Waiting on Wednesday - 79

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine for bloggers and readers to learn about new books.

Promised by Caragh M. O'Brien

After defying the ruthless Enclave, surviving the wasteland, and upending the rigid matriarchy of Sylum, Gaia Stone now faces her biggest challenge ever. She must lead the people of Sylum back to the Enclave and persuade the Protectorat to grant them refuge from the wasteland. In Gaia’s absence, the Enclave has grown more cruel, more desperate to experiment on mothers from outside the wall, and now the stakes of cooperating or rebelling have never been higher. Is Gaia ready, as a leader, to sacrifice what—or whom—she loves most? (from GoodReads)

I've already read and enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy, Birthmarked and Prized, so now it's time for a third! Promised will be released October 2, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday - 25

Top Ten Tuesday was started by The Broke and the Bookish for bloggers who like making lists about books.

Top Ten Books I'd Play Hooky With

I'm making this list about books that I couldn't put down while reading - though I always managed to somehow get myself to school.

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2. Divergent by Veronica Roth

3. Wither by Lauren DeStefano

4. Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

5. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

6. Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

7. The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley

8. Past Perfect by Leila Sales

9. Heist Society by Ally Carter

10. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

Book vs. Movie: Game Change

A few weekends ago I watched the HBO movie Game Change, based on the novel by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann. I loved the book, which was about the 2008 presidential election. The book discusses the campaigns of Obama, McCain, Clinton, and Edwards, but the movie just focused on John McCain's campaign and specifically his decision to choose Sarah Palin as his running mate.

I thought the movie did a great job of staying close to the plot. The dialogue was taken practically verbatim from the novel, which I always like to see. The story is about Sarah Palin and how she affected the election. No matter how you feel about her, it's obvious that she wasn't vetted properly for her selection and she really wasn't qualified to be vice president. I also think there is room for interpretation. If you like Palin, the movie does at times seem sympathetic towards her and if you don't like her, there's definitely places where it's not.

Also I thought Julianne Moore did a fantastic job portraying Palin. She looks and sounds just like her!

Overall, I was very entertained by the movie and thought it provided a lot of great background information about the McCain campaign, which I found extremely interesting. If you are interested in politics I definitely recommend checking out both the movie and book.

Book vs. Movie: The Hunger Games

So last night I went to see The Hunger Games! It was AMAZING!!! I was trying not to get too excited because I didn't want to be disappointed. I thought it really captured the spirit of the book as well as staying really true to the plot. Not that much was changed which was awesome. I have some bullet points I'd like to address, and there might be spoilers.

- I thought all the actors were perfectly cast and did a fantastic job. That obviously includes Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth as well as the rest of the cast. I was especially blown away by Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman. He had a much bigger part in the movie but I was okay with that because he did such a good job. Woody Harrelson as Haymitch was spot-on as well.

- The set was just how I imagined it. Distict 12, the Capitol and the arena were beautifully designed and really similar to how they were described in the book.

- The entire plot and dialogue were pretty much the same, for which I was glad. There were small differences and obviously things were cut, but the important points were all hit.

- The book is Katniss narrating in first person. But since the movie wasn't just from her perspective, we got some extra scenes with the Gamemakers and President Snow. I really liked these additions because I think they explained things that might have gotten lost in the book to movie adaptation.

- I've always really liked Peeta but now I am in love with him. Josh Hutcherson did a wonderful job and I'm really glad he was cast.

- For some things I didn't like, I was surprised that almost half the movie was the training that goes on before The Hunger Games. I think some of that time should have been added to the arena portion, which could have been longer. I thought that Katniss's relationships with Rue and Peeta could have been developed more. I know a lot of it is them sitting in a cave talking, so I understand why that was cut.

- People have been mentioning they didn't like the shaky cam, but it actually wasn't a problem for me. I didn't even notice it but I also don't get motion sickness which could be part of it.

- I like Lenny Kravitz, but I wasn't really a fan of his portrayal of Cinna. I felt like he should have been more emotional than he was. He didn't do horrible and hopefully he'll step it up in the next movie.

Overall, I loved The Hunger Games and I was very impressed with the movie. It really stays true to the book and now I wish I could watch Catching Fire on-screen so I can see the rest of the series come to life. I would definitely recommend seeing this soon!!

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Summary:
Here is the first volume in George R. R. Martin's magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin's stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I wasn't sure how I was going to like A Game of Thrones. My brother is reading the series and has literally been begging me to read it for months. I finally went home for Spring Break last week so I had an opportunity to start the books. A Game of Thrones was pretty good, but not quite worth all the hype.

The bad thing about A Game of Thrones is that it takes forever to get into. I think I read maybe 150 pages before I understood everything going and started to want to know more. That is a long time for a book. Heck it's even the length of entire books. Looking on GoodReads, a lot of people said they didn't finish the novel and I think that might be way.

The book changes point-of-view between eight characters, which is a lot. Luckily the book is 600 pages so everyone gets ample page time. My brother kept asking me who my favorite character was and I couldn't answer. The way each character is written is pretty similar and no one really stood out to me. Everyone was ok, but there wasn't a character I loved.

The plot is pretty good. It's standard royals-battling-over-thrones and nothing was really that special. This was supposed to be fantasy but there were only a few elements of actual fantasy. It was more of an alternate Medieval time period. I will say that is a lot of unnecessary detail and description that probably could have made the book a lot shorter.

Overall, the book was pretty good. But the fact that it is very slow in the beginning and extremely long will definitely turn off readers. I would have been one of them, but my brother really wanted me to read this book so I pushed through it. I'm glad I did, because now I'm going to watch the show. But unless you have a lot of time and patience you might want to skip A Game of Thrones.

Rating: 7 out of 10.
FTC: borrowed from brother

1996/Spectra/674 pages.

Waiting on Wednesday - 78

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine for bloggers and readers to learn about new books.

Defiance by C. J. Redwine

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making. (From GoodReads)

This sounds really interesting. I like how Rachel is paired with Logan and then their romance blossoms from there. Defiance will be released August 28, 2012.

Top Ten Tuesday - 24

Top Ten Tuesday was started by The Broke and the Bookish for bloggers who like making lists about books.

Top Ten Books on My Spring To Read List

1. Insurgent by Veronica Roth

2. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

3. A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

4. The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

5. The Selection by Kiera Cass

6. Gilt by Katherine Longshore

7. Being Friends With Boys by Terra Lyn McVoy

8. Purity by Jackson Pearce

9. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

10. Cross My Heart by Katie Klein