Stacking the Shelves - 11.21.15

Stacking the Shelves
hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

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Bought:

Winter
(The Lunar Chronicles #4)
by Marissa Meyer
-Fantasy, YA
Amazon | Goodreads -signup for current giveaway

=====> Books Inc. of Opera Plaza, San Francisco presented MARISSA MEYER and her latest book!

Here are a few things that she shared:

- loves fairy tales which started with Disney's The Little Mermaid
- instead of reading from Winter, she recited the Grimm's version of Snow White
- would love to see action figures made for the series and see the creation of Cinder on Ice!
- Thorn character was the most fun to write

AND presenting Megan as Princess Winter...

ALSO, was treated to...

=====> My second time to see and hear DAVID SEDARIS live! The way he presents his observations through his writing and speaking engagements are a riot!

Here are a few things that he shared:

- cute in his culottes
- read two of his recent New Yorker magazine essays
- read clips from a new book he is working on which is a compilation of his diary entries that date back to the 90's


UNBOXING:

From Uppercase package (details & signup):
A hand-selected young adult book & fun bookish item, delivered monthly #UppercaseBox

MONTH Box includes:
- Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
- Signed bookplate from Ryan Graudin
- Wolf by Wolf pin
- Oscar Wilde print by Risa Rodil (Uppercase-exclusive)
- Certified Book Addict (cat and books) keychain by PeachyApricot (Uppercase-exclusive)

Wolf by Wolf
by Ryan Graudin
Amazon | Goodreads
Her story begins on a train.

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, they host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The prize? An audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor's ball in Tokyo.

Yael, a former death camp prisoner, has witnessed too much suffering, and the five wolves tattooed on her arm are a constant reminder of the loved ones she lost. The resistance has given Yael one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year's only female racer, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele's twin brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael's every move.

But as Yael grows closer to the other competitors, can she be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and stay true to her mission?

Freebies: from library

Crewel
(Crewel World Book 1)
by Gennifer Albin
-Dystopia, YA
Amazon | Goodreads

The Jewel
(Jewel Series Book 1)
by Amy Ewing
-Dystopia, YA
Amazon | Goodreads

Shatter Me
by Tahereh Mafi
-Dystopia, YA
Amazon | Goodreads

Prize winner:

THANKS to BookSparks for this Halloween Book Bag prize!

Blood Orchids (Lei Crime #1)by Toby Neal | Goodreads
The Fever by Megan Abbott | Goodreads
The Good Neighbor by A.J. Banner | Goodreads
Ghosting by Edith Pattou | Goodreads
Hell or High Water (Nola Cespedes Mysteries, #1) by Joy Castro | Goodreads
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter | Goodreads

OTHER things on my shelf: kinda book-related

Magazines:

Little White Lies
Truth & Movies
September/October issue
-for film news | Website=====> Love the layout and presentation of this film related magazine. This issue has a focus on Guillermo del Toro and his latest movie, Crimson Peak.

AND watched: in theatre

Spectre
Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig
-Action, Adventure, Thriller | imdb | list | My rating: 5
A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.

=====> Loved the opening sequence set in Mexico during the Dia de los muertos - Bond doing his Bond thing rocks throughout. And, loved his latest love ;-)

THESE are part of the San Francisco Film Society - Hong Kong film festival (here).

To The Fore (2015)
"Po feng" (original title)
Director: Dante Lam
Starring: Eddie Peng, Si Won Choi, Shawn Dou
-Drama, Sport | imdb
My rating: 4Dante Lam’s (Unbeatable, Beast Stalker) latest film is an epic sports drama that captures the visceral intensity, speed and tactics of world-class competitive cycling. With twists and turns both literal and figurative, and relying on its stellar cast, the film centers on three cyclists, Ji-won (Choi Si-won), Ming (Eddie Peng) and Tian (Shawn Dou), and spins an exciting story about the rivalries, friendships and moral hazards that accompany pedaling one’s way to the top.
=====> CUTE soap opera sentimental vibe. Got some viewpoints of the cycling scene.

Two Thumbs Up (2015)
"Chung fung che" (original title)
Director: Ho Leung Lau
Starring: Francis Ng, Simon Yam, Leo Ku
-Action, Drama | imdb
My rating: 5In a throwback nod to the golden years of wonderfully goofy action films that has so often marked Hong Kong filmmaking, Two Thumbs Up follows four lovable losers intent on pulling off the (im)perfect heist. The bumbling gangsters decide to disguise a minibus as a police vehicle, intending to use it to pull over and rob trucks that carry human carcasses stuffed with cash. Everything that could go wrong (and even some things that couldn’t) does, including the introduction of a ruthless rival gang that happened to have the same idea and is competing with our “heroes” for the cash. Writer/director Lau Ho-leung’s directorial debut is crackling with a frenetic pace and hilarious situations, a truly fun film that is a wish fulfilled for lovers of 1980s and '90s Hong Kong pulp.
=====> FUN with plenty of chuckles and fantastical happenings that climax to a fit of laughter!

Monster Hunt (2015)
Director: Raman Hui
Story by: Alan Yuen
Starring: Baihe Bai, Boran Jing, Wu Jiang
-Action, Comedy, Fantasy | imdb
My rating: 5China's #1 Box Office Hit of All Time
Former Bay Area animator Raman Hui directed this box office–busting tale about a broken truce between the human and monster worlds. Blending brilliant live action with expertly rendered CGI, the action-packed and hilarious fantasy adventure is based on the idea that humans have forgotten the real existence of beasts and ogres. However, when a coup erupts within the monster world, forcing their queen to hide within the human world, the long-separate realms collide with comic fury.
=====> WOW - really enjoyed this blend of martial arts action, live animation with humans and cute monsters.

Wuba could be the next big thing in the US...

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* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

* per usual, check out the sidebar for my current giveaways offers