Category Archives: Media Reviews

Modern media can be a minefield for the conscientious parent. Prepare yourself with our family multimedia reviews that include books, podcasts, music and television.

2012 Olympic Opening Ceremonies

Did you catch the opening ceremonies for the Olympics last evening? There were representatives from 202 countries parading for all of the world to see, and the Queen jumped out of a helicopter. I kid you not on that last part. The ceremonies started off with a video of Queen Elizabeth boarding a helicopter to get from Buckingham palace to the Olympic stadium. Along the way, she waved to her fans and they waved back. Tuning in a few minutes last, I first wondered if this was going to be a commercial for Great Britain, a sort of tourist piece. … Continue reading →

His Needs, Her Needs by Willard F. Harley Jr.

This is truly my favorite relationship book. It really gets to the core of the problem, explains why things like infidelity happen and then give you tools to prevent it. The analogies in this book are great, for example, the Love Bank. They use the love bank to explain how when you meet someone and things are wonderful, this person is making deposits in your love bank. Eventually those deposits add up to a marriage. They also explain how certain things cause withdrawals from your love bank. In the normal course of marriage you will both make deposits and withdrawals … Continue reading →

Fever (Chemical Garden) by Lauren DeStefano Book Review

Young Adult Rhine finally escaped from the sinister Housemaster Vaughan, and brought her former servant and friend, Gabriel with her. They are on the run and trying to get to Manhattan to find Rhine’s brother, Rowan, and to make a new lives for themselves away from the haunting illusion of the mansion. They will never have to face the basement again, but is what is out there now even worse? Fever, the second book in the Chemical Garden series picks up exactly where the previous book, Wither, left off. Rhine and Gabriel are washing up on the shore, trying to … Continue reading →

Picture Bride Movie Review

Riyo, a young Japanese girl longs for a fresh start, after both of her parents die. The year is 1918, and her aunt contacts a match maker. Riyo, becomes a picture bride, a part of the custom of matching a husband and wife based on photos and letters. The beautiful Riyo, a shy, gentle girl, likes the look of her match, the handsome Mitsuji, so she embarks for Hawaii, where she will join her husband working in sugar cane fields. Once she lands, she is shocked to discover that the photo she was sent was very dated. Mitsuji is, in … Continue reading →

Wither (Chemical Garden) by Lauren DeStefano Book Review

Young Adult Imagine knowing that when you reach the age of 20, an unstoppable virus will take your life. It will also take the life of your twin brother when he reaches 25. Scientist unwittingly released this curse on the population through genetic engineering that left one generation virtually immortal, and the rest dying before they really get a chance to live. For Rhine Ellery, this fact is all too real. At the age of 16, with only four years to go, she finds herself in a world in panic, where orphans freeze to death on her porch and girls … Continue reading →

Vanity Fair Movie Review

Crafty Becky Sharp may not have been blessed with a good start in life, but she has her wits, her beauty, and her ability to speak fluent french, qualities she hoped will raise her from orphan to leader of society. Along the way, she laughs at society but years to be at its center, falls in love, but makes foolish choices, has a heart of gold at times and could care less in others. The film is an adaption of William Makepeace Thackeray’s 1848 novel, an undertaking, since the book spans decades of the early 19th century and is filled … Continue reading →

The Green Mile by Stephen King

Stephen King is my favorite author so I thought I would review some of his books. The Green Mile is one of my favorites. I’ve read it several times and still cry every time I read it. This book is an example of both the best and the worst sides of humanity. The book was written as a six part serial novel. The hardest thing was waiting for the next installment to come out but at the same time waiting gave me time to digest the parts I had already read. The Green Mile starts with two little dead girls … Continue reading →

Lost in Austen: Miniseries Review

Amanda Price is obsessed with Pride and Prejudice. “I love the story, I love Elizabeth, I love the manners and language and the courtesy.” It is something her sleazy boyfriend Michael doesn’t understand. His idea of romance is proposing marriage in between burps and swigs of beer. Michael eventually collapses on the couch leaving the house quiet enough for Amanda to hear mysterious noises coming from the bath. It is none other than Elizabeth Bennet come through some sort of time portal. Eventually, Amanda ventures through the door to the world of Austen, complete with Mr. Darcy. Will her presence … Continue reading →

Insomnia by Stephen King

Ralph Roberts knew his wife was going to die, no one told him and if all the tests and doctors weren’t enough to confirm it, the ticking of the deathwatch he started to hear from within her convinced him. The summer before Carolyn died Ralph started taking increasingly long walks to escape the ticking. Carolyn didn’t really notice, she was heavily medicated against the pain most of the time and was unaware when Ralph left the house. It was on one of these walks that Ralph discovered there was something very wrong in Derry, although he didn’t yet know what. … Continue reading →

Brave

Pixar has done it again, Brave is a beautifully animated fairytale set in Scotland. The princess in this story, Merida, is a fiery red head with a mind of her own. No damsel in distress waiting for Prince Charming, Merida is determined to choose her destiny instead of allowing tradition to chose it for her. Merida wants to ride her horse and shoot arrows. There is nothing prissy about this princess, she is as rough and tumble as any boy. For the first time we see a strong bond between mother and daughter in a fairytale. Somehow, along the way, … Continue reading →