Bookishbelle: reviews

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The "Stuff of Legend" Leather Bound Hardcover Limited Edition

, by Unknown

There are certain comic books that I will recommend others to read, no matter what their preferences are. "Stuff of Legend" by Mike Raicht and Brian Smith with illustrations by Charles Paul Wilson III is at the top of my list, every single time.

As most of you know, WWII is my favorite time period, especially in New York City. This book starts off in Park Slope, Brooklyn in 1944 with a boy whose father is fighting in the war. The boy is suddenly kidnapped by the terrifying Boogeyman and his toys decide to go off into the Dark realm of the closet to get him back. Once the toys reach the this realm, they are turned into actual forms of themselves-such as the teddy bear Max is now a real bear, the toy solider now a man. But they are not the only toys who have ventured off into the darkness, and these other toys' intentions are motivated by scorn and bitterness.

Every person that I have suggested "Stuff of Legend" to has also fallen in love with the characters, the compelling story and the breathtaking art. I had the honor of doing a book club with Mike Raicht and Paul Wilson at a Midtown Comic Book club a while back, and they are two of the nicest and most talented guys in the industry. They have a passion and sincerity about their work that is unparalleled.

Lucky for you, a stunning leather-bound hardcover limited edition consisting of the first two volumes is available to buy online for $49.99. This book is worth every single penny, I give it a Bookishbelle A++ for quality of the cover, pages, and of course- story.

"As Allied forces fight the enemy on Europe's war-torn beaches, another battle begins in a child's bedroom in Brooklyn when the nightmarish Boogeyman snatches a boy and takes him to the realm of The Dark. The child's playthings, led by the toy soldier known as the Colonel, band together to stage a daring rescue. On their perilous mission they will confront the boy's bitter and forgotten toys, as well as betrayal in their own ranks. The Stuff of Legend is a haunting and ultimately redemptive tale of loyalty, camaraderie, and perseverance.

This hardcover collection brings together the first two volumes of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel The Stuff of Legend (The Dark and The Jungle) in one beautiful, 260-page edition. The book also contains never-before-printed character sketches and artwork by series artist and Russ Manning Award nominee, Charles Paul Wilson III."

I cannot recommend this book enough and I hope to hear that MANY of you check it out as soon as possible! Also, show the creators some love! Follow writers Mike @MikeRaicht, Brian @YourPalSmitty , and illustrator Charles @cpwilsoniii as well as the 'Stuff of Legend' Facebook page!

Loot Crate Unboxing: February's "Doctor"

, by Unknown

One of my favorite companies is Loot Crate, a subscription box mailed to your house full of epic geek and gamer swag for $19.37 a month!

It's impossible to not be excited when you see this box come in the mail!

I love the way Loot Crate packages the goodies inside, always with care & never just thrown together.

Look at all this great stuff!!!!

The items inside are:

TARDIS Prime Shirt: This shirt is from Graphic Lab Tees, soft and comfy to wear priced at $11

Mega Man Air Freshener: Freshen your car in style, $4.72 on Amazon

Caffeinated Brain Bits: Save this hyper active candy for an emergency pick me up, priced at $1.75

Sharks Drink Cooler: $3.99 on ThinkGeek

Tetris Wall Heart: I LOVE this decal, $7.50 for one from Walls360

Total Worth: $28.96!

Every LootCrate box also comes with a postcard detailing the items included and more about the theme for the month. What better way to celebrate the Valentine's month by sending a Doctor- to either fix a broken heart or turn up the heat in bed ;)

If you aren't part of the LootCrate club, you should jump in right away! Subscription boxes are a favorite of mine because it's little gift to myself every month that works as a perfect pick me up- and what better theme for a box than geek gifts!

Company Spotlight: My Cotton Bunny

, by Unknown

I have become a huge fan of subscription box services lately. Yesterday I reviewed Pawalla, which is a monthly gift box for your pet. I like the idea of unconventional boxes that are different than mainstream ones such a Birchbox. I searched for ones with themes I'd love and stumbled upon My Cotton Bunny and fell in love. They cater specifically to a woman's unfortunate time of the month stating, "Put a period on your period." I love the feisty and fun approach to having to deal with a painful uterus and I am SO glad that I got to try out their February box: "Tealight Bundle".

The box is packaged adorably with pink tissue paper and comes with a letter addressed to myself introducing this month's package. Inside:

Kotex Click brand box of 18 tampons. These sells for $4.99 a box at Walgreens, and are so stylish I felt like one of those girls in the tampon commercials who aren't clumsy enough to smudge their lipstick in public. The black tampons are especially funny because they look like little bullets in my purse that I'm saving for annihilation. In a way, I guess I am.

The little treats came with Sweetheart candy hearts, a chocolate flavored tea bag, and a floating tea light. The box also came with a handmade crochet headband, causing me to let out a squeal of delight when I opened the box. I have actually wanted to buy myself one of these and My Cotton Bunny did one better- they sent me a hand made one.

For $13.75 a month, I think this is a great deal! I love them purely for the fact that I don't have to run out and buy tampons at a moments notice because I can never remember when I'm supposed to be on my period. x__x

You can check out more about My Cotton Bunny on their site, on Twitter, and their Facebook page!

Company Spotlight: 'Pawalla'

, by Unknown

Now most of us geeks are also pet owners. We love having furry companions that act as side kicks on our adventures. My black cat Pan is around 4 months now, and I enjoy spoiling this furball of claws. That's why one of my favorite themes for a subscription box, is Pawalla. They cater to dog or cat owners, and when you sign up you tell them what kind of cat you own, how old they are and how much they weigh. In turn they send you products that are most suitable for your pet!

When I received my box I immediately noticed how great the packaging is and was impressed with the organic products inside. As soon as I opened up this box Pan jumped in and attacked the tissue paper. The blue cat nip toy is still one of her favorites to play with.

The box came with

- 4 cans of wet cat food

- bottle of "Meowstard" to put on food

- packet of freeze dried chicken snacks

- another bag of chicken treats

- a pack of 10 litter bags

- cat nip toy

At $26 a box, including shipping, there is a lot in here that pet owners can benefit from! You can purchase a few different ways from Pawalla. If you join month to month the price is $26 but if you purchase a year in advance it's $21 a month. This is an easy way to spoil your pet every month, or to even show some love to a pet in someone else's life such a long distance significant other or your mom's dog.

There is also now Pawalla Mini! You get one treat, one toy, and one surprise for your pet! This option is more my style because it's affordable and I would rather spend my money on cat food I know Pan will eat for sure. The prices for the mini subscription are: $12 if you buy for 12 months, $13 if you buy for 6 months, or $14 a month if you buy month to month and all have Free Shipping.

You can join Pawalla on their site, check them out on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter.

If you are a dog or cat owner, what type of products would you like to see in a monthly box?

Things I Love: Vinca Diamond Earrings, Made of Wood

, by Unknown

An artist I had the pleasure of connecting with at the New York International Gift Fair was Amanda Dimova, the designer behind Vinca USA. I fell in love with many of her wooden products, especially these Diamond Stud earrings made of wood. The picture above is not of me, but you might have seen me Instagraming my own pair this week, I love them!

These earrings are great because they are not heavy & are a conversation piece without being too flashy. The simple yet interesting design goes great with any outfit I throw on and they don't hurt my ears after a while, which happens with most pairs I wear.

Lucky for you these earrings are half off right now over at Fab.com! Grab your own now

2013 in Movies: "Love and Other Drugs"

, by Unknown

Tonight I watched two movies, the first being "Love and Other Drugs". This film came out in 2010 and stars Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal. According to Wikipedia the plot is as follows: "Love and Other Drugs is a 2010 romantic comedy film written and directed by Edward Zwick and based on the non-fiction book Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman by Jamie Reidy".

Quick Review: I did not like this movie as much as I had hoped. At first I really enjoyed it but after thinking about it I realized that the film is rather 2 dimensional with not a lot of material for the actors to work with. Yes Hathaway played a "sick" 26 year old girl with Parkinson's dieseas but we hardly actually see her as "sick" besides one scene where she wasn't able to pick up her medication.

Hathaway and Gyllenhaal have great chemistry, however he said of his co-star "“She could probably talk to a wall and have chemistry. The highlights of the film are seeing Hathaway play outside of her Sugary sweet persona and the guest apparence of her breasts, many times over. However, the film did leave me lacking.

3 stars

Fitness Review: Ballet Beautiful: Body Blast DVD

, by Unknown

This Body Blast DVD is part of the Ballet Beautiful Collection and came out in 2012. Ballet Beautiful was created by Mary Helen Bowers, a professional ballerina, who wanted to provide "techniques to build and maintain the beauty, strength and grace of a ballerina." I have never done a ballet work out before but the cover boasted a work out that would leave me with lean and toned muscles instead of bulky ones.

I am all for this!

The work out includes a "15 Minutes Ballet Beautiful Body Blast", a 15 minute "Swan Arms", and Butt Series Part 1 and 2. (This is not a porno, I swear). I am now obsessed with these workouts. The Swan Arms kicked my ass the first time and this is the greatest work out my arms have ever had. The moves are graceful and simple yet they leave me sweating my sore the next day. They are also so simple that I don't need the DVD to do the work out if I'm short on time or away from my computer.

The Body Blast is short enough that I don't feel like quitting half way through and the Butt Series are like pilates on speed. I had to do the moves in front of the mirror to make sure I was doing them correctly enough because there was no way I looked as graceful with my ass in the air as Bowers did.

I love this workout and I highly recommend it to everyone wanting an non scary work out DVD experience (Hello Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred). Good news is, you can own it yourself for only $8.86 over at Amazon.

Stars: 4.5

Bookish Review: "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore"

, by Unknown

Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore

by Robin Sloan

As soon as I read the title for this novel, I knew that I had to get my hands on it. It's a good size newly published hardcover with a bright yellow cover and enticing name. Any bookstore open 24 hours a day must have a good story to tell within it's walls, especially at night. And so we meet Clay Johnson, a causality of tech nerd culture in San Francisco, California. Clay is laid off from this poorly executed bagel start up company and is looking for a job he doesn't despise. Clay finds a position working the nightshift at a queer little store that has book shelves stacked up stories high instead of rows deep. He can mostly do as he pleases but he is not allowed to read inside any of the books, which all happen to be in some sort of code.

The book from there on follows Clay as he becomes entangled in the crazy world of the people who buy these books (the few and far between) and more importantly, the people who make these books. I was very engrossed from the beginning, wanting to know where Clay's mission end up leading him (thankfully to New York City at some point) and also more about the colorful characters he befriends.

Namely, we learn more about Mr. Penumbra himself and how he managed to get himself into this mess. Also, we meet Kat: a tech savvy and ambitious Google employee who sparks up Clay's life. I enjoyed this book because the writing is well done, the plot is full and not predictable, and Sloan managed to pull off the present day setting very well.

Often in stories that are set in our present technology filled society miss their mark. I just tried reading a novel titled "The Twitter Diaries" about two females whose friendship unfolds through the social service. The book failed to reach a certain level of literature and ended up resembling too much of an everyday interaction. It was as though the author she copied and pasted her own twitter feed and bound it into a book, which I could have found anywhere online.

However, "Mr. Penumbra" did not fall into this trap, instead recreating the world of Googlers and coding nerds paired with old school scholars and literary professionals. I recommend this book for the surprising plot to anyone who loves books, the modern technology, and (not kidding) World of Warcraft.

Read up more about Sloan on his website and follow him on Twitter. Drop us both a line if you end up checking out the book!

“Born This Way” Book Review & Giveaway

, by Unknown

“Nobody is better than you, and you’re no better than anyone else.”

“Born This Way” by Paul Vitagliano from Quirk Books is a timeline of pictures and snippets from the 1940s to the 2000s of gay adults reflecting back at their childhoods. Not all knew at a young age that they were gay, sometimes their parents and peers knew way before they did, but all agree that they were this way from the beginning.

The stories range from different time periods and locations from around the world recalling childhoods of both females and males who identify as gay. The stories are everywhere from sad and endearing to upbeat and reflective. I even found a tale from someone named “Perez” who greatly resembled Perez Hilton- a pleasant surprise to see a famous personality include his story in this book. Each snippet is accompanied by only a first name and the age of themselves in their childhood picture so I couldn’t find any other famous names, but maybe you can!

Aesthetically it’s a great little book: a regular sized coffee table book to give to your friends or family to show your support or just because you love them for being who they are. Even as someone who isn’t gay I found great inspiration reading stories from people who aren’t afraid to just be themselves no matter what. And because I love my readers exactly as you are, I’m giving away this copy to one of you!

Simply enter below and spread the word!