Behold the history of the end of the world - by Austin Szerba. The end of the world does not start with a bang or a bomb, or an ultimatum from outer space. It begins (and ends) in Ealing, Iowa, in Grasshopper Jungle, the parking lot behind the strip mall containing a pizza place, the liqueur store and the second-hand store. It begins when Austin and his best friend Robby (who is is pretty sure he is in love with) are bullied by the local small-town thugs who will never amount to anything (because they are not bright enough too and because they will shortly die).
Charlie and Nate have grown up on the same street. The two, forced into play-dates as children, could not be more different. Charlie, kind and a little shy, is the captain of the basketball team. Nate is the outspoken and geeky president of the robotics club. Although not even on the same social ladder, the two have always been on good terms...until now. When the school announces that the decision about funding the robotics club's trip to a national competition or new uniforms for the cheerleaders will be left up to the student council, Nate decides to run for Student Body President.
So this weekend I went to see possibly one of the best movies ever!!! I might even go so far as to say that this is the best book-to-movie adaptation I have ever seen. But before I start fawning over it I will give you a quick background. Scott Pilgrim vs the World is based on the Scott Pilgrim books by Bryan O'Malley which I have blogged about before. Like all the classics this is the story of boy-meets-girl. 23-year-old Scott Pilgrim lives in Toronto, Canada.
I read It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini years ago but the story has always stuck with me, I think it was something I could really relate to. It's about a guy who is at the top of his class at his public school. He is a pretty competitive person (at least academically) and he desperately wants to get into this very elite prep school, probably more for the challenge of getting accepted than actually going.
I just finished one of the best series of graphic novels I have ever read, the Scott Pilgrim series. It began when I saw a preview for the upcoming movie and I thought, "gee, that seems interesting." So I checked out the books, I had no idea what I was in for. Although the series starts out a little slow, and it takes a little bit to recognize each character on site (helped by handy name tags every so often), it picks up quickly.
There is a trend online to find your favorite unsung books, books that you love but aren't widely read. The criteria that I am using is to look at my Goodreads account and any book that I have given 5 stars to that has been read by less than 500 people. Here is my list of unsung books!
Carter is ready to start high school. His plans include hooking up with all the hot girls (and loosing his virginity ASAP), being the kicker on the football team, and becoming the most popular guy in school. And things seem to be going along as planned, he is the kicker for the freshman team, he hasn't been shoved in a locker yet, and he has hooked up with "chubby" Abbey who isn't so chubby anymore.
Ok. I admit it. I am addicted. I was pretty skeptical when ABC Family announced that they were going to make a TV show out of one of my favorite 90's movies. I was ready to hate it. I almost didn't watch the premier. But somehow I ended sitting in front of my TV at 7pm on July 7th tuning into ABC Family. And even more unbelievable is that I liked it!I was ready to hate all the characters. Who could play Kat better than Julia Stiles, who could be Patrick Verona except the talented Heath Ledger?
One of my favorite books is being made into a movie, it is just one of those books that as you are reading you are selecting cast members in your head. I Love You, Beth Cooper is the story of one teen's experiences at the end of high school. Denis Cooverman has always been a geek. For as long as he can remember he has been the butt of every joke, getting swirlies in between classes and practical jokes played on him ever day.
