Well, this is my first DVD review, but it seemed like a good idea since last week I did a review of the first book in the Guardian’s of Ga’Hoole series. I will start by saying, this DVD is visually stunning! It was done by Disney, which in my opinion, generally does good work. It is a cartoon of course and I believe it was originally done in 3-D which, after watching the movie, would have been great. My husband and I bought it on blue-ray and it looked so incredible! The detail the animators gave to the owls from their facial expressions, to the color of their feathers was so detailed that they could have been real owls! Soren and Gylfie really came to life on screen, and in just the way I imagined them. The scenery was so incredible too! I mean, the different landscapes were truly breathtaking. At more than one point I said aloud, “Wow! This looks incredible!”
Now on to the bad news. This movie, although well done, is very different from the book. Kludd (Soren’s brother) has a very different role in the movie than he does in the book, that’s for sure. The relationship between Soren and Gylfie (which is central to the plot in the book) is much less emphasized in the movie as well. In the book, it is their friendship that keeps them going, but in the DVD it is the Guardians and the hope that they really exist. Also, the introduction of Twilight and Digger is very different in the books than it is in the DVD, but I did not find this difference to be a bad one.
Also, this movie includes several of the books- I don’t yet know how many, as I have not read them all. I can understand that though, because clumping several of the books together to make the film made it easier to keep the action going in the film.
I enjoyed the movie a lot actually. It was so visually appealing that it was hard not to. If you are a fan of the books, I would most certainly recommend that you see the film and draw your own conclusions. Just remember that it is very different from the books and I think you will like it too: 0)
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The Westing Game: By Ellen Raskin
The first time I read The Westing Game I was in fifth or sixth grade. I absolutely loved it! I love to read, so I was thrilled to get the assignment back in the day. Clearly, this makes me a bit of a geek, but I could care less. To further cement me into the geek category, some of my favorite movies include Star Wars, Jurassic Park, anything with Jackie Chan, and Big Trouble in Little China, which I got for Christmas on blue-ray- score! I also still watch cartoons, and my current favorites are Avatar: The Last Airbender and Phineas and Ferb. But I digress.
The Westing Game first introduced me to the who-done-it genre, which later led me to Agatha Christie, whom I adore and still read to this day. So, whoever the teacher was that made me read The Westing Game, I thank you.
When I was re-reading this book, I started to remember bits and pieces of it. It made me a bit nostalgic, and I loved every second of it.
Recently, I read some reviews from first time readers that had me cracking up. Those who were given The Westing Game as a gift or bought it on their own loved it. Those who were forced to read it for a classroom assignment as a whole really didn’t like it. So, I guess my advice is, read it quick! Before some teacher forces you to.
The Westing game involves sixteen people who are invited to the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will. Depending on how well they play the Westing Game, which is this very complex game that involves all sorts of high stake, wild and sometimes dangerous situations, will inherit 200 million dollars. The sixteen people are paired off into sets of two- and given clues to try and discover if Westing was killed…or died of natural causes. It is up to the teams to figure this out- and up to you, the reader.
This book reminded me of the movie, Clue (another one of my favorites). The characters are so incredibly diverse and full of oddities that you find yourself second guessing and accusing everyone of committing the crime. And the end of the book just makes it. I think this book is clever, interesting and after reading it the second time around, good enough to read over and over. I highly recommend!
The Westing Game first introduced me to the who-done-it genre, which later led me to Agatha Christie, whom I adore and still read to this day. So, whoever the teacher was that made me read The Westing Game, I thank you.
When I was re-reading this book, I started to remember bits and pieces of it. It made me a bit nostalgic, and I loved every second of it.
Recently, I read some reviews from first time readers that had me cracking up. Those who were given The Westing Game as a gift or bought it on their own loved it. Those who were forced to read it for a classroom assignment as a whole really didn’t like it. So, I guess my advice is, read it quick! Before some teacher forces you to.
The Westing game involves sixteen people who are invited to the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will. Depending on how well they play the Westing Game, which is this very complex game that involves all sorts of high stake, wild and sometimes dangerous situations, will inherit 200 million dollars. The sixteen people are paired off into sets of two- and given clues to try and discover if Westing was killed…or died of natural causes. It is up to the teams to figure this out- and up to you, the reader.
This book reminded me of the movie, Clue (another one of my favorites). The characters are so incredibly diverse and full of oddities that you find yourself second guessing and accusing everyone of committing the crime. And the end of the book just makes it. I think this book is clever, interesting and after reading it the second time around, good enough to read over and over. I highly recommend!
The Guardians of Ga'Hoole (Book 1): By Kathryn Lasky
I would like to begin by apologizing. It has been three weeks since my last post. Despite my vow to write something at least once a week when I started this blog, I let the holiday festivities get the better of me. Yet, the promise of a new year, fresh with no mistakes in it yet, gives me hope that I can and will be blogging at least once a week this year.
On to the Guadrian’s of Ga’Hoole. I have very mixed feelings about the first book in this series. The Guardian’s is the very first book I got on my Nook, so I was excited to dig in. In the first few chapters, we learn about Soren, a young owlet who is not yet old enough to fly. In these chapters, we discover Soren is a Barn owl who lives in his nest with his Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, and a snake called Mrs. Plithiver who is a blind snake that acts as a nest maid to the family.
These first chapters are interesting because of how detailed the author, Kathryn Lasky, describes the owls from the way they live, to how they hunt, to how they care for one another. The detail is amazing! I have such an amazingly clear picture of this little family in my head and their cozy little nest. It is in this safe haven that Soren first hears the tales of the Guardian’s of Ga’Hoole (from his Father), the owls who fight for truth and injustice for their kind. Needless to say, this description is delightful and I enjoyed it very much.
The action begins when Soren falls from the nest and is taken away from his family. He is spirited away by a pair of very cruel owls who take him to a place called St. Aegolius. In St. Aggies, he quickly finds out that this place is nothing like home. It is filled with owls of all races that have been snatched from their families and treated cruelly. The owls are divided into groups and forced to do certain jobs that are chosen for them by a set of owls that run St. Aggies. It is in this terrible place that he meets an Elf Owl named Gylfie. Gylfie and Soren become close friends and use that friendship to try and discover a way to escape St. Aggies, and find the Guardian’s of Ga’Hoole so they can put a stop to the terrible things that go on here.
The way I explain the story above makes it all sound very exciting, but in all honestly, the part of the story that takes place in St. Aggies is really slow in spots. There were times I wondered to myself why I kept reading. The part in the beginning when Soren was in the nest was so interesting! I am a big fan of animals, and I watch Animal Planet all the time. I love learning about them. I even like books where animals can speak because I think in their own way; they speak to one another, so giving them a human voice is not too big a stretch. Yet, in St Aggies, oh man! It is very slow in spots. I understand that the author did this to show how slow time goes by for Gylfie and Soren, but I kept losing interest. Until the end that is.
The last several chapters are about Soren and Gylfie trying to escape. Without giving away the details, the end is quick moving, action packed, and excellent! So excellent in fact, that my earlier desire to give up on the book altogether and not bother reading the next two I’d purchased went out the window. I’ve already started the second book and love it so far. Who knows? Maybe to you this first book in the series went quickly. What one person finds interesting versus another is always different.
All I can say is, although it moved very slowly, I was pleasantly surprised in the end. I can wait to finish the first three books, and then watch the movie that just came out on DVD. I’ll be glad to let you know what I think of that too! So if you have enough patience, like Owls, and are willing to stick this book through to the end, I’m sure you will love it just as I did.
On to the Guadrian’s of Ga’Hoole. I have very mixed feelings about the first book in this series. The Guardian’s is the very first book I got on my Nook, so I was excited to dig in. In the first few chapters, we learn about Soren, a young owlet who is not yet old enough to fly. In these chapters, we discover Soren is a Barn owl who lives in his nest with his Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, and a snake called Mrs. Plithiver who is a blind snake that acts as a nest maid to the family.
These first chapters are interesting because of how detailed the author, Kathryn Lasky, describes the owls from the way they live, to how they hunt, to how they care for one another. The detail is amazing! I have such an amazingly clear picture of this little family in my head and their cozy little nest. It is in this safe haven that Soren first hears the tales of the Guardian’s of Ga’Hoole (from his Father), the owls who fight for truth and injustice for their kind. Needless to say, this description is delightful and I enjoyed it very much.
The action begins when Soren falls from the nest and is taken away from his family. He is spirited away by a pair of very cruel owls who take him to a place called St. Aegolius. In St. Aggies, he quickly finds out that this place is nothing like home. It is filled with owls of all races that have been snatched from their families and treated cruelly. The owls are divided into groups and forced to do certain jobs that are chosen for them by a set of owls that run St. Aggies. It is in this terrible place that he meets an Elf Owl named Gylfie. Gylfie and Soren become close friends and use that friendship to try and discover a way to escape St. Aggies, and find the Guardian’s of Ga’Hoole so they can put a stop to the terrible things that go on here.
The way I explain the story above makes it all sound very exciting, but in all honestly, the part of the story that takes place in St. Aggies is really slow in spots. There were times I wondered to myself why I kept reading. The part in the beginning when Soren was in the nest was so interesting! I am a big fan of animals, and I watch Animal Planet all the time. I love learning about them. I even like books where animals can speak because I think in their own way; they speak to one another, so giving them a human voice is not too big a stretch. Yet, in St Aggies, oh man! It is very slow in spots. I understand that the author did this to show how slow time goes by for Gylfie and Soren, but I kept losing interest. Until the end that is.
The last several chapters are about Soren and Gylfie trying to escape. Without giving away the details, the end is quick moving, action packed, and excellent! So excellent in fact, that my earlier desire to give up on the book altogether and not bother reading the next two I’d purchased went out the window. I’ve already started the second book and love it so far. Who knows? Maybe to you this first book in the series went quickly. What one person finds interesting versus another is always different.
All I can say is, although it moved very slowly, I was pleasantly surprised in the end. I can wait to finish the first three books, and then watch the movie that just came out on DVD. I’ll be glad to let you know what I think of that too! So if you have enough patience, like Owls, and are willing to stick this book through to the end, I’m sure you will love it just as I did.
Monday, December 6, 2010
My Nook Adventure.
I had my thirty-third birthday this weekend. As I have grown older, I have always been the sort-of person who tries to embrace technology and the changes that come along with it- except when it comes to books. To me, there is nothing greater than the feel of the pages in your hand as you read. There is no greater smell than that of the ink printed on the crisp pages of a book. Before I read anything, I bring the book up to my nose, close my eyes, and inhale the sweet smell of story before I even read. For me, the feeling of that book coupled with its smell is better than the smell of cookies baking in the oven or even the smell of the first Michigan rain in April.
Some women spend a fortune on clothes or purses or shoes. I am not one of these women. I could care less about clothes and shoes. Give me the choice, and I will spend all my money on books. Books never go out of style, and they aren’t usually expensive. I love them like I do my friends and family because for me, my books are great friends too and even better, when I miss my fictional friends, I do not even need to make a call, they are right there at my finger tips.
So, you can understand when I say I was against the idea of getting an electronic reader. How could I like it, without the feeling of freshly inked pages and the non-book smell? Oh, I looked at those electronic readers on several occasions, even admitting to myself that they were in fact, very cool. I even tried downloading a few books to my computer to read them. Oh sure, the instant gratification of wanting to read a book right then and there was great- but I missed taking the trip to the bookstore and the excitement of ordering from Barnes and Noble, my favorite bookstore, on-line. I even had myself convinced that I just could not “Get into the book” unless I held a paper copy in my hands.
When my husband Ben asked me what I wanted for my Birthday and I told him I wanted a Nook, needless to say, he was astounded. “Are you sure?” he asked, uncertainly. What brought on this change of heart? Well, my book collection has gotten a bit out of hand and we were running out of room. In fact, sometimes I feel like the books are crawling off the shelves to get me.
Yet, the real reason I decided to get Nook was because of an article I read. In it, it talked about how electronic texts were the future and by not embracing this new technology we, as book lovers, are hanging on to the past. That got me to thinking. Was I clinging too tightly to the past? Was I becoming the type of person who was unwilling to try new things because they were too much work? Was I clinging those written pages simply to be stubborn?
And that’s when it hit me.
When it came to books, that’s exactly what I was doing.
So I told myself firmly to get a Nook. Now I have the option of getting certain books in the traditional print form to satisfy my love of new paper books, and electronic books for my Nook as well and surprisingly, I love it! Barnes and Noble makes it so easy to order, there are tons of books right at my fingertips, and my Ben even bought me a cover for it that makes me feel like I’m holding a real book.
What does the cover say?
“When I step into this library, I cannot understand why I ever step out of it.” –Marie DeSevigne
Humm…my own portable library. How could I not love it?
Some women spend a fortune on clothes or purses or shoes. I am not one of these women. I could care less about clothes and shoes. Give me the choice, and I will spend all my money on books. Books never go out of style, and they aren’t usually expensive. I love them like I do my friends and family because for me, my books are great friends too and even better, when I miss my fictional friends, I do not even need to make a call, they are right there at my finger tips.
So, you can understand when I say I was against the idea of getting an electronic reader. How could I like it, without the feeling of freshly inked pages and the non-book smell? Oh, I looked at those electronic readers on several occasions, even admitting to myself that they were in fact, very cool. I even tried downloading a few books to my computer to read them. Oh sure, the instant gratification of wanting to read a book right then and there was great- but I missed taking the trip to the bookstore and the excitement of ordering from Barnes and Noble, my favorite bookstore, on-line. I even had myself convinced that I just could not “Get into the book” unless I held a paper copy in my hands.
When my husband Ben asked me what I wanted for my Birthday and I told him I wanted a Nook, needless to say, he was astounded. “Are you sure?” he asked, uncertainly. What brought on this change of heart? Well, my book collection has gotten a bit out of hand and we were running out of room. In fact, sometimes I feel like the books are crawling off the shelves to get me.
Yet, the real reason I decided to get Nook was because of an article I read. In it, it talked about how electronic texts were the future and by not embracing this new technology we, as book lovers, are hanging on to the past. That got me to thinking. Was I clinging too tightly to the past? Was I becoming the type of person who was unwilling to try new things because they were too much work? Was I clinging those written pages simply to be stubborn?
And that’s when it hit me.
When it came to books, that’s exactly what I was doing.
So I told myself firmly to get a Nook. Now I have the option of getting certain books in the traditional print form to satisfy my love of new paper books, and electronic books for my Nook as well and surprisingly, I love it! Barnes and Noble makes it so easy to order, there are tons of books right at my fingertips, and my Ben even bought me a cover for it that makes me feel like I’m holding a real book.
What does the cover say?
“When I step into this library, I cannot understand why I ever step out of it.” –Marie DeSevigne
Humm…my own portable library. How could I not love it?
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets: By J.K. Rowling
Harry is back in this well written sequel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets! In the first book Harry begins his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he makes new friends, finds a new world and a new home, and keeps the evil Lord Voldemort from returning to human form. In this sequel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry is awaiting the end of summer vacation. Unusual he wants it to be over so soon, right? Most kids love summer vacation, but not Harry because he is stuck on Privet Drive with the Dursleys- his uncaring and mean family.
Harry is counting down the days until he can return to Hogwarts and is trying to stay out of his horrible families’ way, and almost succeeds- until he is visited by Dobby, a House elf. Dobby warns him that terrible things are about to happen at Hogwarts- and that Harry should not come back to school. And as it turns out, Dobby is right!
Not long before he is back at school, dreadful things start to happen. Kids are being turned to stone! Worse yet, is that everyone thinks Harry is behind all the attacks. Can Harry and his two best friends Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger uncover the truth before it’s too late?
I loved this book. It was even better than Rowling’s first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I could not put it down and zipped through it in record time. However, there are a few things parents should be aware of if they are letting their kids read the series. At its core, this book is about prejudice. Non-magic students, that is, students with muggle parents who have no magic themselves, are referred to as Mudbloods. It is a derogatory name for people with non-magic parents. Hermione is a muggle-born student, and faces being different.
Personally, I think it is handled by Rowling. She tackles the subject of prejudice in such a way that it is both realistic and sensitive to the hurt prejudice causes. Unfortunately, prejudice is a way of life and I applaud Rowling for including this in her books. Also, this book is much darker then the first book. Without giving away the story too much, there is a great deal of violence and dread surrounding the story, but I think it makes for great reading. However, it might be something you want to discuss with your kids if they are reading it on their own, or you are reading it to them. It is without a doubt a fantastic book, but it tackles some very grown-up issues.
Harry is counting down the days until he can return to Hogwarts and is trying to stay out of his horrible families’ way, and almost succeeds- until he is visited by Dobby, a House elf. Dobby warns him that terrible things are about to happen at Hogwarts- and that Harry should not come back to school. And as it turns out, Dobby is right!
Not long before he is back at school, dreadful things start to happen. Kids are being turned to stone! Worse yet, is that everyone thinks Harry is behind all the attacks. Can Harry and his two best friends Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger uncover the truth before it’s too late?
I loved this book. It was even better than Rowling’s first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I could not put it down and zipped through it in record time. However, there are a few things parents should be aware of if they are letting their kids read the series. At its core, this book is about prejudice. Non-magic students, that is, students with muggle parents who have no magic themselves, are referred to as Mudbloods. It is a derogatory name for people with non-magic parents. Hermione is a muggle-born student, and faces being different.
Personally, I think it is handled by Rowling. She tackles the subject of prejudice in such a way that it is both realistic and sensitive to the hurt prejudice causes. Unfortunately, prejudice is a way of life and I applaud Rowling for including this in her books. Also, this book is much darker then the first book. Without giving away the story too much, there is a great deal of violence and dread surrounding the story, but I think it makes for great reading. However, it might be something you want to discuss with your kids if they are reading it on their own, or you are reading it to them. It is without a doubt a fantastic book, but it tackles some very grown-up issues.
The City of Ember: By Jeanne DuPrau
It is time for the truth. The truth is I saw the movie, The City of Ember, before I read the books. I think if I had read the books first, I may not have liked the movie very much. However, I loved the movie. I thought it was so good that I raced out and bought all the books in the series.
Now, I know that this series received lots of awards and recommendations but, I did not love it. It was good enough to keep reading, but there were small details in it that stuck out with and made me less than excited to keep on reading. For example, there is a part in the book where they are supposed to have never done things that you or I take for granted, like light a match, and get it right away. It bothered me because it did not seem authentic. I remember saying to myself, “How could they do that so quickly?”
Yet, DuPrau is a really good writer in spite of missing the details I found significant. She has a way for keeping her text clear and uncluttered- a task that I find difficult as a writer. In all honesty, the style in which she writes is a pleasure to read.
The City of Ember is about two kids named Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow. They live in Ember, an underground city that was formed by a group of men and women everyone refers to as The Builders when life on the surface was coming to an end. The Builders thought of everything from electricity, schools, a governmental system, and anything else that the citizens of Ember might need when they founded the city over 200 years ago. Unfortunately, they only expected the citizens to live there 200 years and did not plan for an extended stay, so the city is very nearly falling apart, and the citizens are running out of all life’s essentials like food and electricity.
The story begins on assignment day- the day where each child is given an important job. Doon wants to work underground so he can be near the generator. He is sure he knows a way to fix it and keep the city of Ember from being engulfed in darkness forever. Lina on the other hand has always wanted to be a messenger and deliver messages from person to person. She loves to run- fast! On assignment day, Doon draws messenger- and wants to switch with Lina, who got a job in the pipe works. So they switch, but their adventure does not end there. Lina and Doon stumble upon a map that could lead them and everyone else out of Ember and back onto the surface where they can live free in the light and the air. But can they uncover the exit before it is too late?
This book has all the right things- good story line, adventure, unusual characters, and an interesting plot- but it really did not do it for me. I wish I had not seen the movie first, because if I had not, I might have liked it more. As it is, I read the rest of the series because I bought them, certain I would love them after seeing the movie, but I was disappointed. Had it been the other way around, I would have liked them more…I think.
Now, I know that this series received lots of awards and recommendations but, I did not love it. It was good enough to keep reading, but there were small details in it that stuck out with and made me less than excited to keep on reading. For example, there is a part in the book where they are supposed to have never done things that you or I take for granted, like light a match, and get it right away. It bothered me because it did not seem authentic. I remember saying to myself, “How could they do that so quickly?”
Yet, DuPrau is a really good writer in spite of missing the details I found significant. She has a way for keeping her text clear and uncluttered- a task that I find difficult as a writer. In all honesty, the style in which she writes is a pleasure to read.
The City of Ember is about two kids named Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow. They live in Ember, an underground city that was formed by a group of men and women everyone refers to as The Builders when life on the surface was coming to an end. The Builders thought of everything from electricity, schools, a governmental system, and anything else that the citizens of Ember might need when they founded the city over 200 years ago. Unfortunately, they only expected the citizens to live there 200 years and did not plan for an extended stay, so the city is very nearly falling apart, and the citizens are running out of all life’s essentials like food and electricity.
The story begins on assignment day- the day where each child is given an important job. Doon wants to work underground so he can be near the generator. He is sure he knows a way to fix it and keep the city of Ember from being engulfed in darkness forever. Lina on the other hand has always wanted to be a messenger and deliver messages from person to person. She loves to run- fast! On assignment day, Doon draws messenger- and wants to switch with Lina, who got a job in the pipe works. So they switch, but their adventure does not end there. Lina and Doon stumble upon a map that could lead them and everyone else out of Ember and back onto the surface where they can live free in the light and the air. But can they uncover the exit before it is too late?
This book has all the right things- good story line, adventure, unusual characters, and an interesting plot- but it really did not do it for me. I wish I had not seen the movie first, because if I had not, I might have liked it more. As it is, I read the rest of the series because I bought them, certain I would love them after seeing the movie, but I was disappointed. Had it been the other way around, I would have liked them more…I think.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Paper Back Swap
I thought I would take a second to tell you all about Paper Back Swap. It is this fantastic website out there where you post old books that you no longer want. When someone is interested in the book, they simply request that book from you and you in turn, mail that book to their home address. Once they receive the book, you earn a credit that you can use to request a book from another member.
Like a lot of people out there, I am always looking for a more eco-friendly and money-saving way to get my hands on books. I often visit garage sales or used book stores in an attempt to satisfy my need to read and keep extra money in my pocket book during the process. I was so excited when I found out about Paper Back Swap because it has already saved me a fortune, and I have found a few books that are out of print I wanted to read.
Paper Back Swap even offers a part on your personal page where you can make up a wish list for books you would like to get when they become available if you really want something and it has not yet made its way to Paper Back Swap yet. It is great!
If you have a chance, you can check it out at paperbackswap.com!
Like a lot of people out there, I am always looking for a more eco-friendly and money-saving way to get my hands on books. I often visit garage sales or used book stores in an attempt to satisfy my need to read and keep extra money in my pocket book during the process. I was so excited when I found out about Paper Back Swap because it has already saved me a fortune, and I have found a few books that are out of print I wanted to read.
Paper Back Swap even offers a part on your personal page where you can make up a wish list for books you would like to get when they become available if you really want something and it has not yet made its way to Paper Back Swap yet. It is great!
If you have a chance, you can check it out at paperbackswap.com!
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