Book Review Discussion TWO-FER: This Night So Dark by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner AND Heir to Endenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

I'm trying to get my Goodreads number up! To help with that I've recently read a couple of short novellas. Besides which, I was dying to get a peek into both these worlds again.  Loved them both! Here are my mini reviews for them:


Book: This Night So Dark by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner 
Genre: YA SciFi
Rating:★★★★☆
For: Fun
From: ebook from Amazon

Short Synopsis: This is the story of what happened to Tarver before he came aboard the ship that crashes... you  know, the one where he meets Lilac. (aka. These Broken Stars) and why he has been promoted...much to his chagrin. It's a sad, violent story, but it's nice to know what happened, and what he's like before meeting Lilac.

My Response: Loved it of course. I love this character. I love this world. Love love love. Read it for sure if you are into this series.







Book: Heir to Endenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson
Genre: Historical romance
Rating:★★★★★
For: Fun
From: ebook from Amazon

Short Synopsis: Similar to the above, this is the story of what happened to Philip before he meets Marianne... the frustration he feels having to take over the estate after his brother dies and being a reluctant eligible bachelor. And then we get to be in his head during the events of the inn when he meets Marianne, which is most awesome.

My Response: Um.. most awesome! :) Makes me want to pick up and re-read Edenbrooke in a most desperate way, but I have too many other things to read right now! If you are a fan, you know you have to get this one!



Let's Talk About: What are you feelings about these prequel and in between novellas? I used to be all turn-up-my-nose at them, but I'm finding they are quite enjoyable. As long as I can get them free or cheap! They are really fun!

Now... to find some more short fast books to read before the year is over!

NaNoWriMo Update Four: DONE!

Actually, I got to my 50,000 words last Tuesday! So I made my goal of finishing before Thanksgiving, which is always helpful since my attention needs to be so many other places then.  And I haven't looked at my story since I declared myself a winner... and I must say, I've been missing it. Dying to know what happens next!! Because no, it is far from finished.

But I'm also frustrated with all the stuff I skimmed over and left out and forgot. All the stuff I meant to do! So here's hoping I can keep up the everyday writing habit (once this crazy weekend is over!) and finish, then fix this story.

I want to be brave enough to share an excerpt with you... let's see...how about this dance moment:

He smiles and brings her close. In her ear he whispers, “I’m watching you.” Then he spins her away and hands her off to the next guy. Her head explodes and the dreaded dizziness descends on her again. Her feet tangle up, twisted into each other. She stumbles. But hands grab her and keep her spinning and spinning and spinning from person to person to person. How long does this crazy dance last? She’s not sure she can make it much longer and keep her dinner down.

And then, the music changes again. Slows, clears, shifts. She is handed off one last time, to someone who keeps her and holds her, steady and sure against him. She knows without looking that somehow Khol has found her in that frenzy of spinning bodies. She lays her face against his chest. It’s damp and heaving, so she knows he too has been out here dancing, this whole time. Her arms come up and around his waist. She refuses to move again for now. Maybe forever. If this dance is a throw-a-girl-around-dance, she won’t play. But his arms hold her tight, his hands press hot through the thin material of her shirt. It appears they are staying put for at least one song's worth. They barely move to the music. She closes her eyes and tries to catch her breath and dispel the spinning in her head. The movement of his chest calms her. Their breathing slows, bit by bit, and syncs together. Now, this, this she could do forever. 

The first he and the second he are two different he's in guess that's not clear from this bit! And yeah, it appears there's a dance of some sort in every story I write. Or several dances for that matter. There's just something about dancing, is there not? :)

Anyway, so there you go. Nano 2015 is a wrap! I can't believe it's over already! And now here's to another year of revising!

The Walking Dead S6E7: Head's Up (Spoilers)

Finally, finally, finally!!!

HE'S ALIVE!

Guys, they were replaying this terrible scene so I was hiding my eyes, and then my family's all like MOM, YOU HAVE TO WATCH NOW! And there was Glenn pulling himself out from under the walkers and to safety under the dumpster, just like so many people speculated!

And then he meets up with Enid, who's doing I don't know what, and they have some words and deep thoughts and he has to convince her to go back and when they get there.. they see the walkers pounding up on the fence. Not good.

Back inside the fence, Morgan gets in trouble because Carol figures out he's hiding someone.

Spencer tries to get over the fence and the walkers to... you know.. I don't know what he was trying to do!! And Tara basically saves him, but it makes Rick mad.

What was he thinking???

Oh, can I just say, Rick is all cleaned up in this episode and he's looking good... so good!

But my favorite face to see was definitely Glenn's.

A beautiful face!

What else happened? I can't even remember because GLENN'S ALIVE!

OH!! That crazy kid ends up stealing a gun and is following Carl around. GAH! STOP HIM!

The hat is back and everything feels right in the world.

Make this kid go away!

And then, Maggie sees the green balloons that Enid had and lets loose and she knows that Glenn's okay. And just when we are all smiling about that, the watch tower falls, crashing into the fence, which breaks and all the walkers start coming through.

THE END!

One more episode before the big long mid season break. I'm scared.


Oh, and P.S. We just learned this week that Daryl aka. Norman Reedus is coming to Comic Con here in March! Sweet!

He would be scary looking if you didn't know how nice he is!

Movie Review: Mockingjay Part 2

Movie: Mockingjay Part 2
Genre: Drama Dystopian
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Rating: PG13
My Rating: two thumbs up





Yes, this movie picks up right at the moment the first one ends, which is after Peeta is rescured from the Capitol and trying to recover from what happened there. He has been conditioned to kill Katniss, and has just tried to choke her to death.  So the movie starts, Katniss is hurt but okay and Peeta looks terrible.

A key scene that will make you weepy.

They end up sneaking into the Capitol to try and get Katniss to the President so she can kill him. Both Peeta and Gale are with her, and also Fennick. They have to run through a bunch of booby traps and it's intense and insane. Then when she gets almost there, she sees Prim just about at the same time some bombs are dropped and bam.

I think you all know the rest, yes?

It's a sad movie. Depressing. Just like the book. Even thought things wrap up and end somewhat happy. But that being said, they do a great job, just as they do in all the other movies, of getting it right and true to the book.

I can't help but love Gale.

So, I liked it. The movie was great. But the story itself still depresses me what with all the people that die and the way that Gale is treated, which just kills me. (Jenny and I are thinking of a Book Banter on this so I'll go into it more then.) And anyway, I feel mixed about it since I have a hard time separating movie from story. Know what I mean?

Oh, my favorite moment? At the end, a little thing between Haymitch and Effie. Watch for it!

But seriously, it's the weirdest thing to me is that this whole Hunger Games journey is over! All the books and now all the movies! I've been there for them all! And it's over! So sad!

Bottom Line: Of course see it. SEE IT PEOPLE! Embrace the emotion!

Here's the trailer:

Music Stuck in My Head: Kendji Girac

Time to share another music obsession! I discovered this guy awhile back, I can't remember how now, and I can't get enough! It seems he won the The Voice in France last year (where he was coached by MIKA another Frenchie favorite!) and since then has done a couple of albums but they aren't yet readily available here in the US sadly. But you can find the songs on YouTube! (So far, he's not even on Spotify yet.)

Anyway, please meet, Kendji!!

Um, yes, he's extremely nice to look at. OF COURSE he is! In fact, I think this calls for a collage! (You knew that was coming, didn't you?)

Gah. Those eyes.

But I do also love his songs, which he sings in what sounds pretty much like French, but sometimes sounds a little like Spanish. It's very trippy. In fact, what I think it is is, Catalan, the official language of Andorra. Actually, I'm not sure if he sings in Catalan, or just a mixture of French and Spanish. Gah! I told you it's trippy!! Whatever it is, I love it. According to Wikipedia, he was born to a family of travelers, which to me means, he's a gypsy! How fascinating is that? Yes, I've seen him referred to as that in many other places too. And he learned how to play the guitar from his grandpa. Which is just the coolest.

Oh, and he's like, only 19 years old or some such ridiculous young age.

Anyway, here are some of my favorites of his. I hope you give him a listen and let me know what you think. I tend to want to blast these songs and dance around while cleaning, or just chair dance while doing computer stuff. See if you too want to move around when you hear it.

Here's the first song I heard:

And the second one. I can't decide which one I like best:

Here's a slower more ballad-y one:

And I just discovered this one, and I love it because it really shows off the awesome language thing he has going on:  (What say you? French? Spanish? Both? Neither?)




And if you are in the mood just to hear his guitar playing... you HAVE to listen to this one:




Gah! I can't stop! I threw this one in because it shows him singing live, some popular folk song I think, with a ton of people singing along, and it's just so much fun!

I made a playlist on YouTube, so if you like what you hear, click on over to hear more!

And now, you must tell me. Did you listen? Have you already heard of him? Did you like? Or is this not quite your sort of thing?

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Thanks

It's sort of a random freebie prompt over at The Broke and the Bookish today. A thanksgiving free for all! Yes, there are some categories suggested, but I thought maybe I'd do a random bookish thanks list, as I've been known to do in the past. Let's see what I come up with.

Ten Bookish Thankful Things

1. I'm thankful for those in between novella books that usually make me crazy but right now make me happy because I plan to use them to bump up my Goodreads number!

2. I'm thankful for libraries that do author events! Pretty much my favorite thing ever. My very own library is planning one for not this Sat. but next, on the 5th and some of my favorite authors will be there. You'll know where to find me that morning!

3. I'm thankful for a daughter who said today, when I asked her what she wanted for Christmas, answered... BOOKS!

4. I'm thankful for the magic that is ebooks. That technology I pooed pooed back in the day but now I embrace with wonder.

5. I'm thankful for the authors that just keep writing and writing and writing because one thing I know and that is, I will never ever run out of things to read.

6. I'm also thankful for the authors that come to writing conferences and teach the stuff they've learned. They make me feel like I can totally join their ranks.

7. I'm thankful for words, those amazing brilliant things that happen when we put a few letters together, because words make it all happen.

8. I am thankful for the ability and the means to support authors by buying their books even though my house just might crumble any second from this habit!

9. I'm thankful for friends who happily discuss, argue, cry, laugh and squeal over books with me. It's a little insane just how much fun this can be!

10. I'm thankful that my eyes are still letting me read without too much trouble and annoyance. They are bugging me in many other ways, but not reading!!

What bookish things are you thankful for this Thanksgiving week?

Beta Book Review: Year of Origin by Maren

Book: Year of Origin by Maren
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Rating:★★★★☆
For: Beta reading
From: Maren

Short Synopsis: Blu is mad at her dad because he has just told her his plans to move the family,  which takes away any chance for Blu to go to ballet school as she has planned her whole life. She storms away and then, something happens, and she is whisked away from all she knows, to a new world. Well, actually, it's the same world, but a new time. After getting her bearings, she learns that people in this time way into the future (about 100 years actually) have come from all different time periods (except the Nobles who rule the place) and she is special because she is from the Year of Origin. She makes good with some of the higher ups and finds herself living her dream of being a ballet dancer. But all she really cares about now is finding her family, trying to see if they've been whisked to this time period too, or what happened to them. She finds a friend who comes from her same time and they bond and together, they try to figure out what's really going on in this place. I say try because yes, there's more! There's book two being worked on right now!

My Response: This was my first time reading someone's unpublished book, from cover to cover, the whole thing all at once, as if it were a "real" published book. It's quite the scary task being both the reader and/or the one being read! But I totally forgot all that while reading and just got wrapped up in the story, the characters, the setting... all of it. Maren is an amazing writer and I hope to learn from her skills at word choice and description. So good! This book of hers was her Nano project two or three years ago I think, and she is now getting it ready to query, I hope! And currently she is working on book two for this year's Nano. I can't wait to see what happens next! It's been fun to be part of the process with her. Even if this one doesn't make out to the published world, I know one of many other ideas will!

Bottom Line: A fun fabulous time traveling science fiction story complete with a strong main characters, her quirky boy and a prince that is a little crazy!

Let's Talk About: What do you think about me reviewing unpublished stories? I did get Maren's permission, but you all might think, why do I care about this book that I may never see?  But then again, I thought it would be fun to share the process a book goes through, not only just my experience trying to write, but the experience of being part of a writing group and reading things other aspiring authors are writing. Also, if she does get this published, then we can already be spreading the word! Or something. Anyway, hopefully you will find it fun.

NaNoWriMo Week Three Update

Just in case you're following along, here's my week three report. And wow, that week flew by, did it not? I did have a couple of bad days this past week, writing-wise, just as I expected, though even then I managed a couple hundred words just so I could update the page and say that I've haven't actually missed a day! Even that's a pretty crazy goal and accomplishment really.

So, I loved my story up until Thursday/Friday and then BAM, I hit a wall. You know all the feelings... why am I doing this... this is crap... what a lot of time to waste doing something that will go nowhere... I don't know what to write next... it's terrible so why try...blah blah blah. I hate it when that happens. But then Saturday things picked up again, I got over the little hump of "what happens next" even though the story is going its own direction and I'm just hanging on for the ride. I wish I was more imaginative than I am so I could truly figure things out but who knows. Maybe something cool will happen.

My story has three distinct parts... and I've just crossed over into the third part. While that doesn't necessarily mean I'm nearing the end, it feels like things are going to start getting crazy in anticipation for that climatic moment (assuming I can write myself there) which makes me excited. I'm frustrated because I keep thinking of things I need to go back and change, or add or fix or delete, but that's not what Nano is about, so there's a huge list that's started and hopefully I can remember what/how/who/when I need to make those changes.

I was pondering sharing an excerpt but I'm vetoing everything. Instead, I thought I'd share a list of some of my characters names. A few of them have been nameless until today and I'm excited that they finally have names! So I give you, my characters:

Khol
Taryn
Traze
Brandi
Jastin
Landan
Zax
Jaro
Gavrin
Yan
Solmon
Balee
Lira

Speaking of characters, one thing that happened this week, I started reading last year's Nano story, which I haven't looked at for pretty much a whole year. And I'm dying to work on it again! And revive those characters! And actually finish it and polish it and see what someone other than me, thinks of it. So that'll be the project starting just as soon as Nano ends. I wonder if I can revise two stories at the same time. Or three even.

Well anyway, as of the beginning of today, I'm at about 42,000 words. One week to get 8000 more. I can totally do this, despite Thanksgiving!

How about you? Feeling strong? Pushing on to the end? Giving up? Wondering what the heck is happening to your story?

Isn't Nano so much fun!?!

This is how I keep track of my word counts.

Brand new writing buddies. Aren't they so cute!?

The Walking Dead S6E6: Always Accountable (Spoilers!)

This past week we followed Daryl, Abraham and Sasha's story and their part in the failed attempt to lead the walkers away from Alexandria. They are actually still doing their job, when shots suddenly ring out. I think it's the wolves, yes? Or some other random mean group. I'm not sure, everything happened so fast, but Daryl crashes his bike and gets pretty banged up. Abraham and Sasha hide and suddenly, they are all split up.

Abraham and Sasha find an office to hang out in. Here, we get to see them saying lots of deep thoughts to each other, and we get to see Abraham pretty much losing his mind as he hangs off the edge of the roof taunting a spiked walker. I have no idea what that was all about. He does find some bazookas and cigars, so really, he's all good. Later that night, he basically asks Sasha to hang out with him in that office forever and start their own little life together. I mean, seriously. I think he really has lost it. The look she gives him is great though.

A gun on Daryl.

Meanwhile, Daryl meets up with a couple of crazy people who are running from other crazy people and they think that Daryl is with those crazy people. So they tie him up and drag him along with a gun to his head. But Daryl runs away, but then has to come back to give them their insulin back... of course. And then they seem friendly and all and realize he might be one of the good guys and he thinks they might be just sane enough to be part of their group, so he invites them to come to Alexandria. So what do they do? Steal his cross bow AND his bike and leave him stranded! THE NERVE!

In which he looses both bike and bow. 

But he finds a truck, happens upon Sasha and Abraham, thereby saving Sasha from her fate of being stuck there her whole life with Abraham, and as they are pulling away to go home, presumably, Daryl tries one more time to get Rick on the radio.

"Rick, do you copy? Rick... hey.. do you copy?"

crackle crackle static static

"Help."

The end!!!!

Glenn's voice? Yes or no? Alive? Yes? Will we get answers finally this coming week? Yes or no???GAH, this show is crazy!

Book Review Discussion: Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

Book: Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray
Genre: YA SciFi
Rating:★★★★☆
For: Review
From: Received for free from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Short Synopsis: In the first book, Marguerite was going through all (well some, since there are thousands) the dimensions trying to find her father's murderer. In this one she is going through them again trying to find the pieces of her guy, because his soul has been splintered. That does NOT sound good, does it??? And there's the bad guy who started all this mess who keeps hounding them wherever they go. Also, she revisits one of the dimensions in the first book and finds out some interesting and disturbing things. She also finds out interesting and disturbing things about her guy. But in the end... well, in the end... OH MY GOSH!!!

My Response: I love these books! So unique and crazy and good and crazy and crazy! The cliffhanger. Intense! So not expected. NOW WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO?? Well, basically, these books are so fun because we get a set of characters that we come to know, but then everywhere they go, they meet themselves in these other worlds and things are just a little bit different. It's trippy and awesome. It feels sort of like time travel, but it's not. And yeah. I love it.

Bottom Line: Really fun science fiction that has a great time messing with your mind!

Let's Talk About: Middle books are sometimes iffy. This is a great one though. Do you have strong feelings about middle books?

Other Reviews:

I felt that this book pointed out that each of us has qualities that aren't ideal, even qualities that could take us to a darker version of ourselves, given the right circumstances. The book also was strong on destiny -- the idea that even in multiple universes, certain people are destined to end up together. From YA Romantics

It's full of action and danger. And the overarching plot moves along as Marguerite discovers more and more with each dimension she visits. From Annette's Book Spot

DFT: As a favor to everyone that has already read Ten Thousand Skies Above Youcan you please give us a small hint as to what is going to happen in the next book? I know I am personally dying after that ending!

Marguerite: How do you think I feel about that ending? Oh, my God, the suspense.
Here’s what I can tell you, though: I’ll be going back to even more dimensions I’ve visited before—and some of those dimensions (or the people within them) might be coming to visit me. From Dark Faerie Tales

I am always skeptical going into a second book, perhaps even more so if I really loved the first book. Ten Thousand Skies Above You, much to my delight, provided more twists, more traveling, and more thoughtful romance that I could have hoped for.   From Ex Libris

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Quotes from Books This Year

I don't normal write down or remember quotes, but I looked some up for some of my favorite books from the year, just for this prompt!  Because I do truly love quotes after all! Check out The Broke and the Bookish for other bloggers' lists!

Top Ten Quotes for the Year

"Push yourself. Don't settle. Just live well. Just live."  -- Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

"There are different kinds of happy. Some kinds don't need any proof." -- This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

"Life isn't something that happens to you. It's something you make yourself, all the time." -- Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead

"Funny how you notice the beautiful things just when you're about to leave them." -- Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

"Life doesn't have to be only anxiety about what's gone wrong, and complaints about the world around you." -- How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

"All animals are equal. Some animals are more equal than others." -- Animal Farm by George Orwell

"You could die tomorrow, you don't think you should kiss her today?" -- These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

"Faith is believing in something even without proof, because you know it in your heart to be true." --The Golem and the Jinni by Helen Wecker

"Once he'd hated her for it. Then it had somehow tricked him. He knew it himself. He too felt now the heart chooses its own home and refuses reason." --The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski

"Funny how sometimes you worry a lot about something and it turns out to be nothing." -- Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Book Review Discussion: Kissing in America by Margo Rabb

Book: Kissing in America by Margo Rabb
Genre: YA romance
Rating:★★★☆☆
For: Beehive award long list
From: the library

Short Synopsis: The guy that Eva has liked forever suddenly takes an interest in her. But then he moves to the other side of the country. So now it's her mission to go visit him. She ends up getting her friend accepted to a girls quiz show and they somehow get permission from their parents to ride the bus to get there. (She's terrified of flying because of how her dad died.) So most of the story is the experiences they have getting there and the things they learn about themselves and life and people as they go. She loves romance novels, so everything she sees and does is compared to them. Which is quite fun.

My Response: I ended up being a little bit disappointed in this one. I expected it to be a more fun sort of book, but it was actually a little depressing and sad. The title is definitely misleading. There's hardly any kissing in this story!  I mean it's pretty good for a coming of age, life learning story, but I was totally not in the mood for that at the time. But I enjoyed it anyway, for its characters, its look at the personality of the country, and its bittersweet ending.

Bottom Line: If it crosses your path, go for it! It's a sweet story.

Let's Talk About: If you saw this cover and this title, what do you think it would be about? Does it bug you if a title doesn't quite match the story?

Other Reviews:

If you love quirky road trips, you might want to try this out. From YA Romantics

...readers will experience the highs of infatuation and the lows of heartache as Eva contends with love in all its forms. From Cynsations

At its core, I suppose it’s a novel about grief, family and friendship, but considering I started the novel thinking the author had something really important to say, by the end I was still unsure what it was. From Words Read and Written

Considering our MC loses her father at 14, she feels such a wide array of emotions and Margo Rabb does an EXCELLENT job of portraying those feelings because at times while I was reading I had to put the book down because it was so emotionally draining to read. From Flying Through Fiction

NaNoWriMo Week Two Update

Another week down! Everyone says we should be feeling sluggish and bugged and frustrated with our stories about now. And while I'm having moments of those things, for the most part, I'm feeling really good about my story. Today, I managed over 3000 more words, which bumped me over 30,000 total. That number looks so cool! :)

I remember being worried about having enough time this past week for writing and it turned out not too bad. But believe me, this coming week is going to be horrendous! That's why this weekend I want to double up to get a good big pile of words so that if I have some completely no writing days, it won't totally kill the groove.

Some highlights of the writing week:

• killing off a character, which, while exciting in theory, turned out to be a bit anti climatic in the story. Note to self: revise this bit later!

•  having lots and lots of sprints with Megs which really ups the word count! They are scary in a sense and awesome in a sense. Try it, you'll like it!

• some pretty good swoony scenes, but alas.. with the wrong guy! Things will be shaking up this week!

• stuff that has come up that I really need to figure out and learn more about: weapons, boxing, secondary characters names and attributes, the layout of space ships, more detail in the back stories, more detail in the level of technology this world has 

•  I decided that perhaps I'm creating world that I can call "steampunk space." I have no idea what that means, but I like the sound of it.

Well, at this point, half way in, I'm happy to say, I'm still having fun! How about the rest of you Nano-ers??

The Walking Dead S6E5: Now (Spoilers)

Wow, it's already been almost a week since we watched this episode. Wonder if I can remember what happened...

We have rejoined the story after a little break last week, and everyone is there... except Glenn of course. And Daryl and Sasha and Abraham, who are still out leading walkers down the road. And for some reason there was no Carol, or Eugene or dumb priest guy either.

This one was about Jessie and how she finds her survivor groove. And Deanna and how she seems to be losing it (especially when she defends herself against the sudden appearance of a walker and stabs him in the HEART!) And Rick and how he helps the two of them. And Aaron and Maggie, who go on a search for Glenn.

Aaron, a really nice guy.

So Maggie is off on a mission, and do you blame her? And Aaron, who I really loved in this episode, makes her let him help her. Which is a good thing because when they get down in the sewer pipe, she just about doesn't make it when attacked by a really creepy looking walker. At the end of the pipe, they realize they still can't get out. (Oh, I forgot to mention that the walkers that have escaped from the big pit crowd because of the horn are now all piling up against the wall.) That's when Maggie confesses that she is pregnant and Aaron hugs her. And I swear I already knew this news about Maggie. Didn't they hint, fairly obviously, about this awhile back? Either that or I dreamed it up because this was not a shocker to me.

Maggie almost loses to this disgusting walker.

Anyway, poor Maggie can't get out to rescue Glenn, (because rescuing IS what he needs, right? RIGHT?) and so that's very sad. Weep worthy sad!

Carl has some words with Ron (right?) and Ron is bugged at him. He thinks Carl is crazy for wanting to find Enid. He tells Rick and Rick is off to find him, leaving Ron at the lookout. This all does not bode well for some reason.

Deanna is crazy. I just really don't know what else to say about her. Hopefully she'll pull it together.

After not killing a walker.

The doctor girl (what's her name? Denise?) and Tara share a moment. I saw that one coming from a mile away.

And then Rick kisses Jessie, which I totally enjoyed, even though Jessie is getting on my nerves lately. Kissing is much needed in this show I'm thinking.

What else happened that I forgot about? One thing... no one new was killed! Only walkers! Some of them those awful W dudes!

OH!! Remember how we left Rick stuck in the RV being surrounded by walkers? And then suddenly he was back safe and sound in Alexandria? HOW???? Well, I guess we are to assume he just got out and started running, because his story picks up with him running and screaming at the wall to be let in. So, I guess he just ran home, walkers at his tail. But, that was strange and choppy to me, that we didn't actually SEE him get out of that jam.

Rick and the walkers that chased him.

We still don't know what's up with his hand, do we?

Next week it looks like we join Daryl with some adventures he's having. But still... no Glenn?

Book Banter Topic 5: Understanding Tom Hiddleston

Okay, so technically, Tom Hiddleston is not a bookish topic. But hey, he does play F. Scott Fitzgerald for a brief moment in that lovely movie Midnight in Paris! And he does play one of the best villains in all of literature because Norse mythology is literature, am I right? Anyway, when the subject of Tom came up the other day, as it often does, and Jenny said, "I just don't get him."  I was like, what??? Gasp.  I don't get that you don't get him! And thus, yet another banter topic was born!

Suey says:

Let me just illustrate my first argument, summed up in one word: SMILE

I think this will go down as one of my favorite collages ever  made!

Smile: While I agree that he might not have the typical look of a heart throb, (though it can be argued that his untypical look is quite  heart throbby enough)  you can’t deny that he has one of the best smiles in existence. And I, for one,  think that smile supersedes anything he might lack otherwise. (Though I could still argue that his eyes, his dance moves, and his general classic tailored polished look has a lot going for him too!) But his smile! It’s so contagious. It’s so brilliant and beautiful and bright. Seeing that for the first time in the theater watching Thor, I pretty much totally forgot Thor (who DOES have every single “normal” heart throb attribute going on in his favor) because of that Loki/Tom smile.

Jenny says:

K, I'm focusing on looks because I think Tom has a fun personality. I just don't get the attraction aspect. Here goes. I hope a lynch mob doesn't show up.

1. He's Soooo Pale!

Give him white hair and he could play an albino with no makeup needed. Seriously. He's not some southern bell! This isn't the old south! Go to a tanning salon! Go outside! It's called the sun, Tom. Try it!

2. His hair looks so greasy!

Take 1 cup of oil (preferably olive oil). 2 Eggs (for all day hold) and 1/2 cup water (to mix it all together). Apply liberally and scrunch with fingers. Let Dry. Watch girls swoon....for some reason. Ewwww! 

3 His lips...or lack thereof.

Alright, some people just have thin lips. I have thin lips but I don't walk around trying to duck face with them. Look at that those pursed lips! It just makes them suck into his face. Yuck! 

Suey says:

Okay, I didn't just focus on looks, so I have more arguments below. That being said, I'd love to rebuttal the above thoughts.

Pale...yes he sometimes seems so, especially in the role of Loki, which I think is part of that character. Other times, not so much. Many of the pictures I've used in my collage he has pretty normal coloring. But that look adds to his overall aurora I think. It doesn't bother me in the least!

Greasy... WHAT? That's only for his Loki role and only during certain parts of the film! His normal hair is beautiful! (See my pictures above.) Besides, long stringy hair is a turn on for some.. even Thor has it! And Aragon, and oh, so many others!

Lips...never really actually thought about his thin lips because... HIS SMILE! It sort of distracts from the lips thing. And the duck face? What? His face is beautiful...not your conventional manly man face, but insanely beautiful.

P.S. Do you have a problem with his eyes? Because... THOSE EYES!! Sa-woon!

And my non looks reasons:

Charm: Of course we none of us know what Tom Hiddleston is like in real life. All the celebrities put on a face for us no matter who they are or what they’re doing. But I feel that Tom must, he MUST truly have the charm that he exudes for us all. That charm, I think even more than the smile,  is what has made so many of us fall for him. He is charming as himself, he’s charming as Loki, he’s charming as whoever he is in that haunted house movie (even though I haven’t seen it I’m pretty sure he’s charming, in  creepy way, am I right?). It doesn’t matter the role he’s playing, or the face he’s presenting, he can’t help but be charming.  The style he sports, the gentlemanly manners he practices, the ideas he professes to…. all charming and perfect.

Acting/Singing: So I’ve only seen him in a couple of movies and I really haven’t seen him sing yet except random YouTube clips. But what I HAVE seen makes me tend to declare that he is one amazing actor. And I can’t wait to see him in more stuff, especially the upcoming singing one! I find it interesting when someone like him plays a role for someone like Loki and we all fall in love with Loki, the villain, and a pretty awful sad sorry mean old villain too, then that says something for the way that villain is acted. Know what I mean? He’s amazing. AMAZING!  I don’t know how else to say it. Just. . .amazing.

Bottom Line: Tom Hiddleston has something going on: smile, charm, eyes, acting, singing, gentlemanly class...I don't know what... that is definitely swoon worthy.

What do you think? Let us know in comments! And be sure to check out Jenny's take on this subject and her rebuttals to my reasons over on her blog!

Book Review Discussion: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Book: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: ★★★★☆
For: book club
From: bought with a Target gift card awhile back

Short Synopsis: Louisa has just lost her job and is on the search for another one. With the help of a temp agency, she decides to take a position as a caretaker for a man who has been badly hurt in an accident. In fact, he is a quadriplegic. She is nervous at first and hates the job for quite awhile. The guy, Will, is ornery and mean. But he is not an old ugly guy as she thought he might be. In fact, he's attractive and interesting, when he wants to be. As the both become used to the situation, they end up close friends and Lou has managed to make Will's life brighter than he ever dreamed possible. But he has a plan, and when she discovers that plan, it makes it her mission to change it.

My Response: I loved this one. The banter and slow burn between these two. The ever increasing fascinating relationship they create. Definitely my kind of book. A simple story, with a small cast of characters and a goal you can root for.

Bottom Line: A beautiful book. I loved it.

Let's Talk About: (Beware SPOILERS ahead!)

The ending begs to be discussed and so if you haven't yet read this book and don't want to be spoiled, stop reading now! If you have and want to discuss the ending, keep reading.

I knew the ending was going to be sad. I'd heard enough about this book to know that much. But still, as I read, I hoped that the ending I feared was not the ending that actually happened. But yes, Will goes through with his plan, which if you are here reading, you know is assisted suicide. It's a controversial topic and one that some people feel is justified and others not so much. I waffle depending on who's talking. I can see Will's side. But then again, I think I identify much stronger with Lou's. She feels like she CAN  make his life worthwhile. And why won't he let her? So selfish of him, right? And yet, is it selfish of her to make him live his life confined to a chair when he was active before? Who's in the right? Do you think if Will would have changed his mind he would have been happy? I want to think so, but probably not. It's a hard hard thing, and one that sadly many people have to face. What do you think?

Other Reviews:

This book was like driving in a snow storm and coming up on a red light, but when you tap on the break your car doesn't stop...and then everything slows down and you're just staring at the inevitable wishing you could open the car door and bail but you can't, you're are just sitting there helplessly slamming the break to the floor and watching IT coming. From Alternate Readality

A story of many subtleties that comes down to the choices we make and the effect those choices have on those we love. From The Novel Life

As a reader, I was there for every argument, humiliation, smile, and moment of joy. I was so involved that I never wanted to put down. From Literate Housewife

All I can say for certain is that the combination of some of the sweetest prose written, characters that played on my every emotional chord while remaining utterly real, and a storyline that haunts and pokes and tests readers left me absolutely devastated, a dried-out husk of my former shelf. From That's What She Read

Top Ten Tuesday: Books to Movies I Want to See

At first I thought I didn't know what movies made from books are coming up! I could think of a few, but then ran out pretty quickly. Then I looked it up somewhere and was blown away by what's in store for us next year! I pretty much want to see them all!  Here's what I'm listing:

Books to Movies Coming Up (this next year ) that I Want to See:

1. Mocking Jay Part Two (next week!!!)
2. The 5th Wave
3. Me Before You
4. A Monster Calls
5. Allegiant
6. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
7. Legend
8. Shatter Me
9. The Death Cure
10. The Selection

(Hopefully my source is true and all these really are becoming movies! Maybe some of them are just rumors. I can't remember now where I was looking.)

Bonus: I'd love to go to the Sundance Film Festival in January and see the independently made I am Not a Serial Killer.

Oh, and there's that new Harry Potter one! The magazine came to house today will beautiful Eddie Redmayne on the cover. I'll see this move just for him.

What bookish movies do you want to see? Or have you net yet seen? Link up over at The Broke and the Bookish.

Fifty Things I've Learned

Today is the last of my countdown to 50 lists! Birthday week has arrived. (Ugh.) But, I hope you've enjoyed them. I've had fun thinking them up and stretching my brain a little to do so.  Anyway.... here's fifty things I've learned so far.

Fifty Things I’ve Learned

1. going to movies is fun, just do it
2. life usually won’t turn out how you think it will
3. embrace your passions
4. exercising doesn’t always work
5. having kids messes up your body
6. but it makes Christmas more fun
7. traveling is fun and hard
8. loud music is good for you
9. sometimes you just have to say, it doesn’t matter
10. you are never too full for ice cream
11. no matter how old you get you still feel like a teenager inside
12. if you worry about something sometimes it happens
13. if you dream about something sometimes it happens
14. you can write a book if you actually sit down and type some words out
15. chocolate solves a lot of things
16. as does listening to Josh Groban
17. if you lay down to have a nap, the phone will ring or the door will knock
18. don’t give up
19. don’t believe everything you read/see/hear/watch
20. hang in there, tie a knot in your rope if you need to
21. always having something to look forward to is good thing
22. being judgmental accomplishes nothing
23. always be yourself
24. and sometimes yourself is a little different in different situations, which is okay
25. read whatever you want
26. do something fun every day and don’t feel guilty about it
27. be flexible and spontaneous
28. pets are both a pain and soothing for the soul
29. life happens fast, don’t procrastinate stuff
30. enjoy kids when they are little
31. enjoy them when they are big too
32. life is good even when it feels like it’s not
33. if you say you’ll do something, do it
34. pick your fights wisely
35. be nice, even if you don’t feel like it
36. smile a lot
37. food is good for you, eat it
38. getting old, it happens
39. and it’s also a good thing since it means you’re alive and all
40. if you mop the floor, it will be dirty again the next day
41. reading, writing and watching makes you have ideas
42. just like the math teacher said, you will use math in your life no matter you chosen vocation
43. you can never have too many notebooks, pens, or books
44. as soon as you leave the grocery store and get in the car, you’ll remember something else you needed
45. take a book everywhere, because you never know when you’ll want it
46. create, create, create
47. having dessert for dinner now and then won’t kill you
48. sometimes it’s okay to get rained on
49. if you put stuff on hold at the library, they will all become available on the same day
50. if all else fails, be happy and be nice

What things have you learned so far in your life?