Note-worthy: I'll Be Back!

In approximately 10 hours, I'll be boarding a plane headed to the U.S.A. Yippee! I'm off for a month of adventures, and I'm ridiculously excited (amidst the nightmare of packing), but also a bit anxious about abandoning blogging during that time. I had planned on scheduling some posts to go live while I was away, but unfortunately I didn't get around to it. So I apologise in advance for the complete lack of updates over the next month! But I'll be back and better than ever at the end of May, so please come back and visit then!

In the meantime, I'll be:

• Visiting my holy land... that's right, Disneyland! So. Excited.
• Stalking celebrities in Hollywood and placing my hands in those concrete hand prints, something I've wanted to do since watching My Girl 2. Maybe I'll even shave my legs and get my ears pierced while I'm there (shame they're already pierced).
• NOT getting married in Vegas (despite the hopes of all my friends and family), but enjoying the sights and heading to the Grand Canyon.
• Shopping, shopping and more shopping.
• Eating, eating and more eating.
• Heading to New Yoooooooooooooork and seeing some of the gazillion sights I've always wanted to see. 
• Being dragged around escorted to a bunch of baseball games by my baseball-obsessed fiance. I've been told we're sitting in an all-you-can-eat section for one of the games, so that should keep me occupied, at least.
• Reading Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. I'm also taking along Wings by Aprilynne Pike. They both seem like nice, light holiday reads, and judging from the cover of Book of Dares, it's set in New York. I can, like, totally picture it WHILE I AM THERE. ZOMG!

Fun times! I think I'll still kinda miss blogging and interacting with the book blogging community, though. I haven't been around it for long, but I'm already loving it so much - so thanks to everyone who has welcomed and encouraged me! See you all in a month! xx

Review: Not Meeting Mr Right by Anita Heiss

This book took waaaaaay too long to read.

It was second in my Aussie Author Month endeavours, and I started in on Thursday, April 7. Like I said, waaaay too long. An easy, light chick-lit read, I thought I'd be finished by the following Sunday and could launch into the rest of my Aussie author list with gusto. But here I am, two weeks later and nearly at the end of Aussie Author month (at least for me - I'm leaving the country on Monday and will be away from the blog), and I've only just finished book two. I'm a bit disappointed, but these things happen. For one, I've been ridonkulously busy in the leadup to my holiday. For another, I kinda struggled with this book.

It was an easy read, don't get me wrong - and quite well-written. Unfortunately, I just couldn't stand the main character. I tried, oh, I tried REALLY hard - she's a history buff, dammit, I should be able to relate! - but she just annoyed me more than anything. See, Alice is a Sydney-sider in her late 20s who loves the single life... until she goes to her high school reunion and is disgusted by all the married women who can't talk about anything but their husbands and babies. So disgusted is she, that she promptly decides she wants to be one of them. Oh, but she'll be better at it than them, of course, and she'll even manage it by her 30th birthday - two years away. What ensues is a looooooooong string of bad blind dates, failed singles events, relationship drama, flirtations with the classifieds and internet dating, attractions to the wrong guys and rudeness to the nice ones.

I think that was my main problem with Alice - to me, she came across as quite rude and judgemental. Sure, it was funny a few times, but it just got very, very grating after awhile. Even at the beginning, she's uber-judgemental of her former classmates; first, she ridicules stay-at-home mums for having no careers, then turns her nose up at a working mum for "abandoning" her kids. And after spending the evening looking down on everyone, she decides she wants what they have?! It's probably not a good thing when the whole premise on which a story is built annoys you. I wanted to like this book, but I guess, like the gazillion men Alice meets, it just wasn't the right one for me.

Rating: 2.5/5

Talking Points

• I don't tend to read many Aussie books (certainly not enough), so it was a novelty to read something that was set in my hometown. I could not only picture the general city easily, but also specific bars, beaches, streets and everything! That was kinda cool.
• It was good to see a heroine who was a strong, powerful, successful Indigenous woman. It's just a shame she was so unlikeable.
• There's a sequel to this book called Avoiding Mr Right, apparently told from the perspective of Alice's friend Peta. I'm kinda curious to read it - I liked Peta as a character. Especially because she seemed to get just as annoyed at Alice sometimes.

Fine Print
Genre: Chick lit
Publisher: Bantam
Published: 2007
Get It: Fishpond

This post is part of Aussie Author Month, which supports the Indigenous Literacy Project.

The Movie Was AMAZEBALLS: Never Let Me Go

It's rare that a movie is better than the book it's based on - especially an amazing book like Never Let Me Go - but I think this one might just have done it. Well, it was at least as good as the book... beautifully shot, brilliantly acted and wonderfully told. It hit all the right marks, and was just as heart-wrenching, gut-wrenching and just generally wrenching as the novel. I'd normally do a detailed comparison of the changes from book to movie, but I don't think I can do it this time. It would be a shame to pick it a part, as it's such an emotional experience. Plus, it's incredibly faithful to the book - there were a few changes, but they were mostly pretty minor and worked well in the film. I seriously can't fault it.

Did I mention how brilliant the acting was? Andrew Garfield, holy moly. I loved him before, but wow. He perfectly captured Tommy's vulnerability, sensitivity, hope and heartbreak. Man, the heartbreak...And Carey Mulligan! She did such a wonderful job of bringing Kathy to life, conveying so much emotion in just one look that I felt for her even more than I had in the book. Keira was also great as the nasty Ruth, who I actually managed to feel sympathy for at one point. The child actors were also amazing - not only did they look a helluva lot like their adult counterparts (young Kathy especially looked freakishly like Carey), but they could also actually act. This was so important, as their story does take up a large part of the movie, and without this strong foundation it wouldn't be anywhere near as powerful later on. As it stands, it's probably the most powerful film I've seen in a long time.

Rating: 5/5

Note-worthy: Tell Me What To Read!

I'm going on holidays in FOUR sleeps! I'm super excited, but also freaking out just a bit about everything I have to do before then. I'm also slightly nervous about leaving my baby - this blog - for a whole month. I'm hoping to schedule some posts before I go, but it all depends on how much time I have. Eep!

On a more positive note (aside from, y'know, the whole MONTH LONG HOLIDAY in the US), I'll have a bit of downtime - in between busy days of sightseeing - to read some  books. I just need to decide a) how many to take; and b) which books to take. Seeing as I'm chronically indecisive, and also had at last count 112 books in my to-be-read pile (not including the dozen or so I've added since then), I thought I'd put it out there and see if anyone has any suggestions for awesome reads. All ideas are welcome, though considering I'll be in holiday mode (with my brain most definitely switched off), it's probably better if they're on the lighter side. Here are some that are in my pile:

• Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series.
• If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman (really keen to read these but worried they'd be a downer on holiday).
• Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey.
• Across the Universe by Beth Revis.
• Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham.
• Jane Slayre by Charlotte Bronte and Sherri Browning Erwin (kinda curious but also scared after the appalling experience that was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies).
• Delirium by Lauren Oliver.
• Fallen by Lauren Kate.
• Elixir by Hilary Duff (let's chalk this one up to morbid curiosty, 'kay?).
• Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.
• Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy.
• Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.
• The Woman in Black by Susan Hill.
• Luxe by Anna Godbersen.
• A Girl's Guide to Vampires by Katie MacAlister.

So tell me, what should I take with me (from this list or your own brain)? What are your fave holiday reads?

My Book Boyfriend: Shura

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by The Unread Reader, all about fictional boys who make us swoon. Boys like Alexander "Shura" Belov from The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons.

About Shura

• He's a Red Army officer in the Soviet Union during World War II. 
• He has a mysterious past and a killer survival instinct.
• He's fierce, brave, protective and makes the ultimate sacrifice for the love of his life, Tatiana.
• I always picture him as Oliver Milburn, though friends who've also read the book think I'm wack. I can't help it, he's cute:

Swoon-worthy quotes

One word: Lazarevo. If you've read the book, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't? Let's just say there's one helluva honeymoon that I won't dare to quote here. But the following is also amazing... 

"Tatiana said, 'Go on with Dasha. She is right for you. She is a woman and I'm-'

'Blind!', Alexander exclaimed.

Tatiana stood, desolately failing in the battle of her heart. 'Oh, Alexander. What do you want from me...'

'Everything,' he whispered fiercely."

"Goodbye, my moonsong and my breath, my white night and golden days, my fresh water and my fire. Goodbye, and may you find a better life, find comfort again and your breathless smile, and when your beloved face lights up once more at the Western sunrise, be sure what I felt for you was not in vain. Good-bye and have faith, my Tatiana."

Bookish Fun: Awesome Ads!

I came across these ads - designed by Love Agency - on The Daily What. How awesome are they?! My fave is probably Frankenstein. It certainly make me want to go to the Mint Vinetu bookstore - too bad it's in Lithuania...

Bookish Buys: Popular Penguins Love

I was so excited when Penguin brought out their vintage-style Popular Penguins collection - and even more so when I discovered the designs plastered all over homewares and stationery. I already have one of the mugs (Pride and Prejudice, of course), but I love the rest of the range, too - especially the flasks, notebooks and pencils. I've been tossing up whether to buy the board game for awhile, but have so far restrained myself because a) It's kinda exxy; and b) I don't know that I'd find anybody willing to play with me. Oh well, I'll just have to satisfy myself with the stationery for now. BTW, the entire range is available at Until.

In My Mailbox: Oops, I Did It Again

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, in which bloggers share what books they've picked up in the past week.

Twice this week, I received books in the mail that I completely forgot I'd ordered - not a good sign. The first was Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham, which I know nothing about but appealed to me because; a) It has a pretty cover, and b) It has the word cake in the title. Sold.

The second was Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, which I bought coz again, I liked the cover, and I also feel that it's about time I read some Woolf. I'm a bit nervous because (embarrassingly) the only knowledge I really have of her/her work is from the movie The Hours, which I thought was awful. But I'll let the book speak for itself - when I get around to it!

I also received two books that I ordered for Aussie Author Month - Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey and My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin. Sadly, I've been a bit slack with my reading lately and I'm going on holiday in exactly one week, so realistically I think I'll only have time to read and review one more book after my current one this month. But I'm still participating in the Aussie Author Challenge, so I'll definitely be reading the books I don't get to ASAP.

Bookish Fun: This Makes Me Anxious

Is that weird? Think of how long it would take to pick up all those books! But it still looks pretty cool.

Top Five: Movie Adaptations

In honour of the movie-focused week over at Holes in my Brain and, of course, my own obsession with adaptations, I've decided to do my top five this week on my favourite big screen versions of books...

1. The Princess Bride. It's my favourite movie of all time. And it's based on one of my favourite books. It's awesome as a movie in itself, but it's also a fantastic adaptation. It really captures the whimsicality and humour of the novel, as it should - author William Goldman wrote the screenplay! On top of that, the casting is perfect, the costumes are great and the sets - well, they're kinda crappy, but that only adds to the charm.

2. The Notebook. This is one of those rare movie adaptations that's actually better than the book. While Nicholas Sparks' novel focuses mainly on the reunion of Noah and Ally, and refers to their teen romance briefly in flashbacks, the movie takes the time to build up their relationship before finally tearing them apart. Which makes their reunion all the more powerful - and, of course, romantic! Oh, and Ryan Gosling + Rachel McAdams = Total perfection.

3. Adaptation. This is based on Susan Orleans' The Orchid Thief, a book which I had to read for uni and which I hated. It's totally nuts and kinda boring. The movie, too, is totally nuts, but it's most definitely not boring. It takes a non-fiction, non-linear ramble and turns it into a fictional, non-linear ramble - completely changing the story but staying true to the essence and themes of the book and making it 100 times more entertaining in the process. Plus, it gets bonus points for Meryl Streep.

4. The Secret Garden. The movie isn't the most faithful adaptation ever, but, like Adaptation, it stays true to the spirit of its source material (Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel). Mary's blossoming (garden puns FTW!) from a churlish, selfish loner into a caring, lively girl is as magical to watch as it is to read. And Andrew Knott's Dickon was, like, my third love (after Prince Eric and Westley. I was eight by this stage).

5. Jane Eyre. The latest version of Charlotte Bronte's classic romance is ah-mazing. Inevitably, big chunks of plot are left out, but it does a fantastic job of condensing hundreds of pages of story into a couple of hours of film. The important stuff is there, and then some. Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska are brilliant as Rochester and Jane, and their chemistry is crazy-hot. The passion which is so central to their story - and is sometimes missing in adaptations - sizzles and leaps off the screen. Swoon!

Coming soon: my top five mini-series/TV adaptations!