Film Review: What We Did On Our Holiday - Andy Hamilton, Guy Jenkin

26th September 2014 (UK)
Director: Andy Hamilton, Guy Jenkin
Screenplay: Andy Hamilton, Guy Jenkin

**** - 4 Stars


What We Did On Our Holiday directed and written by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin is a beautiful story set from a kids point of view. When a family (with recently separated parents) go to stay in Scotland for the weekend with their granddad (dying of cancer) for his birthday, he passes away suddenly.

Thinking that if they tell the adults, they'll just fight, the three children decide to give their grand father a traditional Viking funeral by setting his body on fire and letting it drift out to sea on a raft.

The family struggles more and more as media and press from all over the world, as well as the police, catch hold of the story. The family become ridiculed for the 'barbaric death' of their grand father.

This film is nothing like I thought it was going to be. In fact, it is the complete opposite. It's not exactly a 'happy-go-lucky' kind of film and their is no real 'happy ending' in the traditional sense. The story is, however, original and a very interesting, more light-hearted perspective on death which I really enjoyed. There are quite a few moments that'll make you laugh, but equally, quite a few moments that'll bring a tear to your eye.

I thoroughly recommend this film for acting, writing and incredible story telling. Four out of five stars.

 

***

Lots of love, Lara xx

Film Review: Into The Woods - Rob Marshall

8th December 2014 (New York)
Director: Rob Marshall
Screenplay:  James Lapine

**** - 4 Stars

Into The Woods directed by Rob Marshall and screenplay by James Lapine, is a movie adaptation of a play by the same name.

Although I cannot compare this to the musical; as I understand it, it comes across in more or less the same way (theatre and film versions).

I do have to warn you now before you go and see this film, you are in for a long haul; the film being three hours long. This was of no concern to me however, as I love musicals and was happy to watch it but by having friends and family members who do not like lengthy films of content singing, I do feel the need to mention both of these things.

Into The Woods is a movie musical following many fairy-tale characters. The first half of the film sees the stories we know - with a twist!! - of the characters getting their happy endings. The second half of the film focuses on what happens after 'happily ever after'.

I have to say, when I was watching this film, it wasn't immediately obvious that it was made by Disney (in the best way possible). This film is a little darker than your average Disney film and it reminded me more of the Brothers Grimm versions (mainly due to cinematography).

There have been a few Disney films which have been like this recently which has been refreshing. Unlike Maleficent, the stories haven't been dramatically altered from the ones we know and love.

I really enjoyed this film.

Let me know what you thought.

 

***

Lots of love, Lara xx

Empty Pockets: New and Selected Short Stories* | Dale Herd

Empty Pockets: New and Selected Short Stories*
Coffee House Press
Release Date: 10th February 2015
Pre-Order now

**** - 4 stars

This is such a great book. It's full of well written short stories that make you think about life and the world and view it in a different way. Empty Pockets is a great coffee table book; something you can just have on your coffee table and people can flick through and read any stories they want. The stories are fantastic. There's something about each and every story that has you hooked every time.

Dale Herd puts the world into words in a most brilliant way and I loved reading all of them. The stories in the book spanning 30-40 years and having such diversity and show the world at the time each story was written. It's magical how Herd manages to do that so easily!! I think the most brilliant thing about this book is that all these are short stories. 

If you're someone who can never find the time to read a full book, this is perfect. It gives you the chance to read without committing to a three hundred and something page book. It also means you can just flick through the book and pick and choose which stories to read.

 I highly recommend this book!! 4/5 stars for Dale Herd!!

 Pre-order now on Amazon!!

 It's released 10th February 2015!!

***

Let me know what you think down below!

Lots of love, Lara xx

Book Review: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

PENGUIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
First published 1865
 Published in Penguin Classics 1998

Published as a Pocket Penguin Classic 2006

**** - 4 Stars

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is such a lovely little book. Although it is only a short story, it is highly enjoyable and the shortness only adds to the appeal of the book. I recommend this if you have been reading a lot of books or heavy books in the past few weeks - as you might well have been, considering Christmas has just passed! It is a light, refreshing book in between all those big reads you might have had so far this year. I read this book in between reading a lot of heavy books back in November (as many of these reviews have been written ahead of time for you), and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I felt like I needed a bit of a break from some of the heavier stuff I have been reading recently but did not want to stop reading completely and lose my momentum. So, I decided this would be the perfect thing to slot in.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a beautifully written story and creates a beautiful little world inside your head full of many peculiar and wonderful things. The writing is wonderful and the characters and story are all wonderfully weird and light-hearted enough to make this an enjoyable read whilst still having enough weight to make them memorable and iconic characters.

The only reason I gave this book four stars instead of five is probably because I am far too familiar with the story and I have never read the book before! Growing up, there have been many film adaptations of this book that I have been sat before and I think those films have somewhat ruined the reading experience for me as I knew the story inside out.

I do adore this book, however, and I heartily encourage you to read it.

 



*      *      *

Lots of love, Lara xx

Book Review: Death Comes to Pemberley | P.D James



First published in 2011 by Faber and Faber

Bloomsbury House

© P.D. James 2011



**** - 4 Stars

'In a pitch-perfect recreation of the world of Pride and Prejudice, P.D. James elegantly fuses her life long passion for the work of Jane Austen with her talent for writing detective fiction.'

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James is an excellent book. It is well written and pays well deserved respect and acknowledgement to the novel it is based on.

I really did enjoy this book and as a detective fiction, it was marvellous and it wasn't spoiled by any obvious plot twists. I loved this novel even better for it being based on and paying tribute to my personal favourite book; Pride and Prejudice.

However, Death Comes to Pemberley only gets four out of five stars as it just wasn't quite good enough - and paying homage to one of the most beloved novels in English Literature, it just didn't quite come up to scratch for me. There were too many blatantly obvious references to its predecessor (e.g., 'fluttering spasms', 'shades of Pemberley, less polluted') which just made it feel like she was trying too hard to remind us of the original story and ruined it as a separate piece of work. The characters feel too different from the original story and the storyline itself doesn't blend as seamlessly as I would've liked it to - considering the predecessor and the characters are so well known. Although, I do need to acknowledge it is almost impossible to be able to make the writing style and the characters perfect and this was in no way a bad effort. So, four stars P.D. James. Well done!!

***

Tell me what you thought of the book!!

Love, Lara xx

P.S. Where you can buy this book:

The Book Depository

Amazon

The Book People

Book Review: Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë

 

**** - 4 Stars
Wuthering Heights follows the story of Heathcliff. Mr. Earnshaw adopted a young gypsy boy and brought him into his family to be raised with his two children, Catherine and Hindley. As the years go by, Heathcliff and Catherine form a deep relationship with each other, but when Heathcliff disappears for three years, Catherine marries Edgar Linton.
Wuthering Heights is a story who's main theme is the destructive effect of both jealousy and vengefulness.
What to say about Wuthering Heights? I have to say, when I found that this was next on my TBR, I was a little wary and exasperated.
As much as I love classics, Wuthering Heights has never really appealed to me before. Each time I have tried to read it before now, I found it confusing and too hard to follow so, I simply gave up.
However while, yes, this is a difficult book to follow for the first chapter or so; once you get used to it, Wuthering Heights makes for a supremely thrilling read. I honestly think it is a shame how classics novels such as this one are disregarded now for second rate, recycled stories.
I hear all the time that the reason people don't read classics anymore is because they are old, out-dated and have been read so many times before. What we all seem to be forgetting is that we wouldn't have the books we have today, if books like this hadn't been written.
I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I did not expect to. I highly recommend reading this if you want to try your hand at reading a classic novel. The story is fantastically intriguing, the characters are well rounded and fleshed out and the plot is stunning, as is the writing itself.
4/5 stars. Please read and let me know your thoughts.

***

Love, Lara xxx

Film Review: Summer in February - Christopher Menaul

14th June, 2013 (USA)
Director: Christopher Menaul
Screenplay: Jonathan Smith 

 **** - 4 stars

Summer in February is a stunning film. I absolutely adore it. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I knew nothing of the people this film is based on but I enjoyed it tremendously. It seems that the one thing the English can do better than anything else is making a beautiful film.

As a girl, I do confess that I love a good love story but this one was different to everything else I've seen or read. There is something about this story that had me hooked straight away. The casting choices were brilliant. I could not think of more perfect people to play the roles.

This film is a must see. I love it. It was beautifully written, directed and portrayed.

I thoroughly recommend this film.

Tell me what you think.

***

Love, Lara xxx

Book Review: On The Edge - Gillian Cross

PUFFIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
First published by Oxford University Press 1984
Copyright © Gillian Cross, 1984

**** - 4 Stars
'"Tug pushed the door as far open as he could. Squatting  down, he peered though the narrow crack and saw what was hanging outside, across the opening. A heavy padlock, snapped shut."
That was when he realised it wasn't all a mistake. He must have been kidnapped by the strange man and woman who'd brought him to this remote Derbyshire cottage. But he couldn't remember how it had happened, and the things the couple were saying just didn't make sense. If only they'd stop playing that endless, deafening brass-band music...'

On The Edge, by Gillian Cross is a brilliant book. I was actually really pleasantly surprised when reading this book at how much I liked the writing and the story. After reading New World, I was sceptical of reading more of Cross' work, despite the fantastic reviews on the back. New World was a real disappointment for me and I was dreading having to read this book next, in all honesty because I was so afraid I wasn't going to like it and I would have wasted my time again. However, this is definitely worth the read!! This book is filled with suspense and had me confused and intrigued right until the very end.
Although this book is classed as a thriller, filled with suspense, you do have to remember that this is a PUFFIN book and so, it is for children. On The Edge is a story about finding yourself, who you are as a person. That is the message you take away and that is hidden cleverly in a brilliantly written story. I usually would not have picked up a book like this to read, I happened to get it along with 20 or so others that I got for $1 a few months back. I also did not think I'd actually end up reading it. However, I'm glad I did.
I definitely recommend this book!! Its brilliantly written and I feel like Gillian Cross needs to be a more well known and celebrated writer.


Thanks again and I'll see you same time next week for a film review!!

Love, Lara xxx

 

P.S. Where you can buy this book

Film Review: About Time - Richard Curtis

 

8th August, 2013 (United Kingdom)
Director: Richard Curtis
Screenplay: Richard Curtis
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Domhnall Gleeson, Margot Robbie, Tom Hollander, Lydia Wilson, Lindsay Duncan, Richard Cordery and Will Merrick.

**** - 4 Stars

 

About Time directed by Richard Curtis is one of the best 'feel good' films I've seen in a long time. It is up there on my list with films such as Love Actually and The Holiday. I have to admit, when I decided to watch this, I wasn't too sure what to expect. I had seen the trailers for it and it looked intriguing but also a little absurd. I did get the impression from the trailers that it was just another 'American Rom-Com' and I always get a little disappointed by things like that now as it seems they are the only films that are churned out of the film industry as its such a popular genre.

However, I could not be more glad to admit that I was wrong. About Time is just the most wonderful, heart-warming British comedy and I completely loved it. Right from the off, I knew this was going to be something different and something that we hadn't seen before. It was refreshing and just a true pleasure to watch.
I completely recommend that if you haven't watched this yet, you really should. If traditional British comedy is your thing, you will love this film.
*DISCLAIMER* This film DOES have sad moments in it!!
There is not much I can find to complain about with this film; casting was great, directing was fantastic, cinematography was beautiful. I think the only reason this is a four star review and not a five star review is simply down to the fact that, as a prolific reader and writer, I felt the story and the writing could have been improved upon a bit but that is a minor detail and is a personal opinion.
I loved this film. You should all go and watch it right now!! Tell me what you think down in the comments.
***
Goodbye for now,
Lara xx


Book Review: The Mortal Instruments City of Ashes – Cassandra Clare | Lara Pass

**** - 4 Stars
The Mortal Instruments City of Ashes is the second book in the Mortal Instruments series and I was pleasantly surprised by it. Usually I get disappointed by book sequels because they're never as good as the first. However, this book did not let me down. I was anxious to know how the story of Jace and Clary was going to progress and it has been really interesting. I feel like I Clare had more confidence when writing this book and was more comfortable with the characters now. The relationships between both Jace and Clary and Clary and Simon, become a bit more complex. The brother-sister relationship between Alec and Isabelle also becomes more prominent in this book which I enjoyed.
Obviously, we get to meet new characters in this book. The rest of the Lightwood family come back from Alicante after the Accords and you get to see Jace's relationship with his adoptive family. What I loved about this book is, unlike the last book, this was not set from just Clary's point of view. You get to see how other characters view the situations and what their feelings are as well as Clary's and I enjoyed that aspect of the book. I constantly read books and get to a part thinking 'it would be great to know what this character is thinking right now, see their point of view' but I have never read a book like it until now. I love the idea and it makes for a more interesting read. Of course, a lot of books work better where it's just from one character's point of view, but this particular series works better when you get to know what multiple characters are feeling. I makes the story more complex and interesting and just makes it more enjoyable to read than the last book.
I gave this 4/5 stars for its originality but it is not quite good enough to get 5/5. Thank you again, Cassandra Clare, for writing a truly brilliant book.

Book Review: The Mortal Instruments City of Bones – Cassandra Clare | Lara Pass

**** - 4 Stars

The Mortal Instruments - City of Bones
Cassandra Clare
Publishers - Walker Books 

The City of Bones is the first book in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. I'll be honest, I'm a late bloomer when it comes to this series. I didn't actually find out about it until the film came out last year and when it did, I knew I had to read the book first. It was only when I joined the 'BookTuber' community that I realised the hype around these books. I tend to stay away from YA series that get a lot of hype as they all seem to be knock off versions of Twilight (Stephanie Meyer) which – while successful – was not the best book series I have ever read either. As always, because this is a book series, I'm going to relate it to Harry Potter. (Sorry…) The reason I tend to stay away from big book series is because they all seem to be more of the same and it gets tiresome reading and reviewing books that are so much like everything else that is 'big' at the time. Twilight, The Hunger Games… they all just tend to bore me a little. The reason series have become such a big thing is
because of Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling wrote the most successful books in history and is one of the richest women in the world and because of the success of the book series, that's what all writers are doing now. Well, I say 'all writers', I mean writers of YA books specifically. I'm not saying that people can't write successful series anymore because of Harry Potter. What I am saying is, there is no point writing a book series if it is like so many other things that are being written and turned into films. I just don't see the point in it if I'm being honest.
This – while being another YA book series – is a little different. Since the release of Twilight all those many moons ago, everything that has followed after has come from Twilight. The next 'big thing' after Twilight was, of course, The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins). Both these book series were original at the time but now everything seems to be a knock off version of it. Teen romance novels became a massive craze after Twilight (Which is when I became uninterested), and dystopian novels became a massive craze after The Hunger Games (which – again – is when I became uninterested). The City of Bones is something I can't make my mind up about yet. I don't see it becoming as big of a deal as is predecessors but that's what I kind of like about it. Of course, it is kind of another 'teen romance' but the characters seem to have a bit of complexity and depth to them – which I have yet to see in other teen series.
There are reasons why I love Harry Potter and why it is my favourite book series ever. It's not because of the film series (that I found pretty average). There is something in Rowling's writing which makes you feel something. You can envision every nook and cranny of Hogwarts because her writing is so rich. There is a depth to her characters which makes you not only sympathise, but empathise with them. These are all the qualities I look for in a book. These are the things which – in my opinion – make a book good. There is something in Clare's writing which reminds me of Rowling a little. I can envision where Clary and Jace are standing quite clearly. Their relationship isn't simple and black and white but there are so many complexities to it which makes for an interesting read. Although I can never truly compare any writer to Rowling, Clare's writing skills are something to be admired and I can't wait to read the rest of the series and find out all the twists and turns. Well done Cassandra Clare on a smashing book. I give you 4/5 stars for your hard work.

Book Review: Changeling - Delia Sherman | Lara Pass

Changeling - Delia Sherman
Published by - Viking:
A Division of Penguin Young Readers Group

**** - 4 Stars
This is a book that happened to catch my eye when I was in a charity shop a few months ago. Its an extremely beautiful book and I bought it on a whim. Just one of those, 'in the heat of the moment' decisions.
However, when I finally got around to reading it, I was glad that it did catch my eye that day. Not only is this an extremely beautiful book, but it's an extremely beautiful story. This is a story of self-discovery, independence and belief. I think it is really fitting for kids as it sends out all the right messages and is a rather empowering book.
After reading this, I felt like I could do anything. Battle a dragon maybe?...
I also love how Sherman creates a world within 'our world'. The 'New York Between' was a very interesting concept and a lovely idea that there is a world that coincides with our own. That its a place we as humans can only get to in our dream.

Delia Sherman - Author

Nothing has been overdone in this book. There is no aspect I can think of that Sherman has gone too far with. There is just the right about of action and adventure and also cunningness and bravery and the way Sherman writes, makes you feel like you are truly part of that world.
There are actually few children's stories that I actually, genuinely enjoy, but this month I seem to have fallen lucky in terms of children's books because they are all absolutely enchanting.
I can't wait to buy the second instalment of this series (luckily a short series - phew...)   and find out the rest of the story. This book will truly capture every child's imagination and I can't really fault it apart from on one thing. Originality. That is the only thing that lets this story down and is why I gave it 4/5 stars. The writing is brilliant, the story is brilliant; the only problem I have is that its a bit too much like so many other children's books I have read. Drawing inspirations from the Grimm brothers' stories, while a good idea, just reminded me of how little there is to inspire us to create a completely new world of our own invention which is what needs to be done with a children's story. They need to be transported somewhere completely new and different and unique and I feel that Changeling didn't quite deliver.
However, a beautiful book and an even more beautiful story and I'm glad to have read it.