Book Review: Gone Girl

Title: Gone Girl

Author: Gillian Flynn

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Rating: 4.5/5

**SPOILER ALERT** If you have not read the book or watched the movie, this book review will reveal certain aspects of the plot. 

Synopsis: Nick and Amy Dunne got married and built a life in New York City. Due to personal circumstances, they move back to Nick's home town. On their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick discovers that Amy goes missing. Through Amy's yearly tradition of an anniversary scavenger hunt, Nick pursues his own investigation. He becomes a prime suspect throughout the investigation with the police. 

Why Did I Pick This Book?: With all the hype and craze from the movie and book, I had to join in! I'm glad I did!

Favourite Part: The author's writing style! I thought that she was very clever with how she structures the chapters. She flips between the point of view of Nick and Amy (Amy through her diary mostly). 

Lessons Learned: I'm not really sure if I learned or gained a lifelong lesson from the book but I feel really bad for Nick at the end of the book...... 

Would I Recommend It?: Go out and buy the book now (If you haven't read it)! If you like a good thriller or mystery book, you have to read Gone Girl. I don't think I've read a book so quickly before (and that's with working, household responsibilities, fun time & blogging all mixed in). Definitely a must read!

My only disappointment is the ending of the book which I did not like at all! Very upset and disappointed. I wish Nick would have been able to get out of the relationship to live his life without Amy always consuming his every thought and action. It's upsetting to see that he had to settle for that. Although I did read an interview by the author explaining the ending and she mentioned that she really couldn't structure it any other way simply because Amy was always thinking 3 steps ahead of Nick, always. It would have been impossible for the police to catch a clue that it was her. Also she explained that she didn't want Nick to be arrested in the book, so essentially he couldn't kill her either. It's one of those books where everything was just awesome in terms of a story line, but I was not happy with the ending.

How Would The Movie Do?: I cannot wait to see the movie! I have to wait for my hubby to read the book first. I read that the author was very closely related to the production of the movie to ensure that the movie would be true to the book. We'll see!

Would I Read Other Books By This Author: Yes! I am willing to read her other books as well. If they are even half as good as Gone Girl, it will be worth the read. 

Next Read: Four by Veronica Roth

First Impressions: I really like the Divergent series so reading this book is a must for me to shed some more light on the character named Four. 

Crochet Holiday Gift Idea - Crochet Creations by Brenley

Christmas is fast approaching and you may be stuck in a gift idea rut....I'd like to introduce a gift giving idea that you may not have considered before. Crochet! My friend Brenley has her own crochet designs that are really creative, impressive and simply beautiful and timeless! You can't go wrong with gifting something that is homemade and original. I had Brenley make a crochet baby giraffe for a baby gift not too long ago.

How can you not like this cute, adorable little guy? I love her creations! She is so talented, creative and just brilliant! She has many different designs to choose from. She has such a huge range that you could get a crochet design for a baby, family, friends, teachers, birthdays etc...(the list can go on).

So if your unsure on what to gift for this holiday season, consider getting one's of Brenley's crochet designs. She will also ship depending on where your located. Check out her creations on Facebook, Pinterest & on Instagram!

I love to give support to friends like Brenley as her ideas and creations are simply timeless!

~RANDOMiss

I'm on Instagram!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to send out a quick post that I am now on Instagram! Please follow me at randomissblogs. I don't have a ton of content yet, but I definitely will as the posts continue. I'm really excited for this new adventure! It gives me a way to connect with all of you and to get to know my audience better!

I look forward to your likes, comments and photos!

~RANDOMiss

Sweet 16 Birthday Gift Idea

Hope everyone's weekend went well! I had a pretty busy weekend with errands, work and family affairs. It was my little sister's sweet 16th birthday! I can't believe that she's 16! I still remember the day my parents brought her home from the hospital and all the times we would dress her up in funny outfits when she was a toddler. Now she's 16!

I wanted to give her something special and unique, after all it's her sweet 16 birthday! I would get her 16 gifts for her 16 birthday! I thought that this would make a good post in case your looking for a special idea for a birthday, anniversary, celebration etc....Originally I was going to do a scavenger hunt for her 16 gifts but came up with a gift basket idea. Here are some of the 16 items I bought for her gift.

A popcorn bowl, mason jar barrel glasses, 40 different kinds of Jelly Belly jelly beans, nail polish, a movie ticket, Lush face mask, deodorant, pocket tissues, lip balm, nail file, mascara, socks & stick-on nails. I also got a few more items that aren't included in the picture. 

I focused on gifts that she would like based on her interest. You can always switch up the gifts based on the occasion and person. For example, if it's a 25th wedding anniversary, you could get 25 gifts that the couple can use together (ie. a dining card, a movie rental, chocolate, wine etc...). 

Here's the final product!

I used the big popcorn bowl as my 'gift basket'. You could get really creative and switch this out for a decorative garbage can, a laundry basket, cooler, decorative basket, baby bag, tool box etc...

I tied it up with clear plastic gift wrap and added some ribbon, and you're done! Oh, I also added some left over Halloween candy in the empty spaces to make it look full.

My sister absolutely loved it! She also loved everything inside. 

This is a very versatile, easy, creative and personal gift for anyone on any occasion. Happy gift giving!

~RANDOMiss

Mini Random Haul

Hope everyone's weekend is going well! I did some errands yesterday and along the way I got a few things for myself (of course!). I thought I would share!

Bath and Body Works had a promotion for 3-wick candles. Buy 2 for $25.50! I got two since you can never have too many! Plus, I really like the deal! I wanted some scents that were classic and that you could burn all year round. P.S. The sales lady said these are their two most popular scents.

I added these newbies to my already existing scents stored in my kitchen cupboard.

I went into Pier1 Imports looking for a indoor mat and also throw pillows (getting a new addition to the living room which I will let you know about in a future post). I didn't find anything, but I did come across this pedicure foot tool. It has two sides with different textures.

 

This side has a pumice stone and an emery board.

This side has a brush and a foot file. 

It also came with these instructions on how to use the tool.  How cute! I got it since my existing foot tools are so old. I also got a few extras for some X-mas presents as well! They make a great gift or a stocking stuffer for the X-mas season. Very practical and small. Also you can use it in the shower or for your pedicure routine.

I also went to Home Sense today (looking for an indoor mat and throw pillows) when my husband came across this. He is a HUGE Sonic The Hedgehog fan as well as a dedicated video game player. When he saw this he just had to have it! So we got it. The best part is that the cup changes when you pour hot liquid into it. Unfortunately I didn't get a shot of this.

There's my mini haul for the weekend!

~RANDOMiss

Book Review: Cinder

Title: Cinder The Lunar Chronicles

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Fairy Tale

Rating: 3.5/5

Synopsis: Cinder, who is a cyborg, struggles to find her place in the world with her evil stepmother, Adri, who despises her. Cinder, however, is a very gifted mechanic, which leads her to meet New Beijing's Prince Kai. This encounter then develops into a special relationship. As the story unfolds, Cinder is faced with many decisions that will impact her family, Prince Kai, New Beijing and even the earth's fate, as the Lunar Queen evil shadow is cast. However, Cinder discovers the one most important factor about herself that will change everything. 

Why Did I Pick This Book?: I got it as a birthday gift from my sister. Also, I really love fairy tales! I love them all! I thought it would be interesting to read about a twist on the classical Cinderella story. 

Favourite Part: I can't reveal exactly what happened during this part as I will give away too much. But I love the part where Cinder discovers the one most important factor about herself that will change everything. It will literally change her fate, others and the worlds. At this point in the story, she goes from being so insignificant to being the most important person alive. 

Lessons Learned: Everyone has something special inside of them no matter what they look like on the outside. Never judge a book by its cover! Also, life is full of surprises; some are good and some are bad. You just have to roll with the punches. 

Would I Recommend It?: I would recommend this book to anyone who is completely fascinated with fairy tales or fantasy/sci-fi books. If you are looking for an easy and quick read that's interesting, this may be something to pick up. 

How Would The Movie Do?: I think this would make a better movie than a book, for sure! In fact, I could totally see the movie being a huge hit!

Would I Read Other Books By This Author: The author has other stories in The Lunar Chronicles that all link together. I would be interested in reading the others to continue the story of where Cinder left off. 

Next Read: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

First Impressions: I-cannot-put-this-book-down! It is so good! I mean I've heard raving reviews about the movie so I figured the book would be really good as well. I'm absolutely loving it and have finished about a quarter of the book in less than a week (this is a record for me!). I'm really interested to see the movie after reading the book. 

Halloween Night

I know this post is late but I thought I would post my Halloween night pictures. It was definitely a really cold, rainy and windy night! But everyone made the best of it.

Made some pumpkin seeds with cajun spice and paprika from the pumpkins. Not sure if I really like the taste of pumpkin seeds....are you supposed to eat the entire seed or only the contents inside the shell?

And then......the morning after....we got snow! The first snow fall for the season right on Nov. 1st! It was definitely a surprise!

~RANDOMiss