Monday, April 15, 2013

My Picks of the Week! (April 16th)

Hello, Muses!

Again, not much, but here are this week's new releases. Hoping to post a new book & movie review by the middle to end of the week. Keep your fingers crossed!

Best Wishes,






BOOKS (April 16th-17th)


ADULT

His to Command
by: Opal Carew

First published as a six-part e serial novel, His to Command is the scorching tale of one woman’s surrender at the hands of a dominant billionaire.  Now available for the first time as a complete book, this edition features sizzling new bonus material.  Meet a man who’s gorgeous, wealthy, powerful, and who demands just one thing—his lover’s complete submission.  Now she’s about to place herself under his command—heart, body and soul. 

Kate is a modern businesswoman who knows exactly how to run her well-organized world. But underneath her professional exterior lurks a secret that she’s been running from for years—a fierce desire to be dominated that both exhilarates and terrifies her.  And there’s only one man who’s ever tempted her to lose control.

Powerful executive Matthew Pearce gave Kate her first taste of what it means to surrender completely at the hands of a dominant man, and she's never been able to forget. Though she’s spent years trying to outrun her feelings for him, a chance encounter changes everything . . . and this time she might not be able to escape. Deciding to give in to her deepest desires, Kate agrees to spend a week at Matt’s mansion exploring her submissive side under his masterful instruction. Just when she starts to fall deeper and harder for him than ever before, a terrible secret from his past threatens to tear them apart, and Kate must decide whether to finally trust Matt with her heart . . . or leave him behind forever.


Release Date: 16th April 2013


Red Sunset (Blue Moon, #2)
by: Rowena Sudbury

Finding love in the wrestling arena is unlikely, and a relationship based on the illusion of control isn't easy. Scott O’Doul and Brad Fraser have managed both: one night under a blue moon's light they found they meant more to each other than either expected. Their comfortable world is shattered when Brad is released, and he must head to Japan if he wants to keep wrestling. The work is exciting but lonely—six weeks seems an eternity. Once Brad and Scott reunite, they vacation at a lakeside cabin and find the miles apart have brought them closer—but they’ll need courage if illusion of control is to become the heart of love.

Release Date: 16th April 2013


The Sky Is Dead
by: Sue Brown

Danny is young, gay, and homeless. He lives in the park, preferring to avoid attention, but when thugs confront a stranger, Danny rushes to his rescue. He and the would-be victim, Harry, form a cautious friendship that deepens months later, when Harry persuades Danny to visit his home. Daring to believe he has found happiness, Danny finds his world turned upside down yet again when tragedy strikes.

Until he runs out of options, Danny won’t trust anyone. Finally he has to accept the offer of a home, and Danny becomes David, but adjusting to a new life isn’t easy. When he meets the mysterious Jack, it stirs up feelings he thought were long gone. Can David dare to allow himself to love? Or will the truth bring his new world tumbling down around him?

Release Date: 17th April 2013


Wicked Cravings (Phoenix Pack, #2)
by: Suzanne Wright

Despite having been besotted with Dante Garcea since she was a child, wolf shifter Jaime Farrow figures that it’s time to move past the crush. If he wanted her, he wouldn’t have ignored her flirtatious behavior, right? Hiding her intense attraction to him isn’t easy – especially now that they're part of the same pack again – but with bigger issues to worry about and with the submissive wolf act to maintain, Jaime is resolute on moving forward. Now if only the workaholic control-freak would let her…

As the pack Beta, Dante doesn't have the space or time in his life for a relationship. As such, he ignores his intense hunger for the willful – and sometimes crazy – Jaime. Yet when her flirtations abruptly end, Dante finds that he doesn’t like losing her attention. He finds something else too – Jaime's hiding something. Determined to uncover her secret, he sets out to break through her defenses, even though being around her intensifies his cravings for her. What he finds is a problem that Jaime is convinced not even a powerful Beta can solve.

 
Release Date: 16th April 2013



YOUNG ADULT

Breath (Riders of the Apocalypse, #4)
by: Jackie Morse Kessler

Contrary to popular belief, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse aren’t just harbingers of doom—they actually keep life in balance. But what happens when their leader and creator, Death, becomes suicidal?

Before the first living thing drew its first gasping breath, he was there. He has watched humanity for millennia. And he has finally decided that humanity is not worth the price he has paid time and again. When Death himself gives up on life, a teenager named Xander Atwood is the world’s only hope. But Xander bears a secret, one that may bring about the end of everything.

This heart-pounding final installment of the Riders of the Apocalypse series looks at the value of life, the strength of love, and how a small voice can change everything . . . forever.

 
Release Date: 16th April 2013


Dead Silence (Body Finder, #4)
by: Kimberly Derting

Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go.

When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself


Release Date: 16th April 2013


Furious
by: Jill Wolfson

Three high school girls become the avenging Furies of Greek legend.

We were only three angry girls, to begin with. Alix, the hot-tempered surfer chick; Stephanie, the tree-hugging activist; and me, Meg, the quiet foster kid, the one who never quite fit in. We hardly knew each other, but each of us nurtured a burning anger: at the jerks in our class, at our disappointing parents, at the whole flawed, unjust world.

We were only three angry girls, simmering uselessly in our ocean-side California town, until one day a mysterious, beautiful classmate named Ambrosia taught us what else we could be: Powerful. Deadly. Furious.


Release Date: 16th April 2013


Game (Jasper Dent, #2)
by: Barry Lyga

I Hunt Killers introduced the world to Jasper (Jazz) Dent, the son of the world's most infamous serial killer.

When a desperate New York City detective comes knocking on Jazz's door asking for help with a new case, Jazz can't say no. The Hat-Dog Killer has the Big Apple--and its police force running scared with no leads. So Jazz and his girlfriend Connie hop on a plane to the big city and get swept up in a killer's murderous game.

Meanwhile, Jazz's dad Billy is watching...and waiting.



Release Date: 16th April 2013


The Milk of Birds
by: Sylvia Whitman

This timely, heartrending novel tells the moving story of a friendship between two girls: one an American teen, one a victim of the crisis in Darfur.

Know that there are many words behind the few on this paper...

Fifteen-year-old Nawra lives in Darfur, Sudan, in a camp for refugees displaced by the Janjaweed’s trail of murder and destruction. Nawra cannot read or write, but when a nonprofit organization called Save the Girls pairs her with an American donor, Nawra dictates her thank-you letters. Putting her experiences into words begins to free her from her devastating past—and to brighten the path to her future.

K. C. is an American teenager from Richmond, Virginia, who hates reading and writing—or anything that smacks of school. But as Nawra pours grief and joy into her letters, she inspires K. C. to see beyond her own struggles. And as K. C. opens her heart in her responses to Nawra, she becomes both a dedicated friend and a passionate activist for Darfur.

In this poetic tale of unlikely sisterhood, debut author Sylvia Whitman captures the friendship between two girls who teach each other compassion and share a remarkable bond that bridges two continents.


Release Date: 16th April 2013

Taken (Taken, #1)
by: Erin Bowman

There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?


Release Date: 16th April 2013


True (Elixir, #3)
by: Hilary Duff

The epic love story of Clea and Sage comes to its thrilling conclusion in the final book in the Elixir series by multitalented star Hilary Duff.Following the harrowing events of Elixir and Devoted—and the ceremony that almost killed Sage—Clea faces a new reality: With Sage’s soul in Nico’s body, the love of her life looks an awful lot like her best friend’s boyfriend. Can Clea and Sage really be happy under these circumstances?

Clea wants to try to enjoy their new life together, but Sage is acting different—angry—and she struggles to keep her friends from finding out what has happened to him. Something is clearly haunting Sage, and Clea is losing control. Can she trust her friends with the dangerous truth, or will she have to risk losing Sage to madness


Release Date: 16th April 2013



MOVIES & TV SERIES (April 16th)

MOVIES

A Monster in Paris
Directed by: Bibo Bergeron

Starring: Vanessa Paradis

An oversized bug is caught up in a most unexpected adventure in this animated comedy. It's 1910, and Raoul is a Parisian delivery man by day and scientist by night who is determined to brainstorm an important new invention. With the help of his friend Emile, a cinema projectionist with women on the brain, Raoul attempts an experiment in a greenhouse that has an unexpected side effect -- a tiny flea has suddenly expanded until it's seven feet tall. The enormous flea gets loose and it's not long before word is out that a monstrous bug is haunting Paris. However, while mean-spirited politician Victor tries to snare some publicity by making people afraid of the bug before he catches it, Lucille, a pretty nightclub performer, makes a surprising discovery -- the big flea is not only gentle and friendly, he's a gifted guitar player, and decked out in a suit and a hat, he's soon impressing patrons as part of her act. Un Monstre a Paris (aka A Monster In Paris) was written and directed by Bibo Bergeron, returning to France after directing several successful features in the United States. The original French voice cast includes Gad Elmaleh, Sebastien Desjours, Ludivine Sagnier and Francois Cluzet, while the English language version features Adam Goldberg, Jay Harrington, Catherine O'Hara and Danny Huston; Vanessa Paradis voices Lucille in both versions.

Release Date: 16th April 2013


A Bottle in the Gaza Sea
Directed by: Thierry Binisti

Starring: Agathe  Bonitzer

17-year-old Tal has emigrated from France to Jerusalem with her family. She writes a letter expressing her refusal to accept that only hatred can reign between Israelis and Palestinians. She slips the letter into a bottle, and her brother throws it into the sea near Gaza, where he is carrying out his military service. A few weeks later, Tal receives an e-mail response from a mysterious "Gazaman," a young Palestinian named Nam. Thus begins a turbulent but tender long-distance friendship between two young people that are separated by a history they are trying both to understand and change. This engrossing and hopeful drama starring Hiam Abbas is based on the award-winning novel by Valrie Zenatti.

Release Date: 16th April 2013


Django Unchained
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz

Set in the South two years before the Civil War, Django Unchained stars Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz). Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal: finding and rescuing Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), the wife he lost to the slave trade long ago. Django and Schultz's search ultimately leads them to Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), the proprietor of "Candyland," an infamous plantation. Exploring the compound under false pretenses, Django and Schultz arouse the suspicion of Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson), Candie's trusted house slave.

Release Date: 16th April 2013


Future Weather
Directed by: Jenny Deller

Starring: Haney-Jardine

Lauduree (Haney-Jardine) is a 13-year-old loner passionate about nature and worried about global warming. Greta (Amy Madigan), her grandmother, is a fiery nurse jaded by alcohol and disappointment. When Lauduree is abruptly abandoned by her dreamer single mom (Marin Ireland), she decides to take survival into her own hands, forcing her and Greta to rethink their futures. Featuring humorous, sharply drawn characters and powerful performances by Amy Madigan (Field of Dreams, Gone Baby Gone), Lili Taylor (Say Anything, Six Feet Under), and rising star Perla Haney-Jardine (Kill Bill Vol. 2, Spider-Man 3), Future Weather is about finding the courage to survive change.

Release Date: 16th April 2013


Not Suitable for Children
Directed by: Peter Templeman

Starring: Ryan Kwanten

Everybody loves Jonah (Ryan Kwanten) - especially the ladies. He's young, hot, sharing a cool house with his best friends Gus (Ryan Corr) and Stevie (Sarah Snook), and throwing parties that rock AND keep the bills paid.

Then: that awkward moment when your random one-night-stand asks, is that a lump?
Boom. Jonah's got testicular cancer. His life isn't at risk, but the impending treatment will leave him completely infertile. Jonah realizes, to everyone's shock: he wants to be a dad. His attempts at the sperm bank are a failure. His only choice is natural conception. Within the next four weeks. He's gotta procreate before it's too late.


What follows is a rousing (get it?) parade of ex-girlfriends, mistaken match-ups, surrogate slip-ups and a whole lot of Baby Daddy Drama. Poor Jonah may be out of options - until he starts listening to his friends AND his heart, and realizes that a perfect candidate might be closer than anyone would think.


Release Date: 16th April 2013


Save the Date
Directed by: Michael Mohan

Starring: Lizzy Caplan

After an ill-timed and very public marriage proposal, fiercely independent Sarah breaks up with her overeager boyfriend Kevin. Sarah turns to her sister Beth for support, but Beth is too busy obsessing over the details of her own wedding to Kevin's band mate, Andrew. When Sarah suddenly finds herself caught up in an intense rebound romance with the adorable Jonathan, she is forced to examine her own fears of commitment and vulnerability. With honesty, heart, and humor, all five struggle with the trials, happiness, and pain of modern love. In the end Sarah must decide - is it better to stay safely single or to risk it all on love?

Release Date: 16th April 2013



TV SERIES


Flash Gordon: Complete Series

Starring: Eric Johnson

A World With No Boundaries!

A Sci-Fi Adventure That Rethinks And Exceeds Everything That Has Come Before, Flash Gordon Beams Into The Future Of Television!

Placing a 21st century spin on a science fiction classic, this contemporized version of Flash Gordon follows the all-new adventures of Flash (Eric Johnson, Smallville) and his companions, Dale Arden (Gina Holden, Fantastic Four) and Dr. Hans Zarkov (Jody Racicot, The Newsroom). When ordinary people from a peaceful Pacific town are thrust into extraordinary circumstances, they find themselves as Earth's last line of defense against the forces of the merciless dictator Ming (John Ralston, Life with Derek). Together this unusual team of heroes sets out on a venture that is literally...Out Of This World!

Includes All 22 Episodes!
Originally aired on the Sci-Fi Channel!

Release Date: 16th April 2013


Spies of Warsaw: Complete Miniseries

Starring: David Tennant

David Tennant (Doctor Who) and Janet Montgomery (Entourage) star in this adaptation of Alan Furst's celebrated spy novel set in Poland, Paris and Berlin in the years leading up to the Second World War. At the french embassy in Warsaw, the new military attach+ª, Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier (Tennant), is drawn into a world of abduction, betrayal and intrigue in the diplomatic salons and back alleys of the city. At the same time, the handsome aristocrat is involved in a passionate love affair with a Parisian woman of Polish heritage (Montgomery), a lawyer for the League of Nations. Risking his life, Mercier works in the shadows amid a remarkable cast of characters, some known to him as spies, some never to be revealed. It is a city where people drink and fight and spy and love, because no one knows what tomorrow will bring.

Release Date: 16th April 2013

1 comment:

  1. Wow all your picks seem wicked awesome!I love that you don't limit yourself to books, but many aspects of entertainment. That's really clever as I'm sure most of us dont's spend ALL of our time reading, even if we'd like to.

    I was already following you but i may have to come back occasionally to check up on you ;)

    Thanks for all the compliments on my blog,I wasn't sure anyone would be interested in diversity in books since many times people don't want to big deal about differences claiming that it holds us back as a nation. But i disagree.I want to embrace every difference because I want to learn and understand what I don't fully comprehend in this world.

    I'm glad you brought up your racial identity since the bi racial identity was always something I was always confused about. And when i mean confused i don't mean, i don't know what it is to be bi racial(I come from a cuban family so we have blacks, whites, mulatos, my cousin is half Inuit even an Indian uncle;like real Indian not native american), Just that I'm not bi racial so I've never completely understood the experience of what is was like to be bi racial. My boyfriend of 6 1/2 years is bi racial and bi cultural(Dad's black from Haiti and his mom is white from Colombia)and to this day i don't understand what it's like, so i'm always asking questions and bringing up topics just to understand his experience. So i'm glad to make friends with another person who can see the side of both sides of a coin.

    Even growing up and moving to the East Coast people didn't understand my background. I was black but my family was from Cuba and no one ever understood how you could be black and Latin without being mixed or bi racial.So i was never acted "black" enough(a ridiculous statement) to be black and never Light enough to be Latina. So maybe our experiences aren't really so different, lol.

    And p.s i'd love some suggestions on gay or transgendered characters in books, as well as any other suggestions you may have.

    I always love connecting with teachers because they really see the need for everything to be represented. Gay, disabled, asian, middle eastern...It's like teachers are always so open minded!

    ReplyDelete