fiction | the bookend.

mockingjay :)

as if i have time to be on here right now. i’ve been in the middle of moving (hence my absence) so my world is on fire at the moment, but there’s always time for an amazing book 🙂 happy reading!

August 24, 2010 | Categories: musings | Tags: book, catching fire, fantasy, fiction, mockingjay, suzanne collins, the hunger games, young adult | 1 Comment

the cover of this book is so misleading. it features a young black woman above some old housing units. the picture is sort of faded and muted which brings to mind old 19th century photographs. my first impression is that it’s some historical fiction novel. i am not interested. i do not like stories that deal much with history. not to my surprise, the story of Dana is set amidst slavery on the Weylin plantation. but what stunned me about this novel right off the bat is the extremely paranormal piece of it. the paranormal event was the perfect hook to get me into this novel and it was well-placed at the beginning of the story. yes, the novel deals with the lives of slaves on a plantation and explores the hierarchy of command of the plantation owner and his family, but it is only a backdrop of the more intriguing story of how Dana fits in to all of it.

the flow of time in this tale is interesting. it opens with the ending, then starts from the beginning, then proceeds to bounce back and forth through time. without giving away any of the awesome surprises, Dana, who is a young well-educated back woman, becomes eerily connected to Rufus, a white boy who is heir to the plantation and all its slaves. Dana must fight for Rufus’s life or it will mean she will never exist (paradox!), all the while she must adjust to life on a plantation and fight also to save and be with her husband, Kevin (who is white, which helps to twist up the plot).

i found Dana and Kevin to be an incredibly sweet and endearing couple. the understanding and love they shared was absolute. Dana was tough and smart, and she seemed to be much more thoughtful than i would have been in her situation. it is a beautiful story and one that i very much enjoyed. it ends bittersweetly and leaves a few burning questions.

and just in case you’ve read it, what is the significance of her arm?

July 29, 2010 | Categories: nubes | Tags: adult, book, fantasy, fiction, kindred, octavia butler, review | 3 Comments

battle royale, finally!

part 1 review
part 2 review
i am completely surprised. i cried at the end of this book. out of the freakin’ blue the author was strumming my emotions like a guitar. who knew that by the end of the novel Takami had developed an arsenal of well-developed characters? i really didn’t see that coming. i may have been distracted by tediously long descriptions of how to make a bomb and the locations of buildings, houses, etc. on the island–to name a few. i think i could have skipped pages at a time before the plot started rolling along again. i wouldn’t be surprised if another reader gave up less than half-way through due to this. but those over-achievers out there will be nicely rewarded at the end.

i thought Takami did a great job of helping me keep the characters straight. since each chapter is from a different character’s perspective, it can get a little hairy. even if i didn’t recognize who the character was right away, at some point Takami would reference something to spark my memory. i wouldn’t recommend flipping back through to sort everyone out though. when i rarely didn’t recognize someone, i just moved on, no harm done.

the killings continued to be descriptive, gory, and extremely troubling. since Takami provides the train of thought of each character, you can’t help but sympathize with some of them. those that come off as inherently evil at least garner some pity for circumstances beyond their control that turned them that way. the complexity of each character was described or at least hinted at. so everything is not always as it seems. and that helps keep the story intriguing. and the last page: poetic.

July 21, 2010 | Categories: nubes | Tags: adult, battle royale, book, fantasy, fiction, koushun takami, review | 3 Comments

new books!

my husband dropped me off at books-a-million yesterday while he took care of some business–bad idea. i spent about a million dollars on books. but i’m truly excited about them!!

the bell jar by sylvia plath

brave new world by aldous huxley

the book thief by markus zusak

linger by maggie stiefvater

angelology by danielle trussoni

July 20, 2010 | Categories: musings | Tags: adult, book, fantasy, fiction, young adult | Leave a comment

twilight saga: eclipse–the movie

i only saw it today so that should say how excited i was. but i would describe my drive to see it as more of a curiosity. in general, i thought it was better than the second one. but “new moon” was the worst book (or most boring, whatever) so i think all the movies in the saga will be better that it was. “eclipse” had a better storyline, better soundtrack, better acting, better special effects. i did enjoy reading that the wolves couldn’t have genitals in order to keep it a PG-13 rating. they just stuck extra hair “down there”. bella’s character/kristen’s acting annoy me and i snub my nose at pattinson’s portrayal of edward. he just doesn’t hit the mark for me. i’d sum it up by saying he’s just pansy-ish on screen and doesn’t capture the complexity and quiet strength of the book character.

i will say that i was extremely pleased with rosalie’s and jasper’s backstory. i’ve never seen nikki reed look more beautiful as rosalie and i thought the delivery of her lines was impeccable. she really is an amazing actress, just watch “thirteen”. i’m looking forward to her bigger role in “breaking dawn”. and jasper was such a cutie. i always wondered why they never really gave him a southern accent in the movies. and it was like BAM! there it was 🙂 i guess when he takes on a position of authority, the southern twang makes an appearance.

the fight scenes were quite entertaining and not nearly long enough. definitely not nearly long enough. i enjoyed the effect of when the vampires were torn apart–it sounded like breaking glass and twisting metal. bree’s appearances tugged at my heart. especially after reading “the short second life of bree tanner” and knowing how doomed she was. i was also impressed with xavier as riley. he acted brilliantly. which is why he gets to be my post image.

as far as the drama went with the love triangle, i couldn’t care less. i wanted to see more of leah and seth. i feel like i cared about everyone else except bella and edward. i’d say that the best parts of the movie for me were rosalie, jasper, and the action sequences. oh, and bella’s ring looked like a $5 piece of fashion jewelry. but that’s just me.

July 15, 2010 | Categories: musings | Tags: adventure, book, eclipse, fantasy, fiction, movie, review, stephenie meyer, twilight, young adult | 5 Comments

prophecy of the sisters by michelle zink

part 1 review
so, Lia and i are good now. there were two specific instances, one with her boyfriend james and one with her aunt virginia, where she went balls to the wall and stood up for herself. bravo. along with Lia’s growing toughness, the prophecy has become more complicated and far-reaching. by the end it’s plain that this book is definitely part of a series (jeez). in fact, once i finished, i couldn’t help but think that the adventure has yet to begin. that the entire novel was merely a set-up to the actual journey. it wasn’t as much of a letdown as i would have thought. probably because the last few chapters set up for quite an adventure and the excitement i felt far overpowered the annoying aspects.

i did have a strong emotional response to Lia’s and Alice’s little brother Henry. he and his sisters are about the same amount of years apart as my brother and me so i just kept picturing him as my brother. what a sweet and devoted little boy Henry is and his fate completely pulled at my heartstrings.

in the story, the worlds beyond the physical plane are called the Otherworlds. these are dangerous places to be, especially for those involved with the prophecy. and happily, Luisa and Sonia become a major part of the prophecy. always good to see those two. Alice is still lurking about and proved her insanely evil capabilities by the end. i will never forgive her.

i felt the tide turning in the end and the adventure looming…glad i’m along for the ride.

July 14, 2010 | Categories: nubes | Tags: adventure, book, fantasy, fiction, michelle zink, prophecy of the sisters, review, young adult | 1 Comment

and it never ends

omg. why does every book i pick up inevitably have to be part of a series? it’s completely the fashion in book-writing nowadays. especially with YA. my frustration came to a head when i looked over the book selection in my local supermarket this week. i saw a book cover that looked strangely like the three covers of alyson noel’s “the immortals” series. upon further inspection i verified that it was indeed the fourth book in the series. good grief. i have the third book “shadowland” in my TBR pile. now i’m even farther behind. i don’t even like the series but i feel compelled to finish because i’m in so deep. ugh. first “the maze runner” then “prophecy of the sisters” now this. of course, those two are pretty awesome so i don’t have much of a complaint there (especially with “the maze runner” which is completely amazing). but i do desire the satisfaction of finishing a novel and having it be the end of it. i must finish “battle royale”.

July 14, 2010 | Categories: musings | Tags: adventure, alyson noel, book, book series, fantasy, fiction, prophecy of the sisters, the maze runner, young adult | 4 Comments

beginning prophecy of the sisters by michelle zink

dark and bleak. this novel even begins with a funeral. i almost put it away because i didn’t know if i was in the mood for all that. but i persevered. the story hidden amongst the dreariness became worth it. it centers around twin sisters in 1890 new york who slowly realize they are part of a prophecy. a nasty one. the “good” sister is established right away as Lia and the bad one is Alice. since we’re following along with Lia, i find Alice more intriguing with her secretively seductive ways. Lia is just confused and scared all the time, which is understandable since she’s finding out creepy things about herself and the people around her. her sweet boyfriend James found an old book in her father’s library hidden in a secret compartment which sets the plot rolling. an excerpt:

Through fire and harmony mankind endured

Until the sending of the Guards

Who took as wives and lovers the woman of man,

Engendering His wrath.

Two sisters, formed in the same swaying ocean,

One the Guardian, One the Gate.

One keeper of peace,

The other bartering sorcery for devotion.

there’s more and it just gets creepier. i’m happy with the plot so far. it’s moving along by introducing characters that help reveal more about the prophecy. i’m absolutely in love with the character of Luisa Torelli. she was introduced not a moment too soon. Luisa is like a steaming mug of godiva hot cocoa within this brooding wintry tale. another girl named Sonia has also come into play and since she’s a fortune teller or “spiritualist” as they say, she has a lot of knowledge about the prophecy. these secondary characters are lovely and i only hope Lia will hike up that petticoat and grow a set.
final review

July 12, 2010 | Categories: nubes | Tags: book, fantasy, fiction, michelle zink, prophecy of the sisters, review, young adult | 1 Comment

battle royale …cont.

part 1 review
you know, when i started reading the first few pages i couldn’t help but think “why is this book boring right now?” it consists mostly of backstory so i chucked it up to that. and since it was originally written in japanese, maybe something got lost in translation? anyway, boooooring. and i was dismayed because the book weighs a ton and i knew i’d never make it through if it kept up that attitude. but like i said before, the story completely captivates once the killing starts. in fact, i’m on page 342 (21 students remaining).

i’m highly impressed that i can recognize each of the 42 students most of the time. especially when they have names like yoshio, keita, tatsumichi, toshinori, etc. That should say wonders about how well the characters are fleshed out. the story is progressing by sorting out who has given into killing and who are the ones determined to survive and escape. lots of violence and the descriptions are pretty darn descriptive. as i’m learning more about the main characters, i find myself more concerned about their well-being. some tricky stuff is coming up in the plot and some ingenious tactics are being used by some smart characters. i feel the rapid page turning about to begin so i’m thinking the next time i post on battle royale, it will be the last.
final review

July 10, 2010 | Categories: nubes | Tags: adult, adventure, battle royale, book, fantasy, fiction, koushun takami, review | 2 Comments

the maze runner by james dashner

i admit that i bought this book at SAM’S of all places. it was sitting amongst some other YA novels that i enjoyed. i never heard of it, but the cover looked neato so i figured “what the hell”. strangely, i seem to have really good luck with the books i pick up there. i’ve had it in my book arsenal for, who knows, maybe a little under a year now and i figured it was time to dust it off and get to readin’. my husband chose it as my next read out of a pile of to-be-read books and what an awesome choice that was.

essentially, it’s about a maze, lol. but seriously, some boys are mysteriously sent up to the maze with their memories swiped and they build a way of life while trying to escape. it’s not worth saying anymore because the surprises are worth it. the author is so good at giving you just enough teaser evenly throughout the story to keep it riveting. i had a million questions the whole way through and dashner gave just enough information to keep you hooked without divulging all the answers. a quite even spread. what intrigued me the most was the feeling i got early on that the maze is part of a larger, catastrophic, all-encompassing problem. it was one of the first things i picked up on because i LOVE when stories are part of a much bigger picture. and the best part of getting to the end of a novel like this is when it says “END OF BOOK ONE”. that kind of thing sends me straight to google to discover that it’s going to be a trilogy!! could you die?! ——>next book “The Scorch Trials” out October 12.

as far as the characters go, i didn’t feel one way or another about the main guy Thomas. i was mostly thankful he was there to tell me about all the craziness of the maze. i felt that the secondary characters were fleshed out a lot more for some reason. one maze runner named Minho and one sort-of leader named Newt were totally awesome to me. i felt for them more than anyone else i think. there was one little guy named Chuck who grew on me by the end as well. i’m happy that dashner was not afraid to appropriately kill off characters. it helps make more of a solid story to me. this is one of those stories where little details mean a lot at some point toward the end, so don’t skim over things that have no meaning yet. of course, dashner has a way of introducing meaningless details with an air of foreboding so it’s not likely you’ll forget them easily.

one last point, the slang in this book is hilarious. but i could understand if someone thought it was dumb. it came off as cute and clever to me. read: shuck-face, slinthead, klunk, shank. they are used A LOT. enjoy 🙂

July 10, 2010 | Categories: nubes | Tags: adventure, book, fantasy, fiction, james dashner, review, the maze runner, young adult | 2 Comments

beginning battle royale by koushun takami

the first thing i noticed was that this book is extremely heavy for its size. weird. i’m on page 78 and it’s been interesting because the killing has started. the plot is that a junior high class in japan is picked to fight to the death in an arena. very “hunger games”-ish, so i like it. there is actually a nice dictionary explanation of this killing ritual know as “the Program”.

Program n. 1. A listing of the order of events and other information […] 4. A battle simulation program conducted by our nation’s ground defense forces, instituted for security reasons. Officially know as Battle Experiment No. 68 Program. The first program was held in 1947. Fifty third-year junior high school classes are selected annually (prior to 1950, 47 classes were selected) to conduct the Program for research purposes. Classmates in each class are forced to fight until one survivor is left. Results from this experiment, including the elapsed time, are entered as data. The final survivor of each class (the winner) is provided with a lifetime pension and a card autographed by The Great Dictator. In reaction to protests and agitation caused by extremists during the first year of its enactment, the 317th Great Dictator gave his famous “April Speech.”

whaaaaaat?! awesomeness. makes for a thrilling and emotional story. and before every chapter there is a current body count. it started with 42 students, 21 girls and boys. i’m currently at “38 students remaining”. so far, the story has been narrated by a boy named Shuya Nanahara who is immediately likable. all the students are on an island and have just been released from the central location to disperse within the island. before dispersing, each student received a bag filled with food, water, and a random weapon. keeps getting better. they each have a metal collar around their neck which will explode if they try to remove it. even better, the island is divided into zones and a computer will randomly select forbidden zones. if you don’t evacuate a forbidden zone by the given time, the collar will explode. keeps the students moving around. there’s so much more but you’ll have to actually read it to get all the details, duh.

Shuya has witnessed the deaths of some classmates and still cannot wrap his head around the idea that they have to kill each other. he’s still holding out hope that he can meet with his classmates and plan a way of escaping. so far, he’s only caught up with one injured girl, Noriko Nakagawa, and they are on the run. will Shuya keep from falling into the government’s trap and believe the only way to survive is to kill his friends? I DON’T KNOW! THIS MESS IS CRAZY!
part 2 review
final review

May 18, 2010 | Categories: nubes | Tags: adult, adventure, battle royale, book, fiction, koushun takami, review, the hunger games | 2 Comments

percy jackson and the olympians: the lightning thief — movie

first off, i liked it. two hours went by and i remained fully immersed. the action sequences had a lot of umph and power so i was glad they didn’t try to make it some soft pansy kid movie. well, it couldn’t be a kid movie since most of the cast was approaching mid-twenties and 12 year old percy was actually 18, but who’s nitpicking? i mean, annabeth’s blond curly hair was brunette and straight and grover’s gangly acne-ridden awkwardness was replaced by a stronger, older, comedic brandon t. jackson. but you know, alexandra deddario has beautiful blue eyes that are striking against her dark hair and actually perpetuate a sense of godliness and brandon t. jackson was an amazing comedic relief. and his CG goat legs came out great. so no harm done.

i heard that the director chris columbus replaced the chimera with the hydra because he thought the chimera was lame. but the hydra shows up in the second book. i guess he’s just going to leave it out of the second movie since it doesn’t play a huge role. and why make medusa beautiful (uma thurman)? but i guess the hydra was enough ugly for the movie. WHERE WAS CLARISSE???? THALIA????? and more importantly, WHERE WAS ANY MENTION OF KRONOS????? oh wait, i think they did mention him in the museum. it just kills me that a movie will fail at building an underlying thread when the whole story is already written out. instead, they will introduce a backstory all at once when it has less of an impact. i mean, when the trio are in the underworld, there’s no tartarus and krono’s voice trying to suck percy down. no shoes with wings trying to fly grover into the abyss. luke does give percy the shoes with wings but they aren’t used at all how they are in the book.

i have to say that my favorite part was the lotus casino and hotel. perfection. lady gaga songs and all. and the effect of eating the lotus flowers…you have to see it. i didn’t really like the camp on screen. they didn’t have separate cabins for each god. they even made it so that poseidon built a lodge specifically for percy only. the gods were made to be more influential in their children’s lives. and instead of the long standing rule that gods can only act indirectly with half-blood offspring, the movie made it so that zeus made this rule because poseidon was becoming too involved with percy. AND there’s no mention that “the big three” made a pact to never procreate again. AND there was no waiting for your possible god parent to claim you. everyone just accepted that percy was poseidon’s kid. i’ve learned long ago to separate my book and movie experiences so that if something does match up, i’m impressed. i’m excited to see the rest and hope that the liberties are at least kept on the same level as this one.

February 25, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: adventure, fantasy, fiction, movie, percy jackson and the olympians, review, rick riordan, the lightning thief, young adult | 2 Comments

percy jackson and the olympians: the lightning thief

i caved. i saw the movie trailer before anything and thought “what is this harry potter rip-off crap?” then it made it on someone’s end of the year best books list and that’s when i caved. i can’t help but compare it to harry potter. the adventurous trio: two boys and a girl. the girl being the genius of the group. one boy who is an adorable dimwit, then the star of the show who is brave and defiant…gee whiz. they even use the term “half-blood” for their camp name (not to mention that they have to go to this camp to hone special skills). the trio go on perilous adventures to save the world. sheesh. aside from the minor distraction of comparing percy jackson with harry potter, i enjoyed it quite a lot.

it is a bit geared towards a younger crowd but i found myself laughing out loud a few times by some special one liners. the incorporation of traditional greek myths was very interesting and the way they were reworked to fit into a modern time was fun. i really appreciated the explanation of why certain characters in greek mythology were alive today even though they were supposed to be killed in the myths. kronos, who is the titan father of “the big three” (zeus, poseidon, and hades) is given some explanation. i wasn’t very familiar with titans in mythology and i found it refreshing that the mention of this titan father is the start of the thread to the 5 book series. it was very easy to get lost in the details of this story: the daddy/mommy issues all demigods (half-bloods) have, the dyslexia & ADHD, the magical weapons, the prophecies, the pit stops during the trio’s quest that each touch on a different myth, the tragedy of thalia…yeah, i impulsively bought the entire series in hardback and it came in this cool chest thing.

February 25, 2010 | Categories: nubes | Tags: adventure, book, fantasy, fiction, percy jackson, review, rick riordan, young adult | Leave a comment

the dew breaker

i got my mitts on this one from my friend natosha. and just like dean koontz’s “the face” i kept putting it off and making moon eyes at percy jackson. but i got it together and started reading it–it’s really short so it won’t waste too much time. apparently i will never learn that i might actually like a book i know nothing about. it’s been the case many times but bad habits die hard.

this novel is essentially about a man and most everyone connected to him in some way. i don’t think i’ve read anything like this before. each chapter is about a different person and narrated by each one. only through the telling of each person’s story do you figure out who they are in relation to the man and at what time in their lives they were affected by him. we learn that a dew breaker is what torturers are called in haiti back in the day. the man was a dew breaker before he escaped to new york and the story begins with him trying to explain his past life to his daughter.

the story caught me off guard because most novels are written about a central character and their story, with minor or lesser attention to other characters and side stories. “the dew breaker” is written so that each character garners as much devotion from the reader as the man. from the man’s point of view we see that he is just trying to live his life with his past behind him. he has changed his name and appearance and talks little to the people around him. he tries to move on from his past, but in his wake are the stories of those who would never forget what he did. it’s very touching and left me feeling heavy and sad at the end. go read it.

February 9, 2010 | Categories: nubes | Tags: adult, book, edwidge danticat, fiction, review, the dew breaker | 2 Comments

the lovely bones – movie

wow. good gracious. that was awesome. can i first say that the casting was utterly perfect. who knew marky mark could act? or at least show that much emotion? and emotion is one thing that the actors didn’t hold back on. i love it when actors really cry when they’re supposed to cry instead of just making pouty unhappy faces 😦 and they weren’t just crying. they showed anguish and it was beautifully and tragically done. saoirse ronan (pronounced seer-sha) as susie salmon is breathtaking. i knew saoirse was the ish after seeing “atonement” and “city of ember”. she’s my new hero. she was completely unafraid to embrace the entire spectrum of emotion that the story requires.

and reece ritchie who plays ray singh was a perfect match. in the few moments that he interacts with saoirse in the movie, he completely captured the fact that ray was in love with susie. ray’s feelings for susie could have easily lacked the depth it had in the book but reece pulled it off in a way that made me cry. we should all be so lucky. the way the movie progressed had me concerned about the part where susie inhabits ruth’s body and finally looses her virginity to ray. but peter jackson (in all your wisdom, i bow to thee) decided that in the movie version ray and susie would not kiss before she died, instead susie would possess ruth to finally get that first kiss from ray. it wasn’t lacking in the least. the rape was not shown at all which was another thing i was concerned about. what happened during susie’s brutal murder was implied, which made it all the more deceptive and disgusting.

susan sarandon as susie’s grandmother was a breath of fresh air, just as the character is in the book. brilliant acting. i’m already comfortable seeing rachel weisz in roles like she played in “the constant gardener” and “definitely, maybe” so i felt she captured the intelligent and untamed nature of susie’s mother wonderfully. and is stanley tucci creepy or what?! those fake teeth and that comb over do wonders.

the movie is also beautiful to look at. the effects were appropriate and blended seamlessly with the story line (although tons of people disagree). and the music wasn’t afraid to get crazy. it was effective in a way that amplified your perception of the scene. saoirse’s voiceover was done perfectly to help narrate through the passing of time. not even a trace of her irish accent. she’s amazing. especially when she delivers the line “these were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections — sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent — that happened after I was gone.” made me cry. sappy me.

my eyes burned fiercely through the movie. i’m not kidding when i say that reece ritchie plays a mean ray singh. when he delivers one of my favorite lines “you are beautiful, susie salmon” i cried every time. and yes, he gives the line more than once, yay for kleenex. and the ending when susie reaches her ultimate destination and meets the other victims…no words…just tears.

thank you peter jackson for staying true to the book, as you always do. and the liberties you took were perfect and no less genius than your previous adaptations (minus the king kong remake).

February 7, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: alice sebold, fiction, movie, review, the lovely bones | 3 Comments

dusting

because my blog is dusty. i am a negligent blogger as of late. what is my problem? get it together! i finished a book called “the dew breaker”, amazing, set in haiti. will need to post on that. almost done with the first “percy jackson and the olympians” book. i guess i should update my “what i’m currently reading” page. need to start reading friends’ books i’ve had for months. maybe then i can finally finish the books that i own like “under the dome” and “shiver”. this makes me feel extremely behind. probably not a good idea that i just bought another book at sam’s club. why have i been recently buying tons of books from sam’s? seems odd. i’ve absolutely decided to entertain the idea of opening my own small bookstore. trying to determine my niche. maybe i’ll do posts on that journey as well. i’ve become comfortable incorporating the words loquacious, garrulous, laconic, and taciturn into conversations. and so glad i didn’t get a kindle after seeing the iPad. sorry about the word vomit.

January 31, 2010 | Categories: musings | Tags: book, fantasy, fiction, kindle, projects, review, young adult | Leave a comment

the face

this was my first dean koontz novel. i got my hands on it during a book swap with some girlfriends. it took me forever to get started because i wasn’t really that interested. then i realized i needed to give it back, so i opened it. dang, man! that’s some good stuff. one thing that really stood out was how witty it was–i was not expecting that. i was laughing out loud constantly, which made me think “sheesh, this book has everything!” the subject matter is definitely not funny, but when wit and sarcasm are woven in so expertly, you can’t help but think that koontz can write.

the aforementioned subject matter would be creepy death threats, murders, anarchists run amuck, neglected children, deaths of loved ones, angels, and the devil. i sort of knew that koontz plays with the supernatural in his books, but that was it. i found it very refreshing and emotional. i think the kid in the book, fric, made me emotional. he was such a bad ass. i wanted to adopt him. i hope i have a kid just like him. he was such a bad ass. there was even a classic twist at the end that blew me away. anyway, stephen king recommended a koontz book called “the good guy” and i always respect stephen’s opinion. i may go hunting for it soon. has anyone read it?

movie notes: nah, it might be lame. the pulse of the story has to do with how the characters are affected internally.

January 6, 2010 | Categories: nubes | Tags: adult, book, dean koontz, fiction, mystery, review, supernatural, the face | 1 Comment

city of glass

after royally sucking at blogtoberfest, i am back with an actual book post! here’s my excuse: i was thrown into a new project at work against my will, which stressed and annoyed me to no end that i didn’t even have the focus to look at words in a book. the timeline totally fits–i started the project at the end of september which equals one actual book review in october (lame!). the tides turned eventually and i have been greatly rewarded 🙂 no more project and no more going to work .period. BECAUSE I AM WORKING FROM HOME!!! well, sunday is officially my last day going into work (as long as my karma holds up and doesn’t curdle or anything). this means LOOOOOOOOOOTS of time for reading…hehehehehehehehe!!!!

so, let’s talk about the book that took half my life to read, shall we? it! was! really! great! the ending to clary’s adventure was spectacular. this third and last book of “the mortal instruments” series was a little more adult (that demon was so trying to rape that girl!) but it pumped some adrenaline into the story. it helped set this book apart and establish it as one of the better grand finales i have read.

so much is revealed, especially jace and clary’s origins. i already had an inkling about jace from the second book but i still managed to be surprised. you’ll see, i just don’t want to give anything away. we see idris and alicante, a grand battle with demons, actual angels (ithuriel’s story is just gut-wrenching and raziel’s appearance is AWESOME!). clary’s mother is back in action and you’ll burn right through the chapter on her backstory. and valentine’s true evil is exposed with what he did to jace, clary, and a smoldering new guy. dear sci fi/fantasy genre, why are you so good to me? this last book has officially cemented me as a fan.

movie notes: where?!

November 15, 2009 | Categories: nubes | Tags: adventure, book, cassandra clare, city of ashes, city of bones, city of glass, fantasy, fiction, review, young adult | 1 Comment

the lovely bones

get your tissue. i’m glad i’ve finally finished this book. i have to say that it took me a while to get through it. not in a bad way. i was frequently finding myself going back over what i had just read. the way alice sebold writes is so leaden with meaning and just so plain beautiful i wanted to make sure i didn’t miss anything. i’ll admit that at the halfway point, the book’s momentum picked up big time and it turned into an unputdownable page turner. i wasn’t expecting that.

i have never come across a story like susie salmon’s before. written from the perspective of a 14 year old in heaven, she brings innocence to the story and surprisingly tells it without judgement. i mean, the girl is murdered for goodness sakes! don’t worry, this is established on the first page of the book. when susie reviews her murder once in heaven she gives a play by play as she’s lured into her murderer’s trap. susie’s companion in heaven Franny eerily says it was “like taking candy from a baby”. i love that line. it caught me by surprise. it was so frank and it set the no-nonsense tone that they have in heaven. the struggle of susie’s family is heartbreaking. the effect her murder has on her friends and community is unexpected.

there is a heavy layer of forgiveness threaded throughout. the relationship of susie’s parents Jack and Abigail was particularly emotional to me. to think that they went through ALL that and they were able to fall in love again…amazing. and jack understanding that what abigail did was her way of coping and the way he patiently waited for her…amazing. at the end of the story i felt as if i had been completely ripped apart then put back together again. it was the best unhappy happy ending i have ever read.

movie notes: i’m so there. i would just like to say that i’m a huge fan of saoirse ronan (atonement) and she is an amazing pick for susie. peter jackson is directing and i think he pulled it off. december 11th. you wouldn’t want to miss it!

October 11, 2009 | Categories: nubes | Tags: adult, alice sebold, blogtoberfest, book, fiction, review, the lovely bones | 7 Comments

book to movie: the host

most avid readers and twilight fans have already heard the news that stephenie meyer’s novel “the host” has been given the okay to become a movie. check out stephenie meyer’s website for more information. here’s her post:

I’m so excited to be working with Nick Weschler, and Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz to bring The Host to a visual format. They’ve all been a dream to work with, so lovely and collaborative, and I feel like we’re in a really good place to make a great movie together. And then to have Andrew Niccol writing and directing? Truly awesome. If you’ve never seen Gattaca, go watch it now. One of my favorite movies of all time. It’s such a great example of character driven science fiction, which is ideal for The Host, no? I’m having an absolute blast imagining different dream casts, which I would post if people didn’t take my silly blogs so seriously these days. I’m looking forward to seeing the cast lists you come up with in the fansite forums, and if any of them match mine.

So, very exciting. Yay Host!

XO
Steph

at first i was like “oh neat, guess i should go see that”. then i started to recall the story and got really excited. i remember the beginning grabbing my interest then the last 100 pages or so being crazy suspenseful that i was flipping the pages in a maniacal blur. but the rest of the book was slow going to me: reading about Wanderer wandering around the desert and her experiences in the caves with unbody-snatched people…yeah, pretty cool but i just wasn’t clicking with it. but in movie form???? hellz yeah! i can’t help but think that a movie with help add some umph to the story as they take some liberties with it. maybe condense what happens in the caves so it’s more like “bam! bam! bam! stuff’s happening all over the place!”. i’ll be there to watch it. and meyer tends to take her book to movie transitions very seriously as you can tell from her post, so i’ll bet the movie has something spectacular to offer even if the book was not the ish.

September 27, 2009 | Categories: musings | Tags: adult, adventure, book, fantasy, fiction, stephenie meyer, the host | 2 Comments

teaser tuesdays 09.22.09

teasertuesdays31

teaser tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of should be reading. i’ve decided that i can actually keep up with this particular activity between book posts and i’m really excited 🙂 check out MizB’s page for the rules.

my teaser comes from the lovely bones by alice sebold:

i felt like a sea in which he stood and pissed and shat. i felt the corners of my body were turning in on themselves and out, like in cat’s cradle, which i played with lindsey just to make her happy. (p.14)

sounds intense, huh?

September 22, 2009 | Categories: musings | Tags: adult, alice sebold, book, fiction, teaser tuesdays, the lovely bones | Leave a comment

living dead in dallas

well, finally i’m done! i watched the first 2 episodes of true blood on tvshack and it got me all excited about the books again. there’s more murder in this one which forces sookie to join in some erotic escapades later in the story. is it me or does sookie find herself in the most sexually charged environments that have no business being there? practically her whole town participates in sex parties? oh, really? the reason behind the murders in the first book was so much more believable.

luckily, sookie and co. do a stint in dallas when her “gift” is lent out to the head vampire there. this was much more interesting since “the fellowship of the sun” is introduced causing shenanigans in the vampire community. these extremists believe vampires should “meet the dawn” and burn since their very existence is sin. sookie displays her charming train of thought at one point when she asks a fellowship member when their lock-in starts:

“At six-thirty. We want our members to get here before they rise.”
For a second, I envisioned a tray of rolls set in some warm place.

oh, sookie.
anyway, sookie helps rescue a dallas vampire from the hands of the fellowship then returns to bon temps to solve the murder of her friend…blah blah blah. it’s all pretty airy. but sookie does refine her telepathic ability and is able to communicate with other telepaths. sookie and bill break up then get back together something fierce. oh, there is also a nice twist on who bill’s descendants are. i guess i found book 2 interesting enough, but book 1 sat better with me. i hear they get better so i’m sticking to it. anyway, more fellowship of the sun please! thanks.

tv notes: i’m working on it. i’ve watched approximately 2.5 episodes which rejuvenates my interest in the books. so i need a little bit of this to want a little bit of that.

September 16, 2009 | Categories: nubes | Tags: adult, adventure, book, charlaine harris, fantasy, fiction, living dead in dallas, review, sookie stackhouse | 2 Comments

nourishment!

i finally made it to a bookstore (books a million) and came away with 3 wonderful finds. i’m in the process of reading the second sookie stackhouse novel and i told myself i need to finish it before i start one of my new books, but i have ants in my pants about it. ahem! i have the following: the lovely bones by alice sebold, shiver by maggie stiefvater, and city of glass by cassandra clare. i have heard great things about all. any suggestions on where i should start?

September 13, 2009 | Categories: musings | Tags: adult, alice sebold, book, cassandra clare, city of glass, fantasy, fiction, maggie stiefvater, shiver, the lovely bones, young adult | 4 Comments

a wrinkle in time

wow, have you read this book? it’s supposed to be a children’s novel but it was written in such an advanced way and contained some very complex elements. if you read it when you were little, i suggest reading it again because you’ll probably get something completely different out of it. first of all, i’d like to bow in appreciation for all the physics this story incorporated. the plot is based on the fact that space-time can be “wrinkled” to travel from one place to another instantaneously. there’s even illustrated diagrams 🙂 stuff like this never ceases to amaze and excite me which is probably why i got my degree in physics and astronomy.

meg and the other characters use this means of transportation (called a tesseract) to try rescuing her missing father. meg’s father has been lost to “the black thing” which the characters must venture into. meg’s reaction to the black thing is chilling:

what could there be about a shadow that was so terrible that she knew that there had never been before or ever would be again, anything that would chill her with a fear that was beyond shuddering, beyond crying or screaming, beyond the possibility of comfort?

“IT” is the being who manipulates minds in order to spread the blackness. there are some very compelling scenes in this story that don’t fall short of ripping your emotions apart. from witnessing meg’s mother’s breaking heart to realizing that wonderful calvin is loved by no one to meg pouring out her love to save her brother. the premise of the story is simple: a misfit realizes she would endure all the pain and misery of the world in order to enjoy all the love and happiness it can bring. but the book is written so expertly that i was happy to go along with it.

this isn’t just an emotional rollercoaster though! when the characters arrive in a world controlled by IT, i found myself on the edge of my seat. the descriptions of all the children bouncing their balls in sync and all events happening at the allotted time made my skin prickle. it’s a small book so read it. you’ll be glad you did.

movie notes: what?! i just went to imdb and saw that there is, in fact, a movie. how did i not know this? i’m going to tvshack.net to see if i can find it. it looks pretty cheesy though.

September 7, 2009 | Categories: nubes, Uncategorized | Tags: a wrinkle in time, adventure, book, children's book, fantasy, fiction, madeleine l'engle, review | 8 Comments

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