I swear, I don't only think about food and eating... but I can't control what other people write about.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
I really liked this book. And I haven't seen the movie yet, so you can rest assured that this is an unbiased opinion. I really like when people write about their life experiences in a present-tense sort of way. Sure, I realize that "Liz" has been home from these places for years, but as I read the book I felt like it was all happening as I read it. There are three parts of the book, obviously. In Italy she eats - which I loved! I love that she devoted the entire time she was there to experience Italy through taste. I think this should be done more often on trips to Italy. Who needs museums and history when you've got pasta?! In India she prays. She spends four months in an ashram and devotes all of her time to finding herself and her God through meditation. This was maybe my least favorite part of the book. Not because I don't like learning about different religions, but it just didn't make an impression on me. And finally, in Indonesia she loves. I really liked this part of the book. Maybe because I'm a sucker for love stories, but mostly I just liked the people she met. The old medicine man who is somewhere between sixty- and one hundred twelve-years old. He was my favorite.
The book, in general, was a good read. It took me a while to get through, but we'll blame that on Mockingjay and my fiance subscribing to Netflix :)
Liz Gilbert is exceptionally good at making friends. Something that I've never quite gotten the hang of. I'm no good with strangers, and I'm totally fine with staying home alone with a book or a movie instead of going to a party or anything social. And I think that talent of hers is what really impressed my the most and compelled me to read her book.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
mmMmmm... brains, my favorite.
i read this book like, two years ago... ok, that's a lie because it was published in April of 2009. but still, it's been a while.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
I love zombies. And I love early 19th-century England. I don't particularly like Jane Austen, though. Her books are mostly only good for putting me to sleep. This "version" of Pride and Prejudice was, however, quite entertaining. There was enough action that it made me want to keep reading, and FINALLY I was able to really understand what Austen was really saying in this book. It all makes sense now.
There are a lot of other review for this book, and the others like it [Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Android Karenina], but they're all mixed. So my opinion is that it's a hit-or-miss. I've read a lot of reviews where people say that it's too cliche, that Grahame-Smith is just using the new zombie trend to make a few bucks of of someone else's writing. Frankly, I've got to hand it to these creative thinkers over at Quirk Classics. I thought it was clever and amusing. I would definitely recommend this book and its counterparts to anyone who loves the original stories and is up for a laugh.
Oh! and I heard they were going to make a movie based on the prequel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls. THAT should be interesting!
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
I love zombies. And I love early 19th-century England. I don't particularly like Jane Austen, though. Her books are mostly only good for putting me to sleep. This "version" of Pride and Prejudice was, however, quite entertaining. There was enough action that it made me want to keep reading, and FINALLY I was able to really understand what Austen was really saying in this book. It all makes sense now.
There are a lot of other review for this book, and the others like it [Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Android Karenina], but they're all mixed. So my opinion is that it's a hit-or-miss. I've read a lot of reviews where people say that it's too cliche, that Grahame-Smith is just using the new zombie trend to make a few bucks of of someone else's writing. Frankly, I've got to hand it to these creative thinkers over at Quirk Classics. I thought it was clever and amusing. I would definitely recommend this book and its counterparts to anyone who loves the original stories and is up for a laugh.
Oh! and I heard they were going to make a movie based on the prequel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls. THAT should be interesting!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
who's hungry?
ok. first post. here we go.
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
These books were great. I know they're meant for young readers, but after I read the first book there was no going back for me. Collins sucked me right in with her characters and their struggles. Looking back [and using what little I know of creative writing] the books are simple enough. But everything holds strong through each of the books. The third one did throw me through a loop. I didn't really like Peeta's character being sidelined so much. I really felt he should have had a much bigger part, probably because I fell so in love with him during the first two books. Um, for those who haven't read these books the character relationships are a little difficult to explain simply... so I'll just say that Peeta loves Katniss and does all he can to keep her alive during the "Hunger Games."
You know how sometimes a character can creep so deeply into your imagination that somehow you really start to feel the emotions on the page? That's how these books made me feel. When Katniss was scared, I was scared. When she was furious, so was I. At one point while reading the second book I actually got so unnerved by something [I don't want to spoil everything] that I had to put the book down and call my boyfriend to help calm me down and remind me that it was just a story and nothing horrible was really going to happen. It was maybe a little bit pathetic.
Ok, so I'm not really sure what my general approach to this whole "book review blog" is going to be. Until I figure everything out you can pretty much expect the posts to be like this one. I'll try not to give very many important things away. I'm not going to give books any sort of generalized grade either... different books are good or bad for different reasons. I may try to develop some sort of point system for different aspects that I believe make a good book, but let's leave that for another day.
For now, keep reading :)
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
These books were great. I know they're meant for young readers, but after I read the first book there was no going back for me. Collins sucked me right in with her characters and their struggles. Looking back [and using what little I know of creative writing] the books are simple enough. But everything holds strong through each of the books. The third one did throw me through a loop. I didn't really like Peeta's character being sidelined so much. I really felt he should have had a much bigger part, probably because I fell so in love with him during the first two books. Um, for those who haven't read these books the character relationships are a little difficult to explain simply... so I'll just say that Peeta loves Katniss and does all he can to keep her alive during the "Hunger Games."
You know how sometimes a character can creep so deeply into your imagination that somehow you really start to feel the emotions on the page? That's how these books made me feel. When Katniss was scared, I was scared. When she was furious, so was I. At one point while reading the second book I actually got so unnerved by something [I don't want to spoil everything] that I had to put the book down and call my boyfriend to help calm me down and remind me that it was just a story and nothing horrible was really going to happen. It was maybe a little bit pathetic.
Ok, so I'm not really sure what my general approach to this whole "book review blog" is going to be. Until I figure everything out you can pretty much expect the posts to be like this one. I'll try not to give very many important things away. I'm not going to give books any sort of generalized grade either... different books are good or bad for different reasons. I may try to develop some sort of point system for different aspects that I believe make a good book, but let's leave that for another day.
For now, keep reading :)
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