Book Lovers Only

Song Title: Temporary Home

Artist: Carrie Underwood

Album: Play On

This week's SOTW both have a special theme. If you listen, you can hear it.

      

Happy Thanksgiving To All! I know I'm a few days late but you'll just have to deal with that :)

Read On!

Yours Truly

Book Title: Splendor

Author: Anna Godbersen

Amazon.com Link: http://www.amazon.com/Splendor-Luxe-Novel-Anna-Godbersen/dp/0061626317

Quick Notes: The finale to the fabulous Luxe series, chronicling the lives of Manhattan's hottest socialites.

For Fans Of: Historical fiction, The Luxe series, 1899-1900s, Chick lit

My Overall Rating: A

Pithy Comments: I am a huge fan of The Luxe series, and was not disappointed in this last book in the series. I loved how Godbersen kept me on pins and needles throughout the end and didn't leave any openings. She tied all the loose ends up. I love that! She also had some suprising twists that I never would have expected. This book wasn't quite as good as the first one but was for sure better than the last two. It was great to finally know what happened to Carolina, Diana, Henry, Elizabeth, and Penelope.

The Big Picture: An awesome conclusion to a great series!

Read On!

Yours Truly

Next Up: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Note: My readers may have noticed that I said I was going to read The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. However, as happens often in the real world, I decided to change books. I changed multiple times, actually. I started with the above book, then went to Second Glances by Jodi Picoult and ended up with this book. Thought you might want to know that :)

It's that time of the week again, and I have to admit I had some mixed emotions about this week's SOTWs. There's so many songs to pick! But, as I thought it through, this is one of my new favorite songs (even though the video creeps me out as do ALL Lady GaGa's videos). As with Lady GaGa's other music, this song is way too catchy.

Song Title: Bad Romance

Artist: Lady GaGa

Album: The Fame Monster

Song Title: Party In The USA

Artist: Miley Cyrus

Album: The Time of Our Lives (EP)

I have had a crazy week, so I'm really glad it's over. Thanksgiving is just around the corner!!!! I can't wait to pig out on turkey! LOL

Listen On!

Yours Truly

To tell you the truth, this week's SOTW wasn't that hard. I'm just going with the two songs I haven't been able to get out of my head ALL day! I love how country music tells a story, and both these songs tell interesting stories that I love to think about. Here you go, song #1:

Song Title: Fifteen

Artist: Taylor Swift

Album: Fearless

Song Title: Welcome to the Future

Album: American Saturday Night

On the radio I heard that he wrote this song after walking through a cemetary and wondering what it would be like in a hundred years. I love the perspective this song spins on life in the 21st century. It's thought provoking and cool.

Listen On!

Yours Truly

It's hard to imagine how one beautiful young girl rose to the the top so fast!

By now, you all probably know that Taylor Swift took home 4 CMA awards on Wednesday. I am soo, SOOOO happy for her. She really deserved it.

I'm going to be a little selfish now; I was one of the first people who loved Taylor long before she was huge. I loved "Tim McGraw" and "Teardrops on My Guitar" long before everyone else did! LOL I know I'm a b**** but deal with it!

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when Carrie Underwood didn't win Female Vocalist of the Year. In a race to the finish line, I love Carrie just a little more than Taylor.

And The Loser Of The Night Is...

Kanye. All Kanye. Kanye's infamous jerkish behavior at the VMAs was not only mentioned at the beginning by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood (they spooked a country song by adding Kanye's name) but came up multiple times afterwards. Taylor definitely is the winner in this battle. And as for Kanye, there's only one word that comes into mind...

Douchebag. Yup. Want a piece of me? What.

As you probably noticed, I have two pictures of Taylor Swift. One is from when she won the Horizon Award a long time ago in 2007 (has it only been 2 years?) and the other is her looking beautiful Wednesday night with all her CMA awards. It's hard to imagine how far our dear Taylor has come!

This weeks song of the week is going to be a big showdown. Right now, here are the options:

I have a big decision to make! Now you really can't wait for Monday!

Listen On!

Yours Truly

Even in times of struggle, we always find hope.

Here's SOTW number one:

Song Title: Manhattan from the Sky

Artist: Kate Voegele

Album: A Fine Mess

I've never been to New York, but I love the story of this song. Now, the next SOTW is because today is just one of those days...

Song Title: It Happens

Artist: Sugarland

Album: Love On The Inside

Listen On!

Yours Truly

I am very excited to say that Carrie Underwood's new CD comes out tomorrow!!!! I am freaking out right now. In honor of Carrie, the first choice for SOTW is:

Song Title: Cowboy Casanova

Album: Play On

(Cowboy Casanova links are listed under my 2nd blog entry. Click Carrie Underwoood or Cowboy Casanova labels to see.)

I am so stoked about tomorrow! Here's pick #2 for SOTW:

Song Title: Pictures of You

Album: Poison Kiss

You might recognize this song from the Ghosts of Girlfriends Past trailer. It's a beautiful song! I love the lyrics.

To watch the music video of Pictures of You on Youtube: CLICK HERE

Listen On!

Yours Truly

Fans of The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance will love this!

Calling all Nicholas Sparks fans! I am stoked to announce that you can now watch the trailer for Dear John on YouTube. I loved the book and can't wait to see the movie. Since I haven't reviewed any Sparks movies yet, I thought I'd show you how they rank on my list.

I've never seen Message in a Bottle (or read the book) but I love Nicholas Sparks' books. I can't wait to see The Last Song (my 3rd favorite Sparks book after A Walk to Remember and Dear John) even if it does have Miley Cyrus. It was an awesome book.

To watch the trailer for Dear John on YouTube: CLICK HERE

Read and Watch On!

Yours Truly

Movie Title: Pleasantville

Year: 1998

Director: Gary Ross

Actors: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, William H. Macy, J.T. Walsh, and Reese Witherspoon

IMDB: CLICK HERE

Overall: B

This movie is about a brother and sister who end up in the land of a '50s sitcom named Pleasantville. Overall it was pretty good, but it was a little bit bizarre. I liked the fact that as things changed in the town of Pleasantville, the film slowly changed from black and white to color. That was neat. I really want to know how they did that. The plot was kind of weird and stupid at times, although I understood the overall message of the film and what was going.

Favorite Part: When Jeff Daniels opens the art book and sees the beautiful art work for the first time. I loved that Starry Night by Van Gogh, my favorite painting, was in there.

Watch On!

Yours Truly

I have to admit; the album cover for this week's first SOTW is mildly creepy. Anyways, here's song #1:

Song Title: Good Girls Go Bad

Artist: Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester

Album: Hot Mess

I listened to this song all day yesterday. It's so catchy!! So, as you already know, I decided to have 2 songs of the week and here's song #2.

Song Title: Waking Up In Vegas

Artist: Katy Perry

Album: One of the Boys

As with song #1, they're kind of "old" but kept popping into my head. There's a couple of other songs I kept thinking of, but after much consideration I came up with these two. Who knows what next week's songs will be?

Listen On!

Yours Truly

Book Title: The Boleyn Inheritance

Author: Philippa Gregory

Amazon.com link: http://www.amazon.com/Boleyn-Inheritance-Philippa-Gregory/dp/1439124671/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256429925&sr=8-1

Quick Notes: The story of three women at the court of Henry VIII - Jane Boleyn, Katherine Howard, and Anne of Cleves

For Fans Of: Historical fiction, Tudor England, The Other Boleyn Girl

My Overall Rating: A+

Pithy Comments: I had heard of Philippa Gregory before I read this book, but I didn't know much about Henry VIII. I knew that he (obviously) had 6 wives, some of which he divorced and some of which were beheaded. This book was amazingly good. Gregory is an awesome author who really knows how to write a good book. She isn't overly descriptive but she doesn't lack details either. I loved how she connected the stories of the 3 women together into one book. It made it really interesting. My only minor criticism (that wasn't a problem for me because I knew about Henry's split from the church and Anne Boleyn from the movie The Other Boleyn Girl) is that if you know nothing about Tudor England, you're going to want to learn something before you read this book. The story is focused around the events going on in England at the time, so if you know nothing about Henry's split from the Catholic church and his dealings with Catharine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour, you may be really lost. My recommendations would be to rent The Other Boleyn Girl (I saw the movie before I read this book and it helped a lot, although there were still some thngs I didn't understand) or Anne of the Thousand Days (an older costume drama about Anne Boleyn). There are a number of movies about Elizabeth I, but Elizabeth is only a child who is mentioned in the beginning of this book. I am so glad I decided to read The Boleyn Inheritance. I have learned so much more about Tudor England, Henry VIII, and his wives!

The Big Picture: Must Read!

Read On!

Yours Truly

Next Up: The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

The second song on this list is more of a pop/rap song. I'm not a huge fan of the Black-Eyed Peas but this song is an awesome "let your hair down" piece. It makes me happy. When I hear, I can picture a billion differnt scenarios.

Song Title: I Gotta Feeling

Artist: The Black Eyed Peas

Album: The E.N.D (The Energy Never Dies)

Label: Interscope Records

To Watch The Official I Gotta Feeling Video On YouTube: CLICK HERE

To Vist The Black Eyed Peas' Official Website: CLICK HERE

To Listen to This Song On Project Playlist: CLICK HERE

Listen On!

Yours Truly

Book Title: Distant Waves - A Novel of the Titanic

Author: Suzanne Weyn

Amazon.com Link: http://www.amazon.com/Novel-Titanic-Distant-Waves/dp/0545085721

Quick Notes: A family of five sisters all meet on the Titanic.

For Fans Of: Early 20th century history, Historical Fiction, love stories, Titanic

My Overall Rating: A-

Pithy Comments: I really enjoyed this book. It was a good story and I loved all the extra historical details and characters the audience added. At the end of the book, Weyn added a whole chapter describing what was fact and what was fiction. It was really great. Once again, as in my comments on Prada and Prejudice, the author could have expanded the plot and characters a bit more. However, overall, this was an awesome book.

The Big Picture: An Awesome Read!

Read On!

Yours Truly

Next Up: The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

Song Title: Paparazzi

Artist: Lady GaGa

Album: The Fame

Label: Interscope Records

You know you love her! Despite the fact that she creeps me out to the extreme (did you see the Kermit the Frog outfit?) Lady GaGa is an awesome artist. I would classify her music in the genre of sex/dance. Anyways, there's something about this song that is so sweet and sexy at the same time. That's why it's the SOTW. The music video is a little too extreme for my taste, though.

To Visit Lady GaGa's Official Website: CLICK HERE

To Watch the official Paparazzi video on YouTube: CLICK HERE

To Watch Lady GaGa perform Paparazzi at the 2009 VMA Awards: CLICK HERE

(Sorry for the grainy image!)

Listen On!

Yours Truly

I have more exciting video news! The music video for Taylor Swift's new single Fifteen was just released! To tell you the truth, it's not my favorite of hers (Although I love You Belong With Me my favorite is definitely Love Story) but who cares? Taylor Swift is such an awesome artist!

To Watch Fifteen on CMT.com: CLICK HERE

Watch On!

Yours Truly

Finally a reason to look forwards to Monday! Each Monday, I will post the Song of the Week. The Song of the Week is not meant to be a new music release. It might not even be a very popular song. The Song of the Week is a song that I like, that I've had stuck in my head for most of the day, and a song that I would like my readers (if there are any) to hear. I'm very excited to be posting my first ever pick for Song of the Week!

Song Title: World War III

Artist: The Jonas Brothers

Album: Lines, Vines, and Trying Times

Label: Hollywood Records

To Visit The Jonas Brothers Official Website: Click Here

To Listen To World War III on YouTube: Click Here

Anyways...

I heard a rumor that if you hit shuffle on your iTunes Library, you will be able to get an awesome overview of what you're favorite kinds of music are. I decided to try it out; here are the 20 songs I got when I hit shuffle:

1. Mary's Song (Oh My My My) - Taylor Swift

2. Keep It Real - The Jonas Brothers

3. Gone - Kelly Clarkson

4. Very Last Country Song - Sugarland

5. Sayuri's Theme (From "Memoirs of A Geisha") - John Williams

6. Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) - Alison Krauss and Robert Plant

7. Yellow Submarine - The Beatles

8. The Nicest Kids In Town (From "Hairspray") - James Marsden

9. Division - Aly and AJ

10. We Can Work It Out - The Beatles

11. Because - Vanessa Mae

12. Gypsy Woman - Hilary Duff

13. No One - Alicia Keys

14. I've Come To Wive It Wealthily in Padua (From "Kiss Me Kate") - Company

15. All You Need Is Love - The Beatles

16. Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyonce

17. Paparazzi - Lady GaGa

18. Blackbird (From "Across the Universe") - Evan Rachel Wood

19. Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles

And then my computer went psycho.

I have to admit, this list isn't exactly great. There's a lot of other songs and artists I love that aren't even mentioned. So, for a better look, I did the exact same thing with my iPod:

1. Under the Weather - KT Tunstall

2. She Said She Said - The Beatles

3. Won't Go Home Without You - Maroon 5

4. Thank You For The Music - ABBA

5. Letter to Me - Brad Paisley

6. Glamorous (Feat. Ludacris) - Fergie

7. Don't Forget - Demi Lovato

8. Falling Over Me - Demi Lovato

9. Voulez Vous - ABBA

10. Finale (From "Les Miserables") - Les Miserables Original Broadway Cast

11. White Horse - Taylor Swift

12. Last Name - Carrie Underwood

13. Till' There Was You - The Beatles

14. Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles

15. Melody - Kate Earl

16. Inside Out - Kate Voegele

17. Don't Forget to Remember Me - Carrie Underwood

18. Live Like You Were Dyin' - Tim McGraw

19. The Time of My Life - David Cook

20. Juke Box Blues (From "Walk the Line") - Reese Witherspoon

Well, this list did my music taste a lot more justice, but there's still so much missing.

You can't believe every rumor, right?

Listen On!

Yours Truly

I swear, once you start blogging it's hard to stop! Anyways, I thought I'd alert all you Carrie Underwood fans (who knows, you might already know!) that her new CD Play On comes out November 3rd. I am so excited! For those of you who aren't aware, the single Cowboy Casanova is out and totally kicks butt. The video (I've posted a link bellow) is so different from anything Carrie has put out yet. It's really sexy but still the old Carrie. It reminds me of Before He Cheats!

Listen On!

Yours Truly

To Watch Carrie Underwood's Cowboy Casanova Video on CMT.com: CLICK HERE

To Watch Carrie Underwood's Cowboy Casanova Video on YouTube: CLICK HERE

To Download Carrie Underwood's Cowboy Casanova on iTunes: CLICK HERE

Book Title: Prada and Prejudice

Author: Mandy Hubbard

Amazon.com link: www.amazon.com/Prada-Prejudice-Mandy-Hubbard/dp/1595142606

Quick Notes: Average teen buys a pair of Prada heels and ends up in 1815 Regency England.

For Fans Of: Meg Cabot, Jane Austen, Regency England, Chick lit

My Overall Rating: B+

Pithy Comments: In Prada and Prejudice, Callie Montgomery goes on a school trip to England and ends up in Regency England. Overall, I found this book enjoyable and fun. I liked the way Hubbard made Callie sound like a teen. However, I felt that there could have been a lot more description. The other characters in the book were fun and interesting, but they needed more substance. I wanted to know more. Hubbard missed a lot of important details. It was a quick read. You'd think the author could have come up with more details, more complex characters, and more story.

The Big Picture: MORE!!

Read On!

Yours Truly

Next Up: Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn