Lulu Dark: A light-hearted series

I tend to prefer more ominous reads; however, one can only read so many cheerless books at a time!
The Lulu Dark series is a pleasant break. It is a whimsical mystery by Bennett Madison about a teenage girl's life. In the first book: Lulu Dark Can See Through Walls, our main character, Lulu, lives a carefree, luxurious life. Lulu is very trendy, and has a bit of a spunky attitude. She loves to hang out with her two best friends, Charlie and Daisy.
Our mystery begins when Lulu's favorite designer purse is stolen. Lulu thinks girl detectives are lame, but she ends up having to become one to find her beloved purse.
However, the story becomes a bit darker when Lulu thinks her missing purse may be in conjunction to a murder... and Lulu has to get to the bottom of it.
My description may sound grim, but trust me, the story remains cheerful!
Lulu Dark and the Summer of the Fox is the sequel to Lulu Dark Can See Through Walls. This time, the book focuses more on Lulu's relationship with her mother, Isabelle Dark. Isabelle is an actress who left Lulu's father when Lulu was a child. Lulu does not have good feelings toward her mother.
Lulu's detective adventures begin when her mother is on the set of a horror movie. Apparently, there is a mischievous prankster, who dubs him or herself as, "The Fox."
The situation becomes more serious when Lulu's mother is missing. Lulu then is involved in another mystery. Her mother could be in grave danger, or even the culprit of it all...
I recommend Lulu Dark for girls mostly *well, it is from the perspective of a teenage girl*. It is a simple story, a nice break especially for those who, like me, tend to prefer more eerie reads. Though not very intricate, there are nice twists in the end, and I do love sudden twists. I give Lulu Dark a 9/10.

The Prince of Tides: "Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. The Prince of Tides is a rarity: It does all three."

An intricate tale of a dysfunctional family with a dark secret... The Prince of Tides was an excellent read.
On receiving the book, I admit to my apprehension of the 550+ pages. I kept away from it for some time, worried it would bore me to death.
I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find how interesting the story was. It grabbed my attention from the first few pages *that's a definite keeper for me* and kept it.
I love The Prince of Tides because of its' twists and turns, and the wonderful characters. For those of you who have read the book, Luke Wingo was my favorite character. He was strong and wise, and very intelligent in his own way. He is truly a remarkable character, and because of him, I discovered in myself a new respect and love for, "rednecks."
I liked Tom for his funny remarks, though I pitied him and his past. I personally think he is stronger than he gave himself credit for.
Savannah I felt very sorry for. She is in the most pitiable state, I think; but I will say no more on her, as to not give anything away.
Together, the Wingo children were their strongest, and most lovable. They endured so much together, and without each other, they surely would have died.
Though a great story, I would not say this book is for anyone under the age of 15. It can be a bit disturbing, and greatly saddening. But it's wonderful all the same, and I think the darkness in the book brings out the good in our three main characters.
I highly recommend The Prince of Tides. I was looking at reviews of the book online and found this single line which I agree with wholeheartedly: "Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. The Prince of Tides is a rarity: It does all three." — Detroit Free Press.
I could not agree with it more. The Prince of Tides is an amazing book. I recommend it for whoever wants to read a great story.

Why Twilight Really Isn't as Good as You Think

I think it would be best if I said this right away, this is my own personal opinion, I am not telling anyone what to think, and before Twilight crazed fans decide to ban together with pitch forks and torches, do me a favor and hear me out.
Twilight is really a simple story about a vampire and a girl who are in love. That is it; and there is no more substance than that. Do not get me wrong; there is action and the book does have its fair share of vampire fights, but there is no elaborate plot throughout the series.
What I am saying is, Twilight does not deserve the reputation it has. It has been spoken so highly of; yet the books are underdevoloped.
While reading the series, I excitedly anticipated a shocking plot twist; yet there was none. It did have its twists and turns, but nothing spectacular.
I feel it is unfair when something like Twilight is compared to Harry Potter; that is truly a wonderful series. Harry Potter is really unbelievable. You can see J.K. Rowling really *and I mean really* thought everything out. The story is astonishing; she is a genius.
I do respect and give credit to Stephenie Meyer, and I do not mean to take anything away from her. If you want a simple story, then read Twilight. If you want a story with a considerable amount more substance and thought, do read Harry Potter if you have not already.
I wondered why Twilight was given so much credit. I thought it over, and realized of course girls would love Twilight because Edward, one of our main characters, is, "the perfect guy."
Personally, I think that is a really preposterous reason to give a book so much credit. Edward maybe handsome and respectful and whatnot, but he is obsessive and controlling over the main character and his girlfriend, Bella. For example, many times when Bella wanted to visit her friend Jacob, Edward did not permit her to leave. Bella had to leave in secret.
Oh, Bella. She is another reason why Twilight really is not as good as you think.
Bella's irrational thinking often frustrated me, and I often thought to myself, "If Edward really did know what Bella was thinking, he would never date her."
Edward, being controlling, was already irritating, but Bella giving in to him every time may have been even more so.
Also, it angered me when I first started reason to see Meyer change the nature of the vampire. The vampires in this book are no traditional vampires; no, these ones each have their own little super power, and avoid the sun only because they sparkle in it. *Read the book or watch the movie if you have not and you will understand what I am saying* Let's say, I wrote a book. And in my book I had a dragon. But, the dragon says, "You see, it's a common misconception that we breathe fire and fly. We actually radiate marshmallows and swim!" Does that make him a dragon? Absolutely not! If one is going to twist and change the nature of the vampire, then it is not a vampire anymore.
There are my reasons for disliking the series. They do not deserve the credit they have received. If you want a simple story and something not very developed, then Twilight is a decent read. I give it a 7/10.

Watchmen Graphic Novel vs. Watchmen movie

As a fan of the Watchmen Graphic Novel, I admit being apprehensive for the movie. And hearing mixed reviews was not making me feel any easier. When I finally watched the film, my nerves calmed down and I managed to ease back and enjoy the show. It was fantastic! The movie was loyal to the book. I was enthralled. I could not complain about anything. --WARNING SPOILER ALERT-- I disliked nothing in the movie, though somethings were changed. For instance, they did not include the murder of Hollis Mason, and there was no giant robot squid at the end. The ending was appropriate though, and flowed nicely. I also heard the murder of Hollis Mason is included in the Director's Cut of the film, so I am pleased about that. Also, they do not explain where Rorschach's mask *or face, in his opinion* originated from, and I thought that story was very interesting. I think that was my only disappointment, which is minor. I loved the film. --SPOILER OVER-- It seemed to me that the story of Watchmen is either one you hate or love. I can not explain why, *for I do not want to spoil the film* but anyone who has read the book or watched the movie would understand why. SPOILER ALERT *If you do not know what I am talking about, I am referring to Adrian's decision at the end*. SPOILER OVER I know some disliked the story, but I loved it. I recommend this for anyone who loves superheroes, wants a story with a shocking twist, or just wants to view something different. As I have read the book before the movie, I am interested to hear the opinions of those who have seen the movie but not read the book. I can imagine the film may have been a bit tedious for them, *because of the length and not knowing the story beforehand* but I would not have filmed it any other way. Maybe that is because I am a fan. Also, the film is gory, but in my opinion, appropriate. Some may disagree with me about the amount of gore involved; but if you watch this video of an interview with the director, you may change your views. *SPOILER ALERT IN VIDEO* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz7e1V6QOlo I love Watchmen! Go read it and see the movie.

Fight Club *book* Review

Fight Club addresses many issues in American society, and in oneself. Our protagonist of the book is a middle aged man who has insomnia and narcolepsy. He works for a car company and lives in a condo. The book starts off with the somewhat monotonous depressed narrator who feels, "too complete," meaning, he will never become anything more than this mediocre middle-aged man that he is, and never will be some great person to be remembered.
He sees his doctor, hoping for treatment for his insomnia. The doctor gives him nothing, and tells him he needs natural sleep. The narrator claims he is in pain; the doctor tells him that he should go see cancer support groups, and those people are in real pain.
The narrator becomes hooked on the support groups. When everyone, "shares" themselves, and begins to cry, the narrator begins to cry and lets himself go. When he no longer cares about anything, he feels enlightened and can sleep again.
His enlightment is elimated abruptly because of a woman named Marla Singer. Marla goes to the support groups too, but she has no real diseases like our narrator. Seeing another faker, he can not cry, therefore he can not sleep. He is frustrated and decides to tell her she must leave because he needs this.
Marla refuses. The narrator then compromises with her, and asks that she split up the week. She take bowel cancer one day, he get parasites the other day, etc. She agrees. They exchange numbers, and are off on their own separate ways.
The narrator's later endeavors bring him to meet Tyler Durden. He meets Tyler on a beach, and takes an immediate liking to him; he is successful, smart, and wise. The two become good friends.
The narrator goes home one night to find his condo gone. It was blown up. The narrator is miserable; he considered the condo like himself and it was, "almost complete." He calls Tyler and the two meet at a bar to talk.
The narrator explains how he feels at a loss because that condo was him. Tyler says they were just things, but unfortunately in this society, "thing things you own end up owning you," referring to the frustration the narrator is feeling because of his loss of his condo. He says not to care, and thinks it is funny men care and depend so much about things like brand names, comforters, products, etc.
Tyler and the narrator are leaving. The narrator complains he needs to find a hotel, and Tyler tells him just to ask to stay at his place for the night. The narrator asks, and Tyler let's him. He then asks for a favor; he wants the narrator to hit him as hard as he can. The narrator thinks it's crazy. Tyler says he's never been in a fight and doesn't want to die without any scars. The narrator hits him, and the two start fighting.
Their fighting attracts other men. Tyler and the narrator then start Fight Club; a club where men can really be men and find manhood.
The narrator realizes that he was not alone in feeling too complete and not feeling like a man.
This is all I have to say, as I do not want to spoil the book... I give the book 5 out of 5 stars. Not only is the story intricate and intriguing, but the style of writing is very different from tradtional writing. Fight Club is one of my favorite stories of all time. It is so in-depth and contains so much, it is surprising that it is only a book of between 200-300 pages. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to read a new writing style, view new ideas, and just read an awesome story.