Peter Pan (Book 4)

Title: Peter Pan

Author: J.M. Barrie

First Published: 1904

Genre: Adventure, Classics, Children Book    

     It is very rare that I pick books on a whim. I almost always go by recommendations of friends, reading groups, or I check best sellers and classics. This one was on my Books2Movies Club @ goodreads for January/February.

     Peter Pan is a boy who refuses to grow up and wants to be a child forever. He lives with a bunch of other kids in Neverland and the only thing missing is a mother. He convinced Wendy to come along to live with them, to be their mom and she agreed. Her two brothers, Michael and John tag along. On Neverland they encounter pirates, mermaids, fairies and blah blah blah.

     I love children books, and I wanted so much to like this one but I HATED IT. Peter is an obnoxious, cocky, devilish brat. I hated his guts so much that I was rooting for Captain Hook during their fight. I applaud myself for being able to finish the book. I deleted the eBook from my library immediately after I finished it.

P.S. I didn’t take part in the voting process for Jan/Feb. Next time I’ll make sure to vote if only to prevent such atrocity from happening again.

Verdict:
❤♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Dorian Gray (2009)

Dorian Gray

Directed by: Oliver Parker

Starring: Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Rebecca Hall

Dorian Gray is loosely based on the Novel. The soul of the book is there but it's not a faithful adaptations. While I liked Ben Barnes performance as Dorian, his character lacked the intensity, volatility of Dorian in the book. Colin Firth who played Lord Henry was great as always. I liked the movie well enough to recommend it and will look for the 1945 black & white version.

Verdict:
❤❤❤❤❤❤♡♡♡♡

My Review of the Book

The Picture of Dorian Gray (Book 2)

Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Author: Oscar Wilde
First Published: 1890
Genre: Classics, Horror, Fantasy

     When I picked up The Picture of Dorian Gray I had no preconceptions, in fact I knew nothing of the book. My sister and many recommended the book and it was time. Boy was I surprised. It is not your typical Victorian novel. The main character Dorian Gray, is a beautiful young man who have everyone under his spell. Everyone seems to admire his looks, they want to be around him, they want to befriend him. After he was painted by Basil, a well known painter, it suddenly struck him that the charm of his beauty will fade, and while he will grow old and wrinkled, the picture will stand the test of time and will always remind him of what he had. He doesn't look at the painting as a great work of art, he in fact hates it.
     His new friend Lord Henry, an older gentleman has a great deal of effects of young Dorian. Dorian tries to emulate Henry world of views and in the process becomes corrupted, vain, shallow and cruel. The book at times seems like a study of a human soul and personal values. Oscar Wilde was a poet, a highly educated man, studied psychology and was in interested in philosophy. It is very evident in his writings. His phrasings are absolutely stunning. You could simply quote any lines of the book.

When the book came out in the lat 19th century it was not met with high regards. critics called it nauseous, unclean, effeminate and homoerotic. Oscar Wilde had to rewrite many of his chapters, add few more and tone down some elements in his subsequent editions.

The novel was way a head of its time





Verdict:
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

2013 Book to Movie Challenge

Since my blog is primarily about books and movies, then what's better than doing a challenge that combines both.

I found this challenge by accident. You read a book then you watch it's movie. I did that quite a lot in the past, and generally the books were better that their screen adaptations.

There are 4 levels to this challenge:

• Movie Fan - read 3 books and watch their movies
• Movie Devotee - read 6 books and watch their movies
• Movie Lover - read 9 books and watch their movies
• Movie Aficionado - read 12 books and watch their movies

I'll be attempting the Movie Aficionado since I watch a lot of movies. I can't wait to start.

2013 Book to Movie Challenge

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) My Thoughts on The Book, Dorian Gray (2009) My Thoughts on The Movie.