Abducted by Hornby

I'M BACK!

All right stop collaborate and listen, I am is back with the brand new * sexy back...yeah...them other bloggers don't know how to act...yeah * that's why I'm back here baby, missed you, want you, need you so, that's why I'm back here baby * back in the saddle again back where a friend is  * back, yes I'm back, well I'm back, and I'm back in BLACK* so shake it shake it shake those healthy books cause baby I'm back * and I back that thing up...something something something...yeah, honey back that thing up * cause it's all coming back to me nooooooooooooooooooow!!!

Alright enough of that!

Everyone, I would like you to say hello...

to...

DYLAN!!!!

Dylan comes to us from the Dell family and he is gorgeous!

He's been a little shy about meeting you all but now he is here and ready to work.

I have decided to use my first post coming back to write about an author that I have just in the past 3 months completely fallen in love with...

Mr. Nick Hornby!

The funny thing about me falling for Mr. Hornby is that I fought reading him for so long. He has had 3 of his books adapted into feature films like Fever Pitch, High Fidelity, and About A Boy.

Now, About A Boy is one of my favorite movies and I remember one day, years ago, walking around Hastings and selecting this book and flipping through the pages and just by glancing at some of the writing I could tell that the plot laid out in the book was going to be very different from the film.

I was not okay with this.

There was no way the book was better then that movie so obviously Hornby had to be a dimwit right?

Then a few months ago, my friend Andrea and I got into a pretty heated discussion about this conviction of mine. I think I was really starting to wear down her patience, so I finally agreed to give Hornby a shot.

I started with Fever Pitch. One reason being that I love About A Boy so much that if I read that one first I might be too bias and the other reason being that it was the only one of his books at the library when I first went in.

Now, here is the thing I didn't know. Fever Pitch is a memoir. So, if you've seen either the British film or the American film, those stories are not in this book. There is no plot. Each chapter is just about another year that makes up the long legacy that is Nick Hornby's love of his favorite football (soccer) teams. And for someone that isn't really a fan of football (soccer) and has no idea who any of those players were thirty years ago, it made parts of this book really boring. But the thing I couldn't deny was that Hornby's voice shined through. His tone, his rhythm, his personality, his style, it was all right there. And I could not help but be captivated by it.

I wanted more.

So, I went to a different library and got a more recent novel; Juliet, Naked. This is a novel about an English couple, Duncan and Annie. They have been together for years and have shared a lot. Duncan is obsessed with an American rocker named Tucker Crowe, so obsessed that he runs a website devoted to Tucker. Tucker had a hit album at one time but then fell off the grid and hasn't been heard from since. Through certain circumstances Annie and Tucker actually begin to secretly get to know each other through letters and emails, and as their relationship grows, the relationship between Annie and Duncan begins to diminish. For as many moments that were beautiful and moving in this story there were twice as many that had me laughing my ass off! It is just such a great story about how the people in our lives change us and alter us and shape us, even if it is only for a moment.



And after it was done.......... I wanted more!



I went back to the original library and got Nick Hornby's YA novel called SLAM!

When I checked this one out, I didn't even read the back of the cover. I just grabbed it and ran. It wasn't until later that I realized the book is about a 16 year old boy who gets his girlfriend pregnant and how that comes to change his life. Trust me when I say that this book was a little depressing. It is kind of like when you are in a minor car accident, one that you know you will live through. Right before you hit the wall or car or fence or curb or whatever, everything is in slow motion. You know this impact is coming, you know it is going to hurt, and you know that you can do nothing to stop it.That is what this whole book felt like, one long slow motion car accident. And, yet, it was still enticing. Hornby's writing is like music. The story may be sad but the melody he gives it is completely charming.


So of course...I wanted MORE!


And that is when I got A Long Way Down.

This one has by far been my favorite! There are these 4 main characters; Martin, Maureen, JJ, and Jess. When the book starts on New Year's Eve these characters haven't met yet, but we quickly learn that they each have specific reasons for wanting to commit suicide. Apparently there is this one spot in London that is famous for having people commit suicide there, so they each separately decide that is where they should go at midnight. Naturally, that is when they meet each other. They start talking about why they are there, trying to decide who should go first, but through talking about why they are up there they slowly start to help each other. They form these unlikely friendships.

And the hilarity ensues!

I am not exaggerating when I say that there were moments in this book that had me laughing so hard I was crying! CRYING! Like with tears and everything! Oh, God, just replaying certain moments in my head has me chuckling to myself right now! I cannot recommend this book enough.

Unfortunately, at this point, I have yet to find the rest of Hornby's novels at my local libraries but I'll keep an eye out for more of them.

No fear though because to tide me over until then, I have purchased this album...

Lonely Avenue is an album recorded by Ben Folds Five. However the lyrics were all written by Nick Hornby.



The lyrics are filled with Hornby's signature wit and the melodies are overflowing with Ben Folds Five haunting sound. If you are a fan of either the group or the author you should get this album now!

My favorite song is called A Working Day and it talks about the feelings every artist has when they are approaching a new project and thinking to themselves "I can do this! This is going to be perfect!" and how quickly that becomes "I SUCK I SUCK I SUCK!!!"

My favorite line is the chorus;

"Some guy on the net thinks I suck and he should know, 
He's got his own blog"

Anyway, before I sign off let me say that I've really missed everyone and thank you so much for all your comments! 

It feels really good to be back!

Abducted by Tobey

Well, folks, it has finally happened.

My beloved laptop, fondly named Tobey the Toshiba, has passed on.

It has been touch and go for a while now but those who loved him were holding out for hope. Just praying that somehow, some way he would find the strength to keep going.

But alas, sadly, his all too brief life was cut short on Friday, June 3rd 2011.

We only had six years together but the memories we shared will be treasured.

Although, it is true, you can not replace those that you have lost. I must now cross my fingers that another laptop will be coming into my life in the near future.

Unfortunately, what this means is I wont be on my blog, at all really, in the next few weeks, maybe a month or so. I can access my blog at work but I can't really stay on it for too long (because of the whole having work to do problem). I will be able to keep up with my google reader so I will be checking in on all my favorite blogs.

In conclusion, here is a picture of my beloved Tobey that I took last November. You can't really tell that it is my computer because the picture is of the NaNoWriMo stickers I had put on him back then to show how much I was accomplishing.

But still, here he is...

Hopefully I'll be back soon, but I guess it is time to say...

So Long For Now!

Abducted by Monday Memories

Wow, today I finally FINALLY finished cleaning out my googlereader!!!!!! GO ME!!!

And now it is time to share a Monday Memory! Hosted by Annette!

I have always loved to read, ever since I was really little. I would spend all day during my summer vacation reading one book after another. One of the authors that I LOVED was R.L. Stine.

I mostly read the Fear Street books because I was never really that fond of the Goosebump books.

I read all of the Silent Night books and the Cheerleader books. I think I even read a couple of the Babysitter books but not all of them.

I remember sitting out side on our swing set just devouring the books. And I still have very vivid images in my head of some of the scenes out of his books.

I remember one of the Silent Night books had a girl being stalked in a department store.

And I know that in one of the Cheerleader books someone drowns in a lake and then there is a scene when the main girl goes out on the lake, that is now frozen over, and I remember she looks down and can see the girl who drowned under the ice. That scared the crap out of me when I was little!

This weekend I actually took some time and reread the book The New Girl by R.L. Stine which was AWFUL! The whole time I just couldn't believe I ever liked those books. I mean it was really really bad!

But then I reread Cheerleaders: The First Evil and I LOVED IT!!! That is the R.L. Stine that I know and loved! Now I can't wait to reread the rest of the Cheerleader series...

...and also I'm now in the mood to watch Bring It On again!

One of the blogs I love to follow is at fakesteph.com and this last month she got to go to this book festival thing where she got to hear a lot of authors talk about their writing process. If you click on the link I provided above you can read her post on what R.L. Stine had to say.

Thanks again for sharing that Steph!

Plus, if you head over to Reviewsin5 you can read Andrea's post on her Top 5 Favorite Disney/Pixar films!

Have a great Memorial Day!

Abducted by Narnia

I love the Chronicles of Narnia Series and I wanted to do something special to bring the journey through Narnia to a close.

So, I've created my own list called...

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS: ABOUT NARNIA!

Even if you didn't get to read through the chronicles with me, please feel free to add some of your own answers to the list in comments or leave a link to your blog in the comments, so we can all share in our favorite things!

1. Favorite Book: The Silver Chair! I'm pretty sure I've said enough about this so if you have any questions as to why, just click on the link.

2. Favorite Creatures: The Dufflepuds! The Dufflepuds are discovered on The Magician Coriakin's Island in chapter 9 of the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. They are good natured and a little eccentric. For most of the story they are invisible but then Lucy sets them straight. They are adorable little creatures who hop around on one foot. I've just always found them really funny and cute.

3. Favorite Character: Puddleglum. I love Puddleglum, he is such a great character! I also really like Mr. Tumnuss from the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe but he is barely in the story, and I think I am mostly just fond of him because of James McAvoy's portrayal. But Puddleglum is kind and brave and clever and loyal.

4. Favorite Pevensie: Edmund. I always found Lucy to be a little goody-goody and Susan a little-miss-know-it-all. Peter is a good leader but kind of bossy. Edmund has such growth and development. We really get to see his character get tried and evolve and by the end of tLtW&tW he becomes a really good character and a good brother.

5. Favorite Aslan Moment: Mine is him at the end of The Horse and The Boy when he gives the whole speech about how he was always there. I don't remember quite how he says it but he is basically saying "I was the cat that comforted you, I was the lion that scared courage into you, I was the one that protected you." I really love that moment. As cliche as it sounds, it always reminded me of that footprints poem about how Jesus is the one carrying you. It is just this beautiful moment when he is saying, I was always here, when you were scared and weak and confused, I was always there.

6. Favorite Line: Well, seeing on how I recently had it tattooed on my leg, I would say that my favorite line would have to be the speech that begins with "Suppose we have only dreamed..." You can click on the link HERE to see the pictures of my tattoo and read the full quote.

7. Favorite Villain: For me it is actually Uncle Andrew from the Magician's Nephew. Sure, the White Witch and the Green Witch are scary and cause more damage, but I guess I find Uncle Andrew to be more entertaining and so therefore I like him more. He was evil no doubt, and cruel. But...I don't know...I just like him.

8. Favorite Tear Jerk Moment: In the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, when Lucy and Susan are crying over Aslan's body and then the mice come up. At first the girls think the mice are there to defile the body and then they realize that the mice are there to chew away at the cords that bind him. I don't know, there is just something about that moment, that realization, that get's me. Every time.

9. Favorite Audio Book: Okay, there are just some books that you have to listen to the audio versions of. This series is one of them! Hearing them read aloud by some amazing talent is chilling and heart warming at the same time. Mostly they are read by Broadway talent but some notable names would include Lynn Redgrave and Patrick Stewart. But my personal favorite is hearing Kenneth Branagh read to me The Magician's Nephew. I mean it is just perfect! As far as I am concerned this man can do no wrong anyway, but still, he adds just the right amount of humor in his voice that is just perfect for reading Digory and Polly, and even Uncle Andrew. That is also why I probably like Uncle Andrew as much as I do. Because with Kenneth Branagh reading him to me I can't help but picture Uncle Andrew as an eviler version of Professor Lockhart.

10. Favorite Film Adaptation: Without a doubt, hands down, the Walt Disney and Walden Media production of The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe!

The casting was perfect, the screenplay was perfect, the special affects were once again, PERFECT! I love this book and this film version is a direct reflection of it! I will be the first to admit that the quality in the adaptations has been slipping ever so slightly with each additional adaptation to be released but this first one was flawless!

Okay, so that brings an end to my journey through Narnia!

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

For those of you who missed any, here is a list of all of my posts:

The Magician's Nephew

The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe

The Horse and His Boy

Prince Caspian

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Silver Chair

The Last Battle

And if you haven't had enough of me yet, be sure to check out Reviewsin5.com! Andrea has her next top 5 post coming on Monday!

Blog Hop 5/27

It has been a really long time since I've done one of these, but since I was up early enough I figured I would do some blog hopping before heading off to work.

The Blog Hop is hosted by Crazy For Books and this weeks question is...

"What book-to-movie adaptation have you most liked? Which have you disliked?"

Hmm...that is kind of a hard question.

I would say that some of my favorites have been the Lord of The Ring series. They were slightly different from the books but they were a perfect reflection of them.

I also really loved the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice!

And of course the first two Harry Potter adaptations were excellent. 3 and 4 weren't bad either but the first two were really good when held up to the books.

As far as which ones I liked least,

Mansfield Park (1999), The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), and Dracula (1992).

I mean seriously, when I watched each one of those movies after reading the books all I was thinking was "What the hell was that?"

What really irks me though isn't that they want to make changes to a book before making the adaptation. Like I said The Lord of The Ring series made changes and I liked it better for it. Also, Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby and The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham, they both had big changes to their plots when it came to the film adaptations, and I personally loved them.

No, what really irks me is when the films make these huge changes to the plot and then advertise it as "Bram Stoker's Dracula" or "Edmond Dantes' The Count of Monte Cristo"

If you insist on making changes to the plot, DO NOT link the author's name to it because then you are just going to piss me off!

I mean I never saw any press clippings where Bram Stoker approved of that piece of crap movie. So, if there are any out there send them my way.

Have a great day!

Abducted by The Last Battle

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

For some reason this has never been one of my favorites in the Narnia series. And what is funny is I can never really remember the plot. But then whenever I start it again it all comes back to me and I'm like "Oh, yeah, I like this one."

I'm going to have to warn you now that there will be some spoilers in this post. If you haven't read the last book in the Narnia series and don't want to know how it all ends yet then don't read any farther.

Stop reading....

right now....

Everybody ready to keep going?

Awesome!

Okay, so The Last Battle is basically split into two acts or books or sections, however you want to look at it.

In the first half of the book we are introduced to the last king of Narnia, King Tirian. There is an ape, Shift, who is using his power of persuasion on a donkey named Puzzle (who is adorable). Using Puzzle as a pawn, Shift convinces the Calormen armies to start a war against King Tirian.

Eustace and Jill are sent into Narnia to help and the battle begins.

And, man, what a battle!

I mean this is the battle to end all battles!

And it is told in heartbreaking detail.

The whole first part of this book is captivating and heart racing! You almost don't want to put it down because you have to know what happens. How does it all end?

And how does it all end?

Everybody dies.

Thus begins the second half of the book.

When I was in middle school and high school my friends and I would write notes back and forth to each other. Mostly the notes were about gossip but sometimes we would spend our time in class telling stories back and forth. Each of us adding on the next paragraph. Then whichever one of us had the note at the end of the hour would finish off the story with the same line each time...

"She opened the car door and the whole world exploded. The end."

"He looked up at the sky and the whole world exploded. The end."

And I think a part of me never liked this last book in the Narnia series because I always thought that Lewis, having everyone die and Narnia be destroyed reminded me of those

notes. For us, it was just a quick way to end the story before the bell rang.

But, I really don't think that was what Lewis was trying to do. In fact, I know that it wasn't. He wasn't looking for a quick way to end this series of books, he was just bringing it full circle.

Even still, I've never really liked the last half of the book.

I guess it also might be because the beginning half of the book is so action packed that the last half comes across as boring. Kind of ending the series on a downer.

Over all, I love that Lewis does bring the books full circle in the end. I love that all the old characters from

all the other stories are brought back. I love that we get to hear what has happened to them all as they have aged. I even kind of liked that Susan, wasn't included because it brought a small amount of reality to the stories in it's own way.

I loved Puzzle in this book. He was so cute I just wanted to hug him every time he felt down on himself.

I liked King Tirian, he was a good king and I'm glad Lewis ended the series with such a strong figure.

I love that Eustace and Jill are the ones that come back. Mainly because, well, with the Silver Chair being my favorite book, I'm glad that their pairing get's to be acknowledged again.

There is a lot of religious symbolism going on in this book. I think more so in this one and in The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, then in any of the other 5 books, including The Magician's Nephew. There is so much symbolism going on that it is hard to really even start talking about any of it for fear that it would monopolize my whole post.

I'm sad that our journey through Narnia has come to an end, but I do have one more post I'm going to do. I've made a list of my Top 10 Favorite Things About Narnia and I'll post that on Saturday.

Hope everyone is having a great week. Surviving all the Spring storms!

Don't forget to stop by Reviewsin5 to check out our finale thoughts on COLIN FIRTH and Jeremy's thoughts on his favorite HOCKEY MOVIES!

Abducted by INK

Well, I am sorry for having been gone for a while but I have been really busy!

My friend KATE has been in town this past week and we have had the greatest time! One of the things that she wanted to do while she was here was to have us get literary tattoos.

AND WE DID!!!

I know you all have been on pins and needles waiting to hear about my tattoo because it involves my favorite moment in The Silver Chair that I refused to share with you guys when I posted my review for that book.

So, I wont keep you waiting any longer...

here is what the actually tattoo looks like up close...

and here is what it looks like in relation to the rest of my foot...

So as you can see it is a little towards the inside of the front of my left ankle.

"Suppose we have only dreamed..." is the beginning to a speech that the character Puddleglum gives towards the end of chapter 12.

Basically it's like this...

The Green Witch has come back to find Eustace, Jill, Prince Rillian, and Puddleglum free in the underworld. She begins to use her magic and her powers of persuasion to convince them that there is no over-world. That they have been merely dreaming and that they made it all up, including Aslan.

The children and the Prince are eventually taken over by the Green Witch's magic and they succumb to her. But not Puddleglum!

He stands up to her and says...

"Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things--trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones...I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia. "

That is my most favorite part in my most favorite book.

It has always resinated with me, ever since the first time I read it.

In life I have my own beliefs. I am a Catholic. I do believe in God. And even if I were to die tomorrow and find out that I'm wrong, I wouldn't care. My beliefs have made me a better person, they have given me hope and strength and comfort in times when nothing else has. To be perfectly honest, I'm still pretty messed up, I'm not perfect. But I remember how lost I was before I found my faith and I know how it has saved me. So even if I could be wrong, I'm going to stand by my beliefs no matter what.

And that is basically what Puddleglum is stating in his little speech.

I hope everyone has had a great week!

And don't worry, I'm finishing a lot of books this weekend so get ready for some hard hitting posts coming your way on Nick Hornby, If I Stay, and The Last Battle, followed by my Ten Favorite Things About Narnia which will be the post that brings our journey through Narnia to an end.

Also, over at REVIEWSIN5.com you can read our thoughts on Colin Firths performance in Love Actually, along with Andrea's Top 5 "Pay Attention Movies". My next post will be on Monday so stay tuned.