Bridge to Terabithia

This is another children's book turned movie. Several months ago, when I saw the previews for this movie, I thought it looked really good and wanted to see it.

However, before seeing movies based on books, I prefer to have read the book(s) first. So I went and bought this book a few months ago... and it met the same fate so many of my other books have met before it. In other words, the book sat on my bookshelf, unopened, for quite some time.

I was semi-tired last night (read: this morning) but not enough to actually go to sleep, so I decided that I'd read the book. It's really short (around 160 pages) so I figured I'd read it all the way through.

This book is amazing! (It's no Harry Potter, but still...) It is absolutely nothing like I thought it would be. I thought it was going to be more Narnia-ish... but it turned out to be more like Pan's Labyrinth.

The only negative thing I have to say about the story is the author's take on a certain (major) theological issue. I'd say more about it... but I don't want to spoil the book for those who haven't read it. I believe that small section of the book could've been taken away and the story would've still been amazing.

All in all I would definitely recommend reading this book. You can get a copy of it for around $7 (maybe cheaper if you buy online). It's definitely worth it.

Now I need to wait for the movie to come out to Blockbuster.

A Little Mother's Day Help

Since Mother's Day is just around the corner I decided to help my readers out by offering some last minute Mother's Day gift ideas.

Vacuum Cleaner:
No mother should be without one of these. If the carpet in your mom's house is looking a bit dirty, then it's pretty obvious that she's been slacking on her motherly duties. Giving the gift of suction power is a good way of giving the hint to your mom to getup off that couch, stop watching soap operas and start fulfilling her duties.

Iron:
This is another item no mother should be without. A good indication to whether or not this will be the right gift this Mother's Day is to look at your dad. Does his shirts have more wrinkles than grandma? If the answer is "yes" then you know that this gift will not go unappreciated .

Various Cleaning Chemicles:
Are the counter tops a bit dirty? Has mom been slacking? If so, that may be because she's out of cleaning chemicals. Check under the kitchen and/or bathroom sink(s). If the supply of chemicals are low, mom would love nothing more than to be restocked on her special day.

Other Cleaning Supplies:
Does mom have a full supply of cleaning chemicals but the house is still a mess? If so, you may want to check the condition of her sponges, mop, broom, toilet brush, etc... If any of these are in poor condition then you know exactly what will make mom happy on the 13th.

Laundry Detergent:
This is a very important item that a mom could never get too much of. If she's washing the laundry as often as she's supposed to then she'll need as much of this stuff as she can get.

Cooking Utensils:
Mom's cooking lacking in flavor? You may want to get her a new cookbook. And don't forget, no mother could ever have too many wooden spoons or spatulas. As far as cooking supplies go, as long as it can be found in the kitchen department at any store, then it will most likely be a great idea for a Mother's Day gift.

My last (and best) idea for a Mother's Day gift is a combination of all the previous ideas. This will be what I call the Mother's Day Smörgåsbord. This will, no doubt, be the favorite thing your mom receives all year.

I hope I have been a help to all of you. May your mom's house be spotless, all of your clothes clean and ironed, and may all of your bellies be filled by mom's good cooking this Mother's Day.