Final Exam Review

            Honeymoon by James Patterson is just another one of his mystery/thriller stories that became an instant best seller just because it has his name on the cover. The name on the cover is the reason it was “2005 international thriller of the year” because, quite frankly, there had to be a better thriller made in 2005 than Honeymoon by James Patterson.

With all of the books James Patterson has written (he has written 95!) there has to be a few duds, and this is one of them. The basic premise is Nora, a beautiful interior designer with charisma and spunk, leads a secret life of many husbands/fiancés/boyfriends and somehow they all end up dead. The other half of the story is John O’Hara, and undercover FBI agent, trying to get the full picture when it comes to Nora and the deaths surrounding her. The beginning of the book gives the reader a feeling of hey maybe this book will finally be a book that doesn’t let me down in the end, spoiler alert, it does. With the confusing switch of plot lines and short introduction to all of the characters, it’s hard to figure out the true personality of each character. Take O’Hara for example, he is supposed to be a strong, determined undercover agent for the FBI, and he is portrayed as that until almost the end of the story. “If Nora had thoughts of storming in, I’d be ready for her. I gripped the gun in both hands and waited. Where are you Nora-love of my life?” How could that happen? How could an FBI agent fall in love with a suspected serial killer? I felt duped and disappointed when I found out he is weak and so easily manipulated. How could he ever be an FBI agent? How could he have even gotten the job? That I’m not sure of.

Then there is Nora. I don’t really get her or connect with her in any way. Her mindset is so far away from reality it’s hard to understand. Her mom is in a mental hospital, but really I think Nora should be there too. The way she poisons the ones she “loves” and then stands and watches them die a horribly painful death is disturbing on so many levels. As we watch her kill her first victim in the book- “All she could do was wait for the shaking and convulsing to stop again, which is finally did. Permanently.” It’s scary how she has normal friends and is a very rich, well known designer, yet nobody even suspects her being a murderer, except the FBI of course. Yet what’s so confusing is the fact the Nora feels as if she has to kill the ones who get close to her. The killings aren’t random at all; they are planned out over months and even years. That’s the thing about this book that is really hard to understand, Nora’s past is briefly described. How bad of a childhood did you have to have in order to become like this? That’s one question that doesn’t get answered fully in this book, and would make the story so much better if it was.

The ending was exciting yet so unexpected you know it has to be fiction. That’s one of the main problems with this book. It screams fiction in so many ways that it’s hard to comprehend or really understand how this would even happen. If Patterson left the part out of Connor’s sister (Connor was Nora’s fiancé and her first victim) killing Nora, the story might have been more believable because with all the drama in what you thought was the ending, reading this part just throws it way out of proportion. Connor’s sister is perfectly normal, and lives over 3,000 miles away. Yet somehow she ends up flying across the country, and then gets ahold of the poison Nora uses on her victims, sneaks into Nora’s house and poisons her successfully? And then she’s not even held responsible for Nora’s death? It just doesn’t make much sense.

This book would be a 6 out of 10 just because the beginning of the ending was really suspenseful; it was definitely the highlight of the book. The rest of the book is very average and at times confusing. If the plot was more believable and put together in a more understanding way it might be worth reading.

Post #7 Safe Haven Book Trailer

Post #6 Book Talk Prezi

Post #5 Non-Fiction

In my mind for a book to be considered non-fiction it has to be completely true, and be the author's true reality. Exaggerating to the point of a lie is not acceptable in a non-fiction book. If there is a made up aspect in a so called "non-fiction" piece then it is fiction. Half- truths are ok in fiction definitely, but not in non-fiction. When these lies are written into what people think is real the author is betraying all of his readers, and fans. People read non-fiction because they want the truth; they want to read about real life events, and the reality of today. If they didn't want the truth and just some made up story they would read fiction, that's why we have two main categories for books, fiction and nonfiction. These half-truths are creating a weird sub-genre. You either go all into reality or go all into fiction, there really shouldn't be an other option. One book that is acceptable though, in my mind, is The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. It is a fictional story, but pieces of his wife's parents relationship is seen all through out the book, and he got the idea from their marriage and background story. He doesn't go saying it's non-fiction though. He made some stuff up to make the book worth reading, which is perfectly acceptable because of the fact he classify's his book as fiction. I do think we need lines between genres. Even though a book is a book, it helps us classify and organize books in a way that's manageable. Imagine if you walked into a bookstore and their was no organization, no such thing as genre sections, nothing would ever get done. Lets say you wanted to find a romance book, but there are no genres and the workers have no idea what you are talking about. You wouldn't be able to tell books from one another, they would all just simply be books. Not a teen novel or a mystery novel, just simply a book. No book would really stand out as special and there would be no way to really compare books effectively. Genres should be used to categorize books, and fiction and non-fiction need to stay two separate genres for the separation to mean anything at all. 

Post #4 Adapting Safe Haven

    Some specific challenges a filmmaker would have when turning the book Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks into a movie is casting the right people to play the characters. Without the right casting the emotions and tone of the whole movie would be off, and it would look almost awkward on screen. This is one problem that I saw in the movie, Julianne Hough, who plays Katie in the movie, was not the right casting choice in my opinion. Her seemingly joyful expression throughout the whole movie did not represent the true distress and scared feelings Katie expressed in the book.
    One scene that should be kept in the book is the scene where Josh is out fishing on the boat and he slips into the water and starts to drown. Katie sees him fall and his dad, Alex, runs out to save him. Josh's little sister Kristen is left screaming and crying, hysterical about what is happening. While Alex is attending to Josh, Kaite comforts Kristen and gets her to calm down. Once Josh is breathing normally again Alex looks over at Katie and Katie looks back. This is an important moment in their relationship, when Alex realizes how much he really likes Katie and how good she would be for his family. Katie thinks the same thing too just for a second, but enough to show reader's how their relationship is going to change.
    Another scene that definately has to be added is when Kevin, Katie's abusive husband who she ran away from, finds out she's now living in Southport and decides to drive down and kill her for running away. The filmakers need to include the moment he spots her at the carnival and how he stalks her throughout the day and night waiting for the right moment to kill them all. This is a very suspenseful moment, and the climax of the story, without this suspense the ending would be kindof shocking and too fast. This slow build up would really get the audience's attention and allow them to see the true character of Kevin. In the real movie this scene was not included, and the ending is very fast, making is almost too dramatic and nonrealistic. Also nobody gets seriously injured, while in the book Alex and Katie both were inujured pretty badly making the movie scene seem really fake.
    The third scene that should be included is when Katie realizes her only girlfriend in Southport is really the ghost/ appariton of Alex's wife who passed away a few years back. This is a pivital moment in the book, and is a shocking realization for Katie as well as the reader's. During this realization she also reads the letter Alex's ex wife wrote for her before she died, telling her everything she expected from the new mother of her children. This is the end of the book and should be the end of the movie too because with Kevin dead and everybody healed, all the characters are content and happy. It leaves the reader feeling sad yet happy at the same time. Sad that Jo wasn't real and had died, but happy that Katie is finally free, and her and Alex will live together with the kids forever.
    One part that would have to be cut out is the part inbetween when Katie is not sure wether or not she really wants to go head first into another relationship after dealing with Kevin her whole life. This inbetween part is pretty long, and it would be boring just listening to Katie contemplate with herself over a couple of weeks wether or not she should take the risk. This was included in the movie, but it was a very shortened version making it ok to add.
    Another part that should not be included in the movie is the time Kaite spent in Philadelphia when she first ran away from Kevin. This part is almost completely uneventful and isn't that important to the overall story line, though it is interesting in the book, on the big screen it would be too slow and the audience would be bored.

Book #1 Project

         Introducing the Favorite Items Box that includes Augustus’s favorite video game Counterinsurgence 2: The Price of Dawn, An Imperial Affliction Hazel’s and later Augustus’s favorite novel, a basketball trophy that Gus won, Peter Van Houten’s letters to Hazel and Gus, the last letter Gus ever wrote, and a box of tissues for the sad parts in the book. This is everything you will need to fully enjoy and experience The Fault In our Stars by John Green.

Throughout the whole book Hazel talks about and refers to her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten. Hazel practically bases her whole life off of this book and the way Peter describes how we are all just a “side effect” of death. She firmly believes there is no hope, and she will die in the near future, she uses this book as a way to come to terms with her early death, and accept it fully. Augustus’s favorite video game of all time is also included in this wonderful box! Counterinsurgence 2: The Price of Dawn included in this box is the exact same game that Gus plays throughout the book! Hazel even played it! It was one of the first great memories they created with each other, and became a fall back thing to do; it was comfortable and familiar.  Before Gus was diagnosed with cancer he was a basketball star, and won many many trophies. You have the choice of getting one of the trophies that survived Isaac’s (Gus and Hazel’s friend) rage or you can get one of the trophies Isaac smashed himself! But there are only a limited number of smashed trophies so you need to order your box as soon as they go on sale! The emails sent between Hazel, Gus, Van Houten and Van Houten’s assistant have been transferred to paper in real handwriting, so every fan of the book can have copies of these important plot points! The last letter Gus wrote before he passed away is also included. All Gus ever wanted was for Hazel to be happy and content with the life she has. Even though she didn't love him till almost the end of the book he loved her from the beginning saying to her “I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the

business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things.” He even spent his “cancer wish” on her so she could travel to Amsterdam to meet her favorite author Peter Van Houten. They traveled there hoping Peter would tell them what happens at the end of his book, since it suddenly ends, but he ends up being a rude drunk, who is suffering from several mental illness. They leave insulted and with no answers to their questions and disappointed, but Gus loved Hazel so much he sent Peter a death wish stating that Peter come back to the US and give Hazel’s the answers she deserves. Gus is determined to keep his promise to Hazel: she will get the answers she wants by saying “That's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway.” Peter accepts Gus’s wish, and does return, to Hazel’s dismay, but she is very pleased and heartbroken when she finally gets a hold of Gus’s last letter. This item is what readers will really buy the package for: Gus’s last words. The box of tissues is there for the tear-jerking moments, whether they be happy or sad.

           The Favorite Items Box is the perfect way to get readers to read not only this book, but get introduced to reading itself. With these physical items readers would be able to come in contact with pieces of the characters, and connect to the book more. These connections and artifacts enhance the whole reading experience. Without this box, the book would not be as interesting to read. Since this is a sad story this box helps brighten up the mood by giving the readers extra visuals, and allowing them to fully appreciate the thoughts/ feelings of Gus and Hazel. The readers will feel as though they are actually down in the basement with Gus and Hazel playing video games, or will feel as though they were shadowing them when Isaac broke a bunch of Gus’s basketball trophies. As Gus says “Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book. And then there are books like An Imperial Affliction, which you can't tell people about, books so special and rare and yours that advertising your affection feels like betrayal.” This is the box and book that will help complete, and put back together their story while remaining special enough to want to be kept it a secret.

Post #2 What is a Book?

A book is a way to see the world from a new point of view, whether it’s the author' or a characters' point of view. I agree with Joe Meno in that a book is a place and it isn’t always about what form it's in, but the story itself. Each book is like a fingerprint, no two are exactly the same.  Books offer different worlds, characters, real-life stories, and allow us to explore our imagination, which is what makes them so unique. I do think some electronic books are missing something, but not all of them. If the book is a work of art, a complex fingerprint, the hard copy is needed, and adds to the book as a whole. Something about holding a book and feeling, smelling and reading the pages of an amazing book adds to the whole experience of reading, as opposed to reading it electronically. Some stories though are just as good electronically as in hard cover; it’s when the book is special to you, personally, that the hard copy is the more magical of the two. With this said I don't exactly agree with Tom Piazza who made his point clear on how much he detests electronic books. He says "it's an anti-world. The computer's ambition is to transcend point of view completely." I disagree with this comment because of the fact that I have had personal experience with e-books, I own a Nook, and I still find books and stories enjoyable. The electronic world is not an "anti-world" it's a whole world all in its own. It is a very different world, and at first it is hard to get used to, but it's where the real world is heading and there's nothing anybody can do to stop it. I do believe we should still keep and make physical copies of books, but I think eventually, everything will be electronic. The electronic world is something everybody, including books, will have to get used to.