Book vs Movie: Confessions of a Shopaholic

 

I first read the book The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic when I started college, three years ago. It was recommended by some very good friends of mine and I thought "why not?". I should also mention it was my first chick-lit book and if you're a chick-lit newbie, I'd recommend Kinsella's books. They're funny as hell and easy to read and very well written.

But back to the book. I really liked Becky. I think there's a shopaholic in all of us., no matter what we buy. Some buy clothes, some buy purses or hats or accessories or books, but we always buy. And Luke...*sigh* I loved him. Still do, actually. He's a successful guy AND he looks good, so what could a girl want more?

When I found out that they were going to make a movie based on the Shopaholic series I was excited, like all the Kinsella fans. I was curious: who were the actors, what scenes will be kept and what scenes weren't going to make it in the movie, where was it going to be filmed and many other questions.

There are many differences between the movie version and the book version: Becky isn't from London, Luke is her boss and a magazine editor, Becky is an only child and many other differences.

What I noticed though was the fact that the movie was just as funny as the books and that it had some of the more important scenes, like Luke buying Becky's scarf at the auction, at the end of the movie.

I also liked the actors they picked. I think they did a great job.

I don't know what to choose, book over movie or movie over book. They were both good and enjoyable. The only thing that I missed in the movie were the Becky-Luke moments from the books. There were more scenes that I would've loved to see with them, but maybe they would've made the movie last too long. Either way, I enjoyed both versions and I can't wait to see if they're going to make another movie based on one of Kinsella's books.

Teaser Tuesdays

 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My teaser today is from The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker. Enjoy!

"Only blessed peace and beauty. She could as easily be an angel painted by da Vinci or Michelangelo. The perfect bride."

What's your teaser today?

Book review - Do They Wear High Heels In Heaven? - by Erica Orloff

 Rating: 4 stars

Blurb (from Goodreads):


"I'm Lily, a New York newspaper columnist, mother of two, divorcee of one and partner in crime to Michael, English professor, novelist and best friend extraordinaire. We've been friends forever -- well, since I nearly burned down our apartment building while trying to cook. Michael and I have weathered disco, bad fashion, bad perms, bad boyfriends -- for both of us -- my failed marriage, parenthood and writer's block. Laughter has helped -- and so have the martinis. But now we face our biggest challenge: the C word. And if I have my way, Michael will be giving up his freewheeling bachelor ways and settling down once and for all. Because I have some very specific wishes for who should take over parental duty when I'm gone. Of course, I refuse to take this lying down -- even when the doctors tell me to lie down and shut up. Because although I'm sick, I'm determined to wear my high heels and lipstick. I'm gonna look good or die trying, dammit."

For some reason, when I bought this book I didn't even read the blurb. That's how much I loved the cover and the title *blush* Between the title and the cover I figured it was something about angels and didn't even think about reading the blurb and since my instincts rarely deceive me, I went with the flow. And I'm glad I did. Because I'm sure that I would've seen that "C word" part and freak out and then I would've miss a good book.

Lily, a single mom and a reporter, is asked to do an article about breast cancer and mammograms. She already has the article planed out. She know how it's going to sound like, what she's going to write about. But then the test results come back and the doctors tell her they need to perform more tests. When Lily find out that she has cancer she refuses to be a victim, saying that if she's going to die, she'll do it with style.

I liked Lily. Lily is a loving mother, a very good friend and a strong woman. She's the type of person that goes through life with a good dose of sarcasm and a strong will. She won't let what happens to her crumble her. If she falls, she gets back up. She's witty and funny.

Lily's best friend is Michael, an English professor. Michael is the best friend every girl needs. The one that stands next to you no matter what, the one you can call in the middle of the night because you have a problem, knowing that he won't hang up the phone and will actually listen to what you have to say, the one that will always remember your birthday and even if you're too old for funny gifts, he'll get you a gift fit for a 20 year old. Yes, Michael is gay, but I don't think that his sexual orientation comes between Lily and him. Only, of course, if they have the hots for the same guy. He takes care of Lily when she's sick and agrees to take over the custody of her kids after she dies. He's the best friend ever.

The book is different from what I usually read. It's bittersweet and it made me cry. Yes, CRY cry. It takes a lot to make me cry, but this book did it. I think everyone should read it.

Teaser Tuesdays

 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I just started reading The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker. I hope you enjoy this teaser:

He turned to face the mirrored wall in his bedroom and said it aloud, so the three wigless mannequins to his right could hear it clearly. 

“Beauty is not defined by man, but by God, who determines the most beautiful.”

Book review - Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

Blurb (from Goodreads):


 "Being a Greek god is not all it once was. Yes, the twelve gods of Olympus are alive and well in the twenty-first century, but they are crammed together in a London townhouse—and none too happy about it. And they've had to get day jobs: Artemis as a dog-walker, Apollo as a TV psychic, Aphrodite as a phone sex operator, Dionysus as a DJ.

Even more disturbingly, their powers are waning, and even turning mortals into trees—a favorite pastime of Apollo's—is sapping their vital reserves of strength.

Soon, what begins as a minor squabble between Aphrodite and Apollo escalates into an epic battle of wills. Two perplexed humans, Alice and Neil, who are caught in the crossfire, must fear not only for their own lives, but for the survival of humankind. Nothing less than a true act of heroism is needed—but can these two decidedly ordinary people replicate the feats of the mythical heroes and save the world?"

I love ancient myths and religions. I love reading about it, the originals and the modern versions of them. So when I went at a book store about 6 months ago and saw Gods Behaving Badly I as very curious about it and I bought it.

The book was interesting. It's about how the ancient Greek gods are struggling to survive and keep the planet from disappearing in nowadays London.


In the middle of all the problems that the gods have stumbles Alice, their cleaner. Alice is not a people person. She's very shy and introverted, hence her job. She's in love with Neil but she's scared of revealing her feelings for him. Alice is quite smart, she won various awards playing Scrabble. But when it comes to social skills, she lacks most of them, if not entirely.

Neil isn't what I might call a hero. He's just your average man, a so-called beta. He's afraid of scaring Alice if he tells her he's in love with her, but he tries to act like her friend and helps her when she needs him. At the end of the book though, I realized that he might actually be a hero, an unusual way. Somewhat like an unpolished diamond. He just needs a little push and Artemis gives it.

The book is funny, easy to read. But it's not what I expected. I kept wishing for Alice to overcome her shyness or for Neil to grab the girl he loves and make her his.

I liked how the gods were depicted. It's different from what I expected but in a good way. My...you could call it obsession with a certain series has colored the view I had about the Greek gods. So when I saw how arrogant Apollo was, how unable was Athena to make herself understood, or how offended Artemis was when something sexual was going on around her it was a good surprise. Also, I think it was a good interpretation, because if you would be a god, you'd definitely be arrogant and act like the world was yours.

All in all, it was a fun read and entertaining.

>

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine

My WoW this week is Redemption by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Blurb (from Goodreads)


"Harm no human...

A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.

Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief- Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meets the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.
A gun in the hand is worth two in the holster...

Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who’s assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he’s not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all.

Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they’ve sworn to protect."



I am very excited about this book. I love Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunters and I can't wait for this book. The release date is set on August 2nd, 2011.