Book Review | Joan Rivers - Diary Of A Mad Diva

Pages: 289
Rating: 3/5
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So after reading The Book Thief I was in desperate need of reading something more light hearted and an easy read. So I decided it was the perfect time to read Joan Rivers "Diary Of A Mad Diva" which I picked up last month (actually 2 days after her passing). As you can see from the image above this little gem is a signed copy and as soon as I saw it I grabbed it and put it in my basket! Its amazing to think she once touched this book and seeing as it was the only signed one there it was definitely meant to be that I had it. 

Needless to say this book is Joan therefore should probably be read from the age of 16 upwards as it contains adult themes and bold comedy on somewhat sensitive issues. At the front of the book Joan/her publicist states that this book should definitely be taken with a pinch of salt! I say if you didn't like Joan's humour don't read it. 

This book is unlike Joan's other books as it's in a diary form covering a whole year (2013). She doesn't necessarily write every day and somedays all you get is a sentence or two but realistically who really sits everyday writing pages and pages in their diary? I certainly don't. This book is just shy of 300 pages so its easily read within a day or two and would be perfect to read by the pool or beach. For the more avid readers this book would be really good to read between long books or to get through a reading slump. 

I found it really poignant to read Joan's entry's around her birthday as she talks about being 80 and her thoughts on dying. The same with her new years entry as she talks about ringing in 2015 which we now know won't happen. 

Overall this book is just a good laugh, an easy read and should be taken very light heartedly. 

I gave this book 3/5. 

Sophie

The Book Thief | Book & Film Comparison

Pages: 552
Film Length: 125 minutes
Book Rating: 5/5
Film Rating: 5/5

Book Review

So this was my second time reading The Book Thief as I first read it about 3 or 4 years ago. I chose to pick up The Book Thief again as I finally managed to get my hands on the DVD and I wanted to compare the two. The first time I read The Book Thief I was studying GCSE History therefore it was really relevant to my work as we were looking at Hitlers rise to power and the ww2 period. This book opened my eyes to this whole genre surrounding the Holocaust and I've been hooked ever since.

From reading it the first time I remembered the general plot line however I couldn't really remember how it ended. I also remembered little things such as the mentioning of Jesse Owens as me and my classmate were able to discuss this with out teacher as we'd both read the book. Overall I really remembered enjoying the book and the way it was narrated. 

Second time around my views were the same, I was still a little unsure of death narrating the book and giving slight spoilers to the rest of the story but as the book went on it just fitted so well and was a very unique aspect. As expected I instantly warmed to Hans Hubermann (Liesel's new father) and I could see that Liesel's mother did love her she just had a more disciplined view on things. 

Spoilers- If you haven't read the book or seen the film I suggest you don't read on as I talk about the end of the book.

Second time around and I was still saddened by the ending and Liesel being the only one to survive the bombing. I feel this really says something about the book as it gave as much impact as if I was reading it for the first time. On the other hand I was overjoyed that Max survived and was able to return to Liesel however I wanted to know what happened between them in the following weeks/months.

Film Comparison

Going into the film I didn't know what to expect from it as I didn't know any of the characters and I hadn't read any reviews on it either. From that I can happily say that I loved the film and it really brought the book to life. Yes there were things that didn't look how I imagined them to be, for instance I expected the Hubermann's house to be smaller and for Himmel Street to be one straight road). I felt that the cast for the Hubermann's was perfect as I again warmed to Hans Hubermann and disliked(at the start) Frau Hubermann. 

One character I did like more in the film than the book was Rudy. He had such a cheekiness to him that I instantly adored and I bawled when he died on the street. 

One scene I felt was the most poignant and powerful was the Kristallnacht scene where Jews were being thrown out of their houses and their businesses destroyed. The singing of the Hitler Youth alongside this bought a sense of innocence to the children compared to the outrageous acts of the party members. 

Another aspect I didn't anticipate for was how big the Mayor's house was, it was just huge!

One of my favourite scenes was the snowball fight in the basement. I loved how they snuck the snow in and really brought the fun side out of Frau Hubermann ( I think this was her turning point in the film). 

A few things I wanted them to include more in the film were:

-Seeing her Father swap seats on the truck and therefore saving his life

-Liesel actually seeing Max in the parade of Jews.

-There wasn't enough concentration of Liesel actually being a thief. 

-Hans Hubermann being a non party member/sympathiser.

Now I know if they had included more it would of been 3 hrs long but I felt that these were some really important parts and in some cases there just wasn't enough emphasis.

I also feel that in the film you're made to assume more that death is narrating whereas in the book its almost told to you. 

Overall I really enjoyed the film and book and would definitely recommend both.

Sophie

A Book Review | Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Rating: 3/5

Pages: 470

So I've definitely neglected this blog for a while mainly due to finishing my course at college and then withdrawing from my course at uni ( I may go into this in more detail at a later date but for now its still a little raw). One thing I also regretfully have been putting on the back burner is reading, I did quite a bit at the end of August when I was on holiday but since being at uni I had no desire to read. However today I finally finished "Before I Fall" by Lauren Oliver.

When I first picked up this book back in early September I was excited to read something else by Oliver as I previously have read the "Delirium" Trilogy ( click here to read my review on the series). However I quickly realised that this book wasn't grabbing my attention and that I wasn't fully engaging with the characters.

The plot line follows a girl called named Samantha Kingston who is in the "popular" group at her school. Early into the book we learn that one Friday night she is in a drink driving accident which leads to what she thought was her death. However the next day she wakes up reliving that Friday morning and the same thing happens the day after that and the day after that. 

At the start of the book I took a huge disliking to Sam and her 3 friends as they came across mean, overly cocky and that nothing or no one could touch them. However as the book progressed and Sam was made to relive more and more of the same day she started to change how the day panned out and started to realise why she is disliked so much. She tries to put right some of her past mistakes and becomes a better person and by the end of the book I appreciated her efforts however I still wasn't overly fond of her character. 

As the story unfolds I feel that Sam starts to listen to her own mind rather than being brainwashed by what her other popular friends think. We also learn that each of Sam's friends no matter how popular they are still keep a dark secret or have an issue they'd rather not talk about. 

The rest of this review contains spoilers to the plot line and ending therefore do not proceed unless you have read the book.

One aspect I did like in the book is the relationship development between Sam and Kent as Sam finally sees that he isn't as weird as the populars made him out to be and she remembers the bond they had when they were younger. This relationship is one of the reasons why I hated the ending! You get so wrapped up in the idea of them being together that I just couldn't imagine Kent having to live without Sam. I also feel that when Sam throws herself into the road to save Juliet its left a little misty as to what happens next and we're left to guess. Personally I wanted to know how Kent and Sam's friends were feeling after her death and why Sam was living in the state between life and death. Naturally I wanted there to be some kind of loop hole that meant Sam could carry on living her "new life" as if that Friday night accident was all a dream.

Overall I was a little underwhelmed and I am yet to be wowed by Lauren Oliver's work.

Sophie