Category: Books

Cloud Atlas – Is It Really That Good?

I pose the question in the title because…well, I really can’t decide for myself. I hate being wishy-washy about giving a critique, but the truth is, I really can’t decide if it’s that good or if it’s just okay. Or if I hate it. I think one of the biggest problems is that some characters/story lines are much more interesting than others so, I didn’t feel that invested in parts of the book.

SPOILERS AHEAD: The author David Mitchell starts the book off with journal entries and then proceeds to introduce his characters in unique ways – one of which is writing in a dialect, that truthfully takes some extra concentrating to read and comprehend.

I highly recommend not to read this book after a long day. Save it for when you have a rainy Sunday and you’re alert.

There are several themes explored in the book – I won’t mention them here, but the central idea is that we’re all connected in some way through time and history. Now, I’ve already stated that this book requires an alert mind to catch everything so, it is quite possible I missed something. But it doesn’t stop me from feeling  a little let down at the end of the book that the connections weren’t more spelled out – that some of the stories feel unfinished.

Perhaps the movie adaptation will fix this problem. The Wachowski siblings (famous for THE MATRIX movies and RUN LOLA RUN) have partnered with Tom Tykwer (director of RUN LOLA RUN) to write and direct the film version. The book has the story weave through time and the personal points of view of each character. The characters are either writing or testifying to someone so the POV remains in first person. This is always a difficult point of view to adapt well to screen. But because Mitchell has his characters explain their emotions and actions to another person it might avoid the constant problem of adapting first person internal conflict to the screen.

I guess I’ll have to just wait and see. In the meantime, what did you think of the book?

Lena Dunham Doesn’t Deserve a Book Deal

Publishing world please! Show some respect. Not only have you been trolling the Internet for somewhat successful self-published authors so you may pick them up thinking you don’t have to spend a dime in publicity (never mind that those books are mostly crap, riddled with typos, and require no more than 60 IQ points to comprehend), but now you think a young lady, the daughter of very well to do parents, who couldn’t even vote before 2004 is deserving of a 3.7 million dollar book deal so she can write some utter dreck on what she’s learned about life so far? Please! As if she could possibly talk about anything that a young woman in the real world has had to deal with. Perhaps if she sticks to sexually frustrated, weight conscious, can’t bear to be alone (yes, I’m describing her terrible show GIRLS on HBO) women she’s got a chance. But for the publishing world to compare her to Tina Fey? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Let’s get this perfectly clear – Lena Dunham is NOT Tina Fey. She will never be Tina Fey. And as hard as she tries she to depict herself as someone who has come up the ranks as other very talented, funny women have she will never be in that category.

Random House and the other big houses – stop being lazy. Go through your massive slush piles and find other authors that are much more talented, and deserving of being published.

End of rant.

Bidding Harry Potter Adieu

It’s hard to imagine that there won’t be another book or film about The Boy Who Lived.

**SPOILERS**

Saying good-bye to Harry Potter is a bittersweet experience. I’m happy to see the entire story, but sad the story is all over. Gone is the excitement of pre-ordering the next book and waiting with baited breath until it arrives, then staying up till 3am to finish it so nobody would ruin it by telling me what happens before I had the chance to read it for myself. Now the last movie has broken box office weekend opening records and fans the world over sit and watch the final stretch of Harry’s fantastic journey.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART II starts off right where PART I ended – Voldemort breaks into Dumbledore’s grave and steals the Elder Wand. From there the movie quickly speeds to the dramatic ending of Harry destroying He Who Must Not Be Named. The director, David Yates, again does a decent job of crafting a well-put together film. However, the addition of 3D does very little to propel the story forward. It almost distracts the viewer so much that dialogue and key movements are missed.

There are some significant changes in the adaptation – mainly with Snape’s death (the fabulous Alan Rickman at his finest!! Netflix TRULY MADLY DEEPLY for more of him) taking place in a boathouse instead of the Shrieking Shack, but over all the script makes the right sacrifices of the book to do the story justice and satisfy the fans. But it’s the ending that leaves me a little empty. Through the magic of CGI Harry, Hermione, and Ron age 19 years – just like in the book – but when the book is rich in humor (mainly because of Ron) the movie falls flat.

Endings are hard. I know. But much like THE RETURN OF THE KING, where in the book Gollem gets redeemed and in the movie he doesn’t, the same thing happens in Harry Potter. In the book there are humorous exchanges regarding people staring at Harry, assimilating into Muggle society, and how you can’t give a teacher at school love from your parents. The ending is heart tugging, endearing, and unforgettable. The film accurately shows the kids aging, but doesn’t portray the humor, or feeling of utter contentment and happiness Harry experiences since his scar remains painless. But endings are hard, especially when you don’t want the story to end.

Christopher Moore – A New Favorite Author

There is nothing better than discovering a book that makes you want to keep reading until you casually look over at the clock and it reads 3:00am and you know you have to get up and go to work in the morning – but after one more chapter. LAMB, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BIFF, CHRIST’S CHILDHOOD PAL by Christopher Moore is that kind of book to me.

I’ve never heard of Christopher Moore (I know…sometimes I am so late to the party, it’s unbelievable. It’s amazing I even have a DVD player) before reading this novel, but I am now a diehard fan. The novel is a truly well-told story of the years of Jesus’ life that have been mysteriously left out of The New Testament of the Bible. Christopher (yes, he is a friend in my head so I can call him by his first name…maybe even Chris) tells the story from the point of view of the son of God’s best friend Levi, known as Biff.

The storytelling is inventive, original, and funny. Although told mostly in first person, the four people (including my mother) that read this blog know it is not my favorite point of view. But it works with the author’s unique sense of humor and the established rapport between Biff and Jesus, known as Joshua throughout the book. As in any story, there are licenses taken for dramatic effect, including Biff’s insistence that he created sarcasm. Hilarious!

Biff is a smartass. A warrior. A lover of women and sex. And a good friend. Christopher imbues him with a fierce loyalty and a profound sadness over his friend’s decisions. It is a lampoon, but is never mean-spirited. And none of the silliness detracts it from making the novel one of the most entertaining I have ever read, and I can’t wait to read more.


Game of Thrones Sticks To Its Book Roots

Now that the series Game of Thrones on HBO is at episode 7, the viewer gets a really good picture of how fantastic this new original program is. Based on the best-selling books by George R. R. Martin, HBO once again produces television that brings forth a whole new world. Even if you’re not really into sci-fi/fantasy work, the political intrigue, sexual escapades, and created languages make it totally worth tuning in.  Not to mention, the fantastic brooding ability of actor Sean Bean (Return of the King Fellowship of the Ring) and the marvelous debauchery of Mark Addy (The Full Monty, Still Standing). But it’s the performance of Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent) that really stands out. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if it doesn’t earn him an Emmy nomination.

Adapted for the screen by producer/writers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, the show is reminiscent of the richly refined series Rome that ended in 2007 in its superb art direction and costuming. But the show stays true to its book roots – a very hard task taking into account the author’s enormously descriptive language and the very complicated world full of medieval intrigues and mythical creatures. But the expert storytelling navigates easily amongst all the characters and clearly introduces and carries all plot points. Genius.

Adaptations are difficult. This is a good one.