Feature and Follow Friday

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee where you follow the featured blogger, answer a question, and follow and be followed some more! I really love this meme, as most of you, my dear followers, found me through this when I was the featured blogger. You can find the rules to participate and the sign up on either one of their blogs.

For me, I'd prefer GFC, but if you don't have or don't use it then twitter or goodreads is fine too:) Anyway, this week's question is....

Q: Activity: Spine Poetry. Create a line of poetry with your book spines (take a picture). Not feeling creative? Tell us about your favorite poem.

Uhhhhh. I'm not very creative and the diverse titles in my TBR are no help. So I've decided to share my favorite poem by Shel Silverstein (author of The Giving Tree children's book, among others):

The Homework Machine 

The Homework Machine, oh the Homework Machine,
Most perfect contraption that's ever been seen.
Just put in your homework, then drop in a dime,
Snap on the switch, and in ten seconds' time,
Your homework comes out, quick and clean as can be.
Here it is--"nine plus four?" and the answer is "three."
Three?
Oh me . . .
I guess it's not as perfect 

As I thought it would be

Is this not super cute?? I friend of mine introduced me to it in like the 4th or 5th grade during an Englissh assignment. So be sure to leave a comment and say hi and I'll return the favor! Hope you all have a good weekend! 

Love, Esty

Book-to-Movie review: The Host

The Host
book by Stephenie Meyer

When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking over their bodies and erasing their memories, Melanie will risk everything to protect the people she cares most about, proving that love can conquer all in a dangerous new world.

I know, I know, I'm a few months behind. Never got around to the theater at the time so I watched it during a movie night last week.You can read my review of the book here.

If you've read my review, you know I loved The Host book. The movie was ups and downs for me. The acting was good in my opinion, but as usual, due to time restraints, relationships were developed too fast. One of my favorite parts of the book was when Jeb slowly integrates Wanda into the cave, and in the movie you didn't really see that. Also, the whole thing with Wes was cut out. 

The above problems were to be expected in every book-to-movie adaptation and therefore didn't bother me too much. The only thing that really annoyed me was the beginning. It was just boring. My friend wanted to switch movies but I insisted we keep going because I wanted to review it. Towards the middle she came around when we saw Jake Abel. As two bookworms, when we saw him we both shrieked 'LUKE!!!'. (he plays Luke Castellan in the Percy Jackson movie) and then she agreed to finish. (For the record, I love him for playing Mark in I am Number Four, too, though at the time my hormones were too busy with Alex Pettyfer to really give Jake the attention he deserves). ANYWAY, back to the beginning: We saw multiple scenes where Seeker was trying to get information from Wanderer. If anything should have been cut it was that. Also, just too much time in the desert. In truth, I can't really put my finger on WHAT bothered me in the beginning so much, but it was not sucking me in and getting exciting. At all. Even later, I was never hooked. 

But other than that, overall not bad. The actors were good, especially the main actress. Hot guys are always a bonus. I didn't love the actress they chose to play Pet (Wanda's second host body) not because of bad acting, but because she looked too old, not at all as described in a book (you couldn't at least have dyed her hair blonde?) and basically not what I imagined her to be.  

Also, the end was not satisfying. Even less than the book.

All in all, if you liked the book, go watch it. I enjoyed seeing the Wanda/Melanie evolve on the big screen. If you didn't like/read the book, forget it- it's not great on it's own in my opinion. 
Rating: 2.5 stars. I don't know how to cut pics yet so just picture it....

Love, Esty

Top Ten Tuesday- beach reads!

Hey guys! It's been awhile since I've done TTT (hosted by The Broke and Bookish), and I've missed my list-making! This week's topic is beach reads! I define beach reads as books that are light, fast-paced, romantic or funny. (As opposed to mysterious, dark, suspenseful, heartbreaking, etc..) Here are my choices:

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore- I actually read this one on the beach! It was summer a year or two ago...:)
Heist Society by Ally Carter

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr (my review)                    

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Harry Potter by JK Rowling- in all fairness, I'm biased. I could read this anywhere.

Percy Jackson- also.

The Bane Chronicles- can I call these their own books? You can read them independently of TMI. Very cute and funny (at least the first two), they'd make a great beach read.

Oh My Gods by Tera Lynn Childs- light and cute spin on high school and Greek mythology

Extras by Scott Westerfeld- in huge contrast to the rest of The Uglies series, it isn't dark and suspenseful, perfect for a sunny day out. (my review)

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult- sun, sand, sea. What more do you need? Why, fairy tale prince come to life, of course! (my review)







So these are my picks! What are yours?

Love, Esty :)

Review-ish: Lord of the Rings

The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings part 1) 
J.R.R Tolkien

The dark, fearsome Ringwraiths are searching for a Hobbit. Frodo Baggins knows that they are seeking him and the Ring he bears—the Ring of Power that will enable evil Sauron to destroy all that is good in Middle-earth. Now it is up to Frodo and his faithful servant, Sam, with a small band of companions, to carry the Ring to the one place it can be destroyed: Mount Doom, in the very center of Sauron’s realm.

Well. It's been 4 FREAKING WEEKS, and I am proud to say I FINALLY finished. Halleujah. 

Now it's not that I didn't like it, but this books was clearly written in another time, for another generation. For a teenage 21st century girl, who's used to getting any information she wants at the click of a button, the details of every meal and every landscape were agonizing. 

Which is not to say the genius of this book didn't shine through; I saw elements of Harry Potter, of Eragon, of the Books of Pellinor and more (even Percy Jackson). You can see how this became the daddy of all fantasy books- albeit with ONE FEMALE CHARACTER. (Hey, that's one more than The Hobbit) Seeing as this is a classic, and I'm not really qualified to really review a classic, I've decided to feature this book mainly in my favorite quotes: (to it's credit, there were many good ones)

"Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends." 

"I will not give you council, saying do this, or do that. For not in doing or contriving, nor in choosing between this course and another, can I avail; but only in knowing what is and what was, and in part also what shall be. But this I will say to you: your Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while all the Company is true."

"But do not despise the lore that has come down from distant years; for oft it may chance that old wives keep in memory word of things that once were needful for the wise to know."

Torment in the dark was the danger that I feared, and it did not hold me back. But I would not have come, had I known the danger of light and joy."

(See? I learned how to make quote boxes!) So I made it through the big guns. In truth, I saw it's brilliance, but it wasn't for me. I plan to watch the movie and read the other two, but probably in a long time.
So what are you reading? Ever read/watched LotR?
Love, Esty

The Sunday Post + Stacking the Shelves

Hey guys! As you know, I love trying out new memes and attracting new readers, so I decided to link this post with The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer (I'm also hoping that I'll learn to spell 'caffeinated' by myself, too. Whatever happened to I before E except after C??) in addition to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  This week I have recieved:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky source: borrowed









Dare You To by Katie McGarry source: Netgalley







Piece of my Heart by Lynn Maddalena Menna source: Netgalley


So beyond hyped for these! I've already seen the Perks movie and it was incredible, and of course heard all the great things about Dare You To. In other good news, I have FINALLY finished Lord of the Rings. Yes, the one I told you I started a month ago. More on that in it's own post. Anyhoo, leave me your links (or just comment- I love hearing from you!) and have a good weekend!  Love, Esty 

Summer of Standalones Challenge!

I have been a bad, bad, blogger lately. *slaps myself*. But now that all my tests are taken and reports handed in, I'm back. At least until July.

Anyhoo, the wonderful Cassie over at Books with Cass is hosting a challenge which I think is seriously needed- Summer of Standalones. You basically need to read as many standalones as you can this summer. It's low-pressure, so click on over to her blog and sign up! So this is the June intro... my goal for this challenge is 10. These are the ones I plan to read:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky
Dare You To by Katie McGarry (Netgalley)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nigh-time by Mark Haddon
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Piece of My Heart by Lynn Maddalena Menna (Netgalley)
A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest (at least, I THINK this is a standalone) (received for review)
At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks
House Secrets by Mike Lawson

I'll add two more next check in (which I will do late July, NOT mid-July like Cass because I will be away at camp at the time.) I'm soooo excited for these and can't wait to review them for you guys! Unfortunately I don't think I'll reach my goal of ten but I'll try! Anyway, have a great weekend! If you're participating in the challenge leave me your link and I'll check yours out:) Adios!
Esty