Book vs. Movie

Last weekend I started reading Anne of Green Gables. (Someday if I ever win the lotto, I'm going to buy this first edition. I mean, it's only $35,000, no problem. *weeping*) Anyway, I finished that book and now I'm on to Anne of Avonlea.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I grew up watching the Anne of Green Gables movies with Megan Follows. They were a huge part of my childhood so I was a little nervous that the books wouldn't match up to the movies (ironic, right?).

Here's what I love about the first book:

I love Marilla in the book so much more than in the movie. She's such a sarcastic shit, and there's nothing I appreciate more than a sarcastic character. Plus, I love her relationship with Anne so far. Marilla in the movies was so brittle toward Anne sometimes.

I like Rachel Lynde more. She's kinder.

Anne is so ridiculously overly-dramatic, I couldn't help but laugh out loud several times. The things that come out of that kid's mouth.

What I love more about the movies:

Gilbert, Gilbert, Gilbert. I had a crush on Gilbert growing up. He's so sweet and romantic, but he doesn't put up with Anne's crap either. My issue with the first book is there is a serious lack of Gilbert. I really love how the first movie developed Anne and Gil's relationship. It set the tone for the series, and I was kind of disappointed when certain things didn't happen in the book. Though I did like the very rare glimpses we got of Gil's perspective in the book. Hopefully, I'll get more Anne/Gilbert scenes in Anne of Avonlea, but it's not looking like it so far.

Things I'm side-eyeing:

Okay, I know it's the time period and Anne is very dramatic, but I'm seriously side-eyeing Anne and Diana's relationship. Let me paraphrase: "I love you so, Diana." "I'm going to hate any man that Diana marries." "When Diana and I grow up, we've agreed to refuse all marriage proposals so we can grow old together." The femslash is strong with these two.

So in summary, I would recommend the first book. It's a good, fun read. And as sad and pathetic as this might make me sound, the classics don't typically hold my attention, but this one did.

On another note, I've been listening to the audio version of the classic book, Dracula, at work--which you can buy on iTunes for $2.95. I decided to read/listen to the book because there is a local book club near my town that I want to join, and the next book they're going to discuss is Dracula in time for Halloween (link will take you to the free Kindle version). See, this would be another good book vs. movie for me, because the movie featuring Gary Oldman and Winona Ryder is my number one favorite movie. I think I'm currently on chapter 5 of the audiobook, and I'm already having the same dilemma I had with Anne of Green Gables. Where's the love story between Mina and Dracula? (Don't spoil it for me if you know.) I'll let you know my thoughts later on this one.

Story Update

I reached 60,692 words today, but I'm still a ways away from my goal, and unfortunately I don't think I'm going to hit it. I figured I only have about 5,000 more words to write before I complete my first draft. When I go back and edit, I'm going to have to add a lot of padding to this story so I can reach my goal of 75,000 words. So I need to come up with about 10,000 more words. *sighs*

I'm also not even close to the NaNoWriMo goal of 50,000 words. I don't know if I'm going to hit it this year. My story is a lot more difficult for me to write than the one I did last year. But as soon as I finish up the first story, I'm going to jump into the sequel and see how far I can get before the end of the month. Maybe it'll give me some more ideas for the first story. I also wrote a one shot this week for the Glee fandom, which I included in my word count. I had the story idea in my head, and it wouldn't leave. As I was stuck on my original story, I figured I might as well write the fan fic just to keep myself writing. It came to a little over 11,000 words, but I don't think it'll ever see the light of day. If I do decide to post it, I'm going to have to do a lot of work on it. So basically I'm working on three stories for NaNo this year, lol. Ah well, as long as I hit the 50 K mark.

In other news, I got a new job which I start next week. This is a huge relief to me as I've been unemployed for awhile. It was one of the reasons I was so desperate to get published. Any income was better than nothing. But now I can take some time with my story and I don't have to rush it. Hopefully by the time I have it ready to go to agents, I'll have a solid manuscript to offer them.

I also have a book recommendation for you. I'm a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, and I'm really enjoying the spinoff, The Heroes of Olympus. I just finished The Son of Neptune, which is the second book in the series. I don't want to say too much about it because I'd end up giving spoilers away, but if you like adventure/quest stories or Greek and Roman mythology, I'd highly recommend these books to you. I especially enjoyed this book because we got to see Percy again, who had been missing in the first book, The Lost Hero. The only negative I have to say is the bloody cliffhanger at the end, and sadly I have to wait until Fall 2012 for the next book. Grr.

Book Recommendations

After I finished writing my original story, I decided to get caught up on my reading and I recently finished a couple of books. The first I'll discuss is Shades of Atlantis by Carol Oates. Shades is about finding your soul mate. Not someone you merely fall in love with, but the one you're destined to be with. The first half of the book focuses on Triona and Caleb, a couple who have met each other...and they can't resist one another.

I liked the second half of the book and how it tied into "Atlantis." I also liked how the author wrote Triona. In the beginning of the story, she seemed a little immature and had the habit of pouting a lot. The character really developed throughout the story and became a strong woman. I enjoyed reading that transformation.

The other book I recently read was Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. Anytime you write a book about wolves, I'm in. This story is about a girl named Grace who gets attacked by the local wolf pack when she's a kid. In the midst of the attack, she meets the yellow eyes of one of the wolves and this wolf gets the others to leave her alone. Years later, she meets a young man named Sam...who just so happens to have the same yellow eyes as her savior wolf. It becomes very clear to Grace that they are one and the same.

This story is about star-crossed lovers. The pair falls completely, madly in love with each other. But like any good love story, there's a catch. Sam can only stay in human form while it's warm out. As soon as winter hits, he'll change into his wolf form...and there's a time limit on how much a wolf can change from animal to human before they become wolves permanently. This might be the last time Sam and Grace can be together.

I really loved this story. My only complaint was that it could get overly descriptive and I sometimes found myself skimming paragraphs. I mean, did we really need two pages dedicated to the process of making a quiche? But the story basically focused on the love these two had for each other. There were other outside elements and problems that the pair faced, but it remained a love story throughout all of it.

Shiver wrapped up in such a way, I'm almost afraid to read the sequel, Linger. I'll probably eventually buy it because I want to see what happens next for Grace, but I'm going to wait for now.

My next read is going to be City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. This is the fourth book in her The Mortal Instruments series. It currently has five stars and 190 reviews on Barnes & Noble's website...not too shabby considering it just came out this week.

I've been waiting and hoping for this book since I read City of Glass. And as soon as the USPS gets their butts in gear and delivers the CoFA I ordered, I'll be able to start reading it.

Book Review

When I reviewed a book awhile back, someone PM'd me and suggested I read a book series called Kissed By An Angel. The YA books came out in the mid-1990's (LOL, which is ironically when I was a YA).

Now, I have a pile of books I want to read, but I decided to read this first because:

1) It's about angels and I love angel stories.

2) Angels are one of the few supernatural beings that I'm not writing about in my original story. I figured it'd be a safe read. I don't like to read stories that deal with the same themes I'm writing, so I avoid them until my own projects are done.

3) The three books in the trilogy are already published and you can buy them as one big book.

Synopsis

A love beyond life...a danger beyond doubt.

In a romantic and suspenseful collection of the New York Times bestselling trilogy, love's unbreakable bonds are put to the test.

When her boyfriend, Tristan, died, Ivy thought she'd lost everything, even her faith in angels. But now she's discovered that he's her guardian angel — his presence so strong that she can feel the touch of his hand, the beat of his heart. Ivy needs Tristan now more than ever because he knows she's in terrible danger. Only Ivy's guardian angel can save her now that his killer is after her.

But if Tristan rescues Ivy, his mission on earth will be finished, and he must leave her behind forever. Will saving Ivy mean losing her just when he's finally reached her again?

I really enjoyed the books. The pacing was good, it was a light, easy read, and it even made me cry a couple of times. I wish the author would have spent some more time building the relationship between Tristan and Ivy before she killed him, and Ivy seemed a bit fickle in her feelings at times, but those were the biggest problems I had with it. This was a story that kept my attention. When I knew I had other things to do, I kept thinking about the book and wanted to continue reading it. That's always a good sign that I'm liking what I'm reading.

Now, interestingly enough, apparently the trilogy has been doing really well lately (even though they came out over fifteen years ago). Because of it's recent popularity, the author has decided to revisit the storyline and will be coming out with a fourth book in March. I read the synopsis for it and I think I might pass. The story was so beautifully wrapped in the end of the third story, I really don't think it needs a fourth telling.

For my next book, I've decided to read Shades of Atlantis. Shiver and Dark Lover will have to wait. They're both parts of an ongoing series (meaning I'd have to go out and buy more books), and I don't have time right now to give them the commitment they're going to need. As for Kissed By An Angel, it's definitely a book trilogy I'd recommend.

Book Review

I read the book, Fallen, by Lauren Kate earlier this year and enjoyed it. So when the second book in her Fallen Series, Torment, came out, I went out and bought it that very week. And then it just sat on my bookshelf for the past few months while I worked on writing projects and read other books.

I don't know why I hesitated to start this one for as long as I did. Maybe it was because the first book left me feeling slightly baffled. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, but it still left me with the feeling that I was missing some vital plot line.

Torment is no different. I spent the entire time feeling confused because I thought I had missed out on something obvious. This book really doesn't answer a lot of questions that people might have had from the first book.

All that said though, once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. I literally read the book in two days. The storyline is creative and the author puts in some nice elements such as the Announcers (if you've read the book, you know what those are). The overall plot is fascinating, but then I love stories about fallen angels.

I'd recommend this series, though you may want to rent Fallen from the library first to see if it's your kind of book. When the third book in the series, Passion, comes out next summer, I know I'll go out and buy it.

For details on the books you can visit the Fallen Books Website.

Book Recommendation

I finished reading The Internal Devices: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare today. I loved it! It was hard for me to put the book down at times. I had to skip ahead when I got towards the end because I couldn't take the tension, but I went back and read it fully. (I did the same thing with The Mortal Instruments: City of Glass, but I never went back to read the parts I skimmed over. I'll have to do that before the next TMI book comes out.) While I found the TMI books a little predictable at times, this one had some nice surprises in it.

Now I have to impatiently wait for the next Internal Devices book in the series to come out, Clockwork Prince. I hate waiting, especially as the book's not going to be out until September of 2011. And then the final book doesn't come out until 2012. Ugh, this is going to be a loooong wait. *sighs*

In the meantime, the next Mortal Instruments book: City of Fallen Angels comes out, April 5, 2011.

*spoiler if you haven't finished Clockwork Angel yet* All I can say is Team Jem!

Book Recommendation

Fallen is a book that I read months ago. It originally grabbed my attention because I liked the cover, lol. But as I read it, I was drawn into the story for two reasons. One, I had a similar idea for a story like this. I wanted to see how closely my idea resembled the published author's work. I eventually decided to ditch my story, Watching Over Me, and move onto another project.

And two...it had a strong plot. This story is like working on a puzzle. You're given pieces every chapter, and you have to put the story together. Fallen is a YA book, but it's worth the read. Here is the synopsis found on the author Lauren Kate's webpage:

Fallen

Some Angels are Destined to Fall

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

(Now, I'm eagerly looking forward to the sequel.)

Torment

LOVE NEVER DIES

Lucinda is sure that she and Daniel are meant to be together forever. Now they are forced apart in a desperate bid to save Luce from the Outcasts–immortals who want her dead. As she discovers more about her past lives, Luce starts to suspect that Daniel is hiding something. What if he has lied to her about their shared past? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?

The sequel to the bestselling Fallen hits stores September 28th, 2010.

In the meantime, I'm reading Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. I read the Mortal Instruments series. Clockwork Angel is a prequel to the MI series. Some familiar names and faces have shown up already and I'm only on chapter 10. So far, I'm liking this story better than the original ones. Hopefully it will continue to deliver.

Book Recommendation

Hello everyone! It's been a few weeks since I updated my blog. I've had a lot going on. Sadly, it hasn't been for my original story, but more to do with real life issues. Anyway, I recently had to go out to Arizona. While I was away, I finished reading a book that had been recommended to me called, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone, especially people who love history and vampires. (Or if you just love Lincoln like me.)

Though the book is fictional, the author cleverly mixes real facts on Lincoln with an original storyline. You're constantly questioning, did that really happen? You get the feeling while reading this book that you're actually reading a real life biography. LOL, I know by the end of the story, a part of me wished it had been real. The author adds his own theories on the mythology of vampires. It's also rumored that director Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands/Beetlejuice) is currently working on getting the book adapted for the big screen.

This story is a fun and quick read. If you're like me, once you finish this story, you'll be on the Internet researching to see what parts in the book actually happened.

Amazon.com: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter