Monday, July 9, 2018

The Incredibles 2

Image result for the incredibles 2 poster


My Thoughts:

-    I really enjoyed this one, but I wish I didn't have to wait so long to get it.

-    I laughed a lot throughout the movie. There were a lot of great moments.

-    They showed too many of the funny scenes in the trailers. I felt like they showed too much of the whole movie in the trailers. It made some of the scenes less special.

-    I felt like most of the movie was a repeat of the first movie. I still liked it, but I was hoping for a different formula.

-    I loved all the characters. I like that each of them had a moment to shine, especially Jack Jack. I love how his powers were being discovered and the family was trying to figure out how to deal with that.

-    Edna is my favorite! I love her!

-    Overall, this was a really fun family movie. I liked it. I think I liked the first one a little better, but I think I need to see this again to decide.

Friday, July 6, 2018

Kanan: The Last Padawan

The Last Padawan (Star Wars: Kanan, #1)From Goodreads:    In Star Wars: Rebels, Kanan Jarrus is a cocky, sarcastic renegade fighting the Galactic Empire alongside the ragtag crew of the Ghost. But years before, during the Clone Wars, he was known as Caleb Dume, a Jedi Padawan training under Master Depa Billaba. Neither master nor apprentice ever suspected that their “loyal” Clone Troopers would turn on them upon the issuing of Order 66 — the Emperor's directive to execute all Jedi. How did Caleb Dume escape the Jedi purge? How did he learn to survive on his own after his master fell? And how did he become the man we know as Kanan Jarrus? What can a Padawan do when being a Jedi makes him a target? Join young Caleb for a tale that bridges the years between the Clone Wars and Rebels! Collecting KANAN: THE LAST PADAWAN #1-6.



My Thoughts:

-    In the Star Wars universe, if you want to know everything about everything and everyone, you have to read all the mediums. It is kinda crazy.

-    After watching a couple seasons of Star Wars: Rebels. I knew I needed to read this comic series. I wanted to learn more about Kanan's history.

-    I decided to go with the trade books on this one. I liked being able to get more story in one book. 

-    I really enjoyed getting to know Kanan better. I didn't know he changed his name. 

-    I wish I could have gotten to know Kanan's master better. I wanted a little more about Kanan's time as an apprentice.

-    I liked that the last issue incorporated the Ghost crew! It was fun to see them in comic form.

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Empire of Storms

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5)Goodreads Synopsis:    The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.

With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

In this breathtaking fifth installment of the New York Timesbestselling Throne of Glass series, Aelin will have to choose what—and who—to sacrifice if she's to keep the world of Erilea from breaking apart.

My Thoughts:

-    I've been dreading this review.

-    I'm so disappointed, and a little angry, about this book. I feel betrayed.

-    The biggest cause of my grief and angst is the porn. This series started out as a fun and edgy YA fantasy. I've cheered on this series, raved about it, defended it, and recommended it to a lot of people, including some teens. I feel like it wasn't fair for the author or publisher to let detailed sex scenes into the 5th book of a series. 

-    Also, why can't people just keep their clothes on. Several of the characters were just randomly naked a lot. Why? It was like a weird cartoon antic.

-    My second biggest complaint was that a lot of these amazing characters were diminished. Rowan was just a dog on a leash for most of the book. It was so frustrating. A lot of the men became dogs on a leash. Lorcan, who gets his power from the devil, became a dog on a leash! Aelin seemed so different. She wasn't a snarky kick butt girl anymore. She had so many doubts and needed so much comfort and support until the crazy unbelievable ending which I will address later.

-    Lysandra and Elide had some great character development. They stole the show for me in this book.

-    Does everyone need to be paired up? In the first four books, only a few of the characters had romantic interests, and all of a sudden, everyone is being paired up with someone! Why!? They don't need to be, unless every male character needs to be a dog on a leash!

-    I didn't buy the ending, and I didn't like it. I don't understand why Aelin needed to keep so many secrets, especially from the small group of people that she trusts and loves more than anything. I also don't think Aelin could predict EVERYONE's moves. There is no way she could predict everyone's motives and what they would do, especially Lorcan. She didn't even know where he was! I hope that wasn't too spoilerish.

-    I was so disappointed with this book, that I've decided to take all the books in the series to a book swap event later this month. I don't want these books in my house anymore. I've never felt so betrayed by a book before. 


Previous books in the Throne of Glass series
(covers are linked to my thoughts)

 17167166 20613470
18006496

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Happy Independence Day

Related image

I love my country, and I'm grateful for our rebel founding fathers! I hope we can honor them and make them proud.

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

June Stats

Books Read:    20

The Dam Keeper Mr. Knightley's Diary (Jane Austen Heroes, #2) Heir to the Jedi (Star Wars)
Grump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves Be a Wolf! (Adventures of Wishbone, #1) Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women
Star Wars (2015-) #45 Star Wars (2015-) #46 Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5)
The Last Padawan (Star Wars: Kanan, #1) First Blood (Star Wars: Kanan, #2) Goodbye Stranger
Milla Takes Charge (Daring Dreamers Club #1) Beauty and the Clockwork Beast (Steampunk Proper Romance #1) Dobry
Star Wars (2015-) #47 Star Wars (2015-) #48 Star Wars (2015-) #49
The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns, #1) The Diviners (The Diviners, #1)

Pages Read:    4,572
Shortest Book:    22 pages
Longest Book:    693 pages

1 Star:    0
2 Stars:    2
3 Stars:    6
4 Stars:    11
5 Stars:    1

I had a good reading month! I was so proud of all the books I was taking off my TBR, but then I added several more books. I just can't get ahead. I read two more Newbery winners! Yay! It is slow going, but I'm making progress.

Monday, July 2, 2018

Ocean's 8

Image result for ocean's 8 poster


My Thoughts:

-    This was a really fun movie!

-    I loved the cast! Everyone was awesome! Sandra Bullock was amazing. Helena Bohnam Carter cracked me up! I've never seen Cate Blanchett play a role like this before, and she was fabulous.

-    There were a lot of similarities with Ocean's Eleven, but this was still its own movie.

-    The heist was so much fun to watch. I loved every moment.

-    I enjoyed seeing Richard Armitage, but I wish his character wasn't such a coward. He wasn't that attractive to me in this one. I prefer brooding Armitage.

Friday, June 29, 2018

Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women

Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little WomenGoodreads Says:    Biography tracing the fascinating life of Louisa May Alcott from her happy childhood in Pennsylvania and Boston to her success as a writer of such classics as Little women.















My Thoughts:

-    I didn't know Little Women was based on Louisa May Alcott's life. There were so many similarities!

-    The story was only interesting because I was learning about a beloved author. It was pretty slow and boring for most of the time. Most of the book was telling and not showing. 

-    Woo! Another Newbery read!

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Be a Wolf!

Be a Wolf! (Adventures of Wishbone, #1)Goodreads Synopsis:    Horrible monsters are taking a bite out of the kingdom! Who you gonna call!?When Joe Talbot's backpack is confiscated, Wishbone and Joe Talbot must confront a scary neighbor with a Big mean dog to get it back.

This reminds Wishbone of the old English tale Beowulf. Imagining himself as the great hero Beowulf, Wishbone must defeat a series of monsters who are ravaging the kingdom.

A lifetime of adventure takes him on a collision course with his greatest foe yet. And this time, it will take more than courage to defeat this monster. It will take a hero with four legs and the heart of a warrior!





My Thoughts:

-    When I was a kid, I LOVED Wishbone. I watched his show religiously every day. I bought all the Wishbone books I could from the book orders in school, and I've held on to all my Wishbone books.

-    I decided to share Wishbone with Gnome. We started watching episodes from Youtube, and Gnome enjoyed it. Now we've started reading my old Wishbone books. 

-    This one was really fun. I've never read Beowolf, but I might. I don't remember reading this one, and it isn't a Wishbone episode, so the story was new for me too. 

-    Gnome and I both enjoyed the book. We liked picturing Wishbone take down the monsters and doing fun things. 

-    We also enjoyed Joe's story with the scary old lady. 

-    Even after all these years, I'm still a big Wishbone fan!

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Top Ten Tuesday: Series I've Given Up On

Created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and moved to The Artsy Reader Girl in Jan 2018

Top Ten Series I've Given Up On/Don't Plan to Finish

Plans change, so I might end up finishing some of these, but others are a definite NO.

Defiance (Defiance, #1) Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)
Splatoon, Vol. 1 My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies, #1)
How to Train Your Dragon (How to Train Your Dragon, #1) Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy, #1)
The Paper Magician (The Paper Magician, #1) Relax, I'm a Ninja (Relax, I'm a Ninja, #1)
The Lying Game (The Lying Game, #1) Feed (Newsflesh Trilogy, #1)

Monday, June 25, 2018

Heir to the Jedi

Heir to the Jedi (Star Wars)Goodreads Synopsis:    A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . . 
 
A thrilling new adventure set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and—for the first time ever—written entirely from Luke Skywalker’s first-person point of view.













My Thoughts:

-    The title is a little misleading. I thought the story would be more about Luke learning about the Jedi and the force. Luke does use the force a few times in the book, but nothing huge.

-    This was a fun adventure with Luke. I liked seeing him do missions for the Rebels. I liked seeing him grow and become the Luke we see in Empire Strikes Back.