Book 4 Review

 6 Reasons Why Finn is the Greatest Hero of All Time

It doesn’t get much greater than Finn, the hero from the great novel of Kingdom Keepers. Strong, brave, bold, a leader, smart, personable; Finn has everything it takes and more. From dealing with the wrath of the malicious Overtakers who are trying to conquer the kingdom, to handling his over-bearing mother, Finn always seems to find the best way out, though, around, and by any obstacles that appear to come his way more than often.

1.      Finn comes out on top.

         This point had to be first. After all, a hero isn’t a hero if they lose. And since Finn is one of the greatest, it’s obvious that he remained victorious by the end of the novel. “The sky erupted with fireworks, throwing blazing color and light into the heavens, deafening explosions and blinding colors“(Pearson 324).  The victory of Finn and the trustee team that helps him out, ultimately saves the kingdom and (cheesy I know) are privately serenaded with fireworks, resembling to the rest of the land that the Kingdom has successfully been restored to its well-being.

2.      Finn was the leader of the DHI’s

      DHI is the name of the group that stood behind Finn in his quest to reinstate the Kingdom. Finn didn’t start out as the leader, but just another member of the group. Finn never appointed himself leader either, just stepped up as the first to give everyone the push that they needed. This step forced the other members to gravitate towards Finn, respect him greatly, follow his ideas and beliefs, and view him as the leader of the DHI clan.

3.      He didn’t waste any time accepting his role

      Though all of the confusion and terror that was first brought with the becoming a DHI (a ghost-like creature when the sun goes down) Finn was the first to take the role in stride and start to develop a plan. While trying to spread his knowledge and wisdom to the rest of the DHI’s, Finn explains to Charlene that what she thinks is fake, is not, by saying, “Dreams that aren’t dreams, Charlene. It’s real. How else would I know what you are ‘dreaming’? Because I have been there too” (Pearson 49).

4.      Finn’s last name is never revealed

     The oldest trick in the book.

5.      Finn electrifies the King Overtaker

           How cool is that? There are not many heroes out there, in movies, comic books, or magazines that have electrified their enemy. Actually, Finn is the only one that comes to mind. A big part of being a hero is the “cool spectrum”. On this spectrum, Finn gets a 10. (Batman is at a 9.4 and Spiderman, a weak 7.1) Finn uses his brain, something that most epic heroes never have to actually use, to create the perfect booby trap. Devising a plan weeks before taking action, Finn knew every way out of the Kingdom. He jumped down the garbage shoot, knowing that King would follow, but before King Overtaker landed safely in the trash like Finn, he landed in a net, where he then found a pen that electrocuted himself.

6.      Was it mentioned that Finn doesn’t have powers?

     Or Morgan Freeman making him bat mobiles with autopilot.

It shouldn’t be hard to see that Finn, the hero of the Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson, is the greatest hero mankind has ever created. With no powers or prior knowledge to his situation, Finn defeats the villains in an impressive manor. Never doubting himself or his teammates, Finn is the guy that anyone would want on their team.

Book 2 trailer

Reading wishlist

Wish List:

1. The Fault in our Stars (John Green)

2. The Uglies Trilogy (Scott Westerfield)

3. Safe Haven, The Lucky One, The Last Song (Nicholas Sparks)

4. Eat, Pray, Love (Elizabeth Gilbert)

Book 5:
After this semester, I really want to keep my reading up. I would like to start off with The Uglies Trilogy.

Book Talk

The Truth In Reading

I think a book has to be 100% true to be considered non-fiction. If I pick a book up, and it is shown to be in the non-fiction genre, why would I want made up details? The sole purpose of non-fiction is to be completely true. As readers, we should be able to trust the readers when they label their book with this genre.

If an author is going to make it “half-true” to keep the  story interesting, that’s fine, but don’t make it up to be non-fiction. Clearly tell the reader that it’s not all true, and that if they want something that is actually non-fiction, this isn't the book they’re looking for.

We definitely do need lines between genres. In order for people to know whether the “non-fiction” pieces that they are reading, and believing, are true, we need to stop considering books that aren’t 100% true non-fiction. How else would we know the difference? 1 fact doesn’t make a cartoon non-fiction, so why should half the facts and a bunch of added fluff make a book non-fiction. The line between genres is important so that readers know exactly what they are getting from the book that they are reading. Why make it a secret anyway?

5 Reasons Why Holly Brennan Is Stronger than Anyone You Have Ever Known

5 Reasons Why Holly Brennan Is Stronger than Anyone You Have Ever Known

Holly Brennan is our generation’s Wonder Woman. From resisting delectable candy bars to coping with her husband’s early death, with no one by her side, she can get through anything. In the book Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich, we get the privilege of witnessing Holly’s strength shine through in every aspect of her life.

1.    Her husband died of cancer when they were in their early thirties

This shouldn't need much explanation. Holly spent years nursing the love of her life after he was diagnosed with cancer. She never loved anyone like Bruce, and she had to live through his death, when she was so young. “He lingered on the brink of death, until he no longer recognized her, leaving her behind in the haze of a hospice-approved morphine drip weeks before.” Only the strongest of them all could make it through something as tragic as this.

2.    She has no friends or family to turn to

After Bruce died, she had no family to comfort her. They lived in Canada, and virtually shut Holly out of their lives when she ran off with Bruce. Holly Brennan had only one friend, who lived across the country and would call on a weekly basis. To go through this with loved ones would be hard, but with no one by your side? How dreadful.

3.    She lived in a house with her dead husband’s hospital equipment

Every day she walked passed the bed that her husband, Bruce, died in. Every day. Who is strong enough to do such a thing, but the powerful Holly Brennan? “The only contents of this room were a hospital bed, oxygen tanks, and monitors.” The equipment served as a constant reminder to Holly of her husband’s tragic death. Yet she stayed in the house, and went on with her life, as if nothing was even there.

4.    She is working out every day to lose weight

Holly Brennan was overweight. But who could blame her? With no one to talk to, she turned to lots of food as an outlet. But Holly makes the decision to work out every day, and is losing weight faster than you can say Snickers. It’s hard to get started, but it’s even harder to keep it up. Holly Brennan keeps it up. Her personal trainer, Logan Montgomery, says, “Holly gets to work, every day, and never once complains.”

5.    She can resist a Milky Way

It’s been a pretty depressed article so far, so let’s lighten up the mood a little. Holly Brennan shows her incredible strength by throwing away an uneaten Milky Way… She resisted the caramel and delightful chocolate, just to stay on track to meet her weight loss goal. Not many people can resist a Milky Way these days. Holly can.

The author Stephanie Evanovich does such a spectacular job of allowing readers to see Holly’s colossal strength. By following the coping mechanisms of Holly Brennan, and being able to see how she turned her life around was an amazing journey to follow. It was amusing to track Holly as she continued to go through life with a smile on her face and with an open-mind to life as it passed her by. Her optimism and courage seem to be beneficial, changing Holly’s life for the better and making her happier than ever. 

Adapting The Silver Linings Playbook

If I was a big time movie producer and I was given the task to produce a movie based off of the novel The Silver Linings Playbook, I would need to make many adaptations. 

1. First of all, I would definitely make it a movie. Because of the length of the book and the repetitiveness of events that occur, it would be nearly impossible to make this novel into a TV show. And although Pat, Jake and his dad sing the Philadelphia Eagles' fight song on a regular basis, it would definitely not work as a musical.

2. In the book, the author goes through the life of Pat day by day, and Pat goes through a pretty repititive routine. Everyday he works out, then goes for a run (where Tiffany follows him), talks to his therapist, and then either watches football or talks about it with his family. Of course other exciting events happen in between all of this, but as a movie I think that the we would have to cut out some of the things that happen everyday, in order to keep the audience interested. If we were to show Pat running 10 miles every 30 minutes in the movie, the theater may end up empty by the end.

3. Although there are some things I would cut out, there are many things that need to be consistent between the movie and the book. For example, Pat has a few outbursts on his mother in the beginning of the book, and although these may seem like small happenings, they are essential when making the movie because they eventually show the dynamics of Pat's character and how he becomes a better person throughout. Also, the movie has to start off with Pat in the mental hospital because this sets up the whole rest of the plot. Without knowing what is "wrong" with Pat and about his bipolar disease and the misfortunes that he put his wife, Nikki, through, the audience would have no idea what is going on. 

4. A spot-on cast is crucial when turning a novel into a movie. The movie that is out right now has Bradley Cooper playing Pat and Jennifer Lawrence playing Tiffany. I can see why the director of this film picked these characters, but I would have gone a different route. In the book, Pat's strong physique and buff body is constantly being brought up. Because of this, I would choose someone that is a little bigger, and fit-looking than Bradley Cooper. Maybe Dwayne Johnson. On the other hand, I think that Jennifer Lawrence would be perfect to play the role of Tiffany. The book describes Tiffany of having a nice body, but being very mysterious, but bold and daring. Because of Jennifer's look and personality, she is a great choice to play the role of Tiffany.

5. When adapting a novel into a movie, you never want to make too many changes, because the avid readers and wild fans of the novel just get angry and recommend against it to anyone they know. But in order for this movie to work, Pat cannot narrate his life and his thoughts like he does in the book. Of course Pat will remain the main character and will be in every scene, but I've seen movies with narrators, and I was not a fan. One other thing I would change is the romance between Tiffany and Pat. In the book, it takes a while for their relationship to bud into a romance, and quite frankly, they weren't very found of each other at first. In order to keep the audience involved with the movie, I will have to start this romance sooner and incorporate it more frequently throughout the movie. After all, who doesn't love a good romance?