Just wanted to let you guys know that there will not be many posts this week! You may have noticed I have missed the last few days already after being sick. Now there is all kinds of things to do and I have no time to sit down and reply to comments, let alone write a whole post! Next week I will make some fun posts to make up for this week! Have a great rest of the week!
Month: April 2015
Insurgent Movie Review (SPOILERS)
A few days ago, I FINALLY went to go see Insurgent. Guys…this movie. It’s not that I hate it, but I didn’t really care for it I guess. Before I get into the details of it, let me just start by saying I understand what a movie adaptation is. These movies are not meant to be exactly word for word by the book, and I am totally okay with it. I personally thought translating Divergent into a movie would be kind of difficult, because there is so much information thrown at us in one book that it is hard to capture. Divergent wasn’t my favorite adaptation of all time, but it still remained close to the book and was okay. Insurgent on the other hand, was different for me. I’m not sure if I have an unpopular opinion or if some people agree with me, but here were some of my thoughts during this movie.
First off, my main issue with the movie was how things flowed. Or rather, how things didn’t flow. This has nothing to do with the plot or anything, just purely the way the movie was cut. A big part of the Divergent trilogy are the simulations. While I didn’t love how these were portrayed (mostly because they were different in my head) in Divergent, I could deal with it. Insurgent’s simulations we a bit more cheesier, but still, I was okay with it. Then, they decided to throw in dream sequences, which was a great thought, but it really didn’t show up well. I can’t tell you how many times I was confused whether or not something was actually happening or if it was a dream. For example, when Tris first makes it to Amity, there are is a dream sequence, but the next scene they are living in the faction. Another time was when she attacked Peter. Then there were just these weird camera movements that really just made the film flow horribly.
My other main problem with this movie was the box. The box that required a Divergent by passing a simulation from all five factions. Where did this even come from? This strayed so far away from the book, it just frustrated me. I know it’s an adaptation, but it was like the whole plot of the movie. I don’t see why it couldn’t have followed the book more, because it wasn’t necessary to bring in the box. Maybe I would have been more okay with it if the idea was better executed. Instead of these weird snake thingys that connect to you and give you levitation powers, maybe we could have stuck with serums and chairs.
Since these review is become very negative, let me talk about the things I did like. To name two: Peter and Caleb. I’m not exaggerating when I say that Peter was my favorite part of this movie. Miles Teller got some of the best lines, and kind of made the best out of this movie’s situation. By far my favorite character in the movie. Following shortly behind is Caleb, just because Ansel Elgort and his awkwardness kills me (especially at the dinner table with Tobias’s mom). Jeanine is a great character as well, and I love seeing her when she is frustrated and can’t quite figure something out. Also, the Amity faction was spot on to me. It looked very much like I imagined it, and while we didn’t get our loopy Tris scene, I really loved when the setting was here.
You’re probably wondering why Tris and Tobias aren’t mentioned above. I love them in the movie, but I wish all of Insurgent’s emotions could have been added. Tris’s fear of holding a gun because of will show so much about her character, and I was sad people didn’t get to see this while watching the movie. Also, the tension between this couple is pretty much nonexistent. You may not remember, but these two are fighting with one another for a good section of the book. I think this would have made the whole scene where Tris left to go to Erudite much more emotional.
While it wasn’t the best, and I found myself rolling my eyes many times during this movie, I will still watch Allegiant. I don’t know why they want to split the book into two movies, especially since not much happens in Allegiant. They pretty much already went 100 pages into Allegiant at the ending of the Insurgent movie, because they explained how they were everything was an experiment. Also, everyone in the city seems to be running toward the walls, so unless Evelyn (who looks like Tobias’s sister-not mother) stops everyone, I have no idea how Allegiant will be done. I guess we’ll see.
Vlogbrothers- The Best Thing Ever
I’m not sure how I have gone on so long without mentioning vlogbrothers on here. For those of you who don’t know vlogbrothers is John and Hank Green’s channel on youtube. Yes, John Green as in the author of TFIOS, Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns and what not. They are sort of the pioneers of youtube, since they have be doing this for almost eight years! I discovered them a few months before The Fault in Our Stars was slotted as a movie. This two guys are hilarious, and there videos are the best. I loved being able to see the production of The Fault in our Stars through John’s vlogs just as I am loving seeing all the Paper Towns movie stuff.
Above, I have attached a video from vlogbrothers. It was created by The Gregory Brothers, and John and Hank posted it to their channel. It is basically a songified video made of the Green Batman argument. It has been stuck in my head the past few days, so I decided to share it with you guys, and see if it sticks in your brains!
Reasons Fairest is the Best Novella
A few months ago, Marissa Meyer released Fairest, a novella to her Lunar Chronicles series. This series is one of my favorites, so I was very excited to read the companion. I have read a few novellas before, and I guess they were okay. I went into Fairest with low expectations, because I knew novellas weren’t always the best. A few pages in I was able to tell that this wasn’t going to be an ordinary companion novel. There are reasons upon reasons as to why Fairest is an extraordinary novella.
1. The Length of the Novella
This isn’t just a 50 page story that is only sold as ebooks. No, Fairest is the size of a normal (yet small) book with its 230 pages. The story is more than an extra scene the author had to clip out like most other novellas. Fairest actually provides the reader with a lot of information.
2. Getting Inside the Antagonist’s Head
Oh my goodness. Queen Levana is the craziest psychopath I have ever read. Yeah, there are dark and twisted villains, and then there is this chick. Being able to see Levana’s thoughts adds so much more depth to the series. This novella’s purpose wasn’t to show you how she is a misunderstood villain who has good motives, but rather it increases your hate for the antagonist even more. I seen people complaining how they didn’t sympathize with her, but I honestly think we weren’t supposed to (unless we were sympathizing with her craziness maybe). This story really just shows us what goes through her mind when she makes decisions that affect our main characters.
3. Learning the Background and Motives
I love to read a good back story. Something that give us a glimpse of the past that explains why someone does something later in their life is always exciting to read. It’s like connecting the dots between one point to another. When Levana was little, her (evil) sister Channary pushed her into the fire, causing major distortions to her body and face. Because of this incident, the rest of her life she makes she is hidden behind a beautiful glamour. She even goes as far as breaking all the mirrors on Luna. I thought it was very interesting to see this as well her “relationship” with Evret, because it connects in some ways to the Lunar Chronicles.
4. Connection with the Original Series
This is the point that really excites me. Fairest connects so well to The Lunar Chronicles. There were so many moments in this book that I was gasping. For example, one moment was when they say that Channary baby’s name is Selene. I’m not sure if Channary’s name was ever mentioned in The Lunar Chronicles, so when I saw the name Selene I kind of freaked out because it’s Cinder. I don’t know, the thought just didn’t register when I started reading this that we would get Cinder’s back story. Also, when we found out Evret’s baby was Winter, I was happy then too. These weren’t the only moments though, because there were so many other connections. There was a line talking about Luna doctors disappearing, so that had to be the doctor that works at the palace. Another line said how Selene would be paired with Kai, which just made me very giddy. I also think there was a line referencing Cress as well. These are all connections that add to the book, so the novella wasn’t a pointless story.
Sorry for a bit of rambling, but Fairest was seriously great. I was so excited that Marissa Meyer put so much effort into this so we could see more of Levana, who is a very complex character with many layers. For those of you who love The Lunar Chronicles, this is perfect for you. There’s even a excerpt from Winter, which I haven’t read yet. I didn’t want to get even more excited for it, because I would probably burst, and NOVEMBER IS SO FAR AWAY I CAN’T TAKE IT.
Top Ten Tuesday: Inspiring Book Quotes
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they give a certain topic or question and you have to try to list your top ten. This week asks you to give quotes that are inspirational to you in some way. I know some of these are exactly inspirational quotes, but they are some of my favorites that make me happy. As always, they are in no order.
“Happiness can be found in even the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the lights.” ~J.K. Rowling, Albus Dumbledore
“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.” ~John Green, The Fault in our Stars
“There is nothing more profound than creating something out of nothing.” ~Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl
“Sometimes the best way to find out what you are supposed to do is by doing the thing your not supposed to do.” ~Gayle Forman, Just One Day
“Aim higher, in case you fall short.” ~Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire
“Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything’s possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.” ~Marie Lu, Legend
“I don’t think you have to do something so big to be brave. And it’s the little things that are harder anyway.” ~Morgan Matson, Since You’ve Been Gone`
“Sometimes you make choices in life and sometimes choices make you.” ~Gayle Forman, If I Stay
“What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?“ ~John Green, Paper Towns
This following quote isn’t from a book, but from Hank Green, and it is the best ever.
“Read Books. Care about things. Get Excited. Try not to be so down on yourself. Enjoy the ever present game of knowing.”
Burn, Rewrite, or Reread
I saw this over at Stephanie’s Book Reviews and I knew I wanted to do it too. Basically, you randomly take three books and you have to decide which you would burn, which you would reread, and which you would rewrite. I think in the original rules you are only supposed to do three rounds, but I don’t like to follow the rules. I was having so much fun with it, I did a few extra rounds. Some people used random.org, but I found it easier to go to my Goodreads ‘read’ shelf and hit the random sort button at the bottom. I then would just pick the first three that came up.
ROUND 1
City of Ashes Catcher in the Rye Allegiant
Burn City of Ashes. I didn’t hate this book by any means, but the Mortal Instruments isn’t my favorite series.
Rewrite Allegiant. This book was kind of a let down finale for me. I wouldn’t rewrite it because of you know what if you read it, because I thought that was a good move on Veronica’s part (even though it killed me). But to me, there were so many other things in this book that disappointed me, and I just want another ending to this trilogy.
Reread The Catcher in the Rye. I can’t burn or rewrite a classic like this, it would just be wrong!
ROUND 2
Let it Snow Ender’s Game Clockwork Prince
Burn Let it Snow. These are just short Christmas stories that I could live without (even though one is a John Green story).
Rewrite Ender’s Game. I liked this book, but I got a little bored at some times and the description of some of the things in this book really confused me.
Reread Clockwork Prince. I liked The Infernal Devices much much much more than the Mortal Instruments. I would definitely like to reread this series one day.
ROUND 3
The Host Blood of Olympus House of Hades
Burn The Host. This was a very easy decision.
Rewrite Blood of Olympus. As you may know, I was very very disappointed with the finale.
Reread House of Hades. I think this is my favorite book out of all of Rick’s books, so I would happily re-read this.
ROUND 4
Deathly Hallows I Was Here The Elite
Burn I Was Here. I really don’t want to burn this book, because I did enjoy it. However, it wasn’t my favorite book ever.
Rewrite The Elite. I enjoy The Selection series, so I couldn’t just get rid of the second book. However, I would rewrite this one to make America less annoying as a character.
Reread Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Do I even need to explain my reasoning?
ROUND 5
Isla & Ever After Twilight If I Stay
Burn Twilight. I could live without Twilight and be perfectly okay.
Rewrite Isla and the Happily Ever After. I love Stephanie Perkins books, but this one fell short for me. If I could be rewritten at the level of the other two, I would have liked it a lot more.
Reread If I Stay. I might have chosen rewrite for this if it was with different books, but I would be fine with rereading.
That was so much fun! I would be open to doing this again one day once I have some more titles on my read list!
J.K. Rowling Book Eight Speculations
Yeah, you read the title right. The past few days there has been all kinds of buzz about the newest J.K. Rowling interview on the Today Show. It has been eight years since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published, and every fan has the sasme question. Will there ever be more to our beloved series? There has been a lot of speculation that she has been writing a possible book eight, especially since she has been keeping a low profile. When asked directly, she replied no, and that she hasn’t been writing another Harry Potter book.
All of you fans just died a little inside didn’t you? Rowling, however, did leave us with a small glimmer of hope with this quote.
“I’ve always said I’m not going to say I definitely won’t because, because I don’t see why I should say that. You know, it’s my world, and I might choose to step back into it. And in a way, I am stepping back into it.”
At the end she was referring to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, since it is in the process of becoming a movie. But she didn’t deny the possibility of re-entering the Wizarding World. Even though another book wouldn’t follow the story of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, it would still be centered in this world. Maybe second generation Potters, or even a prequel? Who knows.
I personally think that of all the authors I have read, the only one who would really go back and re-enter their world would be J.K. Rowling. Other authors put the story to rest after the last book, but she always releasing little shorts. As much as I love Harry Potter, I am glad that she said no more of the golden trio. I love them of course, but I feel their story was wrapped up perfectly in the epilogue. Of course, if for some reason another story about them was released, I would read it immediately, because it Harry Potter!
What do you guys think of the speculations? Do you think it will happen or is she just giving us false hope? Are you like me, and think that everything ended nicely, but would still read more anyways?
The Sunday Post: Rainy Days
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme created by the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It is a way to recap posts and talk about what is coming in the future. Check out the website Caffeinated Book review here for more information: http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/the-sunday-post-meme
Here are my Posts from this week:
- The 100 NO SPOILERS– In which I discuss my new addiction The 100 with no spoilers, and tell you why it is the best show you are not watching.
- Top Ten Tuesday: Double Feature– 5 answers from two different categories
- The Ultimate Book Tag
- 100 Followers and 100 Posts!– Looking back on past FMITL posts
- April Monthly TBR Jar Challenge– My challenge for this month is revealed!
- Creative Blogger Award
- Library and Bookstore Book Haul– Where I show off my new books
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upcoming Posts
- Burn, Rewrite, Reread
- Hopefully a Review
- Insurgent Movie Review (That is if I see it when I am planning to)
- J.K Rowling
- Top Ten Inspirational Book Quotes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What’s Going On
- THE RAIN WILL NOT STOP. Everyday this week it has either rained or stormed. Of course I am glad it isn’t wretched snow, but this is a LOT of rain. Oh well, because with April showers comes May flowers.
- I’m working on a Disney Song Tag Part 2 and I am super excited about it.
- Discount Easter Candy is sort of the best thing ever.
Bookstore and Library Haul
I normally don’t do haul posts, because let’s be honest, I normally don’t ‘haul’ all that many books in a short period of time. However, I was thinking about it, and I realized that in the past three to four days, I have kind of hauled some books. It’s not that large of an amount, but more than I normally get in a few day span. Granted, half of them are library books, but they till count right? I don’t even know the rules and regulations of a haul. Enough rambling, let me show you my new books! I will give the goodreads blurb and why I picked it up!
Library Books
“I
f you want more, you have to give less.
That’s the secret to dating in high school. By giving as little as they expect to get in return, seventeen-year-old Aubrey Housing and her three best friends have made it to the second semester of their senior year heartbreak-free. And it’s all thanks to a few simple rules: don’t commit, don’t be needy, and don’t give away your heart.
So when smoking-hot Nathan Diggs transfers to Lincoln High, it shouldn’t be a big deal. At least that’s what Aubrey tells herself. But Nathan’s new-boy charm, his kindness, and his disarming honesty throw Aubrey off her game and put her in danger of breaking the most important rule of all: Don’t fall in love”
I remember reading about this book when I was doing a monthly release post. It probably won’t be the best, but it seemed like a cute little contemporary romance book to read. We’ll see!
“Gwen Castle has never so badly wanted to say good-bye to her island home till now: the summer her Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, takes a job there as the local yard boy. He’s a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island’s summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she’ll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen’s dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is.
A magnetic, push-you-pull-me romance with depth, this is for fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Deb Caletti.”
I have read Huntley Fitzpatrick’s book My Life Next Door and it was adorable. Her sequel is coming out soon, so until then I thought I would try this out.
“Luxury spaceliner Icarus suddenly plummets from hyperspace into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive — alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a cynical war hero. Both journey across the eerie deserted terrain for help. Everything changes when they uncover the truth.
The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.”
I love this cover so much! I have seen this book a lot lately, but some different thoughts on it. I thought I would try it myself and get my own opinion on it.
Books I Bought
“No one has set foot on Earth in centuries — until now.
It’s been 21 days since the hundred landed on Earth. They’re the only humans to set foot on the planet in centuries…or so they thought. Facing an unknown enemy, Wells attempts to keep the group together. Clarke strikes out for Mount Weather, in search of other Colonists, while Bellamy is determined to rescue his sister, no matter the cost. And back on the ship, Glass faces an unthinkable choice between the love of her life and life itself.
In this pulse-pounding sequel to Kass Morgan’s The 100, secrets are revealed, beliefs are challenged, and relationships are tested. And the hundred will struggle to survive the only way they can — together.”
You may have seen my new addiction to The 100. While I didn’t like the book as much as the tv show, I still want to read all of the books. I’m having withdrawals, and season three is months upon months away.
“Weeks after landing on Earth, the Hundred have managed to create a sense of order amidst their wild, chaotic surroundings. But their delicate balance comes crashing down with the arrival of new dropships from space.
These new arrivals are the lucky ones – back on the Colony, the oxygen is almost gone – but after making it safely to Earth, GLASS’s luck seems to be running out. CLARKE leads a rescue party to the crash site, ready to treat the wounded, but she can’t stop thinking about her parents who may still be alive. Meanwhile, WELLS struggles to maintain his authority despite the presence of the Vice Chancellor and his armed guards, and BELLAMY must decide whether to face or flee the crimes he thought he’d left behind.
It’s time for the Hundred to come together and fight for the freedom they’ve found on Earth, or risk losing everything – and everyone – they love.”
WHY IS FINN ON THE COVER OF THIS BOOK?? He’s not even in the books at all, so the fact that he is on the cover bothers me for some reason.
“Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper’s destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.
Just when life can’t get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she’s charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper’s least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him—and discovers that David’s own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.
With snappy banter, cotillion dresses, non-stop action and a touch of magic, this new young adult series from bestseller Rachel Hawkins is going to make y’all beg for more.”
I have wanted to read this for a while now, and the cover is just beautiful. The second book just came out a few days ago, so I should be able to read the two close together.
I seem to have a pretty good variety here. Have any of you read these books, and if so, what did you think of them?
Creative Blogger Award
Thank you so mcuh to Bookworms and Fangirls for nominating me for the Creative Blogger Award. Here are the rules when you get nominated.
- Nominate 15-20 blogs and notify all nominees via their social media/blogs (I couldn’t come with fifteen)
- Thank and post the link of the blog that nominated you (very important)
- Share 5 facts about yourself to your readers
- Pass these rules on to them
1. I hate winter. The only good part about the season is Christmas, and for most of the month of December it is technically fall. Winter just seems to last forever, and I always end up wishing for spring in January.
2. I actually used to hate Harry Potter (please don’t hurt me!). I hadn’t read it or anything and I just though the idea of a series about wizards sounded ridiculous. Then I read it, and all was right in my life.
3. The Hunger Games was one of the first young adult books I read, and I fell in love with the genre immediately.
4. I remember when Ansel Elgort was first casted for Divergent and saying how in a year or so, everyone will love this guy. Needless to say, but I was right.
5. Almost two years ago, the amazingness of coconut m&m’s were introduced into my life. I got a whole bag of them in the Easter candy aisle, and I am so happy. (:
These are the people I nominate… (I Apologize if you have already done this, I just went through my feed and picked people)
findmeatthelibrary.wordpress.com 