Fan Art Friday

A lot of people enjoyed my Ally Condie Spotlight because I included some fan art of her books. I decided I wanted to showcase some more fan art, so I want to start doing:

Fan Art Friday

I enjoy seeing other's interpretation of the books and characters through art. I love seeing some of the scenes and characters come to life through art. I also love seeing the talent and different styles. Thanks to all the artists, and I hope you don't mind that I stole your pictures off the Internet!

Since The Book Thief by Markus Zusak has been on my mind a lot lately, I decided to start with that, and what I found didn't disappoint!

p.s. These pictures may or may not spoil the book for you! I dunno, we all interpret what we see differently. View at your own risk! You have been warned!

Which is your favorite? 

I love them all. The one with the accordion, books, bear, and Max's sun with a tightrope really speaks to me! I think my most favorite is the one that says "Kiss him, Liesel." I just want to scream for Liesel to give Rudy a kiss!

The Book of Three

Goodreads Synopsis:    Taran dreams of adventure, but nothing exciting ever happens to an Assistant Pig-Keeper--until his pig runs away. A chase through the woods leads Taran far from home and into great danger, for evil prowls the land of Prydain. With a collection of strange and wonderful friends whom he meets on his journey, Taran finds himself fighting so that good may triumph over evil--and so that his beloved home will not fall to a diabolical fiend.









My Thoughts:

-    This series is one of my childhood favorites! Reading this again was like greeting old friends. 

-    Reading an old favorite is just what I needed to get me out of my reading slump!

-    Taran has a lot of growing up to do, and while he grew throughout this journey, I'm glad there are more books for him to grow more. 

-    Gurgi is one of my all time favorite characters! He is right up there with Bilbo! I love the way he speaks, and I love his loyalty and courage.

-    I love the other characters as well. Gwydion was one of my first literature crushes! Eilonwy can be annoying at times, but sometimes Taran needed a good scolding. Fflewddur is a good companion and brings some great comic relief. SO many great characters!! I love them all!

-    Medwyn is full of wisdom and love for all living things. I admire him so much. I wish I had his job. It would be so peaceful and lovely.

-    The book is short, but the adventure is EPIC! This tale is a timeless classic that people will love forever! I can't wait to share Alexander's books with my little gnome!

-    Although we don't see much of him, The Horned King is one of the scariest and baddest dudes in all of fantasy! 

-    Nothing but love and praise from me for this book! This series holds a lot of nostalgia for me. I grew up reading about Prydain and The Shire, and I always wanted my own adventure. This is one of the books that started my love for reading! 

Blackbeard's Ghost

My Thoughts:

-    The picture looks grainy on the copy I got from the library. The DVD needs to be remastered. I've watched this on TV, and it looked a lot nicer. 

-    This is a good wholesome family fun movie! It is funny, and entertaining for the whole fam!

-    Blackbeard is fantastic! The casting was perfect! 

-    The track meet is hilarious! I love how everyone is so confused. 

-    The story is simple, but fun. It is entertaining enough for adults, but fun enough for kids. 

-    The main chick kinda looks like Elizabeth Taylor.

-    If you enjoy classic old school Disney movies, this is a movie for you! 

Tyson's Thoughts:

-    I wasn't too entertained, but I'd enjoy a ghost buddy.

-    I'm definitely gonna haunt someone like that when I die!

Hubby's Thoughts:

-    My favorite scenes are the track meet and the gambling part.

-    Captain Blackbeard is hilarious, and he kinda looks like Tyson. 

Top Ten Tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Best/Worst Series Enders

Best

 

 

 

Worst

 

 

Book Thief T-Shirt Winners

This is going to be a lazy post because...well, I'm feeling lazy.

Head on over to Suey's blog! 

She does these kinds of things better than me anyway!

Congrats to the winners! We'll be emailing you soon!

Thanks again to everyone who participated! I had a lot of fun!

Leading Men

Goodreads Description:    Tough, sophisticated, witty, and handsome from Rudolph Valentino to Buster Keaton, Cary Grant to Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart to Steve McQueen, each of the actors featured in this book brought a magnetic presence to the screen and made a powerful and enduring mark on film history. Produced by Turner Classic Movies, this stylish and definitive guide as the inside scoop and off-the-record reveals of fifty unforgettable actors and is also the focus of an on-air film festival on the channel. The lives and accomplishments of each actor are celebrated in an insightful career overview, accompanied by an annotated list of essential films, filmographies, behind the scenes facts, Academy Award wins and nominations. Full of surprising trivia, film stills, posters, and stunning photos, Leading Men pays tribute to the most charismatic, enduring, and elegant actors of the silver screen and essential resource for movie buffs and pop-culture enthusiasts alike.

My Thoughts:

-    I love old movies, and I love the old school actors. They had class and charisma that no other era or group of actors will have! 

-    My favorite quote in the book: "Their attraction was in what they did and were, not how they looked." LOVE THAT!

-    It was fun to flip through this book and read about some of my favorite actors. I admit, I didn't read about every guy, but I read most of them. 

-    After reading, I gained a lot more respect for Cary Grant, James Stuart, and Gregory Peck! They were real gentlemen that did great things! 

-    Sadly, my respect also faltered for a few. I won't list names.

-    I did not know Jimmy Stuart was a Brigadeer General in the Air Force!!!! Wholly huge shocker Batman!! I don't know why he wanted to keep it a secret. That title is something to be proud of! 

-    One of the best parts of the book was looking at all the pictures! So fun! The one of Charlie Chaplin is crazy! I totally didn't recognize him!

-    There is not enough time in the day...or life, to watch all the movies I want to watch! The movies listed in the book just killed me! I wanted to watch all of them at that moment I read about it. 

-    A couple of my favs is Spencer Tracy, Gene Kelly, Mickey Rooney, and the others I've mentioned above. 

-    I'm hoping my hubby looks like Spencer Tracy when he is older...I think he will :)

Similar Book

(click on the cover to see my post)

Photo a Day

I'm participating in Rae Gun Ramblings' Photo a Day for October!

Here are my photos for this week!

Day 1: So Great

Day 2: What I Read

Day 3: Gryffindor

Day 4: This Happened

You can follow my photos on Instragram

The Secret of Red Gate Farm

Goodreads Description:    When Bess Marvin purchased an expensive bottle of Oriental perfume, she never expected to stumble into a mystery. Now Bess, Nancy, George, and their new friend Jo are out to unravel the secrets of a mysterious conspiracy, a secretive cult, and a ring of counterfeiters in The Secret of Red Gate Farm.












My Thoughts:

-    The ending of this one was a bit of a surprise to me. I don't know why, but it just wasn't what I was expecting. Loved that!

-    Nancy seems a lot older than 18. She just seems more mature, confident, and smarter than usual 18 year old.

-    I loved that Nancy studied and learned how to decipher codes! She keeps adding new skills to her repertoire. I just admire her!

-    I like that the police take Nancy seriously and value her tips and advice. They see her as a contributor rather than a nuisance, and it is just nice that Nancy and the police work together to solve these mysteries. 

-    I can't get used to a girl named George! I think she is a guy half the time. 

-    Even though the book was a quick and easy read, I didn't feel like the story was rushed. 

Previous Nancy Drew Books

(Click on cover to see my thoughts)

  
 

Leading Couples

From Goodreads:    William Powell and Myrna Loy. Bogart and Bacall. Tracy and Hepburn. These on-screen (and sometimes off-screen) couples defined romantic chemistry and the art of falling in love. From Turner Classic Movies,Leading Couples features the most unforgettable screen pairings of the studio era, including actors and actresses with many film courtships and those who made their indelible mark in a single, memorable movie. Engaging and thoroughly researched, each profile includes trivia, behind-the-scenes stories, biographical overviews, and memorable quotes, illustrated by rare stills and poster art.



My Thoughts:

-    This was a fun and informative book! I adore this era of movies, and I wish classy actors and actresses like these people could still exist. 

-    I love that Fred and Ginger were the first couple. They are still very iconic!

-    This book was bad for me. I want to watch all the movies that were listed now!!

-    The intro said that one of the rules for choosing the couples to go in this book was that there couldn't be doubles. One actor couldn't be listed more than once. Well, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Elizabeth Taylor, and others were listed twice!!

-    I didn't know Bogart was so short! Poor guy had to stand on boxes to be taller than his leading ladies.

-    I didn't know Rock Hudson was gay. That is so interesting since he played a player in a few of his films.

-    Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn should have married! I really wish they had! They were so perfect for each other!

-    I would not have chosen King Kong and his captive as a couple for this book...it was....weird. 

-    I like how the book listed mini bios on the side for each actor and actress. It was fun to read where they were born, how tall they were, and see how many spouses they had. 

-    This is definitely a fun read for those of us who loved the golden era! 

Top Ten Tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Book Turnoffs

Graphic Sex  -  If there is a lot of descriptive sex, I'll usually put it down.

Whippin' it Out  -  If a man whips out his you know what, I refuse to continue reading!

Boring  -  If a book is extremely boring, and I just can't continue reading, I don't.

Way Too Many Characters  -  If I can't keep track of who is who, I usually quit. It is confusing and not fun.

Super Whiny Chicks  -  I hate hate hate super whiny girls. I might continue to read and I might not. It depends on how whiny. 

Preachy  -  I don't like a ton of religion in a book, even if it is my religion! .I'm fine if a character has beliefs or a religion, but I hate it when books get over the top with religion, and/or the characters become super preachy.

Bogus Stuff  -  If the author gets their facts wrong or if something is totally bogus, It is a BIG turnoff to me! Things need to make sense, and it needs to be believable. Even in fantasy, things need to work in the world created. There needs to be constraints.

Hard to Read Writing  -  If the editing is bad, I won't read. It is painful. If the language is weird, like slang, southern, etc. I have a hard time reading that stuff. I only made it a few pages into Blood Red Road.

Unoriginal  -  If a book is ripoff of other books, movies, comics, etc., I usually quit. I might finish the first book in a series, but I won't continue. 

Excessive Swearing  -  I hate it when books contain profanity for shock factor! LAME! I don't need a ton of F-bombs to know something is bad or someone is angry!