June 29, 2014

Series Sunday: Orange is the New Black

(OITNB S2)


Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Read an installment of a series.
  • Share your review/recommendation below.
  • Include the title, author and series name.

"All those years ago I wanted to have an adventure, an outrageous experience, and the fact of it being illegal made it all the more exciting." ~ pg. 258

My Series Sunday pick is Orange is the New Black, the book by Piper Kerman and the Season 2 Netflix series starring Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman. She was living happily in a NYC apartment with a promising career and boyfriend when the FBI showed up at her door investigating a ten-year-old drug crime. After pleading guilty, she spent 15 months in a women's prison.

I loved the back stories of the characters on season 2. Although it made it apparent how Piper has the least interesting story among the ladies of Litchfield. After finally reading the book that inspired the show series, I see why. Piper's history with Alex wasn't all that juicy. Drug crimes are not petty but Piper is hardly a hardcore criminal. The book focused on her experience from indictment to spending almost six years under supervision by the feds, to serving time in prison. What I love about the show was not discussed in the book—the other inmates.

Perfect segue into my one-liner comments to the inmates and other characters. Oh has my opinion changed for every single character!

Piper: Not so interesting in comparison.
Lorna: I knew you were an unrealized crazy.
Nicky: Proud of you. Don't let me down.
Taystee: Learn to appreciate genuine friendship and recognize true enemies.
Crazy Eyes: I don't like you anymore. That is all.
Janae: You are strong to keep surviving the SHU.
Healy: Be the good guy, counselor. I know you care.
Caputo: Don't fuck this up. Do right by these ladies.
Larry: Asshat. How could you?!
Polly: See above.
Gloria: Give the kitchen back to Red, girl.
Sophia: Keep standing proud.
Big Boo: You need these people. WTF
Yadriel: Hey boo, hey!
Cindy: You are exactly how I imagine TSA. Hee-larry-us!
Sister Ingalls: You go, sister!
Rosa: I enjoyed your back story the most. FASTER!
Daya & John: I hope it works out for y'all. I really do.
Red: Too trusting with a good heart. Like you more.
Vee: Oh, you bitch.
Soso: Girl, what? I'mma need you to eat and take a shower.
Pennsatucky: Teeth yasss, haircut ewww no.
Alex: Come back! You are safer inside.
Poussey: You. Are. My. Fave. <3

Follow OITNB on Instagram for cast photos and updates. OITNB is now streaming on Netflix. Binge now!

Title: Orange is the New Black
Author: Piper Kerman
Published: April 2010
Pages: 278
Episodes: 13
Edition: eBook and Netflix
eBook Rating: ♥♥
S2 Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

June 27, 2014

First Lines Friday


First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Grab your current read(s).
  • Share the first line(s).
  • Include the title and author.

"Do you generally use alcohol or drugs more than once a week?"

~ All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

 

June 24, 2014

Dear Daughter


"Ah—the practiced nonchalance of a player caught in a bluff." ~ pg. 99

Ten years ago, LA "it" girl Janie Jenkins was convicted of murdering her mother. A mother she didn't like. Now that she is released on a technicality, she is on a mission to unravel the mystery with the help of her mother's last words, a letter and a visit to a tiny town. Trying to stay hidden because the media is on her tail, she works primarily alone to figure out the truth and whether she really did kill her mother.

Dear Daughter has been recommended to readers who enjoyed Gone Girl. So I was all for reading the next best possible psychological thriller. It started off at a steady pace with Janie and her attorney on a plan to help her escape the media and rejoin the world as a free woman. Carefully disguised she sets out on a journey of truth. Toward the middle of the book, I almost lost interest and was ready for the ending. Janie, are you that psycho that you don't know whether you killed your mother or not?

Interesting twist. Unsolved crime. Good debut. Missing the WOW factor though.

DISCLAIMER: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Title: Dear Daughter
Author: Elizabeth Little
Published: July 2014
Pages: 384
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥

 

June 22, 2014

Series Sunday: Book Snob Wannabe's Introduction Video

(www.booksnobwannabe.com)


Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Read an installment of a series.
  • Share your review/recommendation below.
  • Include the title, author and series name.


My Series Sunday pick is a new video from fellow blogger, my bookheart Book Snob Wannabe! Allow her to re-introduce herself, introduce book bloggers via video and her plans for this summer's Series Sunday.

I love BSW's reviews because they are informal, honest and diverse in genres. And best of all, she incorporates videos with her bookshelf as the backdrop like a true bibliophile. Be sure to watch the video above where the first blogger she introduces is moi!

Subscribe to her blog updates here and YouTube channel here.

June 21, 2014

TFiOS Movie Review


Fifteen days later and TFiOS movie is still with me. I saw the matinee opening afternoon, June 6. I had no tear-stained mascara selfie to post immediately after watching the movie. I prepared myself by not wearing eye makeup and bringing tissue. I expected tears. I mean, two teens are dying of cancer. And it's a nontraditional love story. How can you prevent wet lashes with a story line like this?

I give harsh critiques for book-to-movie adaptations. I am that stickler that is quick to point out what did/did not happen in the book. I saw a few extended trailers to know the dialogue was mostly word-for-word, which is very important for this movie because Hazel and Gus' wit and conversation is a large part of their charming relationship and why I heart them. Well bookhearts, I am happy to report that TFiOS movie is very true to the book. 

Toward the end of the movie, I thought about my grandfather who I lost to cancer, my grandmother who had breast cancer and my own scare. I heard other people in the theater crying. First softly, then gradually louder as certain scenes played out on the big screen. I got that lump in my throat—the one right before a cry that I've tried holding in—then lost it and just cried. The credits rolled and not ONE person in the theater moved. Not one person stood up for a solid three minutes. All I heard were sniffles and murmurs. Some even turned into sobs. S/O to the lady sitting near me so unashamed with the ugly cry that I patted her shoulder on the way out of the theater. Uber emotional.

For those that read TFiOS, you know what to expect. (-_-,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,)


Hazel and Gus are my favorite fictional witty teenagers ever. Shailene, girl, I have been your fan since the early days of Secret Life of the American Teenager. You rocked the short haircut with confidence! You played the emotions so well. Handsome Ansel, you my dear are the perfect actor for the role of Gus. You captured his charm, snark and delivered metaphors that made English teachers and word lovers proud. BRAVO to both of you! This love story written by John Green left a lasting impression long after I read the last page and remains a favorite book. Thanks to the wonderful movie directed by Josh Boone and the lead actors, TFiOS will leave a lasting visual image in my mind. I cannot recommend this book AND movie enough (read before viewing). So well done!

Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Cast: Shailene Woodley (Hazel) & Ansel Elgort (Gus) 
Release Date: June 2014
Time: 126 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 
My Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 


Ebony Summer Music Special


Currently Reading Ebony Summer Music Special eMag — Best Summer Covers!

June 15, 2014

Series Sunday: Allegiant

(Allegiant #3)


Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Read an installment of a series.
  • Share your review/recommendation below.
  • Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Allegiant, the final book in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. Beatrice "Tris" Prior lives in a futuristic Chicago. The city was once divided into five factions (groups formed to seek a single-minded goal):

  • Abnegation (the selfless)
  • Amity (the peaceful)
  • Candor (the honest)
  • Dauntless (the brave)
  • Erudite (the intelligent)

The faction-based society is now destroyed. Tris has a chance to explore the world past the fence and limits she's always known. But painful memories and lies follow her making her new reality hard to adjust to.

After reading the second book Insurgent, I barely wanted to finish this trilogy. I mustered enough strength on a bored day and started reading Allegiant. You know what I found out? That I wasn't bored enough to spend time reading this book. I picked it up two more times before giving up. Bookhearts, consider this as my review because I did not finish reading Allegiant. I may or may not watch this movie once it is released. Perhaps the story is better suited for the big screen and not on pages.

Title: Allegiant
Author: Veronica Roth
Published: October 2013
Pages: 329
Edition: eBook
Rating: ♥

June 13, 2014

First Lines Friday


First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Grab your current read(s).
  • Share the first line(s).
  • Include the title and author.


"The Transgender Tipping Point: Laverne Cox, a star of Orange is the New Black, is one of an estimated 1.5 million Americans who identify as transgender."

~ June 9, 2014 Issue of TIME Magazine

NOTE: I am still on an OITNB binge so receiving this free eMag issue of TIME was perfect timing. Good marketing move!

 

June 10, 2014

Lit Tidbits




    • Dr. Maya Angelou (Born 4/4/1928; Died 5/28/2014)
    • Target teamed up with Librify to offer eBooks for sale and an online platform for book discussions.
    • The internet is an integral part of the publishing process. Authors, I cannot express the importance of maintaining an official website and social media pages. Give your readers updates and engage with fans.
    • The Writer's Digest Conference will be held in NYC August 1-3, 2014.
    • Everyone is talking about The Vacationers by Emma Straub. Bookhearts, do you recommend it?

     

    June 8, 2014

    Series Sunday: The Girl in 6E

    (The Girl in 6E #1)


    Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
    • Read an installment of a series.
    • Share your review/recommendation below.
    • Include the title, author and series name.

    "You know those camming rules I mentioned? The ones I break with blatant disregard?" ~ pg. 100

    My Series Sunday pick is The Girl in 6E, the first book in the series of same name by A.R. Torre. Originally titled On Me In Me Dead Beneath Me, this book is a thriller about a very recluse person who hasn't touched a human in over three years. But thanks to the internet, the main character has a 200-member fan club and a seven-figure bank account. A shrink diagnosed her with anthropophobia (fear of human interaction) and dacnomania (obsession with murder). EEK!  Perhaps that is why she stays hidden away, until one girl's life may depend on her venturing into society.

    The Girl in 6E is not the typical suspense thriller. I learned new terms and rules about the world of camming. It is evident the author did research. Early into the book I figured out what would tempt the main character into leaving apartment 6E and interacting with humans again. But in no way did it take away from the story's progress. Well written and developed. I am pleasantly surprised at the ending. It did not leave on a cliffhanger but I am looking forward to the next book in The Girl in 6E series.

    DISCLAIMER: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

    Title: The Girl in 6E
    Author: A.R. Torre
    Published: January 2014
    Pages: 302
    Edition: Galley
    Rating: ♥♥♥♥

     

    June 6, 2014

    First Lines Friday #OITNB


    First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
    • Grab your current read(s) or show*.
    • Share the first line(s).
    • Include the title and author.

    "International baggage claim in the Brussels airport was large and airy, with multiple carousels circling endlessly. I scurried from one to another, desperately trying to find my black suitcase. Because it was stuffed with drug money, I was more concerned than one might normally be about lost luggage."

    ~ Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

    #OITNB returns with all new episodes on Netflix today! Watch the season 2 trailer below then let the TV binge begin. I'll be reading the book in between episodes. This is "next level crazy."


     

    June 5, 2014

    Frog Music


    Finally a new book from the bestselling author of Room! I was so impressed with Emma Donoghue's debut novel Room, that I anticipated the release of Frog Music. It is a tale of love and bloodshed set in 1876. There is a heatwave and smallpox epidemic in San Francisco. French burlesque dancer Blanche tries to solve the murder of cross-dressing friend Jenny.

    I stopped reading at the end of Chapter II (page 67) which was past my 50-page rule. I can't even begin to tell you what the first two chapters are about. It struggles to piece together the mystery. At least that is what I think the plot is supposed to be. It seems Donoghue was all over the place with Frog Music. Fail. May-jah disappointment.

    Check out the book trailer below. If you have more patience than me and able to finish this book, please let me know if it's worth trying again. Better yet, just tell me what the book is really about or if you also struggled to make sense of it.


    Title: Frog Music
    Author: Emma Donoghue
    Published: March 2014
    Pages: 314
    Edition: eBook
    Rating: ♥

     

    June 4, 2014

    Gemini


    "Hell, stay in the same place and you discover nothing new. Not about the world. Not about yourself." ~ pg. 87

    A Jane Doe is transferred to the intensive care unit of Seattle Beacon Hospital placed in Dr. Charlotte Reese's care. The unidentified patient is a victim of a hit-and-run. Days pass and Jane Doe's condition worsens forcing Charlotte to make complicated medical decisions. The doctor crosses the professional distance line by enlisting the help of her boyfriend to uncover the identity of her patient. They unlock Jane Doe's shocking secret and possibly a miracle.

    Gemini is the first book I've read by author Carol Cassella, M.D. It is also the first medical-based fiction book I've read. Well done! There wasn't a lot of medical jargon making it very easy to understand the diagnosis and dialogue between the doctors and nurses. The chapters alternate narration between Dr. Charlotte and Raney helping the story unfold in a parallel format.

    Gemini skillfully combines a medical crisis, life-changing decisions, ethics, love, loss and emotions. This story will make a damn good movie. I was worried whether the book's language would be over my head since the author is a practicing anesthesiologist. She majored in English literature and after finishing Gemini, I realize this makes Carol Cassella, M.D. the best person to write medical-based fiction. Check out the video below of the author discussing Gemini. Then add it to your reading list.


    Title: Gemini
    Author: Carol Cassella, M.D.
    Published: March 2014
    Pages: 341
    Edition: Hardcover
    Rating: ♥♥♥♥

     

    June 3, 2014

    Dear Literary Godmother



    Dear Literary Godmother,

    You said listen and in that quietude I might hear the voice of God. You taught me the power of words and storytelling. You were the first author I fell in love with. The first complete book of poetry I enjoyed. The first autobiography I read and still the most memorable, courageous one. You are one of the reasons I love literature.

    This letter will never be delivered to your physical address. It will never be read by your eyes. But your letters, poems and words will remain displayed on my bookshelves and as fond gems in my mind.

    Blessings, peace and may you rest in love.

     

    June 1, 2014

    Series Sunday: Right Click

    (Click #3)


    Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
    • Read an installment of a series.
    • Share your review/recommendation below.
    • Include the title, author and series name.


    "Now if I could only get you to stop emailing me every minute of the day with your incredulous-but-true life stories, man troubles and horrible pun-offs, then I would really be onto something." ~ pg. 4

    My Series Sunday pick is Right Click, the third and final book in the Click series by Lisa Becker. Ever want to eavesdrop on a conversation of a group of friends? In true Click fashion, you can. Their email exchanges talk about love, heartache, marriage, infidelity and friendship. Any female reader in their 30s can relate to the adventures among Renee and her friends.

    While Right Click was sometimes funny, mostly light-hearted, it was not addicting to read like the previous two books in the series. Although it was a satisfying final installment.

    Check out my reviews of Click: An Online Love Story (#1) and Double Click (#2) of the series. Then click away until you've downloaded and read them all.

    DISCLAIMER: This book was received directly from the author for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

    Title: Right Click
    Author: Lisa Becker
    Published: May 2014
    Pages: 175
    Edition: eBook
    Rating: ♥♥♥