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:

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Summer Reads: Goosebumps Slappyworld: Escape From Shudder Mansion by R.L. Stine

Scholastic; $6.99; 154 pages; Amazon

Many children's books from the 1990s have quickly fizzled and disappeared, but that isn't the case for the popular Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine. Since 1992, Mr. Stine has been scaring young readers with his Twilight Zone-like tales. The fifth book in the Goosebumps SlappyWorld spinoff series, titled "Escape From Shudder Mansion," just arrived in paperback last month.

The book centers around Riley Shiner, a twelve-year-old who is obsessed with the video game "Escape From Shudder Mansion," which he believes is based on an actual haunted house in his neighborhood. Though the house looks exactly like the one in the game, nobody believes him, not even his twin sister, Scarlet. He's seen the horrors in the game, so he wants nothing to do with the real house.

Unfortunately for Riley, he has to get over his fears of Shudder Mansion when his teacher splits his class into groups and gives them an assignment which involves the kids making an adventure documentary. Riley is paired up with his sister, along with Danitia, Carter, and Cheng. What is their assignment? There assigned to spend the night inside Shudder Mansion.

Despite objections from Riley, he follows his sister, her new weird friend Mia, and their classmates to Shudder Mansion. While their parents stay on the first floor, the kids take their GoPro cameras and explore the upper floors of the mansion. Riley is the only one who has played the video game, so he already knows what horrors are awaiting them.


Final Thoughts

Monday, July 23, 2018

I Like "Free" Dating Sites!




With this being one of the hottest summers, the last thing I want to do is go on a date. Luckily, for those like me, you don't have to leave the comfort of your home's cool air conditioning to meet your possible soulmate, as you easily make a new acquaintance on a dating website.

If you have been following this blog this year, then you would know that I've taken a slight interest in online dating. To tell you the truth, I still haven't rounded up enough courage to create an actual dating profile yet, thought I have worked a few "profile" drafts. My main problem right now is that I'm not very good at describing or talking about myself, which isn't a good thing when I'm trying to write the perfect dating profile. Plus, there's my procrastination issues, which is another explanation (or an excuse) of why I still have join a dating website.

Anyway, there are tons of dating sites and apps out there. Many of these are premium or otherwise known as "paid" dating sites, such as eHarmony, Match.com, and Zoosk. However, those singles who are on a budget (like me) would probably prefer to go with a "free" dating site, and trust me, there are plenty of them out there. Three free popular dating sites in the USA that come to mind are OkCupid, Coffee Meets Bagel, and Plenty Of Fish; though there are plenty of other "free" dating sites. Just do an internet search and you'll be able to find dozens of them with about any "niche" you can imagine.

Free dating sites appeal to me more than the premium ones because they have more women on there who are closer to my area. I did briefly test out a free dating website a few years ago. While my experience on there wasn't exactly the best, I did find several matches (and a few not-so matches) in my area.

Saturday, July 21, 2018

[Blu-ray Review] - Traffik (2018)

Lionsgate; R; 96 minutes; Amazon


Released to Blu-ray this past Tuesday from Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment is the thriller Traffik. And no, this isn't the Oscar-winning 2000 crime drama "Traffic" starring Michael Douglas. This film is directed by Deon Taylor and stars Paula Patton (who is also a producer), Omar Epps, Laz Alonso, Roselyn Sanchez, Luke Goss, Missi Pyle, and William Fichtner. The plot is about sex trafficking and not drug trafficking.

The film centers around Brea (played by Paula Patton), a journalist who has had a bit of trouble satisfying her editor (played by William Fichtner) with her recent articles. To cheer her up, her boyfriend, John (played by Omar Epps), takes her for a romantic getaway at a secluded mountain estate. Well, it was romantic before their friends Darren and Malia (played by Laz Alonso and Roselyn Sanchez) crashed their plans.

Things take a horrific twist when Brea realizes that a woman she bumped into at gas station restroom had accidentally put a satellite phone in her purse. Or was it on purpose? After solving the phone's password, Brea attempts to find the owners identity, but stumbles upon something terrifying!

There are dozens of profile photos of women in the the exact same pose. Brea, John, and their friends come to the conclusion that the phone belongs to someone involved in sex trafficking. Before they can contact the police, the owners of the phones come knocking at the their door.

Special Features on the Blu-ray include:
  • Journey into the Depths: Making Traffik
  • Deon & Dante: The Look of Traffik


Final Thoughts

Friday, July 20, 2018

Book Blogger Hop: July 20th - 26th




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 Cathy @ What Cathy Read Next.


What's your proudest blogging milestone or achievement?

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:

My biggest blogging milestone will be on April 1, 2019, which will mark the 10th anniversary of my blog.


Linky List: