Viral

Viral
By Alex Van Tol

If you are like me at this very instant, busy with tons of work and desperate to find an easy book to read for English class, “Viral” is the perfect solution for you. The copy I have consists of 131 pages with a huge font and literally took me about two hours to read, and I am a slow reader. Your teacher can not say it’s not a worthwhile book because it is; it speaks about teenage problems we should be more aware of and careful about.

The story is narrated by Mike, who shows us examples of life lesson we should be careful of. Mike describes his best friend Lindsay, and how a misunderstanding made them grow apart. When the school year starts, down-to-earth, sensible, tomboyish Lindsey is a completely different person. She turns into the stereotypical teenage girl, showing too much skin, acting like she doesn’t care, and trying to fit in. Lindsey develops new friends who aren’t a great influence. We especially see this at a party where they offer Lindsey drugs. Lindsey, wanting to follow her friends, takes them. Mike tries to stop her but when he is outnumbered he can’t do anything. Next thing he knows, she is taken into a room with two other guys, something that is going to leave huge consequences.

This book is so melodramatic that you’ll say, “This will never happen in my school”, but trust me you can’t take anything for granted. The story plot talks about average teen problems that unfortunately happen frequently like peer pressure, alcohol, drug abuse, dating mishaps, lack of communication and much more. In my opinion it’s educational because through Mike and Lindsey we see the awful things that can happen to us and our friends if we aren’t aware of the consequences of our actions. But I also found it a little too vague for my taste; I usually like background stories where we have a giant plot that turns into knot of chaos. Then again, when you're in a rush this is perfect. Until next time, read!

 

My Rating:

~A. BW                    

Why Read?

Before going to the next book I feel like a quick reminder of who I am won't hurt. Like I sign on all my entries I am A. BW, Anonymous Book Worm. A person who loves to read (hence my name) and really wants to share my passion for reading.

Why Should You Read?
Reading can be the solution to almost everything; books can inform you or entertain you, whichever you chose. Either way both are beneficial. Informative books, well, they inform you and trust me there is a book for anything and everything you'll ever need. I use books for entertainment reasons, and it also has its benefits. To me, when I read, it’s an escape from reality to an imaginary world. Though I know the plot isn't really occurring at the moment, they are so vivid to me that I honestly forget everything about my real world. I always read on the subway to and from school. I sometimes get so into the book I don't realize I've arrived at my stop; there has been more than once that I almost miss my stop.

Secrets of the Books
Though we sometimes don't see it, books are teaching us. In my personal opinion I feel this is why some people don't like reading. They like feel books are for English class where we have an annoying teacher making us identify parts of speech or literary elements. What we don't realize is that in reality it's the author teaching us, only not exactly like the teacher. While we read we occasionally pick up some vocabulary, and sometimes we learn how to use grammar properly by the example the author is giving . When I was learning about quotation marks, I already knew them because I saw the pattern used in books. And it improves your way of writing, I am not exactly sure how but it simply does, I've seen it in my own writing. I guess it inspires you to write more creatively and extraordinarily.

Tips
I know they’re people out there who don't like to read and based on what I've experience and seen, it is because you still haven’t found your book. When I say your book I mean a book of your liking; who would want to read a book that they consider boring? The first thing you should do is figure out what genre interests you. Determining the genre you like can be simply be seen in what you watch on TV and your favorite hobbies because believe it or not entertainment and news is broken down into genres. If you like soap operas read a romance novel, if you like horror movies or puzzles read a mystery, if you are fascinated by history read historical fiction, etc. Once you know your genre, find authors in that specific genre, if its your first book find a best selling authors, they usually don't let you down. And lastly read it! Don't be like my friend who checks out a book and never actually reads it. We all have busy schedules, but there is always that little time where we have nothing to do. For me it's when riding the train, for others it can be before going to bed. We always have time, and don't use the excuse, "it's my relaxing time," because reading is relaxing, stress relieving, and helps you escape your problems. If you’re really that busy or have too  short an attention span to read a book, there is nothing wrong with audio books. I personally like a book because I can read it how I want to read it, my own pace, listen to  it however I want it. Plus I receive more out of it reading it rather than to listening to it, but again that's just me. But at the end of the day, it's just that we all enjoyed a book. Until next time, read!

~A.BW

Private

Private
By James Patterson

Once again I am going back to my favorite genre: mystery! Like I’ve said before, good mysteries are hard to find. A majority of them have a similar plot of the protagonist going  through a long epic adventure, discovering secrets and truth behind a great unknown. In a way Private maybe considered as ordinary, but James Patterson adds some twists.

Our protagonist is Jack Morgan, the head owner of a corporation named Private that deals with confidential cases. The book from the beginning does in fact grab your attention, mainly by the fact that the whole storyline contains several cases –  and you're bound to find one interesting. For starters, Jack’s best friend, Andy Cushman, is hysterical after the death of his wife, Shelby. Jack accepts Andy’s case not only because Andy is his best friend but also because Shelby was his former lover. But while he continues the case he discovers many of Shelby’s dirty secrets that are truly unbelievable and that not only does it hurt Jack but also destroys Andy to shreds.

Then his receives a visit from his uncle, and not a, “how you doing, son?” visit. His uncle, the owner of the L.A. Raiders, along with the the owners of the Forty Niners and the Vikings need Jack’s help desperately. With the notice of illegal gaming in professional football, Jack must enter deep in investigation into this multi-million NFL gambling.

Then the most horrible and the most outstretched case is the schoolgirl case. For many years now, eighteen girls (there might be more unknown) have been killed a by vicious murderer. The most difficult part of this case is that each murder had a different method, making it unknown  why the killer is committing these horrendous murders – this hints that there might be more than one killer.  Though the kills are different the traps are the same: the killer or killers would text the girl, using the caller ID of her friend, and ask her to meet them in a quiet and unpopulated place (there committing the crime). This type of technology—having the ability to take complete control of another phone—doesn’t exist. We are dealing with a genius here, or maybe geniuses.

But what makes this book interesting and unique is the fact that we get into Jack’s personal life. For example, we know that Jack inherited Private from his father, along with five million dollars. We later learn that he also left five million dollars for Jack’s twin brother , Tom, so they can compete to see who is better in business. Throughout the entire plot we see a strong and dangerous rivalry between Jack and Tom. We also get to see Jack’s love life; he is currently in a relationship with his secretary, but are they thinking the same thing? Jack just doesn’t want to settle down and he questions about what he feels for her. Between the lines you can clearly see that he has stronger feelings for his ex-girlfriend and current co-worker Justine. Speaking of history, Jack has his own in the military. But there is one unforgettable memory he has: the airplane he was flying home crashed, killing many of friends. But there is something missing from that memory. Something that makes him feel guilty.

To finds the answers to one or all of these questions, read the book. In my opinion I am in between loving or disregarding the book.  I’ve read so many mysteries in my life that I know how the majority of them end, and while reading Private I was able to predict most of them. I guess Patterson read my mind and added some SHOCKING twists at the end. When I divided the book between the ordinary material and rare material and balanced it out, the ordinary material was heavier. I felt that though there were shockers, it wasn’t enough repair the dent of boring it already created. But I am willing to read the second book Private: #1 Suspect. Unfortunately, I haven’t found the book so there will be a delay until I review it. So until next time, read!  

My Rating:

                                                                                                                         ~A.BW

Speak Part 2

Speak Part 2: Book vs. Movie
(By Laurie Halse Anderson)

After finishing the book Speak, I heard there was a film adaptation of it so I decided to do another book versus movie segment. When watching the movie I developed controversial feelings toward it. Using the same structure I used when reviewing The Lovely Bones —judging the actors and plot—I’ve come up with the inconclusive verdict: neutral. Like I’ve said before, neutral to me is I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it either. Before anyone attacks me with opinions, let me explain why...

Cast:

Melinda Sordino: Kristen Stewart

Mr. Freemen: Steve Zahn

Andy Evans: Eric Lively

Rachel Bruin: Hallee Hirsh

Heather Connors: Allison Siko

Dave Petrakis: Michael Angarano

Joyce Sordino: Elizabeth Perkins

Jack Sordino: D. B. Sweedney

For starters, when I heard Kristen Stewart played the part of Melinda Sordino I thought it would be a perfect fit. In my personal opinion, in Twilight Stewart doesn’t add much emotion almost like she numb, but these paralyzed emotions are perfect for Melinda, a teen who is trapped within herself. But when I saw the movie my expectations were unmet. For a majority of the movie, where Melinda kept to herself and didn’t express herself, Stewart did a good job, but when it came to the intense moments she didn’t deliver. Then there was Mr. Freemen ,whose physical appearance didn’t quite match. When you think of an art teacher you expect a person wearing a long shirt or a coat splattered with paint. Meanwhile, in the movie his wardrobe was too formal. Zahn didn’t sound or act like how I imagine Mr. Freemen would, but again it’s my imagination and not everyone thinks like me. Overall I think his acting fitted the story and Mr. Freemen’s personality.

Another major role in the story is Andy Evans ( as Melinda calls him “IT”) and I did not like Lively’s acting whatsoever. Andy is an arrogant guy who just does what he pleases, not saying sorry and going after people’s apologies like the movie appeared. Lively on the other hand played him too soft and didn’t portray the characteristics of a horrible and sick human being. There is a reason Melinda calls him “IT”. Rachel Bruin also plays a big role and Hirsh, like Stewart, did a good job in the small scenes but didn’t pull through in the intense moments. Siko stayed true to her character of Heather Connors. Another character who in my personal opinion is very important is Dave Petrakis, and I think Angarano was the perfect fit. Angarano literally made Dave step out of the book; Angarano did an excellent job of giving a nerdy imagine but also did a wonderful job in portraying the brave side of Dave. Joyce and Jack aren’t seen much in the movie but Perkins and Sweedney did a worthy job.

Though I am not a huge fan of the cast, I did love the plot and organization of the film. Honestly, I can say that this movie by far has beaten all movies in “staying true to the book” category; the director added parts that I even had forgotten about. I am not joking when I say that I can’t think of one thing they cut out. Though there weren’t any deletions, there were things added, or more like expanded. One addition I liked was the deepening in the relationship between Melinda and Mr. Freemen, when Melinda shows him her secret closet. Another addition I adored was that we get to see more of the cute crush Dave and Melinda share. Another thing I love about the script was all the symbolism; throughout the entire movie you not only see Melinda’s story through Kristen Stewart but also through other aspects. I especially love the beginning when Melinda draws lines on her lip representing her entanglement.

With this review my overall conclusion is the following: I love the script, don’t like the cast. The script was beyond beautiful but they should fix the flaws of the cast. Many actors were simply not suited for their role. Well that’s all I have to say so leave your comments below. Reminder this is all my opinion please don’t get upset if I have insulted your favorite actor and/or movie. Until next time, read! 

Book vs. Movie






My Rating:

                                                                                                                                 ~A.BW

This Lullaby

This Lullaby
By Sarah Dessen

While going through my past posts I realized that there is one genre I haven’t explored—romance. Though the majority of the books I’ve reviewed have a love story on the side, there isn’t one book that is completely about the most complicated thing on earth, love.  Looking for a book , my friend strongly recommended “This Lullaby” by Sarah Dessen, also claiming that if I ever want to read a really good book, Sarah Dessen is a great author. Wanting to test her theory I agreed to read the book, which, by the way, I have mixed feelings about. My goodness, love is so complicated, even in writing about it.

The book is written in the first person, narrated by 18-year-old Remy Starr, who doesn’t believe in love. Who could blame her, when her mom is about to enter her fifth marriage? Her dad, who died a few years earlier, claimed to love her and even wrote a song for her called “This Lullaby”—it became a huge hit— yet never showed any concern for Remy.

Before I start to explain the story there is one thing you need to know about Remy, she is really organized! When I say organized I mean really REALLY organized, not only in cleaning but also in her life. Remy is the type of girl who wants to have everything planned to the last detail, I guess to balance out the messiness of her mother Barbara  and brother Chris. With so much disfunction in her family all Remy wants to do is get out! Which is exactly what she is planning to do; by the end of the summer she is heading to Stanford University.

While Remy is at the car dealership where her mother’s fiance Don works , to talk to Don about details of the wedding, an awkward and clumsy musician named Dexter tells her they are meant to be together. Then he surprises Remy by writing on her hand without her consent; putting yourself in Remy’s shoes you would understand why Remy would be freaked out by this guy. No matter how much Remy tries to shake Dexter off he just won’t budge, and coincidentally Dexter’s band is the one Don hired to play at the wedding. Then Dexter’s band is hired to play weekly in the bar Remy frequently goes  to with her friends. Though Dexter is not Remy’s ideal guy, especially being a musician and messy , he is very persistent. Eventually Remy falls for Dexter.

Knowing she is going to college, not wanting to bring things from her old life to her new life, plans her relationship with Dexter to be just a summer thing. As time passes, people, including herself, are wondering why is she with Dexter. Her friends, knowing Remy, think her relationship with Dexter doesn’t make sense. Remy is such a strict person with high standards and rules that Dexter in no way follows. First of all he is a musician, a big no-no for Remy;he is messy, doesn’t have a steady job, never ties his shoelaces and makes the weirdest challenges—all sorts of things Remy doesn’t like. Yet Remy stays with him— maybe she is in love! Remy, who believes love doesn’t exist, denies it: loving Dexter isn’t on her agenda. She claims the relationship is a summer fling, but is it really? And what about Dexter? Does he see as it a summer fling, or something else? Want to know the love story of detailed-oriented Remy and disorganized Dexter? Pick up the book and read it!

In my personal opinion it is such a sweet story! The only problem I had with the book was that it’s really predictable. Maybe it’s just me because I grew up watching soap operas and I know how conventional love stories go. But while reading the book I could literally finish a sentence without looking at it. Still, I am not going to lie, I was addicted to the book! I guess it was the girly-girl inside of me that wouldn’t let me sleep without finishing the book. So for all the softies out there and lovers of romance, read this book, I highly recommend it! Until next time, READ!     

 My Rating:

~A.BW

Speak

Speak
By Laurie Halse Anderson

As usual when I don’t have anything to read, I walk straight into the library and check out the first book I see; “Speak” was the lucky one. This is a reminder that I am willing to read ANY type of book, just leave the title and author of the book you want me to read in comments below.

“Speak” is such an inspirational book that I recommend you read it when you’re feeling gloomy. Throughout the book we follow a girl named Melinda Sordino who goes through tough times with no support. Melinda was like every typical girl just wanting to have fun with her BFF, Rachel Bruin, especially when entering high school. The summer before Melinda gets to enter the glorious world of high school, she decides to go to a party with Rachel, a high school party! Unfortunately, Melinda doesn’t know what lies beneath the cheerful party; she overdoes it with the drinks and gets drunk. Meanwhile, senior Andy Evans comes over and flirts with Melinda, a freshman-to-be. Melinda, being in a drunken state is swept away  by the adorable Andy Evans and everything is just peachy. That is, until Andy crosses the line and rapes her. Not knowing what to do, Melinda wants to yell for help, so she takes out her phone and call the cops.

When Melinda finally goes to Merryweather High School, she get off to a rough start. The whole school hates her(for calling the cops), her friends have turned their back, the only friend she has is Heather—a new student who later leaves her, too—and no one knows about the rape. Imagine having to keep such a horrible event a secret because if you told anyone they wouldn't believe you. Each day is dreadful for Melinda; she is flunking all her classes except for art—the only place where she can express herself without getting in trouble. With the help of Mr.Freeman she is able to express her pain through her art, but still she suffers.

As I put myself in Melinda’s shoes this is what I see: I am trapped in a cage filled with terrors, no one wants to help me and no one cares. I am too scared myself to pick the lock and I don’t have the strength that others have. David Petrakis is Melinda’s fellow classmate, whom unlike her is not afraid to stand up for himself, especially against a teacher. Melinda wishes she could be more like David, but with no one supporting her or telling her what to do, how can she speak?

I think the story is truly inspirational and it’s something we can relate too. We all, at one point, have felt depressed and felt the feelings Melinda has, maybe not as extremely as her, but we know what it feels to be trapped and alone. The thing I didn't like about the book was that I felt there should have been more added to the end, the author gave us so many details and inside stories but by the end they didn't contribute to the ending. I felt this story would have been better as a short story rather than a chapter book; the ending kind of left me hanging. Well, that’s all I can say, if you want to hear more about Melinda’s story, check the book out. I recently found out that this book has also been turned into a film starring Kristen Stewart,  so if you want me to do another book vs. movie segment please let me know in the comments section.  I have nothing more to say than, read!

My Rating:

                                                                                                                                    ~A.BW   

The Lovely Bones: Part 2

The Lovely Bones Part 2: Book vs. Movie
(By Alice Sebold)

While I was reading The Lovely Bones people often saw me carrying a book around; most would ask what book am I reading. When I gave them the title they would respond with an enthusiastic “Oh really!” Believing they knew what book I was talking about I’d ask, “You read the book?” but everyone replied, “No, but I did watched the movie,” and that really annoyed me. I had a lot of my friends tell me that the movie was really good so I decided to watch it and compare it to the book then share my opinion with you guys.

The Actors
One major thing I look at when seeing a film based on a book are the actors—did they deliver the role? Did they show the hidden emotions well enough?  Do they fit the physical appearance of the character?

Cast of The Lovely Bones

Susie Salmon: Saoirse Ronan

Jack Salmon:Mark Wahlberg

Abigail Salmon: Rachel Weisz

Grandma Lynn: Susan Sarandon

Lindsey Salmon: Rose Mclver

Buckley Salmon: Christian Ashdale

George Harvey: Stanley Tucci

Len Fenerman:Michael Imperioli

Ray Singh: Reece Ritchie

Ruth Connors: Carolyn Dando

First the protagonist: though Ronan does not physically look like Susie, she actually did a pretty good job. In my personal opinion I think that Ronan did a good job delivering the emotions of Susie and showing that though Susie lived in a “perfect” heaven not everything was perfect for her. Two big roles in the story are Jack and Abigail Salmon. Wahlberg did a decent job but based on his acting I expected a little more; meanwhile, Weisz, I feel, did not do the job justice. Abigail went through a lot of pain losing her child, I expected Weisz to show that pain to the point in which I would feel her pain. Grandma Lynn is another big part, and I feel Sarandon did a fantastic job! She played the part perfectly showing how crazy and fun Grandma Lynn was. Lindsey was shown a lot in the book and so in the movie, Mclver was, in opinion, neutral—in others words I didn't hate her acting but I didn't love it either. Partly I blame the book because it didn't go deep into the emotions of Lindsey, but I feel there could have been more too it based on her actions. Buckley was mentioned several times but it didn't go too deep into his story same in the movie, but I think Ashdale did good for the little bit he got. Tucci did an incredible job as Mr. Harvey! Tucci honestly creeped me out giving me the chills. Len Fenerman was shown a lot throughout the storyline but I feel they cut him out a lot in the movie, but Imperioli did a wonderful job playing the part. I also feel that Ray and Ruth were cut out a lot, especially Ruth, but Ritchie and Dando did an amazing job and they physically looked like their characters.

The Plot
Another thing I judge is how true did they stay to the story, and the changes within the story. Compared to other movies the director did a decent job staying true to the story, but there were some changes I didn't like. For example, I didn't like the fact they cut out the part in which Abigail has an affair with Detective Fenerman, which, I believe, is important because it really emphasizes how hurt Abigail was. Another thing I didn't like was that they took out a lot of Ruth’s storyline. Ruth was a very important character because she was the only one who truly believed that Susie was still with them, the only one who could truly communicate with Susie. I did expect to see Samuel and Hal too because, although they are major characters in the story, they did help Salmon family throughout the entire story—they even became part of the family by the end.

There were some changes that I did like, for example giving Holly a bigger storyline. While reading the book, I felt Holly was a useless character who was there for no apparent reason, but in the movie she help Susie continue her own life. I also liked that they made her one of Mr. Harvey’s victims because she would be able to relate to Susie’s pain and not be hypocritical telling Susie, “I know how you feel.”

Overall, I believe their script was decent compared to a lot of other books made to movies, but the cast could have used some help. As a reminder, all of this is just my opinion so please don’t be offended if I criticized your favorite actor/movie. If you seen the movie and/or read the book leave comments below, tell me your opinion, and tell me if you want me to do more movie versus book segments. Until next time, read!

Vs.

 
  

My Movie Rating:

~A.BW