TT: In Her Shoes

Ella stayed awake all night, lying alone on top of her comforter as the frogs croaked and the horns honked and the sky finally got light. When she pushed herself out of bed, she made herself say it out loud. "Today," she announced to her empty apartment, "i'm going to call her today."

- page 275 In Her Shoes – Jennifer Weiner

tcp: Brad Pitt

OMG... Brad Pitt! my ultimate Hollywood dream!!

OMG.. Brad Pitt... plus my idol Angelina... perfect!!

OMG: Brad Pitt on TCP!!

okay, sorry for a little exaggeration.. i am simply out of my mind whenever Brad Pitt is mentioned..

why...Brad Pitt was named Sexiest Man Alive by People in 1995 and 2000! so who wouldn't swoon and fall for him?!

without further audieu, for our Tuesday Couch Potatoes, my favorite Brad Pitt film is TROY!

Troy is a 2004 war drama film concerning the Trojan War. It is loosely
based on Homer's Iliad where we came to know Achilles (from the infamous Achilles Heel). In the Bronze Age Greece, King Agamemnon of Mycenae is in Thessaly, Greece, looking to conquer this last territory not in his fledgling empire. His soldiers prepare to fight the Thessalonian king, Triopas . Triopas agrees to settle the matter
through single combat between their best warriors.

Achilles (Brad Pitt) easily kills the Thessalonian champion Boagrius. Accepting defeat, Triopas presents Achilles with a scepter as a token for his king. But Achilles
refuses, saying Agamemnon is not his king.

In Sparta, Prince Hector (Eric Bana) and his young brother Paris (Orlando Bloom) negotiate peace between Troy and Sparta. Paris has fallen in love with Helen (Diane Kruger), Menelaus' wife. He smuggles her back to Troy with him. Infuriated,
Menelaus vows revenge. Meanwhile, Agamemnon (Menelaus' brother), who had for
years harbored plans for conquering Troy (which would give him control of the
Aegean Sea), uses this as a justification to invade Troy.

and soon the battle begun...

I would say, i love all Brad Pitt movies - especially Interview with The Vampire! he's the original vampire hearthrob! i also loved him in Mr. & Mrs. Smith as well as in the Ocean's films..

but Troy holds the most tender part of my heart, simply because this was the first movie that my husband and I watched (back when we were still dating as BF-GF) and aside from Brad, 2 gorgeous hunks also captured my eyes - Eric Bana & Orlando Bloom.. But of course, BRAD aka Achilles best made my heart go a-flutter..

i hope you enjoyed & will enjoy Troy as much as I did.. :) till next time for our Tuesday Couch Potatoes edition

Nora Roberts

honestly, i started reading Nora Roberts again early this year.. the last i had seen an NR book was in 2004, back when i was still single and i had all the time in the world.. i remember reading The Villa, Montana Sky & Impulse..

when i got married and had kids, i wasn't able to read any book for about two years. ANY Book! only then in 2007 when i went back to reading again.. and that was because of the craze that Stephanie Meyer started - yes, the first book i read again after two years is Twilight!

anyway, we're talking about another lady here, so i'd rather stick to my topic. early this year, i started reading Nora Roberts again, with a Trilogy, which Nora is famous for. actually, the Circle Trilogy was sent to me by my brother last year through LBC.

The Circle Trilogy comprises of:
Morrigan's Cross
Valley of Silence
Dance of the Gods

I instantly fell in love with the supernatural twins - Hoyt & Cian - and i couldn't put the books down. in three weeks, i was able to complete the trilogy!

the next series i read was about the Concannon sisters - Irish Born.. which i finished in April,2010.
Born in Fire
Born in Ice
Born in Shame

i was also able to meet Bride Quartet
Vision in White
Bed of Roses
Savor the Moment
and coming soon -- Happy Ever After


then came the Stanislaski Family
Taming Natasha
Luring a Lady
Falling for Rachel
Convincing Alex
Waiting for Nick
Considering Kate


other non-trilogy NR books I've read are:

Homeport
Sanctuary
Angels Fall
Public Secrets

hoping to read more of Nora Roberts soon!

tuck everlasting

"Winnie Foster is growing up in a rigid, American family. She is expected to be a lady, but she longs for adventure and change. One day she determines to run away, and she steps outside the iron fence to explore the forest near her house for the first time.

There she meets Jesse Tuck, who is drinking water from a spring near a try. He refuses to let her drink though she insists, and at last he must tell her the truth: the water will give anyone who drinks it everlasting life. And this is more serious than Winnie at first imagines. The Tuck family takes her home with them and they try to explain to her why it is so important that she tell no one about the water.

Meanwhile, a man follows them, overhears the story, and plans to market the water to make himself rich. Winnie must decide if she will help the Tucks before it is too late. "

this is my second Natalie Babbit book.. the first one i read was The Search for Delicious, a short fantasy-kiddie story that my children appreciated. i liked it because my kids learned a lesson from searching something delicious.

with Tuck Everlasting, definitely written for a more mature audience, i had a moment when i wished for the fountain of youth to come to life.

yes, there was a minute when i wished for immortality.. but i held back with that thought because i dont want to stay young forever while my loved ones enjoy growing old..

i was like Winnie Foster who wanted freedom and youth, but i realized that it also meant a heavy responsibity is on your shoulders.

overall, i liked TucK Everlasting and i'm rating it with 3 bookmarks!

TCP: Pinoy

i have a confession to make...

i only watch Pinoy movies if it was helmed & produced by Star Cinema!

bias? partly yes, because i'm a certified Kapamilya...

but honestly, this is due to the fact that all Star Cinema movies i've seen have the balance of comedy, drama, suspense & family oriented values that i look for in a film. for today's Couch Potato feature, my choice is:

I Love yOu Goodbye..'

aside from the fact that i love the song, i actually like the chemistry of the real-life couple Angelica & Derek.. i have only seen part of the movie, i wasn't able to completely watch it because i just saw it played on a bus (when i commuted back home in Pangasinan last May).. so i would really like to check this out really soon..

and that's my TCP: Pinoy Movie of the week..

TT: A Sweet Far Thing

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read.
Open to a random page.
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


Book 3 of Libba Bray's Realms Saga
page 7 - The Sweet Far Thing

Without ado, Cecily Temple, She Who Can Do No Wrong, settles to the floor in a long, slow, graceful arc that seems to defy gravity. It's a thing of
beauty. I am hideously jealous.

books i've read in 2009

January 2009
Richard Dooling - White Man’s Grave
Erica Jong - Fanny
Barbara Delinsky -Shades of Grace
Sharon Sala - Sweet Baby

February 2009
Sidney Sheldon
-Morning, Noon & Night
-The Stars Shine Down

Trisha Greenwood -Nearer Than the Sky
Jame Thomas - Sudden Fiction

March 2009
John Grisham - A Time to Kill
Robin Lee Hatcher - Liberty Blue

Nicholas Sparks
-Message in a Bottle
-Nights in Rodanthe

April 2009
Michael Palmer
-Silent Treatment
-The Patient
-Critical Judgment

May 2009
Katherine Stone - Pearl Moon
Charlotte Douglas - The Pelican
Linda Barnes - Coyote
Lyn Randal- Tempted by Innocence

June 2009
Mitch Albom -Five People You Meet in Heaven
William J. Coughlin - In the Presence of Enemies

Paolo Coehlo
-By the River Piedra I Sat & Cried
-Like the Flowing River

July 2009
Dan Brown - Deception Point
Barbara Wilkins - Elements of Chance
Pamela Dean - Tamlin
James Patterson - Sam's Letters to Jennifer

August 2009
Kate Wilhelm -Sleight of Hand
Jane Austen - Sense & Sensibility
Anne Edwards - Vivien Leigh - An Autobiography
W.S. Journal - Book of Whispers

September 2009
Kate DiCamillo - Tales of Desperaux
Russell Andrews - Aphrodite
Robin Cook - Mutation
Penny Jordan - Love's Choices

November 2009
Natalie Babbit - The Search For Delicious
Richard Lewis - The Killing Sea
John Steinbeck - Of Mice & Men

December 2009
Mary Higgins Clark - He Sees You When You’re Sleeping
Lisa Jackson - Unspoken
Amy Tan
-Joy Luck Club
-Hundred Secret Senses

A Painted House

"A Painted House" is different from the other John Grisham books i've read..

The book describes, the life of 7 year old Luke Chandler, an Arkansas farm boy growing up in the midst of the cotton fields. Luke is full of curiosity and mischief, as he witnesses life & death around him, causing him to make very adult decisions about keeping secrets. Chandler narrates the story.

The ending of the book is somewhat left hanging.. I would love to know more about Luke's life after moving to another place, away from the home & friends he grew up with.. I wonder if his uncle Ricky would show up after learning that he's got a kid.. I wonder what happened next.....

I can't say that I fell in love with the book. I've been reading a lot Grisham's courtroom dramas that i found it hard to see him writing a totally different kind of story.. In the end, this book somehow made me laugh and cry, and appreciate life..

www wednesdays

my first time to join WWW...

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
* What are you currently reading?

* What did you recently finish reading?

* What do you think you’ll read next?

here are mine:

*Currently Reading:

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

-the second installment from Libba Bray's fanstasy novel starring the great Gemma Doyle and her continuous adventures at the realms...with friends Felicity & Ann.. and with a newfound feeling for Kartik, a member of the Rakshana

*Recently Finished:

A Great and Terrible Beauty

also from Libba Bray, her first book.. Gemma Doyle's first look at Spence Academy after leaving her dead mom in India and meeting three new friends...

Felicity - who covets Power

Ann - who wants Beauty

& Pippa - who dreams of true Love

*Will Read Next:

A Sweet Far Thing

of course, i should read the last installment of the Realms Saga..

i haven't read any reviews about this third book.. i wonder if Kartik and Gemma would end up together....

The Order & The Rakshana.. exciting!

SALT

TCP: Something New (Aug. 24)

i finally had the chance to watch Salt with my friends. i dont want to think that it's gonna be my last group date with my Spice Girls.. (why last? because it would be the last time that we, SpiceGirls will be complete.. but that's another story...)

anyway, as an Angelina Jolie fan, i expected the best from her. the fact that she's a double-agent in the film made me wished of being a CIA Agent too.. although i've read some negative reviews about the film, i still opted to watch it because i couldn't pass up the chance to see my idol gun-slinging and doing disguises every now and then..

SALT as a whole is action-packed and mind-boggling.. me and my friends left the theater in awe.. can't wait to catch another Jolie film soon!

I am still yet to watch Inception, i've heard rave reviews about it, and the fact that Leonardo Di Caprio's in it makes my waiting more worthwhile.. i guess i'll just have to wait for the DVD to come..

and that, folks, is my entry for our Tuesday Couch Potatoes

Friday Finds...

here are some new books i've acquired and planned to read in the next coming weeks.. my Friday Finds!

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Public Secrets by Nora Roberts

Irresistible Forces by Brenda Jackson

The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood &

A Painted House by John Grisham