50 Books Challenge 2012 Update - July

Like I said before announcing my july theme, I didn't have a lot of time to read in the beginning of the month because of my trip to Uganda. I did manage to read four books anyway, so that's pretty good. But this month wasn't really satisfying though. I didn't read very good books. I have the average to proof it.

# 28. Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella - 4/ 5
# 29. Solo by Jill Mansell - 1/ 5
# 30. Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger - 3/ 5
# 31. Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus - 2,5/ 5

Average: 2,6

Favorite of the Month: Remember Me?

Now the theme for august:

I expect to read more 5-star books in august, because Roald Dahl is the best children's book writer off all-time. I decided to focus only on his children's stories and I have so nice ones on my shelve. I can't wait to read them.

50 Books Challenge 2012 - # 31: Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Title: Nanny Returns
Author: Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Story: After living abroad for twelve years, Nan and her husband, Ryan, aka H.H., have returned to New York to make a life for themselves. In the midst of getting her new business off the ground and fixing up their fixer-upper, Ryan announces his sudden desire to start a family. His timing simply couldn't be worse. To compound the mounting construction and marital chaos, her former charge, Grayer X, now sixteen years old, makes a drunken, late-night visit, wanting to know why she abandoned him all those years ago. But how can she explain to Grayer what she still hasn't come to terms with herself? In an attempt to assuage her guilt, yet against every instinct, Nan tries to help Grayer and his younger brother, Stilton, through their parents' brutal divorce, drawing her back into the ever-bizarre life of Mrs. X and her Upper East Side enclave of power and privilege. After putting miles and years between herself and this world, Nan finds she's once again on the front line of the battle with the couture-clad elite for their children's wellbeing.
Start: july 27th 2012
End: july 31st 2012
Comment: We all remember Nanny from the succesful novel "The Nanny Diaries". I really loved that book and was really looking forward to reading its sequel. Now, twelve years later, Nan is back, married and again she has to deal with the X's. It started out really good, I liked reading about how Nanny turned out and about her life with her husband Ryan. Later it was just another story, that really didn't go anywhere. I missed the clear writing style with quick-moving dialogue that was so present in the first book. That made the first novel so easy to read and made "Nanny Returns" a bit of a struggle. I still like Nan, she is a great character. She does so much for other people and I like her tender nature. I liked Ryan as well, he sounded like this perfect guy. He could have more depth though. I did like Nan taking on the nanny role again, how she looked after Grayer and his younger brother Stilton. The return of Mrs. X also excited me at first, but I enjoyed reading about her as the bitch she was in the first book. I think a sequel to "The Nanny Diaries" could be so good, but this story just didn't do it for me.
Rating: 2,5/ 5

The Many Faces of... Johnny Depp

I think this is the man with probably the most different looks. He never looks the same. And I think that's what makes Johnny Depp so unique. Here are some of his looks (and I had to make a selecion, because else I had an even longer list).

Face # 1: Nightmare on Elmstreet
Role: Glen Lantz
Comment: How cute, he was only 21 here.
Rating: 3/ 5

Face # 2: Platoon
Role: Lerner
Comment: Like a real war hero.
Rating: 3,5/ 5

Face # 3: Cry-Baby
Role: Cry-Baby
Comment: Rock 'n Roll!
Rating: 3/ 5

Face # 4: Edward Scissorhands
Role: Edward Scissorhands
Comment: The appearance scares you, but he so sweet and kind.
Rating: 2/ 5

Face # 5: Who's Eating Gilbert Grape?
Role: Gilbert Grape
Comment: Nice...
Rating: 4,5/ 5

Face # 6: Ed Wood
Role: Ed Wood
Comment: A bit sleezy...
Rating: 3/ 5

Face # 7: Don Juan DeMarco
Role: Don Juan
Comment: This is every girls fantasy.
Rating: 5/ 5

Face # 8: Nick of Time
Role: Gene Watson
Comment: Not such a good look for Johnny, but what do you expect when your characters first name is Gene.
Rating: 2,5/ 5

Face # 9: Donnie Brasco
Role: Donnie Brasco/ Joseph D. 'Joe' Pistone
Comment: Those sunglasses are hip again nowadays.
Rating: 4/ 5

Face # 10: Fear and Loathing in las Vegas
Role: Raoul Duke
Comment: And I hope those sunglasses will never return again...
Rating: 2,5/ 5

Face # 11: Sleepy Hollow
Role: Ichabod Crane
Comment: His paleness doesn't bother me somehow.
Rating: 3,5/ 5

Face # 12: Chocolat
Role: Roux
Comment: HELLO! Not his best movie, but I love this look. My favorite.
Rating: 5/ 5

Face # 13: Blow
Role: George Jung
Comment: Johnny looks best with his long hair.
Rating: 3,5/ 5

Face # 14: Pirates of the Caribbeans
Role: Captain Jack Sparrow
Comment: Everybody loves a handsome pirate.
Rating: 5/ 5

Face # 15: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Role: Willy Wonky
Comment: Maybe his creepiest look ever.
Rating: 1/ 5

Face # 16: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber on Fleet Street
Role: Sweeney Todd
Comment: Yes, even creepier then this look.
Rating: 3/ 5

Face # 17: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Role: Imaginarium Tony 1
Comment: Dreamy...
Rating: 5/ 5

Face # 18: Alice in Wonderland
Role: Mad Hatter
Comment: Freaky.
Rating: 2/ 5

Face # 19: Dark Shadows
Role: Barnabas Collins
Comment: So, not every vampire looks sexy...
Rating: 2,5/ 5

Check This Out # 1

I thought of a new item. It just came to me. I love browsing the internet and sometimes I see amazing things I just want to share them. But you can not share everything on facebook or tumblr. So I decided to share it with you, on my blog. Photos, video's, websites, books, you name it.

I saw this great video a friend of mine posted and it's a musical flashmob in a subway. Just check out the link below.

Subway Flashmob

I saw this on http://somewhereontheiceplanet.tumblr.com/. From "The Fantastic Mr. Fox". A great film, but a fantastic book I'm planning on rereading next month.

Off course this video! Probably everyone saw it, but this is hilarious and the actual proof that the Britisch have humor. Rowan Atkinson at the 2012 opening of the Olympics.

Rowan Atkinson at 2012 Olympics

I saw a production still of the 2012 thriller "Passion" with one of my favorites Rachel McAdams and also rising star Noomi Rapace. It's about a young businesswoman who plots murderous revenge after her boss and mentor steals her idea.

So, if you saw anything awesome and you'd like the share it. Please do, send me anything you think I should check out. See you next time!

Movie Trailer Sunday (46)

This weeks trailers are about how actions have impact on live throughout the past, a man on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, corrupt cops, surfing and a bachelorette party.

Cloud Atlas
Description: "Cloud Atlas" explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave dramatically through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future.
Director: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Starring: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant
Trailer: Trailer "Cloud Atlas"
Comment: I read the book last year and it really fascinated me because I never read anything like it before. This trailer looks fantastic and I really want to see this film!

Life of Pi
Description: A young man survives a tragic disaster at sea and is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While marooned on a lifeboat, he forms an amazing and unexpected connection with the ship's only other survivor - a fearsome Bengal tiger
Director: Ang Lee
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Suraj Sharma, Irffan Khan, Gerard Depardieu, Adil Hussain
Trailer: Trailer "Life of Pi"
Comment: Another movie based on a great novel. I haven't read it yet, but after seeing this trailer I think I will read it.

Freelancers
Description: The son of a slain NYPD officer joins the force, where he falls in with his father's former partner and a team of rogue cops. His new boss, Sarcone (Robert De Niro), will see if he has what it takes to be rogue through many trials and tribulations of loyalty, trust and respect. When the truth about his father's death is revealed, revenge takes over him, and he won't stop until justice has been truly served.
Director: Jesse Terrero
Starring: Robert De Niro, Forest Whitaker, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Dana Delany
Trailer: Trailer "Freelancers"

Chasing Mavericks
Description: We follow a Jay Moriarty's (Leven Rambin) quest to surf Northern California's most dangerous wave, and the local legend (Gerard Butler) who takes him under his wing. What begins as a mentorship turns into a unique lifelong bond, as the two unlikely friends discover that there is nothing more powerful than pushing your limits and chasing a nearly impossible dream.
Director: Curtis Hanson
Starring: Gerard Butler, Elizabeth Shue, Leven Rambin, Abigail Spencer
Trailer: Trailer "Chasing Mavericks"

Bachelorette
Description: On the night before an old friend's wedding, three frisky bridesmaids go searching for a little fun but find much more than they bargained for. With lovely Becky (Rebel Wilson) set to marry her handsome sweetheart, Dale (Hayes MacArthur), the remaining members of her high school clique reunite for one last bachelorette bacchanal in the Big Apple. Regan (Kirsten Dunst) is an overachieving, ueber-Maid of Honor who's secretly smarting over the fact that she's not the first to marry, while Gena (Lizzy Caplan) is a whip-smart sarcastic who's actually a closet romantic, and Katie (Isla Fisher) is a ditzy beauty who loves the good life. But when Becky insists on keeping the bachelorette party tame, the women proceed with an after-hours celebration of their own.
Director: Leslye Headland
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan, Isla Fisher, James Marsden, Adam Scott, Rebel Wilson, Hayes MacArthur
Trailer: Trailer "Bachelorette"
Comment: It looks a lot like "Bridesmaids", but I love Kirsten Dunst so...

In My Mailbox (55)

It was a very quiet week for me as a postcrosser. I knew that would happen, because in the period I was in Uganda I didn't send any postcards. And if you don't send cards, you don't get them either. So only one card this week. I think upcoming week will still be very quiet, but after that my mailbox will be busier (I hope). The card I received came from Brest, Belarus. It's a card made by a child, really lovely.

Sent on: june 17th 2012
Received on: july 24th 2012
Distance: 1,225 km (761 miles)
Travel time: 7 days

Thanks Anna for the card.

50 Books Challenge 2012 - # 30: Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger

Title: Chasing Harry Winston
Author: Lauren Weisberger
Story: Emmy is newly single, and not by choice. She was this close to the ring and the baby she's wanted her whole life when her boyfriend left her for his twenty-three-year-old personal trainer, whose fees are paid by Emmy. With her plans for the perfect white wedding in the trash, Emmy is now ordering takeout for one. Her friends insist an around-the-world sex-fueled adventure will solve all her problems, could they be right? Leigh, a young star in the publishing business, is within striking distance of landing her dream job as senior editor and marrying her dream guy. And to top it all off, she has just purchased her dream apartment. Only when Leigh begins to edit the enfant terrible of the literary world, the brilliant and brooding Jesse Chapman, does she start to notice some cracks in her perfect life. Adriana is the drop-dead-gorgeous daughter of a famous supermodel. She possesses the kind of feminine wiles made only in Brazil, and she never hesitates to use them. But she's about to turn thirty and, as her mother keeps reminding her she won't have her pick of the men forever. Everyone knows beauty is ephemeral and there's always someone younger and prettier right around the corner. Suddenly she's wondering...does Mother know best? These three very different girls have been best friends for a decade in the greatest city on earth. As they near thirty, they're looking toward their future but despite all they've earned - first-class travel, career promotions, invites to all the right parties, and luxuries small and large - they're not quite sure they like what they see. One Saturday night at the Waverly Inn, Adriana and Emmy make a pact: within a single year, each will drastically change her life. Leigh watches from the sidelines, not making any promises, but she'll soon discover she has the most to lose. Their friendship is forever, but everything else is on the table. Three best friends. Two resolutions. One year to pull it off.
Start: july 24th 2012
End: july 26th 2012
Comment: The last book written by Lauren Weisberger that I read wasn't a succes. I didn't enjoy it very much, but as always I don't give up on a writer after reading one bad book. This book spoke to me when I picked it up. The synopsis sounded interesting, especially because it follows three different storylines and I always like that. It was really easy to get into this book and it's a real pageturner. It isn't spectacular but it's fun. Emmy, Leigh and Adriana are the three ladies we follow in this book and I have to say I could relate to Leigh the most. I sympathized her the most and I could understand why she did the things she did. I didn't think I would like Adriana, because I would probably hate her in real life. Somehow she kinda grew on me when the story developed. After the girls made the pact, she was the only one changing in a positive way. Adriana really wanted to better her life. Emmy was OK, but I didn't really feel a connection with her. In the end I still liked Leigh the most. "Chasing Harry Winston" is a fun read, a good read for the summer and a real no-brainer.
Rating: 3/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Albums

I was going through my albums the other day, realizing that I don't know a lot of people that still buy albums. Most people download everything. I download music too, but I still buy albums once in a while. I don't have a big collection, but I do have some great ones in my opinion. Here are my five favorite albums.

5. So Far So Good - Bryan Adams
In my teen years Bryan Adams was THE artist for me. I have more of his albums and I listened to this album the most.I know every song by heart and I think technically this album is a best of album. My all-time favorite song is also on it, "(Everything I Do) I Do it For You".

4. Ceremonials - Florence and the Machine
You can't put Florence and the Machine in one genre. What is it? All I know is that Florence is super awesome and very good music. It's different from any other band and every song is different as well. This album is great!

3. Sigh No More - Mumford and Sons
Can you imagine that this is only the debut album? It is so amazing, because there is litteraly not one bad song on this album. This record gives me the chills and I mean that in a good way. I'm a very proud owner.

2. Jagged Little Pil - Alanis Morissette
Also an album I listened to a lot in my teenage years. I actually dressed like her for a little while. All her songs made sense and had such a deep meaning, they made my high school days easier. Thanks Alanis!

1. Stanley Climbfall - Lifehouse
After five (almost six) albums, the second one is still their best. It was (and still is) in my CD player a lot and I love every song on this album. OK, my all-time favorite Lifehouse song isn't on this one, but that proves again why this album is so good and all the songs are as well. And why it's my favorite.

They almost made the top 5: No Name Face - Lifehouse, This is My Truth Tell Me Yours - Manic Street Preachers, Ten - Pearl Jam, Black Album - Metallica, One by One - Foo Fighters, Day & Age - The Killers, Flamingo - Brandon Flowers

Pic Spam: Mila Kunis

I love this woman. She is so much fun and I enjoy watching her in movies. Here are her best pictures.

CSI, Robert, Avengers, 50/50, Anna, Emma, Chris, James and Channing

I've been creative, because I made some nice wallpapers again. I realized I haven't posted any in a while so I have a lot to share with you. The first is from CSI. With Catherine being gone, Morgan Brody is my favorite female character. And Nick is still my male favorite. I decided to make a wallpaper with the two of them.

Then Robert Downey Jr. Needs no explanation.

Some wallpapers for the movie "The Avengers".

And for the film "50/50". Plus one of the actresses Anna Kendrick.

This photoshoot of Emma Stone is so nice, I just needed to make a wallpaper with those pictures.

I loved "Snow White and the Huntsman". And Chris Hemsworth is one of the reasons why I liked it so much. This man is perfect.

And James Franco is beyond perfection.

This wallpaper of Channing Tatum is currently on my desktop. I saw "21 Jump Street" on the plane when I was flying to Uganda. It wasn't a fantastic movie, but I always enjoy watching Channing Tatum. And I really, really, really want to see "Magic Mike" but nobody wants to go with me....