The Thirteenth Tale

So I am somewhat settled into the new house. Finally got internet about 2 days ago. We had flooding in the basement and it turned out the pipes that was attached to the house to the sewers collapsed so my family and I were without water for the night. No showers, flushing, or washing dishes. Sucked when I had to pee, haha. Tomorrow my bed frame is coming and on Thursday my order of Monsters, Inc. and Fringe will be arriving. I am excited.

Okay, enough about me. Here's a book review:

The Thirteenth Tale by Dianne Setterfield
From Amazon: "Sometimes, when you open the door to the past, what you confront is your destiny.

Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author's tale of gothic strangeness -- featuring the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves. --This text refers to the Paperback edition."'



It's an intriguing and captivating novel that will keep you reading just to know what their secrets are. The novel often goes back and forth from the past and the present. If you want a good read, get The Thirteenth Tale.

Moving

So today is moving day and the weather is not very friendly. It's raining with a chance of thunderstorms at 85+ degrees, when yesterday was a beautiful 75ish degrees. What the hell happen!? ): 

The only thing exciting about moving is that I get to have a bookshelf in my new room.  I mean  I have one now but it's not like those skinny library bookshelfs. I honestly can't wait. My books and manga took up 3 boxes and they are really heavy. I feel bad for the guy who has to carry them.

The downside of moving is that I'll be about 35 minutes away from the city and 40 minutes away from my school. There's nothing really to do in the new town. Though there is a nice sushi restaurant 3 minutes away.

I apologize that there hasn't been any book reviews lately but, I promise I'll post one next! Hope you all are enjoying the first day of June. (:

The Hangover Part II, Water for Elephants

It's been a very busy May for me, which is why I haven't been posting much.  I went to Florida this past week for my brother's engagement party and I'm moving at the end of this month. I really don't want to move, but I don't have a choice. ):

So in the past two weeks, I saw two movies: Water for Elephants and The Hangover Part II. Still have yet to see Thor!! :< Anyway,  let's start with the most recent film I saw.

Bridesmaids

So today I saw Bridesmaids. I was actually suppose to see Thor but the only one that played was in 3D and I am not a big fan of 3D.

From rottentomatoes.com:
"This spring, Universal Pictures and producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) invite you to experience Bridesmaids. Kristen Wiig leads the cast as Annie, a maid of honor whose life unravels as she leads her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), and a group of colorful bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to matrimony. Annie's life is a mess. But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lillian's maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. With one chance to get it perfect, she'll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you'll go for someone you love. -- (C) Universal"

Bridesmaids was very enjoyable. It was hilarious and I laughed pretty much throughout the whole film. Kind of like a girl version of The Hangover. Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph (both from SNL) are tremendous actresses but Melissa McCarthy (Sookie from Gilmore Girls) stole the show. There are many memorable scenes and it's not exactly like a romantic comedy, so fellas you should see it too!

Tangled

I am a sucker for Disney/Pixar movies.  I watched Up, probably more than five times, watched Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc. probably more than ten times, and I watched Toy Story (1, 2, and 3) so many times I lost count. Well... You get the picture.

I watched Tangled recently for the fifth time and I'm still in love with this film. If you didn't know already, Tangled is Disney's version of Rapunzel. In this version, Rapunzel was kidnapped as a baby by a wicked "old" woman and forced to live in a tower and never leave. Flynn Ryder, the most wanted thief, hides out in the tower only to be knocked unconscious by a really long haired girl with a frying pan. The tiara he stole is hidden and Rapunzel offers him a deal.  He'll get the crown back if he takes her to the "floating lights" and thus their adventure begins.

If you're unfamiliar about the story of Rapunzel, it's basically about a girl with long hair who lives in a tower.  She is held captive by a woman who yells, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair" and then Rapunzel pulls her up to the tower. A prince falls in love with her and sees how the old woman has gained access into the tower. I have read other versions of the German fairytale. In one, the prince impregnates Rapunzel on that one visit. The old lady finds out, cuts Rapunzel's hair and kicks her out the tower.  Prince comes back, is tricked, pushed out the tower, and blinded by the thorns below.  Rapunzel gives birth to twins and she and the Prince eventually find each other months later. Of course Disney went a different direction.

If you're into Disney princesses, singing and dancing, or happily ever afters, then this is the film you need to watch!

Pascal is making you watch Tangled!

Sunshine Award

A super big thank you to Jay from The Reel Photo for giving me the Sunshine Award! After my first awful hangover, this was such a nice surprise.  Check out Jay's blog for some amazing photos!

Source Code

I still haven't gotten the chance to see Water for Elephants since I've been so busy with school. So I'll talk about the last movie I saw which was Source Code and it was awesome!

 

From rottentomatoes.com:
"Synopsis: unknown man, he discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. In an assignment unlike any he's ever known, he learns he's part of a government experiment called the "Source Code," a program that enables him to cross over into another man's identity in the last 8 minutes of his life. With a second, much larger target threatening to kill millions in downtown Chicago, Colter re-lives the incident over and over again, gathering clues each time, until he can solve the mystery of who is behind the bombs and prevent the next attack. Filled with mind-boggling twists and heart-pounding suspense, Source Code is a smart action-thriller directed by Duncan Jones (Moon) also starring Michelle Monaghan (Eagle Eye, Due Date), Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Departed), and Jeffrey Wright (Quantum of Solace, Syriana). -- (C) Summit"


It's a must see movie filled with action, suspense, sci-fi and Jake Gyllenhaal. What more can you ask for? Go see it!

winter lemon cake

I know this is suppose to be a book blog but I like baking too! I'm glad a lot of people are interested to see what I baked.

I love lemony desserts. I found the recipe at kraftrecipes.com and it's soooo good! This is about my sixth time making it and it was perfection!

CLAMP love

Thank you everyone for your input in the previous post. I decided for now, I'll just stick to the paper books. I really should be saving up for a car. Just so happens I'm trying to win a Kindle. Who doesn't like free stuff?!

Now I don't read just books; I read comics as well. And by comics I mean manga. One of these days, I am going to stack my books and manga and see which is taller than me (I'm 5'0). The first manga I ever read was Cardcaptor Sakura by CLAMP. I loooooooove her. I had the notebooks (which I would probably never use), two comics/manga, and paper dolls. When I was a kid, there was Cardcaptors (US version) and I would get so excited every Saturday morning to watch it. It sucked by the way. But what do you expect from a dubbed version?

Cardcaptor Sakura is about a young girl who opens a book and all these cards fly out but one. Kero, guardian of the Book of Clow comes out and he's like, "What have you done?! Now you have to collect all the cards!" So Sakura and Kero have to search for the cards but things change when Syaoran, who is also a cardcaptor, wants to collect the cards as well.

Kindle or Nook?

I've been going over the list of books I want to read and it's a little overwhelming. Where do I start? Which one should I get? And it made me think of how easier it would be if I had a Kindle, or a Nook, or an iPad (since it uses both Amazon and B&N book stores) and I could just buy it right then and there. I like building my own library (yeah I'm a nerd :P) So that's probably one of the down sides of an e-book reader. Also I like the tangibleness of books.

The Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook have this lending books feature but it's only for people who have the same product, so Kindle and Nook users can't share. They both offer wi-fi and a huge collection of books as well as free samples. They both last about 10 days.  Sheesh, this is tough.

I don't even want to think about getting an iPad because I don't really have the money.

So what do YOU think I should do?

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

School will be the death of me! The semester is coming to a close and I have 3 more papers to do and then it's finals. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Anyway, here is a recommendation of one of my favorite books.

If you like vampires that don't sparkle, then perhaps this is the book for you. Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian tells the story of professors going missing and a strange book that's connecting them all. Could Dracula be real? Only way to find out.. is to find his tomb.

It's a page turning adventure filled with thriller, suspense, and mystery. Check it out if you have the time. (:

my school bag weighs thirty pounds

As I'm preparing for my World Lit. II exam tomorrow, it made me think of the books/plays I read in high school/college and whether or not I liked them. So I'll make a list. :D

Excuse my messy desk!

The King's Speech

If you haven't seen The King's Speech, you are missing out! Directed by Tom Hooper; it stars Colin Firth (A Single Man, Love Actually), Helena Bonham Carter (Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1), and Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean, Munich) in this amazing historical drama.

It tells the true story of Prince Albert, Duke of York, who would eventually become King George VI. Unfortunately he is known to have a stuttering problem. His wife, Elizabeth hires Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue to help Prince Albert overcome his stuttering.

The King's Speech has met critical acclaim and won numerous awards including an Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Colin Firth), and Best Original Screenplay.

If you're a fan of the Harry Potter series, you may notice a little reunion with actors, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambion, and Timothy Spall, who play Bellatrix Lestrange, Albus Dumbledore, and Peter Pettigrew respectively. And if that doesn't get you to see the film, well... I pity you. :P

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

I recently finished reading Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which a friend of mine recommended to me. At first, I didn't get the appeal. Everyone was talking about it and I guess you could say I was quite oblivious. It wasn't until my friend showed me the novel and read the back of the book that it sparked my interests.

The first in a trilogy, the aging Henrik Vanger has been trying to solve the case of his missing niece, Harriet Vanger, for forty years but the case still remains unsolved. He approaches journalist Mikael Blomkvist in hopes that he will solve this age old mystery with a new set of eyes. Blomkvist, convicted of libel for his exposé on the Swedish industrialist and rival, Hans-Erik Wennerström, accepts the offer. With the help of the very eccentric and rambunctious Lisbeth Salander, they find that the Vanger family has a very interesting past. (Trying not to go into too much detail!)

It's a great and compelling novel. Once you start.. you really can't stop. You just have to read till the end to find out what really happened. Larsson has a lot of characters in the novel, so it's best to read it continuously or else you're going to be lost and confused--"Who's Cecilia again?"  I can't believe Larsson wrote three (and a half) novels without it ever being published. Unfortunately he died in 2004 of a heart attack and was never able to see the success of his series. I can't wait to read the next book. I hope this gets you to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. (:

Also, there will be a US film version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo coming to theaters near you in December 2011.

The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is one my favorite novels. It follows the story of Henry Lee, a Chinese American, and his life as a kid in WWII. At twelve years old, Henry was the only Asian in an all-white school which often left him harassed and made fun of until Keiko, a Japanese-American enrolled at his school. Henry and Keiko fell in love or I guess you could say they had puppy love as it was purely innocent young love. Their story resembles the tragic tale of Romeo & Juliet, for Henry's father despises the Japanese and Keiko and her family are taken into the internment camp which drew the very young couple apart. Written letters are corresponded between the two but it doesn't last forever. The novel takes place between 1986 (Present Henry) and the 1940's when Henry was twelve. It wasn't until Henry finds out that the belongings of interned Japanese families are in the basement of the Panama hotel does he start to wonder about Keiko.

What I like about this novel is that it's historical fiction with a little romance thrown into it. It's a love story but not like The Notebook kind of love story although they share some similarities in technique. I feel like I could relate to Henry and his family because my parents also immigrated to America.

I hope this has gotten you to go out and get it! Click here to order your own copy of Jamie Ford's The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet from Amazon.com. Also if there are any books/movies you want to recommend, let me know. (:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 now out on DVD & Blu-Ray!

Please be aware that there may be some spoilers, so if you haven't read the book or seen the film, avert your eyes. ;D

If you haven't seen HP7 Part 1, now is the time! Part 2 and the last and final film of the Harry Potter series will be in theaters July 17th, 2011. That's TWO months away! Are you excited? Because I know I am. (:

One of my favorite scenes from the film, was the 7 Potters scene, and pretty much any scene with polyjuice potion involved. I haven't seen the film since it was in theaters, so my memory is a little fuzzy. Just goes to show that I need to watch it asap!

Here may be some spoilers... so beware!
If you read the the book, you'll know there are some clear differences. For one, they never explained the significance of the shattered mirror piece (which I'm sure they will in Part 2). In the books, it was given to Harry from Sirius as way of communication. In the film, however, it just suddenly appeared. In the film when Harry and Ron was held captive in Malfoy Manor, and Hermione was being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, I was expecting Ron to be screaming Hermione's name like in the book. But there was no screaming! In the book, the invisibility cloak was used often throughout the first half of the book but was hardly used in the film. And last point I'll make, Peter Pettigrew lives in the film (or at least in the Part 1). In the book, Pettigrew dies for feeling remorse when Harry lets him live and because of that his silver hand, which was created by Voldermort, kills him.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is probably my favorite book out of the series; Prisoner of Azkaban being close second. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me feel OMGGGGG. It saddens me that the series is over and almost over with the films. Rowling put a lot of work and thought into her series and she is one of the best authors ever.


So here's a recommendation: Read the books!

Hullo there~

My name is Jamie and I'm an avid reader. A book lover. A bookworm. A bibliophile. That's me. I live for mystery, romance, historical fiction, science fiction, comedy, and drama. Basically I'll blog about the books I'm reading or have read, movies I've watched and recommend them to you.  So I hope you stick around and if you have any books/films you'll think I'll like, post them!

Thanks for your time. (: