Fifty Shades of Fun

If you haven’t read the Fifty Shades series I have to ask, Why not? I admit that at first I was a little turned off at the premise. But, then I remembered that when you don’t actually read something for yourself and know the whole story, you really shouldn’t voice an opinion. (Although, I’m a total hypocrite as I never read the Twilight series because, you know vampires are ridiculous and I’m not a fourteen year old boy. And yes, many of my friends LOVED it. I know. I also never read The Hunger Games because the story line disgusted me, especially since it’s about children. And again, I’ve heard from many sources that it’s great.) Back to the point. If you don’t read the book that everyone is talking about you kind of feel left out. You can’t contribute to the conversation at the water cooler and you really don’t know what all the hub-bub is.

So, if you’re still holding out, might I suggest your book club read the trilogy. If you “book club,” that is. I do not. Book clubs are stupid. Don’t get me wrong, I love to read. I just don’t want to have to sit around with a bunch of people and say, What did you think of the book? Oh, yes. And what did you think of the book? And, what about that symbolism, and wasn’t that ironic, and blah, blah, blah… Nope, not for me. I just want to read my book, think about it myself and move onto the next. Now, before you say that you only do book clubs as an excuse to get out of the house, hang out with the girls and drink wine, I have to wonder, why do you need an excuse? Just go hang out with your friends and get liquored up, duh. But, I’m not judging. If you love your book club and your excuse– more power to ya!

Now, back to the topic. Fifty Shades is kinda fabulous. I liked the second and third better than the first. They have less of the “kinky fuckery” if you’re a bit prude. You also come to really understand why Mr. Christian Grey is the way he is. He’s actually a rather likeable dude with some mad skills. It’s a page turner, for sure. The only down side is when you finish it’s hard to find a book that you’re as enthusiastic about. Costco has the box set for cheap, so no more excuses!

If you haven’t seen this video yet, it’s a must. Totes Hi-larie! It’s worth the quick detour to youtube. (Thanks, Jill.)

In the words of Christian… Laters, baby!

The Island Review

Last weekend I read the book The Island by Elin Hilderbrand. I stayed up until 2 am on Friday and Saturday nights because I had to finish it. I loved this book. It’s a perfect escapism novel, a great summer or beach read. I fell in love with the characters and had to know how it would all end up.

I’m the type of person who gets totally immersed in a good book. I tend to cry,  feel their pain, and wish I could jump right into the story and hang out with the main characters. This book was no exception.

I believe all of Hilderbrand’s novels take place on Nantucket, where she is from. I read A Summer Affair last year. It was great too, but I liked this book even better.

The Island is about two sets of sisters (all related), their relationships with each other, as well as their relationships with their partners or future partners. Life altering decisions are made and lives are changed forever.

Mother and sister and two sibling daughters return to the family summer home after having stayed away for many years. There they bond, heal, and discover things about themselves they would have never realized had they not made the trip.

New love is found, love is lost and old loves are rekindled. I couldn’t wait to find out what would become of the women on the island. It’s a goodie–two thumbs up!

Hop Review

Hop is a little tale about the Easter Bunny’s son, EB, and his reluctance to take over the job that is of course his birthright. You see, EB desires only one thing, which is to be a famous drummer, much to his father’s dismay. After an argument with his Dad, EB leaves Easter Island and travels to Hollywood in the hopes of making his dream a reality.

Upon arrival, EB is hit by a human man-child’s car. EB realizes that Human has similar “Daddy issues,” and has no intentions of soon becoming a grown-up, or joining the conventional work force. EB talks his way into staying with the human and they eventually form a close relationship.

The human experienced a rare Easter Bunny siting as a child and has always believed in the rabbit. Human decides the perfect job for him would be that of “Easter Bunny,” and since EB isn’t interested he begins training.

Meanwhile, EB has landed an audition with the Hoff and manages to impress the old guy. The Hoff isn’t surprised that the rabbit is able to talk because after all, he had a talking car.

EB’s worried father sends the Pink Berets (official search team) to find and return his son to safety. The bunnies are led to believe that the human has harmed EB and capture him and bring him to Easter Island.

While they were gone, a coup by an angry, second in command chick has taken place and Easter Bunny is being held captive. Power hungry chick captures Human as well, and is planning to take the coveted job for himself.

EB realizes Human is gone and returns to Easter Island.

Human manages to escape and together he and EB save the day. Human and EB decide to be co-Easter Bunnies and EB realizes he can be a drummer too.

Human returns to inform his parents of his new, highly important job, and all is well.

Sound absurd? It is. Did I like it? You bet! It was ridiculous, funny and set to a great soundtrack. You should hop to it!

(Children under the age of five may be bored at times due to the heavy amount of real people dialogue.)

Cedar Rapids & Take Me Home Tonight

This weekend I saw the movie Cedar Rapids starring Ed Helms, from ‘The Office.’ He plays a naive, small town insurance agent who is sent to his company’s convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the first time ever. On this trip he experiences all sorts of firsts and winds up having a weekend filled with debauchery and moral dilemmas. The best part of this movie is the hilarious John C. Reilly. He plays the obnoxious loud guy who drinks too much, is a total perv, and is constantly initiating hijinks. Just the guy you want to be around at an event like this. I enjoyed this movie very much and would recommend it to anyone who is in sales or to anyone who isn’t offended by raunchy humor. Two thumbs up. Rated R, the way I like ’em, FYI.

The other movie I saw this weekend was also Rated R– bonus. ‘Take Me Home Tonight’ is ‘Reality Bites’ meets John Hughes. Meaning–kids fresh out of college, trying to figure out what the hell to do next, but the year is 1988. Topher Grace, the son from ‘That 70’s Show,’ plays the lead. He has quite the funny sidekick played by Dan Fogler and a charming sister played by Anna Faris. Grace is reunited with his high school crush and tries to figure out how to win her affection. The group goes to an “end of summer/last hoorah” party together and experience a wild night of sex, substance use, and life altering decisions.  Although they find themselves in all sorts of trouble, of course it all works out in the end. I liked this movie a lot as well. The music is great (one of my favorite obscure 80’s songs was featured–The Fanatic) and as you know, I’m a sucker for nostalgia. If you are a fan of sophomoric comedies and excessive partying this movie is for you!

Enjoy ‘The Fanatic’ video. You may remember this song from the awesome movie ‘Valley Girl’ which had an amazing soundtrack, including this 80’s gem.

Just Go With It

I didn’t watch the Oscars yesterday, but I did go to a movie. I’ve never been a big fan of award shows. It’s not like I know the people who are nominated, and usually I haven’t seen hardly any of the eligible films. In fact, this year I’ve seen a whopping one. Any guesses? Yep. Toy Story 3. (Although, I do want to see The Social Network.) Honestly, I don’t even care about the fashion. I’ll be able to see the best and worst frocks in US Magazine.

From this information you probably know what type of movies I favor. Romantic comedies and moronic humor. Preferably rated R. Now that you’ve been briefed, on with the review. Just Go With It, is in a word…hilarious. Jennifer Aniston plays the leading lady and I love her (slight girl crush, if you must know). Adam Sandler is the lead male, and it is by far one of his funnier recent roles. I laughed out loud several times, and all the characters were a real hoot. Aniston’s daughter is super quirky, as is Sandler’s best friend. Nicole Kidman has a small but very funny role, and the adorable Minka Kelly has a cameo at the beginning. Much of the movie is filmed at my favorite Maui hotel, The Grand Wailea. It was fun seeing a familiar place on the big screen. Another bonus is the movie is set to the classic hits of The Police. My husband was not looking forward to seeing this movie at all, but was pleasantly surprised. You should definitely, just go see it.

P.S. Best line of the movie, Jen says about Adam: “He LOVES music. But, nothing after ’95. Anything after ’95 and you’ll lose him.” HaHa…that is soooo me! 😉

Gnomeo & Juliet Review

Gnomeo & Juliet is a modern-day take on Romeo & Juliet, played by garden gnomes who come to life when humans aren’t present, set to the music of Elton John. Um…OK? Oddly clever, I suppose. The animation is top-notch and the message is great for kids and adults. The moral is, don’t let hate destroy your love/fight for what you believe in/love sees no color. Gnomeo & Juliet is action packed and fast paced. Over-all, I thought it was OK. My husband liked it. My 7 year-old loved it. My 3 year-old says he liked it now but, seemed scared and or bored at times during the show. Would I recommend it? If you have kids who are at least 3, sure. I know I’m always looking for something to do with the family, especially at this time of year when the weather isn’t great.

What Are You Reading? Lancaster, Taylor Reviews

 

I just finished the hilarious book It’s Not Me, It’s You by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor. It was the first book of hers that I have read, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more. This book is a collection of true-life stories, spanning from childhood to adulthood. The essays are funny, poignant at times as well as outrageous. She has no qualms about over-sharing, which I love. I only wish the book was longer, as I was left not only wanting more, but with many questions as well. Sequel? Oh, and I LOVE the title and cover. My husband walked in the room and saw me reading this book. He looked at it and said, “Oh my God, that title is so you!” Not sure if he meant it as a compliment or not, but that’s how I took it! You should buy this book, for sure!

*Also, Stefanie Taylor seems like a really cool chick. She checked out RTM and said it was, “Great!!”  She took the 70’s Music Quiz and said she missed a few. Not bad, eh.                                 

 

Prior to Taylor’s book, I read Jen Lancaster’s Such a Pretty Fat.  This is the fourth Jen Lancaster book that I’ve read. (I rated the other three in ‘The last 10 Books I’ve Read’ post found under Reviews.) True to form, this book is funny, lighthearted, and a tad “snarky.” Exactly what you would expect from the witty Ms. Lancaster. The book takes you on her personal journey of finally getting fit and healthy. I liked the ending to this book better than I have some of her others. I enjoyed it very much and would recommend it to anyone who likes Chick Lit.

So, what are you reading?

Ivy & Bean

I’ve been meaning to recommend the book series Ivy & Bean by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall. It is the first series of chapter books that my 7-year-old has really gotten into. She read the Ramona books and liked them, but she always wanted me to read them to her. She also liked the Rainbow Magic Fairy books, but not as much as Ivy & Bean. So, if you have a child grades 1-3, or if you have gifts to buy for that age range, check out this fun series. I think your young lady or little gentleman would be pleased.

What books do your young readers love?

$9 if You’re 6, $400 if You’re 7!

Yesterday I took my 3-year-old and my 7-year-old skiing. When I purchased the tickets they told me I could get my son a season pass for $9. Great! Kids 6 and under get this fantastic deal. However, since my daughter is 7, a season pass for her would be $400! Wow! What a huge difference. She obviously didn’t get the season pass. Instead I paid $39 for her day pass. Is it just me or does this seem ridiculous? An adult day pass is $69. Pretty spendy. It seems like kids 12 and under should ski free or for very little with the purchase of an adult ticket. I realize the ski resort is a business, but $9 vs. $400 because of one year difference just seems outrageous. What do you think?

The Last 10 Books I’ve Read

I’m always looking for a new, good book.  Actually, this is a list of the last 14 books I’ve read.  I’ve rated them on a scale of 1-10.  Warning: I prefer Chick Lit, so most of these fall into that category.  If you’re looking for something really deep or mind-blowing, this list is not for you!  In no particular order, they are:

 

1.  Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin–8

2.  A Summer Affair by Elin Hildebrand–8-9

3.  Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang–7,  Are You There God, It’s Me Vodka–8,   My Horizontal Life–10 all by Chelsea Handler

4.  Shit My Dad Says by Justin Halpern–8

5.  You’ll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again by Heather McDonald–8

6.  Bitter is the New Black–8,  Bright Lights, Big Ass–8,  Pretty In Plaid–7 all by Jen Lancaster

7.  Hope In a Jar by Beth Harbison–8

8.  I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max–2

9.  Your Big Break by Johanna Edward–8

10.  Love, Lust & Faking It by Jenny McCarthy–7

Enjoy!