About Books Blog 57 - The Looking Glass Wars Trilogy

Author: Frank Beddor

Genre: Fantasy/Young Adult

Favorite Lines

“Control and power aren’t everything. Allow yourself to be the agent by which a cause greater than any single individual triumphs.” - Looking Glass Wars

“The most important questions are always answered with yet more questions.” - Seeing Redd

Summary

I don’t usually use book trailers but since this one summarized the books so well I thought why not.

My Thoughts

 The Looking Glass Wars sounded too interesting for me to pass up. Which is why I picked up the book despite my previously stated issues with Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. The Looking Glass Wars Trilogy turned out to be awesome. Each book was just as good as the one before it. I literally could not put it down until I had read the whole series.

I loved Frank Beddor’s writing style. It was witty and imaginative. I also appreciated that he wrote his action scenes and descriptions in a way that was very easy for the reader to visualize. I thought it was brilliant that the author choose to combine his vision of Wonderland with historical events and people from Earth. He used real people such as Charles Dodgeson (a.k.a Lewis Carrol), Alice Liddell, and even Prince Leopold as an part of the story. In a very fictionalized way of course, but still it inspired me to want to look up the history of the real people themselves. The first book includes a timeline describing the parallels between what happens in Wonderland and what happened in reality on Earth. I thought it was a clever detail to add.

I absolutely adored the characters. Alyss was such a wonderfully developed protagonist, and she is surrounded by excellent supporting characters. I even enjoyed the villains, Redd and Arch, who kept the story interesting with their ability to scheme and destroy with the help of some very creative minions. What was great about the development of the characters was that the books shared the back-story of so many of them. This made the characters incredibly engaging for me as the reader.

The best thing about Looking Glass Wars, Seeing Redd, and Arch Enemy is that there is something in there for everybody. Action, drama, fantasy, steampunk, and a little romance. I think it is something both girls and guys would like. It is also something a variety of ages would enjoy. You don’t have to read Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass to have fun reading The Looking Glass Wars. However, it is more intriguing to see where Frank Beddor’s ideas come from if you read the source material and some history on Lewis Carrol. I highly suggest that everyone go to the book store and pick up The Looking Glass Wars. It is certainly going on my list of favorite book series. 

Interesting Facts

Frank Beddor claims that the story was inspired when he saw an incomplete set of ancient playing cards at the British Museum with images that resembled Wonderland characters.

There is a spin-off comic book series entitled Hatter M. The series centers around the character Hatter Madigan and his adventures searching for Princess Alyss.

The Movie

I would be overjoyed if this movie makes it to the screen. There is a movie in the works, but it has been on stand still for awhile due to other Alice themed movies that have been released in the past years. Hopefully it will be a fully developed project soon. This book deserves a really great movie. 

Music To Read By

I enjoyed listening to music with ethereal or mechanical type sounds while reading this. I liked listening to Confessionals by Florence and the Machine. I also liked listening to Speak For Yourself and Ellipse by Imogen Heap. In addition, I read a bulk of this series while movies were playing on the TV. It was particularly lovely to read this while Starwars, Van Helsing, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider were on the television. Hence I have included songs from the movie soundtracks on my playlist. I’m thinking this is a playlist I may add on to later, but I like what I have on it so far.

 The Looking Glass Wars Playlist 

Looking Glass Wars - Geek

Red Heart - Vicki Hanson

Heartlines - Florence and the Machine

Burn It Down - Alan Silvestri

Wait It Out - Imogen Heap

Equinox - Skrillex

Duel of The Fates - John Williams

Have You Got It In You? - Imogen Heap

Invincible - Muse

The Clock - Graeme Revell

We Can Make The World Stop - The Glitch Mob

 

 That's it darlings. See you tomorrow with the short story review. I would have posted it today, but the book review won out on the writing table today. Happy reading and keep it shiny!

About Books Blog 56 - Complete Alice in Wonderland

Author: Lewis Carroll 

Adapted by: John Reppion and Leah Moore 

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Classic 

Favorite Line 

“I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!” 

 Summary (from Barnes and Nobel)

Take one stubborn and opinionated young girl. Add an overactive imagination. Shake in a heavy mix of puzzling and bizarre guides. Reduce all morals and lessons to the nonsensical degree and send it all on a journey to nowhere... These are the ingredients that Lewis Carroll combined to create a fairy tale unlike any other.

Dynamite Entertainment is proud to present for all ages The Complete Alice in Wonderland, the most vivid adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s genre bursting tales of young Alice and her Adventures in Wonderland.

My Thoughts

I want to like Alice in Wonderland. I really do. The fact is that it bothers me. It wasn’t always that way. As a child I thought it was quite a lovely tale. Then I re-read it sometime in my late teens and I suddenly found it unsettling.

I started to notice that the story made zero sense. All the characters are mean beyond measure. Except for Alice of course, she’s quite nice. A little eccentric...but she’s still pleasant. I don’t know why all the other characters have to yell at her so much. I do like the bit of the story with the mad tea party. On the other hand, I find the part where the Duchess sings about beating her baby when he sneezes decidedly disturbing. I unexplainable issues with the mock turtle section as well. I like Through The Looking Glass better. Living chess pieces are awesome. Sometimes all the poetry gets on my second nerve. Though there are one or two poems I do enjoy. It’s safe to say that I have mixed feelings when it comes to Alice’s adventures. The nonsense of it all makes my head spin.

 Despite my qualms I decided I wanted to give it another try. Like I said, I really do want to like it. I found this graphic novel version of Alice in Wonderland and thought this was the perfect way to give it a chance. After all I haven’t met a graphic novel adaptation that I didn’t like. Not yet anyway. The complete Alice in Wonderland is a collection of four comic issues telling the whole tale from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass. It even includes the lost chapter from the second book “A Wasp In A Wig.” Obviously not everything from the novels ended up the comic. Still so much of it remain true to the original material. I thought the authors did an excellent job at converting it graphic novel form. The artwork is so beautiful that I bought it for that factor alone.

I did like the story a better in this format. However, I couldn’t shake the fact that Lewis Carroll’s original tale disturbs and annoys me just the slightest bit. I did get some insight while doing research for this review. Alice in Wonderland is classified under the genre nonsensical literature. A writing form, which focuses on wordplay and the well...general lack of logical reasoning. So the author wasn’t insane. Alice in Wonderland is actually supposed to make no sense. Somehow understanding the concept of the story has helped me realize that maybe I’ve been taking it too seriously all along. Alice in Wonderland might not be exactly my cup of tea but this graphic novel was certainly worth buying and keeping in my library for re-reading.

Interesting Facts

Lewis Carroll was Charles Dodgeson’s writing pseudonym. Not only was he a writer but he was also a mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon, and a photographer.

The original manuscript of the book was entitled Alice’s Adventures Underground.

The character Alice is said to take her name from the real life figure Alice Liddell. The poem in Though The Looking Glass “A Boat Beneath A Sunny Sky” is an acrostic poem that spells her name.

There is said to be a hidden code in the chess theme of Through the Looking Glass. It has something to do with Alice Liddell and references to Dodgeson's favorite number 42. It's a very LOST like theory isn't it? Ha ha!

One of the authors of this graphic novel adaptation, Leah Moore, is the the daughter of renowned comic creator Alan Moore, who wrote such works as Watchmen. She and her husband, John Reppion, also collaborated on a story for the graphic novel Comic Book Tattoo. Ironically I have reviewed both Watchmen and Comic Book Tattoo.

 Movies and TV

 There are quite a few movies and television depictions of this novel considering it has been adapted again and again since 1903. This is a quick overview of the ones I’ve seen. Forgive me if some of my recollections are a little foggy. I haven’t watched some of these since I was a child.

 The 1951 Disney animated film of Alice in Wonderland was of course my first experience with the tale. The movie combines elements from both the first and second book which was a lovely choice. The songs are full of wit. I love “The Unbirthday Song.”

When I was young they used to play and old version of Alice and Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass on TV all the time. I remember really loving both films but I can’t figure out what year they were made. I don’t think it is 1966 version. Hmm...Maybe it was the 1972 version. I also use to watch a re-watch a version of Alice in Wonderland that I had on tape. This one depicted Alice as a teen and had so stop motion elements I believe. Gosh, I don’t know when that was made either. Curiouser and curiouser. Warned you that I was fuzzy on some the details.

I do remember enjoying the Disney TV series Adventures in Wonderland in the 90’s. I thought it was darn cute. I was nice that Alice could step through the looking glass and have her unusual friends help her solve her problems. I haven’t seen it since then. I kind of miss it.

In 2009 the Syfy channel came out with a science fiction re-imagining of the story in their two part mini-series Alice. If you’re wanting something true to the book this movie isn’t it. It’s one of those things where you have to play find the relationship to the original material game. If you want some creative steampunk with some entertaining acting performances, Alice is a nice choice. The first part of the series was a little slow, but the second part was pretty fast paced. It’s one of the the better Syfy original movies. 

There is of course Tim Burton’s 2010 adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. I wouldn’t say it was my favorite Tim Burton film. The only reason I didn’t completely love it is because it gave me that feel you get when reading the second book in a series without reading the first. Does that make any since? I couldn’t really get into the way the screenplay was written. Even so it has really cool imagery, and awesome actors doing awesomely. I would watch it again. However, never again in 3D. I had a headache for two hours after seeing in 3D in the theater. Perhaps the imagery was just too over powering in three dimensions. 

Lastly if you are looking for something not Wonderland exactly, but related to it you can take a look at the film Dreamchild. The movie centers around fictionalized flashbacks of an elderly Alice Liddell, primarily focusing on her childhood around the time the book was written. I watched this several years ago. I vaguely remember it was pretty good. The only thing I strongly remember about it was this creepy flashback/dream about the “mad tea party.” That part totally freaked me out. I haven’t watched it since, but maybe I should try it again. 

 Music To Read By 

I didn’t listen to any music. I just enjoyed reading though the television commercials this time around. I was going to make a playlist containing all the songs written that are based on the book . Then I found a web page that listed 20 songs inspired by Alice in Wonderland. I thought why not just link you to that page. It even includes songs with music videos based on Alice in Wonderland. That is way more awesome than the playlist I had planed. 

That is all my darlings. This was a long one and a link extravaganza. Now you see why it took me so long to post it. Sorry for the wait. Happy reading and keep it shiny!

About Books Blog 55 - The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

Author: Joan Aiken 

Genre: Children’s/Young Adult/Alternate History/Adventure 

Summary (from Goodreads)

Wicked wolves and a grim governess threaten Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia when Bonnie's parents leave Willoughby Chase for a sea voyage. Left in the care of the cruel Miss Slighcarp, the girls can hardly believe what is happening to their once happy home. The servants are dismissed, the furniture is sold, and Bonnie and Sylvia are sent to a prison-like orphan school. It seems as if the endless hours of drudgery will never cease.

 With the help of Simon the gooseboy and his flock, they escape. But how will they ever get Willoughby Chase free from the clutches of the evil Miss Slighcarp?

 My Thoughts 

 The Wolves of Willoughby Chase had been gathering dust on my book shelf since I was in grade school. For some reason I never got around to reading it. I have to admit that I initially picked it up off the shelf because it was short and I was short on time. I didn’t have any notions of greatness from such a slim volume, but as it has been said the best things come in small packages. This book proves that point.

 I loved how charming the children characters were in this book. Bonnie, Syliva, and Simon were such lovely children. Each noble in their own way. Reading their adventure was more fun, because I really cared about them. I thought it a little strange that the wolves were not more involved in the tale considering the title. Then I thought that perhaps the author was trying to be metaphorical. The villains in the book, Miss Slighcarp (awesome villainous name by the way) and her nasty companions, could be considered wolf like in their plot to steal the Green family fortune.

 The book stands out because of it’s unique mixture of genres. It combines the excitement of mystery with the endearing qualities of a children’s book. Interestingly it is also an alternate history novel. Though I learned by reading this that I know too little of British and European history to really know the difference. Commentary on Wikipedia and Goodreads has since given me more insight where that is concerned. The novel’s ability to be both adorable and gothic made me fall in love. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is going to be a favorite of mine from now on.

 Interesting Facts 

 This book is the first in The Wolves Chronicles series. I wonder if I can find the books on Amazon. I am very interested in reading them. What am I saying? You can find almost anything on Amazon. 

 The Wolves of Willoughby Chase was written over several years with a seven year gap due to Joan Aiken’s full time job.

 The book has  in recent years been adapted into a stage play.

 The Movie 

The film has a cohesive story and is fairly entertaining. I couldn’t help feeling underwhelmed. The first half of the movie is semi close to the book, while the last half is nothing like it at all. I think it was right to make a few changes to make it more exciting visually. However, some of the changes were so silly. The entire thing was far too melodramatic in both acting and scene choices. I disliked what was done with the child characters. Sylvia so tightly wound and a little snooty about it. In the books she is shy and sensitive. Bonnie was an adventurous yet caring child in the book. Yet in the film I felt that she was a brat. When I was watching the film I couldn’t believe that they would want to be around each other, much less be friendly cousins. To add to all this Simon’s character (which is so prominent and the novel) was basically used and then forgotten about. Overall, the movie okay. I would probably watch it again if not for my qualms with the character depictions. The book is definitely better than the movie, but it is rare that that statement doesn’t apply to an adaptation. Maybe I’m being too picky. My gosh, the trailer for the movie is hilarious! I laughed so hard. It's so bad it's good. It actually makes the movie look so much worse than it was. Ha ha! 

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase Trailer

Music To Read By 

 I only got around to listening to one album. Tori Amos’ album Night Of The Hunters. The album uses a lot of influences from classical music. It has a very orchestral sound that went very nicely with the book. Though I wouldn’t say the lyrics fit very well with it. I think it’s a good album for reading in general since it has lyrics, but they don’t cause you to become distracted. Since I was inclined toward classical sounds for this book I made a playlist of mostly classical music and instrumentals. The some of the titles were quite long so I just posted the player instead of typing them out.

That is all my darlings. I typed this review instead of dictating it, because of my cough. I hope there aren't too many mistakes, but if there are I apologize. Happy reading and keep it shiny!

About Books Blog 49: Glass

Author: Ellen Hopkins 

Genre: Young Adult 

 Related Reviews In The Crank Trilogy 

Book 1: Crank 

Favorite Line 

“How do you tell your heart, no, don’t swell with magic, you’ll only burst? How do you tell it to clamp itself off from possibilities?” 

Summary (from Goodreads)

Crank. Glass. Ice. Crystal. Whatever you call it, it's all the same: a monster. And once it's got hold of you, this monster will never let you go. Kristina thinks she can control it. Now with a baby to care for, she's determined to be the one deciding when and how much, the one calling the shots. But the monster is too strong, and before she knows it, Kristina is back in its grips. She needs the monster to keep going, to face the pressures of day-to-day life. She needs it to feel alive. Once again the monster takes over Kristina's life and she will do anything for it, including giving up the one person who gives her the unconditional love she craves -- her baby.

My Thoughts 

 Glass is the sequel to Ellen Hopkins’ book Crank. The subject matter in Glass more adult than in Crank, so I would suggest it for the older teens. I had some major mixed feelings about this book. I still loved to Ellen Hopkins writing style. I still loved that she wrote the book in verse. However, this book made so flipping angery. It was clear within the first few pages but the main character Kristina had learned absolutely nothing from her experiences in the first the book. By nothing I mean absolutely zero learning here. I guess I should have expected this would happen. The protagonist in this novel is after all a drug addict. This book proves that addicts are very good at lying to themselves. It also proves that drugs can make you make some really wacky choices. Other than taking the drugs which is a loopy choice in itself. The more I read Glass the more Kristina’s decisions started to make me want to lose my mind. I wanted to reach into the Kindle app on my phone and shake some sense into that girl. In the end it was an excellent book, but it was not a relaxing read. Hence, the mixed feelings. I’m still going to read the third book, but it might take me a while to get around to it. 

Music to Read By 

My favorite album to listen to while reading Glass was When the Pawn… by Fiona Apple. Something about Fiona’s attitude in her songs just made me think of Kristina. I also liked listening to the Whip It soundtrack. A cool element about Glass is that in the book we get to learn more about Kristina’s musical taste. She is quite fond of classic rock, metal, and surprisingly some Beethoven. As usual I tried to include some of the songs and artists mentioned in the book on my playlist below. A short warning for the playlist the Fiona Apple songs have curse words in them. I usually try to avoid picking songs that do, but they really fit the book. However, if you have a problem with profanity you might defiantly want to skip reading Glass anyway. In addition couldn’t find the version of Imogen Heap’s “Bad Body Double” with the lyrics on Grooveshark. I could only find the instrumental. I posted a link to Youtube if you want to listen to one with singing. I think the lyrics fit with the idea of Kristina’s alter ego Bree. Wow! I really like this playlist. Weirdly the books I’m most conflicted about get the best playlists. 

Glass Playlist 

Monster - Vitamin String Quartet

Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk - Rufus Wainwright

Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard

Mistake - Fiona Apple

I Can’t Quit You Baby - Led Zeppelin

Jaded - Aerosmith

Boys Wanna Be Her - Peaches

On The Bound - Fiona Apple

Bad Body Double - Imogen Heap

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Tori Amos

Under the Sheets - Ellie Goulding

Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin

Fur Elise (Techno Remix) - Beethoven (I don’t know who remixed it.)

Harvester of Sorrow - Metallica

Dream On - Aerosmith

That's it darlings. I actually managed to keep the review short and not succumb to comma epilepsy for once. Which is hilarious because I dictated almost the entire thing into a microphone. You would think that I would babble incessantly, but it's the opposite. Ha ha! See you later friends and followers. Keep it shiny!

About Books Blog 47: A Wrinkle in Time

Author: Madeleine L’Engle

Genre: Children’s/Young Adult/Science Fiction/Fantasy

Favorite Line

“We look not at the things which are what you would call see, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal. But the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Summary (Scholastic.com)

Everything is wrong in Meg Murray's life. In school, she's been dropped down to the lowest section of her grade. She's teased about her five-year-old brother, Charles Wallace, who everyone mistakenly thinks is dumb. Not to mention that Meg wears braces and glasses and has mouse-brown hair.

Much will be better in her miserable life when her father gets back. But gets back from where? Meg's physicist father had been experimenting with the fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. One dark and stormy night, the family is visited by a disheveled heap of a woman named Mrs. Whatsit. Eccentric and brilliant, she will turn out to be the force who spurs on Meg, Charles Wallace, and their new friend, Calvin O'Keefe, to embark on a dangerous quest through space to find their father. In doing so, they must travel behind the shadow of an evil power that is darkening the cosmos.

My Thoughts

I will never forget one of my grade school teachers reading A Wrinkle in Time to us in class. It was not only an introduction to a great story, but for me it was an introduction to science fiction. I was so inspired back then I read the rest of the books in the series. However, I hadn’t looked at them in a long time since, and I missed having the story in my life. In re-reading this, I realized that the real beauty of A Wrinkle in Time is that you can appreciate it at any age. A young person can enjoy the excitement of reading about kids who travel into the unknown and face great evil. An adult can choose to enjoy not only the story, but also the novel’s many complexities.

A Wrinkle in Time centers such wonderful themes such as loyalty, finding family connections, celebrating our differences, and many more. The book uses a lot of religious symbolism, which I found quite interesting. I think it is amazing the way the author balanced the scientific and the emotional elements in the book. She was also brave enough to use a huge vocabulary in book for young people, which I really appreciated. I just love learning new big words.

The words beautiful and awesome come to mind when I think of the characters in the novel. They are so easy to relate to. I think everyone can see parts of themselves in Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace. However, I think most of us can identify with Meg the most. She often feels like she doesn’t fit in her own skin, and rarely sees how lovely and important she is to others. I mean who hasn’t felt like that occasionally. I love the bond that is created between the three main characters. They always seek ways to care for and protect one another. The reader can really sense their bond by the way it is written. I have to mention that Meg and Calvin are so adorable. Though their relationship is only just developing in this book, they share one of those one of those immediate emotional connections. It is so cute. To add to this already fabulous bunch of characters, Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which are great eccentric fun. They always have great wisdom to offer. They also know when to lighten the mood in the story when the need calls for it.

I have to say I loved A Wrinkle in Time as a kid, but I think I loved it more as an adult. It is a wonderful adventure with so many facets.

Facts I Found Interesting

My copy of the book has a question and answer section with the author in the back. If you want to know what inspired Madeleine L’Engle and other shiny facts about her personally, you should give it a read. Even after reading that I couldn’t get off the fact-finding train. Here are a few more facts I found interesting.

1. Much of L’Engle’s interest in quantum physics is infiltrated into the novel. Though she claimed she was never very interested in science in school, she found she very much understood particle science when she read it on her own.

2. A Wrinkle in Time is listed as number 22 on the American Library Association’s list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books 1990 - 2000.

3. Twenty-six publishers rejected the book before it was finally published in 1963.

4. Graphic novelist Hope Larson is said to be working on adapting the novel into a graphic novel. That would be so shiny!

5.A Wrinkle in Time was adapted into a play in 2010 by John Glore. The play is written for six actors with twelve parts. This sounds kind of wacky in a cool way.

The Movie

The movie is certainly not for the A Wrinkle in Time purest. It’s not bad though. I had a few qualms with it, but there were things I liked too. I liked how well they interpreted the imagery. It has to be difficult to re-create things like time and space travel (a.k.a the tesseract), and the various alien creatures in the book. I think they did that part well. I liked the actors they cast for Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace. I felt they captured the essence of what the characters were like in the book. This was a factor that was important to me going into watching this adaptation, so I’m glad that that worked out. I would have been happier if they had put some glasses and braces on Meg. However, I think they were trying to modernize the piece so I’m going to give them that one. I didn’t care for the placement of the events, and the beginning was a little slow. I think there were a lot of things that were added to the story in the movie that it could've done without. Sometimes I didn't agree with their interpretation of the supporting characters, and Charles Wallace's gifts. Of course, Disney made it so they had some of those...Disney-ified moments. You know those moments in the Disney TV movies that make you want to roll your eyes. You do know what I am talking about right?

Overall it was okay. Weirdly the things I disliked and the things I liked balanced each other out. I wasn’t overly satisfied with it. Still I was at least entertained and they didn’t do anything too crazy to the story. It’s not something I would want to watch a bunch of times, but nothing in it bothered me so badly that I wouldn’t watch it if it was on TV. I saw on Wikipedia that last year Disney announced that they plan to re-make the movie. Yay! Please let the remake lean more toward the direction of awesomeness. By the way, do rent the DVD for the interview with Madeleine L’Engle in the special features. It’s interesting and worth watching.

A Wrinkle in Time On IMDb

Music To Read By

This was the first book I completed on my Nook Color, which happened to come with the Pandora Radio application already installed. Thus, I discovered the beauty of Pandora and I love it. My favorite thing to do while reading this was listening to my Fireflight radio station. To me the music really fit what I was reading. I think the playlist became more of a representation of my favorite songs and bands that I listened to while reading the book, rather than songs that actually fit the story. I did try to pick songs that share similar themes to the story even if they don't fit the story exactly.

A Wrinkle In Time Playlist

For Those Who Wait - Fireflight

Never Alone - Barlow Girl

Anticonformity - Krystal Meyers

There for You - Flyleaf

Hallelujah - Paramore

Collide - Skillet

Fight Inside - Red

Breathe - Superchick

Always - Plumb

Brand New Day (Acoustic) - Fireflight

That's all my loves. Happy reading and keep it shiny!!!

About Books Blog 46: Ella Enchanted

Author: Gail Carson Levine

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy

Favorite Line

“Love shouldn’t be dictated.”

Summary (from Goodreads)

At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally." When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent and avaricious father, and later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella's life and well-being seem to be in grave peril. But her intelligence and saucy nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and self-discovery as she tries to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way. Yes, there is a pumpkin coach, a glass slipper, and a happily ever after, but this is the most remarkable, delightful, and profound version of Cinderella you'll ever read.

My Thoughts

Ella Enchanted is my favorite book of all time. I’ve loved it since I read it for the first time as a child. I actually read my first copy so many times that I had to get a new one. Then I read the new copy so many times I decided to get it in hard back. When that wares out I guess I’ll have to get it on e-book. Ha ha!

The author created a totally new world in which to set her re-telling of Cinderella. It’s fun to discover the various creatures, giants, and fairies that the book has to ofter, and how the author put her own spin on the mythology. In many ways Ella Enchanted mixes genres by mixing fantasy, adventure, and romance so that there is always something interesting for the reader to enjoy. The book explores thoroughly what I would be like if someone had to always do what ever they were told. The idea sounds amusing at first, but the book makes you see how potentially disastrous it can be. I love the spirit of the protagonist Ella. She always finds entertaining ways to work around her “gift” of obedience. She doesn’t take things lying down, and always takes action. This means that she’s the one the saves the day more often than the prince instead of the other way around.

It’s quite obvious that I love this book to pieces. It’s a wonderful tale about discovering who you are, and learning new ways to work with what you’re given. If you chose to read Ella Enchanted I hope you enjoy it as much as I have over the years.

Facts I Found Interesting

Author Gail Lavine wrote a book entitled Fairest in 2006. It is a re-telling of Snow White set in the same world as Ella Enchanted. Gosh, I just realized I’ve owned Fairest for years and haven’t read it yet. I must get on that A.S.A.P.

The Movie

I’ve been reading this book since I was about ten or eleven years of age. You can imagine that after reading the book for that many years I had a excellent picture in my head of what the movie of Ella Enchanted should be like. This movie is not it in the slightest. I can sum up all the reasons why I think this movie is so wrong in one sentence. The film’s story and happenings are so unbelievably silly (not in a good way) that want to roll my eyes just thinking about it. Despite my impression of strong dislike on my first viewing of the film I decided to give it a second chance. It’s one of those adaptations that is loosely based on the book. In other words very little of what is actually in the novel ended up in the movie. That approach to adaptation is not always a bad thing. I thought perhaps if I viewed it as a separate entity from the novel maybe I could like it. Unfortunately, I still found it too ridiculous to enjoy. Apparently my dislike had nothing to do with the fact that it is nothing like the book, and everything to do with it being a overly wacky movie in general.

I do have to commend the film for a few things though. The film makers did create a cohesive story. Each scene does propel from one to the next no matter how incredibly daft the elements of the scenes are. They picked a vision and followed through with it. I might not personally like the vision, but at least it had one. Lastly they casted some very good actors, who managed to save this mess of a film from being a total mess. The actors at least make the movie engaging on an emotional level. Bottom line the movie version of Ella Enchanted is mildly entertaining, but I don’t think it’s good. It left me thinking: What were they thinking?! I doesn’t help that it’s based on my favorite book ever. Sigh...So disappointing.

Ella Enchanted on IMDb

Music To Read By

The albums I enjoyed listening to the most were Kaleidoscope Heart by Sara Bareilles and Be OK by Ingrid Michaelson. Two artist that are kind of calming and a little bit girl power at the same time, very Ella if you ask me. Gosh, I feel like the playlist is missing something. Yet I couldn't figure out what the missing songs could possibly be. Oh well, I like what I've got so far. I'll just add on later when I discover what the missing element is. I just know that the music that is missing going to occur to me tomorrow long after this has been posted. Ha ha!

Ella Enchanted Playlist

Fairytale - Sara Bareilles

Be OK - Ingrid Michaelson

Enchanted - Taylor Swift

New Heights - A Fine Frenzy

Uncharted - Sara Bareilles

Can't Help Falling In Love - Ingrid Michaelson

Darling I Do - Lucy Schwartz and Landon Pigg

A Movie Script Ending - Vitamin String Quartet

Real Life Fairy Tale - Plumb

That's all my darlings. Between this review and the last you're probably thinking I'm a movie hater. I guess I'm just really picky about movies. I promise there are some adaptations that I like out there. Ha ha! See you all later. Keep it shiny!

About Books Blog 44: Mockingjay

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: Young Adult/Dystopia/Science Fiction

Related Reviews In The Hunger Games Series

Book 1: The Hunger Games

Book 2: Catching Fire

Favorite Line

"You love me. Real or not real?"

Summary (from Goodreads)

Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding.

My Thoughts

This is an abbreviated version of my normal review set up. I’ve already discussed the interesting facts about the series and the movie in the reviews for the first two books. It seemed pointless to reiterate things I have already said.

I loved the first two books in the series, but Mockingjay really knocked my socks off. This book had the exciting war type action going for it. One of the many things I loved about all the books is that I believe that both girls and guys could enjoy it. It has a great balance of action and emotional pull.

Speaking of emotions Mockingjay was a serious emotional roller coaster. In this novel you get more a since of what the bonds are between the old and new characters. Not just the family and friends bond, but something akin to the bond of warriors in battle. In addition I couldn't wait to see how the love triangle turned out. What like about these books is that the author implemented a love triangle without it becoming the usual tale of jealously, crazy love drama, etc. You know I’m a big fan of a good love triangle, but it was just refreshing to see it done in different way. In the Hunger Games books survival always wins out over trivial things like jealousy, since it is usually a choice between working together or dying.

There were so many unexpected surprises in this novel. I know I’ve said something similar to this for every book in this series, but it’s true every time. I couldn't possibly guess what was going to happen next. This was fun because I'm usually pretty good at figuring out where a story is going early on. I think some of the events and scenes in Mockingjay literally took my breath away. It was definitely the type of book where you find yourself bursting to talk about every insane event. It was a good thing that I got a friend and my mom into reading the series so we could talk about it. I might have gone crazy trying to keep it all to myself.

Overall, I totally loved this series. I have found a new obsession. To prove that statement I actually bought this series on e-book twice. Once for the Kindle application on my phone, and once for my Nook Color. That way I can always carry a copy with me. Obsessed I tell you. If you haven’t read these books already you should.

Music To Read By

I didn’t have any favorite albums in particular for this one, but I did listen to a lot of music. I was reading this during my phase of obsessively watching Later...With Jools Holland on the Ovation channel. This show features a variety of awesome musicians playing live. I would read Mockingjay when this show was running. The next day I would read while listening to the albums of new artists I had discovered. A couple of songs I heard on the show ended up on this playlist or the playlist for Catching Fire. I did listen to one album not related to Later...With Jools Holland, the Sucker Punch Soundtrack. A very good album for young girls going into a fight when you think about it.

I must give credit to my friend and fellow Hunger Games fan, Natalie, who helped me add a couple songs to the Mockingjay playlist. I thank her in particular for finding the song Melon by Home Video, which is not only an awesome song but also an awesome Mockingjay song. As promised I included the player with the full playlist for the entire Hunger Games Trilogy. Wow! There are fifty songs on it. Lots of great reading music for when I re-read the books. 

Mockingjay Playlist

Uprising - Muse

Superstar - Tegan and Sara

Redemption Day - Sheryl Crow

Numb - Linkin' Park

Fragile - Kerli

We Are One - 12 Stones

Know Your Enemy - Green Day

Stand Up (Acoustic Version) - Fireflight

Zombie (Acoustic Version) - The Cranberries

I Never Told You - Colbie Caillat

Speaking A Dead Language - Joy Williams

Sink or Swim - Tyrone Wells
Violet Hill - Coldplay

Army of Me (Sucker Punch Remix) - Bjork

Melon - Home Video

You Know My Name - Chris Cornell

Assassin - Muse

21 Guns - Green Day ft. American Idiot Cast

The Banjo Song - Seasick Steve

Marching On - One Republic

The Hunger Games Trilogy Playlist

Yay! My first whole series reviewed. Very exciting! Hope you had fun reading the review. See you all later. Keep it shiny!

About Books Blog 43: Catching Fire

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: Young Adult/Dystopia/Science Fiction

Related Reviews In The Hunger Games Series

Book 1: The Hunger Games

Book 3: Mockingjay

Favorite Line

“At some point, you have to stop running and turn around to face whoever wants you dead”

Summary (from Goodreads)

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol.

My Thoughts

Usually the second book in a trilogy ends up being just a really big lead up to the third book in the series. However, I didn’t feel like that at all while reading the second book in the Hunger Games Trilogy, Catching Fire. While this novel did lay down important plot lines for the third book, it was still as full of action and twists as the first book. Some of the plot twists literally made my jaw drop. As I predicted Catching Fire is where the series gets a little bit more into politics. However, it was done in a way that I liked, and didn’t overwhelm my not so political brain. I think this was because the book never strays from the emotions and goals of the characters.

The book returns with all the great characters I enjoyed in Hunger Games, along with some wonderful new characters to create a new experience. This was both lovely but a little bittersweet as well, considering one can not have an epic political dystopian novel without some character sacrificing themselves for the greater good. Suzanne Collins really knows how to write characters you can get attached to. She also knows how to write characters that you love to hate a.k.a President Snow. I really disliked that man (the subject of him being human being is still a subject of debate for me). I love when authors write great villains.

Catching Fire was a great ride. I felt like the story just got better and better. Of course, Catching Fire ended with a bit of a cliffhanger, so I had to read Mockingjay right away. My review for that will be coming up next. I almost put the two reviews together, but decided against it at the last minute. I just got the feeling that I wanted to say entirely different things about the last novel.

The Movie

I suppose this is just an update on what’s going on with the Hunger Games film. If you haven’t already checked out the casting choices you should. I have to say I’m pretty pleased with them so far. I can only assume that if Hunger Games is received well they will make film adaptations of the other books as well.

Hunger Games on IMDb

Music To Read By

Strangely the same albums I loved for the first book also worked for the second. Though the general events of Catching Fire were different the situations the characters found themselves in were similar. Thus, even the songs I picked for the Hunger Games playlist still worked. I listened to that playlist and continued to rock out to Muse, My Chemical Romance, and Metric. I did however add Riot by Paramore to the mix this time around. I consider the playlist below more like addtions to the original Hunger Games playlist. When I post the review for the final novel I post a player with the songs for the entire trilogy.

Catching Fire Playlist

Never Going Back to OK - The Afters

It Starts With One - Shiny Toy Guns

Crossfire - Brendan Flowers

Unnatural Selection - Muse

Bulletproof Heart - My Chemical Romance

Ready, Set, Go - Tokio Hotel

Fire With Fire - The Black Letter

Do it or Die - Die Mannequin

Half-Trusium - The Offspring

Run - Snow Patrol

24 Hours - Tom Jones

Let The Flames Begin - Paramore

That's all folks. Hope you had fun reading. Can't wait to review the last book in the series. I can't wait to put the playlist together. Keep it shiny my darlings.

About Books Blog 42: Crank

Author: Ellen Hopkins

Genre: Young Adult

Favorite Line

“His hurt swallowed mine, like space swallows time, and the two intertwine.”

Summary (from Goodreads)

Kristina Georgia Snow is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. However, on a trip to visit her absentee father, Kristina disappears and Bree takes her place. Bree is the exact opposite of Kristina -- she is fearless.

Through a boy, Bree meets the monster: crank. And what begins as a wild, ecstatic ride turns into a struggle through hell for her mind, her soul -- her life.

My Thoughts

I read Crank several years ago. I wanted to read it again to refresh my memory, so I can finally read the rest of the trilogy. There were things going into the re-read I already knew I would like. Crank is written entirely in poetic verse. As a poetry writer myself, I enjoyed that immensely. I think Ellen Hopkins has a beautiful writing style in general.

I think the book affected me in a differently this time around. As an adult, I understood the gravity of Kristina’s situation. Well, I understood it as a teen. However, I suppose this time it was easier for me to see how her addiction effected not just her but the people around her, and how the consequences of her choices would effect her life in the long term. As a youth I only considered it an interesting story, as an adult I could connect more emotionally with it which made it a little heartbreaking. Especially when you consider that Crank is somewhat based on the real life experience of Ellen Hopkins’ daughter. Fortunately, the main character is written with a witty sort of dry humor, which keeps the book from becoming depressing. Crank is a wonderful well-written novel. I am looking forward to reading the sequel Glass.

Fact I Found Interesting

I was amazed by the amount of books Ellen Hopkins has written. She has written 56 non-fiction books for children along with the seven young adult books she has published. She also has several up coming novels waiting to be released.

The Movie

There is no movie as of yet. I think I prefer that it remain a book. While there are parts of it that would probably work well for film, part of Crank’s charm is that way in which it is written.

Music To Read By

I didn't listen to any albums while reading. I preferred to listen to a playlist created by the Napster application on my phone based upon an artist I put in the search. I really enjoyed it because it had many different styles of rock that I felt fit the novel really well.

Crank Playlist

Teenage Wasteland - The Who

Dirty Little Secret - All American Rejects

White Rabbit - Emiliana Torini

Summer Skin - Death Cab For Cutie

Paper Cut - Linkin' Park

Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz

Between Two Points - The Glitch Mob ft. Swan

My Best Theory - Jimmy Eat World

F.I.G.H.T - Unwritten Law

Beauty of Speed - Tori Amos

Party Poision - My Chemical Romance

Pieces - Sum 41

Between Two Lungs - Florence and The Machine

Beautiful Tonight - Krystal Meyers

You're Lost Little Girl - The Doors

That's all my lovelies. I meant to get this out last week. I totally did not factor in Father's Day and my crazy summer camp teaching schedule, and well a girl has got to sleep somewhere in there. Ha ha. Anyway, I have a less insane schedule this week. Which is great because I get to review the 2nd and 3rd Hunger Games books. Yay! Have a happy week. Keep it shiny!

About Books Blog 40: Cinderella: Ninja Warrior and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer

http://www.virtualauthorbooktours.com/

Author: Maureen McGowan

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Adventure

Favorite Line

“Confidence was one thing, over confidence was another...” - Cinderella: Ninja Warrior

Summaries

Cinderella: Ninja Warrior

In this fast-paced story full of adventure and romance, Cinderella is more than just a servant girl waiting for her prince—she's a tough, fearless girl who is capable of taking charge of a dangerous situation. Seeking to escape the clutches of her evil stepmother, Cinderella perfects her ninja skills and magic talents in secret, waiting for the day when she can break free and live happily ever after. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Cinderella and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!

Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer

In this thrilling story full of adventure and romance, Sleeping Beauty is more than just a lonely princess waiting for her prince—she's a brave, tenacious girl who never backs down from a challenge. With vampire-slaying talents that she practices in secret, Sleeping Beauty puts her courage to the test in the dark of night, fighting evil as she searches for a way to break the spell that has cut her off from her family. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Sleeping Beauty and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!

Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is an entirely new type of fairy tale–one that will keep today's kids guessing and offer them hours of magical fun.

My Thoughts

Since I was reviewing both books for the blog tour today I decided mash both reviews into one big review. Both of these books were awesomely fun reads. I loved the crazy twists that were added to the traditional fairy tale idea. The author brought lovely since of humor to the writing that I enjoyed immensely. Maureen McGowan did a wonderful job of describing action sequences. They were not only exciting, but also easy to imagine. What made the even better was that occasionally the reader gets to choose destiny of the characters. There are up to eight different paths the story can take. You can read the book many times and get a new version of the story each time. I reminded me of when I would read those kinds of stories as a kid.

Cinderella: Ninja Warrior really made me grin. In the story, Cinderella not only has super ninja skills, but a wizard as well. I really found myself rooting for her. Not to mention I held high hopes that she would zap that stepmother in to the dirt. Ha ha.

I must admit before I started Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer, I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out. The traditional story of Sleeping Beauty has the princess sleeping for a hundred years. I didn’t know how that would fit with the vampire slaying. Amazingly, the author made all the elements come together. I felt this book was a little more serious than Cinderella: Ninja Warrior. It seemed to have heavier themes, and more difficult choices for the reader. In a way that made Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer my favorite of the two.

Once I started these, I was glued to them. They had wacky fun, romance, humor, and action. Everything that I love. Though these books are geared toward the younger age teens, they were a wonderful escape for me as an adult.

The Movie

As of yet their are no films. I do think these books lend themselves to being movies. Obviously, who ever adapted them would have to pick only one of the paths the characters can take, but otherwise I would jump for joy if these books were made into movies.

Music To Read By

I finished the books so quickly I didn’t get much music in. Well not enough to have a favorite album anyway. I just listened to whatever music caught my fancy, if I listened to any all. I wanted to make a playlist anyway. I did think of some songs after reading that I felt fit both books.

The Playlist

One Girl Revolution - Superchic(k)

Cinderella - Hooverphonic

Die Another Day - Madonna

Battle Without Honor or Humanity - Tomoyasu Hotei

Hong Kong Garden - Siouxsie and the Banshees

Explosive - Bond

Sleeping Beauty - Danny Elfman

Story Book Ending - Alan Menkin

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Theme - Nerf Herder

Well that's all folks. Hope see you soon. Keep it shiny!