Movie Review: The Help

About a month ago, a marketing person contacted me via my Book Club contact info offering free passes to an advanced screening of The Help. She found our Book Club page and saw that we read The Help as one of our selections. Of course, everyone (mostly) in my Book Club jumped at the chance to see the movie early. Everyone loved the book and we had planned to go see the movie as a group when it came out anyway.

We got there super early (2 hours) because we weren't sure how many people would be showing up and we wanted good seats. Well turned out we were the first ones there. Yay! Hahaha. It was quite an interesting crowd, the ages varied but was definitely comprised of an older audience. Like, my parent's, grandparents even, age. We were some of the younger people there. We didn't care, we loved the book and were stoked to see the movie!

I have to say as far as movie adaptations go, I thought this was excellent! Not as good as the book, the movies rarely are, but still an excellent movie. Emma Stone (Easy A) plays one of the lead roles, I have to say she was not at all how I pictured Skeeter however, I LOVE Emma Stone and I thought she did the role justice.

The movie included all the major parts of the book that readers would expect to see. One storyline that they trimmed from the movie was the Skeeter/Stuart storyline. She still dates him in the movie, however his whole pedigree, family, and previous engagement are all but eliminated from the movie, whereas their relationship played a more prominent role in the book.

The one storyline that I would have liked to see more of was the Celia-Johnny-Minny trio. That was one of my favorite story lines in the book and while they do include some of it, they didn't include enough for my liking.

Like the book, The Help made me laugh and cry; it is a heartwarming, uplifting tale of family, friendship, love, loss, and fighting prejudice. If you haven't read The Help, the movie release is a great excuse to read the book then see the movie. You can't go wrong with either!

The Help will be in theaters on August 10th.
Rating:

Vacation & Reading!

Just a quick update. I went to Cancun recently for a friend's wedding. It was AMAZING. If you're ever looking for an all inclusive (adults only) resort in Cancun...The Royal in Cancun is where it's at! They also have a resort in Playa del Carmen. Seriously, the place was awesome!

As for reading, I've been devouring Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series. I'm a little over halfway through the third book. Really, really enjoying this series!

That's all for now folks!

Free Audiobook Downloads All Summer!

Sync is offering free audio book downloads all summer long! Below is the complete list of titles being offered this summer.

SYNC is a program that develops the audience of teen/YA audio book listeners.
• Two complete digital audio books--a current Young Adult title paired thematically with a Classic or assigned Summer Reading title--are available FREE each week to listeners ages 13+.
• A dedicated SYNC group on audiobookcommunity.com is the hub of the delivery of the downloads, editorial content, and user engagement. The audio book titles were selected to inspire follow-up listening.

SYNC Titles - Summer 2011

6/23/11 - 6/29/11

Shiver By Maggie Stiefvater

Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare

6/30/11-7/6/11          

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

The Trial by Franz Kafka

7/7/11-7/13/11

Where the Streets Had a Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah

A Passage to India by E. M. Forster

7/14/11-7/20/11       

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

Beowulf by Francis B. Gummere [Trans.]

7/21/11-7/27/11

Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

7/28/11-8/3/11

Ashes, Ashes  by Jo Treggiari

Rescue: Stories of Survival From Land and Sea by Dorcas S. Miller [Ed.]          

           

8/4/11-8/10/11          

Immortal by Gillian Shields

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

8/11/11-8/17/11                   

Storm Runners by Roland Smith

The Cay by Theodore Taylor

Be sure to check it out! It's a great way to try out audio books...for free!

Library Loot: June 15 - June 21

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted alternatively by Marg and Claire that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky (at Marg's this week) any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

It's been awhile since I've shared my Library Loot. Here's what I've gotten recently:

E-books:

 Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter

Undeniably Yours by Shannon Stacey

I'm finding I really love checking out e-books. I don't have to worry about returning books, they just atomaticially disappear -- like magic and I don't accrue any library fines! Amazing!

Downloadable Audio Books:

Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Audio Books:

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (in preparation for the final movie!)

DVD:

Dead Snow

Foreign horror film about Nazi zombies terrorizing a bunch of med students on holiday.

Review: The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

Alright y'all, it's been awhile since you've seen a review from me and I'm a little rusty but I have to get back into the swing of things!!!

Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes was one of the first books I read when I first "re-discovered" my love of YA during my graduate school years. I'd devoured most of Dessen's books and stumbled on 13LBE. I LOVED it. While I recall many people having issues with her parents letting a teenager gallivant across the world, I have such a horrible case of wanderlust, and always have, that I didn't give a crap whether it was realistic. When I heard there was going to be a sequel I was ecstatic! However, it had been so many years since I read 13LBE and I have a horrible memory. I just had the barest recollection about what had happened in 13LBE.

I recalled Ginny's Aunt dying and sending her off on this adventure. I remember a boy. I remembered exotic locales and quirky characters. Lastly, I remembered that the last envelope was lost. And that was about it.

The Last Little Blue Envelope begins with Ginny receiving an email from Oliver, an English lad, who happened upon the last envelope. Having opened and read the letter Oliver realizes that Ginny's Aunt's artwork is worth a fortune and that the last envelope gives Ginny clues to assembling her Aunt's final piece of art work. Oliver demands to go with Ginny and, once the piece is assembled and sold, half the profit.

For the most part I enjoyed the book however, one thing really irked me. When Oliver tells Ginny what he's planned she doesn't question him. One of the first things I'd do is ask someone "Why are you doing this?" Obviously he's after money. But common, in all the time she never once thinks to ask him why? As readers, we pick up on things that Ginny clearly overlooks. She clearly knows he's somewhat of a decent guy, despite the extortion. So, if he's mostly an a-okay guy wouldn't you assume that there is some situation in his life that has left him no other options but to take advantage of someone else? Wouldn't you ask why? She never asks why until the book is practically over. Even if she had asked why it's likely that Oliver wouldn't have spilled his guts but at least she would have asked. I was so frustrated the whole time wanting Ginny to friggin' ask him why already! Gah.

This frustrating bit hampered my enjoyment of the novel somewhat. Overall, this installment was enjoyable and we see Ginny grow, however I felt it lacked the magic and spark from the original. But fans of the first book will be happy to revisit Ginny and other characters and get a sense of closure that the first book lacked.

Rating:

Challenge(s) Fullfilled: E-book Challenge

Disclosure: I received this as a digital ARC through NetGalley. I did not receive any compensation for this review.

Reading Recap: May 2011

As you can tell I haven't been reviewing. Haven't been reading a lot either. All the books I've read this month I read in the first week and a half of May, then nothing! I blame a lot of it on Netflix! I finally joined and am currently working my way through Modern Family and Sons of Anarchy (thanks to @bellie7 & @sweetiepiepen, I'm obsessed!!!!)

1. Dreamfever - Karen Marie Moning  (audiobook) - 5 Chocolate Covered Strawberreis
2. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkings - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
3. Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
4. Something Blue - Emily Giffin - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
5. The Enemy by Charlie Higson - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Dreamfever is a "re-read" I'm going through the whole series on audio. Dreamfever and Shadowfever have different narrators than the previous audiobooks. They added a narrator for Barrons and he's verra, verra good!!!! Although I don't like the new female narrator, I prefer the one from the previous audiobooks. But oh well, they got Barrons right! 

Since Dreamfever is a re-read, Hex Hall was definitely the winner this month! I have Demonglass on reserve at the library looking forward to it. I read Something Borrowed & Something Blue because I want to see the movie and have to read the books first! Mostly for John Krasinski though. Love that man! They were okay. I enjoyed them but didn't love them. The Enemy was actually really good but pretty depressing which is why it didn't get a higher rating.

I also started several other books this month but didn't finish them. Not that they're DNF's just haven't finished them yet! Those are:

1. Putting Makeup on Dead People by  Jen Voili
2. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
3. The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

Hopefully, I'll get back in the swing of things. Probably after I finish Sons of Anarchy though!

Update

In case you're wondering I'm still alive! I've been reading some but haven't felt inspired to review. I've been reading older books, mostly historicals. I've recently read:

Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne

Loved them all and want more! I keep referencing my guest post during Ashley March's March Madness where I solicited recommendations for great historical romances with feisty, strong heroines and tortured heroes. So far the recommendations have been spot on.

Do you all have any recommendations for me that fit that bill? I love me some REALLY tortured heroes. I have Delilah Marvelle's series on my radar; I hear they're quite different and have deeply troubled heroes. I also like the friends to lovers troupe. So y'all, even though I'm not reviewing, I'm reading and I'm hoping for any additional recommendations along these lines.

Hopefully I'll get my reviewing mojo back here shortly!

Reading Recap: March 2011

1. Faefever by Karen Marie Moning (audio book) - 5 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
2. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen & Nancy Butler, Illustrated by Hugo Petrus (Graphic Novel) - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
3. Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
4. The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries (Review to come)
5. Delirium by Lauren Oliver - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
6. Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries (Review to come)
7. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - 2 Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Also reviewed in March:

• Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries

My road trip out to Texas got my April reading off to a good start! I got both Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward and Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase read on the drive out! All the traveling was good for reading but not so much for reviewing. I have a lot to catch up on! Hope everyone else had a good reading month in March!

Library Loot: March 23 - 29

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted alternatively by Marg and Claire that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky (at Marg's this week) any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

It's been awhile since I've posted my library loot! I've been doing better about not checking out as much stuff that I know I won't get to. Here's my latest haul:

Books

Pride & Prejudice (Graphic Novel) by Jane Austen & Nancy Butler

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

E-books

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase

Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale

Audio books

Room by Emma Donoghue

Narrated by Michal Friedman , Ellen Archer , Robert Petkoff , & Suzanne Toren

Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning

Narrated by Natalie Ross & Phil Gigante 

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I'd been putting off reading Delirium because I'd seen such polarized reactions to it. Some loved it, some hated it. So I tried to go in with as few expectations as possible. In the end, I'm planted, firmly, in the "loved it" camp.

Lena is counting down the days until her eighteenth birthday when she will receive the procedure that will protect her from, what the government has deemed the most dangerous disease of all, love. Lena's anxious to have the surgery because she's lived in fear that she will turn out like her mother, whose multiple procedures could never quite cure her of the disease and ultimately lead to her mother taking her own life.

Lena's anticipatory countdown warps entirely after meeting Alex. Alex is is an "Invalid", one of the uncured. Lena's relationship with Alex changes her preconceived notions about the "invalids" and slowly realizes that perhaps the "cure" is nothing more than the government's way to control citizens. (D'uh!) Lena's countdown then morphs to a countdown to the now dreaded day.

While Lena's feelings for Alex are strong she is merely dreading the procedure but doesn't intend to do anything rash, like refusing the procedure, until she learns something about her mother. The revelation changes everything she thought she knew about her past and that, in turn, changes everything for her future.

While reading Delirium I realized how much I enjoy a good dystopian novel. I love reading about alternate realities, presented as utopias, and following the character's realizations that the world they live in is anything but a utopia. I really enjoy that growing awareness of all that they're being denied and how the character processes that information.

I loved the relationship between Alex and Lena. I thought it was very well done. There was Lena's initial reaction to finding out Alex is an "invilad" and Alex's patience with Lena's coming to terms that maybe "the cure" is not necessarily the answer. Love Alex!

Delirium is an excellent start to a promising series. I'm so disappointed that, according to Goodreads, I have to wait until 2012 for, Pandemonium, the next installment of Lena's story. *POUTS* I'm so glad I didn't let the negative reviews I've seen of this book sway me from reading it. If you're a fan of the dystopian genre, I'd definitely give it a go. I'm so glad I did!

Rating:

Challenge(s) Fullfilled: E-book Challenge

Disclosure: I received this as a digital ARC through NetGalley. I did not receive any compensation for this review.