Happy Valentine's Day

It's Valentine's day and what's the best to spend it? Yep, reading books or being with your book boyfriend (yes, the fictional ones from our beloved books *wink*) or the real ones, the ones who complain about our many books.

And I have some things planned for today, since it's an special day. I'm going to show you my Valentine's book list, for those who don't know what to read today and want some advice. I'm going to share with you some funny posts from other bloggers with you and also my Top 10 Romantic Moments in TV/Movies, for those who want to watch some romantic moments either in my gifs or in TV later today.

This is my Book Valentine's list for today:

The Notebook (The Notebook #1) by Nicholas Sparks

Crash into You (Pushing the Limits #3) by Katie McGarry

Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry #1) by Simone Elkeles

The Vincent Boys (The Vincent Boys #1) by Abbi Glines

The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1) by Jenny Han

That Boy (That Boy #1) by Jillian Dodd

Endless Summer (The Boys Next Door #1-2) by Jennifer Echols

Run To You Part One: First Sight (Run To You #1) by Clara Kensie

Endless Knight (The Arcana Chronicles #2) by Kresley Cole

Play With Me (Grover Beach Team #1) by Anna Katmore

Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

5 Ways To Annoy Authors This Valentines Day is a post written by Kat @ Cuddlebuggery that is simply hilarious. I might use one of her techniques to get ARCs. 

8 Songs About Love That I Wish Were Novels is a post written by Jamie @ The Broke and the Bookish that has eight great songs you must listen and read why Jamie thinks that those songs would be perfect as novels. 

Ways To Spend Your Valentine's Day If You're Not In A Relationship is a post written by Marianne @ Boricuan Bookworms. These girls are simply amazing and they wrote a hilarious post for those bookish readers who are alone today. But hey, remember that you're not entirely alone, you'll always have Daemon, Roth, Four, Damon Salvatore, Stefan Salvatore, Peeta, Jules... Should I keep going? 

You know how must I love music, Book Addicts, so I couldn't finish this post without doing a Romantic Valentine's 2014 playlist. You can find artists like U2, Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, The Script, Oasis, Adele, Taylor Swift... Let me know what you think and which song would you add or is your favorite romantic song!

Click here on in the banner below to read my top 10 romantic moments in TV/Movies!

Guest Post: Top 5 Christmas Movies

Though it’s hard to recreate the magic of a holiday book on film, there are a few noteworthy mentions that have either nailed it or come close. Below, you’ll find a few holiday films that do justice to the work they were based on: 

 

Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies

While the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street has been a longtime classic Christmas film, many don’t know that the movie was actually based on a novella written by the screenwriter. A 120 page story was first crafted by Valentine Davies, which then he turned it into a screenplay for the film. The novella and the film were released in conjunction with each other in 1947, but it’s clear that the film far eclipsed the novella’s popularity in the years after. 

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

When most people see the 2004 film Christmas with the Kranks, they don’t immediately connect it to the book Skipping Christmas by the famous thriller author John Grisham. The comedic book by Grisham tells the story of the events following Luther and Nora Kranks discovery that their only daughter won’t be coming home for Christmas, deciding to boycott the holiday and go on a cruise instead. The couple’s neighborhood is up in arms about their decision and tensions reach a boiling point when the couple finds out last minute that their daughter has changed her mind about returning home. 

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsberg 

This classic childrens book has been an annual best seller every Christmas season since its release in 1985. With its creative storyline and detailed illustrations it’s easy to see why children continue to love the story year after year. When it was adapted into a film in 2004, the filmmakers knew they had to keep that same attention to detail. The result was an incredible CGI crafted world that has the same dark sheen as the novel’s original illustrations. The $165 million film earned a place as one of the most expensive animated films ever, but also won a place in the hearts, and DVD collections, of children worldwide. 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss 

Since its publication in 1957, the Grinch has been a holiday favorite for each generation since. Almost every Dr. Seuss book is amazing, but the Grinch has emerged as one of the author’s most revered books. The book was first turned into a cartoon television special in 1966 and has rerun every Christmas since. In 2000 Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment acquired the rights to the book and decided to make an ambitious live action film. Before this, no one had ever attempted to adapt a Dr. Seuss book into feature length movie - let alone a live action film. For the film they cast Jim Carrey as the title character and enlisted the likes of Molly Shannon, Christine Baranski, Jeffrey Tambor, and a then unknown Taylor Momsen. The film was a smash hit at the box office, pulling in over $345 million worldwide. It became the second highest grossing holiday film ever, only behind Home Alone. 

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 

The famous 1843 novella by Charles Dickens has been reinterpreted more times than anyone can comprehend. From radio to film to television, it seems that every medium has its own interpretations of the tale. Some personal favorites of mine include 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol, 1988’s Scrooged starring Bill Murray, and the 2009 CGI blockbuster, A Christmas Carol. 

What each different adaptation gets right is the infamous Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey from grumpy, greedy, selfish old man to an enlightened individual aware of what troubles he has caused. The clear message of redemption for past wrongs is perhaps what made this story live on for over 160 years. 

Spencer Blohm is a freelance entertainment, lifestyle, and pop culture blogger for www.directstartv.com/. He must admit his bias that How the Grinch Stole Christmas is probably his favorite Christmas film of all time and inspired him to write this article. He lives and works in Chicago, which can easily be confused with the North Pole this time of year. 

BLOG TOUR: Out Of Time (Out Of Line #2) by Jen McLaughlin

Out of Time (Out Of Line #2) by Jen McLaughlin
Release Date: December 1st 2013

Desperate to keep him...

I've finally gotten everything I ever wanted: love, freedom, happiness, and, most importantly, Finn. Our love is everything I expected it to be and more. We've finally found each other, but the world seems determined to tear us apart. We thought my father was the only obstacle between us, but now it's the military. With Finn’s departure looming, we’re squeezing in every moment together before we run out of time.

Trying to make every moment count…

Being Carrie’s bodyguard was one thing. Being her boyfriend is another. Every day she’s mine is a day the sun shines in my life. Yet our time together is running out. Her father will never think a tattooed Marine will be good enough, so I’ll do whatever it takes to be worthy of her love. But the road will take me away from the girl who makes me feel alive--the girl I can't live without.

Time only gets us so far...

by Jen McLaughlin

I thought it would be fun to stop by today and talk about some of my favorite moments in time! Things like my favorite TV moments, for example. There are a lot of moments in OUT OF TIME that people are loving, and I love when people contact me to tell me all about those moments, so I thought I could think on some of my favorites from the past, too!

Okay, here goes!

1) The kiss between Ross and Rachel on Friends. You know the one. The one where they finally, finally kiss after years of teasing. And it’s built up so much over the past years that by the time it actually happens? It’s PERFECTION.

2) The moment between Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder in the boat on Tangled, when all the floating lanterns are in the air. He’s looking at her and realizing he wants more to be a thief, and she realizes she wants more than just this night out of life…it’s magical!

3) The first time Nick kissed Jess on New Girl. How he swoops in, kisses the daylights outta her, then whispers, “That’s how I would have done it.” Man, that is romance at it’s best right there!

4) When Deeks is suffering from PTSD on NCIS: LA, and Kenzie stops by to check on him and bring him food. He hasn’t been sleeping, and as she talks, he drifts off to sleep. She whispers, “What happens next?” and Deeks is sleeping, but he answers, “It’s a love story.” I LOVE THAT MOMENT.

5) Last but not least, in Grey’s Anatomy, when Meredith is talking to Derek about how he should pick her. She tells him all the reasons he shouldn’t love her, but then follows it up with, “Pick me. Love Me. Choose me.” He doesn’t right away, but that makes that moment when they finally get their HEA so much more worth it.

What are some of your favorite moments in television/movie history? Or, if you read it, in OUT OF TIME (without spoilers, of course!!)

Click here to read an EXCERPT

Click here to see some TEASERS

 

Jen McLaughlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She writes steamy New Adult books for the young and young at heart. Her first release, Out of Line, came out September 2013. She also writes bestselling Contemporary Romance under the pen name Diane Alberts.Since receiving her first contract offer under the pen name Diane Alberts, she has yet to stop writing. She is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, a cat, and a Senegal parrot. In the rare moments when she’s not writing, she can usually be found hunched over one knitting project or another. Her goal is to write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.

Jen is giving away 4 $10 Amazon Gift Cards and an amazing grand prize! The grand prize winner will get to help name a character in book 3 of the series, and will get their name in the acknowledgement section of the book! Contest is international.

a Rafflecopter giveaway