Like Crazy

Like Crazy is about Anna, a British college student studying abroad in America. While there she meets Jacob and they both fall hard for each other, quickly turning into a very serious relationship. In a moment of ill thought out stupidity, Anna decides to stay with Jacob over the summer instead of going home to satisfy her visa requirements and just goes home for a week instead. When she tries to return, they tell her she isn't allowed in the country and is forced back in Britain. The story follows both Jacob and Anna as they try to keep their relationship despite the giant ocean between them.

This movie wasn't a chick flick, it was just a movie about a relationship which I appreciated that they didn't feel the need to fluff everything up. In fact I loved the entire movie right up to the ending that left me feeling a bit.. unsure. Everything in the movie felt so real and heartfelt, so maybe my problem with the ending was that it was a tad to realistic. I was very invested in the characters and I wanted a bit more of a concrete ending. It didn't need to be a happy ending, just a more set ending.

Overall I'd suggest this movie. It definitely has an Indie feel to it and I always appreciate a realistic feel to a movie. Also Anna's mom is played by River Song from Doctor Who, if you're into that kinda thing.

The Road

So I just watched the movie adaptation of The Road. To be honest, it was exactly like the book. The dialog was exactly the same (seriously), and there were no different scenes. So.. it wasn't bad. It was the same amount of Okay as the book. In fact, I'm just going to put the link for my review from the book, because of how not different the two are.

Link Link Link 

A Frostbitten Road

The Road by Cormac McCarthy 

Set after some unexplained apocalypse, a father and son walk down a road, trying to make it south before the winter get really bad. That's about all the summary you need.

This book was interesting. You never find out the father and sons, or any other characters, name the entire book. They are just addressed as Man and Boy. The world is now just an ashy gray landscape with it only changing between pitch black, kinda gray, and raining. A majority of the population has died and you don't want to cross paths with most of the people still alive. Finding food is just one of the many struggles they have to stay alive.

I keep flipping back on forth on this book. On one hand, I love how simple the book is. You never learns names, you never learn how the world got to this point, and you never learn what happens later. Instead you just follow the Man and the Boy as they wander through the currant world with its own currant problems. On the other hand, I felt like it was missing something. I don't really need to know what happened to the world – I enjoy guessing what happened – nor do I need to know if the world ever gets better. I'm not sure what it was, but I just wanted more from the book. I think I just wanted more of a relationship between the Man and the Boy. Usually their conversation was so impersonal and scattered that I would have thought they were just a Man and Boy who met up and decided to travel together instead of a Father and Son. Overall I didn't dislike the book. I just wanted more from it.

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong

The forth book in a series, Frostbitten follows the only female werewolf: Elena Michaels. Werewolves are a hidden society that are either born, or bitten. If born, they don't become werewolves until puberty, and then it's only the males who inherit the werewolf gene. If bitten, the person immediately goes through the genetic change – an extremely painful process that not everyone survives. Before Elena, no female had successfully survived the Change. After two decades of getting used to being a werewolf, Elena has finally gotten used to her new life and she's become an extremely useful part of the Pack. This mission around Elena and her husband Clayton go to Alaska to look into some human deaths with Mutt's (non-Pack werewolves) being the probably cause. Between the harsh cold weather, the startlingly silent wilderness, and the a pack of rouge Mutts, Elena and Clayton have possibly bitten off more than they can chew.

Book count: 6

Suite Develish Academy

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

Scarlett Martin grew up in a hotel. As interesting as that sounds, it quickly loses its appeal when you have to clean and deal with guests for your entire life. This summer was suppose to be spent getting a summer job for pocket money, instead she was told to work at the hotel some more. Now she has to attend to Mrs. Amberson – an eccentric, C-List celebrity who is determined to change everyones life around her. Between Mrs. Amberson, her angsty little sister, her struggling actor brother and a possibly love interest, this could prove to be her most interesting summer yet.

This book was about letting loose so you can enjoy what's going on around you. Mrs. Amberson acted as a sort of once in a life person who manages to influence everyone around her, changing things that were previously thought to be unchangeable. Of could her desire is to change everyone, but it's not until she loosens up a bit before she starts making the big changes. I think Maureen Johnson does an excellent job of showing the different type of siblings. There is Scarletts' brother, Spencer, who is an amazing physical actor who doesn't want to get tied down to the hotel forever. He loves to dote on Scarlett and they can usually be found talking and hanging out more then not. Then there is Scarlett's youngest sister, Marlene who is coddles and is allowed to do essentially anything she wants by their parents. For whatever reason, Marlene has a problem with Scarlett and is generally not a fan of her. Lastly there is Lola, Scarlett's older sister who works outside of the hotel and is not often around. Lola and Scarlett are always nice and sisterly to each other, but Scarlett won't go to the movies with each other or anything like that.

I really enjoyed this book. I found all the characters interesting and intriguing – Mrs. Amberson and Spencer are at the top of that list. Scarlett felt like a realistic 15 year old that I could relate to on some level (despite not being 15). I'll probably buy the sequel when I see it in the store so I can continue my journey with Scarlett Martin and her family.

Devilish by Maureen Johnson

Jane is ridiculously smart. The sort of smart that is isolating. She breezes through all of her classes, even the college level one that are offered special just because of her. Jane dyes her hair and rebels against their school strict catholic rules because there is no real reason to try. Her only friend is Allison Concord and to be honest Jane is fine with that. Ally is sweet, lovable, a little clueless but still Jane's best friend. After a traumatically embarrassing event in front of the school (let me just say barfing on someone was involved), Ally comes into to school acting and looking different. Jane, being the smart gal she is, investigates the weirdness with quickly gets her involved into a game for her soul with the devil.

I didn't dislike this book. It was fun and definitely a new idea. However I wouldn't be too distraught if I misplaced the book and couldn't find it. It just fell a little flat for me. I found myself not actually caring about any of the characters nor the overall outcome.

Knightly Academy by Violet Haberdasher 

Knightly Academy is a prestigious school where kids from well-to-do families study to become knights. At least it used to only be for well-to-do families, until a loophole let Henry Grim, a serving boy, take the test and pass. Now Henry Grim gets to fulfill his dream of becoming a knight, if only he can survive the bullying from his much more socially important classmates. However things get a lot more serious when the harmless bullying turns into threats, stolen items, and legitimate attempts to get them hurt or even expelled. Henry needs to figure out who is behind this before it ruins his chances to become a knight forever.

Before I read this book, I was told rather accurately that it was like 'Harry Potter with Knights'. Henry Grim was an incredibly likeable main character, he was smart and just wanted to learn despite no one wanting him to be there. His two friends he does have balances him out nicely – Rohan and Adam. Rohan is the reason, the one who pipes up whenever they are about to do something not exactly allowed. Adam is the wit, getting Rohan and Henry to relax and just enjoy themselves whenever they get too stressed out.

Obviously there are a lot of similarities with Harry Potter, not that that's entirely a bad thing. Just an observation. I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick, fun read that drew me in. I have a thing for medieval stories, I'd never toss up the chance for to stories about knights and this book is no exception. 

Book Count: 4

The 100 Book Challange and Sisters Red

This year I'm going to read 100 books. I considered doing only 50, but go big or go home, right? This will consist mainly of new book I've never read, but I do have a few books I want to reread. They're a part of a series, so to make it even I'll probably just count the series as one book because they are short. It's been forever since I've read them, so that's really the only reason I'm allowing them. Also Graphic Novels are allowed (again, if they are a series I'll just count it as one book).

Of course I'll also be reviewing all the books on this site. It's probably the only way I'd be able to properly keep track of all the books.

So lets cover what I have read already.

Sisters Red  by Jackson Pearce

This is basically the story of Little Red Riding Hood, just revamped. Jackson Pearce has started a series where she revamps classic fairy tales - Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Little Mermaid. These aren't just like modernized stories. Instead she takes the classics we all know and love, and twists the story into her own creation.

When they were young, Scarlett and Rosie March were attacked by a Fenrir, or a werewolf, leaving Scarlett horribly disfigured and their grandmother dead. Now they've taken it upon themselves to hunt down and kill as many Fenrir's as possible to try and make the world a little bit safer. Well, more accurately Scarlett has taken it upon herself, Rosie follows along but shows much more interest in their childhood friend Silas. When they notice an influx of Fenrir in the area, they find out they are all looking for a new Potential Fenrir (a rare event) and decide to try and find the Potential before the Fenrirs do. It's a deadly race they're not entirely sure they can win.

I really enjoyed this book, but some parts felt obviously like a teen book. Scarlett gets a little angsty and Silas feels rather empty as the main love interest. But on the other hand, it also gets so much right. The Fenrir's are an interesting concept that Jackson Pearce doesn't feel obligated to explain every little thing about - which I love. It keeps some of the mystery alive. I loved Rosie's commitment to her sister, even if it was sometimes misplaced. Scarlett is very determined, not wanting to allow other girls to die when she has the ability to prevent it which I find very admirable. Despite the weird looks she gets because of her appearance, she still wants to help the world. I'm  excited to read the next book, Sweetly. Unfortunately I left that as school, so it'll just have to wait.