Books I read in 2016

Hello!
In these last few hours of 2016, I am finally putting up which books I read in 2016, and which were my 10 favorites! Hopefully one day I will be able to review all of these...

First Time:

Princess of the Silver Woods - by Jessica Day George
Beauty - by Robin McKinley
I, Robot - by Isaac Asimov (My first sci-fi!)
Oliver Twist - by Charles Dickens
The Diary of Anne Frank - by Anne Frank
Zlata's Diary - by Zlata Filipović
The BFG - by Roald Dahl
The 39 clues: A Maze of Bones - by Rick Riordan
Storybound - by Marrisa Burt
Fridays with the Wizards - by Jessica Day George
Old Yeller - by Fred Gipson
Esio Trot - by Roald Dahl
George's Marvelous Medicine - by Roald Dahl
A Tale of Two Cities - by Charles Dickens
My Friend Flicka - by Mary O'Hara
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - by J. K. Rowling
Jane Eyre - by Charlotte Bronté
Big Red - by Jim Kjeljaad
The Hobbit - by J. R. R. Tolkien
Fablehaven: Key to the Dragon Sanctuary - by Brandon Mull
Pax - by Sara Pennypacker
The Land of Stories: An Author's Odyssey - by Chris Colfer
Santa Cruise: a holiday mystery at sea - by Mary and Carol Higgins Clark
Appointment with Death - by Agatha Christie
Lambing Out and other stories - by Mary Clearman
A Wizard of Earthsea - by Ursula K. Le Guin
Ghosts of Rockville: Search for the Dominion Glass - by Justin Heimberg
David Copperfield - by Charles Dickens
The 39 clues: One False Note - by Gordan Korman
The Little Mermaid - by Hans Christan Anderson
Emma - by Jane Austen (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
The 39 clues: The Sword Thief - by Peter Langras
The Hundred and One Dalmatians - by Dodie Smith
Great Expectations - by Charles Dickens
Hattie Big Sky - by Kirby Larson
Johnny Tremain - by Esther Forbes
To Kill a Mockingbird - by Harper Lee
2001: A Space Odyssey - by Arthur C. Clarke

ReReads:

Holes - by Louis Sachar
The Penderwicks - by Jeanie Birdsall
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - by Lewis Caroll

Favorite First Time 10: (In no particular order!)

1. Great Expectations - by Charles Dickens

2. The Hobbit - by J. R. R. Tolkien           

3. To Kill a Mockingbird - by Harper Lee

4. Pax - by Sara Pennypacker

  

5. David Copperfield - by Charles Dickens

6. Storybound - by Marissa Burt

7. A Tale of Two Cities - by Charles Dickens

8. Old Yeller - by Fred Gipson

  

9. The BFG - by Roald Dahl

  

10. Hattie Big Sky - by Kirby Larson

Read-alongs:

The Jane Eyre read-along, hosted by The Edge of the Precipice:

The Emma read-along, hosted by Seasons of Humility:

Thank you so much Hamlette and Amber!!

Oh, read-alongs I am going to be in in 2017 are:

And:

How cool Risa!! Can't wait!!

We will never have 2016 again. It was a great year in some ways, I'm glad we had it.
Happy New Year!

MovieCritic

A Memorial for Actors and Authors~2016

Hello everyone.

I just learned that Carrie Fisher died. 

She had a cardiac arrest on a plane from London to Los Angeles. She was fifteen minutes without oxygen. 

2016 has been a rough year for actors and actresses, also musicians, but I didn't really care for any of them. So I am going to write a few memorials for actors and authors close to my heart that died this year.

Alan Rickman: Actor

February 21, 1946 - January 14, 2016

I first knew him as Professor Snape, from Harry Potter. I still have seen all the Harry Potter movies, but in the ones I have seen he is excellent. Some of the movies are terribly wrong from the book and I was always hoping that they would remake a few of them better to the book, but they can't now. They will never be a better Snape.

When my mom was having us watch Sense and Sensibility '95 for the first time, you know you can't see his character until he comes from the shadows (EXCELLENT!!), we were watching then all of a sudden my older sister screamed, "IT'S SNAPE!!!" so every time we watch it, when we get to that part we say, "It's Snape!"

Another movie I have seen him in is Galaxy Quest which is a movie that is about a TV show that is Star Trek, only cheesier. It is a comedy and it is truly hilarious. We watched it the other day and it still makes me laugh.

He is also in the movie, Michael Colins which is about the 1916 Irish revolution. 

Alan Rickman, you will always be one of my favorite actors.

Harper Lee: Author

April 28, 1926 - February 19, 2016

Just a few days ago I finished To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time. What really made me read it was Rachel's review of it. It was very good. Hopefully in the next year I will get around to doing a review of it. What seems sad to me is that she wrote Go Set a Watchman and it was published in July 2015 but everyone seems to give it bad reviews. I wish her book would have been a success before she died. I will always like her book To Kill a Mockingbird, and I hope to read her book Go Set a Watchman soon.

Gene Wilder: Actor
June 11, 1933 - August 29, 2016

I only ever have seen him in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. But oh boy! He was the best Mr. Wonka there could ever be. You had such a wonderful care free way to it. It was the best, of the best. Thank you Gene Wilder. I can't wait to see your other works.

Carrie Fisher: Actress

October 21, 1965 - December 27, 2016

Carrie Fisher was the daughter of one of my favorite actresses, Debbie Reynolds. 

I have only seen four movies with Carrie Fisher in them. But, in my defence they are her most famous:

STAR WARS: IV A NEW HOPE, STAR WARS: V THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, STAR WARS: VI THE RETURN OF THE JEDI, STAR WARS: VII THE FORCE AWAKENS. Yes, she is the iconic Princess Leia. I only saw STAR WARS for the first time a little over a year ago, and it has made it's way on to my favorites list.

I am hoping to see other movies with her in them such as Agatha Christie's Appointment with Death.

Carrie Fisher, you will be greatly missed. Carrie Fisher, you are now one of my favorite actresses.

UPDATE:

Debbie Reynolds: Actress
April 1, 1932 - December 28, 2016

Her daughter Carrie Fisher's death was such a shock to her she had a stroke and died, one day after Carrie's. Her son, Todd Fisher said that she said, "I want to be with Carrie."
She was the main actress in one of my favorite movies Singin' in the Rain. That is my favorite that she made.

Wasn't she spectacular?
Movies I have seen that she was also in were, The Halloween Town series, and Charlotte's Web. She is also know for her role in The Unsinkable Molly Brown. She was also in the movie Mother, where she plays kind of a forbearing mother. In Carrie Fishers book, Postcards from the Edge, mentions that her mother was kind of forbearing, but that they made up later in life and became best friends, this is true for them:

~Winnie the Pooh -- A. A. Milne

So there you have it. In two days the main actresses in my two favorite movies passed away.

If there are any actors/authors I have forgotten, let me know. I just wanted to say these favorites. I know I don't usually do a post two days in a row, but I just had to do this one.

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Elf (2003)

Hello!
Merry Christmas! As you can see from my header there will be two movies reviewed this week and this is the first one, Elf. We pretty much watch this every year, and it really is hilarious!

Elf (2003):

A baby crawls into Santa's bag at an orphanage, when he sets it down. Back at the North Pole, they call him Buddy, and they rear him there. About thirty years later, Buddy is having some trouble keeping up the other elves so "Papa Elf" tells him that his father lives in a magical place called New York City. Buddy sets off to New York City to be with his dad. He gets in all kind of places and even falls in love.

Genre: Christmas, Comedy, Romance.
Costumes: 8, Well of course there is the one on the cover, but I also like this one of Jovie's.

Sorry, terrible picture.

"I like your costume."
"Oh, it's not a costume I work at the North Pole."
Script: 8, does have a few bad words. "No, it's the worlds best cup of coffee!"
Crew:
Directed by: Jon Favereau
Produced by: 
Jon Berg
Todd Komarnicki
Shauna Robertson
Written by: David Berenbaum
Starring:
Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, Buddy is absolutely gullible, so it makes him really funny.

Sorry, just had to put this.

James Caan as Walter Hobbs, has a few problems, but is okay, it's part of the story.
Zooey Deschanel as Jovie

Mary Steenburgen as Emily Hobbs
Daniel Tay as Michael Hobbs

Edward Asner as Santa
Bob Newhart as Papa Elf/The Narrator

Music: 8, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear."
Music by: John Debney
Quotes: 10,
"Buddy, do you like sugar?"
"Does maple syrup have sugar?"
"Yes."
"Then YES!"
Storyline: 6, okay, there are a few parts that are, eh. Like where Buddy came from. And there are two instances that people aren't wearing anything, but you don't see them.
"Lose the tights as soon as possible."
"As soon as possible?"
"As soon as possible."
Overall: 8!

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you had a Merry Christmas!!!

MovieCritic

Another Robin Hood BBC Tag!

Hello!
Rachel at A Girl's Place, has created another Robin Hood BBC Tag! I will never get tired of these Rachel! Everyone who hasn't seen this, Go check it out!

SPOILER ALERT!!!! If you have not seen all three seasons of the Robin Hood BBC do not read any further! It is a really cool show and you should watch it first!

Rachel's Questions:

1. What's your favourite season?

I'm going to go with season 1, because I like season 2, but, let's just leave it at that.

2. Favourite outfit?

Along with many others.
3. Favourite bad guy?

Favorite? Guy because he gets better, but we're not talking about season 3. So in the first two seasons, The Sherrif Vasiey.

4. Which character you felt sorry for?

Roy: He was forced to the chocie of be loyal to his friends, or get his mother killed. And in the end, he was killed.

Allen: No one ever understood him, or trusted him.

5. Djaq or Marian?

Marian! But don't get me wrong, Djaq is great!!

6. Favourite piece of music?

The theme for the credits.

7. Last favourite episode?

Last? Favorite last one in a season? The last one that I liked?

My favorite last episode of a season was the season 1 episode 13.

The last one that I liked was season 3 episode one because no Kate or Isabella!!!

8. On which moment you cried? (You don't have to answer it, I understand)

Thank you. I think we all know. It's so sad I'm just going to say the deaths of people and I actually cried with happiness a few times; when Marian wasn't marring Guy!

9. Favourite male character?

Allan A Dale

Much

10. Favourite female character?

I already said I liked Marian better than Djaq, but, they are both so great! And yes they are the only ones. 

11. Kate or Isabella?

What! How can I say!? Who do I dislike more? Isabella!!

Who do I like better? Kate.

12. If you could save someone from the death, who would it be?

*cries*

Marian.

*cries*

13. Favourite couple? (Pick three)

"We are splitting up into couples. You and Marian, Will and Djaq, and to tell you the truth I don't really like mine!" -Much
That answers it.


You don't have to tag but I do tag anyone who wants to and Olivia.
Thank you so much Rachel! These are so fun!!!

MovieCritic

Book Review: A Guinea Pig Pride and Prejudice

Hello!

So it turns out that today would have been Jane Austen's 241st birthday and to celebrate it (sort of) I knew I had to do a post on it, and the only thing I could come up with was this. No I didn't come up with it, it is a real thing, but I'm not doing one of her classic novels or a movie on it, I'm doing this. Enjoy!

A Guinea Pig Pride and Prejudice:

By Jane Austen

Abridgement by Alex Goodwin

Photography by Belmondo

Illustrations on pages viii, 26, 36, by Tess Gammell

I gave this to my older sister last Christmas because she loves Pride and Prejudice and I thought this would be a funny gift, and it is! 

It tells Jane Austen's classic story Pride and Prejudice through Guinea Pigs! Of course, it is a very short book so we never "see" Mary, Kitty, Mr. Bennet or others, but it definetly has some halarious photos! My favorites are pages, 11, 15, 33 [!], 41, 49.

This would be the perfect gift for any Pride and Prejudice lover, but they might think it is a little silly.

All Characters and Words are from Jane Austen's origanal book Pride and Prejudice.

I'm sorry this isn't much of a review, but I wanted to do something to do with Jane Austen

Also, go check this out!

It is a very fun quiz!

Oh, and about the header, it's the first time I've ever tried a header, and those are two movies I hope to review in the Christmas season!

Thank you so much for reading!

MovieCritic

John Wayne Blogaton: The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)

Hello, I'm back...!
Once again I'm back with a post for the John Wayne Blogaton hosted by Hamlette's Soliloquy and Midnite Drive-In! (Happy Birthday Quiggy!)

For today, I will be reviewing a pretty famous John Wayne, The Sons of Katie Elder.


The Sons of Katie Elder (1965):

"From the four winds they came, 
the four brothers, their eyes smoking 
and their fingers itching."
When four brothers come together to go to there mother's funeral. The people in the town aren't very friendly to them and one person, Morgan Hastings, claims to be the owner of the Elder ranch. It's up to the four brothers to get it back.

Genre: Western
Costumes: 8, pretty good
Script: 7, okay, a few bad words.
Crew: 
Directed by: Henry Hathaway
Produced by: Paul Nathan
Based on: a story by Talbot Jennings
Starring:
John Wayne as John Elder
Dean Martin as Tom Elder
Martha Hyer as Mary Gordan
Michael Anderson Jr. as Bud Elder
Earl Holliman as Matt Elder
Music: 8
Music by: Elmer Berstein
Quotes: 8, "There's just one thing you're forgetting... you ain't been invited!"
Storyline: 7, There is some violence, and death, but besides that, it's pretty good!
Overall Score: 8!

Thank you so much for hosting this event Hamlette and Quiggy! Make sure to wish Quiggy a happy birthday!
Thanks for reading!

MovieCritic

John Wayne Blogathon: True Grit (1969)

Hello Everybody!
Today starts Hamlette's and Quggiy's John Wayne Blogathon!

Hosted by Midnite Drive-In and Hamlette's Soliloquy.

So today I am going to review True Grit (like the button I chose?)!

True Grit (1969):

"They tell me you're a man with true grit."
When Mattie Ross's father was shot by a drunk worker, Tom Chaney for no reason, she sets out to find "Rooster" Cogburn to hire him to help her hunt Chaney down and get her revenge.  The trio of Mattie Ross, "Rooster" Cogburn, and La Beouf, a Texas ranger, set out to find Chaney and "Lucky" Ned Pepper, on an adventure of true grit.

Genre: Western
Costumes: 7, some of them are kind of dirty, but I like this one, it then is that red-pink color:


Script: 5, There are some bad words.
"He's a good guesser, I guess."
Crew:
Directed by: Henry Hathaway
Produced by: Hal B. Wallis
Based on: True Grit by Charles Portis, a 1968 novel, they got this one into a movie quickly!
Starring:
John Wayne as "Rooster" Cogburn
Kim Darby as Mattie Ross "I'm partial to cold buttermilk."
Glen Cambell as La Beouf
Robert Duvall as Ned Pepper
Jeff Corey as Tom Chaney
Music: 7, The theme song gets you into the spirit of it!
Music by: Elmer Bernstein

Quotes: 8,
"Wash first!"
"Why?"
"Don't you wash before you eat?"
"I'm not going to eat his hand."
Landscape: 9, Really lovely!
Storyline: 6, The storyline is an okay one, but there is violence, revenge, and disturbing images, because it is testing your "grit" and, oh boy! They do have some grit, especially for a fourteen year old girl, I wouldn't be able to! They-other movie people-rate it G, but I think it is more PG-13.

Notes: Pretty strong person to pull up sage brush. I think that the movie, Rooster Cogburn is the sequel. Check out Ekaterina's review for that here.
"What do you think?"
"I don't think you want to know what I think."
Overall Score: 7!

Be sure to go check out Hamlette's Soliloquy and Midnite Drive-In for a list of more John Wayne movie reviews!!!

Thank you so much Hamlette and Quiggy!
Thank you so much for reading everyone!

MovieCritic