Mom was looking the Netflix suggestions and she was actually the one who put this in our queue. It was unexpected, interesting, sometimes a little silly, but overall it was good.
This was another one that mom had put in the queue and I'm really glad she did. This was heartfelt and emotional, but there were also a couple moments that had us laughing like crazy. It's a great story about how honor begins at home, raising children and leading families. It's pretty amazing.
I think I'd seen a preview for this last fall sometime. It was on instant, so I figured hey let's check it out. Turns out it was pretty interesting. Russell Crowe plays a husband whose wife was convicted of murder. He's convinced that she's innocent and tries to break her out of prison.
On the way home from an extremely long day I got a text with a free Redbox code. We were looking for something funny that would lighten the mood of our day. As soon as I saw this I knew we had to get it. I mean, you really can't go wrong with Steve Martin because he's amazing. See [HERE]. I loved this movie about bird enthusiasts trying to defeat a cocky, record holder in a year long bird-spotting competition.
I love the "A Cinderella Story" movies, so when I saw via Megan Park on twitter that she was in this new version with Lucy Hale I added it to Netflix. The sister and I watched it over the weekend and were pleasantly surprised. It was cheesy, but also really funny. We saved it so we could watch it again with our mom. It's just a fun, light-hearted, tween chick-flick.
I started this a couple weeks ago by the sister's suggestion. She bought it on our Nook account and kept telling me how I REALLY needed to read it. Of course she was right! I actually still haven't finished it yet or read anything else; I'm about halfway done. It's one of those books that you're pretty sure the author wrote after digging through your brain. It's hard to get through, because it's convicting, and I think that's why it's taken me so long. I can't wait to finish it! I'm looking forward to reading more of Tara Leigh's books.
When I was asked to participate in the blog tour for Monica Leonelle’s book Socialpunk I knew that I definitely wanted to read the book and write a review. I mean, if I’m promoting this book I should probably know what it’s about, haha.
Read a brief synopsis and an excerpt of Socialpunk [HERE].
Read an interview with the author, Monica Leonelle [HERE].
I’m not a sci-fi person and I don’t know if a cyberpunk book would be my first choice when picking my next book to read. With that being said, I was intrigued when I read the synopsis and prologue to Socialpunk.
One of the things I liked about the book was that it immediately grabbed my attention and held it through the entire book. It was an easy, and fairly short read; it clocked in at 180 pages on my Nook.
The story follows Ima on an adventure when she finds out her world is not what it seems. Like Monica said in her interview, Ima really grows as a character throughout the book; that was one of the things I really liked. Her early years were filled with adversity so in the beginning of the book she was more of an invisible girl. When Vaughn comes up to her and says, “If you want to live, come with me.” things start to change.
I loved the creativity and details that went in to describing the city and surroundings. It created a picture in my head of what it was like, especially when Ima was seeing it for the first time.
Here’s another short excerpt that is a great example of that exactly:
A woman with long purple eyelashes, who kind of reminded Ima of a butterfly, brushed by Ima with tattooed art entirely covering both her arms. One of the tattoos started out as a young boy who grew just a little older with each second, until he looked like a man. To Ima’s amazement, the tattoo played like a home video.
Ima looked at Vaughn for explanation. “How—?”
“Pixel skin-grafts,” Vaughn whispered into ima’s ear. “Some people do their entire bodies in them. Doesn’t do much in terms of protection, but lets you change your outfit on a Clout.”
I would recommend this book and I’ll definitely be reading the next book in the trilogy, Socialmob, when it comes out in July. The story ended so abruptly with a cliffhanger that threw me for a loop. If I could change one thing it would be the end, because it just seemed to cut off. But I guess that’s one way to keep people coming back for more. The series will wrap up with Socialhood, in October.
Let me know if you read Socialpunk and what you think of it!
I randomly found this series on instant Netflix. I saw that it had really high reviews and was recommended for me. Typically Netflix’s rec’s are pretty accurate for me, so I decided to give it a try. After immediately being sucked in with the first episode, I quickly watched the entire first season, which only has 13 episodes. The second season just started this month, but it’s on cable so I have to wait to watch it. I was so enthralled with this series that I also got my whole family hooked, so I watched it all again. It’s heartbreaking, but also shows the reality of a tragedy and shares multiple points of view. It’s not just the family that is affected, but also many others whose lives are intertwined in this story.
UM. AMAZEBALLS. This movie really did the book justice. It was fun to watch the story, that I had just read, come to life. It was hard to watch some of the scenes, especially when people in the audience would ignorantly applaud. It was the Capital, who they should be fighting and not each other.
I have this book, but I’ve never read it (shame on me). I honestly didn’t know what the story was about. The synopsis on IMDB describes perfectly it in one sentence, “A mousy governess who softens the heart of her employer soon discovers that he's hiding a terrible secret.” It was a great movie and I really loved the cinematography! Now I should really read the book, huh?
This was another Netflix recommendation and I’m so happy I added it to the instant queue. The story was about the man behind Elmo, his journey and how he went after his dreams. The whole family loved it! It was funny and heart-warming. I also loved it because I was a puppeteer for 8 years, so it brought back memories of my middle school and high schools days. We had an amazing puppet ministry at church and it was so much fun to be a part of!
I know this has been out for a couple years, but I finally got around to watching it this week. I LOVE Steve Martin [see HERE] and so I knew it was going to be a pretty fun movie.
Heard It:
I honestly haven’t been listening to anything new. Just Tyrone Wells on repeat. And I’m okay with that. :) See [THIS] & [THIS].
I’m so thankful for my wonderful friend Janelle! I had wanted to read The Hunger Games series, but couldn’t afford to buy it on my Nook and didn’t want to wait for it on the library’s LONG waiting list. I remembered that Janelle had them and asked if she’d be able to send them to me, which she did. The day I got them in the mail Heather started them and finished them in two days. It took me about three days to read them all and then my dad read them too. The books were fascinating and heartbreaking. I’m obsessed! I love Katniss, Gale and Peeta! I’m definitely going to invest in my own copies on Nook when I have the money.
I interviewed Monica Leonelle, via email, as a part of the blog tour for her new book Socialpunk. See my first post [HERE] with a brieft synopsis and excerpt from the book.
Me: When did you start writing?
Monica: I've been writing forever! I write a ton almost every day, as it turns out. Writing is the way I express myself, so I just fell into it naturally.
Me: What was your motivation?
Monica: I started a Gen Y blog in 2007 called Twenty Set. It actually gained quite a bit of steam early on, but eventually I moved away from Gen Y topics. The reason I started that blog, though, is because I couldn't clear my mind! I literally just needed to get things out of my system. So I wrote that blog 4-5 times a week for about six months until my ideas stop churning so quickly. My love for writing as an adult grew out of that experience.
Me: Where did the idea of Socialpunk come from?
Monica: I was inspired by the city of Chicago, by social media issues in our current world, and by the cyberpunk genre. The book is a bit like the Terminator series and I reference that a couple times just for fun. James Cameron is basically my favorite director ever, and he really inspires me with his world-building and storytelling skills.
Me: Who is your favorite character in Socialpunk?
Monica: I would have to say Ima is my favorite character, as she's the main character and the book is told entirely from her point of view. What I love about her is how much she changes from the beginning of the book to the end. She feels very guilty and is constantly struggling with right vs. wrong. She's probably one of my favorite characters out of all the ones I've written.
Me: Were any of the characters inspired by people in your own life?
Monica: Nasser was slightly inspired by my own approach toward leadership (why I shouldn't be a leader!). Nahum was inspired by a major crush I had in 4th grade, haha. No one else is similar to anyone I know in real life.
Me: Right now, what are your favorite book and movie?
Monica: Hmm, I guess I would have to say I love this movie called Flipped. It's a love story and totally cute. My favorite book is harder to pick, since I don't read as much fiction as I'd like to these days! I really enjoy Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, and Maggie Stiefvater. I'm reading their stuff most recently.
Me: What is one book that everyone should read?
Monica: When I was a kid I loved this book called The Girl With the Silver Eyes. [HERE] is the exact cover of the book I had.
It's one of my absolute favorite YA novels, and, surprise! Maggie Stiefvater loves that book too. This was the first novel that made me want to write fantasy and science fiction.
Me: Besides writing and reading, what are some of your favorite things to do?
Monica: I'm training for the marathon right now! I also love to eat and travel. Eating is the worst habit, lol. Hence, the marathon training.
Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Monica: A writer, I guess! I consider myself grown up at this point. I'm 28 years old, so I feel very independent and confident in my life choices.
Me: What is one of your biggest dreams? What are you doing to go after it?
Monica: I would love to get a serialized fiction series going. I plan to start outlining fairly soon, hopefully the end of April. It's a challenge though, because everything has to be outlined before I start so all the delicious foreshadowing happens. Plus, I have no idea if people will buy serialized fiction. But I'm willing to take a chance.
Thanks Monica for the interview! Check back later this week for my review of Socialpunk!
I got an email a few weeks ago from Monica Leonelle inviting me to participate in a blog tour for her new book, Socialpunk. Monica Leonelle is a well-known digital media strategist and the author of three novels. She blogs at Prose on Fire and shares her writing and social media knowledge with other bloggers and authors through her Free Writer Toolkit.
You'll be seeing a few more blog posts this week as a part of the blog tour.
Here's a brief synopsis of Socialpunk followed by an excerpt from the book.
Ima would give anything to escape The Dome and learn what’s beyond its barriers, but the Chicago government has kept all its citizens on lockdown ever since the Scorched Years left most of the world a desert wasteland. When a mysterious group of hooded figures enters the city unexpectedly, Ima uncovers a plot to destroy The Dome and is given the choice between escaping to a new, dangerous city or staying behind and fighting a battle she can never win.
Prologue: After playing God for six years with the world he created, he couldn’t control any of his subjects, none at all. Over the years, he had watched them evolve and become the sum of their own choices rather than the sum of his; and for that, he regretted ever giving them life.
A small, blinking red light from just inside his eyelid reminded him of the news they sent him earlier that morning. The company had cancelled his funding and would shut down his project within three months. According to them, the project cost too much and took up too much space, and the inconclusive results couldn’t be published reputably, now or in the future.
Six years of his work, tens of thousands of lives at stake—and he could do nothing to save any of it. He bowed his head, letting his chin rest on the rim of his breakfast smoothie. The smoothie reeked of powder—crushed pills—but he supposed he had better get used to it. He wouldn’t be able to afford the luxury of real food after they canned him.
He closed his eyes and called up the camera view of one of his favorites, number 3281. She fascinated him; he couldn’t deny it. When he had designed her, her pre-teen rebelliousness lit fire in her eyes. A survivor, he’d thought. He’d meant for her to have it all—to grow up, to get married to the love of her life, and to have a beautiful family of her own someday.
But he had only given her sadness so far. Instead of creating a strict father, he had given her an abusive one. Instead of creating a loving boyfriend, he had given her a friend who could never love her. And instead of creating a strong, proud mother, he had given her a meek one, who watched the whole thing unfold and did nothing about it.
He looked at his last and final creation sitting in the chair across from him—his own son, not awakened yet. The law forbade him to have any children of his own, so this boy would substitute.
But he had done the unthinkable with this creation—he had bestowed on it his own thoughts, emotions, and decision-making processes. He’d given the boy his own mind, his own physical characteristics, his own wants and desires.
He had never done so with any of the others because of the dangers of investing too heavily in any one of his subjects. But who could he kid? He had not stayed objective thus far, watching some of his subjects more closely than others, wishing for the happiness of some at the expense of others. He had become an abomination, a monster of his own doing, who had created subjects only to watch them suffer.
He couldn’t forgive himself; not now, not ever. His eyes lingered on the vial that sat next to his breakfast smoothie, that he’d stowed away for the day when they destroyed all his work, his entire world. He would save it, tuck it away for now, for as long as he could protect them. When things spun out of his control, he would drink it and end himself the way he had ended them.
In the ancient stories, gods frequently gave their sons as gifts. Now, he would give his son as a gift to her, number 3281. So she could be happy in her last months on earth, before they destroyed her with the rest of them.
This was another one that mom had put in the queue and I'm really glad she did. This was heartfelt and emotional, but there were also a couple moments that had us laughing like crazy. It's a great story about how honor begins at home, raising children and leading families. It's pretty amazing.
I think I'd seen a preview for this last fall sometime. It was on instant, so I figured hey let's check it out. Turns out it was pretty interesting. Russell Crowe plays a husband whose wife was convicted of murder. He's convinced that she's innocent and tries to break her out of prison.
