The Phantom of the Opera

Okay, so I know I said I was going to get around to blogging more since I was out of school for the summer, but my problem is that I don't seem to have any free time and when I do I can't make myself read a book. All I want to do is turn on the TV for 30 minutes before passing out at 8 o'clock. Even when I seem to have an entire day to myself, I can only focus on a book for so long no matter how good it is then I go do something else for the rest of the day then realize I've wasted my entire day. Well, enough complaining. Even through this hectic summer vacation, I've managed to steal a book from my brother's room and read it. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux is the book I will be discussing.

Now, I know what you're thinking, everyone's seen Andrew Lloyd Webber's brilliant masterpiece, but I hate to inform you of this people, it's nothing like the book! I guess the general story line is, but even some of the story line is jacked up. Not to mention, there's some characters in the book who play very important roles that aren't even mentioned in the book! Plus, everyone should know by now, the book is always better. I can't name a single movie that is better than any book. This book is fantastic. Leroux's style of writing is easy to read and he doesn't waste his time focusing on every single little detail so I could actually sit down for 2 whole hours and just read. Needless, to say the book is very short and I finished it in like 4 consistent days.

I'm not going to waste my time going over what the book is about because I know that would be a waste of my breath errrr a waste of my poor little typing fingers so the only description I will give is that the ending of this book is completely different from the movie. Completely!

Atonement

Yet, another uber busy month. Finals are coming up again and I'm so ready for summer to get here. I'll actually have time to sit down and read a book because I've officially decided not to take any classes this summer. That's right, no classes for Jessi. (I can refer to myself in third person if I please). Yes, but Jessi gets to work and focus on transfering so that won't be fun.

Anyway, I did manage to read a book outside of all my lame school books. I borrowed the book, Atonement, from a friend shortly after watching the movie. The only reason I watched the movie was because she told me it was good. Oh, and James McAvoy (who I absolutely love and want to be the father of my children) played as the oh-so-masculine Robbie Turner. The book is great, but in all honesty, you could get the same effect from watching the movie. It took me a while to finish it because I already knew what was going to happen so it lacked any suspense for me. In fact, even though, I love James McAvoy, I do not love Robbie Turner or Cecilia Tallis. The book itself is good though and if you haven't watched the movie then I would suggest reading the book first because at least then you can get a better understanding of the main characters.

Wow, all of this rambling and I still haven't told you what the book is about. Well, the book is obviously a love story that turns horribly wrong when the hero of our book is accused of rape and foced to either join the army or rot in jail during World War II. The entire book focuses on Robbie and Cecilia trying to find a way to end up together when the war is all said and done and fix all the lies that had happened so long ago. I like cried for hours after I made it to the end.

Sense and Sensibility

I haven't gotten around to updating lately because of school and my super nerdy conventions and competitions. I just joined my college's Scholar's Bowl team which leaves me with even less time to read. Since I have this week officially off from all Scholar's Bowl related activities I might actually have time to finish a book.

Currently, I am reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. Now, I know it's a classic and you would assume that everyone has already read practically every Jane Austen book on the face of the Earth, but I've just started reading her books.

Sense and Sensibility is a lot like all of her other books that I've read (which by the way is only Pride and Prejudice) in a way because it deals with love and misery then love again. This one deals with the scandalous Willoughby and the not so attractive, but still quite charming Colonel Brandon and lastly, the shy and senseless Edward Ferrars.

Now, I haven't finished reading this book; therefore, I don't have much to tell about the book or how it ends. I still have 100 pages left to go. Unfortunately, even now, nothing, but misery has plagued the girls and I am starting to wonder if they will ever find true love.

Haunt Me Still

Wow...it has been so long since I've posted! If college life wasn't so hectic and I actually had time to read a book instead of my history book or my english book, I might get a lot more blogging done. In which case, I finally got around to reading a very good book called Haunt Me Still by Jennifer Lee Carrell.

The book is about a woman named Kate who is travelling to Scotland to uncover some lost secrets of the original Macbeth when she finds herself caught in the mist of real witchcraft. In order to save lives, including her own, she must trace her steps back to Shakespeare's time and uncover who is behind all of this. The ending will have you in shock.

I will try to keep up with reading and blogging, but my main priority is to survive college. My new year resolution is to dedicate more time to blogging (essentially reading) and less time watching TV o^_^o.