Shine (Lauren Myracle) and the Matthew Shepard Foundation

I just finished reading Shine by Lauren Myracle.  I enjoyed the book but I'm still wrapping my head around it right now.  A review to come soon, I promise!  If you just can't wait to read a summary, you can read one here...

Maybe it's just because of the kind of day I've had, but I wanted to make good use of this post before I reviewed the book.  Shine dealt with the serious topic of bullying and antigay hate crimes (and also touched on the seriousness of drugs).  Since today is also February 29th, which is Pink Shirt Day (for anti-bullying), I thought I would share this video by an artist that I love. 

In this video, Peter Katz is playing his song "The Fence." This song was written about Matthew Shepard, who was the victim of an antigay hate crime in 1998.  The Matthew Shepard Foundation was created in his name, and some of the proceeds from the book "Shine" will be donated to the Foundation. 

 

I strongly encourage you to do a bit of reading about the Matthew Shepard Foundation.  Let's help them with their Desired Outcome "to persuade people to think differently, behave differently, and inform others of the importance and value of diversity."

I don't know who said this one (word around Google is that it's Plato, but who knows) - "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."  Try to be the positive in someone's day, everyday.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - The Movie

It's been a while since I've seen the movie "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," but considering it's Oscar night, I thought it deserved a post! 

I recently went to see the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.  I loved it - but again, this isn't a blog about movies (sigh), so let's talk about how the movie compares to the book. 

I had just finished reading the novel by Stieg Larsson when I decided to go see the movie, so it was all really fresh in my mind.  (As a recap, I really enjoyed the book!)  Knowing that I hadn't forgotten any details from the book yet, I can say that the movie was so much like the book. 

I often find that when a movie is based on a novel, details from the book are omitted or altered.  Sometimes they are just insignificant details, but sometimes there are huge changes to make the film more "Hollywood worthy."  Such a good job was done on this movie - it stayed true to the book.  There were a few little things that were omitted or changed, but they in no way changed the events that occured in the novel.  Plus the acting was wonderful and you totally get lost in the story. 

Should you read the novel or watch the movie first? 
I recommend reading the novel before watching the movie, if only so that you can use your imagination and get lost in the words of Stieg Larsson.  Then once you're done enjoying the words, you can relive the story in 2 hours and 40 minutes of great acting. 

The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern)

I'd heard about The Night Circus from a few different sources.  It made numerous "Top 2011 Picks" lists last year and I also really take to heart recommendations from friends.

It took me way longer to read The Night Circus than it should have.  I found when I picked it up and started reading, I couldn't put it down... Yet for some reason, I had put it on hold for a bit there. 

Here is my list of excuses:

• I have been supply teaching more than I was in January, so that has left me with fewer days to lounge around and read.
• I've been preparing for my 'future.'
•  I may have watched all of Season 4 of "Chuck" and Season 2 of "Modern Family".  (Ok, I definitely did.)
• "The Bachelor" has recently started back up again, so that takes up 2 hours of my week, every week.
• Other shows have now picked up again after a short Christmas break - such as Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Glee, The Biggest Loser, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, and I could go on...

Basically, there has been more TV watching in my free time recently than there has been reading.  This all changed when I went, "Wait!  I borrowed The Night Circus from the library and it's due in 2 days?! Gotta get on it!" 

I really enjoyed The Night Circus by Erin Morgernstern.  The circus arrives in any given town on any given day.  This circus runs only at night and is black-and-white themed.  This isn't just any circus.  Here, two magicians (Marco and Celia) are in a dual and neither one of them is aware that there is to be only one winner (survivor) at the end of it.  When they fall in love (and find out the reality of their situation), they must play out the dual. 

When I first read what the book was about, I immediately thought, "Like The Hunger Games?  It's a fight to the death?"  However, this book is very much not like that, so if that's what you're expecting you won't see it.

Morgenstern uses such good descriptions that you can imagine being there and being part of the experiences.  It was wordy, but not in an annoying way, because you really get kind of mesmerized in the words (and their magic).

The book moves between different times and places, so my suggestion to those who are going to pick up this book (which I would highly recommend) is to make special note of the date and place of each chapter.  You start to make some great connections between characters as you're reading the book. 

I loved it and I would recommend it to anyone (again, if you're down with the whole magic thing, because I know that this isn't everyone's style).  It's a love story mixed with the magic of an entirely different world than we're used to.