Goodreads

Are you all on goodreads.com? If not, you should be. It's sort of like facebook, but for literature. You can start book club groups, get recommendations from your friends and read their reviews of other books and also write your own reviews.

One of my favorite things about that website is you can add books to a "to-read" list. I love this because I always forget what books I'm planning on reading. I'll hear about something that sounds great, and swing by the library or Barnes and Noble and my mind will go completely blank. With goodreads it's so easy to check and then actually get what you want!

Another fun things about goodreads is the giveaway section. Pre-released books are listed for giveaways by publishers and authors and you can enter to win. One day I spent a lot of time entering a bunch and a few weeks later I got an email saying I had won one of them! I was SO excited because I never win anything. I know a lot of people say that but I really don't.

I was pretty excited when the book arrived in the mail. Especially after I got over how creepy it looks. It also came with a book poster and I've really been enjoying myself switching out the photo below in other peoples frames.

I'm looking forward to reading it because I think if I hadn't won it I never would have chosen it. I'll let you all know how it turns out!

In Bentley's Defense

Ha! No, I'm not really defending him. Can you imagine? You are looking at the most hated man in Utah right now. Probably. I'm trying to think of someone that could beat him out for that number one position and I can't, so you're looking at him. What a douche right?

The new season of the Bachelorette is now in full swing and all anyone can talk about is Bentley Williams. Sightings of him are everywhere, although I have yet to see him myself yet. Rumors are floating around that his business is in trouble, the very business he went on The Bachelorette to promote. Karma? Bitch? You got it.

I think maybe in some small way, I actually do feel for him. His behaviour is probably perfectly acceptable in the right context. One can only imagine the girls with low self esteem and high volume hair he must gallivant around with. Coming from that atmosphere of course the boy has no idea how to behave like a normal person. I like to think that although he would obviously come away scarred from the experience, he probably had no idea that the public would react to the extent that they did. Basically falling short of torches and pitchforks.*

He probably went on the show thinking that Emily would be the next Bachelorette (his perfect woman, no doubt) and then had to contend with Ashley. Weren't we all thinking the same thing when Ashley was announced? I know I didn't like her at all in Brad's season and I sure as heck wasn't excited for her to have her own. But after the premiere all that changed. Those annoying habits weren't quite as annoying. The hideous mom hair she had roll brushed to death was now fixed with extensions. I even found myself liking her.

Too bad for Bentley he couldn't do the same. Instead, I think he threw in the towel and decided to try and beat Team Bachelor at their own game. He knows the show is ridiculous, so why not try and make a total mockery of "being there for the right reasons." Being a douche seemed to come pretty easily for him and as he began to show his true colors and try to force the idea down our throats that he was a villain (Ok ok, we get it. You're a jerk) the more ridiculous his being there became. Fortunately, even he seemed to start sensing that and decided he better get the hell out of there- lest the producers start watching any of his testimonials and tell Ashley and force him into an actual confrontation.

Fortunately for us, it looks like he will be making another appearance next week. Let's hope that Ashley can finally put this issue to bed and get on with finding love. Not literally to bed. Seriously, DO NOT give it up to Bentley, Ashley.

On a different note if Bentley turns out to be one of the three guys from Ashley's season that will be on the Bachelor Pad this Summer, let me go on record for saying that this is the greatest life ever.

*I like to think that I would be a real key player in a mob. Get everybody really riled up.

Nostalgia, thy name is Super 8

If you're like me, you haven't really heard much buzz about this movie "Super 8." You may have watched the trailer, wondered what it was about and promptly forgot you ever saw it. Then one morning as you were brushing your teeth you listened to a movie critic on the radio describe how he felt as he watched Super 8. Something would stir within you. What was it he had said? Something about a "Spielberg feeling." Your interest would be piqued and you would decide to see it that very night.

You would NOT regret it. Spielberg feeling is right! Within the first 20 minutes of this movie something just felt right. It felt like puzzle pieces were coming together to fit perfectly to form a path as you were walking along it. It was just well made.

Set in a tiny town in 1979, the movie is about a group of kids that are making a film about zombies and then witness a train accident that changes their lives. Think E.T. meets Stand By Me. The story plays out in a sort of familiar way, characters that are vulnerable and captivating - it really feels like something that you may have seen before, but in a good way. That Spielberg feeling that was mentioned before? I think I can define it as a feeling of nostalgia and comfort while being taken back to an era by someone that really knows how to make good movies. There were a handful of moments where I struggled, but then I just let myself surrender and get carried away with the story.

One of the greatest things about this movie is the cast. Who are these kids? The characters are so endearing and the dialogue is so witty and funny. I've never seen any of them in anything before and they were positively refreshing. By the end of the movie I was really happy just imagining the careers they had ahead of them.

So, go check it out. I think it's definitely worth paying full price for.

Top Ten Thursday (on Friday): Summer reading list

I believe that in order to have a successful Summer reading list, you have to keep it simple. It's too difficult to dive into a heavy classic while laying in the sun by the pool or at the beach. I define a good Summer read as something entertaining, nothing too heavy but definitely a page turner and something that fits right along with my vacations and sunshine. So without further ado- my top ten book recommendations for you this Summer.

1. The Help, by Katherine Stockett. Set in a great time period- the 1960's- there are lots of reasons to read this book. Great story, great characters, and a great looking movie coming out in a few weeks.

2. The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton. I actually have yet to read this book but I can tell it definitely has a place on a Summer reading list. It sounds like a beautifully written story laced with dark fairy tales and mystery.

3. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. If you have not gotten on t

his train yet, it's time. In addition to being a page turner it strays slightly from the typical series formula and can make for some interesting discussions. It is being made into a movie as well and it will be great to see how they show certain parts.

4. Bossypants, by Tina Fey. "Once in a generation a woman comes along who changes everything. Tina Fey is not that woman, but she met that woman once and acted weird around her." It takes a rare book for me to step out from my beloved fiction genre to non-fiction, and this is one of those books. I just love Tina fey.

5. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman. You've probably always loved this movie and possibly even heard what a funny book it is to read, but now is the time to actually read it. Romantic. Funny. Adventurous.

Everything the movie is and more.

6. The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson. Yet another book that lured me over to non-fiction, this book is written in a narrative style that kept me reading and wanting more. It doesn't hurt that I have a secret fascination with serial killers.

7. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Another one that I have yet to read this but I've heard nothing but good things. Another great find in young adult fiction and it's narrated by death. Death.

8. The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss. Who doesn't love a good science fiction? I have heard lots of good things about this book, and if you're looking for something a little different then your regular line-up I think you should give it a try.

9. The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale. I found this book to be a fairly typical young adult novel mixed with pleasant pretty little surprises. If you love an easy, entertaining read you'll love this one.

10. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley. I saved the best for last. This book is such a quick, charming read and I loved the time I spent with it. It features Flavia De Luce, an 11 year old amateur sleuth who is determined to clear her Father's name in a murder investigation. Her voice proves to be a very humorous narrative and I couldn't help but think how I wanted her to be my friend. Definitely pick it up.

Top 10 Thursday: Good Chemistry

They either have it, or they don’t.

Ever wonder what’s the little something that’s missing between Reese Witherspoon and Luke Wilson in Legally Blonde? Or Ralph Fiennes and Jennifer Lopez in Maid in Manhattan? It’s chemistry. (In all fairness, Maid needs more help than chemistry. Like screenplay, plot, casting…)

It’s not just for the love interests, either. It must be present among all the characters or else the movie doesn’t work, in which case the love story has no chance at all. I imagine it's an insanely tricky thing to capture as a filmmaker. And it's subjective. For instance, Mindy doesn't think Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock have any chemistry in Two Weeks Notice, but I think they do.

There can be good chemistry in bad movies, and bad chemistry in good movies. There can be great actors who have horrible chemistry with some people, and vice versa. Tricky.

What couples sizzle on screen? Here are my movie picks:

10. Jane Eyre (BBC 2006 version).

9. Hitch: but not Will Smith and Eva Mendes. It was Kevin James and Amber Valletta that stole the show with their funny but sweet connection.

8. Emma: Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam version.

7. Enchanted

6. Moulin Rouge

5. Mr. and Mrs. Smith

4. You've Got Mail

3. The Notebook

2. Much Ado about Nothing

and my favorite poster-child for good chemistry is...

1. Dan in Real Life

Before Dan in Real Life, if someone had told me that Steve Carrell and Juliette Binoche would have good chemistry in anything I would have laughed in their face. I don’t know how Steve and Juliette sizzle at all, but they do. It’s quite the slow sizzle, but it’s definitely there. It builds in the very chaste “shower” scene, during the aerobics workout, and culminates into undeniable longing the morning after he sings at the family talent show, when she whispers heatedly, “What am I supposed to do now?” Bravo.

Ah, chemistry. The class in high school that I received my all-time lowest grade. But as a movie element, I’d like to think I can figure you out.

What are some of your favorite couples with chemistry?