Tag: tv

Books, great reads, Out of the Box Blogs

Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter by: Randy L. Schmidt

Les

little girl

**THIS ONE IS MORE OF MY FEELINGS AND OPINION OF KAREN AND HER LIFE, THAN THE BOOK**

To be honest I forgot that my Goodreads is attached to the blog, and the whole world sees what I read. Kind of strange to think about it now. This is a book I read for me and my mother. She loved Karen Carpenter, and thought she was a victim of circumstance and an overbearing family as well as the fame.

This book dives into her entire life, even the not so glamorous times, and the low points. There are a lot of interviews with her friends in this book, which is the reason I decided to read it. I know the music, but who was she? My take on Karen is she was a beautiful soul looking for unconditional love, and a life as a wife and mother that she could be proud of. She had this amazing gift, that voice was so unique and so recognizable. I didn’t  know until this book that she recorded a solo album while Richard was in Rehab for his addiction issues. While reading this book told by some of her closest friends, there were times when I was so mad for her. I was so angry, when I found out about the solo album, and then to find out they made her shelf it. They told her it wasn’t good enough. I think they were afraid. They were afraid to release it. What made me the most mad was that they released it after her death. My favorite Karen Carpenter song is on this album. I wish she could have seen how many people loved that album.

So many people controlling her life and micromanaging her. She was already a perfectionist when it came to her singing. The constant comments about her weight in the beginning, to the butting in of her relationships with men. She never had a moments peace. When she found out the truth about her fiancé being a fraud, it is said she wanted to cancel the wedding. Her friend claims her mother wouldn’t here of it, too many invitations had gone out. It would have been too embarrassing. So she married a con man who blew almost all her money, and it is said he even told her ” Look at you, I would never have a child with you, you look sick. Nothing but skin and bones, how can I love that”. It is no wonder she sought refuge in the few who did love her as she was. She tried to be perfect on the outside in front of the world, but she forgot to love herself. This is why my mother told me this story, so I can always remember to love myself first.

She tried to fight her bulimia and anorexia, she was doing well, but she just couldn’t get that monkey off her back. Some friends say she was taking a prescription medicine, instead of her usual laxatives, but some friends truly thought she had beaten it. Some say she was doing so well. Her autopsy says she did have the prescription in her system, but some say it was because she was sick. I say no matter what we lost a great artist, and an amazing woman, who never got to live up to her full potential.  I listen to her music almost daily, and I am saddened by the fact that she didn’t get to see how many people still listen even now.

Here is my favorite song from her solo album. I hope you enjoy it. *of course I do not own the rights to this song*

Peace,

Les

Books, funny, great reads, indie author, Kissing booth, Movies, Out of the Box Blogs, Romance

The Kissing Booth the movie and the book by: Beth Reekles

Les

Original Book Cover                              Movie Cover

Hey everyone! I just watched the movie The Kissing Booth on Netflix. I realized it was based on the book by Beth Reekles. I have a story about this book, so I thought I would share.

I used to read a lot of stories on WattPad. If you’re not familiar with WattPad, it is an app where people share their stories, and others can read them. They are normally unfinished stories that are updated every week or so. So every week you get a new chapter, and you give feed back on what you liked or didn’t like. I actually found a lot of great stories on there, and every so often I pop back in the app to see what is new.

I found the story ” The Kissing Booth” one day, I think it had maybe 2 chapters done at the time, and it grabbed my attention. So every time I would get a notification that it had been updated, I would drop what I was doing , or reading and read my new chapter. I was really into this book. I liked the characters and also story line.

Fast Forward and Beth makes an announcement that she has an offer and will be publishing her story. This is kind of a close knit group that have been growing with the characters and the story, so we are hella excited for her! I love supporting new and indie authors, so as soon as it came out I bought the paperback. Funniest thing: I never read the paperback! I was always afraid that they may have edited out some of my favorite parts.

All of a sudden Harper Sloan (another author) makes a post about watching the movie The Kissing Booth. I am like, WAIT!!! It’s a movie now? I got super excited and swore I would watch it. But lets be honest, I work in tourism and this is busy season, and I have a company to run. (For anyone who didn’t know Kar and I are both in tourism, and both run companies, hence why we fall off the grid sometimes)  Meanwhile, my daughter is watching a movie on her phone in the car, and I ask what she is watching. She replies, “The Kissing Booth, and it is really good”. So, tonight I cooked dinner and kicked everyone out of my family room, including the husband, (not a family room tonight! It’s my room) and I watched the movie.

I LOVED IT!! It stayed pretty true to what I remember from the book. I mean it was published in 2012, so I read the original draft before that, so I don’t remember every detail. I have added it to my list on Netflix, so I can watch it again and again. My daughter has watched it 3 times already, so look at me being cool, and now she is reading the book! I love it when I can get her to read books I have read and we can talk about them.

Has anyone read the book and seen the movie as well? What are your thoughts? Should I read the published book? I am still scared of that one.

 

Peace,

Les

Books, fantasy, great reads, Out of the Box Blogs, Reviews, Romance

Who is going to see 50 Shades darker?

Les

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So who is going to see the movie 50 Shades Darker? I am just wondering. I am going to see it.

I was rereading the book “Grey”yesterday and I was thinking about doing a piece on all the books and the movies so far.

I am just going to say this, I am not recapping the books in the piece, people know what happened.

I actually like the 50 shades of Grey books. Funny thing is that I like them, but I absolutely dislike Anastasia. Which is terrible since she is the main character and it is written from her perspective. She annoys me to no end. She is whinny, and tries to stand her ground at the wrong times, and because of it shit happens and she wonders why he is angry.

I think Christian is messed up too, however I think he is more of an adult than Ana. I also just like him more. He does need to let go, but damn he is trying to have a dominate/submissive relationship here. Bad idea on his part to ask Ana the cry baby to do that.

The movie: The movie was bad! I was so disappointed. The soundtrack was really good. They cut too much and Christian looked like nothing more than a rich stalker/abusive control freak. The Actors are all wrong for this movie. Jamie Dornan may be hot, but he looks like he is struggling to play his role. He looks like he is in pain most of the time or like he is going to throw up. Dakota Johnson is even worse. Am I the only one who was trying to figure out why she was moaning all the time in the sex scenes before he ever really touches her? It was so annoying and they made her seem stronger than she was in the book, but also made her seem less smart. These people look nothing like the book describes them at all. They butchered this book and I think that is why E.L. James has taken over for the second and third movies. Hopefully these will be better!

I know what your thinking. If I disliked the movie and the main character so much, why am I going to see the second movie? Well, I am seeing it to give them a second chance, and because I freaking love Christian Grey and I am hoping they will do a better job of portraying him this time.

 

I love the book “Grey” from Christian’s perspective. It was a breath of fresh air to get out of Ana’s inner monologue. His thoughts are crazy sometimes, but others make me laugh. Like when he is like “I still want this, why I don’t know. She is so difficult.” I was like I keep asking myself the same thing, Christian.

Before anyone comments, It is so poorly written, I don’t know how anyone could read it. Well, I have read way worse, and I have read way better. I tend to like the story line and whether or not I can let myself run away with it. If I can picture the characters, or relate to them and see them as possibly being real, then I will read it anyway. I am faithful to one author, whose books always have errors. I love her stories and she is great at telling them.

So I think this turned into a rant! Oh well!

Peace,

Les

Out of the Box Blogs

Doctor Who

Karen

Sometimes when I’m reading and working constantly my brain hits a point where it just refuses to take in any more information. I’ve discovered that when I hit my “reading wall” is when I can have 10 fascinating books to chose from to read and I have no desire to read any. So I take a break for a day or two and don’t pick up a book. Well how do I blog about books when I’m not reading? I thought first I could write about something I’ve read in the past, but I’m just feeling bleh about that whole idea. And then it dawned on me, Doctor Who premiers tonight. I’m pretty stoked, yes yes I’m a Whovian as well as a trekkie, one with the force and a lover of anything the ends in the word comic. You did notice the word geek in my website address right? But since I am trying to keep it reader friendly I want to leave you one of my favorite quotes, not from the doctor believe it or not, but from Steven Moffat (a writer and producer of the revamp):

“I find it’s bizarre that science fiction is the one branch of television to push the idea of strong female characters. And I only call it bizarre because strong women aren’t fiction.”

Thanks for making strong female characters science fiction, in t.v. and in books (I’m including fantasy in this little rant) I appreciate it!