Shuffle Saturday: Ever Enough by A Rocket to the Moon

Shuffle Saturday is hosted by Pretty in Fiction where you post random song from your ipod every week. This is quite new meme and I just want to try something a little different this week. :) This week's song is:

Ever Enough by A Rocket to the Moon

I will always be yours forever and more
Through the push and the pull
I still drown in your love
And drink 'til I’m drunk
And all that I’ve done,
Is it ever enough

I like most of their songs, and I think the video for this one is very beautiful. The lyrics are very sweet as well. ♥ The video honestly reminds me of John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. :)

What are you listening to right now? (audio book included haha) Happy weekend, everyone! :)

Review: My Beautiful Failure by Janet Ruth Young

3.5 stars

She was a girl talking to me in the dark.

Billy is a new volunteer in the suicide hotline, and on the first day of his job, he receives a call from a girl named Jenny. Jenny told him that she was abused by her parents when she was a kid, and how her life went downhill after she started remembering the memories of the abuse. Billy wants desperately to help Jenney, but he is restricted by rules saying that it’s prohibited to form friendship with people who call. But Billy knows that Jenney is special to him, and he doesn’t hesitate to break rules and offer her his friendship. As Jenney’s calls become more frequent and more desperate, Billy has to race with time if he wants to save the girl whom he knows everything but her last name and her address.

My Beautiful Failure is undeniably melancholic, but it is also infused with lots of hope and wish for better days. The author might not be very successful in creating a guy’s voice, but the plots are very well-crafted and the story itself may as well happen in real life. To what extend you should push the boundaries between stranger and friend? There is a fine line between listening and being too much involved, and the main character, Billy, has problem differentiating the line.

Billy is not a character I liked instantly. With his caring personality and his obsession to become a psychologist, it shouldn’t be a problem to like him the moment I met him. However, Billy is a typical teenager with senseless belief that he knows everything about people, and it was hard to connect with him when he was being such a worrywart or a smartass. Billy is obsessed in saving people, and I can’t say that I don’t understand the need to do something amazing when you are young. I’m so glad that events in this book mold Billy into a more mature person in the end, and when I finished the book, it’s safe to say that I think of Billy as a friend.

Surprisingly, My Beautiful Failure is a short read and one I finished in no time. Despite my earlier difficulty to connect with Billy, I didn’t have difficult time appreciating the plots, the underlying message, and the supporting characters. All in all, My Beautiful Failure is not a book you would like to miss if you’re fans of contemporary or in need of something a little thought-provoking. The book itself is like a gentle reminder that after all, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.

I rested my hand on one of the phones as if to test myself. The job was monumental, the ultimate responsibility. The way the rules were written, someday someone might call and mine would be the last voice that person would ever hear. In a few days I would start saving lives. But only if they wanted to be saved

Website * Goodreads * Amazon * Book Depository

I rate this book:

Four cups of tea. I like it, recommended to read in your spare time.

Monday Muse: {Movie Review} The Perks of Being a Wallflower

 

Watch the movie trailer HERE. :)

Happy Monday, everyone! Last month, I finally got to watch The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Being a huge fan of the book, I was so excited to watch it and I’m glad to say that I’m not disappointed with the result. I know that this comes as a very late movie review, but hey, it can serve as a gentle reminder for those who haven’t watched the movie yet, right? ;)

We accept the love we think we deserve.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an exceptional case – it was originally written, adapted to screenplay, and directed by the same person, the genius Stephen Chbosky. I myself sure would have been interested to watch it even if I had not read the book yet. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of my favorite reads last year. This coming-of-age story deals with heavy subjects such as drugs, abortion, LGBT, and alienation. However, the book still remains light and easy to read, and it feels very personal since the story is written in the form of letters. I promise that when you close the book, you will think of Charlie not as a character, but as a dear friend you're going to miss.

In the movie, Charlie is played by the young actor Logan Lerman. Lerman might not bring to life my adorable, sweet Charlie I met and loved in the book, but he perfectly captured the confused and emotionally unstable Charlie. I liked Lerman’s acting, although I must say that I didn’t love it, but his acting shows clear signs that he will improve even better in the future.

Sam, who is played brilliantly by Emma Watson, is a girl whom I can relate better compared to Sam in the book. In the book, we know Sam only from Charlie’s perspective. However, in the movie we are given special privilege to meet Sam and get to know her from third person’s perspective. Sam is a lot of fun, mistakes, and amends in the book, but she is more a girl with determination to improve herself in the movie. I admire her desire to improve herself – and she succeeded in the end. I understand better why Charlie falls for her, and that’s one aspect I note in the movie version.

Now, onto my newest favorite actor. Ezra Miller is truly, undeniably the star of this movie. He effortlessly brings us Charlie’s best gay friend, Patrick, in a flesh. His acting is what makes this movie one hundred times better. I liked Patrick in the book, but I loved him in the movie. His remarks, antics, and jokes in the movie didn’t seem memorized at all. It’s as if Miller himself could be Patrick in another life and another time. 

I’m so glad that the issues like drugs, violence, and sexuality are treated very carefully in the  movie. The scenes are not explicit at all, and we are left to complete the pieces in our mind. Although I was disappointed to find some scenes in the book are deleted in the movie, but the finished result is quite enjoyable. I’d like to think of the movie version not as the book adaptation, but as a complement to make the book a whole. The movie version may lack things that I liked in the book, but at the same time, it also has things that the book didn’t bring out successfully.

I don’t think it’s possible to compare the movie and the book since they are two different things I wholly enjoyed. If you decide to watch this movie, I recommend you to read the book first. That way, you will enjoy the movie even more since some things may be a bit vague in the movie version. My last advice: buy the DVD or rent it somewhere, because trust me, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is not a movie (or a book) that you would like to miss.

Thank you for reading this week’s Monday Muse! Next week, I’m going to talk about negative reviews and how I tackle it… or rather, how should I tackle it? So stay tune. ♥ Have a wonderful day, everyone! :)

PS: You can watch the deleted scenes of The Perks of Being a Wallflower HERE. :)

Review: The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

3.5 stars

Looking for a fun fantasy read? Look no further, because The Assassin’s Curse got everything you want: fantasy, magic, assassin, and camel in a package! Yes, ladies and gentlemen. Camel! Ever heard of runaway bride? Sure you have. Ever heard of a runaway bride who steals a camel to pursue her dream of having her own pirate ship? Bet you’ve never.

The Assassin’s Curse is, as it suggests, an entertaining read. Things are crazy in this book that I couldn’t help but giggled all the time. Through a series of events, Annana the runaway bride saves life of an assassin who is ordered to kill her, Naji. Because of his vow in the past, Naji is forced to serve her now. Both of them want to break this curse that binds them together, but as time progresses, Annana starts thinking… maybe it won’t be so bad to be together all the time?

Oh my, I love Annana. An admirable heroine, she’s just what you ask from a pirate princess. She’s strong-willed, persistent, and of course: a healthy amount of stubbornness! Leila, Naji's ex-lover, is surely a character to hate. What a witch. (literally and figuratively) I don’t know what Naji sees in her, despite of Leila’s beauty. I instantly shared Annana’s dislike toward her the moment she is introduced in the book. I’m really hoping for more romance in the following book, because Annana and Naji can share some intimate moments! Watching them fight all the time is amusing, but I would very much like to see more sparks fly between those two. :)

Comical and entertaining, The Assassin’s Curse is recommended to those who wouldn’t mind slow pacing story and evil ex-girlfriend. The misadventures of Annana and Naji would not fail to crack you up, I promise.

"I have to protect you now." The words came out in a rush, like he was embarrassed to say 'em. I woulda been.

"What? Why?"

"You saved my life. That's how it works."

 

 

 

Website * Goodreads * Amazon * Book Depository

 

 

 

 

I rate this book:

 Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.