My Strength is not My Own

"The Hunger Games"

Saturday, February 4, 2012

(Not my picture)

I finally got hold of a copy of "The Hunger Games" book, which took forever! Although the timing was perfect because once I had completed Ben-Hur the book came in the next day. :) I could hardly put this book down! Actually I was in agony(kind of) when I had to do other things and was continuously looking at the clock to see when I could pick it back up. Yes, this is proof that I'm a book-addict. ;) Now on to a shorter review, because I don't want to spoil anything for you. :) Enjoy!

"The Hunger Games" is suspenseful, romantic, interesting, and enrapturing! You read this book from the perspective of Katniss Everdeen, who is very aware that all that is going on around her is for show.. Gale Hawthorne is her best friend and true confidant. Now Peeta Mellark is the boy standing aloof, who has been in her life in ways she finds odd. Thrown together in the hunger games as "star crossed lovers" has its advantages. But at what cost? Perhaps I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Let me rewind. ;) The annual event known as the hunger games requires each district to give up one of their boys and one of their girls to participate in a fight to the death. In other words only one person will survive out of 24. Who can force them to do such a thing you might ask? Well the Capitol, otherwise known as the dictators of life. The hunger games only reaffirms their tight grasp on everyone. No one is withheld from having their child's name being thrown into one of the balls. Although everyone has their own odds... As Katniss's younger sister, Prim, is of age to have her name put into one of the balls her odds are unlikely. Although it only takes one draw to change a life forever... As the unlikely happens Katniss screams out that she will take Prim's spot. From there the adventure begins...
Well I truly love this book! My only thing I might warn you about is the gore. Quite simply that's all there is in it that might be a little unpleasant to read if you have a weak stomach. Also it did get a bit "kissy" but overall "The Hunger Games" was great! Honestly after making it half way through "For Whom the Bell Tolls" nothing could make you sick to your stomach. lol

As you might have noticed I have been posting a lot of reviews lately. I hope you don't mind. I will try, very soon, to have a post with pictures and my little life updates. :) Anyway I cannot wait for "The Hunger Games" movie to come out, 48 days to go! March 23! :D Did I mention that I recommend it? ;)
May the Lord be with you have a wonderful weekend!

"Ben-Hur"

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

I finished my 100th book! And what a book to hit a milestone with! "Ben-Hur" was exciting, thrilling, sad, triumphant, and overall just a great book. Not to mention that the story was long and complex! This is a combination of my personal review and the actual book review. This is the best I can do since the book is so long. Basically I'm lazy. lol :) Enjoy!

Surprisingly Judah, the main character's name who later becomes known as Ben-Hur and son of Arrius, was not introduced till nearly one hundred pages into this book. At the beginning this book starts out with the Wise Men and their quest to follow the star. Leading them to baby Jesus. Honestly, I thought the many many details on how each one of the Wise Men had the star come to them was too much. Especially how two out of three Wise Men you never see again. After that section in the book the prospects, for a great book, began to brighten.
As Judah is stripped from his fortune and family the adventure begins. Will he survive the burdensome task laid at his door, when so many others cannot live past a year? Three years come and go while revenge is taking hold on his very soul. Against Messala... the very man who tore his family apart. Arriving at Rome has no splendor for him. No repose from that lustful revenge. Rome only serves to strengthen his abilities, to teach him a new art of war.
Returning to his homeland he finds that he does have fortunes and friends, more than willing to teach any Roman what it feels like to be humiliated. With Simonides and Ester, Balthasar(one of the wise men) and Iras, Mulluch, and Sheik Ilderim with his mighty horses behind Judah his revenge would indeed take place. Coming face to face with Messala at Daphne shows him exactly how it would come to be.
Slowly time goes on and what will become of the search for his dear mother and Tirzah, his dear sister? If he does find them will they be too far gone? Will the beautiful Iras seduce him into his own death?
As the end of "Ben-Hur" draws closer you will see the crucifixion of Jesus passing before you. What side will Judah be on? The side screaming for His death? Or the side weeping at the foot of the Cross? Will Judah's misconceptions of why the Messiah came, ruin his chance to see what a beautiful thing was done for us?

Hopefully now you can see why I loved the book. :) God bless and have a wonderful week!

War Horse

Sunday, January 29, 2012

This movie was superb! I went with a bunch of friends and it made it even more special! Despite the fact that they had spurts of talking through it and getting up to get refills and restroom brakes. :P lol Here is the review, I'll try not to give too much away. :)
War Horse is about the journey of a thorough bred horse who will have to take the circumstances, thrown at him, with bravery and the boy who will never stop searching for him. No matter who Joey, the horse, comes in contact with he makes an impact on their lives. Whether for the British, Italians, or Germans during WW1 this horse's keen mind and understanding of what's going on around him helps him to survive.
Although I love this movie the beginning did take a little while to get going. If you can get past the beginning then I'm sure you will end up loving it like I did. My brother won't stop talking about it he loves it so much. The casting was different...but in a good way. They had Tom Hiddleston, Thor's brother, and the BBC Sherlock Holmes detective, Benedict Cumberbatch. Both of whom I love! :) For me, personally, it was a little hard to relate to the main character in War Horse though. As time went on I did eventually become emotionally attached. Yes, it takes awhile for characters to get any warmth from me. lol I'm very critical. ;)
Anyway I hope you go watch this movie or eventually watch it because you don't want to miss it.
God bless and have a wonderful week.
War Horse Trailer

A War Horse sunset....

Courageous

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Wow! What an excellent movie! As you might have noticed sometimes Christian movies can be a bit cheesy or just have bad acting. Well this movie put those out of mind. Honestly I wasn't really up to watching it. I thought it would be boring and about people that were having trouble with their teens. Where I got that impression I don't know. lol I can assure you it isn't! Although it is about family and fathers making a commitment to raise their children right, it did it in the best way imaginable! This movie had me crying, then laughing, and then crying again. Usually I'm called "hard hearted" in my family because I don't cry during movies and the like but I have to say I broke down during "Courageous". They developed the characters and had you right there beside them. It was amazingly done and I fully give my recommendation to it!
Courageous This is the trailer.

God bless and have a wonderful rest of the week. And don't forget to rent this at the Red Box!

Book Tag!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

(not my picture)

Yes, I'm doing another tag! Please join in on the fun and comment with a link to your blog if you decide to join. :)
This is 25 things you didn't know about me and my books. ;) Enjoy and please join in!

1. Favorite fictional character: Poirot!
2. A book you have imagined yourself in: Actually most books I read I imagine myself in them... So I don't think I can choose
3. Favorite book: Wuthering Heights
4. Favorite author: Agatha Christie definitely has to be one of my favorite authors. Including Jane Austen and so forth. ;)
5. The worst book you have ever read: For Whom the Bell Tolls... I didn't finish it for a just cause. :P
6. Your fictional character "crush": Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey... Especially in the movie! lol ;)
7. Favorite kind of book, such as Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fantasy, Classic, Mystery: All of the above. ;) Except for Fantasy, sry.
8. Favorite kids book: Rumpelstiltskin, I think. :)
9. A book you have read more than once: The Series of Unfortunate Events I read like three times. Love! Such wonderful childhood memories... :)
10. A book that is overlooked: The Black Arrow is definitely overlooked! I loved it!
11. Do you take peoples advice on what to read or do you find books for yourself: Not really...only lately am I actually writing down their suggestions. People just don't seem to read the same kind of books I like to read.
12. Favorite Christian novel: Screwtape Letters
13. A book that you could hardly get yourself to finish: The Heart of Darkness... Wow... Although the ending did get better...
14. A book that you couldn't put down: Each one of the Lineage of Grace books! I would get one in the morning and have it finished by that evening ready to get another. :)
15. A book you want to read: The Hunger Games! I'm so excited to read it! :)
16. Book you are reading: Ben Hur
17. Favorite racial controversy book: To Kill a Mockingbird
18. A book you regret reading: The Picture of Dorian Gray.. I hated it!
19. A book that while you were reading it you were scared: Well it would have to be one of Agatha Christie's books but I can't think of one that did. :P
20. What's your level on how much you love books between 1-10: 10! It's simply a passion of mine!
21. How many books have you read: 99, I'm working on the 100th :D
22. How many books do you hope to read this year: As many as I can fit in to my time schedule.
23. Do you like to read the same book with other people or are you a loner: Both... I like to be able to spend far too many hours talking about a book but then again I like to be a loner because people just don't get it. ;)
24. Do you take it as a personnel offence when people say they don't like to read: Yes...and the thing is that nobody seems to hear from them again... ;)
25. Do you wish to one day be an author: Yes! It's one of my dreams!

I hope you enjoyed and have a love to read like I do. :) God bless and have a wonderful weekend!

Gaslight

Sunday, January 8, 2012

This is an old movie, in black and white, but don't let that make you think it can't be extremely intense! During certain points in Gaslight I was screaming "run" and really just panicking. lol Nowadays people are watching horror movies and things like that, trying to get that scared and freaked out feeling. Well this movie did just that, without the junk that a horror movie has. It felt kind of like a Twilight Zone, but definitely amped up!
I'll try not to give away too much info. ;) In this movie a young girl's aunt is murdered and she moves away from that accursed house. As she grows older and falls in love she agrees to come back and live once more in the house. Soon the wonderful life that she imagined she would have disappears... And contact with the outside world becomes few and far between. What reason does her husband come up with for keeping her a "prisoner"?... Although not all is lost. Someone does care and becomes evermore intrigued...Will she have the same fate as her aunt or will justice break through. Will she ever be the same/sane again?
How was that? ;) I believe it is a good swap for a horror movie. ;)
Recently I have been watching a lot of movies with Angela Lansbury. Including The Harvey Girls(I love that movie) and Murder She Wrote. :)
The Lord be with you and have a wonderful week. :)

A Week with Friends!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Well, I think I had my first "weekend" getaway. lol Recently my brother and I went over to my friends house and spent a couple nights there! It was my first sleep over in like forever! It was so much fun! Although I wasn't quite used to the time they wanted to stay up till, which was two... So we stayed up till one. ;) Anyway it was great to see my best buddies again and for a longer amount of time. We went shopping, walking, to the beach, played games, watched That's So Raven, and just had an overall blast together! :D Hope you enjoy the pictures. :)

The birds wanted to surf too!

Btw did you know that there are sinking sad pits on the beach. Well there are... See those support beams? Well as I was walking near it half my leg sunk in the sand and was soaking wet. :P Oh, well.