Get your Harry On!

With the first part of Deathly Hallows scheduled to be released around Thanksgiving, there is still time to watch all the movies........


or read the books.

Toy Story 3 will be released November 2. This movie would make a GREAT Christmas gift. Pre-order on regular DVD and Blu-Ray.

EVERYTHING Twilight

In all honesty, Twilight is not my favorite. In the battle between "Team Harry Potter" and "Team Bella Swann," I'm squarely in the Potter camp.  But, my daughter LOVES it. As I live with a snotty teenage girl, reading about one didn't give me hours of enjoyment but as "Twilight" was the only book she ever read without me having to force her to....here it is. All products below can be ordered by clicking the item as it appears in the slide show. Books and DVD's can be bought individually in my stores. :)

Reader recommended...

Of course I haven't read any of these but I am reading something at the moment in my spare time which is nil. These are current (as opposed to classic) books that have been recommended by friends and family members. Enjoy!

Despicable Me, Toy Story 3, and How to Train Your Dragon... OH MY!

In a year when Hollywood seems to be lacking creativity, spark, decent writing and interesting characters, we find a few gems good for the whole the family. Despicable Me, though not groundbreaking, held the interest of my ADHD child. This is NO easy feat as I've given her numerous admonishments in the past for being a king size pest in a theater. Yet, she SAT through this and  laughed. As a mom who has failed at numerous ventures to keep my child occupied, I was well pleased. The movie chronicles the foibles of the villian Gru who wants to steal the moon and wow the world with a not to be outdone heist of a life time. He designs a shrink ray and attempts to build a rocket but is unable to obtain funding from the Bank of Evil. Moreover, his lovely plans stand to be foiled by a young upstart villian called "Vector" who steals his shrink ray and hides it away in his version of the Fortress of Solitude. Not to be outdone, Gru adopts three orphans to unwittingly help him steal back the shrink ray. One can guess what happens next but this is a good family film that will keep the little ones engrossed but captivate the big ones too. 

I am a Toy Story fanatic and though I'm old, I think I looked forward to the release of Toy Story 3 more than my kids and insisted on seeing this in 3D. Though I don't regret paying extra for the glasses, it didn't add anything to the movie which would have been equally good in comic book form. Andy is now 17 years old and on his way to college. The Toys, now reduced in number, have been banished to the toy box for all these years but now, a week before Andy leaves, mom gives him a box and tells him to either donate to the local day care center or take the toys to the attic. Through a mix up, the toys wind up in a box on their way to the center but Woody, who has taken an oath to be there for Andy whenever he needs them, manages to find his way out and finds himself in the care of a day care resident named Bonnie. Though he is loved there,  Woody embarks on a journey to the day care center to rescue the others so they can find their way back to Andy's room. And there I will stop. For those that haven't seen this film, the end made me cry. I loved all the movies in this series and this one does not disappoint. Pixar once again wows us with good writing, a good solid story, and enough adult humor to keep us big ones entertained. I enthusiastically recommend this film.

"How to Train your Dragon", chronicles the story of Hiccup, a skinny nerdy type viking with a bad ass dad. Dad is head dragon slayer on their little island and Hiccup is a wannabe who devises a weapon to take down a dragon and takes down the nastiest most dastardly dragon out there, the Night Fury. Though in a position to slay the dragon and show his bad ass dad that he is worth his weight as a dragon hunter, he can't do it and a friendship between viking and dragon develops secretly. There are many good scenes in this drama. Hiccup eventually proves himself but not necessarily in the way his dad would like. Go out of the box thinking!! A fun movie..highly recommended and it isn't a "boy" movie as my 6 year old called it. Good for all ages!
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In honor of the release of the movie this weekend.

Funniest Summer Reading!

Everyone needs a few laughs!

What I read on my Summer vacation

So, I skipped the trendy books like "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" on my recent few days away to the beach though it is on my "to read" list and chose a little known novel that has the distinction of being the Wal-Mart read of the month. "The Last Child", a novel by John Hart, made it's way into my shopping cart and ultimately into my beach bag. This is not a traditional novel to bring to the beach but as I'm not a traditional person, I gave it a go and read it on the sand in the sunshine. The novel chronicles young Johnny's search for his missing twin, Alyssa Merrimon, who was snatched in broad daylight one year before. His mother is now emotionally absent, a victim of a bad relationship, booze and drugs. His father seemingly abandoned the family and Johnny's search is not only for his missing sister but for the reinstatement of family. On his bicycle, he pedals through the streets of town, to it's darkest corners as he faces evil and learns that people are not always what they seem to be and circumstances are never black and white. The cop assigned to the case and still haunted by it, watches over Johnny. 

"The Last Child", though not great literature, is a good read and it took me all of 24 hours to finish it. It twists. It turns and Hart does a good job of tying all his loose ends but, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment at the way that the loose ends were tied together and the conclusion was not quite the thrill that I had hoped for. Nevertheless, it's a great light reading, easy to get into, not too deep, and good fare for vacation reading, commuter train reading, sitting in the Dr's office waiting reading and everywhere else.