Donations needed and Happy New Year

Update: It's January 1st 2018, so Happy New Year. Will return January 8th with new posts.

Now I don't usually do this but I'm adding this post to requests donations. Due to my illness and unexpected financial mishaps, I have fallen behind on things needing to be paid for. My computer is wonky and needs a better virus and other protections system and my Grammarly payments are almost due. All the while unexpected real-life situations have dipped into my savings making it impossible to pay for either.

 Having these things dealt with will help me as a freelancer to better do my job and create content. If my computer breaks down then I'll have no way of doing my work efficiently and replacing it anytime soon is impossible. If anyone can help me out please do so. I will continue to work hard and save on my own but any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Happy Holidays.

Donation Link

I will return to my regular blogging schedule on January 8th. 

Happy 2018

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I want from Santa and Merry Christmas

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Which will close as of January 9th and new host The Artsy Reader Girl will take over the meme.

Leave it to me to find a new meme to add right at the end of the year. This week's topic is about books I want Santa to get me. Well, I'm pretty much certain I have to get these myself. But in the spirit of Christmas cheer, I'll play along.Here are my top ten books I want this Christmas.

1. Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard

2. All the R.L. Stine and Stephen King books I don't have

3. The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

4. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

5. These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch

6. Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst

7. The End of Oz by Danielle Paige

8. The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi

9. The Princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace

10. Love and Misadventure by Lang Leav (also Lullaby and Sea of Strangers)

So there you go. What do you say Santa? Thanks for popping by.

Merry Christmas

Wishing all my regular readers and new visitors a Merry Christmas (and a Happy New Year). If you don't celebrate this holiday then I wish you all the best through December.

Won't be back to blogging until January 3 where I will drop a book and Netflix review. Enjoy the holidays' everybody.

Waiting on Wednesday: Sightwitch

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event spotlighting upcoming books we're excited about. Formerly hosted by Breaking the Spine until her site went quiet. The meme is still followed today by dedicated bloggers who have a need to share their anticipation of upcoming reads.

Fans have been clamoring in support for the third book in the Witchlands series. I have no doubt that there will be even more rich stories and world building. Sightwitch already boasts an intriguing summary and a fantastic cover. But when Susan announced that the series would be delayed for three weeks moving the release date from January to February, the author and fans rallied to get the word out. All across the web updates and graphics have spread the word. Talk about a dedicated base.

Also I must personally commend the author because after promising my support as well (yup I'm a fan of this series), she donated to content creator and author Lily Meade. Lily had a financial hiccup and was seeking help. I not only donated but went about spreading the word on twitter for more donations or boosts to share her story. Susan was the first to answer and both donated and boost the tweet. Charity begins at home they say and Susan is not only talented but also has a big heart.

Title: Sightwitch by Susan Dennard

Release Date: February 13, 2019

Summary: Before Safi and Iseult battled a Bloodwitch…

Before Merik returned from the dead…

Ryber Fortiza was a Sightwitch Sister at a secluded convent, waiting to be called by her goddess into the depths of the mountain. There she would receive the gift of foretelling. But when that call never comes, Ryber finds herself the only Sister without the Sight.

Years pass and Ryber’s misfit pain becomes a dull ache, until one day, Sisters who already possess the Sight are summoned into the mountain, never to return. Soon enough, Ryber is the only Sister left. Now, it is up to her to save her Sisters, though she does not have the Sight—and though she does not know what might await her inside the mountain.

On her journey underground, she encounters a young captain named Kullen Ikray, who has no memory of who he is or how he got there. Together, the two journey ever deeper in search of answers, their road filled with horrors, and what they find at the end of that road will alter the fate of the Witchlands forever.

I have my sights *pun intended* set on this book. How about you?

Movie Love: December Trailers

The year is nearly over but movies are still coming out next year. Last week a few trailers dropped and I'm going to give my quick thoughts.

Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse

Miles Morales has been done justice in this trailer. This movie looks like it will appeal both to kids and adults alike. You get to see Miles in action as Spiderman and learning to master his abilities. The graphics are good and a few 2D shots thrown in pop in brilliant colour. A scene at the end is definitely a money shot and I will not spoil it for you. Lord and Miller seem to be doing just fine without Star Wars. Colour this girl unsurprised. As long as the movie is as brilliant as this trailer, December 2018 is going to swing in on a high note. An animated must see for me.

Jessica Jones Season 2

(I tried to get the trailer to come up but failed. This is a trailer 

reaction from Grace Randolph. But the trailer is still shown in full).

Yes, this is not a movie but Marvel Netflix shows are still a big event. Despite the last two or three being somewhat lackluster (depends on who you ask). There is a buzz in the air for Jessica Jones Season 2. While I was not wowed by the trailer personally it did the job of showing Jessica will be back. If you enjoyed Season 1 and still want more Jones then March 2018 might seem far away. 

Ready Player One: Official First Trailer

Steven Spielberg is back with what is hoped to be a huge blockbuster. While I can't say this will be for sure. There's no question that there will be some eye-popping visuals when people plug into a virtual world in hopes of winning billions of dollars and ownership of a top program. The added chance of death and corporate espionage helps sweeten the deal. The trailer looks great and the storyline is intriguing. But I must admit with how busy everything is, I wonder if this might have been better off as a series instead of a movie. Only time will tell.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Trailer

Jurassic World is coming back with a sequel. While I'm excited to see what's next with this franchise, the story revealed so far seems super basic. This is just a first trailer of course but I hope I was not just told the entire story. Saving dinosaurs sounds cool and all but island hopping is not what I want to sit for over two hours watching. Still, there were some cool scenes and the trailer is great overall. If you just want to enjoy more of this franchise then this trailer should get you real excited. Me? I'm ready but must add I think Universal was smart to move the trailer from November. All the easter eggs and ideas dropped with the trailer Marvel dropped for Avengers 3 would have clobbered JW2. Just my thoughts though and this trailer still did well so I'm looking forward to this movie.

So what do you think of the trailers? Are any of these movies a must see for you in 2018?

Book Review: Caillou at the Sugar Shack

I will not be doing another Netflix Nation post until January. But look another book review! This time it is for the fun child character Caillou. If you have any small children, this book might hit the spot. Especially if you are in the winter season and in the mood for warm treats.

Title: Caillou at the Sugary Shack by Carine Laforest and Mario Allard

Publication Date: January 9, 2018

Source: Netgalley

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository

Summary on Netgalley: When Caillou's family makes a springtime visit to Jonas' ranch, he takes them on a sleigh ride to a maple forest where Caillou discovers how the maple sap is collected from maple trees. At the sugar shack, Caillou learns about the maple syrup transformation process. But the best surprise is outside, when Jonas pours the hot syrup on the snow and everyone gets to enjoy Caillou's new favorite treat, maple toffee!

Review

If you want a fun read to cuddle up with a child or have a short read along, this book is perfect. Caillou gets a chance to go outside his element with his family visiting a ranch. But what's really exciting is learning about the maple trees and getting to sample the delicious maple sap. The book is perfect for young readers both in length and not being too detailed or confusing. Kids can even try reading for themselves and I'm certain both parents and teachers alike can make learning to read extra fun with these books. And for those experiencing winter, who doesn't like reading about travels and enjoying warm sugary treats? I'm not the target audience and I enjoyed reading this. Highly recommend!

Rating: 5 Stars

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend.

Waiting on Wednesday: Royals

Hi everyone. I have to do my birthday post another time but I can still post my WOW.

Title: Royals by Rachel Hawkins

Release Date: May 1, 2018

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository

Summary on Goodreads: Meet Daisy Winters. She’s an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair; a part time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond. 

While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes, and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.

I saw a retweet online about this book and decided to check it out. I can see myself in Daisy. Even though I'm the eldest I do have that 'perfect' sister. The cover also looks really nice and I like how the font's done in diamonds. There was also a cosmo article on the book. Really excited to see how this book turns out.

Thanks for stopping by. See you on Friday.

Book Review: Long Way Down (Excerpt)

I read an excerpt from The Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. It was available to read for free on the Riveted until December fourth. The book is on my to buy list and I want it even more now.

Title: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Publication Date: October 24, 2017

Source: Riveted website for young adult reading

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Book Depository

Summary on Goodreads:

A cannon. A strap.
A piece. A biscuit.
A burner. A heater.
A chopper. A gat.
A hammer
A tool
for RULE

Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he? As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that’s when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn’s gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn’t know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck’s in the elevator? Just as Will’s trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck’s cigarette. Will doesn’t know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth-floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES.

And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if WILL gets off that elevator.


Book Review

When I found out this book was written in verse and used a short moment in time to make a whole book, I was sold. I am a huge fan of books written in different ways from the norm. This book does that in spades. Using a short span of time to write a whole book is hard. You have to make each moment riveting enough to keep the reader engaged. Jason accomplishes this and he's definitely an author to watch. From showing how eczema affects a mother of two and that a moment as innocent as buying a bar of special soap can have long-reaching consequences. To a drawer that holds socks in contrast to the one holding an older brother's gun. Nothing in this book is without a purpose and you need to keep up with each versed scene to see everything fall into place.

I also lost a relative to gun violence. Ironic enough he had the same name as my brother, Andre. It was years ago over the Christmas holidays and I can tell you it is painful. But I would never want to be in the shoes of this book's main character. Will is a younger brother who witnessed the murder of his brother in a community where gun violence is not a rare occurrence. I never grew up in a place like that. Where rules to deal with such things included staying silent and planning revenge. A line from the book says it all.

Another Thing About the Rules

They weren't meant to be broken.

They were meant for the broken to follow.

Now that really gave me an inside look for those who think picking up a gun is the only solution. I will never agree with that but I'm not above knowing I could have a breaking point as well. This line just gave me more insight into those who see it as an only resort. A sad and dark insight but honest.

I highly recommend this book without question.

See you on Wednesday where I show my next WOW (Waiting on Wednesday) and discuss my birthday (November 29).

Netflix Nation: The Punisher Review

Review

Wow. I don't know where to begin. A gem of an idea turned into at best, a mid-level shoot them up. Because so much outside of kicking ass goes wrong in this series. But there's still some greatness under all the bruises. Netflix really half-assed on this one.

Overall to me The Punisher had great potential but turned into a half intriguing show, half muddled mess. The first three episodes (more precisely two and a half episodes, the last half of three heats up pretty good) are pretty painful to get through. A few episodes are absolute gems though and even the lesser episodes have epic moments in the latter half. Characters like Micro, Curtis and Bobby seem the best out of the bunch to me once not focused on Frank. Each has their role to play and do it perfectly. Karen also drops in and has her moments. Frank's still haunted by the loss of his family and the overwhelming need to make those who caused their deaths pay. Those on the side of the law play their part and the bad guys go from good to great, to over the top. Except Lewis who was an absolute dumpster fire. This arc should have been left on the cutting room floor. No, thrown in the furnace.

On a whole I think the enjoyment with this show will depend on how you feel about the set up. Personally the whole series could have been done in six episodes cutting out all the boring subplots and poor writing and pacing. If like me the poor pacing grates your nerves and the thirteen episode slog was unnecessary, it will be hard to love. If you don't care and love The Punisher no matter what, then you will enjoy it. My Recommendation is 'Buyer be Ware'. The Punisher is not unwatchable but you might want to go in prepared. Daredevil Season Two did such a great job introducing us to The Punisher. Hopefully future showings of him will be better than what we get here.

Rating: C (but a few episodes are better on their own, none are worse than first three)

P.S.: My birthday on Wednesday (November 29) was a fun time. More next week.