Tag Archives: reviews

LipStick Jungle

Image result for lipstick jungle book

Hey!

What?!? I’m back with another book review, even though I told you guys that I was in a slump just one post ago. It’s true, I did finish another book. This time it was another book that has been sitting on my bookshelf for WAY too long and became part of this year’s clear the shelf project. This project is really gaining some momentum this year. This review is going to be Candace Bushnell’s Lipstick Jungle. If you were in your 20s or early 30s in the early 2000s you will know that Candace Bushnell is the author behind the book that the series Sex in the City was based on. It was a great HBO show for all the right reasons, not to mention that it had 2 movies that let us catch up with the characters a few years down the road. Well, also trying to capitalize on the success of that show Candace Bushnell also gave over the rights to another one of her novels Lipstick Jungle. Needless to say it was a short-lived show on the mainstream network starring Brooke Shields. I kind of wish that it had worked out. 🙁 For a couple of years you were able to watch the whole series on Netflix , but I’m not sure where it has gone to now.

Image result for lipstick jungle show

Let’s get to the book review portion of this post. The book starts off during New York September Fashion week in which, Victory Ford, one the main characters is debuting her latest venture. Her two best friends, Nico O’ Neilly and Wendy Healy both top business executives in their own right show up to support her. Needless to say, Victory’s September fashion line is a flop and the lives of the three women ravel and unravel from there.

I will say that the tv show took a few liberties from the book and changed the plot lines in hoping to better suit audiences. Personally , I like the book’s plot lines for the characters a bit better because it shows the women taking control and being in charge of their own lives while acting like they have it all. Having it all can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people, but this book showed people that women could have it all.

Let me know if you have read the book or remember watching the show and what you thought. I’ll see you soon in another post soon.

Girl, wash your face

Image result for girl wash your face

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I know that it’s been a minute since I’ve been here, but it’s mostly because I’ve been in a slump with reading and finding motivation to do things. I’m not sure if it is because those moments between summer and fall where the weather gets WAY too hot here, or because it’s the few months before the holiday slide. Whatever it is, I have it bad. I’m slowly forcing my way through it and I suppose it has been working.

I recently finished Girl, wash your face by Rachel Hollis. I had this recommended and quoted by so many people I follow that I probably genuinely lost count. I got this in ebook form on my Nook app for my phone because somehow in the last year I’ve become embarrassed by all the self help, encouraging book that I’ve been reading.

The basic rundown of this book is that Rachel Hollis a Christian author and motivational speaker goes through several lies that people and mainly women tell themselves on a daily basis. Or even worse yet, lies that we have been told and help perpetuate through the years. She gives stories from her point of view and things she did to help get rid of that lie in her life.

I’m not going to lie and say that this book wasn’t motivational and highly encouraging. It really genuinely was! I even copied a dozen or so quotes from it into my journal as notes for future reference. I really will go back through the journal and read all the notes from the book and try to gain a bit more encouragement or possibly even re-read the book again. I do have to warn readers though that because Rachel Hollis is a Christian some of her motivation and encouragement comes from that background and side of the street. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something worth noting for those who aren’t religious.

Let me know if you have read this book and what you thought of it. Are there any other self-help, motivational books that you would recommend reading? I think I’m really on a kick lately.

I’ll see you soon in another post.

Movie Review: To all the boys I’ve loved before

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Wow, I know so many posts in the past short while, but I live in Hawaii and I had to deal with a hurricane threat a couple of weeks ago. In case you haven’t ever dealt with a hurricane threat before that means; after all the preparation to make sure that your house is safe and secure, you have an evacuation plan, and you have food and water. Well, let’s just say it’s a lot of waiting around and watching the news and what not to see what happens. It actually is REALLY boring in that sense. Image result for to all the boys i loved before
Seriously though let’s get back to the real reason that you are here. After finishing reading the To all the Boys I’ve loved before series. You can read my reviewsTo All the Boys I’ve loved before, PS I still love you, and Always & Forever Lara Jean. It was announced that Netflix is coming out with a movie based on the first book! Yes, like the crazy woman who fell so hard for Lara Jean in the first book I was screaming and overjoyed. I also hoped that it was everything of my dreams. When it was released on August 17th, I didn’t immediately jump to watch it, I mean why flood Netflix and then get the constant error message. It’s the worst! Netflix save us from error messages! I can safely say that I watched it this weekend and at the time of writing this post have watched it twice!

It mainly follows the story of the first book pretty dead on aside from the fact that there is less baking, no Stormi and Peter drives a Jeep in the movie. Can we get the guy an Audi because honestly that is such a hotter car than a Jeep?! Other than that it’s pretty spot on. I laughed, I cried a bunch, it was beautiful and moving just like a teen romance movie should be. Think John Hughes movie except for this half of the century. I know that John Hughes movies aren’t that old, but to every teenager out there, they are pretty old. Funny part though, they even reference the John Hughes movie Sixteen Candles in one scene. I would definitely recommend you see this movie! Oh yeah, the cliffhanger ending in the mid-credits scene means that Netflix should be giving us a sequel right? I mean the book series was three books long, give us at least another movie!!!!

The trailer will be below if you haven’t already watched the movie 😉 Let me know your thoughts when you get the chance. See you soon!

Moxie

Image result for moxie by jennifer mathieu

Hey!

I’m back again with yet another book review. I know that I am unintentionally turning this into a book blog, but at least you have consistent posts from me for a little bit right?!? And…at least you know that I’m working on at least one of resolutions rather consistently this year…;)

Let’s get back to the topic at hand. In case you haven’t noticed is about the book Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu. This was a YA read chosen for the May or June Creating & Co book club read. I know I’m behind, but at least for now I’m at least caught up on that book club reads I think…

In the book we meet Vivian Carter, a junior at EastRockport High, who finally after years of dealing with the same small town attitude to guys and football gets feed up and decides to fight back in the only way that she knows how. She takes inspiration from her mother’s Riot Grrrl ‘zines and begins one of her own distributing anonymously throughout the school. Before she knows it, the ‘zines have created a movement all their own which ends up leading to a revolution at the school.

I’m not even going to apologize for somewhat spoiling the book because once you even read the jacket you know that there was only 2 ways that this was going to end, Revolution or sadness. I probably would have warned you if this was a tear jerker. If you aren’t already familiar with the Feminist Revolution this is definitely a good introduction to some materials that you should read. If you are familiar with the revolution this is good book to make you want to continue the fight for other girls/women. I know that this book probably has some basis in real life events since things like this seem all too common throughout America.

Let me know if you have read this book and what you thought. If you have any recommendations for books I should read this year, let me know 🙂 I’ll also be participating in the Creating&Co RIP Readathon in October,so they’ll be a ton more reviews coming soon!

I’ll see you soon with another post.

 

TBR Throwdown books

Hey!

I’m back again with yet another book review. I know that I am unintentionally turning this into a book blog, but at least you have consistent posts from me for a little bit right?!? This posts is going to be mini reviews of all the books that I read during the Creating & Co TBR Throwdown because I nearly almost finished all the books that I had planned to read that week. WHAT!?! Yes, I know pretty amazing and that includes a few that weren’t on my TBR for that week!

Image result for wicked deep shea ernshaw

I started the week by finally getting around to reading The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw, this was actually the Creating & Co Book Club pick in April or something. I know I’m a little behind, I picked up the book when we were suppose to read it but never actually got into it. I was finally able to get myself to read at least 50 pages and after that I was hooked! This was definitely an atmospheric book once you got into it. Though I will admit that parts of it did read a bit like Twilight.

Here’s a quick synopsis of the book: Penny Talbot has lived on an island near the town of Sparrow for her whole life and grew up with the legend of the Swan Sisters. The whole town prepares for the summer when the Swan Sisters return to life and wander around town and bad things happen. This summer though Bo Carter, a stranger comes to town and is determined to solve the mystery of his brother’s death. Soon, it comes down to Penny and Bo having to choose between saving each other or saving only one of them.

Image result for old man and the seaThe next book I read that week was The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. I had made it my goal for August to read a classic and this seemed like a perfect place to start. Let’s be really honest there are probably a million books I should read and I’m only slowly working my way through that list!

While this book weighs in at only 127 pages, I found myself struggling through the heaviness of the book. It’s not a fast read by any means, any author of this caliber doesn’t waste time on useless words. You can tell when you read it that every word is weighed and carefully chosen to give just the right effect. I cheered for the Old Man as he fought the fish so valiantly and was a little ticked off that none of the other townspeople came to look for him. Uhh…did I just spoil the book? Possibly, but you should read it anyway if you haven’t read it. At least trudge through it so you can appreciate the work of Hemingway.

The next book I finished this week was The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint- Exupery. After watchingImage result for the little prince the Netflix I knew that I would definitely have to read the book as to better understand the story. Like many book to movie adaptations I wasn’t surprised that the book was different from the movie I was surprised at how much the book and movie differed. I would actually have to say that I liked the Netflix special a little bit better because it had so many more quotable moments that the book. I’m still grateful that I read the book and am definitely keeping it in my collection.Perhaps I need to read a few more of Antoine De Saint-Exupery’s book to better understand this one.

I did start another book at the end of the week, but since I didn’t finish I think that will have to go in a separate review by itself. Also so many more reviews and things coming here soon!

Let me know if you have read any of these books and what you thought. If you have any recommendations for books I should read this year, let me know 🙂 I’ll also be participating in the Creating & Co RIP Readathon in October, so they’ll be a ton more reviews coming soon! I’ll see you soon with another post.