Coming to a theater near you....
Snow White and the Huntsman
2012
Charlize Theron scares the hell out of me!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Book Review-Purple Heart
PURPLE HEART
By Patricia McCormick
199 Pages
2009
From Inside Cover:
When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Iraq, he's honored with a Purple Heart. But he doesn't feel like a hero.
There's a memory that haunts him: an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. Matt can't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in his death. But because of a head injury he sustained just moments after the boy was shot Matt can't quite put all the pieces together.
Eventually Matt is sent back into combat with his squad-Justin, Wolf and Charlene-the soldiers who have become his family during his time in Iraq. He just wants to go back to being the soldier he once was. But he sees potential threats everywhere and lives in fear of not being able to pull the trigger when the time comes. In combat there is no black-and-white, and Matt soon discovers that the notion of who is guilty is very complicated indeed.
My Thoughts:
A Middle School Librarian asked me to preview this book before putting it on the shelf for her students. Purple Heart is a book I would have totally judged by it's cover and passed it over. I don't normally seek out books about war. I'm so very glad I had the opportunity to read Purple Heart and experience Patricia McCormick's amazing story.
Purple Heart gives you a chance to experience the War in Iraq from a soldier's point of view. It's not pretty. Matt is laying in a hospital bed with a traumatic brain injury. As Matt lays there recovering he tries to piece together the moments he and a fellow soldier were caught in cross fire and a young boy was killed. We are with Matt as certain truths are revealed and the chain of events leading up to the explosion start to become more clear to him. Soon he is back in the field with his squad-but can he still trust them and can he still protect them. Everything is different and he is changed. He still needs to know what happened to this little boy and if he was the cause of his death. He can't move forward until he finds answers.
Matt is a very likable character and very soon you find yourself rooting for him and his quest for truth.
I loved having a first hand look into the Iraqi War, The soldiers and The civilians. It gave me better understanding into the relationships that have been built between the Iraqi people and soldiers and the politics that rule both their worlds.
My 16 yr old saw me reading this book and became interested in reading it for his English class. Hopefully he enjoys it as mush as I did.
I added this blurb from Patricia McCormick that I found on Amazon.com.
From the Author:
Patricia McCormick(taken from Amazon.com)
Sometimes a book begins with a single, unforgettable image.
A few years ago, I had the privilege of working on an unusual peace demonstration─one that united Vietnam vets with recent veterans from the war in Iraq and old-fashioned peaceniks. These unlikely groups were brought together by the American Friends Service Committee, the Quakers.
As a group, we arranged more than 3,600 pairs of combat boots, each one tagged with the name of a soldier who'd died in Iraq or Afghanistan, in a display that was meant to symbolize the real human cost of the war. Nearby, we laid out a pile of civilian shoes to symbolize the uncounted men, women and children who'd died in Iraq.
One pair of shoes caught my eye. It was a pair of sneakers, just the right size for a ten-year-old boy. I instantly saw that boy being shot in the chest, his small body flung into the air from the force of the blast. As much as I tried to forget such a horrific image, I couldn't. And so I spent the next few years imagining how such a thing could happen.
Purple Heart is a fictionalized look at that death, and how two young American soldiers may or may not have been involved in it. It isn't an anti-war book. It isn't a pro-war book. It's an attempt to portray how three children─two eighteen-year-old Americans and a ten-year-old Iraqi boy─have been affected by war.
It's estimated that more than 650,000 civilians have died in Iraq. Because this war has been fought in cities, in and amongst families, civilian fatalities have become the "signature" of this conflict─causing profound moral conflicts for soldiers and profound losses for those families.
I finished this book with as many questions as I had when I started. I came away with a deepened respect for our soldiers, a better appreciation of life in a war zone, and a strengthened commitment to peace. My hope is that readers will, too.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY!
This is my chance to thank all of the awesome followers of Mug of Moxie. I appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and the comments you have left.
My ultimate goal is to share my love of reading. I love it when someone tells me about a good book they have recently read and I hope that I'm doing that here with all of you. In the process of blogging I have found other people that feel as passionate about books and reading as I do. It's been an amazing journey so far!
This giveaway is hosted by I'm A Reader, Not A Writer and All Consuming Books. There are over 300 blogs partipating in this hop. I'm sure there will be lots of great giveaways. The list is included at the bottom of this post.
To show my gratitude I would like you to tell me the name of the book that is at the top of your wish list. A winner will be chosen randomly on November 28th. I will purchase that book for the winner through Amazon.com or the Book Depository depending on your location and have the book shipped directly to you.
To enter this giveaway you must be a follower of Mug of Moxie-please leave your GFC name in comment section along with the book that you "wish" for. This giveaway is open to International followers as well.
Thanks again and good luck!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Prophecy of the Sisters-Book Review
By Michelle Zink
343 pages
2009
From Inside Cover:
Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.
Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust.
They just know they can't trust each other.
My thoughts:
Prophecy of the Sisters is a dark fantasy filled with magic and mystery. It's the first book in a planned trilogy. The book opens with the Milthrope children standing in the rain at their father's funeral. All the more tragic because their mother died a few years earlier which now leaves them orphans and in the care of an aunt.
Shortly after her father's death Lia develops a strange mark on her wrist. In addition to strange and terrifying dreams she also notices that her twin is acting cold and distant. Soon an old book is discovered and it's revealed that Lia and Alice are part of an ancient battle that puts the sisters on opposing sides. One sister shall be the guardian of the gate-a protector while the other shall be the gateway to the Apocalypse-which will bring death and destruction.
A few twists and turns keep the reader on their toes as the story reveals more secrets.
I look forward to more character development with Lia's friends' Sophia and Luisa. I'm also interested in seeing where the relationship with Jame and Lia go. But what I'm really hoping for is a deeper look into Alice and her mind. Hopefully that will happen in the next book-Guardian of the Gate.
I enjoyed this story. The plot was engrossing and the characters were interesting. I will buy the next book in the trilogy to see where this tale takes me.
I purchased this book used from Amazon.com and I will be donating it to my local Middle School Library.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Spooktacular WINNER!
Dani' (contestd@hotmail.com)
As part of the entry to my giveaway I asked the question-What are you afraid of? A shocking amount of you are also scared of clowns!! Yet they continue to be invited to entertain in circuses and children's birthday party...truly puzzling! Not surprising-a lot of people are scared of spiders and snakes. The best answers that made me laugh included politics, compressed air, the IRS, strobe lights, mascots, lawn gnomes and opening tubes of dough. Thanks for your honest and entertaining answers!
DANI'-the winner of this Spooktacular Hop will receive a box of awesome books that include:
It by Stephen King
Cryptic Cravings by Ellen Schreiber
Masquerade by Melissa De La Cruz
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Shattering Glass by Gail Giles
A giant thank you to the hosts of this hop I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and The Diary of a Bookworm.
The next hop I will be participating in is the Gratitude Giveaways starting November 17th-27th. See you then!
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