Friday, August 30, 2019

The Friday 56: The Witch Port Video Game



Rules

Grab a book, any book.
Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it).
Post it.
 Add your (url) post below in the Linky at: www.fredasvoice.com
Add the post url, not your blog url.


The front door eventually swings open to reveal Veronica standing in the frame with a rifle in her hand. "You're trespassing," she hisses.

page 56, The Witch Port Video Game by Leonard Bassed

  My Thoughts

Book Blogger Hop: August 30th - September 5th





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


Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop! 


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

The Book Blogger Hop now has its own Facebook Group! Please join the group to get all the newest Book Blogger Hop updates. Also, you can communicate with your fellow book bloggers in the group.

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)


2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below. Please enter your Name/Nickname @ Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Here's an example: Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer

3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading a few 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.

DVD Review: The Spanish Princess (Season One)


*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

WALMART
Now available to own on DVD from STARZ and Lionsgate Home Entertainment is The Spanish Princess, featuring all 8 episodes from the limited series. It's also available to own Blu-ray and Digital. There are no special features or bonus extras on the 3-disc DVD set.

The Spanish Princess is a sequel to 2013's The White Queen and 2017's The White Princess, all of which are based on the historical novels by bestselling author Philippa Gregory. No, there isn't an actual novel titled The Spanish Princess. The limited series is adapted from two titles -  The Constant Princess and The King's Curse.

The series spans the year 1501 to 1509 and centers around Catherine of Aargon (played by Charlotte Hope), the young Princess of Spain who has been promised the English throne ever since she was a little girl. She is sent to London to marry the young Prince Arthur (played by Angus Imrie). Just as her dream of becoming queen is about to come true, the unexpected happens - Prince Arthur dies!

Almost everyone at the court wants Catherine to return to Spain as soon as possible, especially King Henry VII's mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort (played by Harriet Walter) who has a twisted hatred for her. Despite being unwanted, she is determined to become queen and sets her eyes on marring her brother-in-law, Prince Harry (played by Ruairi O'Connor).

The Spanish Princess is returning for an 8-episode second (and final) season on STARZ in 2020.



Final Thoughts

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

The Responsibilities of a Movie Producer


 *This post contains sponsored content.

When the general public discusses the behind-the-scenes aspects of a movie, they often mention the actors and director. One understated, but important, position is the film producer. While some producers are well-known directors and stars, such as Steven Spielberg and Mel Brooks, others such as Kathleen Kennedy, Kevin Fiege and Heather Parry have dedicated themselves almost entirely to production.

Film producers are heavily involved throughout the making of a project, from planning and pre-production to post-production and release. As a result, they often assume a variety of roles and tasks through each stage.

Development

The pre-production stage of a film is perhaps the busiest time for producers. For the most part, this is where they get the initiative to start a project and assemble the right cast and crew for its development. Producers are always looking for the next source for a successful film. They mostly go through scripts curated by a professional script reader, but also get ideas from books or established intellectual properties. Producers must also attract the best director for the script and work with the director to find fitting actors. Finally, they must secure funding if it is not a studio production, as well as create an overall plan for budget and filming schedule.

Production

Now that most of the cast and crew is assembled and the major decisions have been made, the role of producers may be less involved as it was in the beginning. The producers select people that are responsible and self-reliant, so ideally, they can work without producer supervision. Still, producers oversee the film that is shot daily and work with the director to make small changes from time to time. When cast or crew members get into a dispute, the producers may intervene and attempt to diffuse and resolve the situation. They may also get involved if the established schedule or budget change too much during production.

 

Post-Production

Midnight Horror Review: American Gods: Season Two Blu-ray


*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.


AMAZON
Back in 2017, I fell in love with the horror-fantasy series American Gods that aired on STARZ. It's based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, which I read shortly after the series debuted. The first season followed very closely to the book and at times went far beyond it by expanding the characters. Thanks to the showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, the series had an unique artistic look that was very graphic at times.

I, like many all other fans, had to wait nearly two years for the second season. This is due to the fact that the original showrunners were fired and a few cast members quit. Jesse Alexander was hired as the new showrunner but was also later let go. The second season premiered back in the spring and was quickly renewed for a third season despite losing over half its audience.

American Gods: Season Two was released to Blu-ray (+Digital) last week by Lionsgate Home Entertainment, featuring all eight episodes on a 3-disc set. The season is also available on DVD.

Season Two picks up shortly after the first season's finale with many of the Old Gods reuniting at The House of Rock. However, their reunion is cut short when Mr. World attacks the restaurant, leading to the death of Zorya Vechernyaya (played by Cloris Leachman). Once again, Mr. Wednesday (played by Ian McShane) and his human bodyguard, Shadow Moon (played by Ricky Whittle) are going on a quest across America looking for a way to end the war with the New Gods.


Meanwhile, Shadows undead wife, Laura, has to once again rely on the leprechaun Mad Sweeney (played by Pablo Schreiber) to help keep her decaying body alive.


Special Features include:
  • The House of the Rock: Setting the Stage
  • The Second Coming: Neil Gaiman on Season Two
  • Gods and Ends: Random Musings from the Cast 


Final Thoughts

Monday, August 26, 2019

4K Ultra Blu-ray Review: Godzilla: King of the Monsters


*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are my own.

Amazon; Best Buy; Walmart; Target
Arriving tomorrow on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is this year's creature feature Godzilla: King of the Monsters (PG-13; 132 minutes). It's already available to own on Digital HD.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Book Blogger Hop: August 23rd - 29th





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


Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop! 


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

The Book Blogger Hop now has its own Facebook Group! Please join the group to get all the newest Book Blogger Hop updates. Also, you can communicate with your fellow book bloggers in the group.

What To Do


1. Post on your blog answering this question:

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


2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below. Please enter your Name/Nickname @ Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Here's an example: Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer

3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading a few 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.

Review: White Line Fever Blu-ray


*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are my own.

Mill Creek Entertainent; Amazon
The 1975 action drama White Line Fever was released on Blu-ray (PG; 90 mins; $14.98) last week by Mill Creek Entertainment as part of their Retro VHS Look. The movie stars the late Jan-Michael Vincent who played in the short-lived '80s television series Airwolf.

Co-written and directed by Jonathan Kaplan, Jan-Michael Vincent plays Carrol Jo "CJ" who obtains a big bank loan to buy a 1974 Ford WT9000 cabover rig (a.k.a. the "BLUE MULE") shortly after coming home from serving in the Air Force during Vietnam. He seeks work from an old friend, Duane (played by Slim Pickens) at the Red River, a produce-shipping company in Tucson. CJ's father used to haul for Red River before his death and he has fond memories of the place. However, Red River isn't the same place it used to be. The company now hauls illegal products, such as slot machines, drugs, and untaxed cigarettes.

Unlike many Red River truckers, CJ actually has morals and refuses to haul anything illegal. Lets just say CJ ends up pissing off the Red River owner which leads to him starting a small war with the company.


Final Thoughts

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Blu-ray Review: The Hustle


*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own.


AMAZON
Wouldn't you've believed a comedy starring Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson would be funny?

Unfortunately, that's not the case with The Hustle which was just released to Blu-ray and DVD this week from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. It's also available on Digital HD and On Demand.

Directed by Chris Addison, the film is a gender swapping remake of 1988's comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which itself was a remake of the 1964 classic Bedtime Story.

The Hustle centers around Penny (played by Rebel Wilson), a small-time con artist who makes a living by defrauding wealthy men. On a trip to the French Riviera, Penny runs into Josephine Chesterfield (Anne Hathaway) who just happens to also be a con artist. Eventually, the duo make a bet on who can swindle a young tech billionaire (Alex Sharp) out of his money.

The movie was critical failure but it did manage to pull in $95 million at the box office on a $21 million budget.

Blu-ray Special Features include:
  • Hitting the Mark – We’ll reveal the plans behind the film: from Anne Hathaway’s initial discussions with Jac Schaeffer and Rebel Wilson about updating the story for a modern era to Chris Addison’s collaboration with the cast to craft the comedy on set.
  • Comedy Class – Every actor in the film brings a very different comedic style to their roles. This comic clash helps sell the conflict between Josephine, Penny, and the other characters in the film.
  • Con Artists – The artists behind the camera help bring the story to life…in this case costume designer Emmer Fryer and production designer Alice Normington show off their skills.
  • Feature Commentary by Director Chris Addison 


Final Thoughts

Monday, August 19, 2019

Sunday Post & It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @  Caffeinated Book Reviewer!


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by The Book Date.

Good Morning, Everyone!



I can't believe I'm writing a post early on a Monday morning!

FYI: I'm kinda like Garfield - I hate Mondays!

Anyway, as you can tell I'm back to combining my Sunday Post with my It's Monday! What Are You Reading? post. Why is this? Well, last week I didn't get around to posting my Sunday Post and yesterday I was just to lazy to do anything. Therefore, this week I'm shoving two posts into one.

What Am I Currently Reading?

How did my reading go last week? To tell you the truth - not very good. Did I finish reading IT? Nope!

However, I did read a few pages over the weekend and I'm now on page 535. As you can probably tell, I'm in no hurry to read IT. It's not like I have a review deadline for it, though I would like to post a review sometime during the first week of September.

Additionally, I did listen to an audiobook Wake the Dead by Stacey Rourke yesterday afternoon.

I'll be reviewing it sometime this week. Maybe even today! My reading agenda for this week is to once again finish reading IT. Plus, I'll be listening to the audiobook The Unlucky Ones by Stacey Marie Brown.


Recent Reviews

 

The Maine Nemesis
(Summer Reads)

Lonesome Dove
(Blu-ray Steelbook Review)

Goosebumps SlappyWorld: The Dummy Meets The Mummy!
(Back To School Reads)

The New Kids
(Midnight Horror Review)

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Trilogy
(Rereads)

New in the Mail

 

Books

Nearly two weeks ago, I received the novella The Witch Port Video Game by Leonard Bassed. I will be reviewing the title in September for a book tour. On the exact same day, I received The Inn by James Patterson & Candice Fox. Now the latter isn't for review purposes as I had pre-ordered a few days prior to its release. However, whenever I get around to reading it, I'll most likely post a review for it.

DVDs/Blu-rays

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Back To School Reads - Goosebumps SlappyWorld: The Dummy Meets The Mummy!


*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

AMAZON; Barnes & Noble;
Scholastic
I'm feeling a bit old while I'm writing this review as it has come to my attention that R.L. Stine's Goosebumps franchise just turned 27-years-old last month! And this also means it's been 27 years since I read my very first Goosebumps - Welcome to Dead House.

Despite that fact I'm soon to be a 38-year-old in just a few weeks, I still read each and every new Goosebumps title that's published. Yes, I'm well aware I'm way past the Grade 4 reading level but I like nostalgia and that's exactly the feeling I get every time I read a Goosebumps book. Plus, I just love horror stories, even the kid-friendly ones.

The newest entry in the franchise is titled Goosebumps SlappyWorld: The Dummy Meets The Mummy! (a.k.a. - the eighth installment of the spinoff SlappyWorld series). And as you can probably guess by the art cover, this story centers around everyone's favorite villainous ventriloquist dummy - Slappy! There's also a creepy mummy in this tale. No, it's not the same mummy from the classic Goosebumps titles The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb and Return of the Mummy. Instead it's a brand new character named Arragotus.

Of course Goosebumps stories don't just center around the villains as there's always one or two young protagonists, typically around 12-years-old, who have to stop the bad guys from doing some evil deed. For The Dummy Meets The Mummy!, there are in fact two main characters - Cathy O'Connor and Aaron Riggles. 

The plot involves a middle-grade class having a supervised sleepover in the Haunted Horror Museum, which is owned by Cathy's father. The museum's newest attraction is Arragotus the mummy. Just before the kids arrive, the museum received a rather odd donation - a ventriloquist dummy named Slappy! 

Let's just say having Arragotus and Slappy under the same roof isn't a very good thing!


Final Thoughts

Friday, August 16, 2019

Book Blogger Hop: August 16th - 22nd





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


Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop! 


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

The Book Blogger Hop now has its own Facebook Group! Please join the group to get all the newest Book Blogger Hop updates. Also, you can communicate with your fellow book bloggers in the group.

What To Do


1. Post on your blog answering this question:


This week's question is submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer.


2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below. Please enter your Name/Nickname @ Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Here's an example: Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer

3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading a few 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.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Bu-ray Review - The New Kids (1985)


*This is sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Mill Creek Entertainment; Amazon
There were a slew of teens in peril movies released in the 1980s. A few of these titles became classics and many others have mostly been forgotten, such as 1985's The New Kids starring a young Lori Loughlin and James Spader.

The New Kids was released this week to Blu-ray (R; 90 mins; $14.98) for the very first time by Mill Creek Entertainment. There are no special features or bonus extras. It does come with an '80s VHS-style DVD slipcover. 

Directed by Friday the 13th's Sean S. Cunningham, the film centers around Loren and Abby McWilliams (played by Shannon Presby and Lori Loughlin), whose parents were killed in an accident. With no were else to go, the siblings pack their bags and move to a small Florida town to live with their Uncle Charlie on his roadside amusement park.

After helping their uncle get the amusement park in working shape, Loren and Abby start school at the local high school, where I guess you can say things don't go so well there. Unknowingly to Abby, Dutra (played by James Spader) and his redneck gang make a bet to who can take Abby's virginity. However, Abby rejects all their attempts to sweep her off her feet. This leads to Dutra and his goons harassing, stalking, and tormenting Abby and her brother.

The film was critically panned and bombed at the box office; taking in under $200,000 on a $6 million budget.


Final Thoughts

Monday, August 12, 2019

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by The Book Date.



My agenda this week is to finish reading IT by Stephen King.

Review - Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Trilogy


If you grew up in the 1980, then mostly likely you would remember the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books written by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell.

There are three titles in the series - Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (pub. 1981), More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (pub. 1984) and Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones (pub. 1991). As of 2017, the books have sold more than 7 million copies; though that number is probably a bit higher thanks to recent release of the PG-13 film adaptation.

All three books have "retellings" of folklores and myths, but they're all written in a kid-friendly way. However, the American Library Association has challenged the books several times over the years for stories featuring nightmarish topics such as disfigurement and murder. Plus, there has been criticism over the creepy drawings by Stephen Gammell. Besides from us horror fans, the American Library Association and the The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Book have defended the books.

I remember my mother ordering all three Scary Stories books from Scholastic book flyers - you know the ones you get from your elementary classes - back when I was a little bitty kid. Many of the stories are interactive and I have fond memories of my mother reading several of the stories to me. Never once did she believe the stories were harmful. They're just stories!


Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark features 29 stories: The Big Toe, The Walk, What Do You Come For?, Me Tie Dough-ty Walker!, A Man Who Lived in Leeds, Old Woman All Skin and Bone, The Thing, Cold as Clay, The White Wolf, The Haunted House, The Guests, The Hearse Song, The Girl Who Stood on a Grave, A New Horse, Alligators, Room for One More, The Wendigo, The Dead Man's Brains, May I Carry Your Basket?, The Hook, The White Satin Evening Gown, High Beams, The Babysitter, The Viper, The Attic, The Slithery-Dee, Aaron Kelly's Bones, Wait till Martin Comes, and The Ghost with the Bloody Fingers.


More Stories to Tell in the Dark features 28 stories: Something was Wrong, The Wreck, One Sunday Morning, Sounds, A Weird Blue Light, Somebody Fell from Aloft, The Little Black Dog, Clinkity-Clink, The Bride, Rings on Her Fingers, The Drum, The Window, Wonderful Sausage, The Cat's Paw, The Voice, Oh, Susannah!, The Man in the Middle, The Cat in a Shopping Bag, The Bed by the Window, The Dead Man's Hand, A Ghost in the Mirror, The Curse, The Church, The Bad News, Cemetery Soup, The Brown Suit, BA-ROOOM!, and Thumpity-Thump.


Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones features 25 stories: The Appointment, The Bus Stop, Faster and Faster, Just Delicious, Hello, Kate!, The Black Dog, Footsteps, Like Cat's Eyes, Bess, Harold, The Dead Hand, Such Things Happen, The Wolf Girl, The Dream, Sam's New Pet, Maybe You Will Remember, The Red Spot, No, Thanks, The Trouble, Strangers, The Hog, Is Something Wrong?, It's Him!, T-H-U-P-P-P-P-P-P-P!, and You May Be Next....

Final Thoughts

Friday, August 9, 2019

Book Blogger Hop: August 9th - 15th





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


Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop! 


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

The Book Blogger Hop now has its own Facebook Group! Please join the group to get all the newest Book Blogger Hop updates. Also, you can communicate with your fellow book bloggers in the group.

What To Do


1. Post on your blog answering this question:


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


2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below. Please enter your Name/Nickname @ Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Here's an example: Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer

3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading a few 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.

The Friday 56: More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark



Rules

Grab a book, any book.
Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it).
Post it.
 Add your (url) post below in the Linky at: www.fredasvoice.com
Add the post url, not your blog url.


When she tried to turn on the light, she would find herself holding a dead man's hand.

page 56, More Scary Stories to tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz with drawings by Stephen Gammell

  My Thoughts

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Blu-ray Review: Lonesome Dove Steelbook


*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Mill Creek Entertainment; Amazon
I know for a fact there are many fans of Larry McMurtry's novels, especially the Lonesome Dove series. For those of you don't already know, the 1989 miniseries adaptation of Lonesome Dove was recently released on a Blu-ray Steelbook (Not Rated; 6 hrs 13 mins; $34.98) from Mill Creek Entertainment. Additionally, it comes with a movieSPREE digital code.

Directed by Simon Wincer, the miniseries featured a star-studded cast including Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Diane Lane, Danny Glover, Anjelica Huston, Robert Urich, Steve Buscemi, D.B. Sweeney, Rick Schroder, and Chris Cooper.

Told in four parts, Lonesome Dove centers around two former Texas Rangers and lifelong friends, Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call (played by Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones), going on one last adventure together - a cattle drive from Texas to Montana.

Bonus Features include:
  • The Making of an Epic
  • Cast Interviews
  • Original Sketches and Concept Drawings
  • On Location with Director Simon Wincer
  • Interview with Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Larry McMurtry


Final Thoughts

Monday, August 5, 2019

Review - The Maine Nemesis by R. Scott Wallis


*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own.

As everyone who reads my blog already knows, I've been a little nitpicky about my reads this year, especially when it comes to new authors. I get many emails about upcoming book blog tours but I've been ignoring most requests because of my "no spotlights" policy that I started last year. However, I have nothing wrong with reviewing a title during one of these tours, which explains why I'm participating in "The Maine Nemesis" tour.

In the case with this title (and many other books), the art cover caught my attention right away. Now I didn't sign up to review the book based on the cover alone. I did read the blurb!

What's the book about?

Set in Wabanaki, Maine, the novel centers around best friends Skyler Moore and Brenda Braxton. While their love lives isn't exactly perfect, they are both very accomplished women with Brenda being a famous chef and owner of several restaurants and Skyler is a public relations hotshot.

The duo has to put their skills to the test when the deputy's wife is found dead inside one of the local restaurants. Murder is something that never happens in this small town so the community is shell shocked. Skyler takes charge to help the restaurant's owners by dealing with all the PR nightmare following the murder. Then she quickly turns into an amateur sleuth. Along with Brenda and a few friends, she's determined to solve the murder (and a kidnapping).


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Final Thoughts

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by The Book Date.



My agenda for the next few days is to read Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark, More Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark, and Scary Stories 3: More Stories to Chill Your Bones by Alvin Schwartz. 

I bet there isn't one '80s kid who doesn't remember reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark! I was either in the second or third grade when I first read the original book. My mom bought the books for me though a Scholastic book flyer. I have no idea what happened to those books because they're long gone. I probably let someone borrow them and they never returned them. It doesn't matter as I bought all three titles several years ago at thrift store. I've been meaning to rereading them for along time but I've just never gotten around to it. With the feature film adaptation coming out at the end of the week, I thought this would be a great time for me to finally reread them. Then I'm going to put my full attention on Stephen King's IT, which I'm currently on page 383.

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Sunday Post: 8/4/19

Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @  Caffeinated Book Reviewer!

Good Afternoon, Everyone!


What Am I Currently Reading?


Yes, I'm still reading Stephen King's IT and one of these days I'm actually going to finish reading it. I had to put IT on the back burner because I had to read two other ARC titles - Underestimating Miss Cecilia and The Maine Nemesis. The review for Underestimating Miss Cecilia was posted early this morning and the review for The Maine Nemesis will be posted sometime tomorrow.

On the reading agenda this week is the Scary Stories To Tell in The Dark trilogy. If you don't already know, the feature film based on the first book will be released to theatres on August 9th. I read all three titles during my childhood and I'm going to start rereading them tomorrow. I'll be posting reviews for them later in the week. After I finish reading the trilogy, I'll refocus my full attention on finishing IT, which I'm planning on posting a review for the massive novel next month near the release date of the IT: Chapter 2 movie.


Recent Reviews

 

Understanding Miss Cecilia
(Summer Reads)

Forever Knight: The Complete Series
(Midnight Horror Review)

Sophia, Princess Among Beasts
(Summer Reads)

UglyDolls: Sing-Along Edition
(Blu-ray Review)

Cari Mora
(Summer Reads)

Shark Bait
(Midnight Horror Review)


New in the Mail

Books


It's always nice to get a surprise book in the mailbox and that's exactly what happened to me last week when I received the Ripley's Believe It or Not!: Beyond The Bizarre! (16th Annual) from Ripley's Publishing. Plus, they sent me the 100 Years Of Ripley's Believe It or Not!: Official Anniversary Edition magazine.

DVDs/Blu-rays


I need to get caught up on DVDs and Blu-rays as I have a pile of them on my desk that needs to be reviewed. Yesterday, I received another package from Mill Creek Entertainment. The DVDs titles are: Pan Am: The Complete Series and Dead Don't Die in Dallas. The Blu-ray titles are: The New Kids, White Line Fever, and Roxanne. I've already watched Dead Don't Die in Dallas so keep an eye out on my review for it. It'll be posted as a Midnight Horror Review either on Monday or Tuesday next Sunday. Since there's nothing on TV tonight I might watch The New Kids.

New on the Bookshelf

Summer Reads: Underestimating Miss Cecilia by Carolyn Miller


*This is sponsored review. All opinions 100% mine.

KREGEL; AMAZON
I'm up bright and early and on a Sunday morning to write a review for the romance novel Underestimating Miss Cecilia by Carolyn Miller, which I just reading yesterday. That's right, I read the entire 352 page novel yesterday afternoon, despite the fact it was a difficult for me to read thanks to my allergies and dry eyes. I just received the title a few weeks ago for the Kregel Publications book tour, and, I guess you can say time slipped away from me pretty quickly as I almost forgot I had to review the book by August 4th, which is today.

I used to read (and review) a lot of romance novels but after a while I gotten a bit burned out on them and this has resulted in me reading a wide variety of genres this year. The only reason why I signed up to review Underestimating Miss Cecilia (the second novel in Regency Brides: Daughters of Aynsley series) is because I've previously read a few other titles by author Carolyn Miller. She's a good writer and I figured I would like her newest novel.

What's the book about?

It's set in the early 19th Century England and centers around Cecilia Hatherleigh, a young woman who has always had her eyes on the earl's son, Edward "Ned" Amherest. The only problem is Edward has never had the same affections for Cecilia. He's always treated her more like a sister than a possible future wife. Despite her intelligence, she's is seen as nothing more that the second daughter of Lord Aynsley in the eyes of many, including Ned.

Circumstances occur that leads Ned to make a few major decisions in his life, which includes resurrecting his legal career and looking for a wife. He's also determined to help the poor and suffering people living on the streets of England. His quest to help other leads him to spend more time with Cecilia. Remember, this is a romance novel, so you can take a guess at what happens next.

Final Thoughts