Kelly's 50-50 Challenge

Blog Update = 5/2/12

Wed, 02 May 2012 19:53:00 -0400

It’s now week 18 of 2012 and my challenge is coming along swimmingly!

I’ve read 15 books and seen 19 movies.

However, I still need to catch up on blogging and need to write posts for the following books and movies:

Movies:

#16 - Youth in Revolt
#17 - Letters to Juliet
#18 - North Country
#19 - The Other Guys

Books:

#12 - Why Him? Why Her?: How to Find and Keep Lasting Love
#13 - My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One Night Stands
#14 - The Beach House
#15 -How to Be an American Housewife

I’m just proud of myself for sticking with it and still trying!!!

—KRG

Still Missing

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:14:00 -0400

Book #11 was Still Missing [2010] by Chevy Stevens = 5 stars — gift from a friend (342p) for Nighttime Book Divas on Mon 4/30.

GoodReads.com description:
On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a 32-year-old realtor, had three goals—sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever-patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van as she’s about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all.

Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent as the captive of a psychopath in a remote mountain cabin, which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist, is a second narrative recounting events following her escape—her struggle to piece her shattered life back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor.

Still Missing is that rare debut find—a shocking, visceral, brutal and beautifully crafted debut novel.

I raced through this book and finished it in just 3 days. My friend Brenda gave me this book with the disclaimer that it is a better version of Emma Donoghue’s Room and I have to agree with her.

It’s best read if you don’t know anything about it. There were some twists in the plot that I didn’t see coming, but I’m also one of those readers/viewers that rarely sees things coming. I’m really looking forward to discussing it at my book club on April 30th.

Still Missing = 5 stars out of 5

—KRG

The Roommate -- an updated version of "Single White Female"

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:05:48 -0400

Movie #15 was The Roommate [2011]. I remember seeing the previews for this movie thinking that it looked just like Single White Female [1992] and I was correct.

Here’s the description for Single White Female:
When a ‘Single White Female’ places an ad in the press for a similar woman to rent a room (to replace the boyfriend she’s just left), all the applicants seem weird. Then along comes a level headed woman who seems to be just right. The new lodger has a secret past which haunts her.

And the description for The Roommate:
College student Sara finds that her new roommate Rebecca has an obsession with her, which quickly turns violent.

It’s different from Single White Female because they are college roommates. That almost makes it more difficult because making the transition to college is a time of big change, so everyone is trying to adjust. Leighton Meester plays Rebecca and Minka Kelly plays Sara. I thought they looked very much alike before I saw this movie and got them mixed up fairly often, so that’s great casting. Aly Mischalka plays Tracy and I liked her from her previous work in Hellcats, a TV series where she played a cheerleader. Billy Zane is Professor Roberts and does a fantastic job in his role.

The movie does make some twists and turns I didn’t see coming. I wouldn’t want to ruin it, so you should watch it. I watched it because it’s only 91 minutes and I’m trying to get more movies racked up on my total… I liked it more than I expected I would!

The Roommate = 3.5 stars out of 5

—KRG

Love's Kitchen

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:59:51 -0400

Movie #14 was Love’s Kitchen [2011].

I watched it on DVR, but it also available on Netflix Instant Viewing.

The main star is Claire Forlani as a restaurant reviewer. Dougray Scott is a chef trying to prove himself and there is a guest appearance by Gordon Ramsay. The story is a bit predictable and it was okay… not the worst movie I’ve seen. It’s been a couple of weeks since I saw it and nothing really stands out to make the movie good or bad. It was just okay.

If you want something similar that’s better check out No Reservations with Aaron Eckhart & Catherine Zeta Jones. It’s based on a 2001 German movie Mostly Martha which is excellent.

Love’s Kitchen = 3 stars out of 5

—KRG

The Great Gatsby

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:21:17 -0400

Book #10 was The Great Gatsby [1925] by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

This book was a selection for my book club’s edition of Quarterly Classics on Mon 4/9.

I think I had read the Cliff’s Notes of this book in high school… I don’t remember this book at all! To be honest, I wasn’t excited about reading this and I had put it off for awhile. I ended up reading it on the day of the meetup in about 3 hours and I’m glad that I got it done. I wasn’t that into the book and didn’t fully connect to the characters. I think with my bad memory I would have forgotten the characters if I had been reading the book intermittently.

We had a great discussion about the book at our meetup and I discovered a few things that I wouldn’t have caught on my own. I developed a greater appreciation for the book and really appreciate the wonderful ladies in my group! I can see why this book is a classic and the characters are so iconic. It’s not my favorite book, but I’m definitely glad that I read it.

I’m curious to see the movie when it comes out in December 2012. Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby, Tobey Maguire as Nick and Carey Mulligan plays Daisy. The casting looks good and I had looked at the characters while I was reading the book. I like Tobey Maguire and think he’s a good choice for Nick. I heard his voice narrating in my head while I was reading, just like when he was in John Irving’s movie version of The Cider House Rules. I really enjoyed that movie, but haven’t read the book.

Maybe now I could try to watch the 1974 version with Clint Eastwood and Mia Farrow. So funny to see that Sam Waterston (from Law and Order) was Nick. Hmmmm… Sounds interesting!

The Great Gatsby = 3.5 stars out of 5

—KRG

Sexting in Suburbia

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 01:23:51 -0400

Movie #13 was Sexting in Surburbia [2012], a Lifetime TV movie.

This movie focuses on a girl who takes a picture of herself naked for her boyfriend and somehow it gets sent to everyone at school. She then gets bullied and loses her friends and boyfriend and commits suicide. Her mother is so confused as to why she would kill herself and launches her own investigation to find out what happened.

This movie is based on a true story of a girl named Jessica Logan in Florida which makes it even more interesting.

I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to be in high school right now with cell phones, sending photos, texting, Facebook, email and all of the ways that we can stay in contact with people but also have so many ways to say the wrong thing to people. It’s a tough lesson to learn and hopefully this movie will help people see that they need to be more understanding and not get sucked into the group mentality of bullying and abuse like this.

The movie unfolds like a mystery as the mom tries to find out what led up to her daughter’s death. It was well made and had a good plot. I highly recommend watching this movie.

Sexting in Surburbia = 4 stars

—KRG

American Reunion

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 01:09:50 -0400

Movie # 12 was American Reunion [2012] that I saw in theatre on April 8. It’s odd that they are celebrating their 13 year reunion and they do mention that in the movie. I’m guessing that it was a good time for all of the actors to come back.

They’ve come a long way from 1999’s American Pie. It was great that none of the actors were replaced! The majority of these actors are fairly big now. Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan do a great job of leading the cast and dealing with being parents. Seann William Scott is still hilarious as Stifler. Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nichols, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, and Eddie Kaye Thomas all do well in reprising their roles as well. It’s so funny to see John Cho in his small role now that he’s gotten more famous for his role as Harold in the Harold and Kumar series. Jennifer Coolidge had to be there as Stifler’s mom and Eugene Levy was there with his huge eyebrows as Jim’s dad.

The plot focuses on Jim’s neighbor Kara whom he used to babysit as she is now turning 18 and wanting to lose her virginity. She makes passes at Jim while she is drunk and has quite the adventure, most of it being only half-dressed.

Is this worth seeing in the theatre? Sure, if you’re a fan of the series and you want to see a lot of nudity along with some comedy on the big screen. I definitely laughed a lot!

American Reunion = 4 stars

—KRG

Lottery

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 21:41:02 -0400

Book #9 was Lottery [2008] by Patricia Wood (336p) for Daytime Book Divas on Thursday 4/12. I got the book from my local library, but it’s also available on Amazon as a bargain paperback for $5.60.

This book has 61 short chapters, which didn’t really work well for me at first. Normally I’m not a fan of long chapters, but these chapters were definitely too short. At first it felt like it was taking me a long time to read this book. Sometimes when I’m reading I’ll give myself a goal to go to the end of the chapter and in this case, I was stopping really fast! I changed my mind on that one and would look ahead to find a good stopping point instead. Once I got really into the book I couldn’t put it down and ended up finishing it a few weeks before the meetup I had scheduled. It was a funny coincidence that the Mega Millions lottery was coming up in real life while I was reading the book.

The story was fun to read told from Perry’s point of view and he starts by telling us that his IQ is 76, which is 1 point higher than the 75 that defines a persona as retarded. Perry is not retarded and says that he is just slow. It was similar to Forrest Gump with a childlike innocence to it. I loved the way that Perry talked about his Gram who raised him and it was similar to Forrest’s views of his Mama. The main difference in this book is that Perry has a crazy mom & 2 brothers who try to come back into his life when he wins the lottery to take some of his money.

I don’t want to reveal too much about this book because it’s so fun to read. We had a great time talking about it at book club and all of us agreed that it was a feel-good fun read. The thing with book club is that when it’s a good book that all of us agree on, the conversation ends up being fairly short. We all feel passionately when books are bad or have controversial subjects to discuss, but it’s nice to have a feel-good book like this one.

Lottery = 5 stars

—KRG

The Artist's Way

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 21:08:26 -0400

Book #8 of 50 was The Artist’s Way [1992] by Julia Cameron.

I’ll start by talking about the book. It’s a 12 chapter book about getting over creative blocks and enhancing your creativity. I think that it’s effective to read one chapter a week along with all of the other activities. There are activities at the end of each chapter, daily writing called “Morning Pages” and weekly outings called “Artist’s Dates”. Morning Pages are like writing in a journal every morning when you first wake up to “spill” all of your thoughts on the page and clear your head. Julia Cameron suggests writing 3 pages each day. I found that writing for 20 minutes is effective if you keep the pen moving and don’t get distracted. The writing is not fun and it was difficult for me to do on a consistent basis, but when I was getting it done I was feeling really good about myself. The Artist’s Dates focus on doing something fun/artistic/relaxing/interesting/different/etc. once a week and usually it’s something that you normally wouldn’t do. It can be anything big or small, as long as you are doing it by yourself and not letting anyone else get in on your plans. It can be as simple as taking a quick walk around the block, getting your nails done, stopping in to an art gallery, or going somewhere fun. I found that Artist’s Dates make me think about taking care of my mental health and living a balanced life. The twelve chapters of the book are all very different and take you through many practical topics of life. It’s a very emotional process but really worth taking the journey if you commit yourself. The actual writing is good, but not excellent. Julia’s stories don’t always speak to me and her references to God don’t work for everyone… she says you can substitute God for “good orderly direction” if you’re not religious in that way. Since the book was written in 1992, there are some things in there that are outdated and questionable for today’s world. It would be interesting to ask Julia if she thinks it’s okay to write Morning Pages on a computer. I personally didn’t, but it works for some of my classmates. It would also be curious to see how she uses technology now to enhance the creative process, be more efficient in life and make more connections with people.

I read this book cover to cover during my 12-week class taught by good friend Rachel Moore and her business San Diego Creative Connection. She has facilitated the class many times and always does the tasks along with the group so that she is more of an equal than a “leader”. The past few years she has done 2 sessions that start in September and January. She has also started teaching an online version of the class. I’m not sure how that works, but you can contact her via her website.

Those of you who know me personally might be saying that I’m cheating by counting this book towards my Fifty-Fifty Challenge…. I disagree and am adding it to my total! I had taken this class last year, but I was not the best student. There were a lot of weeks that I skipped the reading and a few of the weeks that I didn’t attend class. This year I am extremely proud of myself that I read the book cover to cover and had PERFECT ATTENDANCE! I was very good about doing my weekly homework assignments, did my “Artist’s Dates” and homework problems about 70% of the time and wrote my “Morning Pages” only about 30% of the time. I’m focusing on my latest mantra of “progress, not perfection” and I’m celebrating my accomplishments in this class. It was an absolutely amazing journey over these 12 weeks and the 10 women in the class were all so supportive and inspiring. I haven’t felt this connected to a class in a very long time. I am very thankful to my classmates for enhancing my growth and sharing their own experiences. We all were able to be open and vulnerable when discussing our insecurities and going through the bumpy process. But we did it! I’m looking forward to getting together for a reunion we have scheduled on June 28th.

The Artist’s Way (the book) = 4 stars

The Artist’s Way class facilitated by Rachel Moore = 5+ stars

—KRG

The Last Song

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:17:20 -0400

Movie #11 was The Last Song [2010]. It’s based on a Nicholas Sparks book, so you know that it’s sentimental and a tear-jerker, just like The Notebook and his other book-to-movie successes.

Movie Description:
A drama centered on a rebellious girl who is sent to a Southern beach town for the summer to stay with her father. Through their mutual love of music, the estranged duo learn to reconnect.

This romance was sweet and predictable. Miley Cyrus is a teen-in-crisis who hates her dad, but is forced to spend the summer with him by her mom, played by Kelly Preston. Greg Kinnear does a great job and is relatable as the dad. Miley keeps bumping into a cute guy (shocker) played by Liam Hemsworth, who is very attractive (bonus!). As I said before, the story was predictable but it did have a few small twists and was entertaining. It’s rated PG, so there isn’t anything graphic. There are some good things to think about as far as living your life in the moment and appreciating the things you have while they are there. I don’t want to ruin the ending, so I won’t talk about it. I might want to read the book for when I need something lighter.

The Last Song = 3.5 stars

—KRG

Prelude to a Kiss

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:32:00 -0400

Movie #10 was Prelude to a Kiss [1992] with Meg Ryan and Alec Baldwin.

Basic Description:
A couple fall in love despite the girl’s pessimistic outlook. As they struggle to come to terms with their relationship, something supernatural happens that tests it.

It was really hard for me to get on board with this premise. Something happened at a the wedding where Meg Ryan ended up changing bodies with an old man. Alec Baldwin couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her on their honeymoon because she seemed like a completely different person and couldn’t remember things about him and their relationship.

Eventually they did figure it out, but the ending was a bit of a letdown. Definitely not a movie I would recommend, but it’s not the worst movie I’ve ever seen. (NOTE: I’ve seen a lot of really bad movies!)

Prelude to a Kiss = 2.5 stars

—KRG

Week 15: Thoughts // Books in Progress

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:22:00 -0400

Time to catch up on BOOKS! Today is April 11 (week 15) and I’m at 10 books and 13 movies. This morning I wrote 2 book blogs, but I still need to write about 3 books and 4 movies. I’m trying to keep up, but it is difficult. I need to not be such a perfectionist on formatting and adding all the little details to every blog post and just focus on getting them DONE.

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Completed Books to Blog:

The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. My 12 week class ended on March 29.
Lottery [2008] by Patricia Wood for Daytime Book Divas on Thursday 4/12
The Great Gatsby [1925] by F. Scott Fitzgerald
for Quarterly Classics Book Divas on Monday 4/9

Books in Progress:

Why Him? Why Her?: How to Find and Keep Lasting Love by Helen Fielding
for Nonfiction Book Divas on Tuesday 2/21 = almost done!
Still Missing [2010] by Chevy Stevens
for Nighttime Book Divas on Mon 4/30
My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands [2005] by Chelsea Handler (213p)
Miss Manners on Painfully Proper Weddings [1995] by Judith Martin
Planet Wedding: A Nuptialpedia [2010] by Sandra & Harry Choron

Plan To Read (but haven’t started yet):

How to Be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway
for Daytime Book Divas Author Meetup on Thurs 5/3
Night Road by Kristin Hannah [2011] (purchased & got it signed at an event)
for Nighttime Book Divas on Tues 6/5
The Outsiders [1967] by S.E. Hinton
for Quarterly Classics Book Divas on Monday 7/9
State of Wonder [2011] by Ann Patchett
for Nighttime Book Divas (maybe in July?)
Middlesex [2002] by Jeffrey Eugenides (544p)
maybe for Nighttime Book Divas as a long read over the summer?
A Dangerous Talent (An Alix London Mystery) [2012] by Aaron Elkins (270p) = purchased as Kindle Daily Deal 3/27/12 for $0.99
Stuck With You [2012] by Trish Jensen (216p) = purchased as a Kindle Daily Deal 4/3/12 for $1.99
The Sugar Queen [2008] by Sarah Addison Allen (294p) = borrowed from a friend
A Discovery of Witches [2011] by Deborah Harkness = First book in a trilogy. Second book comes out in July 2012. I read the first book is a cliff hanger, so maybe I should wait until I can read both.

7 Books: Speak & All We Ever Wanted Was Everything

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:22:00 -0400

Book #6 of 50 was Speak [1999] by Laurie Halse Anderson. I picked this young adult (YA) book up at Costco after seeing that it was the 10 year anniversary and had won some sort of award.

Here’s the description from Amazon.com:
Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won’t talk to her, and people she doesn’t even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that’s not safe. Because there’s something she’s trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth. This extraordinary first novel has captured the imaginations of teenagers and adults across the country.

The book was well written and things are revealed gradually. There was a good sense of finality at the end which I always enjoy. I’m curious to see what the movie is like… I think Kristen Stewart (“Bella” in Twilight) will be good in the lead role since she seems halfway checked out a lot of the time anyway. We shall see when I get around to it!

Speak = 4 stars out of 5

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Book #7 of 50 was All We Ever Wanted Was Everything [2008] by Janelle Brown. I had this book sitting around my apartment for awhile. I’m pretty sure that I got in on PaperBackSwap, which is a great website for trading books.

The online description is pretty accurate:
A smart, comic page-turner about a Silicon Valley family in free fall over the course of one eventful summer.

When Paul Miller’s pharmaceutical company goes public, making his family IPO millionaires, his wife, Janice, is sure this is the windfall she’s been waiting years for — until she learns, via messengered letter, that her husband is divorcing her (for her tennis partner!) and cutting her out of the new fortune. Meanwhile, four hundred miles south in Los Angeles, the Millers’ older daughter, Margaret, has been dumped by her newly famous actor boyfriend and left in the lurch by an investor who promised to revive her fledgling post-feminist magazine, Snatch. Sliding toward bankruptcy and dogged by creditors, she flees for home where her younger sister Lizzie, 14, is struggling with problems of her own. Formerly chubby, Lizzie has been enjoying her newfound popularity until some bathroom graffiti alerts her to the fact that she’s become the school slut.

The three Miller women retreat behind the walls of their Georgian colonial to wage battle with divorce lawyers, debt collectors, drug-dealing pool boys, mean girls, country club ladies, evangelical neighbors, their own demons, and each other, and in the process they become achingly sympathetic characters we can’t help but root for, even as the world they live in epitomizes everything wrong with the American Dream. Exhilarating, addictive, and superbly accomplished, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything crackles with energy and intelligence and marks the debut of a knowing and very funny novelist, wise beyond her years.

The book seems a bit long, but it’s a great page turner that would be a great summer or vacation read. It had more substance that your typical “chick-lit” book because it focused on the real problems of the 3 Miller women. How does a wife and mother of twenty years learn to reinvent herself? How does a mid-twenties daughter figure out what to do with her life? How does a teenage younger sister fix her incorrect choices and make the right ones? There was a lot to think about in this book and I found myself sympathizing with all of the characters at one point or another. I like when books show that people have flaws and how they overcome them. This book also talks about the pressure to “keep up” with the crowd and worrying about what others think of us. In my opinion, those problems will continue to be challenging and are always worth talking about.

If you’re looking for a good “real” read that you can zip through, pick up All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and be surprised at how fast you read 448 pages.

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything = 4 stars out of 5

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Movie #9 - Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:58:00 -0400

Movie #9 was The Twilight Saga: Eclipse [2010]. I recorded it on my DVR.

I’m not a Twilighter or Twi-hard, but did read a few of the books and like the general story. I’m torn between Team Edward or Team Jacob, but after this movie and all the shirtless scenes I’m leaning towards Jacob.

There were a lot of cool scenes with the werewolves fighting and I think the movie is well made on how the werewolves transform. I definitely liked that part.

I haven’t seen the next installment because I want to wait until Part 2 is out. I’m not good at waiting for movies or books in a series to come out, so usually I don’t watch them until the series is done— Hunger Games being a huge exception!

Loved the scenes with Bella and Edward in the field of purple flowers…
It was so pretty when his skin would start sparkling like diamonds in the sun. Yes, I just wrote that. There will always be a little bit of teenage girl inside of me no matter how old I get.

Twilight Saga: Eclipse = 3.5 stars

—KRG

The Hunger Games Movie!

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 20:19:00 -0400

I’ve never been so excited for a movie before!!! I’ve been waiting for over a year for The Hunger Games to come out and I’ve been so anxious and excited. This is the first time that I’ve ever gone to a midnight premiere and thanks to Cinepolis, it was a great experience. I’m not into crowds and hate waiting in line for things, so having a theatre with reserved seating that is also amazingly comfortable was totally worth it. I’m so happy that my man finally read the books a few weeks ago so he was excited for the movie too. Right before it started he said to me, “Wow… I’ve never spent $100 at the movie theatre. But this is a special occasion!”. I’m sure a lot of people think we are crazy, but it was so fun! (My guesstimate since I didn’t pay: 2 tickets = $36, 2 drinks with tip = $29, food with tip $30)

I’m super excited that I already have plans to see the movie again with some of my book club girls this coming Sunday. I’m sure we will have a lot to say about it especially with comparing it to the book.

My opinion on the movie (some SPOILERS?):
Honestly, I think that with book to movie adaptations, people will like the movie if they go into it WANTING to like the movie. I was so excited that I was literally giddy like a child on Christmas morning. It was amazing to see so many of the great scenes brought to life on the screen. I think the casting was well done and liked the majority of the actors in their roles. Jennifer Lawrence was ecellent as Katniss, along with Josh Hutchinson as Peeta and Liam Hemsworth as Gale. I still think that Hugh Laurie (House) would have been excellent in the role of Haymitch, but Woody Harrelson did a good job overall. I liked Lenny Kravitz as Cinna and Elizabeth Banks was perfect in the role of Effie. So many things were well done: the “girl on fire” entrance, the red dress that was on fire when she spun around and the shots of people in the Capitol with their wacky hair, makeup & fashion were really fun. I thought the fighting scenes were less violent in the movie than in the book because they went so fast. I was glad that they were well done. Of course some details were cut from the book, but I didn’t think it made a big difference. It definitely helps that I first read the books last January/February and re-read the first book last summer. The details aren’t fresh in my mind and I have enough separation between the book and the movie to appreciate both for what they are = GREAT!

The Hunger Games = 5 stars! out of 5

The picture is a bit blurry, but I didn’t care because I was so excited! Check out our drinks— we had to finish them before 12:30 so it’s a good thing we only had 1 each.

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Movies I need to blog:

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse [2010] — DVR

Movies I PLAN to watch:

Speak [2004] = since I just finished reading the book!
a bunch of other movies recorded on my DVR… I keep having to delete them & set them to re-record at a later date!

Movies that sound interesting on Netflix Instant Viewing:

Morning Glory [2010] = Netflix Instant Viewing (107m)
Cyberbully [2011] = Netflix Instant Viewing (87m)
The Edukators [2005] = Netflix Instant Viewing (129m)
Fame [2009]= Netflix Instant Viewing (106m)
All Good Things [2010] = Netflix Instant Viewing (100m)
Love’s Kitchen [2010] = Netflix Instant Viewing (89m)
Pretty Persuasion [2005] = Netflix Instant Viewing (105m)
Meet Bill [2007] = Netflix Instant Viewing (93m)

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It’s now week 13 and I’m at 9 movies… Not crazy stressed about it, but hopefully I can catch up a bit since my man is out of town on business this week. I can kill two birds with one stone by watching a couple of recorded movies = more towards the challenge and it helps clear our always full DVR!

—KRG

5 Books // Author Event -- Jodi Picoult

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:39:00 -0400

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors and I’ve seen her a few times. Her latest book is called Lone Wolf. The book came out on February 28th and she was here in La Jolla on March 6th.

Warwick’s had reserved seating if you pre-purchased the book. I picked up the book on Wednesday February 29th and finished it on Sunday morning March 4th. This book was so AMAZING! I don’t want to ruin anything for someone who might read it.

Quick Summary from GoodReads.com:

A life hanging in the balance…a family torn apart. The #1 internationally bestselling author Jodi Picoult tells an unforgettable story about family, love, and letting go.

Edward Warren, twenty-four, has been living in Thailand for five years, a prodigal son who left his family after an irreparable fight with his father, Luke. But he gets a frantic phone call: His dad lies comatose, gravely injured in the same accident that has also injured his younger sister Cara.

With her father’s chances for recovery dwindling, Cara wants to wait for a miracle. But Edward wants to terminate life support and donate his father’s organs. Is he motivated by altruism, or revenge? And to what lengths will his sister go to stop him from making an irrevocable decision?

Lone Wolf explores the notion of family, and the love, protection and strength it’s meant to offer. But what if the hope that should sustain it, is the very thing that pulls it apart? Another tour de force from Jodi Picoult, Lone Wolf examines the wild and lonely terrain upon which love battles reason.

Wow… Just wow. This book really held my attention and made me think about so many things. That is the wonderful thing about Jodi’s style of having multiple characters as the narrators and each of them having their own font. It allows us to hear the story in pieces and as the puzzle comes together, the story gets that much more fascinating. The broken family relationships and each person’s expectations of others are so interesting. I was curious to read how Cara & Edward’s relationship had changed from when they were 11 and 17 to present day of 18 and 24. Those are really formative years where big life changes are occurring. It was also interesting to see how each of them had completely different relationships with each parent before and after the divorce and how those relationships changed. The information about wolves and wolf packs relating to families was absolutely fascinating. It really was a great analogy. I’m hesitant to write too much because I believe her books are best if you know nothing about them— just make sure that you are okay with the subject matter since most of Picoult’s are controversial.

I will be so bold as to say that Lone Wolf is Jodi’s best book to date. I’ve only missed 4 of her 22 books, so I feel that’s a fairly accurate statement. READ THIS BOOK!

Lone Wolf = 5 stars out of 5

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Warwick’s Bookstore in La Jolla is such an amazing independent bookstore and have the most amazing events like these. I’m so happy that Warwick’s hosts events like these. Check out this link to Warwick’s Calendar of Events

This event was at the La Jolla Library and here is my picture with Jodi on March 6, 2012. I’m a bit sad that it was blurry, but oh well.

below: Fall 2010 when she was promoting Handle With Care (another excellent book!). I was lucky enough to be working the event and hearing her comments to everyone who came through the line.

—KRG

7 movies // Thoughts

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:05:00 -0400

Had this saved as a draft & written up 5 days ago… Thought I already posted it. Oops! Here it is:

Movie # 7 was How Do You Know [2010]. Another Reese Witherspoon movie that I had recorded on my DVR.

Honestly, the previews made this movie look much better than it actually was. I couldn’t pay attention to it because the story was boring and jumping around all over the place. Yes, you have a bunch of big name actors: Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd and Jack Nicholson. Sure, you can throw in a bunch of big names but that’s not going to make a good movie! I didn’t find Reese believable as an olympic-level softball player. I didn’t connect with the characters and didn’t understand why these two guys were fighting over her. She didn’t have much of a personality with either of them. I mean, she’s gorgeous… but not as this character. Sorry Reese. :-(

I wouldn’t recommend this movie, but at least I’m 1 movie closer to 50!

How Do You Know = 2.5 stars out of 5

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Movies I PLAN to watch:

The Hunger Games [2012] = already have tickets to a midnight showing on 3/23 Thursday night/Friday morning!!!
Speak [2004] = since I just finished reading the book!
a bunch of other movies recorded on my DVR… I keep having to delete them & set them to re-record at a later date!

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Thoughts:

It’s now week 12 of 2012 and I’m starting to feel behind…. Really behind on my challenge!

4 books // Books in Progress

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:07:00 -0400

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Book #3 was Dreams of Joy by Lisa See. We had a great book club discussion about this one with the daytime ladies of San Diego Book Divas! on February 16. This is the sequel to Shanghai Girls that we had read last year.

This book was so well written, interesting and rich with detail. It was so wonderful to get the rest of the story since Shanghai Girls left us hanging with Joy running away to China. I didn’t know anything about China during this time period… heck I don’t know much about China at all! It was really fascinating to read the main character Joy’s story and how she adapted to life in China and grew up in the process. I highly recommend this book. You will probably want to read Shanghai Girls first, but there were a couple of ladies in my group who hadn’t and they did fine. There were just a few characters that they didn’t have as much background on.

I had heard Lisa See speak about the book last year before I read it and it was a wonderful talk. She is currently touring to promote the book in paperback and coming to Warwick’s on April 16th. I highly recommend going if you are interested! She is a great speaker and very funny. She really loves interacting with her readers and has a great time with it.

Dreams of Joy = 5 stars out of 5

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Book #4 was With Friends Like These [2010] by Sally Koslow.

I read this book for a meetup of the Weekend SD Book Divas! and had a great discussion. I think the majority of us agreed that this wasn’t the best book. The story follows 4 women friends in NYC as they were friends 10 years ago and then start to drift apart and have issues with each other. The story was told with each chapter being from one of the four women’s perspectives. Personally, I like this format because it’s interesting to have a first person account but from various viewpoints. The main problem with this book as that we didn’t get enough character development on any of the four characters and they all felt flat. It was hard to keep track of the 4 women and I kept thinking that the author should have used different fonts for each character. I really love the way that one of my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult, does this with her books. It really allows the reader to have a richer insight into the characters and more easily change perspectives with each narrator. At the meetup, we discussed how all four of the characters were not fully developed and did stupid things. We had a great time discussing our own experiences with female friendships and how the relationships grew or eventually dissolved. I definitely had a far better time at the meetup with my girls than reading this dull book!

With Friends Like These = 2 stars out of 5

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Completed Books I Need to Blog:

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult [2012]
(pre-purchased for 2/28 release & then got it signed at event on March 6th)
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson [1999]

Books in Progress:

Why Him? Why Her?: How to Find and Keep Lasting Love by Helen Fielding
for Nonfiction Book Divas on Tuesday 2/21 = almost done!
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach
for Nonfiction Book Divas on Tuesday 2/21 = almost done!
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. My 12 week class will wrap up on March 29.
Miss Manners on Painfully Proper Weddings [1995] by Judith Martin
Planet Wedding: A Nuptialpedia [2010] by Sandra & Harry Choron

Plan To Read (but haven’t started yet):

The Great Gatsby [1925] by F. Scott Fitzgerald
for Quarterly Classics Book Divas on Monday 4/9
Lottery [2008] by Patricia Wood
for Daytime Book Divas on Thursday 4/12
Night Road by Kristin Hannah [2011] (purchased & got it signed at an event)
Still Missing [2010] by Chevy Stevens
State of Wonder [2011] by Ann Patchett
A Discovery of Witches [2011] by Deborah Harkness
The Outsiders [1967] by S.E. Hinton
for Quarterly Classics Book Divas on Monday 7/9

—KRG

Tumblr Issues // BOOKS: to blog, in progress & plan to read

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:22:45 -0500

Last week I had written a whole blog post about books #3 and #4. I spent about 30 minutes writing it and somehow part of it got lost. Now that I’ve learned my lesson, I will write my blog posts in a Word document and then copy & paste into Tumblr. I was frustrated with my loss and have “avoided” my blog for the last week. Tumblr is somewhat easy to use, but I’m frustrated that I had those issues with it. I also can’t seem to figure out how to have comments on the blog. They are difficult to find! Email me at kellyrenee@gmail.com (with Tumblr in the subject) if you have any good tips for Tumblr comments. I want to get this figured out!

I will get back to blogging, just wanted to update my status. It’s now week 10 of 2012 and I’ve read 5 books and seen 6 movies. I need to blog books 3-5, and then finish a few of the other books I have in progress to get back on track. I’m plugging away at the challenge, but I’ve just been so busy!

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Completed Books I Need to Blog:

Dreams of Joy [2011] by Lisa See
(for Daytime Book Divas on Thursday 2/16)
With Friends Like These [2010] by Sally Koslow
(for Weekend Book Divas on Saturday 2/25)
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult [2012]
(pre-purchased for 2/28 release & then got it signed at event on March 6th)

Books in Progress:

Why Him? Why Her?: How to Find and Keep Lasting Love by Helen Fielding (for Nonfiction Book Divas on Tuesday 2/21 = almost done!)
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach
(for Nonfiction Book Divas on Tuesday 2/21 = almost done!)
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. My 12 week class will wrap up on March 29.
Miss Manners on Painfully Proper Weddings [1995] by Judith Martin
Planet Wedding: A Nuptialpedia [2010] by Sandra & Harry Choron

Plan To Read (but haven’t started yet):

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald [1925]
(for Quarterly Classics Book Divas on Monday 4/9)
Night Road by Kristin Hannah [2011] (purchased & got it signed at an event)
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton [1967]
(for Quarterly Classics Book Divas on Monday 7/9)

"DEAR MISS MANNERS— I am a divorced male whose fiancée is also divorced and marrying for the..."

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:36:28 -0500

“

DEAR MISS MANNERS— I am a divorced male whose fiancée is also divorced and marrying for the second time. What is the currently accepted protocol for engagement rings in second marriages? Also, must my fiancée’s ring necessarily be larger than the one given to his current fiancée?

GENTLE READER— The correct formula is to multiply the size of the lady’s first engagement ring by the size of the one you gave your first wife and add to it the size of the ring her former husband gave his fiancée. With any luck, you will soon reach a stalemate, with the gentlemen no longer able to afford to raise the stakes and the ladies no longer able to lift their hands, and Miss Manners will be able to turn her attention to sensible questions.

”

- page 64 of Miss Manners on Painfully Proper Weddings [1995] by Judith Martin.