false 27 286 229 true 5785883 read 2 true 3398462 currently-reading 55 true 3398461 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/108336-the-chit-chatter-lounge Viola made a comment in the Cyber Book Club group:

Lisa, when we moved from our last house, my son thought we forgot something HUGE. It had a three-car garage, and when we got to the new house, he started crying and said that we forgot the other garage!!! He was very concerned about how we would get it back. We never did! :)

Also, at school in kindergarten, he had to write a sentence starting with I. My little guy's sentence was, "I have a toylet." Yay! He definitely proves that theory that boys are WAY more fascinated with body parts and bodily functions. He loves to say the word toilet because everyone (not me) laughs. :) ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/87141-viola-s-75-books-of-2009 Viola made a comment in the Cyber Book Club group:

Jenn, have you seen the movie? ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/204285-so-you-think-you-can-dance-season-6-spoilers Viola made a comment in the Cyber Book Club group:

From last week...

I was sad to see Channing go because her solo was sooo much better than Karen. Granted, Karen has delivered better overall. That said, I still can't stand KAren!

I thought it was what's-his-name's time to go. :( ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/78105-twilight-movie Viola made a comment in the Cyber Book Club group:

Hey everyone...

I LOVED the movie! Here are some thoughts:

1) I can't believe that KMonotone actually has a personality! Sort of! She was soooo much better in NM than in Twilight. I still don't feel like she captures the true essence of the Bella from the books; it feels like there is still too much of quirky Kristen Stewart in there, but this was better than Twilight. Less ticking. More emotion. A softer performance. I think the scenes with Jacob really showed this.

2) RPatz...again, it was better for me. The crazy stare was gone, and I felt like we got a softer side of him as well. I like RPatz, especially in interviews and photo shoots, but he never quite completely captures the Edward from the books for me. It could be my interpretation, but the Edward from the books felt so smooth, suave, intelligent, chivalric, and old-fashioned, and I didn't feel that with RPatz in Twilight. This is not to say that I don't like him or his performance; it just wasn't the Edward I loved from the books. His performance in NM was more of that, for me anyway. It's not what I think a more experienced actor (Henry Cavill...who cares how old he is!) could bring to the table, but it was better for me this time around. A major improvement from Twilight.

3) Hair and makeup...WAHOO! Whoever was in charge here did a great job! Aside from Jasper, who I still think is made up to look like Edward Scissorhands, looked so much better! RPatz had his smokin' hot hair (that was clean, no doubt!), and Kristen Stewart looked more like the part of Bella. Again, this was a softer look for her. I LOVED her hair throughout the entire movie, and the makeup suited her well and made her look less ...what's the word? Unapproachable?

4) Cinematography...I thought the whole movie was so pretty. I especially loved the entire Volturi scene.

5) Camera work...I'm not sure if this is the category to put my comments in (Jenn AY can add her expertise here!), but I loved all the slow mo shots, especially in the Volturi. So many parts of Twilight felt rushed and choppy to me, and this movie felt so much smoother! I loved it!

6) Charlie and the teenagers...loved them. They were perfect.

7) Jacob: I was sooo impressed with Taylor Lautner. I thought he captured the essence of Jacob perfectly. His performance seemed natural and genuine; never once did I not see him as a friend to Bella, someone who is falling in love with her slowly. I especially loved the interaction between Jacob and Bella. It seemed so natural and authentic. I'm totally on Team Edward, but I loved the scenes with the two of them.

That said, New Moon is not my favorite in the series. I love it, but I know others love it more and are better acquainted with the text and the characterization in New Moon, so I look forward to hearing their thoughts on this.

8) Volturi...again, I LOVED all of this. Jane was a bit creepier for me in the book, but I LOVED Dakota Fanning's calm delivery of "This may hurt a little." I'm so impressed with her as a young actress.

The scenery was beautiful here, and again, I LOVED the camera work with Bella running to Edward, the fight scene, etc. For me, it was my favorite section of the whole film, which I thought was fitting since it ends with a bang.

Speaking of that bang...I know that some don't like the ending (not the Volturi maybe, but the final minutes), so I won't speak for that. I need to familiarize myself with the end of the book again before I comment.

9) Music...loved it.

Overall, I LOVED the movie! There were no scenes or moments where I cringed with embarrassment like I did in Twilight, and I attribute this to the growth of the actors but mainly to the director and his vision. The differences here between Chris Weitz and Catherine Hardwicke are sooo clear, and I LOVE what he has brought to this. Yay! Can't wait to see it again! My Twilight-obsessed mother and I are going again on Tgiving weekend.





]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78517543 The Wednesday Sisters: A Novel (Hardcover) by Meg Waite Clayton
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78517538 Catherine, Called Birdy (Paperback) by Karen Cushman
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77849838 Under the Dome: A Novel (Hardcover) by Stephen King
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/51979-book-suggestions Viola made a comment in the Cyber Book Club group:

Man, I cannot believe everyone is nuts about Beautiful Creatures. I'm SOOO glad Melis and I are totally in sync on this one. It's all the rage, and I genuinely don't get it. Those Dark Side haters who thought Bella Swan was a Mary Sue...they'll have a field day with those characters in BC. Truthfully, I won't recommend it to anyone, but if somebody here reads it, I would love to hear thoughts on it. I won't argue with anyone if they love it! I would just love to know exactly what is so great about it if they genuinely like it. For me, it was BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA about people I didn't care about.

Brooklyn is on my list. I'm asking for that one from Santa. Wolf Hall is on that list too. Woohoo! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77876013 Cloud Atlas (Paperback) by David Mitchell
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77875849 Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time (Paperback) by Greg Mortenson
bookshelves: to-read
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