Feature | P.S I Still Love You by Jenny Han - Book and Netflix Movie Thoughts

Friday, 29 May 2020

Feature | P.S I Still Love You by Jenny Han - Book and Netflix Movie Thoughts

It took a while, but I finally read P.S I Still Love You, by Jenny Han. *applause*

I read To All the Boys I Loved Before back in 2018, and Sophie and I watched the movie and chatted about the book and film on our podcast. TATBILB was really enjoyable (both book and movie, actually), but I didn't get round to reading P.S I Still Love You until this month. A few hours after I finished reading the book, I watched the movie. And I have thoughts.

Spoilers are likely in this post! You've been warned!

The book

While P.S I Still Love You was a good story, I didn't like it as much as I did To All The Boys. I remember liking Peter way more in the first book than I did in book two, but I really liked John Ambrose McCLaren in P.S I Still Love You. So that was an annoying internal conflict. But as the story went on, I did find myself rooting for Peter over John. Which I think was how it was meant to be, so I guess that's good?

My main gripe with the story is that the part that I really enjoyed the most was when the group of friends (and ex-friends) get together to open their time capsule they buried under Lara Jean's neighbor's tree house (which is getting taken down in the near future). After opening the time capsule that they buried about 5 years prior, they decide they should play a last game of Assassin. The game goes like this: everyone puts their own name into a hat, and everyone draws a name from the hat. Whoever you draw, that's your target, and you need to place two hands on their shoulders to get them out. You then take the name that they had, and try to get that person out. Each person's home is safe house, as is school. The last person standing gets to have one wish granted from anyone in the group.

I love the idea of this game! I really wish that the game was something that ran through the entire story, rather than starting half way through and ending with about a quarter of the book to go. It's a concept that I think could have made the book a lot more quirky and fun. Not that it wasn't fun, but it would have made it that little bit more entertaining.

Having said that, I did really like the addition of John Ambrose to the story, and some of the side stories that were going on, like Gen's family troubles, Lara Jean visiting Stormy at the Belleview retirement home etc. Overall, I did enjoy it (probably a 3.5 - 4 star), but not as much as TATBILB.

The movie

Having the book fresh in my head (like I said it was mere hours later that I watched the film after finishing the book) is something that rarely happens in my life. At the end of 2019 I read Let it Snow and then watched the movie that week, but other than that I can't think of anything recently that I've done this with. I think doing this - finishing the book and then really soon after watching the movie - has it's pros and cons. But that's a post for another day, perhaps. 

P.S I Still Love You the movie was a lot of fun. But there were so many things that were different to the book. To name a few: the way John Ambrose McCLaren re-enters Lara Jean's life is different than in the book. He still writes her back after he gets the letters from the first book, but then he shows up to volunteer at Belleview. In the book, he's Stormy's great-grandson (by marriage), so he meets Lara Jean when they're both their visiting her. In the book, John gives Lara Jean the snowglobe, in the movie she chooses it at a fair that she's at with Peter (also new to the movie). In the movie Gen and Lara Jean chat in the treehouse, which was a nice addition I have to say, and while their friendship isn't really restored, it seems more on the right track in the movie than in the book. Also in the book, the Covey family gets a dog, and he's not in the movie. I could go on with the differences, but I won't.

But I will say: the Assassin game they played in the book and that I enjoyed so much wasn't in the movie at all. I understand that they can't put everything in, but now all I want is to see Noah Centineo, Jordan Fisher and Lara Condor running around the town trying to tag their friends. I think that would be awesome, and would make for some brilliant hilarity.

I do also want to mention there were some things in the movie that I'm discovering were pulled from book three, Always and Forever, Lara Jean, which I started after watching the movie. 

Verdict? 

So all in all: I liked the book. I liked the movie. But I would have like the movie more if I hadn't read the book. And I would have like the book more if it involved the Assassin game more. 

Obviously, if you've read and enjoyed To All the Boys I've Loved Before, then do pick up this one. 

What are your thoughts about the book vs movie? Let us know!

Movie image: IMDB | Book image: Goodreads

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Orphan Black Vol. 1 | John Fawcett, Szymon Kudranski, Graeme Manson, Jody Houser & Cat Staggs | Review

Monday, 1 August 2016

Orphan Black Vol. 1 | John Fawcett, Szymon Kudranski, Graeme Manson, Jody Houser & Cat Staggs | Review

If you caught my recent review of Gregory E. Pence's What We Talk About When We Talk About Clone Club, you'll know it's no secret that I'm an Orphan Black fan. Although I'd heard about the graphic novels a little while back, I only recently discovered that Vol.1 was available at my local library, and that felt like a nudge that it was time to delve into a new version of the Orphan Black universe!

The graphic novel is based on the TV series and features illustrations of all our favourite characters/actors from a selection of artists. Story-wise this volume delves into our introductions to five of the most familiar clones; Sarah, Helena, Alison, Cosima and Rachel, showing how complex and different the clones really are. With that in mind, for those who have watched the show there isn't a whole lot of new information to be found within these pages, although there are a few interesting snippets that weren't featured on screen. For those who haven't seen the show.... well, I can imagine it may be a bit of a confusing read.

Although the storylines closely follow those already explored on the show, I still enjoyed this quick read and would recommend picking it up if you're a fan, in particular to see the variety of artwork included. If you're more interested in exploring parts of the story never before seen on screen, there is also a second Orphan Black graphic novel series focusing on Helsinki. If the description is anything to go by, Vol.2 sounds like a much more interesting exploration of the universe fans have come to love and I'm definitely planning on picking it up soon!

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Saved By The Bell (Vol. 1) | Joelle Sellner, Chynna Clugston Flores & Tim Fish | Review

Monday, 28 September 2015

Saved By The Bell (Vol. 1) | Joelle Sellner, Chynna Clugston Flores & Tim Fish | Review

*Review copy c/o Netgalley, image via Goodreads

As soon as I heard that there was going to be a graphic novel adaptation of Saved By The Bell I knew I had to get my hands on it! Like many people around my age I grew up watching the TV show (which debuted the year I was born), and in more recent times have found myself laughing along at all of the craziness as podcaster April Richardson discusses the show with guests on the amazing Go Bayside!.

One of the big differences from the TV show is that the graphic novel brings the characters we know and love into the modern day. This version sees Lisa as a vlogger, Kelly auditioning for an X-Factor style talent show, a Bayside High dating website and Screech's robot Kevin as a super computer who can do pretty much anything! At the heart of the story though are those same characters, just as I remember them from the show.

There were also a few little nods to the original setting of the late 80's and early 90's, such as Zack saying 'I can't believe anyone ever used this' about an old-style mobile phone which looks exactly like the one his TV counterpart used. I loved this new take on the characters and thought the transition to the modern day setting was done really well, managing to bring the story up to date without losing the spirit of what made the original series a success.

The brightly coloured illustrations were very reminiscent of the sets and outfits found on the show, as well as in the iconic opening credits. Speaking of which, the pages separating the eight stories found within the graphic novel are each adorned with the Bayside Tigers logo upon a background that is taken from that famous opening sequence.

Whilst it's pretty difficult for me to step back from being a fan and look at the graphic novel from the point of view of someone who isn't familiar with the show, I can still see it being enjoyable for today's teens.

All in all this graphic novel is a quick and super fun read, and is certainly perfect for fans of the show. I hope we'll be seeing a volume 2 soon!

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All The Bright Places | Jennifer Niven | Reviewed by Christina

Wednesday, 11 March 2015

All The Bright Places | Jennifer Niven | Reviewed by Christina

All The Bright Places moved me. So much. Theodore Finch is known for being a bit wacky & unpredictable. Nicknamed Theodore "Freak", Finch is used to being noticed for all the wrong reasons and spends most of his time thinking of ways to kill himself. Violet Markey can't wait for Graduation after the death of her sister. Although a typically "popular" girl, Violet is unhappy and can't see a way out. When the two meet in an unfortunate circumstance on the ledge of the school bell tower, it isn't clear who saved who but when the two otherwise strangers get together for a school project, they discover things about themselves and each other that they never knew. 

The two characters in this book are just lovely. I felt myself more drawn to Finch than I was to Violet, but I still loved them both just the same. I really enjoyed being inside each character's head and understanding their thoughts, as the story is told from alternating points of view. The adults in this book were probably the most disappointing aspect and whilst I understand that it was probably intentional that almost every adult in this book was useless, it really annoyed me and I wanted to scream at the school Counselor and Finch's mom numerous times throughout the book. The only adults in this book that were anywhere near acceptable were Violet's parents - who were going through a great deal themselves and despite wanting to protect their now only child, still managed to pull it together and actually be responsible adults. 

The plot held on to my heart throughout and ripped it out at the end with a sort of predictable conclusion. I saw it coming throughout the second-half of the book and understood the downward spiral, but I equally enjoyed watching it play out and dreaded what was coming. The quotes and references in this book were one of my favourite aspects - along with the facts about suicide as they added an extra layer to the story that I wasn't expecting. I don't like when people compare books to other books, but I would say that if you enjoy John Green's style of writing, you will enjoy All The Bright Places. 

Germ Magazine, the online publication that is written by Violet has actually been created IRL by Jennifer Niven, which I think is amazing! So if you've read this book, definitely check out the online Magazine too. I've also just heard that the book is being made into a film and that Elle Fanning is starring in it - so I'm super excited for that!

Trigger Warning: I wouldn't advise reading this book if you are at all sensitive to issues of mental health & suicide. 

This review was written by regular reviewer Christina, read more about her here. 

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Pretty Little Liars | Sara Shepard | Reviewed by Erin

Monday, 16 February 2015

Pretty Little Liars | Sara Shepard | Reviewed by Erin

I love a good mystery tale and having recently ‘Netflix marathoned’ every episode of the TV adaptation to date, I was keen to pick up the first in Sara Shepard’s famous Pretty Little Liars series which currently consists of no less than sixteen novels!

Last year I read four of the books from another of Shepard’s popular YA series; The Lying Game. Having found the writing style very easy to fall into and becoming swept up in the mystery I was looking forward to another quick read that would keep me guessing.

Pretty Little Liars follows teens Aria, Spencer, Emily and Hanna who’s friend Alison mysteriously went missing three years ago. When the now ex-best friends each start to receive threatening messages from the anonymous ‘A’ who seems to know all of their darkest secrets they are brought back together and start to suspect that Alison may be behind them.

Book one introduces the characters and how their lives are intertwined by Ali’s disappearance, although having seen the TV series I felt like I knew the ‘Liars’ already despite the changes from the novel. The main characters described all differ visually from the actors cast in the show and I struggled to picture them how Shepard originally had, particularly since I was reading the TV tie-in edition with the actors on the cover! Mystery-wise I really love the premise of this series and found this quick read pretty entertaining.

Overall I did enjoy both the drama and mystery of the story and although I tried to put the TV show aside whilst reading I found it very difficult to detach the novel from the adaptation. Perhaps if I had picked up the book first, with the story being completely new to me, I would have liked it more. Having said that I do plan to find time to read at least the next few in the series, as like many TV adaptations this short novel makes up just the pilot episode so there's so much more of the story to come. I'm hoping to see the characters develop as I felt they were much less likable than their TV counterparts and am also intrigued to see how the overall plot differs from the direction the TV series has taken.

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The 100 & Day 21 | Kass Morgan | Reviewed by Erin

Monday, 15 September 2014

The 100 & Day 21 | Kass Morgan | Reviewed by Erin

*Review copy c/o Netgalley, images via Goodreads


The idea behind the 100 series may seem rather familiar to some of you as it has recently been adapted into a TV series by US network The CW but today I'm going to be discussing the original books. The novels follow a group of teen criminals living in space years after a nuclear apocalypse left the Earth uninhabitable. Although the ship has been home to several generations the real story begins when 100 of the teens are chosen to be sent back to Earth to investigate as oxygen on the ship is running out quickly, putting everyone's lives at risk.

At first I found it difficult to get into the story of The 100 which is a shame as I thought the premise sounded intriguing. I had expected it to be more of a survival story but instead found it to be very focused on the various relationships between the main characters. The teens we meet are Clarke, Wells & Bellamy who are all sent down to Earth, and finally Glass the only one of the group who remains on the ship. The chapters alternate between these four characters who are all connected in some way and although I thought it was interesting to include perspectives from both on and off the ship, in this case I didn’t feel that the multiple points of view on the ground necessarily added much value to the story.

Something else I was disappointed in was the lack of solid world-building which definitely contributed to the fact that I didn’t feel like I could really invest in the characters and their stories. In addition it didn't feel like much actually happened in the book plot-wise and sadly overall it left me feeling underwhelmed and with a lot of unanswered questions.

In an attempt to enjoy The 100 more I also dipped in and out of the first few episodes of the new TV adaptation but sadly I couldn’t muster up much enthusiasm here either. Still, I persevered and picked up the second book in the hope that it would contain more answers, and more of the survival tale I was hoping for.

Newly released sequel Day 21 picks up where The 100 left off and whilst still fairly focused on the relationships between the characters also starts to give more of an insight into what’s been happening on Earth and how the Colony became to be. For me the fact that the world-building was stronger and new elements were added meant I enjoyed the second book more than the first.

Although overall this series isn’t one of my personal favourites I still believe the premise has a lot of potential and perhaps a third instalment could be very interesting. Fans of the TV adaptation may be surprised at some of the changes from the original novels but will most likely enjoy these reads!

This post was written by regular reviewer Erin, get to know her here

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Fight Club | Chuck Palahniuk | Review

Monday, 2 December 2013

Fight Club | Chuck Palahniuk | Review

Chuck Palahniuk's first novel tells of a young man who suffers from insomnia, he becomes addicted to going to support groups as a impostor. Soon other important characters appear, such as Marla another trickster who enjoys support groups and more importantly Tyler a key character who he befriends on a flight. They in turn set up a Fight Club, of course the first rule of fight club is that you don't talk about fight club.

I'm quite possibly one of the only people around to have not watched this film, this book has been sat on my to-read shelf for a couple years and I finally picked up when I had the urge to watch the film. Of course I couldn't watch the film knowing the book was sat there unread - so I picked it up and off I went.

I have to say I had high expectations, many friends have rated this book 5/5 on goodreads, but I have to say I struggled for the first 50 or so pages. I found the text difficult to read and the story line difficult to connect with. However something seemed to change around the 50 pages mark and suddenly I got into the swing and style of the story.

I enjoyed the main character, his quirks, insomnia and all, the journey he goes on is distressing yet enticing, while I wanted to hide behind my hands whilst reading some of the description I also had to keep going, I needed to know where he was going to end up.

As I said previously this book got off to a rocky start, I found it all very stereotypical male and as a female who hates fighting and violence, it was a tricky read. That however is not to say that I didn't enjoy it, I did and would definitely recommend it.

Now I best get round to watching the film adaptation!

This post was written by regular reviewer Laura, get to know her here.
Image from Goodreads

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Group Collaboration | If We Made The Movies

Saturday, 23 November 2013

Group Collaboration | If We Made The Movies

For this month's group post we asked you to put yourself in the director's chair. We wanted to know which books you would love to see come to the big screen, and which existing adaptations you would change. Here's how cinema would look if we were in charge...




























This month's contributors - Ria, Laura, Lucy, Cat, Anjali
Images of actors all via imdb.com
Post & graphics by Erin

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Next month's post is all about our Favourite Reads Of 2013! Let us know your choices via Twitter, Goodreads or drop us an email - bloggersbookshelf@gmail.com

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Guest Review | Wonder | R. J. Palacio

Thursday, 5 September 2013

Guest Review | Wonder | R. J. Palacio

August Pullman describes himself as an ordinary kid. He loves ice cream and Star Wars and playing with his dog, Daisy. But unfortunately, everyone else struggles to see him that way because August Pullman was born with severe facial deformities. At 10 years old he has undergone 27 surgical procedures, has gotten used to the stares and whispers and has never been to a mainstream school. However, one of these things is about to change when August in enrolled into Beecher Prep at the start of a new school year. He won’t be the only new kid there but he will be the only kid who looks like him.

Auggie, as he is known, is understandably terrified. Just because he is used to the way people react to him, doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. Now he must navigate school bullies, tested loyalties and increased family tensions not to mention school lessons.

Wonder is split into eight parts with each one narrated by either August or someone whose life he has touched. This method does lead to a certain lack of subtlety with multiple characters explaining the same thing. Although it is interesting to hear different points of view and it does help to develop the characters, it also goes some way to preventing the reader from drawing their own conclusions. One example where this is particularly true is in how Auggie describes his looks to the reader:

“I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.”

Simple. Effective. Over the course of the story he does describe some features, such as how he hates his fist-like ears, but for the first part of Wonder the reader is unencumbered by detailed description. However, in his sister Via’s section this is effectively undone almost instantly with a detailed breakdown of all of Auggie’s features. This may work for some people, of course you are curious and what August looks like is important, but it didn’t work for me I’m afraid.

Despite this, Palacio creates a believable, touching portrait of an extraordinary child in August. His personal strength is stated and applauded but not over sentimentally - bar the ending, but you can forgive Palacio that little moment of indulgence. The real strength of Wonder is how equally well developed each of the main characters or narrators are. The complex relationships that August has and that exist beyond him are portrayed realistically. August is brave, yes, but he can also be stubborn, petty, selfish even, like most 10-year old boys. Likewise, Via is a particularly well rounded and relatable character and this lifts the story and gives it depth. Wonder is full of equally heart-warming and gut-wrenching moments. Everyone will have their own, but the passage that I found most moving strangely did not involve Auggie but was about Via and her grandmother.

Wonder is an enjoyable and accessible read for all ages. It is by no means perfect and some may find the writing style too simplistic for their tastes but I would recommend this as an uplifting, easy read.

This post was written by guest reviewer Ali. Click here to visit her personal blog AlleyHope!
Image c/o Ali

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Features | The Lowdown On Upcoming YA Adaptations

Tuesday, 19 March 2013

Features | The Lowdown On Upcoming YA Adaptations

Images via Goodreads
Following the success of films such as The Hunger Games adaptation just over a year ago and the growing popularity of the genre many more of our favourite Young Adult series are also set to hit the big, and small, screens in the next couple of years. This year already sees the release of Stephenie Meyer’s The Host, Orson Scott-Card’s Ender’s Game, Casandra Clare’s City Of Bones and most recently Beautiful Creatures on the big screen but here are some details on just a few of the other titles set to be adapted soon.

Divergent

Quite possibly the most talked about is the film adaptation of Veronica Roth’s debut Divergent, the first in a trilogy that follows the journey of Tris Prior as she chooses which faction she will belong to for the rest of her life. As the film is set to begin shooting in Chicago very soon there have been a lot of interesting casting announcements popping up in recent weeks. Firstly Shailene Woodley was cast as main character Tris Prior followed by the announcements that Zoe Kravitz will play Christina, Tris’ best friend in the Dauntless faction, Nikita star Maggie Q will portray Dauntless member Tori and Ansel Elgort is set to play Tris’ Erudite brother Caleb. There are also speculation that Oscar winner Kate Winslet has been offered a role and although rumours suggest she will portray Erudite leader Jeanine Matthews this has not yet been confirmed. The most anticipated casting news however is that Brit actor Theo James will portray Dauntless member and Tris’ love interest Four.

The Maze Runner

Also on the cards is a 2014 film version of The Maze Runner by James Dashner which was released back in 2009. The story centres around a group of boys , the ‘Gladers’ who are trapped in a maze as part of some form of experiment. The boys don’t know how they got there or why they were chosen but they know that they are meant to find a way to escape. There hasn’t yet been a lot of confirmed news for this project although IMDB has British actors Will Poulter, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Aml Ameen listed as cast members. The website originally had Poulter listed as main character Thomas but that has since been altered and now states that he will play Gally. The film will be directed by Wes Ball best known for his work in art departments and visual effects.

Vampire Academy

The popular Vampire Academy series of novels by Richelle Mead are also coming to the big screen. Personally I don’t know a lot about this series but from what I understand it centres around a boarding school where vampires are trained to protect magic and half-human teens. Reports state that Zoey Deutch, star of another YA adaptation Beautiful Creatures, will play main character Rose. Interestingly Mark Waters who is famous for his work on Mean Girls amongst other things has signed on to direct.

The Fault in Our Stars

A big screen adaptation of John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars arguably the most talked about YA release of 2012 is also in the works. The film is set to be directed by Josh Boone who’s only previous directing credit is 2012’s Stuck In Love which he also wrote the screenplay for. There have been rumours about Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld auditioning for the role of Hazel Grace but nothing has been confirmed as yet. *Edit - the same day this post was published it was announced that Shailene Woodley will portray Hazel Grace

Delirium

In addition there are also projects set to hit the small screen this year most notably Lauren Oliver’s Delirium series. The books are set in a world where love is considered a disease and at the hands of the government teens are ‘cured’ with an operation. Emma Roberts has officially been cast to play protagonist Lena alongside Jeanine Mason as best friend Hana, Daren Kagasoff as Alex and Gregg Sulkin as Julian. The pilot episode is set to condense the entirety of the trilogy’s first novel coupled with some character changes which will make for interesting viewing for fans of the series.

The Selection

Kiera Cass’ The Selection, a story about a girl chosen by a ‘lottery’ to compete for the affections of Prince Maxon, is set to air on The CW, the network who successfully adapted the Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl books and now The Carrie Diaries, later this year. So far there are several names on board to star including Anthony Head as the King.

Mila 2.0

Debra Driza’s debut novel Mila 2.0 which isn’t actually released until the end of March is already set for an ABC adaptation with Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes and her producing partner Betsy Beers on board both as executive producers. Mila 2.0 follows the story of a teen who discovers that she is in fact an android created by the military as an experiment in artificial intelligence. As yet there has been no casting news but with Rhimes and Beers on board the project has a lot of potential for success. I was actually lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of the book - if you are interested and would like to find out more about Mila 2.0 click here to read my review.

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So that’s it for my wrap up on upcoming YA adaptations. I am hoping to review the pilot episodes of both Delirium and The Selection when they air as well as Mila 2.0 if the project goes ahead so keep an eye out for those later in the year. I’m sure I will be reviewing some of both the 2013 and 2014 film releases on my personal blog (www.e-eliseetc.com) too.

Don’t forget to leave a comment below letting me know which adaptation you are most excited for!

This post was written by regular reviewer Erin, get to know her here.

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Noughts and Crosses | Malorie Blackman | Review

Sunday, 17 March 2013

Noughts and Crosses | Malorie Blackman | Review

In Noughts and Crosses, Malorie Blackman swaps the prejudices from this world regarding race and puts them into this amazing series. In this world, which is modern day London, Persephone (Sephy) is a Cross. A girl from a very wealthy family and has dark skin. Callum is a Nought, a boy who is living in a rougher part of the area and his skin tone is white. These two young people have known each other since they were small, when they were too young to know of prejudice and bullying and war and hate. As they grow up they realise that they both want to become more than friends but in living in this harsh and cruel society, it is exceedingly difficult. Will Callum and Sephy ever find true happiness? You will have to find out.

Honestly my friends, this is a fabulous start to a fabulous series. My mum bought me it when I was about fourteen and I fell in love with it. The short but very well written chapters dragged me into this parallel world and I found it really hard to come back to reality. This book will have you smiling, crying, biting your fingernails and leave you with wide mouthed expressions and flicking the pages as to what happens next. I think this book is more suitable for teenagers aged fourteen and up because there is a lot of violence which takes place. I love this book because there are lots and lots of twists and turns and half the time you have no idea what the outcome is going to be. I thought this book was brilliantly written as I could picture the scenes and the characters vividly and it was one of those books where I felt like I was in it and watching everything that was happening.

Obviously this book deserves a five star rating. I really urge you all to read this. It's one of my top ten favourite books of all time, and it would mean a lot if you read it and fell in love with it as much as I have.  This story is about violence, religion, race, war and love. And if you like this book, there's three more in the series!

This book was reviewed by regular reviewer Lucy, get to know her here!
Picture from Lucy

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Beautiful Creatures | Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl | Review

Sunday, 3 March 2013

Beautiful Creatures | Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl | Review

Ethan Lawson Wate is just your average sixteen year old, living in a small town in  the American South. He has friends and goes to school like a normal teenager. But when Lena Duchannes arrives in town, his whole world turns upside down.

Lena Duchannes lives with her mysterious uncle Macon Ravenwood and this fact does not go unnoticed for the rest of the town. Macon lives in a massive Gothic mansion and has not been seen leaving it in years. On Lena's first day at school, Lena soon discovers that the town of Gatlin does not take kindly to strangers and makes her know exactly where she stands. Ethan however finds her very extraordinary and there's something about her face which is very familiar. They become friends and as their friendship grows stronger, Ethan learns that Lena is a Caster, a being which can cast magic. However Lena has a problem. She is on the countdown to her sixteenth birthday where she will find out if she will turn to the Light or the Dark for her Claiming.

Sit tight and be prepared for a read, full of witches, both Light and Dark, and a love story like no other.

I really enjoyed Beautiful Creatures. The main reason why I picked it up was because I wanted to read it before the movie came out. I really enjoy anything to do with magic and to read something that was quite different to other books involving magic was a real joy. The only disadvantage I have to give is Ethan himself was a bit of a fanciful boyfriend. Like he was doing all of these things when you really think about it, most boyfriends wouldn't usually do. So when I was reading these bits I wasn't really feeling it if you know what I mean. However, it was a good narration and the authors did a good job talking from a male perspective.

I'm giving this a four and a half star rating. It is much better than the movie version. In the movie version they basically take a chunk of the book out of the movie and make things up which have nothing to do with the storyline. If you enjoy reading things to do with witches and other mystical beings then this is the book for you. It's really very good and I can't wait to read the rest of this series!

This book was reviewed by regular reviewer Lucy, get to know her here!

Photo by Goodreads!

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The Vow | Kim Carpenter | Review

Friday, 1 March 2013

The Vow | Kim Carpenter | Review

Each one of us is the sum total of every moment that we’ve ever experienced with all the people we’ve ever known.' - Kim Carpenter.

When a tragic car accident leaves Krickitt Carpenter with a serious brain injury just two months after her wedding to the love of her life, her new husband, Kim, thinks she's in the clear when she makes a miraculous recovery. Unfortunately for the Carpenters, this was only the beginning of their problems; Krickitt has amnesia, and, as a result of the accident, can't remember meeting, or marrying, Kim, leaving her isolated and scared, and Kim living with a woman who doesn't remember loving him. A true story, The Vow, follows Kim and Krickitt as they attempt to recover both physically and mentally from the accident which they miraculously survived - the only question is, will their marriage be a fatality?

Generally, when a novel is turned into a movie, I point-blank refuse to watch the film before I read the book; I genuinely believe that, 99% of the time, the book is better, by miles (the 1% comprising of The Time Traveller's Wife, which was a serious let-down for me, in print...), but I was caught off guard by The Vow. It's not the kind of film I'd generally sit down to watch, and, whilst I was aware that a book existed, I didn't even know who it was by, much less considered reading it.

However, I found myself settling down to the Rachel McAdams/Channing Tatum flick a few weeks ago, and absolutely falling in love with the story; and then, as the credits rolled, all was revealed - The Vow was based on a true story - and was available in book form. A little digging soon revealed the author to be the husband from the story, whose wife had completely forgotten his existence. Of course, I had to order it, and had made it through the first three chapters on my Kindle that same evening.

I realise how promising the fact that I was 3 chapters in such a short space of time sounds, but, unfortunately, this wasn't the case; I got through the book in record time, just because I wanted it to be over and done with. I've mentioned before, on Bloggers' Bookshelf, that I'm not a particularly religious person, and The Vow is, for the most part, an evangelical book; both Kim and Krickitt Carpenter are very devout Christians, and attribute much of the outcome of their story to their faith, which I can obviously appreciate, but in book form, the result is that we get very little actual story - few details or anecdotes about their lives before or after the event, and more conjecture on what Kim feels kept him and Krickitt going through her recovery.

Don't get me wrong, both the Carpenters' love for one another, their faith in their vows, and their faith in general, is very inspiring, but The Vow doesn't feel like it does Kim and Krickitt's story much justice. The narrative is in-cohesive, and jumps forwards and backwards without much of an explanation, and the text feels stilted, forced, as though the author's having trouble expressing himself; understandable, considering the book is penned by Kim, but considering John Perry was also along to assist the writing, I can't help but feel slightly let down by the novel.

1/5 stars

This review was written by regular reviewer Francesca, get to know her here.
Photo © Francesca Sophia.

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Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging | Louise Rennison | Review

Sunday, 10 February 2013

Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging | Louise Rennison | Review

I have some sad news. This will be my last scheduled review for Blogger's Bookshelf. I'll be taking a step back from blogging for a while but will hopefully contribute every now and then for guest posts. I was originally going to review The Host by Stephanie Meyer for you all as the trailers for the book adaption have started to appear on the net. But, I've had a change of heart. I've decided for my last review I'd love to review my first book. I call it my first book as in it was the first book I read that I really fell in love with, the one that really drew me into reading.

Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging is a young adult book that I find absolutely hilarious. The book follows Georgia Nicholson's witty journal entries as she struggles with her "mortifying" life. The book really is a typical teen read, there's love, family issues and friendship battles. As a 12 year old reading this book for the first time I thought it was perfect, when I go back and read it now as an 18 year old I still feel myself relating to Georgia's life. The main plot line of this book follows hilarious ill fated crush on an older guy, "sex god" Robbie who plays in the band Stiff Dylans. Disaster strikes multiple times throughout the book in her mission to have Robbie has her own. This equals to a lot agonizing third party embarrassment moments.

Louise Rennison's characters are by far my favourite part of her books, as well as the English slang. It took a while for an Aussie like me to pick up the slang (thank god for the glossary at the back or I never would have known what snogging was). There's little in the way of character development, but the character traits and witty thoughts of Georgia are quite possibly the highlight of the books.

I also really enjoyed how the book is written in journal entries, in particular the way the entries have a time or a place sometimes. It's easy to feel like you're there with Georgia, participating in her day to day life. Louise has a way of writing in a past present that sounds like it's truly happening for the first time as you read it.

I can honestly say Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging is one of my favourites I've ever read. I have friends that I can be with and we just quote the book aloud. The book is basically a quote gold field. It's almost like Mean Girls in literature form.

There's also a very popular film adaption of the book which I was so thrilled to purchase the day it came out. It's almost as hilarious as the book, but we all know a movie adaption can never quite be perfect. The movie is a mixture of the first and second book in the Georgia Nicholson series. I recommend watching it if you haven't, Aaron Johnson goes alright for a bit of eye candy. But to be quite honest I'm a bit of a Dave the Laugh girl myself.

I'd definitely give Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging a 5 out of 5. It's my book, my first favourite book. I'll always have a copy with me in the future. I feel the themes are almost ageless and will always be hilarious. If you're up for a lighthearted read, check out this book. There's not doubt about it, you'll be laughing your knickers off!

And I'm out everyone! Happy reading - Taylah.

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Ready Player One | Ernest Cline | Review

Wednesday, 6 February 2013

Ready Player One | Ernest Cline | Review

"It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place. Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them." Source

When OASIS creator James Halliday dies the world that worships him and his creation are presented with the ultimate challenge; Halliday has left them an Easter Egg and the one who finds it will win the ultimate prize of fortune and power.

At the beginning of Ready Player One in the five years that have passed since Halliday’s death although many people have dedicated their lives to studying his pop culture favourites in the hope of finding clues no one has yet made any progress towards finding the first of the three keys; Copper. So when main character Wade Watts, or Parzival as he is known in the OASIS, becomes the first gunter (the name for Halliday’s fans which comes from ‘egg hunters’) to obtain the key and make it through the first gate the story really kicks off. From then on it is all action as we follow Wade on his quest to find the remaining two keys (Jade and Crystal) and hopefully to also be first to find the highly sought after Easter Egg. The gunters however are not the only ones after Halliday’s prize, there is of course a villain in the form of the IOI, a global internet service provider who are out to win by finding loopholes in order to gain control of the OASIS and monetize it.

Ready Player One is definitely very geeky, there are a ton of pop-culture references from games to films, television to music and for this reason it does need a little more concentration than your average read. Don’t let this put you off though, the story is very easy to follow even if you don’t fully appreciate each and every reference because Cline has foreseen this issue and they are all sufficiently explained. Amongst the references Ready Player One tackles the modern-world issue of how you choose to represent yourself online, something which most people can relate to – even if you don’t appreciate all of the geeky references!

Protagonist Wade is a likeable and sympathetic character who makes a great guide through this fairly complicated world. Along the way he meets fellow gunters and leaderboard toppers Shoto, Daito, Aech, and most importantly Art3mis. I personally loved the relationships that form between Wade and his fellow gunters, at first each out to win for themselves but at times coming together against the IOI. Without giving away too much I particularly enjoyed the reveal of what each of these characters looked like in real life and in turn the reasons behind the designs of their OASIS avatars. Co-creator of the OASIS Ogden Morrow, or Og, is also a fantastic character.

As much as I loved the plot and characters the most impressive thing about Ready Player One was the planning. Every little detail was so well thought out and things just seemed to fall into place making it much easier to immerse yourself in Cline’s version of the world. As I was reading I found myself asking questions but just paragraphs or even sentences later I would find the answers and overall I think this makes the whole story much more convincing.

Ready Player One has certainly been one of those books that has stuck with me long after reading it, and although I had never intended to review it, here I am months later still thinking about what a great read it was. This unusual and clever debut novel from Ernest Cline is suitably geeky and extremely enjoyable. 5/5 

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Girl, Interrupted | Susanna Kaysen | Review

Friday, 14 December 2012

Girl, Interrupted | Susanna Kaysen | Review

In 1967, after a session with a psychiatrist she'd never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi and sent to McLean Hospital to be treated for depression. She spent most of the next two years on the ward for teenage girls in a psychiatric hospital renowned for its famous clientele - Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, James Taylor and Ray Charles. - source

This book is based on true events which happened in the author’s life. Originally I had seen the film of the book before I even got my hands on the book and it just blew my mind. At first with the film I thought it was rather interesting and very organised. With the book it was much different, it was slightly broken and unorganised, and it would jump between the story. The book and film are the same story but are told in different ways because the books is the authors true life experiences, almost like an autobiography which makes everything much personal.

With this book we get an insight to the mental hospitals in the 1960's and some of the horrors they contained. One of my favourite characters, the most well known apart from Susanna herself would have to be Lisa, her wicked nature and her love of her condition really did interest me. Overall I feel as if the book is more than just fiction, it gives us insight and information to true life experiences that would never have been seen before. I really enjoyed this book as it was detailed with what happened and everything was clear and easy to understand. Obviously the author had done her homework. We meet the main character; Susanna herself after she has tried to kill herself and we witness her life within the asylum from here onward. We meet friends she made inside and also her daily routine and the rules of the hospital.

Girl, Interrupted gripped me, once I started reading I couldn't stop as I was that interested. For anyone wanting an odd but really interesting read I would fully recommend this book as it is emotional and loving as well as odd and full of life. You feel connected to the characters as you listen to their stories and towards the end you feel sad to let them go as Susanna did. I would give it a full rating for both the film and book due to the quality of the writing but also the courage of the author for publishing her life while 'imprisoned'.

This review was written by regular reviewer Elle, learn more about her here.

Photo credit to Elle.

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Dicussion | Favourite Book To Film Adaptations

Saturday, 8 December 2012

Dicussion | Favourite Book To Film Adaptations

Today’s post, our first ever Discussion here at Blogger’s Bookshelf, comes from regular reviewer Erin & guest reviewer Cat. We have been friends since we met at University where we bonded over our love of watching, and more importantly, criticising films. Since films have been a big part of our friendship we have decided to collaborate on a post all about our favourite book to film (and television!) adaptations. We hope you enjoy it!

Cat's No. 3: Starter for 10, David Nicholls (2003) – Starter for 10, Tom Vaughan (2006)

I shall begin with my one of my favourite books, Starter for 10 by David Nicholls. For years I have reread this book at least five times a year and so the film had a lot to live up to! I have to say that the adaptation was surprisingly better than I expected, I think the casting is marvellous; with James McAvoy as the right sort of embarrassing geek and Rebecca Hall who manages to exude an air of political righteousness. I was impressed that David Nicholls actually wrote the screenplay, and so felt comfortable in the knowledge that book was in safe hands for its adaptation. Of course there were subtle changes to certain conversations and scenes, however I imagine that this does have to happen in some cases so that the film can appeal to a wider audience, and the small things were no great loss to the narrative. However my favourite element to the film is the soundtrack; there are plenty of Kate Bush and The Cure songs to set the scene of the 80s and you can quite happily immerse yourself into the story.

Erin's No. 3: Fight Club, Chuck Palaniuk 1996 – Fight Club, David Fincher 1999

My first choice is FightClub, written back in 1996 by Chuck Palaniuk, and arguably a cult classic of both the book and film worlds. In this case I actually saw the film several years before I read the book but right from the first line of both you’re left wanting to know more about Tyler Durden. The film has an impressive cast led by Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter and was directed beautifully by the very talented David Fincher. It seems in the majority of cases that audiences prefer the original books to their film adaptations however with Fight Club opinion is very divided. Despite the fact that the plot differs quite a lot and although the film didn’t do as well as expected at the box office both formats are highly praised by audiences and critics alike. Even the author of the book, Chuck Palaniuk, reportedly stated that he preferred the film adaptation to his own work! Thanks to the vision of Fincher the direction of the film reflects the style of the book perfectly and is more of a companion to it’s novel roots than a rival. Five years have now passed since I first read Fight Club and scanning through it to write for this post has made me realise how much I definitely want to re-read it in 2013!

Cat's No. 2: Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen (1811) – Sense and Sensibility, John Alexander (2008)

Ok, so I know the BBC adaptation of Sense and Sensibility cannot technically be called a film as it was made for television, however I felt it necessary to include in this post, as I absolutely adore it. Out of the two Jane Austen novels I have read (Pride and Prejudice being the other), I much prefer actually reading Sense and Sensibility as I find the narrative more engaging. I was excited when I heard this was being shown over the Christmas holidays a few years ago as I am a BIG fan of Andrew Davies’ screenplays for Jane Austen novels (BBC Pride and Prejudice being one of my all time favourites). The programme, although three hours long, is wonderfully engaging and the cinematography beautiful, I would highly recommend the book and adaptation.

Erin's No. 2: Memento, Christopher Nolan 2000 - Memento Mori, John Nolan 2002
Book pictured: The Making of Memento, James Mottram 2002

Some people may class my second choice as cheating because of the complicated way short story Memento Mori and screenplay for Memento came to be. The two were written simultaneously after Christopher came up with the idea to present his brother John’s idea backwards in film format. Memento Mori is only around 5500 words and was not published until it appeared in a 2002 issue of Esquire magazine, two years after the film’s release. Everything about the film is genius right from the opening credits where we get to watch a Polaroid photograph develop backwards. The film is made up of two sequences; the black & white scenes are shown in chronological order and those in colour play out in reverse which when cleverly edited together fits the main theme of memory perfectly. I could write a whole post on how fascinating the making of this film is but today I’m supposed to be talking about books, so let’s get back to that! The book pictured above is all about the making of the film but includes a copy of Memento Mori as an appendix and is where I first read the original story. The making of book itself is also a really interesting read especially if you’re a fan of the film or like me you have an interest in how films are made. The short story does differ from the film but is a quick and engaging stand-alone read. It can be found to read online free here.

Cat's No. 1: Atonement, Ian McEwan (2001) – Atonement, Joe Wright (2007)

And lastly, my favourite film adaptation would be Joe Wright’s Atonement. The cinematography is astonishing, the tones and colours are completely on target, and the direction is amazing. The film stays as true to the book as you could imagine. The book and film narrate three major sections of Briony’s life, however it is not until the pivotal end scene where the truth becomes clear. I do feel that without a written narrative, Briony’s thought process behind blaming Robbie is slightly unclear to those who have not read the book before hand, but adding this to the film would have ruined the tone completely. Having said that, the acting is extremely believable and well played out. The musicality is also astonishing, the use of typewriter sounds create atmosphere and urgency to the early scenes, tying in with Robbie’s letter writing, everything is so well thought out and aesthetically pleasing. I love this film, the book was a little tough to get into (I read it in preparation of heading to the cinema) I think that overall, I prefer the film to the book. This is one amazing story.

Erin's No. 1: About A Boy, Nick Hornby 1996 – About A Boy, Paul & Chris Weitz 2002

My third choice and favourite book to film adaptation is About A Boy which was also the first book I reviewed here at Blogger’s Bookshelf. As a huge fan of the film since it’s cinematic release back when I was just thirteen, this year I set out to finally read Hornby’s original novel. Luckily I enjoyed reading the story just as much as watching it and even though the film ending differs quite dramatically from the book it still manages to do the text justice as both conclusions of the story are satisfying in their own way. The light-hearted and sarcastic humour that manages to lift even the most difficult of topics is executed perfectly in both the book and the film, a factor I believe was key to the success of the adaptation. As adaptations go, similarly to Fight Club, this one has been highly praised and actually received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay although it lost out to The Pianist. I won’t say anymore as I have already written a full review but if you are interested in About A Boy you can find my post here.

What are your favourite book to film adaptations? 

This post was written by Erin (@sawyerandscout) & Cat (@cococat88)
Photographs © Erin / Cat

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Thirteen Reasons Why | Jay Asher | Review

Sunday, 2 December 2012

Thirteen Reasons Why | Jay Asher | Review

 “To miss her each time I pull in a breath of air. To miss her with a heart that feels so cold by itself, but warm when thoughts of her flow through me.” source.

You may have heard about Jay Asher's debut novel Thirteen Reasons Why for a few reasons. 1) the book drags controversial issues into the spotlight, 2) a movie adaption is planned for the near future to star Selena Gomez and 3) the book has gone on to win multiple awards since its 2007 release.

The book follows Clay Jensen on what turns out to be a scary ride. It's made clear that a fellow student of Clay's, Hannah Baker, commit suicide. When Clay returns home one day from school to find a box of cassettes addressed to him from Hannah he's intrigued and compelled to listen. The 13 tapes take him on an adventure across his town to places that affected and changed Hannah's life. Each tape contains a story about a certain person and how they contributed to her death. Hannah refers to the stories as a "snowball", as time went on and each person hurt her, her depression grew bigger. The tapes were sent to each person from the stories in chronological order, forcing each person to face the negative effect they had on Hannah. The cliffhanger of the book is Clay's tape, what will it say? Will it be bad? What could he have done to hurt Hannah, girl he hardly knew.

The format of the book is complex but easy to follow once grasped. Clays' dialogue and internal thoughts are portrayed in the text as they usually would. Hannah's voice and stories are combined throughout the text in italics or as separate paragraphs making it easy to distinguish between the two story tellers. It's really interesting to see each story unfold from two different points of view. Hannah's story telling of events combined with Clay's perceived opinions contribute to a captivating read.

The book intrigued me when I first picked it up because of personal circumstances, as is the same for a lot of people. In a world where depression and other mental health problems are prominent, it's highly possible we all know someone who has attempted or succeeded suicide. The book is small and highly captivating, leaving it a short read for individuals. I liked the book, I thought the message was loud and clear for the readers to grasp. It was also nice to see an issue like suicide, which is highly debated, raised in public light.

13 Reasons Why deserves 5 stars. Jay Asher's book may be challenging to read, but it's not everyday you come across a book like this.

Recommended For

Those of you who enjoyed Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns by John Green, Go Ask Alice by Anonymous and Somebody's Crying by Maureen McCarthy. If you're a fan of light mystery, dark humour or even teen issues I'd recommend 13 Reasons Why to you. The book isn't coming of age, but rather a story of teenage relationships and issues.

This review was written by regular reviewer Taylah, get to know her here.
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