Let's Talk or Rather Watch Some: Magic Mike XXL

How grateful am I for this video popping up on my facebook feed this morning!?!! I've only been talking about this since July! Can't wait until November. Enjoy! 

Guys you need to take notes #wow
Posted by Amanda Willis on Friday, July 3, 2015

Let's talk movies: Magic Mike XXL

I can't believe it has been 5 months since I have posted! WOW! My apologies! Today's post is for any Magic Mike XXL lovers. This is not a movie review. Obviously, it is one of the best movies of all time! Now, for my Channing Tatum lovers, music lovers, or just lovers of all things ironic, funny and witty this post is for you. If you did not like the movie or want to know about it this post is not for you. Ladies, remember the scene where Channing is telling Amber about how he loves oreo's? 

She is eating the red velvet cake. 

Fast forward to the end of the movie 

when he is *dancing* on, for or to her. 

The song is R. Kelly's Cookie. I just listened to it, really listened to it. I have been laughing ever since! Clearly, I'm easily amused. But I love that he is singing about oreo's! I super love that Magic Mike was so clever to play this song for her! Well played!! 

(Listen at your own discretion. It is R. Kelly and the explicit version)

"Like an Oreo...

You gonna know how I get down!" LOL

#cookiemonster

Oreo's are my favorite cookie! 

Blog Tour: A Home for Christmas by Ann Vaughn

**Please excuse the double post! I signed up for a blog tour for this book and I got so excited that I posted my review early! But hey, we can never have too much Riley! :)**

Ann Vaughn has quickly become one of my favorite authors-EVER! There's romance, hot service men, Channing Tatum!-just kidding, no Channing Tatum. He has nothing on her alpha men, especially Riley! He just melts your heart! I guess technically I have a thing for service men since my fiancee is a firefighter-maybe Ann should write an awesome story about us! I'm on a roll here, I know! Literally, I just love Riley! This is not just a Christmas story, rest assured. I will be selecting this book for my bookclub when the time comes-and my month isn't December. Just, wow. Loved this. Give yourself a present and check this book out! It is only 99 pennies! How can you resist! This picture of Channing Tatum reminds me of the initial description we get of Riley. OH! And wait until you read the part about Jenna's hot chocolate! It totally reminds me of Ned Flander's in The Simpson's Movie! :) 

Here are some of my favorite quotes-this was hard because the whole book is my favorite quote!!!!!

“One guy ran down three teenagers?” Jenna asked, surprised. “From what I understand, this guy is a former Navy SEAL…and he’s recently out, so he’s still in prime shape..."  (I like where this is going hehehhe)

“Well, at least give us your address,” the first lady insisted, “I’d like to bring you a casserole for your troubles.” (smart woman!)

He winked at her. “I got connections, sweetheart. You want it?” (hehehe too bad he was talking about playstation ahh!)

“Would you? My ladder isn’t quite tall enough.” (hhehhehhheheh)

"Well, if it isn't Malibu Ken," Colt Harris' amused voice answered.

He stopped her by pulling her to him and kissing the ever-living daylights out of her.

“You’d be surprised what I would do for you, Jenna,” he said, surprising himself with the admission. (KILL ME NOW! )

“I believe this activity requires a bit more of your, shall we say, arduous participation.”

"I'm dreaming tonight, of a place I love, even more than I usually do. And although I know, it's a long road back, I promise you...I'll be Home for Christmas... ahhh!

Cam looked up at Riley with a shy smile. "I always get her something that represents an event that took place sometime during the year. I thought she'd like to have you represented on our tree."

He looked up from his game. "Uh oh. Full name usage. Serious talk ensues," he said, making Riley chuckle and Jenna roll her eyes.

5 stars-or Christmas ornaments! :) 

Dear Ann, 

Thank you for writing such amazing stories! Could you melt my heart any more with Riley? Really. I was in tears in many places throughout this book! My heart was melted butter for 2 days! I can't even think of a flaw with Riley! 

xoxo, 

Jasmine

A Home For Christmas by Ann Vaughn

Ann Vaughn has quickly become one of my favorite authors-EVER! There's romance, hot service men, Channing Tatum!-just kidding, no Channing Tatum. He has nothing on her alpha men, especially Riley! He just melts your heart! I guess technically I have a thing for service men since my fiancee is a firefighter-maybe Ann should write an awesome story about us! I'm on a roll here, I know! Literally, I just love Riley! This is not just a Christmas story, rest assured. I will be selecting this book for my bookclub when the time comes-and my month isn't December. Just, wow. Loved this. Give yourself a present and check this book out! It is only 99 pennies! How can you resist! This picture of Channing Tatum reminds me of the initial description we get of Riley. OH! And wait until you read the part about Jenna's hot chocolate! It totally reminds me of Ned Flander's in The Simpson's Movie! :) 

Here are some of my favorite quotes-this was hard because the whole book is my favorite quote!!!!!

“One guy ran down three teenagers?” Jenna asked, surprised. “From what I understand, this guy is a former Navy SEAL…and he’s recently out, so he’s still in prime shape..."  (I like where this is going hehehhe)

“Well, at least give us your address,” the first lady insisted, “I’d like to bring you a casserole for your troubles.” (smart woman!)

He winked at her. “I got connections, sweetheart. You want it?” (hehehe too bad he was talking about playstation ahh!)

“Would you? My ladder isn’t quite tall enough.” (hhehhehhheheh)

"Well, if it isn't Malibu Ken," Colt Harris' amused voice answered.

He stopped her by pulling her to him and kissing the ever-living daylights out of her.

“You’d be surprised what I would do for you, Jenna,” he said, surprising himself with the admission. (KILL ME NOW! )

“I believe this activity requires a bit more of your, shall we say, arduous participation.”

"I'm dreaming tonight, of a place I love, even more than I usually do. And although I know, it's a long road back, I promise you...I'll be Home for Christmas... ahhh!

Cam looked up at Riley with a shy smile. "I always get her something that represents an event that took place sometime during the year. I thought she'd like to have you represented on our tree."

He looked up from his game. "Uh oh. Full name usage. Serious talk ensues," he said, making Riley chuckle and Jenna roll her eyes.

5 stars-or Christmas ornaments! :) 

Dear Ann, 

Thank you for writing such amazing stories! Could you melt my heart any more with Riley? Really. I was in tears in many places throughout this book! My heart was melted butter for 2 days! I can't even think of a flaw with Riley! 

xoxo, 

Jasmine

Let's talk Movies: White House Down vs. Olympus Has Fallen

I usually do not like when 2 movies of very similar subject nature come out at the same time. Especially when both have a super hot man as the main character. I was excited to watch both White House Down and Olympus Has Fallen. OK, so first I saw Olympus Has Fallen. Aaron Eckhart is the president and Gerard Butler is the hero. This is like a super action packed, serious movie. Gerard Butler is bad ass! This is a no nonsense movie. I would give it 11 out of 10 stars. White House Down, Jaime Foxx is the president and Channing Tatum is the hero. While this movie is serious there are some pretty hilarious moments. No hilarious moments in Olympus Has Fallen. I mean, look at Gerard Butler, do you see him cracking jokes as he is saving the world? Jaime Foxx and his Jordan's! Priceless. I would give this movie a 9 out of 10. yes, I love Channing Tatum but Olympus Has Fallen was just, well, better.

My All Time Favorites!

I think it is about time for me to make a list of my all time favorite books. These characters ALL made my book boyfriend list. I have either reread them already or am willing to reread them again. I mean I love them so much I have some sort of memorabilia, either a bracelet or pendant or something-I KNOW, how dorky. :)   I would recommend these hands down without any reservations.Well, some may come with a bit of a warning... I thought I'd organize this list in order of me reading them but I'm not sure if I can remember the order exactly. 

1. The Twilight Saga: This is the series that started it all for me. Yes, it is YA. Yes, the movies are debatable as well as the actors chosen to play the characters. However, I fell in love with these books way before the movies came out. I just had to "compartmentalize" one from the other. I reread these books numerous times, maybe 5-6? New Moon was my least favorite (because Edward was gone!!).

2. The Dark Hunter Series: This series was recommended to me by a good friend for a LONG time before I actually read it. When I did, WOW, I fell in instant love with all of the Dark Hunters. This series mixes Dark Hunters, Were Hunters, and Dream Hunters. There are about 23 books in this series! I have read 19. I really hate waiting a long time for the next books to come out. Unfortunately, sometimes an author that writes a lot of books kind of becomes predictable. I don't want to feel like I'm guessing everything that is going to happen and like I have discovered their formula. I guess I kind of lost interest towards the end. However, a very good series and I have a very special place in my heart for Acheron and Talon. I reread only Acheron, (not the sad parts) 3 times.

3. The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series: This goes without saying. Even though there is romance this is a bad-ass series. There are 12 books in this series. I love all of the brothers. If I had to pick a favorite, ugh, I think it would be Wrath, John Matthew, Blay and Qhuinn... oh and poor Phury, no one likes him.  I cant choose just one! I reread this series twice and listened to the first 4 books on audio for a few times too!

4. Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy: What else can I say about this that hasn't already been said? I loved Christian before the world became obsessed with this "mommy porn."  Before the craze I already loved Christian. We have our moments, it's a love/dislike relationship now. However, we did see E.L. James in the flesh and she signed all 3 books for me! I reread this series 5 times... Dont judge me hehehe. I normally don't pick celebrity actors for my favorite characters, I've only done it once... But my Christian is definitely Channing Tatum. I mean once I read his name could possible be associated with this series, it just got stuck in me head! :)


5. The Experiment In Terror Series: This is totally out of order. This is my current favorite. Again, there is not much I can say about this series that I haven't already said. I mean, I wrote 7 blog posts about this! And I did not even review each book individually! I reread this series twice, reread the last book 3 times and I probably will reread it again. I'm kind of on a Dex & Perry binge right now. The first time you read a book (or at least when I read a book) I might go super fast because I need to see what happens. The second and third time I can savor all the details. There are 9 books so far... a few more coming out soon. Definitely an all time favorite! A warning for this series is that the first book, Dark House, can take you a little while to get into. STICK WITH IT! (yes, I used shouty capitals like Mr. Grey) You will be glad you did! I tried reading this book once and did not give it a chance. It sat...in the cloud...forever. Then I gave it a second chance and pushed through the first few chapters and BAM! Now it has become my fav!



6. The Hunger Games Trilogy:  Like the series above, it was hard for me to get through the first book. It too, sat in the cloud for a lonnnnngggg time. I saw the movie first and then was intrigued to read the books. That rarely happens for me. I like it the other way around. But, holy crow! These books are amazing! I laughed and cried. The hangover I felt after finishing this series was serious! I didn't read another book for months! Yes, it is YA. I havent reread it yet but will be in September to prepare myself for the next movie. Stick with this one too and you'll be glad you did!

7. The Existence Trilogy: Oh, Dank. I love you! This was an unexpected read for me and it was wonderful! It is YA. I pretty much love anything by Abbi Glines. She is a great author who writes really memorable stories and characters without making you feel like she is using a formula. I read this series 2 or 3 times. I too suffered a Dank hangover. I feel like this series may not get as much publicity as some of her other works, probably because it is YA, but I think it is just a great read.

More Experiment in Terror

Yes, I'm still writing about this. I just finished rereading all of the books. I just cant get enough of Perry and Dex. If you haven't checked out my other Experiment in Terror posts, click here. You may not want to read this if you haven't read them yet. Instead of reviewing the series (I've already done that) I'm going to share who I would chose as the characters. I normally do not find celebrities who can live up to the images of the characters in my head or heart. Even as much as I love Channing Tatum, I would have never seen him as my Christian Grey, but hey, when the thought got put out there it started to make perfect sense... BUT! I think I have found celebrities for these guys. On EIT website, there are photos of a supposed Dex and Perry, but they don't do it for me, sorry. Before I post the photos and my thoughts I just have to say I love this series. I love how real Dex and Perry are. They have normal people problems. They love each other and they have issues. I feel like how many great love stories we experience, either in real life or through books, where there is always heartbreak and reunion?!? I wish there wasn't heartbreak but sometimes I think you don't fully realize what you are feeling or how strong it is until you experience some heart break. I'm sure there are many times when people don't need to feel that, I just wonder if it is as intense as those who know what it feels like to be without that other person. AND, even when Dex is trying to win Perry back, it is realistic. It is not over the top Christian Grey, where he is so overprotective and buying the whole world for her. Dex is more REAL. OK, enough of the heavy stuff. I just really love reading this series. 

SOOOOOO....... Here is my Dex. I was torn between these 2 handsome guys: either Chris Pine (on the left) ( I know he has blue eyes and Dex has brown) and James Marsden. (on the right)

My Perry would be Emma Stone, just because she is qwerky (is that even the correct way to spell that!!) 

Now, even though I do not like Maximus, AT ALL!! I could not help but think of David Morrisey, especially his role in The Reaping with Hilary Swank. The southern accent in that movie and the "good, southern gentleman" role he plays in that movie reminds me of Maximus to a T (wow, how old is that saying anyway lol) Yes, Maximus should be younger, hotter and have red hair, but what can I say, his speech just reminds me of this guy too much. 

OK, after considering that Maximus is supposed to be hot lets try Ewan McGregor. Although he has reddish hair he is not built like a rugged cowboy (my own mental image not necessarily Karina's exact words) nor does he have a southern accent (I think he is from Scotland, like Gerard Butler)... To me Ewan is "handsomer" more handsome than David. 

OK, that is all for now. Again, I will say, if you have not read this series, please do us all a favor and read it. You will be pleasantly surprised! And I will be a very happy woman to have someone else to share my Dex crush with.  :) 

Experiment in Terror Series by Karina Halle

I'm in the middle of reading my third book today-yes third book. I just cant get enough of this series. I keep flipping the pages reading eagerly. Sometimes when I'm reading if there is too much description I just skim through some pages to get to the real stuff. I have BARELY done that. Even when I was waiting for Dex's return. UGH! This is the last book that is out...there are a few more coming but I hope this one doesn't end too horribly where I will be mad and waiting for the next book. This reminds me of the X-Files. I loved that show-did Scully and Molder ever get together? I cant remember. I hope Dex and Perry make it. OK, back to reading! <---  That was me yesterday, in a reading frenzy. Actually, the reading frenzy isn't over. I'm like a reading zombie. I was so wrapped up with this series that I could not even take a break to write about it. So I finished the main books, and now I am on to the novellas that are in between the books. I love Dex and Perry! I love the story line. It's totally ghost hunters meets X-Files- but better (yes there is romance). I can't even describe it. I haven't read a great series like this since The Hunger Games. The author recommends reading all the main books first then reading the short stories. I totally agree. It helps get over the Dex crush and the anxiety of waiting for more books to come. Here is the order of the books:

1. Dark house
2. Red Fox
2.5 The Benson Experiment
3. Dead Sky morning
4. Lying Season
5. On Demon Wings
5.5 Old Blood
5.7 The Dex Files
6. Into The Hollow
6.5 And With The Madness Comes Light 
7. Come Alive- June 2013
7.5 Little Fifteen- Summer 2013
8. Ashes to Ashes- Winter 2013
9 Dust to Dust-Spring 2014

P.S. Do me a favor and read these so I can have someone else to talk about my Dex and Perry hang up!
P.P.S. Channing Tatum is mentioned in Lying Season (I think- I did read 3 books in one day...)- think less Magic Mike more 21 Jump Street :)

Because of Low by Abbi Glines

Thanks to this Blizzard I was able to sit in bed reading instead of looking outside and thinking about all the shoveling I need to do. I just finished Because of Low which is actually part 2 to Breathe (which I loved so much!)  Because of Low is Marcus' book. It tells us whats going on with his life after the Sadie & Jax issue. While staying with his friend Cage, Marcus meets Willow. He is attracted to her right away. He tries to woo her and figure out what her relationship with Cage is (he's a manwhore) Marcus is a good guy. I had a hard time forginving him in this book. Maybe, to me, I just kept thinking of him as I saw him in Breathe. I dont know. Anywho, it is a really good read. Marcus does NOT make my book boyfriend list. I'm a Jax girl 100%, yes I want Marcus to be happy. BUT I have no tolerance for his spoiled brattiness. Me and Marcus are just friends. He can't steal my heart. :) OK, on to organize my closet and watch 21 Jump Street.

3 Posts in 1 night-what gives??

This is serving as an official public service announcement. It seems like Channing Tatum has a restaurant in New Orleans! Yes, it is now officially on my bucket list. The funniest thing is that on their online store they sell thongs! I wonder if those are for men...channeling his Magic Mike days. Anywho...that is all, just wanted to share the exciting news. Check out the website!

Thanks!

Just a quick post to say thanks to my new library coworkers who gave me a very nice welcoming party last week. There were a ton of goodies, flowers and everyone came in to meet me. I'm not going to lie, I kind of felt like a celebrity! :) They really made me feel welcome and have made my transition very smooth! I'm very lucky!

Breathe by Abbi Glines

Well, she has done it again. She captured my little heart and made me fall in love with Jax. He is a teen heartthrob (not sure why I keep thinking about Justin Bieber) (NO I do not think he is cute...maybe a if Taylor Lautener could sing and had a smaller nose...or if Channing Tatum could sing...) OK, I'm getting off topic. Jax falls for Sadie, a southern, innocent, beautiful and naive girl. She has all the responsibility in her household. She is practically raising her mother-who is pregnant. Since pregnant moms cant work apparently, Sadie goes to work in her place cleaning someones summer home. What she doesn't know is that it belongs to Jax Stone. She really doesn't know of him but once she sees him of course she is attracted to him. It's not only about his looks- he wins her heart. He is a sweet person.  But of course he is a celebrity and she is a senior in high school with too many responsibilities. Heartbreak is inevitable. Boy does it suck. But he comes back, and he stays there. Now I feel all warm and mushy.

Tatum Intervention

Well my friends it seems like I have a Channing Tatum addiction and need an intervention. Let's just be real and blame it on Magic Mike. Yeah we all thought he was a hottie in Step Up made us all mushy with Dear John and stuff but it was Magic Mike that was the kicker. Anywho in the meantime I will leave you with the snippet below.