Austenland by Shannon Hale

 

I am really excited!  I read this book a few years ago when I was crazy about spinoffs of Jane Austen.  It was a really good book, but the reason I am so excited is that it is being made into a movie.  I am so excited; I really hope it lives up to the hype.  J  Seriously, some movies just kills the story sometimes.  However, I am really glad that I read this book before the movie came out or during the time the movie is being made.  I don’t know but I feel like I get to choose how the character looks like, without an actor’s face getting in the way.

For example, in The Hunger Games, I saw the movie before I even knew anything about the books.  So when I was reading the books, I swear I couldn’t get Jennifer Lawrence’s face out of my head (Katniss Everdeen).  It really sucked.  I wasn’t too happy about that. 

I really hope Austenland does well; it is highly anticipated. 

So, have you ever read Austenland?  What did you think of the book?  If you haven’t read it, do you think you will?

Life of Pi

I have wanted to watch Life of Pi for a long while now.  However, I have a copy of the book, so I wanted to read the book first before I watch the movie.  I talked to a friend and she definitely needed to talk about the ending because she had seen it with a few people and they were arguing about the ending.  

So, I decided to watch the movie afterall, despite reading the book.  It was a great movie.  I really liked it.  I didn’t watch it 3D (even though she highly recommended it) because it was cheaper not to.  

It was a great movie.  I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to see it.  :)

****SPOILER ALERT****

So, the whole issue is the ending.  Yes, there are two versions to the story and apparently, depending on which one you choose, defines your personality/beliefs.  So, remember, in the beginning, it is stated multiple times and highly emphasized that this is a story that will make you believe in God.  The problem with the ending is that in one version, he is trapped on a boat with animals and all the animals die except for the Bengal tiger (Ricahrd Parker), along with the main character.  However, in the second version of the story, all the animals are actually human beings and the human beings are the one killing each other and HE (the main character) is the tiger.  So I talked to my BF and he thinks that it was the second story, where the people are actually humans and my friend also thinks that this is the true story. 

However, I disagreed; I thought that the first story was the real one, the one with Richard Parker.  And she (my friend) actually gave me good feedback on why she thought this was true.  However, we did agree that the ending that we chose is based on our perspective of the world and our personality.

So, being the curious person I am, I went online to find out more analysis on this movie.  I found a great one by this guy http://screenrant.com/life-of-pi-movie-ending-spoilers/.  This person was able to put everything into words; something that I was unable to do.  However, long story short, he states that:

‘The real question is – which story do you, the viewer/reader prefer? Interpretation is subjective but the question is intended to serve as a moment of theological reflection. Are you a person that prefers to believe in things that always make sense/things that you can see? Or are you a person that prefers to believe in miracles/take things on faith? There are no right or wrong answers – just an opportunity for introspection.’

‘…story is set up to help viewers/readers consider which version of the world they prefer – the one where we make our own way and suffer through the darkness via self-determination, or the one where we are aided by something greater than ourselves (regardless of which version of “God” we may accept).’

I thought this was the perfect interpretation of how one can interpret their selection of the ending.  

So, tell me, what ending did you pick?  Which did you prefer?  Do you think it is an accurate interpretation of your beliefs/personality?

Death of a Soldier

 There is a manga/anime I read/watch called Naruto.  I have NOT been reading this for a while, due to my busy schedule.  However, I saw my brother had posted something online saying that a beloved character from this popular series had died.  I just didn’t believe it.  So, the first thing I did was looked at the latest manga that just recently came out.  As I flipped through the black and white pages, reading from right to left, tears came rolling down my face.  ***SPOILER ALERT***  Neji had just died, saving Hinata’s life.  I was so heartbroken.  As another worker came by, she saw my tears and asked me if I was alright.  I told her ‘It must be the alergies.  I’m ok.’  The last time this happened, it was in the last book of Harry Potter when Dobi died (to be honest, this event was even more traumatic).  

Sisters

Here we are!  This is the picture I was talking about!  My sexy sisters!  See how I am somehow, always the  big one compared to my sisters.  My other sister (sister #1) decided not to come this year, so she's not in this picture.  But the rest of us are.  Don't we look happy?!?  My sister on the left has had 4 kids and my sister on the right has had 2 kids.  See how great they look.  Looking at them, I realized that they were always good at portion control.  As for me, the temptation always seems so much bigger.  I remember when I was in high school and college, as I pigged out at everything I saw.  My sister was so scared of gaining weight that she would only eat rice with water.  I am pretty sure I have a compulsive eating disorder.  I kinda think it runs in the family However, it's been a week since I've started my weight loss and I think the numbers look good so far!  :)  happy readings. 

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