Book vs. Movie: The Help

Hey guys!
It’s time for a book vs. movie post and today I chose The Help, which tells the tale of african american maids in the 60s. The novel by Kathryn Stockett is a bestseller, the adaptation was nominated for countless awards. So let’s dive in!

 

The Plot:
Aibileen is a maid working in Jackson, Mississippi. She and several other of her african-american friends are suffering in silence and trying to make the best of their situation in the midst of difficult times.
Skeeter could not have a life that’s more different. She’s an entitled young woman who just finished University and is rather irritated by the racism she witnesses on a daily basis.
Interested in the maids and sympathetic towards them, Skeeter decides to write a book that shares their stories. However, not everybody is happy about that decision…

 

Book vs. Movie:
Let me begin with a few thoughts on the novel. First of all, it is a fascinating insight on life in the South. We get to see a sight hat’s usually not represented and learn about their struggles. Initially at had second thoughts about such a book being written by a white woman and my concern never fully evaporated, however, Stockett manages to give a rather authentic picture that seems genuine and heart-felt.

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Blogger Book Nook: Murder in the Library – A Study in Scarlet

Hey Guys!
This month I’m doing an entry for the Blogger Book Nook, which has Murder in the Library as April theme.
I don’t read that many crime stories so finding the right book was a bit of a challenge. But before I’ll give to my two cents on A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle, let’s answer some questions!

 

1) Who is your favourite fictional detective and why? 
Since I don’t read too many books on crime, I’ll go with the one and only Sherlock homes here. However, I’ve got the Dirk Gently series on my to-read list, so maybe that’ll spark my love for detective stories!
When it comes to TV it’s a tie between Lucifer Morningstar from Lucifer and Dana Scully from The X Files. While Lucifer has just the best sense of humor, Dana Scully is super badass, highly competent and doesn’t take shit from anyone.

 

2) Do you enjoy being able to solve the mystery in a book before the characters do, or do you like to be kept guessing until the end?

Heathers (2018) – A Review on the Pilot

Hey Folks!
Some time ago I wrote a review on Heathers, a very dark comedy featuring Winona Ryder. It’s one of my favorite 80’s movie, so I was pretty excited to hear that a TV show based on the film is in the making. So far, only the pilot is out, but boy, I’ve got some stuff to say about that…

 

The Plot:
The Heathers are the most influential and popular group at Westerburg High. The leader is Heather Chandler who vows to destroy the social life of Veronica, another member of the gang, when the latter called Heather a fatty in an angry outburst. However, when Veronica wants to take action, things escalate quickly…

 

The Rating:
Where do I start. This whole thing is just beyond awful. I sincerely hope that the rest of the show never airs as it was quite a challenge to soldier through this pilot episode.
You can tell not only that the show is based on the movie but that they desperately want to imitate it. Spoilers: It doesn’t work. Compared to the angry and dark 80s film, the TV show is a pale wannabe satire. There was not a single moment in the entire episode that actually made me laugh. You can tell where things are supposed to go and what the show runners wanted to achieve, but it’s just not working out.

Book Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Hey Guys, it’s time for another book review!
Today I want to share my opinion on Markus Zusak’s novel The Book Thief, which was published in 2005. Let’s see wether it is worth reading!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – Cover from Goodreads

 

The Plot:
It’s 1939 in Germany. Liesel brother just died. The two kids had been on their way to a foster family in Munich, when death came for the little boy. It’s that very day, Liesel love affair with books begins: she finds a copy of The Gravedigger’s Handbook in the snow. Reading seems to be her only escape during this dangerous time. There’s no real chance for happiness, right?

 

The Rating:
When I picked up this book , I had no idea what to expect. The first surprise was the unexpected narrator. The Book Thief is told from the perspective of death himself, who always keeps an eye on little Liesel. You can already tell, this is not an ordinary novel. 

X-Files Season 11 – A Review

Hey Guys!
The 11th season of the cult-show X-Files ended recently, so it’s time to have a closer look!

 

The Plot:
I’ll keep it short. The “My Struggle” story arc continues this season with 3 more episodes and we find out a bit more about Scully’s son. Apart from that we have the regular (more or less) standalone episodes dealing with various mysterious cases!

 

The Rating:
A confession: I only joined the X-Files bandwagon two years ago when the new season came out and still haven’t had time to catch up with the other 9 season and the movie.
However, the last season was pretty great, so I was excited to see it being continued!
First of all: I love the wide range of topics covered in this season. There is an episode dealing with witchcraft or one that critically looks at technical innovation.

Book vs. Show: American Gods

Hey guys!
I’m currently catching up with last years big hits. This time I went through American Gods, both book and show. So let’s see whether it’s good!

 

The Plot:
Shadow Moon’s life sucks. He just got out of jail – because his wife died. As if that wasn’t enough, turns out she had been screwing his best friend.
Where could you possibly go from here? Well, an opportunity comes up for Shadow, he meets a weird old guy named Mr. Wednesday who claims to be the God Odin, in need for an assistant…

 

Book vs. Movie:
Let me begin with the novel. Written by Neil Gaiman and published in 2001, I am a bit late to catch up with this bestseller. However, it was 100 % worth the time I spent reading. American Gods is funny and smart. Gaiman does a great job integrating lots of information on history and different religions. You will learn many fascinating new aspects and I ended up researching lots of the stuff mentioned!
Furthermore, Gaiman does not simply come up with a list of religions, he marvelously puts all of it into a new frame thus transporting everything to the present day. You wouldn’t expect this to work out, but believe me, it’s damn close to perfect.
Moreover, the characters Neil Gaiman came up with are witty and have some of the best lines, you’ll be quoting constantly afterwards.
I basically devoured the book and was very excited to see how all of this would translate to the screen.
So let’s see what the showrunners did about all of this!