Blood Ninja (by Nick Lake)

BLOOD NINJA
by Nick Lake
Release date : December, 1st 2009

Is Taro, a fisherman's son, destined for greatness ? In the course of a day, Taro's entire life changes: His father is murdered before his eyes, and Taro is taken by a mysterious ninja on a perilous journey toward safety. Someone wants Taro dead, but who -- and why? With his best friend, Hiro, and their ninja guide Shusaku, Taro gets caught in the crossfire of a bitter conflict between rival lords for control of imperial Japan. As Taro trains to become a ninja himself, he's less and less sure that he wants to be one. But when his real identity is revealed, it becomes impossible for Taro to turn his back on his fate. (from Simon and Schuster)

MY THOUGHTS : Too much blood for my taste...! But let's put that aside for the moment. The story is intriguing, and the legendary aspect brings this mystical twist that I love, although it slows down the action sometimes.

I was really drawn to this book right from the first pages, but at some point I started to feel that the battle scenes became more important than the plot itself, when the opposite may have been wiser and more thrilling. In the end I felt like I had just witnessed a series of confrontations and beheadings, and the story seemed to be a pretext for it all.

I liked the characters and wanted to follow them throughout their adventures, but I thought the relationship between the protagonists lacked development and depth. There was too much focus on certain obvious feelings when others were left aside. This lead to me having no idea how old Taro was for example, and almost no clue of what he looked like.

Back to the blood part : I'm not fond of gore and blood (except when I watch a Tarantino film maybe !), and this book really made me want to close it sometimes. I was actually physically affected ! (gosh, I'm such a chicken !) Some details were just too much. The book is supposed to be for readers 12 +, I would say it's more of a 14 +. But if you like bloody battle scenes, ninja powers with a vampire twist and Japan culture, I would definitely recommend this book. There's definitely something interesting there. But it didn't work out for me. :)

Alice in Wonderland : The French Play

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away I went to see Alice au Pays des Merveilles at the Théâtre des Variétés (in Paris). I was really excited. Fortunately I hadn't heard a lot about the show, so I wasn't biased. It was also nice to go and see a play in which none of my friends were acting in, since I almost only go to the theatre to see them and hardly ever go to see other shows...! Yeah, we actors tend to do that a lot. :) Alice in Wonderland is often adapted on stage, but this was the first one I'd seen. So I had high hopes...!

So, what did I think ? Honestly, when I got out, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. I guess the best way to organize my feelings towards Alice au Pays des Merveilles would be a list. I love lists. They always help.

What I loved :

- The costumes. they were beautiful !
- The theatre : it's always a pure moment of joy to see a play in such a beautiful place.
- The screen : There was a huge screen in the middle of the stage, on which videos were projected sometimes. I didn't think the videos really did any justice to the play, but I loved the way it cut the stage in two.
- The narrator : She was a cat (but not the Cheshire Cat, talk about confusing) and thanks to her we could at least try to understand the story. She had a beautiful voice, and was really funny.
- The songs and the music were quite unusual, unexpected and weird but in a good way. I don't think they worked for children though, I could feel they lost their concentration everytime a song started. They were a bit conceptual (the songs, not the children). But they worked for me.
- The musical instruments that were used and the fact that actors were not only singing but also playing music.

What I disliked :
- The videos. I thought it was an easy way to show things (when Alice grows or shrinks for example). I think they could've done something more original and less 'big'.
- The lyrics were hardly understandable, and not in the words themselves (I mean, Alice in Wonderland is all about nonsense) but in the way the actors/singers spoke. It was more of a mishy-mushy of words that weren't articulated enough.
- The way the story was portrayed. For people who don't really know the story and for children, it was really hard to follow it. Some things happened too fast when others were too long.
- Alice. I thought she did a good job, but found her a little too "childish". I was really scared at the beginning, but as the play went by she changed that a bit.
- The Cheshire Cat didn't have a big part. It only lasted a minute, and since he's my favorite character I was really disappointed.
- I thought that all in all the play could've been crazier. It was almost too "contemporary" and not crazy-absurd-funny enough in a way.
- The caterpillar kind of...hum... farted bubbles... Yeah. Weird. And a bit too much.

There you go. I had a nice time, but not the time of my life obviously. I'm glad I went, and I thought the cast was great. It's more with the stage direction that I was disappointed in.

Did you ever see Alice in Wonderland on stage ? If so, did you like it ?

French Friday (7)

Don't forget to check out Brizmus' participation on her blog.

Bonjour tout le monde, et JOYEUX NOEL !

This happens to be my 100th post. Wow.

Anyway, let's get to the French things.

This week I will share with you a few French covers vs US covers.

I found a lot of interesting covers to blog about, so I had to choose some for this week, the other ones will be for next week (and next year since it'll be January 1st !).

Beastly by Alex Flinn

French version : Sortilège (Spell)

It's funny how they kept the stem idea but changed the rose.

Follow Me Down by Julie Hearn

US version : Sign of the Raven

French version : La Faille (The Fault)

Once again, three completely different titles and covers for one book !

 

Prom Nights From Hell

by Meg Cabot, Kim Harrison, Michel Jaffe, Stephenie Meyer, Lauren Myracle

French version : Nuits d'Enfer au Paradis (Hell Nights in Heaven)

And yet another flowery cover!

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

French version : Une Nuit à New York (One Night in New York)

How different are those two?!

My personal favorites :

Beastly : Original cover

Follow Me Down : French cover

Prom Nights From Hell : French cover

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist : French cover

What about you ?

Aliens Don't Eat Dog Food (by Dinah Capparucci)

ALIENS DON'T EAT DOG FOOD
by Dinah Capparucci
Release Date : April 2008

Three boys, two dogs and a whole lot of trouble! Jordan, Ryan and Boy Dave always get blamed for EVERYTHING. And OK, most of the time it is their fault - but this is one time it definitely wasn't! How could they have known that trying to save the world and being accidental reality TV stars would end in DISASTER ? (from Scholastic)

MY THOUGHTS : What a fun book! If there's one thing to say about it, it's that it made me laugh out loud, which is always a really good sign. Wit, irony and sarcasm are cleverly dosed. 
Jordan is the narrator, and we really see life through a child's eyes. This makes the reader discover the absurdities of adulthood with such a fun and subjective perception that it made me smile and laugh practically througout the whole book.

The dialogues were for me the book's greatest quality, they are full of wit and really clever. Joanna, Jordan's sister, who only talks in interrogations, is a really comical character and honestly made my day. But let's not forget the story, which is enjoyable and doesn't lack any action.

I thought that maybe the last part of the book could've been a tad more developped, but that's the only thing I could reproach. I would love to read this book again, and I'm sure readers the age of the protagonists will enjoy this book.

Maureen Johnson's Holiday Present !

Did you see that ? Did you ?
Maureen Johnson has a Christmas present for us : she's giving us a free Ebook of 'Suite Scarlett' !

How nice is that ? :)
Where to go and what to do to get your own copy ? Here is the answer.
Enjoy. And thank you Maureen.

SUITE SCARLETT

by Maureen Johnson
Summary from Powell's Books

'Scarlett Martin has grown up in a most unusual way. Her family owns the Hopewell, a small hotel in the heart of New York City. Her nineteen-year-old brother, Spencer, is an out of work actor facing a family deadline to get his career in order. Eighteen-year-old Lola has the delicate looks of a model, the practical nature of a nurse, and a wealthy society boyfriend. Eleven-year-old Marlene is the family terror with a tragic past.

When the Martins turn fifteen, they are each expected to take over the care of a suite in the once elegant, now shabby Art Deco hotel. For Scarlett’s fifteenth birthday, she gets both a room called the Empire Suite, and a permanent guest named Mrs. Amberson. Scarlett doesn’t quite know what to make of this C-list starlet, world traveler, and aspiring autobiographer who wants to take over her life. And when she meets Eric, an astonishingly gorgeous actor who has just moved to the city, her summer takes a second unexpected turn.

With Mrs. Amberson calling the shots, Spencer’s career to save, Lola’s love life to navigate around, and Marlene’s prying eyes everywhere, things won’t be easy. Before the summer is over, Scarlett will have to survive a whirlwind of thievery, Broadway glamour, romantic missteps, and theatrical deception.

The show, as they say, must always go on...'

Oh la la ! Award

Thank you once more to Velvet at vvb32reads !

OMG, what did I do to deserve all this ??
And this is in French, how perfect ?!

Now I must answer a few questions !

Where is your favorite place to read a book ?
Next to the fireplace in winter, lying down on the grass in summer. 

Bookmarks or dog ears ?

100% Bookmarks.

What is the best book you have read so far this year?

I fell in love with FIRE, by Kristin Cashore.

Do you like to snack while reading and if so, what is your favorite snack?

Coffee coffee coffee or Tea tea tea. Depends on the mood I'm in.

Book borrower or book collector ?

Book borrector. Haha.

Some of the blogs I'd like to pass this award to have just been awarded by Velvet (and Velvet, you're included in the list!), so I'll pass it on to other bloggers. But that doesn't mean you deserve this less girls, your blogs rock ! :)

Book Chick City
J'adore Happy Endings

Brizmus Blogs Books

Tales of Whimsy

Parajunkee's View

The Ladybug Reads

The Neverending Shelf

Princess Bookie

The Secret Adventures of WriterGirl

Honest Scrap Award

Thank you to Velvet at vvb32reads !

The Honest Scrap award is for those bloggers who write from the heart.

The rules are to pass it along to 7 bloggers and then list 10 honest things about ourselves.

Here are the 7 bloggers I shall pass this award to :

Heather at The Secret Adventures of WriterGirl

Carrie at CarrotSpeak

Audrey at Brizmus Blogs Books

Melissa at My World

Laure at La Baleine à Plumes

Becky at The Bookette

NieNie at NieNie Dialogues

Now, the "Honest" Part !

1. I'm (really) scared of ET the Extra-Terrestrial.

2. Life without goat cheese ? A personal impossibility.

3. I'm so clumsy that even furniture throws itself at me.

4. I broke my shoulder falling from a motionless motorcycle.

5. I've always wanted to be Ginger Rogers.

6. I've always wanted to be a red-head.

7. I write in English but am seriously scared of speaking it.

8. I have a serious problem with anything related to eyes. Thefore am scared of wearing contacts.

9. Which means everything is blurry when I'm on stage. Not a good thing (see answer 3).

10. I'm addicted to Doctor Who.

One Lovely Blog Award

I should have posted this long ago, since I first got this award last month !

But since then I got it from three other bloggers too... Wow !

*blushing*

Thank you so much !

A mega huge thank you to :

Cindy at Simple Life and Reading

Mary E. Cambell at Writers Butt Does Not Apply To Me

Justine at A Bookful of Thoughts

Velvet at vvb32reads

Here are the rules :

"Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award."

I shall then pass this award on to these 15 bloggers I discovered recently :

LadyStorm at Books, Movies, Reviews, Oh My !

Susan at Bloggin' 'Bout Books

Melissa at Melissa's Bookshelf

Wendy at The Book Lush

Alyssa at The Shady Glade

Natasha at Wicked Little Pixie

NotNessie at Today's Adventure

Tina at Tina's Book Reviews

Thao at The Electrical Book Cafe

Choco at In Which a Girl Reads

Jennifer at Reading With Tequila

Adele at Persnickety Snark

Jennifer at Crazy For Books

Steph at Steph The Bookworm

Brooke at Brooke Reviews

A Christmassy Guest Post...

Hey guys,

Just wanted to say that my guest post is up at The Shady Glade !
So you're most welcome to check it out, just click here.

Happy friday !

Oh, and I'm back from the movies where I saw AVATAR.
All I can say is : Wow.

French Friday (6)

Don't forget to check out Brizmus' participation on her blog.

Bonjour tout le monde, et bienvenue à ce sixième Vendredi Français !

You might have noticed that Christmas is coming, haven't you ? So let's make this French Friday a kind-of-Christmassy French Friday. Today I will talk about Martine. Martine is the heroin of a huge series of llustrated children's books, by Belgian author Gilbert Delahaye and illustrator Marcel Marlier. The first Martine was released in 1954. Since then, Martine became a real worldwide phenomenon. Her stories have been translated in more than 50 countries. In the US, Martine actually became Debbie (!). Martine has always had a huge success in France, and is considered a classic.

Each Martine book presents an activity she's taking part in : Martine learns how to swim, Martine at the circus, etc. The Martine books had a big impact on me when I was a child. The drawings are beautiful, and I swear I can still see many of them in my little head. And for a lot of people, she is part of their life and memories. I must have read Martine Petit Rat de l'Opera hundreds of times...!

 

And since it's Christmas, here is the cover of Martine : La Nuit de Noël.

 

Nice, huh ? In this one, Martine wants to learn ice skating. Indeed she discovered recently that her mother was a talented ice skater when she was young. So, Martine decides to pay a visit to the Père-Noël to ask him a pair of ice skates for Christmas. She ends up in an abandoned house full of toys, that looks like the Père-Noël's workplace. There, she meets dolls, puppets and other cute or creepy toys. In the end, she doesn't meet Him. Of course, the Père-Noël was busy distributing his gifts around the world. But in the morning, she finds a pair of ice skates under her Christmas tree (at least that's how I remember it)...

Recently, Martine was the victim of a funny parody on the web. Some guys started a website called Martine Cover Generator, where visitors could add their own titles to the classic Martine covers. When they made this website public, they didn't expect the success that followed. The book titles have always been simple and that's what make them cute and charming too. So changing them could quite easily be funny ! But Casterman, Martine's publisher, asked them to close it because of the bad image it gave, and also because of the copyright.

Here are a few good ones :

Translations :

1. Martine (apparently) doesn't wear knickers.

2. Martine, climate refugee

3. Martine gets out of jail

And changing the subject, here are the original and French versions of The Cabinet of Wonders' covers, which I reviewed earlier.

Joyeuses Fêtes everyone !

The Cabinet of Wonders (The Kronos Chronicles : Book 1) by Marie Rutkoski

THE KRONOS CHRONICLES
Book 1 : THE CABINET OF WONDERS
By Marie Rutkoski
Release date : August 2008

Petra Kronos has a simple, happy life. But it’s never been ordinary. She has a pet tin spider named Astrophil who likes to hide in her snarled hair and give her advice. Her best friend can trap lightning inside a glass sphere. Petra also has a father in faraway Prague who is able to move metal with his mind. He has been commissioned by the prince of Bohemia to build the world’s finest astronomical clock. Petra’s life is forever changed when, one day, her father returns home – blind. The prince has stolen his eyes, enchanted them, and now wears them. But why? Petra doesn’t know, but she knows this: she will go to Prague, sneak into Salamander Castle, and steal her father’s eyes back. Joining forces with Neel, whose fingers extend into invisible ghosts that pick locks and pockets, Petra finds that many people in the castle are not what they seem, and that her father’s clock has powers capable of destroying their world. (from Macmillan)

MY THOUGHTS : I found this book poetic, original and beautifully written. I love reading new fairytales, full of fresh elements (objects, places or personalities), and this one made me travel in a magical atmosphere that I didn't want to leave. The characters were well described and each of them unique. The magical powers they have are original. The mix between history, fantasy and bohemian life works really well, in a subtle way. I fell in love with Petra's dad's workshop and all the mecanical animals in it, there were many fun and touching scenes happening with them. On the other hand, I thought that certain scenes could've been shortened and others lenghtened. I also didn't have any notion of the amount of time passing from the moment Petra arrives in Prague until she leaves... And I found that everything was a tad too easy for Petra : when you think that she's 12 and has always lived a simple life, it's amazing how she gets what she wants quite effortlessly. I would've liked a few more obstacles sometimes. But overall I really enjoyed reading this book, and would love to read the sequel. Oh, and I love the cover, don't you?

My first (and maybe last) Twilight-ish Post

Today I received new books to read from my awesome boss, and what did I find attached ? An invitation to see New Moon ! That's cool, because honestly I don't think I would've gone otherwise. Nowadays going to the movies is too expensive for me, so when I go it's usually for a movie that I'm dying to see. And New Moon didn't fit in that category, I was ready to wait for the DVD to be released and to borrow it from someone.

I'm actually a late Twilighter. I read Twilight last month and I'm currently reading New Moon. I should feel ashamed, since it was Hachette that released Stephenie Meyer's books in France. And yes, I work for Hachette. Therefore I do read many vampire books for review, without having "THE" reference. But I don't think it's that terrible, my opinion has been less biased this way I guess.

So far I kind of enjoy reading the saga. It was tough to start reading it only this year, after having heard everything about it, be it good or bad. But I'm trying to be as "innocent" as I can while reading it, and I'm trying to avoid spoilers !

I'm going to finish New Moon before going to see the movie though. We'll see how it goes !

Thank You Secret Santa !

I was really excited to be part of Secret Santa, organized by Kate at The Neverending Shelf ! Thank you Kate and your little elves !

And a huge thank you to my Secret Santa, who was Audrey at Brizmus Blogs Books. I happened to be her Secret Santa too, I imagine we must be the only ones from France who participated in the festivities (you can check out what I got her here). And since we both have trouble putting our trust in La Poste, we both put our address on the back of our packages, so we were not that Secret in the end !

So, what did I get ? Well, I got amazing presents, and beautifully wrapped !

I got two books : The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (which was on my wishlist, I've wanted to read this one for ages, thank yoooou !). And I also got Marley & Me by John Grogan, which was a total surprise ! I love surprises ! I only had heard of the movie. I can't wait to read it, it looks really cute.

Audrey also made me a Christmas CD full of Christmas songs to get me in the mood. Isn't that the coolest gift ever ?! Plus, she drew the jacket herself. The artist in you sure gets inspired by Christmas, right Audrey ? :)

And last but not least, I got a really cute notebook (by MiniLabo, of which I am an absolute fan, how did you know that ?!)  and a packet of chocolate-covered almonds (which is now empty of course...!).

These were all such nice gifts, and receiving a surprise package is SO enjoyable ! Oh, I almost forgot, I got a Christmas card (drawn by my Secret Santa herself again !), on which she even drew a BOOK on a HILL !

Haha ! How cool !

Thank you for all your gifts Secret Santa, you're the best !

I invite you to visit my Not-Secret-Anymore-Santa at Brizmus Blogs Books.

And to stay in the Christmas mood, I inform you that I will be guest posting at A Shady Glade Christmas on friday.

Cheers !

French Friday (5)

Don't forget to check out Brizmus' participation on her blog.

Bonjour tout le monde !

So, it's been a while since I've last 'French Fridayed'...!
Last time I wrote about Harry Potter's translations, so this time it's COVER TIME!
And this week the covers I'll be sharing are the ones of several books that will soon come out in France with Hachette Jeunesse, which happens to be my employer as a reader. Hadn't told you that, had I? Well, it's not a secret anymore then !

Let's start with the first two, which are two books by Dorothy Howell (I read Handbags and Homicide for review, so here is a concrete example of what my work is about : I liked it? It gets published in France! Ok, the responsability is not mine only, but anyway... Cool job, I won't say it enough!)

Back to the covers, here are the US covers versus the French ones. My verdict? I'd say I prefer the French version of Handbags and Homicide, and the US version of Purses and Poison. How about you?

Next, here is the 'most awaited' book on Hachette Jeunesse's website : 16 Lunes (coming out in january here), aka Beautiful Creatures! I'm glad they didn't translate the title litteraly, "Belles Créatures" doesn't really ring well, whereas 16 Lunes is catchy and cute. As for the covers, it's hard for me to pick a favorite, I think both of them are beautiful (creatures... Haha!). Although the more I look at it, the more I love the French one...

And last but not least, in february Hachette will release Recherche Sorcière Désesperément (meaning "Witch Desperatly Wanted"). The original title is Which Witch? (I love that title!) a book that was written by Eva Ibbotson in 1979. I love the French cover, but the old one is also fun and lovely.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that I tend to be more drawn to illustrations than photos when it comes to book covers. How about you?

Let it Snow (by John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle)

LET IT SNOW : Three Holiday Romances
THE JUBILEE EXPRESS by John Green
A CHEERSTATIC CHRISTMAS MIRACLE by Maureen Johnson
THE PATRON SAINT OF PIGS by Lauren Myracle
Release date : October 2008

 Beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you only see in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss with a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. (taken from back cover)

MY THOUGHTS : These three oh-so-romantic stories made me smile throughout the whole book... I loved the way they intermingled, already being a fan of parallel stories in general. Witty and  funny, they don't only speak of love. They talk about identity and the problems we usually go through during our teenage years. They talk about families, ennemies, break-up. But they also talk about waffles, cheerleaders, miniatures, and small pigs... 

Never superficial or cheesy, these stories are both touching and seriously funny, full of passionate and hilarious discussions, and also stupendous and absurd situations. I quickly became friend with all the characters, each one having his own personality and facing each situation differently. It's exactly the kind of book to read during the Christmas season ! I read it a year ago, and right now with the festivities approaching, I would really enjoy reading it again!

A Musical and Bookish Look-alike

Have you heard of Florence and the Machine ? I started listening to her recently and just can't stop ! Especially her song Dog Days : if you haven't heard it, check out the video here.

Anyway, I had some kind of weird and random epiphany : Florence looks like the model on the cover of Red-Headed Stepchild (which I reviewed in october). I have no idea how it got into my head.

Wanna see it ? There you go :

Ok, so on this photo Florence looks more like a soft girl compared to the one on the book cover, but I swear that when she sings and gets angry and passionate, she looks like she could stab a few vamps herself !

And since I'm talking music, check out what two girls can do with two goblets and two really nice voices :