Movie Review: Paper Towns

Paper Towns

(Contains Spoilers)

Movie:

Film Corporation: 20th Century Fox

Released to Theatre: July 24th, 2015

Audience Rating: 6.6

Length of Time: 109 minutes

Director: Jake Schreier

(Movie trailer)

Book:

Title: Paper Towns

Author: John Green

Publisher: Speak

Release Date: September 22nd, 2009

Format: Paperback, 305 pages

Movie Review:

   All the strings inside him broke.

   After reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and seeing how perfect they made the adaption I was excited to hear the news of a Paper Towns adaption. Unfortunately that was before I had read the book, after reading it all I could hope for the adaption was for it to be better than the book.

   To me the movie was the same level of dull as the book was, it was plain and boring. There was nothing special to the plot, or storyline. I found John Green's characters in Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska to be too alike that when reading Paper Towns I just kept getting flashbacks from reading Looking for Alaska. 

   Although they film makers did a great job recreating the settings and story, the film just wasn't for me. The only things that I enjoyed from the film was the secret cameo of Ansel Elgort, and when drunk Ben started singing the Pokemon theme song and everyone joined along.

   I stopped caring for John Green and his books and films a few books ago, I think Paper Towns confirmed for me that they just aren't for me.

Overall Rating:

Favourite Scene:

   My favourite scene would 100% have to be when they make their gas station pitstop, and Ansel Elgort was behind the desk. Before we started watching the movie my friend and I were laughing about how Nat Wolf was in The Fault in Our Stars as well, so when Ansel popped up we screamed with laughter. It was one of those, you had to have been there moments I guess.

Favourite Quotes:

  "You have to get lost before you find yourself."

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

High School, Teenagers, Adventure, Travels, Nat Wolf, Ansel Elgort, Contemporary 

Book Review: Paper Towns by John Green

Release Date: May 19th, 2015
Read: July 21st-29th, 2015
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Series: N/A
Format: Paperback, Movie Tie-In, 336 pages
Source: Bought

Description from GoodReads:

   Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. 

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

Review:

   As long as we don't die, this is gonna be one hell of a story.

   I'm not going to lie, where John Green books may be popular they really aren't for me. His story for The Fault in Our Stars was fabulous, and Looking for Alaska had a very deep topic but I can never really enjoy his characters, they are all the same for me. A boy who is a "nobody" and who is pinning for a hot girl, who apparently is everything. They were never anything special about them.

Paper Towns was not for me, I didn't even enjoy it really. The adventure and clues that were the main story made no sense. I couldn't wait to be done reading it.

   I guess fans of John Green might enjoy Paper Towns, but otherwise I think you'd be better off reading something else. 

Rating:

Favourite Quote:

"Maybe all the strings inside him broke." ~ Margo

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Mystery, Adventure, Travel

Ohana Talks: Books that have Stayed with Me

   I was nominated to list 10 books that have stayed with me  or affected me through out the years. I'm also not supposed to over think which books to pick. They do not have to be the 'right' books or great works of literature, just ones that have affected me in some way. 

   I only have 9 books that really mean something to me. So those are the ones I'll be showing you.

Books:

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margret Stohl 

Night World: Secret Vampire by L.J. Smith

Night World: Soulmate by L.J. Smith

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Need by Carrie Jones

   I was Nominated by:

Matt Keenan, Daria Plett, and Michelle Madow!

.........

I Nominate:

Amalie Howard, Amanda Sun,  Dawn Metcalf, The Book Bratz, Ana Love, Emily, Crystal, Andye and Jessica Baker!

Movie Review: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars

Contains Spoilers

Movie:

Film Corporation: 20th Century Fox

Released to Theatres: June 6th, 2014 

Audience Rating: PG13

Length of Time: 126 minutes

Director: Josh Boone

(Movie Trailer)

Book:

Title: The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

Publisher: Dutton Books

Release Date: January 10th, 2012

Format: Hardcover, 318 pages

(Ohana Reads Book Review)

Movie Review:

Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.

   After waiting a whole month after the release, I was able to see The Fault in Our Stars. No matter what was left out the adaption was a wonderful experience. The Shailene Woodly and Ansel Elgort were perfect Hazel and Augustus's. They portrayed the characters faultlessly, even Ansel's limping was flawless. I only had one problem with these actors, they both played a major part in the Divergent movie. The fact that they were in the movie wasn't the problem, it was the fact that they played siblings. So at the odd moments I would picture them as siblings once again and flinch. 

   Adaption wise the creators did a fair job with sicking to the main plot of the book. I noticed though where the book was very witty the movie was not, or well not with the John Green humour from the book. The movie focused more on the romance, doing this they left out somewhat big things like the Isaac scenes or the humour and reason behind the swing set. (Lonely, Vaguely Pedophilic Swing Set Seeks the Butts of Children.) I was rather disappointed that they focused it on the romance, Augustus's and Hazel's romance was not what The Fault in Our Stars was written for. There was so much for, I'd like to think that John Green had written to show that your life is what you can make it to be, you can let yourself waste away or you can live it. 

    I laughed and I cried, and I appreciated the movie as much as I did the novel. The The Fault in Our Stars movie adaption was an delightful adaption to watch and I would definitely see it again. So if you were wondering if seeing it on screen is worth it, take my word for it and see it. You won't regret it.

Overall Rating:

Favourite Scene:

My favourite scene was when the camera started to move from Augustus's and Hazel's legs to their heads as they were in Augustus's bed in Amsterdam. My favourite part was seeing Hazel's legs wrapped around Augustus's one. There was just so much love and trust in the scene that one could not adore it.

Favourite Quote:

  " I am quite unextraordinary." ~ Hazel

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Drama, Young Love, Cancer Stories, Romance

April Wrap Up!

  Hey everyone! 

   So this is my first ever Monthly Wrap up! Starting now each month I will tell you how my month went blog wise, and tell you what reviews I did, what books I read, my book haul for the month and a couple other things:P 

   This month I didn't get a lot of books read, but it certainly was a big book haul month and a good reviewing month! 

Books Read in April:

Endless Knight by Kresley Cole

Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano 

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

Find Me by Romiy Bernard

The Secret Diamond Sisters by Michelle Madow

Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

   My goal for the year was to read 150 books, I've currently read 33 books. I'm 22% done with my goal this year:)

April Releases I'm Excited For:

The Warrior by Victoria Scott (6th)
After the End by Amy Plum (6th)
The One by Kiera Cass (6th)
Second Star by Alyson B. Shienmel (13th)
Of Neptune by Anna Banks (13th)

Reborn by C.C Hunter (20th)
Dangerous Creatures by Margaret Stohl & Kami Garcia (20th)
The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes (20th)
The Dark World by Cara Lynn Shultz (27th)
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare (27th)

   I think I'm most excited for The One, The Warrior and City of Heavenly Fire:)

Book Haul for the Month:

Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Karma Club by Jessica Brody

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

 Lets Get Lost by Adi Alsaid (ARC Signed)

Taken at Dusk by C.C Hunter (ARC)

 Visions by Kelley Armstrong (ARC Signed)

Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter

  The Blood Guard by Carter Roy (ARC)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Tiger Lily by Jofi Lynn Anderson

The Secret Diamond Sisters by Michelle Madow (Signed)

52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody

Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fragile Spirits by Mary Lindsay (Signed)

Dangerous by Shannon Hale (ARC)

The Gypsy King by Maureen Fergus

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

   This is probably my biggest book haul ever :O

Books Reviewed:

The Secret Diamond Sisters by Michelle Madow

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings (ARC)

The Liberator by Victoria Scott 

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

   What I tell you? It was a good reviewing month!


   That's all for this month my people! Until next month, and happy readings!


   ALSO: There will be a big announcement sometime this weekend! Ohana Reads and Just a Booklover have something planned for you:)

 

Book Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Release Date: December 28th, 2006

Read: February 24-26th, 2014

Publisher: Speak

Series: N/A

Format: Paperback, 221 pages

Source: Bought

Description from GoodReads:

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same

Review

    How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?

    I have so much to say about this books, but I feel like my words won't be able to express them. I had picked up Looking for Alaska after I had finished The Fault in Our Stars, my first thoughts towards the book were that it would be an adorable novel like The Fault in Our Stars was. I was completely wrong. With Looking for Alaska I found myself thinking about how many people are living in difficult situations and what they're going through or have been through. Maybe they're living in poverty or have addictions that they can't live with, situations like these are not a laughing matter. That goes the same with this book, while reading this I was forced to rethink about how I saw people. The thing with John Green's books are that no matter the topic for his books, they will somewhat change you. With The Fault in Our Stars it changed how I saw people living with cancer, instead of feeling bad for them I now see them living with strength and courage. In Looking for Alaska the was I saw people living in a labyrinth changed. I learnt even with help, family and friends some people just can't live in the labyrinth anymore and just have to find a way out. 

       On a upside to Looking for Alaska I loved the subtile things that John would have here and there. Like the story of Alaska and her books. I've taken such an understanding to this that it shocks me. No matter how long we live our lives, there will always be books we haven't read and will never read. To think of this to me is just devastating, but we can still at least try. 

        Looking for Alaska is emotionally conflicting read, it reaches out to it reader and makes them realize and see things they probably wouldn't have known without being in someone else's shoes or learning their story.  I am glad I picked it up and look forward to my next John Green read.

Note: I've also started to refer to my books as my Life's Library.

Update:

   In Spring 2014, I lost an old family friend. He was only a few years older then me, about Alaska's age. At his funeral I found myself thinking about Looking for Alaska, or rather the message John tried to tell us in the book.  It wasn't until someone so young was taken from us that I truly understand it. If that event was the reason I truly comprehend his message, then I hope no one else will have to endure such events to understand.

Rating:

Favourite Quote:

"Her life's library." ~ Pudge

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Romance,  Realistic Fiction

Spolier:

When I think of Alaska Young I find myself thinking her last words were "Straight and Fast" for Pudges sake. I believe this to be important in someway, but to which way I wouldn't know.

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Release Date: January 10,  2012
Read: January 8,  2014
Publisher: Dutton Books
Series: N/A
Format: Hardcover,  313 pages
Source: Gift

Description on GoodReads:

   Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. 

   Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 


   Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Review:

I'm Okay.

...Not really.

      I heard about this novel from many different people, the things I heard were incredible. As I looked into this book I slowly began to want to read it, but I also became afraid. I don't read realistic fiction. When I read, I read to go to different places that I'll never experience. With The Fault in Our Stars, people live and battle with cancer in their everyday lives. That could happen to me or one of my loved ones one day, that thought made me afraid to hear Hazel and Augustus's story. But I'm glad I read it anyway.
       The story began with Hazel not enjoying her life/time she had left, but that changed when she met Augustus Waters. I adored both characters, which made it sad in the end. When the story is about cancer patients you practically know how it's going to end. Even with that the strengths and optimism of the characters is heartwarming. Most of the time people living with cancer have let the thought of death ruin them, because as Augustus said depression is a side affect of dying. Augustus has shown Hazel and the readers that there is another side to life with cancer. Live with what time you have, don't waste it.
        This story had me on a roller coaster that went up until it couldn't go any higher. It had me smiling, giggling, and crying. But most importantly this novel was a work of perfection. John Green has made us seen the world in a completely different point of view, and we thank him for that.
        John Green has written many other works of art including Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns and An Abundance of Katherines. Most of these have won many awards. He currently runs vlogbrothers with his brother Hank.

Rating:

Favourite Quote:

" Flirting was new to me, but I liked it." ~Hazel

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Young Love, Cancer Stories