The Hunger Games

With all the casting news of The Hunger Games movie going on, the latest being Donald Sutherland being cast as President Snow, one of my Facebook friends sent me this link of an amateur video on YouTube of the scene from The Hunger Games of Rue and Katniss.  If you haven't read the books, do not watch the video as it contains spoilers.


A note about this video:  You might want to have Kleenex handy.

It All Ends 7.15

It's really not that far away, is it?  July 15th.  The day it all ends.  And here is a video that I stumbled across on at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads, that was from Empire Magazine.  It's a few of the cast members of the Harry Potter franchise summing up their experience with making the movies into one word.  My favorite?  Emma Watson (Hermione Granger).  

Did you catch her response?  "It's got to be, Magical, isn't it?"  And nearly right behind it is Matthew Lewis' (Neville Longbottom) response, "S'allright." "Sublime" from Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) is right up there as well.  Considering Luna and Neville are probably my favorite characters in both the books and the movies, that's not surprising that I like their answers, I suppose.

Have you seen the trailer yet?  If not, here it is-  this is going to be one epic movie!

Trailer 1

Tv Spot #1

TV Spot #2

TV Spot #3

The Posters

It's both sad and exciting that the last installment of Harry Potter will be coming out in less than a month and a half.  What scene are you most looking forward to seeing?  The scene I can't wait to see is when Molly defends Ginny. What's yours?

Hush Hush

Title:  Hush, Hush

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Ideal Age Range:  Young Adult

Mass Market Paperback: 391 Pages

Copyright Date: 2009

Blurb:  "A SACRED OATH, A FALLEN ANGEL, A FORBIDDEN LOVE.  Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan.  She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her.  Not until Patch comes along.  With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgement.  But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust.  Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends.  She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide.  And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.  For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen-and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life."

My Rating:  (★★)

☆«·´`·.¸★☆★¸.·´`·»☆

I finished Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush the other day, and though I thought it was an entertaining read, and not to mention, pretty easy as well, I thought that it held a lot of similarities to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight.  Mostly in the way that the writing is similar, Patch held a lot of the same qualities as Edward, like striking features, namely Patch's eyes and ripped body.  They meet in, of all places, their biology class, and Patch is kind of a stalker.

Sound familiar?  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Twilight, I'm just not sure the world needs more than one of them.  Those similarities could be considered the negatives of Hush, Hush, but perhaps not the only ones.  I thought that Nora was incredibly stupid sometimes, especially for supposing to be a smart girl, she made some really terrible decisions.  But I get it, it was the draw to Patch that made her do those things.  I thought Vee was a terrible friend.

I liked the second half of the book a lot better than the first half, and I liked the ending the best.  I will probably read Crescendo but it's not on the top of my To Be Read list.  All in all, it was worth reading, and really, if you loved Twilight, you will probably love Hush, Hush, as well.  I want to add that I loved the cover of this book.

Why?!

Why is it when I fall in love with a Television Show that the network it is on immediately cancels it?  It's happened at least 3 times in the past year!  It makes me really frustrated.  The latest of "My Shows" to get the axe?

Mad Love

Now, I have to admit that I didn't watch it for Jason Biggs (of American Pie fame) or Sarah Chalke (of Scrubs fame), and as much I as really want something to last and be successful for Judy Greer, the main reason I loved Mad Love was Tyler Labine who played Larry Munsch.  I could care less about the relationship between Jason and Sarah, but I loved the play between Judy and Tyler's characters.  And the last episode was last night, aaaand now it's cancelled.  I'm so irritated.

All I can do now is imagine that they got together and challenged each other all the way into happily ever after.  :)

The other two shows that got cancelled that I loved?

Are any of these newly cancelled television shows on your "love" lists?

ABC:
Better With You
Detroit 1-8-7
Mr. Sunshine
No Ordinary Family
Off the Map
V

CBS:
The Defenders
Mad Love
$#*! My Dad Says

FOX:
Lie To Me

NBC:
America's Next Great Restaurant
The Event
Law & Order: Los Angeles
Outsourced
Perfect Couples
School Pride

Of the most recent cancellations, it looks like NBC isn't doing very well, and thinking about all the shows that I do watch, I realize that I don't watch hardly anything on NBC.  Almost all of my shows I watch are on ABC and FOX.  I watch a few on CBS as well, namely Castle.

God forbid any shows work or are successful that don't include initials (NCIS, CSI), or the words Law & Order.  Although, the newest Law & Order seems to have broken the camel's back of the public's patience with brand spin offs.  What Television needs is original creative content, not a new spin on a already successful brand, but any show that seems to fit that bill gets axed!  I don't understand.

Here's to hoping next season of television brings new and awesome shows, as summer is kind of boring for tv, it's a good thing I love to read books!

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme where we share what books we have received in the past week, be it from the library, contests, or buying them ourselves!  This is my first week participating.  So- Hi!


Gift: From my Mom! (What a gal!)

Salvation Army Purchases: Bought for a total of $1.50

From PaperbackSwap:

Contest Results

The winner of the giveaway for Charlaine Harris' first 8 books of the Southern Vampire series is:

Brittany!

Brought to you by Randomizer.org and the Number 1.

I'll be sending you an email to get your information to be able to send you the books, be on the lookout!

Desperate Duchesses - Review

Title:  Desperate Duchesses

Author: Eloisa James

Ideal Age Range:  Adult

Mass Market Paperback: 384 Pages

Copyright Date: June 2007

Blurb:  "Welcome to a world of reckless sensuality and glittering sophistication...of dangerously handsome gentlemen and young ladies longing to gain a title...of games played for high stakes, including-on occasion-a lady's virtue.

A marquess's sheltered only daughter, Lady Roberta St. Giles falls in love with a man she glimpses across a crowded ballroom:  a duke, a game player of consummate skill, a notorious rakehell who shows no interest in marriage-until he lays eyes on Roberta.

Yet the Earl of Gryffyn knows too well that the price required to gain a coronet is often too high.  Damon Reeve, the earl, is determined to protect the exquisite Roberta from chasing after the wrong destiny.

Can Damon entice her into a high-stakes game of his own, even if his heart is likely to be lost in the venture?"

My Rating:  (★★★)

☆«·´`·.¸★☆★¸.·´`·»☆

That was the short form of my review, I apologize if the last few reviews have been inconsistent with their layout.  I'm still trying to find the exact right way to really get my points across.  This I think might be the best yet, because I can get the short form out of the way and you can get the idea of if I liked it or not by using the star rating system and the guide in the sidebar without having to read the blundering that is my prose.

If you are still reading, Thank You!  You are the best reader a blogger could ask for.  Now, to get down to business, the business of actually talking about the book (writing really, but you know what I mean, I am sure).

To put the matter lightly, and within a single sentence structure, I will endorse Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James as such:  I found the novel to be sweepingly romantic and full of witty repartee, not to mention the steamy scenes between the sensual Damon and beautiful Roberta to be fulfilling love scenes put to paper.

In other words, I loved the character of Damon, and the relationship that forms between him and Roberta.  Although, I must say that I was kind of off put by the fact that most of the beginning of the book is spent focusing on Roberta's chaperone, Jemma and her intricate designs between the Duke Villiers and her husband, the Duke of Beaumont.  There was one thing that I don't feel was tied up at the end, and that was the issue of Harriet.  I don't write spoilers, so I won't delve too deep into this point, but I have a feeling that some of these other story points might be visited upon in the other books in this quaint series.  

And, I am a little late to the game for the Desperate Duchesses series, being that I started off with Ms. James' A Kiss At Midnight, followed by her rendition of Beauty and the Beast, When Beauty Tamed the Beast.  Considering the fact that I stayed up past midnight the last two nights to finish Desperate Duchesses when I love my sleep so much, now that I have a small infant, you should know that I really enjoyed reading it!  I borrowed Desperate Duchesses from my mother, whom collects many romance novels and other books, I'll have to pick up her other books in the series to see what happens!

 

    © demureconnoisseur

Follow My Book Blog Friday and Blog Hop!

Q. Circle time! Time to share. What character in a book would you most like to be, what character in a book would you most like to date?

Alanna of Trebond and Olau, King's Champion from Tamora Pierce's Tortall Universe, and I'm not trying to be cliche or anything but I'd most want to date Alanna's husband, George Cooper, Master of Spies, retired King of Thieves.

 "Which book blogger would you most like to meet in real life?"

I honestly have no idea, and I don't want to just throw a name out there as an answer when it wouldn't mean anything.  I don't know many of you out there more than recognizing names.  Oh, now I feel lonely..


Have you seen the contest I have going on here?  No?  Do you want to win the first 8 books of Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series (AKA Sookie Stackhouse Series  AKA the books that the television show True Blood is based on).  Well here's your chance to win them, a mixture of used/new books, but still, a giveaway is a giveaway!  Right?


Well, if you are still around, follow this link =>  GIVEAWAY

Top Ten Tuesday - Recommended Books

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is the Top Ten Books that you wouldn't have read unless someone had recommended them to you.  Here we go:

1.)  The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.  The cover of these books threw me off.  They reminded me of spy books, or anything by Clive Cussler, I didn't realize the treasure that lay underneath that tricky cover.

2.)  Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling.  Again.  The covers.  I obviously judge many a book by their cover.  They looked like a little kids book, and while they are geared towards children/young adult, there is much fun to be had for an adult to read them.

3.)  Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris.  Ok.  Seriously, this publishers need to put less silly looking covers on these books because I didn't read them for the longest time because of the covers and the blurb.  It sounded terrible.  Then True Blood was premiering and I took a chance and loved them. I am not caught up yet but that is because there are so many good books out right now.

4.)  Anita Blake novels by Laurel K. Hamilton.  My friend Leigh recommended these to me, and I burned through up to Blue Moon, where I jumped to the other series by Ms. Hamilton that is my next recommended books.

5.)  Merry Gentry novels by Laurel K. Hamilton.  The first ones are better than the latter where they just seem to sink into erotica with a hint of paranormal, but I still liked them.

6.)  The Fionovar Tapestry books by Guy Gavriel Kay.  I've only read the first one, but I own the other two, again recommended by my friend Leigh.

7.)  Julia Quinn books, recommended to me by my mother.

That's all I can possibly think of at the moment.

First Contest // Giveaway

DemureConnoisseur has been around for almost a whole year, not quite, but it's close.  I have yet to host a giveaway but I thought that it would be fun to have a contest/giveaway in response to Charlaine Harris' release of her new book, Dead Reckoning.

Click the Book to Buy on Amazon

So, I know you are asking, "well, what do I win?!"  Pictures are sometimes better than words so here.

Sookie Stackhouse Books 1-8 (used)

Most are in like new condition but they are used, most bought from Half Price Books, and I received a few by using my credits on PaperBackSwap.  The ones that are the most loved are From Dead to Worse, All Together Dead, and Living Dead in Dallas.  All the others are super nice/ like new.

How do I win?

1.)  Click the Follow button to become a follower of DemureConnoisseur.

2.)  Leave a comment.

3.)  Don't forget to leave your name/website in your comment!

4.)  Winner will be posted on May 10th, 2011.

Good luck!

Lady Whistledown Strikes Back

I had great plans to write my review of the anthology Lady Whistledown Strikes Back, featuring short stories by Julia Quinn, Suzanne Enoch, Karen Hawkins and Mia Ryan this afternoon, forgetting that I wouldn't be able to see the nose on my face, let alone type anything legible on my laptop because of a trip to the eye doctor to get my vision tested.  Instead I spent the afternoon holding books at arm length trying to decipher whether or not I wanted to buy them at my local Half-Price Books.
And while I did make it home with some great clearance finds after rummaging the shelves at the back of the store, including 3 titles by my favorite author (Tamora Pierce- Daja's Book, Briar's Book and Sandry's Book, all in hardcover for $2.00/piece), I wasn't able to work on this review until later in the evening.  But now that I am, all may rejoice!
The blurb on the back reads thusly, "Who Stole Lady Neeley's Bracelet?  Was it the fortune hunter, the gambler, the servant, or the rogue?  All of London is abuzz with speculation, but it is clear that one of four couples is connected to the crime.
Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, May 1816
Julia Quinn enchants: A dashing fortune hunter is captivated by the Season's most desired debutante . . . and must prove he is out to steal the lady's heart, not her dowry.
Suzanne Enoch tantalizes: An innocent miss who has spent her life scrupulously avoiding scandal is suddenly—and secretly—courted by London's most notorious rogue.
Karen Hawkins seduces: A roving viscount comes home to rekindle the passionate fires of his marriage . . . only to discover that his beautiful, headstrong bride will not be so easily won.
Mia Ryan delights: A lovely, free-spirited servant is dazzled by the romantic attentions of a charming earl . . . sparking a scandalous affair that could ruin them both.

Julia Quinn

You'll hear it first from Lady Whistledown."

Julia Quinn's The First Kiss, was surprisingly disappointing to me, as someone who usually adores her writing, I am still at a loss as to what the real reason was the I didn't really enjoy her short in Lady Whistledown Strikes Back.  It might have been the characters, or the reason behind their instant chemistry but The First Kiss was too sweet (sex wise), in my opinion, leaving The First Kiss ranked last in the series of four stories.
I have never read a book by Mia Ryan, but if her other books are anything like The Last Temptation, I believe that I simply must pick up a few of her books to try out.  I laughed out loud while reading The Last Temptation more than a few times, as her witty dialogue and situations were simmering with comedy.  And while I read romance novels mostly for the "romance", the next best reason is comedy relief, and The Last Temptation has it in spades.  Which leaves Mia Ryan's story as my favorite story in Lady Whistledown Strikes Back.
Out of the stories, Suzanne Enoch's Best of Both Worlds won for most annoying parents of a character.  Too worried about being scandalized to even realize that they are smothering  the main character, Charlotte, their own daughter, they made me sick.  And Charlotte was too kind and loving to even really give them a "what for".  I believe that for the romance part of these stories, that Best of Both Worlds was my favorite in that respect, followed closely by the next story in the anthology, The Only One For Me by Karen Hawkins.  Both were scintillating and I was almost sad when I reached the end of the pages.

Suzanne Enoch, Julia Quinn, Mia Ryan and Karen Hawkins

Overall, it was a fun and great addition to the Bridgerton Series' volumes, and I would definitely recommend it, along with each of the individual author's work.

Title:  Lady Whistledown Strikes Back

Author:  Julia Quinn, Suzanne Enoch, Mia Ryan, Karen Hawkins

Ideal Age Range:  Adult

Mass Market Paperback:  400 pages

Copyright Date:  April 2004

My Rating:(★★★★)   

☆«·´`·.¸★☆★¸.·´`·»☆

My Rating System:

★ = didn’t like it

★★ = it was ok

★★★ = liked it

★★★★ = really liked it

★★★★★ = it was amazing

© demureconnoisseur/ Stacy Grey