Room by Emma Donoghue

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the world. . . . It's where he was born. It's where he and Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. There are endless wonders that let loose Jack's imagination -- the snake under Bed that he constructs out of eggshells; the imaginary world projected through the TV; the coziness of Wardrobe beneath Ma's clothes, where she tucks him in safely at night, in case Old Nick comes.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it's the prison where she's been held since she was nineteen -- for seven long years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in that eleven-by-eleven foot space. But Jack's curiosity is building alongside Ma's own desperation, and she knows that Room cannot contain either indefinitely. . . . Told in the inventive, funny and poignant voice of Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience -- and a powerful story of a mother and son whose love lets them survive the impossible.

                                                                                        -Chapters Canada

Room is an incredible novel that I had to read after seeing it's eye-catching cover on blogs, in stores, and everywhere, really. If you do not know of this book, I pity you. It is awesome. It is so incredible that you can't help but feel like a better, more informed, or just more enlightened, person, having read it.

Donoghue incorporates every amazing thing that I love into this novel: amazing emotional depth, scary suspensefullness, unconditional love, uncanny narration, and innocent cuteness. All of that plus a heaping plate of psychological turmoil. And she does it so effortlessly.

 It never ceases to amaze me when I read a book, so beautifully written, that captures so perfectly the unknown. Which Emma Donoghue does in Room. Jack, a newly 5 year old boy, lives in Room, the only place he has ever lived, and ever known. Room is his life. His world. He was born there due to the fact that his mother was kidnapped years before he was even born. In Room I was not only able to read of Jack's amazing innocence, but also of his Ma's despair and desperation. Everything is seen by Jack, and relayed to us blatantly, due to his fresh and unbiased opinion on life.

I highly recommend this book. It is such a great read, and has every element of a good novel wrapped up into a heart-breakingly cute, hope-inspiring, coming-of-age tear-jerker. It is like no other novel that I have ever read. It is everything. And it is lovely.

Spoiler Alert: Don't read past this point if you don't want to know specific book details!

As soon as I started reading of all the things that constitute Jack's life, I knew this book would captivate me. It was so completely heartbreaking, but completely fascinating at the same time. I saddened when I learned that Jack eats almost nothing and thinks the world of it. I winced when Jack obligingly plays 'scream' (a game designed by Ma to desperately attract anyone to rescue her and Jack). I shed a tear when Jack explains that he counts how many 'squeaks' it takes every night until Old Nick (their captor) is finished raping his Ma.

As the story goes on, and we are able to really see behind everything that Jack consistently reports to us, the story got more and more sad, yet gave me more and more hope. I was actually really surprised that Jack and his Ma were able to escape, and thoroughly enjoyed the incorporation of after they escaped Room. I definitely did not anticipate it based on the summary. It was almost symbolic how Jack has to pretend to be dead in order to get out from Room and save his mother. We eventually see the innocent, shielded boy that lived in Room die, in a way, when he goes back to Room, and finally sees it for what it is.

It was also so refreshing to see the world from Jack's perspective because he was a blank slate, and so many of his blatant observations held so much wisdom that I think we are totally unable to pick up on as a society today. One particular line stuck out to me, when Jack and his Grandma happen onto a breastfeeding mother. Grandma tells Jack that the lady wanted to be alone, or private where Jack promptly thinks in his head, "I didn't know persons could be private out in the world." This line was so absolutely perfect and honest and truthful. Jack can just see the world for what it is, and I commend Donoghue for being able to capture that sentiment so completely.

Another thing that made this book so epic and unforgettable was the psychological aspect of Ma that we see through Jack's eyes. Even though Jack doesn't understand all the time, he still seems to relay the information to us (which is another amazing benefit of the unique narration style). I saw Ma struggle with so many things, which seemed only secondly important to Jack by a small margin. Because as important as it was to understand Jack's sorrowful situation, not knowing what was there for him in the world, we still have Ma, Jack's rock, who knows all too well what was stolen from her when she was captured by Old Nick all those years ago. When Ma was 'gone' as Jack says, I saw the ultimate depression that shrouded her as she attempted to deal with her situation. And when they were out, as much as she wanted to stay by Jack and help him acclimate to his new world, she just wanted to get back to the things that made her feel normal when she had her freedom; before it was taken away.

Overall, I loved this book. I keep thinking how awesome it would be to see some kind of sequel in the works about Jack and his endeavors as he grows up or as an adult even. But for now I am content of thinking of Jack and Ma, in their new apartment, maybe fulfilling all the things on their list, when they can be 'scave' enough.

Wish they were all this good--Cheers & Enjoy♥

Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me.

Seriously! I'm trying to get a good picture over here!

Well, I think it's safe to say mission accomplished. On this fine, cool evening-reminding me lovingly of the Autumn to come-I got a veritable collection of sunset pictures, that were all taken within about half an hour. The sky just kept changing and getting better and better. Without further ado, I present to you what Cait and I like to call: 'Cotton Candy on Fire'    Hahaha

When I first came out, things were looking pretty dark.

And then rapidly started getting lighter. And purpler?

Lots and Lots of purpler.

I was then awed by the fire-y tinge.

Finally, we ended back on a dark note!
(With a little bit of everything else thrown in for good measure!)

Needless to say, it was a pretty beautiful night as far as sunsets go. It was also full of Me frantically running back and forth from the computer to the balcony, with camera in hand, every time I noticed that the sky was changing. It was quite a masterpiece (on my part) in and of itself, I must say.

Until Dawn--Cheers & Enjoy♥

Completely Classic: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Completely Classic is a feature (started here!) that discusses Modern and other Classic literature.

 In this nightmare vision of a not-too-distant future, fifteen-year-old Alex and his three friends rob, rape, torture and murder - for fun. Alex is jailed for his vicious crimes and the State undertakes to reform him - but how and at what cost?
                                                                                       -Chapters Canada

I've been wanting to read some Classics recently, and when a friend of mine brought this book for me to borrow, I knew it was time to commence my reading of classic literature.

This book, a Modern Classic, is dystopian, which I always love, and is written in 1962. This made for a very interesting read since it's written about the future, ergo our past and/or present. Some of the things were pretty accurate, and some things were pretty off, and strange. Like the language. Wow. Am I ever glad that I read the introduction before reading the book, because I had no idea that the language was at all anything special, and it TOTALLY was. The language in A Clockwork Orange is completely unique and not in any way English. Which was pretty confusing at first, but, after I got the hang of it, was completely cool. I found it fascinating how quickly I could incorporate Alex's slang words into my vocabulary and understand every word that he said. I am really looking forward to seeing the movie, and to see how Alex and his crazy language translates into film! 

It's a movie!

Spoiler Alert: Don't read past this point if you don't want to know specific book details!

So a little bit about the book: Alex is pretty much a psychopath, and that becomes quite evident early on. Burgess gives us such a vivid look into Alex's psyche that I felt like I understood him right off the bat. In the society in which Alex lives, not only do the youth speak using their own slang language, they are completely without morals. Alex and his 'droogs' (friends) go around stealing 'pretty polly' (money), raping women, and beating up whomever they please (usually 'starry' people, which refers to anyone elderly).

The book is written in three parts, 7 chapters each, and all start out with the same clever phrase, "What's it gonna be then, eh?" I found this really clever and I loved how Burgess divided the novel so interstingly. In the first part we are introduced to Alex and his 'droogs' and all of their crazy antics. We also see some of Alex's wisdom despite the fact that he seems lost to the world and humanity. Some of the things that he says were just so wise and smart, and made me love him against all the odds :)  Throughout the rest of the novel, Alex goes through many changes, going to jail, and enduring crazy torturous treatment that makes it so that he literally cannot commit violence. And even though I feel like this is supposed to be the main theme or idea in the novel, I really just took away my own message from it. Because when all was said and done, I saw Alex in part three, who finally choose to not do wrong and actually wanted to find love and family, as just a normal dude. This just kind of reminded me of how teens are nowadays (obviously not as drastically rebellious) and how society views them to be menaces. But really, we all grow up and learn from our mistakes (obviously there are some exceptions), and I think that is what Burgess demonstrates through Alex. Even if it was a little scary to read.

I have to also say that it completely broke my heart when Alex was brought back to 'HOME' in part 3, after his previous friends had raped him and beat him up, and he discovers the old man willing to help him, only to find that he, Alex himself, had killed the man's wife. It really made me sad, more than anything else in the book. And I could tell that Alex was saddened by it, which is maybe the first time I thought that he could turn out alright. It was so ironic and beautiful, and probably my favourite part of the whole story.

Overall, I think that A Clockwork Orange is a timeless piece of fiction that anyone can enjoy, whether young or 'starry'.


Tehe-Cheers & Enjoy♥

Ordinary People by Judith Guest

The Jarrets are a typical American family. Calvin is a determined, successful provider and Beth an organized, efficient wife. They had two sons, Conrad and Buck, but now they have one. In this memorable, moving novel, Judith Guest takes the reader into their lives to share their misunderstandings, pain . . and ultimate healing.
                                                                   -Book jacket







I had never heard of this book previous to someone lending it to me with other books, saying that it would be a great read. Well they were right. This book was so emotionally dead-on, and really made me think outside of my own situation.

The book explores the themes of a normal American family, whose exciting plot is made up of nothing more than hardships that are commonly found in various households. The Jarrets lose one of their sons, and we are introduced to the surviving son, Conrad, when the book opens. We see immediately the pain that is weighing down on Conrad, and view his insight after he tries to commit suicide and spends time in a mental hospital.

The book really is very moving and is full of dynamic supporting characters, many who will make you angry, and some that make you never give up hope for Conrad. I really enjoyed the book (and can't wait to watch the 1980 Oscar-winning movie!) and must say that Guest really captured the emotion perfectly, and I had no trouble believing that the struggle to recovery that we see Conrad and his family endure, was anything but genuine.

    It's a movie!

Spoiler Alert: Don't read past this point if you don't want to know specific book details!

As mentioned before, we see right off the bat that Conrad has experienced hardship, and something really traumatic, even if we don't learn until later that he has lost his only brother (and thinks it's his fault) and suffered from severe depression finally exploding when he tries to take his own life.

As the book goes on, Guest lets us in more and more into what really happened, which kept me really interested in the book, and gave it an even more realistic quality, as if I was Conrad's psychologist. I loved that aspect.

I also loved the various points of view that we get to experience. Cal, Conrad's father, gave us an interesting view on the situation and also into his own problems, which is so characteristic of the situation; another thing I loved! I enjoyed being in on the problems within the marriage as well as his heartfelt struggles to reconnect with Conrad, holding on to the last string for dear life, and trying to know what to say and how to act. Which was so authentic. This book was just so spot-on and accurate and true. I loved it!

The only thing I hated was Conrad's mother. She just never seemed to get it. It infuriated me, but in a good way. I knew that she was paramount to the story, and I just loved hating the hell out of that biatch. She just never seemed to understand her own son's struggles and never even wanted to. This book truly showcased a heartbreaking situation that occurs often in our society, and did it amazingly.

I recommend this book to both adults and teens, because I think it should be read by all, and can be interpreted, understood, and helpful to all!

Moved--Cheers & Enjoy♥

Oh No they Didn't! (They did! + other unrelatedness)

Yep, You see that correctly. That is the Gossip Girl cover, in all its creepy, gory, bloody weirdness. Apparently Cecily Von Ziegesar is much more far gone than I thought. After reading her last stand alone novel, Cum Laude, I was really questioning her sanity, since I absolutely LOATHED the book (read all about it here, along with some other abominable narratives). It seems she has really gone off the deep end. In case you are wondering, she has re-written the first installment in the already very messed up series about privileged teens living the high life in New York City. This time there will be blood. (Evidently!) So as I understand it, the girls, blonde bombshell Serena & brunette beauty Blair, will now resort to murder to further fulfill their every spoiled want and need. Even though I kind of find this revolting, I also say, "sign me up!". Obviously, I NEED to read this, whether out of sheer fascination or not (or also possibly because I have every other possible Gossip Girl novel in the franchise, including prequels, sequels, spin-offs, and quite possibly prequel-sequels. Anywho, I will keep you updated! Look for this one October 3rd! Here's a summary:


          "Welcome to New York City's Upper East Side, where my friends and I live, go to school, play, and sleep-sometimes with each other. It's a luxe life, but someone's got to live it . . . until they die. So begins Gossip Girl, Psycho Killer, a re-imagined and expanded slasher edition of the first groundbreaking Gossip Girl novel, featuring all new grisly scenes and over-the-top gore by #1 New York Times bestselling author Cecily von Ziegesar.
          Just as in the original story, Serena returns from boarding school hoping to make amends with her BFF Blair Waldorf--things just haven't been the same since Nate Archibald came between them. But here's where our dark tale takes a turn: Serena decides that the only way for her to make things right with Blair is to eliminate Nate. If that means killing him, well, c'est la vie. Her attempted murder doesn't go unnoticed by Blair, however, who isn't about to let Serena kill whoever she wants-not when there's Cyrus Rose and Chuck Bass and Titi Coates and everyone else who's ever irritated Blair to get rid of first . . . .
          American Psycho's Patrick Bateman has met his match in Manhattan's newest, most fabulous trendsetting serial killers, Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen."


In other news:

*There has definitely been a trend with books becoming movies and TV shows recently (as if I need to say this again!), the latest additions being The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen, Warm Bodies by Isaac Morton, The Secret Circle series by LJ Smith, and The Lying Game by Sara Shepard. The former two are going to be movies, while the latter two are TV series' that already have shows in existence based off of different books from the same authors! I am super excited for ALL of them, but if you want to know more Book to Movie news, stay tuned for my Book to Big Screen feature. (And click for previous posts).

*If anyone is wondering where the Harry Potter Re-Read-a-Ganza! went, I am still planning on finishing it up, but due to the high volume of borrowed books (from both friends and libraries), I have a lot to catch up on, but promise to wrap it up in due time. So stay tuned for that as well. Also, I did happen to get early registration to Pottermore, so I will let you guys know all about the awesome-nosity as it happens to me :)

*There have been loads of great movies recently, and I have only seen a select few of the ones I've wanted to, mostly because I haven't had time to see all the ones that I want! Here are the ones that I've seen since mny last update:




Horrible Bosses was a pretty great movie, jam-packed with some of my favourite funny actors and lots of funny moments. The combination of Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman, Charlie Day (as the good guys) and Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey (as the bad guys) was purely marvelous. I loved all of them, and they really showed their hilarious versatility in this comedy. I know we are going to be seeing lots more from new-comer Charlie Day, and I really hope to see Jennifer Aniston in more of these roles, because she completely pulled off the villain! The plot was pretty funny and the ending was also pretty great, with lots of funny scenes and dialogue in between. This was a perfect summer comedy and I can't stress enough how bang-on everything came together!



I saw Bad Teacher after that, thinking that it would be so funny, exactly how I imagined it from the trailers: funny-girl Cameron Diaz in a funny role and hilarious concept, with an amazing cast to back her up. Jason Segel. Justin Timberlake. How can you go wrong? Let me spoil it for you: it went wrong. It just seemed like one of those movies that shows all its funny parts in the trailer. And it was way more vulgar than I thought, which isn't usually a problem for me, but it kind of just seemed unnecessary. Don't get me wrong, the actors still did an amazing job, I just got the feeling that there wasn't a whole lot to work with. I kind of couldn't wait for it to be over. It was still funny though and I liked the ending, and loved Jason Segel. I guess it's just more of a rental movie than a theatre one.




Crazy Stupid Love. Wow. I loved this movie. I saw it most recently, and I cannot get it out of my head. I want to see it again. I wanted to see it again right after I saw it! And again, and again, and again! This movie was so amazing, and there are so many good things about it. I love all the actors. They all did amazing jobs, and were so convincing. I really believe that this movie appeals to all generations, due to it's relatability and separate yet involved storylines. There were also so many surprises (ones that even I didn't see coming, and believe me, I pick up on a lot). And of course the movie was filled with hilarious parts. The dialogue, the scenes, the techniques. Everything seemed to add to the humour and authenticity of the movie. Steve Carrell was stellar, as always. Ryan Gosling. Yikes. Don't even get me started on this Canadian hunk-a-hunk. He was AMAZING in this movie, and acted superbly. He captured the essence of the character perfectly and makes me swoon everytime I think about it. He was funny and genuine and cute and sexy all at the same time, and I love him! The love stories portrayed throughout the whole film were so well done, and this movie really gets it, and has everything going for it! A must see, and one of my favourites, EVER!


So I think that that's just about all that I have for now...


It is time to retire (to bed!)--Cheers & Enjoy♥