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 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 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!

About Books Blog 37: Blue

Introduction

This review is part of the Lou Aronica virtural Blog Tour sponsored by Pump Up Your Book. I'd like to thank Tracee for giving me the opportunity to participate, and Lou Aronica for sending me the copy of Blue to review. On with the show.

Author: Lou Aronica

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy

Favorite Line

“Note to self: remember to use brains in the future.”

(Ha ha! This totally sounds like something I would say.)

Summary 

Chris Astor is a man in his early forties who is going through the toughest stretch of his life. Becky is Chris's fourteen-year-old daughter, a girl who overcame enormous challenges to become a vibrant, vital young woman - and now faces her greatest obstacle yet. Miea is the young queen of a fantasy land that Becky and Chris created when Becky was little, a fantasy land that has developed a life of its own and now finds itself in terrible, maybe fatal trouble. Together, Chris, Becky, and Miea need to uncover a secret. The secret to why their worlds have joined at this moment. The secret to their purpose. The secret to the future. It is a secret that, when discovered, will redefine imagination for all of them. Blue is a novel of trial and hope, invention and rediscovery. It might very well take you someplace you never knew existed.

What I Thought of This Book

There are books that you know you are going to adore from the first page. This was one of those for me. I always like fantasy stories, so it got points with me from the beginning. The fantasy world depicted in Blue is very imaginative, and fun to discover. I found the writing style to be both humorous and heartfelt in the right places.

The characters are sweet and easy to relate to. What I liked best about the book was that the book contains the points of view of three characters at different points in their lives. This factor makes the novel lend itself to being relatable to a variety of ages, despite the fact that it is classified as a young adult book. I also loved how the author showed the relationship between Becky and her parents. It made the emotional scenes even more striking.

Blue has quite a bit of set up in the beginning and I figured out where it was going after the first few chapters. However, neither of these factors got in the way to me enjoying it. By the way, this book made me cry. In a good way. I was glad it had a happy ending even there were a few tears toward the end of the journey.

Facts I Found Interesting

It took Lou Aronica six years to complete the novel.

The Movie

Obviously no film yet. I think it would make a nice movie though. At least I think the fantasy world of Tamarisk would be beautiful to see on screen.

Music to Read By

Favorite Albums

Blue was a book where I had favorite artists rather than particular favorite albums. I often found myself loving to listen to Arcade Fire, The Shins, Tyrone Wells, Coldplay, and Phillip Glass. I think Arcade Fire and Phillip Glass became favorites because they were actually a couple of the many musical artists mentioned in the novel.

Blue Playlist

Pressed In A Book - The Shins

Deep Blue - Arcade Fire

Speed of Sound - Coldplay

Evening Song - Philip Glass

Can’t Take It In - Imogen Heap

Together - Tyrone Wells

Escape - Philip Glass

Cancer - My Chemical Romance

Pull Me Through - Tyrone Wells

Father and Daughter - Paul Simon

Ribbons Undone - Tori Amos

Soul Meets Body - Death Cab For Cutie

Life In Technicolor - Coldplay

I Know You By Heart - Eva Cassidy

I hope you all enjoyed reading. One more day until spring break. Then I'm going on a reading spree. Yay! Keep it shiny my darlings!

About Books Blog 33: The Wonderful Wizard of OZ

Author: L. Frank Baum

Genre: Classic, Children’s, Fantasy, Adventure

Favorite Line

“No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home.”

Summary

 (In the unlikely case you don’t know what this is about already.)

Dorothy Gale and her faithful dog Toto get caught up in a tornado, which lands them in the magical land of OZ. With the help of a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Lion, Dorothy must find her way back to her home in Kansas, by traveling to the Emerald City to meet great Wizard.

What I Thought of This Book

I’ve always wanted to read the OZ books. I have a strange affinity for all things OZ, yet I had never read the book until now. I also took the book on because I thought it would be a nice story to read before going to sleep. It was in fact a nice bedtime read. The story was formulated for children and is thus simplistically written, and has a pleasant fairy tale quality. The Wizard of OZ captures the imagination.

The characters aren’t incredibly layered by any means. I didn’t expect that out of the story anyway since it is written almost in the manner of Grimm’s fairy tales which don’t often give much characterization. I did occasionally wish that the author would stop repeating how the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion didn’t have their brain, heart, and courage. I mean I got it the first time the characters were introduced, no need to harp on it endlessly.

There were several elements of the book I found a bit disturbing. For example how the Tin Woodman came to be made of tin. The man was cursed by a the Witch of The East to cut off his own limbs one by one until all of him was replaced with tin. Call me crazy but that just gives me the wiggins. I was also disturbed by the lengths in which the not so Wonderful Wizard of OZ would go to make the people of OZ think he was great and powerful. Oh yes, and let’s not forget the fact that he essentially asks a little girl to go out and murder his enemy for him. I mean that is pretty low. Aside from the few unsettling moments I couldn’t help but enjoy myself while reading this. I’m excited to read some of the other OZ books. I can totally get some of them for free from the many e-readers on my phone. Public Domain rocks!

Facts I Found Interesting

There are so many interesting facts I can’t put them all down here. I’ve limited myself to the four facts.

1. The protagonist of Wizard of Oz takes her the niece of L. Frank Baum’s wife, Dorothy Louise Gage. Dorothy died as a baby and Baum named his main character after her to ease some of his wife’s grief.

2. The book is said by many to be a social, economic, and political allegory for the events of America in the 1890’s. L. Frank Baum never officially confirmed that this was his intention with the book. Whether it was his intention or not I’m inclined to believe there is political symbolism wrapped in the tale. (See Political Interpretations of The Wizard of OZ.)

3. Originally The Wonderful Wizard of OZ was written with no intention of a sequel. However, after its release thousands of children wrote the author asking for more OZ stories. L. Frank Baum completed thirteen novels for the series. After his death the publishers assigned Ruth Plumly Thompson to write twenty-one more OZ novels. After her retirement four other authors jumped on the OZ book band wagon leaving forty books in the entire series.

4. In 1995 author Gregory Maguire published Wicked: The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch of the West. It is parallel novel exploring the time before Dorothy came to OZ from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of The West also known as Elphaba. I flipping love this book and will probably re-read it and review it. I now know that Wicked actually draws more from the film adaption than the OZ novel. I just realized that Wicked explains why I disliked the Wizard so much while reading this book.

Musicals, Movies, and TV Oh My!

This book has been adapted since the author himself created the musical version in 1902. Since then there have been several stage, film, and television creations offering ode to OZ. Obviously I can’t go into all of them, and I haven’t seen all of them anyway. However, I will give my points of view on what I have seen. Most of what is below focuses on my experiences with film and television adaptations, because they are the most widely accessible format. The titles above each film are link to IMDb, so you can watch trailers and such.

The Wizard of OZ (1939)

You can’t even think the words Wizard of OZ without thinking about the most well known 1939 classic adaptation. This film includes fabulous scenes in Technicolor, wonderful storytelling, and of course the memorable and endearing songs. There are said to be at least 44 identifiable differences between the film and the book, most notably the fact that the slippers in the novel were sliver not ruby red. The color was changed to take advantage of the brilliance of Technicolor, and I believe because the red appeared better against the yellow brick road. I suppose the only thing I might change about this film is the fact that Dorothy is often portrayed in the light of a damsel in distress, where as in the book she is often the one saving everyone else. Aside from the changes it is so similar to the novel that you barely notice the big changes. I basically love the film to pieces. You just can’t beat Judy Garland entering the land of OZ.

The Wiz

The Wiz is a retelling of the story featured in the context of African American culture. I say if you get a chance to see the stage version of The Wiz please do. It is very lively with wonderful music. Even my dad who is not a musical theater fan like me likes the stage version of The Wiz. If you are planning on buying/renting a copy of the film The Wiz avoid it like the plague. The music is still good. The rest of the film is a complete waste of time. This is one of the worse films I’ve ever seen. It has no pacing and seems to drag on for eternity and balk of the scenes are just plain stupid. I seriously think they only made it so they could put Dianna Ross and Michael Jackson could be in the same movie. Can you tell how much I dislike this film?

Return To Oz

I’ve always loved Disney’s 1985 film Return To OZ. It’s a bit of an unofficial sequel to the 1939 film which contains characters from later books in the series. It definitely not as cute as the previous classic film. In fact the imagery in Return To OZ is occasionally so creepy it makes you giddy, and I still have a hard time believing it was made by Disney. However, I think the imagery is what I liked the best about it. I’m amused that Dorothy is played by a young Fairuza Balk, who later appeared in the film The Craft. From Dorothy to a wicked witch... Come on it is a little funny right?

Tin Man

Tin Man was a television mini-series created by the Syfy Channel. Tin Man was advertised as futuristic imagining of the original story, but it isn’t really that at all. In fact it is actually a tale about a woman named DG, a descendant of Dorothy Gale, caught in the O.Z. (Outer Zone). Tin Man wasn’t my cup of tea. Maybe I was just distracted by the fact that it had so very little to do with the original story. Parts of it bored me to tears the rest of it had a lack of direction. I found it rather disappointing. The acting is good and it is very visually appealing, but that’s really all it’s got.

If you want to know about more adaptations click here. In my research I discovered that there were many new stage and film productions being developed as we speak. Some of them are set debut this year.

Music To Read By

I didn’t listen to music at all for The Wonderful Wizard of OZ. I think perhaps I am not alone in the idea that it would be difficult to read this book without thinking about songs from the musicals. That does not facilitate the idea of listening to various amounts of music. It was only after I finished the book I realized I could have created a playlist of my favorite songs from the musicals and other renditions of the songs by various artists. I don’t know why I didn’t occur to me before. Silly me, that is the whole point of the playlist section on this blog. Oh well, I’ve made a playlist now, just in case I read it again.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Playlist

Somewhere Over The Rainbow - Judy Garland

The Feeling We Once Had - The Wiz Cast

Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead - Maureen McGovern

If I Only Had A Brain - Mandy Patinkin

The Jitterbug - Wizard of OZ Cast or Wizard of Oz in Concert Version

(Note: This song was in the film, but later ended up on the cutting room floor. I still love it. I couldn't decide which version I liked best, so I just put them both on here.)

Ease On Down The Road - The Wiz Cast

The Return of Glinda - Wizard of OZ Cast

Home - Glee Cast

Somewhere Over The Rainbow - Melody Gardot

I hope you guys had fun reading this. I felt like it was crazy long. I tried not to go crazy with words, but you know I love to babble. Ha ha! See you all later. Keep it shiny!

About Books Blog 30: Scourge: A Grim Doyle Novel

Author: David H. Burton

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction/Young Adult/Steampunk

Favorite Line

“The cause determines the cure.”

Summary (from davidhburton.com)

Grim Doyle has always known his life was not exactly “normal”, and things get even more curious when he discovers a set of stones that sweep him and his family to the fantasy, steam punk world of Verne – a place they had escaped from years ago. Now that they’ve returned, Grim and his siblings hide from the evil Lord Victor and his minions. And while learning about Jinns, Mystics, and the power of absinth they try to discover who is trying to kill them with the deadly Scourge.

What I Thought of This Book

First I would like to thank author David H. Burton for giving me this book to review. Now on with the show.

Scourge is an extremely imaginative work of fiction. Not only does the world of Verne have a numerous creative inventions, it also houses almost every fantasy creature you can think of. It’s not often you see changelings, sylphs, and jinns in the same book. I found the creativity fun to read.

I think I may have liked the main character Grim Doyle more than the story itself. I found him relatable and adorable. I often found myself giggling, because he would say things that I would say. The other characters quite delightful as well.

Scourge was presented to me as a book for children. However, though the writing style fit this age group, I felt there were themes and ideas in it that perhaps would be better understood by an older group. Even then I would recommend that parents read it first and judge for themselves. I personally would feel more comfortable with people of the young adult age range reading it, but that’s just me.

This book is what I assume will be the first of a series. Thus, it is written as such. Don’t expect the big battles to be fought it this book; just enjoy this first journey of many.

Facts I Found Interesting

Since this book was just released it November 2010 there’s not much in the way of facts yet. I suggest clicking the link to David’s blog above and gleaning facts that way.

The Movie

This would probably make a good movie with lots of cool visual effects. It has Syfy channel written all over it if nothing else.

Music To Read By

Favorite Albums

I listened to almost no music at all while reading this. I don’t know if it was because of time, or the fact that I didn’t know of anything that would fit. The playlist is actually comprised of music I listened to while working on this review. I discovered an artist called The Cinematic Orchestra, and found that their music works very well with the book. If only I had discovered them sooner. All the songs are by the same artist so I'm just going to list the titles.

Scourge Playlist

The Magician

Child Song

As The Stars Fall

Yoyo Waltz

Continuum

Everyday

Postlude

Transformation

That's all darlings. I hope you enjoyed reading. See you soon. Keep it shiny!

About Books Blog 10: Winter Of Fire

Author: Sherryl Jordan
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Dystopia

Favorite Line

"Victory does not always come with trumpet-blasts and glory."

Summary

Yet, again I am using part of the summary on the back of the book. Why do I read books that are so hard to summarize?

Elsha is one of the Quelled: a branded people, doomed always to mine coal to warm the ruling class, the Chosen. Elsha has strange visions that set her apart, and a strong spirit that condemns her to death. Her life is saved when she is called to be Handmaiden to the Firelord, the most powerful being on the planet.

What I Thought Of This Book

I got this book way back in the 5th grade at a book fair. It's the first multiple chapter fantasy book I remember reading. It is also the first novel I remember loving so much I read it over and over again. I decided that after nine or ten years of not reading Winter of Fire, that it was time to read it again, just to see if it was as good as I remembered. It was exactly as good as I remember it being. I LOVED it! It's so very different from most young adult stories, and it has a way inspiring one to be a strong person. It's an incredibly fast read as well.

I really need a new copy of this book. It has been much loved, thus, several pages started to fall out while I was reading it this time. I looked it up online, however, I could only find places where you could buy it used. That sort of defeats the purpose. If any one knows if this book is still in print and where I can get a new copy please let me know.

Facts I Found Interesting

Sherryl Jordan wrote Winter of Fire after she was diagnosed with RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury), and was told she would never write again. The story of the books lead character, Elsha, inspired her to persevere past her difficulties. In the forward of the book she states that she and Elsha "were warriors together in our battles against the impossible."

The Movie

No movie . I love it so much as a novel that I just don't know that I would like it as a film. It's one of those stories that I see a specific way in my imagination, and if someone else's vision didn't match up with mine I'd probably be upset.

Music To Read By

Favorite Albums

As I said this book is a fast read so I didn't get to listen to a ton of music. I finished reading about ninety pages while listening to a double disk set of The Best Of Led Zeppelin. I did manage to find two favorite albums for Winter of Fire, Riot by Paramore and One Cell In The Sea by A Fine Frenzy. The first album because it Paramore music seems to have the same spirit as the lead character in the novel. The second album because A Fine Frenzy and fantasy stories are a perfect match. Almost every song on One Cell In The Sea reminds me of one fantasy story or another.

Winter Of Fire Playlist

Winter - Bond
World on Fire - Sarah Mclachlan
Give - Tori Amos
Belief - Gavin Degraw
Into The Fire - Thirteen Senses
Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
Let the Flames Begin - Paramore
Exo-Politics - Muse
Hope For The Hopeless - A Fine Frenzy
Belief - John Mayor
Kashmir - Bond




Wow! This was a short one. I've realized that I've read several fantasy books in a row, so I'm going to try to read some different genres for awhile.

Next About Books Blog: Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

About Books Blog 9: American Gods

Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Favorite Line

"He hoped he would live through this, but he was willing to die, if that was what it took to be alive."

Summary

The idea of summarizing this book scared me, but none of the summaries I found on the Internet worked for me. It seemed like they just gave to much away. Hence, I am going to do my own three sentence summary.

Shadow is released from prison two days early due to his wife's death. There after he meets the mysterious Mr. Wednesday, who offers him a job. Little does he know that by taking this job he will be joining the battle for the soul of America.


What I Thought of This Book

Okay, I'm going to tell the truth. I'm so sorry for saying this Neil Gaiman, I love you, but the first time I tried to read this book I didn't really care for it. I couldn't figure out what the heck was going on in the story. All I did know was that I thought the lead character, Shadow, was pretty awesome. I gave up on reading it after the first few chapters.

Then my mother explained to me that American Gods is very much like television serial dramas such as LOST or Heroes. You like the show much better if you don't try to figure out what going on, and just enjoy the little reveals that come along the way. This turned out to be the best advice ever when it came to reading this book. I found it quite a excellent story once I stopped trying to explain what was going on and just read the words on the page.

The best thing about this book is that it is memorable. It took me at least two or three months to finish it, because I was so busy. I thought for sure when I didn't look at the book for three weeks that I would have forgotten everything that had happened. Fortunately, this was not the case. This story is so adorably weird that it's almost impossible to forget.

Warning: This is a complex novel. There are tons off beat characters, mythological gods, flashbacks, side stories, alternate universes, trips to the underworld, introductions to characters that don't come into play until much later in story, people that come back from the dead (because you know nobody in fantasy ever just stays dead), and mysterious men in suits. I love all that stuff. However, it you do not like a least three or more of the things listed above this may not be the book for you.

If you're confused when you read this book I think Wikipedia will help. I don't suggest going to the wiki page until you've finished the book though, since the plot summary included is full of spoilers. However, if you scroll past that part I think you will find the external links quite beneficial.

Facts I Found Interesting

1. Shadow got his name from an Elvis Costello song.

2. Many of the towns and tourist attractions featured throughout the novel are actually real places in America.

3. Tori Amos' song "Wednesday" is said to be a reference to the character Mr. Wendnesday in American Gods. I personally never really saw how the song related to the book until I read a couple comments she had made about the song. Since, the song seems to be about being in a relationship with a man with many secrets, and Mr. Wendsday is depicted as a bit of a philandering conman I suppose I can see how Tori could have been referencing him in the song.

The Movie

No movie. I'm torn on whether I'd ever want one to be made. There are so many elements to it. I don't think you could fit it into a two hour feature. I do think that a lot of things at the end of the book would be cool to see visually.

Music To Read By

Favorite Albums

Best album for this book for me was Sun and Moon by The Bravery. The feel of the music just fits the story. I can't explain it.

I was also fond of 808 & Heartbreak by Kanye West. I believe this is because a few of the songs remind me of Shadow's relationship with his wife.

My other favorite albums where Viva La Vida by Coldplay, A Beautiful Lie by 30 Seconds To Mars, Run Lola Run Soundtrack, and Absolution by Muse.

American Gods Playlist

This playlist was pretty easy since a few of the songs on here are actually mentioned in the book. Thanks Neil for making my life easy.

You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison - My Chemical Romance
Coldest Winter - Kanye West
Believe - Franka Potente (Run Lola Run Soundtrack)
Walking After Midnight - Patsy Cline
Time Won't Let Me Go - The Bravery
Bad News - Kanye West
42 - Coldplay
Who Loves The Sun - The Velvet Underground
Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
(I couldn't find this song in it's entirety for the player below. I'm too lazy to look for it, so if you want to hear more that 30 seconds of it you'll just have to go by some Led Zeppelin. You won't be wasting you money I promise you.)
Help - The Beatles
Viva La Vida - Coldplay
Cells - The Servant
This Is Not The End - The Bravery
Many Funerals - Eisley
Re-evolve - 30 Seconds To Mars
Other Side - Red Hot Chilli Pepers
Sleep - My Chemical Romance
Apocalypse Please - Muse
Believe - The Bravery
Buterflies and Hurricanes - Muse
A Modern Myth - 30 Seconds To Mars
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Nina Simone
Across The Universe - Jim Sturgess originally performed by The Beatles
Finally Woken - Jem

Well that's all folks. I hope to be back soon with the next blog. Keep is shiny!

Next About Books Blog: Winter Of Fire by Sherryl Jordan