Top Ten | Book to Movie Adaptations (Part One)

Lately in the film world it seems as though there have been more film adaptations of books than films which have been written as just films. Film adaptations aren't just a recent phenomenon, however, they've been around for a long, long time; there are plenty of terribles ones (*cough*Eragon*cough*) but every so often a film is adapted so perfectly, or so uniquely, that it pleases readers of the book and even introduces film buffs to the original source material.
     So, without further ado and in no particular order, here are the first five of my personal top ten book to movie adaptations!

Holes, dir. Andrew Davis (2003)

Based on Holes by Louis Sachar

As it was a book I was assigned to read in school, Holes was a book I was certain I wasn't going to like. Oh how wrong I was. Holes follows the story of Stanley Yelnats IV who, after a severe case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, is accused and found guilty of a crime he didn't commit and sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention and correction facility where the 'inmates' are made to dig holes in the desert to build their character. But all at Camp Green Lake is not as it seems. The story includes a family curse, a doomed love story, a teacher-turned-outlaw, a hunt for treasure, yellow-spotted lizards and some onions. This story is not to be missed.

     I enjoyed Holes immensely and, luckily for my class, we were able to watch the movie adaptation in school too; we'd read a section, and then see how it had been adapted, and while there are some differences, as there always are in movie adaptations, I personally think it's very true to the book. The core feeling of the story is there, so whether you've read the book or not this is a film you simply have to see. But if you haven't read the book, what are you waiting for?

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, dir. Alfonso Cuarón (2004)

Based on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

As probably the most famous book series and film franchise out there, a Harry Potter book-turned-film just had to be on this list. In this third installment of the series the threat against Harry's life is not coming from Voldemort but from notorious criminal Sirius Black, who is not quite what everyone thinks and who is much closer to Harry than anyone could possibly imagine.

     Amongst Harry Potter fans, such as myself, this film is often considered one of the best adaptations in the franchise; it's very true to the book, stylistically beautiful and - this is very important! - Harry's hair is perfect. The Prisoner of Azkaban focuses much more on giving Harry a sense of home and family, and giving him a connection to his deceased parents, which is just what he needs given the amount of crap he's going to go through in his fourth year. I love this adaptation.

A Little Princess, dir. Alfonso Cuarón (1995)

Based on A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

This film has a special place in my heart, alongside other childhood classics like Beauty and the Beast, The Swan Princess, and Tom's Midnight Garden. I watched this film a lot as a little girl. A lot. And as I grew older its simple message that: 'All girls are princesses; it is our right' would easily cheer me up if I was feeling glum, because let's face it every little girl wants to believe she's a princess.
     A Little Princess follows the young Sara Crewe, the only daughter of a wealthy widower, who is sent away to Miss Minchin's boarding school in America from her beloved home in India when her father goes to war. When her father is killed in action Sara is left penniless, and she is forced to work as a serving girl for the cruel Miss Minchin. 

     In the original text, Sara is sent to a boarding school in England because she's at the age where wealthy little girls are sent to boarding school. Rather than being called to war, her father instead dies of jungle fever, and leaves Sara penniless after investing all of his money into diamond mines. Like in the film, Sara must earn her keep at the boarding school as a servant girl. Despite the differences, this adaptation is beautiful and very true to the message in the original story.

     Whether you approach the story through the book or the film - or both! - it's a hopeful tale for the princess in all of us.

Treasure Planet, dir. Ron Clements and John Musker (2002)

Based on Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

If you thought the changes made to A Little Princess were severe then you obviously weren't anticipating Disney's take on Robert Louis Stevenson's swashbuckling adventure story. While the title has had a bit of a tweak, the only major difference between Treasure Island and Treasure Planet is the setting; while the former takes place on the seven seas, the latter takes place in space. Pretty cool, right?
     When young delinquent Jim Hawkins finds himself in possession of the map to the infamous Captain Flint's treasure, he sets out on a quest to find the fortune that will solve all his problems, and along the way he befriends a cyborg cook who's missing a leg...

     If nothing else this adaptation is a lot of fun; seeing such a classic story re-told with a steampunk/sci-fi twist brings it to life in a whole new way for a whole new generation. Don't knock it 'til you try it!

The Silence of the Lambs, dir. Jonathan Demme (1991)

Based on The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

"Buffalo Bill" has been murdering and skinning young women, and the FBI need to stop him before he strikes again. Clarice Starling is pulled from training at the FBI Academy to interview the dangerous and charismatic Hannibal Lecter, an incarcerated cannibalistic serial killer, in the hope that his knowledge may prove useful in the FBI's pursuit of "Buffalo Bill". Clarice and Dr Lecter begin to develop a peculiar relationship in which Clarice trades personal information, mostly involving the premature death of her beloved father, for Lecter's insight. Time is of the essence, particularly when the daughter of a US Senate goes missing.

     Only two words are needed to explain why this adaptation is on my list: Anthony Hopkins. In 1991 both he and Jodie Foster won Oscars for their leading roles in this film, which is amazing when, altogether, Hopkins is in the film for just over 16 minutes in total. A 16 minute Oscar winning performance, do you need any other reason to watch the film?

So there we have it, the first half of my top ten favourite book to movie adaptations. Check back next Monday to see the final half of my list!

Thanks for reading! J.

Banned Books Week!

September 22nd-28th, 2013 is Banned Books Week, so celebrate freadom by reading a book that was once judged too naughty to be read! If you're not sure if one such book is sitting on your shelf then here are just three examples from a very, very long list:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Journey with Alice down the rabbit hole into a world of wonder where oddities, logic and wordplay rule supreme. Encounter characters like the grinning Cheshire Cat who can vanish into thin air, the cryptic Mad Hatter who speaks in riddles and the harrowing Queen of Hearts obsessed with the phrase "Off with their heads!" This is a land where rules have no boundaries, eating mushrooms will make you grow or shrink, croquet is played with flamingos and hedgehogs, and exorbitant trials are held for the theft of tarts. Amidst these absurdities, Alice will have to find her own way home. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland began as a story told to three little girls in a rowboat, near Oxford. Ten year old Alice Liddell asked to have the story written down and two years later it was published with immediate success. Carroll's unique play on logic has undoubtedly led to its lasting appeal to adults, while remaining one of the most beloved children's tales of all time.

In 1900 Lewis Carroll's classic tale was removed from the syllabus in Havervill, New Hampshire at the Woodsville High School due to the belief that the story contains references to masturbation, sexual fantasies, expletives and derogatory characterizations of religious ceremonies. It was also banned by the Chinese Governor of Hunan Province in 1931 on the grounds that: "Animals should not use human language, and that it was disastrous to put animals and human beings on the same level."

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

Patrick Bateman moves among the young and trendy in 1980s Manhattan. Young, handsome, and well educated, Bateman earns his fortune on Wall Street by day while spending his nights in ways we cannot begin to fathom. Expressing his true self through torture and murder, Bateman prefigures an apocalyptic horror that no society could bear to confront.

Ellis's shocking novel was originally due to be published in March 1991 by Simon & Schuster, but the company withdrew due to "aesthetic differences". When it was published Ellis received numerous death threats and hate mail, which is ironic given that the reason it was banned in several countries and states was because of its graphic violence and sexual content. In Germany the book has been deemed "harmful to minors", while in Australia it is sold shrink-wrapped and classed "R18" under national censorship legislation. Sale of the book is still theoretically banned altogether in Queensland. In Canada, during the trial of serial killer Paul Bernardo, the book generated renewed controversy when Bernardo revealed that he owned a copy which he read "as his bible". Ellis's own views on censorship can be found here.

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf?

Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy. Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. He’s fascinated by magic, and Vivian longs to reveal herself to him. Surely he would understand her and delight in the wonder of her dual nature, not fear her as an ordinary human would.

Vivian’s divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack. Moving between two worlds, she does not seem to belong in either. What is she really—human or beast? Which tastes sweeter—blood or chocolate?

Given that Blood and Chocolate is classed as a YA paranormal romance novel you might have thought it as unlikely to see this book on the list as to see Twilight or Vampire Academy, but Blood and Chocolate was in fact challenged in Greensville, South Carolina and La Porte, Texas, where it was also banned from libraries (again ironic given that Klause is a librarian herself), due to it tackling the somewhat touchy subject of teenage sex. Given that the book is about werewolves, its theory that rough sex is better sex is rather frowned upon by parents. Not so much by the teens.

Music can be censored, television can be censored and film can be censored. That's the beauty of the written word, once you've read it there's no going back. So celebrate our freedom to read whatever we want by picking up a book from this list. Happy reading!

Reading Wrap-Up | August 2013

Since finishing university August has definitely been the best reading month for me. I managed to get through ten very varied books this month; including a memoir, a children's book, three classics and a graphic novel. So on with the wrap-up!

Dante's Inferno

My Rating:

"Through me you go to the grief-racked city. Through me to everlasting pain you go..."

Depicting one man's horrifying journey into the depths of Hell, 'Inferno', the first part of Dante's 'Divine Comedy', is a soaring spiritual epic that continues to echo through the centuries with its moving portrayal of human sin and the tragedy of those condemned to eternal damnation.

For years Inferno was something I'd only read extracts of when I came across it while studying, but I'd never read it from start to finish. I knew that had to change when I came across the pretty new Penguin Classics addition in The Works for just £2.

     Journeying through the nine circles of Hell with Dante was both bizarre and fascinating, and the footnotes proved more than helpful whenever someone appeared whom Dante harboured a particular hatred for. What surprised me most was how easy Inferno was to understand; despite studying plenty of classics through school and university, I was worried that I'd find Inferno difficult to follow because of how long ago it was written, not to mention it was intially written in Latin! So I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be pretty easy to understand - all the footnotes certainly helped! - and I'd recommend it to anyone who's been putting it off because they're worried it's a difficult read. It isn't!

Titanic Survivor: The Memoirs of Violet Jessop, Stewardess

My Rating:

'I did not like big ships...I was secretly afraid' admits Violet Jessop in this unique eyewitness account of the most written about disaster of the twentieth century. Joining the Royal Mail Line in 1908 at the age of twenty-one, Violet Jessop spent her entire career at sea, travelling on more than 200 voyages. She was a stewardess for first-class passengers on the Titanic when it sank on its maiden voyage in April 1912 after hitting an iceberg. Her description of the sinking is chilling as she sees to the needs of the passengers before finding a warm coat for herself. While in the lifeboat, someone threw her a 'forgotten baby', and she watched, fascinated as the ship went down 'as if by looking I could keep her afloat'. Four years later, she was a wartime nurse aboard the hospital ship, Britannic, when it struck a mine and sank to the bottom of the Aegean. These memoirs give us a unique glimpse of life below decks aboard one of the great ocean liners. From Jessop's unusual vantage point, we learn what life was like for those who worked on the ships: hilarious fellow stewardesses, cramped quarters, wartime alerts, impossible passengers ('the haughty, gimlet eyes of a certain well-known society woman'), philandering shipmates, exotic ports, unrequited love and tragic deaths.

My second read in August was the memoirs of Violet Jessop, a woman who led an amazing life which included surviving both the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and of the Britannic in 1916. The memoirs span from her early childhood all the way through to her later working life and are written with wonderful wit and humour.

     Though I thoroughly enjoyed reading Violet's memoirs the title, and indeed the cover, of this book are very misleading. While it is true that Violet survived the Titanic, only two chapters are really dedicated to her time on the ship; the book is more about her life in general than her time on the Titanic. So if you're looking for something centered entirely around the doomed ship I would not recommend this book, I do, however, recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading memoirs and non-fiction and to anyone who is a lover of history. Titanic aside, this woman's life is well worth reading about. 

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

My Rating:

Sara Crewe, an exceptionally intelligent and imaginative student at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies, is devastated when her adored, indulgent father dies. Now penniless and banished to a room in the attic, Sara is demeaned, abused, and forced to work as a servant. How this resourceful girl's fortunes change again is at the center of A Little Princess, one of the best-loved stories in all of children's literature.

My second classic and third read of the month was Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess, a book I have been meaning to read for years because I spent so many afternoons of my childhood watching and loving the 1995 adaptation. Though there are some differences between the book and the film I enjoyed reading it just as much as I enjoy watching it. It's a charming story and, though a classic, so easy to read that I read it in a day. It was a day well spent.

     The story centres on Sara Crewe, the beloved daughter of a wealthy widower who is sent to a boarding school in London which is run by the spiteful Miss Minchin. Despite the fact that she has never wanted for anything, Sara is always kind and considerate to those around her, earning her the nickname of 'Princess Sara' which she takes in her stride. When her father suddenly dies and leaves her penniless, Sara's strength of character is put to the ultimate test. It's no wonder this story's a classic, it's just wonderful. So if you're in the mood to read something heart-warming, go ahead and pick up a copy of A Little Princess.

The Dark by Lemony Snicket

My Rating:

Laszlo is afraid of the dark. The dark is not afraid of Laszlo. 

Laszlo lives in a house. The dark lives in the basement. 

One night, the dark comes upstairs to Laszlo's room, and Laszlo goes down to the basement.

This is the story of how Laszlo stops being afraid of the dark.

Don't judge me. I managed to land myself a few weeks of work experience in my local library this August, and one afternoon while the library was particularly quiet one of the librarians showed me Lemony Snicket's The Dark. Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler) is perhaps best known for his children's series A Series of Unfortunate Events, which follows the lives of the Baudelaire siblings, Violet, Klaus and Sunny. Short children's read The Dark follows Laszlo as he learns not to be afraid of The Dark.

     Whether you're a child or not this short read is adorable. Snicket's sweet personification of The Dark will quell any child's fears (or even any adult's!), and the story tells the wonderful, age old message of how there can be no light without the dark.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

My Rating:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

I'd been meaning to read Divergent for a long time because I'd heard so many good things about it and, to my delight, it's one of the very few YA dystopias out there that doesn't include a bloody love triangle. It was a fast-paced read, I'd recommend it to anyone out there who often gets bored of slow moving books, but no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get into it. I desperately wanted to like Divergent, but in the end I couldn't finish it.
     Was it the characters? Not really. Tris certainly isn't the best heroine I've ever come across but she was pretty good, and I liked Four and Tris's mother a lot. Was it the writing style? Definitely not, Roth certainly knows how to pace an action packed story. My issue with Divergent was the world building. I like my dystopia to be believable; I want to really believe that society could end up like this in the future because that makes it all the more frightening, but the world in Divergent seemed, to me, entirely unbelievable. I didn't see how anyone could possibly believe the factions were a good idea. If I can't believe a story, I can't finish it. So I'm very sorry to say Divergent was a disappointment.

Vampireology by Nicky Raven

My Rating:

Explore (if you dare) the true history of the Fallen Ones — and follow the fate of a 1920s investigator lured by a beauty with violet eyes.

Long before the term vampire was born, long before Bram Stoker fictionalized this being’s ways, blood-drinking demons were banished to Earth by Michael’s host of Angels, or so the Bible describes. Now this rich, mesmerizing resource, written in 1900, sheds light on what happened hence to the three vampire bloodlines — especially the tortured souls known as the Belial. Interspersed are booklets, flaps, and letters between a young paranormal researcher who discovered the book in the 1920s and an oddly alluring woman who seeks his help. Among the phenomena explored are:

* vampires’ genealogical origins, attributes, and range

* myths about the making of vampires

* secrets of vampires’ powers and shape-shifting skills

* tips for spotting vampires, protecting oneself, and fighting back

* case studies of famous vampires — and vampire hunters — through history

* a shocking overview of vampires "living" among us

One of the books in the Ology series, Vampireology, like The Dark, was just another entirely fun, quick read. I came across this in The Works a couple of years ago for around £3 and just had to have it because I love the way the book is set out as a series of letters, booklets and research 'proving' the existence of vampires - the 'Fallen Ones' - in our world.
     The book looks at different types of vampire, and even suggests that some famous figures in our history, such as Elizabeth Bathory and Jack the Ripper, may have been vampires. This is a great read for anyone interested in the origins of vampirism, and I'd definitely like to read some of the other books in the Ology series.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

My Rating:

Following the demise of bloodthirsty buccaneer Captain Flint, young Jim Hawkins finds himself with the key to a fortune. For he has discovered a map that will lead him to the fabled Treasure Island. But a host of villains, wild beasts and deadly savages stand between him and the stash of gold. Not to mention the most infamous pirate ever to sail the high seas . . .

I actually started Treasure Island last year as it was required reading for one of my modules at university. However, I ended up being ill the week we were due to look at it and I didn't end up finishing it. Like A Little Princess it's such a short classic read that I decided to pick it up in August and finally finish reading it.
     Robert Louis Stevenson's swashbuckling story follows the adventures of the young Jim Hawkins as he sets out on a quest to find the notorious Captain Flint's hidden treasure. Along the way he learns about life at sea, mutiny and how difficult it is to distinguish a friend from a foe when he befriends the infamous Long John Silver. I really enjoyed this read, it was a lot of fun and, like the other two classics I read in August, a very easy read. The reason it only garnered three stars rather than four or five was simply because I felt as though the pace of the story became very slow once Jim reached the island, and I actually enjoyed his time at the Benbow Inn and his journey to the island a lot more. That being said it's still a classic well worth reading, especially if you're a lover of pirates.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

My Rating:

Choose:

A quick death

Or slow poison...

Yelena has a choice – be executed for murder, or become food taster to the Commander of Ixia. She leaps at the chance for survival, but her relief may be short-lived.

Life in the palace is full of hazards and secrets. Wily and smart, Yelena must learn to identify poisons before they kill her, recognise whom she can trust and how to spy on those she can’t. And who is the mysterious Southern sorceress who can reach into her head?

When Yelena realises she has extraordinary powers of her own, she faces a whole new problem, for using magic in Ixia is punishable by death...

After reading Snyder's Touch of Power in July and really enjoying it I decided it was about time I finally got around to reading the start of her most well known series, and I'm pleased to say I wasn't disappointed. Poison Study takes place in the fantastical land of Ixia and follows Yelena, a young woman who has been sentenced to death for murdering the son of the man who took her in when she was young and orphaned. Instead of being sent to the gallows, however, she is instead offered the job as the Commander of Ixia's new food taster where, like all the food tasters before her, she will eventually die by poisoning. Yelena's story isn't as simple as that, however, for she is hiding secrets; secrets about the abuse she received at the hands of the man she murdered and secrets about her own abilities: Yelena is capable of magic in a land where magic is forbidden.

     I absolutely adored this novel. The world-building was fantastic, Yelena is one of the best fantasy heroines I have come across in a long time and, like in Touch of Power, Snyder once again refuses to use any form of instalove; the relationship between Yelena and Valek, the mysterious and charismatic assassin who hires her, develops naturally over time. In a reading world which is currently full to the brim with instant and predictable love triangles this is a godsend. I think it's pretty easy to see that Poison Study was my favourite read of August, and I can't wait to sink my teeth into Magic Study this month.

The Small Hand by Susan Hill

My Rating:

Returning home from a visit to a client late one summer's evening, antiquarian bookseller Adam Snow takes a wrong turning and stumbles across the derelict old White House. Compelled by curiosity, he approaches the door, and, standing before the entrance feels the unmistakable sensation of a small hand creeping into his own, 'as if a child had taken hold of it'. Intrigued by the encounter, he determines to learn more, and discovers that the owner's grandson had drowned tragically many years before. At first unperturbed by the odd experience, Snow begins to be plagued by haunting dreams, panic attacks, and more frequent visits from the small hand which become increasingly threatening and sinister ...

I came across two beautiful little hardback additions of Susan Hill's Dolly and The Small Hand in the library and simply had to borrow them. Susan Hill is best known for the famously chilling The Woman in Black, but that is not her only ghost story. Having only read The Woman in Black before August I decided it was about time I read another ghost story of hers. The Small Hand follows Adam Snow who, after stumbling across a derelict house in the countryside, is haunted by the presence of a small, cold hand in his own which slowly begins to turn sinister.

     I enjoyed this story. It was nice to dip back into Hill's writing because she writes beautifully, and many of her descriptions were stunning. I was a little disappointed, however, that The Small Hand didn't creep me out anywhere near as much as The Woman in Black did. But that being said that can't be an entirely bad thing; The Woman in Black stopped me from sleeping. If you're a fan of ghost stories then be sure to pick this up, but if you're looking for a ghost story that's going to frighten you I'd look elsewhere.

Joe the Barbarian by Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy

My Rating:

Joe is an imaginative eleven-year-old boy. He can't fit in at school. He's the victim of bullies. His dad died overseas in the Iraq war. He also suffers from Type 1 diabetes. One fateful day, his condition causes him to believe he has entered a vivid fantasy world in which he is the lost savior—a fantastic land based on the layout and contents of his home. His desperate attempts to make it out of his bedroom transform into an incredible, epic adventure through a bizarre landscape of submarine pirate dwarves, evil Hell Hounds, Lightning Lords and besieged castles. But is his quest really just an insulin deprived delirium—from which he can die if he doesn't take his meds—or something much bigger?

Joe the Barbarian is another book I came across in the library and just had to borrow for two reasons: a) because I've been meaning to read a graphic novel for ages and b) because the title is Joe the Barbarian. Why wouldn't I want to read it? The story follows Joe who, while in the midsts of a severe dip in his blood sugar levels, enters a fantasy world which parallels his own in many different ways.

     This was an absolutely charming read. It was sweet, sad and funny all at once, and I really enjoyed the mixture of writing and beautiful illustrations. The ending was just lovely, and I can't wait to read some more graphic novels in the future.

So that's everything I read in August! With any luck September will be another great reading month for me. Check back at the end of the month for another wrap-up, and keep your eyes open for plenty more reviews, rants and discussions throughout the month!

     Thanks for reading! J.

Reading Wrap-Up | July 2013

I managed to get through four books this month which, while it isn't as many as I'd hoped, isn't too bad considering July turned out to be a pretty busy month for me. I spent a week away from home to attend my graduation and visit family and friends, I sort of took part in Camp NaNoWriMo and I started work experience at the local library. Needless to say, I haven't had heaps of time to read.
     So, on with the wrap-up!

My Rating: 

Avry’s power to heal the sick should earn her respect in the plague-torn land of Kazan. Instead she is feared. Her kind are blamed for the horrifying disease that has taken hold of the nation. When Avry uses her forbidden magic to save a dying child, she faces the guillotine. Until a dark, mysterious man rescues her from her prison cell. His people need Avry’s magic to save their dying prince. The very prince who first unleashed the plague on Kazan.

Saving the prince is certain to kill Avry – yet she already faces a violent death. Now she must choose – use her healing touch to show the ultimate mercy or die a martyr to a lost cause?

The first novel I read in July was also my very first Maria V. Snyder novel. I've been wanting to read something of Snyder's for a long time now, especially after having so many people telling me to read her Study trilogy, so I picked up a copy of Touch of Power from The Book Depository.

     When I started this book I was just coming out of my reading slump, so it took me a little longer to read than I would have liked, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it; in fact I'd go as far as to say that it was this book that tugged me out of my slump. The story was well-paced, the plot was interesting and the characters were very enjoyable to follow. I'm very pleased to say that there was no trace of instalove in this book and, despite my fears, the main character didn't seem like a Mary-Sue to me at all.

     If you're a fan of high fantasy but you sometimes feel a little intimidated by the density of words which often goes hand in hand with the genre then pick this book up; it's a much lighter read than something written by the likes of Tolkien or Martin, but it's still an enthralling story.

My Rating: 

Autumn 1541. A plot against the throne has been uncovered, and Henry VIII has set off on a spectacular progress from London to York, along with a thousand soldiers, the cream of the nobility, and his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, to quell his rebellious northern subjects. Awaiting his arrival are lawyer Matthew Shardlake and his loyal assistant, Jack Barak. In addition to processing petitions to the king, Shardlake's task is to protect a dangerous conspirator until he is transported back to London for interrogation.

But when a local glazier is murdered, things get a little more complicated as the murder seems to be not only connected to Shardlake's prisoner but also to the royal family itself. Then Shardlake stumbles upon a cache of secret papers that throws into doubt the legitimacy of the entire royal line, and a chain of events unfolds that threatens Shardlake with the most terrifying fate of the age: imprisonment in the Tower of London.

Continuing with Matthew Shardlake's adventures I read Sovereign, the third book in C.J. Sansom's Shardlake series. This was a particularly nice read for me as, unlike the previous two books in the series which are much more rooted in the south of England, the majority of Sovereign takes place in York; a city I am much more familiar with.
     It was a lot of fun to read about the developing friendship between Matthew and Jack and watch as, once again, poor Matthew was swept up into a murder mystery he'd rather have nothing to do. While I did guess the ultimate culprit a little before I was proved correct there were some other unexpected twists and turns throughout the novel which really added to the story, and Sansom should be praised for the way he can weave so many different people and plots into one novel.
     If you're a lover of historical fiction and you still haven't read the Shardlake series then you're missing out!

My Rating: 

Every April, when the wind blows from the sea and mingles with the scent of lilacs, Landon Carter remembers his last year at Beaufort High. It was 1958, and Landon had already dated a girl or two. He even swore that he had once been in love. Certainly the last person in town he thought he'd fall for was Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town's Baptist minister. 

A quiet girl who always carried a Bible with her schoolbooks, Jamie seemed content living in a world apart from the other teens. She took care of her widowed father, rescued hurt animals, and helped out at the local orphanage. No boy had ever asked her out. Landon would never have dreamed of it. 

Then a twist of fate made Jamie his partner for the homecoming dance, and Landon Carter's life would never be the same. Being with Jamie would show him the depths of the human heart and lead him to a decision so stunning it would send him irrevocably on the road to manhood...

My third book of July was my very first Nicholas Sparks novel. I've heard so many people praising The Notebook and it's for that very reason that I've stayed away from it thus far; I have a feeling it might not be as good as the hype suggests. I had, however, been meaning to read A Walk to Remember for a couple of years and after receiving it last Christmas I finally got around to reading it while I was away from home for my graduation.

     It's a very bittersweet novel, and though a lot of it is very sad there is a lovely niceness to it which is often so hard to find in novels nowadays; so many authors want to shock you and horrify you that it's easy to forget the warm feeling that comes with reading a purely nice book.

     That being said it wasn't without its flaws, the biggest one being the way in which it often told certain scenes more than it showed them. It was a rather short book, but I think it easily could have been a lot longer and fleshed out with a little more detail. I still enjoyed it though, and I'm sure I'll return to Nicholas Sparks in the future.

My Rating: 

A president has been overthrown by a military coup in a nameless country in an unspecified era. The president's barber, chef, and portraitist are imprisoned, with many others, in a remote palace in the hills high above the city center. Before the coup, these three men worked with unquestioning loyalty, serving the president in seemingly benign jobs. Now, forced to serve the country's new leader, they begin to reconsider their role in the old regime. 

In simple, elegant prose "Blood Kin" alternates between the voices of the barber, the chef, and the portraitist. Later in the book their wives, lovers, and daughters tell their own tales. As the old order falls, so does the veil that hides the truth about these men and women's secret passions. No one, it seems, is entirely immune to the many temptations of power. 

I came across this little novel for sale on a second-hand book stall at the market place and picked it up after I was immediately drawn in by the blurb. More than anything else this book interested me and it didn't disappoint, even if it did mean I ended July on a rather dark note.

     Each of the six characters whose points of view we explore are nameless, instead they are referred to by their relationship to the president: his barber; his chef; his portraitist; his barber's brother's fiancée; his chef's daughter; his portraitist's wife. Each voice was different - an impressive feat when there are six of them - and added an extra little something to this story of sinister, sexual politics.

     Though the country remains nameless, it has been frequently suggested by other readers of the novel that it is set in Africa. A country well known for its political turbulence. This book is a must read for readers who enjoy stories steeped in politics, power and its affect on people.

So that's everything I read in July! Check back in at the end of the month for my August wrap-up.

     Thanks for reading! J.

Reading Wrap-Up | June 2013

Unfortunately June was a really bad reading month for me, in fact it was even worse than May. I managed to get through five books in May, but in June I only managed three. I've been in such a slump lately, I've started plenty of books but I've been really struggling to get into any of them. I'd like to say that July will be better, but I'm taking part in Camp NaNoWriMo so there's a chance I'm going to be doing more writing than reading, hopefully that way I'll be out of my slump come August.
     Oh well, on with the wrap-up!

My Rating: 

Lena's been to the very edge. She's questioned love and the life-changing and agonising choices that come with it.

She's made her decision. But can she survive the consequences?

The first book I finished in June was the second installment in Lauren Oliver's Delirium trilogy, Pandemonium.

     I finished Delirium, the first book in the trilogy, back in February and I adored it. Since finishing The Hunger Games trilogy it was the best YA dystopian novel I had read; the narrative voice was gorgeous, the protagonist was relatable and the world-building was magnificent. The ending, though terribly bittersweet, was stunning, so I was rather hesitant to read Pandemonium as I was worried it was never going to be quite as good. Unfortunately, I was right.

     There were definitely elements of Pandemonium that I enjoyed, particularly the chapters which explored Lena's life in the Wilds after her escape, but I felt as though this book focused too much on introducing another love interest and subsequent love triangle rather than on the relationship between Lena and her mother I had hoped it would tackle.

     Ultimately it was an enjoyable enough read, and a fairly decent sequel, but it was nowhere near as good as the first book. If you'd like to see some more of my thoughts on this particular book I have written a review of it which you can find here.

My Rating: 

Battling against a society in which love has been declared a disease, Lena now finds herself at the centre of a fierce revolution. But the Wilds are no longer the haven they once were as the government seeks to stamp out the rebels. And Lena's emotions are in turmoil following the dramatic return of someone she thought was lost forever...

After Pandemonium I was determined to read Requiem, the third book in the trilogy, and finally finish one of the many trilogies waiting to be read on my shelves.

     The good thing about Requiem is that it made Pandemonium seem even better, the bad thing was that it did so by being such an unbelievably disappointing conclusion to what could have been an amazing trilogy. The ending, as far as I'm concerned, was not an ending, it could have benefitted immensely with just the simple addition of an epilogue because, ultimately, we really don't know what happens to any of these characters we have grown to love. We don't know if they succeed in overthrowing the government or if they are caught, tried and executed. Even if it wasn't a happy ending I still would have liked an ending. I don't like it when authors ask me to imagine my own; I expect the author to know what happens to their own characters.

     The book wasn't all bad, of course. Personally I really enjoyed the chapters which followed Hana, Lena's old best friend who has since been cured, while she struggled with feelings she shouldn't still be feeling and awaited her marriage to a man who proved to be abusive. It was interesting to see the world from the point of view of a person who has been cured, but I was again disappointed in that we never really know what happens to Hana either.

     All in all this was a very disappoining read, and possibly one of the worst conclusions to a trilogy/series I have ever read. If you have yet to read the Delirium trilogy then please take my advice: read the first book and only the first book. Even though the ending is sad there is a finality to it that the latter two books lack, and it is by far the best book in the trilogy.

My Rating: 

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

After the disappointment that was the ending of the Delirium trilogy I was in the mood to read something a little more angry. Something post-apocalyptic seemed perfect and, after plenty of recommendations from all over the place, I picked up a copy of Susan Ee's Angelfall. I read it in two days because it was such a fast-paced read, and I certainly enjoyed it a lot more than the other two books I read in June.

     I haven't read a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction, it's a genre that I'm just starting to get into, and I've also never read anything with angels in it, so this book really was quite a new reading adventure for me. I'm not entirely sure why I generally stay away from books involving angels or fallen angels, they're just not mythological/fantastical/theological creatures that I have much interest in. I liked Ee's representation of the angels, however; I was a little worried they were somehow going to be rather preachy and 'better than thou' but they were actually rather brutal themselves, which makes perfect sense given some of the passages in the Bible.

     Penryn was a pretty cool protagonist to follow - I really love her name - and her relationship with Raffe was a lot of fun, too, though there were times when I felt as though the obvious romance that was blossoming between the two of them was blossoming a little too fast. The only thing I was really unsure of was the ending. Why were there weird scorpion people? It seemed as though it had nothing whatsoever to do with the angels other than to make them seem creepy.

     Other than that I did enjoy it and I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series.

Since finishing Angelfall I've been stuck in a reading rut. I'm currently reading about six books, I just haven't really gotten into one and that's sad; I'm really in the mood to get into a new book, so I'll just have to keep persevering. Part of me can't help but think that the conclusion to the Delirium trilogy really got me into the rut; the majority of the books on my shelves are part of a series, because there's a real lack of good standalone books in the genres I enjoy recently, and after reading such a disappointing ending I'm nervous of becoming invested in something else only to be let down. I had intended to read Moira Young's Rebel Heart, the second installment in the Dustlands trilogy, this month but I just couldn't get into it after Requiem. Hopefully I'll get through it this month instead.

     That's it for this month, check back in at the end of July for another monthly wrap-up and keep reading throughout the month; I'm probably going to write a few Camp NaNoWriMo updates and possibly a few personal posts as well as hopefully posting some more reviews very soon.

     Until then, thanks for reading! J.