Books and Movies

Wonder, by R.J. Palacio

Have you ever finished a book and then just wanted to hug it for a moment because you aren't quite ready to let go of it yet?  That's how I felt when I finished Wonder last night.  Wonder is R.J. Palacio's debut novel.  I found it to be a thought-provoking, heart-warming read.  It's about a boy named Auggie who has a severe facial deformity and goes to school for the first time in 5th grade.  He experiences the challenges and joys of trying to fit in when he can only stand out.  A great reminder of the importance of kindness, friendship, and acceptance.

The Girl Who Could Fly, by Victoria Forester and Michael Vey, by Richard Paul Evans

I lumped these two books together because I found them sort of similar in theme.  Both books are about kids who have special powers and have to use their powers to fight off bad guys.  That's all I'm going to say, because I don't want to ruin the stories for you.  I really enjoyed both of these books.

Unaccustomed Earth, by Jhumpa Lahiri

I read this for my book club.  It's not something I probably would have chosen on my own, but I did find it somewhat interesting.  It is a collection of eight stories that focus on the lives of Bengali families who raise children in America and deal with the challenges of holding onto their culture.  

MOVIES:

The City of Ember

Whenever I watch a movie based on a book, I try to be mentally prepared for the fact that the movie will not be as good as the book.  Most of the time, I still enjoy the movie, because I enjoy seeing the characters I love brought to life.  Unfortunately, that was not the case with this movie.  Words cannot express how much I resent this horrible interpretation of a great book.  The book had a serious, thoughtful feel to it, but the movie was turned into an odd, Roald Dahl-type interpretation that just irritated me.  They made changes to the storyline that were totally unnecessary and frankly, totally lame.  I regret wasting 1 hour and 33 minutes of my life watching this.  Okay, rant finished now.

War Horse

This weekend I was flipping channels and was fortunate to find War Horse just starting on one of the movie channels.  I loved this movie! It was heartwarming and just what I needed to get that awful City of Ember movie off my mind.