Books

CAUGHT ON FIRE!

Book 2 of any trilogy is crucial. It’s both the sequel and the penultimate part of the saga. Its main goal is to deepen the story and introduce more secondary characters to widen the world we’ve been crazy about on Book 1. But sometimes, diving on to the back stories and supplying more conflict can either be boring or overwhelming.

hunger-games-catching-fire-poster-banner-1

Catching Fire, second installment from The Hunger Games trilogy is neither. It’s just right for my dystopian palate. After reading the book twice, I finally got a chance to see the much-awaited movie today and it was really awesome! The action, the drama and the twists are a notch higher than the first one but not over-the-top. You will cry, shout, chuckle and even get all jittery as Katniss and Peeta sojourns through all the districts for their Victory Tour ending with the re-entrance to the arena for the 75th Hunger Games/ 3rd Quarter Quell.

As an avid fan of the book, I am generally happy with the adaptation. Of course, there are scenes omitted (but for a good reason — preparation for Mockingjay) and the ones retained are closest to the original text in the book! I was even quietly going through some lines myself while in the movie house as they say some familiar lines (ie. Haymitch’s “stay alive” advise to Katniss at the eve of the Games). I am also amazed with how accurate most of the new characters are with the book’s description. I find the actors who played Mags, Johanna, Wiress, Plutarch and Thread perfect for their roles! I am not a big fan of Sam Claflin playing as Finnick. He’s fine in the movie though but I’d like to see somebody else playing his role.

I am at the edge of my seat in the duration of the film. Even during the quietest moments of it, I can feel the tension of what’s going around. There’s so much more to tell and I am happy and satisfied by how much of it was told in the 2 plus hours of the film.

Best movie I have seen this year!

Here’s the trailer:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I honestly did not know why I was so eager to buy this book! I was in Greenbelt last weekend and my friends and I visited Power Books. It caught my eye since the cover’s really attractive. But that’s not what really got my attention. It’s the title. I swore to my friends I have encountered The Perks of Being a Wallflower before, I just can’t remember where, when and how. To cut the story short, I bought the book clueless of what it’s offering.

But I didn’t start reading it until I was lying in the bed the next night, almost calling it a day before waking up to a working day. At first, I thought, “Nothing extraordinary. Just another teeny-bopper novel.” But seriously, stopping from reading it almost pained me! It’s everything but ordinary! It tackled issues of family, sex, relationship. I brought this in the office and I read some parts during my downtime. And, three days later, I’m done!:)

First, I like the Chbosky’s writing style. I was curious about who Charlie was writing to but in the end during the course of reading. How he did not spoon feed us, readers is quite clever. Who do you think he was writing to?🙂 Towards the end, I felt he was writing to me. I think that’s what Chbosky wanted us readers to realize. Also, I love how personal it was. Reading from the Charlie’s perspective isn’t too over the top. I felt his sadness whenever he writes about Aunt Helen and Michael. I was moved with how important family is to him. But most of all, I can’t help but smile whenever he shares his moments with Sam, Patrick and the rest of his friends.

Somehow I can relate to him being a wallflower myself. But I’m not always like one. Of course, when I’m comfortable with the lot I’m with, I can be as crazy as Sam and Patrick. But there are moments, like during first day in school and work, when surrounded by strangers, I am like Charlie and just occupy a tiny space.

“You see things. You keep quiet about them. You understand.”

“We accept the love we think we deserve.”

These are but two of the great words this book has to offer. Believe me, it has a lot. My personal favorite would be the poem Charlie read for Patrick. At first, I didn’t like it but, towards the end, I got chills. I needed to stop reading for quite a while. But, the very last thing I would forget about this book is the part in which he wrote about a book he has read, The Fountainhead. The protagonist was told by his best friend that he is a cold man. I was so moved by the main character’s reply contextualizing a boat sinking. He said, “I would die for you. But I won’t live for you.” I did not stop myself from smiling though I was alone. It’s very simple yet the impact is overwhelming.

This book showed both sides of being a wallflower. They are, or should I say we, remember the littlest of detail when it comes to somebody we like. Simple words matter and usually meant more than it’s construction. However, you cannot expect a wallflower to make the first move. Coz if they do, they won’t be wallflowers anymore. They usually put the interest of the other party before theirs which sometimes is not really helpful.

Go on, read this book and see what life is in the eyes of someone who rarely converse but understands what others usually take for granted.

—

When I arrived home Sunday morning, I immediately Google-d this book. Voila! I knew it! Here’s the reason why I was so into buying it.

It starred familiar faces! Of course, Logan Lerman who portrayed Percy Jackson is now Charlie, Emma Watson’s coming out movie (from the Harry Potter franchise) as Sam. And this movie got more interesting with Nina Dobrev (Vampire Diaries’s Elena Gilbert/Katherine Pierce) as Charlie’s sister Candace and Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice’s Dr. Addison Montgomery) as Charlie’s mum.

The Hunger Games Trilogy

Okay, so I was a bit unsatisfied with the trailer the VMA’s has shown for The Hunger Games. It only lasted for a minute and an extra 5 seconds. Well, at least I got a peek of the arena and of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in action. I barely slept a wink just to catch the first teaser. So, yeah. A bit unsatisfied but the yearning to see more really increased!

I went to the mall after watching to have lunch and do some personal grooming with my older sister. While waiting for her and since I’ve been talking her into buying me the last book of the trilogy, Mockingjay, I looked into it at the bookstores. Luckily, I found a very reasonable price for the book set in paperback. There were only two sets in display so we bought one after she was finished in the salon.

I was seriously hugging the set while strolling! Last time I’ve been like this was during the Harry Potter books peak. I’m just waiting for March 2012 to see the first installment in the silver screen. I do hope that it would not stray much from its roots since Suzanne Collins, the author, plays part in the making of this yet another milestone in Hollywood.