Warm Bodies

Summary: R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity  and no pulse, but he has dreams. After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy and simple read. It had a different take on your regular zombie story. I mainly read about this book because it was being made into a movie (big surprise that I read a book being made into a movie!) Anyway, here's the movie trailer.

Book Review

Summary: On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick's wife Amy disappears. There are signs of struggle in the house and Nick quickly becomes the prime suspect. It doesn't help that Nick hasn't been completely honest with the police and, as Amy's case drags out for weeks, more and more vilifying evidence appears against him. Nick, however, maintains his innocence. As revelation after revelation unfolds, it becomes clear that the truth does not exist in the middle of Nick and Amy's points of view; in fact, the truth is far more dark, more twisted, and more creepy than you can imagine.

I loved the way this book was written, it was unlike any I've read before. The style was very different. The book switched between the voice of Nick the husband and Amy the wife. The wife's voice from the time they met until her disappearance and the husbands for the time his wife disappears forward. It had the most surprising ending!!

Book Review

Summary: Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother's room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing.

Set fifty years apart, these two independent stories--Ben's told in words, Rose's in pictures--weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder. Rich, complex, affecting, and beautiful--with over 460 pages of original artwork--Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary.

This book was by Brian Selznick, the same author as The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I actually enjoyed Wonderstruck better. It was an easy read and I loved how it told a story with words and pictures and how they both intertwined at the end. It was such a magical book!

Beautiful Creatures Trailer (2012)

Book Summary: Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

So here is another book I read that is being made into a movie. I thought this book was really good, except I'm not quite sure how I feel about the ending. The whole book built up to the end, then it kind of left you where you have to pick up the next book to get any real answers. (there are 4 books total) But it was still a fun read. The movie has lots of award winning actors in it so it should be good. Here's the trailer.

The Host Official Trailer (2013)

Today I finally finished The Host by Stephanie Meyer. It was a long book that took a little while to get into it.,but turned out to be a good book. I picked it up because I wanted to see what Stephanie Meyer's adult book was like and because it's been made into a movie. 

Quick Summary: It about aliens. Imagine invasion of the body snatchers but one girl who's body gets invaded has such love for a guy that the alien couldn't fully take over her body. And they (the girl and the alien as one) go looking for him. Should be interesting to see how this is on the big screen since most of the book was internal  thoughts and conversations. Anyway, here's the trailer...

Safe Haven Book Review!

Summary: When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

This book was unlike any Nicholas Sparks book I've ever read. It had a love story, of course, but the main topic of the book was much more serious. For a Nicholas Sparks book I was surprised and happy with the ending. I mainly picked up this book because it's being made into a movie! It comes out Valentine's Day 2013! Here is the trailer...

Life Of Pi Book Review

Summary: Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. He survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger.

I saw the preview for this movie and it looked interesting so I decided to pick up the book first. I almost put the book down, it took almost 100 pages to get into this book. But it ended up being amazing!! It was a great story and had the most unexpected ending. I would recommended this book to just about anyone.

Here is the movie trailer, it comes out next week!

Book Re-read

Book Re-read!

Teresa and I are doing a re-read of all the Harry Potter books, then we are going to have a movie marathon! Should be fun!

Book Review

Summary: We plot. We plan. We assume things are going to go a certain way. And when they don't, we find ourselves in a new place---a place we haven't been before, a place we never would have imagined on our own. It is the difficult and the unexpected, and maybe even the tragic, that opens us up and frees us to see things in new ways. Many of the most significant moments in our lives come not because it all went right but because it all fell apart. Suffering does that. It hurts, but it also creates. This book is an exploration of the complex relationship between suffering and creativity, driven by the belief that there is art in the agony.

A friend from work got me to read this book of her's. I would call it a 'religious art coffee table book'. You can finish it in one setting. It's mostly pictures but the words are very meaningful. Making you think about suffering and how creativity can come out of it. 

Book Review

Summary: Meet Kate Malone-straight-A science and math geek, minister's daughter, ace long-distance runner, new girlfriend (to Mitchell "Early Decision Harvard" Pangborn III), unwilling family caretaker, and emotional avoidance champion. Kate manages her life by organizing it as logically as the periodic table. She can handle it all-or so she thinks. Then, things change as suddenly as a string of chemical reactions; first, the Malones' neighbors get burned out of their own home and move in. Kate has to share her room with her nemesis, Teri Litch, and Teri's little brother. The days are ticking down and she's still waiting to hear from the only college she applied to: MIT. Kate feels that her life is spinning out of her control-and then, something happens that truly blows it all apart. Catalyst is a novel that will change the way you look at the world.

I have read several Laurie Halse Anderson books, this one was probably my least favorite. It wasn't a bad book and had a good ending, but I was just expecting more. The whole book kept building up to have a very simple ending. Not sure that I would recommend this book to anyone...

Book Review

Summary: Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . . After. Nothing is ever the same.

Today I finished Looking for Alaska by John Green. This book was pretty depressing. The big climax happens in the middle of the book and the characters spend the rest of book finding their way to a new normal at the end. Still a very good read, I am loving John Green's writing style. This book would be good for anyone, but is geared mainly toward young adults.

Book Review

Summary: Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

I picked this book up at the library. It was such a good book. This was my first John Green novel and  I really enjoyed it. But it was a tear jerker. I tried to read it on my lunch break at work and started crying. Luckily I was the only person in the break room at the time.  I had to put it down and read it at home, it was so sad. But I would still recommend this book!! 

Book Review!

My favorite books to read are book that are made into movies. I love to read the book, then go to the movies to see how it has been brought to live. This usually happens in that order, book then movie. However, this is one of those times where I read the book after seeing the movie. 

Book Summary: Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

I actually saw Hugo, the movie, a few months ago and enjoyed it very much. It was a magical movie, and the book was just as magical, if not more. It is a wonderful story and it is beautifully illustrated. I would recommend this book to everyone!