April Movie Madness

Thanks to the Anime Girls Bookshelf for putting together this year long challenge, I'm hoping to visit the cinema twice a month and I'll be sure to add in a few of the movies I see elsewhere.

Just Go With It on April 4th

Starring: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston

Plot: On a weekend trip to Hawaii, a plastic surgeon convinces his loyal assistant to pose as his soon-to-be-divorced wife in order to cover up a careless lie he told to his much-younger girlfriend.

Released: 31 March 2011

Source: Cinema

3 out of 5 stars... What we've come to expect from Adam Sandler, a family friendly comedy. It was surprising to see Nicole Kidman attempting a comedic role though.

Wild Child on April 10th

Starring: Emma Roberts, Natasha Richardson

Plot: A rebellious Malibu princess is shipped off to a strict English boarding school by her father.

Released: 18 September 2008

Source: TV

3 out of 5 stars... A cute boarding school movie that only just manages  to be enjoyable thanks to Emma Roberts!

White Noise on April 11th

Starring: Michael Keaton, Ian McNiece

Plot: An architect's desire to speak with his wife from beyond the grave, becomes an obsession with supernatural repercussions.

Released: 21 April 2005

Source: TV

3 out of 5 stars... I do not recommend watching this movie late at night like we did, full of creepy scenes of the dead contacting their families through television static.

Sucker Punch on April 12th

Starring: Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens

Plot: A young girl is institutionalized by her abusive stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the mental facility.

Released: 7 April 2011

Source: TV

1 out of 5 stars... This movie was an utter train-wreck, not even the awesome cast could win me over. It starts off with a girl daydreaming to escape from her life in a mental institution and just goes downhill from there.

Paul on April 16th

Starring: Simon Pegg, Seth Rogen

Plot: Two British comic-book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51.

Released: 14 April 2011

Source: Cinema

3 out of 5 stars... I was a bit weary of whether a non sci-fi like myself would really enjoy this movie but it ended up being a pretty funny/quirky road-trip movie.

Scream 4 on April 26th

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox

Plot: Ten years have passed, and Sidney Prescott, who has put herself back together thanks in part to her writing, is visited by the Ghostface Killer.

Released: 14 April 2011

Source: Cinema

3 out of 5 stars... All the best bits of a horror movie but with the gore replaced by comedy. I mostly enjoyed it but it was a whole lot of corny!

Q: What movies are you hoping to see in the next couple months?

Giveaway: Forgotten by Cat Patrick

Up for grabs is a copy of Forgotten by Cat Patrick for one lucky winner!

Summary: Each night when 16 year-old London Lane goes to sleep, her whole world disappears. In the morning, all that's left is a note telling her about a day she can't remember. The whole scenario doesn't exactly make high school or dating that hot guy whose name she can't seem to recall any easier. But when London starts experiencing disturbing visions she can't make sense of, she realizes it's time to learn a little more about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future.

Part psychological drama, part romance, and part mystery, this thought-provoking novel will inspire readers to consider the what-if's in their own lives and recognize the power they have to control their destinies.

Official Contest Info:

• Please fill out the form below to enter
• Contest deadline is May 29th 2011
• Contest is open to Australia only.

My Review | Facebook | Goodreads

(ARC) Tour: Imaginary Girls

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma | Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.

SIGN-UPS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR THIS TOUR. PLEASE KEEP TRACK OF THE BOOKS CURRENT LOCATION HERE.

1. Lauren | KY
2. Lindsay | GA
3. Amelia | NC
4. Alyssa | PA
5. Reagan | SD
6. Tammy | ID
7. Jessica | WA
8. Cass | Australia
9. Monique | Australia
10. Cheree | Australia

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

Waiting on Wednesday #46

My Life Undecided

by Jessica Brody

I love the idea of leaving a few decisions here and there up to the readers of my blog, I may even try it out one day but in the meantime I can't wait to read Jessica Brody's follow-up to The Karma Club (which I'm still desperate to read!)

June 7th 2011 by Farrar, Straus, Giroux

PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT! Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment. 

Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure. 

But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I’m gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else be the one to decide which book I read for English. Or whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich Maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: Chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated! 

Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever. 

But don’t take my word for it, read the book and decide for yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.

5x5 Q's with Cindy from Oodles of Books!

Welcome to the first edition of 5x5 Q's, this week we're chatting to Cindy from Oodles of Books!

Q: Where would you most like to travel in the world? I have been to Europe already, but I would like to return one day. I want to go to France, Germany, Italy and Spain. I also want to go to South America...Brazil, Argentina, Peru, etc. I just really want to travel the world so anywhere would be nice.

Q: When will you be famous? I will most likely only be famous when my boyfriend, who is a great musician, becomes a rockstar ;)

Q: Where would we find you on Christmas Day? My grandparents house. That's where I've always spent Christmas.

Q: Where would you like to get a tattoo/piercing? I've been meaning to get a tattoo for years now, the only problem is, I don't know where! I want to get one somewhere not very visible, so that if I ever have to dress up in heels and a nice outfit, they won't be visible. I don't want them anywhere on my back, for sure though. I do really want a few on my inner wrists, but I don't think I'll ever do that. I also do want to get my belly button pierced (again) and my tongue pierced, just to see what it'll be like. A lip piercing would be fun also, but who knows.

Q: What got you started in the blogging world? I've always loved blogs. I love the way they look and reading about people, and I especially love blogs dedicated to photography. I started to blog years ago, but never really kept a blog for long...until now. I've had my blog for two years now! And I love it. It gives me a chance to interact with the book blogging community.

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Now, it's Cindy's chance to ask me a few questions... 

Q: Describe yourself in a single sentence. Hmm, I'm 21, read lots of YA and drool over awesome tour announcements.

Q: Has reading a book ever changed your life? Which one and why, if yes? Not really yet but I do seem to be getting much better at selecting books I'll enjoy and I'm slowly working my way towards a few classics, maybe they'll have a huge impact on me but for now I enjoy reading my indulgent/childish books.

Q: If someone wrote a book about you/your life, what would you want the title to be? Yeah, well. Here's my life story :D

Q: Has a song ever made you cry? The only time I've really teared up over a song would be at a funeral and then hearing the same song a few weeks later also did it to me.

Q: Would you like to know the day you’re going to die ahead of time? Why or why not? Even if you had many years left, I still think it'd be pretty terrible knowing the exact amount of time you have left. I would like to see a psychic one day just to see what she'd say, I'm sure it'd be pretty hilarious/interesting.

Be sure to let me know if you'd like to participate in 5x5 Q's!

In My Mailbox #68

While I'm on holidays over the next couple weeks, I'm hoping to catch up on my reading challenge (already 15+ books behind for the year) and also focus more on my blog as I haven't been posting as regularly as I'd liked. For more information on the blogopsheres infatuation with In My Mailbox, check out The Story Siren.

This Week I Received:

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien | I'm psyched to read more and more dystopia after really enjoying Across the Universe,  Delirium & Bumped. I'll also get to Matched, Wither & The Hunger Games one day.

Small Blue Thing by S.C. Ransom | From simply discovering a bracelet to risking her life for love this one sounds pretty compelling.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer |  I'm sure most people have read this one by now, it's been pretty popular so I thought I'd better give it a chance too.

Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance by Emily Franklin, Brendan Halpin | This one looks so cute and it's helped along by an adorable cover but unfortunately I've been seeing some pretty bad reviews for this one, I hope it goes over a little better than I've heard.

A Pocketful of Eyes by Lili Wilkinson | I'm always glad to see Aussie YA doing well and this one looks especially delightful.

Bossypants by Tina Fey | Tina Fey is pretty damn awesome, I especially loved her in Mean Girls but am kicking myself for never getting into 30 Rock. It's be pretty interesting to see a little bit of an insight into her life behind the scenes.

Q: How regularly would you like to see my blog updated?

(ARC) Tour: And Then Things Fall Apart

And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky | Keek is not having a good summer. She and her boyfriend have just had their Worst Fight Ever (on the subject of her virginity, nonetheless), she’s been betrayed by a best friend, her parents are splitting up, and her mother is on the other side of the country tending to Keek’s newborn cousin, who may or may not make it home from the hospital. Oh, and Keek’s holed up at her grandmother’s technology-barren house with an abysmal case of the chicken pox. In Keek’s words, “Sofa king annoying.” 

With her world collapsing around her, Keek’s only solace comes from rereading Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar and typing on an old electric typewriter. Keek—whose snappy narrative voice is darkly humorous and hysterically blunt—must ultimately decide for herself which relationships to salvage, which to set free, and what it means to fall in love.

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

Waiting on Wednesday #45

Lola and the Boy Next Door

by Stephanie Perkins

I dare you to find more than a handful of people who disliked the first novel in this trilogy, it's amazing at how well-received it was and I personally loved it and have held onto it to read again before BUYING the sequel :)

September 29th 2011 by Dutton - In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think.

For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket—a gifted inventor and engineer—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Review: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

In a few short years since publication, Stephanie Meyer's debut novel has made major waves around the world. It's safe to say there is hardly anyone out there who hasn't yet been bitten by the Twilight curse in either book or film version but somehow I managed to forego this particular title until I was in need of something to read while on holiday. 

Of course, I was curious when the movie struck Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson into superstardom and I ended up seeing the film two or three times since it's release with altering views each time yet it still remains a mystery to me why this particular book has gained such attention when in comparison to the vast majority of YA available it doesn't seem to really live up to the hype. 

There is always going to be good and bad opinions about a book so deeply set in pop culture history but when it's at such a level you aren't really free to enjoy the title as it was originally intended. I found myself always waiting for the brilliance that made the author millions upon millions to rear it's head but I was ultimately left in confusion. 

For anyone like myself who has had a slight interest in the franchise but never indulged in the book, I suggest going ahead and picking it up at your library. I'm sure the backlog of requests must have died down by now as it's worth the time to simply form your own opinion. And I often found myself comparing certain chapters to scenes from the movie, it was quite a nice change to have the actors playing alongside in my head while reading instead of envisioning them in my own way.

THREE OUT OF FIVE STARS

Waiting on Wednesday #44

Dreamland Social Club

by Tara Altebrando

It was the vibrant cover which first attracted me to this awesome-looking novel but after reading the summary, I'm completely sold on the idea of a tattooed love interest and a mermaid secret!

May 12th 2011 by Dutton Juvenile - Jane has traveled the world with her father and twin brother, but it's not until her fractured family–still silently suffering from the loss of Jane's mother many years before–inherits a house and a history in Coney Island that she finally begins to find a home. With the help of a new community of friends, a mermaid's secrets, and a tattooed love interest with traffic-stopping good looks, the once plain Jane begins to blossom and gains the courage to explore the secrets of her mother's past.

Colorful characters, beautiful writing, and a vibrant, embattled beachfront backdrop make this the perfect summer read for anyone who has ever tried to find true love or a place to call home.

(ARC) Tour: Beauty Queens

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray | From bestselling, Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray, the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island. 

Teen beauty queens. A "Lost"-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to email. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count.

SIGN-UPS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR THIS TOUR. PLEASE KEEP TRACK OF THE BOOKS CURRENT LOCATION HERE.

1. Amanda | KY
2. Lindsay | GA
3. Twan | FL
4. Christi | NJ
5. Alyssa | MA
6. Keris | UK
7. Asriani | Indonesia
8. Holly | VIC, Australia
9. Kylie | NSW, Australia
10. Monique | NSW, Australia

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