Paper Towns: film review

After reading all of his books and becoming a little obsessed, a friend of mine and I promised we'd see every one of John Green's films together. And, true to that promise, we had our last catch-up before she left for uni at the cinema watching 'Paper Towns'. 

I had been eager to see this for a while, all of the pre-release material and trailers had me gripped and I could only hope that the film would live up to my (exceedingly high) expectations. And it did; there is absolutely no doubt about it. 

I don't want to do major give-always or spoilers so what I am going to tell you is this... 

I was hugely impressed by the selection of actors, I have to admit I had doubts about Cara Delevingne but she probably was the most impressive of them all. Tbe way the characters were portrayed was just how I'd imagined from the novel and the storyline was obviously gripping if not a little fast paced. It ended perfectly, just like the novel with a sad but necessary ending that left the two characters too far apart, yet just close enough.

My only criticism is that some parts of the book were missed out. I know that this is important to shorten the film down, however, the film was not as long as others I've seen so extra little bits should have been manageable. I have vivid memories from certain parts of the book that just seem to have been forgotten about. And, considering I read the book over 12 months ago, they must have been very engaging parts for me to still remember them. 

Either way, it was a fantastic evening, a wonderful film and another fantastic film based on the works of John Green. I would definitely advise you to see it before it leaves the cinema. If any of you have seen it, what did you think? 

Keep smiling,

Kathryn x

Booktober: week 3

So week three's book for 'Booktober' is Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green. So having read and enjoyed a lot of John Green's novels I was extremely excited to get started on this one!

The novel is written by two separate authors; odd numbers chapters written by one author and even by the other. As a way of differentiating between the two storylines, half of the chapters are written uncapitalised. And I think that is where my issues with the novel begin. I am the most extreme perfectionist that you will ever meet and this just aggravated my OCD but because I love the author so much I thought I'd persevere. 

Something about this novel was a little odd though. Usually I find it impossible to put down John Green's books but this time I found myself strangely drawn to the idea. Undoubtedly, the plot was interesting and it wasn't too confusing to follow. However, it just wasn't quite as gripping as I'm used to. 

In some ways I was gripped; I did want to know how it ended. However, I also found that it was a little predictable and written in a way that made it a little bit more monotonous that it could have been. 

In no way am I saying that the book is awful, it's just not quite as good I expected and it didn't live up to my expectations. But expectations are a bad thing. They lead you to be let down. So if anything, I'll let it be a lesson to me. A lesson that teaches me how setting high expectations leads to disappointment. 

I am so extremely apologetic about the post which is a lot more negative but these are only my opinions on the book. If you have anything you'd like to say about the book please do so in the comments below.

Keep smiling, 

Kathryn x

Booktober: week one

Ketchup Clouds. So this is where I started Booktober. I will admit that this book, by Annabel Pitcher, had been sat on my bedroom floor for quite some time but I've been extremely busy recently and struggled to find time to read. This was the fantastic opportunity to get me reading again!

What I didn't realise until after finishing the book is that she is the author of a book that I read a long time ago and thoroughly enjoyed! 

Ketchup Clouds tells the story of a teenage girl (who's name I'm not going to say because that's part of the mystery) who starts writing to a prisoner as a way to deal with her guilt. Her guilt as a result of an event that she blames herself for. We never hear from the convict, who is on death row, and the cliffhanger you are left on has you dreaming up all sorts of different endings.

Throughout the novel, there are several themes, both obvious and hidden, that manage to get you questioning things about your own life. It has you wondering how you would react in certain situations and teaches a very important lesson: sometimes letting go is the only thing that you can do to stop you making yourself crazy with guilt. 

If you don't mind reading something with quite serious underlying themes covered up quite well with the odd bit of humour, then this is certainly a book for you! The way family, friendships and feelings are portrayed is so unique and definitely worth trying to understand.

That's all for this weeks review because I don't want to ruin something that you might read but I look forward to hearing about what you're reading and I'll be back next week with another.

Keep smiling, 

Kathryn x

Why I do bother!

Recently, a few things have happened to me that have had me asking the same thing repeatedly: 'Why do I bother?' And I just thought it would be a good idea to write about it; to give you advice and to help me when I find I'm thinking like this in the future.  

Okay so this has happened a few times to me...

I always (and I mean always) try to be super nice to other people. I guess I just like to think I'm either improving someone's day or keeping the world a happy place. However, more than once, I've tried my hardest to include people that otherwise would have been completely ignored by everyone, just to have it thrown back in my face! After trying particularly hard with one person it really annoyed me to find out that they'd started spreading lies about me behind my back. 

Now, what makes it worse is that this person doesn't know me but, most of all, it is NEVER right to do this. To make someone feel awful is wrong. To spread lies about someone you barely know, someone who tried their hardest to make you feel included and help you out doesn't really encourage them to do it again, does it? 

After I'd heard the things that'd been said I was quite upset but, not only that, I'd lost all confidence in myself. I started to worry and panic then wondered how I should treat her next time I see her. But then I realised something. It's not in my character to treat her any differently. I would feel even worse if I started to treat her differently.

There could be any number of reasons for her saying the things she did. None of those things make her actions justifiable but they could make them slightly more understandable and I guess it's better to forgive but not forget than to let on to her.

Some wise words from Atticus Finch 'Before I can live with other people, I have to live with myself' helped me to learn that I should concern myself with my own actions before I bother about anyone else's!

Keep smiling, 

Kathryn x

Looking For Alaska: book review

Having now finished reading John Greene's novel 'Looking for Alaska's, I am back, as promised, with a quick review for you to (hopefully) enjoy. I have no intentions of spoiling it in any way but just in case you're currently reading it or about to read it, you may choose not to read any further for now and that's fine!

Looking For Alaska is quite clearly aimed at a young adult audience although it could easily be enjoyed by people of other ages and I wouldn't let the target audience put anyone off giving John Green's novels a try.

The novel tells the story of Miles, the protagonist, who leaves his school in Florida (where he is far from popular) to join a boarding school in Alabama. When he arrives he meets his roommate, The Colonel, who provides him with the nickname Pudge and introduces him to Alaska. Alaska is quite a complex character whose respect for the rules is lacking in many areas, and it is the relationships between the three characters that are expected throughout the novel. 

I found the way that the novel was written extremely interesting. The first chapter is called 'One hundred and thirty-six days before' which leaves you pretty convinced that it is a countdown to a huge event but even knowing this doesn't quite leave you emotionally prepared. Without giving too much away, the final day leaves the characters separated and the days after take you on Miles' journey to discover the full events of that night. In some ways I found the final few pages a little bit predictable but I don't think it would be enough for me to dissuade anyone from reading it. 

Another thing I really loved about this book was the way two different, possibly clashing, personalities were brought together. Miles and the Colonel are from completely contrasting backgrounds but form a remarkable friendship which is tested to an extreme level.

There's not too much more that I can say without giving everything away but I can certainly say that I would recommend giving Looking For Alaska a read! Feel free to leave your views on the novel down below and if you have any book recommendations for me, please leave them too! 

Keep smiling,
Kathryn x