Book Review - Notorious Nineteen, by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum Novels, by Janet Evanovich
1. One for the Money    10/18/2007
2. Two for the Dough    11/19/2007
3. Three to get Ready    11/24/2007
4. Four to Score           11/25/2007
5. High Five                 11/26/2007
6. Hot Six                    12/6/2007
7. Seven Up                3/10/2008
8. Hard Eight                3/11/2008
9. To the Nines            3/16/2008
10. Visions of Sugar Plums    3/14/2008
11. Ten Big Ones          3/17/2008
12. Eleven on Top         5/2/2008
13. Twelve Sharp          5/12/2008
14. Lean Mean Thirteen        5/13/2008
15. Plum Lovin’                5/14/2008
16. Plum Lucky                5/15/2008
17. Fearles Fourteen        8/18/2008
18. Plum Spooky                TBR
19. Finger Lickin’ Fifteen    9/25/2009
20. Sizzling Sixteen             11/4/2011                   (My Review)
21. Smokin' Seventeen        11/11/2011  * * *      (My Review) 
22. Explosive Eighteen         2/1/2012     * * * *   (My Review)
23. Notorious Nineteen        4/5/2013    * * * *

From Goodreads:
"#1 bestselling author Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels are: “irresistible” (Houston Chronicle), “stunning” (Booklist), “outrageous” (Publishers Weekly), “brilliantly evocative” (The Denver Post), and “making trouble and winning hearts” (USA Today).

New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is certain of three truths: People don’t just vanish into thin air. Never anger old people. And don’t do what Tiki tells you to do.

After a slow summer of chasing low-level skips for her cousin Vinnie’s bail bonds agency, Stephanie Plum finally lands an assignment that could put her checkbook back in the black. Geoffrey Cubbin, facing trial for embezzling millions from Trenton’s premier assisted-living facility, has mysteriously vanished from the hospital after an emergency appendectomy. Now it’s on Stephanie to track down the con man. Unfortunately, Cubbin has disappeared without a trace, a witness, or his money-hungry wife. Rumors are stirring that he must have had help with the daring escape . . . or that maybe he never made it out of his room alive. Since the hospital staff’s lips seem to be tighter than the security, and it’s hard for Stephanie to blend in to assisted living, Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur goes in undercover. But when a second felon goes missing from the same hospital, Stephanie is forced into working side by side with Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, in order to crack the case.

The real problem is, no Cubbin also means no way to pay the rent. Desperate for money—or maybe just desperate—Stephanie accepts a secondary job guarding her secretive and mouthwatering mentor Ranger from a deadly Special Forces adversary. While Stephanie is notorious for finding trouble, she may have found a little more than she bargained for this time around. Then again—a little food poisoning, some threatening notes, and a bridesmaid’s dress with an excess of taffeta never killed anyone . . . or did they? If Stephanie Plum wants to bring in a paycheck, she’ll have to remember: No guts, no glory. . . ."


My Thoughts:
Wow - Number Nineteen!  Who would have thought that this series could go on for so long?

No really, who thought that?  Well, while certain things about the series may be getting a bit long in the tooth, I have to admit that Notorious Nineteen was quite a bit better and definitely more enjoyable than the last two books in the series.  All the expected elements are there where they should be, like comfortable slippers beside the bed - Grandma Mazur is crazy yet oddly helpful, chicken gets eaten, Joe is hot, Ranger is hotter, etc.

But somehow - and I totally can't put my finger on why, exactly - Notorious Nineteen ends up being funnier and much more entertaining than the previous few novels.  Evanovich may have found a new enjoyment and life in her characters, perhaps, but whatever it is, I liked it. 

Overall I continue to enjoy this series, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys light-hearted mystery romps with a touch of romantic comedy.  I still hope the series tops out at 20, but if not, I at least hope that Evanovich continues having a little more fun with the series.

Teaser Tuesday - Notorious Nineteen, by Janet Evanovich

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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So now that I've finally finished A Memory of Light, this week we get a tease from a new book, for the first time in quite awhile.  So, the Stephanie Plum mysteries are up to number nineteen, eh?  Let's see what Stephanie is up to!  Hmmm...Looks like she's having a conversation with Ranger...

The Tease:

""I have good news and bad news," Ranger said.  "What do you want to hear first?"
"The good news."
"Actually I lied about the good news.  It's all bad.""

 -Notorious Nineteen, by Janet Evanovich

What's your Tease?

Movie Review - The Odd Life of Timothy Green

The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012) * * * *
Director: Peter Hedges
Starring: Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton and CJ Adams

From IMDB:
"After receiving bad news from a fertility doctor, Cindy and Jim Green try to bury their dreams of having a child by writing out all the great traits their child would have and putting them in a box in the garden. During a freak storm in the middle of the night, they awake to find a boy named Timothy, with leaves growing from his ankles, standing in their kitchen calling them mom and dad. Cindy and Jim are thrown into the midst of parenthood and over the coming months, Timothy will teach them more than they could have imagined about being parents and raising a child, no matter how he comes into their lives."

My Thoughts:
I've adored Jennifer Garner for years and years, and so even though I didn't think I was particularly interested in what seems at first glance to be a kid's movie, when Bob said he wanted to see it I was more than willing.  But it turns out that The Odd Life of Timothy Green is a thoroughly adorable movie suitable for both children and adults.

The story starts off a little sad as the couple find out they can never have children of their own, and they return home to their mid-western small town home and begin to deal with their grief by making a list of every great and awesome quality that they would want their child to posses, and burying the list in a box in their vegetable garden.

When Timothy first arrives they aren't quite sure what to think, or what to do, and as they try to introduce Timothy to their friends and family while making everything seems totally normal are hysterically funny.  Before long they realize that Timothy is, one by one, fulfilling all of the items on their original list.  Meanwhile, Timothy begins to lose the strange leaves attached to his legs, a fact which he carefully hides from his new parents, who try so hard to protect Timothy and make his life awesome while struggling to not make the mistakes of their own parents..

I won't spoil the ending even though it was predictable from the very beginning of the film, but in spite of the film's predictability it was satisfying, fun, cute, adorable, and nearly perfect in all of its' sugary sweetness.  Great writing and good pacing make this a fun movie, suitable for all ages.  I give it 4 stars, and Bob loved it.

Have you seen The Odd Life of Timothy Green yet?  What did you think?

Movie Review - Magic Mike

Magic Mike (2012) * * *
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Stars: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, and Olivia Munn

From IMDB:
"Mike, an experienced stripper, takes a younger performer called The Kid under his wing and schools him in the arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money."

My Thoughts:
Magic Mike is an interesting film, in that it has a far deeper storyline than the trailers lead one to believe. Mike is a creative soul who wants to open his own business making unique furniture made from one-of-a-kind found objects.  To reach that goal, he works as a constructions worker, does mobile auto detailing, and dances at a strip club, all to try to save enough money to one day realize his dream.  He meets a young guy who is down on his luck, and inducts him into the strip club and into a whole new way of life.  The story unfolds over the next three months, as Mike himself grows more and more disillusioned with his current lifestyle and begins to realize that his dreams and goals have shifted, even as The Kid sinks deeper into the party lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, and casual sex.  Mike wants desperately to connect with someone, but nearly all the women he meets only want him for sex - except for The Kid's older sister, who initially wants nothing to do with Mike, and is concerned about her younger brother.  As the two spend time together, a fragile bond begins to develop, until one disastrous night when everything nearly falls apart.  Mike realizes he needs to make a decision, but is unsure which path he should take - easy money, or a shot at a real relationship.

 Magic Mike is not a movie for everyone.  The stripping scenes are fun and crazy, and the guys are hot.  However there is a lot of swearing, and some drug use.

I quite enjoyed the film for what it was, but Bob completely hated it.  So if you go see it, be warned that Magic Mike is a little darker and deeper than what the trailers lead you to believe.  However, you might go for the strippers and end up staying for the story.  I give it three stars - it was a decent film.

Have you seen Magic Mike?  Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Movie Review - Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows (2012) * *
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter and Eva Green

From IMDB:
"In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet-or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better..."

My Thoughts:
I never watched the original series, partly because I wasn't born yet when it started and it ended when I was three years old.  And somehow I never managed to get into the series via reruns.

I've also never seen the 1991 remake of the series that NBC attempted and then cancelled.  So going into the Dark Shadows movie I had very little in the way of expectations, except that the trailers made it look really campy.  Which, considering that the film is directed by Tim Burton, was not completely unexpected.

However, Bob reeeeeallllly wanted to see it, and I like me some Johnny Depp, so on Friday night after dinner we took ourselves to ye olde trusty neighborhood theater to watch us some vampire Johnny goodness.

Unfortunately, the movie was every bit as campy and cheesy as I had thought it would be, complete with extra camp and cheese.  At times the film is so bad that it passes that narrow window where bad movies become good, and then smashes out the other side into truly atrocious.  But in between the atrociousness, there is, now and then, the hint of a possibility of the potential to be really cool and amazing.

There are some funny moments here and there, though not the ones that were planned.  There's even some really good acting here and there.  Occasionally there's some decent writing, and the set designs are mostly fantastic in a Burton-esque "totally-over-the-top" kind of way.  But these little moments of almost-borderline awesome are hidden underneath a lot of bad writing, lame jokes, and unrealized potential.  The ending was predictable and sorta boring.

I'm giving Dark Shadows only two stars, which is probably generous, and I feel bad, but Tim Burton and Johnny Depp should have been super-awesome, instead of just fizzling out.  One thing the film does have going for it though - Helena Bonham Carter.  That's not enough of a reason to go see it, though.  Save your money, or go see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel instead.

Have you seen Dark Shadows yet?  What did you think?  Let me know, in the comments below!

Movie Review - The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) * * * * *
Director: John Madden
Starring: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Dev Patel

From IMDB:

"A group of British retirees decide to outsource their retirement to India, where it is less expensive and seemingly exotic. They are enticed by advertisements for the newly-restored Marigold Hotel and are bolstered with visions of a life of leisure.

They arrive, after an arduous journey, to find the palace a shell of its former self. The phones don't work, the building is run-down, and the food isn't to their liking.

Though the new environment is less luxurious than imagined, they are forever transformed by their shared experiences, discovering that life and love can begin again when you let go of the past."

My Thoughts:
Bob & I have both been wanting to see this movie for several weeks, and this last weekend the film's "Limited Release" finally brought it to our local theater.  Not wishing to miss the limited opportunity to see this movie we immediately dropped everything and went to the first available showing!

I've previously mentioned our willingness to see any movie starring either Judi Dench or Maggie Smith without even knowing what the film is about, but with this movie we did know a bit of the plot from the one or two previews that we had seen, so we were very excited.  So excited that we got to the theater waaaaaaaaay too early.  As the starting time approached a few other viewers began trickling in, and by the time the previews started the theater was nearly full, at which point Bob and I suddenly realized that it was entirely possible that we were the youngest people there!

Whether it's been aimed at older viewers or not, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a perfectly stunningly fabulous movie.  Some reviewers have complained about the dramedy's "feel-good" approach to story telling, but I'm really not sure what's wrong with that.  It doesn't always work, but it does work extremely well here.  The movie will grab you by the heart-strings and cause you alternate between tears and laughter, and sometimes both will occur simultaneously.  And if you don't desperately desire with all your heart and soul to travel to India IMMEDIATELY upon leaving the theater then your heart and soul might be two sizes too small!  Just saying!

The cinematography is gorgeous, as is to be expected, but where the movie excels is in the characters themselves.  The individual stories are fascinating and layered, so the characters become so real that the viewer becomes totally immersed in their world, and completely loses track of time in ours.  The individuals grow and learn and are transformed by their experiences, and pull the viewer along with them through their journey.

I highly recommend this movie for anyone, young or old, and happily give it five stars.  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is now my favorite Dramedy of all time, and just might be my favorite movie ever!  And YOU should totally go see it right now, if you haven't already!

If you have seen it, why not leave a comment below and tell me what you thought?

Movie Review - Mirror Mirror

Mirror Mirror (2012) * * *
Director: Tarsem Singh
Starring: Julia Roberts, Nathan Lane, Armie Hammer, Lily Collins, Sean Bean

From IMDB:

"An evil queen steals control of a kingdom and an exiled princess enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright."

My Thoughts:
Bob & I have both been really looking forward to seeing this movie, partly because we love Julia Roberts, but also because the movie looked rather stunningly gorgeous from the previews.  Unfortunately I left the theater slightly disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, because the movie really is gorgeous - after all, it's directed by Tarsem Singh - and many of the scenes are stunningly beautiful.  I think the part that bothered me was that the movie somehow ended up being "campier" than I expected.  It was definitely funny, and there are some great lines, but every once in a while it felt like they just took the joke maybe one step too far.

--Tiny Spoiler Alert --

In this version of the Snow White tale, Snow never bites the apple, which is great!  Even though Snow is young she quickly learns to stand up for herself and not depend on anyone else to protect her, which I think is a great message.  And when she dares the hag to eat the apple instead, it was a pretty awesome moment.  But at the same time, if Snow White doesn't eat the apple and/or fall into a coma/death, then we don't get the fantastic moment of the magical True Love's kiss to wake her up.  It may be a cliche, but it's there for a reason - it works and people like it.  And without the kiss, the story just felt, I dunno, a little flat I guess.

Anyway, Julia Roberts totally shines as the evil stepmother queen, and completely steals the scene every time she appears on-screen.  I actually found myself rooting for her a little bit, and I'm not really sure that's what the writers intended.  Nonetheless she rocked the film and I recommend seeing "Mirror Mirror" purely for the fun and camp and Julia Roberts.  Bob thought it was cute and charming in it's own way, and I give it three stars.

What I'm looking forward to next:
Titanic 3D
Lockout
The Raven
Marvel's The Avengers
Dark Shadows
Battleship (maybe???)
Men In Black 3
Snow White and the Huntsman (SOOOOO Excited!)
Prometheus

Have you seen Mirror Mirror yet?  What did you think?  Also, what upcoming movies are YOU looking forward to?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Movie Review - One for the Money

One for the Money (2012) * * * *
Director: Julie Anne Robinson
Starring: Katherine Heigl, Jason O'Mara, Sherri Shepherd, Daniel Sunjata, and Debbie Reynolds

From IMDB: "Unemployed and newly-divorced Stephanie Plum lands a job at her cousin's bail-bond business, where her first assignment puts her on the trail of a wanted local cop from her romantic past."

As most of you may already know, this movie is based on the book "One for the Money" written by Janet Evanovich, which is the frist book in the Stephanie Plum series. I had been eagerly looking forward to seeing "One for the Money" for months, and while I did enjoy the movie, the months of anticipation may have raised my expectations slightly higher than they should have been.

The movie follows the character of Stephanie Plum, who convinces her cousin to give her a job as a bounty hunter.  She has no experience, few skills, and even less luck when it comes to capturing cons.  But when one of her skips turns out to be an old boyfriend, and a cop to boot, Stephanie falls headlong into a missing persons mystery that just might get her killed.

Anyone who liked the book will probably like the movie.  I certainly did.  I had been a little worried about Heigl's ability to fit into the role of Stephanie, but I think in the end she did ok.  Jason O'Mara and Sherri Shepherd were great in their parts, and while I think that Daniel Sunjata did all right as Ranger, somehow at the same time he really just WASN'T Ranger at all.  The plot is entertaining and humorous in all the right spots, the pacing is decent, and someone who hasn't read the book will have no problem following the story.

So all in all it was good, but I left the movie theater slightly disappointed that it wasn't as AWESOME as I had built it up to be in my head.  But I did enjoy it, Bob enjoyed it, and it gets 4 stars from me, mainly for just being fun.

Have you seen "One for the Money?"  What did you think?  Do you want to see it?  Let me know, down below!

Also: Don't forget that next week, February 27th through March 2nd, is "Gail Carriger & The Parasol Protectorate Week" here at SunnyReads.  Join me for lots of Parasol Protectorate goodness as we celebrate the release of the final Parasol Protectorate novel "Timeless."