Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Fall Into Cash Giveaway


Fall Into Cash $250 Giveaway

An Awesome Group of Authors & Bloggers have joined with I Am A Reader, Not A Writer to bring you one fabulous prize. We’re giving away $250 in Paypal Cash or you can choose a $250 Amazon.com eGift Code!

This giveaway runs from October 15th to November 15th. Enter via the rafflecopter.

Sponsor List – Thanks to these awesome bloggers & authors for sponsoring this giveaway!!
I Am A Reader
Kimber Leigh Wheaton
Lori's Reading Corner
Coupons and Freebies Mom
Kindle and Me
Krysten Lindsay Hager author
Unshelfish
Raven Haired Girl
Author Melissa Wright
Author Inger Iversen
Simple Wyrdings
Darcus @ Rainy Days and Pajamas
Auggie @ AuggieTalk
Suzi Love
Rae Lori
Hearts On Sleeves Book Blog
Author Dorothy Dreyer
Suzanne van Rooyen
Diana's Book Reviews
Pintip Dunn
Julie Reece
Bette Lee Crosby
Amy McNulty
Author Jennifer Peel
Chris Eboch
Free Bookster
Carol Malone
Barefoot by the Sea
Bex @ Aurelia {lit}{geek}{chic}
Author Ednah Walters
Glistering Bs Blog
Jennifer Bardsley
MHDeanCollectibles Book Blog
Heather Gray, Author
Author M.A. George

Giveaway Details

$250 in Paypal Cash or a $250 Amazon.com eGift Card

Ends 11/15/15

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal or who can redeem an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the authors, bloggers and publishers on the sponsor list. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze
More Glister Journals info at the book's website here: theglisterjournals.com
The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller or purchase now at Amazon.com New edition coming!
Note: All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012-2015 to B B Shepherd.

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop


Welcome to this year's Spooktacular Hop, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. My giveaway is a $15 gift card to the book store of your choice! Be sure to visit all the bloggers on the Linky for other great giveaways!

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Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze
More Glister Journals info at the book's website here: theglisterjournals.com
The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller or purchase now at Amazon.com New edition coming!
Note: All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012-2015 to B B Shepherd.

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Unbranded


Soon after I turned thirteen, my dad and I moved to England. We had originally come from there but, apart from a visit when I was six years old, I'd grown up in California. My mother stayed in California to continue working until my dad found employment. In the meantime, we lived with my dad's mom. But that's another story. From the time I was thirteen until our return to California when I was eighteen, I was terribly homesick, in spite of the many cool things about living in England. As an undiagnosed autistic teen, it was probably even harder for me than it would have been for someone else, but I won't go into that here. My point is that there were many things I did to alleviate my distress, one of them being to write (among other things, beginning the first incarnation of a certain story) and another was to plot a trip.

By the time I was fifteen I was planning all kinds of ways to get back to California, all of them completely impractical to impossible. But one idea kept me happy and busy - planning a horseback trip from New York to California. This was in the days Before The Internet (yes, such a time really existed) and all I had was a huge National Geographic United States state by state atlas (which I think I still have in storage somewhere) and a ton of imagination. I plotted a course, as much as I could, from somewhere in New York to just east of Los Angeles (where we had previously been living), avoiding all the big cities, and traveling between water sources.

Thursday night I got to go see the indie film Unbranded. I was very excited about this movie from the moment I heard about it for a lot of reasons.

Mustangs. I've always had an interest in Mustangs and follow the problems, events, and legislation that affect them.

Though I prefer fantasy/sci-fi now, growing up, my favorite movie/TV genre was Westerns, and I still have a very soft spot for them.

But the the idea of four guys, modern cowboys (recent Texas A&M grads), taking this journey from Mexico to Canada was thrilling. I had to see it.



This is a fabulous film. The photography is stunningly beautiful and is accompanied by a wonderful score. It's worth the ticket just to go on this journey through Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Montana - some of the most gorgeous landscape in the world. Just watching it brought a lump to my throat and made me feel proud (even though I'm not technically American). There were also plenty of laughs, many gasps, some sadness, and a few hearty cheers.

But I really appreciated how they wove into the narrative facts from both sides of the Mustang story - both from the BLM's and activists' perspectives - and I hope more people will gain an understanding of the actual issues surrounding them. Should we protect them? Undoubtedly. Do they need management? Unquestionably. It's finding the best way of doing it that poses problems for both sides. I sincerely hope this film and the interest it engenders spurs positive results, or at least a new perspective to work from.

Who would like this film? Anyone who loves adventure, gorgeous landscape, and/or anything to do with the American West. And, of course, horses. I've already ordered a DVD for myself. It's definitely something I will watch many times.

Go see it!



Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze
More Glister Journals info at the book's website here: theglisterjournals.com
The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller or purchase now at Amazon.com New edition coming!
Note: All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012-2015 to B B Shepherd.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Books to Movies Giveaway Hop


Welcome to Books to Movies Giveaway Hop hosted by Bookhounds and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, October 8th to 15th. This hop features books that have been made into movies or TV shows.

So many choices! The obvious choice for me, waiting (quite patiently) for Mockingjay Part 2, would be The Hunger Games. But not very original. So I'm going with a favorite movie I can watch over and over without getting tired of it.


The book is by Diana Wynne Jones and originally came out in 1986, but I didn't know that. I just knew it was a 2004 movie by Hayao Miyazaki. The first first Miyazaki film I ever saw was Spirited Away, which I love too. But there's something about Howl's Moving Castle that keeps me coming back to it. The animation and artwork is so beautiful, and Miyazake's eye for detail astounds me (especially Howl's room). I love the characters and the incidental music is very nice. The only thing I don't like is the end song.


Unlike with most books/movies, I suggest seeing the movie first. The book surprised me by how different it was. I think if I had read the book first the differences in the movie would have constantly bothered me and taken away from just enjoying it. Not so reading the book after watching it. My short review can be read on Goodreads.


My giveaway is a paperback copy of Howl's Moving Castle and DVD of Miyazake's movie!

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Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze
More Glister Journals info at the book's website here: theglisterjournals.com
The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller or purchase now at Amazon.com New edition coming!
Note: All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012-2015 to B B Shepherd.

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Winter Movies 2015-16

Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2


I was disappointed, at first, that they strung the last book out into two movies and had feared they would dwell too much on Katniss' mental state, making it too melodramatic (and possibly boring). But I actually thought they did a good job on Mockingjay Part 1. There was an awful lot that happened in the second half of the book, so I'm confident the second movie will move along at a brisk pace and everything important will be included.



With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) confronts President Snow (Donald Sutherland) in the final showdown.

Teamed with a group of her closest friends – including Gale, Finnick, and Peeta – Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to stage an assassination attempt on President Snow, who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying her.

The mortal traps, enemies, and moral choices that await Katniss will challenge her more than any arena she has faced in The Hunger Games.

Release Date: November 20, 2015
Starring: Jennifer LawrenceNatalie DormerJulianne MooreSam ClaflinElizabeth BanksJosh HutchersonJena MaloneLiam HemsworthPhilip Seymour HoffmanStanley TucciWoody HarrelsonRobert KnepperDonald SutherlandToby JonesJeffrey Wright
Genres: AdventureSci-Fi
Directed By: Francis Lawrence
Studio: Lionsgate
MPAA Rating PG-13

Pan

I have no idea why, but I've been a sucker for Peter Pan all my life. It's only recently that I actually read the book and was disappointed. It wasn't what I expected at all. That's not to say it isn't a wonderful book, and from a historical perspective it's interesting, but the style is difficult to read as a twenty-first century adult. The story was quite different than I imagined too. I haven't seen the original Disney movie since I was a child, but Robin William's Hook was a favorite when my kids were growing up, and I adored (and still do) the Universal/Columbia version and count it as one of my all-time favorite movies. Another "origin" movie, Neverland, I found very enjoyable too, though highly improbable as a prequel. I'm not really expecting that much from this movie (Rotten Tomatoes critics give it 45%), but I think it will at least be entertaining.



An origin story of Peter Pan, Pan tells the story of an orphan who is spirited away to the magical Neverland. There, he finds both fun and dangers, and ultimately discovers his destiny — to become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan. (Just to set the record straight, Peter Pan, the original character, is not a hero.)

Hugh Jackman stars as Blackbeard, Garrett Hedlund stars as Hook, and newcomer Levi Miller stars as Peter Pan. Joe Wright, the British director of Hanna, the 2005 Pride & Prejudice (starring Keira Knightley) and Atonement, directed the movie Pan.

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Amanda Seyfried, Rooney Mara, Garrett Hedlund, Levi Miller
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Directed By: Joe Wright
Studio: Warner Bros.
MPAA Rating PG-13

The Last Witch Hunter

I've only just found out about this one. I have to see it because, well, Vin Diesel. That's all.



The modern world holds many secrets, but the most astounding secret of all is that witches still live amongst us; vicious supernatural creatures intent on unleashing the Black Death upon the world. Armies of witch hunters battled the unnatural enemy across the globe for centuries, including KAULDER, a valiant warrior who managed to slay the all-powerful QUEEN WITCH, decimating her followers in the process. In the moments right before her death, the QUEEN curses KAULDER with her own immortality, forever separating him from his beloved wife and daughter in the afterlife. Today KAULDER is the only one of his kind remaining, and has spent centuries hunting down rogue witches, all the while yearning for his long-lost loved ones. However, unbeknownst to KAULDER, the QUEEN WITCH is resurrected and seeks revenge on her killer causing an epic battle that will determine the survival of the human race.

Release Date: Oct 23, 2015
Rated: [Rated pg-13]
Runtime: 1 hr. 46 min.
Genres: Action/Adventure
Director:Breck Eisner
Cast:Vin Diesel, Elijah Wood, Rose Leslie, Michael Caine, Olafur Darri Olafsson.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Episode VII)

This is certainly my most anticipated movie. I was standing in line on opening night of the original movie (Episode IV), it was the first movie I felt compelled to see multiple times in the theater, and the first movie I ever insisted my dad had to see. Yes, I took him. I am and always will be a die-hard Star Wars movie fan.

A continuation of the saga created by George Lucas set thirty years after Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). Enough said.



In case you've been in a galaxy far, far away for the past thirty years, or perhaps just want a refresher course, here's the story so far:



EDIT: I almost forgot about Unbranded. I'm seeing it on Thursday and will so a post on it later. :)

What movies are you looking forward to?

Writing: TGJ Book 2, Chapter 30.

Listening: TGL Book 2 soundtrack.

Reading: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas and The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente.

Watching: Movie trailers.



Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze
More Glister Journals info at the book's website here: theglisterjournals.com
The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller or purchase now at Amazon.com New edition coming!
Note: All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012-2015 to B B Shepherd.