movie ended, that enthrallment turned to disgust, anger and disappointment.

If you haven't seen the movie but want to, please stop reading. This is a spoiler.

The writers got lazy or something. Here's a tip on what not to do when writing. Don't make almost the entire movie about one particular person and the events of his life. Everything is okay and then the sheriff comes on scene and the guy is dead. DEAD! We don't see his POV, we don't see what happened. Suddenly, he's dead. Later, the same thing happens to his wife. We're pretty sure it's going to happen and she's going go die. At least we see her POV for a brief moment. Then, the killer is walking out the door, which leads us to believe she is dead.

It cuts to the sheriff. Now I'm already zoning out at this time. I'm already pretty upset. How many authors pour blood sweat and tears into their manuscripts and do everything they should do, yet still get rejected? And this movie won Oscars!!!! They skipped the most important events and just made us piece it together ourselves. Unbelievable!

Some writers think that not tidying up their story at the end will make it special. It doesn't. It makes it disappointing!!!!!

They could have done so much more with this movie. It had such potential. Yes, it was about the sheriff and the villain, but it was also about the character who found the money...Llewelyn. It's like the writers, directors and producers (the highly acclaimed Coen brothers!) thought we--the viewers--weren't important enough that we would care what happened to Llewelyn. I expected him to die. Yes, I like happy endings and get upset when it's not a happy ending, but I don't expect happy endings in the movies I watch (especially now, because it seems like there are less happy endings in movies these days). This movie made me feel cheated because it skipped over the most important events. All of a sudden, the character we have grown close to is dead. We walk up upon him and he is dead. We have been involved in his life but weren't involved in this part. It's like the writers didn't know what to do. So hey, let's kill him, show the guys getting away in a pickup truck, and then the sheriff pulls up and finds him dead.

Sigh.

If you want to know how best to make a viewer (or reader) feel cheated, watch NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN.

Movie Review: Enchanted

Okay, if you haven't seen the movie, you may not want to read the following post about the new movie, Enchanted with Patrick Dempsey, Amy Adams, James Marsden and Susan Sarandon. With that cast of characters, what's not to like? Add a cute little chipmunk that makes you crack up when you least expect it, and you've got what makes Disney movies so fantastic.

At first thought, I was worried about my niece watching it. After all, what if kids grow up to believe in happily-ever-afters because of a silly movie, or book or...??? I never thought that until a friend said that about herself, and now it makes me wonder. The happily-ever-after ended in a way that the princess hadn't originally intended, which was good but which also bothered me because of what my niece would think. Her mother has been divorced and is with another man, and this was in the back of my mind during the movie because I don't like to think that she might think you can just give up on the guy you originally thought you loved because you realized you love someone else now. How do you explain that to a six-year old who is saying "I thought she was with the prince?" It's hard to explain to her that they only knew each other for a day and didn't really love each other. In real life, I think couples give up way too early in life. Instead of trying to make it work, they split up, then they have to try even harder as a single person! It makes no sense! I realize there are reasons, but not all of them make sense if you really think about it. You can fall out of love if you stop trying, if you don't do anything together but bitch and moan, if you don't have a relationship anymore and do fun things you enjoy together and separately. But you can stay in love just as easily (that should be saved for another post, huh?) I'm just saying...sometimes I fear there are those couples who don't even try anymore, and it's sad. Don't get me wrong...I also know there are those relationships (or people) that cannot be saved or aren't worth saving and there are some things in a relationship that should never be tolerated.

Back to the movie...the prince and princess didn't even know each other, so of course they weren't in love and it all turned out great. I liked it enough to buy it (and I only buy movies I'll watch again, but I'm a sucker for romance!)

Alvin and the Chipmunks

Today, I took my six year old niece to the movie theater for the first time. I think she's gone with her school before, but this is the first time she's been with me. (Her mom isn't a big movie theater buff, but me...I love movies!)

She begged me and begged me to go. We were going to take her to a park and roam around, have a picnic. I gave her a choice, and she picked Alvin. I'm glad she did!

We got a box of popcorn and drinks, and when it started she looked at me, smiled, and said "I can't wait!" Then she said, "I love you." This meant a lot to her, and it made me remember my first time at the theater with my dad. It was the same small-town theater that I went to when I was her age! They shut it down for awhile, but then reopened it to play movies (usually older movies, as you can see), and they have live events.

I was so impressed with the movie, even more happy to be sitting beside my niece! They sang the song that I remember as a child. I owned the record when records were the big thing. It made my heart swell.

I haven't seen very good reviews of the film, but I thought it was nice! It's a good kids movie, and it brought back memories of my childhood.

We came home and danced around the house, colored, and ate dinner. Now it's time for a book...

Kiss of Midnight, by Lara Adrian

Today is Movie Review Day, only I’m changing it to Movie/Book Review. (Hey, it’s my rules, I can change them.) I am currently reading a book that deserves to be raved about. It has everything I love in a book. It is intense, character-driven over an exciting plot, and full of imagery that makes me feel like I’m a part of it.

It’s a paranormal. I haven’t read a paranormal in years. When vampires first started coming out, I read a few and liked them okay, but haven’t picked up another since. I’m just not fond of paranormal. I prefer human beings. How in the world can someone fall in love with a vampire and think he’s sexy? Or a werewolf or some kind of human changing animal or a…

Well, Lara Adrian has changed my mind.

On her website, Lara Adrian says: "Why vampires? Vampires as heroes in romantic fiction speak to the most basic instincts we know. (Fear and desire). They are the ultimate bad boy, and who among us can resist that kind of allure?"

KISS OF MIDNIGHT is awesome. She weaves a tale through intense POV, imagery that makes me feel like my own teeth are stretching and blood is filling my mouth. His castle is very real to me. I can see myself walking through it, I can understand it. The characters’ goals, motivation and conflict are logical. Though the hero, Lucan, is a vampire, he seems very human. And the hero/heroine don't fall in love by the third chapter. Lust, maybe, but they aren't in love yet, which is a good thing.

I love imagery, and she uses it well. She makes me feel like I’m right there, watching it all play out. Her writing style is what I love about certain romantic suspense. Intense, explicit, exciting, non-stop action and romance all rolled into one, and and oh, how she pervades my senses with her voice!

KISS OF MIDNIGHT is a series, and I’ll definitely be reading the others!