Boxing Day ... Going to the Movies!

Boxing Day seems like the perfect time to skip the mall and head for the theaters ....

UNBROKEN - a true story adapted from Laura Hillenbrand's bestselling book of the same name.

From IMDB (link),

After a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he's caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

Director: Angelina Jolie

Writers: Joel Coen (screenplay), Ethan Coen (screenplay)

Stars: Jack O'Connell, Takamasa Ishihara, Domhnall Gleeson

THE IMITATION GAME - another true story from WWII.

From IMDB (link):

English mathematician and logician, Alan Turing, helps crack the Enigma code during World War II.

Director: Morten Tyldum

Writers: Andrew Hodges (book), Graham Moore (screenplay)

Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode

And returning Sunday, January 4, to PBS is DOWNTON ABBEY.   From PBS (link),

New loves, new secrets, new Downton! Season 5 of the international hit series from writer and creator Julian Fellowes returns to MASTERPIECE on PBS January 4, 2015. Immerse yourself in Season 5, and explore exclusive features, cast interviews and more from all the seasons.

This season brings George Clooney for a guest appearance!

I am giving away a Downton Abbey special souvenir to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about holidays movies, current releases, and/or Downton Abbey.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, December 27, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 28.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Dee DeTarsio and ALL MY RESTLESS LIFE TO LIVE

Time to play Seven Degrees of Separation ... 

1.   On this day in 1778, Captain Cook anchored in Waimea Bay and came ashore to the island of Kaua'i, giving him the distinction as the first European to arrive in the Hawaiian Isalnds.  

2.  Cook named the archipelago as the "Sandwich Islands" in honor of John Montague, 4th Earl of Sandwich, First Lord of the Admiralty who funded Cook's expedition.

Captain Cook Monument 

3.  Montague was an accomplished statement ... yet he is "famous" for creating the sandwich.   Whether is it fact or legend, Montague requested a meal while playing cards.  Since he was unable to use a knife and fork (as a gentleman never lays down his cards), he stuffed the meat into his bread.   Viola, the sandwich!

4.   The Earl of Sandwich, a chain of sandwich shops, operates in 26 locations, including Planet Hollywood Casino in Las Vegas (link).

5.  Las Vegas is considered the 9th island of the Hawaiian Islands - Steve McGarrett once explained the nickname on Hawaii Five O.

6.  Last night's H50 episode featured a scene near the Byodo In Temple in the Valley of Temples - a spiritual retreat nestled among the Ko'olau Moana (mountains).

7.  Contemporary author Dee DeTarsio intertwines endearing "spirits" in her humor filled books.  I was first introduced to her through HAOLE WOOD (link).

The name becomes clear as you read this story of a San Diego weather reporter who reconnects with her Hawaiian heritage in Maui. I posted my review on Amazon at this link and Goodreads and this link. This is a must read for all Hawaii lovers!

I just started (and already loving) Dee's recent release, ALL MY RESTLESS LIFE TO LIVE:

Life is a soap opera, especially for Elle Miller, who is a TV producer. (Ellen dropped the "n" in her name in hopes of finding a better ending for herself.) When her laptop crashes, she borrows her dead dad's computer and gets way more than she bargained for.

As Elle tries to save her career with a storyline featuring a trip through Atlantis, she takes a trip to the Emmys, and finds herself in the middle of a romance between a real doctor and a hunk who just plays one on TV. Friends, family, and clues from "the other side" all help Elle figure out the difference between living the good life . . . and living a good life.

Praise for The Kitchen Shrink: "Dee DeTarsio is easily the next Sophie Kinsella. Her writing is fast-paced, hilarious, and engaging. I loved The Scent of Jade and am hopelessly heels-over-head for The Kitchen Shrink." --Chick Lit & Wine

In honor of Dee's homage to "the other side", I am giving away a special gift from the Byodo In Temple (link):

The Byodo-In Temple is located in Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. It was established on June 7, 1968, to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. The Byodo-In Temple in O'ahu is a smaller-scale replica of the over 950-year-old Byodo-in Temple, a United Nations World Heritage Site in Uji, Japan.

The good luck cat at the Byodo In gift ship.

To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about soap operas - love them or loathe them?  I grew up as a fan of Young and the Restless ... although I haven't watched in over a decade.   I'm now a fan of "evening" soap operas such as H50!

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, January 25, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, January 26.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

To learn more about Dee and her books, check out her website at deedetarsio.wordpress.com.

Aloha to Karina Halle and SHOOTING SCARS

I've come to appreciate tattoos after living in Hawaii - it's part of the Polynesian culture.  Camden McQueen from Karina Halle's THE ARTISTS TRILOGY is a talented tattoo artist who can't forget Ellie Watt.   Karina is celebrating the release of Book 2, SHOOTING SCARS:

Sometimes the right choice can be the deadliest. When Ellie Watt made the ultimate sacrifice for Camden McQueen, she never thought it would be easy. But walking away with her ex-lover, Javier Bernal, in order to ensure Camden's safety has brought a whole new set of dangers. With Javier's plans for Ellie growing more secretive by the moment, Ellie must find a way to stay ahead of the game before her past swallows her whole.

Meanwhile, Camden's new life is short-lived. Fueled by revenge and pursued by authorities, he teams up with an unlikely partner in order to save Ellie. But as Camden toes the line between love and retribution, he realizes that in order to get back the woman he loves, he may have to lose himself in the process. He might just turn into the very man he's hunting.

About the Author

The daughter of a Norwegian Viking and a Finnish Moomin, Karina Halle grew up in Vancouver, Canada with trolls and eternal darkness on the brain. This soon turned into a love of all things that go bump in the night and a rather sadistic appreciation for freaking people out.

Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently splits her time between her apartment in downtown Vancouver and her sailboat, where a book and a bottle of wine are always at hand. She is hard at work on her next novel.

SHOOTING SCARS by Karina Halle
Publisher: Forever Yours Digital Original
ISBN-13: 9781455552160
$2.99; August 20, 2013

Connect with Karina online!
khalle.wordpress.com
Facebook: @KarinaHalle 

Twitter: @MetalBlonde

DID YOU KNOW? Karina met her fiance when she was casting a book trailer for the third book of my Experiment in Terror series. He answered the Craiglist ad for the character of Dex and it was love at first.

The main character in The Artist Trilogy is named Ellie, who is named after Karina’s old dog, who was named after the character Ellie Satler in Jurassic Park, one of her favorite books and movies.

Did you know Jurassic Park was filmed at the Kualoa Ranch on Ohau's Eastern Shore?   All roads lead back to Hawaii!

What do you know about tattoos?  One randomly selected commenter wins a Hawaiian souvenir.  This giveaway is open through Saturday, August 24, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, August 25.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City