Official Eat, Pray, Love Movie Trailer–Who Can’t Wait Until Summer?

Eat, Pray, Love became a New York Times best seller with over five million copies now in print seemingly out of nowhere. In a matter of speaking, this is the coming-of-age, travel memoir that could. I have been wanting to read this book since it first hit the best seller lists and everyone was talking about it, but never did end up picking it up and it very quickly became the book that everyone in the world has read, except me. While sure, I may not be the only person in the entire world who hasn’t read the book, enough people did read it–and enjoy it–for it to be coming out this summer as a motion picture.

The first theatrical trailer for Eat, Pray, Love came out just a few days ago and I saw it for the first time last night. Since seeing it, I have ordered the book and cannot wait for it to arrive. Yes, making a movie adaptation of a book is a great way to spike book sales again; it happens all the time.

Eat, Pray, Love, the movie, looks like an incredible journey and the beauty seen in just the trailer is beyond all comprehension; from the scenery of the locations we’re brought to–Italy, India and Indonesia–to the vivid colors seen throughout. I really cannot wait for the book to arrive so I can sink my teeth into it and then come August, experience the story in theaters because from what I hear and from what I’ve read so far, Elizabeth Gilbert’s story is one every woman can relate to and crave.

Eat, Pray, Love will be in theaters August 13th and stars Julia Roberts in her first main role since last year’s Duplicity and also co-stars James Franco and Javier Bardem. You can also follow @EatPrayLove on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to keep up with all of the official information coming out up until the movie’s release. Will you be going to see Eat, Pray, Love when it comes out?

Book Review: Devilish by Maureen Johnson

Jane Jarvis and her best friend Allison are true blue friends ’till the end who always have each other’s backs and who can confide anything in each other. Attending Saint Teresa’s Preparatory School for Girls, the two are used to sticking out in a crowd, but now in the most positive way, being quirky in both their attitudes, as well as in their looks, so when the school holds their annual Big-Little celebration where Bigs (upper classmen) pair up with Littles (lower classmen) with the means to be more or less mentors to these younger girls, super confident Jane is immediately fearful for her less-confident friend, who she knows gets very nervous in any situation, not to mention an entire school event that, in essence, is based on your popularity.

During the Big-Little celebration, Allison seems to have it all together after showing Jane that she had received a cupcake in her locker with a note asking her to be a Big to an unnamed freshman. But Jane’s initial fears for her friend are reassured after Allison, waiting for her Little to come up and introduce herself fails to show, she throws up all over one of the freshman girls coming in her direction after nearly every other senior girl had obtained a Little. After Allison runs to the bathroom, Jane runs after to be there for her best friend, giving up any chance of getting a Little of her own. While trying to console Allison, who has barricaded herself inside a stall, a new sophomore student named Lanalee asks about Allison and after Jane tells her that Allison did not get a Little, Lanalee offers herself up, saying that she wasn’t able to get a Big anyway.

Lanalee seems to have appeared on the scene at Saint Teresa’s Preparatory School for Girls just in time. She is cool, calm and collected and even the most popular of girls in the school are fascinated with her, after she tells them a story of coming from another school primarily made up of rich socialites. She instantly becomes a great friend to Allison and to Jane alike, but Allison is spending less and less time with Jane and Allison starts to worry about this girl who she thought she had known so well; especially after Allison comes to school with her usual unruly hair cut into a short, dyed-red bob and is rocking an entirely new, obviously expensive wardrobe with matching, equally expensive accessories. Allison’s entire situation becomes even hairier to Jane when she follows Allison out of a small cafe, to see her go directly to Jane’s ex-boyfriend’s Elton’s house, who is now Allison’s new boyfriend.

As a series of weird and random events take place, Jane is left wondering what has happened to her friend to have made her become this completely new person she hardly recognizes (or sees) anymore. As her curiosity grows, she meets a very strange and at first, even somewhat stalker-like freshman named Owen and after ignoring him for a while, she realizes quickly that she needs Owen–because he happens to know exactly what has happened to Allison and is one of very few links Jane has to piece everything together. It is with Owen’s help that Jane comes to find out that Allison has made a deal with the devil–literally and it all started with that single cupcake in Allison’s locker on Big-Little Day. Now, it’s up to Jane to save the best friend she knows is still hidden inside of this new, but not-so-improved Allison, even if it means sacrificing herself.

I had Devilish sitting on my bookshelf for a little while before picking it up to read. I thought it was yet another young adult beach read; something that I would read through in a few sittings and be done with, it not really leaving such a lasting impression. Needless to say, I was wrong. The cover of the book is superb, especially since it does hold a great deal of meaning for the story itself, but you don’t know that when you first pick it, giving it that intriguing feel before you read it and a much more complex, full-circle feeling after.

It is an intelligent, fast-paced, thrilling read that will keep you turning the page again and again. This is the first book I have read by Maureen Johnson, but I am beyond intrigued and very excited to pick up another one of her books. She truly has a gift for playing with suspense and keeps you thinking and laughing throughout the entire book. Johnson’s characters, even her evil, do-no-gooders, are fun and will keep you switching sides on who to root for because you really like these diverse and very well-rounded characters.

Devilish was very much aptly-timed for me, just finishing it right after Valentine’s Day and not knowing exactly why I was craving cupcakes so much; it took my partner asking me what I expected from reading a book every day with a delicious cupcake pictured on the cover. While Devilish did initially present itself to be a not-so-remarkable read that I’ve read a thousand times before, it was anything but. I surprised even myself with how much I truly enjoyed this book.

Rating:

1/365 Days: Moregasm

January has already come and gone, and with it are the New Year’s resolutions that have already been lost. This year, more than any other year before, I noticed more and more people making New Year’s resolutions for their blogging life, rather than their day-to-day, and a great deal of those bloggers are still going strong. Two of my favorite, favorite bloggers have both been achieving the same resolution, and that is to participate in (and hopefully finish) the 365 Days project on Flickr.

For the past month I have seen both of these bloggers take a self-portrait and post it on their blogs each and every single day and it has been an awesomely eye-opening experience as the blog reader, to get a glimpse into the lives of the people behind some of my favorite blogs. It only took a month of me almost obsessively visiting these blogs just to see their new 365 self-portraits to want to join in on the fun, and so February 1st marks my official start with 365 Days. Woman Tribune has a brand new Flickr account (so be sure to connect with us over there,) and with this, I will also be blogging on a personal level once a day, which is something very new for me to be doing on Woman Tribune. As anyone who reads us regularly, personal anecdotes are weaved through a lot of the posts, but it is very rare for me to be uncensored and unapologetically open, so giving you all a more intimate, if you will, look at my day-to-day life is something that is actually very exciting for me to be dabbling with and I hope you all enjoy your daily look into my life.

For the first day of the 365 Days project, I wanted to share a little morsel of awesomeness I had become aware of a little over a month ago, and that is the new book from Babeland–Moregasm: Babeland’s Guide to Mind-Blowing Sex. This book is a sex advice, sex tips, how-to and self help book all rolled into one. It cuts through the traditional taboos society had already put in place for us a long, long time ago. It opens up discussions on sexual relationships when you’re trans, which is what I was first so giddily happy about when I had first opened it. Usually, when the topic of sex and sexuality comes up on a blog, we have a tendency to speak about sexual relationships as if they only happen between cisgendered beings, but what happens when someone just so happens to have been born with male genitalia but is truly a woman? This book opens up that discussion, which I loved. It of course features a great deal of sex toys, which is only natural for a book put out by a feminist-friendly sex toy shop whose ultimate goal is to sell more sex toys. It contains a multitude of sections on different sexual practices, lifestyles and bedroom play including, but not limited to, BDSM play and anal play. However, please remember that if you engage in any type of BDSM/bondage play, to do with a partner you know and trust and to have a safe word. It also covers practicing safe sex and how to be the safest you can possibly be when engaging in any type of sexual act, and a Q&A section that answers all of those pesky and sometimes embarrassing questions you may have about sex, like ‘Hey, what was that sound and is it supposed to come out of there?’ This book is definitely a must-read for any sexual being, regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or relationship status.

I went into a little more detail about Moregasm in a video review I recorded for my other blog, Menstrual Poetry, which deals with mostly feminist issues and activism. You can check out the video review of Moregasm here.

Book Review: Dream Life by Lauren Mechling

Although Dream Life is a sequel to Lauren Mechling’s first book, Dream Girl, Dream Life is the first book I have read in the supernatural journey that is Claire Voyante’s world. That being said, Mechling first and foremost succeeded in creating a book that you can pick up and jump right into, without needing any back story from the first publication in the series.

Claire is a typical high school girl with a not-so-typical gift; ever since her grandmother, Kiki, gave her an onyx and ivory cameo necklace, Claire has been having black and white dreams that are major tips in solving some pretty influential mysteries. To make Dream Life even more intriguing, Claire isn’t just solving mysteries around New York, she (albeit, mistakenly) aligns herself with a secret society of do-gooders called the Blue Moons, who give her quite the mystery to solve–find a missing pink iPod that holds the secrets of a new and absolutely huge project to save the Brooklyn Bridge from real estate developer slimeball, Sink Landon.

Admittedly, Dream Life was a little slow to start for me, which I attribute to not reading the first book and really not knowing the who knew each other so well. However, the book surprised me with its ability to catch–and keep–my attention to the end. Claire is a remarkable and rememberable heroine that you find yourself rooting for in her entire series of problems, not just with solving mysteries, but also rifts with her friends, her complicated boy troubles and dealing with her eccentric parents. Through reading so many young adult books and seeing the amount of quirkiness young adult authors portray in their parental characters, it is my belief that YA authors write parents with the exaggerated qualities they had in parents growing up, with a myriad of additional attributes they wished their parents had and Dream Life had that ten-fold with a Paris-crazed mother with a love of the Zodiac and her parents’ insane Paris-themed house parties. But most of all, I fell in absolute love with Claire’s grandmother, Kiki, who reminds me of every genuinely close friend I have ever had that I could divulge anything to without feeling a hint of judgment.

Lauren Mechling not only presents a fabulous mystery novel that captures the attention of young adults and older adults alike, but also is the first author since the creators of Sex and the City to turn New York City into a character in itself. Being the wannabe-fashionista that I am (read: If I had money, oh the clothes, shoes and accessories I would buy), I really enjoyed the fashion appearances in this book as well. Kiki’s hand-me-down vintage dresses Claire wears and the footwear described in her best friend Becca’s wardrobe are enough to make even the savviest of fashionistas swoon.

I loved being given the opportunity to be a fly on the wall in Claire’s life; from her stance as a Half Moon in the Blue Moon society, solving a mystery that proved me wrong when I thought I had everything figured out, to finally figuring out who she is as a person and knowing her own level of morality, which makes Claire completely and utterly real.

I would recommend this book to anyone craving a serving of hilarious, page-turning, on-the-edge-of-your-seat read that lets you breathe a sigh of relief when you think things can’t get much worse.

Rating:

Book Review: Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

I must preface this by saying that I know very little when it comes to cooking, never mind French cooking. I know enough to prepare something with very simple instructions, but for the most part my partner does the majority of any cooking that involves more than boil water, add noodles, wait until noodles are tender and cover with sauce. In addition to my lack of culinary expertise, I also knew very little about Julia Child when starting this book, so one could assume that this would not be a book that I would be interested in, if not having to force myself through. However, I surprisingly took to this book very well because you don’t have to know pretty much anything about cooking, French cooking or Julia Child to enjoy the humor and biting cynicism of Julie Powell and her ability to bring you on the journey, the upheaval, the frustrations and the victories that became her life.

Julie Powell was just a temp secretary working at a government office full of Republicans in a post-9/11 era where, among other things like filing, she answered phone calls about people’s ideas for the September 11th memorial that had not yet been placed where the World Trade Center towers once stood. Living with her husband, three cats and what one could assume to be a minor drinking and chain-smoking problem, she worked a thankless job and lived a mundane life in a crappy apartment. She lived the life so many people are currently and will continue to live–getting by without doing much of significance.

But that’s where we get Julie Powell’s life all wrong. Of course she did not mean to do something of so much significance, but she did strive to do something. While being told she had a condition that would make it difficult to impossible to have a child after the age of thirty, and being twenty-nine, she set out on a mission to restore her ambition, change her life and save her soul… by cooking all 524 recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I.

As she details her way through dish after dish, through long and excruciatingly-detailed pages on the insides of marrow bones and how to really go about stealing the lives of lobsters before turning them into delectable French cuisine, Julie & Julia is the kind of book you pick up on a rainy day when you don’t want to get out of bed in the morning, so you don’t and allow yourself to relax the morning and early-afternoon away in bed with a good book.

A memoir was the perfect thing for Julie Powell to write, being an honest and often self-deprecating woman who bears it all and isn’t ashamed of it. However, on this same note she did write in the author’s note that throughout the book she did just make things up but of course, does not touch on what is made up and what is true-to-life. That did not necessarily have a negative impact on my overall enjoyment of this book because as I found myself laughing during certain passages and then wondering if that had really happened or not, I realized that if it had, well, that would have been hilarious and if not, then Julie Powell is equipped with a great and witty imagination–And she is.

Her blog that inspired the book, the Julie/Julia Project gained a great deal of media attention towards the ending months of her project. She prepared dinner for newspaper columnists she had admired and even missed the last episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to do it. Her blog garnered a great deal of attention from people whom she called bleeders that cheered her on and also pleaded with her not to make aspic-and-anything ever again.

More-so than the art of French cooking, I was more intrigued by Julie Powell the woman. I enjoyed her anecdotes and expletive-filled tangents about her boring and thankless job, her varied and equally satisfying and satisfied friends and of course, a husband in which she portrays to be the textbook definition of perfect. While I had seen the trailer for the movie before picking up the book, I was actually quite thrilled to see that the real Julie Powell was not as wholesome as Amy Adams portrays on the silver screen.

Julie & Julia is a satisfying journey of discovery full of laugh-out-loud tales and lists of foods I am certain I will never let grace my dinner plate.

Rating:

How to Find Free (and Extremely Cheap) Kindle Books

There are thousands upon thousands of books and periodicals available in the Kindle Store, but sprinkled throughout all of the material you have to pay for, there are also hundreds of free or extremely cheap items available for download. Instead of having to sift through thousands of items, you can now find all of the free and very cheap items available just by typing -domain in the search bar of your Kindle or on Amazon.com.

Not So Common(ly Talked About) Relationships

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Split-Self. All opinions are 100% mine.

It’s no surprise that I am a huge fan of the young adult and chick lit genres. They are often very satisfying, light and decadent treats that make their frequent appearances in our book reviews section. While I read an array of different genres of books, it’s the chick lit books that let you wind down and curl up with at the end of a busy and stressful day and bring you into a world of humor and just often enough, lightheartedness.

There’s a book that just emerged on the scene that is self-defined as changing the course of chick lit and after reading a little bit about it, I am inclined to agree. Split-Self is a new book from F.S. Publishing that is your typical romance novel that will undoubtedly be intriguing to a great deal of people who have especially hopped on the Twilight and True Blood bandwagons. The main character of the story is a vampire who draws energy out of other people in order to supplement her own and she does this by feeding on them in seductive and totally hot encounters that leave them begging for more. But what this books has that redefines the typical chick lit genre we are all familiar with is that Split-Self revolves around a romance between a woman and a man… and another man. In F.S. Publishing’s own words: “Boy likes girl, boy also likes boy … girl thinks that’s hot.”

The romance itself in this novel will surely put a lot of people off from wanting to read it, but what I would really like to explore is the fact that why I automatically know in my gut that a great deal of people will not want to read it because the couple in the book is not a couple, but a polyamorous relationship containing one woman and two men. When people hear about most polyamorous relationships, especially with the induction of the HBO show Big Love and traditional polygamy being centered around one man with multiple wives. I actually really love the idea of a polyamorous relationship that includes one woman and two men; it’s a great spin and is actually a great deal more realistic than many may think.

Polyamory is not “new” by any means; it is not merely an open relationship, where people within a foundation relationship have permission to seek whatever they choose and have already agreed on beforehand outside of that relationship. What polyamory is, in fact, is more than two people in one, committed relationship. There are many sex educators and family therapists that counsel, have written books and have taught at lectures and workshops who educate people and couples of all kinds on how to live life with limitless sexual possibilities and while open and poly relationships are not merely based on sexual gratification, sexuality is one of the factors that could potentially cause rifts in your relationships due to jealousy and other conflicting emotions. One of the most intriguing non-fiction books I have found on the subject that I actually ordered the day after I discovered it is The Ethical Slut from educators and practicing “ethical sluts” Dossie Easton and Catherine A. Liszt.

When you look at this topic from a wide angle and disregard the many, many immediate responses you will hear when a debate like this pops up such as the “sanctity of marriage,” poly relationships actually make a lot of sense. Very few animals are monogamous and as it turns out, very few married people, both male and female alike, are monogamous. According to the Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy approximately 50% of married women and 60% of married men will have extramarital affairs at some point while in their marriage. With statistics like these, it means that in nearly 80% of marriages as a whole, someone in that marriage is cheating on their spouse.

Given all of these little tidbits of information I have gathered, as well as my personal feelings on the topic, which is that in a relationship of any kind, what works for those people in that relationship is fine by me and I am not one to pass judgment on anyone or anyone’s relationship, I now want some of your input! What do you think of polyamorous relationships? Do they work? Can they work? Are you in one? Care to share any details? Leave whatever’s on your mind on the topic in the comments!

C. Leigh Purtill’s Bookish Experiment has Kicked Off (and We’re Excited!)

C. Leigh Purtill, the author of both Love, Meg and All About Vee (both of which we absolutely loved!) has just kicked off a bookish experiment that we couldn’t be happier about. Purtill’s novel, All About Vee was not written to be it’s own short novel, Vee was actually just another character in a bigger book entitled Fat Girls in L.A. and it goes without saying that while we did appearances of the other characters throughout All About Vee, the book itself was just what you could assume from the title–All about Veronica May.

But now we get to hear the stories of all of the girls we were introduced to in All About Vee with Purtill’s bookish experiment which will release a part of the sequel, The Rise of Ginny Cooper every Monday in January. Best of all, especially for people who already spend way too much money on books, The Rise of Ginny Cooper is completely free and is available for download exclusively at The Story Siren, a huge website dedicated to young adult books, reviews, author interviews, contests and more.

Download your free copy of The Rise of Ginny Cooper part 1

The Story Siren is also giving you an opportunity to win a signed copy of the first book in the series, All About Vee. From now until January 25th, anyone 13 years of age or older can enter to win the signed copy of the book here.

C. Leigh Purtill Talks Books with Connie Martinson

We’ve reviewed her two books, Love, Meg and All About Vee and now we have the chance to get to know C. Leigh Purtill a little better. We find out more about the books, the original titles and plots before the editor and publishers got a hold of them and even better, we find out more about Purtill herself in this two-part interview with Connie Martinson on Connie Martinson Talks Books.

The Multi-Orgasmic Man

On the topic of sex, most men will say that the act and finishing touch, in particular, is a bit unfair. After sex, my partner will complain that I had multiple orgasms, can’t move and demand a sandwich afterward while he had one orgasm. I can argue that perhaps my multiple orgasms are the equivalent to his one, but I wouldn’t know since I am not a man and admittedly have no idea what the male orgasm feels like. I do, however, know that having multiple orgasms is a gift that I would love for him to be able to share with me. While a huge percentage of men simply believe that having multiple orgasms is impossible, I have a secret to share with you that has the ability to rock your world; especially if you’re a man–All men have the ability to achieve multiple orgasms.

For the man who believes male multiple orgasms are impossible or for men who have heard about these mysterious male multiple orgasms and want to know more (ie: my partner) I couldn’t recommend The Prostate Pleasure Kit from Babeland more.

The Prostate Pleasure Kit contains everything your man (or you, if you’re reading this and happen to be a man) needs for complete prostate pleasure and achieve multiple orgasms: The classic sex guide The Multi-Orgasmic Man by Mantak Chia & Douglas Abrams, The Aneros Prostate Stimulator, Maximus lube, Babeland’s favorite anal lube in fact, and Rocket Balm, good (and safe) for a nice, tingly feeling during masturbation, oral sex and even intercourse.

If you’re thinking to yourself “Ha! My husband/boyfriend/manfriend/life partner would never let anything near his butt; it just isn’t happening and what, exactly, does prostate pleasure have to do with multiple orgasms?” I have to tell you, my partner was just as apprehensive! With the looming fear of pain as well as the fear of bodily functions, a man may think to himself at first “Nope, not happening. Ever. Get it all away from me.” But perhaps after reading through the book that comes with this kit, The Multi-Orgasmic Man, they may be even more curious about prostate pleasure and perhaps even get over the initial fear and anxiety that comes with something being near their prostate.

The Multi-Orgasmic Man is a complete guide of sexual secrets of every should know. This book gives every man the ability to experience multiple orgasms and dramatically enhance his sexual relationship, which they have printed on the cover of the book. Within the first few days of having this book, me and my partner read through parts of it together and it really brought us closer together in our relationship because I began to fully understand how everything works when it comes to men; most of which I wasn’t aware of before. If you’re not one to accompany your man while he reads through this book, there is a section specifically for women which helps women fully understand how the foreign male parts work and how to help your partner as well as yourself become a multi-orgasmic person. The book and prostate tools that come with this kit go together very well because throughout the book it speaks of the prostate, how to fully know yourself as a man inside and out and gives you methods to use in order to prolong orgasms by holding the prostate. By using the prostate toys that come with the kit, you become more aware of reaching the point of no return.

The partner’s thoughts:

The book is very well written and covers both sides of the techniques given in the book to achieve multiple orgasms; spirituality as well as logic and physiology. As a person who leans more towards the logical and scientific side of things, it was nice to have scientific facts back up Asian spirituality.

While my partner isn’t a multi-orgasmic man yet, the journey to multiple orgasms will be broken up into a series that will outline his progress and eventual success, so be sure to check back frequently because you never know when he will hit a milestone that will need to be reported to our readers, especially those who are men looking to achieve multiple orgasms. Consider subscribing to our RSS feed so you don’t miss anything!

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