The Pyramid
Director: Gregory Levasseur
Starring: Ashley Hinshaw, Denis O'Hare, James Buckley and Daniel Amerman
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: May 5th, 2015
Retail: $29.99
ASIN: B00TRUJ92O
Running Time: 89 minutes
Rating: R
Buy Link: Amazon


Review:

Now available to own on Blu-ray is the found-footage horror flick The Pyramid. Directed by Gregory Levasseur and produced by Alexandre Aja, the film stars Ashley Hinshaw, Denis O'Hare, James Buckley and Daniel Amerman.Special Features includes an extended ending: Featurettes: Fear, Space, Archaeology, Egyptain Myth, Partners and an image gallery.

The Pyramid centers on archaeological team finding a pyramid with three sides buried in the Egyptian desert. Using advanced techology, they estimate that it is 600 feet deep. After finding an access to a tunnel that releases deadly toxins, the father/daughter archaeologicist duo, Miles (played by Denis O'Hare) and Nora Holden (played by Ashley Hinshaw), decide to take a team, along with a camera crew, inside the mysterious pyramid.

As the team investigates the inside of the pyramid, they quickly realize that they aren't alone, as there are cannibal cats that are guarding Anubis. One by one, members of the team start to die off, leaving only a few to battle Anubis.

Black or White
Director: Mike Binder
Starring: Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer
Studio: 20th Century Home Entertainment
Release Date: May 15, 2015
Retail: $29.98
ASIN: B00UKSXN60
Running Time: 121 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Now available on to own Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD is the drama Black or White. Directed by Mike Binder (Reign Over Me), the film stars Kevin Costner (Dancing With Wolves, The Bodyguard) and Octavia Spencer (The Help). Special Features include Shades Of Gray: The Making of Black or White and Promotional Featurettes.

The film centers on a Elliot Anderson (played by Kevin Costner), who's life is completely altered when is wife is killed in a car accident; leaving him to care for their granddaughter Eloise (played by Jillian Estell). Ever since his daughter had died giving birth to Eloise.  Elliot and his wife had been raising her.

Shortly after the funeral, he learns that Eloise's paternal grandmother Rowena Jeffers (played by Octavia Spencer) is going to sue for custody. Elliot will do anything to keep his granddaughter in his life and away from her estranged drug addict father, even it if means batting his own demons.

Fans of the Maximum Ride series thought thought the franchise had ended with 2012's Nevermore, but they were wrong as the ninth installment, Maximum Ride Forever, arrives in bookstore later this month. If you've been following my blog this past week, then you would know that I've been rereading the first few books in the series.

Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports is the third installment and was first published on May 29, 2007. The book once again centers on Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy and Angel, the six human-avian hybrids that escaped The School in the first few novels. Max and flock have their hands full this time as they go on a mission to stop the evil corporation known as Itex.

Being a teenage hero isn't easy as Max must deal with her feelings for Fang and she must rescue the rest of the flock from the Erasers/Flyboys (Erasers are wolf/human hybrids and Flyboys are the robotic versions). Time is literally run out for the flock, as Itex has given them all expiration dates and the clock is running down quickly.

To save the world and their flock, Max must rely on Fang's blog readers for help as well as the young Angel, whom is trying to fool the Itex.

The Heart of the Amish
by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Publisher: Revell
Pub. Date: May 5, 2015
ISBN: 978-0800722036
Pages: 192
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

I grew up reading mostly horror and mystery novels, but I eventaully started reading Amish fiction titles. I had joined a mystery book club, where I got several books for 99 cents. When the books finally arrived, I was accidently sent one wrong book, which happend to be a Beverly Lewis title. I read the book and fell in love with the genre. Since then, I've been have the previlage of reading many great Amish titles by wonderful authors, including Suzanne Woods Fisher.

Released this week is her newest book The Heart of the Amish, which isn't a fiction tale. The author has interviewed several Amish men & women and has featured their stories within the 192 page book. Most of the stories have the theme of "forgiveness."

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!

If you had a chance to read a book or watch a movie that is not about a book you have read, which would you choose?

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 would go with watching the movie first. Films that are based on books never go completely by the book. When I watch a movie that I've already read the book that it's based on, I'm normally disappointed with the movie. Therefore, if I watch the movie and like it, then I'll most likely will want to read the book.

Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever
Maximum Ride, book 2
by James Patterson
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pub. Date: May 23, 2006
ISBN: 978-0316067966
Pages: 412
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

After reading Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment in the spring of 2006, I eagerly purchased the sequel School's Out Forever when it released on May 23, 2006. With the ninth installment, Maximum Ride Forever, scheduled to be released in two weeks, I'm rereading the franchise; well, technically I've never read the last three books, so they'll be new reads for me.

Still on the run from "The School," Max and her flock (Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel) take flight to Washington, D.C., to try to find out some answers of why they were created, but of course there's danger around every corner, especially with the werewolf-like Erasers hot on their tracks. After Fang is injured, the group take refuge at an FBI safe house. In exchange for the safety, Agent Anne Walker is allowed to monitor them from a safe distance.

The flock tries to live a normal life by attending a private school, while also trying to avoid the Erasers that are near by, but danger is never too far behind them The flock must escape to
Florida, where they encounter even a bigger threat, including an evil clone!

In the early 1980s, the late author L. Ron Hubbard founded the Writers of the Future contest along with the Illustrators of the Future contest. Only the best amateur science-fiction and fantasy writers & illustrators win the contest and are featured in the annual : L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future anthology.

Today, May 4, 2015 (also considered the official Star Wars Day), is the release of the Volume 31 of the anthology, featuring 13 exciting new science fiction & fantasy tales along with an intriguing illustration to go with each story. As an added bonus the anthology also contains stories/essays by Orson Scott Card, Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moseta, Larry Niven, Bob Eggleton and L. Ron Hubbard as well as an introduction by David Farland.

The stories, authors & illustrators are:

Over the years, mystery author James Patterson has successfully written a slew of middle grade and young adult novels, which all started with 2005's Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment. The idea for the plot came from Mr. Patterson's previous adult books, When the Wind Blows and The Lake House. Seven sequels quickly followed, with the last being released in 2012 and was billed as the final installment in the series. Well, Mr. Patterson or Little, Brown & Company must have had a change of heart as the ninth installment, titled Maximum Ride Forever, will arrive in bookstores on May 18th!

The Angel Experiment centers on six kids (Maximum (Max), Fang, Iggy, Nudge, The Gasman (Gazzy), Angel), whom were all created in a laboratory that was testing with the mixture of human and avian DNA. One of the scientist, Jeb Batchelder, helped them escape "the School" and they have been on the run every since.

With Jeb missing, Maximum has taken command of the flock that is until a group of Erasers (the human-lupine hybrids) find out where they are and attack. The flock barely escapes, but the youngest, Angel, was captured. Now Max and others have no choice, but to return to the "the School" and rescue her before it's too late.

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!

Do you belong to an online book club?

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: 

  No, I don't belong to an online book club. Being in a club might be fun, but I just don't have the time to be in one.