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Monday, October 15, 2012

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday...What Are You Reading?


Mailbox Monday 
is a gathering place for readers to share the books that
came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. 
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.


The Aviator's Wife- courtesy of publisher/NetGalley
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Hosted by
We discuss the books that we've read 
and what we're planning to read for the week.

Read and reviewed last week:
Gods in Alabama (audio version)- loved the narrator's voice and the story
Glory in Death (JD Robb series)- another hit for me!! 

Water for Elephants
Let Me In
Tale of Despereaux
The Shunning
The Lincoln Lawyer

Bookish Thoughts for this week:
Broken Harbor

In my book box:

Saturday, October 13, 2012

24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Movie Version



I'm watching movies based on books once again this year. That doesn't mean I don't like to read because I LOVE to read, but I had so much fun the last time I did this, that I wanted to watch movies again!!

Let's start today off with the Introductory Meme shall we??

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? 
   I'm reading from the Thumb area of Michigan! The weather is a bit dreary today but that's perfectly fine because it makes me feel better about staying inside and watching movies.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
I'm really looking forward to watching the movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. This book broke my heart.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Nachos!

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I love to read, blog, and share my thoughts with fellow bibliophiles!

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
I've been participating for a while now and the only thing I've done different is watch movies instead of reading!


I'm 4 hours into this fall's 24 Hour RAT: Movie Version.

Here's what I've watched so far:

Water for Elephants (read the book)- I absolutely loved this book and the cruelty to the elephants nearly killed me. I have to admit that I liked this movie for the most part. It's been quite some time since I read the story and maybe that was a good thing?? Overall, not a bad way to start off my movie-a-thon.

Rating: a good movie, not stellar but not terrible either.








Let Me In (want to read the book)- I recorded this one over a year ago on my DVR and was just waiting for a good time to watch it.  In my opinion viewing in full sunlight it best for those that scare easy (like myself!). This was creepy, gruesome, and now I must read the book!!!!

Rating: Worth watching but there's lots of blood!!! The two kids in the movie absolutely gave me the willies!!!






Tale of Despereaux (read the book)- I thought this movie was completely adorable and it had me wanting a little pet mouse that looked just like Despereaux!! The only thing that I really didn't care for what how the humans were drawn. It was hard to really like their faces because they were either too slim and sharp, or too round and fat. I understand that Miggery Sow needed to look a little pig-like but come on! Overall this was a cute movie that made me laugh!

Rating: Great book to read with the kiddies and then follow up with family movie night!


The Shunning (read the book by Beverly Lewis)- I really enjoyed this movie adaptation of Lewis' novel, The Shunning. The Amish characters really came to life and I loved that they even had the actors using the right accents of the Lancaster area Amish. This was a gentle movie and I wanted to know how Katie's story would end!!

Rating: A good movie that shows a side of the Amish they would rather keep hidden.





The Lincoln Lawyer (want to read the book)- Matthew McConaughey was simply wonderful in this movie! This movie had all sorts of twists and turns, the characters were incredibly well-drawn and executed by the actors, and the pacing was wonderful! I loved this movie and hope that we see Matthew reprising the role of Mick Haller very very soon!

Rating: Awesome movie that has made me want to run out and get this book!!

Friday, October 12, 2012

24 Hour Read-a-Thon is here!! My plans.....


Hello Friends!

Can you believe it's that time again? Time for Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon!! I have decided once again to do a movie watch-a-thon instead of reading. It really worked well for me last time and I have a list of movies (based on books that I've read or want to read) to watch on Saturday.

Here is the list of the movies that I will be viewing:

  • Water for Elephants - read the book and loved it. Wondering what I will think of the movie version???
  • Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close- thought the book was amazing. Hope the movie is too!
  • Let Me In- I have the book and want to read it. Will watch this one while it's light out!!
  • The Lincoln Lawyer- want to read the book and Matthew is easy on the eyes!
  • The Shunning- Amish fiction by Beverly Lewis. I loved the book!
  • Miss Marple- haven't met her yet in my Agatha Christie journey but think the shows would be a fun way to get acquainted!
  • The Tale of Despereaux- I LOVED this book and think the animated movie looks adorable.
I hope everyone who participates has a great time !!

Read on!
Staci

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Glory in Death- Bookish Thoughts #50


What Glory in Death is about:
Even in the mid-twenty-first century, during a time when genetic testing usually weeds out any violent hereditary traits before they can take over, murder still happens. The first victim is found lying on a sidewalk in the rain. The second is murdered in her own apartment building. Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas has no problem finding connections between the two crimes. Both victims were beautiful and highly successful women. Their glamorous lives and loves were the talk of the city. And their intimate relations with men of great power and wealth provide Eve with a long list of suspects-including her own lover, Roarke.


I am truly amazed that Nora Roberts is JD Robb! Her Death series is tougher, smarter, sexier, and grittier than anything she writes as Roberts and I'm truly hooked!! She delivers another scorching book in the series that starts out with a gruesome death and never loses steam until the very last page. I have a MAD crush on Roarke (Eve's Lover) and I can't seem to get enough of him. He loves Eve with every fiber in his being and will go to any extreme to keep her safe, even when it totally pisses her off. I love that about him...he's very Alpha Male!! Eve's character is still evolving and very slowly is she letting her guard down when it comes to trusting others. She's a complex woman and I like her!

Recommend? Absolutely. I'm very excited about the fact that I have a ton of these to read. When my reading slump was in full gear, this book helped lift me out of my funk and actually made me want to keep my head in a book. 

Source: Public Library

Bookish Thoughts #50
© 2012, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Gods in Alabama (audio)- Bookish Thoughts #49




What Gods in Alabama is about:
When Arlene Fleet heads up north for college, she makes three promises to God: She will stop fornicating with every boy who crosses her path; never tell another lie; and never, ever go back to the "fourth rack of hell," her hometown of Possett, Alabama. All she wants from Him is one little miracle: make sure the body is never found. Ten years later, God has broken His end of the deal. Alabama has landed on Arlene's Chicago doorstep in the form of her high school archenemy, a young woman who wants to find the golden-haired football hero who disappeared during their senior year.


I absolutely love Jackson's voice and it even shined through on this audio version of her book. She has this unique way of creating characters that you can just envision and sometimes even embrace. Arlene is a girl that had a mother who was never really present and who viewed herself as worthless most of her teen years. She flees to Chicago hoping to leave everything behind, even the ones who love her, until one day her past catches up to her!! Jackson takes the reader on a journey inside Arlene's mind and heart. She's finally brave enough to face her demons and ends up with more than she ever dreamed possible!

Recommend? I really enjoyed listening to this one on audio. The narrator had a terrific voice and it literally oozed southern charm to me. The narrator kept me very engaged in the story and I couldn't wait to get back into the car so that I could listen to what was going to happen next in Arlene's crazy life! The only drawback to the audio was the music that they interjected throughout the story. I hated it and thought it was silly. It really didn't help to heighten the suspense.


Source: Purchased from audible.com
Narrator: Catherine Taber
Length of audio: 8 hours and 6 minutes


Bookish Thoughts #49
© 2012, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Tuesday Intro- A Light in the Window





Every Tuesday, Diane @ Bibliophile by the Sea
 posts the opening paragraph (maybe two) of a book
 she decided to read based on the opening paragraph (s).
 Feel free to grab the banner and play along!



My pick this week is from Julie Lessman's newest book which will be released in November. I have loved her Winds of Change series and am enjoying this one so far.


Boston, Massachusetts, Summer 1895
  I will not throw up...I will not throw up...
  Eighteen-year-old Marceline Murphy set her overnight case on the O'Rourke's wraparound porch and pressed a quivering finger to the brass doorbell, a battalion of butterflies barnstorming her stomach. The last time she'd been this nervous was at the age of eleven when she'd frozen on the top limb of a massive pine tree in the backyard of her best friend Julie O'Rourke. The memory of Julie's older brother Sam climbing up to rescue her made her hands sweat even now, his body close behind as he helped her down, limb by limb. At the bottom he tugged on her pigtail with that dimpled grin that had always fluttered her pulse. "Best keep your feet on the ground and your nose in a book, Marceline," he'd whispered in her ear. "You'll want to stay far away from danger."
      Danger, yes. Marcy swallowed hard.
      Heights and Sam O'Rourke--two things that made her dizzy.
Would you continue reading this one
 based on the opening paragraph?

Monday, October 8, 2012

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday...What Are You Reading?


Mailbox Monday 
is a gathering place for readers to share the books that
came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. 
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.



Virgins by Caryl Rivers- e-book review copy courtesy of TLC Tours and the author.

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Hosted by
We discuss the books that we've read 
and what we're planning to read for the week.

Read and reviewed last week: 
The Salt God's Daughter- just wasn't feeling it.
Instant Temptation- really enjoyed this one.

Bookish Thoughts I will be sharing this week: Yes, I really will post a few bookish thoughts!!
Gods in Alabama- audio version
Glory in Death- JD Robb Series

In my Book Box:
Virgins (TLC Tour Book)
Light in the Window- Tour Book
Princess Elizabeth's Spy- TLC Tour Book
Lost Art of Mixing- TLC Tour Book