I'm starting a new segment on this blog. As you can tell by the title, it'll be about book to movie adaptations. (Don't worry, I'm going to try and find a more clever name — maybe with a pun in it!) The idea behind this is to talk about whether the movie version of the book is faithful to the essence of the story, if it's entertaining, if you could even guess it was related to the book in question... I think it's interesting.
I'm not sure which adaptation to start off with but I'll pick one and post about it within the next few days. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Monday, July 18, 2016
Review - It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
I'm so excited to be posting my first review of the summer. I'm thinking about changing up my set-up for reviews (maybe adding some sections? switching up my approach? I'm not sure yet). So I am open to suggestions!
A good friend gave me this book over spring break but I didn't have a chance to read until my last week of high school, about a month ago. I wasn't sure what to expect — the cover is intriguing to say the least.
★★★★★
It is a really quick read — 444 pages in paperback. Now, it may sound like a lot but the font isn't all that small and it is so well written the pages basically turn themselves.
It's Kind of a Funny Story is a stand alone novel written by Ned Vizzini. It is a fictional story with parts taken from the author's personal experience. He, like Craig in the book, stayed in a psychiatric hospital for a short period of time. The author openly spoke of his struggles with clinical depression and I think it is what makes this book such an interesting read. Ned Vizzini took his own life in 2013 but his work lives on through this book as well as several others I have yet to read — But I will, I swear!
The book may seem like a "downer" or just a lot to handle because of the seriousness of the topics brought up. However, Craig Gilner is a very down to earth character, providing a refreshing outlook on life. He's not always positive but that isn't so different from most teens.
I'll start off by talking about the cover because it is rather peculiar. As you read the book, it'll become clearer but, as a friendly clue, I'll tell you that Craig, the main character, used to draw maps as a small child and really enjoyed it.
The book is written in the first person, which is a key reason for why this book is so good. If you've struggled with mental health — I have — or maybe even if you're learning about it, you'll develop an attachment to Craig's character. He faces challenges that most of us have had to/ still are dealing with such as the pressure of doing "what is right" in order to lead a "successful life." What does that even mean at this point? Truth be told, I have no clue. Life is never pointless, you don't need to follow other peoples' interpretations of success in order to be worthy. Okay that got way deeper than I'd intended... My point was: Craig's views on life are similar to my own so the story became very important to me.
An interesting part of the book was Craig's reluctance to admit his depression even to his closest friends. His parents and sister know about it but outside of the small group, no one knew. Craig's friends just consider him a quiet, reserved, and overall a little awkward teenage guy, oblivious to his difficulties in social settings.
I took a psychology class this year so I was already sort of on a roll regarding the way the human brain works — it's odd and interesting. Thus, I read a lot about depression over the past year, and even wrote a 7 page research paper about it. So maybe I'm a little biased in my appreciation for the book but I really believe it's a valuable read and worth your time.
It gives an inside look into mental health and how it is treated in our society. Even though this book was written 10 years ago, the situation is still very similar and I'd recommend everyone read it to better understand the situation. Now, this doesn't mean it covers every aspect of it but it's a good start to becoming more aware of how it is sometimes dealt with. It's never the wrong time to expand your knowledge.
Okay, this is a really long review and it actually got surprisingly deep as I kept typing but the bottom line is that I really enjoyed this book and everyone should read it.
A good friend gave me this book over spring break but I didn't have a chance to read until my last week of high school, about a month ago. I wasn't sure what to expect — the cover is intriguing to say the least.
Synopsis
Ambitious New York City teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life — which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself.
Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.
Review
★★★★★
It is a really quick read — 444 pages in paperback. Now, it may sound like a lot but the font isn't all that small and it is so well written the pages basically turn themselves.
It's Kind of a Funny Story is a stand alone novel written by Ned Vizzini. It is a fictional story with parts taken from the author's personal experience. He, like Craig in the book, stayed in a psychiatric hospital for a short period of time. The author openly spoke of his struggles with clinical depression and I think it is what makes this book such an interesting read. Ned Vizzini took his own life in 2013 but his work lives on through this book as well as several others I have yet to read — But I will, I swear!
The book may seem like a "downer" or just a lot to handle because of the seriousness of the topics brought up. However, Craig Gilner is a very down to earth character, providing a refreshing outlook on life. He's not always positive but that isn't so different from most teens.
I'll start off by talking about the cover because it is rather peculiar. As you read the book, it'll become clearer but, as a friendly clue, I'll tell you that Craig, the main character, used to draw maps as a small child and really enjoyed it.
The book is written in the first person, which is a key reason for why this book is so good. If you've struggled with mental health — I have — or maybe even if you're learning about it, you'll develop an attachment to Craig's character. He faces challenges that most of us have had to/ still are dealing with such as the pressure of doing "what is right" in order to lead a "successful life." What does that even mean at this point? Truth be told, I have no clue. Life is never pointless, you don't need to follow other peoples' interpretations of success in order to be worthy. Okay that got way deeper than I'd intended... My point was: Craig's views on life are similar to my own so the story became very important to me.
An interesting part of the book was Craig's reluctance to admit his depression even to his closest friends. His parents and sister know about it but outside of the small group, no one knew. Craig's friends just consider him a quiet, reserved, and overall a little awkward teenage guy, oblivious to his difficulties in social settings.
I took a psychology class this year so I was already sort of on a roll regarding the way the human brain works — it's odd and interesting. Thus, I read a lot about depression over the past year, and even wrote a 7 page research paper about it. So maybe I'm a little biased in my appreciation for the book but I really believe it's a valuable read and worth your time.
It gives an inside look into mental health and how it is treated in our society. Even though this book was written 10 years ago, the situation is still very similar and I'd recommend everyone read it to better understand the situation. Now, this doesn't mean it covers every aspect of it but it's a good start to becoming more aware of how it is sometimes dealt with. It's never the wrong time to expand your knowledge.
Okay, this is a really long review and it actually got surprisingly deep as I kept typing but the bottom line is that I really enjoyed this book and everyone should read it.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
My Return
Tadaaaa! Okay so it may have taken longer than I expected to get back into the swing of things but I'm officially done with high school and ready to write some new reviews. I'm going to try to post at least once a week (although, it might be more than once a week to be completely honest). I've been reading a lot lately and I'm really looking forward to re-vamping my blog.
I know it's been a hot minute since I've been able post here but things are changing and I'm just tying to adapt to it all. Thanks for sticking with me through all this.
(Part of this had to be typed one-handed because my dog wouldn't stop shoving a tennis ball at me.)
You can reach me through my twitter: @okay_nicolette , my goodreads: Nicolette ,
my tumblr: Nicolette's Amazing Blog Stuff
I know it's been a hot minute since I've been able post here but things are changing and I'm just tying to adapt to it all. Thanks for sticking with me through all this.
(Part of this had to be typed one-handed because my dog wouldn't stop shoving a tennis ball at me.)
You can reach me through my twitter: @okay_nicolette , my goodreads: Nicolette ,
my tumblr: Nicolette's Amazing Blog Stuff
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Book Tag - Zombie Apocalypse
Yay I'm back! I'm in the period of hearing back from colleges and thus, the application process is over and I can finally get back to reading and blogging (it's been waaaaay too long!).
So I thought I'd kick it off with a book tag because they're fun and I need time to read before I can review, haha.
I'm going to be doing the Zombie Apocalypse Book Tag. It was started by Nathan Hale on youtube. The concept is pretty simple:
Pick 5 books
Write down the titles on separate slips of paper and put them in a hat/bowl/recipient of some sort
Select one paper at a time to know which book to pick up
Open that book to a random page
- the first name on that page is a member of your survival team
- do this twice for every book
You will then have a full 10-member team. In order, each character corresponds to a certain type of member. If you're a little confused, just keep reading. You'll get the gist of it soon.
I picked: City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare
Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer
The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling
Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas [I reviewed Book 1 here!]
Final preparations...
Now, time to assemble the *dream team*
Okay, this could be trouble. She's the most bad-ass female character I've known and if she goes down so fast, I'm not sure about our chances for survival...
Now I just feel bad. He's one of my favorite characters. I'm sorry for putting my needs above yours Chaol, but I really didn't want those zombies to eat my brains out. I hope you understand.
She's the main character's step sister. I can deal, although it's too bad for her.
I would be offended, but he's a prince so, what more would I expect? He has a world to run, haha.
Too accurate. Although I'd rather he not be on my team.
This isn't fair. I doubt this is a spoiler to you that he turns out to be in cahoots with Voldemort. I'm not sure how I feel about this... Actually, I am. I'm screwed.
I'd feel safe with her as the medic. She's an emphatic character and I think she's take good care of the wounded. Being a shadowhunter wouldn't hurt either!
YES!!!! I can totally see him a the weapons expert. He's skilled, mature, and has an impressively protective nature. He would handle the zombies and teach us to defend ourselves, no doubt.
I can see this. I didn't like his character much but I could imagine him picking fights and such. He'd probably win too.
Last, but not least
He's a total goofball and yet I'm not too worried. He's caring and I feel like he'd be able to lighten the mood when everyone starts freaking out because of the zombie attack.
So here's my *dream team* for the zombie apocalypse. Not gonna lie, I really hope it doesn't come down to this because, realistically, we wouldn't last long. I mean, sure, we have some great members on the team. But having lost Celaena so soon in the war and having to deal with Uncle Vernon everyday, our chances would be pretty slim.
If any of you have recommendations for other tags I should do or books you'd like me to review, let me know in the comments! You can also contact me through goodreads or twitter.
So I thought I'd kick it off with a book tag because they're fun and I need time to read before I can review, haha.
I'm going to be doing the Zombie Apocalypse Book Tag. It was started by Nathan Hale on youtube. The concept is pretty simple:
Pick 5 books
Write down the titles on separate slips of paper and put them in a hat/bowl/recipient of some sort
Select one paper at a time to know which book to pick up
Open that book to a random page
- the first name on that page is a member of your survival team
- do this twice for every book
You will then have a full 10-member team. In order, each character corresponds to a certain type of member. If you're a little confused, just keep reading. You'll get the gist of it soon.
I picked: City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare
Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer
The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling
Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas [I reviewed Book 1 here!]
Final preparations...
Now, time to assemble the *dream team*
From Heir of Fire
1. The first person to die is ...
Celaena Sardothien
Okay, this could be trouble. She's the most bad-ass female character I've known and if she goes down so fast, I'm not sure about our chances for survival...
2. The person I trip to get away from the zombies is ...
Chaol Westfall
Now I just feel bad. He's one of my favorite characters. I'm sorry for putting my needs above yours Chaol, but I really didn't want those zombies to eat my brains out. I hope you understand.
From Cinder
3. The first person to turn into a zombie is ...
Peony
She's the main character's step sister. I can deal, although it's too bad for her.
4. The person who trips me to get away from the zombies is ...
Prince Kai
I would be offended, but he's a prince so, what more would I expect? He has a world to run, haha.
From Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone
This should be interesting!
5. The "idiot" of the team is ...
Uncle Vernon
Too accurate. Although I'd rather he not be on my team.
6. The "brains" of the team is ...
Professor Quirrell
This isn't fair. I doubt this is a spoiler to you that he turns out to be in cahoots with Voldemort. I'm not sure how I feel about this... Actually, I am. I'm screwed.
From City of Heavenly Fire
7. The team's medic is ...
Clary
I'd feel safe with her as the medic. She's an emphatic character and I think she's take good care of the wounded. Being a shadowhunter wouldn't hurt either!
8. The weapons expert is ...
Luke
YES!!!! I can totally see him a the weapons expert. He's skilled, mature, and has an impressively protective nature. He would handle the zombies and teach us to defend ourselves, no doubt.
From The Perks of Being a Wallflower
9. The brawler is ...
Craig
(Sam's college boyfriend)
I can see this. I didn't like his character much but I could imagine him picking fights and such. He'd probably win too.
Last, but not least
10. The team captain is ...
Patrick
He's a total goofball and yet I'm not too worried. He's caring and I feel like he'd be able to lighten the mood when everyone starts freaking out because of the zombie attack.
So here's my *dream team* for the zombie apocalypse. Not gonna lie, I really hope it doesn't come down to this because, realistically, we wouldn't last long. I mean, sure, we have some great members on the team. But having lost Celaena so soon in the war and having to deal with Uncle Vernon everyday, our chances would be pretty slim.
If any of you have recommendations for other tags I should do or books you'd like me to review, let me know in the comments! You can also contact me through goodreads or twitter.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Update!
It has indeed been a while. As it turns out, college applications and competition season require more time than I'd anticipated. I'm working on a few blog posts that (hopefully!) will be up this coming weekend. I'm sorry it's taking so long, there's just so much to work on at the moment, I'm hoping to get back to reading for leisure soon!
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