Airman by Eoin Colfer

I rated it 4 stars...although maybe it should have been a 5! I listened to it on CDs, which I guess can either help or hurt a book. And it's not that it really hurt the book because it was bad...it was a good CD! The reader was good. And I even found myself thinking I was talking like him today. If I had read the book, I'm sure I would have loved it even more....but I think that might be because I just like reading and I got distracted while listening. 

It was a good book. One that I wouldn't mind having in my own library. 

The book is about a boy who's friends with the princess and his father is good friends and protector (ish) of the King. (See, you don't get the full effect sometimes when you only listen to CDs....I can't even remember what his real title was.) Well there's this marshall who's a bad guy and he kills the king and puts Conner (the boy) in prison for reasons told in the book...

UM OK, it's going to take a while to explain the story...and I don't want to ruin it....so just read the book for yourself. You will like it! And I've read another review on it...perhaps from Amazon, that said something like if you tried to read the Artemis Fowl books and didn't like it, give Eoin Colfer a chance and read Airman...you'll like it. 

It's got action...a smidge of a love story (although I guess the whole thing could be a love story about a boy who is in love with trying to make a flying machine...a love of his family...a love of his princess...but it's also a story of hate...a hate of some of the bad people. 

Oh, and it looks like he left room for a sequel if he chooses. 

Sorry I'm not as good a reviewer as Pricky. 

re: Pricky's post about movies.

First off, that was rather civil of you Pricky.

Second, I rather enjoy books being made into movies even if they are not up to par. It's just "one" person's view on the book and that's cool with me. Movies also sometimes helps me understand books better when I sometimes didn't fully grasp parts of it.

A new book in production is Twilight. At first I was a little hesitant about Robert as Edward, but after seeing all the stuff from the Twilight Lexicon about him, such as the pictures people had taken with him or just of him, he's looking better for the part. And his personality...at least that being portrayed at the time, seems to fit Edward. (Pricky, hold your tongue please.) I think it will end up being a great movie. Not everyone may look the exact part, but I think it's still enjoyable to watch someone's view on how they see the book.

But then again...Pride and Prejudice A&E version I didn't think was as great...but there are plenty of people who love that one better than the newer version. And that's fine...(because obviously they're wrong and we all know it...lol) but not everyone's going to like it. Just like how not everyone loves the Twilight book (shocking!), not everyone's going to like the movie.

And I can't believe Pricky hasn't seen any of the Harry Potter movies!

I agree!

Sorry I've been sort of a bit absent from this blog.

The other day (perhaps it was yesterday) I went to Target and I overheard two girls talking about underwear. One said that this one pair ( of underwear!!!)wouldn't even be able to fit under most her shorts. (Or something like that.) Um, excuse me! How unbelievable short are her shorts! Goodness. First of all, modest is hottest...and much more tasteful. It disturbs me to see girls in immodest clothing. Like seriously!

So I agree with Pricky's post about the bikinis on little toddlers.

Uglies, Pretties, Specials...Now Extras...

I just finished reading the latest installment to the Uglies "trilogy," Extras by Scott Westerfeld.

If you have read the first 3, you really should read Extras just to "finish" off the series but truth be told, I was a bit disappointed. At first I couldn't really follow the beginning of the story; infact, I didn't even realize that the story took place in Japan until almost half-way. Although the story started off slowly and confusing, it did pick up pace and I found myself enjoying most of the story until....it came to the climax of the story. I won't tell you what happened but I felt like the author did one of those "...character has all these adventures only to find out it was a dream" scenario. The outcome of the climax was really disappointing...almost as if the author was just too tired to think of anything else. I'm sorry to say this, but the end was just totally "brain-missing." And Scott must have some issue with dishonesty or manipulation because this whole series has centered around these girls who have some issue that they just can't get over, and it's really annoying.

Anyways, read it...but don't hold it to the same standard as the first 3.

Little Girls should not be wearing bikinis...

Does anyone else have a problem with this or is it just me? At swim class I've been noticing more and more how mommies have been putting 2 pieces on these little girls at swim class. It has really been upseting me. First off, the girls don't even have breasts so this little bikini top keep sliding off or riding up all the way to their neck. Secondly, it makes these little girls look kind of trashy. I mean what kind of message are these mom's sending??? That it's okay to look immodest and show off your body? As these girls get older what's to stop them from showing off more skin?....And you wonder why so many teenagers are promiscuous....I'm telling ya, it all starts when their young.....Arghhh....

Why Books Should Never Be Made Into Movies...

I am a little hesitant to make this post because of the usual public excitement over popular books being made into movies. But I just have to vent out my frustration somewhere and unfortunately, this is the most convenient place since Sudapop is tired of hearing my complaints. So be forewarned!

Don't get me wrong. I love watching a good movie. I just have a problem when someone else in the filming hierarchy decides how a character or scene from a book is supposed to look like or act like. When I read a book, there are images of characters and events that I imagine in my head that are my own that are somehow robbed by the film industry when they make a film from my book.

Take for instance, Harry Potter: one of my favorite books of all time. Of course, I didn't watch the movie but now everytime I read it, who pops into my head as Ron? Rupert Grint! And Rubert does not even look like Ron in my head but now my imaginary Ron has been replaced by Rupert! And what about LOTR? Do I want to forever have Elijah Wood cemented in my mind as Frodo? And now with a popular book being turned into a movie, I am worried I will have my perfect image of my hero and heroine replaced by two actors that hold my interest for about 2 seconds before I grimace in pain.

Look: I can understand the excitement from the fans and from the authors of these books. I once asked Eoin Colfer why he was making Artemis Fowl into a movie. His reply was, "Who doesn't want to watch a story that you wrote with your sons and have them think 'my dad is cool'?" So I totally get it. I just get really bummed out that my imaginary characters and images are being x-ed out or controlled by someone else. Unfortunately, my brain is not wired to lock those images in place....Maybe I should just go get some surge....Tally?

Story Time by Edward Bloor

I rated it 2 stars. Although I think it should be like a 1.5 star. 

First off, after reading this book after finishing Northanger Abbey, the writing style is just a bit inferior. It was in the teen section of our library, but perhaps writing-style wise it should be a children's book. The beginning of the book was enjoyable, but then towards the middle where you find out that there is a demon that comes out from a scanner into other books and can posses humans....it kind of went downhill from there. I had to skip some parts because I just wanted the book over with. I would have to say at least Inheart made better sense how certain readers could read characters out of books...that was at least more believable than Story Time. It just wasn't really that believable a book, as believable as fantasy books can be....

Basically, don't read this book. It was a waste of time overall. 

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

I rated this 3 stars.
I'll admit, this is my first Austen book I've finished. And I actually really enjoyed it (haha isn't that what I kinda say about every book I read.). I really loved the first part of the book and found it kind of funny in a way. The characters she creates could be so real. I enjoyed Catherine's obliviousness and her silly suspicions based on the books she read.

One reason why I only gave it 3 stars is because after maybe 2/3 of the way through the book, it got a bit slow. The feel of the book changed a bit, into a bit more gothic novel or just boring. I think it may have ended a bit abruptly as well and perhaps I wanted to know more of the story at the end.

If you do end up watching the movie Northanger Abbey, do not watch the old one (BBC), watch the one from 2007. I'm sorry but the old movie's Catherine is just not good enough and Henry is too creepyish looking.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer: Pricky's Perspective

First a warning: The Host is nothing like the Twilight series. I love the Twilight series and naturally, started reading The Host with the same expectations as Twilight: the overwhelming emotions, the anticipations, the love triangle, etc...

First off, the summary at the back of the book is a little misleading. I felt like the book was more about the exploration of what is human while the "love triangle" aspect was more of a secondary theme. Don't get me wrong. There is a "love triangle" and it is an important part of the story but I felt like the "real" story was about the soul's experience with humanity.

The book is patiently told and picks up with more momentum towards the end. In my mind, this story was told in a similar fashion to LOTR: slow and steady but an amazing story nonetheless. Slow is not necessarily a bad thing: there were so many necessary experiences that needed to be expressed thoroughly in the story that it took time to really explain it well. When I finished the book, I didn't feel an overwhelming sense of emotion. Instead, this was a story that as I pondered on the complexity of the themes, on the character, on the plot, my emotions for the book grew more and more. I began to "see" more and more the ingenuity of the storyteller and the depth of the characters.

I really loved this story, and it has me thinking about it on a deeper level every moment of the day. For me, this ranks up with LOTR. It is a book that will compliment my library and that I will read over and over again. An amazing story and definitely worth reading.

Mr Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange

I rated it 4 stars! It was quite a "quick read". I got it Saturday and finished it Monday morning. 

Basically this book is Pride and Prejudice from Mr Darcy's point of view. What's not to like, right? Even though the book is in diary form, it wasn't quite as if Mr Darcy wrote it because it had conversations...and who would really write exact quotations, actions, reactions, feelings, etc on the things he wrote about. Maybe Mr Darcy. But I really enjoyed seeing things from Mr Darcy's side and seeing his love grow for Elizabeth.

It's nothing fancy, but entertaining enough for me. I really like it and could hardly put it down. 

Oh and by the way...I'm not really a big fan of Colin Firth as Mr Darcy. Seriously. I'd prefer Keira as Elizabeth and Matthew as Mr Darcy. I'm all for it. 

Softies

I just got this book from the library and I can't wait to make some of these cute little plush pals. This is for you crafty people! 

Inside you can learn how to make things such as 

• "double scoop" ice cream
• "ice cream sandwich"
• "lonely dollop" aka poo
• "pig/wolf" yes half pig half wolf. 

It teaches you the different stiches you need to use for the 25 different "softies" you can make.

Airman by Eoin Colfer

ETA: Ugh! I didn't listen to it fast enough and had to return it to the library today! I guess I'll have to wait my turn until I can get the book. And the book took a turn...it got quite, um, "dark"...but the last I got to hear, I think things were turning better. I'll have to update again when I'm finished.

Right now I'm listening to Airman by Eoin Colfer

I'll be honest, I didn't exactly think I'd find this book that interesting. Creating some flying machine...ehh...doesn't exactly spark a big interest. But it was Eoin Colfer, and it's been getting good reviews, and I had checked it out from the library, whose due date is creeping up, so I decided to start it yesterday. And so far I'm enjoying it. 

Basically, sometimes it's hard not to be misled from book summaries from the covers or what not. Don't let them fool you. And don't let the cover misguide you as well. 

Anyway, so far I'd recommend this book! It may not look that good, but so far it is.  

Northanger Abbey

Here's the first installment on YouTube to the Northanger Abbey movie (I think it's by Masterpiece.) Apparently it was on PBS in January, but we don't have a TV, so I didn't get to watch it. (Ok, we have a TV, it's just only hooked up to the DVD/VHS player.) There's 11 installments of the movie. I think it should be easy to find the next one when this one is finished.

I haven't watched this yet (as I want to finish the book first) so I can't say if it is good or not.

Austenland by Shannon Hale

I rated it 5 stars!

To sum it up, the book is about a Mr. Darcy obsessed girl, Jane, who comes upon a 3 week vacation to "Austenland" where everyone must act as if they lived in the early 1800s. They very well could have been some of the characters Austen could have written about. Jane goes there in hopes to put away her Mr. Darcy obsession and move on. (She's had horrible boyfriends in the past. Each chapter (as we get started a bit with the story) gives a little tidbit about those past boyfriends, some of which are pretty funny.

Wow, I cannot believe how good this book actually was. I've actually owned this book for probably over 5 months now. I had read a little bit of the beginning before (a couple pages) but I think I was afraid I wouldn't like it, so I put it on hold and I didn't pick it up to finish it until today (in which I finished the whole book.) Wow! If you have ever been obsessed with Pride and Prejudice, I would say this is a good book to read. It was hilarious watching Jane go through her time in Austenland, unsure of being there and then deciding it's what she needs. It definitely ranks in my top ten books. Basically I loved this book and it even had me laughing out loud...just ask Lari....but that could have been because I tried to hide my smiles with laughter because I think Lari might think I was silly by smiling while reading my silly books. But it's probably a "chick-lit" book with it's romance (no not that sick perverted romance!) There was a part that I was kind of shocked-ish that an LDS writer would write it, but then again I'm overly sensitive about things.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

I rated it 5 stars!

I got my hands on an ARC of this book and since it isn't published yet, I shouldn't write too much about it. But I think it's safe to say it's about an alien, a girl, and a boy. They're somewhat stuck in a love triangle. I'm such a sucker for romance novels! (And no, not sick romance novels!)

But wow this book was great. I laughed and cried reading it. I'd say I like it even more than the Twilight series (I can't believe I'm saying that....but it was that good!) It's definitely an adult novel, as in more adult-ish topics (no not sick adult, like grown-up). Anyways, I'll definitely buy the real thing when it comes out in May!

Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge

Rated it 1 star!

Ugh, I hate having to give bad reviews. I do. But I guess you can't have everyone love your book!

Well this book is about a girl Mosca born in the past where written materials are pretty much banned, except by the Stationers (which give their seal on ok materials.) Then there's this other guy Eponymous Clent who she's run away with to become his secretary and they're trying to find an illegal printing press.

A little spoiler alert....maybe...continue at your own will. I had to skim the last bit of the book. I just wanted it over, even though I did want to find out what happened at the end. It's confusing to start with because she uses unusual language in the book and people's names are weird and places' names are weird. I really am not sure I understand exactly what she was trying to get at at the end other than you should think for yourself...I think...among other things perhaps.

The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Wrath of Mulgarath by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

I rated it 4 stars.

Last book of the Spiderwick series. It ended pretty good. I actually should rate it maybe a 3 stars, but the ending was unexpected-ish. Although I think it may have ended a bit abrupt. Well this series is pretty short. They have fun pictures in them as well, which leaves less room for the imagination, but still fun.

The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Ironwood Tree by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

I rated it 3 stars. 

It was good. Not exceptional, but good.

The Spiderwick Chronicles: Lucinda's Secret by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

I rated it 4 stars.

It was good. I think I liked the story line in this one better than how the first two went.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I rated it 5 stars.

Although now that I think about it, maybe I should change it to 4 stars perhaps, although I think I really like it after I finished it.

I listened to this and read it. I started it a while back, but got back into it later (and may have skipped over a little bit)...but I really enjoyed it! It has it's funny parts and it's a good story as well. There are lots of books in this series as well.

Half Moon Investigations

I rated it 4 stars.

I probably rated this more than some people because I actually listened to this book instead of reading it. It was really well read and was funny. It's about this kid, nicknamed Half Moon ( I think, it was a while ago.) and he's an investigator....trying to find out who's doing stuff? haha. duh.

The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer

I rated it 3 stars.

It was entertaining, and I actually stayed up late a couple nights reading it, so it must be good, but comparing it to Artemis Fowl, it doesn't quite match up.

First book finished in 2008: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

I rated it 3 stars.

It was good to start with. But then it got a bit slow. It felt like it kept rambling and it wasn't really getting anywhere. I would have be fine if a lot of it had been edited out. It ended well though. So I'm not sure if I "liked it" or thought it was "ok"...but I tend to like most books. There's a sequel, thick as well, and I'm afraid it might get unbearable to get through it.

This is the first book finished in the year 2008. More reviews from this year to follow.