Monday's Movie and TV Talk! (2)

  

Welcome to Monday's Movie and TV Talk! I don't know if I'll do this every Monday, or just sporadically on Mondays, but I LOVE TV and movies, so I figured why not add some of that to the blog for fun?? It'll be especially awesome when I can tie things into the YA book world...

 

So I LOVE the TV show, Game of Thrones.  LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. It is epic in every sense. Beautifully filmed, great casting choices, surprising storylines (based on the books which I am slowly working my way through)...

Sooooooo...I am beyond excited to be able to share the teaser trailer for season 3 of Game of Thrones which will start up again in March!!




I also wanted to mention that I saw the movie Breaking Dawn, Part Two over the holiday weekend.  (I was super stoked, too, when I realized the tickets were only $5!! SWEET!)

 

Happily I went to the movies with another person who loves to lean over and make little comments like I do, so it wasn't a problem when I kept leaning over and saying things like,

Oh my God, fakest looking baby ever!

They're Amazons and vampires, they don't feel the cold...

OMG, so awkward to film that when you're dating in real life, too!

 

LOL.  Don't get me wrong.  There is just something about the train wreck that is each Twilight movie that I absolutely love...but no one will ever argue that they're really GOOD. These are not meant to be award winning movies...they're campy fun vampire romances, come on...

 

I am very glad at this point that I am done with the Twilight franchise.  It's been eons since the first book came out and honestly I am ready to be done with the whole thing...  but I'm not quite done with Stephenie Meyer.

 

I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THE HOST. LOVE!!

Monday's Movie and TV Talk!

Okay, this is another new feature that I'm going to try out here... I don't know if I'll do this every Monday, or just sporadically on Mondays, but I LOVE TV and movies, so I figured why not add some of that to the blog for fun?? It'll be especially awesome when I can tie things into the YA book world...

So... today, I want to talk a little bit about the TV show, GRIMM. 

It's my second favorite show right now and it just went into a season break for the Holidays. I can't wait until it returns in January...especially since it ended with the dreaded TO BE CONTINUED...

 

I will, however, forgive GRIMM for this horrible tease because they just keep writing an excellent show that feeds into both my love of gritty fairy tales and cop drama. I love the idea of a homicide detective that can see the creatures that go bump in the night... it makes for some very interesting cases!

 

*Spoiler(s) Alert*

 

Okay. We are currently in season two.  I don't know how many of you are also GRIMM fanatics, but I love how this season has somehow gotten even grittier with Nick tapping more into the power (and the scare tactics it can provide) that he weilds as a Grimm over the Wesen population. 

 

The fact that he now not only has Monroe as a great sidekick, one who can interact more easily with the Wesen population, but now has also revealed everything to Hank (aka sidekick #2!) makes for a very interesting trio of investigators. This last episode also brought Monroe and Nick to a whole new level of "doing whatever it takes" to keep those around them safe...breaking laws, both officially written and those that are unspoken between the Wesen.  :)

 

I am super excited to see what happens in January with the "Battle Royale"... Will Nick discover that not only did the Captain try to inadvertantly steal his woman, but is also the secret Royal in Portland? Will Juliette truly leave Nick?  Will Nick cross all the lines and be unable to come back?  Dun. Dun. Dunnnn! 

*End Spoilers*

Let me know if you're also a GRIMM watcher and what you think may happen... but be kind and prepare people for spoilers in your comments if you're going to make any!!!

If You Like: The Cutting Edge

If You Like… is a feature highlighting blogger recommendations for books, authors, TV shows, movies, and music based on the things you already know and love.


This week's recommendations are all books and movies that are similar to the Ice Skating based love story, The Cutting Edge. If it's your kind of movie, check out our recommendations HERE!

Why We Broke Up

Why We Broke Up

by Daniel Handler

I'm telling you why we broke up, Ed. I'm writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened.

Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped. (description from Amazon.com)

 

It's funny. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about this book, but once I actually sat down to read it, I fell right in and enjoyed it...whole hog. I had prepared to feel ho-hum about it, but I really enjoyed the whole experience. 

 

I liked the feel of the pages, the weight of the book, and the pictures of items that accompanied each chapter.  I loved the concept of one gigantic letter, full of relationship vignettes that add up to the demise of a couple. ...And, I, unlike a lot of other people, totally got Min.  I felt like it was listening to myself when I was still in high school.

 

I knew what I loved, I liked my friends, and yet... when the guy came along that was into everything else, I was not assertive enough to make it clear that I was into different things or that I really loved my friends and everything they were into...

 

Min may have been way too complacent at times in her relationship with Ed, but I felt that was totally believable! Regrettable, but believable.  I also understood, well...most of the time, how Ed liked Min, even though he totally had no clue as to who she really was...

 

Though this book was sad, it was also hopeful. In the sense that Min was growing and learning from her relationship's demise.  I think she'll become a stronger person from the experience.

 

Full disclosure: ARC received at BEA 2011

There You'll Find Me

There You'll Find Me
by Jenny B. Jones

Finley Sinclair is not your typical eighteen-year-old. She's witty, tough, and driven. With an upcoming interview at the Manhattan music conservatory, Finley needs to compose her audition piece. But her creativity disappeared with the death of her older brother, Will.

She decides to study abroad in Ireland so she can follow Will's travel journal. It's the place he felt closest to God, and she's hopeful being there will help her make peace over losing him. So she agrees to an exchange program and boards the plane.

Beckett Rush, teen heartthrob and Hollywood bad boy, is flying to Ireland to finish filming his latest vampire movie. On the flight, he meets Finley. She's the one girl who seems immune to his charm. Undeterred, Beckett convinces her to be his assistant in exchange for his help as a tour guide.

Once in Ireland, Finley starts to break down. The loss of her brother and the pressure of school, her audition, and whatever it is that is happening between her and Beckett, leads her to a new and dangerous vice. When is God going to show up for her in this emerald paradise? (description from Amazon.com)

This book is a very good example of what it is, Christian fiction. Though personally the religious tone was too heavy for my personal tastes (quoting scripture and lots of actual prayer scenes) for someone who is a little more devout, I'm sure this book would be a perfect choice. In fact, I actually recommended it to a friend who I thought would really enjoy the book, including the spiritual aspects. I should also mention that no one scene really put me off, it was just that the reliance on religious belief compounded so heavily through the book that it didn't end up working for me.

On the other hand, the story about Finley's grief for her brother, the development of her relationship with Beckett, and the beautifully done eating disorder issue were all fantastic. I found myself crying and then almost immediately smiling again at various points while reading. For every moment that didn't work for me in this book, there were probably two that did. I loved the setting and both Finley and Beckett felt real.

If you don't mind overt Christian themes in your reading, you should definitely check out Jenny B. Jones' newest.

Full disclosure: ARC received to review for VOYA

If You Like: Prom

"If You Like…” is a feature highlighting blogger recommendations for books, authors, TV shows, movies, and music based on the things you already know and love.

This week we tackle a topic both loved and hated by many...PROM! Whether you love the...love and the dresses and the formality and the pomp, or you despise...well all of the same, we have some recommendations here for you!

Carter's Big Break

Carter's Big Break
by Brent Crawford
sequel to: Carter Finally Gets It

School is finally over, and he has (barely) survived his freshman year. Unfortunately, he quickly learns that the summer break he’s been craving just might break him. When he and his girlfriend, Abby, part ways (over his less-than-appropriate requests and her shameless flirting with another guy), Carter can’t help but think his summer is ruined.

Things start to look up after he’s unexpectedly cast in an independent film opposite the world’s biggest tween sensation, Hilary Idaho, who’s looking to give her image a makeover. With Hollywood knocking on his door, Carter gets a taste of the good life. Suddenly, his small town, lame friends, and embarrassing family don’t seem as great as they used to. As is prone to happen when Carter is around, the film spirals out of control, and he begins to fear that he’s not the “somebody” he thinks he is and more of the “nobody” he’s pretty sure he always has been. But maybe, with the help of a few friends, he’ll learn to see things in a whole new light.

Find out if Carter goes Hollywood…or Hollywood goes Carter.
(description taken from Amazon.com)

I really loved Carter Finally Gets It when I read it. It is hilarious...and slightly raunchy. Definitely a book I would recommend to a high school boy looking for a funny read! Carter absolutely sounds like a fourteen year old boy...full of horomones and toilet humor.

At the end of their freshman year, Carter and his boys are looking forward to an awesome summer. Unfortunately, Carter's life never seems to work out that easily, and suddenly due to a misunderstanding (potentially totally Carter's fault), he and Abby are no longer dating. She's got her eye on an older guy, and Carter's probably gonna end up alone. *sad face*

On the upside, Carter is suddenly cast into a movie! A real movie. And his co-star is no other than Hilary Idaho, the hottest tween sensation...ever...and the fulfillment of some of Carter's wishful dreams. Things are definitely looking up...or are they?

Full of horomone driven situations and hilarious mishaps just like the first book, Carter's Big Break is another great story. Not quite as purely magical as the first, Carter still persistenly charms (and makes me snort) all the way through. The raunchiness is perfectly balanced with real life lessons, making for a book that I am just dying to pawn off on other readers!

Disney's "The Princess and the Frog"

Okay, so I just watched Disney's "The Princess and the Frog." I was super excited originally because I love the New Orleans setting. I love voodoo, jazz music, the bayou...everything New Orleans! I was so excited to see how that would all be incorporated into the movie.

I was very surprised, not only to be pleased with the animation and the setting, but also with the morals and values portrayed in the movie. Disney actually did a really good job with this "Princess" and her story.

Tiana is an average Southern working girl who grows up with the "Princess" of New Orleans. All her life, she and her Daddy dreamt of opening a restaurant. Tiana works and works and works for that restaurant...and doesn't complain about having to work for her dream!

When Prince Naveen comes to town, Charlotte, New Orlean's "Princess" is determined to win him. However, the evil voodoo man, Dr. Facilier, turns him into a frog and Prince Naveen must escape into the bayou with Tiana, who he's now accidentally turned into a frog as well, to try to find a way to become human again.

Along the way, they learn that they may not get everything they want, but they can still have everything they need...each other. Charlotte recognizes their true love and attempts to help them, but can't in time, and so will be stuck as frogs, but they do not care, because they have each other.

I don't want to spoil everything, but let's just say true love really conquers all, hard work pays off, and dreams really do come true!

My favorite part of all? When Ray, the firefly, finally gets to be with his Evangeline! *tear*

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
Adapted from the Cirque du Freak series by Darren Shan.

I just watched this movie tonight and I have to say it was pretty good. I haven't read the books so I don't know how it is comparitively, but I definitely enjoyed it just as a movie. The special effects were pretty good, it wasn't too gross, and I liked 95% of the casting choices. In fact, this movie did it's job, as I now want to go and read the series!

Just a little FYI, if you are thinking about showing this movie in your library, with proper licensing, of course, there are a few blantant swears and there is quite a bit of violence. Just warn your viewers that it is rated PG-13.

Harry Potter Goes Full-On 3D

Check it out...Next "Harry Potter" movies coming in 3D

Thursday Tween Talk - Dec. 17

At our library, we run a "Tween Time" program for students in grades 4-8 every first and third Wednesday of the month. We try to rotate between book related, craft, active, and "other" programs to keep the tweens guessing...and coming back!

Yesterday, we did our second annual "Holiday Gifts Workshop" for our Tween Time program. We gave the tweens all the supplies to make five different crafts and let them go at it for an hour. They had a blast and came out with some great looking homemade gifts to take to their families for Christmas, Hannukah, or whichever holiday they celebrate.

The crafts that we suggested they make were recycled greeting card ball ornaments, beaded candy cane ornaments, popsicle stick sleds, popsicle stick frames, beaded bracelets, and felt magnets.





We're planning a break now until February. We found last year that our January attendance really suffered between the weather, people recovering from the holidays, and other factors, so on the first Wed. in February, we're kicking off again with "Chocolate Day." YUM.

I can't wait for our Spring line-up of programs...we have a ton of great stuff planned. Chocolate Day, Life-Size Monopoly, Clay Crafts, Wii Fun, a "Camp-Out Movie..." It's all going to be a blast to do. Do you all do this type of program at your libraries too?

Is It Weird That I'm Fascinated With the World Ending?

So...I have a semi-secret obsession with the apocalypse!
I'm totally stoked to see 2012 and I loved movies like I am Legend, The Day After Tomorrow. I am obsessed with the TV show Supernatural, too.


Is it any wonder that I have been devouring books in the dystopia genre lately?
For example, here's the list of dystopia (post-apocalyptic) books that I've read in the last year or so:

1984 by George Orwell
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Feed by M. T. Anderson (reread)
Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Gone by Michael Grant
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Declaration by Gemma Malley
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Sky Inside by Clare Dunkle
Unwind by Neal Shusterman



Whew...these are all I could think of right now, though I'm sure there are more, AND that's not counting the ones I've read before this past year. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to contemplate what would happen if the world was coming to an end! Would you survive?