I have been a little out of the loop movie-wise but I can always count on the Oscars to help steer me toward wonderful films.  Let’s take a look at the nominees in the big categories.

Best Picture

Arrival (loved it)

Fences

Hacksaw Ridge

Hell or High Water

Hidden Figures

La La Land (liked it, but had some problem spots)

Lion

Manchester by the Sea (tore me apart but what a great movie)

Moonlight

Opinion – the three I’ve seen are all worthy.

Best Actress

Isabelle Huppert (Elle)

Ruth Negga (Loving)

Natalie Portman (Jackie)

Emma Stone ( La La Land) (she really carried the movie)

Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)

Opinion – I’ve only seen one performance and she was fantastic

Best Actor

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea) (incredible performance)

Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)

Ryan Gosling (La La Land) (good lead)

Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic) (he kills it every time and this was no different)

Denzel Washington (Fences)

Opinion – Personally I’d choose Casey or Viggo but I know La La is getting all the love)

 

So, tell me what you think about the ones that you’ve seen and maybe I can get to them before the Oscars!

 

Jason and I are watching a documentary a day for our January 30 day challenge.  We are on schedule with the watching but two reviews behind. I blame it on the snow day Gage had yesterday.  Over the weekend we watched one that I thought my romance reading friends might like.

Love Between the Covers, 2016, is on Netflix.

For three years, we follow the lives of five published romance authors and one unpublished newbie as they build their businesses, find and lose loved ones, cope with a tsunami of change in publishing, and earn a living doing what they love—while empowering others to do the same.

They had a few of my favorites – Jennifer Crusie, Kristan Higgins, Eloisa James, Nora Roberts and many others.  Have any of you watched it?  What did you think?

You can read our thoughts here and scroll through the documentaries we’ve watched (and reviewed) here.

 

Who knew that when I published my first post here that I would still be around nine years later talking about books, movies, trips? Not me that’s for sure. I think that years 2-4 were the most successful ones. I was active in the book blogging community and I had time to visit my blogger friends EVERY DAY.  Times have changed and bloggers have come and gone, but there are many of you who have been here since the first few years and I appreciate your friendship so much.  Thanks for sticking around and being a part of my on-line, and often real, life.

I plan on another great blogging year with the admission that the weekly quizzes are gone for the forseeable future. I think it’s fun, but it takes up too much time. I’m not sure how I’ll replace them but I’ve got some ideas 🙂

Here are my favorite pics from each year of blogging.  Tell me if you have a favorite. I may use it on my front page this month.

2008

2009

2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

2013

2014

2015

2016

 

 

 

 

Each year Sheila at Book Journey hosts First Book and First Word.  I’ve done the First Book for a few years and here’s this year’s selection…

Here be Dragons:A Parent’s Guide to Redicovering Purpose, Adventure, and the Unfathomable Joy of the Journey by Annmarie Kelly Harbaugh and Ken Harbaugh.  Annmarie contacted me in October to read the new book she had written with her husband.  I saw that she was local and decided to take it.  I started it in November, but since I was writing a book (NaNoWriMo) I was wasn’t devoting much time to reading.  I decided to table it until the new year and here we are. I will be picking it up on page 53, after she’s had her first baby and decides she needs to go back to work.  The book is good and the Harbaugh’s sound like the couple everyone wants to be friends with (hey, we’re local so who knows? ;)).

One Word is something Sheila does every year and I’ve always been intrigued by those who could decide on just one word.  In the last week or so a word came to me and I’m going with it.  Those who know me or follow me on Facebook or Twitter know that the election in November saddened me for so many reasons.  I think we are in for a tough, long four years, BUT in a way it also opened the door for me to become passionate again.  I plan on using Facebook and Twitter to highlight my word every day this year.

I want to live an INSPIRED life.  I want to be inspired by God, my country, my community, my family and friends, and myself.  I want to weed out the noise and negativity and look around that the good that is happening all around me.  When I see an injustice or a problem I don’t just want to complain about it. I want to find the people who are doing something about it and become one of them.  I want to look outside at the beautiful earth we live on and be inspired to be a steward. I want to be inspired by those who know God. I want to find those changing the world and support them.  At first it seems that inspired can be a passive word, but if you are truly INSPIRED you will be changed and have the power to inspire those around you.

What’s your first book of the year? And did you choose a word this year?  Why not be inspired along with me?

 

 

Books

I read 68 books this year.  That’s 8 more than last year.

53 fiction, 15 non-fiction. That non-fiction number needs to go up next year.

Of those 53 fiction 28  were by authors new to me.

45 female authors, 23 male authors

24 of these books were audio.

I continued with 8 series that I had already started (Cormoran Strike, Jack Reacher, Kinsey Millhone, Harry Potter, Lincoln Rhyme, Mrs. Pollifax, Myron Bolitar, Lucas Davenport)

And started 2 new series/trilogies that I will continue (Kick Lanigan, Charlie Cates)

I read 3 books for the Classics Club. I have 3 years to finish 39 more. (Ethan Frome, The Bluest Eye, Up From Slavery)

Oldest book read – Up From Slavery by Booker T Washington, 1900

Shortest book – The Croquet Player by HG Wells, 82 pages

Longest book – 11/22/63 by Stephen King, 849 pages

Most read author – Harlen Coben, Sue Grafton, JK Rowling each with 2 books a piece.

My 5 favorite books of the year

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. A classic that stands the test of time.

After You by Jojo Moyes.  A worthy sequel to Me Before You, a favorite read from last year.

Home by Harlan Coben.  These are always going to be favorites because he makes us wait so long between Myron and Win books!

I Must Say by Martin Short. I can only speak for the audio that Short narrated himself. I laughed and I cried.

11/22/63 by Stephen King. What a feat. I didn’t care for the very end, but this book, WOW!  JFK would’ve liked it, I bet.

If you’ve done a year end list please put a link in the comments so I don’t miss it!

My 2016 By the Numbers post will be going up this week, but I had fun with this survey, the first year I’ve taken the time.

From Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner

1. Best Book You Read In 2016?

Ethan Frome – Edith Wharton & After You – Jojo Moyes

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Bleachers – John Grisham. Grisham is usually reliable, if not great at least a fun read, but this one did nothing for me.  And it was about football, which I love!

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?  

Ethan Frome – Edith Wharton. I love when classics surprise me like this one did.

I Am not a Serial Killer – Dan Wells.  I was expecting to be wowed by this child serial killer wanna be, but the book jumped the shark in the middle and never quite recovered for me.

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

The Sparrow – Mary Doria Russell.  I pushed my book group to read this and it was a little out there for them.  It was a reread for me and though I still loved it, it wasn’t as much as the first time almost 20 years ago.

 5. Best series you started in 2016? Best Sequel of 2016? Best Series Ender of 2016?

After You – Jojo Moyes.  Loved revisiting Louisa and finding out how she fared after Will.

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2016?

Sara Gruen, Hester Young, Susan Mallery

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

Dear Almost: A poem – Matthew Thorburn.  I’m no poetry buff but I am glad that I read this poem written by a father after his wife’s miscarriage.

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Home &  Fool Me Once – both by Harlan Coben. He’s my go to guy for unputdownable books and he didn’t disappoint with his two this year.

 9. Book You Read In 2016 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

None of them. Although I will probably dip into I Dare Me from time to time for inspiration.  This reporter tried something new every day for a year!

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2016?

Best Staged Plans – Cook. My favorite flower.

11. Most memorable character of 2016?

Louisa Clark – After You.  She’s unforgettable.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2016?

Ethan Frome– Edith Wharton. I’ve read a few other books by Wharton, but it was this one that had the most impact.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2016?

I Dare Me: How I Rebooted and Recharged My Life By Doing Something New Everyday – Lu Ann Cahn.  The book wasn’t perfect, but the inspiration behind it was contagious.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2016 to finally read? 

C is For Corpse and D is for Deadbeat – Sue Grafton. I’m late to this series but plan on catching up eventually 🙂

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2016?

I could choose lots of passages from Living Buddha, Living Christ – Thich Nhat Hanh but I think this is so relevant in today’s political climate.

Professor Hans Kung has said, “Until there is peace between religions, there can be no peace in the world.”  People kill and are killed because they cling too tightly to their own beliefs and ideologies.  When we believe that ours is the only faith that contains the truth, violence and suffering will surely be the result”…”Do not think the knowledge you presently possess in changeless, absolute truth.  Avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice nonattachment from views in order to be open to receive others’ viewpoints.”  To me, this is the most essential practice of peace.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2016?

82 pages –The Croquet Player– HG Wells

849 pages-11/22/63 – Stephen King

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

Fool Me Once – Harlan Coben.  It’s been a while since once of his twists shocked me so I was happily surprised to be fooled 🙂

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

(OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)

 

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Myron & Win – Home. These two best friends from the series are the best.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2016 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

After You and Ethan Frome were both from authors I know and love.

21. Best Book You Read In 2016 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

At the Water’s Edge – Sara Gruen, Orphan Number Eight – Kim van Alkemade, Reading Lolita in Tehran – Azar Nafisi. I read all of these for my book club.  My favorite was At Water’s Edge but they were all good.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2016?

After You’s Sam.

23. Best 2016 debut you read?

Gates of Evangeline – Hester Young. It’s the first of a trilogy – yay!

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

The Croquet Player – HG Wells.  He paints a perfect picture every time.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – no explanation needed, I think.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – John Tiffany, JK Rowling, Jack Thorne.  Loved being a muggle looking in into Harry Potter’s World once again.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2016?

A Housefly in Autumn – Scott Nagele. I loved this book written by a former B&N boss.  It was really good and I’m not ashamed to say that I shed a tear once or twice.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

A Housefly in Autumn – Scott Nagele

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

No book, but we saw the movie Manchester by the Sea last week and it did crush my soul.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2016?

How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less– Sarah Glidden.  This graphic memoir brought a complicated subject to life in a fresh way.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

 Orphan Number 8 – Kim van Alkemade. Loved the book, but this fiction based on a real orphanage was heartbreaking.

31 Hours. Finished 9-20-16, rating 2.5/5. fiction. 229 pages, pub. 2009

A woman in New York awakens knowing, as deeply as a mother’s blood can know, that her grown son is in danger. She has not heard from him in weeks. His name is Jonas. His girlfriend, Vic, doesn’t know what she has done wrong, but Jonas won’t answer his cell phone. We soon learn that Jonas is isolated in a safe-house apartment in New York City, pondering his conversion to Islam and his experiences training in Pakistan, preparing for the violent action he has been instructed to take in 31 hours. Jonas’s absence from the lives of those who love him causes a cascade of events, and as the novel moves through the streets and subways of New York we come to know intimately the lives of its characters. We also learn to feel deeply the connections and disconnections that occur between young people and their parents not only in this country but in the Middle East as well.      from Goodreads

The realities of home grown terrorism is just as relevant today as it was when this eas published in 2009.  It’s such a tricky subject because so many things go into the making of a terrorist that if you focus on one part, say the Islamic aspect, then you might lose sight of the many other pieces to the whole.  Anyway, this thriller was well reviewed by friends of mine, but I just couldn’t get into it. I started it few months ago and had the same problem but this time I powered through finishing at 11pm last night

It’s the story of a young American, Jonas, who has decided to strap on a bomb and blow up himself and others in the name of Allah.  It’s told from the alternating viewpoints of Jonas, his mother, girlfriend, his girlfriend’s sister and a homeless man.  Jonas’s decision and how he reached it was important but the focus wasn’t on Jonas, it was on everyone he was going to leave behind.

I empathized with the homeless man who considered asking for money in the subway his job.  I empathized with the mother who knew something was wrong and blamed herself.  I learned that, as with any horrific act, there are people who need our support and understanding.

If you have any interest in martyrs or just like a good thriller this might be for you.

 

I Am Not A Serial Killer. Finished 9-17-16, rating 3/5, YA, 271 pages, pub. 2010

John Wayne Cleaver is dangerous, and he knows it.

He’s spent his life doing his best not to live up to his potential.

He’s obsessed with serial killers, but really doesn’t want to become one. So for his own sake, and the safety of those around him, he lives by rigid rules he’s written for himself, practicing normal life as if it were a private religion that could save him from damnation.

Dead bodies are normal to John. He likes them, actually. They don’t demand or expect the empathy he’s unable to offer. Perhaps that’s what gives him the objectivity to recognize that there’s something different about the body the police have just found behind the Wash-n-Dry Laundromat—and to appreciate what that difference means.    from Goodreads

This is the first in the John Wayne Cleaver trilogy.

I like books and movies about serial killers, but even I was creeped out by 15 year old John.  The story took a major turn about 100 pages in, not one I liked and it sort of tainted the rest of the book for me, BUT John was compelling and I kept reading.  This one was recommended by a few book blogger buddies and is the first of a trilogy.  I’m pretty sure I won’t read them, there’s no cliff-hanger that’s making me, but who knows.  John may stay stuck in my head like a bad dream and convince me.

John is a teen who is obsessed with serial killers.  He feels that at his core, he is one.  He keeps himself in check by lots of rules so that he is never put in the position of killing someone because he wants to. This plan worked fine until his small town is home to its first serial killer.

I learned way, way more than I wanted to about what happens at the mortuary.  Let’s just say that you should not read this while you’re eating.  Or thinking about eating.  Or getting ready to go to a funeral.  Go ahead, read the first chapter.  If you are okay with that then this book may be for you.

Since John is 15 this is considered a YA, but John was way older than his years, so only mature teens should read this.  And if you like books like Silence of the Lambs or shows like Dexter this one is for you, but only if you are prepared to be thrown for a loop.