Thursday, April 26, 2012

Sherlock

Season two of the Masterpiece series Sherlock will be starting very soon, and I'm really excited about it! And even though I just posted a blog yesterday, I felt like I really wanted to write about this show and encourage people to watch it because it's wonderful and amazing! (But I have other things to do tonight, so I will keep it short.)

First of all, Sherlock has some wonderful writers, Steve Moffat and Mark Gatiss (probably best know for their work on Doctor Who) are two of the best television writers. Period. I love their work! Second, the cast. Move over Robert Downey, Jr. because Benedict Cumberbatch was made for the role of Sherlock Holmes. He is perfect! And Martin Freeman (who I've always had a soft spot for since his adorable role in Love, Actually) is such an amazing Dr. Watson. I honestly can't imagine a better pair to play these roles!

But I think what I love most about this show is that they follow the original stories but set them in 21st century London. It makes my literary heart flutter. :)

So go to your library, and check out Sherlock season one, and then tune in to PBS May 6th for the premiere of season two! You won't regret it!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The Fault In Our Stars

"I wanted to write a story that grappled with the reality of teenage mortality and the unfairness of that and the injustice of that, and what was angry about it, but at the same time was hopeful and that argued that it is possible for a life to be a good and full life even if it isn't a long life." -John Green, on The Fault in Our Stars

John Green. Sigh. I love this man's books, and I love the video blog project he created with his brother, Hank, and I love Nerdfighters! (If you want to know what I'm talking about please go here: Vlogbrothers Channel) But I'm not here to talk about his videos, I'm here to recommend his latest book, The Fault In Our Stars.

The Fault In Our Stars is the very first book John has ever written from a girl's perspective. John did such a wonderful job capturing a female voice, it honestly blew me away a little. Said female voice belongs to a young girl, Hazel Grace, who has a terminal form of cancer.

I know what you're thinking, Oh man, not another book about terminal illness! That's such a bummer! But this isn't that kind of book. (Well, sort of, but not really.) John's book is full of humor and sadness, happiness and tragedy; he strikes this wonderful balance between light and dark, and the book is so honest about what it's like to live with a disease.

Hazel is a really bright and interesting young girl who loves reading poetry and watching bad reality television. Her life is pretty routine; school, support group, TV and parents. Until she meets Augustus Waters. A young handsome boy who shows up to support group one day and changes her life. He introduces her to new experiences and teaches her it's okay to let people in, even if that means they might lose you someday.

I really loved this book!! I couldn't put it down. The week I started reading it, I went home every night after work, ate a quick bowl of cereal and got back to reading. By the end of the week, I had a sink full of bowls and spoons that desperately needed washing, but I couldn't stop reading until I'd finished the book. (That happened to be early Sunday morning, since I stayed up all night Saturday just to finish it.)

So I highly recommend this and ALL of John Green's books. His work is always so funny and thought-provoking. So go to his website and peruse his books: John Green Books, and then read The Fault In Our Stars. Happy reading, and don't forget to be awesome!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The Name of the Star

I don't normally like ghost stories. Yes, they scare me. I'm a child when it comes to scary things. I went to see The Blair Witch Project when I was 17 years old, and afterward I laid wide awake in bed for four nights in a row. But this particular ghost story had some things I just couldn't resist.

First of all, it was written by Maureen Johnson. She's a friend of another favorite author of mine, John Green, (I absolutely adore him and his books) so I've been meaning to read her books for quite some time. Second, my brother got around to reading her before I did, and gave her books two thumbs up! (And he's kind of particular, so I thought this was a good sign.) Third, a friend of mine who I recently convinced to start watching the amazing Doctor Who series said, "You need to read The Name of the Star because there's a reference you'll appreciate." Spoiler alert: It's a Doctor Who reference. So basically, how could I not read this book? Oh, and it takes place in London, and I'm a little obsessed with British culture, so of course I was going to read it.

The story begins with Rory, our main character, an American teenager who moves to London to do a year of school overseas at a British prep school. When she arrives at her new school, she begins hearing about these murders that are happening in the city. Apparently, someone has been copycating all the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888. As the book progresses, she finds out she has this crazy ability she never knew about, and befriends a secret society of ghost hunters.

Yes, it's definitely a YA novel, but I really loved it! It was a little creepy at times, and suspenseful, but Maureen Johnson is really good at creeping you out and then making you laugh out loud. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes YA fiction or anyone who is a fan of John Green's work. You can tell that Maureen Johnson and John Green have a similar sense of humor. And I think they are two of the funniest people on the planet. So read it and enjoy!