Book review: Eleanor and Park

Books you've gotta love them. My reading list so far has taken me on a roller-coaster ride of all sorts. From The Book Thief to the Hunger Games  to The Perks of being a Wallflower even Night by Elie Wiesel... see what I mean.

I t seemed/seems like I am on a young adult journey that I don't want to admit to myself since I'd like to be considered deep (lame right?). Therefore even admitting that I read this next book is a bit of a challenge.

 Finding it was like finding a lost earring...come on ladies you know what I mean. Remembering a calmer time, relief. (Sorry gentlemen, you have to help me out on this one, what do you guys find that offers relief after nearly sending out a search party? Your wallet? No? Okay.) I was previously  reading "Into the Wild" and before that  Night by Elie Wiesel. I thought that a little dystopia was in order after reading these emotionally packed books, but Insurgent, though thrilling did not make the cut.

(I love how I'm just dropping these book titles. Folks, readers are leaders.)

Eleanor and Park is set in the 80's. If that isn't exciting then I do not know what is. But not the Cindy Lauper, Madonna eighties, the New Wave, Punk 80's. You should know, I prefer the Cindy Lauper, Madonna eighties. Who doesn't want to break out in song to "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun".

The novel revolves around... you guessed it Eleanor and Park. Teenagers trying to get the hang of this thing called life.

Neither of them are what we are used to. No blue eyed blondie or brunette here. On the contrary it's the most unlikely young adult, teenage minorities that are represented in this story.

Through out this book, Rainbow Rowell manages to slip in just the right amount of warm and fuzzy feelings for the readers, between  Eleanor and Park.

Both their thoughts are captured in such a raw manner, its literally impossible not to be lost in this book.

It does not offer twists and turns like the ones I am used to (Hunger Games, Divergent type), but makes up for it entirely by having a major twist... okay maybe a couple more that I missed out on.

Rainbow Rowell manages to roll t.v series, comics, music, books and possibly even more stuff that made up the life of a teenager back in the 80's  that I may have looked over from the 80's into the book. Enough to cause nostalgia rushing in.

All in all, if you are looking for that one book to give you a temporary high, Eleanor and Park does so in some weird way. Not to say that this book is all hunky dory and rainbows and cherubs, but it sure does cure a TFIOS hungover.

The only down side is that it's soon to be a motion picture. Hollywood may get our hopes up for nothing but I will give them (those who will be involved in the movie making process) the benefit of the doubt.

Happy reading y'all (I've been watching too much Kim of Queens)

Ryan Seacrest. Is He Taking Over the World?

To be honest, I considered naming this post #ManCrushNotMonday but I didn't for a couple of reasons:

1. All good men are either dead or taken and seeing as to how Ryan Seacrest is not dead you guessed it he's taken or is he?

2. His height is a shortcoming. Ha! See what I did there? I honestly didn't. Don't believe me? fine! In the event I was to have a #ManCrushNotMonday or a  #ManCrushMonday I think he'd kinda have to be rather tall. Sorry Ryan.

3. It was going to be a bit too Instagram-my(no such word by the way) for me.

He is probably executive producer extrodinaire and Hollywood's hottest host. He has literally hosted everything big. I'm talking American Idols, E!News and literally every hot award season red carpet event there is.

This is the guy who made the Kardashians, the Kardashians!

Whatever I said up there is just a snippet of what he has done but the main reason why I am super duper intrigued with this guy right here, is that he recently launched a men's clothing line  under Macy's which will soon be available in the fall.
 
That just hit me like woah! Does the guy run on jet fuel or something because he literally does not stop.

So you are probably thinking "It"s just a clothing line" oh no people, Mr. Seacrest here is going for the whole shabang here; suits, tuxedos, dress shirts, belts and ties, complete with a color-matching system which you should probably read more about here. And most importantly the fit on these suits is perfect giving men that A-list look.

With Ryan you never know what's coming next. Today a clothing line, tomorrow the motor industry! Who knows? All I know is that I'll be on the look out waiting for the next big thing.

Keep the Book in The Movie

For some reason I am reading books that have movies. So first, I started by watching The Hunger Games and I can't seem to figure out if the odds were ever in movie makers' favor or they weren't,either way this brought me to where I am today.

I will be the first to say that I am completely satisfied with The Hunger games as a book and a movie. I mean the guys involved in making this movie captured the imagery in the book like Panem is a real country and everyone from Katniss to Rue were real people. As if the Hunger Games was not enough Catching Fire to me, was even more precise. Don't even get me started on Finnick and the arena, what about that cornucopia?

Before watching the Hunger Games movie, I hadn't read the book and watching the movie somehow compelled me not only to read the Hunger Games alone, but the trilogy. That's what a good movie based on a book should do, not leave you like "Good movie" but more like "Good movie, I wonder what the book is like?" if you haven't read it, that is.

You can only imagine how pleased I was when I saw a snippet of The Fault in Our Stars (TFIOS). Oh my days!!! I can't say that book title without having a smirk on my face. In case you have been living under a rock,  The Fault in Our Stars, I can't even describe it for you. It's the perfect mix of young adult and bitter sweet.Just download it. Thank me later.

So back to how pleasantly surprised I was when I saw a snippet of TFIOS. This particular scene was "the metaphor" you know the one, put the killing thing in your mouth but don't give it the power of killing you. How it is in the book is exactly how it is in the movie and the best part is the writers of the screenplay were concerned with putting quotes from the book in the movie and seeing John Green (author of  TFIOS) happy.

That's what it's about, keeping the book in the movie.

#WomanCrushNotWednesday Veronica Roth

Two words for you, Veronica Roth. Writer of the Divergent series.

I know, I know another young adult dystopian novel which you could probably do without but hear me out. What fascinates me most about Veronica is her age. The lady is in her twenties and already she has a New York Times Best Seller under her belt.

She wrote it while on her winter break from Northwestern University. The first draft at least of divergent.

When you have something good you run with it and that is exactly what she did. She sold the movie rights before she graduated.

Although I have my reservations about the book series being a movie, I have to say I look up to her in so many ways given that she is one of the youngest authors in the dystopian genre game.

She is so good I even considered trying to write a dystopian novel. I can almost see it, a dystopian Nairobi, where 16-year-olds are no longer into electronic dance music (EDM) or adoring the Jenner sisters but are now ... well I don't know what they would be facing yet but hey! a girl gotta start somewhere.

My only hope is that she writes something else other than dystopia and the like. You know be divergent... see what I did there? As much as her genre is all the rage right now you know how young adult goes. For one they don't stay young adults for long and embracing the new almost always happens.

Today is Veronica Roth and tomorrow its the next big author.

Oh well for now I am in love with Divergent and I just found out I am one (did the quiz online Erudite and Dauntless to be exact just like Tris!!). I know, sad what I do with my spare time.

Veronica if your reading this... hey I am just thrilled your setting eyes on my "work".

A R T

Deadlines yet the creative juices are't flowing.

The story of art.

Sitting here and nothingness becomes of it.

Everything is here but it isn't. Is my mind repelling ideas or something?

Is that a ray of hope I see? An idea. It comes to me and just like that its gone.

Back to square one with a lesson learnt.

Hope is all that is left. Hope is all that there was. But will keeps me grounded, the will to outdo myself. However bright or dim the light is I'll take it.

I will ran with it.

After all the verdict is limited; thumbs up or thumbs down. Just ran, either one awaits me. Neither one defines me unless I let it.

Perfection is what last describes me but what becomes of me. 

Of Men and Gentlemen

Let me burst your bubble right now, before you get in too deep.

You see that link up there? The one that says Next Blog >> you should probably click that if your preference is swayed towards a juicy story of relationship drama.

There I warned you.

*Matatu.

Mayhem.

Misery.

The weather should have told it all. Cold and drizzly was the sky and mucky and muddy was the earth.

Getting home was going to be anything but rosy.

I get to the bus stop at 5.45 pm and leave close to half an hour later. A century it seems.

Spotted in the sea of vehicles, a matatu going my way. I wish that I was the only one who saw it as pushing and shoving will soon be the name of the game.

Man or gentleman be the judge:

Almost there, at least that's what I think. Only two seats left. For the gentleman ahead of me and I. Assumptions will surely be the death of me.

My focus on "my" seat is unshakable I don't even notice the gentleman ahead of me clings to a girl. Presumably his better half. He pulls her. Doesn't even stop to look if he'll hurt anybody as he pulls her through the crowd. Dog eat dog world, I guess.

Him.

 Man to me, gentleman to her, causes me to hit myself hard against the vehicle's door. Metallic door.

Not only am I left bruised from the run in with the door, but also mud on my jeans and misery written all over my face.

Unlike the mud on my jeans that washes of later, I can't say the same for the memory engraved in my mind from that drab Thursday evening.

And they say gentlemen don't exist... Ha!


*matatu-public service vehicle in East Africa

Father's Day Special II

I have his eyes, so they say.

His choice of cabs have never been the best, I hate to admit. Brought me home from the hospital in a rickety contraption of a car. But that was the least of his worries. He had love in his arms. Literally, named me love. That's all that mattered.

You'd think I'd be used to them by now. His sneezes, his coughs. Strong enough to wake you up, even in the deepest of slumber. No wonder one of his friends referred to his as an explosion... not a sneeze.

*Macho nne, never when he is eating fish, don't call him then either.

But it isn't always fun and games with this guy. Puts us in our place when we are slacking on our chores or joking with an education he faithfully provides.

Stylish and stylist in his own right. Call him my personal shopper and interior decorator extraordinaire.

Some dads are presidents, others are terrorists. Mine is neither in case the thought crossed your mind. Either way they influence their bambini. Present or absent.

Mine does just that, more than that.

He gets up for interviews. He gets up to get me up to get to interviews.

He "fails"... mysteriously.

I fail... understandably.

But he gets up, and does it all over again, like its nothing. I on the other hand, can't say the same.

I probably don't bounce back as fast as he does, but that much and a bag of chips he has taught me.

His birthday and Father's Day fall in the same period.

So go ahead Dad, put your feet up, pour yourself your drink of choice and turn that Supersport up.

You, big man, you deserve it.



*Four eyes/ Wears glasses