[FILM FOX] "The Hunger Games" book to big screen review

I have a slight issue with going to see films on the day they are released simply because, for the most part, it's quite stressful: You always have to pre-book your tickets and stand in long queues so you don't get shafted when it comes to picking your seats. And let's not forget how noisy the general public are - all that munching and crunching! In saying that, I ended up going to see the film adaptation of "The Hunger Games" a week and a half after it was released and still ended up in a sold out screening. 

Back to the point. 

I originally read "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins last year as part of my first ever attempt at the 50 book challenge (I don't know if I've mentioned this before but I failed that challenge with flying colours). In a nutshell, I thought the book had great potential. I had been drawn to it by the synopsis and on the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. However... am I the only one who found Suzanne Collins' writing to be a tad flat? Never mind, the girl done good with the story and I still gave it *****

Now the film. 

Oh. My. God. I loved it. From start to finish, I loved every second. Even the parts that I didn't love, I still loved (haha). Basically, it was exactly what I was looking for. I mean, the book is action packed but nothing can really show action like a film can and this film managed to pull it off with style. I thought the actors were perfect, the script was perfect, the sets were phenomenal... I can't really elaborate.

The few criticisms that I have of the movie are nothing major. Firstly, Peta's character comes off a little too thick at the start which made me giggle. But most importantly, the games are just not gory enough. 

I explain more in my video but all in all, I like this film a lot more than I did the book!

^.^

[BOOK REVIEW] "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest" by Stieg Larsson

rating: *****

Oh boy.

Ok, so this book is the third and final in the massively successful "Millennium" trilogy which, if you've read my reviews for the first and second in the series then you'll know that this is a series that had me hooked, albeit after the first 200 pages of the first book ;-)

And let's get serious for a moment; this book is a mammoth! I take the bus to and from work and reading is basically my favourite part of the day. Having to drag this book around was slightly frustrating (not to mention a little painful on my wrists as I tried to support its hefty weight) but, considering how much I loved loved loved the second book, I was fairly confident that it wouldn't take me long to get through this bad boy. 

Now, I'd heard from a couple of friends that Hornets' Nest gets a tad boring but I had high hopes going into the story as it pretty much picks up exactly where the second book left off! But sadly, this didn't last long and soon I was having to persuade myself to read on the bus instead of listening to my iPod (which suddenly became a lot more appealing).

I have several issues with this book (aside from its slooooow plot) and they are:

1. Characters' names There are too many characters with ridiculously similar names which caused a lot of confusion
2. NEWS FLASH! ERIKA GETS A NEW JOB AND I REALLY COULDN'T CARE LESS There is this entire subplot about Erika and her new job which takes up way too much of the book, and my time. I personally think I would have enjoyed the book a great deal more if this whole part was cut out. Actually, just get rid of Erika, she's a waste-of-space character as it is.

So then the book gets alarmingly close to being over and I start to panic because I'm really not enjoying it when all of a sudden, Larsson piles in all the conclusions and ties up all the loose ends in a neat and tidy way. I was relieved to tell you the truth because I was starting to feel as though he had strayed just a little too far from the original plot. 

Phew! 

^.^

LC's Birthday Giveaway

One of the great things about long weekends (apart from sleeping in!) is the fact that I get to spend as much time as I please just trawling the internet for book related things. Most of this time I undoubtedly spend on YouTube catching up with the BookTube community and discovering fellow BookTubers such as Libraryland84. After watching several of LC's videos back-to-back, my eyes were inevitably drawn towards words such as "giveaway" (my luck for such things are shocking but I do have a few prizes which I will boast about in due course!). Sadly, as Lady Luck would have it, I'm not on the correct side of the Atlantic for LC's most recent giveaway but I am eligible for her Birthday Giveaway which is, thankfully, international!

Anyways, enough from me, I know you just want to check out the goodies so click here to be taken down the rabbit hole to LC's Adventures in Libraryland 

^.^

[BOOK REVIEW] "Of Mice And Men" by John Steinbeck

rating: *****

John Steinbeck's "Of Mice And Men" is just one of those books you have to read. Despite its arguably miniature size (this particular edition being a smidge over 100 pages long), I find it incredible that something so small can be so powerful. 

Along with "The Woman in Black" by Susan Hill, I ended up breaking my book-buying-ban resolution in order to possess a copy of this book, justifying it to myself because (a) I've read it before, and (b) the stage production came to Edinburgh's Lyceum and I simply had to read the book again to refresh my memory before watching the show.

I originally had to read this wee gem at school (along with millions of others) and, if my memory serves me correctly, I enjoyed the story back then as well. It's a smart little story about two ranch workers, George and Lennie, who travel together looking for jobs during the Great Depression in America. George is small and shrewd while Lennie is large and dimwitted. They're the best of friends and they care a lot about each other but Lennie is dependent on George who basically looks after him. Even though I'd read the book before, the ending was still a shock and I admit I cried quite theatrically!

There are two major themes in this book: Dreams and Lonliness. It seems as though every character is lonely and dreaming of a better life for themselves - George and Lennie share a dream where they will one day live off "the fatta the land" but in the meantime, they combat their loneliness by travelling around together.

I could go on, but I'll just finish here by saying that I give this book five GOLD stars. If you haven't read it, I strongly urge you to do so.

^.^