American Writers Writing British Characters

Hello! I know it's been a while since my last post, I had massive issues with Wordpress and my two gmail accounts were conflicting on my blogger page - all in all, it's been a complete pain! However, I'm here now and ready to role with my new post on an issue that affects me a lot.

Bloody American writers writing bloody British bloody characters.

Sound familiar?

Every British reader faces the regular struggle of reading a book by an American writer whom has written in a British character. Every sentence that character says will sound a little like this:

"I am going to the bloody shops to buy some bloody shoes because it's bloody cold outside and my car won't bloody start so I bloody have to walk".

Oh. My. Bloody. God. 

Anyone would think that everyone American thinks we're Alan Sugar!

This surge of anger has came from my recent attempt to read James Dashner's The Maze Runner where the character Newt, presumably British or possibly Australian, says 'bloody' far too much. It is a British stereotype that we all say "bloody" a lot like our good old friend Ron Weasley so writers from other nationalities incorporate it in to their work, unfortunately, to the annoyance of the British. It's a stereotype that Americans are all stupid but do you see British writers purposely making their American characters unintelligent? No, you don't. 

Of course, we do say it, of course we do but it's a pain in the arse when it's every other word the character spits out! 

Fiction has always managed to paint pictures of Britain and have given the Americans some crazy misconceptions. Let's iron out a few, just to extend the length of this post!

1) If you've read any of this post, you'll understand that number 1 has to be the word 'bloody' being used in the wrong context, too often and in the wrong part of the sentence. It's frustrating!

2) "British boys are so cute".

No. No they are not. Yes, Harry Potter and all of it's beautiful male array of characters are yummy both on screen and on paper but they are fictitious; there's not a geographical correlation between attractive men and their location on earth. Trust me, this guy is considered a sex lord in many parts of Britain. The attractive men are few and far between. 

3) We all speak like the queen.

7% of the British population speak like the queen. The other 93% speak in multiple variations of English language - chances are, your dream guy won't say "Hello darling, you look beautiful today", they'll say "oi love, yous looks well fit!". They're not romantic, to say the least. 

I hope this has cleared up some of the misconceptions you may have of British people after you read about them, it will save us all a lot of trouble if you find out about it now rather than later!

I do apologise for my lack of innovative posts right now, been so busy and drained in the run up to Christmas due to present buying, college work and working at the bookshop! This will be my last post until the new year and I will be back with a vengeance.

Have a marvellous Christmas and I look forward to being back with you in the new year,

Thanks,

Is x

Twitter: @marvellousshelf 

Book to Film: When It Goes Wrong...

We've all freaked out about our favourite books making it to the big-screen and we all share that same dubiousness about how it will be carried out. Will the budget be able to cover it? Will it disappoint or surprise? Will it make me want to cut my eyeballs out?

Unfortunately, the answer to those questions are mostly negative. We've all dealt with the crushing disappointment of our favourite book being slaughtered by the silver screen and feel ashamed of the producers for ruining such an excellent piece of literature. 

Here is a list of the biggest successes and failures to book-to-film adaptations...

• SUCCESS Harry Potter

Harry Potter is possibly the biggest movie franchise of our life time with the exception of Lord of the Rings. Although there were some slight differences from the books to the film, they did a pretty good job in sticking to the story and selecting a near-perfect cast! JK also wins a medal for not turning the golden trio in to a love triangle and for that, I am forever grateful.

• FAIL Percy Jackson and the Olympians

No one hates the Percy Jackson movies more than Rick Riordan, the author. One can only imagine how soul-destroying it must be to see your years of hard work turn to crap on screen. Yes, Logan Lerman is very yummy, but he is also not a 12 year old boy like Percy. The films could not have taken a more different approach to the story if they tried and it disappointed fans everywhere!

• SUCCESS The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit

The characters are cute, hairy and adorable and there's plenty of action. Another well-cast movie done and another inevitable death for Sean Bean (we don't know why they always kill you seany). The Lord of the Rings seems to always be a family favourite, despite the books being published yonks ago. They might be long movies but at least they're interesting unlike the books which are apparently very heavy-going. Also, has to be one of my faves purely down to the sound track which is bloody gorgeous *swoons*.

• FAIL Cirque Du Freak: The Vampires Assistant.

This is possibly the WORST book to film ever made. I watched the movie first and I have to thank to movie for letting me know about the books (which were the books that got me in to reading so thank you Mr Shan). The film was pretty unrecognisable to the book and had its own little thing going on with some cray-cray monkey girl who isn't even a character in the book(!!!?!?!?!?!?). Such a shame when an amazing, promising series like Cirque Du Freak gets murdered by its movie. There was loads of potential to make it great but they cocked it up, as per usual, particularly with the cast which were about 8 years too old to be playing the characters they were playing. Also - another British book being Americanised in to some weird summer teen flick! 

These are just a hand picked selection of my favourite ones to love and hate but there are loads more. Good ones being The Hunger Games (which in the later movies has become better than the books), The Fault in Our Stars, The Princess Bride, Stardust and (as much as it pains me to say it) Twilight. Bad ones being How I Live Now, Stormbreaker, The Importance of Being Ernest and many, many more. 

Maybe one day we'll get to see another good series adaptation that we will connect with like we have to the successful ones! Who knows?

What's the worst book to film you've experienced? Let me know!

Is x

Twitter: @marvellousshelf

Instagram: @issysmarvellousbookshelf

How to get out of a Reading Funk

You could be the most avid reader and have moments when you just can't get in to your book and you slip in to a reading funk.

Reading Funk

A reading funk is a period of time where reading becomes a chore/daunting task and one ceases to read. Funks can last short or long periods of time and are common in students and those with busy lifestyles.

Tim: Hey Joe, have you read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline yet!?

Joe: Nah man, been studying so much I've got myself in to a reading funk.

Symptoms of a reading funk include:

1. Sleeping after reading a page of a book

2. Buying too many books to fit on your shelf that you're "going to read when you feel better" so that it's fit to collapse.


3. Watching excessive amounts of TV so you don't have to read



That's just a select few of the effects a reading funk has, they vary from person to person and it's so difficult to pull yourself out of one but never fear, I have some tips to help!

My A levels have been driving me crazy and reading has been the last thing on my mind right now due to the workload I have that seems to never end. I'm in my own funk now, I've been reading The Maze Runner for weeks and am still not even 100 pages in; in all honesty I'm not a fan of Dashner's writing style but the concept is great so I just have to plough through. Unfortunately, books that don't grab you can just elongate the reading struggle and put you off further so try to avoid these type of books!

Here are my top 5 tips to avoid your reading funk!:

1. Choose a book that interests you!
    If you're reading a book just to see what all the fuss is about, there's a possibility you'll be disappointed and apply this same algorithm to other books you read. You're going to convince yourself that everything you read is a disappointment when there are really some great books out there which have very little hype at all!

2. Schedule in some reading time!
   Whether it be an hour or even 20 minutes, put aside part of your day and dedicate it to reading. Don't stop until you've reached your target and if you read longer than expected, don't stop. Book funks are often followed by reading purges so let out the reading animal inside!

3. Ease yourself back in to it!
    An easy read is sometimes all you need! Try something contemporary and small but not something that will bore you like John Green, Jill Mansell or something aimed at a younger audience as it may be simpler to read!

4. Turn off your phone!
    The Internet is a pain; it gets in the way far too much and you'll end up checking twitter and not reading! It also takes away any concentration you may have!

5. Set goals!
    Everything you do in your life is easier if you set goals so aim to read a book a week/month/every 3 days. Make your goals sensible and achievable and stick to them!



Hope that these help you guys! Let me know your tips for getting rid of the post-book-blues! Sorry for the short/lacklustre post too! I'm absolutely whacked and need some sleep!

Is x

Twitter: @marvellousshelf
Instagram: @issysmarvellousbookshelf

Should We Censor Kids Books?

"My daughter's 13...do you think this is suitable?"

"My son doesn't like scary things so I want something that won't scare him"

"No love, you're not reading that, it's in teen fiction, it's not appropriate for you!"

These are just some of the things I hear on a typical Saturday at work in the bookshop. And they never fail to make me angry. 

When you were 13...were you curious? Did you ever want to find out more about life and excite yourself even just a little bit by escaping in to a new universe? Of course you did, we all did, you'd be mad not to. There's nothing worse than being 13 and feeling like you can't do anything; you've gained this "teenager" status but still get treated like a kid! 

Yesterday, a girl came up to me at work asking where to find The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak, two excellent books which are almost like a rite of passage to teen readers. They explore mental health, love, sex, danger and teach us how to overcome these obstacles that you will start to experience in your teen years. I found the books for her and she came up to the tills with her mother who stopped me just as I was scanning them and asked "are these suitable for a 13 year old girl?". I stopped what I was doing and looked at her. What I wish I could say is "let her read what she wants, she's capable of making her own decisions". However, I like my job and would love to keep it so I opted for "as long as your daughter is mature enough to handle the topics then it should be no problem and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to a 13 year old". Neither have graphic sex scenes or completely inappropriate content in them so it shouldn't have been a problem however the mother freaked out then.

"What topics!? I don't want her reading it if it's not suitable!"

I avoided the mention of sex, it's always a no-no when convincing parents about books to young girls as they seem to think that their daughter will go out and be pregnant within a week of reading. Instead, I told the mother that there are bits about depression in them, skirting around the suicide bits (minor details, minor details), and she seemed less pleased than if I'd told her there were sex in them. 

"You don't cope with sad things very well though love I don't want you to read them!" she said to her daughter and then her daughter just argued with her and said "so!? I want to read it" and after a lot of reassuring the family, the girl walked away happily with her new books whilst her mum slumped off angry about not getting her own way. 

Issy 1 customer 0

Censoring kids from books is controversial to say the least. I understand concern on the parents behalf about their kids being exposed to specific content but there comes a point where the concern is too much. Age ratings on books should be seen as a guideline and not law; remember that age ratings aren't so much based on content but also on difficulty! 

When I was 12, I was capable enough to walk in to the bookstore I work in now and pick a book off the shelf, like the sound of it, buy it and love it. I found out about periods from Jacqueline Wilson books, I learned a few new swearwords from Darren Shan and as I got older I understood more about sex and relationships through the books I've read. 

Books seem to be able to explain things to kids that parents feel too uncomfortable to do. Sure the way they explain things may seem slightly unorthodox but they seem to show gritty realism which is hard to explain.

Here is a list of books with messages that your kids should know plus a rough guideline of ages to match!

• John Green's The Fault in Our Stars - Age 13 up. Themes/Messages: Sex, terminal illness, people can be disappointing and mean, those we love won't be here forever.
  • John Green's Looking for Alaska - Age 15 up. Themes/Messages: Sex, smoking, drugs. When I say sex though I mean it. There is VERY awkward scene in there which is definitely one to avoid for a while. 
  • John Green's Will Grayson, Will Grayson - Age 11/12 up. Themes/Messages: Homosexuality (believe it or not, some parents still find this a horrifying concept), 'Catfishing' (people pretending to be someone else online)
  • Sarah Alderson's Hunting Lila - Age 14 up. Themes/Messages: Violence, supernatural, love, sex. 
  • Markus Zusak's I am the Messenger - Age 13 up. Themes/Messages: Help others, you might just have to deal with the friend zone, family is important.
  • Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Age 13 up Themes/Messages: Depression, suicide, sex, growing up, drugs.
  • Tabitha Suzuma's Forbidden-Age 15/16 up. Themes/Messages: incest and suicide. 
  • Alyssa Brugman's Alex As Well - Age 14 up. Themes/Messages: Transgender, sexuality.

These are all just a rough guide and just a few of the types of books that are worth reading. If you want my advice, content is usually suitable for 2 years above your actual age so Hunting Lila is mainly for 16 year old's but 14 year old's can read them and not be phased by it! Letting your 12 year old in to the teen fiction section is not a crime and we should let kids read what they want, after all, they know themselves better than their parents do!

Any other suggestions? I'd love to hear!

Is x

Twitter:@MarvellousShelf

Instagram: @issysmarvellousbookshelf

Mockingjay part 1 plus Black Friday book deals!

"If we burn, you burn with us!"

I went to go see Mockingjay Part 1 with a friend on Wednesday and I had very high hopes that this movie was going to be amazing as the other two have been. I'm still unsure if I really liked it or if I thought it was a bit disappointing so I will definitely be going to see it again to confirm my feelings about it. I found the books a bit dull and repetitive and progressively worse as I read the trilogy so it's safe to say that I feel the films are - for once - better than the books. I know there are a few die-hard fans out there so here are a few reasons why I don't like the books before people try to murder me:

• Katniss Everdeen is too melodramatic and an unbelievable protagonist
• The whole love-triangle thing doesn't work properly in this trilogy and would be better placed in different circumstances
• Catching fire was basically the Hunger Games but kicked up a notch
• Mockingjay had no story and could've been written in about 100 pages compared to a whole book
• Collins killed a lot of characters and it became far too confusing for any reader to work out who's dead and who is alive
• 

HOWEVER I feel the movies have managed to almost expel all of these elements which I really love so it makes the films so much better. The budget for Mockingjay is certainly higher than it was for the other movies so we really get the effect of the war-like drama that is happening and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Safe to say Jennifer Lawrence absolutely smashes it as Katniss and has transformed my opinions of the book character as Katniss is basically a sassy Jen which makes her a somewhat decent character to watch. 

There was a much bigger presence of Gale in this movie than there has been in the others which is great because he really completes this movie and I think that his character was always underplayed throughout the series despite his importance to Katniss and her family. More Gale for part 2 please! *even though he makes a boo boo at the end of Mockingjay!*

The 'proppo's' were kind of...interesting. I found they looked very amateurish which you could argue is because of district 13's team not being a film company however they were this awkward phase of being better than a school project but not good enough to be decent advert. Maybe that's just me being picky but I found it hard to take them seriously at times although the "if we burn, you burn with us" scene gave me chills!

My biggest realisation came at the end of the film though where I discovered that these films are cast exceptionally well. Stanley Tucci, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Sam Claflin and several other of the minor characters, particularly the president of 13, are undeniably the stars of the show and were cast perfectly. Without them (and of course, Jen), I don't think these films would've had half the success they've gained so I'm grateful to the casting directors for doing the idea of the Hunger Games justice.

I guess if you're not a hypercritical media student like myself, you can enjoy the movie without locating technical faults in them. I really do think that this film might take a second watch to secure my opinion on it as the beginning was fairly slow but I'm sure it has really hit hard with audiences and I know that part 2 will definitely be a massive success!

ON ANOTHER NOTE!

Happy Black Friday; here are some book deals which will make you happy!

Waterstones, UK booksellers have a couple of NEW hardbacks half price at the moment. Buying from bookshops like Waterstones, Blackwells and independent shops is so important to keeping the book alive so if you know anyone who wants a super good deal on a hardback book which goes on until cuber Monday, click here! They also have great deals in store on new paperbacks and other hardbacks so pop in store and look as every store is different!

Amazon also have loads of good deals on right now such as 3 for £10 on paperbacks and great deals on their hardbacks! Kindle store is also great if you're in to that kind of thing and the amazing Sarah Alderson's Out of Control is on sale right now for 99p so go go go! (And whilst you're there, check out her other stuff!)

Barnes and Noble appear to have some good deals going on too! As I'm British it doesn't particularly apply to me but I know it will to a lot of you! Not only is it on books but there are loads on book related products so pop in and buy something to make someones christmas! 

I've spoiled myself in today's deals and brought myself a MacBook from Ebay! Got to love a good deal!

Hope you all enjoy your Black Friday/Cyber Monday and if any of you have any input on the new Mockingjay movie, I'd love to hear! 

Good luck with your Black Friday shopping and my the odds be ever in your favour... 

Is x

Twitter: @MarvellousShelf

Instagram: @issysmarvellousbookshelf

Choose Your Own Destiny!

YO YO YO! My post is a day early as I'm off to see Mockingjay tomorrow so there will be no time to blog. I will let you know how it was on Friday :) 

'Choose your own destiny' books are the most underrated things in the current book market; no one seems to be writing them and those that get written get very limited attention. Recently, a build-your-own-erotica book was published which, although creepy, is really freaking cool!

If you don't know what a CYOD book is, here is a brief explanation:

A CYOD is an adventure book: you decide how the story plays out by turning to different pages depending on what you think you should do. The aim is to find a way to THE end or AN end that suits you by choosing which paths to take; your decisions affect what happens. You could read the same book 20 times and have 20 different endings and completely different ways of getting to the same ending. They're awesome.

2 years ago I received my first CYOD book for Christmas, a zombie themed one called Can You Survive The Zombie Apocalypse? By Max Brallier. Safe to say I loved it, any zombie fan would, due to it's ability to pull on your morals and break your heart as well as make you laugh and scare the life out of you.

Some of my deaths included:

• Heroin Overdose
• Murdered by Hells Angles
• Eaten by a lion
• Bitten by a high school sweetheart
• Murdered in the Nintendo sector of NY Comiccon

Other element of my adventures:

• Killing zombie strippers
• Getting stranded on the Statue of Liberty's arm
• Getting a bunch of school kids killed
• Saving those same school kids
• Being saved by some guy dressed up as Legolas from Lord of the Rings

It really is the craziest thing I have ever read, seriously. But it's awesome!

I really think that these kind of books are great; authors like Iain Livingstone have made a career out of writing them (for kids) and I think they just really inspire the imagination and grip you from the outset. The authenticity of this kind of genre is magical and I really love the sense of escapism that comes along with them. Marcus Sedgwick, author of She Is Not Invisible, has just created his own book which is similar to a CYOD but is more of a create-your-own-story kinda thing. There are 4 parts of the book and no matter what order you read them in, they make perfect sense as a story and are all completely different narratives - it's pretty cool!


I can't stress enough just how cool these books are and how we all need to read them so here are a few different suggestions in case you fancy giving them a go!

• Steve Skidmore and Steve Barlow's Hero series (children's)
• A Girl Walks in to a... collection by Helena S. Paige (erotica)
• Fighting Fantasy series by Ian Livingstone (children's)
• Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? by Max Brallier (Adult/scifi)

Has anyone else read any cool CYOD books? I'd love to read some more and am open to suggestions!

Until next time,

Is x

Twitter: @Marvellousshelf
Instagram: @issysmarvellousbookshelf

Dystopia is Everywhere!

The Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, The Walking Dead... All successful franchises. And what do they have in common? Dystopia.
DYSTOPIA: an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one. The opposite of utopia.
Has Dystopia lost its meaning? Is it beginning to mean the exact opposite of what it's meant to? This obsession with the danger and destruction appears to be quite prevalent in recent teen fiction it's got to a point now where we wish for our lives to be like these dystopias; whether you want to put someone you hate in the arena or take your best friend as your zombie killing partner, the influence of dystopian fiction has been massive!

Not this Jonathon Ross but we love him too!

I've been sent a copy of Image Comics' America's Got Powers by Jonathan Ross and Bryan Hitch which fits in to this topic of Dystopia perfectly... The general plot of this story is that a crystal came down to earth and landed in San Francisco and all the pregnant women in a 5 mile radius gave birth to healthy, supernatural children. These children were segregated from normal kids and now fight on live TV for the chance to join the super team of heroes.
So yeah...I guess it's pretty similar to the Hunger Games but isn't everything now? Plus I think the super powers give this story an edge over the others; it's turned the concept on its head and makes it seem more like a utopia on the surface which most dystopias don't do. It's pretty different and I'm really enjoying it.
Are there any other dystopias you think don't get enough attention? Let me know, maybe I'll add it to my reading list!

That's it for now!
See you on Friday,
Is x
Twitter: @Marvellousshelf
Instagram: @issysmarvellousbookshelf
*this is a repost from my WordPress blog*