Mommy's Fun Books

Speedracer: The Movie

2009-07-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

It's a Boy Girl Thing

2009-07-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

I watched this movie with my friend, Shabem. What a cute story. He's a jock and she's a brainiac. They don't like each other very much. Then, one morning, they woke up in each other's bodies. Now, they have to live with. It's a cute love story with comedy thrown in. They're both believable character. I can't believe I didn't notice Kevin Zeger in my other favorite movie, The Jane Austen Book Club.

He might be even cuter than Zac!

Top Five Casts:

Samaire Armstrong ... Nell Bedworth
Kevin Zegers ... Woody Deane
Sherry Miller ... Katherine Bedworth
Robert Joy ... Ted Bedworth
Sharon Osbourne ... Della Deane

He looks like Zac Efron or Zac Efron looks like him.

MICHAEL CONNELLY - THE LINCOLN LAWYER (audio)

2007-10-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

The Lincoln Lawyer (Unabridged Edition)
by Michael Connelly, Adam Grupper (Reader)
Audio CD, Published 2005 by Hachette Audio, Unabridged Edition

10 audio CD, 11 hours 37 minutes

Why I listened to this? My husband found this CD at the library, and really enjoyed it. I listened and was hooked on it too. I'm off to find other Michael Connelly's books.

My rating: 5 ♥

First Sentence:
The morning air off the Mojave in late winter is as clean and crisp as you'll ever breathe in Los Angeles County.

My favorite moment: When Mick, the lawyer, was at the courtroom and used the mine analogy. How the prosecutor had stepped on a mine pin and is afraid to move his feet knowing that some thing's going to detonate.

Book blurb:
A tale about a cynical defense attorney whose one remaining spark of integrity may cost him his life.

The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly (audio)

2009-07-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

The Scarecrow
by Michael Connelly
Read by Peter Giles
Audio CD
List Price: $39.98
Published in 2009
ISBN-10: 1-60024-574-9

This story takes a bit getting used to. It's Peter Giles. He reminds me of my Ethics 101 professor, Dr. Channel. He's a brilliant instructor, but his voice is quite hypnotic. I would even say, soporific. Peter Giles is not that bad. Just that it's got the same rhythm to it. I was going to knit and listen, but I end up scrubbing my floors and listening because otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to finish the story.

This is about Jack McEvoy. He works for Los Angeles Times and is #99 on the workforce reduction list. That last two weeks of his stay, he stumbled into a serial killer investigation. This brings back his former FBI girlfriend because he had no one to turn to. The Scarecrow feeds into my suspicions that on the hands of the wrong person, information superhighway can cause chaos and mayhem.

I like this story, but it isn't my favorite one by this author. Lincoln Lawyer is still one of my most favorite.

Thanks to Anna of Hachette for my copy. You can still win a free copy of this audio until July 21, 2009.

Seven Deadly Wonders by Matthew Reilly

2008-03-05T22:48:00.000-08:00

7 Deadly Wonders
by Matthew Reilly
Audio CD
List Price: $94.95
Published in 2006
ISBN-10: 0-7927-3875-6

This book reads like a movie. Vivid, full of action. However, he's more than a little snippy about America and Americans. Usually, I'm oblivious to this kind of slurs....but I noticed. That's something. Or at least, the book character is. Then of course, he's Australian. The character claimed Aussies to be peaceful people who never stir anybody to war. Come to think of it, I don't know of one. I am not so familiar with hisjavascript:void(0)tory though.

On the other hand, if you ever wonder about the Seven Wonders and what they're good for, then this book is a good tour of it, with a good dose of bullets and high body counts.

Company Man by Joseph Finder

2008-04-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

Company Man
by Joseph Finder
Audio CD
List Price: $49.95
Published in 2005
ISBN-10: 1-59397-595-3

Read more about Joseph Finder here.

This is a wonderful thriller. I listed to the audio, so maybe the reader has something to do with it. This is about a man who was made into CEO of a company, the Stratton Corporation, which makes premium office furniture. This dream job turned sour when he has to lay off half of their workers. He's become the town's favorite man to hate. When his house is vandalized, the cops does not even do a proper investigation.

If I put myself into Nick Conover's shoes, I'll be one stressed out person. His wife died in a car accident, and while recovering from that, the company he works for is going down the drain. I think that the story would have been boring, except that it's written by Joseph Finder, and he never writes boring stories. Worth it to read.

Power Play by Joseph Finder

2008-04-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

Power Play
by Joseph Finder
Audi CD
List Price: $29.95
Published in 2007
ISBN-10: 1-4272-0123-4

This is a story about a man being in the right place and the wrong time. Very suspenseful. Joseph Finder always entertains.

From Publishers Weekly

If Jake Landry, a tough guy with an understanding of airplane engineering and an innate grasp of corporate politics, is too good to be true, he's still fun to watch in this sleek thriller from bestseller Finder (Killer Instinct). A junior executive at California's Hammond Aerospace, Landry possesses a remarkably flexible intelligence, which lands him on a high-end corporate weekend at a lodge called Rivers Inlet, where the new CEO, Cheryl Tobin, discreetly asks Landry to help her identify corrupt executives. Almost immediately, the lodge is assailed by five men who at first appear to be hunters turned vicious at the sight of the weekend participants' enormous wealth. As they interrogate the executives, however, it becomes clear that they know quite a bit about Hammond and its workings. Landry's job, then, is to figure out their purpose as well as rescue the entire crew. Tight, fluid writing more than compensates for the occasional plot implausibility.

The Enemy by Lee Child

2008-08-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

The Enemy (Jack Reacher Novels)
by Lee Child
Dick Hill (Reader)
Audio CD
Published in 2004
ISBN-10: 1-59355-394-3

This is my first Lee Child book. One of my ThisBookForFree winners won the newest title by this author and I got curious. The Enemy is actually the 7th novel, but the event takes place two years before the first book of Jack Reacher series. I decided that it is a good place to start.

I enjoyed it. The reader, Dick Hill, is very engaging and he has this pleasant voice that makes me lost track of time while I'm doing my laundry, scrubbing the floor and all kinds of other things mother of five must do.

The story started with a death of a two star General in a motel on a New Years Eve. I like how I get to hear about MP. Took me a long while to guess whodunit. It's definitely worth listening. I loaded up on the next book, Killing Floor.

Lee Child's Jack Reacher Series

2008-12-11T10:52:00.000-08:00

I love this series too. These are the book in order:

Killing Floor
Die Trying
Tripwire
Running Blind
Without Fail
Persuader
The Enemy ( I read this first because it's a prequel)
One Shot
The Hard Way
Bad Luck and Trouble
Nothing to Loose

Jack Reacher is an awesome character. I am thinking of casting him in an actor, but I can't think of any one who'd be perfect as him. For sure, that actor has to be tall.

Not sure if they're going to make this one into a movie yet, but I sure hope so. I just finished Running Blind, and will start Without Fail when my laundry piles up again. :)

One Shot by Lee Child

2009-01-29T00:09:00.000-08:00

One Shot (Jack Reacher, No. 9)
by Lee Child

I can't believe I'm already on the 9th book of Jack Reacher series. This is a fantastic series. I'm so glad I found out about it. I've been listening to the audio of this book. Dick Hill is a fantastic reader. I hope they pick an actor who sounds like him when they make this series into a movie. I've gotten used to Jack Reacher sounding like him.

In this installment, Jack went to Indiana to find out about a trained military sniper like James Barr who went on a rampage. The slam-dunk case is no more when Jack finds out more and more about the event. I like the twist and turn this story takes. I like how it's always possible for Jack to find help, and it's believable. I almost didn't want this story to end. It's one satisfying read.

Stone Cold (The Camel Club) by David Baldacci Audio CD

2009-07-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

Stone Cold (The Camel Club)
by David Baldacci
Reader: Ron McLarty
Audio CD
List Price: $49.98
Published in 2007
ISBN-10: 1-60024-052-6

This is the second Camel Club book I listened to. I knit while I listen. So, at the end of this book, I have this much finished. I listed to Divine Justice first and didn't like Annabelle very much. But in this book, I like her very much. I understand where's she's coming from. I like Harry Finn's character. He's efficient and smart. I think his character is well-developed. I like Alex Ford. I can't wait to find out more about him in the previous book. I reserved it from the library. I like Ron McLarty as a reader too. He's quite engaging. I'm going to go and find a picture of him now.

Book Summary:

Oliver Stone and the Camel Club are back in their most dangerous adventure yet, a war on two fronts. Casino king Jerry Bagger from THE COLLECTORS is hunting Annabelle Conroy who conned him out of millions. Stone and his colleagues Reuben, Milton, and Caleb marshal all their resources to protect Annabelle. Yet all their skills may not be enough when a deadly new opponent rips off the veneer of Stone's own mysterious past. Bagger's menace pales next to newcomer Harry Finn's lethality. Seeming a normal family-man, Finn has already killed three men with more targets to come. When Finn also sets his bulls-eye on Stone, his reason why will be the greatest shock of all, making readers reconsider their beliefs in good and evil. As bodies and institutions topple, the story rockets toward a shattering finale that will leave the survivors of this explosive tale changed forever.

Divine Justice by David Baldacci Audio CD

2009-07-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

Divine Justice
by David Baldacci
Audio CD
List Price: $44.98
Published in 2008
ISBN-10: 1-60024-428-9

I listened to this book on a lark. I've been trying to assemble David Baldacci's books. I think I have most of them. But sometimes, I'm anal about having all the books then reading them one after another. But, I wanted to take up knitting again. I listed to this and carried around my CD player with me. My iPod happened to stop syncing with my iTunes so CD player it is. What a great read.

The book start out with Oliver Stone, not his real name, running and hiding. He just killed two high profile government people. He ended in this small town, right into a nest of murdering drug dealers. The action never stops. I like this story very much. I'm probably going to read/listen more of Baldacci's stories.

Other books in the series:
The Camel Club (2005) | The Collectors (2006) | Stone Cold (2007) | Divine Justice (2008)

UP May Not Be a Book

2009-06-06T06:33:00.000-07:00

Up may not be a book, but it's a fantastic movie. I cried in more than one place in it. I love it! Have you seen it?

Top Five Casts:

Edward Asner ... Carl Fredricksen (voice) (as Ed Asner)
Christopher Plummer ... Charles Muntz (voice)
Jordan Nagai ... Russell (voice)
Bob Peterson ... Dug / Alpha (voice)
Delroy Lindo ... Beta (voice)

Poseidon (2006)

2009-06-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

I saw this movie last Tuesday on Netflix Instant Play. I didn't bother watching it when it came out because, well, it wasn't that appealing to me then. I'm not much into movies, but it's amazing that I've been watching more of them lately than ever. I think my books are positively forlorn that I have not been spending as much time with them as I used to.

This movie is exciting, scary and fun. All things that makes a movie glue you to your seat. My daughter was cowering next to me, but of course, she stayed and watched. It was a fun movie. It was all things a movie should be. I wished now that I had watched it on big screen.

I think that I might just go ahead and pull a rabbit out of a hat. My husband wants this 73" screen TV. I'm with him on that now...where before I couldn't see the point. We have three working TV. So, we're shopping for that big screen TV now.

Top Five Casts:

Josh Lucas ... Dylan Johns
Kurt Russell ... Robert Ramsey
Jacinda Barrett ... Maggie James
Richard Dreyfuss ... Richard Nelson
Emmy Rossum ... Jennifer Ramsey

The Proposal - Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds

2009-06-20T07:54:00.000-07:00

I went to see this movie with my husband yesterday. I had so much fun. I think Sandra Bullocks makes great romantic comedy movies. She and Ryan Reynolds makes the screen sizzle. It was a pleasure to watch a good film and be entertained. There are many laugh out loud moments. There are also some tender moments that makes me teary-eyed. I will watch this movie again.

Top Five Casts:

Sandra Bullock ... Margaret Tate
Ryan Reynolds ... Andrew Paxton
Mary Steenburgen ... Grace Paxton
Craig T. Nelson ... Joe Paxton
Betty White ... Grandma Annie

I don't know how long this link will last, but I like this scene. Funny!

City of Ember

2008-10-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

The City of Ember (Books of Ember)
by Jeanne DuPrau
Paperback
List Price: $6.99
Published in 2008
ISBN-10: 0-385-73628-2

My daughter and I went to see this movie last Friday. I have no idea what it's all about until I was watching it. It's a story about people living under the earth. I didn't quite catch why they had to live way down under.

It's always nighttime in the city of Ember. Their light source is light bubls which run on cranky and failing generator. The children have education, but instead of graduation day, they have 'Assignment Day'. After 'graduation', the kids gets their life job. Doon Harrow and Lina Mayfleet became a pipe assistant and messenger.

Like any other civilization, there's always that forward thinking individual who thinks there's something better out there. These two were inquisitive, and curious enough to find out what's out there. I have not read the book, but the movie was good.

Top Five Cast:

David Ryall ... Chief Builder
Ian McElhinney ... Builder
Harry Treadaway ... Doon Harrow
Tim Robbins ... Loris Harrow
Bill Murray ... Mayor Cole

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

2008-03-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

The Other Boleyn Girl (Movie Tie-In)
by Philippa Gregory
Paperback
List Price: $16.00
Published in 2008
ISBN-10: 1-4165-6060-2

My husband and I saw this movie last Tuesday night. It was great, we have the whole theater to ourselves. We could have spiced up our date, except that the whole theater was freezing. We snuggled for warmth, it was too cold for anything else.

I've heard a few people were disappointed with this movie. Mostly, people who are familiar with the story, and who are history buffs. It's based on a novel written by Philippa Gregory. I love the book. It's written well. I like Natalie Portman's role in this film. I think she did it well. Eric Bana is very yummy, and Scarlett did a wonderful job being the 'nice' sister.

If you really want to have fun with this movie, forgot history, forget everything else. Just enjoy the movie itself. Then it's a great movie.

Top Five Credits:

Natalie Portman ... Anne Boleyn
Scarlett Johansson ... Mary Boleyn
Eric Bana ... Henry Tudor
Jim Sturgess ... George Boleyn
Mark Rylance ... Sir Thomas Boleyn

Arthur's April Fool (Arthur Adventure Series) by Marc Brown

2008-10-01T04:28:00.000-07:00

I'm doing homework with my 7 years old every night from Monday to Thursday. We read books together every night of the week. Sometimes, the other kids would join us, other times, it's just us. Last night, we were reading a book that Yoav borrowed from the library. The story is about Arthur's fear of Tank, a giant, hulking boy who's a bully. When Arthur was performing a magic show, Tank volunteered just to intimated Arthur. Well, Arthur found his bravado at last. Here are the parts that made my kids laugh.

Arthur: Let me saw this man in half.
Tank pales and backs away.
Arthur: Give me my saw Francine. Here's the bucket to catch the blood...
Tank fell off the stage.

Letters from a Desperate Dog by Eileen Christelow

2008-09-07T04:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast he's growing. Almost 2 and a half. He hasn't mastered the art of talking quite yet, but it doesn't stop him from trying. Yesterday, he was standing on my knees and called out to his siblings. "Look at me, Yoel." I was so tickled.

When we were reading Letters from a Desperate Dog by Eileen Christelow, he's reading right there alongside me. It's like an echo. When I realized this, I read in shorter sentences to give him time to catch up. Now, he can't wait 'til we read to the kids next. He'll come to me with a book and say, "Come everybody, time to read." Then he echoes alongside me for the duration of the story. My children loves this story of a dog who is desperate to please his master who always seems to be bellowing about something or the other. We've read this book many times since we 'discovered' it a few days ago.

Vince Flynn Signing

2008-11-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

11/03/2008
Barnes & Noble , 7700 West Northwest Hwy, Dallas, TX 75225
7:00 p.m.

Yay! I love this Barnes and Noble location because it's in the same row as Cheesecake Factory, Red Door by Elizabeth Arden, Container Store (not that I have any intention of going there anytime soon), and Tom Thumb. It's also right across North Park Mall.

I was just checking on audible what's new with Vince Flynn. I wanted to get unabridged audio book for my iPod. It's great company when I'm sorting my closet, or folding the laundry. I'm quite new to his Mitch Rapp character. I like that guy. I like his reader. I especially like him in Transfer of Power.

These are the order of Mitch Rapp books.
Term Limits, Transfer of Power, The Third Option, Separation of Power, Executive Power, Memorial Day, Consent to Kill, Act of Treason, Protect and Defend, Extreme Measures

Here's the quandary. I'm about to buy the audio of this book from audible. If I buy a book, it's not because I have time to read it anytime soon. So, I guess I can purchase a signed copy for my This Book For Free site. Except this is a heavy hardcover, so I'll have to limit my winner to local. Hmm. What's a girl to do?!

Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp Series

2008-12-14T10:38:00.000-08:00

This is the order of the book:

Term Limits,
Transfer of Power,
The Third Option,
Separation of Power,
Executive Power,
Memorial Day,
Consent to Kill,
Act of Treason,
Protect and Defend,
Extreme Measures.

I'm listening to Third Option audio cassette right now. It's the only unabridged I can find. I might actually have to read the first and second book. I like this character very much.

And yes, this is going to be a movie, soon.

Third Option by Vince Flynn

2008-12-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

The Third Option
by Vince Flynn

I listened to the audio cassette version read by Nick Sullivan. He's a great reader, and it's really important for me to have a reader I like. There's some books that I like, but the reader just kills it for me. Nick Sullivan is a wonderful reader.

This book opened with Mitch Rapp in Germany about to take care of some baddies. Unfortunately, the mission didn't go too well as his team member had a different assignment. He got shot, and now he must find the killer and find out why all this happened. I like the pace, it's quite exciting, so I'm going to listen the next book in the series I can get my hands on. I noticed that I haven't been finishing my romance novels lately. I wonder if I'm aging and this is what's happening.

Amazon.com Review

Rancorous political infighting surrounds the selection of a successor to the dying head of the CIA just as Mitch Rapp, the agency's top operative, embarks on a dangerous mission to take out a well-known German industrialist believed to be supplying Middle East terrorists with highly sensitive equipment critical to constructing a nuclear bomb. When Rapp's ultimately successful mission is compromised from within, ailing CIA director Thomas Stansfield puts his imprimatur on the efforts of his chosen successor, Irene Kennedy, director of the agency's Counterterrorism Center, to identify the powerful interests both inside and outside the agency that wanted Rapp to fail.
The motive soon becomes clear; there are people who'll stop at nothing to remove Kennedy from the helm of the agency after Stansfield dies. One thing they didn't count on was Rapp's survival, and now he's a lethal weapon whose sights are fixed directly on the most powerful among them. This is a strong, swift thriller, a bit predictable (the senator in the black hat has dogs named Caesar and Brutus) but nonetheless involving. Author Vince Flynn sustains the dramatic tension from the opening paragraph to the last; in Mitch Rapp, he's got the makings of a promising series hero. --Jane Adams

Sherrilyn Kenyon - The Dream-Hunter (A Dream-Hunter Novel, Book 1)

2007-10-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

First sentence:
Completely motionless, Megeara Saatsakis stood on the edge of a cliff looking out on waters so perfectly blue they were almost painful to behold.

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (February 6, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0312938810

My rating: 3 ♥

I bought this book from Romance Writer of America signing. I waited in line for half and hour and bought this book and the author signed it. I also bought some books for my friend in the Philippines, but I don't think she got it yet. I mailed it in July and she still haven't gotten it. I guess it's really lost now.

Anyways, I am confused about timelines in this book. You see, in the Dark Hunter series, Nick was already dead, and here at the end of the book, he's an 18 year old again, and none of the Dark Hunters were married yet.

This is where you can find the correct reading order of this series.

Book Blurb:
In the ethereal world of dreams, there are champions who fight to protect the dreamer and there are demons who prey on them...

Arik is such a predator. Condemned by the gods to live eternity without emotions, Arik can only feel when he’s in the dreams of others. For thousands of years, he’s drifted through the human unconscious, searching for sensation. Now he’s finally found a dreamer whose vivid mind can fill his emptiness.

Dr. Megeara Kafieri watched her father ruin himself and his reputation as he searched to prove Atlantis was real. Her deathbed promise to him to salvage his reputation has now brought her to Greece where she intends to prove once and for all that the fabled island is right where her father said it was. But frustration and bad luck dog her every step. Especially the day they find a stranger floating in the sea. His is a face she’s seen many times.... in her dreams.

What she doesn’t know is that Arik holds more than the ancient secrets that can help her find the mythical isle of Atlantis. He has made a pact with the god Hades: In exchange for two weeks as a mortal man, he must return to Olympus with a human soul. Megeara’s soul.

With a secret society out to ruin her expedition, and mysterious accidents that keep threatening her life, Megeara refuses to quit. She knows she’s getting closer to Atlantis and as she does, she stumbles onto the truth of what Arik really is.

For Arik his quest is no longer simple. No human can know of a Dream-Hunter’s existence. His dream of being mortal has quickly turned into his own nightmare and the only way to save himself will be to sacrifice the very thing he wanted to be human for. The only question is, will he?

Other book in this series:
Upon The Midnight Clear (A Dream-Hunter Novel, Book 2)

Books Dark Hunter series:
Fantasy Lover
Dragonswan
Night Pleasures
Night Embrace
Midnight Pleasures*
Dance with the Devil
Kiss of the Night
Night Play
Stroke of Midnight*
Seize the Night
Sins of the Night
Unleash the Night
The Dark Side of the Moon
Devil-May Cry

Sherrilyn Kenyon - Devil May Cry

2007-11-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

Sherrilyn Kenyon - Devil May Cry
(A Dark-Hunter Novel, Book 11)
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 0312369506 [Buy it here]

Rating: 5 ♥
First Sentence: Vengeance

Why I read it: Because it's a series I've been reading since a friend of mine have asked me to look for the one of it's title. I am hooked even since.

Favorites: Every time Ash and Simi is mentioned. I just love the way Simi would refer to Artemis as that Bitch Goddess. Love it!

I also feel the story has more depth. Kat's story is so fascinating. The Sumarians are wonderful. I care what happens to them. The characters are not whinny. I just enjoyed the book. It's might be one of my favorites of the series, like Night Play.

Acheron (Dark-Hunter, Book 12) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

2008-08-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

Acheron (Dark-Hunter, Book 12)
by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Hardcover
Buy it Here
Published in 2008
ISBN-10: 0-312-36215-3

Finally, the most awaited book of all Dark-Hunter is here, and it didn't disappoint. I read it in two days, because I still have five children to watch, but I basically have stop doing everything else. Thank goodness my mother is here, or the laundry would be unbelievably high.

This book is almost 800 pages, and I wish there was more. I wanted more of Simi, and more of Ash, and more of everything. I think I'll still buy and read this book if it were 2,000 pages long. I finally get to see the 3D version of that b!+**-goddess Artemis, as Simi likes to call her.

Now, I feel like I want to go back to book one and make the journey and read the whole series again. Unfortunately, my MIL have my collection, and she ain't very happy with me at the moment. I have low tolerance for BS, and I guess we finally have our first 'ignoring-each-other' thing. Fine by me, but drat if it isn't inconvinient. Now, I have to buy the whole collection again. Bummer.

I would say more about this book, but I just don't know what to talk about without giving away the story.