I'd So Rather Be Reading: January 2016

Book to Movie Review: Goosebumps

In our house, a Goosebumps book is considered a bedtime story. Yes, ghouls, shrunken heads and demented puppets soothe my little monsters into dreamland. Odd, yes but we have never claimed to be normal.

When I heard Goosebumps was being turned into a movie starring Jack Black and would incorporate a lot of the characters from the books, I began planning.

Kids would get out early to see the first show.
We would have to discuss all the characters that they might see in the movie and speculate every detail.
We would need to watch Nacho Libre for a solid week (which we already do routinely thanks to my 4 year old) to get the JBlack mojo flowing.

Prior to our cinematic adventure with 6 kids, I had already made the decision that I would buy the movie. Period. Why? Because if you don't support book adaptations that you LOVE Hollywood will stop making them. #cantstopwontstop

I buy them all, even if they are terrible. Yea, I bought Vampire Academy & The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. Terrible adaptations but FANTASTIC series. We all have our ~~issues~~ standards.

Well Goosebumps is here! And if you haven't watched it, you should. For all RL Stine fans it is a must. I got #thefeels because I remembered reading some of those books back in the 90's and now my kids are enjoying the same twisted humor! I know, mom of the year. #winning

PS I was serious about my kid and his obsession with Nachoooo! #evidence

*{Film} image source: Google.com

Surviving a #SHOWHOLE

When I find a good book or TV series, I binge. My name is Natalie and I am a binge addict. Yea, I try to balance my life but when a good book has ensnared me or a TV series has ALL 128 episodes ready for my visual entertainment, I loose all inhibitions.

With that said, I am often in what Amazon refers to as a #SHOWHOLE (both book and TV driven). Watch below.

We've all been there, some of us more times than we care to admit... and right now I am in a serious #SHOWHOLE. I've said it before and I'll say it again, when I commit I COMMIT. I'm in it to win it. Pacing is not in my vocabulary.

What has caused my current #showhole and how will I recover:

To all #SHOWHOLE suffers,

We must help each other through these trying times. We need contingencies set and support. Here at I'd So Rather Be Reading, we have made a commitment to post recovery regimens. We understand when others may not. We get you and accept you. We are here for you.

XOXO,
BINGE ON & FEAR NOT!

*book image sources: jilliandodd.net

Book Review: This is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

Summary:

10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03
The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

Release Date: January 6, 2016
Age Group: YA
Source: NetGalley
Reviewed By: Kelli

Review:

This Is Where It Ends is one of those books that is a hard read emotionally, but still a great read. I was completely engrossed by the story and read this book in one sitting.

Nijkamp narrates from four different first-person perspectives, and manages to do so without the book feeling choppy. This style of story-telling is a favorite of mine because it allows the reader to really get to know several different characters. I love knowing characters' inner thoughts and the best way to get that is from first-person narration.

This Is Where It Ends spans less than an hour's time; which makes it unique. I assumed that because the story lasts for only 54 minutes, that it would be all action and not as much character development. I was wrong! Nijkamp skillfully includes flashbacks so that the reader can see how the characters have grown and changed over time. There is also actual growth during the real-time action, which was a little bit of a surprise, but not really when you consider the circumstances the students were under.

When I think about This Is Where It Ends, the words that come to mind are intense and emotional. This book was so full of emotion: fear, anger, rage, pain, sadness, joy, love, and acceptance. My own emotions were up and down with the characters', and I just felt so moved by this story.

I loved that there was an epilogue. I was glad to get that closure, although I still wish I could see the characters a year from now, or two years from now. Where did everyone end up? How did they cope with the events of that terrible day? Those were my lingering questions after I finished the story. I hope to see a follow-up novel or novella, but even if that doesn't come to pass, this story is strong enough to stand on its own.

Nijkamp treats a brutal subject with dignity and grace in This Is Where It Ends. This book is not to be missed.

Where December Went

I know I've been quite dormant on the blog here lately, and for that I am sorry. These past weeks have been a flurry of illness (both Kaitlyn and I got sick, and I'm still sick weeks later), holidays and the final stretch of construction of our house. It's been busy and hectic and I've had no time or worse, mental energy, to read and review. I hope to get back to my reading and reviewing schedule soon!

In the meantime, here's some of what I've been doing in my precious little free time...

Image source: amazon.com

Coloring

I color in books for adults (although I won't turn down a pretty princess picture from one of Kaitlyn's books). Kaitlyn will sometimes color her own book next to me. It's a quiet and low-key activity that we can enjoy together. Until she starts to steal my Prismacolor pencils which were a much-beloved gift!

I love it. It's relaxing, and it calms my racing thoughts. My favorite thing to color are mandalas.

The book I'm working on right now is called Mandala Coloring Book by Clare Goodwin. I love it so much that I'm thinking of buying it again once I've finished it, to make each page different by using different color palettes.

Image credit: www.wikipedia.org

Movies

Seriously...Netflix is the answer to many of life's questions. I watched some of my timeless classics like Pride and Prejudice, and more recently, Beastly. I had forgotten how much I love Beastly.

Next up I may re-watch the miniseries World Without End, based on Ken Follet's masterpiece of a novel, and one of my top five favorite books of all time.

GAYLE

Oh My WORD. I love Gayle. I discovered comedian Chris Fleming's hilarious character, Gayle, when a blogger I follow (I'm sorry, I can't remember who it was or I would link to them here) posted the following video on Facebook.

Video source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBwELzvnrQg

Needing to see more of this hilarious woman, I went to Chris Fleming's Gayle page on You Tube. Visit the Gayle home page on You Tube HERE.

What ensued can only be described only as an utter, unapologetic Gayle binge. I watched all 41 episodes (ranging from 4-20 minutes each) in about two days. Best two days ever. Now I'm re-watching them because they are just that funny! Warning: don't watch Gayle while you're eating. I actually laughed so hard that grapes came out of my nose. (TMI? Sorry!)

I then went in search of how Chris Fleming developed this hilarious character. Here's an article on Forbes, titled Meet the Man Behind the Madwoman, Gayle Waters-Waters.

I seriously haven't laughed this hard at anything online or in film in YEARS. My next life goal is to go see Gayle live. I told Toby that it would be an excellent Valentine's Day gift and he reminded me that we have furniture to buy for the new house. Details, details. I'm sure we can work something out.

So....coloring, movies, and Gayle. Those have been my relaxing activities for the last few weeks. What's been new and fun for you lately?