Fiftyfifty.me Challenge: April Recap

I’ve completed Month 4 of the Fiftyfifty.me challenge! The goal is to read 50 books and watch 50 movies in 2012. Here’s a recap of my April progress.

Books

Movies

Favorite Book of the Month

I don’t watch Access Hollywood, but something made me pick up TV host Maria Menounos’s book, The EveryGirl’s Guide to Life. I’m glad I did! The book offers up Maria’s tips and tricks on how to lose weight, make friends, organize your work, and dress in style. It’s a lot like Sweet and Sage.

I have a ton of magazine subscriptions (31 and counting!), and I love how The Everygirl’s Guide to Life is designed like a magazine with short how-to articles and fun photos. I especially like how every page has glossy, full-color images. I’ve read a lot of “fix your life” type of books, but this one is more engaging and helpful than anything else out there. I highly recommend it.

Favorite Movie of the Month

I’ve begun to notice that my movie tastes include a lot of cartoons and spiritual dramas. It’s a weird combination. Maybe I can only take the woo-woo stuff for so long before I have to zone out by watching a superhero movie.

Do you prefer one type of movie genre or are your tastes all over the place?

My favorite movie this month was The Wizard of Oz, which I’ve seen a million times. The songs are fun, the Technicolor is beautiful, and the story really resonates with me. Growing up as an atheist kid, it was difficult for me to relate to other children who had religions, especially those who thought I was an evil person for not believing that some man in the clouds controlled my destiny.

The Wizard of Oz gave me so much comfort. After a long, perilous journey to find a magical wizard to fix all their problems, the main characters discovered that the power had been within them all along. They already were smart, loving, and brave. This movie taught me not to wait for someone else to save me or validate me.

You are in control of your own life, and if God exists anywhere, that place is within you.

What books and movies did you enjoy in April?

The Editor’s Toolkit

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6 Comments

  1. Allthingsyummyforfoodies on April 30, 2012 at 4:48 pm

    I have plans to see Hunger Games soon since I read the book. It’s been sooo long since I’ve seen The Wizard of Oz. The fifty fifty challenge sounds so fun. I’ll have to check it out.



    • Sage on April 30, 2012 at 5:55 pm

      Hey there! Thank you so much for commenting. 🙂

      I’m bad–I started to read The Hunger Games, but then I saw the movie before I finished it. The movie was really fantastic, so maybe now I’ll get around to finishing the book.

      The challenge is a lot of fun. I love to read, but I never made time for reading. Now I do! (I never seemed to have trouble watching a ton of movies, though.)



  2. Molly on April 29, 2012 at 4:16 pm

    I love that The Wizard of Oz and Wonder Woman are movies you watched this month. Such classics! We tend to watch a lot of different types, although I prefer kind of stranger sort of movies (Blue Velvet, Natural Born Killers, Grindhouse Films, etc.). Really, though, I’ll watch almost everything except for girly movies. Not into those too much…….



    • Sage on April 29, 2012 at 4:52 pm

      The only kind of movies I avoid are shoot-’em-up action movies. All the gunfire gives me a headache. Is it terrible that I’ve never seen any of the movies you mentioned?

      I like classic movies a lot. I took film studies classes in high school and college, which made me appreciate older movies. Some fiftyfifty.me challengers are only watching classic movies this year. Someday I’d like to watch all of the Best Picture Oscar winners.



  3. xvavaveganx on April 29, 2012 at 2:08 pm

    Wow you were a busy bee this month! Everything sounds great, The Wizard of Oz is such a classic! Love that movie 🙂

    I love your description of The Everygirl’s Guide to Life! It looks like a really comprehensive go to guide for every woman. I will have to check it out for sure! Thanks for the recommendation!

    Hope you are having a great weekend!



    • Sage on April 29, 2012 at 4:10 pm

      I think you can see some of the inside pages on Amazon, but I’m sure it’s at your library too. I have this “magazine mindset” so I go crazy when I find a book with glossy, colored pages.

      The Everygirl’s Guide to Life is really interesting even if you don’t know who Maria Menounos is (I didn’t). My favorite tips are about making a household “blackbook” with all your important numbers and papers in one place. She also talks about decorating on a budget–most of her furniture is from Ikea and Target.

      We went to the dog park and got Skyla’s nails trimmed this weekend. It’s a glamorous life. 🙂