Cindy C. Bennett's Blog, page 69

Top Christmas Music & Movies... According to Me!

As promised yesterday, today I give you  my top Christmas songs and movies (in no particular order). I'd love to hear yours in your comments. So, without further ado...

Songs:

1. O Holy NightThis has long been my very favorite Christmas carol, even more so as sung by Josh Groben. Though I enjoy the soaring melody, it's the heartfelt gratitude for the birth of Jesus that touches me so much.

2. Rudolph the Red Nosed ReindeerWho doesn't love this cheerful song? Especially when it's about the underdog rising to the top to be the savior of the day.


3. Mary Did You KnowFav version sung by Donny Osmond. Fantastic song wondering just how much did the mother of this little baby know about what he was destined for. Don't all new mom's wonder about their new baby's destiny?

4. Blue ChristmasAs sung by Elvis. I think because it pulls me so strongly back to my childhood (raised by an Elvis fan).

5. Do You Hear What I Hear?I'm not really sure why I love this one so much, other than I love it when I can sing along with the whole thing and not mess up once on whether it's "do you hear" "do you see" or "do you know".

6. Grandma Got Run Over by a ReindeerYeah, sick, I know. But it makes me laugh every time anyway.

7. In Excelsis DeoIf one can sing the whole "gloria" part without needing a breath, that's pretty impressive. This is an earnest, joyful song.

8. Joy to the WorldUplifting and joyous. Who can sing this in a depressed manner? I'd guess no one.


9. You're a Mean One, Mr. GrinchWho can resist a song by Tony the Tiger ("They're grrreat!") aka Thurl Ravenscroft? I don't believe this can be done as well by anyone else.

10. Silent NightThis is the ultimate Christmas song, encompassing the reason for the season, and the sacredness of it.

11. What Child is This?Again, a song that reminds us of why we celebrate this particular holiday.



Movies:

1. ElfI adore this movie! Will Ferrell is earnest and charming as the displaced elf, James Caan is superb as the reluctant "new" dad, and Zooey Deschanel is sweetly cynical. Not to mention Bob Newhart as the undersized foster dad. "Angry elf" anyone? Best. Scene. Ever. Completely quotable movie.

2. Rudolph the Red Nosed ReindeerFor the same reasons the song is on my list above.

3. A Christmas StoryThis movie never gets old. Finally, proof that ignoring your mom's advice just might take an eye out. Tongue stuck to the pole: classic. The leg lamp: coveted. Pink bunny suit: gut-bustingly funny. Santa's elves dropping kids down the slide: horrifying - and yet funny at the same time. Fah-rah-rah-rah-rah: speaks for itself.

4. Frosty the SnowmanShould be creepy, a snowman who comes to life and takes a little girl on a trip without informing her parents, but instead it's charming and heartbreaking.

5. Home AloneWhat parent isn't terrified by the idea of forgetting a child somewhere? And then to top it off, said child is harassed by thugs. Good thing he's clever with a streak of cruelty to keep him safe.

6. The Santa ClauseFor those of you who have ever wondered what happens when the old guy gets, well, old. Who takes over? Tim Allen, of course.

7. The Shop Around the CornerInspiration for You've Got Mail, this classic 1940 movie pairs James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan as the irresistible pair who hate/love one another.

8. National Lampoons Christmas VacationThere isn't anything about this movie that isn't completely hilarious, from the wrapped cat to the over-decorated house to Eddie and his horrible children and RV.

9. It's a Wonderful LifeDon't we all have days when we need to be reminded about how important we are to those in our lives?

10. The Muppet Christmas CarolThe Muppets + Scrooge = perfection.

11. How the Grinch Stole ChristmasI am somewhat fond of the Jim Carrey version, but it doesn't hold a candle to the original, cartoon version straight from Dr. Seuss' book.

12. Mr. Krueger's ChristmasIf you haven't seen this holiday gem, immediately hunt it down and watch it. I'm not kidding. Do it right now. James Stewart will break your heart, and completely open your eyes to those around you. Stressed about spending the holidays with your family? You won't be after you watch this. You'll be grateful for every last annoying, irritating one of them.

'Tis the Season

One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is that for the most part, people are full of good cheer. Of course you're going to run into plenty of Scrooge's, but to me they are eclipsed by the many people who are cheerful, happy, and most of all, giving.

The local food bank gets more donations this time of year than any other, all of the local charities are full with volunteers, and the Angel Tree's are picked clean. Old toys are donated, new toys are donated, coat, hats, gloves, and socks are freely given.

Christmas music is happy music (if you discount the tear-jerking Christmas Shoes song). Santa is jolly, and you can watch countless reruns of Christmas movies. LMN and Lifetime are an endless string of joyfully cheesy Christmas movies. Houses are festively decorated, cookies are baked without guilt. The other day, driving down the street I saw Santa on a motorcycle with Mrs. Santa in the sidecar, happily waving to all they passed in spite of the freezing weather.

Tomorrow I'll post my top Christmas songs and movies. For today, I'm going to send out my wishes that we can all retain the good cheer we have this time is year, and that we will remember to give, not only of things but also of ourselves, all year long. And my wishes for you all to have a very Merry Christmas wherever you are, and that you get to spend the magical day with someone you love.

More Chances to Win!

LDSWBR is running a multi-author book contest Countdown to Christmas. Hop on over to see what you can win, and sign up!

Last Day to Win!

Today is the last day to sign up to win in the Give Books Giveaway Hop!

To enter to win a copy of Geek Girl click here.

To enter to win a copy of Heart on a Chain click here.

To enter to win a copy of Immortal Mine click here.

Good luck to all!

Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan

I'm honored to be part of the book blog tour for Rachel McClellan's new release Fractured Light. I really loved this book! And I think her cover is just gorgeous. It's scheduled to be released February 8, 2012, but you can pre-order it from Amazon . Below is my official review.

Review of Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan

Llona isn't your typical teenage girl. She has snow-white hair, pale skin, an abundance of energy when the moon is full, and she can turn lights on and off just by thinking about it. She's an Aura, a manipulator of light.

Forced to move every couple of years, Llona and her uncle Jake have chosen Bountiful, Utah as their latest hideaway. She's hiding from the Vyken's who killed her parents and are now after Llona.

Llona's only friend is the strange May, who has secrets of her own. That's why their friendship works so well, a shared understanding of what it truly means to be different. Christian, new at the school and drop-dead gorgeous pursues Llona, much to her frustration. She doesn't feel she can get involved with anyone when she may have to run at any time—no matter how much she wants to.

Fractured Light follows Llona as her unwanted guardian reveals himself and the Vyken nears, made clear by the suddenly strange and creepy things that begin happening to and around Llona. She must learn to control and manipulate her Light, the gift that she now will have to use as a weapon to survive—well, that and the new fighting skills she's been taught at the Dojo and by Christian, who wants her to survive and to protect her power that the Vyken craves, and will do anything to get.

McClellan weaves an enticing, supernatural tale of a reluctant heroine born with a gift that sometimes feels as much like a curse. Unexpected twists and turns in the story keep the reader guessing what's going to happen next to disrupt this teenage girls life. Llona is a hero worth cheering for. Strong, determined, independent, and compassionate, Llona will do anything to protect those she loves, even at the cost of her own life. Fractured Light is a must read for fans of paranormal—or fans of any genre, for that matter. Don't miss this exciting book from newcomer Rachel McClellan, the new force to be reckoned with in paranormal YA.

Want to find out more about Rachel? Then you'll probably find these links helpful:


Author BlogAuthor Website
Author Facebook
Book Page
Publisher Blog Publisher Facebook Publisher Twitter Publisher GoodReads
I highly suggest you get in line to read this book!!

See who else is on the tour here.

Come to the GEEK GIRL Official Launch Party!

It's finally here, the Launch Party for Geek Girl!
Eborn Books at South Towne Mall 12-3 pm
10450 S State St, Sandy, UT

If you live in the SLC area, please come join us. We will be having lots of fun giveaways - every 10 minutes in fact! You can see some of the swag we'll be giving away in the pic to the left. If your name is drawn, the choice is yours. We'll also have delicious cupcakes FREE from Totally Bodacious Cakes. You don't want to miss out on those! While you're out doing your Christmas shopping, stop by and enter, and have a cupcake on us.

Don't live in the SLC area? Don't count yourself out! I'm going to be having a giveaway here on the blog. Anyone who leaves their name and email in the comments below from now until midnight on Saturday will be entered in a drawing to receive your own swag!

If you can't make it on Saturday, I will be at the SLC Costco on Friday night, December 9, from 5-9 pm. 1818 South 300 West, Salt Lake City. Or you can see what other dates I'll be doing signings here.

It's Official! Geek Girl is Released.

[image error] Today is the official release date for Geek Girl! Many of you know it's been available in a few places for a few weeks now, but as of today it's official.  Here's where you can get it online:

Amazon (Paperback)
Amazon (Kindle)
Barnes & Noble (Paperback)
Cedar Fort (Paperback & Ebook)
My Website (Signed Paperback)


You can purchase it at Costco (SL and WVC stores) for the reduced price of $9.99
It's also at several of the Barnes & Noble bookstores

If you can't find it at your local book retailer, just ask! They can order it in for you.

Fresh Living

I was interviewed by one of the local TV stations, KUTV Channel 2 on their daily show called Fresh Living hosted by Debbie Worthen and Ron Bird. Click here to watch the interview.

Saturday Signing

Come and see me Saturday at Barnes & Noble for Christmas-palooza

Barnes & Noble
10180 S State St, Sandy, Utah
1-4 pm



with these authors:
Wendy Paul
Laura Powell
Melissa Lemon
Heather Frost
Be sure to save next Saturday, December 10 for the official LAUNCH PARTY!
We'll be having drawings every 10 minutes with lots of Giveaways, and a $25 Grand Prize Eborn Books Gift Certificate.
Must be present for the 10 minute drawings, but no need to be there for the Grand Prize drawing (I'll mail that to you)

Give Books Christmas Giveaway Hop

Who doesn't love to receive books for Christmas?

I'm participating in  the Give Books Christmas Giveaway Hop hosted by InkSplasher.

I'm giving away one copy of each of my books: Geek Girl, Heart on a Chain, and Immortal Mine . Just hop on over to each of the book pages to sign up for your entry (don't sign up on this page, you must fill out the forms on each page).

If you live in the US, you have your choice of receiving either a paperback or an ebook from Smashwords or Amazon. If you live outside the US, you will receive an ebook from Smashwords (works on all readers, including your computer).

Enter from now until December 15th.
Here are the links to my giveaways:

Geek Girl

Heart on a Chain

Immortal Mine

Here are the links to other giveaways in the hop: