//Monthly Favorites// August 2015

It's time again for monthly favorites. August was a jam-packed month for me, so I didn't have as much time to check out new stuff as I normally do. Below are just a few things I really liked this month.








    






// The Secret (2007) movie//






          




This movie is absolutely beautiful! It has wonderful camera work, an intriguing storyline, and a gorgeous piano soundtrack.






// Time Travel piano song from Secret (2007)//


Time Travel is brilliant song from the movie above. It's hard to believe how fast this song is played.
I have the sheet music to this. I'm making progress on it, but I don't think I will ever be able to play it that well and that fast. One can dream, right?






// Photograph by Ed Sheeran//











There's something about this lovely acoustic song that gives me warm and wishful feelings. I never get tired of listening to it, which means it's now one of my favorite songs.








// Makeup: Your life guide to beauty, style, and success-online and off, by Michelle Phan//









While browsing for books at my local library I came across this book. Michelle Phan, an extremely famous youtuber, has amazing beauty tutorials on her youtube channel. I really like her Natural Parisian Look ; it's so simple, yet elegant.
This book contains easy makeup and fashion tips and discusses success and the business world.
(Disclaimer: Michelle Phan's views on success and life aren't from a Christian perspective, so I don't agree with every thing she says in the book).






// What about you?//
// What are some things that you've enjoyed in the month of August?//

Edge of Eternity book review

Title: Edge of Eternity
Author: Randy Alcorn
Genre: Christian Allegorical fiction
Plot: Nick Seagrave is a man who sees himself as successful, except for in his personal life. 
 Nick wakes up in a strange world that's filled with many life and death choices. He meets two different groups; those seeking their own pleasure and those following the red road. Nick must find out whom he should trust before it's too late.




My thoughts:
Towards the beginning of the year I read Safely Home, also written by Randy Alcorn. Safely Home is now one of my favorite books of all time. I knew after reading it I wanted to give Randy Alcorn's other books a try.
Edge of Eternity is similar to Safely Home in that they both emphasize that eternity be is more important than the here and now.  This book (which reminds me of Pilgrim's Progress and The Great Divorce) turns the choice of excepting Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, or not, into a fantasy-inspired story.


I really enjoyed this book. Randy Alcorn's stories convict me and encourage me to be more like Christ.
If you enjoy edifying fiction, I highly recommend that you check out Randy Alcorn's books.


My rating: 3.5

The Selection book review

Title: The Selection
Series: The Selection series
Number in series: 1
Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: Young Adult Fiction


Plot: America Singer lives in a society were lives are based on numbers. America is a five, meaning she's a musical enterntainer.
 Her life is turned upside down when she becomes part of the Selection, a competition to see who will become the next Princess of Ille'a. At first America wants nothing to do with The Selection or Prince Maxon. As America starts to see the world differently she decides to use her new found power for good, but at what cost?






My thoughts:


As most of you probably know, The Selection books are a much loved series in the book community. Because of that, I had high expectations when I first started reading this book.
  This book didn't disappoint me, but I wasn't enthralled by it either. There are a lot of dystopian books out there that are somewhat similar to The Selection. That being said, this book was published in 2012 (before dystopians were extremely popular), so I think it was probably original then.
From what I've said above it seems like I thought this cliche' and boring, but that's not the case. It was very fast paced and I had a hard time putting it down.


I thought the author did a wonderful job of making a story come to life. The characters, in particular America, had good character growth. I liked that when they made a mistake they learned and grew from it.


The main thing I didn't like may make fans of The Selection series cringe. I didn't really care for either Aspen or Prince Maxon. Neither of them stood out in a way that made me want to pick sides. I think I'm leaning more towards Prince Maxon , right now. Since I've only read the first book in the series, it's too early to tell, though.


There is also some questionable content. H**l and d**n are used fairly often throughout the book. Sexual morality of the members of The Selection are briefly discussed.Couples sneak away and share kisses, some of which turn into passionate makeout scenes. One couple wants to have pre-maritial sex, but stop short of doing it, because they know that big consequences could happen.




My rating: 3




Plot: America

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

Grace from Fictionally awarded me the Sisterhood of World Bloggers award. Thank you Grace!






Grace's questions



1. What is the last movie you watched and enjoyed a lot?

Secret (2007). It's a Taiwanese film that has lovely piano music throughtout the film.



2. What was one of your favorite childhood toys?

My pink and white stuffed dog. I still have it ( I keep it on my bookshelf).



3. How many languages can you speak? (Are there any you wish you could speak?)'

If you saw my last post than you know that I'm studying Korean. I can also speak a little Spanish and Italian.


4. What style do you prefer to have your hair in (long, short, straight, curly, etc.)?


Medium length and wavy. It's currently long and straight, though.



5. If you could snap your fingers and go anywhere, where would it be?

Right now it would be some quaint English village. I could change my mind by tomorrow, though.


6. Have you ever had a pet fish?

Yes, several. Most of them died a few weeks after we got them.


7. Which do you prefer: beach, mountains, prairies, being indoors with a book or a movie?

Indoors with a book. I get distracted if I try to read outside.


8. Your current favorite book?


Safely Home by Randy Alcorn. This is such a convicting book. It shows how God is using foreign missions and the persecuted church for His glory.


9. Which do you like to wear the best: flip flops, tennis shoes, boots, or dress shoes?


I adore boots of all kinds. That's why I'm excited that Fall is only a couple of months away.


10. Do you like fair rides/theme park rides?


Yes! There is a theme park only a couple of hours away from my house so I ride theme rides pretty often.




My questions:

1. Have you ever watched a foreign movie with subtitles? If so, did you like it?
2. What is the number one thing on your Bucket List?
3. What type of youtube videos do you like to watch ( Fashion, comedy, music, etc...)?
4. Do you have a favorite board game?
5. Is there a splurge item you wish you could buy?
6. Have you ever been to a book related event?
7. Who are the top three bloggers you want to meet in real life?
8. What is your favorite social media site (Facebook, twitter, Instagram,etc...)?
9. On average how many books do you read per month?
10. Do you have a favorite devotional book?


If any of you would like to have this award, consider yourself awarded by me. You can post this on your blog or answer the questions in a comment, whichever you prefer.