Bah!

For a while there, we were inundated with vampires. But The Hunger Games is now the new “It” franchise. And on its heels, it’s Dystopia everywhere. Is the future so bleak? Is Tris another Katniss Everdeen?

The comparisons for “self-discovery of a girl hero” are inevitable. These are two girls who must survive in a very, very violent world. Beatrice’s not too distant future reality is set at a time when everyone is categorized by dominant personality traits into one of five factions: Amity (for those who are spacey and happy all the time), Dauntless (for those who are courageous), Erudite (for people who like learning and stuff), Candor (for those who are honest, even to a fault), and Abnegation (for those who are selfless).

At the age of 16, every citizen must choose to which faction they belong. We meet Beatrice when she’s about to decide how she’ll live the rest of her life. And then she has to train to meet the faction requirements that will determine the rest of her life. And of course there’s a boy and some friends and some sinister stuff that goes down, and I was tearing through the pages only to reach the end and that sinking realization that there is still three people ahead of me on the hold list for the next book‼

Why do I like Beatrice? I like her because she’s not pretty. And she never becomes pretty. At no point is she “transformed”. In other words, when people like her, it has everything to do with who she is. That’s a message I can get with. I also like Beatrice because she’s not perfect. Like Katniss, she is selfish, she withholds, she knows she’ll regret her slyness and she goes ahead and deceives people anyway. She makes all the mistakes you expect from a 16 year old girl who is trying to make friends and fit in and excel all while, you know, staying alive.

Why do I like the story? It’s a pretty compelling plot. And while Veronica Roth isn’t quite as thorough or as organized in description (when she’s laying out the Divergent world) as Suzanne Collins – that might come with experience, after all she is only 22 – her pacing is excellent, and she holds you, right from Beatrice’s initiation, through her preparation with her classmates, and just as it was in The Hunger Games in the Arena, these are the best parts, full of creativity and action and suspense and tension and conflict and romance. Here’s where Roth may have succeeded over Collins. I wasn’t into Peeta or Gale in The Hunger Games one way or the other. But this guy? In Divergent? Super hot. I’m into it.

Thematically though, behind the formulaic elements that give Divergent its Young Adult classification, the book explores the universal and very modern struggles of social integration. Segmentation exists today – legally, morally, arbitrarily. Debates about segmentation and rights are still happening. Laws are passed that deny certain segments certain freedoms. More lines are being drawn and walls built on top of them then the ones that are being erased and torn down. As is the case with good Young Adult fiction, Divergent was written for a wide audience, of all ages, and the questions it asks are worthy of discussion among teens and among those who are beyond teen. These questions are especially relevant right now, and I’m sure you won’t have to look far to find evidence of the fractures that philosophical, political, racial, and doctrinal alignments can cause.

Simply put, as I’ve said before, those who dismiss the YA Genre are shortsighted. The true stars of YA are those who make the reading fun, and get you thinking at the same time. Divergent delivers.

Still need a reason to pick up this book? According to Deadline the screenplay for Divergent is ready, the film adaptation is currently in pre-production and filming is expected to begin later this year. 2012 is already half over, which means we’ll be angsting about casting soon. If only it were 10 years ago, Ellen Page would totally be my Tris. Yes, I am nagging you to read this book. At least you won’t have to wait for the sequel, right? And in another year, when all the entertainment shows start talking about it, you can exhale loudly, a proper know-it-all and declare that you’ve known about it for a long time, ok?

Click here to watch a short video of author Veronica Roth describing Divergent.

Summer Reading for Kids is over as of Friday @ 11:59 PM. So anyone who would like to help out on Saturday @ Kyova for the ending PJ party, please check with your supervisor and let me know, ASAP!  Your supervisor must approve the hours.  We need help from 1:30-3:30 or what ever time you are available.  You may wear summer reading shirts and jeans or PJs (with in dress code).  PS Walmart has Dr Seuss pjs for women.

Thanks for a successful Dream Big program.  We dreamt big and we got it, as of today there are 897 kids registered for summer reading….YEAH!!!

Yeah, I have been for years straight up annoyed that McCafferty and the Jessica Darling series don’t get the cred that they deserve. McCafferty/Darling should be as recognizable as so many other YA literary phenoms and, UGH, certainly more so than Stephenie Meyer and Twilight. Don’t get me wrong, I too was obsessed with Twilight. I wore a Team Edward t-shirt. I bought Breaking Dawn the first day it was released, but halfway through I started to distance myself from the story. I was falling out of love. By the end, it was like being stuck in a room with someone I couldn’t stand how they breathed, or how they chewed their food. I had to break-up with Twilight. I still feel a twinge of embarrassment when I see it sitting on my bookshelf. But Jessica is no summer fling, she is a lifelong friend. I grew up with her, I can identify with her, and more importantly I respect her.

I’m not denying the existence of a hardcore cult following. There is a strong fan base out there, but Jessica Darling is SO FRICKING GOOD, she should be, like, part of the consciousness. Instant recognition. And I’ve often wondered what it was about this series that kept it from lighting up the way so many other series have. Is it because Jessica came just before the popularity of the supernatural? Was it simply timing? Here’s a story about a girl with such a true voice, such a real sensibility, such an incredible sense of humor and wit, who is smart, and flawed, and really really interesting and also really, really ordinary, but she doesn’t fly, doesn’t live forever, doesn’t bite, doesn’t cast spells, and sometimes yells at her parents. Is it that? What has happened to us, as readers, that a story set in our time and reality is not enough?

Maybe it’s because there is no movie yet to elevate its popularity. If that’s the case, Sloppy Firsts is currently in development and being adapted to film. McCafferty offered a sneak peek to fans who contributed casting ideas on her facebook page. Some of the more popular suggestions to play Jessica were Ashley Rickards, Ellen Page, Emma Stone, Rooney Mara, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, and Halle Steinfeld. For me, after watching The Descendants, it’s Shailene Woodley. You can get more information and updates on her website www.meganmccafferty.com.

I don’t know what the answer is. But I do know that there will be those, perhaps after this reading, who will be lucky enough to discover Jessica Darling for the very first time. And laugh like an idiot to themselves reading Sloppy Firsts. And obsessively burn through the next 4 to get to the conclusion.

I’m currently re-reading the series, again. Every time I read it, something else is funny to me. Or sad. Or amazingly authentic. I’m so glad I know Jessica, and am incredibly grateful to Megan McCafferty for introducing me to her.

As a side note, if you are looking for this series on our shelves at BCPL, it has been, against my protests, split between YA and adult fiction. You can find Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings in our YA section. Charmed Thirds, Fourth Comings, and Perfect Fifths are in our adult fiction section. In a way, the split does reinforce what I’ve said about being enjoyed more by adults.

Tuesday 6/26/12

Monday 7/2/12

Thursday 7/12/12

Tuesday 7/17/12

Thursday 7/19/12

Monday 7/23/12

Wednesday 7/25/12

Dream Big- L and XL

Own the Night- L

Between the Covers- L

call me, email or see me.

Checkout the new online services soon to be open to the public:

Scholastic Groiler Online

Scholastic BookFLIX

Scholastic TRUEFLIX

Let us know what you think!!!!!

Critics are talking about this movie like it’s the rapture. For some, it probably is a religious experience. Click here for a collection of reviews. On the other side, you have a DC vs. Marvel geek war. Whenever The Avengers comes up you inevitably get comments from fans of Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise. They say that it doesn’t matter how much people like The Avengers because come July, The Dark Knight Rises will wipe the floor with the superhero mash-up.

I mean, it’s not like I don’t agree. The Dark Knight Rises will be massive, probably the most massive, but when did nerds start getting all Kanye West on other nerds? (In meek voice) But is it ok to like The Avengers too? Even if it’s not by Christopher Nolan?

Marvel Studios intention to bring all of the early Marvel comic icons together began with The Hulk in 2003. Marvel has been building this house for YEARS. And they have a lot invested in it. This movie could have been a mess. It could have had too much happening, too much stuff blowing up, too many characters to follow. The director, Joss Whedon, has only ever directed culty stuff that doesn’t really click with the mainstream. Yet Marvel entrusted him with an expensive flagship property that doesn’t get much more mainstream, and HE. KILLED. IT!! He is absolutely the perfect person to head an undertaking such as this. He’s frugal, clever, witty, creative, and simply brilliant. I’ve always been a Joss Whedon fan! I had absolute confidence in this movie when I heard he was writing and directing it. C’mon, he has his own Whedonverse.

“Better clench up, Legolas!” The first time I saw The Avengers, I nearly lost my mind over this line. There are so many great lines. I could totally geek out about the lines. I’m seriously into Tony Stark. “Shakespeare in the park?”; “Capsicle”; and of course “That man is playing Galaga! Thought we wouldn’t notice. But we did.” are some of my favs. I also really love when Stark pokes Dr. Banner to see if he can make him Hulk out. I mean, it doesn’t even seem like Robert Downey Jr is trying.  Because it’s a lot of RDJ being sexy and snarky as Stark, mouthing off to everyone in the group, and picking on boring Boy Scout Captain America. Would have liked to have seen, at some point, Cap shut down Stark with, “Yeah well I used to party with your dad, so go get me a beer, Junior.”

Can we talk about Loki for a minute? Tom Hiddleston is talented, smart, handsome (not necessarily with that Loki hair though), and he is a HUGE dork. I love dorks. Hiddleston’s dorkiness is endearing. I’m sure the guy has an ego tucked away somewhere. Have you seen the pictures of him with the cute kid that happened across the Central Park set last year?  You can read the whole story here (Chris Evans comes off really well, too). Loki is my favorite big bad right now. He almost makes you want him to win. It’s his conviction, that smirk that’s says he’s got this situation on lock. And he would have got away with it too, if it weren’t for those meddling heroes and their Hulk. I’m glad he went to Norse God prison so (fingers crossed) he can stage a break out in the next movie.

What I wanted from The Avengers was more than just special effects and explosions. And what happens is that all of that becomes the background and everything else that’s great makes the movie, including the chemistry between the cast members, particularly RDJ and Mark Ruffalo. All I can say, in short, is that The Avengers is super fun, that I had a great time seeing it, that I was so happy after seeing it, and that I cannot wait to see it again.

If you’re waiting for The Avengers to hit dvd before you see it, or you just can’t get enough of your favorite hero’s, click on the following links for related items you can find at BCPL:The Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Avengers, Joss Whedon

Can you believe how young they were??  Leo and Claire?  I forgot how pretty he was.  The fish tank scene always makes my heart happy.  He falls in love with her so convincingly, with that exquisite face of his, that you can’t help but feel so hopelessly involved yourself, never mind Shakespeare’s incomparable words describing their instant legendary connection.

Natalie Portman was apparently first offered the part of Juliet, but after shooting a few scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio, she looked so young, even next to him, that it seemed as though he was touching her inappropriately.  This is one of my favorite Hollywood factoids.  I always try to picture Portman in the role…and they were right, I never can.

Baz Luhrmann made this film into a Shakespearean acid trip, where fair Verona is a beach in modern day Florida.  It retains the original Shakespearean dialogue, but spoken with modern dialects.  The only character to speak in iambic pentameter is Father Laurence.  I wish I had been a production assistant on this set.  I wish I had been a part of this movie in any capacity.

I like Baz Luhrmann movies (except for Australia, that movie blows). His grandiose spectacle style is designed to get the attention of the people who are over stimulated by twitter and video games. That’s the audience now, isn’t it? Which is why I’m slightly concerned that he’s remaking The Great Gatsby in 3D. I don’t understand why people are so hardcore for 3D. Production for this movie was done in Luhrmann’s native Australia.  The Great Gatsby, on the short list of Great American Novels, is being filmed down under. In Australia.

Normally I don’t care about this stuff. But it’s Gatsby…a uniquely American story.  I just think that some stories belong irrevocably to a certain place.  Gatsby belongs on Long Island.  I can’t make myself like that Luhrmann is making Gatsby on a soundstage in Australia, in a totally false environment, when this real place exists. (Though sadly, the house believed to have inspired Daisy Buchanan’s East Egg estate was recently leveled. Check out these photos of the house in the days before it was demolished.)

The Great Gatsby is the product of a particular place and time.  The visuals for this movie, not surprisingly, do look amazing.  Click here to see the first official trailer that was released just this week.  I’m not sure, in this clip here, that Gatsby and Daisy share the same spark as Romeo and Juliet.  But trailers are often not representative. I’ll not put too much weight on this one then.

Here are some movies by Luhrmann that you can find at BCPL: Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge, and Australia.