Happy Mail: Book Box Subscriptions pt 2

Happy Mail
Book Box Subscription Reviews
part 1 (here) | part 3 (here)
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Owlcrate
(every month)
$29.99 (plus shipping)
details | my boxes

Includes:
New hardcover Young Adult novel either signed or with a signed book plate
3-5 other bookish keepsakes related to the theme
Owlcrate custom made items
Owlcrate booklet - with details on the book

My two-bits:

So far, my favorite YA box as the themes have been fun and I like bookish item selections.


~*~

Uppercase
(every month)
$29.99 (with shipping)
details | my boxes

Includes:
Signed first-editions of the best new YA books
High-quality, practical items (no trinkets or fandoms)
Exclusive behind-the-scenes content and video from the author
Interactive reading experience to connect and discuss the book

My two-bits:

While I also like this YA book box, my only concern is the packaging. The ones I received were in bubble envelope instead of a box. Because of this, a couple books received had damaged corners from travel.


~*~

Deep Readers Club
(every month)
$35.25 (plus shipping)
details | my boxes

Includes:
A critically acclaimed literary novel
3-5 bookish goods that encompass an emotion
(usually a text print, candle and tea)

My two-bits:

Loved the emotion themes and the usual items included.

~*~
* Please note that subscription prices may have increased since this was posted.

Lovely Books and Things - 3.31.18

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update
Linking up with:
Stacking the Shelves (details)
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

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HAPPY THINGS:

1. Hanging out with the kid who is home from college for spring break :-)

2. Grilled Cheese sandwich made with cheese from Cowgirl Creamery - yummy in the tummy

3. Crafting projects - from craft magazines mentioned in a previous post (here)

I made my first pom pom creature with a pom pom maker from Mollie Makes #88 spring edition. It turned out scrappy looking - so dubbed it the zombie chick.

From the Make Special Cards magazine kit, I made a spring card themed card by assembling some of the kit ingredients into a layered piece. Sending it off to one of my nieces.

FYI: I ended up using the stickers, washi tape, etc. from the My Creative Journal kit for my Happy Planner and will use the journal for something else later.

~*~
Bought:

Tokyo Hearts
by Renae Lucas-Hall
-Romance, Japan
Amazon | Goodreads
FOR a Japanese reading binge I will be doing in April.

Death Going Down
by María Angélica Bosco
-Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Argentina
Amazon | Goodreads
FOR Foreign Intrigue Book Club April pick (here).

Author event:

Book Passage, Corte Madera hosted a Q&A with Jacqueline Winspear for the release of To Die but Once (Amazon | Goodreads). She mentioned that this book was inspired by her Dad and his war experience.

For Review:

Perfectly Misunderstood
by Robin Daniels
-Romance, YA
Release date: April 4, 2018
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
Library:

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
by Balli Kaur Jaswal
-Women's Fiction, India
Amazon | Goodreads
FOR Reese Witherspoon's book club March pick (here).


UNBOXING:

From Owlcrate package (details & signup):
OwlCrate is a subscription service that sends you magical monthly boxes tailored to a chosen theme. Each OwlCrate will contain one new Young Adult novel, as well as 3-5 other bookish treats to help you get your nerd on. @owlcrate

MARCH Box includes:
theme: Across the Galaxy

- Owlcrate spoiler card
- Owlcrate button - monthly theme
- Owlcrate booklet - includes Q&A with author
- Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston
- Signed edition, letter and character poster from author
- Candle inspired by Kady Grant character of The Illuminae Files from Wick & Fable.
- Rocket of Guardians of the Galaxy FUNKO pint-sized hero
- Bookmark inspired by Star Wars created by Lexy Olivia
- Infinity scarf by Owlcrate
- Ceramic mug inspired by Lunar Chronicles designed by Sasha Natasha.

Heart of Iron
by Ashley Poston
-Fantasy, SciFi, YA
Amazon | Goodreads
Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him.

Ana’s desperate effort to save D09 leads her on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship that could offer all the answers. But at the last moment, a spoiled Ironblood boy beats Ana to her prize. He has his own reasons for taking the coordinates, and he doesn’t care what he’ll sacrifice to keep them.

When everything goes wrong, she and the Ironblood end up as fugitives on the run. Now their entire kingdom is after them—and the coordinates—and not everyone wants them captured alive.

What they find in a lost corner of the universe will change all their lives—and unearth dangerous secrets. But when a darkness from Ana’s past returns, she must face an impossible choice: does she protect a kingdom that wants her dead or save the Metal boy she loves?


AND watched: in theatre

A Silent Voice (2016)
Koe no katachi (original title)
The Shape of Voice
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writers/Screenplay: Yoshitoki Oima, Reiko Yoshida, Amanda Winn Lee, Clark Cheng
Based on comic: Koe no katachi by Yoshitoki Oima
Based on book: Curry and Rice by Kiyoshi Shigematsu
-Animation, Drama, Romance, Japan | imdb | my rating: 4
A young man is ostracized by his classmates after he bullies a deaf girl to the point where she moves away. Years later, he sets off on a path for redemption.

INTERESTING take on the consequences of a bully.

Ready Player One (2018)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenplay: Zak Penn, Ernest Cline
Based on book by: Ernest Cline
Stars: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn
-Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | imdb | my rating: 5
When the creator of a virtual reality world called the OASIS dies, he releases a video in which he challenges all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune.

LOVED the book, so had to see this. Although not as detailed as the book, it was adapted well for a fan like me.


AND watched: on DVD

Whisky Galore (2016)
Director: Gillies MacKinnon
Writer: Peter McDougall
Stars: James Cosmo, Eddie Izzard, Naomi Battrick
-Comedy, Romance, Scotland | imdb | my rating: 4
Scottish islanders try to plunder cases of whisky from a stranded ship.

THIS was part of the Mostly British Film Festival selection that I missed seeing last month. So, I got the DVD to complete that viewing session.

Loved the small town island community and the humorous trials and tribulations that surround the love of whisky during a time when it was scarce.

Marshall (2017)
Director: Reginald Hudlin
Writers: Jacob Koskoff, Michael Koskoff
Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Dan Stevens
-Biography, Drama | imdb | my rating: 5
Oscar 2018 nominee
The story of Thurgood Marshall, the crusading lawyer who would become the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career-defining cases.

GEM of a film that is a good bit of history about Thurgood Marshall.

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

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Lovely Books and Things - 6.24.17

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update
Linking up with:
Stacking the Shelves (details)
Sunday Post (details)

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Neglected to post last weekend as it was time to retrieve the young one from the college dorm. So nice to have the kid home again.

Lots of review books came in over the last two weeks. I am set for the next couple months.

And yet, I still request and pickup books from the library ;-)

~*~
For Review:

Lady of the Tarot
(Reign of Tarot Book 2)
by Juli D. Revezzo
-Historical, Gothic, France
audio version
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads | Audible
THIS is a download from audible.com. It is my first experience using this service.

The Darkest Promise
by Gena Showalter
-Paranormal, Romance
courtesy of tour by BookSparks - Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
THE paranormal romance reading continues this month with this latest. Also, another first for me... although I have mentioned Gena in a previous post regarding her Alice in Wonderland zombie series, I have yet to read her works.

That Crazy Perfect Someday
by Michael Mazza
-Women's Fiction, Sports
courtesy of Wunderkind -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
THE surfing aspect of this story is what caught my attention.

Perfectly Oblivious
by Robin Daniels
-YA, Humor
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
THE premise for this sounds really cute.

The Baller
A Down and Dirty Football Novel
by Vi Keeland
-New Adult, Romance
courtesy of Romance Read-of-the-Month Club -Thanks!
BarnesNoble | Goodreads
AHHH, so behind with my romance book club reading.

Life Would Suck Without You
A Girlfriend Memoir
by Jennifer Preuss
-Memoir, Humor
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
THIS looks like a fun one.

The Brass Compass
by Ellen Butler
-Historical Fiction
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
LOOKING forward to reading the doings of female spies in this one.


UNBOXING:

From Owlcrate package (details & signup):
OwlCrate is a subscription service that sends you magical monthly boxes tailored to a chosen theme. Each OwlCrate will contain one new Young Adult novel, as well as 3-5 other bookish treats to help you get your nerd on. @owlcrate

JUNE Box includes:
theme: Make It Out Alive (dystopia)
- Owlcrate spoiler card with creepy mysterious tinge
- Owlcrate button - monthly theme
- The Sandcastle Empire by Kayla Olson
- Signed bookplate, letter and sticker sheet from author
- New World Rising by Jennifer Wilson
- Magnet inspired by An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir created by Little Inklings Design
- Bookmark inspired by A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas created by Hey Atlas Creative
- Bath bomb inspired by Divergent by Veronica Roth created by Fizzy Fairy Apothecary
- Sleep mask inspired by zombies from Archie McPhee
- Patch inspired by The Giver by Lois Lowry created by Laserbrain Patch Co.

The Sandcastle Empire
by Kayla Olson
-Dystopia, YA
Amazon | Goodreads
Before the war, Eden’s life was easy. Then the revolution happened, and everything changed.

Now a powerful group called the Wolfpack controls the earth and its resources. And even though Eden has lost everything to them, she refuses to die by their hands. She knows the coordinates to the only neutral ground left in the world, a place called Sanctuary Island, and she is desperate to escape to its shores.

Eden finally reaches the island and meets others resistant to the Wolves. But the solace is short-lived when one of Eden’s new friends goes missing. Braving the jungle in search of their lost ally, they quickly discover Sanctuary is filled with lethal traps and an enemy they never expected.

This island might be deadlier than the world Eden left behind, but surviving it is the only thing that stands between her and freedom.

New World Rising
by Jennifer Wilson
-Dystopia, YA
Amazon | Goodreads
Worlds collide in debut author Jennifer Wilson's graphic dystopian series where Divergent meets Mad Max. Since witnessing her parents' murders at the age of eleven, Phoenix's only purpose in life has been to uphold her mother's dying words - to be strong and survive. But surviving outside of The Walls - outside of The Sanctuary - is more like a drawn-out death sentence. A cruel and ruthless city, Tartarus is run by the Tribes whose motto is simple, "Join or die."

Refusing to join and determined to live, Phoenix fights to survive in this savage world.

But who can she trust, when no one can be trusted? Not even herself...

The first of a trilogy, New World Rising is an epic tale of survival, instinct, trauma, and the extraordinary power of human connection.


OTHER things (kinda book-related):

Heroine Training
Jane Austen Theme (details)
hosted by Xandra
at Crown and Crumpet
LOVED this mashup of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice themed tea party. There was much talk of P&P, Harry Potter and books with delicious tea and treats!

Check out Xandra's details for other literary tea party gatherings.


AND watched: in theatre

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2016)
Director: Steve James
Starring: Neil Barofsky, Ti-Hua Chang, Margaret Colin
-Documentary | imdb | my rating: 5
A small financial institution called Abacus becomes the only company criminally indicted in the wake of the United States' 2008 mortgage crisis.

After the show, we were treated to Q&A with the producer, Mark Mitten, and the Sung family. Topics of fraud, business dealings and justice relating to this family and case were fascinating to learn about.

FYI: This will be presented on PBS later this year.

Okja (2017)
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Writers: Bong Joon Ho, Jon Ronson
Starring: Seo-Hyun Ahn, Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano
-Action, Adventure, Drama, South Korea | imdb | my rating: 5
Meet Mija, a young girl who risks everything to prevent a powerful, multi-national company from kidnapping her best friend - a massive animal named Okja.

AS a fan of Bong Joon Ho's previous works, I totally enjoyed this latest creation. Definitely gets you thinking of the bond between man and animal.

Fans of The Walking Dead tv show will be thrilled to see Steven Yeun as part of this cast.

FYI: This will be available on Netflix later this year.


AND watched: online

Maya Angelou and Still I Rise (2016)
Directors: Bob Hercules, Rita Coburn Whack
-Documentary, Biography, History | imdb | my rating: 5
The first feature documentary about the remarkable writer, poet, actress, activist Maya Angelou.

INSPIRING, amazing and versatile woman. This documentary covered Maya's life from start to finish.

AND watched: on DVD

Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (2012)
Directors: Matthew Akers, Jeff Dupre
-Documentary, Biography, History | imdb | my rating: 5
A documentary that follows the Serbian performance artist as she prepares for a retrospective of her work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.

ANOTHER amazing woman artist. Wordless human connections.

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

:-)

Lovely Books and Things - 4.29.17

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update
Linking up with:
Stacking the Shelves (details)
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

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I decided to create my in-house weekend update meme and link up with others as I wanted the flexibility to explore being included in other weekly wrap-up type memes already out there. Feel free to recommend ones you like or participate in for me to try.

TODAY is Independent Bookstore Day and I will be at the Green Apple Book store on Clement which will be the 11th store I visit for the Book Quest. This is the first time I hit so many different bookstores in one month!

You can see all the great stores I have been to in the San Francisco bay area (here).

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Author events:

Book Passage at the Embarcadero Ferry Building, San Francisco, hosted a meet up with author (youtuber), Connor Franta. I think I may have been the only 40-something year old (non chaperone) in line. Everyone attending the event had a quick photo shoot and "Hello" with Connor. He was a sweetie.

Note to Self
by Connor Franta
-Biography, Poetry, Photos
Amazon | Goodreads

Bookshop in West Portal, San Francisco hosted an intimate discussion with author, Megan Miranda. Quite special. Found out that her reading gravitates towards dark mystery fiction. Her favorite authors include Edgar Allan Poe, Michael Crichton and Tana French.

The Perfect Stranger
by Megan Miranda
-Mystery, Thriller, Coming of Age
Amazon | Goodreads

In my mailbox:

GOT some lovely letters. As April' letter writing month is wrapping up this weekend I have two more to go. It has been a successful run. And got three letters and two email responses.


UNBOXING:

From Owlcrate package (details & signup):
OwlCrate is a subscription service that sends you magical monthly boxes tailored to a chosen theme. Each OwlCrate will contain one new Young Adult novel, as well as 3-5 other bookish treats to help you get your nerd on. @owlcrate

APRIL Box includes:
theme: Head Over Heels
- Owlcrate spoiler card - I love how it is inspired by Murad Osmann's Follow Me To.
- Owlcrate button
- The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
- Signed bookplate, letter and sticker from author
- Pride and Prejudice themed Fabric headband by Storiarts
- Anna and the French Kiss inspired tea from The Tea Spot
- Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda themed key chain by Bookworm Boutique
- Eleanor and Park themed vanilla candle created by Novelly Yours
- A Court of Thorns and Roses themed art print by Evie Bookish
- Book excerpt: Umberland by Wendy Spinale

The Upside of Unrequited
by Becky Albertalli
-LGBTQ, Romance, YA
Amazon | Goodreads
Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly's totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie's new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. If Molly can win him over, she'll get her first kiss and she'll get her twin back.

There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid. He's a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there's absolutely no way Molly could fall for him.

Right?

AND watching: on Netflix

13 Reasons Why (2017)
tv series, season 1
Creator: Brian Yorkey
Screenplay:
Based on book by: Jay Asher
Starring: Dylan Minnette, Katherine Langford, Christian Navarro
-Drama, Mystery | imdb | my rating: 4
Follows teenager Clay Jensen, in his quest to uncover the story behind his classmate and crush, Hannah, and her decision to end her life.

IT is a slow telling. But does well in getting into the backstory of each of the characters involved.

Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
Creator: Mark Frost, David Lynch
Starring: Kyle MacLachlan
-Crime, Drama, Mystery | imdb | my rating: 5
An idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks.

I ALREADY know who did it. But I wanted to re-watch this series knowing what I know. It was tough watching at first because of the cheesy way certain things came across. I am so spoiled with current day special effects and film styles.


~*~
* comment with your weekly update

:-)

Stacking the Shelves & Sunday Post - 2.25.17

Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
AND
Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer (details)
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Romance heavy with the incoming this week. Yeah, feeling like some feel good reads.

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Bought:

Pushing Limit series, volume 1 by Katie McGarry - Amazon -Romance, YA
Pushing the Limits - Amazon | Goodreads
Crossing the Line - Amazon | Goodreads
Dare You To - Amazon | Goodreads
Crash Into You - Amazon | Goodreads


For Review:

Block & Tackle
by Elise Faber, Stephanie Fournet & Kristin Vayden
-Romance
courtesy of publisher -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

Releasing the Demons
by L.D. Rose
-Paranormal Romance
courtesy of publisher -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

Black Bullet
by L.D. Rose
-Paranormal Romance
courtesy of publisher -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

UNBOXING:

From Owlcrate package (details & signup):
OwlCrate is a subscription service that sends you magical monthly boxes tailored to a chosen theme. Each OwlCrate will contain one new Young Adult novel, as well as 3-5 other bookish treats to help you get your nerd on. @owlcrate

February Box includes:
theme: Circus

- Caraval by Stephanie Garber Amazon | Goodreads
- Caraval themed bookmark, quote card, sneak peek audio book, signed bookplate and letter from author
- The Night Circus themed tote bag created by Evie Bookish
- Le Cirque des Reves candle by Frostbeard Studio
- Lip balm with mini dough theme by Geek Fire Labs
- Notepad with casino playing card theme by Attic Journals
- Sticky page flags with circus theme by Girl Of All Work
- Owlcrate button - circus theme
- TEASER card: March theme - Sailors Ships & Seas

AND watched: in theatre

A Quiet Passion (2016)
Director/Writer: Terence Davies
Starring: Cynthia Nixon, Jennifer Ehle, Duncan Duff
-Biography, Drama | imdb | my rating: 5
The story of American poet Emily Dickinson from her early days as a young schoolgirl to her later years as a reclusive, unrecognized artist.

WELL casted and well played by all. Got a good sense of this poet and her lifestyle.

Lion (2016)
Director: Garth Davis
Screenplay: Luke Davies
Based on book by: Saroo Brierley
Starring: Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara
-Drama | imdb | my rating: 5
A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.

Oscar nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Original Score, Adapted Screenplay.

Based on a true event. Beautifully made story that has some slow artsy moments but turns out well. Make sure to stay through the end credits to see pictures of the actual people portrayed. And, most importantly to find out the meaning of the title ;-)

AND watched: on DVD

Trolls (2016)
Directors: Walt Dohrn, Mike Mitchell
Screenplay: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
Story by: Erica Rivinoja
Based on book by: Thomas Dam
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
-Animation, Adventure, Comedy | imdb | my rating: 5
After the Bergens invade Troll Village, Poppy, the happiest Troll ever born, and the curmudgeonly Branch set off on a journey to rescue her friends.

Oscar nominated for Original Song, Can't Stop the Feeling!. Delightful and colorful tale that tackles the topic of "happy" with a danceable soundtrack.

Sully (2016)
Director: Clint Eastwood
Screenplay: Todd Komarnicki
Based on book by: Chesley Sullenberger, Jeffrey Zaslow
Starring: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart
-Biography, Drama | imdb | my rating: 4
The story of Chesley Sullenberger, an American pilot who became a hero after landing his damaged plane on the Hudson River in order to save the flight's passengers and crew.

Oscar nominated for Sound Editing.

Based on a true event. Steady and even storytelling of what went down. Interesting to how heroics are questioned and analyzed.

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