Feeding Your Soul

Every so often I come across a novel or a series that takes holds of my emotions and imagination, never releasing until the last page of the book.  The Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare is the latest and in my opinion one of the best series I have read thus far in my life.  The Mortal Instruments is the story of a girl named Clary Fray who finds out she is a Shadowhunter - a half angel, half human being that helps to rid the world of demons and protect the mundanes (humans) from things they don’t see.  She meets other Shadowhunters - Jace, Isabelle, Alec - and along with her best friend navigate the world of demons, angels, vampires, werewolves, and fairies while dealing with her “driven” father and other bad guys.   There are many plot points to the novels; to go through them here would be a waste of time. Read the books if you want specific story lines and character information. Cassandra Clare weaves a very intricate and delicate story into 6 ...

The Shadowhunter world is powerful. Not because of magic, steles, demons, or potions but of the emotions tied to every single character.  Cassandra Clare wielded such heartening characters in her books that bringing the world to the big and little screen seemed almost too much.  When the movie came out, it didn’t live up to the hype of many dedicated fans. Now with the show having gone through its 1st season (and the 2nd season on the horizon) the question is the same: can the producers of the show keep Clare’s world in tact and please everyone?  That is a resounding no. When the news first broke that The Mortal Instrument books series would be turned into a television show I was optimistic.  The feature film had a lot of buildup and hype. Unfortunately it did not live up to the majority’s expectations and fell flat when it was released.  I enjoyed it from a movie and entertainment viewpoint but when comparing it to the book it left something to be desired...

*If you have not watched, proceed with caution. Spoilers ahead* The age old question: Can a woman have a successful career and a family without sacrificing either? In The Intern starring Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro, Jules (Hathaway) is the founder of About the Fit, a clothing company that went from startup to major corporation in 18 months.  She has a family - a stay-at-home husband who left his job so that Jules could run hers and a daughter.  Her company runs a Senior Internship program where they hire Ben (De Niro) to be Jules’ assistant. Ben is a 76-year-old widower who is looking to have some purpose in his life.  He is observant of everyone around him, most especially Jules. He admires Jules, her tenacity, her love of her work and her family, but he also sees that she is conflicted. Everyone around her (her daughter’s play group, her company’s investors) see her as a mother first and a businesswoman second. Throughout the whole movie, she struggles wit...

215.  The number of books I have read (which is probably more but I can’t remember every book I read during my school years).  385.  The number I have on my to-read list as of March 22 2016.  With both those numbers, how many books is too many books? Can someone have too many books on their shelf that they are currently reading, waiting to read, or read? Is that even a question? I have asked myself this question every time someone asks me what I am reading. I answer with the current book I have in my hand or on my Nook and usually follow up with how many I have on my to-read list to give people a picture of how diverse my reading interests are. I have everything from crime novels to young adult fantasy to historical fiction on my to-read list. Reading for me started when I was young, way before I found the magic that came out of the light box as my niece used to call it. Reading would take me away from my world and inject me into a place where an...

A long time ago, in a movie theater far, far away a story was told of a young farm boy who would grow up to battle the dark side and defeat the evil empire. A fan base was born, the Star Warians. Today, those same Star Warians are introducing a new generation to the Star Wars world. Star Wars: The Force Awakens opened last December to record numbers and attendance. Directed by JJ Abrams, not much was known about the movie aside from a bad guy - Kylo Ren - trying to take over the galaxy and new good guys - Rey and Finn - working to stop him 30 years after Luke, Leia, and Han destroyed the Empire.  There were some familiar faces along the way - Han Solo, Chewie, Princess Leia - and some new ones that will soon become household names - Poe Dameron, General Hux and BB8.   The Force Awakens starts off like every other movie with the title screen and the familiar theme from John Williams radiating through the sound system. The story is set right away with the first line of the ...

**This blog is full of spoilers for the movie and the book Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. Proceed at your own risk.** When the Mortal Instruments: City of Bones movie was announced, MI fans went into a frenzy. Casting speculations were everywhere, fans were writing their own fan fiction and teenagers and young adults alike were praying that the movie turned into a success.  Unfortunately writing mistakes were too much to overcome and the fans were not impressed. City of Bones movie starts out just as the book does: Clary Fray is a 16-year-old girl living in New York learns there is a world full of monsters, demons, and vampires with Shadowhunters protecting the mundane world from all of them.  All without being seen.  Clary meets Jace, a shadowhunter who she saw kill a demon at a club. When he comes looking for her the next morning she confronts him only to be interrupted by her mother calling her telling her to go to Luke’s (friend of the family) and to tell...

In all my years of watching television series finales I have never wanted the lead of the lead of a show to go down with the ship. Until Revenge.  SPOILER ALERT.  With all of the conniving and twisting and red sharpies, how was there a happy ending for Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke? How was she going to live with herself knowing that she caused so many deaths (Aidan, Daniel, Ben, Declan to name a few)?  I went into watching the Revenge series finale with the knowledge that Emily was sure to die at the hands of Victoria or in some crazy accident with Nolan looking on, not being about to do anything.  I was shocked to find out that not only does Emily get her final revenge on Victoria (albeit her father pulled the trigger), she lives and gets to marry the love of her life, Jack.   How is that possible? Before I answer that, let’s talk about the episode and the half-hearted, crazy 4th season. Season 3 ended with the shocker that I saw coming - David Clarke is...