Gilmore Girls on Netflix

I am a HUGE Gilmore Girls fan.  I watched the show when it originally aired on the WB and then re-watched it on DVD and then re-watched it again on Netflix when it was available.  So when I found out that it was being brought back on Netflix I was very excited.  I got a chance to marathon watch it on Saturday and I think I might have to re-watch it because it was over way too quickly.

I love that the show was 4 episodes long, each being 90 minutes long and each taking place during a season.  

Winter

Starts off with Rory coming home to Stars Hollow.  We get a little recap of her life and what she's been up to.  I'm a little disappointed in Rory that she's been traveling and doesn't have her dream job.  She's basically homeless and jobless.  She has boxes scattered all over and doesn't even have any underwear!  Things that disappointed me were, no Sookie in this whole episode, no Dean, no Jess!  We do however see Logan, one of the people Rory has been staying with.  Very much a friends with benefits type relationship.  Sad part was that Richard Gilmore died.

Spring

I loved, loved Paris in this episode.  The scene in the bathroom was great, I had to re-watch it!  Rory and Paris go back to Chilton, where the Headmaster tells Rory to get her Master's Degree and come back and teach there.  I definitely think she should listen to him.  Lorelai and Emily go to counseling together.  Rory has difficulty landing a job at Conde Nast and Sandee Speaks.  She is so arrogant in these job interviews, she thinks they just need to give it to her.

Summer

Rory gets a job, kind of. She becomes Edit for the Stars Hollow Gazette, which was going to stop being published.  This episode finally had Jess come to town, but unfortunately there was not enough of him.  I was hoping April would not make an appearance but she did.  At the end of this episode, Lorelai decides she wants to do Wild, the book version.

Fall

The concluding episode.  Lorelai does her Wild thing, Luke thinks they will never get back together.   The Life and Death Brigade come and Rory has one last night with Logan.  Did I mention he's been engaged this whole time?  Rory decides to write a book about her and Lorelai.  She finally moves back home.  Seems like at the last second we see Christopher, Dean and Sookie.  And OMG the ending was both happy and surprising and left open.

Could we get more Gilmore Girls?  Come on Netflix!

Book Review: The Only Pirate at the Party - Lindsey Stirling

The Only Pirate at the Party - Lindsey Stirling

Electronic and dancing violinist Lindsey Stirling shares her unconventional journey in an inspiring memoir filled with energy, persistence, and humor that have helped her successfully pursue a passion outside the box.

A classically trained musician gone rogue, Lindsey Stirling is the epitome of independent, millennial-defined success: after being voted off the set of America's Got Talent, she went on to amass more than ten million social media fans, record two full-length albums, release multiple hits with billions on YouTube views, and tour sold-out venues across the world.

Lindsey is not afraid to be herself.  In fact, it's her confidence and individuality that have propelled her into the spotlight.  But the road hasn't been easy.  After being rejected by talent scouts, music reps, and eventually national television, Lindsey forged her own path, step by step.  Here, for the first time, she shares every triumph and trial she has faced until now.  Beginning in a humble yet charmed childhood, this book follows Lindsey through a humorous adolescence, to her life as a struggling musician, through her personal struggles with anorexia, and finally all the way to her success as a world-class entertainer.  Lindsey's magnetizing story is at once remarkable and universal--a testimony that there is no singular recipe for success.  And a witness that, despite what people may say, sometimes it's okay to be The Only Pirate at the Party.

3/5 stars (liked it)

I love Lindsey's music and I saw her on America's Got Talent.  I love her videos and so when I saw she had a memoir, I had to read it. I love learning about her childhood and her struggles in becoming the person she is today.  She seems so down to earth.  I will continue to watch her and listen to her music.

Book Review: Replica - Lauren Oliver

Replica - Lauren Oliver

From Lauren Oliver, New York Times bestselling author of Before I Fall and the Delirium trilogy, comes an epic, masterful novel that explores issues of individuality, identity, and humanity.  Replica is a "flip book" that contains two narratives in one, and it is the first in a duology.  Turn the book one way and read Lyra's story; turn the book over and upside down and read Gemma's story.  The stories can be read separately, one after the other, or in alternating chapters.  The two distinct parts of this astonishing novel combine to produce an unforgettable journey.  Even the innovative book jacket mirrors and extends the reading experience.

Lyra's story begins in the Haven Institute, a building tucked away on a private island off the coast of Florida that from a distance looks serene and even beautiful.  But up close the locked doors, military guards, and biohazard suits tell a different story. In truth, Haven is a clandestine research facility where thousands of replicas, or human models, are born, raised, and observed.  When a surprise attack is launched on Haven, two of its young experimental subjects--Lyra, or 24, and the boy known only as 72--manage to escape.

Gemma has been in and out of hospitals for as long as she can remember.  A lonely teen, her life is circumscribed by home, school, and her best friend, April.  But after she is nearly abducted by a stranger claiming to know her, Gemma starts to investigate her family's past and discovers her father's mysterious connection to the secretive Haven research facility.  Hungry for answers, she travels to Florida, only to stumble upon two replicas and a completely new set of questions.

While the stories of Lyra and Gemma mirror each other, each contains breathtaking revelations critically important to the other story.  Replica is an ambitious, thought-provoking masterwork.

3/5 stars (like it)

I was not too crazy about two books in one.  I decided to read two chapters of one and flip over and read two chapters of the other.  Back and forth.  I think I would have rather had both points of views in one book.  I liked the character of Lyra more than Gemma.  I wish we could have seen more of life at Haven but since Lyra and 72 escape we only see some.  I liked the character of Pete and I'm glad we'll get to see more of him in the next book.

Book Review: Redeemed - P.C. & Kristin Cast

Redeemed - P.C. & Kristin Cast

In the final electrifying novel in the House of Night Series, Neferet has finally made herself known to mortals.  A Dark Goddess is loose on Tulsa and the world.  No single vampyre is strong enough to vanquish her unless that creature has the power to summon the elements as well as the ability to wield Old Magick.  Only Zoey Redbird is heir to such power...but because of the consequences of using Old Magick, she is unable to help.  Find out who will win and who will lose in this epic battle of Light versus Darkness.

3/5 stars (liked it)

This is a series that I think went on too long and I lost interest in it for a while.  So much so that I didn't realize the last book was out already.  I'm glad I did because it was a good conclusion to the story.  We got closure with Kalona and Nyx.  Closure for Zoey, Stark and Aurox/Heath.  Also saw a new love develop.  Overall I see a good ending to the series.

Book Review: The Fever - Megan Abbot

The Fever - Megan Abbot

The panic unleashed by a mysterious contagion threatens the bonds of family and community in a seemingly idyllic suburban community.

The Nash family is close-knit.  Tom is a popular teacher and the father of two teens: Eli, a hockey star and girl magnet, and his sister Deenie, a diligent student.  Their seeming stability, however, is thrown into chaos when Deenie's best friend is struck by a terrifying, unexplained seizure in class.  Rumors of a hazardous outbreak spread through the family, school, and community.

As hysteria and contagion swell, a series of tightly held secrets emerges, threatening to unravel friendships, families, and the town's fragile idea of security.

1/5 stars (did not like it)

I didn't like any of the characters, especially the main ones.  The story had so much potential but the author did not use it.  

Book Review: Hot Six - Janet Evanovich

Hot Six - Janet Evanovich

Low-rent bounty hunter Stephanie Plum reaches depths of personal experience that other women detectives never quite do.  In Hot Six, for example, a sequence of new and hideous cars bite the dust; she finds herself lumbered with a policeman's multiply incontinent dog; and she has several bad skin days.  All this when she is trying to prove her distinctly more competent colleague and occasional boyfriend Ranger innocent of a mob hit; avoid the heavies trailing her in the hope of finding him; and cope with a wife-abusing bail defaulter with nasty habits, such as setting Stephanie on fire.

3/4 stars (liked it)

These are always a fun quick read.  Stephanie is so funny.  I love Morelli and her grandmother.  Especially in this one since they are both in it quite a bit.  The dog, I fell in love with and I hope he stays in the series.  I can't wait to continue the series.