Read Watch Play #7

Good morning! Today’s post will link up to The Sunday Salon, and the Sunday Post. Read, Watch, Play is a round-up of bookish and non-bookish entertainment going on in my home this week. Feel free to join in and let me know what fun you have had recently!

Whew! The last few days have been a whirlwind! We have had loads of family in for both Thanksgiving and M’s 9th birthday, which was yesterday. Very little reading, but lots of fun to be had. We went to the NC Zoo yesterday, a birthday request, and M and her cousin both had a blast.

One of the cutest – and funniest – moments of M’s birthday happened during the birthday gift opening. Her excitement and exuberance over receiving all of her gifts was contagious, but her reaction to opening one of them was priceless. She asked for a 2016 Hillary Clinton Funko! Pop, and when she opened it – OMG! She literally cried tears of happiness, jumping up and down and hugging it to her chest. The reaction was so over-the-top and genuine she had everyone in stitches. Even the Trump supporters in the family!

Who knew a little Hillary could give so much joy to a 9-year-old? She looks up to Hillary – and the historical aspect of her campaign and what it represents – tremendously. It was all incredibly cute and a little bittersweet – when we bought the HRC Funko Pop!, we were hoping it would be a gift representing the newly elected Madame President. It still stings a bit.

In case you’re wondering what to buy a 9-year old this holiday season, these were all big hits:

• My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope
• AmScope Prepared Microscope slides
• Walkie Talkies
• Lego Friends Heartlake Grand Hotel
• LilGadgets Wireless Headphones
• Beados Sweet Scoop ‘N Mix
• Harley Quinn Mini Action Figure
• The Blank Comic Book Panelbook (for drawing and writing your own comics)
• Usborne Write and Draw Your Own Comics –do you see a theme developing?
• Mindware Extreme Dot-to-Dot: Animals
• Books: The Land of Stories: An Author’s Odyssey by Chris Colfer, Big Nate Blasts Off by Lincoln Peirce, and Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky.

BLOG ACHIEVEMENT!!!

 

Woohoo! I reached 100 followers a few days ago! A BIG thank you to everyone who follows my blog!

Now, on to Read, Watch, Play!

What I’m Reading

The Exclusive Edition from OwlCrate, of course!

What I’m Watching

Stars Hollow is back!!!! Filled with nostalgia, I have watched two of the four revival episodes: Winter and Spring. It is so cozy and fun to be back with Rory and Lorelei.

No spoilers on the last four words, and the real ending, until I finish the final two episodes, please!

We went to see Doctor Strange on Friday, it was so good! Marvel movies – comic book movies in general – can be hit or miss for me. This one was so much fun to watch. I am admittedly not well-versed in this Marvel character’s storyline, so much of it was new to me! I love the magical and mystical components, different from the pseudo-science I was expecting. It definitely made me want to dig up some Doctor Strange comic books to learn more about the character’s book storylines!

 

What I’m Playing

We always get out the Apples to Apples Jewish Edition when my in-laws come to visit!

What are you up to this week? Let me know in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Movies for Quirky People

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week the theme was Top Ten Movies freebie.

Some of my favorite movies are quirky and eccentric, with “strange” and unconventional characters. I have always been drawn to quirky indie films, so I decided to focus on that genre – can you call it a genre? – for this week’s Top Ten.

Top Ten Quirky Indie Films

(although a few non-indies did sneak on to the list)

Juno (2007)

“In my opinon, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person will still think the sun shines out your ass. That’s the kind of person that’s worth sticking with.”

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008)

“I refuse to be a goody bag at your pity party, Nick.”

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

“Nunchuck skills…bowhunting skills…computer hacking skills…girls only want boyfriends who have great skills!”

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

“Why did you order raisin bran?
Why did you order tea?
Because you ordered raisin bran.
I ordered raisin bran because I didn’t want there to be any mistaking it for a date.
It can still be a date if you order raisin bran.”

Once (2007)

“Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy.”

Rushmore (1998)

“I guess you’ve just gotta find something you love to do and then…do it for the rest of your life. For me, it’s going to Rushmore.”

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

“A real loser is someone who’s so afraid of not winning he doesn’t even try.”

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

“Too many guys think I’m a concept, or I complete them, or I’m gonna make them alive. But I’m just a fucked-up girl who’s lookin’ for my own peace of mind; don’t assign me yours.”

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

“You never even gave me the time of day till I started getting good reviews.
Your reviews weren’t that good.
But the sales are.”

Almost Famous (2000)

“The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you’re uncool.”

What is on your Top Ten Tuesday list this week? Feel free to leave a link in the comments!

Read Watch Play #2

A round up of bookish and non-bookish entertainment going on in my home this week.

What I’m watching:

The Little Prince  (Netflix)

The overall reviews of this remake of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved classic, Le Petit Prince, seem to be lukewarm, but we loved it. The two styles of animation to separate out the storylines worked so well together!

The Little Prince is more of a movie within a movie. The storyline drawn from the book is brought to the screen via stop-motion animation, and provides some of the most captivating and magical animation of the movie. The other storyline, that of a little girl living an overly scheduled life who happens to move in next to the Aviator one summer, is done with CGI animation. The contrast is striking, and it works splendidly.

What I’m playing:

Four Square

The last time I played four square, I was probably in middle school. I’m not going to say how long ago that was! It was one of my favorite childhood recess games, so it is delightful to see my daughter excited about it now. M learned how to play at summer camp this year, and it has been a fun family game in the driveway this week!

What I’m eating:

Italian Orzo Spinach Soup

I found this recipe on Pinterest. Deliciousness. This soup was so yummy, and easy to make. Head over to Gimme Some Oven to find the recipe. We used the same Delallo brand whole wheat orzo that she used, and it worked really well. I like whole-wheat orzo in soup, it has a slightly heartier feel to it, and doesn’t turn mushy as quickly. Plus, it’s healthier for you!

Currently Reading:

Started the Sailor Moon manga series.