Kelly reviews "The Virgin Suicides" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Title: The Virgin Suicides

Author: Jeffrey Eugenides

Published: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1993

 I am a HUGE fan of Sofia Coppola movies, and upon noticing that her wonderful movie The Virgin Suicides was based on a book, I knew that book had to be great.

The five Lisbon sisters are the unnamed narrator's beautiful and mysterious neighbors. The narrator and his friends (teenage boys) are obsessed with every move the girls take and worship the ground they walk on. At first you'd think that the sisters are some perfect, angelic beings, but they're not. It's mentioned that they all have crowded teeth, and some walk duck footed or have upper lip hair. The girls are real people. (They felt too perfect to me in the movie. Kristen Dunst? AJ Cook? Come on.) The Lisbon parents are very overprotective, but when the youngest sister makes a suicide attempt, they become even stricter. I couldn't quite tell why the parents were so fanatic. Was it religion? Or just wanting to protect the girls' innocence?

As time goes on and certain events happen, the girls are put on stricter and stricter lock-down  to the point they are withdrawn from school and barely let outside. That's when the girls hit their breaking point and, well, the title comes into play. The book is a haunting look at how a typical white-picket fence community in the 70s reacts to "the year of the suicides" and tried to come together to protect itself. I wanted to know more personally about the narrator. He's telling the story as a middle-aged adult looking back at a year in high school, yet he's clearly still obsessed. I wish we could see more about how the girls' actions affected him in the few years afterward. Reading the book made me realize that the movie, in pure Sofia Coppola form, is too minimal. The book and movie are the same in that the use of dialogue is sparse, but the book gives us much more detail and insight into how the girls lived their lives and for all practical purposes, struggled to survive.

Lori Reviews All the Summer Girls

Title: All the Summer Girls

Author:  Meg Donohue

Published:  William Morrow, 2013

Where I Got It:  I received this book from the publishers.

Summary from Goodreads: In Philadelphia, good girl Kate is dumped by her fiance the day she learns she is pregnant with his child. In New York City, beautiful stay-at-home mom Vanessa is obsessively searching the Internet for news of an old flame. And in San Francisco, Dani, the aspiring writer who can't seem to put down a book--or a cocktail--long enough to open her laptop, has just been fired...again.

In an effort to regroup, Kate, Vanessa, and Dani retreat to the New Jersey beach town where they once spent their summers. Emboldened by the seductive cadences of the shore, the women being to realize how much their lives, and friendships, have been shaped by the choices they made one fateful night on the beach eight years earlier--and the secrets that only now threaten to surface.

My thoughts:  I LOVED THIS!  A month or so ago, I signed up to receive this book thinking that it would be a nice, relaxing read.  I saw that it was coming out on the 21st, so I really wanted to read it before then.  And I waited and waited for the book to arrive.  I began to worry that it wouldn't get here in time for me to review before it came out.  It came a few days ago, just in time for me to make a lot of progress during Bout of Books.  But I still wasn't overly optimistic about finishing by the 21st.  As you can see, this review is coming out on the 19th.  Apparently, I didn't really need to worry because I couldn't put it down.

I found myself relating to something in each of the three friends' personalities and I think that most readers of this novel would do the same.  I couldn't help but sympathize with the characters and their struggles.  Despite being practically inseparable growing up, each of the characters carries a deep (usually dark) secret about their current lives and one about the fateful night alluded to in the summary.  Donohue does a great job of letting these secrets come out in the narrative.  Each chapter follows the interior thoughts of one of the main characters, giving the reader a variety of perspectives.

This book was definitely the ultimate beach read.  I really wish I had been sitting poolside--if not seaside--as I read this.  I felt myself completely relax and get caught up in the story, wondering what would happen next, how things would play out.  I came to really care about the characters and what happened to them.  Donohue leaves the rest of the story to the readers' imagination, but you get the sense that they will each turn out to be happy.

Bottom line--this was a really fun read that I think many of our readers would really enjoy.

Tahleen reviews: "The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom" by Christopher Healy

Title: The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom
Author: Christopher Healy
Publisher: Walden Pond Press, 2012

Rating: 4.5 stars

Love fairy tale retellings? Looking for something that will make you laugh out loud? Look no further.

We've all heard the stories. Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel. All saved by the ever-present Prince Charming. But what you might not have known is that Prince Charming is actually not one person. Yes, each princess was saved by a separate Prince, and they all have very distinct personalities. The only thing they have in common is they don't REALLY get credit for doing anything in the stories, since they don't have names. And for some, that's actually a good thing.

So what happens when Cinderella runs away to find adventure, and spoiled but good-hearted Prince Frederic goes after her? He somehow meets up with three other princes, of course: Prince Gustav, Prince Liam, and Prince Duncan. And they set off to find the girl, but end up trying to save the world. (Of course.)

This is one of the funniest and most delightful books I've read in a good, long time. The dialogue is just perfect. I felt like I was reading conversations that actually happened, that I would hear or have in my normal day. Except funnier. Just trust me, it's awesome.

The concept is brilliant too. Four prince charmings, all fairly clueless, teaming up to combine their different (and very specific) talents? Fantastic. And their talents are awesome too! I love that Healy made the princes figure out what their contributions could be, since they all weren't the traditional hero or nearly perfect.

Basically this book has it all. Romance (sort of), great characters, action, and hilarity. I can't wait to pick up its sequel, The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle, which is out  now.

Disclosure: I got this book from my local library.

A Cocktail & Convo With TBTB -- Book to Movie Adaptions

 Every other Thursday (errrr Friday this week) here at the Broke & The Bookish is  A Cocktail & Conversation time. One of the TBTB members will pose a question to 2-3 of the other members of TB&TB crew about books, life, music, etc and then they'll answer and we can converse about it. So grab a cocktail & cozy up for some conversation. It's 5 o'clock somewhere, friends.

Julia Asks:

What is your favorite movie that is based on a book?

Lori says:  Ooh!  Good one!  There are so many books to movies that I have actually enjoyed.  But I think I will go with To Kill a Mockingbird.  I think that they did a great job of capturing the heart of the story.  The music was great.  The casting was great.  I think shooting in black and white was a perfect choice to bring out the simplicity of Macomb.  Gregory Peck absolutely stole the show with his portrayal of Atticus.  He got the character right down to the gesture.  And, according to IMDB.com, he brought Harper Lee to tears with how much he reminded her of her father--the model for the character.  I think that as far as books to movies go, this is definitely one of the best in terms of sticking to the book and in terms of overal cinematic greatness.

Paula says: Oh gosh- I'm going to have to pick two. First off: Coraline. I read the book in college - and even though it's targeted for young adult- it still managed to give me the heebeejeebees. The movie perfectly captured the childhood nightmare quality of Neil Gaiman's book. And from a technical point of view - the fact that it's all stop motion and hand made is so awesome to me. Someone actually knit all of Coraline's tiny clothes!
Second (and more recent): Cloud Atlas. This is my favorite book- I have a quote from it above my book shelf... I've written posts about it here. I was terrified that a movie would ruin it. But no- I was a mess of tears (of joy) the whole time. It brought to life (and brought new aspects to-) a book I have loved so much for so long.  

Jamie says: To be honest, very recently I watched Perks of Being A Wallflower and it trumps any of my past favorite book-to-movie adaptions. It was AMAZING and I couldn't have asked for anything better out of a movie. I felt so many FEELS like I did with the book way back when I read it in 2004 (I think). I do think that helped that I hadn't read it recently but remembered the important parts but didn't critique it too closely in the details. But seriously that movie was amazing and even  Will liked it and we rarely agree on movies.



For an encore on July 9th we have best & worst book to movie adaptations slated for Top Ten Tuesday! To get your brain warmed up for that tell us YOUR all time favorite book to movie adaptation!

Video Post: Help Paula Get Better at Quick Reviews!

Hey All! Lately I've been discovering that I get a bit too excited about books with people outside of our happy little blog land and I need your help figuring out how to give people 30 second recommendations and not talk their ears off. More in the video below!

Books I mention in the video (and show off for a second) are: Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr. and The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

And that non-stop squeaking in the background is my dog being way too excited about toys... sorry!

Kelly's Top Ten Books Dealing With Tough Subjects

For the future Top Ten schedule and how to participate go HERE!

Compared to last week's topic, things are about to get depressing up in here. Today's subject is about books dealing with tough subjects, whether it be abuse, suicide, grief, or just whatever speaks to you personally.

1. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - We get slammed with two tough subjects here: a friend's death and an eating disorder. Before reading this, I never really knew how destructive and complex anorexia could be for everyone involved. Of course, Anderson's Speak should also get a mention here.
2. Crank by Ellen Hopkins - This is the first book in a trilogy about a girl who gets caught up in a drug addiction and how her choices affect her family, friends, and life. It's very dark and VERY powerful.
3. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen - When I picked up this book I expected it to be a light, fluffy (and I mean fluffy in a good way) read like the majority of Sarah Dessen's other books, but I was completely wrong. Dreamland is almost scary with its realistic scenarios of domestic abuse. 
4. Hold Still by Nina LaCour - I only read this within the last week but it's one of the most accurate books portraying the grief after death (in this story's case, a friend's suicide). The feelings of depression and despair the main character experiences are completely real.
5. If I Stay by Gayle Forman - If you ever want a book to completely break your heart, this is it. A car crash is traumatizing enough, but when it kills your entire family and leaves you alone...heartbreaking. 
6. The Fault in our Stars by John Green - While of course all of John Green's books are witty, fun, and full of adventure, they all have a more serious side. This is one of his best, bringing the wake of cancer and it's side effects to life.
7. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay - Though mostly fictional, this book regales the horror of concentration camps during WWII. This particular story takes place in France, and the Nazi monstrosities that were allowed to happen on French soil still haunt the citizens of France to this day.
8. The Help by Kathryn Stockett - Almost as much as what went on in WWII, the racial prejudice in America absolutely sickens me. Kathryn Stockett's story of 1960s Mississippi made me nervous, uncomfortable, and scared while reading it.
9. A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer - Even scarier because it really happened, this is a terrifying tale of an abusive mother, both physically and psychologically. 
10. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson - This is another book I thought would be a nice, light read but left me SOBBING by the end. As opposed to The Fault in our Stars, this book looks more at the effect of cancer on an entire family.

Broke and Bookish Book Haul for 4/28 - 5/11

Paula's Book Haul

So this weekend was one of my favorite weekends of the year... the Wake County Library Sale. Although I didn't go as many times as last year (I went all 4 days it was open...) I still snagged a whole bunch of books and for only $20 yessss!

My actual haul was 19 books and that was after I told myself to put some back and forced myself to walk past all the pretty old books.

They are (in no particular order):
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
Big Fish by Daniel Wallace
The Glass of Time by Michael Cox
M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman
On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony
The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber
Raptor Red by Robert Bakker
Dinosaur Planet by Anne McCaffrey (it should be noted that this is now the second book I own call Dinosaur Planet and they are completely different series and oh my gosh how are there 2 campy scifi series out there with "Dinosaur Planet" as their title. Thank you Dear Library Goddess I love you)
Kiss Kiss by Roald Dahl
Mr. Toppit by Charles Elton
Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart
Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K Dick
Time out of Joint by Phillip K Dick
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
City of Illusions by Ursula K. LeGuin
From the Earth to The Moon by Jules Verne

Also I need it to be noted that Raptor Red has quite possibly the COOLEST holographic cover in the world and the book itself is told from the perspective of a raptor... so I haven't even read it and it's found a special beautiful place in my heart.

 

Now to get of the internets and roll around in glee on my new books!

Daisy's Book Haul

Egalleys For Review:
-The Program by Suzanne Young: seriously, this book just sounds like something that I will LOVE!
-Raven Flight by Juliet Marillier: I squealed when I was approved for this, I loved Shadowfell!
-Dragon's Child by M.K. Hume: I am slightly obsessed with King Arthur, so I think I will just devour this book.
-The Lady and the Laird by Nicola Cornick: there's something about men in kilts...
-Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance: there are SPIES! And a lovestory lightly based on Pride and Prejudice! YES!
-Shadowlark by Meagan Spooner: I'm a bit ashamed that I haven't read the first book in this series yet, but I will fix this!
-Once We Were by Kat Zhang: I wasn't fully convinced by What's Left of Me, but maybe Once We Were will spice things up!
-How To Love by Katie Cotugno: it sounds like a perfect summer read, dealing with real issues!
-A Little Night Mischief by Emily Greenwood: it sounds like a really cute historical romance :)
-Once Upon a Tartan by Grace Burrowes: I've said it before, but there's really something about men in kilts..
-All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry: this sounds like it could be really amazing!
-Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris: I really enjoyed Unraveling and after that ending I NEED to know what happens to Ben and Janelle!
-Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: I've heard nothing but amazing things about the author's writing and am very excited to read this!
-Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin: LOVED MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH!! SO EXCITED!
-Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund: trusted sources tell me I need to read this series because I will love it, consider it done!

Bought:
-The Hero's Guide To Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy: The Hero's Guide To Saving Your Kingdom was SO FUNNY! I totally loved it and am excited to go on more adventures with Liam, Frederic, Duncan and Gustav!
-The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan: it's set in PARIS and it sounds EPIC!
-Icons by Margaret Stohl: ok, so I still need to read Beautiful Creatures, but I've heard REALLY good things about it and decided to just buy this one because it sounded awesome.
-Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: I finally bought this book after all Sarah from Sarah Says Read's recommendations! Now to read it...
-The Originals by Cat Patrick: it's about CLONES! Need I seriously say more?
-The Elite by Kiera Cass: I still need to read The Selection, but I just needed to buy this...

Jamie's Book Haul

I received Tumble & Fall by Alexanda Coutts this week for review from FSG and I AM SO EXCITED. Definitely an anticipated read for Fall 2013. Basically the premise of this book is that there is an asteroid plummeting towards earth and there is nothing anybody can do about it and the book chronicles these last days of these teens who are just waiting for the world to end.

Our Broke & Bookish book haul is inspired by memes like IMM & Stacking the Shelves& Mailbox Monday. This is just our very simple way of doing it collaboratively so we can participate in all of them and not have to choose one.