Thursday, June 18, 2015

From Books to Movies Part 2

 Title: The Star Wars Trilogy
                                       
                                              Star Wars

                                              The Empire Strikes Back

                                              Return of the Jedi
                                    # of Pages: 471
                                    Author: George Lucas
                                    Previous Work: (Books Only)

                                    George Lucas: Interviews

                                    Author: Donald F. Glut
                                    Previous Work: (Fiction Only)

                                    Frankenstein Lives Again

                                    Frankenstein Meets Dracula

                                    Bones of Frankenstein

                                    Author: James Kahn
                                    Previous Work: 
                                        
                                    World Enough, and Time

                                    Time's Dark Laughter

                                     Poltergeist

                                     Summary: A long time ago in a galaxy far far away... Luke 
                                     Skywalker worked on his uncle's farm on a remote planet 
                                     called Tatooine, repairing secondhand machinery and stunt-
                                     flying his battered skyhopper... and he was bored beyond 
                                     belief. He dreamed of adventures out among the stars-
                                     adventures that would take him to distant, alien worlds. But 
                                     when Luke intercepted a cryptic message from a beautiful 
                                     captive, he got more than he bargained for- and that was how
                                     it all began...

                                     Rating: This is a 5.
                                     Awards: There are no awards for the books but the 
                                     movies received so many awards, I won't even bother trying
                                     to list them.

                                     Opinion: Full disclosure: I got the summary from the back
                                     of the book. I was really worried about giving too much away. 
                                     Okay, moving on. I really loved the books. The plot felt fuller 
                                     because the characters' feelings were revealed. And the large 
                                     vocabulary and detailed descriptions were definitely a plus 
                                     (not that the movies needed those)That being said, a lack of 
                                      continuity in the books drove me slowly insane. In the first 
                                      book Artoo was described as having thick clawed legs. Yet in
                                      the next two, he's described as looking exactly like the 
                                      movies. Also, Yoda's skin changes from blue to green. Little 
                                      issues like that bothered me, but they might not bother you.

                                       Better than the Movie?: It really depends on what you're 
                                       looking for. I personally had a hard time following the 
                                       action scenes in the book (especially fights between ships)
                                       without being able to see it. On the other hand, I really
                                       enjoyed the character development, vocabulary, and the 
                                       ability to stop it part way through. I think any true Star 
                                       Wars fan should read the book, just to see where it all 
                                       started.

                                        Movie Preview:



                               

Monday, June 1, 2015

Summer Reading Programs 2015

Every year I put out a  list of teen summer reading programs across the US. Each year, it gets a little bigger and better. This year, the libraries are alphabetized, and so comprehensive, the list will be broken into parts. Enjoy!

Multiple States:

Alabama:

Alaska: 

Arizona:
Maricopa County Reads (Includes almost all of Arizona)

Arkansas:

California:
Mill Valley Public Library

Aurora Free Library (Not Yet Updated)

Connecticut:


































































Delaware:

D.C.:

Florida:

Georgia: 

Hawaii:

Idaho:

Illinois:

Indiana:


Kentucky:
Boyd County Public Library
Campbell County Public Library
Kenton County Public Library
Lexington Public Library



Maryland:

Romeo District Library (Not Yet Updated)


Mississippi:


Montana:

Nebraska:



Mount Laurel Library (Not Yet Updated)



New York:
Summer Reading at New York Libraries (Includes entire state)

North Carolina:

North Dakota:

Ohio:





South Carolina:









Saturday, April 18, 2015

From Books to Movies Part 1

 Title: The Princess Bride
                                  # of Pages: 464
                                 Author: William Goldman
                                 Previous Work ( Only the highlights, not including scripts):

                                 The Temple of Gold

                                  Soldier in the Rain

                                  No Way to Treat a Lady

                                  The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway


                                  Summary: William Golman has taken S. Morgenstern's
                                  classic tale of love and adventure and made it accessible to
                                  modern readers. The story is as follows.  When Buttercup's
                                  beloved Westley is killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts she vows
                                  never to love again. She becomes engaged to Prince
                                  Humperdink (whom she doesn't love) because it will be
                                  mutually beneficial. Unfortunately, before she can be married
                                  to him, she is kidnapped- not once but twice. Can Buttercup
                                  stay true to her heart or will she fall for the very man who killed
                                  her one true love?

                                  Rating: I'm honestly torn on my rating and I'll explain why in
                                  the opinion.
                                  Awards: There are no awards for the book, but the movie
                                  received The Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation

                                  Opinion: I'm going to save you a lot of trouble and tell you to
                                  take this book with a bucket of salt- not a  grain, a bucket.
                                  There is no S. Morgenstern, nor an extended version of the book
                                  you can find. Mr. Goldman does not have a son or a horribly
                                  selfish ex-wife. Lastly there is no reunion scene (although if
                                  you ask for it you get a hilarious email) and there isn't and
                                  never will be, a full version of Buttercup's Baby. You will
                                  understand all of what I just said if you read the book. The book
                                  had a really good, interesting plot, but in itself was just a satire
                                  of the author's views. It was funny but frustrating, and left me
                                  torn as to whether I should be awed by the genius of it or
                                  furious at its duplicity. (If you had issues with any of the vocab
                                  in this paragraph you may not want to read the book. It is filled
                                  with ten-dollar words.)

                                  Better than the Movie?: Absolutely not. The movie was
                                  hilarious and quotable and amazingly cheesy. The acting was
                                  great and you got sucked into the story. While the book
                                  certainly has its merits, there is a reason why the movie-and
                                  not the book- was an insta-classic.

                                 Movie Preview: