Thursday Three (2)

1) This week I have been re-reading a book I read a long time ago. I don't re-read books often because there are always so many great ones I haven't read yet. But I do re-read occasionally. It is interesting to me what a new experience a book can be each time you return to it.

Do you find you like books more or less with a re-read?

For me it is a mix. Sometimes I relate to things or see things I didn't before, and that's exciting. Other times I am more critical of the author's style etc. because I have grown, learned more about writing etc.

2) Do you book club? I book club. One of my favorite things about book club is reading books I wouldn't have picked up. Not necisarrily because I think it's a bad book, but just because it's not on my immediate to read list. I also love book club discussions. It reminds me of being back in school in English classes.

What are some of your favorite book club books?

3) Who's excited for the Hunger Games Movie!? I sure am! I am working on getting an early showing (Thursday night) theater with a ton of friends. Right now we're up to 134 people! I cry every time I see the trailer. "I Volunteer!" Be still my heart! Just because I am so excited about it, here's the trailer for your viewing pleasure.



Happy Reading.

Book vs. Movie: PENELOPE

PENELOPE the novel written by Marilyn Kaye was published on March 20th 2007 by St. Martin's Griffin. The book was an adaptation of the screenplay of a movie already showing in other countries than the USA by the same name, starring Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, and Reese Witherspoon.

PENELOPE is a fairy tale.

Penelope Wilhern has everything a girl could want: A wealthy, socialite family, an enchanted bedroom and some of the coolest clothes around. There is only one problem: She was born into a cursed family and has the face of a pig.

Hidden away from the world, Penelope now finds herself subjected to a string of snobby, blue-blooded bachelors in a desperate attempt to find her a husband in order to break the curse. Though she yearns for something greater, what?s a girl to do when faced with a determined mother and her matchmaking sidekick? Hoping to snap a photo of the mysterious girl, mischievous tabloid reporter Lemon hires down-on-his-luck Max to pose as a prospective suitor and infiltrate the family. But when Max finds himself truly drawn to Penelope, he can?t bring himself to expose and disappoint her, so he just disappears. Fed up with this latest betrayal and determined to live life on her own terms, Penelope decides to break free from her family and go out into the world in search of adventure. Hiding her true identity with a scarf, Penelope discovers a wondrous world where freedom opens her eyes to possibilities she never knew existed. Making new friends along the way, she discovers happiness in the most unexpected places.

I saw the movie long before I read the book. But it was also the first book I had read based on a screenplay and not the other way around, so I thought I would review both for you side by side, in the order that I experienced them (because those who read the book first, tend to have a different reaction -- which I think is equally interesting!).

MOVIE:
I love this movie! Honestly I think it is adorable. The characters are funny James McAvoy is captivating and Christina Ricci is the prettiest "pig faced girl" one can imagine. I laughed at the situations, felt a pang in my heart for Peneleope and just really enjoyed this movie! I wish it had had better distribution because it has such an amazing message for everyone, as we all have insecurities.

If you have not seen this movie, see it! If you have teenage daughters make them watch it with you. It really was great.

Oh and all I can say is James McAvoy has those EYES and that LOOK and that KISS. Oh man. I skip back and watch that scene a hundred times in a row and never get sick of it!

BOOK:
Placement in the Pile: Middle of the Stack

PENELOPE the novel was an interesting read for me. It really felt a lot like she took the text of a screenplay, put it in paragraph form and added a little.

A few chapters in I realized one reason why reading it "felt" so strange. The book switches perspectives from Penelope to others at chapter breaks. This isn't unheard of for a book, but what was VERY strange was all of the Penelope chapters were in first person and all of the other chapters were in third person. It really felt strange. I kept thinking..."can authors do this?" The answer I came up with is "they shouldn't". It really kept pulling me out of the story every time my brain had to switch gears.

Some of the character developments were a little more in depth, but other than that it was a very similar experience to watching the movie. In the end I think Marilyn Kaye could have done so much more with the story and really delve into the characters, their backgrounds and their motivations more. It just fell a little flat.

Although after reading the book, I can see how people who read the book first would think the movie fell flat, as it doesn't develop some of the backstory in minor characters that the book does expand.

FINAL VERDICT?
In the end it's a two edged sword. The book took about 3-4 hours to read for most of the girls in my reader's group and the movie is just under 2 hours. Either way, it is a really really cute story so I highly suggest it to all who have not read/watched it.

Review UNWIND by Neil Shusterman

UNWIND
By Neil Shusterman
Published November 6th 2007 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Hardcover, 335 pages

Placement in the Pile: Top Picks!

Summary:
In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them.

Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.
In Unwind, Boston Globe/Horn Book Award winner Neal Shusterman challenges readers' ideas about life -- not just where life begins, and where it ends, but what it truly means to be alive.

Review:
Sound like a heavy book? Well it is. And that is why I gave it a top placement. This book was not one I would have picked up on my own, but we read it for one of my book clubs and I thought it was so incredibly powerful and thought provoking that I was very very glad I read it.

The only way I can describe this book is: Lord of the Flies, meets, The Maze Runner, meets the Hunger Games, meets The Host, meets Holes. Throw in modern politics (bi-partisan fighting), the abortion issue, stem cell research, the donor system, religion, government run orphanages, teenage pregnancy, the origin of life/the soul, racism, gay marriage, terrorist radical groups, redemption, and what it means to be human -- and there you have it folks. UNWIND.

It will make you really re-evaluate your beliefs, no matter where you stand on the issues, and in a good way.

I highly, highly recommend this book. I now have Neil Shusterman and his other books on my TBR list.

Be warned of some emotionally intense scenes, and one graphic scene that is written in the least graphic way possible.

To Book Club, or Not to Book Club?

I have been thinking a lot about my reading schedule lately. With books I buy, books on my back list that I have been meaning to read for a long time, writer's group manuscript edits, and books from publishers, I am very busy. On top of that I have now added myself to TWO book clubs!



I was wondering what you, my readers and friends think of book clubs. Do you enjoy them? Do you like them at first and then quit them later down the line?

Here is your chance to add to my list of pros and cons about book clubs:

Pros

• you are exposed to books you otherwise might not have picked up -- and sometimes they are great books!
  
• it gives you a chance to listen to many different opinions about a book
• as a mom, it can give me a night out with great friends

Cons

• you are exposed to books you otherwise might not have picked up -- and sometimes there is a reason you didn't pick up that book...
• if your friends are not really open minded then discussions about differing opinions about a book can cause sore spots (I don't let it cause sore spots, but I know I am VERY opinionated about my books...I like them or I don't, I like characters or I don't and no one can change my point of view 99.99% of the time. Regardless of their arguments, I always have a counter for my opinion. I worry it can cause sore spots with my friends on the other side of said discussion! I got it from my dad.)
• It can create an obligation that is sometimes hard to fulfill. If someone picks a long book and I don't get to it until a few days before the book club, I feel out of place trying to discuss a book that I don't know the ending.

What do you think?