Category Archives: Yleinen

White Cat is written by Holly Black. This is originally written in Engilsh and it was published in 2010 in Great Britain. Holly Black has also wrote The Spiderwick Chronicles and I have read them all, they are maybe the best books I have ever read.  Black’s newest and upcoming book is The Darkest Part of the Forest. This White Cat– novel is a fantasy book as like the other books of Holly Black. This book fits pretty good into it’s genre. On the book’s cover it says: ”You’re only a fingertip away from another world.” I think that it may tell something about why it is a fantasy book. Similiar books as this White Cat is for example The Spiderwick Chronicles because they are also fantasy books.

I didn’t really catch the main character of this book, I didn’t find out that much about the characters. And relationships between each other is a little unclear. One of the characters is Cassel, a killer who is also cursed. And how the white cat associates with this book is that it haves a mission: white cat haunts Cassel and his magic- working family. This is all what I catched about the plot. It was told very unclearly and I didn’t like it at all. This story’s narrator is one of the characters. It’s telling the story of it’s own perspective and I think that the narrator is the main character. Somehow that makes this book a little bit scrappy and it just confused me while I was reading it.

Language in this book is sometimes difficult. Some words are weird and hard to understand. And there are some new words like crutch,  which means same as assistance. I have never heard word crutch so it was new for me. And what did I like the book… Well, it wasn’t that good as I expected. I thought it would be very good fantasy book because Holly Black has written it, but it wasn’t good. I am a little bit disappointed. The plot was very uncleaer as I have said before and I didn’t catch the plot. Also the characters was weird which makes the plot more unclear. After all I liked to read an English novel but still I like English manga more. I think I will try to read other English book on summer vacation.

Sources: Book’s cover
www.blackholly.com

A Street Cat Bob is a novel written by James Bowen. It was published in 2012. It’s his first novel and later he has written a few more novels about his life with Bob.
The narrator of the novel is James Bowen himself. He is a poor man who has lived on the streets, taken drugs and so on. He makes some money by busking on the streets. It’s the only way he earns money at all. One day he finds a ginger cat in the flat he is living in and has no heart to leave it alone, because it seems to have nobody to take care of it and it is not doing well. James decides to take care of it until it will be healthy again and gives it a name; Bob. Bob gets well fast and don’t want to leave James anymore.
The theme of the book is friendship. Bob and James become fantastic friends and they help each other. James becomes somebody to live for and Bob somebody to love and to take care of him. It could be said, that they rescue each other. The problems of society are also a crucial theme of this novel. James tells his story and how he did end up living on streets and how it is really like. It makes everyone of us to see these people like James with new eyes and to remember, that they also are humans.
This novel is one of my favorite novels. The story of James and Bob is touching especially, because it really has happened and James himself tells it. I would like to recommend the novel for everyone. It’s not a story only for those who love animals. It’s an awesome story of friendship and finding hope at these moments, when it seems to be lost.

American Sniper is a interesting movie about a SEAL 3 soldier Christopher Scott ”Chris” Kyle. Chris Kyle is a world famous shooter who holds the US record of the most sniper kills. During 2003-2009 got Kyle 160 confirmed kills with his sniper. He served in the Iraq War and got rewarded with many medals for his duty. Kyle wrote a bestselling novel about his life the American Sniper. After his death in 2012 Clint Eastwood directed a movie about the novel. Kyle was shot and killed at a shooting range in Texas along with is friend.

Born and raised in Texas, it had  influence in Kyle. When he was young he used often go hunting with his father. He wanted to become a cowboy and one of his favorite hobbies was to do rodeo. After the attacks that happened September 11 2001 decided he to apply for the SEAL. Many training camps he finally got a spot in the squad. Because his background in hunting was he a skillful shooter so it seemed natural for him to specialize as sniper. Kyle reputation spread fast and the other soldiers started to call him ”The Legend”. Chris was ambitious soldier and he wanted to revenge the terrorist for their attacks. Even the terrorist feared Kyle and a bounty was set for his head. Once his duty ended was  he not the same guy anymore. He suffered posttraumatic stress disorder and the everyday life became hard. Kyle wanted to kill a enemy sharpshooter called ”Mustafa”. Mustafa was responsible for many US soldiers deaths. Kyle killed Mustafa with a historical shot. The kill shot is the 8th longest sniper kill ever recorded with over 1 kilometer.

When Chris Kyle was killed his memorial was  held in Cowboy Stadium in Texas February 2, 2013.  Today patriots all around The United Stats remember him as a hero.The film was one of the best biographys i have ever seen and i do not question why he is so respected.

The Hunger Games is a novel written by Suzanne Collins. It was published in 2008 and it has sold millions of copies. There is also movie based on the novel. I had read the Hunger Games before, but I decided to read it again because it`s one of my favorite books. The Hunger Games is a dystopian novel, the story is set in the future, after the destruction of North America. The new country is called Panem. There are 12 districts in Panem. They are ruled by the wealthy Capitol. As punishment for the districts rebellion many years earlier the Capitol holds an annual televised event called The Hunger Games. Each district choses one boy and one girl tribute to join the game, that only one can survive alive.
The story is about Katniss Everdeen a sixteen year girl from district 12, the poorest of them all. She volunteers to take her sister`s place in the game. The other tribute from district 12 is a boy named Peeta. Peeta’s selection doesn’t bode well for Katniss, who feels that she owes Peeta for saving her life when they were children, which is inconvenient considering she’s now expected to kill him in the Hunger Games. The storyline focuses on their journey to the games and how will they survive there. It´s nice to see how their relationship evolves.
The book is captivating. It keeps you on your toes from the beginning to the end. The writer Suzanne Collins has created a really believable world. There is lots of violence in the book, because it`s about a brutal game where the tributes fight to death and only one can survive. The atmosphere is dramatic, there is life and dead situations going on all the time. There is also a love triangle in the book but storyline doesn´t focus on that so much which I liked.
The main topics that the book deals with are poverty, totalitarianism and the gap between rich and poor. Serious issues. It also deals with many rights and wrongs and human nature (how horrible can it be). Even though it is fiction book, it raises some question. Could country like Panem really exist? How far will reality television go? I would recommend this book to everybody especially if you like dystopian novels. The book is easy to read and it has lots of action.

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.