Sunday, August 12, 2018

Review - Middle School: From Hero to Zero by James Patterson & Chris Tebbetts


Jimmy Patterson; 280 pages; $13.99
Published earlier this year by Jimmy Patterson (a division of Little, Brown and Company) was Middle School: From Hero To Zero by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts, which I believe is the 10th entry in the series. I read the book earlier this year, but I never got around to writing the review for it; so I reread the book a few days ago and thought I would feature it as a "Back to School Reads."

The book centers on Rafe Khatchadorian, a not so-popular middle grader who's only real pal is Leo, an imaginary friend who represents Leonardo, his twin died of meningitis when they were toddlers. This time around he's headed to London with his classmates for a school trip. Well, actually it's a contest where schools from around the country will write a "Living-Learning Report." The school with the best report will win the Grand Prize of ten thousand dollars worth of books and supplies. One student on the winning team will win a thousand dollar cash prize.

What should have been a fun experience, quickly turns into a disaster when Rafe learns that his bully Miller (AKA Miller the Killer) is also coming on the trip. To make matters even worse, Rafe has to share a room with Miller, who makes him sleep in the bathroom! Then their teacher assigns Rafe as the main editor of the "Living-Learning Report." Most students would be happy about the opportunity, but Rafe isn't, as he's afraid he will mess everything up. Plus, his fellow classmates don't exactly see him as leader. They see him more as a world-class loser.

Final Thoughts

Friday, August 10, 2018

Book Blogger Hop: August 10th - 16th




Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML


Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews.


Can you say this about yourself? Nothing makes me happier than sitting down with a good book.

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer:

I'm going to slightly disagree. Nothing makes me happier than the smell of printed pages. I can't explain it, but I love the aroma inside of bookstores and libraries. There is something calming about the scent of both old and newly printed books.


Linky List:

Thursday, August 9, 2018

The Evil Dead is Getting the 4K Treatment



1981's horror cult classic The Evil Dead will be arriving on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (Blu-ray + Digital) for the first time on October 9th from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. The suggestive retail price is $22.99!


The Evil Dead launched the careers of director Sam Raimi and actor Bruce Campbell. The film follows five college friends who accidentally release a legion of demons and spirits. Experience four times the resolution of Full HD with 4K, as well as Dolby Vision™ HDR, to bring to life the stunning cinematography of this supernatural horror film. When compared to a standard picture, Dolby Vision can deliver spectacular colors never before seen on a screen, highlights that are up to 40 times brighter, and blacks that are 10 times darker.

Special Features:  Audio Commentary with writer-director Sam Raimi, producer Robert Tapert, and star Bruce Campbell



Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Giveaway: Strike Back: Season Five Blu-ray + Digital


Arriving next week on Blu-ray + Digital (also being released on DVD + Digital) is Cinemax's Strike Back: Season Five, featuring a brand new group of Section 20 soldiers, including Sergeant Thomas ‘Mac’ McAllister (played by Warren Brown, “The Dark Knight Rises”), Sergeant Samuel Wyatt (played by Daniel MacPherson, “Infini”), Lance Corporal Gracie Novan (played by Alin Sumarwatta, “Burning Man”) and Captain Natalie Reynolds (played by Roxanne McKee, HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” “Crossfire”)

The main focus of the season centers around terrorist Omair Idrisi escaping from Syrian authorities with plans to launch an unprecedented attack that could change the face of modern warfare. Then enters Section 20 — the elite, multinational, covert special ops team tasked with tracking down Idrisi and his British co-conspirator wife, Jane Lowry.

Their action-packed manhunt will take the unit across North Africa, the Middle East and Europe, from glitterati soirees to underworld cage fights, as they uncover and attempt to dismantle a vast global web of interconnected criminal and terrorist activity.

Bonus Features include:
  • Strike Back: Season 5: Declassified - Get an inside look at each episode.
  • The New Team: Section 20's new team and tactics they employ to fight terrorism around the globe.




Giveaway Details

Summer Reads: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Broadway; 424 pages; $9.99
Has anybody else been watching Sharp Objects on HBO?

The fifth episode of the limited series (miniseries) aired on Sunday night, and I believe there are three episodes left. The series is based on the novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn, the author of Gone Girl and Dark Places. I was hooked to the series after watching the first episode and I later purchased the novel a few days later, but I didn't start reading it until a day prior to the third episode and I ended up finishing the book a few hours after the episode.

The novel centers around Chicago newspaper reporter Camille Preaker, who has a share of personal demons with alcohol and cutting words into her skin. Shortly after spending time in a hospital, her boss, Curry, encourages her to travel back to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri to cover the murder of a young girl, Ann Nash, and the disappearance of another girl, Natalie Keene.

Somewhat against her will, Camille returns to Wind Gap, where she sorta invites herself to stay at her family's home, which she hasn't visited in many years. Camille grew up with Adora, her high maintenance mother, and an emotionally estranged step-father, Alan. Her half-sister Marian, who she was very close to, died mysteriously at a young age, which sent her down an emotional roller coaster that has never stopped. She has another half-sister, Amma, a spoiled thirteen-year-old that she barely knows. Amma has a weird control over the people of Wind Gap.

After the body of Natalie Keene is found with her teeth removed (the same happened to Ann Nash), the town goes into a frenzy, pointing fingers at Natalie's brother, John. Still working on her own emotional problems, Camille works with Richard Willis, a Kansas City cop assigned to help solve the murders, to track down the killer. However, the further she investigates, the more she learns that her past is connected to the murders.


Final Thoughts

Friday, August 3, 2018

Book Blogger Hop: August 3rd - 9th




Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML


Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Maria @ A Night's Dream of Books.


Have you ever had a bookish, nocturnal dream? If so, please share the story. If not, have you ever had a daydream related to books? If so, please tell us about it.

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer:

I don't believe that I have ever had a bookish dream. Now I have had a few sleepless nights because a book that I was reading was on my mind.


Linky List:

Thursday, August 2, 2018

Counterpart: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Review

Lionsgate; Not Rated; 9 hrs 17 mins; Amazon


I have spent the last two nights binge watching Counterpart: The Complete Season Blu-ray, which arrived in stores this week from Lionsgate. It's also being released to DVD.

The pilot episode debuted on Starz in December 2017, but the series didn't officially begin until late January 2018. Despite low-ratings, the series has garnered high praises from critics.

Created by Justin Marks, the series centers around Howard Sink (played by J. K. Simmons), a kindhearted man working for the United Nations agency called the Office of Interchange in Berlin. His life is very simple, he goes to work, visits his comatose wife at the hospital, goes home, and repeats the cycle. After being denied a promotion, he meets his doppelganger who is also named Howard (or otherwise known as Howard Prime).

Howard (also known as Howard Alpha) learns that during the the latter years of the Cold War, the East Germans created a portal to a parallel universe in the basement of a building that would later become the Office of Interchange headquarters. An assassin from the Prime World named Baldwin (played by Sara Serraiocco) is loose in the Alpha World with a kill list. One of the people on that list happens to be Howard's wife, Emily (played by Olivia Williams).

Howard Prime is a field agent who retrieves anyone who goes rogue and crosses over to the Alpha World. To protect his wife, Howard Alpha switches places with Howard Prime. Though he has strict orders to stay inside Howard Prime's apartment, Howard Alpha ventures outside and intertwines with a life that doesn't belong to him.

Both Howards must work together to stop their worlds from going to war.

Special Features on the Blu-ray set include Season Outlook and Inside the World "Counterpart."



Final Thoughts

Friday, July 27, 2018

Book Blogger Hop: July 27th - August 2nd




Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML


Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews.


Do you agree or disagree with this statement: A blogger's first name should be in a prominent place on his/her blog.

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer:

Well, you should at least have your first name somewhere on your blog, that way an author or publisher can call you by your name when contacting you about reviewing a book.


Linky List: