The Fourth Bronte Sister

The 50 Book Project (41-50)

Jademouse — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:26:46 +0000

41. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophie Kinsella: The sequel to Confessions of a Shopaholic, although it might as well have been the first one, since the main character has made absolutely no progress.

42. Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke: The last book in the Inkheart Trilogy, more satisfying than most conclusions to well-read series.

43. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: Absolutely brilliant! One of the best books I’ve read in ages! A romance with a twist of fantasy, written from a unique perspective.

44. Paper Towns by John Green: Although I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as his other books, this was still a great book, with interesting characters and filled with facts that you’ll probably never need, but you now can’t forget.

45. A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah: A true story about a child soldier in Africa, an eye-opener as to what’s going on in the world.

46. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte: One of the first feminist novels, and my personal favourite of all the books by the Bronte sisters.

47. Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine: Another Morganville Vampires book, the first where you begin to see how the different threads of the plot come together.

48. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Piccoult: A very sad story about a girl with leukemia and her sister, who was born with the sole purpose of keeping her alive. Despite all the talk about this book, I didn’t find that the writing style kept me interested in the story and the ending basically destroyed everything the sister had worked for throughout the novel.

49. Chocolat by Joanne Harris: Never has a book made me crave chocolate more. I highly recommend this book (unless, of course, you are on a diet).

50. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks: I’m not sure why everyone makes this out to be some sort of wonderful romance novel. If you ask me it was trashy and lacking in plot or well-developed characters.

50 Book Project (31-40)

Jademouse — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:08:37 +0000

31. Coraline by Neil Gaiman: Short, odd, and very creepy, Coraline was an easy read with a dark theme, something I’d recommend to everyone!

32. Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah: A touching story about a girl growing up unwanted by her father and stepmother, despite every effort to make them proud. This is a tragic, inspiring story which is made better by the fact that it’s so well written and true, too.

33. Dancing Shoes by Noel Streatfield: Another book about orphans making their way in the entertainment world, centered around two sisters, Rachel and Hilary, who are forced to join their aunt’s dance academy, disregarding their dead mother’s final wish that Hilary would do proper ballet, and not the silly things the academy teaches. I actually found this a bit dull, compared to Streatfield’s other two books.

34. Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding: Modern and funny, but no real comparison to Pride and Prejudice (which this book was based off of). I think anyone who liked Confessions of a Shopaholic will like this, since the style is very similar.

35. Looking For Alaska by John Green: Incredible. Smart, funny, exciting, and sad. I think all teenagers should read this book and get pulled into the story of Miles “Pudge” Halter, a boy attending boarding school for the first time, living a life full of pranks, cheap wine, and Alaska, the rebellious, beautiful, insane girl who changes his life.

36. Specials by Scott Westerfeld: The last book in the Uglies and Pretties series, and honestly I found it hard to get into and very unsatisfying, but I suppose if you’ve already read the first books you’ll read this one anyway.

37. Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine: The third Morganville Vampiries book, as suspenseful and dramatic as the others, with exciting plot twists that made it hard to put down.

38. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith: Jane Austen’s original masterpiece, with new text and zombie battle scenes. I think this book failed as an attempt at humor, since most of the zombie bits read like a cliche movie.

39. Howard’s End by EM Forster: A profound story of the upper, middle, and lower classes in the early 1900s. The book is about three families, the artistic and literary Schlegels, the rich and materialistic Wilcoxes, and the poverty-stricken Basts, and how their lives are drawn together. An excellent book and a great film, too!

40. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen: One of the most well-read love stories of all time, filled with memorable characters, brilliant dialogue, and the all important happy ending!

-The Fourth Bronte Sister

The 50 Book Project (21-30)

Jademouse — Mon, 11 May 2009 01:08:01 +0000

21. The Tower Room by Adele Geras: The last (or rather, first, as I read the series out of order) book in the Egerton Hall Trilogy, making about as much sense as the other two.

22. Peter Duck by Arthur Ransome: One of the sequels to Swallows and Amazons; a bit hard to get into and full of technical language referring to boats, but very exciting when you get used to it.

23. PS I Loathe You by Lisi Harrison: The latest Clique book, sounding a little too much like Gossip Girl, but Harrison uses some new points of view, which was refreshing from the normal narrators.

24. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson: The classic tale of pirates, mutiny, and buried treasure, an exciting book that I highly recommend.

25. The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit: A story for younger children, which explains why I didn’t particularly like it.

26. Theater Shoes by Noel Streatfield: I was shocked at the huge similarities between this and Streatfield’s previous novel, Ballet Shoes. It really acts as a sequel to the story of the Fossils, and I would only recommend it if you were looking for a bit of closure on that book.

27. Inkspell by Cornelia Funke: The sequel to Inkheart, a bit more mature and overall pretty good.

28. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella: I loved this book! It’s very British and it’s written in a modern style, and I couldn’t put it down!

29: Blackthorn Winter by Kathryn Weiss: A murder mystery set in present day England. It’s a bit long winded, but some parts are pretty intense, well worth the read to discover who the villain is!

30: Pretties by Scott Westerfeld: The sequel to Uglies, and horribly repetitive, but if you read the first book you ought to read this.

-The Fourth Bronte Sister

The 50 Book Project (11-20)

Jademouse — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:02:04 +0000

A continuation of my list of fifty new books I’m reading this year.

11. Pictures of the Night by Adele Geras: I shouldn’t have read this one first, it’s the last one in the Egerton Hall Trilogy, and filled with stupid characters and lacking a conclusive ending.

12. Love and Peaches by Jodi Lynn Anderson: The third book in the Peaches trilogy, but not as satisfying as the first two.

13. Watching the Roses by Adele Geras: Second book in the Egerton Hall Trilogy, based on Sleeping Beauty, and once again rather disappointing.

14. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: If you can master the language then you’ll love it. I did, especially the character of Lizzy!

15. Princess Forever by Meg Cabot: The tenth and final book in the Princess Diaries Series! Slightly different than the other books, but a very satisfying ending.

16. Frostbite by Richelle Mead: The second book in the action-packed Vampire Academy Series. It wasn’t as clever as the first, but still good.

17. Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa: For a school literature book, this was pretty good, but it was too calm and it was easy to happily put down.

18. Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead: Book three in the Vampire Academy Series. It was very exciting and had a very sad ending, but there will be another book in the saga!

19. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: Your classic tale of shipwreck and survival, quite interesting. I recommend this book to fans of the Hal and Roger series by Willard Price, and vice versa.

20. The Dead Girls’ Dance by Rachel Caine: Second Morganville Vampires book, rather good, but I’m not sure why it’s called The Dead Girls’ Dance, since the dance doesn’t have that much to do with it.

-The Fourth Bronte Sister

The Most Incredible Libraries in the World

Jademouse — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:01:44 +0000

I recently came across a website that most people would skim over, but I–being the book nerd that I am–was transfixed. The page features dozens of photos of beautiful libraries all over the world. I’ll publish a link to the site here: http://curiousexpeditions.org/?p=78

My favourites were Abbey Library in St. Gallen, Switzerland, Biblioteca Geral University of Coimbra in Coimbra, Portugul, and the Wiblingen Monastery Library in Ulm, Germany.

I found the intricate paintings on the ceilings very interesting and beautiful, and if I ever have enough money to design my own library it will definitly have spiral staircases, like in some of these pictures.

I also found it easy to tell which libraries were from the US, since they are all alot younger than some of the European ones, and most times the architecture isn’t as fascinating.

Take a look and tell me what you think!

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Stereotypes Explained

Jademouse — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:22:47 +0000

I recently saw the movie Mean Girls again and it inspired me to make a list of all the stereotypes I can think of and put a star next to each one that applies to me in some way. Remember, these are stereotypes so don’t take anything too personally. Comment and tell me which categories you fit into and tell me if there’s anything I missed:)

Jocks: Jocks are the hardcore sports players, usually muscular guys who enjoy gym because really it’s the only class they’re good at. But what they lack in brains they make up in looks, usually dating cheerleaders or other popular girls.

Preps: Preps are the popular, rich kids who come to school in fancy cars and spend the weekends by the pool at their mansions reading Vogue. They are usually girls and tend to wear a lot of makeup and collared shirts, but they aren’t necessarily stupid.

*Drama Freaks: A mix of girls and guys who are dedicated to every school performance that the drama department puts on, whether that means having a part or working on the tech crew. Infamous for quoting Shakespeare and other well-known playwrites.

*Emos: In reality, the term “emo” means someone who cuts themselves, but teenagers usually dub anyone who is remotely sad or cynical as an emo. This stereotype is known for listening to the bands Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance and writing depressing poetry.

*Goths: Most people get goths and emos mixed up, but there’s a significant difference. Goths aren’t necessarily depressed, they just have a very dark view of life, which is why they dress in all black. Extreme goths wear skulls and crossbones, dark makeup (yes, even the guys, sometimes), and dye their hair in exotic colours, such as purple or blue, or just plain black.

Punks: Punks are known for having bad attitudes. They are likely to beat people up, smoke in the locker rooms, and decorate walls with graffiti. Although boys are usually punks, it is becoming less unusual for a girl to start getting her nose and tongue, etc. pierced and wearing ragged clothing, to submit to this stereotype. Punks can also dye their hair, but in more subtle colours than the goths.

*Nerds: These are the really intelligent kids, who always know the answers to everything in class, and rank at the bottom of the popularity ladder. They get good grades and spend their free time studying or reading scientific books. They are supposed to wear glasses, have braces, dress in ugly button down shirts, and pull their pants up too high. They can be either boys or girls.

*Geeks: Similar to nerds, but they aren’t as smart. Instead, they are the people who can tell you the specific plot of every Star Wars movie and randomly quote Lord of the Rings, as well as being Star Trek fans. It isn’t unusual for geeks to read comic books whenever they can, either.

Cheerleaders: This is a very American stereotype. Girls on the cheerleading team are supposed to be pretty, normally blond, silly, and sometimes stupid. Their hair is always up in a ponytail or some other ‘do and they can usually be seen in short, colourful cheerleading dresses, and holding pom-poms.

Asians: Yes, Asians are so cool that they have their own stereotype. You can fit into this group no matter what Asian country you’re from, as long as you LOOK Asian! They’re smart without even trying and are overachievers at everything. They can be intelligent without being unpopular, unlike nerds, and are infamous for talking rapidly in other languages to each other.

*Dumb Blonds: Somehow the idea that blond people are stupid has come forth as one of the bigger stereotypes. Dumb blonds are blond (duh), and they are idiots, as portrayed by “dumb blond” jokes. Those are basically the only qualifications.

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The 50 Book Project (1-10)

Jademouse — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:54:41 +0000

At the beginning of this year I decided to read 50 new books, inspired by a challenge Kristina from the Five Awesome Girls completed last year. Here’s my progress so far.

1. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke: I would have loved this if I were a bit younger, but it was pretty good, anyway.

2. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith: Honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read, highly recommended if you like love stories.

3. A Northern Light by Jenifer Donelly: Quite good, especially since it’s based on a real event in history.

4. Ironside by Holly Black: Sequel to Tithe, and just as good.

5. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov: Intelligent,realistic, and an influential piece of science fiction (see my review of the movie in Movie Reviews).

6. The Gossip Girl Prequel by Cecily von Ziegesar: Ignoring the unrealistic characters and bad influences, this book was pretty hooking.

7. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen: This author was built up to be something special, but I actually found the book a bit dull.

8. Valiant by Holly Black: A book loosely connected with Tithe and Ironside, but still featuring those fabulous scary faeries, which is what I like about the series.

9. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green: Funny, witty, and smart, I highly recommend this to my fellow nerds and just about anyone else.

10. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard: It sounds like another gossipy girl book, but it’s actually pretty captivating and creepy in places, in a way that makes me want to finish the series.

-The Fourth Bronte Sister

10 Bad Things About Being British in America

Jademouse — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:17:57 +0000

This is a note I got a lot of good feedback from on Facebook, so I’m posting it here.

1. Teachers expect you to know everything about England. I moved when I was four, how could I possibly know how Parliament works?!

2. When you start talking to someone about Doctor Who and they give you a blank look.

3. People who put on a fake British accent around you. Especially teachers. Then it gets kind of creepy.

4. People who beg you to say things like “tomato”. It gets annoying.

5. When people assume you’ve been to boarding school and you’ve lived in London.

6. When people actually ask you if you’re related to Keira Knightly or Harry Potter. No, not Daniel Radcliffe, HARRY POTTER!

7. No fish and chips:(

8. Being corrected on the pronunciation of herb, vitamin, and zebra, and most recently, via.

9. The times when someone asks you if they really have a holiday called Boxing Day in England and I reply “They don’t have that here?…” even after nine years of living in America.

10. When you get asked which you like more, England or America, and you have no idea what to say because you prefer England, but you don’t want to offend them by not saying America.

–The Fourth Bronte Sister

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Why “I, Robot” is Not the Brilliant Film it’s Made Out to be

Jademouse — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:29:19 +0000

A few weeks ago, I read I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. Now, this is supposed to be a well-known, highly praised book about the future of the human race and the existence of robots, but most people who saw what I was reading told me it was a good movie. I even heard people exclaim “I, Robot is a book?”
Yes, it is one of the most famous science fiction works ever published.
I realized that the movie couldn’t rival the book, but I didn’t realize how horrible Hollywood could make it. The movie is basically your normal action flick, with rogue robots and car chases and guns all over the place, only the script writers have applied Asimov’s three laws of robotics (Robots must not harm humans, Robots cannot disobey a human order, and Robots must protect their own existence, as long as it doesn’t violate laws one and two) and stuck the title “I, Robot” on it.
My friend Karishma was looking at the book while I was reading it, and commented:
“That’s the movie with Will Smith in it, isn’t it?”
It is true that Will Smith plays the main character in the film, Detective Spooner, someone who is never even mentioned in the book. In fact, the real center personality in the book is made into a supporting character in the movie. Dr. Susan Calvin, robopsychologist (which I felt I had to point out as soon as Spooner calls her a “shrink”), has here been portrayed as an intelligent scientist, who is somewhat cold toward other humans and prefers robots. It’s not far from Asimov’s character, but the thing that bothers me is that in the novel she’s middle aged, experienced, and not exactly attractive. Knowing Hollywood, I shouldn’t be surprised that young, beautiful actress, Bridget Moynahan was cast in her role. Horrible.
The thing I liked most about the book of I, Robot was how the cause and solution to every issue related back to the three basic laws of robotics (see above) and the different ways such unspecific guidelines could be interpreted by the robots themselves. In other words, it was intelligent. In a way, the movie stuck with that idea, but the real Dr. Calvin could have figured out what was going on much faster, and without Will Smith to do most of the work, either.

I’m actually surprised at the praise the movie received on other blogs, and I hope that my readers will agree with me. If you really do, I won’t know unless you comment, so post your opinion.

–The Fourth Bronte Sister

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