STOP AND READ PLEASE!

As you know (or not) I am an avid reader and am always looking for new series or books to sink my teeth into. That being said I would like some suggestion on what you guys think are books worth reading. I really don't care the genre or reading level as long as they are in English I will try and get my hands on a copy.

So leave you suggestions in the comments and I will see what I can do. Even if you just stumbled upon my blog I want to know what you think

Mansfield Park - The Movie

As I sat bored this evening scrolling through Netflix I stumbled upon the movie of Mansfield Park, a book that I read for Women and Literature first semester by Jane Austen. Now I liked the book, but we kind of beat it to death in that class so it got to the point I didn't even want to think about it anymore, but I am a sucker for things set in or around the Victorian era so I decided to give it a try.

The thing that I noticed right off the bat was that they gave Fanny Price a much stronger personality then they did in the novel, probably to endear her to modern viewing audiences. At the beginning of the film they said it was also based off Jane Austen's personal stories and journals so I am guessing that is why they made Fanny a writer which she was not in the book. Dare I say that I liked her a lot more in the movie because she kind of reminded me of myself? Not the loving one man all my life bit, but the sassy writer who was quite and meek most of the time in the company of others.

As for the characters themselves I thought that it was a bit hit and miss. Fanny, Edmund, Henry, and Rushworth were close to what I imagined they would look like, however I did not find the Bertram girls or Mary Crawford to be pretty enough. As for the characters themselves, Mrs. Norris was no where near mean enough and Lady Bertram had no character, which really wasn't that far from the book, but I was expecting more. However the dynamic between Mary and Edmund was very accurate to the book in my opinion, which is all this blog is. Sir Thomas is a major creep in the movie, there is no loving father figure, just creepy old uncle. Also the whole relationship between Henry and Fanny was much more dramatic in the movie then novel.

The biggest difference between the novel and the movie was the importance of slavery. It is mentioned once, maybe twice, in the novel, yet it is a figure head in the movie. It is the reason that Tom and Sir Tomas are at odds and I found the part with the drawings completely unnecessary, but it made Tom a more likable character, for the little you saw him. Also the whole visit to Southerton, which is one of the most comical in the novel, was also completely missing.

Overall it was a fun distraction and entertaining, but it is not going to become my new favorite movie. It gets a 4 out of 5 because I did really enjoy the storytelling that was done and I thought the actors were brilliant.

Tangled

Maybe it is because I am one of those stupid 90's kids who think that nothing is ever going to be as good as my childhood was, but I had low expectations for Tangled when I went to see it in theaters. I'll admit that I had lost a little faith in the magic of Disney movies, but this movie soon destroyed all expectations I had in it and made me believe in animated movies once again. How could you make Rapunzel interesting to someone who has seen it a thousand different times a thousand different ways? Yet Disney used humor, a wonderful cast of characters, and a dash of good old Disney charm to make this one of the best children's movies I have seen in a very long time. Going back and rewatching it has only added, in my eyes, to how good it is because I still love it. 

I love Flynn Rider as well. Maybe it is because he reminds me of an old friend of mine or because he is the type of guy that I would probably date, but I seriously love him. Even though he doesn't want to take Rapunzel to see the lanterns he is still rather sweet to her even as he tried to trick her back to the tower. Then when he actually starts to like her *sigh* so cute! It might be the same old song and dance, but something about it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. Also the end when he cuts her hair, I don't know but I really wasn't expecting that the first time I watched it. I need a man like Flynn Rider in my life. He is a mix between Aladdin and d'artagnan from the three musketeers.

Something that I thought was done extremely well was making the wicked witch, that is what I am going to call her, at the beginning of the movie like how every teenage girl sees her mother. She knows she loves her, but no teenage girl thinks that their mother ever lets them do anything fun. Now I could use my Russian Fairy Tales course and go into the whole psychological thing about why this is in fairy tales, but I will save you the lecture and just tell you that it was well done by Disney, and usually is.  

Pascal is the best! I never thought I would love a reptile as much as I love that little chameleon. Now I know he isn't really original, every Disney princess has an adorable animal sidekick, but there was something about him that I adored. Maybe it was because he didn't talk like the others, I don't know, but he was easily my favorite character in the movie. He is just such a bad ass and always looking out for Rapunzel. Also I loved Maximum. Again Disney is known for its animal sidekicks, but there was something about Max that was different. Maybe it was the fact that he was a horse that acted like a dog, I really don't know. 

Overall I thought the movie was beautiful. The animation was absolutely breathtaking, especially the lantern scene. The frying pans throughout the movie was amazing and I loved the thugs as well. The songs weren't as strong as other Disney movies, at least I thought so, but they were still nice. The flower song to make her hair glow I find extremely catchy. It will be stuck in my head for days. I liked that Disney added its own twist to the Rapunzel tale, though I admit I don't really know the original fairy tale all that well. I give the movie a 4.4 out of 5 mostly because of the lack of memorable songs. 

The end is near

Very soon the summer will be drawing to a close and I will be back on campus. I am excited about this, but I also am not all that excited about classes starting again. Though I am not tackling the horror that is Trig this semester my schedule is mostly on Tuesdays and Thursdays with only on class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. At least all of my classes seem interesting this semester and hopefully not as stressful as Trig was.

World Literature in English
Intermediate Fiction
Art of Japan
Abnormal Psychology
Basic Applied Statistics

Here is also hoping that I don't have to sell my first born child for books. Why must they be so expensive? Seriously, so dumb.

Crocodile on the Sandbank

"Crocodile on the Sandbank" is the first of the Amelia Peabody mystery series which has to be one of the best series I have ever read. This has to be at least the fifth time I have read it, maybe more, and it still holds as much appeal and interest as it did the first time I picked it up. Elizabeth Peters has a wonderful plot, interesting characters, and incredible writing style that keep you interested cover to cover. Even if you don't like mystery novels or Victorian pieces, because it is set in the 19th century, I think you should at least give it a few chapters. You will quickly fall in love with Amelia's witty and smart personality and interested in the world that Peters has created. 

Most of the story takes place in Egypt mostly in Cairo and Amarna. Now I hadn't heard of Amarna, but I had heard of the Pharaoh Khuenaten. *here is a map of Egypt so you can see where everything is* 

Now I am very interested in Egyptian mythology and the whole of ancient Egypt, so this book instantly interested me, but even for someone who knows nothing about Egypt or archaeology it is easy to enjoy. It isn't bogged down with a lot of technical terms or boring scientific mumbo jumbo. Peters doesn't brush off the scientific aspect of archaeology, but also doesn't occupy the entire book or make it slow and dull. 

Now this is a mystery novel after all so it can't just be digging in the sand for 262 pages. Amelia is traveling for pleasure when she encounters Evelyn Forbes who has been left penniless after being abandoned by her lover. Amelia soon decides to ask Evelyn to be her companion and they set up to travel down the Nile. When in Cairo they meet the Emerson brothers, the younger Walter and the older and much louder Radcliffe. After this chance meeting Amelia and Evelyn soon become tied up in the affairs and excavation of the Emersons. After being prolonged at the Emersons' work site due to illness, a mummy soon starts haunting the party with designs on Evelyn. As the book progresses further twists and turns present themselves so that the ending is absolutely fabulous.

The dialogue between the characters is so wonderful and quotable in this novel. Amelia is witty, stubborn, and not afraid to take on anyone, even a mummy. When paired with the loud, smart, and confident Radcliffe, who is referred to as just Emerson, the sarcastic and scathing comments give the novel just the right amount of humor. The mix of humor, mystery, adventure, and domestication is great and appeals to almost every reader. It is written in the first person from Amelia's point of view, since it is supposed to be her diary we are reading, giving you a look into her thoughts on the events that surround the group. I am partial to first person female novels in the first place so that just made it all the more enjoyable for me to read. 

Overall I love everything about this series from the writing to the characters to the plot. I love it all and the rest of the novels are just as well done. It gets a five out of five from this college kid and I recommend at least reading the first book I am sure you will love it.           

And Then There Were None

I actually learned about this book through the video game of the same title (which is awesome and I recommend you play it if you like puzzle games), but the book was just as awesome. I have always loved mystery books, I have a huge collection of Nancy Drew book, but this was the first novel I have read by Agatha Christie and I have to say that I love it. The story line is wonderful, I love the twists and turns, and the fact that it is from all the characters point of view really made me love this novel. It is a rather quick read and even though this was my second time reading through the novel, I still found it hard to put down.

Ten people are invited to Indian Island by various friends for a free summer holiday. All accept, yet when they arrive on the island no one is there to great them except a married couple who have been hired to be the butler and the maid. That evening after they all dine it is revealed that all ten of them have committed some act that resulted in a persons death. Soon after this announcement one of the guests dies in the same manner as the nursery rhythm "Ten Little Indians" which is hanging up in all the rooms of the house. A little Indian figurine is also missing from the center piece of the dining room table. Soon more guest dye in the same manner as the poem suggests and it is a race to find out who the murder is before they are all killed.

The ending is absolutely wonderful and I really don't know how she thought of it, but then again she isn't one of the best known mystery writers for nothing. Even though this was my second time reading through the novel I had a hard time picking up on all the clues that were left for the reader to use to figure out who the killer was. However Agatha Christie also used the multiple points of view to hide certain events from the readers to make the novel suspenseful as well as the ending very unpredictable. It is just a wonderfully put together book and I am going to read more of her books in the future for sure since I am a giant fan of mystery novels. 

The idea that guilt is such a powerful emotion that it can drive people mad is a rather interesting idea that is lightly touched on this novel in the form of Vera Claythorne. She did not directly kill anyone yet the death cost her everything and in the end it is what causes her demise. How does a person live with the knowledge that they killed someone? It is probably a very hard burden to bear no matter how the death came about. I really don't understand how people can go around killing people everyday in the form of crime, gang wars, and other instances. It is hard to imagine what someone with the type of guilt feels, thinks, and does everyday.

          

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge

This is the live action Japanese adaptation of the manga and anime Wallflower (You honestly thought I would type that name out again XD)

Now this is a relatively short drama, only 10 episodes, but it is highly entertaining. If you have read the manga or seen the anime you know that the plot line is very simple, four drop dead gorgeous males live at a boarding house run by a rich woman who flies around the world looking for a rich man to marry. In order to stay in the boarding house rent free the boys need to change the landladies niece into a lady. Sunako Nakahara however loves horror movies, can't stand beautiful people, and only wants to hang out with her medical doll Hiroshi-kun. Of course the plot had to be a bit condensed for the drama so everything moves faster, and I am kind of happy it does. Sometimes the other two got a bit repetitive.

Sunako is usually hidden behind her bangs and cape, Oomasa Aya, is extremely pretty. She isn't drop dead gorgeous, but the fact that she isn't fake looking or too beautiful makes her all the more appealing. However the character of Sunako herself was much, much more annoying then she had been in the other adaptions of this story. In the manga and anime she is a hermit yes, but she is also a complete badass without Kyohei calling her ugly, but I think it sent a wonderful message. Now this was of course overly fantastical, but it was meant to show that no matter looks everyone has something that they are uncomfortable with and need to overcome and Sunako was a good example of this. 

I love Yuya Tegoshi, but oddly enough he was not my favorite character in this drama. I liked him don't get me wrong, but I will never be the loli type. Although in the Valentine's episode he totally came close to stealing my heart as yet again for his love for his girlfriend as well as how protective he was to Sunako. I also loved that he was the driving force near the end to get Sunako and Kyohei together. I found myself wishing the drama was longer so I had more time to get to know the characters. 

I have always had a thing for the bad boy type and I do enjoy Kyohei, not to mention that Kamenashi Kazuya is extremely good looking, but he is not my favorite boarder either. Which is extremely surprising since he was always in plaid and I totally have a thing for guys in plaid. Then in episode seven he is wearing glasses which is another thing I love on guys, but even that didn't win me over completely. You get to see a lot more of what being beautiful has done to Kyohei then with the other boys as well as how he is a lot like Sunako. When he finally broke down and cried it broke my heart and I realized just how much I was attached to these characters. 

However Oda Takenaga was my favorite house mate, played by Uchi Hiroki. It might be because he was my favorite in the manga and anime as well, but I also have a thing for the quite smart type. Takenaga always seems to know what is going on as well as being the first one that was nice to Sunako. I can't exactly place why I like him so much, well besides the obvious good looks, but he is my favorite character. In the last episode when he is fighting to save Noi and Sunako, that was just extremely hot. The fact that he had problems confessing also struck close to home since I have issues conveying my feelings as well. I loved his character so much. 

The only character that I don't think was cast well was Morii Ranmaru, played by Miyao Shuntaro. It is nothing against him as an actor I was just expecting the hot red-head that was in the anime and manga and he was neither. He didn't really play as big of a role in the drama as the other characters so I feel like his character was forgotten a bit, but he wasn't a major character in the manga either. Near the end however they expanded his character enough to make him as lovable as the other.


So some final notes... Episode six where they are all fighting shirtless and wet, let me just say UNF. I mean the whole episode was good, but I was memorized with that scene, though I was sad Kyohei cut his hair (I like guys with longer hair for some odd reason) Also the real kiss between Sunako and Kyohei was adorable and I loved it to pieces. It was prefect. Overall it was a fun and kind of light hearted drama with a wonderful message and a lot of fun along the way. I give it a 4.5 out of 5