Top Ten Tuesday (5)

More information about Top Ten Tuesday from here.

Top Ten Characters I would like to switch places with for 24 hours

1. Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice- does this even need much of explaining? These 24 hours I would be her should take place at a point Darcy is already showing his affections - maybe during her visit to Charlotte's house, or visit to Pemberley. Oh to feel the admiration of Darcy just for a moment.

2. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter Series - I love Hermione and see a lot of her in me, so it would be awesome to be her for a while and see how it feels like to be a both ordinary girl and a talented wizard.

3. Anna from Anna and the French Kiss - Etienne.... do I need to say more?

4. Mia Thermopolis from the Princess Diaries series - how awesome would it be to be a princess for a while? I think having a boyfriend like Michael would add the awesomeness.

5. Blair Waldorf from the Gossip Girl series - Blair is kind of mean and scheming, but she is also pretty awesome. If I would be Blair for a day, I would shop like crazy, hang out with Serena and definitely spend some time with Chuck.

6. that girl from Fifty Shades of Grey - I would tell that Christian guy to sort himself out

7. Cinderella - Cinderella has always been my second favorite Disney-tale - I guess I would like to be her just to feel how love eventually conquers all.

8. Belle from Beauty and the Beast - My Disney-favorite - you cannot imagine how happy I was when I realized that Belle was included into the storyline of ABCs Once Upon a Time. I would love to show the Beast that what matters are our feelings, not looks - I think that is something that is neglected a lot in the society these days.

9. Aria from Pretty Little Liars - It would be interesting (and dangerous) to feel the constant stalking of A - it would not mind it if I would know I would get out in 24 hours. What I would mind is the fact that after a glorious day, I would have to part with Ezra...

10. Elizabeth Wakefield from the Sweet Valley High series - she was always my favorite from the two; smart, funny, beautiful. I have always thought it would be cool to have a sister, so that would be settled as well. 

Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg

Description (from Goodreads):

From the much-buzzed-about author of THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB (already blurbed by Stephenie Meyer, Lauren Myracle, and Jen Calonita), a prom-season delight of Jane Austen proportions.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single girl of high standing at Longbourn Academy must be in want of a prom date.
After winter break, the girls at the very prestigious Longbourn Academy become obsessed with the prom. Lizzie Bennet, who attends Longbourn on a scholarship, isn't interested in designer dresses and expensive shoes, but her best friend, Jane, might be - especially now that Charles Bingley is back from a semester in London.
Lizzie is happy about her friend's burgeoning romance but less than impressed by Charles's friend, Will Darcy, who's snobby and pretentious. Darcy doesn't seem to like Lizzie either, but she assumes it's because her family doesn't have money. Clearly, Will Darcy is a pompous jerk - so why does Lizzie find herself drawn to him anyway?

My thoughts:

Prom and Prejudice was everything I expected, and much more. It was the perfect, fluffy summer read with a likable protagonist and a guy to swoon over. It managed to surprise me even though the story it is based on is SO familiar to me. And it managed to make me fall in love with Pride and Prejudice, once again, by showing that the story Austen's novel tells to us is so universal it fits this type of environment as well. 

Lizzie Bennet is a scholarship student at a prestigious Longbourn academy. She is intelligent, funny and talented pianist, but since she does not come from the money, she is not accepted among her peers. When the junior girls of the academy go prom-crazy, Lizzie just has to continue her life - reading, homework, piano practices and work at a local coffee place. Lizzie knows she won't be going to prom; who would ask a girl who gets a milkshake thrown to her face or a cup of coffee poured over her loaned design dress.

At the beginning of the new semester Charles Bingley is back to Pemberley Academy, the Longbourn Academy equivalent to boys. Charles and Jane, Lizzie's roommate, a girl from the money but actually Lizzie's friend, have had something between them before Charles' semester abroad, and it seems that the flame between them is still burning hot. Jane is kind and has taken Lizzie as one of them, so when Jane asks Lizzie to join her in different functions in order to meet Charles, Lizzie cannot say no. But soon enough, Lizzie realizes that with the company of Charles comes also the company of Will Darcy; Lizzie and Darcy start their relationship with the wrong foot and eventually Lizzie will do anything not to spend time with Darcy. But it seems that Darcy's thoughts are completely different. Of course, there are Lydia, Jane's sister who keeps causing problems to the family, Charlotte, also a scholarship student, Colin who is nice but sometimes too attentive... And Wick, a former Pemberley student who was thrown out of the school and who seems very attentive towards Lizzie. But for some reason, as she spends more time with Darcy, she actually starts to look for his company...

I LOVED LOVED LOVED Prom and Prejudice; the moment I got it to my ereader I had to read through it on one sitting (that is why I stayed up 'til 4.30 am and now I am dying). Lizzie is such a likable character, just like the original Elizabeth from Austen's novel. I loved how the passion Lizzie feels towards music was described - it was something that took her out of the misery of her high school life. Jane, Lydia and Charles are also close to the original ones; the characters are modernized to the setting, but they still possess the characteristics of Austen's original characters. Will Darcy, of course, is dreamy and handsome - I am still waiting for an ugly Darcy (THAT IS NOT EVEN POSSIBLE!) He is proud and cold at the beginning, but as we all know, deep down he is the man we all dream about - caring, rich but so humble, the perfect brother, a great boyfriend/husband candidate. 

As I said, this book surprised me at parts. I am so familiar with the plot of Pride and Prejudice that I kept waiting for different things to happen. I do not want to give too much away, but I must say at one point I was surprised about how the events turned out; that is a good thing, because the book keeps even those who know the plot of Pride and Prejudice like their own pockets surprised. 

I love the fact that Pride and Prejudice, and other Jane Austen novels are turned into the modern adaptations for young readers (check Rosie Rushton, she has a tons of different YA-Austen adaptations) because it might encourage the young readers to pick up the actual Austen novels after reading a contemporary piece based on the novels. Austen's novels are so beautiful and the stories so universal that no wonder people still are drawn towards them.

I recommend Prom and Prejudice to fans of Austen and the original P&P, but I also suggest it to everyone who loves a good romance, a likable protagonist and a swoon worthy guy. 

Friday Memes: TGIF (#4)

More information about TGIF from here!

Q: Christmas in July: If Santa were to come down your chimney in the middle of summer, which books would you want him to leave for you under the tree?

Oh, this is so hard because my list for the Santa is always SO SO LONG. Since Santa is so magical, he has an access to books that are not published yet. So here would be a couple of items from my potential list to Santa.

Anthem for Jackson Dawes by Celia Bryce

Description (from Goodreads):

Megan Bright and Jackson Dawes are two teenagers who first meet each other on the hospital ward where they are both being treated for cancer. Megan is scared and worried about her illness, but Jackson seems to be an old hand, having been on the ward for ages. And everybody loves Jackson! He is a whirlwind of life and energy, warmth and sparkle. Megan will need to borrow some of Jackson's extraordinary optimism to face her and Jackson's future. A moving story of first love and a remarkably powerful debut novel

(This probably is a weepie with the cancer involved, but it does sound really good! And it is a debut, I am always interested about those.)

The Program (The Program #1) by Suzanne Young

Description (from Goodreads):

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. 

With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in.

And The Program is coming for them.

(This one sounds SO GOOD! No explanation needed.)

Beneath the Glitter by Elle & Blair Fowler

Description (from Goodreads):

From internet stars Elle and Blair Fowler comes a scintillating new novel that takes readers Beneath the Glitter of the glitzy L.A. social scene.

Welcome to a place where dreams are made. And where nothing—and no one—is ever what it seems.

After their make-up and fashion videos went viral on YouTube, sisters Sophia and Ava London are thrust into the exclusive life of the Los Angeles elite. Here fabulous parties, air kisses, paparazzi and hot guys all come with the scene. Sophia finds herself torn between a gorgeous bartender and a millionaire playboy, and Ava starts dating an A-list actor. But as they’re about to discover, the life they’ve always dreamed of comes with a cost.

Beneath the glitter of the Hollywood social scene lies a world of ruthless ambition, vicious gossip…and betrayal. Someone close to them, someone they trust, is working in the shadows to bring the London sisters falling down. And once the betrayal is complete, Sophia and Ava find themselves knee-deep in a scandal that could take away everything they care about, including the one thing that matters most—each other.

(I am interested about this one because I have been watching the YouTube videos of Elle&Blair for years now - they are complete airheads, but the videos are fun to watch especially when tired. This book is probably ghostwritten, but I am still interested to read it. It sounds a bit like L.A. Candy though, we'll see.)

The Journey of Film (#5): Year 1957

More information about the Journey of Film can be found from HERE! 

Welcome to 1957 with me. It was the year the first electric watch was introduced, Egypt re-opened the Suez Canal, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella starring Julie Andrews was telecast live and in color on CBS. It was also the year a film which is considered as one of the most romantic films of all time was released - An Affair to Remember directed by Leo McCarey.

An Affair to Remember tells a story of Nickie Ferrante (played by Cary Grant) and Terry McKey (Deborah Kerr) who meet on a boat from Europe to New York City. They are both involved with someone, but after several meetings on different parts of the ship, they develop a friendship which eventually blooms into love. When the boat reaches New York, they agree to meet on top of the Empire State Building after six months thus giving them both time to settle their previous relationships - if they both show up, they are meant to be. On the day of their meeting after six months being apart, everything does not go as planned and Terry never reaches the Empire State Building. But their love is strong and the story ends with hope.

The film is a remake of McCarey's 1939 film Love Affair - the film is almost identical to the previous film and the screenplay is the same - probably the main reason for the update was the fact that the newer version is in color and with a new, updated cast. 

The 1993 film Sleepless in Seattle was partly inspired by An Affair To Remember and there are several references in the film for the 1957 movie. These references actually brought interest towards the 1957 film and the VHS sales got up by 2 million dollars. 

There is a 1994 remake of the film with the title Love Affair starred, written and produced by Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. There is also an episode in Gossip Girl which has a reference to the film - Blair and Chuch agree to meet on top of the Empire State Building, but Blair cannot make it because her maid goes into labor and she has to go to hospital with her - eventually they also rekindle their relationship even though they do not meet on top of the building. 

An Affair to Remember is SO ROMANTIC! Even though I have seen it several times, every time I watch it feels like the first time with all the emotions involved. And every single time I fall in love with Gary Grant - he looks so handsome. 


Have you seen An Affair to Remember? What about any of the remakes? What is your favorite romantic film?


Next week we will travel back to the year the coal strike ended in China, the Communist Party of China was officially founded and Hitler became the Führer of the Nazi party - 1921. For the first time I get to watch a film I have not seen before for the Journey of Film. 

Rape Girl by Alina Klein

Description (from Goodreads):

Valerie always wanted to be the smart girl. The pretty girl. The popular girl.

But not the rape girl.

That’s who she is now. Rape Girl. Because everyone seems to think they know the truth about what happened with Adam that day, and they don’t think Valerie’s telling it.

Before, she had a best friend, a crush, and a close-knit family. After, she has a court case, a support group, and a house full of strangers.

The real truth is, nothing will ever be the same.

Rape Girl is the compelling story of a survivor who does the right thing and suffers for it. It is also the story of a young woman’s struggle to find the strength to fight back.

MY THOUGHTS:

Rape Girl is vivid, filled with emotion, entertaining and fast to read. It introduces us to Valerie, not particularly a popular girl, but one with friends and some type of social standing. When her mother is away from home, she and her best friend put together a party with very negative consequences. Valerie gets raped by a guy she actually was interested in which means that when Valerie accuses Adam of rape, no one believes her. 

When Valerie goes back to school, she has lost her social standing, her best friend and it feels like her family is falling apart as well as her mother does not know how to handle the situation. Valerie seems alright, but she is going through so much. When attending a support group for rape victims she feels like she should not be there - there was drugs, beating, violence etc involved in the other cases whereas she was at her own home, her own couch, with a guy she actually knew.

Rape Girl is very realistic and it feels like the author really knows what she is talking about when she explains the feelings and the consequences of the rape - at the end of the novel I read from the acknowledgement section that the author herself was raped when she was younger. So maybe in some level, this is also her story, not only Valerie's. 

As I said, this novel is a fast read, and I myself had to read the whole thing at once because I did not want to keep guessing what happened to Valerie. I wanted her to be happy again, to be able to trust guys and to find love and new friends she can actually count on. Even though the subject matter of the story is very harsh and something no one wants to experience, the story is told beautifully and as it moves forward, the language and the thoughts of Valerie change into more positive ones - there is light at the end of the tunnel. 

I want to thank NetGalley for the Review copy

Stacking the Shelves (5)

"Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!"

More information about Stacking the Shelves can be found from here.

Gifted

Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger

I got this from my aunt's husband. He knows I am into everything related to film and he told me that he went through his book collection and found this. 

From NetGalley

Confessions of an Angry Girl (Confessions, #1) by Louise Rozett

Rape Girl by Alina Klein

The Selection (The Selection, #1) by Kiera Cass

The Demon Catchers of Milan by Kat Beyer

Torn by Stephanie Guerra

Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes

Ebook purchases

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

What did you add to your shelves this week?

The Journey of Film (#4): Year 1999

More information about the Journey of Film can be found from HERE! 

Welcome to 1999 with me. It was the 999th year of the second millenium and 99th year of 20th century. It was the year Family Guy premiered on FOX, Britney Spears sang ...Baby One More Time, the first version of MSN messenger was released by Microsoft, and the Wizard of Oz film begins its run on cable TV. It is also the year American Beauty written by Alan Ball and directed by Sam Mendes hit the screens.

Ball, the writer of the screenplay, had started to write the story as a play already in the beginning of the 90s partly being inspired by the Amy Fisher trial of 1992 (at the age of 17 she shot and wounded the wife of her lover). When the realized it would be hard to make the story work on a stage, he shelved the piece and got back to it in 1997 while trying to make a break in the film industry. 

Mendes had worked as a theatre director, successfully so by directing Oliver! and Cabaret. When DreamWorks bought the script and gave $15 million for the production, Mendes was picked after twenty others were considered and they declined from the offer. American Beauty marked Mendes' debut at a film director.

Spacey, who plays the main character Lester, was Mendes's first choice for the role, despite the fact that DreamWorks encouraged him to find an actor with more name to the role. It is clear from the film that Mendes has a very personal style which he is able to develop in his debut film - he uses a lot of static shots, slow pans and zooms in order to create tension. The peaceful way the film is shot is in clear contradiction with the pacing drama of the story. 

The film premiered in September 1999 and it became the best reviewed American film of the year; both Spacey and Mendes received acclaim from the critics and the general public alike. The next year in the 72nd Academy Awards the film won the awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Spacey), Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography. 

The film tells a story of a middle-aged man living in the suburbs with his wife and daughter. He hates his job, his wife is sleeping around and he does not have any kind of connection to his daughter. Their new neighbors are also an eccentric bunch - ex marine, his wife and their son who deals drugs and records everything around him. The story plays around these two families, Lester's new found freedom when he quits his job, his sexual interest towards his daughter's friend, his marriage and relationship with his daughter, the neighbors and himself.  

Film academics have offered several readings into the meaning of the film - some day it is about "the meaning of life", "gender identification", or the "hollow existence of the American Suburbs". It certainly is a story about cutting your ties, imprisoning yourself, which is seen through Lester giving away his job and in a way developing a new personality to himself. There is a clear discussions about sexuality; the need for it, the acceptance of homosexual relationship and the repression of it - the film shows sexuality in a realistic light, at the same time playing with fantasies (the girl laying in the roses part is legendary). 

The reason I chose American Beauty for 1999 is first of all the fact that it is a very powerful debut from a director who later on has worked on some pretty amazing films including Road To Perdition. Right now he is working on the new James Bond film which has gathered a lot of hype around it. He also produced the Hollow Crown series for BBC (they are playing right now) - if you love Shakespeare (or Tom Hiddleston), you need to check those out!

Kevin Spacey is magnificent as Lester; all the other actors are great as well, but it is Spacey who really deserves all the hype - for example Jeff Daniels was offered to role.  

American Beauty is a film many of you probably have seen already, but if you have not, I highly recommend it! It has elements from so many different genres: drama, comedy, mystery... It is highly entertaining - the story is good, and the way the story is told through film is amazing!

Have you seen American Beauty? If not, are you interested to see it?

CHECK THIS OUT! IT IS THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE FILM FROM 1999 AND IT IS AWESOME!

Next week I will share with you one of my favorite romantic films of all time from year 1957. 

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

More information about WOW can be found from here.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating."

Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook

Expected publication: January 29th, 2013 by HarperTeen

Bonnie and Clyde meets Simone Elkeles in this addictively heart-wrenching story of two desperate teenagers on the run from their pasts.

They’re young. They’re in love. They’re on the run.

Zoe wants to save Will as much as Will wants to save Zoe. When Will turns eighteen, they decide to run away together. But they never expected their escape to be so fraught with danger....

When the whole world is after you, sometimes it seems like you can’t run fast enough.

Nobody But Us, told in alternating perspectives from Will and Zoe, is an unflinching novel, in turns heartbreaking and hopeful, about survival, choices, and love...and how having love doesn’t always mean that you get a happy ending. Described as “beautiful, heartbreaking, and exhilarating” by Kody Keplinger, author of The DUFF, Nobody But Us will prove irresistible to fans of Nina Lacour, Jenny Han, and Sara Zarr.

Top Ten Tuesday (4)

More information about Top Ten Tuesday from here.

Top Ten Books For People who like Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

The reasons for choosing these titles are: the protagonist over coming a challenge or a life change, likable characters (ones that you like instantly or ones that grown on you and you end up loving them), finding love and friendship, finding the "true self", the ability to identify with the characters at some lever or another, EXTREMELY HARD TO PUT DOWN

[The links will take you to my reviews!]

1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

2. Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

3. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

4. The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June by Robin Benway

5. Pretty Face by Mary Hogan

6. Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald

7. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

8. Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

9. The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams

10. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Pretty Little Liars (Pretty Little Liars #1) by Sara Shepard

Description (from Goodreads):

Three years ago, Alison disappeared after a slumber party, not to be seen since. Her friends at the elite Pennsylvania school mourned her, but they also breathed secret sighs of relief. Each of them guarded a secret that only Alison had known. Now they have other dirty little secrets, secrets that could sink them in their gossip-hungry world. When each of them begins receiving anonymous emails and text messages, panic sets in. Are they being betrayed by some one in their circle? Worse yet: Is Alison back? A strong launch for a suspenseful series

My thoughts:

Aria, Spencer, Emily, Hanna and Alison were an item- a group of friends who did everything together. Alison used to be the leader of the group - she was the one the other girls confined with, she was the one who knew secrets about all of them. When the amount of secrets started to get higher and higher, things got weird; it seemed that the girls were not able to talk freely, because all of them had something to hide. And then, one night, their sleepover ends suddenly when Alison disappears. 

Years later, Alison is still missing and the girls are no longer friends. 

Emily is part of the swimming team, a jock one could say. Everything seems great to the surface, but deep down she is very unsure about her feelings about herself; when Maya, a new girl, moves to the house Alison used to live in memories about what happened between herself and Alison rise to the surface. Is Alison the only one who knows about her true feelings?

Spencer is trying her best to beat her older sister Melissa at something. Melissa has been the star of the family, and despite the fact Spencer works hard, it seems she will never be good enough. When Melissa introduces Wren, her gorgeous British med-student boyfriend for her family, Spencer get interested. And it seems Wren might also be interested about the wrong sister. The situation brings up memories and secrets - things she only shared with Alison.

Everything about Hanna has changed since the disappearance of Alison. She used to be the chubby, badly dressed girl. Now she is popular, beautiful and wanted; she really wishes Alison could see her now. But she also has problems - she gets involved with the police and it seems that her boyfriend is not as interested about her as she is about him. And there is also something she has to hide about her sudden slimming down. And once again, Alison is the only one who knows her secret.

After Alison disappeared, Aria and her family moved to Iceland (in the novel, people keep calling her 'Finland' when she comes back... :D). Now she is back in Rosewood; she has a new style and new way to live - she is more confident and knows what she wants. And after she meets Ezra Fitz in a bar, she knows he is what she wants - the little bump in the relationship is the fact that Ezra is her new English teacher. And Ezra is not the only thing she has to worry about; there is a secret that could break up her family. And of course Alison knows what it is.

When the girls start to get messages from unknown number and email address, addressed by '-A', all the memories and fears come back to the surface - is Alison back? Are their secrets safe anymore? And then, something happens which changes everything. The girls have to make decisions and hope that their secrets are safe. Hanna could lose her reputation, Emily her boyfriend and the respect of her family, Spencer her new freedom and her sister and Aria her family and Ezra. And then there is the Jenna Thing that could destroy them all.

I am a huge fan of the TV show; I have been one since I saw the first episode when the show premiered. I think it has gotten better and better as the story has developed. Now that I read the first novel of the series, I was familiar with the main events, but there were also new things in it. As I was reading, I was happy about the fact that the wealth and exclusivity of the girls and the town is not highlighted so much in the show; of course they all seem pretty wealthy, but it is not brought out so much as in the novel.

I also liked the fact that the characters are not quite the same as in the novel. At parts I got frustrated with the superficial comments the girls had about themselves- especially Hanna. Of course, they all are pretty girls, but they should not be so sure about themselves all the time. From the show, I like Aria and Spencer the most, and I must say I had the same favorite characters while reading the novel. 

One thing I was quite surprised about was the fact that in the novel Wren seems a lot more dreamy than Ezra. I think that the fact that the relationship between Ezra and Aria is more emphasized in the show is because of the fact that at least, at the beginning, it felt like Aria is the main character of the show, the one the story builds around. And maybe the student-teacher relationship is more interesting to follow. 

One thing I liked about reading the novel after seeing the show was the fact that I was able to imagine the actors while reading - this was especially pleasant in the parts where Wren or Ezra was present. 

All in all, I really enjoyed the first installment in the Pretty Little Liars series and I am looking forward to reading the next one. If you are a fan of the show, give this a try if you have not already done so. 

And I just have to add these to the end (finding these pics brought be pleasure, I hope looking at them does the same to you)

Oh baby, why didn't you teach some English for me?

Hello Doctor! Wanna make me feel a bit better?

Stacking the Shelves (4)

"Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!"

More information about Stacking the Shelves can be found from here.

Bought

Torment (Fallen, #2) by Lauren Kate
(bought this because the hardcover copy was only 3 euros!)

From a Friend

Between the Lines Series by Tammara Webber

Ebook purchases

Hourglass (Hourglass #1) by Myra McEntire

Timepiece (Hourglass #2) by Myra McEntire

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg

Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

What did you add to your shelves this week?

Friday Memes: Book Blogger Hop (#10) & TGIF (#3)

More information about the hop from here!

Q: How long does it take you to read a book?

Well, it depends so much on the book. I have some books I have started, read for a while and then just put back to the shelf. Then maybe year after that I have picked it up and finished. Sometimes I pick up a book and finish it on one sitting (which happened last night with Prom and Prejudice). When I am at uni, I usually read before going to sleep, so then it takes me maybe a week or so to finish, depending on the size of the book. The more interested I am, more drawn in, the less time it takes for me to finish.

More information about TGIF from here!

Q: Quotes that make you swoon: what are some of the most swoon-worthy quotes you've experienced in a book?

"In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

"Is it possible for home to be a person and not a place?" (Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins)

"I like you very much. Just as you are." (Bridget Jones by Helen Fielding)

"Choosing to be with you isn't a difficult decision, Jacqueline.... It's easy. Incredibly easy." (Easy by Tammara Webber)

The Journey of Film (#3): Year 1925

More information about the Journey of Film can be found from HERE! 

Welcome to 1925 with me. It was the year Benito Mussolini declared himself the dictator of Italy. It was the year the Great Gatsby was published. The downtown Santa Barbara was destroyed in an earthquake. New York City becomes the largest city in the world. It was also the year one of my favorite films was made. This  silent film by Sergei Eisenstein has been called one of the most influential propaganda films ever made and 1958 it was named the greatest film of all time. 

So if you are still guessing what I am talking about, the film for this week is Battleship Potemkin directed by Sergei Eisenstein and produced by Mosfilm. 

TRIVIA

Eisenstein wanted that the score of the film would be rewritten every 20 years to retain the propaganda value  of the film.

I saw clips of this film in high school Finnish class, and I got intrigued. Surprisingly they had a DVD copy of it in one of the local stores and I had to buy it right away and see the film in its entity. I know some people thing that silent films are "boring", but this one is a riot - I think audible dialogue would destroy the engaging atmosphere this film has. 

Battleship Potemkim presents a dramatized account of the mutiny that took place in 1905 when the Russian crew of a battleship called Potemkin rebelled against the Tsarist officers and regime. The film itself is divided into five episodes: "Men and Maggots", "Drama on the Deck", "A Dead Man Calls for Justice", The Odessa-Staircase" and "The Rendez-Vous with a Squandron". 

I could talk about all of the parts, but I only chose one to talk about in more detail since I do not want to ruin the film for you in case you decide to watch it. I posted a picture to last weeks journey of film post from the scene I want to talk about - The Odessa-Staircase. 

The stairs themselves can be found from Odessa, Ukraine and they are considered a formal entry to the city of Odessa from the sea - they are also the best known symbol of the city of Odessa. During the scene on these stairs, the soldiers open a fire on the people thus creating this massive chaos on the stairs. The massacre on these stairs never actually took place but it was added to the film to create dramatic effect - it truly does that. One of the most memorable parts of this scene is the trolley with the little baby coming down the stairs as the bullets are flying.The stair scene has been saluted by different directors - for example by Brian De Palma in "the Untouchables" (in his staircase scene we also see a trolley and a baby). To see the similarity of the scenes, watch the videos below:

The film as a whole was written by Eisenstein as a revolutionary propaganda film. The film uses the montage technique discovered by Lev Kuleshov. Lev Kuleshov might be considered as the first film theorist, and he was the one who developed the montage technique, sometimes called the "Kuleshov effect". To Kuleshov the main creator of emotion in cinema was the editing-the connection of one shot to the next. Kuleshov helped to establish the first film school in the world, the Moscow Film School, and Eisenstein was his student for a while. Eisenstein used the montage technique to produce an emotional response and to make the audience sympathize with the rebels. Because the film was made as propaganda, the characterization is very simple in the film - this is due to the fact that he wanted to make it easy for the audience to notice on who's side they should be. 

The film is so full of great, dramatic close-ups, which are there to bring out the dramatic effect. The use of Kuleshov effect is very interesting and I think very successful. I know this film is not everyone's piece of cake, but I hope this post encouraged some of you to give this film a chance. 

The film can be found in its entity from here!

Have you seen Battleship Potemkin? If so, what did you think about it? If not, are you interested to see it? 


Next week we will travel back to the year the euro was established, Napster debuted, the Scottish Parliament was officially opened, and Joe DiMaggio died - year 1999. Next week's film, once again, is one of my favorites and one I am super excited to post about. Can you guess which film I am talking about?