Movie Review - Twilight Saga

I hate movies with vampires, I hate movies with werewolves even more.
Why do I LOVE ( yes L.O.V.E!!) the Twilight saga so much?

Does it has something to do with this?

Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen

or this?

Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black

Probably, but I also like the story line, although it is as old as time and told in a variety of forms it is never boring to watch guys fight over a girl.

The beautiful surroundings in the movies also add something extra. The fighting scenes were a huge hit with my Husband, so it was fun to watch these kinda corny, kinda for a different target group and kinda romantic movies together.

The order of the movies is:

• Twilight
• New Moon
• Eclipse
• Breaking Dawn - part 1
• Breaking Dawn - part 2

I can not wait to see Twilight Breaking Dawn part 2! Finally Bella (played by Kirsten Stewart) is a vampire!

What is your favorite Twilight movie?

Series: Haven

I am not into sci-fi, the Husband is. So we were looking for a TV-series that we both would like.

We found Haven and we LOVE it!

It is not too sci-fi for me, but alot of supernatural stuff is going on in Haven to keep the Husband interested.
The first 8 or 9 episodes we didn't really know where to story was going, but from the 10th episode on it got very mysterious with all kind of hints and clues of what is really going on in that little town called Haven.

FBI agent Audrey Parker arrives in Haven, Maine, to help the local police and joins forces with the Chief's son, Nathan Warnous. Whilst helping with everything in the small town Audrey finds out truths she never would've expected and together she and Nathan begin to unravel the 'troubles' that surround the local area and begin to become more and more engrossed with what is causing the strange occurrences that are terrifying and even killing the locals. Written by KellyMarie on IMDB

Audrey Parker is played by Emily Rose, who portrays an I'm-afraid-of-nothing tough FBI agent.

Nathan Warnous is played by Lucas Bryant, who plays the Chief's son and helps Audrey on police matters. ( and of course he is going to like her alot, or better yet too much ;-) you gotta have some romance)

Eric Balfour plays Duke Crocker, a local small criminal guy who likes Audrey and hates Nathan, with some secrets of his own.

I was really excited when my long lost TV sweetheart showed up in Haven for a couple of episodes.... Jason Priestley (and yep he ALSO likes Audrey!)

At this moment Season 3 is airing on SyFy Channel. 

Haven is based on Stephen King's book : The Colorado Kid

Want to know what happens in Haven beforehand? Follow @DaveHaven and @VinceHaven on Twitter. They run the local newspaper Haven Herald and have found there way onto social media.

Have fun unraveling mysteries! 

What is your favorite Stephen King story? Tell me!

Entertaining Men : Nick en Simon

I have done some posts about Entertaining Men. These posts are very frequently viewed. Which probably has more to do with the pictures of these nice looking fellows than with my writing skills ;-),  ( but heh I'm not a native English speaker)

Now I have gotten the question if there are no Entertaining Men in The Netherlands since the previous posts were all about American guys.

Of course we have fine men in our itsy bitsy country!

I proudly present: Nick & Simon.

They are singers and coaches on the show The Voice (which by the way is an all Dutch invention!)
Last year they had a TV-show in which they traveled through the United States and tried to get singing gigs.

Nick & Simon sing Follow me from Uncle kracker 

Nick & Simon: American Dream 

source TROS

Normally they sing in Dutch

Singing Vlinders at their Symfonica in Rosso concert

Vlinders means Butterflies

In the Netherlands people are sometimes confused about who is who ;-)

This is Nick

this is Simon

Funny Fact: 

Nick made it to the live shows of Idols in 2004. He made it to the 11th place.

In the second season of The Voice in The Netherlands the singer who he lost from on Idols participated as candidate. Nobody turned around! (and they didn't even know it was the singer he lost from) Karma....

Short post warning

No I am not reading 50 shades of Grey, I am just busy :-)

Movie review - extremely loud and incredibly close

Whenever there is something on television that has to do with 9/11, I just have to watch it.
I automatically put down the remote and start watching. Some documentaries I have seen more than once, but it seems like I still don't understand what I'm seeing or hearing about the horrifying events of that day.

So I had to see Extremely loud and incredibly close

A nine-year-old amateur inventor, Francophile, and pacifist searches New York City for the lock that matches a mysterious key left behind by his father, who died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

A young boy (played by Thomas Horn) on a quest to find belongings of his father. A mother (played by Sandra Bullock) who grieves over the death of her husband, the boy's father (played by Tom Hanks)

Throughout the movie flashbacks show how family life was before 9/11. They also reveal bit by bit what happened to the boy's father on that terrible day.

Tissue Rating:

5 packs: Uncontrollable blubbering

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Entertaining Men - Harry Shum JR and Chord Overstreet

The start of a new GLEE season is fast approaching! (September 13th in US)

To get in the Glee-mood I would like to share the most entertaining men from that show with you.
(I couldn't choose, so this is a post about two men)

Harry Shum JR

I am so jealous of people who can sing and dance. It would be my dream to be on a stage singing those songs like Rachel Berry does. Unfortunately my voice isn't up for that task.
So I was very pleased to see a cast member who also couldn't sing! (I forgot about the minor dancing thing he is OK-ish in ;-) Mike Chang aka "Other Asian".

Hopefully we will see him dance on the new season!

Chord Overstreet

Isn't he the cutest?
Sam Evans aka Big Mouth (or my favorite nickname Lisa Rinna, sorry Lisa) joins the club in season 2. He sings and makes the heart of many girls beat faster.

I think he looks a bit like the Dutch radio host Coen Swijnenberg

Funny interview with the Entertaining Men for this week!

Check them out on Twitter: @iharryshum  and @chordoverstreet

Who is you favorite GLEE man (or men)?



click here, here and here to read my other posts in the Entertaining Men-series

#1 - What's it called?

Don't you hate it when you can't remember the name of a book or movie?
It literally can keep me out of my sleep :-(

Right now I can't remember the name of a book a read as a teenager.
It is about a girl in a very small USA town who is diagnosed with HIV. Because of her disease she and her family are bullied and she leaves town to live with an uncle and aunt (or at least I think so)
There she makes new friends and she is happy.

Does this sounds familiar to anyone?

I read it somewhere in the nineties ;-)

Movie review - The Grey

In Alaska, a team of oil workers board a flight home; however, they cross a storm and the airplane crashes. Only seven workers survive in the wilderness and John Ottway, who is a huntsman that kills wolves to protect the workers, assumes leadership of the group. Shortly after they learn that they are surrounded by a pack of wolves and Ottway advises that they should seek protection in the woods. But while they walk through the heavy snow, they are chased and attacked by the carnivorous mammals.

Let's talk about bad luck. That is what the men in this movie have.
And sadly for them the bad luck isn't over after their plane crashes. Far from it to say the least.

This movie has some very scary moments (yep even Husband freaked out more than once) and a very non-Hollywood like ending. (make sure to watch the entire movie because there will be a surprise after the ending credits!)

Great acting done by Liam Neeson in a beautiful surrounding.

Although critics say this movie is horrible because of the unrealistic story line I thought it was highly entertaining. OK a bit depressing at times.

Tissue rating:
1 pack - tear up

Facts

• Did you know Liam Neeson is already 60 years old!
• The Alaskan Wolf: Wolves howl to greet one another, to indicate their location, to define their territorial boundaries, and to call the pack together. 

TV-tunes Trip down memory lane

It always amazes me how long you can remember tunes of tv-shows.
I still can sing or hum along with tunes I haven't heard in over 10 years.

Aren't the tunes below unforgettable?
Let's see how good your memory is!

ER

Grey's Anatomy

Flying Doctors

The tune I probably heard the most is the tune for As The World Turns (should I be ashamed?)

What is your favorite TV-show tune?

Entertaining Men: Olympic Guys

Don't you miss watching the Olympics?

I was glued to the TV for almost 2 weeks. My little country did good and came home with 20 medals! 6 golden!
We saw some great sport moments and a lot of nice looking men (Note to Husband: see working out does pay off ;-)

Great entertainment by Usain Bolt

Strike a pose Usain!

History made by Michael Phelps

Most Medals ever!

Most Entertaing and made The Netherlands proud. Our hero Epke Zonderland

Go EPKE!!!!

click here to read Entertaining Men: George Clooney

and click here to read Entertaining Men: Channing Tatum

Summer Booknook

In my new home there are so many favorite reading spaces to discover.

When the sun is shining (sadly it ever does during Dutch summer) I love to read in the far corner of the garden sitting on my sunbed.

Oh, is that my husband bringing me a cocktail?

Catching the last rays of sun. Heaven!

Almost done!!

Sorry no posts this week!

I'm finally finishing Easy Money (Snel Geld) by Jens Lapidus.
The 1st part of his Stockholm Trilogy

Dutch cover of the book

It took me a while to get used to the language used in the book, but now I love it and can't wait to get to the last page.

Movie review - Wanderlust

This is probably my shortest review.

Wanderlust. Worst.Movie.Ever!

Husband and I turned it off after 15 minutes. The first 10 minutes are OK. Jennifer Aniston moving in with her boyfriend in an overpriced, very tiny New York apartment.
When they both loose their job, they are forced to live in Atlanta with the boyfriends brother.
On the way there they stay the night in what turns out to be a very strange commune-like thingy.

It is so strange and weird we just couldn't take it anymore.

Entertaining Men - Channing Tatum

There is a new guy in my life. Well not really in my real life (oh how I wish!), but there is this guy that keeps popping up in every movie Husband and I see. Channing Tatum, ehm let me rephrase that..

MR CHANNING TATUM!!

Channing Tatum

Last year I saw him in Dear John, great romantic drama about a soldier whose girlfriend keeps sending him letters while he is at war. I thought the leading actor was good and pretty nice to look at, but he didn't leave a big impression.

Dear John

A few weeks ago I saw Haywire. Channing Tatum didn't play a very big part in this movie. He was the bad guy, turning good and then got killed. Too bad :-)

Getting his (fine) ass kicked by a girl

Then he popped up in 21 Jump Street. Entertaining but in no means an intellectual movie. Channing plays the brainless but strong and physical attractive Rookie Cop. Funny movie, but at times very disturbing humor.
click here to read my full review

With Jonah Hill in 21 Jump Street

A couple of days later Husband and I wanted to see a romantic movie (yep, below 25'ers, even when you are married and over 30 years old there are times you want to watch a romantic movie. Like two or three times a year. Just kidding, only once per year :-(
The romantic movie of our choice was The Vow, with....you guessed it Channing Tatum. My my, was he looking fine! I felt so sorry for him (his wife lost her memory after a car crash and doesn't remember their relationship) I yelled at her in disbelief. How can you forget him. Mr. CHANNING.TATUM!!!

So cute in The Vow. I would have remembered you Channing!

And now I am anxiously waiting to see Magic Mike. I guess I am going to need some tissues to catch all of my drooling over a bare naked CHANNING (freaking goodlooking) TATUM!

ps: I have found some nude pictures of this Entertaining Man of the day on the internet, but you will have to search for it yourself. I don't want to be chased by an angry mob of Now-Feeling-Insecure-Husbands ;-)

Funny Fact:

• Channing is the bartender in the Ricky Martin Music Video "She Bangs" don't blink if you watch or you'll miss him

Check out the previous Entertaining Man - George Clooney

Oprah's Book Club

As a child a read a lot. Sometimes my parents lost me in stores. They didn't worry or went into frantic panic stage. No they calmly walked over to the book section and always found me there.

During High School and College years I still read my number of books, but much less frequent than I used to do. I was busy with..ehm, well other things (wink wink)

Luckily Oprah came into my life and her Book Club re-introduced me to reading again.
I have read quite a lot of the books on her list. Most of them are real treasures and fantastic to read, but some are dreadful, boring and I waste of my time.

2010
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

2009
Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan

2008
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

2007
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier

2006
Night by Elie Wiesel

2005
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
Light in August by William Faulkner
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

2004
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy                       - dreadful, boring and not finished
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez  - strange, difficult, fantastic, marvellous, epic

2003
Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton - nice but not memorable
East of Eden by John Steinbeck -I LOVE this book!, novel, must-read, drama

2002
Sula by Toni Morrison
Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald - great,well written, novel about family,sweet

2001
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry - set in India,twist and turns, novel
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
Cane River by Lalita Tademy - religious, story-telling, nice but memorable
Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir
Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio
We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates - drama, family sticks together.

2000
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III- loved the movie and the book!
Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz - Sad story, beautifully written
Open House by Elizabeth Berg - Strange and depressing book
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver- a must MUST read! family situated in Africa. All family members have a different tone of voice which the author as written down phenomenally
While I Was Gone by Sue Miller
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende - great book by a great author.Epic tale
Gap Creek by Robert Morgan

1999
A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton
Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay
River, Cross My Heart by Breena Clarke
Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes
White Oleander by Janet Fitch- boring and no real storyline
The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve -heartbreaking,fast-paced book
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Jewel by Bret Lott

1998
Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman
Paradise by Toni Morrison

1997
A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
Songs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris
The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou
The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds
Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb - great book, took me a long time to find it in Dutch, but worth the waiting.

1996
The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard


As you can see I am no where near finishing this list, but I do have quite a few books of this list that are waiting patiently. Some books I have been searching for years now. I know I can order all the books I still need online, but the hunt for a book and the moment of joy when you see it there on a shelf in a bookstore is worth all the time in the world!

What is your favorite Oprah's Book Club Book?

Movie review : 21 Jump Street

When I was a hell of a lot younger I loved to watch the TV-show 21 Jump Street.

Watching Tom Hanson ( Johnny Depp) as an undercover policeman at Highschools was definitely one of my favorite pastimes.

Don't you just love the tune of the show?

I can't believe I still remember this after 20 years!

When I heard about the movie 21 Jump Street I could not wait to see it.

So one night me and my husband sat on the couch, baked some popcorn and had gotten ourselves something to drink. We were ready for an action movie!

Well how disappointing was that!

21 Jump Street the Movie is not, I repeat is NOT an action movie.

It is a Comedy with a capital C. It´s funny with at times a disturbing sense of humor.

The storyline is similar to the original show, but the vibe is completely different.

If I had watched the trailer I would have known that it was a comedy ;-)

Although it was not quite the movie we were expecting it was not a waste of time.
I loved the cameo´s done by some of the original 21 Jump Street-cast.
Not to mention watching Channing Tatum!
(stay tuned because he is getting a feature in my Entertaining Men series)


If you are feeling nostalgic, you can get the complete TV-series at Amazon.com

Booknook Take Over

I love to read in front of the fireplace. Getting my feet warm and just concentrate on my book.
Unfortunately I'm not the only one in my household who loves to snuggle up in front of the fireplace.

Little ones take over the reading chair

Entertaining Men - George Clooney

Throughout my life I have seen a lot of gorgeous men on TV (either in series or in a movie)
In the blogging series Entertaining Men I will talk about a men I love to watch on TV ( and not only for their great acting ;-)

George Clooney

First there was George Clooney. I noticed him on Roseanne and Sisters, but really got to know him watching ER. I believe I cried when he left the show (didn't we all ladies?)

George in Roseanne

George in Sisters

I remember vividly the one evening I was catching up on ER episodes. George ( yep, I call him George) had left the show a couple of seasons earlier but still I liked to watch ER.
And then, there it was. Or better yet HE was. 


George was back!!


I jumped up and down, screamed and was overcome with joy. ( like really really happy)
Sadly it was a very short moment of happiness, since he was only back for a couple of milliseconds. :-(

Oh how I wished my name was Carol

Thank god for Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen.
Ocean's Twelve is set in Amsterdam (which is not a country by itself, but the capital of my country The Netherlands), so George was closer then ever and this was my opportunity to meet him for real!!!

Bicycles! They're in Holland alright.

But then work, money and bodyguards prevented us from meeting.

My time will come. He has a summer house in Italy and what a coincidence .... I sometimes go on holiday in Italy aswell. What are the odds!

We are going to meet...someday...somewhere...well I will just keep on dreaming

My top 3 George Clooney movies:

1. Up in the Air
2. One Fine Day
3. The Peacemaker

Who is your favorite Man in Entertainment?

Book review - Sara Linton series by Karin Slaughter

On my other blog (Soapmade) I wrote a review about the Sara Linton series by Karin Slaughter.
I translated it from Dutch to English so everyone understands this post ;-)

I recently started reading her books and I read them in Dutch.

Everyone was talking about her books, but I didn’t feel like starting with the series (I have about 40 untouched books on the shelves so buying new ones is overdoing it a bit ;-)

Besides that I‘m a bit jealous of a Karin who did what I have been dreaming about for years. My own books published!

I didn’t read the books in the correct order, but I still was able to follow all of the storylines. It made me curious and I wanted to know what happened in the other books. (So I went ahead and bought all of them)

What was kind of annoying is the fact that some scenes were repeated in every book. It is understandable, but when I read the exact same description of Jeffrey’s  office for the third time I was kind of done with that.

It is good though, especially for readers like me who read the books in random order.

Below you will find the correct reading order for the Sara Linton series.

I started with  Indelible ( Onzichtbaar) than Blindsighted (Nachtschade) and read my way through all of her books.

2007	Beyond Reach (US) / Skin Privilege (Worldwide)	Onaantastbaar
2005	Faithless	Trouweloos
2004	Indelible	Onzichtbaar
2003	A Faint Cold Fear	Een lichte koude huivering
2002	Kisscut	Zoenoffer
2001	Blindsighted	Nachtschade

source: Wikipedia

I really love these books. If you like thrillers than this series will make your heart pump faster.

They are bloody, thrilling and every murder is described in full detail. These are the first books that made me nauseous while reading!

Since I started reading this series, my bedtime starts really early. In bed with my book. I love it!

Sara Linton is the pediatrician and coroner for the town of Heartsdale, in rural Grant County, Georgia. She was born in Heartsdale at the Grant Medical Center and grew up in the town. An excellent student, in middle school she developed an interest in science and was able to get college-level tutoring from some of the professors at the local technological university. Sara went to Robert E. Lee High School where, due to her intelligence and hard work, she finished a year early. She spent her teenage summers working for her father's plumbing business, Linton & Daughters, and as a result is still an accomplished plumber. She could have gone into the family business but a fear of spider-ridden crawl spaces and the desire for challenge took her off to school amid the bright lights and big city excitement of Atlanta.

Facts:

• first novel Blindsighted (2001) became an international success, was published in almost 30 languages, and made the Crime Writers' Association's Dagger Award shortlist for "Best Thriller Debut" of 2001.
• Sara is "a tall drink of water," 5'11" to be exact. She has dark auburn hair and emerald green eyes, and is slim yet curvaceous. She has perfect skin, a smile that can make you think you're the only one in the world, and a biting wit. She's extremely intelligent, fiercely independent, aloof, and seldom opens up to people.

I would advice starting this series in winter, find a fireplace or a warm blanket and enjoy!
Can't wait to get started? Click on the links below and order.

Movie review - Safe

Safe with Jason Statham

Mei, a young girl whose memory holds a priceless numerical code, finds herself pursued by the Triads, the Russian mob, and corrupt NYC cops. Coming to her aid is an ex-cage fighter whose life was destroyed by the gangsters on Mei's trail.


Actionpacked, numerous people dying, reasonable acting, great fighting and a cute Chinese girl. end of review


Tissue rating:
no tissues needed, earplugs might be a better idea ;-)

Facts:

• features Jason Statham
• if you want to know what weapons where used in this movie ( WARNING: a lot!) you can find information here 
• released in 2012

Book review: Absolute Power - David Baldacci

I'm a Baldacci addict. Before I start reading a new book I think : "let's read Tolstoy this time.", but I usually end up reading a Baldacci thriller. They are not too easy, not too difficult and with the right amount set of twists and turns in the story.

Today I finished "Absolute Power"

In a heavily guarded mansion in a posh Virginia suburb, a man and a woman start to make love, trapping Luther Whitney, a career break-in artist, behind a secret wall. Then the passion turns deadly, and Luther is running into the night. Because what he has just seen is a brutal murder involving Alan Richmond, the president of the United States.


How far will the government go to protect the president?


Set in Washington, D.C., this fascinating thriller of unparalleled suspense dares to explore an unthinkable abuse of power and criminal conspiracy: a vicious murder involving the President and a cover-up orchestrated by his most trusted aides. One unlikely witness saw everything, but will America ever learn the truth?

There are a lot of characters that want some airtime in this novel. Luckily many of them will dissapear or die during the novel, so you are left with only a handful of storylines to keep track of.
Very wel written and twists in the story at the right time.
This book had me literally gasp for air more then once.

I just found out that the book has been made into a movie ( already in 1997 with Clint Eastwood)
Hope that it is just as good as the book, but I noticed that they didn't include the most important character (IMHO) from the book in the movie??? Strange...

Fact:
pages:        549
language:   english