Sunday, November 13, 2011

Pastel Covers: Chick/Mainstream Lit

Today I feel so irritated, that the fan whirring is too loud and every single little sound (ie. scraping of photos hanging on the wall) annoys me. So I thought I'd take this mood and put it to good use. Time for a chick/mainstream lit blog.
 (I've been trying to read more chick/mainstream lit, or books with pastel-colored covers. Because other girls read them and I thought I'd try to read normal for once, instead of just books published by Penguin, or something. I don't remember what my reasoning was)



Order from worst to best.

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
Nope. Nope. Can't get through it. No matter how many girls squeal and touch their heart and while saying, "Mind, you have to read this it is the best book ever it touched my heart I cried and cried blah blah nyeh nyeh" I can't finish the thing.

Nope. Not gonna. Nope.

It's just--as you can see in the favorites post, this kind of book is just not my type. And maybe it's the writing style. It just reminds me of Twitter's quoters. You know. @Teenagelove or @Quotesforgirls or whatever middle school girls like to retweet.

(To be fair, I am in a bad mood today. And it's probably not as bad as I make it out to be, it's just that I've read so much better things. AND I already watched the awkward movie version. Why did they get Gerald Butler, the 300 guy, to be the husband? Lol.)

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
This is not a bad book. This was actually quite enjoyable. Let's see, what happened? Out-of-luck working woman has fun adventures with her great-aunt's ghost, a flapper from the 20's. A light, easy read, especially since flappers are cool.


Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
Everyone was reading a Nicholas Sparks, so I decided to try one.

I was curious (and skeptical) about all the glowing reviews:  "Ohhh I cried out my eyes out at the end! and my heart was touched so much it explains feeeeelings so well! I was sad for a week."

My reaction:
I did not cry. The feelings were explained. I was sad for maybe five minutes at the end.

Others' reaction to my reaction:
YOU callous thing you didn't really read it did you? What is your heart MADE of did you not UNDERSTAND the book

See, it is books like these that make me feel like a Mr. Bennett. "Lol, you silly girls."

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Oooh! I liked this one. Not really a romance book, more like a family drama/historical book. Learned a fair bit about the Siege of Leningrad. I cried when ____ dies due to war-caused poverty/hardship. Which is, you know, the saddest kind of hardship. NO NO except for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobody_Knows_(2004_film)

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Mika gave it to me as a birthday present.
I just finished reading it a couple hours ago. Haven't watched the movie yet.
Wow. I must say, I am very, very impressed.

Now, THIS book can describe feelings. (It was part of the book's job, since SPOILER he had to show that the characters had souls.)
And although it took me a while to be all "OHH OHHHHH this is SCIENCE FICTION written like a person narrating the past like a drama/romance" it was a very profound book. Has a slow mood to it, like you are wading backward through honey (weird simile). Makes you think about the time you have, how much of it you spent innocent, and what you should do with the rest.

Thanks for the lovely present. :)



On a lighter note, if you are in the Bangkok area for Nov. 22-23, come to my high school's production of Pride and Prejudice. (2 P.M. on Nov 22 and at 7 P.M. on the 23rd.) Now I know that the people that read this blog probably already know about/are in the play, but the past 3 sentences were an excuse needed to lead up to the poster. (And if I have a duty to promote something, I will advertise it avidly.)


DRUMROLL



 LOOK GUYS LOOK its the poster.
It's also on a tarp 3 stories high in front of my school.
And on hundreds of pieces of 3.5X5 paper.
ELIZABETH here is played by the lovely ROSE TALBOT, an up-and-coming British stage actress. Look out for her further works as Hero in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.
Woah. Double take.

Here is an extra shot for you. Feel free to use it for your wallpaper. I know I'm using it for mine.

Until next time (which will be after the play, when there will be more blackmail material updates) ! I feel so mean

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Too soon to be excited

So I was Googling upcoming movies. And I know it is too soon to be excited for 2012 movies, but

http://www.movieinsider.com/m5625/the-great-gatsby/
GREAT GATSBY REMAKE!
 ... Jay Gatsby
 ... Nick Carraway
 ... Daisy Buchanan
 ... Myrtle
 ... Jordan Baker
 ... Tom Buchanan 

Leo is perfect for Gatsby, and Isla for Myrtle. And even though Tobey is super annoying in Spiderman, I'm sure he'll make a great (albeit slightly dunce-ish) Nick. I can't really picture Carey Mulligan as Daisy, even though she was great in Pride and Prejudice (I haven't seen Never Let Me Go yet). 
No, wait.  I can picture it now. I am so excited. 
YES.


I had an emo stage where I really liked Edgar Allan Poe poems. So I am excited for this. Also, John Cusack is kinda cute.
 ... Edgar Allan Poe 
 ... Detective
 ... Fiancee


Wait, he has a goatee? Meeeh. :/ But you have to admit, he does look a lot like Poe now.

Best for last:
LES MIZ REMAKE! 
http://www.movieinsider.com/m8831/les-miserables/
 ... Jean Valjean
 ... Inspector Javert
 ... Fantine
 ... Marius
Now I don't normally like Anne Hathaway, but since Fantine is supposed to be naive but lovable bimbo that everyone pities, I'm thinking she'll do fine. Hugh Jackman is great, and not because of Wolverine (go see The Fountain, which I should have included in my favorites post. I'll write about it here, then.)

The Fountain (2006)
First heard about it while I was editing a friend's essay for her university class in Philosophy and Logic.
Trailer here, because the plot's a little hard to explain. (Three of the same guy but in different time periods search for immortality?)
YouTube highest rated comment: 
Best Hugh Jackman ever. I wish he was known for this instead of Wolverine. 

The uplifting soundtrack is great for making boring work seem more dramatic and exciting, too. 

Where was I? Oh, right, Les Miz. I'm sure Russell Crowe will do fine, and I looked up Eddie Redmayne, and it looks like he has the right amount of fop with a a hint of douche to be Marius. Hohoho, I should get that phrase patented. 

WAIT STOP
Directed by:
TOM HOOPER? OF KING'S SPEECH?

*spaz*

HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO WAIT UNTIL

In Movie Theaters:December 72012

AND NOT ONLY THAT, THIS IS A 
Genres:Musical Adaptation

Wow, I am so excited. Woah. Woah. What. Woah.