Monthly Archives: maaliskuu 2015

Summer in the City is a novel written by Candace Bushnell. It was published in 2011. It’s a sequel to Candace Bushnell’s previous book ”The Carrie Diaries”. She has also written all the ”Sex and the city” books. There is also a TV series and two movies which are based to her books.

The book tells about 17-year-old girl named Carrie Bradshaw, who moves to New York for a summer, so she could go to a writing class. Everyone who has ever watched or read Sex and the City TV series or books, knows about Carries friends Samatha, Miranda and Charlotte. In this book you find out how they all met each other. Carrie experiences a lot of things and gets involved to many kind of situations. Everything starts from the situation when she gets in New York in the very first time and someone steals her bag and all the information about where she should be living for the next few months. All she has is a address of a woman called Samatha Jones, who is Carries schoolmates cousin and lives in New York. That’s how she met Samatha. They become friends and after Carrie gets kicked out from the place where she lives, she moves to Samathas place. Carrie meets Miranda, when Miranda founds Carries stolen bag and returns it to Carrie. Carrie doesn’t have many friends in New York yet so she asks Miranda for a coffee and that’s how their friendship starts. After being in New York for a while she meets a playwright, over 30-year-old Bernard Singer, and starts to date him. His lifestyle and scheme of things are quite different than Carries and that causes a little bit troubles. These and lot of other things happens to Carrie in this book, but those you will find out if you read the book yourself.

The narrator of the book is Carrie herself, so the things are described for her view. In the book are mentioned a lot of people, but the main characters are Carrie, Samatha, Miranda, Bernard, Carries dad and her sisters, Victor, who is the teacher of the writing class and Ryan, Capote and Lily, whom are Carries classmates.

I chose this book because I have read this in Finnish for a couple times already and I like it a lot and I thought that it would be nice to read this in English too. I have also read Candace Bushnells other books and I think that her books are awesome. The book was quite long but something was all the time happening in it so it wasn’t boring at all. Every time when I started to read it, it hooked me and I just couldn’t stop reading. And it’s a sign of a very good book.

The short second life of Bree Tanner written by Stephenie Meyer tells about newborn vampire, Bree Tanner who lives in Seattle. Before Bree met Riley she was a young homeless girl but then Riley took her to Victoria. Victoria change her into vampire. Diego has been vampire for eleven months and now they have become friends with Bree and maybe even more. They live in a cave with other vampires and they wonder why Victoria has changed them into vampires. After a while they realize that she wants them to her army which fights against the Cullens so they start to practice. Riley told the other that Cullens want their land and kill them. The battle begins but Bree find out that Riley had lied about the Cullens. Bree is so upset and she is sure that Diego is dead because she doesn’t feel his existence. When Bree faces the Cullens she surrenders and explain that Riley had lied to everyone. Cullens could save her and teach the rules but the Volturi doesn’t accept it. The book ends when the Volturi kill her.

Bree Tanner is the protagonist and also the narrator of the story. She was almost 16 years old when she became a vampire. Diego was 18 years old when he became a vampire. He is Bree’s friend and he falls in love with her. Riley is the leader of the newborns. Victoria gives orders to Riley to create an army to her. Fred is Bree’s friend.

The book was okay. I don’t like that much vampire books but this was good one. I think that the theme would be revenge. The book has a surprise ending because I thought that Bree will be saved and she learn to live like Cullens. But the end was totally different than I imagined.

Gladiator is American-British film. Film was in 2000. Gladiator is directed by Ridley Scott and starred actors like Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen and Oliver Reed.  Movie was box-office hit and it won multiple Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Leading Actor.

Movie tells story of Maximus Decimus Meridius. He is a Roman-Spanish loyal general who has leaded Roman army into victorys for years now. In this long war against Germanic forces Maximus is finally going home. Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius is dying but he doesent want hes son ,Commodus to lead Rome. Marcus asks Maximus to take his place and asks he to turn Rome back to rebublic. Commodus gets angry when he hears his father decision. He kills his father, takes his place and send Roman soliders after Maximus and kills his son and wife. Maximus survives the attacks but gets in his home too late, only to find his home burned. Maximus burrys his family and and collpases on the ground. Later he wakes up in a slave camp. Antonio Proximo (played by Oliver Reed) is an old gladiator and buys and trains slaves to become famous gladiators. Antonio buys Maximus and he is forced to fight in gladiator arenas. Maximus only desire is revenge and he fights his way to bigger arenas to face the new Emperor, Commodus…

Gladiator is epic historical drama film. Movies soundtrack is made by Hans Zimmer and its amazing. Characters in this movie are the best I have ever seen. Every character is believable. Special effects in this movie was big step ahead. All the sword fights and arenas looked realistic. One of the cast members, Oliver Reed died during the filming so he was made with computers in last the scenes. Also this is the best movie I have personally ever seen.

The Holiday (2006) is a American Christmas-themed romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers. It’s a story about Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) and Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet), two women who temporarily exchange their homes to escape heartbreak during the holiday season. Iris was in love with her boss for many years but now when she hears that he’s engaged to another women she thinks that she must get away for awhile. Amanda just broke up with her boyfriend Ethan who was cheating her with his secretary, and she wanted also get out from her own life over holidays. So she contacted Iris and they decided to swap homes for two weeks. Iris ends up to Amanda’s Los Angeles home which is huge, beautiful and expensive, while Amanda ends up to Iris’s lovely, little cottage in Surrey, UK. Amanda gets bored after just few hours arriving there and books a flight to home for the next day. Later that night Iris’s brother Graham comes to there without knowing that Iris isn’t home and somehow Amanda and Graham end up sleeping together. Meanwhile Iris is enjoying Amanda’s house and she meets Amanda’s friend Miles and they starts to spend some time together. She also meets Arthur Abbott, the old men who’s standing lost at the corner and Iris helped him home. Iris finds out that Arthur was a screenwriter back in old days and they become fast friends. I could tell you a lot more about this movie but if i would, it wouldn’t be so great to watch that after you would already know everything that happens in this movie..

I have seen this movie for many times already and I think that it’s every time as good as it was at the first time. This is that kind of movie that I have to see every Christmas holiday. It’s just every years tradition. The cast in this movie is great! So many good actresses in one movie. And the story line is good too. I especially like the parts in the movie where Iris and Miles are playing music and the parts where they show the place where Iris lives in Surrey, it just looks amazing. I just really love this movie and I recommend this movie to everyone, you have to watch this at least once in your lifetime.