A Look at My Bookshelf #8

Another week has gone–my last week of schoollessness (schoolessness?). After this week I probably won't be reading quite so much, but I'll still be doing A Look at My Bookshelf.

'Kay, ready?

I finished . . .

My Cousin Rachel, by Daphne DuMaurier

Daphne DuMaurier does not disappoint! I believe she's one of my favorite authors. In this book she spins a tale of love, hate, intrigue, greed, revenge, all within the confines of day-to-day life. I was hooked. The book has

• Complex characters
• Fabulous plot
• Great setting
• Beautiful writing

Get thee to a library and check this book out!

I read . . .

A Thousand Perfect Notes, by C.G. Drews

I devoured this book (almost literally, since there was so much food)! It didn't actually make me cry (Sorry, Cait), but my left eye was definitely damp. Definitely. This book has

• Larger-than-life characters (Joey, my adorable violent five-year-old chef! August, my barefoot beam of sunshine! Beck, my acidic little dumpling!)
• A vegan café
• Delicious FOOD (The cake sounded good, of course, but I was craving the cupcakes and the lasagna. Anybody else?)
• Descriptive food–the Maestro's single, stingy, burnt buttered piece of toast, Joey's exuberant sandwiches.
• Beautiful writing (A couple things annoyed me a little, but I was able to look past them)

"The Man in the Arena", by Theodore Roosevelt

So I know this isn't technically a book, it's a speech, but it was a very good speech and took me around an hour and a half to read, so I think I'm justified in adding it (maybe?). I lost my focus while reading so many times. The prose were very dense and I am a product of these high-speed technological times, alas!

Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Wow, I thoroughly enjoyed this one! In case you don't know, it's a prequel to Peter Pan–an amazing one! (For an amazing sequel, look no farther than Peter Pan in Scarlet, by Geraldine McCaughrean.) This book has . . . 

• A fast-paced, twisty plot that's surprisingly easy to keep track of, despite all that's going on
• Fun characters and dialogue
• Engaging writing

I basically finished reading this and started watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, actually. From pirates to poltergeists! (And wizards, of course, but wizard doesn't start with a p.)

I watched . . .

To All the Boys I've Loved Before

First of all, I loved it. Second . . . I conflicted over whether I liked the book or the movie better. Books just always allow for more character development; movies have to squish everything into a couple hours. That being said, movie-Peter's transformation was too small for me. He wasn't enough of an arrogant jerk in the beginning (I can't believe I just said that). I did like movie-Chris better. Lara Jean and Kitty were perfect (but Kitty's . . . um . . . motivations were so much better developed in the book).

Overall: cute!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

I enjoyed this! The foreshortened nature of movies didn't bother me with this one because 1) Let's face it, there's no real character development in Harry Potter–it's all about the plot–and it's a "wicked" plot, to quote Ron Weasley, and 2) It's been three years since I read the first HP book and I have a terrible memory for details, so I didn't know what scenes the movie was missing that the book had.

It was so much fun to see the wizarding world come to life! (Also, small Emma Watson!!! And small Draco is so cute!)

I started . . .


The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan

Well, that's it! (Finally.) Have you read/watched any of these? Tell me your thoughts!