Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

JJJJ
My View:   A strong story. Told from the view of a genius who will never known it. I especially liked this book for how Haddon neatly blends traditional storytelling with Christopher's unique perspective. Written flawlessly without fear, reserve, or sugar-coating, this book has an old-fashioned flavor being expressed from a new viewpoint.
Wikipedia Link: N/A
    General Information:
    Method of Reading:
    Public Library hardcover novel, 226 pages
    Dates of Reading:
    June 29, 2010-July 1, 2010
    Author:
    Mark Haddon
    Publication Year:
    2003
    Recommended To:
    It was recommended to me by someone who's in college studying to be a Special Ed teacher. But I'd recommend it to any high schooler who I think could appreciate it and learn from it and empathize with the storyteller.
    Quotes:

    Movie?
    No, but I guess it could be done. You'd need some strong direction.
Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliographic info:
Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. New York: Doubleday, 2003. Print.
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Havana Dreams

JJJJJ
My View:   The book is kind of like The Radioactive Boy Scout in that it written in a news-report fashion to get someone's story across– a story that affects many people and they never knew it. The four generations of real Cuban women portrayed through the mist of Fidel Castro's revolution in Havana Dreams are all very differently affected:
First Generation: The revolution stole Doña Natica's most beloved, beautiful Havana.
Second Generation: Naty Revuelta, Doña Natica's gorgeous, rebellious (and married) daughter, had an affair with el comandante. Her husband took their legitimate daughter, Nina, to the United States to escape a nationalization of his medical practice. She was left in Havana with her and Fidel's daughter, Alina.
Third Generation: Nina was happily married and living in Illinois, having escaped most entanglement with all things Cuban. Alina had taken on the unofficial role of Fidel Castro's (unacknowledged) daughter. After tiring of the Cuban media circuit, she escaped the island and headed for the wider scope of American paparazzi. Never finding an identity further than Castro's Daughter, she wandered sadly through life, using and being used.
Fourth Generation: Alina's daughter, Mumín, traveled to the US and tried living an average life. Her commitment-phobe mother left her, and she lived with Naty, who grasped at her last chance of real motherhood (having let the other two opportunities fail).
Wikipedia Link: N/A
    General Information:
    Method of Reading:
    Personally owned paperback novel, 234 pages
    Dates of Reading:
    June 10, 2010-June 14, 2010
    Author:
    Wendy Gimbel
    Publication Year:
    1998
    Recommended To:
    History fans. It's especially interesting for Latin American studies students. It was taken off of the reading list for my LatAm class, I'm sure for time management reasons, but it's a great tie-in and really livens up the history.
    Quotes:

    Movie?
    No, but they could make one Coco Before Chanel-style.
Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliographic info:
Gimbel, Wendy. Havana Dreams: A Story of Cuba. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1998. Print.
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Secrets of My Hollywood Life: Broadway Lights

JJJJJ
My View:   I like this book for a couple of reasons: First, it focuses on my kind of acting by taking on Broadway. Second, seeing Sky as Kaitlin's new ally while "LAVA" (gag) tries to bury them is not only totally true to how teenage girls operate, but its also very refreshing. Things I don't like about it include the Calonita Eternal Repetition Syndrome (she still hasn't worked her way out of that) best manifested in the endless boyfriend drama, which nobody really needs to hear. It's still a decent book though, and one I definitely will (and have) re-read.
    General Information:
    Method of Reading:
    Personally owned hardcover novel, 353 pages
    Dates of Reading:
    September 11, 2010-September 18, 2010
    Author:
    Jen Calonita
    Publication Year:
    2010
    Recommended To:
    People who liked the other ones.
    Quotes:
    "Oh. A camp thing. Between Austin and Amanda. The A-Team. Fun" (234).
    Movie?
    NO.
Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliographic info:
Calonita, Jen. Secrets of My Hollywood Life: Broadway Lights. New York: Little, Brown, 2010. Print.
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Secrets of My Hollywood Life: Paparazzi Princess

JJJJJ 
My View:    A decent read, as usual. I've read them so much, I think I've become a little cynical about them, and have noticed their many writing flaws, although I still respect Jen Calonita as a writer because she turns out good stories, but they should only be read once or twice. This one can be compared to the angst-filled HP 5.
    General Information:
    Method of Reading:
    Kindle, 290 pages in hardcover
    Dates of Reading:
    August 6, 2010-September 10, 2010
    Author:
    Jen Calonita
    Publication Year:
    2009
    Recommended To:
    Fans of the first three, uh-duh.
    Quotes:
    "I don't want to be a celebrity. I want to be an actress."
    Movie?
    Not yet.
Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliographic info:
Calonita, Jen. Secrets of My Hollywood Life: Paparazzi Princess. New York: Little, Brown, 2009. Electronic.
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Secrets of My Hollywood Life: Family Affairs


:) :) :) :) :)
My View:   This is my favorite of the books because of the awesome twist of from seeing Kaitlin get along with Sky to take down Alexis. The inner workings of Family Affair, mixed with some great Hollywood Secrets, make this a standout.
    General Information:
    Method of Reading:
    Personally owned hardcover novel, 314 pages
    Dates of Reading:
    August 20, 2010-September 5, 2010
    Author:
    Jen Calonita
    Publication Year:
    2008
    Recommended To:
    Fans of the other two...
    Quotes:

    Movie?
    Look at On Location.
Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliographic info:
Calonita, Jen. Secrets of My Hollywood Life: Family Affairs. New York: Little, Brown, 2008. Print.
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Secrets of My Hollywood Life: On Location

JJJJJ
My View:   This  book, although I love it, is a strange catch. But as the first Secrets book I read, this is one of my favorites.

    General Information:
    Method of Reading:
    Personally owned hardcover novel, 229 pages
    Dates of Reading:
    August 18, 2010-August 27, 2010
    Author:
    Jen Calonita
    Publication Year:
    2007
    Recommended To:
    Lovers of Hollywood, acting, and Kaitlin Burke.
    Quotes:

    Movie?
    We'll see...
Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliographic info:
Calonita, Jen. Secrets of My Hollywood Life: On Location. New York: Little, Brown, 2007. Print.
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Secrets of My Hollywood Life

JJJJJ
My View:  I love it every time I read it. Well-written and full of feeling.
    General Information:
    Method of Reading:
    Personally owned paperback novel, 242 pages
    Dates of Reading:
    June 3, 2010-June 6, 2010
    Author:
    Jen Calonita
    Publication Year:
    2006
    Recommended To:
    Girly readers, especially actresses, ages 12-16.
    Quotes:

    Movie?
    No, and I don't think there will ever be one. A key problem would be casting Kaitlin: A no-name star couldn't play her because it wouldn't evoke the same feeling of pomp and prestige. For instance, a big star could never play it because they couldn't "disappear" out of Secrets's Hollywood world. Additionally… probably a very easy movie to make cheaply and poorly. Don't ruin it please.
Always,
Your Bibliomaniac

Bibliographic info:
Calonita, Jen. Secrets of My Hollywood Life: A Novel. New York: Little, Brown, 2006. Print.
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