Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 was not on my to read list. I didn't even know what the book was about, but after hearing so much about it I decided to give it a go. It's a short dystopian fiction about a world where firemen ignite fires instead of putting them out. It's a world where books are banned and distractions are everywhere.

The protagonist of the story is Guy Montag, a fireman, who likes to burn books, and takes some sort of power high out of it.
Early in the book discovers the error on his ways, thanks to a teenager named Clarisse.

 

 

 

fun.

The concept and story are very strong, and it shows. Though Bradbury's writing style is somewhat alluring, he is no Oscar Wilde.  His style is straight forward and to the point, no beating around the bush with symbolic and cryptic sentences with this one. Although the story did have a lot of potential to be filled with beautiful mysterious symbols, he chose not to walk that route. Another thing the the book is lacking; sub plots. The story basically follows one guy's journey, a guy named Guy. There is a joke here somewhere but I'll borrow from Bradbury and FIGHT any imaginative and creative idea that comes to mind.

The book has almost five characters in total: Guy, Mildred, Beatty, Clarisse, and Faber. My favorite character is Captain Beatty, he is a very powerful character, well developed, and most of all intriguing. You just want to read more and more about him. My least favorite character is probably Mildred. Although she's my least favorite, her character was very well written. Now, I hate characters with no dimensions as much as the next person (maybe more) but this one really fit. As her life was consumed by routines of TV shows in the parlor, Bradbury wrote her as a one dimensional character.

Final rating: 3/5
Currently reading: A Storm of Swords

This far in the book nothing particularly happens, the next paragraphs will have spoilers, so read no more if you don't want the book spoiled.

I loved how Beatty played Guy's string like a violin. He accused him of quoting poetry in poetry. Genius. GENIUS. In a way Beatty was portrayed as the villain in the story, but was he? I don't think he was to be honest. So he tormented Guy with poetry quotes and told him to turn in the book he had. Was that wrong? Morally, it is debatable, but it was his job. In the society they lived in, that was wrong and illegal. For example the society we live in bans drugs, if a drug inspector stole drugs wouldn't you want his chief commander to deal with that situation? Wouldn't you feel safer if those in security positions did their job without emotional attachment to others gone 'rogue'. I'm not comparing books to drugs, I'm comparing the situation and nothing else. Although both do take you to a "different world". So, no, Beatty wasn't the bad guy, he was doing what was best for society.

There are somethings that I didn't find very convincing in the book or found hard to imagine.

a) Mildred's attitude upon finding that Guy hides books in the house: Okay, now she was shocked and scared, I do give her that, but I expected her to bundle her things in a suitcase and leave. This is a woman who can't even remember how she met the person she is living with. This is a person who tried to commit suicide and failed and didn't even know it. This person watched TV all day and is afraid of anything and everything her TV family doesn't tell her about. Bradbury can't possibly try to convince us that she actually read some books with Guy. That's just impossible. The action she eventually took was the one I expected her to react with from the start; calling the station and reporting Guy. Now, that is believable.

b) The mechanical hounds: I couldn't visualize them, and couldn't understand them. I did see the idea behind them, though. It was clever. A dog to kill humans because humans didn't want to interact with others in any way. It's the opposite of "The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword." -Eddard Stark. It also symbolized the danger technology has over humanity. Okay, there were few symbols.

c) The time lapse between Guy meeting Clarisse and Clarisse's death: The author stated that they've had months together before Clarisse's accident, but I think that would have been better conveyed than stated. I haven't seen the movie, but they better have that part in a montage with a very sad yet powerful song then what's the use.

I haven't watched the movie, nor do I think I will watch it in the future. Watching a movie based on a book that's about how watching movies instead of reading books ruined humanity is a bit strange in my opinion.

Last Resort

The only drama shows I currently enjoy are Game of Thrones and Suits. Since both are on hiatus until 2013, I looked for a show to fill in their place and I watched Last Resort. Guess what, seven episodes into the season and the show was called off. They will still air the episodes they've filmed, bringing the total of all the episodes to 13.

  Now my brain considers Last Resort and Prison Break essentially the same thing. I don't know if it's the inner security government conspiracy or the brunette with a father in a power position.

you are the same person.

 Now, unlike what I did with the review of the TV show Suits, here is why Last Resort is awesome and should not be cancelled.

a) sub plots: I love sub plots in shows, books, movies, life (not really), and anything else. This show has at least 3 or 4 stories going on in each episode which is awesome.

b) The crew of the Colorado are not only men but also include female officers, which is really a first in this genre, at least to me.

c) There is this one episode in which the entire island was drugged with a chemical compound which caused hallucinations and whatnot.

d) the island, which due to my limited google-ing skills I couldn't find any pictures of.

e) this guy: Even though he and his 'battalion?' were the reason this whole mess happened and two of his friends died, he thinks he's on a vacation.

d) there's a backstreet boy involved and he's a wuss and I hate him with a passion

e) the bully kid from the first season of Glee is there and he gets shot on the first episode

f) mental breakdown

g) we will have a girls' night sleepover, goddamit

h) There's a guy whose title is Cobb but I have no idea what's his name and he's always ruining everyone's plans and being demeaning to superior ranks

i) one episode, the island's gangster master kidnaps and officer and straps a bomb on her but she doesn't die

j) the lady from the O.C cleaned up really well and then became a DC hotshot.

k) this lady is in it and she's a cool bartender and I love her and I want to be her

l) UNIFORMS

 

 

final rating: ABC, I hate you and hope you never find true love and die alone and cold.

douchebag

The Fault in Our Satrs, John Green, and some other stuff

A couple of weeks ago I read John Green's latest novel, The Fault in Our Stars.

It was beautiful, emotional, witty, smart, funny, lovely, hopeful, and cute.  All the praise to John Green for writing this awesome piece of contemporary fiction.

The style of the writer has many lyrical and poetic touches to it. The book contains many beautiful lyrical quotes, some of my favorites are:

"Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you." -Peter Van Houten
"I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once." -Hazel Grace
"My thoughts are stars I can't fathom into constellations." -Augustus Waters
"What a slut time is. She screws everybody." -Hazel Grace
"Writing does not resurrect. It buries." -Peter Van Houten

I wouldn't say that this nook has much food for thought, but it definitely stirs some ideas in the crock pot that is the human brain. The characters in the book are ridiculously well developed. I can't even begin to describe how well written each character's personality is. When you read the first appearance of any of the character's appearance you immediately understand their role in the story, their morals, their background, their attitude, and yet the characters still develop throughout the book.

I loved the small, inside, and sarcastic jokes. They lightened up the atmosphere of gloom that surrounds a story about two cancer patients falling in love, yet it doesn't lessen the magnitude of seriousness of the story.

I do recommend this book for anyone with a heart. It truly is a book that gives more than it appears to be capable of. It's gripping, funny, intellectual, and cute. I can't emphasize how not sickeningly cute this book is.

Final Rating: 4/5

Almost a week before reading The Fault in Our Stars I read An Abundance of Kathrines.

Now, An Abundance of Kathrines is the one John Green book no one ever talks about. I mean never ever. I was always curious about the reason why no one talked about it. Ever. If you read it you'd know. It is NOTHING you'd expect a John Green book to be. Frankly, it was as if Sarah Dessen wrote it, except the lead character is a boy instead of a girl.

I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it, nor did it stick to my memory. I remember the main outline but none of the events. I don't know if it's because it's a  road trip story or if it's just, well, disappointing. The book left me emotionless and unattached to any of the characters. It wasn't that the book itself wasn't well written; it's that I didn't find the concept nor the main idea itself interesting nor gripping.

I don't think this idea had much potential to be a success, and yet it could have been carried out a little more gracefully.

Final rating: 1/5
John, I'm only harsh about this one because I think you're a genius.

Now, the only reason I read those two is that a little over a year ago I read Looking for Alaska and thought it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. The story, like Alaska's blue nail varnish, is electric. It's a to-be-finished-in-one-sitting book. It's the book you reread when you're in a reader's rut. It lights up the thinking light bulb inside your heart, and gives the one inside your brain a start up as well.

It's not every day we see deep thoughts presented through young adult fiction, and that's what made this book even more special. The story is original and unique, the setting is suitably perfect, the characters are extremely well written, and the poetic flare in this book is ridiculously amazing. 

The main character, Pudge, is very easy to relate to, just as the story itself. We all had that moody friend who seemed to know everything and was prettier than any superbly intelligent person you've ever met. You loved that person, you wanted to be close to them. Around them you'd act like a sponge, soaking up every thought or subject they elaborate when talking about. Thinking about what they've said later and finding that whatever side they were on, you were too. You were convinced.

What I liked most was the third part, or the days "after". It showed real struggle, hesitance, fear, love, and hope. It also showed great childishness in characters that grew up too much and too quickly.

the book is really great and touches many interesting subjects, but most of all it makes you think, why am I the way I am? Why do I think and act the way I think and act?

Final rating: 4/5

Note: All the books have really beautiful covers, and my kindle doesn't do the cover designs any justice. so here are some pictures from the internet which I don't own but think are very cool and will put them in my blog anyway

As far as the internet informed me, the rights to three John Green books to be turned into movies have been bought by film studios. Those three are Looking for Alaska, The Fault in Our Stars, and Paper Towns, the latter of which I haven't read yet but am looking forward to.

Currently reading: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Footnote: John Green has a very awesome educational youtube channel called Crash Course in which he teaches history. 

New Fall TV: Yay or Nay?

A while ago I wrote a review of Matthew Perry's new TV show, Go On. I started watching a few more new shows after that, basically I'll write about my impressions of each show's first episode.

1. Ben and Kate

Every website I checked praised this "funny" new show. It wasn't funny. It was actually painful to watch that I didn't even finish the first episode. Also, what's with shows having voice overs in the beginning of episodes? Viewers aren't stupid, we can follow a storyline. I blame this on Grey's Anatomy. Back to this show, the dynamic between the characters in the story is bad, the dialogue was poor, and frankly, we are done with the whole who is raising who thing after Gilmore Girls.
verdict: Please, Fox, cancel this.

2. Emily Owens M.D.

 A med graduate discovers that working in a hospital is like being in high school all over again. There is really nothing more to it. This show too had a voice over, but this one carried on all through the episode. There was a Mean Girls-esque analogy to the social groups of the hospital, which was the only thing I found funny. The medical stuff were a bit unrealistic though. Emily's first day into being an intern or whatever and she gets to help in surgery AND extract fluid from her first patient's heart. Sounds legit. I also hated the graphics of the intro song. I think after the first rehearsal the writers saw that the shows consisted of white people and then added two African American girls, one of which is a lesbian.
verdict: nay.

3. Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

Again with the voice over. Hollywood, stop. They couldn't have stereotyped the characters more if they tried: Big eyed blonde with a petite form as the innocent newcomer to New York from Indiana, black haired super skinny girl with huge red lips as the well informed new yorker. (This is NOT Two Broke Girls, okay) The other characters are unique enough to overflow the drabness that is the lead character of June.The dynamic between the characters is really good, and what the show lacks in good jokes it makes up in a crazy cat lady, minus the cats. The show isn't smart or funny but it's very entertaining.
verdict: yay (as long as you're bored and have nothing better to do)

4. Partners

Remember in old 80s and 90s comedies when characters had catch phrases exclusively when interacting with certain characters? I bet you thought that was gone forever in the comedy hall of fame (or shame, depending which way you look at it), but it is back in the form of a TV show that somehow manages to fail on all levels. Am I the only one who thinks the bromance thing has been exploited after Scrubs? The jokes are old and lame, and the dynamic is poor in this "bromance". Sophia Bush, this is the worst comeback anyone can be a part of after the One Tree Hill or whatever you were in. Guy from Ugly Betty, can you play ANY other role? Joseph Gordon-Levitt's BFF from 10 Things I Hate About You, just no. Stop with this role. You can do better. The only funny joke was when the male nurse said he's working in the cardiac wing and that's why he has a heart on. He then asked the other male character if he wanted him to give him one. I know, juvenile, but hilarious.
verdict: Burn it. Quick! before it has more episodes!

5. The Mindy Project

Possibly my favorite new comedy show. It's funny, cute, and familiar yet new. It does have a voice over, but there is a reason behind it, it's as she is "narrating" her life as a romantic comedy. The dynamic between some characters is great and some other characters are disposable. The jokes are funny, the storyline is interesting and evolving. Although there is one thing I'd have to get used to, and that is the story line's inconsistency; it seems like each episode's story is separated by weeks.
verdict: YAY!

6. The New Normal

 There are no words for this show. Again, with the "who is raising who?" plot line. They gay couple's problems can be solved in a little more or less than a single episode of modern family. Also, btw, the names of those two shows are so similar it's not even cool. The female lead in this show is a leech that sucks all the money and time out of the lead couple because she is their surrogate. How she got to be their surrogate is more ridiculous than the show itself. "I had a baby when I was a teen and now caught the father of said baby cheating on me so I moved to LA and decided to do what I do best, be pregnant!" The lead's grandmother is a racist homophobic republican who occasionally cracks a funny joke. They also added an African American assistant who is just "FABULOUS" and moves her head a lot when she speaks.
verdict: nay

7. Arrow

This is your basic superhero story: guy has a life changing event that makes him want to avenge his *insert family member here* and protect his city. The story doesn't add up to be honest; a guy is stranded on an island for five years and then can take an ex-military bodyguard the day he returns? A man attacks a rich criminal's mob the exact same day a dead man returns to his city and no one puts two and two together? Also, a green hooded vest is a poor disguise, and two detectives got a visual of him! And yet, he walks away a free man. Let us not kid ourselves, this story is bad, but most people will still watch this show because a) everyone is so hot b) action kickass stunts c) archery is having a comeback or something.
verdict: yay?

The Night Circus

I just finished reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and while the book's idea is very interesting the writer's style fails me in some aspects.

While the story itself is wrapped in a veil of anonymity and mystery, many of the surprises are easily predictable.  I don't know if it's just me or everybody who read it, but you can guess what is going to happen in each chapter by the first page of it. I found that to make the experience of reading this book -which is based on a great idea- a bit dull.

Basically the book is about a magic battle with Le Cirque des Rêves as its venue. The contenders must create magic without interfering with the other's work. Both of the opponents are bound by magic. The writing style of the author is very captivating. She is very lyrical in her choice of words. Her paragraphs are medium in length but are filled with vivid descriptions. The direct speech and conversations are kept to a minimal, something I found very suiting for this book.

Many of the main characters are well developed, such as Celia, Chandresh, Herr Thiessen, Widget, and Ethan Barris. Other characters are very cliched and hastily put together, like Marco, Tsukiko, Bailey, Poppit, Isobel, Alexander, and Hector. Likewise, the relationships of the characters in the book differ from deep and well developed relationships to shallow how-could-this-happen relationships.

The book is divided into five titled parts, each containing several chapters. I thought that there wasn't much reason behind why the book was divided as such, except for the author to print those quotes by actual characters from this exact book. Okay, there was one Oscar Wilde quote.

After the quote comes a tiny "chapter"that is written in the second person pov. I strongly oppose anything written in this form. Do not force include me into stories in ways you see fit, author. I want to be every character, not an insignificant by stander. 

I also just read this in the author's website:

Is there going to be a movie?
Maybe. This will continue to be the answer for a good long time because anything can happen in the strange and mysterious world of film production. The film rights have been optioned by Summit Entertainment, which means they have the option to make The Night Circus into a film. They are indeed working on it but I do not personally know all that much about what’s going on with it at any given point. When there are official updates, I’m sure the internet will know.
PSA: I have very little to do with the movie. Strange but true. I wrote the book, other people will adapt it into a screenplay and handle casting and designing and do all the movie-making things. I cannot tell you how to audition or anything like that, not that it’s even reached that stage yet. Summit is in charge. I’m just along for the ride.

And because of the movie talk here is a very beautifully enchanting fan-made poster:

and here are some internet based casting options and my views on them:

 no

 NO!

err... BEN BARNES! but no.

except shouldn't they cast two guys to play Marco? considering he has two faces and all. Also, it would be great if they made the movie in paper animation. Just putting this idea out there for you, summit.

final rating of the book: 4/5

This footnote is for my dear friend Rehab who got me this book as a gift. THANK YOU so much! You were right in thinking I would love this because I did enjoy it very much.