I'm back, with lots of fandom talk!

[chibichan]

I cannot believe how long it's been since I posted here. (Two months, I believe?) And just when I had made lots of new friends, too! ;w; I'm so sorry, guys. But I'm back! And oh man... I have so much to talk about, real life and fandom wise.

❖ Christmas: I spent Christmas in Scotland, at Andrew's house. It was pretty awesome! It snowed and Andrew's parents got me presents, much to my surprise (I haven't been receiving presents from my parents in recent years, so...), which included a stuffed lion (which I have named Aslan ♥), a tea-bags container and some creams for lips. Andrew also got me some volumes of the Sailor Moon manga, which is amazing. Andrew and his sister got all kinds of presents, including the video game Lego Lord of the Rings. I've played it with Andrew and it's freaking AWESOME. It makes me want to watch/read Lord of the Rings like crazy.

Also, I cooked for everyone! I talked to Andrew's parents about what we eat for Christmas in south Italy (seafood, spaghetti, prawns, etc.) and they really liked the idea and decided to do a southern-Italian Christmas! I knew the recipes, so I cooked for everybody (a total of five people). It was my first time cooking Christmas dinner and also my first time cooking for so many people and it turned out great! Andrew and his family loved it and I was really happy they did.

❖ Regarding my health, I'm much better now. I've been taking medications for about two months and I feel way less nauseous than I did months ago. So yeah, as long as I take the medicine, everything seems to be okay. I also relaxed a lot during the Christmas holidays and feel like I have way more energy than I did before.

❖ University has started again (I'm on my second week of semester 2) and I can say for sure that I love my timetable. All the lectures are from Monday to Wednesday, which means that, unless I have tutorials, Thursdays and Fridays are completely free! So I get sort of a four-days long weekend on certain weeks, which is amazing. Of course I will be mostly studying on those days, but it's still awesome.

Now, onto fandoms. Also, on a side note: I'm so excited to be into reading again! I forgot how awesome it was to be into a story and wanting to know what happened and not being able to put the book (or the ereader, in my case) down and wanting to read every minute... it's an amazing, amazing feeling. So, expect lots of book talks/reviews from me in the future!

❖ I finished reading Mockingjay a couple of months ago, so I'm officially finished with The Hunger Games. And let me tell you: I was so happy when I finished Mockingjay, because I could finally move on and read something else! XD It was seriously hard to read. As I've said before, I really only kept reading to know what happened to Peeta. I'm glad Peeta and Katniss ended up together, but it didn't really have any major impact on me. I could... sort of see it coming? I don't know, all I felt when I finished reading was, '... yeah... it's ended. ... Now, what should I read next?'. I guess it was such a difficult book to read (it was boring, nothing much was happening, etc.) that it made me care less about all the characters (except Peeta) and by the end I was really only reading so I could say I finished it (I could never stop reading a book halfway through... or at least I have yet to find one that it's so bad I can't even finish reading).

So yeah... what did I think of the ending? It was... alright, I guess. I was really frustrated that the book was in Katniss's POV, because most of the awesome stuff seemed to be happening when she was unconscious or doing something else. And by 'awesome' stuff I don't mean explosions or action-y stuff like that - I mean more the political side of The Hunger Games. I mean, this is a book series where people are pretty much oppressed by the government, unless they happen to be born on the right District or in the Capitol itself; there are extremely rich people and extremely poor people, who can't even afford to eat; and it's obvious the government plays a major part in it - they organize the Games, they make sure people don't rebel, they keep everything and everyone under control - and they do this with a smile on their faces. There's so much you can do with such a political setting, and so much you can tell us about it. For instance, how did it happen? Did somebody have an idea for the perfect government which then became corrupted and cruel because of people wanting power, or did they realise they had to be super severe with the people to start with or they wouldn't be able to survive? And the rebels themselves, what are they going to do once they kill the President? What government is going to rise from the ashes of this one? Towards the end Mockingjay sort of started exploring these points (when the general of the rebels says they should have a Game with the kids of the Capitol and Katniss sees that if she allows it, then nothing really has changed, etc.), but didn't go into them in depth. That's what I was expecting from this book. You've written two entire books about Katniss being in the Games - now that she's out, it's the perfect opportunity to talk about the political environment of these books! But no, it didn't do that. Maybe that's why I didn't care about the war and who won - if I don't know anything about the people they're fighting (except they're rich and 'bad'), then how can I care?

I guess Mockingjay disappointed me as a book, because I wanted to read about the political situation of Panem a bit, instead of having to read some 'omg!!!111!! super special awesome action sequences with bombs and explosions!!11!!1' which mostly bored me. But I understand - it's teenage fiction, it's mostly about a girl trying to survive and sometimes having boy problems. Oh and, btw, the teenage angst was just hilarious and a bit ridiculous at times. I get it, Katniss doesn't know who she loves and every reader (supposedly) enjoys a love triangle - but the scenes about Katniss, Gale and Peeta angsting about their feelings felt like they really came out of nowhere (they really were there to remind you that there's a love triangle going on) and were misplaced across the book. Guys, THERE IS A WAR GOING ON. I don't know if you've noticed, but you're in the middle of a freaking war. W-A-R. I think your teenage drama can wait after the end of the war, don't you think? At least wait for a time where there's no threat of being killed at any moment. Seriously.

Anyway. My final thoughts on the series: it's good, but it could have been better (and I'm talking especially about Mockingjay here). For teenage fiction, it's okay. Way better than Twilight, at least.

❖ Now, onto the other books I've read! Let's see (please beware of spoilers!):

- The Constant Gardener (John le Carré): This was suggested to me by Andrew. It was alright. It was the kind of story that could have kept me 'on the edge of my seat', so to speak, but... it didn't. I guess it's because I didn't like the characters, except Justin and Gloria (who was a minor character). The ending also kind of disappointed me. It didn't really make an impact on me (much like Mockingjay), so it's hard to say whether I liked it or not. I guess it's okay.

- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis): Loved it! It is a story influenced by Christianity a bit (and I know it was done on purpose), but man, I loved it. My eyes filled with tears when Aslan was killed. It just... described so well all the cruel things they were doing to him and just... damn. I LOVE ASLAN, OKAY. He's one of the most awesome book characters I've ever seen. And the kids! I love all of them. So many likeable characters and such an awesome story.

- Prince Caspian (C. S. Lewis): Yeah, I want to read all the Chronicles of Narnia books. XD There's really nothing much to say about this one, except that I enjoyed it, too. I love the way C. S. Lewis writes.

- The Magician's Nephew (C. S. Lewis): I'm only halfway through this one, but I'll be finishing it soon! I think I like it. It's different from the other two books and I still have to finish it, so it's early to say what I think about it. But so far, I've enjoyed it.

- 1984 (George Orwell): BRILLIANT. I. FREAKING. LOVE IT. It is an amazing book and George Orwell writes so well! I couldn't stop myself from reading this. I finished it in two days and I just had to read it constantly. Everything in the book is explained so well and you really feel like you're getting it, but I'm sure that, if I read it again, something else that I haven't noticed will pop up and it always will with every read. But it's really a book that leaves you satisfied with what you've read. I guess this is what I wanted Mockingjay to be. One of the best reads of my life. I highly, highly recommend it.

- Animal Farm (George Orwell): Yes, well, I had to read this one, too, after 1984. What can I say. INCREDIBLY BRILLIANT. I might like it even more than 1984. The ending, it's just... ahhhh, so brilliant. It's so sad, it's literally like a slap in the face. But it's an awesome, awesome book about politics and totalitarianism. Do read it if you get the chance. It's also very short, I basically read it in a couple of hours. It's not connected in any way to 1984, you can read it on its own. It's just about the same topic. I will be re-reading this and 1984 in the future, that's for sure.

- Northern Lights (also called The Golden Compass) (Philip Pullman): YES, I AM READING HIS DARK MATERIALS. FINALLY. I'm halfway through the first book and wow, I'm loving every second I spend reading it. I watched the movie some years ago, so I sort of know what happens, but I can't remember it very well because it's been years since I watched it. Anyway, it's awesome. I'm really interested in what happens and the world of this book is so cool. I'm enjoying it so much, it's not even real.

As you can see, I'm reading way more now that I have an ereader than before. I am so happy about this! Also, I've made a list of books on my ereader that I really want to read in the near future and it has about 60 books in it. It would be awesome if I could read them all this year! So my challenge for this year is to read those 60 books (or at least as many from that list as possible)! :)

❖ And now, movies:

- The Social Network: Awesome. I hate Facebook with a passion, but man, this movie was great. I was really interested in everything that was happening and at the end I was like, '... what? That's the end?!' simply because I didn't want it to finish, haha. I really didn't feel like I was watching a movie, I was so captivated by the plot. Great job!

- Juno: I know people love this movie... I thought it was alright. Ellen Page was seriously getting on my nerves though. The way she spoke was irritating. I think Jennifer Garner saved the movie. I didn't care about Juno herself, but I was really into Jennifer Garner's character and story. Overall, I think it's okay but not that great.

- To Rome with Love: Awesome film by Woody Allen. I love that half the film was in Italian and it really made me miss Italy. I also loved the Italian actors in it. And Jesse Eisenberg was amazing. Loved this movie.

- Superbad: I don't know if anyone on my f-list likes this film, but... I thought Superbad was true to its title. Superbad was really a super bad movie. I admit it's not my kind of movie and it's probably the reason why I didn't like it. I'm just so sick and tired of all these 'comedies' about teenagers/geeks/losers/whatever that desperately want to get laid and end up getting drunk/high/into trouble/whatever. It's an overdone movie formula and the intent of every film is to be more and more ridiculous... which, imo, results in the film just being plain pathetic. But that's just my opinion.

- Adventureland: I saw Adventureland before I saw Superbad and I was so surprised to see that the people who directed Superbad directed this film. Because I think this film is really good. It's a coming of age story and it's done really well. The actors are great (Jesse Eisenberg and Ryan Reynolds in the same film? Too much eye-candy to pass up!), except for Kristen Stewart, who, quite frankly... just CAN'T act. There was no difference between the way she portrayed her character in Adventureland and Bella Swan from Twilight. Literally no difference. Same blank expressions, same emotionless acting... I have no idea why she was cast and I think it was a major mistake. She didn't ruin the film too much, it was still enjoyable (Jesse Eisenberg and Ryan Reynolds made up for her bad acting), but I really think they should have cast someone else, someone who can actually deliver some emotion to the audience. Again, that's just my opinion.

- The Squid and the Whale + The Emperor's Club: They're not really well-known films, so I'm putting them together. I must admit, the only reason I watched them was because Jesse Eisenberg was in them, but I actually found myself liking these two movies and getting into the plots. The Squid and the Whale was weird at times, but overall I think it managed to convey the emotions that all the characters were going through. As for the Emperor's Club, it's really a lovely film. It kind of reminds me of Dead Poets' Society, but it's not a rip-off, it has its own identity as a film.

- The Amazing Spider-Man: Oh man... I really thought I was going to like this film, but I just... can't. There are so many plot-holes in this film and things that just seem totally OOC. Now, I don't read the comics and I'm not a Spiderman fan... but I wasn't a Batman fan either until I saw Nolan's movies, so I thought I'd give Spiderman a chance. I was really disappointed at this film. I can't remember the original Spiderman film so well, so I won't do a comparison... but even without doing a comparison, this film is still pretty bad on its own. And it's such a shame. It felt like it was really trying to be like Nolan's Batman movies, but it just... failed. The plot-holes and OOC-ness of the characters didn't help, either.

And that's pretty much it. As you can see I really wanted to see some movies with Jesse Eisenberg in them... yay for celebrity crush!

So yeah... it seems I've rediscovered also my love for films! :D Next films on my list are Inception, Equilibrium, The Dark Knight Rises... and possibly a few more.

Well, that was quite a long entry! But anyway, I hope you guys are doing great! :D

Comments

[tropicsbear]

I remember marathon-reading all the Narnia books when I was in high school. I was never religious, but I was the only one in my group of friends (that time) who actually saw and understood the religious references XD

[chibichan]

Haha, really? XD I'm not religious myself, but the parallels are really too similar, it's impossible not to notice. Maybe it's because I've studied Christianity so much in school (we had a class literally called "Religion" every week), but the references in the Narnia books were quite easy to spot.

[cleo]

I'm glad you're feeling better!

I found Mockingjay frustrating, mostly because I saw the whole thing with District Thirteen's leader being worse than Panem's president coming a mile away. And I thought Prim's death was absolutely pointless. Idk. It was a letdown. And the afterward with Katness and Peeta...just no. But I still love the series as a whole.

Have you read Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's Thief series? You may enjoy it. It's set in a mythical world kinda based on ancient Greece (but not in an annoying way). She's incredibly thoughtful about her worldbuilding and you get a lot of the politics and economics of the three countries it concerns. The first is technically considered children's lit, but it's AMAZING. And the next three are considered YA. But they follow a thief named Gen. And I can't really tell you more because it would give away too much stuff.

[chibichan]

Thank you! :)

And I thought Prim's death was absolutely pointless.
Oh my gosh, I forgot about Prim! Poor Prim! She was so awesome, I liked her way more than Katniss. And I totally agree, her death was incredibly pointless. And so close to the end of the war, too. I guess the author wanted to get another 'gasp!' out of us before finishing the book? But to me, it was just another irritating thing about the book.

The afterward with Katniss and Peeta was kind of cliché and way too short. Ok, so you had kids and sort of lived happily ever after, but what about Panem as a whole? Care to elaborate, please? I guess the author wants us to care about Katniss, seeing as she is the main character, but really, I cared more about the political situation than any teenager (except Peeta and Prim) in that series.

I haven't read it, but it sounds awesome! And is it me, or is children's literature sometimes better than YA fiction? His Dark Materials and Narnia are supposedly children's books (heck, even Harry Potter started as a series for children), but they're written so incredibly well and the stories themselves are just amazing.

[wehappyfew]

That Christmas dinner sounds amazing. o_o I'm totally jealous. And I'm glad you're doing better wrt to health! That's really exciting!

Mockingjay was probably my least favorite of all of the Hunger Games books and now that I've read this entry, I figured out part of why: everything you said. I want more books that deal less with love triangles (though I do love them if they're done right/I don't predict the outcome) and more to do with other things. Unfortunately, love/sex sells, even in YA fiction.

Superbad was awful. I watched it a couple years back because people thought it was ~hilarious~ and I needed to see it, but it was so boring. I mean, there were a couple funny parts and I liked Emma Stone, but overall? The plot's been done a million times.

[chibichan]

Haha, and it's incredibly easy to cook, too! Somebody in the comments asked if I could post the recipes for it, so you can cook it, too, if you'd like! :)

Yeah, Mockingjay was overall boring/weird to read, at least to me. To be fair, there wasn't even that much teenage drama going on, it just really felt like it didn't belong in the book at all, with all the major stuff going on. I'm also not going to forget that there's a love triangle going on just because I haven't read about it for a couple of chapters. I know it's there, now write about something else! But maybe I'm taking this way too seriously, haha.

I know, right?! There are billions of films like this and it's getting kind of annoying. The fact that they're constantly making this kind of film really makes you wonder, though... do people really want to see the same thing over and over again? I just don't get the appeal of these movies, or the 'humor'. I just feel bad for the actors in these films, because they could really be doing something else, something to really boost their career... and instead they're trapped in bad movies.

[wehappyfew]

Awesome! It'll have to be a special occasion sometime because seafood's kinda pricey here in my land-locked state.

Yeah, you definitely have to keep in mind that it's YA and directed towards some people who might not have the attention span we do lmao. All I know is that I really enjoyed the series but felt Mockingjay was the one that felt short out of the three. Which sucks since it's the last book.

I think, overall, the general public just wants really mindless movies. It's why America as a whole loves reality tv shows and really awful tv shows so much; they can just zone out for a while. I mean, I'm all for that if that's what you enjoy (and sometimes it's what I enjoy) but I'd rather have something that's at least somewhat original/creative. My two favorite comedies done in the past few years are I Love You, Man and Baby Mama, both of which had pretty original storylines and creative humor rather than the stuff Superbad has.

Of course, my favorite movie ever is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, so I might be the wrong person to talk to about movies/what the general public might enjoy lmao.

[chibichan]

it's YA and directed towards some people who might not have the attention span we do lmao
lol, true. Sometimes I think I might have liked these books more if I had read them when I was 14-16, but know I have some expectations from books and I want books to satisfy them, at least a bit. I think age has made me more picky, haha.

but I'd rather have something that's at least somewhat original/creative
YES, EXACTLY. I want to watch something that isn't the same thing over and over again and I don't want to feel like I wasted two hours of my life at the end.

Lol, I have weird taste in movies, too, but I don't think there's anything wrong with us! We just want something different, that's all. Also, I've been meaning to watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind! :D How is it?

[wehappyfew]

Hey, that totally makes sense! And I definitely think you're allowed to be picky.

YES. I actually watched a movie called the Babymakers on Netflix a few days ago and while it was some humor that was pretty common/generic, it was pretty creative. Not the BEST MOVIE IN THE WORLD but I'd definitely never seen a movie like it.

I'm also the type of person that will watch the Little Mermaid and then turn around and watch all of the Saw movies, so... But ESotSM is amazing. I really, really love it. I actually bought it off amazon without having ever seen it and it became my favorite movie. It's not for everyone, that's for sure, and it's kinda weird, but I think it's amazing.

[fiones]

HIS DARK MATERIALS WOOOO

[chibichan]

YESSSSS. I'm enjoying it so much, it's not even funny!

[sylvaine]

Yay! I'm glad you're back, and I'm glad you had such a lovely Christmas and that the meds have helped! *hugs*

Oooooh, I am so very excited about you reading the Chronicles of Narnia! Those were some of my favourite books as a child; I must remember to take the audiobooks with me when I next visit home. Best memories! (I loved The Last Battle the most of all, and The Horse and His Boy second most, but I'm fairly alone in this preference, heh.)

[chibichan]

Aww, thank you! *hugs back*

Haha, I'm really excited about it, too! I found myself really enjoying them and I can't wait to read the rest! :D

[nurseshark]

Glad you're health is good!

I agree on Mockingjay. I enjoyed it, but not on the same level as the first two books. I didn't like the love triangle aspect for the same reasons you didn't. On the ending, I didn't really mind it overall.

I really like The Social Network. Juno was pretty good, but I've heard the complaint of the characters dialogue before. I think it's a quirk of the scriptwriter to write dialogue like that.

Oh, I love Inception! I was kind of disappointed in The Dark Knight Rises personally.

[chibichan]

Thank you!

Yeah, the love triangle and the teenage angst scenes felt almost forced. I also thought the epilogue was too short - I really wanted to know what had happened to Panem and instead we only got Katniss's happy ending with Peeta. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they ended up together... but what about the rest of the world?

The problem I had with Juno wasn't the dialogue itself, but more Ellen Page's accent for the character. She kept finishing her sentences with a high pitched voice, so that they all sounded like a question, but weren't. (It's hard to explain that kind of accent... all I know is that it annoys me to no end.)

I watched Inception yesterday and I have quite mixed feelings about it... but I'll write a post about it!

[mythicgeek]

Hey welcome back!

About the Golden Compass - they took plenty of liberties with the movie and ended it differently as well, so it's as well you don't really remember it all?

And I dunno I always thought the Christian allegory in Chronicles or Narnia was pretty blatantly obvious. It always surprises me when people don't make the connect. But then I was raised on a pretty steady diet of Sunday school and Catholic school so uh, that stuff pretty much hits me in the face. XD

[chibichan]

Thank you!

Yeah, I heard people complain that they changed quite a a lot stuff. I do remember enjoying the movie at the time (of course I hadn't read the book) and am enjoying the book right now even more than I thought I would, so... I don't really mind not remembering the movie. XD

Haha, yeah, I'm the same: from primary school until the end of high school, I've studied Christianity quite a lot (not by choice, we had a "Religion" class, plus being in Italy and all) and the references were pretty obvious to me, too. XD

[mythicgeek]

It's probably a lot better that you don't :) I didn't hate the changes they made but the way the movie was made, it just didn't do very well and thus the sequels never happened. Shame, the end of the trilogy would have been pretty interesting to see on screen.

Oh yeah, being in Italy that would definitely do it! :D

[muladhara]

You sound to have had a good Xmas! :D

I love the Narnia books, but the Christian subtext - well, I didn't even know it was there until someone (my mum, probably) pointed it out to me. I mean yeah, of course it's there, but I don't think it's that big a deal? I manage just fine with them not reading anything into them. I also totally need to reread them all, as it's been NINE YEARS since last time :c (if you want anyone to talk to about them, hit me up if you like).

ETA: Also YISS NORTHERN LIGHTS. I need to reread those, as well. I loved them, and Pullman has some very intriguing ideas that he uses, and some interesting world-building. (Also interesting that you're reading them in conjunction with Narnia, but I won't say why because of spoilers, given where you're at right now).

[chibichan]

Yeah, it was an awesome Christmas! :D How was yours?

Oh of course, I don't think it's a big deal, either. I'm not religious, but I still enjoy the story a lot. :D You can decide to simply enjoy a story about a different world, a lion and four children without reading anything more into it. I like that the books do not 'impose' Christianity on the reader and give us the choice to read the subtext if we want to, or to simply focus on the story.

Haha, yeah, I'm reading two completely different books if we look at the ideas of the authors (C. S. Lewis with his Christian subtext and Pullman sort of having the Church as 'bad guys' and wanting to be completely free of any religious subtext), but you know what? I'm loving them, subtext or not. They're just so well written and the stories are amazing. But I agree, Pullman has really made an amazing world (I suspect there are more worlds to be seen, but the one in the first book is still quite interesting to me), with the bears and the witches and the gyptians and the daemons! I almost wish I had come up with such ideas myself, haha!

[muladhara]

Oh good! Mine was quiet, but they always are. Got to see my nephew, which is always good :D

Exactly! That's what it is to me. And yes, I like it that they don't hit you over the head with the subtext (I dare say there are people who would argue differently, however).

Yes, yes, yes! (Although I must admit that I have a liking for books where God is a bad guy, hence so are his believers. I find it very intriguing). The first book is interesting, I think it works very well to pull you in. I shall say no more, however, because I don't want to spoil you for what's to come. I think it's a lot better to go in knowing absolutely nothing about it.

[chibichan]

Aww, that's nice! :D

Although I must admit that I have a liking for books where God is a bad guy, hence so are his believers. I find it very intriguing
... you have just made me want to read a book with a plot like this. The idea is very intriguing, indeed! (I suspect there is a little bit of this in His Dark Materials?)
Haha, I love going into stories without knowing anything about them, it feels almost like I'm on an adventure with the main characters! :D

[muladhara]

He's growing so quickly! Just saw him today and he's massive already! Heh.

I didn't actually mean to say books, I meant stories, but well, what else are books? I don't know if you or Andrew are into video games at all, but the main series games in the Shin Megami Tensei series are like that (there are novels the games are based on, but I don't know if there are translations as the originals are in Japanese), as are the two Digital Devil Saga games. God and his believers - the Messians - are NOT good. There's other things going for the series as well, such as its use of mythology, but that's what got me interested in it in the first place. All the ones that have been released in the west are on the PS2, except for Strange Journey, which is on the DS, and the original SMT games, which were on the SNES. I am just SO IN LOVE with these games I could talk about them all day, but I won't. But if you want to know more, you know where to come :D

Also yes, there's a bit of that in His Dark Materials. But this is me shutting up about it now!

[chibichan]

(Late reply is late!)

Andrew and I are very much into videogames and, as a matter of fact, I've actually tried to play Shin Megami Tensei once! And you've made me want to give these games a second try. I stopped playing them because I was getting frustrated with the combat system, but I should really give them a second chance!

[muladhara]

EXCELLENT ON BOTH COUNTS!

(I remembered after I posted this that I think you recced me a game or two a while back? D'oh. Who heads the dept of stupid questions? Oh yes, it is me).

The battle system is very difficult to get your head around, but once you've got the hang of it, it's pretty much the same for all games. Also it helps to have to a "scan" type spell (can't remember the name offhand, and it possibly varies in game) so that you can scan for enemy weaknesses (since getting it wrong and hitting an immunity will lose you a turn (if playing SMT or DDS)). If you want any info/help/just to natter about the games, I'm always happy to (I have a tag for the series and ones for individual games as well, and you're welcome to check them out).

[rosaxx50]

Aww, I liked Mockingjay. I remember reading somewhere the SC was pushed by either her editor or publisher to have a love triangle in the story. I agree that the Gale-Peeta argument was annoying though.

The Emperor's Club! I watched it a few years ago and I liked it a lot. It's not what you do, it's what you give.

[chibichan]

Aw, she was pushed to have the love triangle? That's a shame. :( Editors/publishers sometimes shouldn't interfere with a story/book.

Yess, someone else who has seen The Emperor's Club! It really is a lovely movie!

[fujicori]

I'm glad you're feeling better; welcome back~

I agree with so many of your thoughts on Mockingjay; it had so much potential, but spent so much time on the Stuff That Makes A YA Book Sell instead. :c

[chibichan]

Thank you~ :D

Yeah, it seems that most of us were disappointed by Mockingjay. I guess what really irritates me the most is that it could have easily been the best book of the series and instead ended up being the worst. Such a shame. :(

[pretty_panther]

I remember being dragged to Adventureland at the cinema by friends year ago. Such a waste of money, time and sweets tbh.

[chibichan]

I'm sorry you didn't like it. :( I don't think it's a masterpiece or anything, but for what it is, that is a film about teenagers, I think it's done well.

[dratinis]

Welcome back! :D Good to hear that you had a nice Christmas. It's really nice that your boyfriend's family was so kind, and I'm sure they loved the food. You should post some recipes sometime, it'd be really cool to try them out.

Hah, and what a coincidence, I read Animal Farm over my Christmas break, too. The ending really was a slap in the face, but what got to me the most was how unsettling the book was, and how some of the animals seemed to notice it. I quite enjoyed it, but then again I thought 1984 was great too. (I've met quite a few people that liked neither).

Oh thank god, someone else who thought Superbad was terrible. All my friends love it, but I swear my IQ dropped from watching that movie.

[chibichan]

Thank you! :D Yes, my boyfriend's family was really amazing to have me over for the holidays! I'll definitely post the recipes when I have the time! :)

Yes, I know what you mean. Like, when they were constantly changing the rules (i.e. no animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets, etc.), some animals were about to figure out that something was wrong, but they could never quite put their fingers on it. And I seriously got goosebumps when the pigs started to walk on two legs. Just the way Orwell described that scene, there was something creepy and frightening about it, like you know what's going to happen and that stuff is really going to go downhill from now. I've never experienced anything like it before. It's like everything clicked into place and suddenly you could see it all coming. It's hard to explain. But yeah, both Animal Farm and 1984 are amazing books, imo, and they describe things that are just so true (like the fact that ignorance (of the public) is strength (for the people in power), for example).

But now I'm quite curious - the people you've met who didn't like these books, did they give a reason why they didn't like them?

I swear my IQ dropped from watching that movie.
I feel the same! I was really on the verge of just stop watching it about halfway through, but didn't, in case there were some redeeming qualities about it at the end. But nope. 'Super bad' all the way through.

[dratinis]

Yay! I'm a terrible cook, but I'm looking forward to getting to try some new things.

And I seriously got goosebumps when the pigs started to walk on two legs.

I think what he did with that was one of the most simple, but powerful, use of imagery I've ever come across in writing. It sent a really chilling message (to me at least; what separates a human from an animal? what IS humanity, exactly?), but the way he presented it was to the point and absolutely brilliant. It made the ending where the pigs are arguing with the humans that much more thought-provoking. :'D And the fact that the things portrayed in both Animal Farm and 1984 can be applied today is absolutely mind-boggling. Keep the public ignorant so you can acquire power, squash any threat to said power... It's a really interesting look into people's relationship with power because it really doesn't seem like it's changed in the decades since the novels were written.

And all of the people who I've met have said that the books were boring and/or depressing. Boring as in, the subject matter didn't interest them or Orwell's writing style didn't sit too well with them. I think they're valid reasons to not like the books, though.

[chibichan]

what separates a human from an animal? what IS humanity, exactly?
Yes, exactly! I thought it was really clever how the humans were considered bad at first and at the end the pigs were indistinguishable from the humans, meaning they had become just as bad, 'lowering' themselves to the level of the humans; and the humans were indistinguishable from the pigs, meaning the humans had 'lowered' themselves to the level of pigs, which, generally speaking, means becoming a worse person. So clever and thought-provoking.

It's a really interesting look into people's relationship with power because it really doesn't seem like it's changed in the decades since the novels were written.
My country is going through a lot of trouble with the government right now and I can assure you, it really feels like things haven't changed one bit. The politicians don't answer questions from the public, keeping people ignorant about what's going on until laws are made official and nothing can be done about it; keeping people ignorant about the situation in other countries, where behaviour like this would be punished immediately; and they just keep pressuring the hard-working people, asking more and more out of them, until it becomes the norm and everybody 'gets used to the system' and complies, because that's how things have 'always been'... and I could go on and on. I couldn't help but draw the parallels between my country and 1984.

If you don't like the author's writing style, then yeah, there's nothing you can do about it. And yes, they are pretty depressing books, but totalitarianism and oppression of the public is never a happy subject. Personally I could never find a book like this boring, because you can really learn a thing or two about politics by reading it. But I'm probably biased, giving the situation of my country and all.

[crossesandguns]

I'm glad you're reading Narnia! It was one of the first fantasy worlds I was introduced to, and it's the only series I constantly reread every other year. Even now that I see all the problematic stuff in them. Oh yeah, The Horse and His Boy is my favorite out of all of them. :D

[chibichan]

I'm really glad I'm reading them, too! I didn't know how much I would actually enjoy them! :D

Even now that I see all the problematic stuff in them.
Now you've made me curious. XD What do you mean?

[crossesandguns]

Oh, but that would be spoilers! :DD They're mostly in The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle. Uhm, I can't say anything else without spoiling you!

[chibichan]

Ahh, alright then. You can tell me all about it when I read them! :D

[muladhara]

I'm guessing you're talking about a certain lady and the way the author refers to her?

The Horse and His Boy is my favourite, too c:

[crossesandguns]

Hmm, I believe we're thinking along the same track :)

It's really good right? I wonder if they'll ever make a movie out of it...

[muladhara]

It would be nice if there was a film of it. They seem to do the films (and any TV series) in publication order of the books, and I can't remember where The Horse and His Boy comes, so we'll have a wait (also they always seem to get to Voyage of the Dawn Treader and then just...stop. Which is annoying!)