Film Delicacy

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE

Hi Bookworms! I finally got the time to watch Catching Fire last night and I'm not disappointed! The second instalment of this epic trilogy is an improvement from the first movie. It continues from the end of The Hunger Games where our star-crossed lover, Katniss and Peeta (or Peeniss for those fans out there; no pun intended) become the victors of the 74th Hunger Games. In Catching Fire, Katniss and Peeta has to participate in the 75th Hunger Games aka Quarter Quell. Quarter Quell happens every 25 years of the Hunger Games and the Capitol will add a twist in the Quarter Quell. This time the tributes from each districts will be taken from the pool of the existing victors. Since the only female victor from District 12 is Katniss, she has to become a tribute again while Peeta volunteer in the stead of Haymitch.

Girl Power!

Katniss and Peeta were the Victor Tribute of District 12

In our previous post about Catching Fire, the overall casting for the new characters introduced  are discussed such as Finnick and Johanna. After watching the movie, I'm very satisfied with Enobaria (she's really feral!), Mags (she's so sweet and have an amazing heart), and Plutarch Heavensbee (he has this sly vibe that suits the character). I'm not too keen on Finnick and Johanna's portrayals; very different from what I had in mind for two of my favourites in the book.While Sam Claflin had definitely hit the gym and packed some serious muscles, his Finnick came off a bit creepy for my taste. I was so looking forward to the Sugar Cube part where he met Katniss for the first time but it was lackluster and well, strange. Johanna was an entirely different matter. Jena Malone's portrayal of Johanna was just okay; not as good as I had imagined but fared better that Claflin's Finnick. I love a strong female character where she doesn't need the saving; instead she saves the boy. Johanna was that kind of girl minus saving the boy part. In the book, Johanna was sarcastic and snarky. Yes, she can be a full blown b*tch but I seriously love that girl. Whereas in the film, Johanna was a little tad too loud but I got to applaud Malone for getting away with two f-bombs during the movie. Even if she's not exactly the Johanna in the book, I still love the Johanna by Jena Malone. She is a real bad-ass chick. Brash and i-don't-give-a-damn attitude; especially when she strip naked in the elevator, it's so hilarious.

A Bowl For the Soul

 TO BE OR NOT TO BE: THE QUEEN OF BAD DECISIONS

“Because some life lessons you just have to learn on your own. You need to set your man bar higher.”- Mary to Daisy; The Queen of Bad Decisions.

Author of Must Love Sandwiches, Janel Gradowski, has released a novella with an ear-catching book title: The Queen of Bad Decisions. As the prequel of Must Love Sandwiches (Bartonville Series), we get to know Daisy better and understand her life dilemmas. This is a great story for those who likes to curl up on their couch to relax and enjoy some light reading.

About The Bartonville Series

Sometimes all you need is one or two bites to satisfy a craving.

That is the principle behind The Bartonville Series. We're all busy. Settling down and spending hours reading a nice, long novel is appealing, but how often do you get to do that? With that thought in mind I am creating a women's fiction series where each book will contain stories of different lengths with companion recipes. There will be flash fiction stories that can be read during a coffee break, novellas that can be devoured over an evening and everything in between, like short stories and novelettes.

Casting Calls

WHO TO CAST: THE INFERNAL DEVICES

Hello bookworms! We are back (again) to the wonderful world of Shadowhunters created by Cassandra Clare; only this time, I would like to ponder about the perfect cast for the trilogy's characters. The Infernal Devices is the prequel to Clare's successful series, The Mortal Instruments (TMI). Personally, I love The Infernal Devices even more than TMI and that's saying a lot (I'm an avid fan of TMI as you can see from my previous posts that highlights the series a few times). It's touching and heartbreaking; you will sigh contentedly once you finish The Infernal Devices I assure you.

The main characters of TID (short for The Infernal Devices) are Tessa Gray, Will Herondale, and Jem Carstairs. Being the feminist that I am, I'm gonna start with Tessa first. See, choosing Tessa might be a fickle because her height has been mentioned a lot of times during the course of TID. Although, I don't think that will be much problem since the actress can wear high heels or the director can play with some angle shoots that gives an illusion of height. I've heard a few people favouring Astrid Berges Frisbey, Emilia Clarke, Sarah Bolger, and Kaya Scodelario as front runners so I'll be dissecting (not literally!) each of this four amazing actress for the part.

A Bowl For the Soul

IT AIN'T EASY BEING JAZZY

“Jasmine.” I stuck out my chest. “Jasmine T. Peacock.” “What’s the T stand for?”
 “Nothing. My mom just thought it sounded cool.”- Jazzy; "It Ain't Easy Being Jazzy"

As a part of 'It Ain't Easy Being Jazzy' blog tour, here's the review of this compelling hilarious story by Quanie Miller. If you like humour and funny chick-lit story, then this is the book for you. 'It Ain't Easy Being Jazzy was loosely based on Miller's experiences loving in Silicon Valley. 

Book Blurb:

Jazzy secretly wants to get back together with her ex boyfriend, Curtis, so when he calls and reveals that he's got something important to tell her, she's got no idea that he's about to propose-to her first cousin and bitter rival, Mercedes.

The annual family dinner is coming up, and fearing that she will spend the evening seething while Mercedes flaunts her four carat engagement ring in her face, Jazzy asks Reggie, an Adonis she met at the mall, to accompany her. As fate would have it, not only did Reggie and Mercedes used to date; that backstabbing, leopard print wearing cow is still carrying a torch for him! Revenge. It's never been so sweet. 

But falling for Reggie? Holy crap! That wasn't part of the plan! She's got enough on her plate as it is with a mother who spies on the neighbors and a sister and best friend with man problems that could land them on Jerry Springer. So when Curtis comes sniffing around again-this time, with an accusation that sends her blood pressure shooting through the roof-the one good nerve that Jazzy's got left has just about run its course.

Even the book blurb made me smile while reading it so I was really eager to start the book. Then, I finished it in two days! Yes, it was that funny and tear-inducing (tears of laughter mind you). This book had definitely won my heart and this book is a must for those who are feeling a little blue these days. 

The main heroine, Jasmine "Jazzy" T. Peacock, will make you laugh so hard with her mischievous nature till your stomach cramps and within her family, she's the least quirky along with her sister. Even her spying-on-the-neighbors-as-a-hobby mother is loveable with her catty attitude. The supporting characters such as Serai are also humorous which made me snort with laughter along the way. 

A Bowl For the Soul

CARRIE: A BLOODY PROM NIGHT

“People don't get better, they just get smarter. When you get smarter you don't stop pulling the wings off flies, you just think of better reasons for doing it.” ― Stephen King, Carrie

Since Halloween is coming up soon, I'm in the mood for some horror-fest. Now, my favourite horror story remains with Stephen King. Name a few of King's work and I'll be jumping up and down ecstatic to tell you all about the story from head to tail. Well, not that I'm much of a horror story-teller. I mean, I got creeped out myself when I watched Wes Craven's Elm Street so how do you expect me to actually  retell any horror or ghost story. I'm not a hardcore horror story fan; Rosemary's Baby and the Exorcist made me insomniac for several nights. Anyways, since there are so many of King's ingenious works I'll choose the very first book that I read which is "Carrie".

A paperback copy of Carrie

There are so many reasons why I absolutely named "Carrie" as one of the best horror stories ever written. Along with the Shining. Or Salem's Lot. Okay, you should realise by now that I'm a huge fan of Stephen King. But since the remake of "Carrie" will hit the theatres soon, a little nostalgia about the story won't hurt (fun fact: "Carrie" is the fourth book written by Stephen King but the first to be published). "Carrie" tells us the story of a girl, social misfit with the titular name, who develops a telekinesis power that she eventually uses to exact revenge on her tormentors; killing everyone in her  school and town, where this disaster left it as a ghost town after Carrie's rampage. When you started reading "Carrie", it doesn't feel like that it's a horror story but by the time you have reached the middle of the book, this is when King really starts his brilliant gift for writing horror story. 

Hi bookworms! As a part of 'It Ain't Easy Being Jazzy' blog tour, this is a teaser post for everyone who loves a good laugh and a story filled with hilarious moments. It Ain't Easy Being Jazzy will be released on October 15th 2013 and here's the book blurb and excerpt link below:

Book Cover

Jazzy secretly wants to get back together with her ex-boyfriend, Curtis, so when he calls and reveals that he’s got something important to tell her, she’s got no idea that he’s about to propose—to her first cousin and bitter rival, Mercedes.

The annual family dinner is coming up, and fearing that she will spend the evening seething while Mercedes flaunts her four carat engagement ring in her face, Jazzy asks Reggie, an Adonis she met at the mall, to accompany her. As fate would have it, not only did Reggie and Mercedes used to date; that backstabbing, leopard print wearing cow is still carrying a torch for him! Revenge. It’s never been so sweet.

But falling for Reggie? Holy crap! That wasn’t part of the plan! She’s got enough on her plate as it is; restaurant shootouts, a neurotic boss, a mother who spies on the neighbors, and a sister and best friend with man problems that could land them on Jerry Springer. Who has time to fall in love? So when Curtis comes sniffing around again—this time, with an accusation that sends her blood pressure shooting through the roof—the one good nerve that Jazzy’s got left has just about run its course.

Read an Excerpt

I'll be posting a review of the book on the 26th October so keep an eye for it! Happy Reading, bookworms!

A Bowl For the Soul

THE START OF STAR CROSSED-LOVERS

"For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo." - William Shakespeare

Hello bookworms! I'm in the mood for some classics and to tell you the truth, I have an occasional liking for clichés. So, I mused my thoughts about Romeo and Juliet. The early star-crossed lover story is perhaps one of the most popular works of Shakespeare. Probably what you can call a typical tragic love story. Of course, death of both of the hero and heroine dampens the mood but still, there's no way you can deny it's a classic. 

Title page of the first edition

The story of the Montagues and Capulets was written by William Shakespeare and published in 1597. The children of the two feuding family ironically fell in love with each other hence Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet's legendary love story. They went against all odds and their love resulted in a well-planned scheme that was supposed to fake Juliet's death. Miscommunication arises leading Romeo to drink poison hence killing himself. Juliet wakes up from her deathlike-coma and finds that Romeo is truly dead and well, she stabs herself in which the story ends with both of their families reconciling. It's tragic. It's touching. It's a love story that has stayed until this modern age.

Paper to Motion Pictures

TRIBUTES CALLING: CATCHING FIRE 

Hello bookworms! As most of you know, especially fans of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire will hit the theatre soon and I'm sure all of you are way excited to watch it. Since I'm part of the huge anticipating fanbase of the series, I'll be doing a little snippets of the casting process so here we go!

Ensemble cast of Catching Fire

A Bowl For The Soul

THE PERFECT UNCOMMON HEIST 

"Time, the greatest thief of all"- Katarina Bishop; Heist Society 

Hi bookworms! It has been quite a while since the last post of A Bowl For the Soul. This time, it's dedicated to the brilliant Heist Society trilogy by Ally Carter.

Ally Carter never cease to surprise her fans with new YA series that is just as amazing as her previous works. That includes Heist Society series that consists of three books: Heist Society, followed by Uncommon Criminals, and closed with the finale of Perfect Scoundrels. Ally Carter has created another phenomenal ensemble characters. This time it has nothing to do with spies or espionage but it's about a group of teenage grifters with the central character, a girl named Katarina Bishop (Even the name sounds cool) who came from a family of con-men (and women).

The first book introduce us to Katarina, a teenage thief protege, enrolls herself  in a prestigious boarding school- with a little bit of con here and there to worm her way into the school. Then after a mere three months there, her friend 16-year-old billionaire W.W Hale V, arranges for her expulsion. After bringing her home, he breaks that five paintings have been stolen from a mobster, Arturo Taccone and that her father is the prime suspect. Determined to save her father by locating the real thief and stealing the paintings back, Kat gathers a 'heist society' to pull off the job before a two-week deadline- where her father will be arrested, only to discover that the works were stolen by world renowned Visily Romani, a thief famous for reclaiming Nazi-spoils. By planning the theft of the Henley museum in London, well known for its security, and always having to be one step ahead of Interpol and the mobster on her tail, Kat is going to pull a heist that will make them remembered by every thieves in the world.

Characters Mojo

Mojo(s) of DAN CAHILL

Good day everybody! I'm invited as a contributor for Chicken Soup from A Bookworm's Soul and I have to say I'm quite flattered. I've never really been much of a writer but I have always like to read so therefore, I will be posting mostly snapshots or short reviews of my favourite books or characters or random moments in a story. Enjoy the post mates,  and happy reading!

The first installment of The 39 Clues

I've been following The 39 clues series since the beginning until it started to spawn the sequel installment. What first caught my attention was the idea of a bunch of teenagers going around the world searching for these so called '39 clues'.




The first book cover is intriguing with a blue background, and filled with a hurricane of bones and skulls that it prompted a 14 year old me to buy it with my less-than-generous allowance money. Add that with the fact that it was penned by Rick Riordan (I was a major fan of Percy Jackson at that age).

The Maze of Bones is the first book of the series