Books, Movies, Theatre Etc...: January 2016

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Movie 19 ~ Jersey Boys

JERSEY BOYS

2014 * R * 1344 min *

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Screenplay & Musical Book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice

January 2016

Movie 18 ~ Scarface

SCARFACE

1983 * R * 170 min *

Directed by Brian De Palma

Screenplay by Oliver Stone

January 2016

Movie 17 ~ When Calls the Heart

WHEN CALLS THE HEART: Lost & Found S1E1 and Cease & Desist S1E2

2014 * NR * 84 min *

Directed by Michael Landon Jr.

S1E1 Written by Michael Landon Jr. & Cindy Kelley

S1E2 Written by Brian Bird

Book by Janette Oke

January 2016

Movie 16 ~ The Walk

THE WALK

2015 * PG * 123 min *

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Screenplay by Robert Zemeckis & Christopher Browne

Book by Philippe Petit

January 2016

Book 10 ~ Pros and Cons

PROS AND DONS: Fox & O'Hare #0.5
By Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg
© 2013 Bantam Books / Random House - NY, NY

ISBN# 978-0-345-54943-3

74 pgs

January 2016

Pros and Cons by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Short vignette about Kate O'Hare first near miss at catching Nick Fox attempting a heist.

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Book 9 ~ The Shell Game

THE SHELL GAME: Fox & O'Hare #0.25
By Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg
© 2014 Bantam Books / Random House - NY, NY

ISBN# 978-0-8041-8081-8

68 pgs

January 2016

The Shell Game by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cute short story about Nick Fox and Kate O'Hare.

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Friday, January 29, 2016

Book 8 ~ Miracle on 133rd Street

MIRACLE ON 133RD STREET
By Sonia Manzano
Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
© 2016 Atheneum Books/Simon & Schuster - NY, NY

ISBN# 978-0-689-87997-9

48 pgs

January 2016

Miracle on 133rd Street by Sonia Manzano

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author Sonia Manzano more widely known as Maria from Sesame Street tells the story of Christmas Eve and Jose's family celebration. There is a problem, Mami is the kitchen and the roast does not fit in the oven! Mami begins reminiscing about when they lived in Puerto Rico and how small and cramped everything is New York. Jose and Father set out to take the roast down the block and around the corner to Regular Ray's Pizzeria with hopes that he will let them cook it there. On their way they encounter all their neighbors who are very much not in the Christmas spirit. Jose and Father are successful and convince Ray to return with them to celebrate, as well as all their neighbors who upon smelling the heavenly magical aroma of the roast find their Feliz Navidad spirit. Everyone gathers and a fantastic celebration is had by all.

A fantastic diverse picture book spanning ages and cultures sure to delight youngsters at Christmastime!

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Book 7 ~ The Left Behinds: Abe Lincoln and the Selfie that saved the Union

THE LEFT BEHINDS: Abe Lincoln and the Selfie that Saved the Union
By David Potter
© 2016 Penguin Random House - NY, NY

ISBN# 978-0-385-39061-3

295 pgs

January 2016

The Left Behinds: Abe Lincoln and the Selfie that Saved the Union by David Potter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was so cute. This the second book in the series so far and I can't wait to read the first one.

The premise are three kids left behind at school during vacation that time travel via their iPhones and help save the past. This installment takes them to meet President Lincoln and family and the battle of Gettysburg.

To further extend the fun/learning at the end of the book the author lists bibliographies for further fiction and nonfiction reading, websites to visit, and historical places and museums to visit.

I think this would appeal to both middle school boys and girls that have an interest in history.

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Movie 15 ~ Paper Towns

PAPER TOWNS

2015 * PG-13 * 109 min *

Directed by Jake Schreier

Screenplay by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber

Novel by John Green

January 2016

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Movie 14 ~ The Longest Ride

THE LONGEST RIDE

2015 * PG-13 * 128 min *

Directed by George Tillman Jr.

Screenplay by Craig Bolotin

Novel by Nicholas Sparks

January 2016

Movie 13 ~ Room

ROOM

2015 * R * 118 min *

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson

Screenplay & Novel by Emma Donoghue

January 2016

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Book 6 ~ Night of the Living Worms

NIGHT OF THE LIVING WORMS: A Speed Bump & Slingshot Misadventure
By Dave Coverly
© 2015 Henry Hold and Company - NY, NY

ISBN# 978-0-8050-8886-1

128 pgs

January 2016

Night of the Living Worms: A Speed Bump and Slingshot Misadventure by Dave Coverly

To borrow a phrase from the book, “Cheesable Mercy” this book just did not appeal to me. While the cover and inside page are lively and bright with color the story and illustrations were lackluster. The humor is aimed mostly toward adults and flies right over the intended audience of 7-10 years old. Speed Bump is the little brother of Early Bird, who always gets the worm and accolades from everyone around him. In his attempt to outdo Early Bird, Speed Bump goes on a night time adventure with his best friend Slingshot and ends up uncovering a plot by the nightcrawlers to harm Early Bird. The cover illustrations may catch the eyes of middle school boys, but I doubt the story will keep them interested.

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Movie 12 ~ Spy

SPY

2015 * R * 119 min *

Directed & written by Paul Feig

January 2016

Movie 11 ~ Spotlight

SPOTLIGHT

2015 * R * 128 min *

Directed by Tom McCarthy

Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy

January 2016

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Movie 10 ~ The Revenant

THE REVENANT

2015 * R * 156 min *

Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Screenplay by Mark L. Smith & Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Novel by Michael Punke

January 2016

Friday, January 15, 2016

Movie 9 ~ Tomorrowland

TOMORROWLAND

2015 * PG * 130 min *

Directed by Brad Bird

Screenplay by Damon Lindelof & Brad Bird

Story by Damon Lindelof, Brad Bird, & Jeff Jensen

January 2016

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Book 5 ~ Tricky Twenty-Two

TRICKY TWENTY-TWO: A Stephanie Plum Novel
By Janet Evanovich
© 2015 Random House Large Print - NY, NY

ISBN# 978-0-385-36323-5

325 pgs

January 2016

Tricky Twenty-Two: A Stephanie Plum Novel by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Funny, cute. As always some of the situations made me laugh out loud. But still rather formulaic. More romance with either Ranger or Morelli and at some point Stephanie really needs to pick one over the other. That said, the scene with Stephanie's mother was pure gold!

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Book 4 ~ Naughty Mabel

NAUGHTY MABEL
Written by Nathan Lane & Devlin Elliott
Illustrated by Dan Krall
© 2015 Simon & Schuster - NY, NY
ISBN# 978-1-4814-3022-7

48 pgs

January 2016

Naughty Mabel by Nathan Lane

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mabel is the sassiest, gassiest French Bulldog you ever did see! The story and pictures will keep tots entertained and waiting to see what trouble Mabel finds next.

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Book 3 ~ Emma: A BabyLit Emotions Primer

EMMA: A BABYLIT EMOTIONS PRIMER
By Jennifer Adams
Illustrated by Alison Oliver
© 2015 Gibbs Smith - Layton, UT
ISBN# 978-1-4236-4023-3

22 pgs

January 2016

Emma: A BabyLit® Emotions Primer by Jennifer Adams

Cute gift for the Jane Austen loving parent in your life!

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Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Book 2 ~ Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS: CHOOSE YOUR OWN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Written & Narrated by Neil Patrick Harris
© 2014 Random House/Books on Tape - NY, NY
ISBN# 978-0-385-36796-7

7 hours & 30 minutes on 6 discs

January 2016