The Internship Movie Review

            When I first saw the trailer for The Internship, starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, you know what I thought? “That movie is going to be dumb and there is no way I’m going to watch it.”  I did like Wedding Crashers but other than that movie I am not fans of Vaughn or Wilson – separate or together. The movie is about two middle aged men who are let go from their sales job. They somehow manage to score internships at Google, with the promise of a fulltime job if their internship team succeeds and wins the intern competition.

     First off, let me state that I’m not a huge fan of comedies. I rarely see them in movie theatre because I never know if it will be absolutely terrible…and then I feel like an idiot for wasting my money. I don’t actively hate comedies…I just don’t seek them out. That being said…I have a boyfriend who absolutely loves them. The dumber the better. We rarely watch movies together due to our opposite schedules but he decided to investigate the new free movies that were on the On Demand feature. He selected The Internship and I grimaced. I remembered the premise from the trailer and knew I would soon be going to bed.

      Surprisingly, I actually paid attention. Yes, there were plenty of moment of Wilson and Vaughn shouting out random words which can be mistaken for comedy. Underneath that was an underlining problem of adults who think they cannot compete with today’s youth in the job market. I see this every day. I’m constantly assisting seniors or middle-age new unemployed patrons fill out job applications. Sometimes I find myself thinking that there isn’t a way that they can compete with the 20-something year olds that are entering the job market. Hell, those 20-somethnig year olds scare me and I am one of them.

    While this movie isn’t much to write home about, it is not that bad…which surprised the hell out of me. I expected the lowest of the low (I’m talking about you, Year One!) so I will admit that I enjoyed the movie. I thought the scenes where they are working on their internship with Google were entertaining. Yes, the typical banter between Wilson and Vaughn, which they are known for, is there and if you don’t like that…it can be overlooked…or fast forwarded through. Overall, if you are looking for something lighthearted then I would say give The Internship a shot. Remember, don’t expect much and you’ll find that its not that bad! 

Oh, patrons.

A patron came in one morning right after we opened to return some DVDs. As I started checking them in I noticed that they were all a day late...

Me: Sir, these were due yesterday so there will be an overdue charge for them.

Patron: They aren't late. I was in the parking lot at 9:00am.

Me: We don't open until 10:00am though.

Patron: I know that, but since I was here before you opened, they aren't late.

Review: The Swift Boys & Me by @Kody_Keplinger

I have been looking forward to Kody Keplinger’s new middle grade book for a while now. I discovered Keplinger when I picked up her first book (written while she was a teenager!) DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend. I instantly loved it and all its truth. From then on I have anxiously waited each of her new novels. When I read that her 4^th novel, The Swift Boys & Me, was going going to be a middle grade story about 12-year-old Nola’s friendship with her next door neighbors, the 3 Swift brothers, I was definitely intrigued.

The story starts off with the boys’ dad leaving them. This completely destroys their world and ultimately Nola’s. Their days of carefree friendship are gone as the boys are thrust into a world of complete chaos. As the boys go down different paths, Nola desperately tries to keep everything the same. It seems without the Swift boys she is equally lost.

Keplinger does a wonderful job of taking you down memory lane. I was instantly thrown back to my days as a 6^th grader and all the fun that was had from sleepovers, jumping on trampolines, bike riding, and causing mayhem in my local neighborhood. I often caught myself smiling and reminiscing of the good ole days when life was much simpler with the exception of friend drama…just like for Nola. Whether or not this life is still typical for today’s 12-year-old I do not know. The age of technology has thrust today’s preteen into a whole new atmosphere that I couldn’t imagine.

All the characters in The Swift Boys & Me are impossible not to love and grow attached to. I would totally be okay if Keplinger decided to turn this stand alone novel into a series or come back later on as the characters have gotten older. If you are looking for a sweet story of friendship and growing up then I would recommend that you check out The Swift Boys & Me (and while you’re at it – get The Duff because it is fabulous!) 

Project Read All The Books: July Recap

It’s that time again!

July was a busy reading month with me knocking out 30 books (3 were pictures books, plus 2 novellas).

From the 30 books I read in July, 7 came from my To-Be-Read (TBR) Bookcase. Remember the whole goal of this project is to cut down on the number of books that I own, but haven’t read. I have an entire bookcase dedicated to these books! And with the number of books I keep acquiring, I really need to free up this bookcase for other books.

As of June 2014, I had 124 books on my TBR bookcase.

My goal for July was 8 books.

Even though I read 30, only 7 were from the TBR bookcase. I started the 8th one last night, Magic Slays, but fell asleep. I would have finished it (and finally hit my monthly goal), but BF found an early showing of The Guardians of the Galaxy, so we rushed to see that.

Here are the 7 books for July:

Castles by Julie Garwood
Seduction of a Highland Lass by Maya Banks
No Good Duke Goes Unpunished by Sarah MacLean
A Knight in Shining Amour by Jude Deveraux
Up from the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Mistress by Tiffany Reisz
Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

Current Count: 117

Goal for August: 5 Books

What did you read in July?

The Perfect Stranger by Wendy Corsi Staub Spotlight

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

Wendy Corsi Staub

THE PERFECT STRANGER

"In a word: terrifying…”

—RT Book Reviews

 “Solid gold suspense!”

—Lee Child

During the darkest period of her life—her battle with breast cancer—Alabama mom Landry Wells found solace in a group of online bloggers who had been in her shoes and lived to tell the tale.  At last, years later, the close-knit, geographically scattered circle of online friends is about to meet in person at a funeral for a fellow blogger.

Though these women are no strangers to death, they never expected they would have to mourn a friend’s death after she was viciously murdered. And, as the story unfolds after their meeting, Landry suspects that her beloved friend’s death wasn’t as random as it seems—and that the killer might be masked behind a familiar screen name.

THE PERFECT STRANGER (Harper paperback, on sale July 29) is the second creepy thriller from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Wendy Corsi Staub that explores the world of internet predators.

New York Times bestseller WENDY CORSI STAUB is the award-winning author of more than seventy novels. Wendy now lives in the New York City suburbs with her husband and their two children. Learn more about Wendy at www.wendycorsistaub.com

For more information or to purchase The Perfect Stranger visit http://bit.ly/1pK3ypM

Gaston by @KellyDiPucchio Review

Gaston is the perfect poodle puppy. He never barks, slobbers, or any other messy thing. He fits in perfect with his proper poodle family. Until a trip to the park reveals a startling revelation. In Kelly DiPucchio’s adorable new picture book, Gaston learns the true meaning of family, love, and being who you truly are.

Seriously, this book is freakin’ adorable. It was recommended to me by a fellow librarian (therefore you know it will be amazing) and it completely warmed my heart! Go forth and read now!

Beach Bound Reading

Summer Reading is over at my library and I am celebrating by  packing my bag full of books and heading straight to the beach. I haven’t packed my clothes yet, but I have been plotting what I’m going to read all week. I always take more than I can actually get through, because I never know what mood I’ll be in. Here is what I have for this short weekend getaway…

• Up from the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (audio for the drive down and back)
• Nice Girls Don’t have Fangs by Molly Harper
• The Enchanted Land by Jude Deveraux
• The Mistress by Tiffany Reisz (currently reading) from the TBR shelf
• Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins
• Fool me Twice by Meredith Duran
• Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews from the TBR shelf
• A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux (currently reading) from the TBR shelf

What do you like to read on your vacations? Any recommendations?