Book Club Monday: One Kick by Chelsea Cain

When I went into reading One Kick, I was excited. I have loved all of the Heartkiller series books by Chelsea Cain, and I was interested in reading some new characters and a fresh story. At least, I hoped it would be.

It took a bit for me to get excited about One Kick. The story really ramped up towards the middle, but overall it left sort of a strange taste in my mouth. The story followed Kick Lannigan, a trained fighter, archer, and markswoman. As the story unfolds, you find out that Kick used to be Beth, who was abducted at a young age and had some truly terrible things happen to her (if you are not good with suggestions of child abuse, this is definitely not the book for you). She takes it upon herself, along with a mysterious detective named John Bishop, to find children who have been abducted, as she has a sneaking suspicion her abductor has something to do with it.

Without giving too much away, I will say that the book was still moderately exciting, except it felt like an offshoot and too similar a storyline to the Gretchen and Archie storyline from the Heartkiller books. I was not at all disappointed in it and didn't feel like it was a waste of my time completely, but would have much rather it hadn't felt like a transplant of new characters in the oh-so-familiar story. As the first book in a new series, the flat, sudden ending also made it difficult to see a sequel, or series, coming out of it. I am not giving up hope completely, but also hope that the next installment can be refreshing and not so similar to the Heartkiller saga.

How I Spent My Single Lady Valentine's Day

I know, I know, it's been awhile. I assure you, though, I've been working on a lot of stuff that's going to start making this blog awesome again. I have been working on myself a lot, and figuring out what I want and don't want out of life. Most important? I've been doing some new stuff and I'm ready to tell you guys all about it. But! That's not what this post is about.

For most of my adult life, I have been alone on Valentine's Day. And honestly? It doesn't really matter to me. It always feels fake to take just one day a year to celebrate the love we should be celebrating, and embracing, every day instead of just being horrible to each other. There are arguments on both sides of the table, whether it's a Hallmark holiday or a blemished day in history. I try to take it for what it is currently and basically tolerate everything being red and pink and all of the lovey-dovey stuff for the half price chocolate on February 15th. Hey, at least I'm honest.

This year, though... this year's plans were some of the best I've made in awhile. And what were those plans, you might ask? Simple. See Robocop. Eat pretzel bites. Be happy. And that is precisely. what. I. did.

 

As for the film, I really, really loved it. I haven't seen the original in awhile so I can't compare the two, but what I will say is that Robocop is definitely worth your ten bucks. I had heard reviewers saying both that it was great and that it was horrible. I like to make my own choices, so I went in with a blank slate and an open mind.

Robocop is about a future in which we are utilizing robots overseas instead of humans to keep the peace. There is much argument between politicians over whether or not the robots can be used stateside, with Detroit as the focus. Detroit of 2028 (when the film takes place) is not much different than it is now, with crime plaguing the streets and police officers attempting to keep the peace. Detective Alex Murphy (played by Joel Kinnaman from The Killing) is critically injured in the line of duty, and his wife is approached by the Omnicorp conglomerate with a way for her to keep him alive - by using him to test out a half man/half machine law enforcement officer.

I don't want to give away too much, but what I want to say is that I did not leave disappointed whatsoever. The supporting actors were all wonderful, from Michael Keaton and Gary Oldman as the CEO and a researcher for Omnicorp to Samuel L. Jackson as a television personality, the film was cast wonderfully. The other big thing I noticed? The film was about thirty percent gun fights and explosions, but the film was not ultraviolent, as I have gotten used to with almost every film that comes out. And the lack of real violence made it enjoyable. The other theme that really came out was the humanity of all of the characters. Whether intentional or not, the fight between the man and machine and heart versus computer made the viewer wondering which side would win out. All in all, two hours of great entertainment that's totally worth your ten bucks.

I also figured that since it is Valentine's Day and all, that I would have no issue getting into the theater, since most girls are into romantic comedies, especially given the date on the calendar. I was right about that - there were only about twenty people in the theater, mostly teenagers. I just remembered the good karma moment I had, so I'll add that too.

Sitting at the end of the aisle, I was too distracted by my pretzel bites to notice when one of the kids dropped $10 out of their pocket when it happened. When they came back, I asked one if they were looking for it and she said no, so I put it in my pocket and figured worst case scenario, I'd walk out with an extra $10. One of the other girls came up to me in a total panic and asked if I found the money, so I gave it back. Er go, I could have been a total jerk, but I chose not to.

Even though it's not Valentine's Day anymore, I hope everyone had a great day. What did you all do?

Book Club Monday #21: Firehouse by David Halberstam

As someone who watched the events of 9/11 happen from states away, I felt the same as everyone else did - there was nothing to say. All of these years later, with a new tower going up in place of the World Trade Center, I learned that it is still easy to open those wounds and bring back that fear. On a recent trip to Half Price Books, I happened upon a copy of Firehouse, by David Halberstam, a popular and talented journalist.

Since beginning a job within the fire service a few years ago, the events of 9/11 mean something different to me. It no longer feels only like a violation - I can feel the pain of everyone who was there that day. The New York Fire Department lost 343 men that day. That is, basically, the size of our entire department. Every year, I go to the Fallen Firefighters Memorial, and to make a long story short - it means something completely different to me now than it did that day.

Firehouse is a book about the men who made up the quarters of Engine 40, Ladder 35 in Manhattan. Thirteen men responded to the tragedy on September 11, 2001, and only one came back alive. That, to me, is an absolutely awful thought, but it is something that needs to be thought about, so the memories of all of these brave men are never forgotten.

If you think this novel will wind up being a book all about that day, you will be disappointed. Instead, it gives examples of what it's like to be a firefighter - why someone would want to make small amounts of money compared to what they put on the line. It tells stories about each and every member of the engine house, funny things they did and how they treated each other like an extended family. Talks about their families, and gradually into the elements that made up 9/11/01.

This book will absolutely and completely tear your soul and your heart apart. It will make you think about how awful you felt that day, and realize that, if you were old enough to know what was going on, those wounds are still as fresh as they were that day. Even without a happy ending, this is, however, a beautiful memoir of a great group of brave, selfless men on the worst day in United States history.

Book Club Monday #20: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

It should be no secret at this point that I'm a fan of Gillian Flynn's novels. Since reading her second newest (Dark Places), and newest (Gone Girl), I decided to read Sharp Objects, as well. And, once again, I was not disappointed.

Sharp Objects follows the story of Camille Preaker, journalist for a small paper in Chicago that isn't all that popular. She is called back to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri to cover two recent child murders and get the case some more attention. The murders had the entire town stumped, as there were two dead girls and both of them had had their teeth removed. Why is the book called Sharp Objects, you might ask? Camille confesses to being a cutter in the early chapters, and spent many years of her teenage and young adult lives covering most of the skin of her body with words, cut into her flesh.

As with her other novels, Sharp Objects is one of those cerebral, can't-put-it-down novels that is so rare to find. With it being Gillian Flynn's first, I can definitely understand how it gained so much attention so fast - it is really a wonderful book, and a great way to begin the successful career she has now. She has a hell of a way with words - leaving the reader unable to get enough of her, and not quite able to figure out what is going to happen before the very end. I will say that once a resolution was reached, Sharp Objects ended pretty quickly, but at the same time, ending too quickly is not representative of how well the story is built throughout the course of the entire novel.

To make a long story short, Sharp Objects was a great first novel for Gillian Flynn, and she has done nothing but grow with her other works. I am personally excited to see what else she could have up her sleeve!

BzzAgent Campaign: Schick HydroSilk Razor

Very recently, I became a BzzAgent (which you can read about here), and my second Campaign was for the Schick HydroSilk razor. Let me just tell you - I used this razor before the Campaign, and will use it for a long time.   
The shave itself is great. The moisturizing aspects keep my skin smooth and I barely have to shave once a week! It does a great job, and the razors themselves and the refills are pretty cost-effective, and are available everywhere.

If you're in the market for a new razor, I would definitely recommend checking out the Hydro Silk. I've been a user for a long time, and would tell anybody to try it out and see how they like it!
Keep checking back for more product reviews - next in line are a few hair care product Campaigns I've really fallen in love with! 
Also, FYI: coming up later this week are some more great posts, as well as a new feature! I have been sick this week, and feeling like crap = not posting with any sort of frequency!