Invincible Summer

Just got back from Narnia...

(Yes, I know the wallpaper is in French, but doesn't that make it cooler, somehow?)

I just finished Prince Caspian - and I thought it was wonderful! 

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is one of my favorite books; I have probably read it 100 times... oddly, I never read any of the other Chronicles of Narnia until a few years ago, when I bought a beautifully illustrated, "all in one" edition.  I loved them - I didn't want to put the book down.

Parents - get these books for your kids!  :)

When I saw that The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was being made into a movie, I was excited. and worried.  Excited, because I couldn't wait for all the kids who had never been exposed to it, to see it, and worried - because what if they didn't do a good job!  I saw a cartoon version as a kid, but otherwise, had not bothered with any of the "BBC" versions...  :)  

I thought the movie was very good - not better than the book of course, but very good.  They did a good job of telling the actual story, which was important to me, since it is such a favorite.

I have to say that was one good thing about Prince Caspian - since I have only read it once, I really didn't remember how it went, so I wasn't mentally going through the story during the movie! 

In short - great movie - it is quite long, so be ready to settle in, but once you get into it, you won't be watching the clock!  If you haven't seen The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, I recommend watching it first, so you will understand the back story - and because it is wonderful!

The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1))

   

I started listening to The Amulet of Samarkand yesterday, and I am about 1.5 hours in.

Please - someone tell me that this book speeds up?? 

It had glowing reviews, so I downloaded it, but so far, I am finding it very slow.  The narration is pretty good... I just feel like I need to "flip ahead"... ;)

Brisingr (Inheritance Trilogy)

 

I just finished Brisingr - and it was great!  It's another "hefty" novel - but it moved very quickly, and I didn't want to put it down.

Some loose ends get tied up, there are some feisty battles, heartwarming scenes, and at least one scene where I got a little teary-eyed.

**SPOILER**

As I got to the end, I kept thinking that I didn't have much left to read, and they hadn't overthrown Galbatorix yet... I was worried that it would be a "too-quick" wrap up, which I hate.  Instead, at the end, we find that there will be a fourth and final book in the series!  I am glad that Christopher Paolini decided not to limit the story, since there was obviously a lot more to tell.

The new Charlie Bone shipped on Friday, so I look forward to reading that this week!  I love pre-ordering through Amazon!  ;)

I've been busy!!

I have been a busy gal!  Completed four projects, read three books, and watched a few movies since my last post!  :)

Books... I read Real Murders and A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris.  These are the first two in her Aurora Teagarden series, and I really liked them!!  Great mysteries and a fun read. 

I also read Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig.  This was really good - took me a little while to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked.  It read very much like Gone With the Wind, which is one of my favorites, and it was very interesting to see Rhett's life and perspective.

Movies... I saw two more of the 8 Films to Die For - Crazy Eights and Lake Dead.  Both very scary!  :)  Lake Dead was very "Texas Chainsaw-esque", but Crazy Eights was pretty interesting.  Had a few actors in it that you would recognize, including Miz Tracy Lords.  :)

And as for projects - I completed my mother's day cards (books), a tag book for my grandmama, and a 6x6 album for my aunt.  :)  Photos to follow...

Duma Key

Stephen King's new book came out today - Duma Key!  I am excited... I read an excerpt from it over a year ago, and it was great, so I am looking forward to reading the whole thing!

I downloaded it from Audible the minute they posted that it was available - it is 21 hours long!!  I'm not worried - I will spend 10 hours on planes next week, so if I haven't finished it by then... it won't be long.

I am currently listening too Dead Witch Walking, which is pretty good - but maybe not as good as I had hoped.  Another 3 hours or so, and I can settle in with Mr. King.

Do you know about Audible?  I am a BIG fan!  You pay a monthly or yearly subscription, and you download audiobooks from their website.  You can listen to them on the computer or on an MP3 player.  I listen to them while I craft, while in the car, on the treadmill, at the airport... really helps pass the time!  I found the MaryJanice Davidson and Charlaine Harris books on Audible - love them - have listened to them all twice!

The other nice thing - they do not require shelf-space on my overladen bookshelves!  I love technology!  Space is also one of the lovely things about digital scrapbooking.  I may have to upgrade my external hard drive, but that's all the room you really need... :)

Here's an "Audible excerpt" of my own... from my Daily Something album... :)