Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Above, by Isla Morley, ends 4/18

Don't panic. The electricity's gone out; give it a minute.

If this were home, Mama would be feeling her way to the pantry for the lantern and the matches she keeps on top shelf. Gerhard would have the flashlight under his chin, his bottom teeth thrust outward and his eyes crossed and buggy, and Suzie would be getting all hysterical, and if he really were the bogeyman. And Daddy would be chiding Gerhard, but only halfheartedly, because there's nothing better than spooking girls.

But this is not home. This is not any kind of place you'd put a person. What kind of things to people put in a place like this? How far underground am I? There were a lot of stairs and a long passage that kept making sharp left and right turns. And too many doors to keep track of. Locks.

Just think of home. Just give it a minute. Just wait.

I received this book off of NetGalley to review, and then was fortunate enough to receive a hard-copy from the publisher as well. I thought for sure the novel was going to be similar to Room, by Emma Donaghue, but although the very core of the premise is the same, many things are different, down to the personality of Blythe's captor to what happens when she gets out of her prison.

Official synopsis:
I am a secret no one is able to tell.

Blythe Hallowell is sixteen when she is abducted by a survivalist and locked away in an aban­doned missile silo in Eudora, Kansas. At first, she focuses frantically on finding a way out, until the harrowing truth of her new existence settles in—the crushing loneliness, the terrifying madness of a captor who believes he is saving her from the end of the world, and the persistent temptation to give up. But nothing prepares Blythe for the burden of raising a child in confinement. Deter­mined to give the boy everything she has lost, she pushes aside the truth about a world he may never see for a myth that just might give mean­ing to their lives below ground. Years later, their lives are ambushed by an event at once promis­ing and devastating. As Blythe’s dream of going home hangs in the balance, she faces the ultimate choice—between survival and freedom.

Read More

Quick Pick: Paper Towns, by John Green

• Opening line: "The way I figure it, everyone gets a miracle."
• Reason I picked up the book: I read and loved The Fault in Our Stars by the same author (which premieres in theaters soon) and heard that Paper Towns will be a movie soon as well, with one of the same cast members (Nat Wolff) from TFIOS.
• And what's this book about?
Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

• Favorite paragraph: 

"Here's what's not beautiful about it: from here, you can't see the rust or the cracked paint or whatever, but you can tell what the place really is. You can see how fake it all is. It's not even hard enough to be made out of plastic. It's a paper town. I mean look at it, Q: look at all those cul-de-sacs, those streets that turn in on themselves, all the houses that were built to fall apart. All those paper people living in their paper houses, burning the future to stay warm. All the paper kids drinking beer some bum bought for them at the paper convenience store. Everyone demented with the mania of owning things. All the things paper-thin and paper-frail. And all the people, too. I've lived here for eighteen years and I have never in my life come across anyone who cares about anything that matters.

"I'll try to not take that personally," I said.

• Recommended for: fans of Young Adult books or adventure stories. Or anyone who is a fan of fiction, really - it was a fantastic book.
• Something to know: John Green will be a producer on the movie version of Paper Towns.
• What I would have changed: That's a hard question with this book. I may have changed the ending a little bit, but overall it did fit the novel and its themes.
• Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Read More

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: movie vs. short story

Ben Stiller in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

*Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary Google Play download of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty to facilitate this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

I was able to see the film version of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty back in December 2013 (click here for review) and I still remember how great the cinematography was and how it was such a breath of fresh air - a very original movie. The movie is actually based on a short story of the same name, by James Thurber, which was published on March 18, 1939. I was able to read the short story recently and was surprised by how different it was from the movie.

The general theme of the story is the same as the movie: Walter tends to daydream - okay, he daydreams a LOT - and it helps him cope with his mundane life.
Some major differences are:

• In the story, he is married, and it revolves around a day of him accompanying and dropping of his wife for errands; in the film, he has a major crush on a coworker (Kristen Wiig), and even goes as far as to join eHarmony just to talk to her.
• The story was published in 1939 and has the feel of that time period - "overshoes," brandy, etc. is referenced throughout. The film takes place in present-day.
• The story seems to take place in the suburbs, and Walter Mitty lives in NYC in the movie.
• And, the most major difference: Walter Mitty decides to have a real-life adventure in the movie, for the purpose of finding a lost photo negative of which he was in charge. The story's character doesn't do this at the end of the story.

Read More

Book Review: Now and Forever

Now and Forever, by Susane Colasanti.

We must look like typical teens to anyone watching us. Girlfriend sitting on the porch. Boyfriend bouncing a basketball. The sun dipping behind the trees, throwing orange streaks of light across them. Just your average American high school sweethearts on a fall afternoon.

It's amazing how what we assume about other people can be so different from the truth.

I'll admit that I'm a huge fan of Susane Colasanti's books, always about teens falling (or already in) love, but I haven't had a chance to read the past few - so I was psyched when I was able to score an ARC (Advance Reader's Copy) from the publisher for this one. As usual, Colasanti does a great job of bringing us in to the world of these characters, and this world is something a little different: the world of fame and stardom.

Official synopsis:
What if your boyfriend was the world's biggest rockstar?

Sterling is crazy in love with Ethan. Not only is he the sweetest boy she's ever met, but he's an incredibly talented guitarist, singer, and songwriter. And since forever, he's believed he has what it takes to be a star.

When Ethan becomes an overnight sensation, he's thrown head-first into the glam world of celebrity-and so is Sterling. Before she knows it, she's attending red-carpet premieres, getting free designer clothes, and flying around the country to attend Ethan's monumental sold-out concerts.

It's a dream come true ... but whose dream is Sterling living? And what do you do when "forever" comes to an end?

Read More

Book Review: Allegiant (Divergent #3)

Allegiant, by Veronica Roth (Divergent series, #3).

I used to think that when people fell in love, they just landed where they landed, and they had no choice in the matter afterward. And maybe that's true of beginnings, but it's not true of this, now. 

I fell in love with him. But I don't just stay with him by default as if there's no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me. 

I was going to make Allegiant a "Quick Pick" review, but I just can't ... there's too much I want to say about it. I read Divergent back in 2011 (review here) and reviewed Insurgent, book #2 in the series, last week, after I had seen Divergent the movie as a refresher, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on Allegiant. I had unfortunately stumbled across some spoilers online before reading it, so I knew part of the ending, but I wanted to know how things played out the way they did.

Official synopsis:
The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Read More

Blu-ray Review: The Book Thief (based on the book by Markus Zusak)

*Disclosure: I received a copy of The Book Thief on Blu-ray to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

I reviewed The Book Thief back on my film blog in November 2013, and I enjoyed it a lot. I read the book of the same name a while back, as well, and remembered liking it.

Now the movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD, and it has a few special features that might make it worth your while.

First, a little about the movie if you're unfamiliar with it:

Based on the beloved best-selling book comes an “extremely moving” (Leonard Maltin, Indiewire) story of a girl who transforms the lives of those around her during World War II, Germany. When her mother can no longer care for her, Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) is adopted by a German couple (OSCAR® Winner Geoffrey Rush* and OSCAR® Nominee Emily Watson). Although she arrives illiterate, Liesel is encouraged to learn to read by her adoptive father. When the couple then takes in Max (Ben Schnetzer), a Jew hiding from Hitler’s army, Liesel befriends him. Ultimately, words and imagination provide the friends with an escape from the events unfolding around them in this extraordinary, acclaimed film directed by Brian Percival (Downton Abbey).

Read More

Book Review: A Gate of Night (A Shade of Vampire #6)

A Gate of Night, by Bella Forrest.

"Just do it. All you need to know is that this time tomorrow, the real vampires take over." Fear flashed in her expression. "They will want food and drinks. Or their version of it. And, of course, plenty of entertainment."

My heart fell. All hope I had of creating a new vision for our home melted away. Her words were clear enough.

The Elders were coming to take over The Shade and the horrifying reality sank into me, as well as my companions.

We were their food.

We were their drink.

We were their entertainment.

This novel (#6 in the Shade of Vampire series) was written from many characters' POVs, and the above is from Vivienne, Derek's sister. On Goodreads, someone mentioned something like "this novel is the most tense in the series," and I would agree with that; all of the characters are in peril, and none more than Sofia, who has been imprisoned at The Blood Keep (evil vampires' lair, basically) and is also pregnant with twins.

Official synopsis:
Welcome back to The Shade ...

Derek and Sofia are finally enjoying a well-deserved break. Staying at a resort with good food, sun and sea, Sofia is thrilled to witness Derek’s re-introduction to the human world.

They would almost be mistaken for a normal young couple, if it were not for the red-eyed monster lurking in the shadows and watching their every move, waiting for his signal to pounce ...
-

There is definitely a reason that Bella Forrest has 50,000+ followers on her Facebook page, and that's because this series is fantastic. I've been fortunate enough to review all of the books in the series so far (see below for full set of links), and this was maybe the best as of yet, although we don't get a lot of Derek and Sofia time since they are separated.

The Shade has been taken over by bad vampires, who have still left Vivenne, the Shade's Queen, in charge, but she basically has to do what they tell her to do. Meanwhile, the Elders (who run The Blood Keep, where Sofia is), are planning on crashing the party as well. Derek is kinda being held captive at the Ageless's compound (a woman who seems to like yoga and meditation) - he's eventually able to leave but not for a while. He also doesn't know that Sofia is pregnant, but the Ageless and everyone in contact with her knows.

Read More