Monday, February 27, 2012

To get you hooked, The Hunger Games (reviewed below) trailor by lionsgate

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins


            I originally read this book for a class I was taking.  I started it ahead of time to give myself a while to finish it.  Three days later, not having put it down at all, it was done and I was obsessed.
            In the distant future after the collapse of America, Panem springs up.  The Capitol rules twelve outlying districts and has all the power and wealth.  It exerts its power every year by taking one girl and boy from each district, known as tributes, and making them fight to the death.
            This is a phenomenal book for so many reasons. It has a story that grabs you, as well as a lot of depth for the critical reader.  The book deals with how wealth corrupts, both by the characters of The Capitol and seeing how Katniss, the books main character, tries to fit into their world.  She changes, almost without meaning to, to win their approval. In the Capitol, qualities that are valued are happiness, extravagance, and privilege.  The Capitol however does not value the same things in its tributes.  Tributes are valued if they are ruthless, clever, murderous, or obedient to the Capitol.  They are treated like savages instead of humans, further bowing to striking differences and privilege that seems undeserved.
            And that’s just the beginning!
            This is a story of a girl who struggles physically, emotionally, and morally.  It has action, romance, humor, tragedy, murder, a love of life and more.  It was a fantastic book, and will hopefully make a great movie too.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (posted below) just won an Oscar Award!!! Congrats! everyone should check it out!

Monday, February 20, 2012

It's a Book-Lane Smith

Cute little story about books versus technology. By Lane Smith.



I had nothing to do with the creation of this, just sharing :)

Looking for Alaska

            I promise that this blog won’t turn into a John Green book review blog, but I just finished Looking for Alaska today and wanted to review it while it was still fresh. 
            This is a book about Miles “Pudge” Halter, who lives a life of social non-existence before he goes to boarding school in Culver Creek to “seek a Great Perhaps”.  Pudge’s life gets notably more exciting when he makes new friends Alaska, the Colonel, Takumi, and Lara. They set out to play pranks, find love, and make their way through high school.  After “the event”, their lives are changed dramatically.  I won’t mention what “the event” is, because it would ruin the book, and I want you to read it. 
I dealt with a similar event in high school, as well as shortly after, and this book brought up a lot of memories.  Green has a way of making emotions real and raw, creating very relatable characters.  I felt certain issues after “the event” we’re a bit drawn out, but when I put myself in Pudge’s place instead of being a reader, the timing felt more appropriate.
This book does have controversial topics, including under-age-drinking and sex.  However, it is crucial to note that Green does it for a reason.  When the book comes to its most sexually explicit scene, it is more uncomfortable and humorous than anything.  Green has it in the book to draw contrasts to other parts in the book that are more romantic but not sexual.  There are no controversies in this book that are there just for the sake of being controversial, and I feel that they are no reason to avoid this book.
I liked this book a lot, as I do most of Green’s novels.  He develops his characters well, and manages to craft a story that is eloquent, thoughtful, and humorous in just the right amounts.  I would highly recommend it.



Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

      I found this on youtube today. Cute movie that, as a book nerd, I very much appreciated.  Directed by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg. I found it from youtube user senguntr.

P.S. I dont not own, nor did I have anything to do with, this project. Just wanted to share it with book lovers everywhere.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Brian Selznick) - Review


            I was a little intimidated when I first picked up this book.  The size looked like it could rival a Harry Potter. However, on first flipping through the book, any anxiety was relieved. This book is a work of art, told in drawings intermingled with a few chunks of text thrown in.
            This is the story of a young boy, Hugo, struggling to live after being orphaned. He lives in a train station, and has to occasionally steal what he needs. He is caught stealing toys for parts to fix his last connection to his father, and the storeowner, Papa Georges, makes Hugo work in his shop.
            This book really made me appreciate artistic elements in books.  The framing of the pictures can give you perspective, tell you about the importance of the image, and give the image a certain feel.  The art for this book makes all the difference.
            This book ended up being a quick read and a good story. I like how it made me think differently. It has a similar feel to some manga, because you can take different amounts of time on different images depending on the pace the book is at at the time. Since it’s mostly images, the pace of the book doesn’t rely on your reading speed. It doesn’t really fit into one genre or another, but combines the best qualities of a novel, picture book, graphic novel, flip book, and movie all into one.


Monday, February 6, 2012

The Fault in our Stars-Review


            This book took me through more emotions then any other book I’ve read.  The story is beautifully heartbreaking, with truth, humor, irony, and so much more thrown in. 

           The book tells the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters, and their battles with cancer. It is told through the voice of Hazel, and John Green does a wonderful job of giving an honest look of a girl who is angry that cancer has dramatically decreased her life expectancy, while still having her feel like a real person.

           John Green takes is at his best when he so beautifully melds drama and heartbreak with humor. The book never takes you too far in one direction.  There are beautifully romantic or tragic moments, and Green immediately follows it by making you laugh out loud. Conversely, a light moment will end bringing you back to reality.

            This book looks in to what it means to be a family, a child, a heroine, and even what it means to be alive.  I would recommend this book again and again to young adult and adult readers alike.