"Call the roller of big cigars, The muscular one, and bid him whip In kitchen cups concupiscent curds. Let the wenches dawdle in such dress As they are used to wear, and let the boys Bring flowers in last month's newspapers. Let be be finale of seem. The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream. Take from the dresser of deal. Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet On which she embroidered fantails once And spread it so as to cover her face. If her horny feet protrude, they come To show how cold she is, and dumb. Let the lamp affix its beam. The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream."
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Today's topic is: 10 things you hate or like on book covers. For this one, I'm going to do half and half. 5 things I like, 5 things I don't. I'll show examples of books that I've read in the past, just so you get an idea of what I mean.
(No order to my lists)
5 Things I Love
-I love when the cover has beautiful colors going on. I just love when they use beautiful colors to draw the eye in! It makes the book feel so special. ^.^
-I love when they put on lovely gowns. I just love the gowns! Except if the character never wears the gown. It has to make sense on WHY they are wearing it. (IE. The time period, a wedding, and etc)
-I love when the cover has objects that tie into the story. Before you read it you don't really appreciate the cover as much, but when you read it, it all makes sense! Clever cover makers. ;)
-I love when they actually use the model's full body. I love it when they actually include the head and face of the model.
-I love when they use old pictures. Book covers that have lovely old paintings make me feel giddy! It just adds something to it.
5 Things I Loath
-I hate half/no faces on my covers. If one is going to use a model, SHOW ME THEIR FACE! It is creepy with just half a face.
-I hate overly simple book covers. Don't get me wrong, I do like a nice simple cover, but sometimes its rather boring.
-I hate when the model or drawing has a weird face going on. Don't they look before pick a picture? I mean seriously, I hate when the person's face is looking like they have to fart or they look just plain odd.
-I hate cheesy book covers. You know the ones I'm talking about. They are just so cheesy you can't help but roll your eyes at them.
-I hate awkwardly placed items. I hate when they put something in an odd spot and so it makes the cover look weird. You know what they were aiming for, but it just failed.
Author: Susan Fromberg Schaffer Title: The Autobiography of Foudini M. Cat Genre: Fiction, Animal story Pages: 176 First Published: September 1997 Where I Got It: Borrowed from library "As the irrepressible Foudini M. Cat regales us with his adventures, an exciting story unfolds. After his valiant but frail mother leaves him in search for food and never returns, the starving kitten is taken, hissing and spitting, to a frightening room with cages and men in white coats. Facing the specter of eternal sleep, the homeless cat is adopted by a woman he later calls "Warm." ("All cats like to make up strange names for things.") From here Foudini enchants us with splendid tales of his unlikely but ultimately poignant friendship with Sam the Dog; their trips between Cold House in the city and Mouse House in the country; his mystical experiences with famous felines of the past; his near-death in a raging river that leads to a profound act of sacrifice; and his introduction to a silly young thing named Grace, which evolves into something completely unexpected."
Stumbled upon this randomly at the library and I seen that Susan Fromberg Schaeffer (author of one of my favorites 'Snow Fox') was the author! ANNNNNNNNNNND it's in the POV of a cat. C'mon? Did you really think I could resist this? haha
Oooooh this was such a great read. It is short and simple and sweet, but there are so much you get out of this. So many life lessons and so much cuteness. I simply love Mr. Foudini! It really made me miss having a cat (since mine passed a year ago) and really made me rethink all that I know about cats. Its a new perspective and made me appreciate the cat breed (and dog breed) even more.
I also loved Sam the Dog; he was such a loyal dog to not only the owners but to Foudini even though at the beginning the cat wanted nothing to do with him. It's sad what happened to him, but the author added a little something that made me smile up a storm and made me hopefully for my late dog. I shall not say for it would be giving away a lot of spoilers. Just trust me....it was fantastically done.
This really made me fall in love with Ms Schaeffer's writing all over again. It's been SUCH a long time since I read 'Snow Fox', I really should re-read it. Maybe when it's my turn for the book club again to pick a book, I may make them read this one. ^.^ It's kind of a hard one to find, so I'm not quite sure. :/ But yes, I really want to re-read it and read more of her books.
In the end, I adored this book. It was so cute, small, and simple, BUT it was written wonderfully. Foudini will make you re-think all you know about cats. I would recommend this book for someone who likes fiction novels and for those looking for something a little different in their to-read shelf. I shall stamp this book with 5 stars. ^.^
Favorite Character(s): Foudini, Warm, Sam the Dog, and Freud's Cat
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Grace (>_> she was annoying)
Length: 2 hours & 47 mins Released: 2001 Genre: Drama Rating: R Directed By: Michael Mann Where I Got It: Watched on Hulu SUMMARY: A biography of boxing great Muhammad Ali, which focuses on the ten-year period of 1964-1974. In that time, the brash, motor-mouthed athlete quickly dominates his sport, meets and marries his first wife , converts to Islam (changing his name from Cassius Clay), and defies the United States government by refusing to submit to military conscription for duty in Vietnam. His world heavyweight champion title thus stripped from him entirely for political reasons, the champ sets about to win back his crown, culminating in a legendary unification bout against George Foreman in Zaire, dubbed the "Rumble in the Jungle." In his travels, Ali becomes a symbol of power to disenfranchised African-Americans everywhere and meets such luminaries as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and Maya Angelou. TRAILER:
CAST:
Muhammad Ali - Will Smith
Drew Brown - Jamie Foxx
Howard Cosell - Jon Voight
Malcolm X - Mario Van Peebles
Angelo Dundee - Ron Silver
Don King - Mykelti Williamson
Sonji Roi - Jada Pinkett Smith
Belinda Ali - Nona Gaye
REVIEW:This is my second attempt at this movie. Many years ago I tried watching this with my dad, but I fell asleep. 0.0 I was only 12 at the time, so I contribute it to that.
Well....the results are a little better then that.
The beginning and part of the middle and part of the end are good. It does really make you appreciate that Mr. Ali did SO much more then just be a great boxer...he stood up for the Blacks and their rights. Will Smith was a good selection for the movie. I don't think it was his best acting in this film, but he wasn't horrible. I think he was trying too hard. The rest of the cast was okay. I always think its funny when an actor's wife is cast as the actor's character's wife. I think it's really cheesy. What makes it even funnier is that there was a lack of chemistry between the two characters. How? Why? Maybe they were trying to tone it down and they went overboard?
The flow of the story was okay...but I hated the huge jumps of time without any warning or any clues. I know, I know...they are covering ten years in the span of 2 hours, so they have to jump ahead to more important events. I get it...but they just skipped ahead and I would find myself confused. For example, they showed Sonji and Ali meeting and going on a date to them being in bed and getting all frisky and then a baby starts crying in the background! Wait? What? Are they know married with a child or is that her baby with someone else? They explain it, but I was still baffled.
It was an okay movie. Not my favorite of Will Smith's, but it was alright. If you like biography-type movies or movies with drama then this is the film for you. I'm glad that they had finally made a movie about such a great man of the time period. Mr. Ali was not only the best boxer of his generation, but he was also a man for the people. In the end, I shall stamp this with 3 stars.
Favorite Character(s): Ali and Don King
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Sonji (maybe a different actress?) and Drew (*shakes my head*)
Author: Haruki Murakami Title: Norwegian Wood Genre: Fiction, Romance, and Tragedy Pages: 296 First Published: 1987 Where I Got It: My shelf (Bought at Barnes and Nobles)
"Toru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of their best friend years before. Toru begins to adapt to campus life and the loneliness and isolation he faces there, but Naoko finds the pressures and responsibilities of life unbearable. As she retreats further into her own world, Toru finds himself reaching out to others and drawn to a fiercely independent and sexually liberated young woman. A poignant story of one college student's romantic coming-of-age, Norwegian Wood takes us to that distant place of a young man's first, hopeless, and heroic love." Yet again...the summary does nothing to really capture the book and what is going on in it. This is no simple story about a young man's "coming of age" or whatever. This goes through the concept of death, love, and finding ones way into the world. It also goes over that strange line that is between the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s. I strange time in world history. One can always blame the hippies for that ;). haha This is my third book by Haruki Murakami and he has not disappointed yet. I was afraid at first, because I read a few reviews that completely bashed the book by saying this was the "crappiest book out of all his books" and because the first 25 pages bored me to tears. However, I keep going and the Murakami magic happened by page 26. THANK GOODNESS! I was so worried. From that point on, I could hardly put the book down. I truly wished I could have liked Toru....but I didn't. He was one of those nice jerks that everyone can't help but like. He was self-centered and the feelings of others came in third place, but the whole time he was convinced that he was a "nice and ordinary guy", who "never lied". BULLCRAP!!!!! He was little better then Nagasawa. At least Nagasawa was completely honest about being an ass and jerk. After a while, he may tell the truth. He never did tell Midori the complete truth about his "girlfriend" who was locked up in a mental institution in the countryside (if I was to lose my marbles for good and had to go somewhere, this place was awesome. It's not a hospital, but a natural way to find your way again). No. He just told her it was complicated. WHICH brings up the subject of this "girlfriend", Naoko. She was Toru's friend's girlfriend. However, this boy killed himself for no real reason. I do feel bad for Naoko and I can see why she lost her marbles, because her sister had killed herself years previous and then her boyfriend killed himself. Horrible and would make any sane person flip. However, I resented her for the fact that she dragged Toru around and pretty much used him and gave nothing in return. She couldn't even truly give her heart to him, but she expected him to be there for her always and to "remember" her and visit her and write to her and when she got out to help her. She gave so much, but she had nothing for him. She could never love him, because her heart belonged to her dead boyfriend. I get it. True love and all that jazz, but really? Let's drag around this poor guy, because it makes her "feel good" and "feel better". Meh. I liked Midori a lot, even though she was a touch off her rocker. Well, the story was good even though I wanted to punch a couple of the characters once in a while. Those flaws though made the story the way it is. The flaws were a good thing to install in the characters, because it does show real life in a way. Not everything is as simple as they make it seem especially during this time period. There was a changing in the world, so many people were riding the fault line. Some won't make it and can't handle it. Some flourish. It is the way of the world. I loved every crazy moment! In the end, I would suggest starting with 'After Dark' before hitting this one. 'After Dark' is a great way to start reading Murakami books. That is how I started and it seems the best way to. I loved the story even though a few of the characters angered me and made me wonder at their own sanity. Sanity is such a relative term isn't it? Ha. Anyways....I shall stamp this one with 3 stars. It is not my favorite of his books. Favorite Character(s): Midori and Reiko Not-so Favorite Character(s): Nagasawa, Toru, and Naoko
Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. :) Enjoy your day!
I want to extend a special father's day out to my step-dad. He has been the greatest father anyone could ask for. he came into my life at 6 years old and I forget that he's my step-dad some days.
Length: 2 hours & 5 mins Released: 2014 Genre: Drama, Romance, and Comedy Rating: PG-13 Directed By: Josh Boone Where I Got It: seen in theaters SUMMARY: Hazel and Gus are two extraordinary teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them - and us - on an unforgettable journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous, given that they met and fell in love at a cancer support group. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, based upon the number-one bestselling novel by John Green, explores the funny, thrilling and tragic business of being alive and in love. TRAILER:
CAST:
Hazel - Shailene Woodley
Gus - Ansel Elgort
Isaac - Nat Wolff
Frannie - Laura Dern
Michael - Sam Trammell
Van Houten - Willem Dafoe
REVIEW:
Okay.....I have not read the book yet. I have read a John Green book a long time ago (I didn't finish it), so it counts? Right? Honestly, sometimes seeing the movie motivates me to read the book. Like the first Harry Potter movie made me actually interested in reading the series. This movie did motivate me to check out this book and give John Green a second chance.
I went with a group of my gal pals to see this and HOLY TEARVILLE! The place was in tears. There was something that would get you. I don't care who you are. Even my one friend who doesn't cry found something in the film that made her tear up. I even cried a couple times. 0.0 The thing that really got me was when Hazel was talking about when she first got the cancer and they thought she was going to die. The mom leaned over and told her, "It's okay to let go honey...we love you." Then the mom started crying. OH MY GOODNESS!!!! It struck close to home. I had been about the same age as Hazel when I was in the hospital and nearly died myself...it just reminded me of the struggle my parents went through.
Anyways....
I liked this movie. If you look past that these two lovebirds are young adults (thus it is a young adult book/movie), it is a good tale about love and facing ones mortality. I read a few reviews saying that this was "cheesy", "phony", "unrealistic", and etc. First of all....THIS IS A STORY WRITTEN FOR YOUNG ADULTS! DUH!? What did you really expect? Books/movies like these are written to give people hope of finding that true love even when it doesn't seem possible. People with cancer also can find love. >_> At times it was a touch cheesy, but a good cheesy. Gus was a cheeseball, but that was just his personality. A lovable cheeseball. I personally like Isaac more (when he wasn't in a relationship with that skank).
WARNING!
DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE IN THEATERS!!!!! OR wait til the crowds calm down before going. The pre-teen fandom girls killed my soul. I wanted to punch them. They don't understand the rule to turn off their phone and put their phone in their purse/pocket. >_> It ruined part of the movie for me, because I would get distracted by the ringtones going off and all the blue lights. Sighs.
The cast was pretty good. I especially loved the fact that Willem Dafoe played the cranky author. He was a brunette though...so I didn't catch it was him right away. 0.o He was a genius (like always). The writing was good. I loved how they presented texting and emailing to each other. You were able to follow along and I liked it. The comedy was subtle, but it was there.
In the end, this was a good movie. It did have some cheesy moments in it, but I feel it added flavor to the film. It was a tearfest, so make sure to bring someone that won't judge you. Keep in mind this is a young adult book inspired movie, so yeah.....I will one day read the book. It has inspired me to do so. In the end, I shall stamp this with..........5 stars. More like 4.5, but I rounded.
Favorite Character(s): Hazel, Isaac, Gus, Frannie, and Michael
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Van Houten (asshole, but I love the actor) and Isaac's ex
Publication Date: December 15, 2013 Amazon Digital Services, Inc. eBook; 88 pages
Heat level: Sweet
Colonel James Fitzwilliam is home. The war has left him weary, battle-scarred—and a free man of fortune ready to find a wife. He travels to Pemberley, his second home. There he meets Kitty Bennet. Her unexpected charms soon have him questioning his familial duty and his expectations. A fight looms on the horizon when his aunt—Lady Catherine de Bourgh—and his parents arrive with their own plans for his future.
Kitty Bennet has found happiness. At Pemberley, she has improved herself and formed true friendships with her sister Lizzy and Georgiana Darcy. Kitty is captivated by the gentlemanly Colonel Fitzwilliam. But she will not be silly over a redcoat again, and she will not risk her happiness—or his family’s displeasure—for his attentions. Colonel Fitzwilliam, Darcy, Lizzy, and Georgiana have their say, and Kitty learns a new lesson—love will find you at Pemberley.
Miss Darcy Decides
Publication Date: January 21, 2014 Amazon Digital Services, Inc. eBook; 77 pages
Heat level: Sweet
Miss Darcy Decides is a light, sweet Pride and Prejudice novella, book two in the Love at Pemberley series.
While visiting a young woman—who was not so fortunate as Miss Georgiana Darcy in escaping the persuasions of a rogue—Georgiana meets Sir Camden Sutton, whose reputation causes Georgiana to wonder as to his motives. Her wondering soon turns to a different feeling when Sir Camden comes to stay at Pemberley, showing himself to be a very different man than was rumored.
While Sir Camden struggles with his past and his commitment to his future, as well as the ill intentions of haughty Caroline Bingley, Miss Darcy must decide whether to listen to others, or the words written on her heart.
Miss Bennet Blooms
Publication Date: 4/25/14 Amazon Digital Services, Inc. eBook; 70 pages
Heat level: Sweet
Miss Mary Bennet is the last unmarried Bennet sister. She believes she will live out her days as a maiden aunt, seeking quiet in the libraries and parlors of her father’s and brother-in-laws’ homes. On a visit to Pemberley, the estate of Fitzwilliam Darcy, her sister Lizzy’s husband, Mary begins to feel more is possible than her planned life of solitude. Among new friends and with new confidence, Mary opens to new feelings when she meets Mr. Nathaniel Bingley.
Nathaniel Bingley, at the insistence of his cousin Charles Bingley, finds himself at Pemberley. After Nathaniel’s years in the West Indies studying its intense flora, he is ready to seclude himself to compile his work into a book. But Nathaniel could not say no to Charles, who was one of Nathaniel’s few kind relatives after the deaths of his beloved parents. Soon, Nathaniel also finds it difficult to say no to his own feelings about the lovely Miss Mary Bennet.
Can Mary and Nathaniel look beyond their plans and accept the grace of love at Pemberley
Reina M. Williams loves period dramas, sweet reads, fairy tales, cooking and baking. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her two boys, who hope to someday take a research trip to England with their mom. For more information please visit Reina M. Williams’swebsite. You can also connect with her onTwitter,Goodreads, andPinterest.
Author: Mark Twain Title: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Adventures #1) Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, and Classic Pages: 189 First Published: 1876 Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by my parents) "From the famous episodes of the whitewashed fence and the ordeal in the cave to the trial of Injun Joe, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is redolent of life in the Mississippi River towns in which Twain spent his own youth. A somber undercurrent flows through the high humor and unabashed nostalgia of the novel, however, for beneath the innocence of childhood lie the inequities of adult reality—base emotions and superstitions, murder and revenge, starvation and slavery." I haven't read this book in YEARS! I could barely even remember what happened. All I remembered was Tom and his girlfriend getting lost in the cave. haha. That's pretty bad memory. However, I didn't like Tom Sawyer when I was younger. I didn't come to even like Mark Twain's writing until High School when we read 'Huckleberry Finn'. Honestly, 'Huckleberry Finn' was better then this. Odd, because that was a sequel to this one. Normally it's the first book that is better then the second. OOOooooooooooooh Tom and Sawyer. What a bunch of trouble making and danger seeking boys. If I tried ANYTHING they tried my mother wouldn't hug me and forgive me. No. I would be grounded forever! It was so annoying how everyone just forgave them for disappearing for a week, because they wanted to be pirates. >_> They showed up during their funerals and everyone just forgave them. I read somewhere that Mark Twain was pretty much mocking society's hypocrisy. I can see it. Mark Twain is a very cynical dude if you read between the lines. He is allows bashing society in some shape or form. However, he uses children as the main characters to throw off the reader. It's fantastic. Sometimes I honestly believe that Mark Twain wanted to runaway himself and hide away from the world. Do you blame him? He lived in a world of prejudice and hate and war. He lived through the Civil War and seen what people do to each other. Plus he lived through the industrial revolution. This boom took so much beauty away from the world. Yes, we are reeking the benefits in society, but at what cost? I think he really tries to show us this through Huck and Tom always running off and being "uncivilized". The biggest difference between the two boys is that Tom accepts that he HAS to come back at one point, because being "civilized" is the way of the world, but Huck hates it and doesn't completely accept it. Hence, he runs away in the second book. Off my rant.... It was a fun adventure. Sometimes it seemed a little cheesy and very childish, but it was fun. It makes me wish I ventured more when I was kid. Perhaps I would've found some treasure that would get me through college. ;D Sighs. Oh well. Tom was a little poop. He was a complete manipulator! Granted without him there would be no adventures and story, but he was still bad. The people in town call Huck a "bad influence" and a "bad egg", but Tom really was. Huck just wanted a simple life without the constraints of society. He wanted to run around with no shoes and never go to church or school. Tom was a trickster and could convince anyone to do anything. I didn't care for Tom much. I liked the way that Mark Twain ended this one. It left a nice open door for what will happen next if anything happens next. It could be labeled as "an open-ended" and I would agree with that. However, Mark Twain did it in a way that it made sense and that it isn't annoying. We all know he continues the series, but one could be content with just reading the first one and never move on. The ending was fantastic. I loved this not by the author at the end, "CONCLUSION: So endeth this chronicle. It being strictly a history of a boy it must stop here; the story could not go much further without becoming the history of a man. When one writes a novel about grown people, he knows exactly where to stop - that is, with a marriage; but when he writes of juveniles, he must stop where he best can." Well, in the end I loved the adventure. It was fun! It's a great introduction to the next book. Tom was a poop, but without him there would be no story. Huck would've never gone off on his own adventure without Tom's influence. There were some parts of the adventure that were cheesy, but overall it was fun. I would recommend this to those that like the classics or for those just looking for something different. It's a quick read, so worry not. Out of five stars I grant this one....mmmmm....4 stars. It's more like 3.5, but I rounded since I don't give out decimals. Favorite Character(s): Huck, Tom (sometimes), and Aunt Polly Not-so Favorite Character(s): Tom (sometimes), Injun Joe, Sid, and Becky (annoying little girl. >_>)
