Almost Amish
By Kathryn Cushman
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0764208263
ASIN: B0073UN96W
Page: 336 

Review: 

Julie Charlton is a wonderful wife and mother, but something is missing from her life. What she needs is some excitement and adventure. Luckily, her sister-in-law, Susan, got picked to be on an upcoming reality series and she gets to bring someone with her. That person happens to be Julie. And they also get to bring their families with them.

What is the reality series about? Well, the participants leave their modern lifestyle and move to the Amish country, where they have to live simple. That means no technology of any kind, except for the cameras that are filming their every move.

My original intent was to write separate reviews on the first four Twilight movies, but why waste my time when I could write one post about the most overrated film franchise of all time.

I recall reading the first book by Stephenie Meyer when it was originally released. I read it and thought it was average at best. I tossed the book into the closet and never thought about it again until I saw the first film advertise. Probably like most readers, I bought the other books in the attempt to eventually read them, but I have never opened any of them to page one yet.

One of my hobbies is collecting DVDs (in which I have way too many of) and of course I bought Twilight when it was released. I recognized Kristen Stewart from the Cold Creek Manor and The Messengers, but I never heard of the majority of the cast, except for Peter Facinelli and Elizabeth Reaser. I had forgotten most of the book's plot, so the movie was basically new to me. For the most part the movie was mediocre at best. Similar to what I did to the book, I tossed the DVD onto a shelf and forgot about it until I saw the advertisements for New Moon a year later.

In New Moon, the Cullens have very little screen time, giving Taylor Lautner a bigger role and a new haircut. I like the werewolf mythology, but the movie has Bella pining for Edward for entire the entire 130 minutes. What was up with the time? It would have been slightly better if it was under 90 minutes, because nothing happens!

Question of the week: Mix’n'Match: The bookish gods are giving you free hand, you can pick any one character (book, TV series/movie, play etc) and inject them into a different novel of your choice. Which character and series would you mix’n'matc

I received an advanced copy of Crossing on the Paris a few months ago courtesy of Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review. Normally I don't read many books that are set during the early twentieth century, but I was intrigued by the cover art and thought that I would at least give it a try.

In the debut novel from author Dana Gynther, set sail aboard the ocean liner the Paris on its maiden voyage from Le Havre, France to New York during the year 1921. The plot centers around three women from different backgrounds.

Julie Vernet has suffered many losses during her lifetime. She lost her brothers during WWI and is still grieving. She is spent all of her life in poverty in France and when she got a chance to work in the steerage class (3rd class) as a maid, she eagerly took it. Her expectations for the life aboard a liner were high, but she was in for a shock as to how the 3rd class lived. Just when she is at her lowest, she begins a romance with a handsome engineer.

A Wreath of Snow
By Liz Curtis Higgs
Publisher:WaterBrook Press
Pub. Date: October 2, 2012
ISBN: 978-1400072170
ASIN: B007SYQ4K6
Pages: 215

Review: 

Several years ago, I read Thorn in My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs, mainly because it was set in Scotland where my ancestors are from. When I saw A Wreath of Snow was up for review on Blogging for Books from WaterBrook Press, I eagerly signed it to review it in exchange for an honest review. With Christmas approaching, I was definitely in the mood for a good Christmas story.

Set in 1894, twenty-six-year-old Margaret Campbell (or as everyone calls her, Meg) dreaded going back home to Stirling, Scotland to visit her family for the holidays. Nearly twelve years ago, her younger brother, Alan, was injured in a curling accident, crippling him for life. Over the years, her parents waited on him hand and foot, giving him anything he wanted. Alan has grown to be a bitter person with a short temper, one that Meg would like to avoid.

Meg has a good life as a school teacher in Edinburgh and she resides in her late aunt's house, which she inherited. She is more than eager to return to her home on Christmas Eve, but Mother Nature may have other plans for her as the falling snow is delaying her train ride home. Her fate collides with a handsome newspaperman from Glasgow named Gordon Shaw.

Courting Cate
By Leslie Gould
Publisher: Bethany House
ISBN: 978-0764210310
ASIN: B008B9HIMA
Pub. Date: November 1, 2012
Pages: 352
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/eSNfb
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/LGould

Review: 

In this Amish version of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, Cate Miller is not your typical Amish woman as she would rather spend her time working side by side with her father or reading a good book than spend her time inside a house cleaning and cooking. She has scared away all of the single men in Paradise, Pennsylvania with her sharp tongue and stubborn attitude.

Her younger sister, Betsy, is ready to start courting, but their father will not allow it. He makes a rule that Cate must begin courting first since she is the eldest daughter. This causes a big problem because Cate has no intention of ever marring. Despite the girls' objections, their father has made his decision final.

Cate has no other choice, but to find a respectable husband, which is a little hard considering she has told off every bachelor in the county. Luckily, Pete Treger arrives in town, but just like all other bachelors, he only has eyes for the stunning Betsy. When he realizes that the other men are after Betsy too, he tries his luck with Cate.

Paranormal Romance is an interesting mix. Love and the power of the unusual, can create fantastic situations. Love being one of the most intense and primal emotions we have, confronted with the unspeakable forces of evil will bring the best out in us.

The fight to survive, to protect those we love in the face of insurmountable odds, against the armies of darkness is always gut wrenching and fascinating story telling.

If an author manages to capture your imagination with images of battles, from the mind to the physical, from the surreal to the metaphysical, while sewing a tale that keeps you up at night wanting for more, it can rival any other genre.

There is nothing more satisfying then when love has the power to conquer forces greater then ourselves, to fight the good fight regardless of the consequences and save our soul from damnation, we admire it.

4 Movie Collection: Attack Force/ Into the Sun/ The Russian Specialist/ Conspiracy
Directors: Michael Keusch, mink, Dolph Lundgren, Adam Marcus
Starring: Steven Seagal, Lisa Lovbrand, David Kennedy, Danny Webb, Dolph Lundgren, Val Kimer
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
ASIN: B008XAT0SW
Release Date: October 9th, 2012
Running Time: 375 minutes
Rated R

Review:

I grew up watching the over the top action movies from the 1980s and early 1990s, so I was more than eager to review the 4 Movie Collection featuring Attack Force, Into the Sun, The Russian Specialist, and Conspiracy, courtesy of Mill Creek Entertainment and Tower PR in exchange for an honest review. 

Steven Seagal plays Marshall Lawson, a commander of an elite military unit, in the 2008 direct-to-DVD Attack Force. While in Paris, three of his soldiers are brutally murdered in their hotel room. He starts his own investigation into their deaths with the help of his much younger girlfriend, Tia, and his military friend Dwayne. He learns that the soldiers deaths are linked to a military drug called CTX, in which Tia was one of the original scientist that helped create it. Whoever takes the CTX becomes an unstoppable killing machine.

I'm not the biggest Seagal fan and it has been awhile since I have seen one of his movies, but Attack Force has to be the worst. The plot is unrealistic and confusing. The fights scenes are ridiculous, the acting is laughable, and half of Seagal's lines are dubbed due to the script being changed after the movie was filmed. Attack Force is one of the worst movies ever made.