At the age of ten Fanny Price leaves her home at her mother's bidding to live with the Bertrams, her rich relatives. There she spends the next eight years of her life, and when she turns 18 the story really begins. She is happy and mistakenly thinks she will always be so. Her one true friend at Mansfield, her cousin Edmund, is the man that Fanny loves, and although he doesn't love her in a romantic way, he is her best friend. Then Mr. and Miss Crawford come into the community and bring with them enough chaos that could ruin Fanny's happiness forever.

The book that this movie was based on by Jane Austen wasn't one of my favorites by her. It was very good, don't get me wrong, but Fanny was always so fragile in her health and emotions. Although the Fanny in this movie was still very fragile emotionally (She's one of those people who you can look at the wrong way and hurt their feelings.) her health wasn't quite as fragile allowing her to be a lot more vibrant in her actions. I very much enjoyed this aspect.

The only bone of contention I had this book was that it moved along really fast. We were here, then we were there, and then over here. I would have liked it to slow down a little bit and relax. It felt really short.

I really liked all of the character interpretations. Mr. and Miss Crawford were a lot more conniving than what I imagined, and Lady Bertram had a lot more depth than what I perceived in the book. I also learned a little bit. I always thought that "Maria," the name of Lady Bertram's eldest daughter was pronounced with a long "e." However, in the movie it was pronounced with a long "i." I've never thought of pronouncing it like that. Hmm.

Anyway, Mansfield Park was a really cool movie, and I enjoyed it very much. You should definitely check it out.

Posted by Melanie at 7:57 AM View Comments    

Labels: 3.5 stars, everything austen, Mansfield Park, movie review

Aphra is on the run, again. Someone has found out where her mom and her have been hiding. Someone who wants her dead. When Aphra and her boyfriend, Seth, slipped through The Mole's grip last summer that made The Mole mad. And making The Mole, whoever he is, mad is not something one wants to do.

First off, I really like the name "Aphra". Not a name I hear everyday. Actually, I don't think I've ever heard it. Anyway, I think it's cool. Now, down to the review.

Death by Denim had a great plot. It moved along quickly, and it was a fast read. I rarely had any idea what was coming, other than the ending. The ending was a bit predictable, but I really can't think of any other way the book could have ended satisfactorily.

Characters in this book were all well developed and interesting. Seeing everything from Aphra's view was intriguing. She had opinions about everything, as we all do, and it was interesting seeing whether her presumptions ended up being correct or not.

Overall, this was an interesting book. Not a OMG-read-as-fast-as-you-can-rush-to-the-ending, but it did hold my attention. I recommend.

Posted by Melanie at 9:35 AM View Comments    

Labels: 3.5 stars, death by denim, Linda Gerber

Kate thinks she has an amazing summer in front of her. She's going on a road trip with two friends up to their families' lake houses in Love, Wisconsin. Waiting for her there is Lucas, the guy she shared a hot end of the summer kiss with. She can't wait to see him again so they can get their romance going. Then everything falls apart. Her best friend's cousin is going on the road trip too! Adam is the last person Kate wants to see. He's sarcastic and a know-it-all. Kate just wants to get to Love and fall into Lucas' arms. But things don't always go as planned, and sometimes people can suprise you.

Drive Me Crazy is a fun, light read. Perfect for those lazy summer days. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a "romantic comedy", but this book definitely pleased me. While I was reading, many of the characters in the book sounded like people I talk to every day! Kate's feelings toward Adam were very easy to relate to. I know I have some people in my life who can annoy me by just looking at me the wrong way! The characterization in this book was great.

The plot was a bit predictable. However, I think I enjoyed it that way. Instead of focusing on what the outcome would be, I ended up focusing more on the journey along the way. Kate's romance life was the main focus of the book, but there was also an adequate amount of attention paid to the minor characters. In fact, I think my favorite part of the book was watching Kate's friendship with her two best friends, Sierra and Alexis. Those girls could count on each other to watch out for them.

Now, all I want to know is, is there actually a place called Love, Wisconsin?

My rating- 3.5/5 stars

Posted by Melanie at 12:12 PM View Comments    

Labels: 3.5 stars, Drive Me Crazy, Erin Downing

Eldest continues the story of Eragon and Saphira and as we are told in the end of Eragon, he and Saphira go to train in Ellesmera, land of the elves. Meanwhile, Eragon's cousin Roran leads Carvahall in a fight against the horrifying Ra'zac. (Sorry for the short summary, but that's all I could think of without giving away a bunch of stuff.)

I just finished the book, and the ending was amazing! It left me somewhat satisfied, while also wanting to rush out and read the next book. It was great. Wow.

Although the ending was great, the beginning was a different story. There was nothing wrong with the plot, but it took a while to settle myself into the story, mainly because of the POV changes. In the previous book, all is told from Eragon's perspective. That's what I was expecting in this book as well, but that wasn't the case. Parts of the story were told from Roran's and Nasuada's POV as well. However, once I realized what was happening I began to enjoy seeing circumstances from everyone's perspective.

Many new characters are introduced in this book, and many characters that were minor in the first book took on more important roles. Although it took awhile to familiarize myself with everyone, they all played important parts to helping flesh out the story.

The main thing I enjoyed about this book was the plot. It was incredibly interesting with many turns. Things happened that I didn't expect to expect! The plot kept me mesmerized!

Overall, this book was very good. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first, but I did enjoy it. And I can't wait to get started on the third.

Posted by Melanie at 11:12 PM View Comments    

Labels: 3.5 stars, Christopher Paolini, Eldest

Impulse and Initiative takes the question “What if?” and applies it to Pride and Prejudice. What if Mr. Darcy had returned to Netherfield and sought to capture Elizabeth with his words, deeds, and touch?

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as I’ve never read a variation of any book before. I did have some moments where I was thinking, “He/she would NEVER do that!” But for most part, it was interesting to see what the characters might have done if thrown into certain situations. The love story was well written, especially if you like to see the more openly expressive side of Darcy. It was also a lot more intense. Elizabeth was full of as much wit as always! I really enjoyed the author’s voice in this book. The pace was fast enough to keep my attention, but slow enough so that I could catch all of the details.

Overall, it was a really good read. Oh, and it probably wouldn’t be absolutely necessary to pick up P&P before reading this. It stands pretty good on its own.

My rating is- 3.5/5 stars

Posted by Melanie at 9:17 AM View Comments    

Labels: 3.5 stars, Abigail Reynolds, Impulse and Initiative