"The Giver" Give-Away WINNER and Movie Review

Before I announce the winner of our “The Giver Give-Away", I’m going to share my feelings about the movie.  Hang in there … enjoy the ride … and the winner will be revealed soon!

I am a fan of the 1993 book, The Giver by Lois Lowry, so my review of the movie may be a little bias.  To say I “LOVED” this book would not be accurate.  How can someone enthusiastically say they love a book as disturbing as The Giver?  You don’t walk away after reading it and say, “That was soooo amazing!  I loved it!!!”  Instead you walk away and think about what you just read for the next week … the next month … the next year.  That’s what makes me a fan.  Any author that can get their readers talking, pondering and feeling what they just experienced is brilliant.  This same sentiment goes with the movie.  I went to the movie with my family and after the final credits rolled, we found ourselves just sitting there, silently alone in the theater, letting everything we just witnessed sink in … and then the discussion started.  For this reason, I would recommend going to see it. 

3 Wishes Wednesday!!!

"My 3 Wishes Wednesday"!!

Here are my Fav's for the week!  I thought I would keep it in the theme of the book ~ Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier ~ and go with "Luscious Red" goodies .... So here it goes! 

Wish #1

This necklace says "Time Travel" all the way!  And if you look at it really close ... you can see the "rubies" on the face of the pendant.  I absolutely fell in love with it the first time I saw it.  If you love it as much as me ... here's the link:  Time Travel Necklace

Wish #2

Fall is right around the corner and these are perfect!  Who doesn't love Boot Cuffs Topper Socks.  I especially love the splash of red and the flower bead detail.  They will even do custom orders for you.  Check them out:
Boot Cuffs Topper Socks

Wish #3

Another fav ... this "Ruby Red" timepiece!  How cute is this!!!  Check this watch out here:  Ruby Red Timepiece

Book News and Food - What More Could We Ask For!

Okay - I'm going to start out with Happy news!!!  Straight from the mouth of Kiera Cass, here is the announcement ...

"We are writing a fourth novella about Marlee entitled "The Favorite"!  The Queen and The Favorite will be out in a paperback bind up early 2015!

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!

I'm so pleased to announce that we are writing TWO MORE FULL LENGTH SELECTION NOVELS!  The first of them, entitled "The Heir", will be out Spring 2015!

I hope you guys are just as excited as I am!  More to come soon!"
-Kiera Cass-

Let's just take a moment to let that all sink in ... ahhhhhh ... I'M SOOOOOO EXCITED!  HAPPY DANCE!

Now for the next purpose of this post:  Yesterday we had a wonderful review for the book "Ruby Red".  In honor of the book I am going to share a yummy recipe so we can all get cozy, curl up with the novel and eat some delicious pancakes.  You will love these as much as I do!  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.  I would love to hear from you!

Ruby Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese Topping

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Topping

4

oz (half of 8-oz package) cream cheese, softened

1/4

cup butter, softened

3

tablespoons milk

2

cups powdered sugar

Pancakes

2

cups Original Bisquick™ mix

1

tablespoon granulated sugar

1

tablespoon unsweetened baking cocoa

1

cup milk

1

to 1 1/2 teaspoons red paste food color*

2

eggs

Powdered sugar, if desired

Directions

• 1In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and 3 tablespoons milk with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, on low speed until topping is smooth. Cover; set aside.
• 2In large bowl, stir all pancake ingredients except powdered sugar with wire whisk until well blended. Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat (375°F). (To test griddle, sprinkle with a few drops of water. If bubbles jump around, heat is just right.) Brush with vegetable oil if necessary or spray with cooking spray before heating.
• 3For each pancake, pour slightly less than 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until bubbles form on top and edges are dry. Turn; cook other side until golden brown.
• 4Spoon cream cheese topping into resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut off tiny corner of bag; squeeze bag to drizzle topping over pancakes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

"Ruby Red"

O.k ... it's Monday, so you know what that means?!?!   That's right.  Another review of another great book for you to read!  

I recently got "Ruby Red" by Kerstin Gier but didn't have high hopes for it because one of my friends started to read it and never finished.  Well ... I was pleasantly surprised!  At first I didn't know what to think.  It didn't grab my attention right off the bat.  I felt the beginning moved a bit slow; however, once I got a few chapters in, I couldn't put it down.  There was a girl whose life turned upside down when she found out she could time travel. This same girl could also see ghosts.  That alone makes for a good read but then you add the "cherry-on-top" ... a hot boy she couldn't get out of her mind!  I would recommend this novel.  The mystery of the book caught my attention and I HAD to get the next book and the one after that so I could find out how everything ended.  If you love a good mystery with romance and a good time travel - this is the book for you.  

Here is what the book is about:  

Time To Give Things Away!!!!

Okay in honor of "The Giver" coming to theaters this Friday, we have a giveaway!

Here's how you can win ...

1) Start following "My Title Wave" = 1 entry

2) For every person you refer to follow the blog, have them post your name in the comments and you will get your name in the draw twice!!

The giveaway will be going on for a week.  The winner will be announced on Thursday, August 21st.

Here's what you will be winning ...

The movie addition of "The Giver" book and three limited addition "The Giver" nail polish.

Now let's get this going!  As much as I would love to keep this in my own collection (I have a little girl who has been eyeing the nail polish since I brought it home), I would love to send it to someone else to enjoy.

"To all the boys I've loved before"

After I bought "To All The Boys I've Loved Before", I was excited to sit down and cozy up with this book.  I wanted to get lost in the romance of it all. No one I knew had read this, so i was excited to be the first.

My feelings for this book are a little mixed.  I'll start with a few things that left me feeling a little "Meh" about the novel.  First of all ... Laura Jean.  Laura Jean is a sixteen year old girl who, in my opinion, acts like she is twelve.  At times, it was hard to remember that she was a junior in High school.  Maybe the author did that on purpose to show her growth throughout the story.  However, it was very distracting and made it hard to like her enough to care.

"Scarlet"

I always love books that friends recommend to me.  Firstly, it gives me new authors and new novels to dive into.  Secondly, it gives me a peek into the thoughts, feelings, and likes of my acquaintances.  I get to see a side of them that I may never have seen otherwise.  Most of the time I realize how much we really are alike on so many levels!  Books have a way of bridging people together and connecting us to others.

"Scarlet" is one of those books.  A friend that I really admire, and feel that we have a "book-bonding-kindred-spirit" ... recommended this book highly.  I quickly went out and purchased it only to have it sit on my shelf for a very long time.  One day I found myself in the mood for something "different".  I had recently been involved in a series of dystopia and historical romance novels, and knew that I needed to find a fresh genre to read.  If I didn't, they would all begin to blend together and each book would begin to sound the same.  That's when I revisited my bookshelf and found "Scarlet" ... calling out for me to pick her up. A retelling of Robin Hood might be just what the doctor ordered.