Month: March 2019

Posted in Answer a question

Preferred beverage while reading?

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

What beverage do you normally like to enjoy while you’re reading? I like to drink a nice cup of hot chocolate with some marshmallows in it, however, I drink it mostly in the winter time. During the warmer months, probably just a bottle of water or the occasional Mountain Dew Baja Blast.

I don’t normally enjoy a lot of snacks while reading because I don’t want to mess up my books while I’m reading. I’m might enjoy a small amount of chocolate (milk chocolate is preferred) as long as it’s not something that will get all over my hands. I’m just very particular about not messing up the books I have or damaging them in anyway.

Posted in Answer a question

Forced Reading

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

I’m sure we’ve all experienced reading something for school. Do you think that being forced to read for school ruins the book? I don’t think that was always the case with me. I was one of the people that was happy to read. Normally the teachers would let us choose what we read in school most of the time. There were some cases where the teachers would pick but I ended up liking the books we read. For example, there was one year we read “The House of Dies Drear” by Virginia Hamilton, which I ended up liking. The following year, I found out that there was a sequel called “The Mystery of Drear House” and I ended up reading that book as well. Well, last year I ended up getting I got the e-book version of both books put on my Kindle Fire and read them. They were still good books the second time around. One year, I remember doing a book report on the book we were reading and the teacher offered us bonus points if we dressed up as one of the characters from the book. Well, I was reading “Charlotte’s Web” by E. B. White and I dressed up as Fern. I even brought a stuffed pig with me to serve as Wilbur. My favorite part is one year in grade school the teacher let us bring out sleeping bags and out favorite book to school. This was on the last day of school (or very near the end of of the school year). The teacher was rewarding us for being good and I remember getting to have fun on that day. I also remember a teacher letting us trade books with our friends and we’d read get to read what everyone else brought.

Posted in Literature

If you like Harry Potter….

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

If you are a Harry Potter fan like I am, here are a few books below that I’ve read that you would probably find enjoyable.

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox = This is one of the books that I read earlier this year and I enjoyed it quit a bit. I found this book in the bargain section while browsing my local bookstore. Even though it’s suppose to be a kids book, it is still very interesting.

The Stoneheart trilogy by Charlie Fletcher = This trilogy includes the books Stoneheart, Ironhand and Silvertongue, which were published from 2006 though 2008. The story follows a 12 year old George Chapman through one of the many layers of London. This trilogy happens to be a favorite of mine.

The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer = I’m still in the process of reading this series but it has been enjoyable so far. The story follows twins Alex and Conner on their adventures through the Land of Stories.

Posted in Literature, romance

“The Shape of Water” by Guillermo Del Toro and Daniel Kraus

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

I’ve recently finished reading this novel and I wanted to share my thoughts on it with you. I don’t read a lot of romantic fantasy, only very little but this one was a good book. I was actually surprised to find out that my hubby had watched the movie counter-part at his mom’s house one day and he said it was a pretty good movie. I had actually thought about watching the movie when I was finished with the book but I figured I would have to watch it by myself because I didn’t figure he would like this kind of movie. Anyway, I had to hurry to finish reading this book because 1) I really wanted to see how it ended and 2) I didn’t want my hubby to reveal the ending before I finished reading (since he’d already watched the movie).

Synopsis: It is 1962, and Elisa Esposito—mute her whole life, orphaned as a child—is struggling with her humdrum existence as a janitor working the graveyard shift at Baltimore’s Occam Aerospace Research Center. Were it not for Zelda, a protective coworker, and Giles, her loving neighbor, she doesn’t know how she’d make it through the day.

Then, one fateful night, she sees something she was never meant to see, the Center’s most sensitive asset ever: an amphibious man, captured in the Amazon, to be studied for Cold War advancements. The creature is terrifying but also magnificent, capable of language and of understanding emotions…and Elisa can’t keep away. Using sign language, the two learn to communicate. Soon, affection turns into love, and the creature becomes Elisa’s sole reason to live.

But outside forces are pressing in. Richard Strickland, the obsessed soldier who tracked the asset through the Amazon, wants nothing more than to dissect it before the Russians get a chance to steal it. Elisa has no choice but to risk everything to save her beloved. With the help of Zelda and Giles, Elisa hatches a plan to break out the creature. But Strickland is on to them. And the Russians are, indeed, coming.

Posted in Author

Author Spotlight (Chapter 3)

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

This is author Joseph Hillstrom King, however, he writes under the pen name of Joe Hill. He is actually the son of Stephen King but I didn’t know that until after I had already started reading some of his work (and because he writes under the pen name). I started out reading his comic book series “Locke & Key” that he did with Gabriel Rodriguez (the illustrator). I very much enjoyed the series despite the fact that I don’t normally read comic books (it’s for mature audiences only though) but that was ultimately what got me hooked on this author to begin with. Since then, I’ve read “Heart-Shaped Box” and “NOS4A2” which are both excellent reads as well. I’ve got some of his other works but I haven’t had a chance to conquer them yet because I’ve got so much on my “to be read” list that it’s not even funny. If you are someone who likes horror and/or dark fantasy, then this is definitely an author that you’ll want to check out!

Posted in Movie (based on literature)

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grendelwald

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

My hubby bought me this movie on blu-ray yesterday. We’ve watched this movie at the theater when it was released and enjoyed it a lot. Now, we have it on blu-ray along with the first installment. Whenever I have all of the movies on blu-ray, I’m thinking of binge watching them back to back. My hubby will probably watch them with me. The Fantastic Beasts movies have been really good so far. You should watch them if you haven’t yet.

Posted in Answer a question

Why do you like reading?

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

There are probably a number of reasons why we like to read. I enjoy reading because it gives me an escape from all the hustle and bustle of every day life. If I’ve had a particularly stressful day, I can pick up a book and within minutes, I’ve immersed myself in the story and I’ve forgotten all about the hard day I’ve just experienced. It’s like giving your brain a vacation (but it’s cheaper than taking an actual vacation). I find reading to be something that is very relaxing. There are also some entertainment value in it…….it’s like the people who enjoy watching tv or movies (although I must admit I like to do those as well but probably not more than reading). You get to be transported to another place (and often times a completely different time) where you can spend countless hours learning about what is in that world that is created by the author that wrote that piece of literature. I guess I find it interesting to see what other people come up with just by using their imagination. So, if you don’t mine me asking, what are your reasons for reading? Feel free to leave a comment…

Posted in Answer a question

Reading versus movie/tv show

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

The question today is, which do you prefer…….reading the book or watching the movie/tv series. I, personally, enjoy reading the book. Reading is something I’ve enjoyed my whole entire life. Hollywood has taken to making these books into a movie or tv show of some kind, which is fine by me. I don’t mind watching a movie based on a book if I enjoyed the book. If I didn’t like the book, then you wouldn’t be able to get me to touch the movie/tv show with a ten foot pole.

Now, I’m all for reading the book but my hubby is the opposite. He’d rather watch the movie/tv show than read the book. With the Harry Potter series for example, I’ve read all the books and I’ve watched all the movies. My hubby on the other hand has at least watched the movies with me. I initially didn’t think he’d like the watching them with me, however, he did end up liking thm (much to my surprise). So, I can usually get my hubby to watch the movie or tv show with me…..as long as it’s not really girly or anything like that.

But there are a couple of different reasons why I choose to read instead of watch. The book, I can take that with me a lot easier than I can watching a tv or movie. I know that with technology is these days, you can watch stuff on your smartphone. But I’d rather not waste the battery on my phone just to watch something. I don’t want to have a dead phone and need to make a call in an emergency. Also, in the case of the movies, I can spend more time reading and enjoying it. A movie is usually over within a couple of hours and there is a lot they have to leave out with a limited time frame.

Posted in Fun

Diagon Alley

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

My hubby surprised me with a present today. He had gotten a gift card recently and he purchased a present for each of us with it. The present he got me was one of the 3D puzzles made by Wrebbit. It’s part of the Diagon Alley collection and it’s the last one I need to complete that. Specifically, it is “Mother Malkin’s and Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream” puzzle. I’ve just cracked this puppy open and I have all the pieces laid out. Now, I just have to get this put together. With this one, I now have all of the puzzles that Wrebbit has made from the Harry Potter world. I really need to take pictures of these puzzles together.

Posted in Fun

Famous Quotes (Fred & George Weasley edition)

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

Twins Fred and George Weasley……started out as students of Hogwarts, both Gryffindors, and eventually became owners of a joke shop called Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. They were a couple of my favorite characters from the Harry Potter series. They provided lots of fun and entertainment throughout the entire series, even when the series took a darker turn. Below are a few of my favorite quotes from Fred and George….

‘Yeah, he’s nipping off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with his fanged servant,’ said George, chortling. (Chamber of Secrets)

George: ‘We tried to shut him in a pyramid,’ he told Harry. ‘But Mum spotted us.’ (Prisoner of Azkaban)

‘What do we want to be Prefects for?’ said George, looking revolted at the very idea. ‘It’d take all the fun out of life.’ (Prisoner of Azkaban)

‘We didn’t give it to him because he was a Muggle!’ said Fred indignantly.
‘No, we gave it to him because he’s a great bullying git,’ said George. (Goblet of Fire)

‘Anyone can speak Troll,’ said Fred dismissively, ‘all you have to do is point and grunt.’ (Goblet of Fire)

‘Yeah, size is no guarantee of power,’ said George. ‘Look at Ginny.’
‘What d’ you mean?’ said Harry.
‘You’ve never been on the receiving end of one of her Bat-Bogey Hexes, have you?’ (Order of the Phoenix)

‘I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That’s everyone in the family!’
‘What are Fred and I, next-door neighbours?’ said George indignantly… (Order of the Phoenix)

‘“E” for “Exceeds Expectations”. And I’ve always thought Fred and I should’ve got “E” in everything, because we exceeded expectations just by turning up for the exams.’ (Order of the Phoenix)