The 3 Witches

Several years ago, I picked up the first book of Nora Roberts' Three Sisters Island Trilogy at a book warehouse sale.  The trilogy is about three witches whose ancestors created the island as their sanctuary.  However, through tradegy, these witches lost their way and each other.  The first book titled Dance upon the Air focused on the witch who had never been on the island but found herself drawn to it.  She was completely unaware of what she was and had never met the other two.  When she finally arrived on the island, the other two witches sensed it and knew instantly.  It was a feeling.  I imagined it like a shock wave...or like an electromagnetic pulse.  The pulse began when and where the witch stepped foot onto the island and then traveled outward until it touched the other two witches.

(This is just a tiny peek into my crazy head.  Scary, idn't?)

Ever since I read that book, I have always remembered that imaginary.  I already forget most of the storyline.  But I will never forget the fantastic vision of that moment when the third witch arrived on the island.  These witches...these sisters in arms finally felt complete.  Each was one part of a whole.

I think of my bond with my sisters in the same way.  They make me whole.  No matter where we are, we have that connection.  But it is only complete when we are together.

All three of us had our time away from home...away from each other.  Tina and I went away to separate colleges.  Tina moved out of state for a couple years in early 2000.  I almost went to law school in DC but decided against it.  The main reason was because I didn't want to miss any part of my sisters' lives.  I didn't want to miss Carmen and Rachel growing up.  I needed them.

Now Laura is in college, away from home. Whenever Laura comes home from college, I joke to her that I can sense when she enters the state's border.  I get that same imaginary.  The pulse.  I even have a sound effect for it.  Hehe.

And who knows where Laura will be after college. I imagine her as the witch in Dance upon the Air.  When Laura finally comes home, Tina and I will instantly feel her presence.  We will just know it.  Because she completes us.  She completes me.

*tear*

Great Books to Really Bad Movies

I really enjoy watching movies based on books, especially serial books, that I've read and loved. Because I love the books so much, I expect to like the movie even if it is only mediocre. I don't care that the movie is never going to be as good as the book. The movies give me another chance to enjoy my favorite stories and characters again, but in a completely different way. I loved all of the Harry Potter movies and the Twilight movie. Also, I thought Golden Compass was fantastic. It was critically acclaimed but unfortunately didn't do well in the box office. I hope they make the rest of the trilogy anyway. It was soooo good.

After I read all the books in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, I was excited about the movie Eragon, which came out back in 2006. Of course, Laura went to watch it immediately and told me it was really really bad. I refused to believe her. It's based on Eragon! How bad could it be? I finally watched it after finding it in a $3.99 bin at Circuit City last Black Friday. Well, it wasn't freakin' worth the $3.99 I paid for it. It was beyond horrific. How could they have messed up that bad? I don't really remember any details because I am trying to forget it! I don't want the Inheritance Cycle to be forever tainted for me by that terrible movie.

Most recently, there was Inkheart. Okay, I didn't love the book as much as Laura did, but I was hoping it would translate well on screen. I couldn't even finish it it was so bad. I doubt they will be making the rest of the trilogy, Inkspell and Inkdeath. Well, at least, I hope not. Brendan Fraser who I kinda like is in the movie and didn't help the film much at all.

It is so disappointing when movies based on my favorite books turn out bad. I am still broken up about Eragon. It shattered any hope for a spectacular movie series, which I was really looking forward to. I thought it had a lot of potential. There are magic, dragons and dragon riders! Cool, right?!? (Yeah, I am a nerd.)

I heard that they are making The Hunger Games into a movie. It better be awesome, or you will hear about it!

Bad Books Make Me Mad!

I just finished reading Digital Fortress by Dan Brown. While reading the last parts of the book, I was screaming at the book and complaining to Huz who was trying to ignore it. He is used to it, I guess. I haven't read a bad book in a long time, and this was baaaaadddd. I usually get book suggestions from Laura and Tina or read popular books like those listed on the NY Times best seller list. So I have been immune to really bad books for a while. Furthermore, I thought Digital Fortress was safe because I've read Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, and Deception Point by Dan Brown, and I liked them all.

I don't recommend this book, so this post will be full of spoilers. You have been warned. Digital Fortress is an impossibly unbreakable code, which is a major threat to the U.S. government and its intelligence. A government agency called the NSA has a multi-million dollar machine called TRANSLTR that has broken every code until now. The NSA wants the code to Digital Fortress, but it is protected by a pass-key that is itself coded by Digital Fortress and thus unbreakable. In the first two thirds of the book, the NSA is running around trying to find the pass-key. The chapters are usually a page and a half long, and it jumps from one p.o.v. to another. It mainly switches between the main character who is this beautiful yet intelligent female cryptographer named Susan and her boyfriend named Becker who has been enlisted to go to Spain in search of the programmer and the pass-key. Susan basically does nothing for most of the book.

Finally it starts to get interesting on page 300. Becker finds the programmer has been murdered and, as his last act, gave away his ring, which Becker suspects contains the pass-key. Becker is on a wild goose chase trying to find that stupid ring. Also, someone is following him and leaving dead bodies in his wake...unnecessarily. Susan is at the NSA headquarters with the NSA head and finds that maybe one of their own is a traitor. Of course, who she thinks is the traitor is not actually a traitor. She finds that the NSA head has a plan to obtain Digital Fortress and is the one that ordered the programmer killed. And get this! He hired the assassin to kill Becker because he is obsessed with Susan and in love with her. That came out of nowhere. WTF! Then 50 pages to the end, they find out it is all a farce! There is no Digital Fortress. Instead, the NSA head had set a worm loose in TRANSLTR, thinking it was an unbreakable code. In order to kill the worm, they have to enter the pass-key. Becker finally obtains the ring and escapes his assassin. However, the ring is completely useless and does not contain the pass-key. They are back to square one. At this point, the worm is only a few minutes from releasing every governmental secret to the public. Susan of course saves the day literally at the last second.

If I have to use one word to describe this book, it would be "contrived." Everything is completely contrived. The NSA head's actions are partly motivated by his love for Susan. SNORE! Becker's mission turns up nothing, so Susan is forced to break the code on her own. WOW! Didn't see that one coming. Susan and Becker are reunited at the end. BORING! I have no interest in their relationship or these characters. I just wish I could get the hours of my life back that I wasted on this terrible book.

Catching Fire

If you haven't read The Hunger Games by Susan Collins, do so immediately and then read part 2, Catching Fire. I have been waiting in anticipation for this book for months. The second book was released on Sept. 1, and I finished it on Sept. 2.

Even though I liked them both, Catching Fire was not nearly as satisfying as The Hunger Games. It really was a tough act to follow. The first book introduces you to this new world and these interesting characters. That newness is no longer there in Catching Fire, and thus the magic was lost a bit. That being said, I still like the book. If I didn't, I wouldn't have read it in two days. I mean, there was no way I was going to hate it because I loved The Hunger Games.

I can't write about Catching Fire without spoilers. So turn away now if you don't want to know the ending of the first book. The book starts where The Hunger Games leaves off. Katniss and Peeta have returned to District 12 as victors. However, Katniss's act of defiance did not go unnoticed. She unknowingly becomes a symbol of hope for the people of the districts and a target of the Capitol. Even though the Hunger Games is over, it is just the beginning. The Capitol will stop at nothing to maintain its power and control. However, Katniss will do everything in her power to protect the people she loves. The girl on fire must defy the Capitol once more and thwart their plans to destroy her.

Otto Grows Down

The other day, I was taking care of Tina's kids. I was reading to them before bedtime. They borrowed "Otto Grows Down" from the library and asked me to read it. This book is so unexpectedly weird. It is about this little boy named Otto who had a new baby sister. For his birthday wish, he wished that she was never born. I thought it was going to be the typical book about sibling rivalry. But things began to get strange after his birthday wish. Time started to go backwards. His candles lit back up, and his mom put the cake away. Then he had to return his presents to his friends. Soon his parents brought his baby sister back to the hospital. After that, life continued to go backwards. He went to school in the afternoon, returned home in the morning and then went straight to bed. When he took a bath, he went in the tub clean and came out dirty. Otto was not happy about the turn of events at all. It was particularly distressing when he had to go to the bathroom. Yuck!

While I was reading this book, I started cracking up. The story is so ridiculous. I didn't expect it at all. Rachel and Carmen were sitting on both sides of me. And they were both looking at me strangely. That didn't help matters. I couldn't stop laughing. I couldn't read anything for at least five minutes. I was laughing so hard that my eyes were tearing up. This book is so funny. I love weird books, and it is definitely weird. I don't think the girls understood it. While I was laughing, they were not amused. I kinda had to explain it to Carmen. Oh, well, I thought it was entertaining.

Otto Grows Down definitely takes a different approach to sibling rivalry. All kids can learn a thing or two from Otto Grows Down. For one, the moral of the story is, if your sibling was never born, then time will go backwards until you were never born before. Yeah, that's right. Another one is going to the bathroom when time is going backwards is not fun. So think twice about your little sister or brother...it might not be so bad.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: A Must Reread!

Immediately after watching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, I knew had to reread the last book. I had only read it once when it came out two years ago. I am the kind of reader who forgets everything immediately after reading it. Ha! Laura makes fun of how bad my memory is. But I think it is a good thing. I get to reread books like they are new to me! Make sense, right? Anyway, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is sooooo good. I finished it in a few days. I really did forget almost everything. I am quite ashamed to admit that I forgot about the Deathly Hallows, the story of Dumbledore, the ending...pretty much all of the important parts. Heh heh. *sheepishly* Yeah, it's pretty sad how much I really do forget.

There are so many more things that I appreciate and many more details that I got this time around. It made me love the Harry Potter series the more, because Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows really is the perfect sum up and ending of the story of Harry Potter. I urge everyone who haven't reread the last book to do so. It is so utterly satisfying.

What I Loved and Didn't Love About Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Unlike Laura, I liked every one of the Harry Potter movies. However, I totally agree with her that Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was the best...by far. See her earlier post. The movie was like how I imagined it and more. The other Harry Potter movies changed too much of the book, but I felt like the 6th one was more true to the book. During the movie, I was thinking "I can't wait to watch this again." Afterwards, I couldn't shut up about how awesome it was. Oh, I have a new favorite character too. I heart Slughorn! But I still love Bellatrix Lestrange who I fell in love with from the last Harry Potter movie.

[Spoilers Ahead]

Likes (more like loves):
10. The exchange between Harry and Professor Flitwick in the beginning--"No exceptions...Potter!" Haha!
9. The actor who plays Dumbledore was really good in this one. I didn't really like him in the other movies.
8. The scene with the unbreakable vow
7. Ron under a love spell
6. I loved the scenes between Harry and Hermione. They are really two true friends.
5. The scene where Harry was force feeding Dumbledore the water. I wanted to cry!
4. Ron at the Quidditch try-outs. Haha!
3. Slughorn
2. Harry on liquid luck--he was like buzzed or something. So hilarious.
1. I just loved everything about the scene where Dumbledore and Harry go to get the horcrux in the cave...starting from the scene where they are standing at the top of a huge rock surrounded by tidal waves and ending with the fiery escape. It was how I imagined it in my head but better.

Update 7/31/09: I totally remembered two more likes. One, Luna Lovegood. I did not fully appreciate her in the last movie, which was regrettable and will be fixed after I watch the 5th movie again. I liked the parts where she found Harry on the train and when she went to Slughorn's holiday party with Harry--her only two big scenes actually. Hehe. Two, I loved sleeping Dumbledore in the painting at the end of the movie! Awesome detail!

Dislikes:
10. No Dursleys
9. Draco Malfoy was meh...
8. Seductive Ginny. Laura pointed this out in her post.
7. Harry hitting on the waitress in the beginning--random, out of character and pointless.
6. Harry was supposed to figure out what Malfoy was up to.
5. No Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. Snape finally gets the job he has coveted most, but the movie didn't really make a big deal about it.
4. The Burrow burning down--that never happened.
3. Wizards using the wands like guns! Come on! The fight scene between Harry and Malfoy was ridiculous. They have to speak their spells.
2. Deatheaters cannot fly!
1. They took out the fight scene from the end. Like Tina pointed out to me, there was no point to the Deatheaters coming through the vanishing cabinet.

Inkspell

On the recommendation of Laura, I read Inkheart. See her earlier post. I think she kinda oversold it for me. I was expecting something over the top awesome--excitement at every turn and fantasy beyond anything I've ever read. Well, it was more subtle than that...meaning it was a bit slow. Tina didn't even get through it. Sorry, Laura. However, I did finish Inkheart and had already bought the sequel, Inkspell. I always need a book on hand because I travel quite a bit for work. So I said what the hey, I'm already invested in the trilogy.

Inkspell was a lot more exciting and interesting than the first book. A lot more is happening, and the characters actually go to another world. I love that in a book...take me somewhere I've never been. That's why I love Harry Potter and Twilight. I get a glimpse of a world different from my own. My world is boring without magic, mythical creatures, castles and wizards. Yeah, it sucks! Haha.

[Spoiler Ahead!] A year has passed since Inkheart, and Meggie and her family are content with their life. However, it is soon spoiled when someone from their past shows up with a plan to enter the book. Meggie had become obsessed with Inkheart and wanted to go to Inkworld. Soon they find themselves in the book. However, the world is not like how it was written and instead has changed for the worse. With Meggie's talent with the spoken word, they have to find their happy ending. Also, there is a major cliffhanger at the end. So of course, I must read Inkdeath. It's a fun trilogy if you are looking for a fantastical book about interesting characters with a unique story.

Brendan Fraser and Inkheart

Apparently, the author of Inkheart, Cornelia Funke, is a big fan of Brendan Fraser. I just finished reading Inkheart and started reading the second installment of the Inkworld Trilogy, Inkspell, in which I noticed a special dedication to Brendan Fraser. It reads "To Brendan Fraser, whose voice is the heart of this book. Thanks for inspiration and enchantment. Mo wouldn't have stepped into my writing room without you, and this story would never have been told." I wondered what the connection was and found out that Brendan Fraser is actually her inspiration for the main character Mo. I thought that was neat. And she insisted that he be cast in the movie even though the producers wanted a bigger name.

When I was looking this up, I realized that we totally missed the Inkheart movie. It came out in theaters this past January! How the hell did we miss that? I guess no one watched it because none of us heard any buzz about it. What a shame. I was just telling Tina today that we should all go to watch it when it comes out. =( Now we can't. Well, I guess we can just wait for the DVD, which comes out soon on June 23, 2009. But still! I rather watch it in the theater. It better not be like Eragon! The book was great, but the movie was beyond horrific! They didn't even bother making the sequel, Eldest. Although supposedly, they already announced the Inkspell movie. That is a good sign. Hopefully, we don't miss that too.

Read Laura's earlier post on Inkheart.

Angels & Demons

Since summer started, I've been taking these couple weeks easy to recover from my hellish experience of finals week. So I've been sitting back and watching a lot of movies and going to the theater.

Yesterday, I saw Angels & Demons. I had read the book a few years ago, so I was interested to see if they had changed anything in the story as they had done in The Da Vince Code. Don't even get me started on that. I was so outraged, I couldn't stop laughing at the ridiculousness. Anyway, it turns out they did change something. (Semi-spoiler Alert!) At the end of the book, the last cardinal is supposed to die. But instead, Robert Langdon (Ton Hanks) saves him and the cardinal is crowned the new pope. I don't remember who is crowned pope at the end of the book, but everything else in the movie was very parallel to the novel, but Ron Howard just looooves changing the ending of Dan Brown novels, doesn't he. How frustrating. (Spoiling over)

Novel vs. Movie
Truthfully, I thought the movie was boring. In the middle, I already decided that I regretted wasting $10 on a movie ticket, when I could have seen Monsters & Aliens or something. The book is very exciting. I remember deciding that I liked reading Angels & Demons more than The DaVince Code. The book was exciting and action-packed. For some reason, the action in the movie is very mellow. I didn't feel the pressure or anxiety of the actors. It probably made it worse, because I had read the book, so I knew what was going to happen. A couple of the friends who came with me, however, had not read the book and really liked the movie. I guess it depends on if you did read it.

I definitely do not recommend watching the film in theater. It is probably better to wait until the film comes out on DVD to rent it. I give it 3 stars.

Inkheart

Since I heard there was going to be a fantasy movie called Inkheart coming out, and that it is based on a book, I decided to give it a try. I had never even seen the previews. I just saw a billboard, so I had no idea what it was about.

From the first page, I was interested. It is the book I have always been looking for! There are adventure, magic, odd characters, and other worlds. I really don't want anyone who's even thinking of reading the book to read the synopsis in the next paragraph! It was all the more exciting because I had no idea what was going to happen. I didn't even read the back of the book, when I bought it.

(Spoiler Alert!) So Inkheart is about a girl, named Meggie, and her father, who she calls Mo (very cute). One night, a strange man who knows Mo comes to their door warning them to get out of town because a man named Capricorn is looking for them, and he's getting close. Leaving town right away, Mo takes Meggie on a desperate journey to hide the coveted item that Capricorn is looking for, a book called Inkheart. We later learn that when Mo reads a book aloud, things and even characters come out of it. The evil Capricorn and other characters were all read out of the book long ago when Meggie was young. Captured by Capricorn, he forces Mo to read treasures and other evil characters out of the book, so that Carpicorn can take over our world. Meggie and Mo work together to figure out how to put Capricorn and his men back into the book in which they belong. (Spoiling over!)

The book is a trilogy! You know how us sisters love trilogies. The next two books after this one is Inkspell and Indeath. They all came out already, so don't be upset when you finish Inheart! I looked the author up, Cornelia Funke and found out the original versions of this book is in German! They were translated into English, so that was pretty cool.

Go forth and read!
I give this book 4.8 stars!

(After finishing the entire trilogy, I will blog about it again.)

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

My friend recommended Neverwhere to me recently. (If you plan to read the book, I suggest you not read this synopsis in this first paragraph that's coming up, because I liked the book more because I had no idea what was going to happen.) It's about a man who is accidentally thrust into a parallel universe that coincides with regular London, called London Below. There, he helps a girl find out who killed her family, so that he can somehow get back to London Above, the London we know now. It's an interesting concept. I still think it's kinda weird that London Below is only in London and nowhere else. I guess I'm more of a look-at-the-big-picture kind of person.

As I was reading it, my friend told me that she had the first season of Neverwhere . I realized it started out as a BBC show! Neil Gaiman (also wrote Coraline and Star Dust) was a scriptwriter for the show. After the show was canceled, Gaiman wrote the book! I watched the first episode. It's weird because it's basically the same-- almost every line!

I heard they're making a movie. It's all coming out in such a weird order! First a show, then a book, then a movie. All I know is, it's coming out in 2009.

The book was pretty good. I love adventure stories, so if you do too, then you'll most likely enjoy this book.

I give it 4 stars!

The Hunger Games Review 2

So I got around to reading The Hunger Games by Susan Collins yesterday. Once I started I couldn't stop. I actually finished it in one day (while traveling too). I didn't watch any TV yesterday...you're shocked, I know! The book is really short and an easy read. I actually recommend finishing it in one day if you can. The book is really fast-paced, so there is no good time to put it down...ever. I recommend this book for all ages, which is only Book I of a trilogy. If you don't believe me, then I have no choice but to include spoilers! The horror! Or you can read Laura's review posted back in February. If you'd rather get a recommendation from a well-known author, see Stephen King's review. Maybe he can convince you. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20223443,00.html

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!

LOOK NO FURTHER!

WARNING!! (This means you, Tina and Wil)


Gripping. That's the word I'd use to describe this book. I've never called a book "gripping" before, but it's apt here. Once I started reading it, I was immediately captivated by the setting, heroine, and her struggles. I knew within the first page that I was going to like this book. Katniss (that's her name) is strong-willed, cunning and the oldest of her family (like me!). The time is the future although we don't know exactly when. The world has been devastated by war, and North America, now called Panem, has fallen to a dictatorship called the Capitol. Panem is divided into twelve districts. There was a thirteenth that was destroyed during the revolt. Katniss lives in District 12, the poorest of the districts.

Katniss wakes up every morning to hunt for her family and barter for goods in the town. However, this particular morning is different because it is the day of the Reaping, an annual and mandatory holiday. We don't know what the Reaping is initially, but we know that Katniss and her hunting partner, Gale, are terrified. Then everyone in town gather in the square, and the Reaping begins. Names of one girl and one boy from each district are randomly selected to participate in the most horrible and goriest fight of their life, which is televised for all to see. (It reminded me a bit of the short story called Lottery.) Somehow, Katniss becomes a tribute for District 12 and is taken away from her family to participate in the Hunger Games.

Okay, that is all the detail I can give you. I hope my review was "gripping" enough to make you pick up this book and read it.

Twilight the Movie

I am thirty years old, and I love Twilight (the book). There I said it. I read Twilight for the first time several years ago at my little sister's insistence. I remember the night I sat down to read it. I didn't sleep until 2-3am because I couldn't put it down. I had work the next day, but I didn't care. The book was so enthralling from the beginning to the end. And I am a big sucker for romances...especially those that are epic and undying. I know--gag. Everyone probably knows the basic premise of the book (unless you've been living under a rock for the past year), so I won't bore you with the details.

I saw the Twilight movie on DVD last night. It was my second time watching it. The first time was in the theater with Tina and Laura, both huge fans. It was definitely more enjoyable the first time because I didn't know what to expect and it was new and exciting. I remember giggling like a school girl every time Edward came on the screen. Yeah, it was pretty sad. Laura surprisingly wasn't gushy at all. She actually hates the actor who plays Edward. (I don't think any actor can live up to the Edward that Laura has created in her head.) The teenager was tsking at the adults...what kind of upside down world is that?

As a Twilight fan, I really enjoyed the movie. I don't think most twi-hards like Laura liked it because the movie didn't do the book justice. I do admit the movie has its many flaws: bad acting, stilted dialogue, cheesy effects, etc. But what I loved about the movie is that it brought the book to life. You can see the people that you came to know and the story that moved you. You knew what the characters were thinking and feeling even though it wasn't perfectly portrayed on screen. You felt the love between Bella and Edward when others thought it was not believable. So that is why I liked this movie and will watch it over and over again.

The Girl Who Could Fly

Stephenie Meyer recommended this book also, so of course I had to read it.

This book is about a girl, named Piper, who grows up in a small farm born with the strange ability to float. Alarmed, her mother and father keep her sheltered in their home. One day, she discovers that she could fly. However, after a stunt at a baseball game, everyone finds her out. She is then swept to an institution for talented kids. (Spoiler ahead!) After finding out that this institution is a farce and its actual mission is to force them to be normal, Piper and her new friends figure out a way to break out.

Sorry for making the book sound so interesting. Haha, actually I didn't like it that much. I think I was expecting too much. All the main characters are around 9 years old, so it was a little corny. It reminded me most of Tara's favorite movie, Sky High. It has the same amount of corniness.

Now, don't get me started on the writing. It was pretty bad..

1. She used excessive amounts of exclamation marks, question marks, and capitalization to add unneeded drama to an exclamation. For example: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" or "WHAT?!?!?"
It was so annoying. Jesus, what are you doing? IMing?

2. She had terrible character development. I felt no attachment to any of them, not even the main character.

3. She made bad calls as to which characters should have died. Piper meets a cute little cricket who cares about her, but he dies for no reason. Frustrating! I'm a big fan of little companions!

4. She told the story terribly. During the "climax" I wanted to yawn. It was unbearably corny.

5. She writes almost as bad as C.S. Lewis. (Okay, fine. I exaggerated. No one can write as bad a C.S. Lewis.) They have the same bad habit of adding unnecessary tidbits about the future that is intrusive to the story and add no real substance. I don't feel like looking for an example in the book, so I'll make one up. "Ben was driving his car to the supermarket, and as he drove he saw a cat in a bush. That cat would later die of disease. Ben continued on his way to the market." Well, that was a little exaggerated, but you get the point. She does that a few times in the book.

6. Some characters or events in the story are not explained what so ever and simply happen. In the book, there is an invisible man named J. who wants to break Piper out, because it is his mission. After Piper refuses his help, because she won't leave her friends behind, J. disappears to reappear at the end of the book. J. is the most unnecessary character I have ever seen. He does nothing. He effects nothing. He only makes a little sense if there is a sequel to the book. In that case, J. needs to be more developed.

In the end, I couldn't help but think, "What a waste of a potentially good story!" Basically, Victoria Forester sucks. This book is like a long children's picture book. I think she should choose which. It should either be shortened to a children's book, or properly developed into a young adult novel and have some of the ultra corniness taken out.

I give it 2 stars.

The Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman

The last good book trilogy I read was The Dark Materials. You'll probably recognize the title of the first book, The Golden Compass. The Golden Compass was a really good book, better than the movie. The premise of the book just was so original and nothing like anything I've read. I was surprised to find out that this book was written only recently (like only a little over a decade ago), because it seemed like a classic. The books have parallel universes, daemons, witches, talking bears, and even a love story. The second book, The Subtle Knife, seems completely different from the first book when you first read it, because you're expecting it to be the same "world." But eventually you'll appreciate how everything is connected and you'll fall in love with the characters. In The Subtle Knife, you'll meet the next big character, Will, who's from a world much like our own. He becomes the bearer of the subtle knife, a special knife that can cut portals into other worlds. Eventually he'll meet Lyra (from the first book) and their worlds will collide. By the third book, The Amber Spyglass, you'll be completely invested and ready to find out what it all means. Like what the heck IS Dust?!? The only person I got to read the books was Tara so now I'm spreading the love through blogging. Happy Reading! Shout out to Tara, thanks for the Blog topic. =p

Stephenie Meyer's Biggest Fan v. Stephen King

Alright, I got my brass knuckles on now. I'm about ready to throw a beat down on that old man! Stephenie Meyer is a great writer! She may not be an Award winning novelist, but she writes perfectly well for my taste! Have you read J.K. Rowling's early stuff? They're crap! And yes, I'm talking about Harry Potter I and II! I was about thirteen when I read the first book and I remember thinking, "Holy crap! I can write better than this sh%#!" Yeah, yeah, I know the story was good, but the writing was so incredibly bad that I thought I could write better when I was just a tween! I respect Stephen King a lot for his writing, of course. He's written some great books, but that man better shut his mouth before.. before.. something bad'll happen to him! That was Stephenie's very first book, man! Cut her some slack! She wrote great dialogue and there was really good character development. (Tara of all people should agree with that! She's on Team Jacob. ) I do agree that her writing improved as she wrote more. The 'Fire and Ice' chapter in Eclipse is amazing. All-in-all I think Stephenie will be respected and appreciated or else.

Stephen King Says "Stephenie Meyer Can't Write Worth a Darn."

That's a fight in my neighborhood. No, seriously, that would be a literal fight. Laura would be scratching his eyes out while I try to hold her back. Down, girl, down…especially after what I am about to say. Sorry, but I kinda agree with his statement. But don't get me wrong, I love the Twilight Series. I've read them all twice save the last one. However, the second time around, I paid more attention to the writing. I already knew what was going to happen, so I was not completely and utterly engrossed in the story like I was the first time. Sometimes, I had to reread certain parts to really understand what she was trying to say. The writing was confusing at times. She expressed Bella's love for Edward by literally stating it, instead of making us feel it through subtle writing. She would repeat that all Bella can think about is Edward, Bella needs to be near him at all times, it causes her physical pain when he is not around, she has to spend every waking minute with him. I mean I guess that's what teenage love is about…but do you have to say it a million times? That being said, I think she is definitely improving as a writer. Breaking Dawn and The Host have some pretty good writing in them.

King made other statements about Twilight that I don't agree with. Click here for the article. He said that Meyer is "opening up kind of a safe joining of love and sex in those books." That is just weird, dude.

Laura will hopefully give you her take on Twilight because she is a total twi-hard. Yeah, I am down with the lingo.

Hunger Games

I recently read this young adult novel, because my all-time favorite author, Stephenie Meyer, had recommended it. And yes, I listen to her every word. Why? Well, because I worship her, that's why! Simple as that!

Anyway, back to the subject. I read this novel, and I really liked it. It can be best described as a futuristic distopia. It's not exactly a sci-fi per say, but it has elements of one. I thought it was really entertaining. It never got boring, there was always some type of action. The story was really different from anything I have ever read. Although in the beginning, I thought some sentences were written a little awkward, the writing really improved as the story went on. (FYI, I'm a real critic about construction.)

My only warning is that it's a trilogy. I did not know that going in, so at the end I was extremely disappointed, because they definitely leave you wanting more. I think people down the hall of my dorm heard me when I shouted, "Noooooo". But it's definitely still worth the read!

The sequel, Catching Fire, comes out in September, so be prepared to wait a while to read more.