March 2015

Product Review: Curl Keeper

 

curlkeeperRecently my friend told me about a product that she loves called Curl Keeper. It is supposed to help you take control of frizzy hair, which is definitely something that I have a problem with! I decided I’d buy it and try it since it got such rave reviews from my friend.  Of course, it’s winter so humidity is not at it’s worst and that will be the real test – but from what I tried in the winter I am thinking that I might be in better control of my hair this summer.

After your shower, comb curl kepper through your hair from roots to ends for an even application. If your hair is very frizzy, use additional product. The less movement that occurs during the first 15 minutes, the more control you will have over the frizz. Once your hair dries, you can easily soften your look by moving your hair around. The more you play, the more volume you will achieve.

I didn’t do too much styling with my hair and just wanted to see what my natural curls would end up looking like.  I do need to work on my application to get it more even because it was clumpy in some spots – but I think with practice I’ll finally have some control over my frizz!

Music Monday: She and Him Classics

sheandhim

Stars Fell on Alabama
Oh No, Not My Baby
It’s Not For Me To Stay
Stay Awhile
This Girl’s In Love With You
Time After Time
She
Teach Me Tonight
It’s Always You
Unchained Melody
I’ll Never Be Free
Would You Like to Take a Walk?
We’ll Meet Again

She and Him Classics is the 5th album from She & Him – M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel. Released on December 2, 2014 – the album features 13 covers of classic songs recorded with a 20-piece orchestra.  There were only a couple of songs on this album that I recognized by their title so it was no surprise that I didn’t really like the album.  It is very slow and I’m more of an upbeat girl than a ballad girl. Zooey has a really nice voice but maybe I should have done this review in the afternoon instead of at night because it was putting me to sleep.  If you enjoy the classics and like many of the titles on the track list, then I think you’ll enjoy the album.

Product Review: 700 Thread Cotton Sheet

Recently I have upgraded my bed from twin to king and have been having trouble finding sheets that stay on my mattress.  Even the sheets that claimed to be “deep pocket” weren’t working – so when I got the offer to try out 100% Luxury Sateen 700 Thread Count Egyptian Cotton sheets – I jumped at the chance.  And I am so very happy that I did!  These sheets are nice and soft and even though I usually use flannel sheets in the winter, these are heavy enough to keep me warm when paired with my comforter (and we’ve been having some really low low low temperatures as of late!)

I didn’t get to choose the color – but I got a light green that I think is what they are calling “sage” but it is a bit more seafoam green to me. They have a shiny / satiny look to them which makes me think of sparkly mermaids.  So far, even with all my wiggling around in the bed, the sheets have proven to truly have “deep pockets” and not start coming off the edges like other sheets.

The set includes one fitted sheet, one flat sheet and one pillowcase.

 

Movie Review: Confessions of a Prodigal Son

confession

 

Two years ago, the Pastor’s Son Sean left home.  He was tired of everyone else telling him how he should be living his life and headed away to college in order to find himself.  His parents ended up giving him money to enroll in the college he wanted for 2 years – telling him if he could keep his grades up they’d pay for the other 2 years instead of him going to school to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a Pastor as well.

One of Sean’s professors poses the question to the class – “What story is your life telling?”  While Sean is trying to figure this out by examining the choices he is making in his life, things seem to be going downhill for him.  He is best friends with a guy that probably isn’t the best influence and is trying to date a girl that is trying to figure out things for herself as well. Sean is trying to now find out – “can broken stories have happy endings?”

Sean ends up realizing that doing this his way ended up hurting himself and everyone around him – he is expelled from school and evicted from his apartment for not paying rent in 2 months.  But can he go back home? Can he start over and end up with a happy ending?

I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from this movie, but I ended up really liking it. It has a really great message and I think that it comes across in a great way.  I think it something that parents should watch with their kids going off to college so that they can think about making good choices – but also what might happen in the event that they don’t make good choices for themselves.

Find out more about this movie at its official website: http://www.confessionsofaprodigalson.com/

I received a copy of this movie in exchange for this honest review.

Movie Synopsis

Confessions of a Prodigal Son is a modern-day retelling of the Prodigal Son story that Jesus famously told.

It is a coming-of-age tale following Sean (Nathan Clarkson) as he rebels and leaves his home, family and father (Kevin Sorbo) to figure out life on his own. Two years later–while still on the journey to find life’s answers–Sean suddenly finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew as he is confronted by a professor (Darwin Harris) who challenges Sean to see his life as a story; a best friend (Azel James) walking a dangerous path; and a strong and beautiful young woman (Rachael Lee) who is on her own journey to answers. Each one of these elements causes Sean to greater examine the choices he is making.

The story is one of drama, laughter, relationships, faith, and redemption, ultimately asking the question “Can broken stories have happy endings?”

Book Review: Novel Interiors

novelNovel Interiors is a book about Living in Enchanted Rooms inspired by Literature.  I really enjoyed reading this book and looking through all the images that accompanied it.  One of the techniques that I liked was turning your bathroom into a scrapbook by putting lots of photos all around – and you could easily change them out whenever you wanted to.  I always think that you should put the best pictures in your bathroom because that is the room most of your guests will definitely end up seeing! Other things in the book I enjoyed were the sections that gave you decorating lessons based on the books – like using graffiti in rooms inspired by Alice In Wonderland and the DIY sections with things you could do in your own home.  The end of the book features the books that inspired the rooms featured in Novel Interiors.

This book was a lot larger than I expected but you kind of needed it to be bigger so you could see the detail of the beautiful rooms featured in the book.

I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging For Books program in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

For those who have ever lost themselves in the stylish worlds of novels like Sense and Sensibility, The Age of Innocence, Wuthering Heights, The Picture of Dorian Gray and countless others, this design book embraces the fantasy of time and place, showing you how to bring some of those elements into your own home.

Lisa Giramonti inspires a new approach to decorating: by teaching us through the lens of worlds we may already know and love. With gorgeous photographs by World of Interiors photographer Ivan Terestchenko, aspirational quotes, and tailored reading lists, Novel Interiors reveals the essence and details of interiors mentioned in great literary works. This is a stunning, photo-driven book that shares enchanting and timeless ways to live more elegantly.

Book Review: Guitar Player Magazine

guitarGuitar Player Magazine is the inside story of the first 2 decades of the most successful guitar magazine ever.  The chapters are broken down by Staffers and Freelancers reflect, Featured Artists and Monthly Columnists look back and Advertisers remember.  Of course, throughout the book are lots of photos of the magazine covers throughout and other photos too. I like that the e-book makes it look like you are reading a magazine with how things are laid out with the text and the graphics.  From a small 35 cent magazine to what it was when it was sold in 1989 – this book follows the history and is a great inside report on the magazine and everything you want to know about it.

It is full of a lot of wonderful stories and whether you had read the magazine or not, if you are interested in music and especially guitars I think it will be enjoyable.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Guitar Player: The Inside Story of the First Two Decades of the Most Successful Guitar Magazine Ever is a reflection on Guitar Player‘s often pioneering early days, from its 1967 founding through its 1989 sale by founder Bud Eastman and editor/publisher Jim Crockett. This book looks at the magazines evolution from a 40-page semi-monthly to a monthly exceeding 200 pages, with a gross yearly income that grew from $40,000 to nearly $15 million.

The story is told by many people important to Guitar Player‘s history, including Maxine Eastman, Bud Eastman’s widow, and Crockett, who edited this book with his daughter Dara. Also here are recollections of key personnel, including Tom Wheeler, Jas Obrecht, Roger Siminoff, Mike Varney, Jon Sievert, George Gruhn, and Robb Lawrence; leading early advertisers, such as Martin, Randall, and Fender; and prominent guitar players featured in the magazine, including Joe Perry, George Benson, Pat Travers, Country Joe McDonald, Pat Metheny, Steve Howe, Lee Ritenour, Johnny Winter, Steve Morse, Larry Coryell, Michael Lorimer, John McLaughlin, Stanley Clarke, Liona Boyd, Steve Vai, and many others.

Among the many illustrations are then-and-now shots of performers and staff, early ads, behind-the-scenes photos from company jam sessions (with such guests as B. B. King and Chick Corea), various fascinating events, and key issue covers. Rich in history and perspective, Guitar Player: The Inside Story of the First Two Decades of the Most Successful Guitar Magazine Ever is the definitive first-person chronicle of a music magazine’s golden age.

Book Review: Strange Way To Live

strangewayStrange Way To Live is about a Rock N Roller named Carl Dixon.  He is Canadian and has been a member of the bands Coney Hatch, April Wine and The Guess Who.  He also has done some solo projects.  This book chronicles his life – with the ups and downs in the Rock N Roll business and all the tours that he went on.  The book ends talking about a horrible car accident that he was in while in Australia.  The injuries he sustained were incredible and the fact that he bounced back from it and can now work as a motivational speaker is truly amazing.

I didn’t know anything about Carl Dixon before reading this book, and I had barely heard of any of the bands that he was a member of.  However, the book was still very interesting to read as I always like to know more about bands and how they work behind the scenes and all that fun stuff. I enjoyed it and I think you will too.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

 

About the Book

Carl Dixon’s journey through the twists and turns of a music performer’s life began in Northern Ontario, where his boyhood dreams, shaped by the 1960s, collided with a new musical culture.

Though Carl’s road was rocky, it was still paved with gold. It has led from his early days with hard-rockers Coney Hatch to tours and lasting friendships with huge acts like Iron Maiden. The ups and downs were meteoric, as Carl became a member of the legendary bands The Guess Who and April Wine and then faced the greatest test of all: a horrific auto collision in Australia that left him in a coma, barely clinging to life.

Strange Way to Live follows Carl’s progress, never-faltering and some- times comical, in pursuit of musical glory. Blind determination can lead one to some strange places. Carl’s took him through some of the biggest, smallest, and weirdest scenes in this vast country, and from the glory days of Canadian rock up to the present day.

Book Review: Wrapped in Plastic

wrappedinplasticI’ve heard a lot of things about Twin Peaks. I’ve never actually watched it, but since it is coming back in 2016, it might be in my best interest to get myself all caught up so I can check out the re-boot! (I was a bit too young to be watching it when it first premiered in 1990)  It’s on Hulu – for free – in case anyone else wants to watch or re-watch as well!

Wrapped in Plastic gives a look at this drama and how groundbreaking it was and how it has since become a cult classic. If you are a fan of the show or have any interest in learning more about it before the reboot in 2016, check out this book.  I know it has certainly peaked (see what I did there) my interest in the show and I am off to hulu to watch it now…

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

 

About the Book

In 1990, avant garde filmmaker David Lynch (Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Dune, Blue Velvet) and acclaimed television writer Mark Frost (Hill Street Blues) teamed up to create a television show that would redefine what the medium could achieve in a one-hour drama. With Twin Peaks, the duo entranced audiences with the seemingly idyllic town, its quirky characters, and a central mystery — who killed Laura Palmer? In a town like Twin Peaks, nothing is as it seems, and in Wrapped in Plastic, pop culture writer Andy Burns uncovers and explores the groundbreaking stylistic and storytelling methods that have made the series one of the most influential and enduring shows of the past 25 years.

Book Review: Songs Unfinished

songsunfinishedSongs Unfinished is about Jaymi and Shawn – two musicians who were trying to make it out in LA – but ended up back in New England. Jaymi comes home because her mother is dying and she went through a bad breakup after her ex girlfriend cheated on her. Shawn was having sex with whomever she could just to have a place to sleep – but ends up being attacked by a guy who wants to give her a recording contract – in exchange for sex.

Once Shawn gets to New England she looks up Jaymi and asks if she can stay at her place. Jaymi agrees and the two end up realizing they have feelings for each other. Like any romance novel there are a bunch of ups and downs with their relationship – people trying to break them up – revelations and accusations of lying, etc.

In the end, things seemed to work out for them in the way I had hoped – although the path taken to get to that point wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for.

I received a free ARC e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

 

About the Book

Can a love of music bring two women into harmony, or will their pasts create too much discord? Guitarist Jaymi Del Harmon is battling writer’s block and focusing on her band’s growing success. Love is a distraction she doesn’t need as she recovers from an ex-lover’s betrayal and her mother’s premature death. Singer Shawn Davies survives in LA in any way she can, even if it means exchanging sex for a place to sleep. She reevaluates her life when a desperate decision results in a brutal attack. Seeking a fresh start, she heads home to New Hampshire and tracks down her old friend, Jaymi.

Their passion for music blossoms into much more than either woman was expecting. Can Jaymi find it in her heart to trust again, or will Shawn’s past mistakes destroy any chance of a future together?

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