Divergent: Book vs Movie

A well known fact is that movies made from books are never as good as the books themselves, and in the case of Divergent, that is 100% accurate. BUT, it's much more efficient to watch a movie.

Brief Plot Summary 

I, luckily, read the book before I saw the movie. I enjoyed the over all idea of the story, and I'll try not to give too much away for those who haven't read it yet. The main character, Beatrice (later called "Tris"), lives in a divided society of factions. Each faction serves a different purpose in the life of the community. Her faction, Abnegation, is about being selfless and serving others, but Beatrice struggles to feel like she belongs to this group. When she becomes the proper age she is able to choose what faction she will belong to for the rest of her life; her decision changes everything. 

Thoughts On The Book

I really enjoyed reading the book. It was very hard to put down for any sort of extended period of time. The author gives you a good look inside the mind of a self conscious teenage girl. She clearly shows the constant inner struggle of self worth that many people, not just girls, have in real life. I always like books because you can go so much deeper into every situation. Every feeling. Every thought. So much more detail than you can get from a visual facial reaction. As you read, you really begin to feel what Tris does. You feel her pain as she gets beat up by Molly, and you feel her frustration when she gets chastised by Four, but feel her affection as she starts to love him. In my opinion, the most important things are in the details, and this book definitely does not leave them out when it comes to emotions. 

Emotions are fine and dandy, but action is also important. The book does well at incorporating action. There's hand to hand combat, knives in eyes, roof jumping, train jumping, murders and all kinds of things to keep the story interesting. I wouldn't say it keeps you on the edge of your lazy boy, but it keeps the pages turning. Overall, great book, and I would recommend it to anyone. 

Thoughts on the Movie

Why? I just kept asking my TV "why" and saying "that's not how that happened!". I just cannot understand why they made the movie the way they did. I understand they can't fit everything into a two hour movie, but at least try to follow the proper sequence of events! Even of the stuff they left in, there were so many things out of place. The fight scenes during the Dauntless training were so out of order. They totally skipped over the parent visitation day, and decided to have Tris's mom just show up randomly another day. And at one point, Marcus says a line that Tris's dad is supposed to say, but Tris's dad is standing right there! Why?! And I won't even get into the ending with Jeanine; way off mark. I understand a lot of the reference here don't make sense if you didn't read the book or see the movie, but they are points that have to be brought up. The movie, to me, ruined the whole series. I do believe that if I had not read the book, it would be totally different. Several people told me they loved the movie, and hadn't read the books. The movie may have been good, but I was too distracted by the mistakes to realize it. 

Conclusion

Since I saw the movie I have read the next book, Insurgent, and am currently reading the last book, Allegiant. I still am enjoying the books, but not as much as I have the first one. I do believe I will see the next movie in hopes that it will be better than the first one. 

So, if I could give you any advice... Read the books, pass on the movie. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this. 

Be safe. Be courteous. 

Ryan

The Maze Runner Series: I forgot I was reading...

I just finished reading the Maze Runner Series and wanted to share my thoughts. Another title for these books could've been The Campers, because they were so in tents! (buh dum bump). There are three books in the series; The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, and The Death Cure; and I felt like doing a review on just one book would be incomplete.

A brief synopsis: The story starts with a young boy, Thomas, who finds himself trapped in the center of a maze. He has no idea who he is or how he got there, but he is determined to break the maze and find the truth. He faces many enemies, known and unknown, as well as friends that turn out to be enemies.

I know, I know. You're wondering "how could that possibly take three books?!", and I thought the same thing at first. But then I soon realized that around the turn of every page seems to be another twist in the story. And this pattern continues through all three books. You never quite know what you think you do, and things you couldn't even imagine turn out to be true. You are kept in the dark, with Thomas, and secrets are revealed to you as they are revealed to him.

If you are an adventure and action seeker, this book is for you. If you are looking for a story about love, this is not your book. The story is very heavily weighted in the thriller department. And although it does have traces of romantic emotions, the writer, James Dashner, definitely knows how to keep the story suspenseful, and focuses on that.

Overall, there was not a single minute I did not enjoy reading these books. I found myself using any spare second I had, or could make, to read just a little bit more. One thing that I did find to appreciate is that the chapters are very short. Which you would think would make it easier to just read a little bit at a time, but that's not the case. I spent way too many late nights trying to get to the end of the next chapter.

I would highly recommend these books to anybody who enjoys action, suspense, mystery, post-apocalpse, or even a little science fiction. They are a very easy read and eventually, if you're like me, you will totally forget you're even reading a book.

Thanks for taking time to read this review. I do apologize if my descriptions of these books are too vague, but I guess you will just have to read them to find out more :) You can find the books on Amazon here and more information on the series and author, James Dashner, here !

Be safe, be courteous!

Ryan Lehman

Dad is Fat: WARNING: If you read this in public, you will get looks

Three days ago I decided to read a book called Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan, and, unfortunately, I finished it today. I say unfortunatley because I didn't wan to put the book down. If you don't know who Jim Gaffigan is, kindly remove the rock you live under and welcome yourself to the current world, and I shall tell you. He is best known for his stand up comedy, but is also well known for his acting and paleness.

At first I was unsure of this book. Jim is a hilarious guy to watch and listen to, but that doesn't mean he can write. I didn't want to just read a stand-up routine. I was immediately rest assured. The book, from the very beginning, shows that the author can be a comedian and a writer at the same time.

A brief overview of the book: Parenting. This book is a must read by any parents, especially dads, of young kids. He communicates the many difficulties and joys of being a parent. He doesn't sugar coat anything, but does use his sarcasm to make the hard facts and realities of being a parent more enjoyable to swallow. 

The book offers many points of advice on parenting, without telling you how to parent. Jim is a very relatable father. He has 5 kids, aged 8 and below, and lives in a two bedroom apartment in New York City with his wife, Jeannie.

The reason I titled this review the way I did is simple: you WILL literally laugh out loud while reading this. I had to explain to my wife, several times, what was so funny because I was laughing so hard. Jim does a great job at seeing the funny side of parental shortcomings.

In conclusion, READ THIS BOOK! Especially if you have kids! It was so great to read the realistic struggles and joys that all parents go through, while, at the same time, seeing the funny side of life, in a way that only Jim Gaffigan can present it.

Buy the book here

Thanks for reading! Be safe, Be coureous!