Blaze

I'm about to start reading the book Blaze, written by Laurie Boyle Crompton. The book has received many spectacular reviews from fellow authors.

"One of the most relatable anti-love stories we've come across in a while" (Seventeen.com).

"Blaze made me laugh...and cringe...and laugh again. The blend of snark and heart will keep you turning the pages" (Mandy Hubbard, author of Prada and Prejudice).

"Lauren Boyle Cromptons's super power is bringing the funny. Readers should make this book their trusty side-kick" (Eileen Cook, author of Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood).

The book is about a nerdy girl [that draws comics, of course] named Blaze, sister of Josh, whose main goal is to get Mark to notice her. When Mark, soccer stud and lady-killer, humiliates her "supervillian-style", this geek is out for revenge. 

I heard about this book from a few people, and decided I'd give it a go.  I like the fact that it's unique and about a girl who knows who she is and won't just fall in love with some guy even if he's a complete jerk. I mean, she had a crush on him to begin with, but I suppose that would be a given.

Blog Reflection

In my blog post, The Book Thief; Movie Adaptation, I wrote about my opinions of the movie I saw based off of a book of the same name. One line that demonstrates voice is: “The story of Liesel Meminger, our spunky heroine, is worth learning - no matter how many tears are shed in the process.” This is because I cry a lot during books and movies, personally, and while some people may not respond in that way, I do and I express that slightly. 

The diction in my blog post was mostly elevated or formal. This is shown in the use of words like “whimsical”, “polished”, “brutal”, “indulge” and more. A few sentences with these words, among others, would be… “For one thing, the movie seemed quite polished and depicted 'Heaven Street' [the street which the story took place] as rather whimsical and with frequent NAZI flags and symbols - tons of them, really - placed throughout.” Also, “With this, many of the side plots, while inserted, were brief and didn't have the same charm or lasting effect as in the book.” With my syntax, I often would separate thoughts with punctuation [commas, or semicolons] and many of my sentences had a beginning phrase which was separated from the rest of the line with a comma or other.  “For the most part, I really enjoyed it - as much as one could enjoy a sort of tragedy such as this.”

John Green and Papertowns

John Green, New York Times bestselling author of his novels The Fault in Our Stars, An Abundance of Katherines, Looking for Alaska, and Papertowns. He is also a popular blogger on Youtube with his brother on their channel oh-so-cleverly named 'vlogbrothers'. Okay, so it wasn't quite so original but it got the point across.

I am currently reading his book, Papertowns, which is about a boy and his complicated feelings towards prom, white-picket-fences and a girl named Margo. Or his feelings aren't complicated at all and that's his way of saying he's confused. Whichever, really.

Krista Ramsey's Column

I read Locking into the Magic of Legos by Krista Ramsey. This column expresses how legos are so vital whilst childhood takes place, as legos serve as a creative outlet for kids [and an escape for the parents]. Some parents are even willing to pay hundreds of dollars to give extensive collections of legos to children - a vast amount of creativity thus warranted, and intellectual benefits to the mind of the child. This allows imagination to thrive and grow, along with shaping the interests of the kids and furthermore, possible careers.

Krista's writing style was very story-teller-like, such as where she says, "Then feet will pad up the basement stairs to show parents what's been created. And they'll pad right back down to tear it apart and move on to freestyle." in the column. She also has good diction; formal enough to express professionalism and simple enough to understand.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/02/15/krista-locking-into-the-magic-of-legos/5521245/

The Book Thief ; Movie Adaptation Review

Recently, there has been a book-to-movie adaptation of The Book Thief, the book I recently read. This past Easter weekend, I decided to watch the movie in spite of some not-so-swell reviews of it.

For the most part, I really enjoyed it - as much as one could enjoy a sort of tragedy such as this. But first, I will indulge you in all of the flaws of the film. For one thing, the movie seemed quite polished and depicted 'Heaven Street' [the street which the story took place] as rather whimsical and with frequent NAZI flags and symbols - tons of them, really - placed throughout. I understand the reasons for their placement, it just appeared to be a little much at times. Back to the polished-ness of the film; they didn't show any hunger or suffering of the family and what a strain helping the character, Max, had been on their lives. With this, many of the side plots, while inserted, were brief and didn't have the same charm or lasting effect as in the book. But that's to be expected, as there was only a 2 hour time frame, give or take, and if you were to put in every detail, it would even exceed Lord of the Rings movie standards.

Now, for the positives. The actors and actresses did an excellent job portraying their given characters. Sophie Nelisse embodied Liesel Meminger down to the bone. I especially loved how the kept true to the novel with Death narrating the story, as it set the tone very well for the story. The ending was not so brutal as the book, which I am thankful for in some ways, but was still a definite tear-jerker.

I would recommend this book and movie to anyone interested. The story of Liesel Meminger, our spunky heroine, is worth learning - no matter how many tears are shed in the process.

Mark Zusak

Mark Zusak, author of The Book Thief and other titles, was born in Australia, 1975. His first book - The Underdog - was published in 1999 and has two companion novels; Fighting Ruben Wolf and When Dogs Cry.

He has been majorly successful since The Book Thief came out in 2005, the novel reaching the number one spot all over the globe and staying at the top five for a while. Also, it has won several awards an has been translated. This past year, the novel was made into a movie.

The Book Thief

I just started reading The Book Thief a while ago, and my first impression was how amazing the writing was. It was very poetic, unique, sorrowful and expressed the author's tone strongly. I especially admired the fact that Death himself was the narrator. He spoke of the three moments he saw 'the book thief' [Liesel Meminger], which were three points in time Liesel witnessed the death of someone or was affected by their death.

It was an interesting decision for the author to decide to, instead of focusing on a Jewish Holocaust victim, write about a German girl that met all expectations but still had a rather tragic life. I like her character and think that it was a very good and original idea to write about her. So far, I would reccommend this story.