Murder in Mesopotamia – Agatha Christie

Hi, everyone!

This week I bring you a new old book, by none other that the amazing Queen of Crime, Dame Agatha Christie and it is Murder in Mesopotamia!

There is no specific reason for picking up this book, besides the fact that is a good detective fiction book and was waiting for a long time in my pile of books.

“An archaeologist’s wife is murdered on the shores of the River Tigris in Iraq…

It was clear to Amy Leatheran that something sinister was going on at the Hassanieh dig in Iraq; something associated with the presence of ‘Lovely Louise’, wife of celebrated archaeologist Dr Leidner.

In a few days’ time Hercule Poirot was due to drop in at the excavation site. But with Louise suffering from terrifying hallucinations, and tension within the group becoming almost unbearable, Poirot might just be too late…” description of Murder in Mesopotamia in Amazon.co.uk

Like it has been said in the description this book is with the Belgian, a little odd Mr. Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells. It’s amazing and like always I didn’t know the killer till the end. I’ll say that after the middle of the book, it had passed my mind that it could be him/she (just so we won’t have spoilers), but I was fooled and fell in the tricks of Dame Agatha. But that is what makes them so fun to read, because only if you have a truly genius and creative mind, you won’t find out.

I advise you, if you are actually challenging yourself to find out who is the murderer, which is no easy task, to write down on a piece of paper the persons that you think that may be, the little clues, etc…

It’s a good book to keep your mind busy, and since it’s not very long you will finish it very quick and wish for more. Never the less I have to say it’s not her best story and plot, if you really want a violent and quite mind-blowing book from her I will advise you “And Then There Were None” or a more soft one, but still with an excellent plot “Murder on the Orient Express”.

Going back to the book of this post, you can really see that Agatha transfers her own experience in living in an excavation site and knowing personally people who lived that life, like one of her husbands, the archaeologist Max Mallowan.

In a place of dirt and old findings, remote and with few people, you still find the black side of humanity and complex minds that will keep you from putting the book down.

If you’re already a fan or just want to try for the first time the roads of the world of crime, I advice you to pick up this book… It’s a good way to continue or start your addiction on Agatha Christie.

Lots of love,

Paradise of Words

Charles Dickens – 4 Christmas Stories Review

Hi, everyone!

With Christmas one day away, we start or have already began to read our favourite books about this festive time. For me I have to pick one that was my mother’s but now is shared by both of us. I’m not sure if this edition is still available, but I’ve found a website where you can read them online for free. (http://www.classicreader.com/author/17/) Just choose the book and read it!
Some more famous others less, the important thing is that all of them take us to the white snows, the windy and rainy days and the love and joy that we receive trough our loved ones in these magical days.

A Christmas Carol – Probably one of the most popular and known Christmas stories in the world. Ebenezer Scrooge is a men who lost the love and happiness for this time years ago. Now he is visited by 3 ghosts from the past, the present and the future, that remember and show him how to welcome Christmas again. It’s a beautiful story full of lessons that help us see what truly matters in these days trough the shadows of society. It took me 5 years, 2 different editions and 3 time readings to finish this book. The first times I thought that it was boring and with few direct speeches and I do believe that at the time I wasn’t old enough to fully understand that this was much more than a child’s story. It makes you learn and grow up. I advice you to read it if you haven’t, not only because is entertaining, but also because it’s one of those stories you can’t miss. Classic or not, it’s a timeless one.

Dr. Marigold’s Prescriptions – This is a sad and very moving story and I think that if this was adapted to the screen it would play more with your emotions than it does in the pages. Even though it’s really short, it contains more feelings and more personal heartbreak than most books have. In the other hand the story is told like one may tell a summary of a movie to another, never really getting to deep into descriptions or explanations.

A Holiday Romance – This was the first story of Dickens that I read and at the time I liked it a lot. I still do, but now I look at it differently. Even though it makes me remember of Jane Austen novels, it’s not your typical first love tale. But then it wouldn’t be Charles Dickens if it was, would it? We are talking about a woman who after waiting a long time and loosing all hope, she finally gets accepted by the love of her life, who himself has proposed to another woman and been rejected and mocked by others for his strange habits. Like I said not your usual romance.

The Seven Poor Travellers – Is spectacular. We are presented with seven travellers, one of them our story-teller. No connections between any of them and all different. And the thing is that the main story is not about any of them, they are only the listeners. It’s about a man who stayed in the same B&B where they are now for the night and what happened to him after. This is important for the reader, because after Christmas night, the seven travellers go their own ways and we are left guessing what happens next in their lives.

Lots of love and Merry Christmas!

Paradise of Words

The Woman in White Review

The Woman in White by Wilkie  Collins is a great novel. Though its long extension and sometimes my lack of interest at some parts I was highly satisfied in the end. Like you will find if you read this book, and  like is usual in mystery books, the end and the unveil of the main or mains secrets are very important as a key of judgement to a brilliant or horrible novel.

 

““There, in the middle of the broad, bright high-road—there, as if it had that moment sprung out of the earth or dropped from the heaven—stood the figure of a solitary Woman, dressed from head to foot in white garments.”

Thus young Walter Hartright first meets the mysterious woman in white in what soon became one of the most popular novels of the nineteenth century. Secrets, mistaken identities, surprise revelations, amnesia, locked rooms and locked asylums, and an unorthodox villain made this mystery thriller an instant success when it first appeared in 1860, and it has continued to enthrall readers ever since. From the hero’s foreboding before his arrival at Limmeridge House to the nefarious plot concerning the beautiful Laura, the breathtaking tension of Collins’s narrative created a new literary genre of suspense fiction, which profoundly shaped the course of English popular writing.” Amazon.com description of Woman in White

 

The book is divided by chapters or parts, each written by a different character and his/her point of view. I found that this helped a lot for the reader to learn and get more familiar with their personalities and also to see the changes in those that are made trough the course of the events and the years. Still I would have liked the length of the pov’s to be smaller and more diverse, because sometimes it just got boring…

We are presented with some unusual characters, still very appropriate to their own time. Even though the story as almost nothing to do with Walter Hartright, a painting teacher is by him that we receive most of the information and developments. He first enters into this world of thriller when he first encounters the Woman in White, also know as Anne Catherick. I liked very much this character and wished that I had seen more of her, since the suspense surrounding her was so page-grabbing. Quite in the other hand was Laura Fairly, a sweet but very fragile young woman, who I was mad at more times that I would want  to. Even though she was naturally naive, she comes as childish sometimes and very dependent, specially on her loyal half-sister, Miss Halcombe, who herself is the image of a strong and fierce woman.

My favorite character even though strange my likeness for him is the evil and very genius Count Fosco, who for me is the most interesting person. Perhaps is his oddness with his pet animals or his fake niceness or even his own admiration for Miss Halcombe. Or more likely all the secrets that he has. He’s just a good character. And I do share his wish for a good life for Marian, and that’s why at some moments I wished that she would end up with Walter. Of course this didn’t happen and in the end she devotes her life to the aid of her sister and husband. In matters of how it ended and the explanations that were given to us, that was the only detail that didn’t work for me. I though that she should have moved on with her life and find someone who would make her happy, but again this is her personality. It wouldn’t make sense any way around.

Overall I give a 6 out of 10 and advice to those who like mystery books to read it.

 

Lots of love,

Paradise of Words

A Tale of Two Cities

Hi, world!

Today my review is about A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I bought this book because 1) I wanted to read a classic and why not Charles Dickens? 2) Because in both Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare the main characters talk about this book and 3) I never finished reading Christmas Carol and put Dickens out of the way a little, I thought it was boring how it was written. A lot of description and a little bit slow in getting from one action to another. Nevertheless the story is good , and when I was a child I saw the TV adaptations and I liked them.

Going back to this book, I saw it quite differently. It’s a story about thrilling historical drama and the preparation to an important moment with heartbreaking personal tragedy.

“Described by Dickens as ‘the best story I have written’, A Tale of Two Cities interweaves thrilling historical drama with heartbreaking personal tragedy. It vividly depicts a revolutionary Paris running red with blood, and a London where the poor starve. In the midst of the chaos two men – an exiled French aristocrat and a dissolute English lawyer – are both redeemed and condemned by their love for the same woman, as the shadow of La Guillotine draws closer…” Amzon.co.uk description of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

I enjoyed it, the story is good and well-built, always leading you to that one big Moment. The characters are realistic, they have flaws and qualities that create a persona that does actions by love to a person or according to their believes. Overall it’s a good story to read.

Now for what I didn’t like. There was a huge amount of preparation to the Moment. I do understand that it was built like that so the story could have a steady base and the characters had time to grow and for us to know them, but for me it lacked action. I bought the pocket-book edition by Penguin English Library that  has 442 pages and for me the story just started to get more pace, when i got to a little after the middle of the book, so 250 probably. Before that it was just lose moments that didn’t seemed to matter a lot, but in the end they did and that’s why I actually liked the book. But I do advice you to have persistence. At first I put down the book some times, because the pages/story didn’t grabbed me, but I still had the thought that this is Charles Dickens and this was a bestseller and for that the story had to be good. And it was.

I compare, a very poorly comparison, indeed, with Agatha Christie novels. You have the preparation, where you get to know the characters and make your own judgements. Then you have a middle way, where things get pace, action starts to happen, and then you have the end, where all knots are given so you end up with a solid story. Of course, Dame Agatha used evil as the main subject, while Charles Dickens uses the true nature of human kind and his own believes.

*Now a little bit of spoiler, If you haven’t read it just skip to the end.*

I think that the most moving moment for me, was when Sidney Carton sacrificed himself in the end. For me there is nothing more beautiful and at the same time heartbreaking than that. I admit that I though that he had the intent of killing Darnay or send someone to kill him, but I was surprised and wrong. In society, this days it’s very rare to see something like that and in that time also happen, because you are familiar with envy and selfishness. Where this days can we find a man giving his life for another man that is nothing less than the husband of the love of his life? But at the same time that’s why he did it, because Darnay was the love of Lucie’s life and because Lucie was the love of Carton’s life and also because Carton didn’t have hope. He was a drunk man, that knew that Lucie would never love him like that. All hope and faith for a better life was gone. So I think he though that why not die? At least he would die as a brave and good man, something that he never was in life.

Even Jerry Cruncher that was a man of not many virtues or none at all, became loyal to Mr. Lorry in the end. I love the part where he and Miss Pross, which love for Lucie his bigger than anything, escape from Paris and how that ends that journey. They are like the loyal soldiers of a king that stay behind to assure that everything is fine.

And let’s not forget Mrs. Defarge that dies in the end, leaving The Vengeance alone, which I think is more painful for her than if she was dead. Love wins over hate and evil.

*End of Spoilers*

I advice you to read, but I warn you that is not an easy book and it’s complex and simple at the same time.

Lots of love and keep on reading,

Paradise of Words

Funny Books – Confessions of a Shopaholic

Funny, funny books. 

What is the best way to cure you from “cloudy” mood than one of those. Well, they won’t help you get more intelligent and they sure are not going to win great literature prizes, but that’s not what a book is about, is it?

They are for making us travel to different worlds, different minds that just make our horizons go wider. Make us happy and take us from our own reality to the imaginary world of someone else. And if they are not a great classic or what your teacher wants you to read (nothing bad with those), who cares? If they make you laugh and they make your problems get away from your head for a couple of hours, then read them. I do and I can tell you I never get tired of rereading.

And for me the choice has to be Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella! She is a great writer, that really knows how to play with ideas and stories and in the end you will just love her and wish that the books would never end. Also the humor in the situations that the characters, in this case Rebecca get themselves in it’s just amazing. It’s so simple and yet so amusing, that you are in for a treat.

“Meet Rebecca Bloomwood.

She’s a journalist. She spends her working life telling others how to manage their money.

She spends her leisure time … shopping.

Retail therapy is the answer to all her problems. She knows she should stop, but she can’t. She tries Cutting Back, she tries Making More Money. But neither seems to work. The stories she concocts become more and more fantastic as she tries to untangle her increasingly dire financial difficulties. Her only comfort is to buy herself something – just a little something…

Can Becky ever escape from this dream world, find true love, and regain the use of her Switch card?

Confessions of a Shopaholic… the perfect pick me up for when it’s all hanging in the (bank) balance.” Amazon.co.uk description of Confessions of a Shopaholic

I read the first book after seeing the movie like most people, and let me just tell you that it was even better. The way that you see the bills stacking up and the mess that Rebecca get’s in, it would be in real life quite stressful, but for her it’s just hilarious. Instead of getting worried and panicking, she just goes to a store and gets what us women (and let’s face the truth, some men also) call “the best cure for everything”. And of course it helps, but is that what you would do if you were in her case? Probably no! It wouldn’t work, but Becca has what you can call a magical luck and also a special something, that makes you want her to make it out ok.

In the end she gets way to deep in to her bills and lies and ends up facing the cruel reality. Never the less, she is one of the most determinant characters that I’ve ever “met” and you know that she is going to be fine! She is after all Rebecca Bloomwood!

Of course, you shouldn’t expect to be a surprising story, it’s predictable (at least the end), but what makes it great, it’s that you almost cry with laugher and it’s worthy every penny, euro, dollar, whatever…you have!

The following books of the series are just as great as the first and you really can’t stop wanting to know more about the life of our dear Rebecca. After all she is the girl with the big dreams and the big heart, that couldn’t stop shopping even if her life depended of it.

If you haven’t read it yet, just go grab a copy and spend a little money. It’s not like you are going to become Rebecca Bloomwood, are you? 😉

Lot’s of love and keep on reading,

Paradise of Words

Conspiracy 365

Hi!

Today the book that we are going to be talking about, or should I say books is Conspiracy 365, by Gabrielle Lord!

I absolutely loved this collection. We have a different concept on the graphic image than what we are used to. The number of the pages start in reverse, each chapter is a day of the month, and each book is a month. So for example the first book is called Conspiracy 365 January, the first page is number 181 and the first chapter is January 1.

It’s an action/adventure series, that combine mystery and teen spirit and friendships.

“On New Year’s Eve, Cal is chased down the street by a crazed man with a deadly warning:

They killed your father.
They’ll kill you.
You must survive the next 365 days!

Forced into a life on the run, Cal finds himself hunted by ruthless criminals and the police. Somehow he must uncover the truth about his father’s mysterious death and solve the Ormond Singularity, a secret from the past, before the year is up. But who can he turn to when the whole world seems to want him dead?

The clock is ticking. Any second could be his last.

Callum Ormond has been warned.

He has 365 days. The countdown has begun … ” amazon.co.uk description of Conspiracy 365 January

Is so easy and quick to read, that you won’t even notice. The plot is interesting and the characters are well built. Also you feel that is very authentic and is passed in the modern days. There is the use of text messages and the places that he stays can be found in any city in the world. Also at the end of every book there is always a cliffhanger. Something to try to keep the readers engaged, that actually works and doesn’t get boring or unnecessary.

There is an Australian Tv show based on the books being aired this year on Australia. One episode for every month. It seems good for what I could see and I hope that they’ll soon release for other countries.

You should really read the books if you like this sort of action, mixed with almost death-experiences and the care for loved ones. If it’s not your style, or you think that you are too old for it, give it try at least. My mom read it and loved it. And for me it was a nice refreshing stop from YA novels and classics.

I don’t have a lot to write, because I don’t want to spoil them for you. Just give it a go, they are fun and a good reading.

Lots of love,

Paradise of Words

The Hunger Games

Hi, everyone! So today the topic is Hunger Games. 1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and a book that blew my mind away. I’m not going to say, that you should read it, simply because at this point someone have already  told you that. And why did they? Well, because it is just that good!

I first came across it, when I was scrolling trough the amazon bestsellers last november. And yes, I never had heard of it before. I’m not going to say that I fell in love with the book from the first page, because that never happened to me. However I fell in love with the history, the beautiful way that was written and the power of each characters. It’s not every day that you find a heroine, that doesn’t have confidence problems, that knows who she is and doesn’t put herself down to please others.

All tributes fight for staying alive, and of course that is something that I think everyone can relate to. There is so much that life has to offer, that we wish to stay one more day here and sometimes we take that for granted. Also Katniss fights and tries to stay alive for her family. And like many books have taught us, love is our strongest weapon. I really advice you to read and once you have, comeback and comment. 🙂

“In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, “The Hunger Games,” a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.” Amazon.com description of The Hunger Games (book 1)

Other dystopian books were written before this one, like 1984 by George Orwell, which was the inspiration to the worldwide Tv franchise Big Brother and others will be written after. Still I find this book a good way to approach this subject, not to smooth but also not to harsh either. It’s known that it’s violent and just like description says it really ends up being about to kill or get  killed. Never the less it’s all shown to us by the eyes of the kind and very human Katniss. We know by her actions that if it was her decision she would never kill anybody but this is to protect her family.

So I liked the contrast of the brutal deaths to the humanity of Katniss that prevailed in that pressure, where it would be easier to just shut that part of her. When Rue dies, it’s like the game just got real, because she was someone who you got to meet and like. It’s like everyone’s little sister. So that part was really sad, but it was the best way to make her see what the Capitol was really about and plant the seed that would eventually make her act against it. And in my opinion is one of most heartbreaking and touching scenes in the whole book.

The end was a big exciting scene and I loved it. Actually all of the ends in the 3 books were amazing. The sacrifice that Peeta and Katniss were about to do, reminded me a lot of Romeu and Juliet, but of course it wasn’t ruined by the classic tragic end. I haven’t talked much about their romance in book 1, because while I was reading it, it always seemed to be just for the audience and never for themselves. Not that I’m saying that she wasn’t keen on him, it was more like friendship with kisses involved. Besides who would blame her, she was trying to live to support her family and she didn’t know him for that long. But don’t get me wrong, I was always for their “ship” and never for Gale. He lived for the purpose of breaking the Capitol and that made her more a second priority to him and let’s not forget that sometimes he was too hasty in his decisions. While Peeta saw the truth in people and took the time to think about his actions and the people that he could trust. So he really was the match for her.

Someone that was also an important character was Haymitch, that even though he was most of the times drunk, he knew clearly what were the most intelligent moves to do, to make them stay alive. He was also the demonstration of what the Games did to the winners. Nightmares, the guilt of those who were dead, etc. Sometimes I think that being killed was a gift, to what was the hell that you had to live, once you got back. Having kids, was like giving a sentence to someone who wasn’t even born yet and you wouldn’t have anybody to talk that would understand you. I imagine that I wouldn’t be that fine either.

About crush, I have to say the name of Finnick. He is funny and also smart. He can be sweet and brave, like we saw him be to Annie and he is hot. So… 🙂

Let’s just say that there is a reason why it’s a bestseller, turned into a movie and has a massive fan base. I just loved it and I’m really waiting for the second movie to come out. I know that I didn’t write about everything that happened in the books, but there is so muchhh, that I wouldn’t stop writing and you wouldn’t have the patience to read it.

Next week I hope, I will do one of the occasional movie reviews about the very own Hunger Games movie, to celebrate the released of the DVD’s . So stay tuned! 😀

Lots of love,

Paradise of Words

Divergent

   Divergent was a book that locked me into the pages and made me take an exciting and unpredictable trip trough a strange and dangerous world. I’m going to start by saying that you really wanna read this book. Like really! I started it with an open mind but also thinking that this could be just another book following the same pattern that has been copied hundreds of times in YA novels. And it wasn’t! It was like an insane ride, full of stupefaction moments.

And if you are afraid that it’s going to be like the Hunger Games, I can tell you that the only thing that they have in common is: that it takes place on the future and the story is told in the first person (Beatrice). That is pretty much it!

“In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.” Amazon.com description of Divergent

If you haven’t read the book… GO! And then come back… because this is a book that you don’t want to miss. (specially if you love YA) *Spoilers alert*

So the he book starts with Beatrice, our heroine, a fun but restrained girl having to choose between staying in her section or change to another one. I think that is interesting seeing the conflict that starts to grow inside of her and that when she goes to take the aptitude test, hoping that this will help her to choose, she just gets 3 different and odd results, later known as Divergence (so I really like that she wasn’t able to take the easy way and had to choose between her own happiness and the loyalty to her family)

Once she decides she wants to be a Dauntless she goes trough an amount of physical and mental tests all very dangerous (where people actually die!!!) and meets the persons that will eventually become her friends. I did though at first that Peter would be a possible “candidate” for a love interest with Tricia and would create a love triangle with Four (that one never fooled me 😉 ). But to my surprise he grew in to be a character that I hated with all my heart. He was cruel (just like Eric) and since they were in a place where being the best fighter and knocking out others has almost the same status as getting a good grade in math in the real world, he really became dangerous and heartless. Also throughout the story he was more like a silent cobra that attacked in the darkness of the night, instead on the heat of the fight, so I really didn’t know what he was planning in those moments.

While Tricia develops her skills and gets positive remarks about her work, others like the group of Peter get jealous and even attack her one night. I wasn’t expecting the brutality of it and it really took me by surprise that one of the aggressors was her friend and peaceful guy Al. I would have seen it  more if it had come from Cristina. It’s not that I don’t like her, it’s just that I don’t trust her. She seems to be one of those people who are always fine when you are the one that is weak, and once Tricia got up in the ranking, she just got jealous and weird. But going back to Al, I still was sad when he committed suicide, I suppose that in the end the guilt and the lost of Tricia’s friendship just was too much for him to handle.

Now to happy, romance stuff, Four is really awesome and they do have a lot of sweet moments together. He has grown from being a mentor/friend to be a mentor/boyfriend. I remember reading the part where Tricia’s father talks about Marcus and the son that transferred from Abnegation and I knew it was going to be important, because why else she (Veronica Roth) would put that in? So I kinda already knew that he was Tobias, like I suspected that her mother had been a Dauntless, all because she seemed to much at ease in the compound.

I really loved when they were in his fear landscape and in the end she was like “This is why they call you Four.” That I would have never guessed. Also I was so embarrassed for her when she was in hers, because it was private fears, like we all have and specially one like that and there were people watching :S

Now the end part, with all of the fights and she being shot, was really exciting to read. When Tobias was injected I really hoped that the book wouldn’t end with him like that, because that would have meant that she would spend the whole second book trying to find a way to save him and that would have been just boring. Plus I liked how she was putting to the test all that she had learned and still when her parents died it was so bittersweet and heartbreaking, even more because they were protecting her and finally she knew that they had accepted her choice.

I really don’t know how is going to be the conversation between her and Cristina, once she tells her that Will is dead, because of her. He was such a nice guy, I’ll miss him. I thank that she has her brother, that has her back and Tobias and I don’t know what the hell she had on her mind to bring Peter along, I would have left him to rot in the battlefield. He is just going to bring trouble, mark my words. 😉

P.S. Almost forgot how amazing and smart she was in the strategic challenge, I really knew that she could kick the other team’s butt. Take that Eric!

*End of spoilers*

So basically the conclusion is that if you want a new and good YA book to read, go to your nearest store and buy this one! Seriously I loved this book! But let me just warn you, that even though it has amazing fun parts, it also has scenes that are not for the soft-hearted.

Read, read and read! 🙂

Lots of love,

Paradise of Words

Twilight

The Twilight Series are for me one of the most popular victims of movie adaptations. They are one example why people are always so afraid when some studio picks a book and wants to convert it to the screen. Not only they can destroy the image that you have already created in your mind (which is normal, because everyone has a different idea of what the characters might look and the places where they live) but they also can distort the whole idea of the movie.

I’m not saying that these books are precious works of art. They are not. But they are also not what they stand nowadays. Screaming girls and boys that go crazy every time that Robert Pattison sneezes or even a stupid love story with a foolish female main character.

I’m not going to write my opinion about the movies, because this is for the books. But unfortunately it seems that today you can’t find one separate from the other. All that I will pronounce it’s that I liked the first movie (special thanks to Catherine Hardwick, that i think made an amazing job with this one), it showed truly how the town should feel like, with all the rain and black sky. Also the music that they added kinda gave it a different feel to it, like the baseball scene and the rest of the movies were a down fall, specially the second one (again this is my opinion and I respect others that say differently)

Going to the books… *spoilers alert*

“Bella Swan’s move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Bella, the person Edward holds most dear.” Amazon.com description of Twilight (book one)

The first one, Twilight introduced the story in a way that we saw Bella, the main character moving to a new town, where she didn’t know anybody (something that everyone that has moved to a different school can relate to) and then seeing her fall in love with this mysterious boy. I know that the way I write, it makes look foolish, but Stephanie Meyers actually makes it work. It’s an easy reading and we get more interested while we start to know Edward’s family (the way they live, etc… which I enjoyed) and more. So I would give this book a 7,5 on a scale to 10.

The second one, New Moon, was my least favourite book of all of them (nothing related to the movie, for I read the book before it was released). It was the book where Edward leaves because he think he’s protecting her (which I think is ridiculous, because it puts both of them in suicide mode) and just gives the book a look of depression. I do understand that trough this way Jacob was able to stand up and became a bigger part not only on the story, but also in a way that made readers have to choose sides (Jacob or Edward). So 5 out of 10.

And with that idea, we go onto the third book, Eclipse. What I liked about this book was the real feeling of battle. Both, werewolves and vampires coming together to fight off Victoria. I would also say that the whole arrangement marriage thing was a good deal, because she would eventually have to become a vampire and convince Edward, in the other hand since this was all happening in a “possible” present it became a little unrealistic, since she was just 18 and I was expecting more dating, turn vampire  and forever happy. (also I must say, for the good of my conscience that the marriage proposal happened just like I said in book 3 and not in 2, like it was shown in the movie. They almost made me jump out of my sit in the cinema, no joke, and scream “This is not like the BOOK!!” Like I already said I do understand minor changes, because they are necessary, but this just didn’t make for me). 7,5 out of 10

Now book 4, is when the wedding happens, and I was very happy with the scene where Bella really sees that she is beautiful even not being yet a vampire. It real makes her have more self-esteem. Now after the honey moon, was when I was really surprised. I have to say, that not for a moment throughout the books, I thought that she would have a child. It was a good and refreshing move from Stephanie, that gave new light to characters that were more kept quiet. And yes, I’m talking about the friendship that starts between Bella and Rosalie. I had already liked when in Eclipse Rose told her her past life story, but now it was more real. My favorite part in this book has to be the moments while and after Bella turns. The way that she now is more strong and likes to play with it, like when she battles with Emmet. Now for the finish, the “almost” fight was ok and in general was a good ending, with the expected and lived happily ever after + Renesmee. 8 ou 10

Like I said, even though is a very simple story, with love triangles and vampires and werewolves throughout the middle, Stephanie Meyer actually worked it ok and I liked it. Actually I read all the books in a surprising time and was very excited when the last one came out. Again for me the movies were what ruined it, even though it made the books more popular. Now if you are looking for an outstanding novel this is not it. It’s fun, it’s good YA, but that’s it. Also I ask do not judge the books with the movies. And if you are looking for something different and better, I do advice you The Host also by Stephanie Meyer, but with light years of distance. It is amazing and written by a Stephanie with more experience and also more mature.

Read, read and read!

Lots of love,

Paradise of Words

Harry Potter

For my first review of books, the subject kind of picked itself naturally. Of course, I’m talking about the Harry Potter saga. 7 wonderful books that have inspired kids all over the world to read and love it. I think that I was maybe 10 or 11, when I first read the book. I knew it because of the movie, something that I used to watch over and over again on VHS. 🙂

It was always like going in to a dream, an adventure that I wished that would never stop. But I have to say that even though the movies are and always will be great adaptations to the books, taking in account the size and the amount of details of those, reading the books was so much better.

The feeling that I had when I was reading the first one, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was like I was finally seeing the whole picture of the puzzle, with everything that wasn’t put in to the movie. Never less thanks to the amazing crew and cast, that took this outstanding story and made it reality, you truly never led me down.

“Harry Potter is an ordinary boy who lives in a cupboard under the stairs at his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon’s house, which he thinks is normal for someone like him who’s parents have been killed in a ‘car crash’. He is bullied by them and his fat, spoilt cousin Dudley, and lives a very unremarkable life with only the odd hiccup (like his hair growing back overnight!) to cause him much to think about. That is until an owl turns up with a letter addressed to Harry and all hell breaks loose! He is literally rescued by a world where nothing is as it seems and magic lessons are the order of the day. Read and find out how Harry discovers his true heritage at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, the reason behind his parents mysterious death, who is out to kill him, and how he uncovers the most amazing secret of all time, the fabled Philosopher’s Stone! All this and muggles too. Now, what are they?” Amazon.co.uk description of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

After all this time and after all the amazing books, classic or “new” that I’ve read (which aren’t a few) I can say with 100% guarantee that the one that I hold more memories and more love to is Harry Potter. I don’t know if it’s because it was my first “real” saga or just because it so unbelievably well written, with a story that grabs you from the first moment and never lets you go. I’ll bet on the second one ;).

Going now on the review… there is no reason for me to make a detailed approach on every single book, for the reason that they are so popular that everyone already knows the story and honestly because if I was to sit and write about every single detail or moment that I loved in all the 7 books and why, I would be here till Christmas time. So I’ll just say that for me the only book that took me a little longer to read, was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and I did felt throughout the middle that I was starting to lose interest, never less once I kept going I end up enjoying it as much as the others. So if you have had the same struggle, my advice it’s just keeping reading, because like all of them it was well worth. And if by this time of the post (if you’re still reading) you haven’t figured it out that I’m one proud fierce defender of this saga and totally advice you to read if you haven’t still, you’re just… in need of sleep probably of getting glasses. 🙂

So read, read and read (and give feedback)!

Lots of love,

Paradise of Words