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

Stacking the Shelves & Sunday Post - 2.11.17

Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
AND
Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer (details)
~*~
Slow reading week due to lots to movie watching - good stuff.

Despite the speed, I am enjoying my current read, The Return of Sir Percival by S. Alexander O'Keefe. Loving learning about this knight from Arthur's Round Table.

Would you be interested in receiving snail mail? SEE BELOW for details.

~*~
For Review:

Pipeliner
by Shawn Hartje
-Coming of Age, YA
Amazon | Goodreads

Won from contest: first win from an instagram giveaway

Day of Ice
(A Crusoe Adventure #2)
by Andy Lane
-retelling, Historical, Adventure, YA
courtesy of publisher -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
Months after their rescue by the government agency Segment W, Robinson Crusoe and his friend Friday have proven their skills as secret agents. They re now climbing the ranks of this exclusive group of spies who reports directly to the Crown. Suddenly, in the dead of winter, Friday is shocked to see her father, who once tried to kill her, walking the streets of London. She tries to elicit the help of Segment W, but they are preoccupied with the continued investigation into an organization that staged a kidnapping of the king s daughter. What will she do? As Friday s past comes back to haunt her, she, Crusoe, and Daniel Defoe must uncover the mystical Circle of XIII s sinister plans to recruit new members into the society using dangerous and magical means. How does her father fit into all of this? Will they be able to escape unscathed? Day of Ice is the second installment of a series that thrusts a young Robinson Crusoe into a new world of espionage, intrigue, and peril."

HAVE not read Robinson Crusoe, so I may have to read the original... or maybe watch the film first.


Author event:

Caraval
by Stephanie Garber
-YA, Fantasy
Amazon | Goodreads
Book Passage in Corte Madera hosted an interview of Stephanie Garber by Veronica Rossi (author of Under the Never Sky) to celebrate the release of, Caraval. It was interesting to learn that the book inspirations included Baz Luhrmann's Great Gatsby, Disneyland. Fashion was inspired by the tv series, Reign and Splintered series by A.G. Howard.


OTHER things on my shelf:

Stationery
theme: fairy tale
theme: cupcake
theme: jane austen
theme: bronte sisters
theme: surprise me (with something else)
APRIL is the Write_On Challenge sponsored by Write_On (here). It is a call to action to write 30 letters in 30 days during April, National Letterwriting Month.

I pulled out my stationery to prepare and get hyped. Now I need to prepare my list of people to write to.

WOULD you like to be one of those people? If so, pick one of the stationery themes listed above which will be what I use to correspond to you. AND email me ( vvb32@yahoo.com ) your mailing address with that pick.

OPEN to both US and international folks.
OFFER ends March 31.


AND watched: in theatre

The Salesman (2016)
Forushande (original title)
Director/Writer: Asghar Farhadi
Starring: Taraneh Alidoosti, Shahab Hosseini, Babak Karimi
-Drama, Thriller | imdb | my rating: 5
Forushande (The Salesman) is the story of a couple whose relationship begins to turn sour during their performance of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.

Oscar nominated for Foreign Language Film.

The exploration into the condition of women in Iran and the male psyche were interestingly played out in the reality and theatre acting of this story. Fascinating.

A United Kingdom (2017)
Director: Amma Asante
Screenplay: Guy Hibbert
Starring: David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike, Jack Davenport
-Biography, Drama, Romance | imdb | my rating: 5
Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana causes an international stir when he marries a white woman from London in the late 1940s.

Wow. Learned some Botswana history in this one. Despite racism issues in this it ends on a feel good note.


AND watched: on DVD

The Jungle Book (2016)
Director: Jon Favreau
Screenplay: Justin Marks
Based on book by: Rudyard Kipling
Starring: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley
-Adventure, Drama, Family | imdb | my rating: 4
After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan forces him to flee the jungle, a man-cub named Mowgli embarks on a journey of self discovery with the help of panther, Bagheera, and free spirited bear, Baloo.

Oscar nominated for Visual Effects.

I was resistant to watch this as I loved the Disney version. Gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised. King Louie was outrageously huge and voiced by Christopher Walken - loved his singing.

Hail Caesar! (2016)
Director/Writer: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Starring: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich
-Comedy, Mystery | imdb | my rating: 4
A Hollywood fixer in the 1950s works to keep the studio's stars in line.

Oscar nominated for Production Design.

Notes on some ins and outs of Hollywood shenanigans. Clooney was a hoot.

O.J.: Made in America (2016)
Director: Ezra Edelman
-Documentary, Biography, Crime | imdb | my rating: 5
It is the defining cultural tale of modern America - a saga of race, celebrity, media, violence, and the criminal justice system. And two decades after its unforgettable climax, it continues to fascinate, polarize, and even, yes, develop new chapters.

"O.J." revisits - and redefines - it all. The domestic abuse. The police investigation. The white Bronco chase. The trial of the century. The motive, the blood, the glove. The verdict. The aftermath. Drawing upon more than seventy interviews- from longtime friends and colleagues of Simpson to the recognizable protagonists of the murder investigation to observers and commentators with distinct connections to the story - the documentary is an engrossing, compelling, and unforgettable look at a tantalizing saga. Because at the end of what seems like a search for the real truth about O.J. Simpson, what's revealed just as powerfully is a collection of indelible, unshakeable, and haunting truths about America, and about ourselves.

Oscar nominated for Documentary Feature.

This was a long and in-depth look at the O.J. case phenomena that pulls in American black history that does well in explaining how's and why's of it all.

13 Hours (2016)
Director: Michael Bay
Screenplay: Chuck Hogan
Based on book by: Mitchell Zuckoff
Starring: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, James Badge Dale
-Action, Drama, History | imdb | my rating: 4
During an attack on a U.S. compound in Libya, a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.

Oscar nominated for Sound Mixing.

Got a dose of military history of an event I had not known about before. Good to know what is going on overseas.


AND watched: on Netflix

13th (2016)
Director/Writer: Ava DuVernay
Writer: Spencer Averick
Starring: Melina Abdullah, Michelle Alexander, Cory Booker
-Documentary, Crime | imdb | my rating: 5
An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.

Oscar nominated for Documentary Feature.

Shocking data. Also, scary as the number of prisoners continues to go up. Something has to change.


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

Stacking the Shelves - 6.4.16

Stacking the Shelves - 6.4.16

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!

~*~
Bought:

My Holiday in North Korea:
The Funniest/Worst Place on Earth
by Wendy E. Simmons
-Memoir, Travel, North Korea
Amazon | Goodreads

=====> Book Passage, Corte Madera, hosted a visit from author, Wendy Simmons featuring her latest novel. It was interesting to learn that propaganda "staged" tours are what is available now if you were to take a trip to North Korea. Also, there is a lack of proper plumbing and electricity in most places.

Shrill:
Notes from a Loud Woman
by Lindy West
-Feminism, Humor, Memoir
Amazon | Goodreads

=====> Book Passage, Corte Madera, hosted a visit from author, Lindy West featuring her latest novel. Lots of laughing moments at this event. Lindy's current favorite book is Sex Object: A Memoir by Jessica Valenti which will be released June 7, 2016.


For Review:

Braineater Jones
by Stephen Kozeniewski
-Horror, Mystery, Zombie
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

From BEA:

Before I get into the book presentation of the BEA haul, I wanted to thank Whitley of Reading with a Vengeance and Octavia of Read Sleep Repeat for hosting the Book Blogger Dinner Party in Chicago. I had a great time and even won a raffle prize :-)

Also, was thrilled to meet BookSparks face-to-face (here).

GOT some YA...

Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin
-YA, Historical | Amazon | Goodreads

Caraval by Stephanie Garber
-YA, Fantasy | Amazon | Goodreads

Love and First Sight by Josh Sundquist
-YA, Contemporary | Amazon | Goodreads

GOT some Historical...

Karolina's Twins by Ronald H. Balson
-Historical, WWII, Poland | Amazon | Goodreads

Mischling by Affinity Konar
-Historical, WWII | Amazon | Goodreads

A Deadly Affection by Cuyler Overholt
-Historical, Mystery | Amazon | Goodreads

GOT some Romance...


A Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay
-Romance, Christian | Amazon | Goodreads

Frederica by Georgette Heyer
-Romance, Regency | Amazon | Goodreads

Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt
-Romance, Regency | Amazon | Goodreads


AND watched: on Netflix

The Interview (2014)
Directors: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Screenplay: Dan Sterling
Story: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Dan Sterling
Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Randall Park
-Comedy, North Korea | imdb | my rating: 5
Dave Skylark and producer Aaron Rapoport run the celebrity tabloid show "Skylark Tonight." When they land an interview with a surprise fan, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, they are recruited by the CIA to turn their trip to Pyongyang into an assassination mission.

=====> The humor is spot on for this topic. Lots of laughs, but got the underlying messages.

What a treat it was to see Lizzy Caplan in this as I had just finished watching Masters of Sex season 2.

AND binge watched: DVD

Masters of Sex
tv series, Season 2
Based on book: Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson,
the Couple Who Taught America How to Love by Thomas Maier
Starring: Michael Sheen, Lizzy Caplan
-Drama | imdb | my rating: 5
Drama about the pioneers of the science of human sexuality whose research touched off the sexual revolution.

=====> I love this series for the late 50s to 60s fashion style captured in this period piece. The topic and how both Masters and Johnson handled it along with their private lives also makes this a fascinating series. I think Mad Men fans will like this one.

Currently flipping through: from the library

Game of Scones:
All Men Must Dine
by Jammy Lannister
-Humor, Cookbook
Amazon | Goodreads
=====> The recipe for Tyrion Shortbread is a hoot. But looks tasty. Got a kick out of looking at the pictures as most of them are morbid.

~*~
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