I finally finished The Journal of Curious Letters!
It only took two renewals from the library and a very long phone conversation last Saturday for a third renewal but I finished it!
I wasn't as fresh off The Maze Runner as I would have liked to be, but one of the first things I noticed was that the writing was very different. The Maze Runner, if I had to categorize, is a mid-teen young adult books. That would place The Journal of Curious Letters somewhere in pre-teen/early teenworld. What does that even mean any more? In my head, I'm thinking maybe 8-12.
I am basing that on the style of writing, the themes present in the book and the over all progression of events.
It is a story that starts with our main character, Atticus (nicknamed Tick) Higginbottom, receiving a "curious" letter telling him that the world is in danger but that he can help! What a crazy thing for a kid that gets picked on all the time to hear! And of course, like any good hero, he has a choice: to help or to ignore the letter. And, as a good storyteller would do, James Dashner has Tick accept the challenge and we start on an adventure into the Realities.
Tick receives letters in the mail from a mysterious MG, each one a clue to when, where and how they will meet and further discuss saving the world. A nice twist to the story is that Tick isn't the only one receiving letters. He meets up with a few other kids and together they figure out the clues and talk about the interesting things that happen to them.
I will be honest: I wasn't terribly riveted by this book. What I found most interesting is the completely different way James Dashner told this story. It was evident in both the writing and story line that this was not going to be a watered down Maze Runner book.
Some authors can seamlessly write a book for children that adults find wonderful. Harry Potter is case in point. The story, the characters, the writing--it wasn't dumbed down so only children could understand. I had more talks with adults. come to think of it, about the books than I ever had with children. We talked about our favorite characters and plot twists, as well as the moments that made us cry.
But J.K. only really wrote the one series. Sure. OK. The Chronicles of Narnia. C. S. Lewis wrote children's books as well as academic books and "adult" books. There was a bit of a difference, but the quality was the same.
It almost seemed like there was a fire missing from The Journal of Curious Letters that was always present in the Maze Runner. As I was reading I kept thinking that this book would be good for pre-preteens. It gives them a character their age (that gets the be the hero and is a rather "normal" even boring kind of kid), introduces them into a fantasy that seem possible, and puts them in harrowing adventures. For my taste, too much focus was put on the letters and the events leading up to the harrowing adventure rather than on saving the world. (Very reminiscent of the last Twilight book where we spent the whole book on the verge of an epic battle...that never took place. Major letdown.)
I will not be pursing the rest of the series, but will keep it in mind for kids who aren't sure they like to read, are feeling kind of left out in life, or are interested in trying a new genre. I might recommend it for boys (as Tick is a boy...) and I seem to have trouble finding books to recommend to young men that don't have girls as the star of the show. But as a girl who is really into fantasy, I have gotten used to boys running the show (Harry, Frodo, etc.). [ Ok so they don't always run the show. There is Buffy and Katniss, too. Just...oh never mind!]
Next up: The Wizard of Earthsea? That would be nice. My friend just gave me Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and I am itching to try that. I also got Pilgrim's Regress and The Children of Hurin out of the library at church...this past May. And I haven't gotten to those either...
Showing posts with label Hunger Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hunger Games. Show all posts
25 August 2012
30 May 2012
may reviews
So as I said last post, I hit James Dashner's Maze Runner series hard this month. (As a help to those who might be interested, I think it is a mix between Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, and Ender's Game. I approve of Hunger Games & Ender's Game, so go read those. You can skip Lord of the Flies. I wish I had.) But I did have time to squeeze in two other books.
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits by Ayelet Waldman.
I picked this one up on a whim. I was perusing the DVD collection at the library and saw a movie called "The Other Woman." Right on the cover it says that it is based on the book "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits" so like any good English major, I check to see if the book is in. Why see the movie if the book is utter rubbish?
I did have trouble starting the book. Emilia, the main character, was a little bratty to me at the beginning. In hindsight, it was only because you didn't know her motivation. As the book progressed, you find out more about her life, the choices she made that turned her into a sudden step-mom having to pick up William, the most precocious 5 year old ever, at his very elite daycare, and why she hates it so much.
Heat Rises by Richard Castle
This next book I'm not too proud of, but I read it during May so you get to hear about it. I love ABC's Castle. Love it. So when they started publishing "Richard Castle" novels, I had to check it out. And, because I'm such a sucker for Castle and Nathan Fillion, I picked up book three of the Nikki Heat series. I read book one a year or so ago and wasn't thrilled then; book three doesn't disappoint. Heat Rises is a book that I call a 'guilty indulgence.' There is nothing about the forced cop lingo and the vague attempts at being clever that could ever be mistaken as a guilty pleasure. The characters in the book mirror their TV show counterparts, and even the plot to a certain extent mirrors series three of the show. The only good thing I have to say about this book is that Nathan Fillion's picture is on the back of it.
I am still working on the Wizard of Earthsea and loving it. A little sad I didn't get into this a little bit sooner!
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits by Ayelet Waldman.
I picked this one up on a whim. I was perusing the DVD collection at the library and saw a movie called "The Other Woman." Right on the cover it says that it is based on the book "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits" so like any good English major, I check to see if the book is in. Why see the movie if the book is utter rubbish?
I did have trouble starting the book. Emilia, the main character, was a little bratty to me at the beginning. In hindsight, it was only because you didn't know her motivation. As the book progressed, you find out more about her life, the choices she made that turned her into a sudden step-mom having to pick up William, the most precocious 5 year old ever, at his very elite daycare, and why she hates it so much.
Heat Rises by Richard Castle
This next book I'm not too proud of, but I read it during May so you get to hear about it. I love ABC's Castle. Love it. So when they started publishing "Richard Castle" novels, I had to check it out. And, because I'm such a sucker for Castle and Nathan Fillion, I picked up book three of the Nikki Heat series. I read book one a year or so ago and wasn't thrilled then; book three doesn't disappoint. Heat Rises is a book that I call a 'guilty indulgence.' There is nothing about the forced cop lingo and the vague attempts at being clever that could ever be mistaken as a guilty pleasure. The characters in the book mirror their TV show counterparts, and even the plot to a certain extent mirrors series three of the show. The only good thing I have to say about this book is that Nathan Fillion's picture is on the back of it.
I am still working on the Wizard of Earthsea and loving it. A little sad I didn't get into this a little bit sooner!
29 March 2012
march reviews
April already? How in the world did that happen?
I will admit that March has been a bit of a blur for me. I'm not sure I can tell you what happened last month except work. I worked a lot. I watched a lot of TV. I didn't sleep as much as I needed to sleep. And I didn't read as much as I wanted to.
I finally got around to reading Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. (What? No, not just because Channing Tatum is in the movie! Well...)
I read this book after finishing the awful book Juliette. It is how I discovered that written dialouge is very important in a book and will, in fact, make or break my interest in a story. Moving right along... I had mixed feelings about the book. In part, I hated it. Building up a romance, sending boy across oceans to a war, girl breaking up with him in a letter (so wrong!)--and so many other things-- I just couldn't handle it. But part of me thought, as I wiped the tear from my eye, "Love doesn't always work out the way we want it to, and sometimes that is for the best." So I guess that is the moral of that story.
(Also, Channing Tatum is hot. The end.)
Another book I picked up to read because I want to eventually see the movie is One Day by David Nicholls. I suppose I didn't learn my "love doesn't always work out the way we want it to" lesson, because this book was like Dear John on that level, times 1,000. I cried at this book. It is the well known story of two imperfect people (Dexter & Emma) who are perfect for each other...but can't get their life together long enough to actually be together. Except for those few moments when all is right in the world, and tho moments are so few and so far between.The book is called "One Day" because each chapter tracks their events on July 15th St. Swithun's Day, from graduation day from university and for the next 20 years.
**Update** I did get to see the movie too. Love it. I cried at the book, but I sobbed and wept at the film.
My vote is a whole-hearted "yes" to both the reading of the book and the viewing of the film. You need to see this. Yes, even though Ann Hathaway is in it and fakes an accent. It doesn't suck as much as I thought it would.
And let's not forget the much anticipated movie of the month: The Hunger Games! This was another Gettysburg find for me. Again, I told everyone and all my friends got hooked as well. I know it is long over due, but make sure you see this. I think it was beautifully done and I loved it. I mean, as much as you can love seeing a bunch of teens running around killing each other because of a corrupt government...but I think the adaptation was beautiful.
TV Series, Mini-series & film stuff (aka David Tennant Month)
As I said, I watched a lot of TV in March. Well I did not lie. I started re-watching Doctor Who when I got a friend of mine hooked and so I just kept going. I love David Tennant's Doctor. Love love love. I loved Christopher Eccleston too...but I double loved David's. So there was lots of Doctor Who happening.
I also saw the BBC's Casanova. Also with David Tennant. Also with Russel T. Davies of Doctor Who fame. It was chock full of other brilliant British actors, too. All in all, a great miniseries. My little sister, who sometimes has trouble with all of the BBC I watch, even loved it. I mean really, it's just great.
The Chatterley Affair
During my year at Gettysburg, I read Lady Chatterley's Lover and watched the mini-series by Ken Russel. I loved parts of the film (Sean Bean? Yes please!) and parts of the books. Well, lots of parts of the book. I couldn't tell you all of the parts, but I know I have a bookmark full of quotes. I feel it's a very honest look at what relationships are, the emotions that are involved and, like we learned in When Harry Met Sally..., how sex (whether you have it or not) gets in the way.
This film, The Chatterley Affair, is about the trial of the book in England in 1960. Parts of the story are fictional, but many of the witnesses and their testimony for the book are true. This was a very publicized event and the main purpose was to decide if D. H. Laurence was just publishing smut, or if his book actually contained any literary value. Some of the perspectives of the people who testified were really interesting, especially Richard Hoggart's view of Laurence's purpose of using the F-word (sorry). The fact that David Tennant played the character Richard Hoggart, well...that was just for fun :)
I will admit that March has been a bit of a blur for me. I'm not sure I can tell you what happened last month except work. I worked a lot. I watched a lot of TV. I didn't sleep as much as I needed to sleep. And I didn't read as much as I wanted to.
I finally got around to reading Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. (What? No, not just because Channing Tatum is in the movie! Well...)
I read this book after finishing the awful book Juliette. It is how I discovered that written dialouge is very important in a book and will, in fact, make or break my interest in a story. Moving right along... I had mixed feelings about the book. In part, I hated it. Building up a romance, sending boy across oceans to a war, girl breaking up with him in a letter (so wrong!)--and so many other things-- I just couldn't handle it. But part of me thought, as I wiped the tear from my eye, "Love doesn't always work out the way we want it to, and sometimes that is for the best." So I guess that is the moral of that story.
(Also, Channing Tatum is hot. The end.)
Another book I picked up to read because I want to eventually see the movie is One Day by David Nicholls. I suppose I didn't learn my "love doesn't always work out the way we want it to" lesson, because this book was like Dear John on that level, times 1,000. I cried at this book. It is the well known story of two imperfect people (Dexter & Emma) who are perfect for each other...but can't get their life together long enough to actually be together. Except for those few moments when all is right in the world, and tho moments are so few and so far between.The book is called "One Day" because each chapter tracks their events on July 15th St. Swithun's Day, from graduation day from university and for the next 20 years.
**Update** I did get to see the movie too. Love it. I cried at the book, but I sobbed and wept at the film.
My vote is a whole-hearted "yes" to both the reading of the book and the viewing of the film. You need to see this. Yes, even though Ann Hathaway is in it and fakes an accent. It doesn't suck as much as I thought it would.
And let's not forget the much anticipated movie of the month: The Hunger Games! This was another Gettysburg find for me. Again, I told everyone and all my friends got hooked as well. I know it is long over due, but make sure you see this. I think it was beautifully done and I loved it. I mean, as much as you can love seeing a bunch of teens running around killing each other because of a corrupt government...but I think the adaptation was beautiful.
TV Series, Mini-series & film stuff (aka David Tennant Month)
As I said, I watched a lot of TV in March. Well I did not lie. I started re-watching Doctor Who when I got a friend of mine hooked and so I just kept going. I love David Tennant's Doctor. Love love love. I loved Christopher Eccleston too...but I double loved David's. So there was lots of Doctor Who happening.
I also saw the BBC's Casanova. Also with David Tennant. Also with Russel T. Davies of Doctor Who fame. It was chock full of other brilliant British actors, too. All in all, a great miniseries. My little sister, who sometimes has trouble with all of the BBC I watch, even loved it. I mean really, it's just great.
The Chatterley Affair
During my year at Gettysburg, I read Lady Chatterley's Lover and watched the mini-series by Ken Russel. I loved parts of the film (Sean Bean? Yes please!) and parts of the books. Well, lots of parts of the book. I couldn't tell you all of the parts, but I know I have a bookmark full of quotes. I feel it's a very honest look at what relationships are, the emotions that are involved and, like we learned in When Harry Met Sally..., how sex (whether you have it or not) gets in the way.
This film, The Chatterley Affair, is about the trial of the book in England in 1960. Parts of the story are fictional, but many of the witnesses and their testimony for the book are true. This was a very publicized event and the main purpose was to decide if D. H. Laurence was just publishing smut, or if his book actually contained any literary value. Some of the perspectives of the people who testified were really interesting, especially Richard Hoggart's view of Laurence's purpose of using the F-word (sorry). The fact that David Tennant played the character Richard Hoggart, well...that was just for fun :)
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