20 posts tagged “movies”
I joined a summer reading program again this year, so my book reviews here will be going up a lot more regularly. I don't like writing book reviews, so I put them off. I need to stop that.
Shopgirl by Steve Martin
I saw the movie based on this book sometime last year, and I've had a copy of the book, borrowed from my sister about ages, and I finally got around to reading it. I started it on my way to the airport, and finished it before I came home, so I could finally return the book. Anyway ... while I did enjoy this story, I had a hard time picturing Claire Danes as Mirabelle. The character as written just didn't jive with her face or mannerisms. I had the same problem with her boyfriend, played by Jason Schwartzman in the movie. Amazingly enough, Steve Martin made a perfect Ray Porter. Still, it was a sweet little story, and worth the read.
Big Boned (Heather Wells Mysteries, book 3) by Meg Cabot
I like Meg Cabot's book because they are light and fluffy. Sometimes I don't want to have to think very hard about what I'm reading and these books are perfect for that. I'm sad that this is the last Heather Wells book, she was a fun heroine and I was able to identify with her neuroses and insecurities. Since this is the end of the series, Heather ends up happy and everything is tied up in a neat little bow. I also loved most of the supporting characters in this series and I would love to read more about them. Perhaps we can lobby Meg Cabot to write more about Sarah, Heather's Dad, and maybe even Jordon.
Switching Time: A Doctor's Harrowing Story of Treating a Woman with 17 Personalities by Richard Bear
When I was in junior high I read everything I would get my hands on about multiple personality disorder: When Rabbits Howl and Sybil are the two that I remember most. They were fascinating yet disturbing but I couldn't not read them. At some point the phase ended and I moved on. Recently a friend listed this on her current reads and I got curious. Just like the other books, it was fascinating, disturbing, and heartbreaking all at the same time. It was good that at the end she was able to integrate everyone and make all of these personalities into a fully functioning and mentally healthy woman.
When I read my first novel in verse, I thought it must be an easy thing to do. Fewer words, lots of white space and a very simple plot. But with this one, I realized how freaking hard it must be to wrote these novels. Fewer opportunities for description, not many words to get your reader to care about your characters, and having to actually tell a cohesive story through poems\. In this story, Ava boyfriend dies and in her subsequent depression, he starts to appear to her, but only when she's at home. Trying to hold onto Jackson, Ava withdraws from her friends and her life in order to stay at home and be near his ghost. Only when her parents force a family vacation at the beach does Ava start to live again and enjoy life.
A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer
It didn't occur to me until I was about a third of the way through this that I was reading a modern retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. I loved the story as a child, and the Richard Chamberlain movie version was of my favorites for years. It's a wonderful story of revenge and I was quite angry when Hollywood gave it a happy ending a few years back. This retelling was so close to perfect and such an enjoyable read that I almost didn't want to finish it. I tend to get mad at the endings of a majority of the books I read and I did not that to be the case here. I risked the ending and I'm happy to say that I was not angry or disappointed. Hooray!!!
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (Gallagher Girls, book 2) by Ally Carter
The first book in this series, I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You, made me laugh but I thought the ending was rushed and way too contrived. On the recommendation of goddesslibrarian, I decided to give the second one a try. I'm glad I did. The story was tighter than the first one, the girls were a little less annoying, and the ending did not suck. I can't wait to see what the Gallagher Academy girls get up to next.
There were things about the movie version of this that I really liked, mainly the idea of teleportation. But the execution fell flat for me. So I went to the source, and I enjoyed it a hell of a lot more than the film. Now I want to read the other books in the series to see how much was pulled from those books, because so much of the movie was just not in the book. The main character had the same name, he had parents, and he could teleport, and that's pretty much where the similarities ended. There was no secret force chasing him, he did not find another jumper, and his mother's back story was completely different. So maybe the film is a composite of the three novels? This must be partly the case as Griffin does not make an appearance in this first book. I'm reserving judgment until I get the rest of the story.
The Third Circle (Arcane Society, book 4) by Amanda Quick
I wanted to like this alternative history World War II novel, I really did, but I hated the ending. I know, I know, that's a theme for me, and I do wish this wasn't the case. I just get so invested in the books I read and have this idea in my head of the way the characters should act that when they do something else I get mad. I also can't stand rushed endings or ones where everything is too nearly wrapped up. I'm not doing a very good job of explaining this, it's just the way I feel. After getting wrapped up and involved in this novel, I didn't believe that the main character would have done what she did at the end. It didn't fit. As I've said before I need to someone with similar taste to read things first and tell me if they are worth my time and energy. This was not.
As a big fan of the VI Warshawski novels, I wasn't really sure what to expect from this non-VI novel. I mostly enjoyed it, but I was slightly frustrated by the heavy use of foreshadowing. Everything was leading up to one crazy night, but when it arrived, it didn't seem that crazy. From all I'd been lead to expect, half the town was going to die and the other half was going to do it. The big crazy night was nothing of the sort. This was set in small town outside of Lawrence, Kansas, and centers around three families who have lived on and farmed the land for over a hundred years. When a practicing Wiccan moves in, tensions mount culminating in a "crazy" night. Ms. Paretsky knows how to tell a story, and while she did so here, it was also slightly disappointing. Now I want to her read her other non-VI novel, Ghost Country, to see how it measures up. And maybe I can beg her to write more of the ever delightful Chicago PI.
I loved the first book in this series and had high hopes for this one. I'm pleased to say that it lived up to those expectations. I'm familiar with a lot of different vampire stories, and sometimes I have trouble keeping the parameters of each universe straight in my head. In this universe, the blue bloods are the vampires who who go through cycles of reincarnation and start to regain their memories and transform. But they are vulnerable until they reach the age of twenty-one. Young Blue Bloods are being killed and there is a split in the leadership between those who believe the Silver Bloods (vampires who feed on other vampires) have returned and those who do not believe that is possible. This second book brought us further along, but I want more!
I always enjoy discovering a new universe, and this one is tons of fun. It's written for a slightly younger audience than what I normally read, but I didn't even notice. This was an entertaining and fast paced story, and I need to get my hands on other rest of the series soon. Arthur us the new kid in school and is not having a very good day. He suffers an asthma attack during gym class and dreams that as strange man hands him a strange object. When he wakes up he still has the object (the minute hand of a clock) and Mister Monday has set his goons on Arthur's world to retrieve it. In this series, the clock and the calendar take on new and terrifying meaning, and our hero must battle those who would prevent him from assembling a mysterious will, one to which he has become the heir. I'd also love to read other things by this author. So many books, so little time. Maybe reading this series will help me find an extra hour or two in the day.
This is the first novel of a new series and I can see why it is being compared to Gossip Girl. Set at the Turn of the Century, but full of just as much drama and intrigue as the Cecily von Ziegesar series. We open on the funeral of Elizabeth Holland, and then are taken back to learn of the events leading up to her death. There are four central characters here, Elizabeth, who is engaged to one man but loves another; Henry Schoonmaker, a debauched playboy who must marry Elizabeth or be disinherited; Diana Holland, Elizabeth’s younger sister who is in love with her fiancé; and Penelope Hayes, a member of the nouveau riche who will stop at nothing to win Henry’s affections. As Elizabeth and Henry’s wedding approaches, the spectacle unfolds in a wondrously grandiose scene, making for a fun, though not entirely unexpected dénouement. It's just good fun.
This is a sad, sweet story, and is so much lovelier than the terrible movie version with Kiera Knightly and Michael Pitt. After seeing the movie I wanted to read the novella because I saw potential, and I'm very glad I did. In the 1860s, Herve Joncour makes four difficult journeys from France to Japan to obtain eggs for breeding silkworms. Japan is closed to the world, but he manages to negotiate with a local baron to obtain the eggs. While there, he notices a young woman who does not have oriental eyes. Though they never address each other, they conduct a secret affair. The story, told exquisitely and very well translated (from the original Italian), conveys the richness, delicacy, and mystery of the book's sought-after fabric.
I was so happy that this second book in the series was just as good, if not even a little better than the first one. After a crazy summer in New York where she met her biological father and siblings for the first time, Cyd Charisse is back in San Francisco, back at school, and still trying to figure out her short statured surfer boy ex, Shrimp. She is aided and abetted by new friends, Helen and Autumn, and "old" girlfriend, sunny octogenarian Sugar Pie. I desperately want to read the third book in the series, but I'm slightly afraid that it won't live up to the awesomeness of the first two. I know that;s just an excuse, but it will work for now.
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
I'm a huge movie buff and every year I try to see as many of the Oscar nominated movies as I can. So when the nominations were announced this year, I knew that I had a bit of catching up to do. I went to my local second run theater and saw Into the Wild and just knew that I had to read the book. I often see a movie first, which doesn't stop be from reading and enjoying the book. Is that odd? I don't know, is it? But I digress. This speculative non-fiction is an interesting exercise in journalism, and while I enjoyed it, it felt a bit dry and impersonal. Even though I realize they are two separate entities, I couldn't help comparing the book and the movie. The movie was narrated by Alexander/Christopher's sister, which lent the personal touch that I found lacking in the book. It's a fascinating story, but heartbreaking.
Atonement by Ian McEwan
I saw the movie twice, read the book, and then saw the movie again. I got together with a good friend in December and she told me how much she loved this book and that she was afraid to see the movie because it might not be as wonderful. I respect her opinion and knew that I was going to read the book, I just didn't get a chance before I saw the movie. I really did love this book, it was beautiful, heartbreaking, and nearly perfect. I've read McEwan books that I loved and ones that I hated, and I'm happy this one landed in the love column. I wonder if I would have liked it as much if I'd gone into it knowing less about the story. I guess I'll never really know. One thing that surprised me about this experience is that I didn't see James McAvoy and Keira Knightley as Robbie and Cecilia while I was reading the book. I usually do when I have faces for characters, but I have no idea what happened here. Sorry, rambling again.
No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
I this instance, I saw the movie, read the book, and then saw the movie again. I really liked the story here but it drive me crazy that this author does not use quotes to denote dialog. WTF dude? Are you to important to follow accepted conventions or are you just trying to confuse your readers? I was also not a fan of the large sections done in italics. Where is this guy's editor? Or does winner a Pulitzer mean you can do this shit and no one tells you it's a REALLY bad idea? Yeah, I'm slightly bitter about these things. But the story was genius. So I recommend it, but know what you are walking into. I've heard great things about several of McCarthy's other novels, but if they have the same stylistic quirks, I think I'll take a pass. This is sad, but I know myself and I know I'll just get annoyed at the superficial things and have a hard time enjoying the story and this makes me sad.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Several people recommended this to me a while back. I took it out from my public library but never got around to reading it. It came up again recently and this time I read it and I can completely see why so many people loved it, especially those who are music buffs. Not being a huge music buff myself, I didn't quite get all the musical reference, but I was still thoroughly charmed. I was not expecting a story that took place all in one night and I think this one aspect is what won me over and what kept me reading. I also wonder if the two authors each wrote one character, as the point of view shifted back and forth between Nick and Norah. Does anyone know this? I'm looking forward to reading their next collaboration, Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List. I also want to know if David Levithan has written other things, since I've read and enjoyed several of Rachel Cohn's solo books, I think I would like his as well.
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Yet another book with a recent film adaption floating around. Unlike the others, the film version of this was VERY loosely based on the story and I enjoyed them both. Two completely separate and fascinating stories and were both well done. The two are so different, that I wonder why the source material was even credited. Not that I think the credit should not have been given, but the final product bore so little relation to its source that had I not know this, I would never had made the connection. The edition I read contained this as well as several short stories but I didn't get around to them. I wonder if I missed something great by doing this, but I simply didn't have the time. Darn libraries and their due dates :)
It Had To Be You: The Gossip Girl Prequel by Cecily von Ziegesar
This novel covers the period right before Serena leaves for boarding school and goes over events that readers of the series will be very familiar with. What I wanted from this book was more of a clue to the identity of the Gossip Girl, but sadly I did not get that. I actually had to force myself to read this, as I just didn't really care anymore. Perhaps I read the the series too quickly and just overdosed. One thing this book did accomplish was to change my opinions of the two main characters. I didn't really feel like I was on Team Serena or Team Blair when I finished the series, but after reading this book, I'm solidly on Team Serena. She was very sympathetic in this book, and Blair was a total witch. We also got to find out more about how Dan and Vanessa became friends and to meet Jenny before her more obvious trait had manifested itself. It's not necessary to read this book as part of the series, but it might give you a different take on things you thought you knew. Now I am glad the series is over so that I can move on to other things. But sadly, I didn't get any closer to solving the mystery.
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
I wanted to like this book more than I did. I loved the idea of it but it just didn't play out the way I wanted it to. This is the story of Dashti, who was raised on the open land but was forced to come into the city when her mother died. Due to her rural people's unusual talent for being able to sing healing songs, Dashti is trained as a ladies maid. On her first day in palace, her mistress, Lady Saren refuses an arranged marriage and Dashti agrees to go with her to the tower. The two are sealed into the tower and will be let out Saren relents, or after seven years. Dashti keeps a journal and this book is that journal. It was a decent story, but it could have been so much better. I thought the ending was contrived and rushed, and I wanted more resolution. Ah well ... here's another case where I need that preview reader to tell me not to bother with this one. One thing I did like were the drawings.
Vampire books are a weakness of mine and this was a fun one. The author did a good job of laying out which vampire rules apply in her universe and just wrote a fun story. It's like gossip girl with fangs :) I'm glad I already have a copy of the second book because this one left me hungry for more.
Knowing there is a movie based on this coming out at the holidays, and having several friends recommend the series, I thought I'd give it a try. I'd already read Over Sea, Under Stone, which is a sort of prequel, though the stories are not directly related, as least not that I could tell.
I purposefully didn't look to see which actors would be playing which roles so that I wouldn't get preconceived notions. Now I think it's safe to go look. Though perhaps I should wait until I finish the entire series.
It took me about 75 pages to really get into this story, but once in, I was hooked. I couldn't wait to see how it ended. Now I want to see where the series goes takes me next.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
238 Pages
4.5 Stars (out of 5)
Over Sea Under Stone by Susan Cooper
252 Pages
3.5 Stars (out of 5)
I really liked this story, once I got into it, and am very excited to see how the other books tie in. I want to know more about Gumerry and find out who the Withers siblings are. And I need to find out what happens to the children. I hope they make an appearance in the other books.
Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin
276 Pages
5.0 Stars (out of 5)
My main SRP goal for the summer was to read and review 20 books. This is my 20th review, but I'm certainly not going to stop reading ;-)This books was just perfect. I felt like I was visiting old fiends. I laughed, I cried, and I loved every minute of it. This book is meant to stand on it's own, but it is also a follow up to Maupin's Tales of the City series. He's brought back Michael "Mouse" Tolliver, Mrs. Madrigal, Brain Hawkins, and shows us where they are today. I love the Tales of the City books (and the movies they spawned) and it was just lovely to come back to a place and to characters that brought me so much joy.
The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, book 3) by Philip Pullman
518 Pages
2.5 Stars (out of 5)
Reading this trilogy was one of my SRP challenges. Check. I need to finish and review 3 more books to make my goal of 20, and I also need to read three classics, including Slaughterhouse Five. I think I can do that, no problem.
Now for this book, which I did not enjoy. I tried very hard to like this as much as I liked the first two, but I just didn't. I found it difficult to get into, very clunky, confusing to follow, and the resolution? Ugh, jut ugh. I actually thought the very end sweet and very well done, but what led up to it I really could have done without. WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD (with my rant)
Did you see the Harry Potter movie this weekend? Are you going to read the new book?
I saw the movie on Wednesday, and while I enjoyed it, I did have issues with more than a few things. My main issues were how rushed everything seemed and how people other than Harry referred to Lord Voldemort. It is great to see the world brought to life though.
Of course I'll be reading the new book. I'll be getting it and midnight and then doing nothing but readied (and maybe sleeping) until I am finished, which i expect to be sometime Saturday afternoon or evening. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how it all ends. I've even reread 5 and 6 in preparation.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, book 5) by JK Rowling
870 Pages
3.5 Stars (out of 5)
Since the movie is being released in a few weeks, I decided a reread was in order. After three readings, this is still my least favorite of the series. Teen angst Harry really gets on my nerves, and I don't think Ms Rowling's editors were really on top of their game. The book did NOT need to be so long. Considering how much was cut to make the fourth novel into a movie, I'm curious as to what will make it into five. I've got a few scenes I'd love to see, but many I could live without. We'll know on July 11th.
