Off The Shelf

Back in December, when the movie was still in theaters, I read The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. I saw the movie, by the name of Hugo, over the weekend. The cast included the following and more: Hugo Cabret - Asa Butterfield Isabelle - Chloë Grace Moretz Georges Melies - Ben Kingsley Madame Emilie - Frances de la Tour Monsieur Frick - Richard Griffiths Overall, I believe the movie followed the book with exciting chase scenes and magical moments. The actors and director made the mystery of the Automaton, the key, and the old man, come alive for the viewer in an egaging and fun way. This movie is definitely geared toward a younger age level, as was the book. Click here to read my review of the book.

According to Parade magazine, The Hunger Games was the most anticipated movie of 2012.  The first, in a three, possibly four motion picture series was released this past Thursday at midnight. I had reserved my ticket back in February and had been anxiously awaiting my chance to see it. Overall, I believe the movie was true to the book, and any small changes they did make, did not directly impact the plot. Some differences include: -Madge is eliminated from the movie all together, therefore Katniss buys the mockingjay pin herself. -While the games take place, Seneca Crane is shown with other Gamemakers creating  the events inside the arena. -The mutated dogs at the finale of the games do not have the dead tributes features. Again, none of these changes made the movie any less fantastic, and as Suzanne Collins is listed as one of the screenwriters of the movie, she obviously was okay with the changes as well. The theater was completely full when I went yesterday ev...

Ugly to Start With John Michael Cummings 168 pages Jason Stevens is a teen-aged boy growing up in historic Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. His father is hard to please, and the tourists never seem to leave. All the while, Jason is forever unraveling stories about his family, and the town he thought he knew everything about. Cummings' new novel is made up of several short stories, all based upon the same main character. The only drawback to this novel is that it lacks a central plot line. That drawback can be easily overlooked though as clear descriptions and metaphoric phrases are not shy. The reader will have a painting in their mind drawn in by phrases like these: "Mrs. Grove had hair as red and frizzy as a copper wire." , "As I wrapped on the paint-blistered door of Rusty's whitewashed shack" , and "All around now were the greenest, picture-perfect expanses of transplanted grass, stabbed with shiny power-line polls,". Jason's ...

My Sister's Keeper Jodi Picoult 448 pages Anna Fitzgerald was born as a genetically-matched donor for her older sister Kate, who was plagued with leukemia as a child. Kate has always been dependent on Anna, therefore Anna has not been able to live the life she wants. Now, Kate has gone into renal failure, and needs a kidney from Anna. Although she loves her sister, Anna has had enough and decides to hire a lawyer to sue her parents for medical emancipation. This was an amazing book to read. Picoult tackles such an uncommon topic with clarity and sensitivity. Each chapter alternates between different main characters in the book; Campbell Alexander; her lawyer, Sara; Anna's mother, Brian; Anna's father, Jesse; Anna's brother, Anna herself, and others. I love this feature of the book because it helps the reader to understand how the lawsuit effected the people she loved the most. Throughout the book, flashbacks occur, to show the connection between Anna and Kate. E...