Books and Movies

Books Read 
001. | Emma by Jane Austen | 18 jan '10
         I found that this book, like every other Jane Austen novel I’ve encountered so far (outside of this challenge), started off slowly but eventually had me hooked. See the thing is, I love a good bit of romance and, unlike Pride and Prejudice in which Elizabeth Bennet inevitably ends up with Mr Darcy, I never quite knew who was going to end up with who while reading Emma. Briefly, I found myself torn between the strength and stability of Mr Knightley and the charming prospect of Mr Churchill, however I quickly tired of Frank Churchill who, while amusing seemed a little bit childish, and returned my focus to Mr Knightley, still having no idea as to the eventual fate of the novel’s heroine but hoping it would involve the gentleman. Overall, I found this novel very enjoyable, captivating me with its suspenseful romances, despite the occasionally irritating nature of its protagonist (which, I’m sure, was intentional on Austen’s part as it only made the character more believable) as the romance and the gentlemen and the British-ness captured my imagination (and my heart). How I wish my life was more like a Jane Austen novel.

002. | Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K Rowling | 27 jan '10
         It’s hard to say what this series means to me. They’re not my favourite books in the world and I, unlike some people, certainly don’t believe they should be considered “Modern Classics” but they’re definitely something special. Just like so many other people around my age, I literally grew up with these books. I started at eight years old with the magic and wonder of Philosopher’s Stone and gradually, just as I grew up, becoming less naive and more aware of the darkness in the world, so too did the Harry Potter books, eventually culminating in death and destruction and other such things in Deathly Hallows. I think there’s few series that can one can say they’ve found relevant at age eight and age seventeen. The thing I like about this book in particular, number 6 of 7, is that you really start to see just how intricate the plot is and how much effort and planning JKR has put into the series. I really admire her foresight and dedication because honestly, if I had a plot all mapped out in my head and new it would take over 15 years to get it all out there, onto paper, there’s no way I’d be able to stick it out. In that sense, I am thoroughly amazed by this book each time I read it.

003. | Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen | 23 feb '10
        Northanger Abbey is quite different from the other Austen novels I've read so far. I found that more of Jane's ironic sense of humour shined through, which I quite enjoyed. I also liked not already knowing the entire plot as one so often does with her more popular novels....Short review but that's all I really have to say.

004. | The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde | 29 may '10
         It took me a really long time to finish this book. Not because I didn't like it but because I haven't been in the mood for reading. I actually enjoyed this novel, though it was slow at some points. Oscar Wilde has all of these wonderfully philosophical lines, most of which he gives to Lord Henry (who, incidentally, might just be my favourite character), that make me wish so much that today's society still have the same respect for language rather than the blatant disregard one sees on mediums such as Facebook.

005. | The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien | 25 jun 10
         I actually enjoyed The Hobbit rather more than I expected, to the point where I might just tackle The Lord of the Rings again when I get the chance. This novel is one that I can imagine people of nearly all ages enjoying. It's very humorous and, amazingly, lacking a single moment of tediousness. Tolkien has a great style, making it impossible not to love Bilbo Baggins by the end of his adventures and leaving you hoping to one day be able to use "may your beard wither!" as a legitimate insult.

006. | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis | 26 jun '10
         I never read any of The Chronicles of Narnia as a child and I probably never would have read them if The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe wasn't on my reading list for English. I found the novel simplistic, which is to be expected as it was written for children, but not annoyingly so. The story is a good one and will always last, even if the simplicity of the story and lack of in depth character analysis is unfulfilling. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this book, though I think I would have liked it more a decade or so ago when I was a child. And, of course, I do love the movies.

007. | The Owl Service by Alan Garner | 29 jun '10
         I can't honestly say I enjoyed this book. I mean, I never felt the desire to put it down and never pick it up again and I didn't feel as though I was being forced to read it but I could have done without it. I felt like the weird plot wasn't fully utilised, leaving it with a somewhat pointless air, not to mention the confusion. I often felt like crucial scenes and plot points were missing while the character interactions where no less confusing. One minute everyone's fighting and the next they're all cool. Maybe I'm expecting too much from children's books but I think a coherent plot isn't too much to ask for.

008. | Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O'Brien | 02 jul '10
         As a biology student and a generally over-logical person I found myself greatly enjoying this novel. While all of the animals can, inexplicably, all speak English (something which has always bothered me in children's media), I was too engrossed in the little rat society to be annoyed. As I mentioned before I am often annoyingly logical to the point of frequently over-analysing plot lines so I really loved the way in which O'Brien constructed a believable scientific reason for the rats of NIMH to evolve as a society beyond the point of regular rats. Additionally, O'Brien's characters are so well written that it becomes impossible not to continue reading and even makes you want to read the rest of the series.

009. | The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper | 08 jul '10
        This novel I actually really enjoyed. The more I read the harder it became to stop and I find myself itching to read the rest of the series. I really loved the story behind the Walker and all the other twisty elements that come with time travel, although I was a little bit confused by the way in which the Light dispelled the Dark. Other than all that I haven't much else to say.

010. | A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin | 13 jul '10
        This book wasn't one of my favourites although it was certainly better than The Owl Service.The novel doesn't seem to have aged well since the 70's, despite the fact that the story is set entirely in the second world with no aging references. I think it's Le Guin's attempt at a 70's environmentalist moral basis that does it for me. Not to mention, the story isn't terribly memorable and I already can't remember how it ended.

011. | The Changeover by Margaret Mahy | 15 jul '10
         I first read the blurb of this book and thought something along the lines of "Oh Jesus, must I read this tweeny crap?" but it wasn't actually that bad. Yes, it was written for the YA, mid-teens kinda audience but that didn't make it vapid or terribly irritating. Overall this book was enjoyable enough for me to wish for a sequel.

012. | Northern Lights by Philip Pullman | 10 aug '10
         I'd never read this book before and I wasn't really looking forward to it, having already seen and quite disliking the movie. However, this book shits all over the movie adaptation (as they so often do). I found book-Lyra perfectly amiable where movie-Lyra was an infuriating child and book-Lord Asriel to be rather intimidating where movie-Lord Asriel was just a bit pouty. The more I read of the book the more I hated about the movie. For me, that's a sign of a good book.

013. | The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud | 03 oct '10
         I've seen this book around a lot since I was about 12 but I never got around to reading it until I had to for an English class. I quite liked how Stroud portrayed magicians and their position in society, implying that they may not be as appreciate by the lower class as they believe. I found Nathaniel to be a fascinating character. Perhaps not a very good review but I'm knackered.

014. | Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast | 08 oct '10
         This book is a very easy read. It's that kind of YA girly (paranormal) romance that you can bang through in a few days with little consequence. It's never going to be your favourite book but you enjoyed it enough to finish it and you might even read the sequels. Other than that I found the plot frequently predictable (although not as much as Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle) and somewhat formulaic, like anyone could have written it.

015. | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling | 27 dec '10
        I was disappointed by this book the first time I read it. I don't know what I was expecting from the last book of a series I grew up with but it wasn't this. However, upon reading it again after seeing Part 1 of the movie adaptation I found a much greater appreciation for the book and the masterful way J.K.R managed to tie the series together. I think Deathly Hallows might actually be my favourite book of the series now.

016. | Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult | 06 jan '11
        While enjoyable enough I found Handle with Care to be very similar to another of Piccoult's novels My Sister's Keeper. Unlike My Sister's Keeper, the ending of Handle with Care was  predictable and unsatisfying. If you were only going to read one Piccoult novel I wouldn't suggest this one.

017. | The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger | 20 feb '11
        An interesting and well executed concept, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

018. | Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen | 02 apr '11
        It is obvious that this was Austen's first published novel. The story dragged incredibly and she seemed to skip over the best bits, the romance. However, I did find Elinor Dashwood to be very relatable, even more so when her situation with Edward Ferrars came to light. She is, perhaps, my favourite Austen woman yet.

019. | Polgara the Sorceress by David and Leigh Eddings | 01 jun '11
I read The Belgariad and The Mallorean when I was about 13 and really enjoyed them. I haven't read them since so I've forgotten quite a bit of the plot details but that didn't detract from this book at all. I really enjoyed reading about how Eddings' fantasy world gets to the point we see it at in the original two series. I found myself falling in love with all of those little boys of the Rivan line and wanting to start The Belgariad all over again. Also, I particularly enjoyed the romance between Ontrose and Polgara, even if it didn't work out so great.

020. | The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling | 08 jun '11
Oh, how I love J.K. The Tales of Beedle the Bard is, for one thing, a physically beautiful book and J.K.'s illustrations are fantastic. The stories are wonderful and read just like actual fairy tales. My favourite story is The Tale of the Three Brothers but that may be because it's the one I'm most familiar with through the Harry Potter books themselves. I also quite liked The Fountain of Fair Fortune. It was very predictable but I feel like that's not really the point of the story. Ultimately though Dumbledore's notes really do make the book with their entertaining insights into each story.

021. | Belgarath the Sorcerer by David and Leigh Eddings | 28 jun '11
I read this one after Polgara the Sorceress  which might have been the wrong order in which to do things but it didn't really matter. As with Polgara I loved the insight this book gives into the earlier series and it just made me want to get straight back into the Belgariad. I found I liked Belgarath more than Polgara, perhaps because it better explains the origins of the gods, the disciples and the Will and the Word or maybe I just like the character of Belgarath more than that of Polgara. Either way, this is a great companion to Eddings' earlier works The Belgariad and The Mallorean.

022. | A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin | 02 jul '11
Like many people, I started reading this series after seeing the HBO tv series that has been based on it. I loved the first few episodes of the series and immediately started reading the book. Eventually I had to stop watching the series because I didn't want to spoil the book for myself. Even knowing the content of the first half of the book, I still found A Game of Thrones intriguing and difficult to put down. The numerous story lines and changes of perspective helped to keep me interested and prevents the reader from forming a bias to or for any of the Houses vying for the throne. The downside of this though, for me anyway, is that it becomes difficult to develop feelings on particular characters as you spend so little time with each one. Hopefully the length of the series will allow time to get to know each character properly.

Movies Watched
001. | Spring Breakdown | 01 jan '10
002. | The Promotion | 02 jan '10
003. | The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 | 03 jan '10
004. | Extreme Movie | 03 jan '10
005. | Annapolis | 05 jan '10
006. | Sunshine Cleaning | 08 jan'10
007. | Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle | 16 jan '10
008. | District 9 | 20 jan '10
009. | Funny People | 23 jan '10
010. | Man of the House | 30 jan '10
011. | Sherlock Holmes | 02 feb '10
012. | Definitely, Maybe | 03 feb '10
013. | Beerfest | 06 feb '10
014. | Rumour Has It | 07 feb '10
015. | Speed Racer | 17 feb '10
016. | Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief | 20 feb '10
017. | From Paris With Love | 22 feb '10
018. | Hot Rod | 24 feb '10
019. | Alice in Wonderland | 04 mar '10
020. | Atonement | 12 mar '10
021. | Men In Black | 13 mar '10
022. | Alex and Emma | 16 mar '10
023. | The Holiday | 20 mar '10
024. | Shutter Island | 02 apr '10
025. | The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas | 05 apr '10
026. | Up In The Air | 10 apr '10
027. | Four Weddings and a Funeral | 10 apr '10
028. | Couples Retreat | 14 apr '10
029. | She's Out Of My League | 18 apr '10
030. | Men Who Stare At Goats | 20 apr '10
031. | Date Night | 22 apr '10
032. | Iron Man | 08 may '10
033. | The Bounty Hunter | 08 may '10
034. | The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo | 15 may '10
035. | The Blindside | 19 may '10
036. | The Lion King | 20 may '10
037. | Aladdin | 20 may '10
038. | Aladdin and the King of Thieves | 21 may '10
039. | Anastasia | 22 may '10
040. | Iron Man 2 | 25 may '10
041. | The Proposal | 29 may '10
042. | Juno |  30 may '10
043. | Atlantis The Lost Empire | 30 may '10
044. | Forgetting Sarah Marshall | 31 may '10
045. | Zack and Miri Make a Porno | 31 may '10
046. | Bride Wars | 02 jun '10
047. | The Royal Tenenbaums | 02 jun '10
048. | Clerks II | 04 jun '10
049. | The Losers | 05 jun '10
050. | I Could Never Be Your Woman | 06 jun '10
051. | In Good Company | 06 jun '10
052. | The A-Team | 10 jun '10
053. | My Super Ex-Girlfriend | 13 jun '10
054. | He's Just Not That Into You | 22 jun '10
055. | Hot Tub Time Machine | 24 jun '10
056. | Treasure Planet | 27 jun '10
057. | When in Rome | 30 jun '10
058. | Toy Story 3 | 07 jul '10
059. | The Fall | 22 jul '10
060. | Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day | 23 jul '10
061. | Soldier's Girl | 24 jul '10
062. | Marmaduke | 25 jul '10
063. | Possession | 28 jul '10
064. | A Single Man | 28 jul '10
065. | Ocean's 12 | 31 jul '10
066. | Denis the Menace | 14 aug '10
067. | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | 14 aug '10
068. | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World | 20 aug '10
069. | My One and Only | 25 aug '10
070. | Meet Bill | 25 aug '10
071. | Valentine's Day | 03 sep '10
072. | Tomorrow When the War Began | 04 sep '10
073. | Guess Who | 13 sep '10
074. | Just Friends | 17 sep '10
075. | Inception | 18 sep '10
076. | Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone | 25 sep '10
077. | Easy A | 10 oct '10
078. | Mean Girls | 17 oct '10
079. | I Love You Man | 19 oct '10
080. | The Blues Brothers | 19 oct '10
081. | 27 Dresses | 30 oct '10
082. | Weather Girl | 08 nov '10
083. | Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 | 18 nov '10
084. | The Social Network | 23 nov '10
085. | Red | 27 nov '10
086. | Due Date | 30 nov '10
087. | Wild Target | 07 dec '10
088. | Going The Distance | 07 dec '10
089. | Dinner For Schmucks | 17 dec '10
090. | The Kids Are All Right | 17 dec '10
091. | Mulan | 14 jan '11
092. | Mulan II | 15 jan '11
093. | Pocahontas | 16 jan '11
094. | Megamind | 25 jan '11
095. | Mr. Nobody | 11 feb '11
096. | The King's Speech | 13 feb '11
097. | The Swan Princess | 02 mar '11
098. | Northanger Abbey | 06 mar '11
099. | Despicable Me | 12 mar '11
100. | RENT | 21 mar '11