Return of the King

While I was reading the Lord of the Rings, I was also watching the movies. But I made sure I didnt get too far in the movies. I only got as far as I had read. So I got to compare the movies and books pretty closely.
It didnt take me too long to read them and watch all of them. Maybe less than a month...um, by the time the 3rd movie was over, I had read all the books. And by the ending of the 3rd movie, I cannot remember a time when I had cried more. I wasn't just crying. I was a mess. I was sobbing. I dont know what came over me. But I went through a lot with these guys. I would get scared at night when Frodo and Sam were on their way to Mordor. I GOT NIGHTMARES. So yeah...I was pretty emotional. Its sort of embarrasing.
And Strider gets kinged! Can I say "kinged"? Crowned? Well, whatever. He is king and all is well.

The Two Towers

So...this book is amazing. Didn't know if you guys knew that or not. But there it is. Thought I would let you know in case you didn't.
Also, I <3 Strider.
I need that on a bumper sticker. Right now.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

This book is probably the best kids book I have ever read. The characters, though, are not as good as the inspiration you get from reading/viewing this book.
Let me explain. The drawings throughout the book are phenomenal! Really amazing! Take a looksie!





The sketches are throughout the book..sometimes in rows of pages,sometimes in just one or two, so that it can sometimes turn into a picturebook.

Now, the theme of the book is an amazing one. A little boy living in a train station. He steals toys from the toy store so he can take the toys apart to help fix an automaton. The automaton is the only thing he has from when his father was alive. He gets caught stealing the toys from the store keeper and is forced to work there. The store keeper though, has a secret. A secret I will not reveal. But I will say that film also plays an important part of this book in a way I have never seen in another book and it was breathtaking. The book takes a close look of the work of Georges Melies. He was an amazing filmmaker and he was really the first filmmaker to use special effects. He was so creative and just utterly brilliant. Being a magician also helped him use the special effects in a way that had never been thought of before. This picture is from his film "A Trip to the Moon". The picture also plays an important part in the book!



If you flip through the book (highly recomended) you'll actually find this picture. Amazing and beautiful and quite moving. Never before have I read about the love of film in such a way...never before has it been captured like this.

Romeo & Juliet

I took this book with me back home to Los Angeles and read most of it on the plane trip.
When I opened up a newspaper on my return flight, a line was quoted from this very play. I gasped quietly. The line that the newspaper quoted was the exact line that I had last read where I bookmarked it.
You've gotta love that.

Fellowship of the Ring

Mhmmm, the love of Tolkien begins...after so many years. For the first time, I understood it all. For the first time, I loved it all.
In Fellowship, I fell in love with the Shire, and I fell in love with a hobbits love of simplicity.
In Fellowship I fell in love with the Rangers of the North and their love of the hunt.
In Fellowship I fell in love with Galadriel.
In Fellowship, I fell in love. :)

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

Wow. What can I say? One of the best books Ive ever read, plus I was also introduced to an amazing character!! Joe Kalavier is his name, drawing is his game! Seriously though, I loved him. I dont know how to describe what his character meant to me, and what this book overall meant to me. Superheroes, art, love, magic, hope, loss...yes, it was an AMAZING Adenture!!!!!

A Thousand Splendid Suns

It only took me a few days to read this book. Beautifully written and what an amazing story. Khaled Hosseini is an amazing storyteller.
I know that the Kite Runner got a ton of press when it was released, but honestly, I prefer this one to the Kite Runner. I LOVED it!