Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts

Monday, May 28, 2012

Summer Reading List

I've been working on this list for a while. The hardest thing for me has been figuring out what mood I'm in for reading. There have been times in my life where I wanted to be really challenged by my reading, and then times where I wanted to read really old traditional literature, and then times when I wanted young adults books, and times when I wanted chick-lit. I'm finding myself currently wanting things that require very little thought to read them. I just want to escape in my reading and just read something quick and funny and simple. So keep that in mind when you read this list. I'm aware these aren't all great works of literature. I'm okay with it right now.

First of all, there are several books coming out this summer that are the next books in a series I've already read.

by Deborah E. Harkness
Release date: July 10, 2012
The first book in the series is A Discovery of Witches. It's kind-of like an adult version of Twilight, but in a good way. It's not adult version like True Blood. I can't deal with all that. But it's adult version in that it goes back through history and connects vampires and witches with different important people in history. It's just really interesting how it pieces it all together. So this book is the second in the series and I've been looking forward to it ever since I finished the first one!

by Lauren Kate
Release date: June 12, 2012
This is the fourth book in the Fallen series. The first three are Fallen, Torment, and Passion. They're all about fallen angels and they again connect fallen angels throughout history and they begin with the actual original fall, which I think is really interesting.


Then there are several I want to read that aren't involved in a series I've already read.

by Erin Morgenstern
This one has been recommended to me several times and I got it for Christmas this year, but I never did actually read it. I am going to sit down and read it sometime this summer.

by Kiera Cass
This is going to be a show on the CW or something later this year, so I thought I would go ahead and read it just to see what I think!

by Lauren Oliver
This book comes up on recommendation lists for me all the time! That's how I found Divergent, so I figured I'd give it a try.

I haven't decided which ones I'll read yet. I have never read one of her books, so I want to try one first. Options I'm thinking of are Bet Me, The Cinderella Deal and Trust Me on This. These are all chick-lit books. Books like that tend to be hit or miss for me. Sometimes I love them, sometimes I don't. We'll see how it goes.

I also may read some Sophie Kinsella or Madeleine Wickham books (considering they are the same person). I have read several & liked them, so they're always a pretty safe bet.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Reading Update

I've read several books lately that I felt like I needed to share! I'm in a major Young Adult phase right now. Mainly I think it's because I've been working and I just don't have time to get into something that requires a lot of thought. I used to read books like The Count of Monte Cristo and I loved it! But it required me to really think through everything! Now that's not to say that what I have been reading isn't really great, because some of it really is! But it's just not deep-thinking kind of stuff. That being said, here's what I've been reading lately!!

Matched and Crossed by Ally Condie
Both of these are dystopian novels about a society where at 17, you are matched with someone and you spend the rest of your life with them. Everything is planned out for you, including your mate, your job, your home, your leisure activities, etc. It takes place around this one girl whose match gets mixed up and she ends up questioning everything about her society. It's a trilogy and the first two are out now. I read them both. I liked the first better than the second, but I still liked both of them. They definitely weren't the best books I've ever read, but they were worth the read!

Wither by Lauren DeStefano
This book is really strange, but I liked it. I'm not sure if everyone would. It takes place again, in a dystopian society where a generation found the cure for all illnesses, including cancer, HIV, etc. and there was a generation who lived into their hundreds. As a result, though, their children started dying at the age of 20 for girls and 24 for boys. The generation who is living so long has started to create polygamous marriages for their sons where they marry young girls who haven't reached the age to die yet. The purpose of these marriages is for the girls to bear children to be tested and experimented on to try and find a cure for this new virus that is killing the children. It takes place around a girl who is stolen and forced into one of these polygamous marriages. It's really interesting and strange, but in a really good way! The second one comes out in February, so I'll be reading that one too!

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
I kept seeing this book on my Amazon Recommendations, so I finally decided to read it! I really loved it and couldn't put it down! It's about a group of boys who wake up in this place alone and with no memory. They arrive at the rate of one a month and they are in this huge courtyard surrounded by a huge maze. They have been there for a couple of years and are trying to figure out a way out. The courtyard closes every night and there are thing in the maze that come out and will kill you if you are left out there at night. It takes place around a boy who arrives and then a week later, a girl arrives with a message that she will be the last one. Everything changes and it's really fast-paced and interesting! That being said, though, I tried to read the second one and I just couldn't get into it. It's a trilogy and all three of them are available now. Maybe you'd like them all more than I did!

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
I actually read this one a while ago, but I don't think I ever posted on it on either of my blogs. My friend Sara, who recommended Twilight to me the first time, is the one who told me to read it. It's kind-of like Twilight for adults. It's about Vampires and Witches, but rather than being something that is light and fluffy and just a love story, it is actually really well written and intelligent! The author takes vampires & witches and puts them into historical context among lots of other things that have happened in the past. I really loved the way she put it all together! It is also going to be a trilogy and I'm excited about the next one!!

Fallen and Torment by Lauren Kate
These are the most recent ones I've read. I just finished Torment last night. They are the first two in a series of four. They remind me a lot of My Name is Memory that I read this past summer. It's about two people whose love spans lifetimes and centuries where she is a human who keeps coming back after traumatic deaths, but he's a fallen angel. It ties into a lot of biblical things with the fall and angels and demons and things like that. I really liked it more than I thought I would! I want to read the third one, but it's checked out at my library right now. I have placed a hold on it, so hopefully I'll get to read it soon!

Divergent by Veronica Roth
I have to say, this is my favorite book I've read so far this year! It is right up there with The Hunger Games for me! It's about a dystopian society where at the age of 17, I think, you choose one of 5 factions to belong to. Once you choose your faction, it affects everything about your life. The story of where the factions came from and why there are five and things like that are all really interesting! This is about a girl who has to choose between the faction her family belongs to and making a choice that goes against everything she's ever known. It's AWESOME. I am so excited about the second one, which is coming out in May! It will also be a trilogy. I recommend this one to anybody.

Books on my "to read" list...
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Fever by Lauren DeStefano
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
Passion by Lauren Kate
Rapture by Lauren Kate




Monday, April 4, 2011

Hunger Games Casting: Peeta & Gale

It was just announced that Josh Hutcherson has been cast as Peeta in the upcoming Hunger Games movie.

Liam Hemsworth was cast as Gale.

I can get on board with Liam, but I totally don't see Josh in that role. I'm hoping we don't have another Twilight situation on our hands. I still hate some of the casting in Twilight when I watch it.

I guess we'll see. I'm going to rent The Kids are All Right so I can get a better idea of what I think of Josh. You can see Liam in The Last Song.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Jennifer Lawrence is Katniss Everdeen

Jennifer Lawrence has officially been cast as Katniss Everdeen in the upcoming movie version of The Hunger Games!! She wasn't my first choice, but I'm totally happy with this choice! I'm leaning towards Alex Pettyfer or Hunter Parrish as Peeta. I guess we'll know soon who they pick for that!!

What do you think of Jennifer Lawrence playing Katniss Everdeen?

Thursday, January 27, 2011

The Hunger Games Fantasy Casting

If you haven't yet read The Hunger Games trilogy (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay), I highly recommend you step away from your computer, go buy them & start reading immediately. They are so awesome!! I like them as much as Twilight & they're not nearly as cheesy as Twilight, so I think they are appealing to a wider audience. Here's the plot description from the book website:
Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Lionsgate has acquired the rights to the movie adaptation of the books and they recently announced a release date of March 23, 2012! No casting decisions have been announced, so I decided to do my own fantasy casting. I've never done one of these before and I'm only doing the main characters because doing these things really stresses me out! I have such a hard time picking just one person for each role. I did Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Haymitch, Cinna, President Snow & Effie.

All character descriptions are taken from Wikipedia.

Katniss Everdeen: Katniss is sixteen years old and is described as having long, black hair, usually in a braid, gray eyes, and olive skin. She is small in stature and light for her age, being one of the smallest tributes in her games, but due to her outdoor life, she is strong for her size. Collins has described Katniss as being an independent survivalist, lethal, but good at thinking outside the box.

My pick: Emily Browning
Strangely enough, she was also my original pick for Bella in Twilight. She'll have to get a tan, but I think she could totally pull off the hardcore, but fairly naive thing.


Peeta Mellark: Peeta has blue eyes, and is described by Katniss as being "medium height, stocky build, blond hair that falls in waves over his forehead." Peeta thinks very well on his feet and has a very likable personality and a flair for showmanship.


My pick: Hunter Parrish
He was who I pictured through the whole book. I know he's not "stocky," but he could gain some weight. I love him in Weeds & I loved him being so cute in It's Complicated & I just think he'd do really great!


Gale Hawthorne: Gale has the common look in District 12: black hair, olive skin, and gray eyes. When he first met Katniss at the age of fourteen he was already over six feet tall. He is described as being very handsome and masculine. Gale is good at keeping things under control and does not get angry very often, though he often rants and mimicks the Capitol.Katniss describes him as "a rebel since birth".

My pick: Michael Trevino
He plays Tyler on Vampire Diaries & I love Vampire Diaries!! I just think he'd do good for this part, too. Seeing him be the werewolf on Vampire Diaries shows that he can be more strong & defiant, plus he could definitely be all angry at the Capitol. He's been pretty broody on the show.


Haymitch Abernathy: Haymitch is described as a "paunchy, middle-aged man." He is often not sober due to his drinking problem. Haymitch's most notable trait were his grey eyes, and black hair as almost every member of the Seam. Haymitch can sometimes be extremely rude when he is intoxicated. However, he displays much kindness and honesty toward Katniss, and often tells her exactly what might happen without worrying about scaring her. He is often used as a comic relief in a way with his sarcasm.

My pick: Joaquin Phoenix
Just read that description again & I feel like I need no further explanation as to why I see Joaquin for this part. He's perfect!


Cinna: Most people who live in the Capitol follow very absurd fashion trends. This is not the case for Cinna, who normally wore simple black clothing. His one strange fashion choice was gold eyeliner, which brings out the gold flecks in his green eyes. Other then that, Cinna looked very normal, with close cropped natural dark brown hair. Cinna is described as being a very sweet, lovely, enigmatic person who takes pride in his work. He is also a very caring person. (Description from The Hunger Games wiki)

My pick: James McAvoy
He is just different enough to be from the Capitol, but just normal enough to be as kind as they describe him. He's clearly intelligent & after Wanted, I think he definitely has that strong quality that Cinna shows in later books. I think he'd be really fun in this part!


President Snow: The main antagonist of the series, President Snow is the extremely evil ruler of the Capitol and all of Panem. Though laid back, he is full of sadistic thoughts. President Snow is described as having very puffy lips which was most likely from an appearance altering operation that is very popular in the Capitol. Katniss describes him as exuding a smell of blood and roses.

My pick: Tim Curry
He would completely creep me out in this role! He's got that fake nice thing going on - remember him in Home Alone 2 or Annie?? He's also totally creepy & he's got not super tiny lips like some of the other people I've seen suggested. He could pull this off in a wonderfully awful way!


Effie Trinket: Effie has bright pink hair, speculated to be a wig - as she gives speeches, she constantly has to get it under control. She is very strict about manners and is always punctual.

My pick: Meryl Streep
Think The Devil Wears Prada mixed with pink hair. I love it!


Here's my favorite site right now with some casting picks! I found some inspiration on there & chose others on my own. Several of them I just had in my mind throughout the books!

Who are your casting pics??

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Breaking Dawn...again

Since I only read it once before & I've read the others at least 3 times each, I'm reading Breaking Dawn again. I like it better this time because I know what's coming. I remember I HATED the middle part of the book the first time I read it!! Eclipse has just reignited my Twilight obsession!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Movie Review: Eclipse

Twilight
Twilight and Breaking Dawn Movie

Maybe it was the new director, maybe it was Bryce Dallas Howard as Victoria, maybe it was that after the first 2 I was just used to them being bad that anything better would seem like major improvement, but I absolutely LOVED Eclipse! I loved that it was a little more dark & scary vampires rather than cheesy & stupid vampires without being completely violent & disgusting vampires (like True Blood which I can't handle). I liked that it showed the back stories of Jasper & Rosalie without being all smoky & grainy like the other movies. I liked that their eyes were distinctly red, brown or black, but normal looking & not crazy like New Moon & not too subtle like Twilight. I guess I've gotten used to the bad acting, too because it didn't bother me - although I was still aware of it. The wigs were still bad & Kristen Stewart still just makes me feel generally awkward & embarrassed. But overall I really really loved it & for the first time after seeing a Twilight Saga movie, I left the theater feeling really excited!

So way to go David Slade & cast. I definitely recommend this one.
(Although I still think you HAVE to read the books before seeing the movies because even though I liked this one, it was nothing in comparison to the books.)

What did you think of it?


This was copied from a post on my Ingenue Mom blog! 
Please check that one out when you get a chance!!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

Thanks to this lovely list from BuzzSugar, I've set up my summer reading list!! I'm beginning with Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin! I love it when you get hooked quickly & this one was definitely like that! By the end of Chapter 1, I was all about it - couldn't put it down! I'm already almost halfway through & I'm on Day 2 of reading!!

Have you read it?
Any thoughts?

Suggestions of books like it?

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Breaking Dawn Movie Info

First, click here for some info from the producer of the Twilight movies about the Breaking Dawn installment of the series. Second, consider the possibility of any of these three directors being responsible for directing Breaking Dawn!

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Sofia Coppola
Previously directed...
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Lost in Translation (2003)
The Virgin Suicides (1999)

Image Source
Gus Van Sant
Previously directed...
Milk (2008)
Elephant (2003)
Finding Forrester (2000)Psycho (1998)
Good Will Hunting (1997)
To Die For (1995)

Image Source
Bill Condon
Previously directed...
Dreamgirls (2006)
Kinsey (2004)
Gods and Monsters (1998)

I definitely have some concerns about this movie. It was hard for me to get on board with the book because of Renesmee, but after reading all the books, I was okay with it. I'm just not sure if the movie is going to do it justice or be totally cheesy. That's why it's so important for the director to be good. If you're interested in reading the plot of the book/movie, then click the link above. Then consider which director you think would be best. I'm kinda leaning toward Gus Van Sant.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Trailer!


My initial thoughts:
Edward's eyes still look stupid.
Bella's hair went from being nicer looking in New Moon to being fly-away dry looking in this.
I'm never going to really love the way they put these books into movies.
I'm still interested in seeing it.

(And if you're reading this in an imported Facebook note, you may have to go to my actual blog to watch the video.)

Friday, February 26, 2010

Water for Elephants

Looks like I need to start reading Water for Elephants! I've had the book sitting next to my bed for months, but haven't read it yet! Now it's going to be a movie with Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon & Christoph Waltz! I will start reading it ASAP!!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Breaking Dawn in 2 Movies

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows started it...now Breaking Dawn will be split into 2 movies as well. I kinda find that weird and not necessary. Maybe I need to read the book again and figure out where they would split it. I dunno, what do you think??

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Dear John

I loved this book!!! I cried so much in the end!! I'm excited to see the movie!!



If you haven't read the book yet, read it before seeing the movie!!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Trailer: Dear John



I read this book by Nicholas Sparks a couple of years ago. I just remember that I cried a lot. I didn't know they were making it into a movie!! I love Channing Tatum! I don't really love Amanda Seyfried. But I'm still interested in seeing this!!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Movie & TV News

Gerard Butler will host Saturday Night Live on October 17!


Image Source
Diablo Cody is going to adapt the Sweet Valley High book series into a movie! I loved those books when I was growing up!! And I love Diablo Cody!! I'll love the movie!


Stephenie Meyer has another book being made into a movie: The Host! I still haven't made it through the book yet, but I will before the movie comes out!!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Trailer: The Lovely Bones



I loved this book & I've been so excited about the movie!! The trailer came out a while ago, but I just got around to watching it! What do you think??

Friday, June 12, 2009

New Moon

Hopefully you all saw the New Moon trailer during the MTV Movie Awards. It definitely looks better than the first one, but I'm still nervous. I think I always will be with those movies because I just love the books so much that I know the movies will never measure up no matter how good they are. Oh well. Here's the trailer in case you haven't seen it yet:



I've also seen pictures from the new movie and pictures of Dakota Fanning as Jane. I'm not super crazy about that choice, but we'll see. I just didn't picture any of the Volturi that young. I pictured them in their early 20's. Maybe that's because I'm in my early 20's. How did you picture them??

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Twilight Saga news...




ET's promo & footage from New Moon


David Slade (30 Days of Night) has officially signed on to direct Eclipse


New Moon screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg thinks that Channing Tatum would be perfect to play Riley in Eclipse


People are still talking about Henry Cavill as Edward. He was my #1 pick!

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