From Book to Screen: The 5th Wave

I'm going to be real with you all, is that ok? I had known for couple of weeks ago that this was going to be a movie and I should've written about it sooner. But I'm here now to tell you all about how excited I am for this transition.
I'm not going to let the fact that whenever a book transforms into a movie they change things in the plot, leave things in the book out of the movie (creating massive holes, but whatever), and resulting in an overall poor quality movie. This is generally because people will religiously read these young adult novels and compare the book and the movie like they are one and the same, which they are clearly not. Set to be in theaters January 22nd, I have a lot of catching up to do. But even if I'm a little rusty I'll attempt to give you a decent overview of the book and hope to convince you to join me in seeing the movie.
After an alien spaceship came appeared in the sky, no one knew the tragedy that was to come. "The Others" unleashed a series of four deadly waves that were meant to kill off the earths population. The first wave was cutting out all of the power, every little bit. The second wave was a worldwide earthquake meant to kill everyone. The third wave was disease that spread across the planet. By the fourth wave everyone alive knew that the Others were on earth.
While preparing for the 5th wave Cassie tries to rescue her brother Sam, who was driven away by a friendly looking school bus away from the camp that they were staying at. Racing to try to find where Sam is, Cassie finds a mysterious young guy (conveniently her age and her eventual love interest) and is forced to trust him and let him help her find her brother.
I remember that when I started this book I thought it was just another dumb story about aliens, but boy was I wrong. Soon after beginning to read it, I became obsessed (but then again when is that ever new with me?). I highly recommend it because there are great plot twists and many cliff-hangers, and if I remember the end of the book correctly pun intended.

A Book-Lover's Wishlist

Have you been naughty or nice this Chrsistmas season? I hope I've been good this year because there are so many books I want for Christmas this year and I hope I can inspire your Christmas List ideas.

1. Unspoken by C.C. Hunter

This is the third in a spin-off trilogy of the original Shadow Falls series. The book is about the misadventures of a vampire named Della and the story of her life at the camp/boarding school named Shadow Falls. After dying and being ressurected, Della has a lot to deal with. She must learn to control her new-found powers and investigate and find out the truth about a twenty-year-old murder case involving her father and her on-again off-again boyfriend Chase. This is a book of drama and for drama-seekers this is the book that you want on your list.

2. The Game of Lives by James Dashner

Also the third in a trilogy named the Mortality Doctrine, you're in for a wild ride with this book. After living in a game-world for so long, Micheal is over trying to distinguish the difference between the real and game worlds. A vigilante named Kaine on his back, trying to stop the Mortality Doctrine from becoming completed, the difference between Micheal's real and virtual worlds are blurring. If you want a book with a high stakes plot this is the book for you.

3. The Rose Society by Marie Lu

After being rejected by everyone she loves (aka her family and friends), Adelina chooses to go down the road to bittersweet revenge. She leaves the city of Kenettra to build an army of allies (Young Elites who also have powers). She wants to destroy the white-cloaked soldiers who nearly killed her. Adelina knows that there is no good inside of her. Her powers are fed only by striking fear into others and by generating hate. Adelina is on a long ride of struggling between the good and evil inside of her and if that's what you're looking for then this is the book for you. 

4. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

If you haven't heard of the series called Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, the you've really been missing out. After learning he has super powers, Jacob travels through history searching for a way to save his friends from a heavily guarded fortress. Jacob aquires some friends along the way (who also have super powers) and they travel from modern-day London to Victorian England on this chase to find their friend. If you like action-packed novels that also feature vintage photogrpahy then you're in for a treat with this third installment of this series.

5. The Storm by Virginia Bergin

When the end of the world appeared in the form of rain, the crap hit the fan, sorry to be blunt about it. The rain killed her mother, baby brother, and he dad-in-law, Simon. Rudy's unsure if she can survive on her own much longer. Then she meets someone who takes her to an army controlled camp. But at this camp Ruby finds an horrifying secret that the army has been keeping and what does she do? She flips out and tries to fight back but makes another horrifying discovery (that you have to read to find out). Filled with suspense? Check. If you want to be on the edge of your seat then this is the book for you.

How To Get Away With Murder

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS

Crazy thing happened last night. The winter finale of How To Get Away With Murder. At the end of season one, we found out who killed Sam Keating (Wes) and during the winter finale it all came together and we found out #whoshotannalise.

But either way the winter finale of How To Get Away With Murder is totally messed* up. Now every main character on this show is either dead (killed by one of the main characters) or a straight up murderer/killer. I'm not really sure how I feel about this. Asher killed Sinclair, Bonnie killed Rebecca, Nate killed his wife, Wes killed Sam and shot Annalise, Michaela, Laurel, and Connor all helped Wes dispose of Sam's body, Frank has killed god knows who, and the topper is that Annalise has been help everyone cover up their tracks and not go to jail.
At first I was really intrigued with this show. I mean who doesn't want to know "how to get away with murder," but after watching this first season and a half it's gotten completely ridiculous. These people are supposed to be lawyers fighting for justice, but they're going around killing people! From my point of view this show has become completely unrealistic. The police would have to find finger prints, shoe tracks, or just something that would tie this group to one of the murders they have committed.
How To Get Away With Murder is just one of those shows that you give up. It's like a car crash. You really want to look away but you can't. The winter finale made me really uncomfortable because we pretty much see Annalise go completely nuts/bonkers/crazy/choose your own word. Throughout the episode we see her just break down at the camera pans around her in a circle. Then she shuts down her emotions and deals with the body of Sinclair. By the end, in the last scene, she baits everyone who dealt with Sam's body, Michaela, Wes, Connor, and Laurel, to shoot her, so that they can acquit Catherine Hapstall, for a murder case they have been backing. This scene is the most powerful one of the entire show in my opinion because Connor and Michaela don't want to take part in the murder but Annalise just drags them back in by baiting them. This had me shocked because you saw the good in them being overpowered by Annalise and you just want her to get shot already.
 Finally, Annalise makes Wes shoot her by telling him that Rebecca was dead the whole season. We already knew this since the premiere of season two but Wes didn't know and had been searching for her, thinking she bolted. But instead of shooting Annalise in the leg like she wanted, he shot her in the stomach, a place that could get her killed. This was forceful because you saw the "good" go out of Wes's eyes when he shot her. Almost as though he wasn't him for a second, just like Asher when he killed Sinclair.
Anyways, if you haven't started watching How To Get Away With Murder, I recommend it but be weary at the same time because once you start it's hard to stop.
*A very different word could be used here

Hair Goals

Let's be honest this post is very off topic compared to the rest of my blog, but it has something to do with pop culture so let's go for it!

I don't know if where any of you live people are changing their hair color but where I live and where I go to school it's becoming somewhat of a trend. I noticed that after returning to school this year many of my friends are dying their hair in some way, shape, or form. Of course, during this past summer and throughout this fall I've been dying my hair also. From red, to burgundy with purple tips, to full on lavender, and finally blue, are the stages of my hair color. But I don't plan on stopping now. Next, probably before Thanksgiving I'm deciding to dye my hair gray with black roots.

Then there are the "crazy" hairstyles. For example, the undercut is something of a drastic change. It's also a new trend that is waving through my school, at least from my perspective. I also have joined the bandwagon for the adventurous hairstyles. I impulsively decided to shave off the bottom part of my head and get an undercut one early Sunday morning. But that's not the point.
 If you ever want to do a crazy hair style like shave off the side of your head, or get a crazy hair color, don't be afraid! After a sudden realization today, I know that it's my goal to inspire people to be daring with their style and just embrace those crazy ideas of yours. My friend claimed she was inspired by me when shaved off the side of her head, getting an undercut, and chopped of several inches in doing so, also getting a pixie. Two other friends have been inspired to dye the ends of their hair pink, dip-dying it. Whatever hairstyle or color compels you, do it! Hair will always grow back eventually and you can always dye it back to the normal brunette, blond, black, or redhead you naturally are!

THE HOLIDAYS ARE TAKING OVER

Okay, so this may not be your average post from me, but this topic was on my mind. Every year it seems like the holidays are getting earlier and earlier every year. I was speaking to a teacher of mine and she confirmed the fact that they are indeed getting earlier every year. She had said that after going to a department store the previous week to loose for those fake leaves, that they had taken them down in late August. I mean shouldn't you be able to buy fall decor while it's still fall? November is not winter, yet there is still Thanksgiving. Which if I'm not delusional is considered a fall holiday, as is Halloween.
Black Friday is another holiday takeover. The minute November begins the ads for "Black Friday all month" begin. Companies trying to sell the fact that shopping there is not like those crazy department stores on Black Friday, I wonder is they get much business. They emphasizing on the fact that their Black Friday sales work differently than department store sales. For example, the other day I saw a car dealership commercial with a Black Friday ad. Obviously a car dealership works differently than a department store. During Black Friday people have to be orderly at a car dealership and car dealerships don't have cashiers like department stores.
Anyways, back on topic. Christmas especially, is getting earlier and earlier every year. The day of Halloween stores are putting out Christmas items. Then the commercials begin to takeover TV. At first they are just for things about meals, like HyVee has a commercial airing I believe. Then the kids toys, electronics, and material Christmas gift commercials begin to air. Finally, the radio it overthrown. Any public radio station, the minute it's Thanksgiving or December first, has every Christmas song you have ever heard. At first these songs are fond memories and get you in the Christmas cheer, but then they get so annoying.
Either way things are getting ridiculous. I am so annoyed at Corporate America. They just keep pushing advertising seasons earlier and earlier until it gets to the point where I can't go around in late October without seeing Christmas decorations everywhere. Holiday advertisement is getting overdone and many people don't even enjoy how early this advertising is, so why do it, is my question.

The Love Triangle

We all are familiar with this topic I assume? Recycled, I know, I know. Let's see if I can put an interesting twist on the matter.
The infamous love triangle, it's been done time and time again. Is it truly a bad thing though? While we may get very sick of it, we all know why it's a reoccurring topic. We love love triangles. They are like that addiction to Netflix, Youtube, that special book you're reading, caffeine, whatever you're addicted to. We crave love triangles because of their impossibility. I mean come on, who is going to have to guys pining for them at the same time and be attracted to both of them? I mean I would say it applies for the opposite gender but...
Anyways we love them because they are unrealistic. Take Twilight and Hunger Games for instance. We all should know these stories, correct? Epic love triangle between the main girl and her two best guy friends? These books are fiction. This would never happen in real life. Plus to add the fact that both of these stories incorporate vampires and a radical dystopian society.
We crave these unreachable love triangles the same way we crave reading fiction, given the fact that fiction normally has a sort of romance or love triangle. They may seem a tad ridiculous and annoying but as I have said repeatedly we will always love them whether we know it or not, or just want to deny it.

How to Make the Best Characters Ever

My fellow blogger Cory wrote a post about how to make a good character. I am here not to steal his topic just to put a good spin on the subject.
In order to make a characters your readers or viewers will like, you have to make them relatable. This is step one, the building blocks, the foundation, to how you make your character. I have to care about their well-being, right off the bat. Give them traits I will understand. Like being popular or unpopular, being extremely athletic or just down-right clumsy, those kinds of things.
You have to give the audience a backstory. If I don't know about the characters past, how am I supposed to judge them for the future? Viewers and readers alike love getting that little piece of background on the character. While it may not be the most interesting thing in the world, it builds character. Ha, see what I did there?
Give the character fears. Nothing makes a viewer/reader believe a character to be more human than giving them something that makes them unable to sleep at night. If you are fearless, you're less relatable because no sensible human is without their fair share of fears. But alas, the inevitable time will come where in order to keep us on the edge of our seats, you have to make that character face their worst fear. It makes us worry on end, thus investing all of our attention and emotion.
Finally you have to put them in great danger. This somewhat goes with making the character face their greatest fear because they can be one and the same. Most regular people, like your audience, don't like the idea of imminent danger. This can sometimes be our greatest fear. Thus by putting in an event that puts that character in great danger, it puts us on the edge of our seats and worrying greatly for that character.
I hope these tips help you build a great character profile and in turn help you build an amazing story for your audience!

The 100

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS
Looking for a good dystopian drama? This show will satisfy your craving. It has blood lust, death, intrigue, and much more. Honestly this show is like a lot of dystopian shows out there but myself being easily impressed, I fell in love with this drama.
With season two being released on Netflix, I knew what I was doing for the next week and weekend. I just finished the second season and I have to say, while I wasn't surprised with the overall ending. There was one thing at the end that just bothered the heck out of me. But we'll get to that, first I have to give a brief summary of the show.
A show about 100 juvenile delinquents being flow from outer space, to the ground of a radiation-filled Earth, this show has plot-twists galore. But if you've seen season one, or the introduction season, you've seen nothing yet. The second season starts with Clarke being in an all white room, obviously in some sort of medical center. Of course, Clarke escapes and gets back to her people. But throughout the show we lose quite a few people. We lose Finn, who Clarke kills, we almost lose Clarke's mom Abby and the former commander Marcus Kane, plus a few times we lost Lincoln (but he came back), and finally we lose Maya, the love interest of Jasper.
But at the end of season two when Clarke decides to leave the camp because it causes her too much grief I nearly lost it. Clarke had killed Finn, a bunch of grounders and her own people, and all of the citizens of Mount Weather to get her friends back to her camp, just to leave? I was so done, but the she said how she bears the grief so that the others don't have to. In turn, I thought that was very noble of her. But again I nearly lost it when she said "May we meet again," and Bellamy said it back to her, both heading in opposite directions.
I'm sorry for those reading this who haven't seen the 100 or those who haven't seen the second season of the 100. I just really needed to express my likes and dislikes about season two due to my just finishing the show. Now all I have to do it wait for the third season!

How To Get Through That Reading Slump

Have you ever been so busy you just don't have time for reading? Well I am currently in the position and am here to help you fellow wayward readers back on track with reading or how to cope with your reading slump.
Most people either truly love reading and get sad when they don't get the time to read or they just don't like reading and don't read much in the first place, resulting in them not caring. But to help myself cope I find other means to get my creative fill. I will listen to music, watch Netflix before I fall asleep, or on the weekends I will watch a movie. Some of you are probably like, "How can you not read a book during the weekend?" Well, most of my books are parts of a series. And me being me, I have to read the other books to recap what I don't remember. Thus this taking more time than just two days, because I am a slow reader.
If you haven't noticed my blogging about Netflix has gotten pretty ridiculous, this being because I don't have the time to read. But generally blogging about reading, Netflix, and movies helps me unleash my creative side and that is another factor of my coping to not being able to read. It also doesn't help being forced to read from a list of "classic literature" at school, which is pretty much another way of saying that they're making us read the most boring pieces ever. This is yet another factor of the Slump. If you are really desperate to find a way to cope with your reading loss, take on another creative activity. This may also be the reason you are in a reading slump, well that and work. I am blessed to be able to express my creative side through dance, but this is also another reason I don't have the time to read.
I guess the point of this post was to explain that while I may be extremely busy I am trying to find the  time to read. It can be hard to find that time window but if you try hard enough you can find it or learn to cope. Whatever you have going on, or not, I hope you all find that special time to read and get a perfect book to do so.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: Another Movie Review

Initial thoughts upon seeing this book and movie being released: "Ugh, are you kidding me? Another cancer movie? Haven't we already had enough with The Fault In Our Stars? (by John Green)" But after this movie came out on DVD, or for me On Demand, I decided why not watch it? It got good reviews on IMDB.com and that was it for me.
So the premise of the movie is about a somewhat lonely senior named Greg, who spends all of his time with his "co-worker" Earl, who is actually his friend as you can assume, and a leukemia-ridden teenage girl, named Rachel.
Throughout the movie you can see how alone Greg is, his only "co-worker" being Earl, and the only thing they do together is watch old crappy movies. They also make their own versions of these crappy movies. But what I can say enticed me most about the movie is the power of silence. Greg is silent a lot, being a loner and all, when Greg and Earl are together they are silent, and when Greg and Rachel watch movies together they are silent, but that's explained silence.
Another thing that captured my attention about the movie is the spectacular styling. The portrayal of the homes of Greg and Earl really showed through into their personalities. But what moved me the most was Rachel's room. Throughout the movie you don't really get to know Rachel because of her having stage four cancer and all. But at the end of the movie when an underlying message appears, you really get to see and learn new things about Rachel through her room.
The last thing that REALLY got me was the fact that Greg lies to you throughout the whole movie, him being the narrator and all. If you haven't seen the movie/read the book (even though I haven't read the book) you might want to skip this whole paragraph. Greg keeps telling you that Rachel won't die and even though it's in the title of the whole dang movie she won't die. But then at the end when the inevitable happens the walls you fought so hard to build throughout the movie, to protect yourself from the inevitable, just coming crashing down as if a tsunami hit them. Honestly, I spent the whole last 30 minutes of that movie crying, no joke.
Either way this movie gets either a nine out of ten or a ten out of ten from me. The main reason being that I was completely surprised by this movie. I have yet to read the book and as we all know the book it better than the movie!
 

Sherlock

We've all heard of Sherlock Holmes, correct? Super-smart detective that lives in London at 221b Baker Street, ringing a bell? Well if you don't know who the character Sherlock Holmes, then this is NOT the post for you.
The Sherlock Holmes I am speaking of is the television series on BBC (and BBC America for those of us in the U.S.). The TV show Sherlock has left anyone who has ever seen it completely hooked, at least those who I've met. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, as Sherlock and Dr. Watson, this show has received great reviews and from past posts one can tell I really love the show Sherlock.
But they have been on hiatus since early February of 2014 and with only three episodes per season every viewer is going mad with the suspense. Of course as we wait for season four, we dwell on the large cliffhanger of the return of a very devious character I will not disclose in case you haven't seen it yet. But if that is the case then you better GET ON THAT, it's been over a year and a half already.
After my ranting of that I feel I should show you another rendition of Sherlock Holmes while you are waiting for Sherlock season four to come out on 2017. Elementary, a television show on CBS that portrays Sherlock Holmes as a former heroin addict and living with his roommate, a female Dr. Watson. While this rendition is very abstract and very "based on" from the typical Sherlock Holmes plot-line I think it is very interesting and worth your time to watch. Elementary returns to CBS on November 5th.

Writers' Block

In all honesty I've become victim to Writers' Block. Hence my writing about it even though it's been done countless times before. But I hope to possibly shed a new light on the matter.
Writers' Block in my opinion is used as an excuse not to write. Authors use Writers' Block as an excuse to not write because they are afraid of ruining the potential of the picture/story they were preserving in their minds. But that just isn't how writing is meant to happen. For example, I am a dancer and when I attempt to choreograph a small combination what I pictured in my head at first is not the outcome. Thought processes change the way we see an idea and that isn't entirely bad. One can just stay on the same path and not venture a bit because that is the most ineffective way to write a story, paper, whatever.
The best way to overcome Writers' Block (that I've discovered so far in my short life) is just to write a meaningless story and do whatever you want with your made up characters, if you are writing a fictional narrative. My Creative Writing teacher taught me this and the meaning of Writers' Block. But it is very effective to write a meaningless story because once you go back to writing your serious piece you can begin to look at in a different life and just attempt to venture off the path a little bit with your fictional characters.
In even more honestly for you readers, this is my meaningless post/story. In which I hope that the coming posts will be more eventful and you will enjoy them more than this recycled topic I'm digging up out of the recycling bin. Happy Reading!

Who To Look Out For In The Future

Waiting for that special someone? Oh oops, I didn't mean that special someone, I meant the one author that sparks your interest. Well if you're looking for the ladder I can help with that.

A favorite of mine is Cassandra Clare. You may have noticed from my other blog post that I kinda love her. She has both the Mortal Instruments series, the Infernal Devices series, the Magisterium series, and maybe one or two more I don't remember the names of. But that's off topic, the point is she is really amazing and she has a new first book of a new series coming out in the foreseeable future. It's called Lady Midnight and it will be available on March 8th, 2016, if you happen to be interested by my description of Clare.
The author Marie Lu is also a great fit if you particularly enjoyed the Hunger Games or any dystopian  novel really. She has written the Legend series and the first book of the Young Elites series. Her next book The Rose Society, the next book of the Young Elites series, came out at a very near date of October 13th. I particularly enjoy Lu's writing because she writes in a way that you feel for her characters, as one should, but also are conflicted on how she portrays those characters.
Then there is C.C. Hunter. I first found her by receiving one of her books from a cousin, for Christmas, about five or six years ago. I have been in love with her work ever since. She has written the Shadow Falls series, the first two books of the Shadow Falls; After dark series, and many small e-books for those who want to delve even deeper into the world of Shadow Falls. I'm not really sure why I've always been so captivated by her work but C.C. Hunter and Cassandra Clare are probably my most favorite authors of all time. Trust me, coming from me that means something.
Last but certainly not least, is the author Eric Walters. He has written the Rule of Three series. I think I love his books so much is because of the fact that they are really realistic. His series is about a city going dark as in every source of electrical power disappears and how they deal with that. I mean I've always been interested in dystopian societies but the way he describes the scenery it's almost as if I'm living in the book world.
I hope that these authors have made you want to pick up reading again. Happy book hunting!

The Martian: A Riveting Movie Review

Looking for an action-packed new movie to go see? I highly recommend seeing The Martian. As a lover of sci-fi/action movies this movie is a must see. It ranks pretty much equivalent to the movie, Interstellar, with Matthew McConaughey.
The movie begins with a team of astronauts on Mars doing research. But a storm of colossal magnitude comes and the team is forced to evacuate. But upon trying to get to their ship, the team leaves an astronaut by the name of Mark Watney, on Mars. They had thought he was dead because he had been hit by a satellite that broke off of the top of their research center.
After leaving the story is about Mark Watney making his way about surviving on Mars alone. He can't contact NASA so he is alone on Mars and everyone believes he is dead. Watney ends up finally reaching NASA and the story is about how he survives on Mars and the events that lead up to if he is rescued or not. I'm not going to give the ending away but the story is intense but with comedic relief about the problems Watney faces while on Mars and what he does to solve each problem.
I really loved this movie because it made me look at not only space but of astronauts, science, and NASA all in a different light. The movie showed in great detail the drastic measures that go into sending a group of people into space and how the organization deals with that publicity. Initially, I was already curious because of the recent discovery of water on Mars, and this movie has only made me more curious as to what NASA has in store for the future of space-travel to Mars.
The Martian also showed the courage it takes for an astronaut to go into the unknowns of space-travel, having to deal with problem after problem, and the way it takes a toll on the astronauts being away from their families for an extended period of time.
The main thing that this movie taught/showed me is how I can be anything I want if I put my mind to it. I know that sounds ridiculous but The Martian showed me how many jobs and personalities go into a space expedition and even a movie about a space expedition. If I can teach/inspire/tell you one thing is that if you even have the slightest inclination as to something you might want to do as a future job, follow your dreams and explore them because they are endless and vast.

Paper vs. Plastic

Swish of a finger vs. the turn of a page. Reading a paper-back novel vs. reading it on an e-reader. My friend Corey over at Insane Literature enjoys reading an e-reader more than paper-back novels. I enjoy reading paper-backs more than e-readers. 

Reading a physical paper novel is more satisfying in the sense that you can hold the physical thing in your hand. Paper novels have the nice smooth feeling of ink on paper and you flip that piece of paper to look and another piece of paper. It is generally more of a pleasing sensation to look at ink on paper than looking at just another screen. 

Books have that nice smell of ink on paper and you can feel the way the ink has settled on the paper if you try hard enough. An e-reader or tablet is just glass and plastic. With a tablet you just swipe your fingers across the glass and the page turns. We all know this isn't a very satisfying sensation. 

Books are also more economically profitable and benefit the environment more. As the famous saying goes, "Paper or Plastic?," paper implies that it can be recycled hence being better for the environment. Plastic isn't as recyclable and even though they are making more and more plastics recyclable, the numbers just don't match up with the fact that all paper is recyclable one way or another. 

Paper-back books are economically profitable in the sense that they provide an always booming industry that generates workers. There are the people who cut down the trees for the paper, the people who ship that paper to the factory that generates the paper, I could go on and on about a whole list of people who go into the process of making a book but we would be here for quite a few hours. Books also provide stores that help the local economy, give the locals an enjoyable place to shop, and an enjoyable experience of smelling that new book smell in the book store, picking out that book that is just right, being able to carry it home, and then read the physical copy in your home.

If you can't tell that I really enjoy reading paper-back novels then I honestly don't know what else to tell you. Also, for the record I have nothing against e-readers and e-books I just enjoy the sensation of a physical copy of the book I am enjoying. 

The THING to Watch for October on Netflix

If you haven't very well noticed I am frankly obsessed with this oldie but a goody called, Netflix. While this is very common with young people, I have been on the band-wagon for a while now. Netflix isn't necessarily known for it's amazing movie selection but the shows are pretty darn amazing since you get to watch every season (that is released) until you are caught up, if the show is still airing on TV.
Now enough with my rambling and let's get to the new releases for October. The shows, I can say I am most excited about with extreme enthusiasm, are Supernatural, the Flash, and Arrow. In my opinion the CW is killing it with their releases on Netflix. After months of anticipation they are releases last years seasons of Supernatural, the Flash, Arrow, Jane the Virgin, iZombie, Reign, the Vampire Diaries, and the Originals. If this list of new release doesn't cover how well they are doing then I truly don't know what will.
New movies I am excited about include both Batman Begins, with Christian Bale, and the Bourne Supremacy, with Matt Damon. While I have not seen any of the Bourne film series I am excited begin watching this film series. There is also Charlie and the Chocolate factory which is an oldie but a goody.
Looking for a good comedy? Last Man Standing has had it's fourth season released on October 5th. A show about a guy who works at a hunting store and his crazy family life I think that the show is fairly enjoyable if you want a care free laugh.
If you are looking for something on the scarier side because it's Halloween month, try out the Netflix original Hemlock Grove. I'm not going to lie to you guys, I haven't seen the show and I don't really know what it's about but it looks interesting. If you're into the scary type thing. A little off topic here, but if you're looking for something scary the newest episode of the series American Horror Story: Hotel just aired a couple of days ago, so go check that out. Anyways, Hemlock Grove seems to be the new thing and it's released it's final season so you better check up fast!
I hope you found a title that suits your need for this month. I know I have!

Why The Book Is Better Than The Movie

Frustration. Anger. Sadness. Disappointment. These are the emotions you will feel when your favorite book is turned into a movie. Just like my friend Corey at Insane Literature, I am here to explain to you why movies are such disappointments compared to their book counterparts.
For one, books are much more detailed than the movie. This is because there are certain things can only be explained with words, not be shown through images. You can describe a scene using so much detail and because that book may be fiction you can't replicate it in real life. Plus that scene description takes much longer to get through then just seeing an image on the screen.
The second reason is that putting that much detail in a movie doesn't work with a set time stamp. If the creators and writers of a movie included everything that was in said book, that movie would most likely be over five hours long. Due to the fact that the average movie length is two hours long, the writers have to cut important dialogue, character interaction, character buildup, and important plot-developing scenes. These cuts make the writers have to write in new shorter scenes and change the order of the scenes kept in the script, thus changing the entire story line.
The third reason is the casting choices. We all have those somewhat vague but still prominent images of what we expect the characters to look like in our heads. When it comes to movies, the actor is EXACTLY who you pictured in your head or the polar opposite, being they cast someone not even fitting the description of who you were imagining based on the description given to you in the book.
A fourth overall reason includes the fact that reading uses your imagination and creativity. Letting the words guide you, you create your own "movie" in your head of the plot. But with a movie it is all just laid out for you. This isn't bad, it just isn't food for thought. Like I said in The Ways To Tell A Story, movies in a sense are just a square box for your mind and you can't color outside the lines. Don't get me wrong, movies are up there in my list of favorite pass-times, I just enjoy reading the slightest bit more because of creativity use.  

The Ways To Tell A Story

Photography, television, video games, lyrics, musical theater, movies, books, art, etc. There are many different ways that people can express a story. In books, movies, musical theater, and television, it is pretty straight forward. There is a setting, a plot, dialogue, among other things. But there are more abstract ways to tell a story. Like video games, lyrics, art, and photography.
There are two main ways to tell a story. Through words, concrete concepts, and through emotions, abstract concepts. When there are concrete concepts, there are words, a plot through which you describe the characters, what they feel, and how they are. A set place, time, and scene is described to you. In concrete concepts there is no outside interpretation, the audience doesn't get to decide for themselves. They are forced to accept the piece and all it is telling them. Not being in control of how the audience receives the piece isn't a bad thing, it is just what happens when the piece is experienced through words.
The other way to tell a story is through emotion, not words. It differs from being told through words in the sense that the reader is not told how to feel, but gets to choose how they interpret and thus experience the piece. For example, in photography a photo is meant to invoke a memory. Upon seeing that photo you relate that photo to a memory thus feeling the emotions that you felt during the memory. This is not something that can be told through words. When someone sees a piece of art they are not told how to feel, they choose whether they like or dislike that piece and their opinions/emotions are based upon that like or dislike.
Both of these ways of story-telling are very different but are also very alike. When a story is described through words, like a scene in a book, the reader can experience a certain emotion upon reading that book. While looking at a piece of art, someone could possibly be reminded of a work of literature, a movie, or even a song. In my other post, I can relate to the fact that while reading I can be reminded of a particular artist/album. This can also be true for viewing an art form.
While there are many ways to tell a story, these have been my views on how they can be told and I hope you have found this post intriguing.

The Best TV Shows EVER

Looking for a new TV show to binge-watch? Well in this list of top 5 are the reasons why I love these shows and without further a due I hope you find what you're looking for.

1. Doctor Who (2005-)

An updated and re-vamped version of the classic Doctor Who that air for over twenty-five years on BBC, an extremely old (over 900 years old to be precise) alien roams the galaxy, the last of his race with his every-changing and always female companion. I love this show because not only are the characters extremely witty, but you can tell the actors love portraying their characters. It is also very well written including, but not exclusively, the writer Steven Moffat, who also writes for the show Sherlock another great title to appear on this list.

2. The Walking Dead

Going on six seasons, this is an amazing action-packed show about a world in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. The main character Rick Grimes, wakes up from a medically induced coma in the midst of the zombie apocalypse and sets out to search for his family. With an ever changing cast, due to the zombies killing everyone off, this show leaves you on the end of your seat by the end of every episode. This shows deserves your praise because not only is the plot enticing but it is realistic, if the case of a zombie apocalypse ever came upon us.

3. Heroes

A show on Neflix that has been off-air for six years, a group of superheroes are scattered across the globe, coming to realize they have powers. Through a series of events this group finds each other and become increasingly intertwined even though at the time they may not know it. From time travel, to flying, to being able to stop time, and self-healing/regeneration, this show has many different people with unique abilities who come together to "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World". This show makes you squeal for joy as the good guys beat the bad guys and the world is saved time after time.

4. Sherlock

A modern-day twist on the famous story of the one and only Sherlock Holmes, Benedict Cumberbatch stars as a witty Sherlock Holmes, who lives with Dr. John Watson played by Martin Freeman. They live in an apartment at 221b Backer Street, London. A riveting new twist on the classic rendition Sherlock and Watson face countless enemies with their smarts and wits about them. I love this show because of as I mentioned earlier the writer, Steven Moffat, does an amazing job writing for the show. The plot creates an amazing story that has you holding your breath until the end of the episode.

5. Supernatural

Two brothers, Dean and Sam Winchester, take an extremely extended road trip, traveling across the country battles monsters, demons, and don't forget angels. After the death of their mother, Sam and Dean's father becomes what is known as a Hunter, someone who learns the ways of monster and demon hunting and kills them for sport, or as they call it a "job". Sam and Dean go on a quest at the beginning of the series looking for their missing father, which turns into an extended road trip, killing monster, while along the way looking for their lost father. The thing I love most about this show is that you get to experience creatures you would never even dream of and live the lives of Sam and Dean, and experience the changes they go through.

Why do I Write?

Why do I write? My fellow blogger Corey at Insane Literature wrote a similar post on the subject and I want to bounce ideas off of that topic.
I enjoy writing because you basically get to play God in a sense. You create all of these crazy characters who have amazing personalities and put them a in a world of your creation. When writing you get to put your world into someone else's head by means of words. This is why I love it although perfecting your craft is a difficult process. You must create your sentences perfectly so when your reader is reading your piece they aren't focusing on the writing, or writer errors, they are fully immersed into your dream world you have written the pathway to.
You also get to create mythical creatures, dimensions, situations, and personalities that people learn to love. These are my favorite reasons to read also. But readers tend to eat this stuff up. Your goal is to create a character with a personality that readers can relate and then connect on an emotional level with. These emotional connections are what lead readers to cry when Tris killed herself at the end of Allegiant, when Peeta went mad in the Hunger Games, when Dumbledore dies in Harry Potter, and so on.
 Writing is how us humans get to express our feelings, emotions, opinions, imaginations, to each other. Whether it's nonfiction or fictional narrative writing, us humans love to communicate and have found a way to do so since the beginning of time. Since a calming pastime that invigorates the mind and allows us to as I have said, express our imagination through words on a page.
But writing stems from reading and in order to love one, one must love the other. The reasons for loving both are one and the same. You love to story-tell and to read those stories, to be able to day-dream and explore that imagination of yours, and finally to be able to immerse yourself into that day-dream induced story. These are the reasons I love to write and I hope this has inspired some of you to explore your imagination and hopefully find further inspiration there.

Netflix Original: Jessica Jones

Looking for an interesting twist of events when it comes to superheroes? From what I can see the new show, a collaboration between Marvel and Netflix, Jessica Jones looks to be a unique fit.

Based on the articles about Jessica Jones I've read online she is a retired super hero who tried to call herself "Jewel" but failed somewhat. After retiring she as a private investigator/detective and creates Alias Investigations.

After what Netflix has been releasing of late (e.g. Sense 8, Between, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Daredevil) I am thoroughly excited for this new release. After the network-television airing of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter, I am pleased to see that they introducing yet another side of the Marvel Universe.

When Marvel announced the release of the Guardians of the Galaxy, the first Marvel movie (other than the production of the X-Men series) that wasn't in the realm of the Avengers. This made people skeptical and threw them off. In releases all of these other TV shows that in a sense is what they are doing yet again.

The release of these has proven the test of the true Marvel fans. You either both love and watch every single movie and show or you just watch the movies, which is fine but tends to be uninteresting after a while. I think Jessica Jones will further this gap in the sense that a lot of people don't want to watch a boring TV show about some failed super hero just doing detective work. Isn't that all American TV is based on, Police/ Detective Dramas?

But either way, hit or miss, I'm in it for the long haul with Marvel and I am excited to expand my understanding of the Marvel Universe with this new show, Jessica Jones.

Rogue: The Paladin Prophecy Book 3

Written by Mark Frost, this book is a whirlwind at times. In the first two books the setting is mainly contained at the private boarding school the five roommates (Will, Nick, Brooke, Elise, and Ajay) attend. But in the last book they end up traveling into the Never-Was a place created by the Hierarchy, who Will's best friend Dave works for. They encounter the Makers and many creatures called the Others.
But in order to get to the Never-Was the book started out with Will having to pretend to love his newly discovered sociopath grandpa, Franklin Greenwood, who worked with the Knights and the Makers to give these five roommates special powers made up of the Makers DNA through a program using in vitro called the Paladin Prophecy.
The roommates go into the Never-Was to rescue Dave, a Wayfarer/Angel, sent to eliminate the Others and protect Will. They encounter many species of monsters in the Never-Was and have to fight quite a few of them. Throughout their epic quest the roommates develop their powers and learn new things about themselves. Of course at the end of the book they have an epic face-off with the Makers, win, and return home with Dave each of them all in one piece. Plus they all live happily ever after, as far as we know.
I thought this book was well plotted but I think the ending could've been wrapped up better. The last chapter of the book is basically Will writing a letter to his father, whom Will hasn't seen since his father was kidnapped by the Knights in the first book with the exception of a small appearance at the end of the third book. All Will does is describe what happened in the book, how they won the epic face-off, and are just being ordinary students now that the fighting is over.
But why leave it at that? Couldn't Frost have hinted at how Will will be hunting for his father and that he hopes to find him? I also find it extremely dumb how Will just assumes his mother is dead and doesn't even bother looking for her/her body. He also just ignores the fact that at the end of the book Franklin Greenwood and the Knights are just gone. I mean shouldn't he be a little suspicious?
Overall I agree that this book was captivating to the very end and while most of it was wrapped up I wish that Will would have continued to search for his family in hopes of getting some closure.

Why Read?

What do you love most about reading? The fact that you can use your imagination to make what you're reading into a movie in your head? I enjoy the fact that when you read a book, you get to know a certain set of characters and their personalities. Eventually after you get past the Who?, What?, and Why?, of the story you get emotionally invested in the character's well-being and when the thing the characters are most afraid of happens, it always does trust me I learned that in a creative writing class, you are eternally upset and nervous about what they are going to do next.
I think authors are the most ingenious people of our society due to the fact that they can create a dream movie in your mind by transferring what they imagine into words, then put those artfully crafted words into a novel, which makes you create the dream world in your imagination. Authors can draw up things and ideas that could never happen in the real world and that is why I love them most. They sweep you away from your real-world problems, if you have any, and take you to your dream world of a book.
Books have created crazy entity ideas like ghosts, which may be real even though I haven't experienced one yet, zombies, demons, superheroes/super-humans, super villans, vampires, werewolves, and the like. They make these entities either good or evil and construct the entire plot of the book based on the actions of the supernatural beings. This is what makes fictional books interesting. Not only books, but movies, video games, and TV shows create action scenes that I hope would experience in my life but since they're fiction would never happen in the real world. But in all honestly while we're on the subject, I would never survive any of these action-packed plots of these books, movies, TV shows, or video games. But I love being immersed in the dream world of these works of fiction and how they take me away from the real world.

The Best Soundtrack For Reading

We all have that favorite song to listen to no matter what the activity. For me while running I enjoy listening to electronic music, like the artist Major Lazer. They have both remixes of songs and their own songs. But no matter what: THE MUSIC SETS THE MOOD.
I can't even begin to describe the importance of mood when it comes to music. If your book is somber or you are at the climax you might feel like listening to a dramatic artist with many climaxes in their melody. Maybe you're at the part of your book where everything is beginning to all come together and wrap up so you might want to listen to an artist who has an upbeat sound to their music.
But do not let your music be so complex that it takes away from your reading. My favorite kind of music is Indie/Alternative so I have a playlist on Spotify created for the specific activity of reading, sleeping, relaxing, or any activity requires a calm mind. This kind of music can also just be to provide background noise so that you're not distracted by things going on around you (e.g. studying).
You know when you get to the point of when you've heard a song so many times you can recite all of the lyrics, almost like it's muscle memory? A sensation I believe is related to that is whenever I listen to an album while reading a book, finish the book, then stop listening to the soundtrack, and when I reread the book I can recall all of the songs I listened to while reading that particular book. To me that is the most amazing sensation I can experience. It's similar to how photography works. When you see a picture you like, it taps into your memories and finds the one that relates to that particular picture and gives you the same emotion you felt during that memory. Whenever I reread that book and can almost hear the album that I had played when reading that book, I get a pleasant recollection of reading that book for the first time, and experiencing all of those emotions for the second time.
These are the reasons I believe that the music sets the mood to whatever you're doing, more importantly reading. I hope that every one of you gets the chance to experience the sensation of recollection using your music as a guide.

How To NOT Pick A Book By It's Cover

Admit it. We all have been guilty in one way or another to pick a book by it's over. It's human nature. We judge by appearance in what, about five seconds flat? I'm here as your mentor to help you stray from the ways of not picking that book by it's cover. Now lets get started
1. Read the book jacket.
If you see a book on the shelf of your favorite bookstore, library, house, etc. don't just walk on by, look at the cover, then put it back. Open the cover and look on the book jacket or on the back, depending on if you have a hardcover or paperback copy. If you get halfway through the description and decide it's not for you then no hard feelings. The book is just happy you took the time to show interest in it.
2. Research the author.
If you see a book, read the book jacket/back cover, and decide it's not the one, then do a little research. If you took the time to look at that author's book then your intuition is telling you that, that author could be the one for you, just not that book/series. For example, Cassandra Clare, I've spoke about her before, she's written three main series. The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, and the Magisterium series. I really enjoy the first two but the third is a bit childish for me.
3. Watch the movie.
NOTE: This does not apply to all books (but I think you know that).
I am not an extreme advocate for this way of book choice but it sometimes may work. For example, the movie Twilight, book written by Stephenie Meyer. I despised the book series until I watched this movie. It allowed me to picture the characters in my head once I read the book and it made me realize that BOOKS ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE MOVIES. The main reason for this is because books can go into much more detail and when painting a picture in one's imagination, detail is key.

From Book to Screen: The Mortal Instruments

We all know that young adult novels have flourished in becoming major motion pictures. Divergent, by Veronica Roth, Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, The Fault In Our Stars, by John Green, the list goes on and on. But the transformation I'm most excited about is my favorite book, The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones, by Cassandra Clare, becoming not a movie but a TV show.
The book is about a 15-year-old names Clary, who has her life turned upside down by coming across the hidden world of shadow hunters and demons. The book begins with her and her best friend, Simon, out clubbing in downtown New York. They are at the club Pandemonium and she sees a beautiful girl follow a guy, who was in line in front of Clary at the club's entrance, into a storage closet. She next watches two other guys follow the girl into the closet. After following them into the closet, she sees them pull out knives, torture the guy, and accuse him of being a demon.
She goes to tell her best friend Simon about it but upon trying to point them out to him, she realizes only she can see them. After that odd event, the next day she is at a coffee shop with Simon. Her mom keeps calling her frantically. Ignoring the phone, Clary sees one of the guys who tortured the demon at Pandemonium. He introduces himself as Jace, and tells her to come with him. After more calls, finally picking up the phone, Clary's mom rushes to tell her not to come home and how much she loves her, then the line cuts off. Clary rushes home to find her mom gone and in place a demon creature which ends up biting and poisoning her. Jace ends up taking her back to the Institute, where shadow hunters live, train, and the like.
The book obviously goes into more detail and goes far beyond the plot I just gave you but I don't expect the TV show to go along with plot of the book like I'd hope. The movie made based on the book was overall a good movie, but can't be compared to the book. When a book is released as becoming a movie I normally get my hopes up that the movie will go along with book's plot. As you can expect that is never the case. I expect nothing less for the TV show.
I'm trying very hard to not be let down if the plot is completely different. The TV show is BASED off of the book, meaning it's a loose interpretation of the novel. I think the cast for the TV show, called Shadowhunters, has good actor choices but come that confuse me deeply. For example, Kat McNamara, playing Clary is a good choice. But Isaiah Mustafa, playing Luke Garroway, who is the boyfriend of Clary's mom, isn't a good match in my eyes. I bet he'll be a great actor but I never pictured Luke looking like Isaiah.
I can say, while Shadowhunters may not follow the plot of City of Bones and not have all of my dream actors portraying the character, I always get super excited over and over again because their behind the scenes pictures on Instagram show the cast having a great time filming. Hope you guys are as excited as I am for Shadowhunters to come out and will watch it along with me!

The Paladin Prophecy Series Review

#1. The Importance of an Orderly Mind. This is how the first book in the Paladin Prophecy series begins. What does this say about the main character? Is he insane? No, this is the first rule in a long book of rules that Will West was given by his father, Jordan West, called Dad's List of Rules to Live By.
The first book is the introductory book of course. It speaks of his family, his school, living situation, and so on. But at the very beginning things get crazy. Will sees a black sedan with the tinted windows and thinks nothing of it. Then after so many minutes he realizes the sedan is following him. Will gets a text from dad saying "RUN, WILL." and he does just that. After this event more crazy things follow. He gets invited to a highly secretive private school for scholars, gets attacked by some crazy unknown creatures on a cliff-face, and meets a crazy, and dead, Australian. But you'll have to read the book to get that explanation.
These unknown creatures are called "the Others" from the "Never-Was" and they play a huge part throughout the series. They end up killing Will's mother and taking control of her body. They destroy his home forcing him to flee to the highly secretive school called The Center For Integrated Learning. This is where the Paladin prophecy takes place in form of a group of students who attend it. The book proceeds to get even more complex by adding the fact that Will and the group of students all have powers that were injected into them when their mother were going through in vitro.
I highly recommend not only this book but this entire series because the plot thickens, twists and layers as new characters, ideas, and settings are integrated into the series. At the moment I  am reading the third book in the series, Rogue: The Paladin Prophecy. Expect to be recieving a book review on that and be sure to check out the first two books, The Paladin Prophecy and Alliance: The Paladin Prophecy, before you check out my review so I don't give any spoilers!