Petit-Niko's City of Bones vs. Clockwork Angel

This is so true and funny I couldn't resist publishing it. I love Clary Fray as a character and The Mortal Instruments is my favorite series of all times, but I have to hand it to Tessa on this argument. She does have a point! :-) The art is by Petit-Neko. To see more of her work just click on the name.

Love it! <3

Movie Review - Everybody's Fine

My husband brought home "Everybody's Fine" (2009)  and I wasn't sure it was going to be my cup of tea. But with a cast including Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore and Kate Beckinsale how could I resist?

This is film is essentially about the complicated relationship in between parents and their children once they grow up. While the parents still see their adult children as small children and continue to expect a lot of them for the future, the "kids" struggle with their own lives, careers, families and issues while still trying not to disappoint their parents. Here comes the million dollar question: Do you lie to them, so they don't worry and are proud of you, or do you tell them the truth?

De Niro plays Frank, a father of four, now adult children, struggling to keep the family together after the death of his wife. As he was never the link that kept them together, that was his wife, he decides he needs to find a way to reconnect with his children . Once they all stand him up for a family reunion he goes on a road trip to surprise each of them, but what he finds isn't quite what he was expecting. The bottom line though, is that he just wants to be in touch with his children. He loves them regardless and just wants to be part of their lives. Be prepared for a couple of twists and turns and some tears.

This got me thinking about my own mother and how easy it is when you live so far away from your parents to lose touch with them. Not intentionally, but out of busyness and getting on with our own lives. So there you go... If nothing else, this movie made me call my mother today just to see how she was doing and to include her in my life.

Emotional, with some cheesy scenes, but a lovely movie. Highly recommend to any adult children! :-)

Book Giveaway {1} - Win a Copy of Matched!!

To celebrate the fact the blog is finally up and running (after all my tantrums, blood, sweat, tears and verbal abuse hailed at my laptop like stones) I'm giving away a copy of Matched by Ally Condie (Best Book of the Month for December 10 as voted by Amazon - see my review here). For a chance to be the lucky winner all you have to do is to follow the blog and retweet the link and/or copy and paste it to your Facebook updates by Friday 28th January.

Good luck and get tweeting!

New Article over at Babi Dewet's {2}

Check out my new article for Babi Dewet talking about the release of the British cover for "Forever", the third book of the "The Wolves of Mercy Fall" series (a.k.a. Shiver) by Maggie Stiefvater . The cover for this books seem to vary a lot from country to country, but so far the collection of art for the British covers is the best. Just click on the link above to read the article in Portuguese.

I hope you enjoy!

In the Mail {1} - Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Today I finally received my copy of Halo by Alexandra Adornetto! There are a few other goodies I'm hoping the postman will bring me soon. But for now, this will keep me busy. :-)

Nothing much happens in the sleepy town of Venus Cove. But everything changes when three angels are sent from Heaven to protect the town against the gathering forces of darkness: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. They work hard to conceal their true identity and, most of all, their wings.

Book Review - Matched by Ally Condie

SYNOPSIS:
Matched is the first book of Ally Condie's new trilogy. It tells Cassia's story, a seventeen year old girl who lives in a perfect world created by "The Society". The Society chooses everything for everyone: where they work and live, what they eat and do with their time, who they love, how many children they have and when they live or die. And that is all well and good until she loses someone she loves and finds herself falling in love for a boy that is not her "Match" and has not been chosen to be her partner. The Society and the world she knows and once believed to be so perfect begin to feel more like a prison as she starts to question why she cannot choose for herself.

REVIEW:
When asked how is this book different from other YA books in an interview for Amazon Condie replied: " I think it’s different in that it’s perhaps less action-oriented and more introspective. This is really the story of one girl, Cassia, learning to choose." And ultimately it's also a story of how we take our freedom and free-will for granted.

Although Matched was voted Best Book of the Month for December 2010 by Amazon I have to admit I struggled reading it and found it a little heavy going. Probably a lot to do with the fact that it is not an action book as much as a self-discovery one.

The story unfolds slowly as Cassia starts to question decisions and events, but finds it hard to let go of her trust in the apparently perfect Society. The characters are interesting and so is the plot, but I found the story long winded and slow to the point that I wondered if Condie set the pace on purpose to make the reader feel controlled, paced, herded and ever so slightly bored, just like Cassia in her life before she starts to wonder about all the other possibilities.

The end it's not so much a cliff hanger, but you know the story is to be continued. Condie also does a good job of evoking the right feelings on you: quiet anger, rebellion, questioning, indignation and passive aggression. Emotionally this can feel somewhat of a dark book, specially towards the end. I had flashbacks from when I read Anne Frank's Diary and watched documentaries on Concentration Camps as this is what Cassia's world really is: a glamorized concentration camp labeled Utopia. And we all know that Utopia is never really fair or even as there is always someone at the very top playing God.


Crossed, the second book of the series, comes out in November and I'm looking forward to it.

OUT OF CURIOSITY: The book has reportedly already been signed by Disney to become a movie and, rumor has it, Condie received a seven figure deal for the series.

Book Rating: ***

To check the rating system click here.

My Column for Brazilian Blogger Babi Dewet

You know when someone annoyingly says to you "what will be, will be" as if it was an answer, when it isn't really one? Well... For ages I could not decide for the life of me what to do at University. So many options, so many things I was interested in and fields I was already working in! It was a tough decision.

As if it was a sign, as soon as I decided to go towards Creative Writing and Journalism I had two offers to write for other people and publications. One of which came from the lovely Brazilian writer, blogger and teacher Babi Dewet. So, for all my Brazilian and/or Portuguese speaking readers, here are my articles for this VIP lady:

http://babidewet.com/?s=noticias+internacionais

I guess it is true! What will be, will be.
Enjoy!