Perks of Being a Wallflower Movie

I loved this movie. It was wonderful. If you haven't seen it, it is definitely worth watching. I recommend reading the book first though. You might not understand some things otherwise. There were a couple things different, but it wasn't very drastic and I didn't notice very much. I think the acting was very good and Charlie was well portrayed. I now realize that I did not have as much to say as I thought I did. Well... go watch it!

Read my review of Perks of Being a Wallflower here.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

Review:

I'm not really sure how to review this book because it was just one of those books that was neutral. There wasn't anything bad about it, but nothing was like WOAH! It was well written and it kept me reading, but I was never like OH MY GOODNESS I JUST HAVE TO KEEP READING UNTIL I FINISH (I apologize to the people who don't like all caps).

I honestly am not really sure what to say anymore, so lets get two things straight:
1. Pretty good storyline, but I was not jumping out of my seat to try to finish it.
2. The ending was not what I was expecting. Which I like. But it was also an ending that was made to be part of a series. Which I don't like.

Also, the movie doesn't look good. It doesn't look like the book. I mean they could at least get the hair colors and accents right. Maybe I'll just see Safe Haven instead...

Rating:

Hello again...

Apologies for not having posted in forever. I've been busy. I mean, I know most of you are busy too and still manage to write on your blogs, but I'm still learning to handle it all. So here's the deal: I will post when I can, whether that be everyday, or once a month. Thank you for being understanding.

One last thing. I got a Twitter! So please follow me @under_oak

Also, if you would like to get in contact with me at all you can email me at: sittinundertheoaktree@gmail.com

Happy Presidents Day!

Les Mis

So I finally got around to seeing Les Mis last night. I think I died. What an amazing movie. It is the only movie that has ever made me cry along with The Hunger Games. So now I have to read the book. You have to go see this movie. Just go. (I apologize for this fangirling. I was just excited.)

Feature and Follow Friday (7)

This is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee.

Question: If you could choose one supernatural being/creature to really exists what would it be and why? 

Hmmm... I don't know if I would like any to exist because it all seems to end badly when there are supernatural beings/creatures. If I absolutely had to though, I think I would choose Keepers from Shelly Crane's book, Collide. Basically they watch over the people who are supposed to make a big impact on our world and keep them safe. Either that or the witches and wizards from Harry Potter. Then I might finally get my letter to Hogwarts. :)

Chosen by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Dark forces are at work at the House of Night and fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird’s adventures at the school take a mysterious turn.  Those who appear to be friends are turning out to be enemies.  And oddly enough, sworn enemies are also turning into friends.  So begins the gripping third installment of this “highly addictive series” (Romantic Times), in which Zoey’s mettle will be tested like never before.  Her best friend, Stevie Rae, is undead and struggling to maintain a grip on her humanity. Zoey doesn’t have a clue how to help her, but she does know that anything she and Stevie Rae discover must be kept secret from everyone else at the House of Night, where trust has become a rare commodity.  Speaking of rare: Zoey finds herself in the very unexpected and rare position of having three boyfriends. Mix a little bloodlust into the equation and the situation has the potential to spell social disaster.  Just when it seems things couldn’t get any tougher, vampyres start turning up dead. Really dead. It looks like the People of Faith, and Zoey’s horrid step-father in particular, are tired of living side-by-side with vampyres.  But, as Zoey and her friends so often find out, how things appear rarely reflects the truth…

Review:

I don't even know what to say about this book. It was just...bad. Most of the book was spent talking about what a ho Zoey was. Basically, every time she was with one of her lovers or she thought about them, she would be like, "I'm a ho." It got to the point where I was like, "Yes girl. You are a ho."

One of the things I really like about the "House of Night" series (I don't know if that's how you punctuate a title, but its what this source told me to do) is the very insecure, teenager voice given to Zoey. I still saw some of that in this book, but I also saw some of the almighty and powerful Zoey who thinks she is better than everyone else. I especially saw it in this sentence: "I strode off toward the food with them trailing after me like baby ducks" ("them" is referring to her friends). I actually had a post-it note in that spot. This is what it said:

"trailing like baby ducks"? Makes her sound really arrogant and powerful

One thing I did like about this book (well not exactly this particular book, it's more like the whole series so far) is the switching of evil characters. One person who you thought was completely evil is actually not all that bad and another person you though was a really good person is actually really, really evil. I find this very interesting.

All in all though, I might have to stop reading this series if they're going to be as crappy as this one was. Maybe I'll just take a break from them for a while.

Rating:

Waiting on Wednesday: Born of Illusion by Teri Brown

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine.

  Synopsis (from Goodreads):

 

Anna Van Housen is thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in 1920’s New York City. Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever lived. But when a strange, serious young man moves into the flat downstairs, introducing her to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, he threatens to reveal the secrets Anna has fought so hard to keep, forcing her to face the truth about her past. Could the stories her mother has told her really be true? Could she really be the illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician of all?

Born of Illusion is the first book in a new series. Each book in the series will introduce a new historical figure, whose legend is shrouded in magic, along with the young woman whose fate is irrevocably tied to his. The through line in each of the books will be The Ghost Club, the real life secret society that was founded in 1862 by the likes of Charles Dickens, Sir Conan Doyle, and W. B. Yeats to advance mankind’s knowledge of the paranormal. The first three books in the series will deal with Houdini, Aleister Crowley and Rasputin.

Oh my goodness this book looks so good! I mean, a book about the daughter of Houdini! SO AWESOME! :) Not to mention the cover is absolutely gorgeous. Sadly, we have to wait until June. :( Grrr...

Update: I'm sorry if the formatting looks so weird and messed up. This post is being weird.