I call one of my friends Bear Jew

So this summer at camp, the guys for their bunk night watched Inglorious Bastards. And according the them, it was the best part of the night. Now I have no idea how valid that statement is, considering that our bunk night was top secret, but hearing them say that got me to thinking. I have never seen Inglorious Bastards. And after hearing the boys raving reviews of it, borrowed my friend A's iPod and gave it a try.

Although Inglorious Bastards can be somewhat confusing at times, given the language changes and name changes throughout the film, I absolutely loved it. Seeing Nazi Germany brought to life in a somewhat comedic drama, in a way so realistic was enlightening to say the least. It also got me to understand some of the more obscure pop culture references to the film, like one of the episodes of The Simpsons that takes place during this time and parodies the film in some ways, having Marge playing the role of Shoshanna but with some sort of a twist. And why my friend Fluffy is sometimes called Bear Jew by his friends at home. Over all, I absolutely adored Inglorious Bastards. 

Frankly My Dear

Growing up I had never really heard of Gone With the Wind. I mean, I must have its referenced all the time in pop culture but I never really gotten the really understood what was going on. The more popular quotes from Gone With the Wind are funny on their own anyway. But that all changed in the 5th grade. For some reason, and I am not really sure what possessed me, I decided to read Gone With the Wind.

I got it from the local library that summer, and set about trying to read it. At first, Gone With the Wind wasn't really my style. But something clicked and I fell in love. I have read that book at least 5 times, and my record timing for reading it is about 2 days. After I finished the book, I decided to watch the movie.  Now I entered with trepidation, because as any good book reader knows, movies are NEVER as good as their books. And at first I was disappointed. The sheer amount of plot detail left out almost made me cry.

But then I stopped to actually enjoy the film. And when I did I fell in love. Skipping over the fact that major characters were omitted, it stuck pretty closely to the plot of the story. The cuts were pretty necessary, considering the film was about 3 or 4 hours long but the details were absolutely stunner. The dresses were magnificent, and scenery was spectacular, and just they way everything was played out. It was just wonderful. Definitely worth the 3 hours!

Someone is watching over her

Recently I read Someone to watch over me by Michelle Stimpson. Over all it was a good book. Very very very beachy, well actually it'd be better for a long car ride. That's when I read most of it anyway. Basically, the main character Tori is living the high life. She has an amazing job, and amazing condo and a not so amazing boyfriend. The boyfriend, who's name I don't even remember, is just a butt. Now I understand that some people are really not the marrying kind but still. Lets call this boyfriend the butt Kevin because I think that's what he was named. Anyway Kevin travels a lot for his work, and is really not around for Tori when she needs him.

So after Tori has some sort of medical emergency, and releases that she has no friends, no family, and no loved ones in town, AND after hearing that her beloved Aunt Dottie has had a stroke, Tori moves back to a small town and realizes how different life can be.

Over all, I really liked Someone to watch over me. Granted it was predictable, but then again isn't most chick lit? It also did have a very strong Christian theme. However as someone who does believe in a religion, it wasn't hard to relate, it was just some what overbearing at times. But looking into who the author is, I have realized that she is a very prominent christian writer. All in all, Someone to watch over me is a pretty enjoyable book, but only if you enjoy or can overlook certain facts.

We're off to see the wizard!

One of my favorite movies when I was younger was The Wizard of Oz. Now don't get me wrong, it scared the living daylights out of me. Every aspect of that movie is scary, from the winkies, the wizards mechanical head, and the monkeys. Oh and lets not forget the green witch. Everything in that movie was scary and odd and it just creeped me out! But, I still loved to watch it. I dressed up as Glinda one year for Halloween one year, and my friend Tess was Dorothy. My school is actually doing The Wizard of Oz this year, and we were talking about it during a practice. Apparently it isn't uncommon for kids to be totally afraid of, yet love The Wizard of Oz.

Anyway, we were having a family movie night the other night, and decided to watch The Wizard of Oz. My little sister, E, has never seen it which I think is just sad since she is now 9. So we decided to buy it, because we for some reason already didn't, and settled down to watch it. And let me tell you, I forgot how wonderful The Wizard of Oz really is. I guess I haven't seen it in a while, and instead of not being as good as I remember, like most all movies, it was better. Just like a lot of cartoon Disney movies from the Disney Renaissance, The Wizard of Oz is a movie that both adults, kids, and teens will love. It just gets better with age!

Soul Surfer!

One rainy day in September, everyone was feeling under the weather. I had a really bad virus, and everyone else in my family was just feeling icky. So we popped some pot pies into the oven, made some tea and decided to watch Soul Surfer! And let me tell you, it was one of the most amazing movies I have ever seen. So well made, so inspiring, and I didn't feel suffocated by the Christian values. Not only that but watching Soul Surfer inspired me to try to live one day of my life using only one arm. I choose my left, because I am a lefty. I don't know when I'll do this, because I have to have it on a day without large essays, but it will hopefully be soon.

So my challenge to you, my lovely readers, is to try one of your days with out an arm and then comment or link your blog post to mine. Tell me what you thought of it, and get your friends to do the same!

Spa Time? More like story time

Very recently I read The Spa by Fay Weldon. I actually started to read it before I went to camp, and then had to bring it back to the library before finishing. Then later on, once I was back home, I picked it back up and started to read it again. The Spa focuses on a woman Phoebe, who after a very interesting year, decides to go to a spa for Christmas as her husband has to take care of his mother who doesn't like her much, and her children who live in the states and can not make it to England this year. So Phoebe goes to what seems like an absolutely awful spa, and instead of receiving world class treatments like she was promised, she hears stories from the other guests. Stories of love, murder, forgiveness, and sex changes. Each story different, but yet all connected.

I guess I liked The Spa. Reading it in two different months made it quite difficult to follow, because what happens at the beginning of the book is distanced, but then referenced multiple times. But even though I read it so far apart, The Spa was still incredibly fascinating. To have so many stories in one book really brings you in, but at the same time there is a main character to empathize with and a main plot line along with all the sub stories. And the main plot line itself isn't all that bad. In some books, when there are suppose to be a bunch of sub stories, the main plot is just a device to string together the story. But with The Spa, the plot in its own entity was quite enjoyable. So go grab The Spa today, I can guarantee that you won't regret it.

Wills and Waity Katie: A Royal Love Story

The whole world has been fascinated by the royals lately. It seems like every time there is a royal wedding, there is something that I like to call Royal Mania. I can't even tell you how many new books there are on Will and Kate, Lady Di, Prince Charles, the Queen and all other things royal. William and Kate: The Love Story by Christopher Andersen is just one of those many new novels, but it is one that is worth reading. Although it mostly did focus on Will's childhood more then Kate's, or I guess I should say Catherine, that is understandable because his was far more eventful then hers was. It follows their lives, from birth to when the engagement was announced. William and Kate was very clearly written, and filled in a lot of details, making it a great book for people who just want to jump into Royal Mania. Its a wonderful gate way because of how much background details are filled in. The only problem I have with is that is tends to skip around. If you like your books to be in chronological order then its a problem. However if you just soldier on and keep reading, everything becomes clear. William and Kate is worth picking up at your library or local book store and reading, it is very interesting and captivating.

Cake and Killers

To Have and to Kill: A Wedding Cake Mystery by Mary Jane Clark is the quintessential summer read. Now I know that its a little late for summer reading but there is always next summer or failing that travel times during the holidays. The main character Piper, is an aspiring actor looking for love, and has failed on both counts. After being killed off on the only big show she was ever on A Little Rain Must Fall and being jilted by her fiance, Piper has no choice but to move in with her parents. She starts working at her mothers bakery, and soon finds out that her close friend, Glenna is getting married and is being sent threats not to marry her fiance. As the bodies start piling up, Piper goes to her friend in the FBI to figure out whats going on.

One thing that I really loved about To Have and to Kill is that you can never really tell who is the killer. I think I changed who I suspected every chapter. A novel with that much suspense really brings in the reader and keeps them on their toes. Another thing I loved was the amount of detail in this novel. It made its reading incredibly enjoyable. So next time your going away on a vacation or just need a good book to read, grab To Have and to Kill and enjoy the ride.