Thursday, June 23, 2011

Pottermore Update!!





Alright bloggers... if you stopped by yesterday you might remember me going on about J.K. Rowling's announcement regarding her newest Harry Potter venture. This morning, at about 7am Pottermore was finally revealed. At the Pottermore Website Rowling explained her mysterious new project. As a thank you for fans readership, J.K. Rowling wants to give something unique back to fans. She explains that the website will include the same Harry Potter story, "with a few crucial additions," one of the most important being it's site visitors. Pottermore, a place to "share, participate, and rediscover the Harry Potter stories," is a website built by it's users and offers a "safe unique online reading experience."

Rowling also states that she will be an active participant in the site, and include never before shared information regarding the world of Harry Potter. While the site doesn't go live until October, a few lucky fans can enter early and help "shape the experience."

The first time I watched to video J.K Rowling followed her statement about a lucky few entering early with "just follow the owl." The second time I watched it, (on the Pottermore website and not Rowling's YouTube website) I didnt' catch it. So it might be worth checking out the YouTube site to see if the two video announcements vary slightly.

I'm curious to find out more about Pottermore. While J.K. Rowling did explain the premise of the website, I still find myself confused about what it actually is. Is it just the Harry Potter series plus some animated aspects? How exactly do fans get to shape the experience? I guess we will just have to wait until October to find out!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

And In Other Harry Potter Related News....


Less than 20 hours unitl Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling announces "why the owls are gathering". The mysterious YouTube site linked up with the soon to come Pottermore Website has had many speculating what more Rowling has in store for Harry Potter fans. While most people don't think it has anything to do with more HP books, some believe the website may be some kind of encyclopedia-esque resource that brings together everything from the books and movies.

What do you think Pottermore holds in store for fans? Be sure to check back to the links above to find out... only a little longer to wait!!!

Movie Update!!



So you all know how I'm obsessed with books that are being made into movies. I especially like when books I LOVE are being turned into movies!! So when I heard a little while ago that they were going to make The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky into a film I was estatic. While I haven't been able to find out that much information (or a legit movie website) out there yet, I have discoverd (ok so it's all over the web!) that Percy Jackson star Logan Lerman and Harry Potter leading lady Emma Watson are set to play lead characters Charlie and his crush, Sam(antha).


If you follow the link here it provides a little information on the story background, etc. IMDB also lists that Nina Dobrev from the CW Vampire Diaries is set to play a character in the film, as well as other well known actors, Paul Rudd and Mae Whitman.


Alright, show of hands... who else is thrilled by this news?!!! What do you think of the casting choices? While I'm totally on board with Logan Lerman as Charlie, Emma Watson is not exactly who I picture as Sam. And as others around the interweb are wondering, I'm curious to find out who will play Patrick.

Friday, June 10, 2011



The Maze Runner
James Dashner



rating: 8.5 out of 10 "books"

Have you ever intentionally not done something because someone recommended you do it? I’m talking about parents ordering you to clean your room or friends saying you should check out a certain movie, etc. Well, my discovery of The Maze Runner by James Dashner fell into this category. My little sister had been bugging me for months on end, telling me that I just had to read this little book called The Maze Runner despite my constant reluctance to read it simply because she was recommending it (I must add that this was exactly how it went with reading all the Harry Potter books, and of course once I picked up the first one I was hooked). Needless to say, my sister was right yet again, and within reading the first few pages of The Maze Runner I was dying to know how the book ended.

Amazon describes the book way better than I can so if you’ve followed me this far, keep reading (!):

“When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.” – Amazon.com book description

The Glade itself sounds pretty amazing: an agricultural type community completely run by the boys. They have plenty of food, a boy who turns out to be an awesome chef to cook it up, and an impressively set up council to run the Glade. Anything else they need is pretty much sent up to them upon request from the Creators. Unfortunately for them however, the Glade is right smack in the middle of a maze and the man-eating creatures that dwell inside it make it utterly impossible to escape. The boys who’ve volunteered to be maze runners have spent two years trying to figure out the exit to the maze, but the fact that its walls change every night has made it extremely difficult to solve. Thomas, despite having had his memory wiped, has the eerie feeling that he’s been in the maze before and may be the Gladers last hope for escape.

There are so many other little tidbits that make this book super interesting. For instance, the Gladers have their own slang and predisposed knack (implanted by the Creators?) for one of the jobs around the Glade. Even more weird, is the painful process the boys go through called The Change that results from a Glader being “stung” by one of the Grievers (maze monsters) and administered a “cure,” that in the process gives the boys part of their memories back.

I have had so many patrons come into my library branch trying to find a cool YA book for guys. I can honestly, whole-heartedly say that this book is amazing, especially for boys (but definitely girls too… it’s got a little romance, ladies!) Yes, it has a little of the stereotypically guy-friendly Sci-Fi, a little Fantasy, but it’s also got something that I don’t think many other “guy-type” books have. I can’t put my finger on it, and maybe it’s just the general awesomeness of The Maze Runner, but I think anyone interested in dystopian fiction or the whole Hunger Games craze should check this series out. Even though it is technically YA, I think this book passes as Adult Fiction as well.