Book #42 – Watership Down (final thoughts)
When I joined the Back to School Challenge a couple months ago, I added Watership Down by Richard Adams to my list in a heartbeat. And while I read other books for the challenge, and various books in between, I had this one in the back of my head. I couldn’t wait to read it. I can’t tell you how much I wanted to like it.
*Very vague plot summary ahead*
The book starts off in a large, established warren. Everything seems okay, but a small rabbit gets a bad feeling about their current living situation, so he and his brother take off with a bunch of other rabbits to start their own warren. After some trials and tribulations, they settle down in a nice place and it looks like they have a good thing going for them. However, brother rabbit realizes that this good thing may not last very long – they’re all guys. What they need are some womenfolk. So, they go in search of some womenfolk.
*Vague plot summary over*
I don’t want to say I didn’t like it, there were parts that I really did enjoy. However, I couldn’t get into it, I couldn’t get myself to care about the story. If it weren’t for my obsessive need to finish any book that I start, I could have easily put the book down unfinished. I wish I knew where it went wrong for me. Maybe it was because I had seen the movie a couple times when I was younger and knew what was going to happen. Although, the book is less about plot and more about narrative. So maybe at the time I needed to read something that was more plot-driven.
It seems that every other person who has read this book has loved it, and I very much wanted to be one of those. But, while I’m glad I read it, Watership Down just wasn’t for me.
My rating: 6/10
Back to School Challenge: 3/4 complete
Related:
Teaser Tuesday #1
Teaser Tuesday #2
Soundtrack Saturday
Book #39 – The Hunger Games (final thoughts)
I love reading series and for a while now I’ve been looking a new series that I could really get into. The kind that when you finish one book you immediately need to read the next one. I was hoping to find that in the Sookie Stackhouse books, but those haven’t hooked me. I was even hoping that the Cece Caruso Mysteries would be a fun series to get in to, but it wasn’t meant to be. Then along came Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games.
I don’t think there’s another book I’ve heard more about in the book blogosphere, especially since the release of Catching Fire, the second book in the series. I tried to brush it off at first, but then then my curiosity got the best of me and I added my name to the hold list at the library. When it finally came in I had to fight the urge to drop everything else I was reading and dive right into it. I had butterflies in my stomach just knowing it was in my bag, waiting to be read. When was the last time I was this excited about reading a book? I have no idea. Harry Potter, maybe?
The Hunger Games is set sometime in the future, after North America as we know it has collapsed. Out of its ruins came Panem, a nation divided into 12 districts, all under the control of the Capitol. As a reminder of its dominance, each year the Capitol selects two teens, one girl and one boy, from each district to participate in the Hunger Games. A fight to the death that is televised throughout Panem and is mandatory for each citizen to watch.
There has already been so much said about this book, I’m not going to say much else about the plot. So let’s move on.
During the first part of the book I was a little worried that it wouldn’t live up to the hype. It was interesting and all, but it wasn’t gripping. And then the Hunger Games began. And I was hooked. Completely hooked. I couldn’t have put the book down, even if I wanted to. Once the action starts, it doesn’t stop. Katniss, the main character, doesn’t get much, if any, rest as a participant in the games and neither does the reader.
Speaking of Katniss, I love that she’s a strong character. She doesn’t necessarily need anyone’s help, she knows how to survive. But that doesn’t mean that she’s above accepting help when she needs it, although she might not be too happy about it. I also really like that she doesn’t change who she is just because a guy is interested in her. She doesn’t lie down and let him take things over. She also doesn’t do anything stupid or risky (at least not anything more risky than she would have done before). She’s a refreshing change from many of the girls who currently star in YA stories.* I hope this doesn’t change in book 2.
In case I haven’t made it clear yet, The Hunger Games lives up to the hype. If you like action, read this book. If you like science fiction, read this book. If you like a sweet love story, read this book. If you do not like any of the above, but like a fast-paced, gripping story, READ THIS BOOK.
Okay, I think you get my point.
My rating: 9.5/10
* CarrieK at Books and Movies talked a bit about this issue the other day in her review of Hush Hush.
Book #38 – In Her Shoes (final thoughts)
Rose Feller spent her childhood trying to protect her younger sister. Now 30 and working at a big law firm, she’s still trying to protect her sister by cleaning up her messes – unpaid bills, evictions, drunken dates gone wrong.
Maggie Feller never had her big sister’s brains, but she has something else – looks and a fantastic body. Maggie might not have a steady job, but at least she won’t ever be lonely like Rose.
1000 miles away, Ella Hirsch has thrown herself into volunteering in and around her Florida retirement community. Maybe if she helps enough people, her good works will make up for the daughter she lost and the granddaughters she allowed herself to be separated from.
Jennifer Weiner has been on my to-read list for a long time, but for some reason I put off reading any of her stuff. However, a few months ago, while channel surfing, I came across the movie In Her Shoes. It was pretty good and since the book is usually better than the movie, I finally decided to take the book out of the library.
Rose, Maggie and Ella all get a chance to tell their side of the story in In Her Shoes. The point of view changes from chapter to chapter, something that I really enjoy when it’s done well, and Weiner does it well.
It’s already been a while since I saw the movie, but I still had the basic plot in my head while I read the book. So, I had a pretty good idea of what was going to go down. I spent the first third of the book waiting for The Incident to happen, the big thing that causes some changes to start taking place in all three characters’ lives. I don’t know if it was the waiting or the story, but the first part of the book dragged a bit for me. It was okay, it just didn’t pull me in.
The story really took off right after The Incident, that’s when I was pulled in. I loved watching both Maggie and Rose struggle and take chances and grow. Some of the solutions they reached may have been a bit far-fetched, but Weiner does a good job convincing the reader that these things really could happen.
At this point I thought I would walk away having really liked this book. But then the last third happened. I do like how Maggie’s story carried on and resolved itself, but Rose’s seemed contrived. I really wanted to get on board with the whole love interest thing, but I just couldn’t.
Overall, it was an okay, but enjoyable read. I probably would have liked it more if I hadn’t already seen the movie.
My rating: 7/10
Book #37 – Nineteen Eighty-Four (final thoughts)
Asleep or awake, working or eating, indoors or out of doors, in the bath or in bed – no escape. Nothing was you own except the few cubic centimetres inside your skull. p. 29
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU
The year is 1984. The Party is in power and Oceania is at war with Eurasia. In fact, the Party has always been in power and Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia. From the voice on the telescreen to the newspapers and radio to children’s history books, this is the truth. However, Winston remembers things differently. He’s sure that 20 years ago, when he was a boy, the world around him was different, that the government didn’t control everything. He also knows, without a doubt, that as recently as four years ago, Oceania was not at war with Eurasia, but with Eastasia. But with only the memories in his head, what can he prove? With the Party watching his every move and listening to his every word, how can he attempt to learn the truth? Do his conflicting memories mean he is crazy, or is the world around him that has gone mad?
1984 is a book that I really wanted to love, however, it wasn’t a very consistent read for me. Some parts of it I thought were pretty interesting, and during others I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen next. But some parts were so boring that I thought my eyes were going to dry up and pop out of my head.
Don’t get me wrong, I really did enjoy reading this, I just didn’t love it.
The premise of the book is creepy and I found the society, not to mention the state of the world, fascinating. Can you imagine having to just take everything that’s told to you at face value and not even being allowed to question it? Especially when you were told something contradictory not even five minutes before? And that whatever evidence of the past is available is what the government has decided to make available? The most frightening part to me was how the government could make people who might be a threat vanish. Not just kill them or take them out of society, but erase them from history, so that they never existed at all.
One reason why I like reading classics like this is because so many elements from it are so engrained in our culture that we don’t even think of where they came from. Unfortunately I’m part of a generation that knows Big Brother as a silly reality show rather than as a sinister, but still comforting, public figure. I think it’s important to read about these references in their original context and be able form an idea of what they’re really supposed to represent. I mean, this isn’t Orwell’s 1984. We have all this literature available to us, we should be taking advantage of it (which is the argument I will use when the discussion of a bigger bookcase comes up with the hubby again).
My rating: 8/10
Back to School Challenge: 2/4 complete
Guest Post: Jason Bourne – The Ultimate Spy
I’ve made it to 100 posts! So, what does one do for one’s 100th post? One gets someone else to write it! My wonderful husband has agreed to take the task upon himself and will be joining the book blogosphere this evening. It seems quite fitting for him to take over my 100th post, because without him my very first post would have never happened.
Without further ado, please put your hands together for the Mr.!
The Bourne Identity is pretty much the ultimate spy novel you will ever read. If you haven’t read it yet, you will be convinced to read it by the end of this blog post.
Jason Bourne is the main character in a trilogy of books by Robert Ludlum. The first book in the series, The Bourne Identity, starts with Jason being shot multiple times and dumped overboard into the murky waters of the Mediterranean Sea. From there he miraculously survives but has complete amnesia and is soon attacked by people he does not know. He naturally uses his spy skills, his cunning and intelligence to try to figure out who he is and why he was almost murdered.
Soon after you start reading the book you will become emotionally attached to the well-being of Mr. Bourne and in figuring out why so many people are after him. The novel has multiple plot lines, a range of characters and so many questions that leave you wondering how any of it can be resolved.
Who is Carlos the Jackal, what is Jason’s history, and what was he doing on that boat?
A word about the film: The Bourne Identity; please, the film and the book share the same name but beyond that they are completely different stories. Don’t relate the two and if you’ve seen the movie but haven’t opened the book give it a try; it will open your eyes to the great storytelling of Robert Ludlum.
If you are even remotely interested in thriller, suspense, or spy novels, read this book. You will be pleasantly surprised.
Book #34 – Pride and Prejudice (final thoughts)
Pride and Prejudice is one of those books I always thought I should read, but never really wanted to read. I mean, it’s so old, there’s no way it would be relatable, right? Oh, how wrong I was.
After reading Emma earlier this year, I wanted, needed, to read Pride and Prejudice. Finally I found myself without an excuse not to read it, as I had a copy of it in my possession and I had included it in a challenge I was already behind in.
It’s easy to understand why this is such a beloved novel. It has memorable characters, scandal, mistaken intentions, and, of course, true love. What I was least expecting to find within it was the humour. Can I say humour for a classic like this? The only word that really seems to fit is ‘wit.’ I’m sure quite a few of the quips flew right over my head, but there were so many subtle phrases that popped up here and there about characters and situations, that at times I realized I was reading with a big grin on my face. I knew whenever Mr. Bennet was in a scene that a great line would be coming up.
It’s impossible to pick what I loved most about this book. The plot was engaging, but I think it was the wonderful characters Austen created that made the book all that more special. Of course everyone loves Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, but even Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine De Bourgh provided so many great, albeit cringe-worthy, moments. I found this chart on wikipedia which shows the relationships between all the characters, but I think it just made me more confused!
Pride and Prejudice sucked me right in – into the story and into the characters lives. Sometimes, when I’m really into a book, I start narrating my life in my head in the same style as the book I’m currently reading. The weird thing is, it doesn’t happen right after I put the book down. No, it happens when I’ve had a little break from reading, such as when I’m walking to the train in the morning. So, for the last two weeks, I’ve suddenly found myself narrating my mornings in 18th-century English. Mostly by using lots of double negatives.
My rating: 9/10
Back to School Challenge: 1/4 complete
Book #27 – Jane Eyre (the movie)
After finishing Jane Eyre in August (wow, was it really that long ago?), I knew I wanted to watch at least one film adaptation of it. Of course, there have been so many different ones made I wasn’t sure where to start. I finally settled on the 1983 BBC miniseries because a) I heard it was one of the better ones and b) it was the only version my local library had.
So, almost a month ago, I settled down one evening and watched the first half of this 4 hour miniseries. My first thought was “This sure isn’t one of those polished Hollywood films.” And my second thought: “This is so good!”
Zelah Clarke was fantastic as the tiny, strong willed, passionate Jane Eyre. I thought Timothy Dalton was a little too good looking and not snarly enough as Mr. Rochester, although definitely moody. However, the two of them together, during their brief moments of happiness, were so wonderful they made me all tingly and smiley. I would watch this again just because of the chemistry between those two.
Another great casting choice was Andrew Bicknell as St. John. He played St. John’s pompousness perfectly, and from now on I will picture Bicknell whenever I re-read Jane Eyre.
Even being four hours long, some aspects of the book had to be cut short, but it still felt like the story flowed well. I liked that quite a bit of the beginning was devoted to Jane’s childhood, since those experiences not only formed her, but also showed the consistency of her character as she grew up. I did, however, think that her time post-Thornfield was too short. You didn’t get to see as much of her suffering and how determined she was to move on with her life.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable adaptation. Enough that I wanted to start reading to book again as soon as the tape ended.
Are there any other adaptations you would recommend? I don’t think I’m going to stop with this one after all 
