Book Review: The Lilies of the Field

Name: The Lilies of the Field
Author: William E. Barrett
Brief summary: Homer Smith is an itinerant handyman/jack-of-all-trades who stops at a farm in the Arizona desert to see what is happening at the farm since there is no man around. The farm is run by a group of German nuns. He is persuaded to do a small roofing repair by Mother Maria. He stays overnight, believing that he will be paid in the morning. He is tries to persuade Mother Maria by quoting a bible but Mother Maria as back in a verse saying, Look at the lilies of the field, they continue to appear beautiful even though they get no payment. The bloom is to honor God, but not to get paid for their work.In fact, the nuns have no money and subsist only by living off the land, on what vegetables the arid climate provides, and some milk and eggs. Even after being stalled/stonewalled when asking for payment, and after being persuaded to stay for a meal, and against his better judgement, Smith agrees to stay another day to help them with other small jobs, always with the faint hope that Mother Maria Marthe, the head nun (called "Mother Maria" and played by Lilia Skala in the film) will settle with him. As Smith's strength and many construction skills, and tools, are revealed to the small order of nuns as he finishes the repairs needed, they come to believe that he has been sent by God to help them in their dream of building a chapel for the nearby townsfolk. (from wikipedia.com

Grade/Age level: 10 and up
Cautions: none
If you like this book, you might also like . . . I'm not sure....
Personal Opinion: What a great, fun, book! I had to read it for school, but I barely noticed! It's a quick read, but awesome anyway!
Rating: 9/10
Random tidbit: There's a great movie version! It's starring Sidney Poiter. Apparently he's famous. :D

COMING SOON!

COMING SOON ON REVIEWS BY ME!!

Book Review: New Moon

Name: New Moon
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Others in the Series: Twilight, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn
Brief summary: Life is far from normal for Bella Swan during her senior year of high school. True, her life is full of drama and boy troubles, but for Bella who sees herself as a danger magnet life holds much much more. Edward Cullen, her ever-handsome boyfriend who just happens to be a vampire, breaks her heart when he leaves after Bella receives a near-fatal paper cut at her eighteenth birthday party. Realizing that his family no matter how determined to avoid human blood, can within seconds be overwhelmed with tempation and violence leads him to place Bella's safety ahead of his own desires. To say that Bella is devastated is an understatment, she becomes zombie-like in her loss, a fact which is finally realized when Bella and one of her friends are watching a Zombie movie. "It wasn't until almost the very end, as I watched a haggard zombie shambling after the last shrieking survivor, that I realized what the problem was. The scene kept cutting between the horrified face of the heroine, and the dead emotionless face of her pursuer, back and forth as it closed the distance. And I realized which one resembled me the most. . . But it was ironic, all things considered, that, in the end, I would wind up a zombie. I hadn't seen that one coming. Not that I hadn't dreamed of becoming a mythical monster once--just never a grotesque, animated corpse. . . It was depressing to realize that I wasn't the heroine anymore, that my story was over." (106) But Bella's story is far from over. Reintroduce into the picture, Jacob Black, the young man who first shared with Bella the fact that she was falling in love with a vampire, this new friendship reenergizes Bella's existence and gives her a reason to continue on. But is her friendship with Jacob any safer for her than her relationship with Edward was? Or is Jacob hiding a dangerous secret of his own? Is Edward out of the picture for good, or will he make a comeback to try to reclaim her heart?
Stephenie Meyer's novel NEW MOON, sequel to TWILIGHT, is an exciting read, and one that I highly recommend. (From Amazon.com)
Grade/Age level: 13 and up
Cautions: Vampire-ness, a girl jumps off a cliff (not trying to commit suicide!), a girl is broken hearted and is anti-social and refuses to do anything.
If you like this book, you might also like . . . i have NO clue.
Personal Opinion: This book keeps you on your TOES!!! I kept thinking, "What's gonna happen?! WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN?!?!?!". It's the kind of book you have to keep reading, or else you're afraid you're going to miss something. That's the one downside about it. Something BIG happens in the beginning, and you want to know if it's going to be smoothed out. Personally, I liked Twilight a whole lot better and am enjoying Eclipse more too. Not that New Moon was bad, it just was lacking some romance in my book. But, at the end, the awesome action scene totally makes it OK. <3
Rating: 8/10
Random tidbit: The movie is coming out soon!! And the guy who's playing Edward Cullen played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. And the girl who plays Bella was apparently in Zathura and In the Land of Women. Neither of which

Music Review: Fearless by Taylor Swift

Name: Fearless
Artist: Taylor Swift
Artist's Previous albums: Taylor Swift
Favorite songs: Love Story, You Belong with me, Fearless, Forever & Always, White Horse and Best Day.
Song by Song Review:

Fearless- 9.5/10 -- This song is alot of fun. :) I really like it :D

Favorite lyrics: "And I don't know why but with you I'd dance, in a storm, in my best dress, fearless."

Fifteen- 7/10 -- Sweet song about what she wished she knew when she was fifteen. Helpful how-to-guide for us fifteeners. :)

Favorite lyrics: "'Cause when you're fifteen and someone tells you they love you, you're gonna believe them."

Love Story- 10/10 -- Love Story = PERFECTION. Honestly. I heard this song about two months ago, bought it on iTunes, listened to it on repeat, and still I'm in love with it. Every girl's dream romance. :)

Favorite lyrics: "Romeo, save me. They're trying to tell me how to feel. This love is difficult, but it's real." and "You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess..."

Hey Stephen- 7/10 -- This is another sweet song. I really like it.

Favorite lyrics: "And I can't help it if you look like an angel."


White Horse- 8/10 -- Awesome song containing the lyrics, "And it's too late for you and your white horse to come around." It's a great prince charming song, but it's the princess saying the prince charming is too late.

Favorite lyrics: "I'm not a princess. This ain't a fairytale. I'm not the girl you'll sweep off her feet, lead her up the stairwell. This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town. I was a dreamer 'fore you came and let me down. Now it's too late for you and your white horse to come around."

You Belong With me- 9.5/10 -- Another amazing song, so close to perfection. I can relate to this song, and I'm sure a good portion of teenage girls in the world can too. It's alot of fun to sing along with too. :)

Favorite lyrics: "She wears high-heels, I wear sneakers. She's cheer captain and I'm in the bleachers."

Breathe- 8/10 -- Not one of my favorites, but still really good. :)

Favorite lyrics: "And we know it's never simple, never easy. Never a clean break, no one here to save me."

Tell Me Why- 8/10 -- I kinda have the same feelings about this that I do about Breathe.

Favorite lyrics: "I took a chance, I took a shot. You might think I'm bulletproof, but I'm not."

You're Not Sorry- 9/10 -- I love love love this song :)

Favorite lyrics: "You don't have to call, I won't pick up the phone.This is the last straw, don't wanna hurt anymore. And you tell me that you're sorry, but I don't believe you baby like I did before. You're not sorry, nooo."

The Way I Loved You- 8/10 -- I reallllyyy like this song. :)

Favorite lyrics: "But I Miss Screamin' and fightin' and kissin' in the rain and it's 2am and I'm cursin' your name."

Forever & Always- 9/10 -- Sweet song. I really like it. ALOT!! (Like everyother song. *sigh*)

Favorite lyrics: "Was I out of line? Did I say something way too honest that made you run and hide like a little boy?"

The Best Day- 10/10 -- I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH! It reminds me of my relationship with my mommy. :) We're really really close. She's my best friend, my mentor and my confidante. She knows everything about me, even the stuff I don't know. We get into fights, and they are beastly at times, but she's still my best friend, the person I go to when I'm scared, sad, happy, or just need to talk. The has the best ears for listening and even better shoulders for crying. She always encourages me to shoot for the stars. She believes in me, especially when I don't.

Favorite lyrics: "Now I know why all the trees change in the fall. I know you were on my side even when I was wrong. And I love you for giving me your eyes, staying back and watching me shine and I didn't know if you knew." <--- Quick note: I do actually have my mommy's eyes. Everyone tells me they're the prettiest in the world. They're the one thing I love about myself. I

Change- 7/10 -- Ehhh. One of my least favorite songs. It's not Taylor's best.

Favorite lyrics: "They might be bigger, but we're faster and never scared."

Inappropriate lyrics: None.

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Movie Review: TWILIGHT!!!

Name: Twilight

Director: Catherine Hardwicke

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Peter Facinelli

Rated: PG-13

For: Some violence and a scene of sensuality

Brief summary:Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) has always been a bit different, never caring about or fitting in with the trendy girls at her Phoenix, Arizona high school. When her mother Renee (Sarah Clarke) remarries and decides to move with her new husband to Florida, and Bella decides to go live with her father, Charlie (Billy Burke), in the rainy little town of Forks, Washington, she doesn't expect anything to change. Then she meets the mysterious and dazzlingly beautiful Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a boy unlike any she's ever met. Intelligent and witty, his piercing eyes see straight into her soul. Soon, Bella and Edward are swept up in a passionate and decidedly unorthodox romance. Edward can run faster than any cheetah, he can stop a moving car with his bare hands, and he hasn't aged since 1918. Most importantly, he's a vampire. Like all vampires, he's immortal. He doesn't drink human blood (they're vampire "vegetarians"), which is rare among the vampire population. Instead, they go on regular "hiking" trips, where they feed on prey such as grizzly bears and mountain lions. For Edward, Bella is the thing he has waited ninety years for - a soul mate. But the closer they get, the more Edward must struggle to resist the primal pull of her scent, which could send him into an uncontrollable frenzy. And what will they do when James (Cam Gigandet), Laurent (Edi Gathegi), and Victoria (Rachel Lefevre) come into town and James sets his sights on Bella? Will true love prevail when Edward is forced to save her life and conquer his thirst? The true question is, When you can live forever, what do you live for? (from IMDB.com)

Age level: 13 and up

Cautions: umm, violence, you see a vampire girl jump onto a vampire and hear her break his neck. you hear a vampire break a human's leg.. there's a scene of sensuality. not too bad. some passionate kissing, they end up on the bed, but the guy jumps back. a guy watches a girl as she sleeps. a guy and girl sleep together in bed, but nothing happens. a girl sleeps in a tight t-shirt and undies. there is some cleavage shown and a joke made about "speedo stuffing"

If you like this movie, you might also like . . . Titanic? A Walk to Remember? The Notebook? Harry Potter? I don't know!

Personal Opinion: It got very... cheesy at some parts. And when Robert Pattinson leans down to kiss Kristen Stewart, he makes this weird face... But it's definetly more of a love story than an action-adventure movie like people assume. I would call it a darker chick flick. It was very different than the book, but overall, a very good, well made movie. I loved the casting of Alice, Charlie, Esme, Carlisle, Edward, Bella, Jasper and Rosalie. Emmett... I was pretty disappointed. I really liked him in the book... not so much in the movie. But Carlisle and Esme were AMAZING! Just how I had pictured them.

The baseball scene was AWESOME! I loved how Alice pitched. And the ending totally delivered.

There was this awesome scene where Edward and Bella are climbing this really tall tree, it was so cool.

But I have to say, I loved it when the vamps ran. They made this awesome 'WHOOSH!' noise. It was sweet.

My favorite part was when Edward saved Bella's life. Well actually, both times. The first time when the car's about to hit her and the second time when he's sucking her blood. *sigh*

Overall rating: 9/10

Random tidbit: When Harry Potter 4 came out, ALL my friends were obsessed with Robert Pattinson. I on the other hand, liked the guy who played Krum. Stupid immature me...

COMING SOON!!

COMING SOON ON REVIEWS BY KATIE!!

Music review of Taylor Swift's CD, Fearless.

Music Review of the Sweeney Todd Soundtrack

Book Review on New Moon, the second book in the Twilight Saga.



Book Review on the Lilies of the Field

AND LASTLY....

MOVIE REVIEW OF TWILIGHT!!! Starring the Love of my Life, EDWARD CULLEN!!!

I'm actually getting ready to go to the Midnight Showing!!

Movie Review: High School Musical 3

Name: High School Musical 3: Senior Year

Director: Kenny Ortega

Starring: Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Corbin Bleu, Ashley Tisdale

Rated: G

For: Well, personally, I think it definately should have been PG. At one part when Troy and Gabriella are dancing (Gab's wearing a short skirt) the skirt goes pretty dang high... and one girl does a dance move and you can see her undies... :/

Brief summary:As seniors in high school, Troy and Gabriella struggle with the idea of being separated from one another as college approaches. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical to address their experiences, hopes and fears about their future. (from IMDB.com)

Age level: 8 and up

Cautions: Really just the stuff I put in the rating

If you like this movie, you might also like . . . Camp Rock.

Personal Opinion: Uhhh... Wow. I was laughing the whole time. It was kinda... really corny... LOL. But the music was good, it was clean (enough), but... THE CHOREOGRAPHY WAS AMAZING!! Wow... that's all I can say. I guess they have a bigger budget cuz they could afford three choreographers. The story line was pretty dumb, though.. I recommend you wait for it to be on Disney Channel every night to see it.

Entertainment: 6/10

Highlights: The songs "The Boys Are Back" and "I Want It All"

Book Review: Twilight

Name: Twilight
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Others in the Series: New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn
Brief summary: Isabella "Bella" Swan moves from sunny Phoenix, Arizona, to rainy Forks, Washington, to live with her father, Charlie. She chooses to do this so that her mother, Renée, can travel with her new husband, Phil Dwyer, who is a minor league baseball player. In Phoenix she was a bit of an outcast, so it surprises her that she attracts much attention at her new school, and is quickly befriended by several students. Much to her dismay, several boys in the school compete for shy Bella's attention.
When Bella sits next to Edward Cullen in class on her first day of school, Edward seems utterly repulsed by her. He even attempts to change his schedule to avoid her, leaving Bella completely puzzled about his attitude towards her. After tricking a family friend, Jacob Black, into telling her the local tribal legends, Bella concludes that Edward and his family are vampires. Although she was inexplicably attracted to him even when she thought Edward drank human blood, she is much relieved to learn that the Cullens choose to abstain from drinking human blood, and drink animal blood instead. Over time, Edward and Bella fall in love. (from wikipedia.com)
Grade/Age level: 13 and up
Cautions: Vampire-ness, a really scary scene (meaning it scared the heck outta me!)That sorta stuff. Oh. And be prepared. You WILL fall in love with Edward Cullen. I'm sorry.
If you like this book, you might also like . . . Harry Potter?
Personal Opinion: Woooahhhh dude! I was kinda skeptical when I first opened the book. This was AFTER I begged and begged and begged my mom to let me read it. Than I opened it and thought, "I'm not going to like it. It's going to be the biggest waste of time. Why am I doing this??" And boy, I was surprised! Yes, there are vampires in it. But they don't even SAY that Edward's a vampire until like, halfway through the book. And even then, it's not the whole plot. My friend is really into the whole vampire/emo stuff. But, this is really MILD vampire-ness. If you liked Harry Potter, you will like this. :)
Rating: 10/10
Random tidbit: The movie is coming out soon!! And the guy who's playing Edward Cullen played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. And the girl who plays Bella was apparently in Zathura and In the Land of Women. Neither of which I have seen.