Computer issues

Just to keep you guys updated, my laptop is currently out of commission, so forgive my lack of posting at the moment. It will be better soon.

Playing Hurt Blog Tour Date is SET!

It's official! The date is set for our stop on the Playing Hurt Blog Tour! Holly Schindler will be stopping by for some bloggy shenanigans on May 4th, so mark your calendars! I don't have all the info on what's in store, but you can bet it will be awesome! More info to come!

Review: Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler

Playing Hurt
Written by Holly Schindler
Release Date: March 8, 2011
Publisher: Flux (Llewellyn Worldwide Ldt.)
Travelling ARC provided by author....THANK YOU!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5



Summary (Courtesy of Barnes and Noble):

Star basketball player Chelsea "Nitro" Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone's admiration back home. Then she took a horrible fall during senior year. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.
That summer, Chelsea's dad hires Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player and "boot camp" trainer, to work with her at a northern Minnesota lake resort. As they grow close, Chelsea finds that Clint's haunted by his own tragedy. Will their romance end up hurting them all over again—or finally heal their heartbreak?

I really liked this book. The characters seemed so real and the relationships they had were so true to life. The sports terminology was even 100% accurate...score one for Holly! Full review after the jump. WARNING: SPOILERS!

Film Review: It's Kind of a Funny Story

It's Kind of a Funny Story
DVD Release Date: February 8, 2011
Rated PG-13 (Focus Features)
Starring Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts, Viola Davis and Zoe Kravitz
An Independent Review by Stephanie

Rating: 2.5 out of 5





Summary (Courtesy of Moviefone):

What's a 16-year-old boy doing playing music and table tennis with adult psychiatric patients -- on a school day? It's kind of a funny story...'It's Kind of a Funny Story', adapted from Ned Vizzini's 2006 novel of the same name, is the new comedy-drama from acclaimed writer/directors Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden.

It's 5:00 AM on a Sunday in Brooklyn. Craig Gilner (played by Keir Gilchrist of "United States of Tara") is bicycling up to the entrance of a mental health clinic; this bright 16-year-old is stressed out from the demands of being a teenager. Before his parents (Lauren Graham [of "Parenthood"] and Jim Gaffigan [of 'Away We Go']) and younger sister are even awake, Craig checks himself into Argenon Hospital and is admitted by a psychiatrist. But the youth ward is temporarily closed -- so he finds himself stuck in the adult ward. One of the patients, Bobby (Zach Galifianakis of 'The Hangover'), soon becomes both Craig's mentor and protege. Craig is also quickly drawn to another 16-year-old displaced to the adult ward, the sensitive Noelle (Emma Roberts of the upcoming 'Scream 4'), who just might make him forget his longtime unrequited crush Nia (Zoe Kravitz of the upcoming 'Mad Max'). With a minimum five days' stay imposed on him by the adult ward's staff psychiatrist Dr. Eden Minerva (Academy Award nominee Viola Davis), Craig is sustained by friendships on both the inside and the outside as he learns more about life, love, and the pressures of growing up.

Checking In...

Hey bloggy buddies! Just checking to let you know I'm still around! I'm going to start picking up on the Thursday's Picks again either this week or next week, and I'll be posting another review by this weekend. TLL is also going to be a stop on Holly Schindler's Playing Hurt Blog Tour in May, which is super exciting for me because I'm a HUGE fan of Holly's! So keep checking in and things are going to pick back up very soon! Love you guys and thanks for sticking around!

Review: Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Darkness
Written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Release Date: October 12, 2010
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
NOT a publisher requested review!

Summary (Courtesy of Barnes and Noble):

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.
Sometimes life-ending.
Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


An exciting follow-up to Beautiful Darkness. Slow to start, but when the story got going, it was impossible to put down. Full review after the jump. WARNING: SPOILERS!

In an effort to post more...

I have downloaded the blogger app for my phone. Now I can post from anywhere, which will encourage me to post more, since I get a lot of ideas when I'm out. So keep your eyes open for mobile posting. :)