Close the Book: Water for Elephants, then Turn to the Silver Screen

“Close the Book” is a series of short notes I want to start creating as I finish a read to remind me of how I felt or of important details. Of course, these posts will typically be a minefield of spoilers.

This past week I finished reading Water for Elephants. After sticking to mostly serial stories lately, it was nice to get lost in a great one-off book. I had been wanting to read this book for years, I just love circuses and circus life. The animals, the side shows, the illusion and talents. Possibly because my own family is the “normal” version of a circus (we’ve even had an entire “fake” family side show in the backyard before, hah).

I loved the book, the characters. The first half of the book just develops the barrier between the kinkers (performers) and the roustabouts (working men). There’s a lot of time spent drawing this line, this line that only Jacob walks along, getting to know both sides.

Usually being pulled out the story can sometimes be frustrating, but in Water for Elephants, being removed from the story to visit present-day Jacob in the nursing home is a treat. He lived this amazing, exciting life – but no matter who you are, you’re destined for old age, people who no longer care, nor treat you even as a person. It’s an interesting depiction of the way people treat one another, particularly at old age. These interactions are removed completely from the movie, to keep you in the 1930′s period the entire time, which I can understand from a cinematic standpoint.

The movie was alright, I’m not sure I enjoyed it as much as I’d have liked. The actors (Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon) I felt had no chemistry, and part of this is due to how rushed their romance is. In the book, there are a lot of nuanced meetings, developments, learning why you shouldn’t like August, and why he is that way. In the movie, they meet once or twice and somehow are ready to jump trains together. They bond in the book over Jacob’s gentle treatment of the animals, most of which is written off to get right to their time with Rosie the elephant. August goes off once or twice in the movie, but it’s never explained. The first time, you really just think he’s drunk. The second, he skips to accusing them of being together – when they hadn’t had all that many interactions.

In the book, Jacob spends a lot of time with Camel and Walter, whereas in the movie they’re there intermittent for brief minuets – hardly giving the viewer time to even learn their names. So when they’re redlighted later on, it’s hard to feel anything for them, as you hardly even know who they are. My mom didn’t even notice when we were watching why Jacob was mad when they were missing, because she didn’t even realize they were “important characters.”

Since they were selling this as a heavy romance flick, I really wish they spent more time portraying the scenes with Jacob and the animals (like Bobo!) and Marlena falling for him because of this gentleness.

Not to mention… was Uncle Al, the circus owner, even in the movie?! It seemed almost like they combined his character with August…

Next up, I’m going to check out the Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, recommend to me by my friend Allison!

Close the Book: The Hunger Games Trilogy

“Close the Book” is a series of short notes I want to start creating as I finish a read to remind me of how I felt or of important details. Of course, these posts will typically be a minefield of spoilers.

This morning I finished the third book of the series, Mockingjay. I can’t even remember the last time I read a series so quickly. This has to be the quickest read out there – I’m still surprised it’s YA reading, since it has such a grisly and dark story. I drank the first two books with my eyes in seconds, the third was a bit slower, but the ending was deserved for Katniss, I think, getting together with Peeta and living back in the Victor’s Village in District 12, having a family. It’s the same ending she was supposed to have before the revolution, only she isn’t with her mother or Prim. The fact that President Coin suggested having another Games with the Capitol children was just awful – how are things ever to get better if you just repeat what you just rose up against to put a stop to? She definitely deserved Katniss’ arrow to the knee.

I wish I knew how Gale was feeling in the end, if he felt Katniss was more important to him and regretted being a part of the bomb that killed Prim, or if he felt the end was more important than the means, as he typically feels about most situations throughout the story. The ending certainly had a lot of loose ends that left me a bit unsatisfied. Gale essentially just disappears. He got “some job” in District 2. Best friend and near-lover throughout the whole book, and he’s written off that lazily? Not to mention the entire point of the revolution – the new government isn’t discussed whatsoever after Coin and Snow’s death.

The part that probably clawed at me the most was actually from the first book, toward the end, when the wolf muttations chased Peeta, Katniss and Cato to the Cornucopia. The moment where Katniss looks into the eyes of the muttations and realizes they are the eyes of the dead tributes is such an intense scene. It’s revealed that they’re just genetically created creatures, but Katniss isn’t sure if they used the real eyes of the tributes or not. I think part of the draw to this whole story, in a sick way, is what kind of sick and twisted muttations and pods/dangers President Snow and the Gamemakers will come up with next.

Next up, I’m (finally) starting Water for Elephants! Now the movie’s long out, too, but I can easily erase Robert Pattinson’s image from the main character. That’s the beauty of books – you can make them look as appealing as you like. :)

Save Point #1: Mass Effect Replay

Save Point posts are summary logs of what transpired during my time in the game. Recording logs like this (and everything else I jot notes down for throughout the day) helps me more clearly recall the stories of the games I love so dearly. It goes without saying that you’re entering a spoiler minefield.

Earthborn. Sole survivor of the battle on Akuze. Adept.

I’m introduced to the crew of the Normandy – Joker, Chakwas, Captain Anderson, Kaiden – as we set out for our mission on Eden Prime to secure the beacon, a key discovery of Prothean technology (who have disappeared for 50,000 years). Most of the crew is wary about working with Nihlus, the turian spectre, who will be joining us on the mission and watching Shepard in action in consideration for the future of humans: humans on the Council, the first human spectre. Cue an image of a Reaper in the footage of the current attack on Eden Prime.

On Eden Prime, we meet Ashley. I’ve decided she’ll die in this playthrough, despite how droll Kaiden can be. A newbie crewmate named Jenkins is killed off in the first few minutes of landing on Eden Prime.

Saren shows his mug for the first time in a stand-off with Nihlus, which is when Nihlus bites the bullet nice and early.

Shepard pushes Kaiden out of the way of the beacon and experiences a vision unexplainable just yet. Saren makes off with whatever technology or information the beacon contained.

To the Citadel, for the first meeting with the Council!