This Month in Movies: November

Thank you to the wonderful Alea of Pop Culture Junkie for inspiring this (hopefully) regular post on the movies I watch each month. I'm sure it'll be a complete surprise at how many or how little I rack up in 30 days at least it won't fall as flat of my attempt to watch a heap of the best movies of all time.
To Be Fat Like Me on November 1st
Starring: Kaley Cuoco, Caroline Rhea
Plot: A physically fit teenager dons a fat suit as part of a film project to experience the hardships facing overweight high school students.
Released: 8 January 2007
Source: TV Movie

2 out of 5 Stars... I'm a fan of The Big Bang Theory so when I saw Kaley Cuoco mentioned, I couldn't pass up the opportunity but like many made for TV movies it totally fell flat.

The Social Network on November 2nd

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake

Plot: A story about the founders of the social-networking website, Facebook.

Released: 28 October 2010

Source: Cinema

3 out of 5 Stars... I don't know how much of the movie actually happened but it really made me hate the website and I'm even  attempting a ban for just a little while. I found it all too sickening how the creator of the website treated people, acted like he didn't care about money and then became the youngest billionaire in the world. 

Life as We Know It on November 9th

Starring: Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel

Plot: Two single adults become caregivers to an orphaned girl when their mutual best friends die in an accident.

Released: 21 October 2010

Source: Cinema

4 out of 5 Stars... I wasn't expecting to love this one but it was pretty good and lil Sophie was so cute to watch on screen. It was full of quick laughs and lessons to be learned - a really good chick flick if you can stand an hour and a half of Katherine Heigl.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York on Nov 13th

Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci

Plot: Kevin McCallister is back. But this time he's in New York City with enough cash and credit cards to turn the Big Apple into his very own playground...

Released: 10 December 1992 

Source: Television

4 out of 5 Stars... Who can resist Macaulay, I will always love him at the ripe age of ten especially in Uncle Buck and Home Alone has to be one of my favourite Christmas movies of all time.

Harry Potter + the Deathly Hallows on Nov 23rd
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson
Plot: As Harry races against time and evil to destroy the Horcruxes, he uncovers the existence of three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows.
Released:  18 November 2010
Source: Cinema

3 out of 5 stars... I think we can all now agree these movies are made purely for fans of the book, many times throughout I was left wondering what was happening after blinking and missing tiny pieces of the movie. It moves so fast but continues to be addictive.

Stardust on November 27th
Starring: Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer
Plot: In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm.
Released:  20 September 2007
Source: Television

2 out of 5 Stars... While their were a surprising amount of faces I recognized in this movie, it still failed to capture my full attention and the storyline was really quite quirky.

Q: What's the best movie you've watched recently?

In My Mailbox #53

I've always been a fan of one of America's most popular holiday, Halloween but this year I celebrated Thanksgiving for the very first time coincidentally by having turkey on my lunch just the other day. I'm just kidding of course and unfortunately I've been home all week with crazy neck pain but I still managed to go see the new Harry Potter and purchase a new pair of jeans, a skirt and two pairs of shoes! For more information on the blogospheres obsession with In My Mailbox, check out Kristi's blog The Story Siren.

Justin Bieber: The Fever! | Campaign Ruby

I couldn't resist ordering a copy of THE FEVER and I'm guessing it'll be pretty interesting to see how Justin Bieber started out.  CAMPAIGN RUBY is actually written by the daughter of a recent Aussie ex-prime minister and I hear it holds a little truth into Kevin Rudd's booting from the #1 spot.

Granny's Natural Remedies | Granny's Household Hints

These books aren't usually what I'd go for but they are actually really interesting and informative, I picked up some hints on old wives tales such as never putting new shoes on the table and a few tips on how to deal with migraines. I may give these two away to a friend for Christmas as I know she'll love them.

Q: What do you like the most about the YA Blogging Community?

(ARC) Tour: When the Stars Go Blue

When the Stars Go Blue: A Novel by Caridad Ferrer | A dancer driven to succeed. A musical prodigy attempting to escape his past. The summer they share. And the moment it all goes wrong.Dance is Soledad Reyes’s life. About to graduate from Miami’s Biscayne High School for the Performing Arts, she plans on spending her last summer at home teaching in a dance studio, saving money, and eventually auditioning for dance companies. That is, until fate intervenes in the form of fellow student Jonathan Crandall who has what sounds like an outrageous proposition: Forget teaching. Why not spend the summer performing in the intense environment of the competitive drum and bugle corps? The corps is going to be performing Carmen, and the opportunity to portray the character of the sultry gypsy proves too tempting for Soledad to pass up, as well as the opportunity to spend more time with Jonathan, who intrigues her in a way no boy ever has before. But in an uncanny echo of the story they perform every evening, an unexpected competitor for Soledad's affections appears: Taz, a member of an all-star Spanish soccer team. One explosive encounter later Soledad finds not only her relationship with Jonathan threatened, but her entire future as a professional dancer.

Unfortunately this tour had to be cancelled as the required number of participants was not reached before the release date.

(ARC) Tour: The Education of Hailey Kendrick

The Education of Hailey Kendrick by Eileen Cook | Dating a popular boy and adhering to every rule ever written, a high school senior at an elite Vermont boarding school begins to shed her good girl identity after an angry incident with her distant father.

Unfortunately this tour had to be cancelled as the required number of participants was not reached before the release date.

Waiting on Wednesday #27

So Much Closer

by Susane Colasanti 

Released: 3rd May 2011

I have all of this authors previous work on my wish list and I'm hoping this new release will be the first in a long line of enjoyment.

I'm already imagining how this novel will pan out in my mind but I'm sure their will be a major twist along the line and it'll be interesting to read about a girl who followers her boyfriend when he moves out of state.

Summary from Goodreads: Scott Abrams is the love of Brooke's life. He just doesn't know it yet. So when his family moves to New York City the summer before senior year, Brooke has no choice but to follow Scott. It's her last chance to prove to him that they're meant to be together. What will Brooke do when her biggest dream finally comes true, but instead she wants something more?

(ARC) Tour: Future Imperfect

Future Imperfect by K. Ryer Breese | Ade Patience can see the future. Pretty cool, right? But there’s one small problem. During his latest vision, he sees himself murdering a classmate from his high school.
   
When 17-year-old Ade Patience knocks himself unconscious, he can see the future.  However, he’s also addicted to the high he gets when he breaks the laws of physics. And while he’s seen things he’s wanted to change, Ade knows The Rule: You can’t change the future, no matter how hard you try. 


His memory is failing, his grades are in a death spiral, and 
both Ade’s best friend and his shrink are begging him to stop before he kills himself.  Luckily, the stunning Vauxhall Rodolfo recently transferred to his school and, just like Ade saw in a vision two years previously, they’re destined to fall in love. It’s just the motivation Ade needs to kick his habit. Only... things are a bit more complicated than that. Vauxhall has a powerful addiction of her own.  And after a vision in which Ade sees himself murdering someone, he realizes he must break the one rule he’s been told he can’t. 


Ade and Vauxhall must overcome their addictions and embrace their love for each other in order to do the impossible: change the future. 


Future Imperfect melds the excitement of a classic Marvel Comics hero with the modern romance of Twilight, and the result is a genre-bending Young Adult tour-de-force. 

SIGN-UPS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR THIS TOUR.

1. Jenni | UT *Awaiting Book
2. Jessica | IL
3. Mary | ME
4. Maria | NY
5. Amber | TX
6. Ginger | TX
7. Kathryn | FL
8. Joy | FL
9. Nichole | QLD, Australia
10. Holly | VIC, Australia

Reading time is limited to 7 days and reviews need to be written within a month.

Debut Author Challenge 2011

For as long as I've been blogging, I can recall admiring so many of the bloggers who participate in the Debut Author Challenge. It's something I've been wanting to do for a long time so I'm making 2011 the first year I join in on the fun.

If you haven't heard of the challenge before, it's a little thing run by The Story Siren which pushes readers to attempt first time authors in the young adult and middle grade genres. The best part is, every time you submit a review to the challenge you go into the draw for so many wonderful prizes.

If you'd like more info on the challenge, read up on it here.

What You Need To Know:

• Open to bloggers AND readers worldwide
• Runs from January 1st 2011 to December 31st 2011
• Books must be both read and released between the qualifying dates

Just a few of the titles I hope to attempt next year:

• The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson
• Across the Universe by Beth Revis
• Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
• Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer
• Popular by Alissa Grosso 
• The Liar Society, #1 by Lisa and Laura Roecker
• Future Imperfect by K. Ryer Breese 
• The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelsk
• Vicious Little Darlings by Katherine Easer 
• Hooked by Catherine Greenman 

If you're ready to join me and many other bloggers in the challenge, go ahead and sign-up here.

In My Mailbox #52

For my information on In My Mailbox, check out Kristi's blog The Story Siren.

Star Jumps | The Crazy Things Girls Do for Love

STAR JUMPS seems to be written in an alternative format so I'll have to see how that one turns out. Dyan Sheldon's previous novel My Worst Best Friend was a really cute book so I'm expecting the same from her latest novel.

The Ghosts of Kerfol | Jumpstart the World

GHOSTS has a really pretty cover and I'm intrigued at how five short stories will fit into this tiny book. Catherine Ryan Hyde authored the Kevin Spacey movie Pay It Forward so I'm looking forward to reading my first novel by her.

Q: What's the best book you've read lately?

(ARC) Tour: All You Get Is Me

All You Get Is Me by Yvonne Prinz  | What happens when a city girl is transplanted onto a ramshackle organic farm in the middle of nowhere? Everything. 

Sixteen-year-old Roar has been yanked from her city life and suddenly she’s a farm girl, albeit a reluctant one, selling figs at the farmers' market and developing her photographs in a rickety shed. And then she witnesses a crime that will throw the whole community into an uproar. Caught among the lure of a troublemaking friend, her love for a brooding boy, and her complicated feelings about her father’s human rights crusade, Roar is going to have to tackle it all. And with a camera around her neck, she’s capturing it all, too. 

Yvonne Prinz and her novel The Vinyl Princess have ignited the teen blogosphere and entertainment media. Once again, she’s taken the pulse of culture and emerged with a book that is timely, quirky, and unforgettable.

SIGN-UPS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR THIS TOUR.

1. Amanda | MI *Awaiting Book
2. Taryn | IN
3. Gabrielle | NC
4. Jen | TX
5. Ginger | TX
6. Mariana | Mexico
7. Brenda | Mexico
8. Melanie | UK
9. Nichole | QLD, Australia
10. Holly | VIC, Australia

Reading time is limited to 7 days and reviews need to be written within a month.

Review: Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Published: April 26th 2011

Review: BUMPED is the first book in a long while that has lived up to my expectations, I read it in it's entirety over a weekend which is very unusual for me. It's a captivating book set 35 years in the future where teenagers are idolized due to a virus that causes infertility in anyone over the age of eighteen. The chapters are shared amongst Harmony and Melody, identical twins who are meeting for the very first time having grown up in very different worlds - Harmony in a religious sect that has a board of judges decide upon the marriage partners for girls as young as thirteen and Melody, a technological teenager whose parents have preened her for a six figure surrogacy in her late high school years while they holiday in Africa with the birth as collateral. 

Both worlds are shocking and utterly riveting to read about but the one that strikes the most fear in me is the religious side of things because these events are happening in our day and age and I'm sure anyone with a soft heart for religion will be slightly disheartened at the points this novel stabs at regularly. My only hope is that the opposing world consisting of paid teen surrogacy is never brought to life as I feel that would lead to the end of our days living happily on earth. 

While it wasn't a major hinderance, I wish a couple things were altered: 

• A better explanation of the infertility virus and how it came to be 
• A lessening of some of the more cringe worthy words, think high school Health Class
• The major cliffhanger at the end, sure it'll make me buy the next book but that's just too far away to think about! 

Megan McCafferty proclaims this is her first attempt at the Young Adult genre even though she authored the wildly funny Jessica Darling series. Unfortunately for fans she take a few steps away from contemporary getting closer to dystopia more than anything else but I'm sure her addictive writing style will win over fans alike. I know, I was hooked within the first few pages. 

P.S I have learnt something about myself while writing this review, I will never be able to accurately spell the word SURROGACY without a second glance!

FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS

Waiting on Wednesday #26

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Released: 28 June 2011

I haven't read any of this authors previous work but I've heard great things about them and this particular novel sounds like a major tearjerker that will captivate us from start to finish. It actually reminds me a little of Before I Fall which was a major hit amongst bloggers. 

Summary from Goodreads: Sometimes there's no turning back. Amber's life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of her family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself. Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell that he's also looking for an escape. Together they decide to share a perfect day: no pasts, no fears, no regrets. The more time that Amber spends with Cade, the more she's drawn to him. And the more she's troubled by his darkness. Because Cade's not just living in the now--he's living each moment like it's his last.

(ARC) Tour: Tortall and Other Lands

Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales by Tamora Pierce | Collected here for the first time are all of the tales from the land of Tortall, featuring both previously unknown characters as well as old friends. Filling some gaps of time and interest, these stories, some of which have been published before, will lead Tammy's fans, and new readers into one of the most intricately constructed worlds of modern fantasy.

If you're interested in participating in this blog tour, please first sign-up here and then comment on this post with your name and location.

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2. ?
3. ?
4. ?
5. ?
6. ?
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9. ?
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Reading time is limited to 7 days and reviews need to be written within a month.