Movie: Water for Elephants

This movie made absolutely no sense to me.  I've even read the book and was still totally confused throughout the whole thing!  For one, the storyline was very loosely based on the novel and speaking of the storyline -- it was so jumbled and disjointed I was left scratching my head as to what just happened.  And I'm sorry to say, but Rob Pat and Reese had zero chemistry.  I didn't feel the love; Not to mention the anger or any other human emotion.

I was so bored with this movie, I paused and started it three times over three days.  It was like a drag trying to get through it.  Usually with movies (or books) like that I just give up and stop wasting my time.  However, I was intrigued enough with how hot Rob Pat looked as not a vampire, and I loved Reese's 1930's costumes.  As for any other character, they weren't even developed enough for me to remember who they were or what their role was in the story.  I liked Rosie the Elephant too.  I mean, who wouldn't?  She was great. 

I'm not surprised this movie was so bad.  I never expect much from books-turned-into-movies, so I wasn't even really disappointed.  The one thing that bothers me about situations like this though is that I wish the movie people would at least try to stick to the actual book's storyline as much as possible.  I mean, come on!  It's already there!  The script is already written!  How difficult is that?

Looking back at the year

2011 was a good year for reading.  I joined a book club and read a ton of books for that and on my own.  It also helps that I have a bit of a commute every day and am able to "read" a lot of books by their audio versions. 

I have described on this blog many of the books I've read this year, but as it turns into 2012 I want to emphasize the favorite books I read in 2011:

(In no particular order.)

1.  Madame Bovary
There is something so thrilling and scandalous about this book that it was like one of those guilty pleasure harlequin romance novels you can't stop reading, but way better.

2.  The Hunger Games Trilogy
By far, this is my favorite series of books EVER.  As in, they beat all decades worth of favorite books.  I'm going to read them again in 2012 and probably every year following.

3.  Water for Elephants
I love period pieces and this depression-era circus tale delivered.

4.  The Help
The four women who read this audio version made the story come alive.  I was truly touched by this book, and many times it made me cry.  I love love love this book.  It's up there in the all time favorite books EVER category.

5.  The Harry Potter Series
I mean, what can I say about Harry Potter?  After more than a decade of his popularity I finally partook in the mania.  Once I started with the first one, all thoughts of reading other books went away.

6.  Gone with the Wind
Okay, I know I said Hunger Games is the favorite book EVER, EVER.  But here's another one for that category.  I made it a mission to read this gigantic novel in 35 days or less, and it wasn't difficult to accomplish that.  Loved this book.

7.  Honolulu
I'm fascinated with historical novels about different cultures.  This was a great book.

8.  Racing in the Rain
I am not a dog person.  In fact, I strongly dislike dogs.  That being said, I really liked this book even though it was narrated by a dog and was all about this dogs relationship with his owner!  It was very creative and well-told.

9.  The Paris Wife
I loved reading about one of my favorite 20th century American authors, Hemingway, and the beginning of his writing career.

10.  Mini Shopaholic
Okay, this one is not part of some great literary fame, but the Shopaholic series has definitely been one of my guilty pleasures for the past ten years and I will always love Becky Bloomwood and her antics. 

I'm looking forward to what 2012 brings for my reading library.  I have a stack of books on my bedside table just itching to be devoured, and I can't wait! 

The Gone With the Wind Project: Part 3

Done!  In exactly thirty days. 

I was so carried away with this book, I just couldn't find time to write about my progress as I was reading.  Every spare moment I've had over the last month I've read this book.  The story of Scarlett and the fall of Atlanta during the Civil War captured me like no other book has done.  I really don't know how to describe this book other than a blissful sigh and a "wow."   Gone With the Wind is a beautiful masterpiece of American literature.  After all Scarlett goes through, you know in the end she will somehow always get what she wants, and therefore hope is not lost.

Here are some of my notes and underlined quotes from my reading:

Day 9:
The war is ravaging Georgia now and getting closer to Atlanta where Scarlett lives with her sister-in-law and Aunt.  I actually sympathize with her when she runs away from the hospital during her lunch break.  As self-centered as she may be, she does seem to see through the lies and stories about how great this war is.  This is giving me a new perspective on the Civil War.  I never really studied up on anything about the Southerner's perspective of the war.  I didn't realize how proud they were and how much they hated "the Yankees."

Day 16:
I have such torn feelings about Scarlett.  I don't know whether to hate her her because she's so selfish and self-centered or commend her for being so strong and brave while trying to save and rebuild her family plantation.  I wish she would just see how perfectly matched she is with Rhett Butler, who is also self-centered and arrogant, and stop getting mad and yelling at him.  It's an interesting twist that she rushed into another marriage of convenience to Frank Kennedy and I can't wait to see how that is most certainly going to fall apart. 

Page 200: 
"It has been hard on Scarlett, not going anywhere.  She's just a baby....There, Scarlett, don't you fret.  People won't talk when they understand.  We know you loved Charlie."
 This is when I first realize how loving, and kind, and unselfish Melanie is.  Even when Scarlett is being horrible and wanting to go out to parties instead of mourning her dead husband for the appropriate amount of time, Melanie defends her.  I don't understand where Melanie's strength and undying love for Scarlett came from.  Throughout the whole book, Scarlett was so awful to Melanie!  Yet, Melanie stuck by her side even through Scarlett's many scandals.

Page 380:
"Was Tara still standing?  OR was Tara also gone with the wind which had swept through Georgia?"

Page 959:
"I'll think of it all tomorrow, at Tara.  I can stand it then.  Tomorrow, I'll think of some way to get him back.  After all, tomorrow is another day."

I think that's all I can say right now.  I love this book and I don't know why I waited so long to read to it.  I practically want to start right from the beginnging and read it all over again!

The Gone With the Wind Project: Part 2

Important!:  I have never read this book or watched the movie.  I don't know anything about what happens in this story, so please don't spill the beans! 

Day 1:  32 pages
Day 2:  37 pages

Wow, I am really right on track with this project!

Day 3:  18 pages
I have to admit I'm not really in the mood for reading right now, but I'll try to get through a few pages before The Husband gets home and I start dinner.  I do really like this book so far.  Starting chapter 5!

(Page 77)  The lingo of Mammy and the other slaves slows up my reading.  I can hardly figure out what they're saying that I have to actually mouth it out loud to myself.

(Page 83)  Scarlett is a poor deluded girl with her crazy ideas about eloping with Ashley tonight!  I can't believe it.

Day 4:  19 pages

Day 5:  36 pages
I'm already way behind in my reading, but it's hard to get even thirty pages in on a weekend.  I know that might sound backwards, but I actually have more time to read during the week.  Anyway, so far I love this book.  The characters are easily relatable and the descriptions are beautiful.  I love this time period and love reading about thel lives of people who lived during that time.  Scarlett is quite humorous in the way that she lets her imagination about Ashley Vilkes carry her away.  It seems that teenagers have not changed since 1861.

Day 6:  7 pages  (EEKS!)

Day 7:  3 pages!
 I ordered my own copy of Gone With the Wind from Amazon and it arrived today!  Yay!  The page numbering is all off, so I have to re-do my personal reading chart.  According to the this new book, I should be up to page 241.  I'm only at page 166.  Yikes; way behind.   This is truly sad.  I know I shouldn't, but I'm counting on my many hours on a plane tomorrow to catch up.

I can't believe Scarlett was so stupid to rush into marrying Charles just to get back at Ashley and all the gossiping girls.  I mean, didn't she think things through for one second?  Now she's moping around and hates her life because she's not only married to a man she despises but is a sixteen year old WIDOW?  Sorry, but it's kinda her fault so I have no sympathy for her.  It seriously sounds like a miserable, hopeless situation.

Day 8:  91 pages
So I was able to catch up, but I'm still not where I should be.  Sigh.  I could have probably read a lot more on the plane, but my eyes get so dry on planes and it's hard to read for long periods of time without having to take time to rest and doze off once in awhile.  I should be at page 272 and I'm still only at page 258.

Things are starting to get very interesting with our dear Scarlett O'Hara.  She is causing quite the scandal in Atlanta by breaking the rules of mourning and starting to flirt with boys again.  I don't really agree with her actions since the custom at that time was to mourn the loss of your husband for several years, but I'm also glad that Rhett convinced her to not care what everyone else thinks and to start thinking for herself.  Is she ahead of her time?  A feminist in her own right?  I'm not sure about that because she still is very selfish, spoiled and immature.  Melanie is far too kind to Scarlett.  I actually want to cry because Melanie is so loving and unselfish and giving towards others.  Even when the rest of the town refuses to receive Rhett Butler, Melanie continues to take him and show him kindness and respect!  She is the complete opposite of Scarlett O'Hara and I love her.  Scarlett just needs to give up her ridiculous ideas of Ashley Wilkes and move on with her life already.

The Gone With the Wind Project: Part 1

I was early for an appointment, so I ordered a tea at Starbucks and sat down with a very heavy, thick book.  With trepidation, I embarked on a journey with Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.

(30 seconds later...)

...I am quite nervous about how to accomplish a reading of this book.  The hardcover version I checked out from the library is 1037 pages long!  I have never read a book this long and I'm hesitant now because I have so many other recently purchased books already on my list.

I'm very torn.  As much as I love to read, I'm only a medium-speed reader.  And if I'm not 100% completely invested in a book, it will drag on FOREVER.  For example, I've read the first paragraph of Gone With the Wind so far and all of a sudden I need to check my calendar for appointments, call my doctor, check my bank account, send a text to my husband, and of course write about trying to read Gone With the Wind.  This could be viewed as not a good sign for 100% investment in this book.  Should I even start reading it?  I'm not even quite sure why I even decided to request this book from the library.  Someone suggested it for our book club, and my husband and I had started to watch the movie, but I had never really ever been inclined to read it.  Hmmm.   I don't know...  I will try a few more paragraphs.

(approximately 5-10 minutes later)

I read to page seven and ended with this sentence:  "...she felt that a lick now and then didn't do the boys any harm."

Okay, so I kind of like it.  I'll keep reading for now.  Besides, I figured out that if I read only thirty pages a day, it will take me around thirty-five days to read it.  That doesn't sound so scary at all!  I have some long flights coming up too that will help me get even ahead of my thirty pages a day goal!  That does it.  I'm going for it.  Gone With the Wind, I shall conquer you in thirty-five days or less.

Books that I need to review...

Chasing Harry Winston -- Lauren Weisberger  (3 stars just for pure entertainment value)
Push -- Sapphire  (4 stars)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets -- J.K. Rowling (5 stars!)

The Forgotten Garden

This was a beautiful, wonderful book once I finally got into it.  The story jumps back and forth between characters and time periods, so the first two hundred pages were confusing as I tried to figure out what was happening and when it was happening.

However, I loved it in the end.

In the year 1913, a four-year old girl is mysteriously left alone on a ship bound for Australia from England.  A married man finds her on the wharf in Australia and takes her home until he and his wife can figure out where she came from.  The little girl doesn't remember anything, not even her name.  No one ever turns up to claim the child, and the couple never hears anything of a missing girl.  They decide to name her Nell and keep her until someone shows up to claim her.  The years go by and it is Nell's 16th birthday.  Her father tells her the truth about her past and Nell's life is changed forever.

Kate Morton takes the reader on a wonderful journey through the century and between two continents as the mystery unravels of how Nell came to be all alone on that wharf in Australia.

I can't say much more about the story without giving away any of the secrets, but I will include one sentence I especially enjoyed.  This author has a lovely way of writing description and her imagery is vivid and beautiful:  "This was the London of Eliza Makepeace, the London Cassandra had read about in Nell's notebook, of mist-filled streets and looming horses, glowing lamps that materialized, then vanished again into the fog-laden haze (132)."

I will have to say that a certain character's story line in the early 1900's London was my favorite.  It reminded me faintly of a Dicken's novel with the poor struggling orphans and all.  I also appreciated and related to this same character as she became older and transformed her wild imagination and gift of story-telling into fairytales (which are included in the book.)

This is one of those books that makes you just want to sit for hours and read without stopping.  I always appreciate a book like that because they don't come along often.

Five Stars!