Movie Review: Old Fashioned

115 minutes / Rated: PG-13        

About the OLD FASHIONED:

A romantic-drama, OLD FASHIONED centers on Clay Walsh, a former frat boy who gives up his reckless carousing and now runs an antique shop in a small Midwestern college town. There, he has become notorious for his lofty and outdated theories on love and romance as well as for his devout belief in God. When Amber Hewson, a free-spirited young woman with a restless soul, drifts into the area and rents the apartment above his shop, she finds herself surprisingly drawn to his strong faith and noble ideas, which are new and intriguing to her. And Clay, though he tries to fight and deny it, simply cannot resist being attracted to her spontaneous and passionate embrace of life. Ultimately, Clay must step out from behind his relational theories and Amber must overcome her own fears and deep wounds as the two of them, together, attempt the impossible: an "old-fashioned" and God-honoring courtship in contemporary America. - See more at: http://oldfashionedmovie.com/synopsis#sthash.U84epttj.dpuf

   Watch the trailer

My rating:

My thoughts:

I think I'm in the minority in that I didn't love this movie, just thought it was okay. While the story was cute and funny at times, for most of it I was bored because the scenes seemed choppy and would have several breaks where there wasn't any dialogue -- just showing the characters living their lives. I don't think I've ever been a fan of that in movies (or even books).

I did like how firm Clay was in his theories, even if they were outdated and a bit extreme, and that is one of the things that added some humor to the story...the MCs were just so opposite in their ideas of dating/courtship at the beginning.

All in all, a cute movie if a bit boring to me at times. If it sounds like a good movie to you, you might enjoy it more than I did as pretty much all of the reviews I've seen have been 4/5 stars. ;)

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Read More

Top Ten Books On My TBR For Summer 2015

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

In no particular order...

That's my Top Ten. Please share your list in a comment below. :)

Read More

Weekly Giveaway Link-up #67

Welcome to Weekly Giveaway Link-up hosted by Crystal @ Just Another Book Lovin' Girl and me. This is a linky where you can submit your blog's Christian book and book-related giveaways and find other giveaways. A new link-up will be posted every Monday.

Read More

Review: Summer by Summer by Heather Burch

About the book:

When Summer took a job as a nanny for a couple vacationing in Belize, she imagined it would be a fresh start before starting college in the fall. And while she adores her charge, Josh, she can’t say the same for her employers’ oldest son, Bray. He’s cocky, inconsiderate, and makes her feel she’s a chore he has to put up with. In short, he’s everything she dislikes in a guy.

Bray had a plan for the summer: party, hang out with friends, and forget all the responsibilities waiting for him back home. But every time he’s forced to be around Summer, her dour, serious mood sets him off. Not to mention she has a habit of picking up on what he already knows is wrong with him.

Then the two find themselves on a dive trip gone wrong, stranded on a remote island. As they focus on survival, their differences melt away, and they find being together may be what both needed all along.

My rating:

(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

Read More

Monthly Reflections (#41) ~ May

<a href="http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa452/Love-Being-Vegan/MonthlyReflections.jpg" /></a> <br />

Monthly Reflections, where we take the time to reflect on the previous month.

My May Goals...

✓Read 15 books
Finish 2 Random Reads

Finish 1 book from my "2015 TBR Pile Challenge Reading List!"

Books read:

Read More

Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For the Rest of 2015

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For the Rest of 2015 

 (typically when we make this list in December/January each year it's pretty heavy for the first half of the year especially because we don't always have covers for books pubbed later at that point so let's talk about what we are excited about for the rest of the year)

#1

Releases December 1, 2015 (so long away!)

Depending on how long you've been following my blog, you probably know that Steven James is one of my favorite authors and that his Patrick Bowers' series is an all-time fav...so no other book could possibly be number one on my most-anticipated releases for the rest of 2015. CANNOT wait! :D

#2

Released today

 Technically this book is already released (released TODAY!) and probably shouldn't be listed in this week's Top Ten, but I love this series and cannot wait to read this new book...so I had to list it as it is one of my most anticipated releases.

#3

August 4, 2015

Sarah Sundin's newest series kicks off with Through Waters Deep and I am so excited to read it!

#4

September 8, 2015

 Laura Frantz's next novel...Enough said. ;)

#5

September 8, 2015

 A new series from Denise Hunter and I'm curious if I'll love it as much as her Chapel Springs series.

#6

June 18, 2015

I've really been loving this series. :)

 

#7

...And I can't think of any others. Please share YOUR most anticipated releases in a comment below. 

Read More

Review: Every Bride Needs a Groom by Janice Thompson

About the book:

Somewhere in a sea of tulle and taffeta, satin and crepe, Katie Fisher needs to find a key ingredient of the perfect wedding--the groom.
Small-town girl Katie Fisher is busy planning her fairy-tale wedding. Sure, her boyfriend hasn't managed to pop the question just yet, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't enter a contest in Texas Bride magazine to win the dress of her dreams, right? Anyway, she's sure he'll be getting down on one knee any time now. And a one-of-a-kind designer dress doesn't just fall out of the sky right when you need it.

But when Katie's boyfriend takes a job in another town and breaks up with her--on the very same day she wins her dream dress--her world is turned upside down. Dare she go to Dallas to claim her prize? And will the hunky pro basketball player who runs the beyond-swanky bridal shop--yeah, you read that right--discover her humiliating secret if she does?

My rating:
 
(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

Read More

Review: Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner

About the book:

She stood at a crossroads, half-aware that her choice would send her down a path from which there could be no turning back. But instead of two choices, she saw only one—because it was all she really wanted to see…

Current day, Oxford, England. Young American scholar Kendra Van Zant, eager to pursue her vision of a perfect life, interviews Isabel McFarland just when the elderly woman is ready to give up secrets about the war that she has kept for decades...beginning with who she really is. What Kendra receives from Isabel is both a gift and a burden--one that will test her convictions and her heart.

1940s, England. As Hitler wages an unprecedented war against London’s civilian population, one million children are evacuated to foster homes in the rural countryside. But even as fifteen-year-old Emmy Downtree and her much younger sister Julia find refuge in a charming Cotswold cottage, Emmy’s burning ambition to return to the city and apprentice with a fashion designer pits her against Julia’s profound need for her sister’s presence. Acting at cross purposes just as the Luftwaffe rains down its terrible destruction, the sisters are cruelly separated, and their lives are transformed…

My rating:
 
(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

Read More