Feeding Your Soul

*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...

Bella and Edward. Katniss and Peeta. Tris and Four. Jack and Schuyler. Lucinda and Daniel.  Clary and Jace.  In young adult fiction/fantasy those 6 couples are legend.  Some more than others. Everyone knows Bella and Edward, Katniss and Peeta and most recently Tris and Four.  The last 3 are not as known but for this avid reader, they are the most important.   Supernatural and fantasy stories - movies, books, television - are my addiction.  I gravitate toward any and all of those stories I can find.  The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare is my most recent and this story involves the last couple on the list - Clary and Jace. Clary is a 16-year-old normal teenager who finds out that there is a world beyond your imagination dealing with demons, vampires, werewolves and Shadowhunters - half human, half angel beings that are the “police” of the world beyond.  She and her best friend Simon go to a club one night and Clary witnesses what sh...

When Titanic first came out it was 1997. I was 12 years old and I went to see the 3.5 hour movie in the theater 4 times. 4 separate times. I went with my best friends, my mom, another set of friends, and I dragged my best guy friend at the time to see it with me.  Little did I or anyone else know at the time that this movie would still tug at my heartstrings and stay with you almost 20 years later. I am sitting at work listening to the Hans Zimmer radio on Pandora and the film score for Titanic comes up.  I get nostalgic, happy, sad and excited for Titanic all over again.  This was the biggest movie of its time and some say today it still is.  Every guy wanted to be Jack. Every girl wanted to be Rose. Everyone wanted the passion and the love Jack and Rose had for a few days.  It doesn't matter what happened at the end. Everyone had their own version of "what if Jack survived?" I knew I did. I imagined that Jack was simply sleeping and when Rose made it...