Saturday, December 30, 2017

Top Movies Watched in 2017

I've seen quite a few movies this year and I've enjoyed almost all of them. Granted, it's hard to find a movie that I just outright dislike. This list isn't necessarily films that have been released in 2017, just consumed in 2017. That being said here are my favorite films/tv shows of 2017.

1. Hidden Figures - I loved this movie! I was fascinated by the fact that this history was not common knowledge for so long. I can't say I'm surprised though. I loved that these women, who helped change the course of NASA's history, finally get to have their story told. 


2. Beauty and the Beast (2017) - I loved this adaptation. It was a great reimagining while staying true to the idea of the original film. Plus, I love that this movie solved some of the continuity issues from the animated film. 

3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Honestly, I could watch the first five minutes of this movie over and over again. Baby Groot dancing is just the best. 


4. Wonder Woman - I was incredibly nervous that this movie wouldn't be good. I firmly believed that its success would affect the future of female lead superhero movies. But it was great! I thoroughly enjoyed the ass-kicking and the incredibly compassionate Diana. I can't wait to see more of her. 


5. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - This isn't new to me, but it remains one of my favorite movies. I don't know why but I'm slightly obsessed with it. I love how ridiculous it feels that some of my favorite characters would come into contact and be badass zombie killers. 


6. The Defenders Season 1 - Jessica Jones is one of my favorite "heroes" and getting to see more of her this year was exciting. This ragtag group of vigilantes fight crime and make friends. 


7. Stranger Things Season 2 - I'd waited a long time for this season (as did many others) and I was not disappointed. Everything that made season one great was amplified and expanded. Without exception the storytelling and acting was incredible. 


8. Star Wars: The Last Jedi - This movie seemed to be either you liked it or you didn't, but really enjoyed it. I liked that it tried different things and wasn't a carbon copy of the original trilogy. I loved all the character development and imminent danger that carried throughout the story. 
  

9. Lion - This movie was so heartfelt and incredibly moving. I cried quite a bit even more so because it is based on a true story. 


10. Christmas Inheritance - This list wouldn't be complete without a cheesy Christmas movie. This Netflix original gem stars Eliza Taylor(The 100) as a well meaning but spoiled daughter of a marketing empire. She has to prove to her father and to herself that she is responsible enough to take over the company. It is a very cute movie.


11. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle - This is a last minute addition as I literally saw it this morning. It was genuinely a very cute and enjoyable movie. I laughed out loud, a lot. There is really nice homage to the original movie but it completely paves its own way. 

Friday, December 29, 2017

Notable Quotable: Jessamyn Hope (#179)




"He didn't see how it was possible not to fall in love again. If you were paying attention to people."
     --Safekeeping

Friday, December 22, 2017

Notable Quotable: Francine Rivers (#178)




"Because, for some of us, one mile can be farther to walk than thirty."
     --Redeeming Love

Friday, December 15, 2017

Notable Quotable: Robyn Schneider (#177)




"Words could betray you if you chose the wrong ones, or mean less if you used too many. Jokes could be grandly miscalculated, or stories deemed boring, and I'd learned early on that my sense of humor and ideas about what sorts of things were fascinating didn't exactly overlap with my friends."
     --The Beginning of Everything

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Books of 2017


hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

I read quite a few books that I loved this year, so narrowing it down to ten was difficult. Here's what I've come up with:

1a. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
1b. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo: This duology is one of the best that I've read in a really long time. The characters were complex and the world was rich and vibrant. I loved it so much, probably my favorite reads of the year!

2. Geekerella by Ashley Poston: I love a good fairytale retelling and this one delivered. It was everything I could ask for in a nerdy Cinderella. A comic-con, a cosplay, and an actor who may be more than his social persona.


3. Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller: I love a good pirate book, but I forgot how much I love them until I read this book. The sequel is coming out next year and I already have it preordered!

4. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer: I'd been putting this one off because I wanted to save this for a time when I needed new content from the Lunar Chronicles world. I read it at just the right time this year. I loved all these stories!

5. Paper Girls, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan: This series keeps getting a weirder but I'm still really enjoying it! I can't wait to see what's next.


6. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman: This is such a magical exploration of life through the eyes of a child. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

7. The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro: This is the sequel to A Study in Charlotte. I'm loving this series and I can't wait for the next book!

8. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas: I really enjoyed this book, a fierce assassin ready to fight for freedom. I've heard mixed feelings about the rest of the series, but I'm just going to have to see for myself.



9. Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick: This is the best memoir I've read this year. She is incredibly funny and brutally honest. I listened to the audio book in one day.

10. The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy: This was such a good read. I came across this on a whim and thought I'd check it out for fall/Halloween season. The mystery and suspense wrapped up in a community who believes they've been cursed.


Friday, December 8, 2017

Notable Quotable: Douglas Adams (#176)



"Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job."
     --The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Friday, December 1, 2017

Notable Quotable: Rick Riordan (#175)




"Being productive. Ugh. It's such a human concept. It implies you have limited time (LOL) and have to work hard to make something happen (double LOL)."
     --The Trials of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: Winter TBR


hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1. Warcross by Marie Lu - This is one of my most anticipated reads this fall and I'm dying to pick it up. My next read will either be this book of Renegades, so I'm ready for it!

2. Renegades by Marissa Meyer - This is the other most anticipated book of the fall and like I said above, I'm going to be reading it very soon!

3. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab - I listened to the first book in this trilogy and really enjoyed it, so I thought I'd keep with tradition and listen to this one in the next couple of weeks.


4a. Hawkeye Vol. 5: All-New Hawkeye by Jeff Lemire
4b. Hawkeye Vol. 6: Hawkeyes by Jeff Lemire
5. Hawkeye: Kate Bishop Vol. 1: Anchor Points by Kelly Thompson
After binge-reading the Matt Fraction run of Hawkeye this fall, I decided it's time to pick these beloved characters back up. I'm hoping to read these back to back near the end of the year, so I don't have to wait too long for Kate Bishop's vol. 2.


6a. The Fade Out: Act One by Ed Brubaker
6b. The Fade Out: Act Two by Ed Brubaker
6c. The Fade Out: Act Three by Ed Brubaker
I've been waiting for a good time to read this story in three acts. It finally feels like the right time to do it. This winter I'll get a little bit of the noir vibe in my life.


7. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab - I've been meaning to read this book since I got it, more than a year ago. I'd like to get to it this winter, but there are just so many books out there.

8a. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
8b. The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
It's time to read this series. I only have the first two on the list because it seems more realistic that I'll get through a couple of them, rather than all four. But who knows maybe I'll just marathon them all!


9a. The Assassin's Blade by Sarah. J. Maas
9b. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
I started this series at the beginning of the year with the intent that I'd read at least three of the books. Now it's almost December and I've yet to read more. These books are on here in an effort to read more before I forget what happened in the first book. Hopefully, I'll enjoy them as much as I did Throne of Glass.

10. Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill - I loved the first Lauren Morrill book I read and since then I decided I wanted to read all of her books. I own this one and haven't read it yet, so now is the time to pick it up!



Friday, November 24, 2017

Notable Quotable: Stephanie Garber (#174)




"Hope is a powerful thing. Some say it's a different breed of magic altogether. Elusive, difficult to hold on to. But not much is needed."
     --Caraval

Friday, November 17, 2017

Notable Quotable: Kat Spears (#173)




"There was no reason for me to think everything was about to change. That's the way life happens, why you have to be able to see all the angles every time you make a choice. What's true today might not be true tomorrow."
     --Sway

Friday, November 10, 2017

Notable Quotable: Brian K. Vaughan (#172)




"The world is a terrifying place, more than I ever realized. But if I had my whole life to do over again, that's literally the only thing I'd change. I'd stop being so afraid of other people."
     --Paper Girls, Vol. 2

Friday, November 3, 2017

Notable Quotable: Lauren Oliver (#171)




"And I guess that's when it starts to hit me: the whole point is, you do what you can."
     --Before I Fall

Thursday, November 2, 2017

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #114

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

What store would be your first stop in Diagon Alley when picking up your supplies for your first year in Hogwarts?

Without question it would be Ollivanders. I would get up early to be first in line to get my wand! All the other shops are pretty exciting and I definitely would love Flourish and Blotts, but the wand is where it's at! Plus, I want to meet Ollivander himself!