Book Review: PUSH

I've been reading a ton lately and also just finished this book:

I really enjoyed this. The novel is written from the points of view of Precious, a girl who goes through extreme sexual abuse throughout her life and decides to start a new life for herself and signs herself up for an alternative school after she is thrown out of her high school for being pregnant. Illiterate, Precious learns skills at the school and meets other students who have been abused and learns how to begin her new, and happy lifestyle. This book was very good and you can see her writing skills slowly improve throughout the novel. She starts off by spelling ask "ax" and mother "muver" but you watch her grow through her journal entries. Although this book is great, it was very graphic when it came to her sexual abuse so I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under 14/15(depending on maturity). Overall, I loved it.

Game Review: Lego Harry Potter Yrs 1-4

For Christmas, I got this game and I love it! :) I'm a Harry Potter fanatic and this game is awesome! Heres why:

Pros:

-Fun

-Definitely stays true to the HP franchise (i.e, music, hogwarts, storyline)

-Lots of mini games, achievements, levels, and mini-quests

-The characters are cute. Theres no dialog so they make they cute little noises for emotions. I think its funny :)

-It's not a continuous play game, its levels. So it saves more often and you can go back and replay favorite levels

Cons:

-If you haven't seen movies that the Lego games are based on, the storyline makes no sense. 

Overall: This game rocks. Buy it and love it :)

Game Review: Plants vs. Zombies

This game didn't work on my Macbook so I bought it for the XBOX & I love it!

It was around $20 for the Microsoft Points but it's totally worth it. Incase you're not familiar with the game, its set in an apocalypse where you have to protect your house from zombies...by planting! Some plants shoot peas, squirt poison, and form blockades. You need to strategically place the different plants to defend your house from the waves of zombies. Sounds weird? No. It's awesome. Here's what I loved:

Pros:

-Super cool mini games

- Co-op! (Play with friends)

-Huge variety of plants (much more than the demo)

-I think the different zombies are cool, they all have characteristics

-Tons of fun!

(Game Play)

Cons:

-I can't play it for more than 30 min or so. Levels are all the same game play, get kind of bored

-Music will get stuck in your head. (haha)

Overall, I love this game and I'm trying to convince my friends to play with me! If you're on XBOX Live, friend me and we can play together: sarahmcrosby484

Giveaway/ Review

Hey guys! I just wanted to share with you an awesome company called ShutterFly!

You can make books and cards with your own personal photos! I made this card earlier this year for my dad for Father's Day who LOVED it. He still has it on the mantel in our kitchen.

I took a childhood picture and made the inside very personal and it meant a lot! :) 

I know this idea will make moms teary eyed ;)

But this transitions nicely into a giveaway that Alycia at the Curious Pug is having!

2 of her readers will win 25 FREE cards!

So definitely stop at her blog and enter and take a look around, her blog is super cute!

Xbox! & Game Review!

I am so psyched to share with you that I got some of my hard earned money together and got.....

An XBOX 360! :)

I got a spankin' deal on it, too. I bought it from a friend for $130. So far, I LOVE it! Although this week, I haven't had much time to play it at all! (Talk about roommate drama time a bazillion)


One game I did play however, that actually came with the XBOX was....

FABLE II !!

So here's my review of the game:

I'll give the game a solid 7/10
The story follows a girl (or boy if you select it) who is a born "hero" and needs to kill this guy who wants her dead and tried to kill her before. Honestly, that's as descriptive as I get. (Hence why one con listed below, is cutscenes)

Pros:
-It was fun!
-I loved the different worlds
-Awesome controls for fighting
-Game has mini quests! :)
-Controls are easy to maneuver
-You get a doggy
-Lots of achievements to discover!
-Puzzles hidden in the game



Cons:
-Cutscenes were vague, long, and quiet boring. & With no subtitles, on an old TV, I can't really hear them sometimes! Meh.
-Your character is super ugly. (It's a con in my book! Why do you think Lara Croft is popular?)
-Sometimes, the in game controls are sloppy. Like in other games, if you walk into a villager, they usually move or you go through them. In Fable II, you CAN'T! So especially in an alley, when a group was walking by, and I had to wait at the end for them to go by. It's slightly annoying.
-Storyline is ehh.
-After the game ends..THATS IT! You can't play anymore! So if I want to go back and finish quests, I have to load the saved game prior to the final boss battle.
-I beat it in a few days :( Definitely NOT 100 hours to beat it (unless you count all the achievements)


So it seems like I hated the game, but I really didn't! I had fun and I recommend you try it if you have an XBOX! Add me on LIVE, too!   Gamertag: sarahmcrosby484

Happy Gaming :)

Review: Spotify!

I wanted to share with you something super awesome my brother convinced me to join....

It's amazing! It's like iTunes meets Pandora meets Facebook. 

Why I Love This:

- You share your playlists with your friends!

-You can listen to ANY song/artist 

-It's legal

-It's free

-It lets me catch up with artists that people recommend to me

-There are barely any advertisements! (Much much less than Pandora, and none on music you already own)

-You can take songs you don't own, and still make playlists with them!

See? It's amazing. I've added a button to my sidebar so you can add and share playlists with me!

(I don't know if you can put it on your iPod. I haven't tried)

This is what it looks like:

She & Him is amazing. Check them out, along with Spotify! :)

What I'm Watching

This week on Netflix, I watched..

I Love You Phillip Morris

This movie was amazing. Seriously 5 Stars! It was popular in Europe when it came out but not so much in America because the plot involves homosexuality which, unfortunately, in the US isn't as accepted yet. I seriously recommend you check this out. It was so good! This is the plot from imdb:

"Steven Russell is happily married to Debbie, and a member of the local police force when a car accident provokes a dramatic reassessment of his life. Steven becomes open about his homosexuality and decides to live life to the fullest - even if it means breaking the law. Steven's new, extravagant lifestyle involves cons and fraud and, eventually, a stay in the State Penitentiary where he meets sensitive, soft-spoken Phillip Morris. His devotion to freeing Phillip from jail and building the perfect life together prompts Steven to attempt and often succeed at one impossible con after another."

Mad Men

I've only heard good things about this show so I decided to watch it to see what all the fuss was about. It took a while for a plot to start developing (about 2-3 episodes) and so far it's very good! I enjoy the time period it is set in as well. The clothing, music, beliefs, and societal norms of the 50s are very intriguing and they portray it perfectly! They actually do research so the show coincides with an actual chronological timeline to where the show is. The plot (of the first season) so far is just who sleeps with who. Just scandals so far but I hope it will pick up to something more.

South Park

Is it weird that before a few weeks ago, I'd never seen an episode? Probably. But my brother tells me ALL the time to watch it, so now it's my mindless show (i.e, to watch as I clean up). I love it! It's so funny and the characters are awesome. I won't say "I recommend it" because I'm probably the last person to start watching this and you've seen it already and know how awesome it is.

Tangled

AWESOME! Disney, I am impressed. Because Disney was starting to go downhill with Disney Channel and all those "kid dramas". What about good old cartoons? Anyways, I loved this movie and how classic this will be. It's funny, touching, and intriguing. With beautiful visuals as well. I actually took a screen shot of it, & it's my background now. See?

.

Hah. I think it's pretty.

There's more, but I'll save them for a post next week. :)

Did you watch anything awesome on Netflix? I love recommendations!

Review- The Hunger Games

So I'm not sure if you've noticed my reading list on the right side bar, but I've been flying through The Hunger Games series and I just wanted to give all of you a recommendation for this AWESOME book series.

5/5 Stars:

                  The story is set in the future, after the destruction of the US (it doesn't really specify how). But the new country of Panem is under a dictatorship-like control from the current government "The Capitol". To show their power over the districts they've divided the country up into, they host The Hunger Games every year. The "reaping" is when the names are drawn as to who will participate in the games. They pick a girl and a boy from each district (ages 12-17) and they all fight to the death in an arena built by the government. The last one standing wins. The book series follows a girl, Katniss Everdeen as she has to face the Hunger Games, and the Capitol.

It's difficult to explain the book without giving away spoilers. The first chapter or two of the first book (pictured above) is a little slow, but plug through it! You won't be disappointed!! 

I read the first two books in less than two days.

I'm currently reading the third (and last) book of the series. It's so good!

I seriously recommend this book series! Even though its about fighting to the death, it's not gruesome, I promise, so if you are weak stomached, you can handle it.

If you're reading it or you've read it, let me know what you think!!

By the way, there's a movie that comes out about it next year, so excited!

 : ) 

What I'm Watching

So one necessity of a college student I've learned about is Netflix. (Which I still love even after the recent price increase because it doesn't affect me). :) So here's what I've been watching & what I've thought:
(Note: ALL these movies are available on the Instant Stream on Netflix, that's all I use)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

My brother recommended this to me a while ago but I just got the chance to watch it yesterday. I was like "oh I'll just watch this while I'm cleaning my room". NOPE. I was so into it. It's mind-blowing. The premise is about an apathetic young man who meet a spontaneous girl and then their memories are meddled with in a way I won't say due to spoiling and they have to fight to remember each other. It is a touching, psychotic, mind-blowing, amazing movie and I recommend it to everyone. Seriously.

National Geographic: Moment of Death

This is a short (1 hour) documentary studying the human body and what happens when it shuts down. It talks about how defibrillation works, the controversy of brain death and "pulling the plug", and cell study. I found it very intriguing but then again I AM a science major and love this stuff. The movie isn't for everyone because they do show the start of a bypass heart surgery (which was awesome, I got to see what a human heart looks like pumping) but I do understand this gives people the eebie geebies. So thats a heads up.

The Pixar Story

This was interesting to see how some classic movies like Toy Story, Bugs Life, Monsters Inc, and The Incredibles were made. It follows the Pixar corporation through its growth and discusses the challenges the animators met along the way. It covered their partnership with Disney and the production of all the movies I mentioned. It was interesting but there were a few dull parts (that's when I got some cleaning done in my room) but generally if you're a fan of those movies, you should check it out, it is entertaining! :)

I'll probably do a Netflix post weekly to fill you guys in on what I've been watching. Do any of you use Netflix? I'd love to hear what you think! :)

Harry Potter 7-2 Review

4.8/5 Stars!

So, I am embarrassed to say that I've read the series countless times and it took me until Saturday afternoon to see the movie. I was working and couldn't see any other show time. But it was SO worth the wait.

(**Note: If you're lame and haven't read the books, this review does contain spoilers of the new movie**)

(source)

I had high expectations of the new movie. Which had been filled to perfection. I began crying about 30 minutes into it and it didn't stop until Voldy died. My requirements/expectations were:

1. Snape's memory had to be perfect

2. Along with his death

3. The "dream-sequence" with Dumbledore had to be in there and extraordinary.

4. Molly Weasley had to say "Not my daughter you bitch"

5. They had to include 19 years later (which I already knew they would because I read/saw all the interviews prior to the film)

The movie met all of these and more. Everything was perfect. So why not 5 stars? Well there were a few small minor things that made me squirm.

1. I feel the deaths were not appreciated. They just showed the bodies, whereas when Dobby died, they gave him a whole service. I know they didn't have time for that or anything but it still would have been nice for them to like put their wands up for the deceased or something memorable like that.

2. There were a few awkward parts like how they threw in the HP humor we were used to in unexpected moments that could have been better. & then there was when Voldemort hugged Draco.

I truly hope that was for comedic purposes for the awkwardness. Because everyone laughed.

But seriously those complaints are so miniscule. I still thought the movie was superbly done. & my FAVORITE thing they added in that wasn't in the book, 

When Snape finds Lily dead.

I bawled.

That was an amazing addition that felt like it truly happened in the course of events and J.K just didn't mention it. Amazing.

Anyways, I am going to see this probably 4 more times before it leaves theaters.

Collections - Nail Polish

I was definitely inspired by Kaylah's blog with this post as she does occasionally post about her collections and I thought I'd share with you one of mine....nail polish! (Does that count?....yes!)


So the top of this post is a picture of my entire nail polish family :) Here are a few close ups:

This is a brand from 5below that for the price, is actually very good! Takes a few coats but the glitter is awesome, only one coat and I love the texture. :)

MY FAVORITES:

Sally Hansen Insta-Dry

So this is my All-Time Favorite brand of Nail Polish. Why?

1. The brush is a rounded shape, and big so it's super easy to apply!

2. It really does dry super duper fast!

3. The colors are adorable.

The lighter colors do take at least 2 coats. This polish also doesn't last very long, it does chip within a few days but that doesn't bother me as I paint my nails every day. If you want long lasting nail polish, I recommend Sally Hansen "Hard as Nails" Xtreme Wear. I have it in orange and light green. It seriously lasts for weeks. (Although I usually end up scratching it all off by day 3 because I hate my nails looking the same)

Product Review

If you read my post yesterday, you might remember me saying that I bought this:

Well, I just wanted to post about how AMAZING this stuff is! If you can't read it, this is 'Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream'. It's available at Target for $5.99. So...

Why do I LOVE this?

-It smells so good! Smells just like lemon-poppy seed muffins (my favorite treat!)

-It works magic on my cuticles! Keeps them so moisturized, even after being outside shoveling!

-It's a great price!

-It's all natural & doesn't test on animals!

So...yes. I love this product :D

(This is actually my first Burt's Bees product {besides Chapstick} What other products would you recommend?)

OH & I saw 'The Fighter' in theaters today with my brother after we shoveled & IT WAS AMAZING. Go see it. Seriously. :)

~Sarah 

Book Review

For Christmas, I got...

A Kindle!

(Thanks Santa!)

I absolutely love it! I do enjoy holding a book in my hand but the lowered price tag of $139 and the huge free and discounted ebookstore on amazon enticed me into this beauty of a product.

This will give me the chance to read many books that normally I wouldn't pick up. To start off, I decided to read Wish by Alexandra Bullen. It was a limited time deal on amazon for free! I read it in a day & just wanted to do a review it. I might start doing that with other books & movies. 

Review

Wish by Alexandra Bullen

5/10

Wish was an entertaining book but nothing more than that. It was about a shy girl (Olivia) who moves to a new town (how original). Her twin sister had just passed and after meeting a magical-seamstress, wishes for her sister back. Her spontaneous sister turns into her life coach and changes her views on life and turns her into a social butterfly. The book was very predictable and obvious but all together, an entertaining book for a rainy day.

(What did you get for Christmas? Did anyone else read this book? If so, what are your thoughts?)