"Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King - Book Review

 

“It always comes down to just two choices. Get busy living, or get busy dying.”

Hello book friends,

So... 2023 started with a book I've been meaning to read for a long time. I have wanted to read this book ever since I first saw the movie adaptation and absolutely loved it.

The movie itself succeeds on many levels; the acting is on point, the directing is fitting, and, most importantly, the storytelling is flawless. This is the reason this story always has always stuck out to me and still ranks amongst my favorites of all time and which is also the reason that led me to want to read the book so much.

It was a short and easy read. It's written simply but not simplistic or shallow in any way. It reads very enjoyably and it has all the suspense and depth in storytelling and character development that this genre needs. The narration (from Red's POV) is vivid and believable, and, the way it's written, makes you feel like you can really hear his voice and get into his head.

This book is a simple and eloquent depiction of endless hope, friendship, and redemption. It is a story about the durability of the human spirit. A story about managing to maintain dignity and humanity even through the toughest of circumstances... A story about patience and endurance... A story about justice and how it's found or, on the other hand, often lost.

Andy is an amazing character overall, and one of my favorite characters in fiction generally. But in this story Andy is not just a character, no, it goes way beyond that. Andy is a symbol. He is a symbol of hope, dignity, and freedom for Red - and probably the other prisoners as well - but he can also become a symbol of hope for the readers as well. A symbol of hope for life in general and how to go through hardships unbroken and... clean... even if you had to get through some stinky situations. Andy's character is so pivotal, that even though this is Red's narration of his own life, it's all about (or mostly about) Andy. 

The characters in the book are physically described differently than what the actors look in the movie, and I don't really mind this change, because both depictions are good and bring something different to the story. Each character's voice however is very accurate to the source material and that was very satisfying. The actors did a great job portraying their respective characters and transferred their voices and distinct characteristics very well to the screen, so much so, that while reading I could hear the actors' voices reciting the words. 

The book leaves the ending more uncertain and open, while the movie gives us a glimpse of the future, which is actually something that I loved about the movie and preferred to the book. I find the movie ending to be more fitting to the story as it gives a sense of optimism and hope.

This is an absolutely beautiful story that I would recommend to anyone as it has so much to offer not only in terms of enjoyment but also in terms of themes, meaning, and messages. This is the significance and beauty of a timeless work. Few stories are so memorable and at the same time so well-crafted. A very well-deserved 5/5* rating! 

Thanks for reading!

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows || Book Review & Book to Movie Comparison

 

My long journey with the Harry Potter series has come to an end - I've finished the Deathly Hallows and I can't help the sense of accomplishment rising inside me. This series and I go a long way back - to the ancient times when I was a kid and tried my best to avoid it due to the hype of the time, to when I became a teen and started feeling curious about it, to then growing older and feeling mad I couldn't participate to conversations about it because I had not read it, to later, when I grew up even more and finally decided to get into it - even if I considered myself too old for it. I guess you could say it was a complicated, love-hate relationship that has come to a happy end.

The "Half-Blood Prince" was my favorite book in the series so far, and I think it's safe to say that I got into the "Deathly Hallows" with high expectations - maybe even unfairly high for the book. I expected a more spectacular conclusion to the series but ended up feeling underwhelmed. Not that it was bad, by any means! No, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either - overall, I think it was fine. I thought it was disappointing in the bits that were supposed to be the strongest and most impactful, yet unexpectedly good in parts that weren't or didn't seem as important. The first half of the book seemed better written and more spread out, while the second half seemed a bit more rushed and a bit abrupt. It felt like the ending didn't get the time or space it needed and lost some of its impact along the way.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

The build-up was very interesting and I enjoyed following the heroes in their quest for the Horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows. Their journey was amazing and I really enjoyed seeing their clashes and reconciliations. I felt like I got to know them very deeply and saw their growth and evolution throughout the story. In this book I got a whole lot of new respect for Harry - I think that in this final book, he was at his best, I enjoyed his every scene.

Since I started the series I had anxiously been waiting to read the entirety of Snape's story. He had always been one of my favorite characters and his story always fascinated me, so I was looking forward to reading the chapters about him. He's not a nice or likable character and I'm not even sure if he's redeemable, but he still has been one of my favorites, because he's realistically deep and layered. He's a character that is walking a very thin line between the real and the fantastical element - he's a wizard, yet he feels as real as your next-door neighbor. And he's one of the characters in fiction that - if I were a writer - I wish I'd have thought and written about.

Anyway... While I love his story's plot twist and I absolutely loved how it was portrayed in the film, I didn't enjoy it as much in the book. Not because of the - admittedly - more sympathetic portrayal of his character in the movie, but because of the way that it was written. I expected that reading his memories about Lily would be heartbreaking and sad. Instead, it felt a bit awkward and even though it gives you more of an understanding of the characters, it didn't feel as emotional as I expected. I got a whole lot of new respect for Lily and she became more likable to me. Yet, the chapter lacked the feeling that the movie successfully created - maybe it was the montage, maybe it was the directing, or maybe it could just be me, but it was how I felt.

The scene of his death was absolutely heartbreaking and I liked it more in the book than I did in the movie. It was still very sad in the movie too and I liked how they changed his final words, but how he tried to avoid Voldemort, to run back and warn Harry, tell him the truth, reveal what he knew, even in the last moment, even if he knew his end was near... He was about to die and he still struggled to complete his mission and his promise to Dumbledore. Not so much to save Harry, which would have been noble if it were the case, but I think more out of respect and loyalty to Dumbledore, but, even more than that, I think that he did it all in a desperate attempt to try to redeem and forgive himself, to try and take back the bad he had done.

A scene that I did not expect to be emotional, but ended up getting to me, was the scene after Harry has "died" and speaks with Dumbledoor (or his ghost, I guess?). I really loved reading about his conversation with Harry and seeing Harry finally understand some things. But most of all, I loved reading about Grindelwald and his relationship with Dumbledore - that was indeed unexpectedly heartbreaking to me.

Okay, let's address the elephant in the room (or in the book, I guess)... I had heard so many people complain about the epilogue and I couldn't understand why. The epilogue in the movie was okay; it felt nice and it was subtle enough. But I confess, reading it in the book, it was seriously bad! I hated it! I'd rather not have read it at all. Still, if it had to be there, it should have been written differently, because it felt cringy and kind of out of place. The dialogues felt off, and the characters felt different (and not in a nice way, as if they grew up and matured, no, they felt out of place).

I preferred the way that Voldemort dies in the book compared to how he dies in the movie. The whole fighting scene between Voldemort and Harry was much better in the book than in the movie, even though ideally I'd like it to be longer and more developed. Voldemort died just like any other simple person, not any different than a simple muggle, than any other human without magical abilities. He died such a simple, humiliating, and unceremonious death. He failed to defeat his biggest fear and enemy; death itself. And all because of his ignorance and his arrogance... His dying like this not only makes a lot of sense but feels very right and proper, poetic even, as his whole story, his character arc goes full circle with his self-destruction. On the contrary, his death in the movie retains a sense of mystery and mythos around his whole existence.

Doby's death was really sad and it was interesting to see Harry's reaction to it. He was really brave and saved everyone, but he couldn't save himself in the end.

Fred's death was sad, but not nearly as heartbreaking as I had expected, or as it should be - at least for me... I understand that it all happened in the middle of the battle so we could not spend too much time with it at the moment, but still, I think it could be better. On the other hand, when we later see his family mourning him, that lived up to my expectations...

I was really mad at Lupin and Tonks, not only for their whole story when they were alive, but also for their death! The fact that they died and how they died made me mad!

I thought that Kriecher's character was quite interesting in this book and I really liked his character arc and how he "changed", but I wish that we'd seen a bit more of him afterward.

I loved seeing Ron and Hermione's relationship evolve and progress throughout the book. All of it; their ups and downs, their fights, and their reconnections, it all made sense and it was all nice and wholesome. In my opinion, these two were made for each other and there couldn't possibly be anyone else for either one of them. I don't understand the people that didn't like them together and support that they should have ended up with other people.

Do I even need to talk about Harry and Ginny? I think it's universally accepted that the films absolutely butchered their relationship dynamic and Ginny's character. I also think it's widely accepted that in the books Ginny is a lot more interesting and their relationship is more realistic, cute, and natural. Again, just like Ron and Hermione, to me, it's pretty obvious that they were made for each other and are supposed to end up with no one else but each other. 

It was also heartbreaking to see Draco's decline and how he fell into his own trap. I felt sad for him and for Narcissa. I think that all of them realized that they had been on the wrong side and that, in the end, the only important thing was their family. Their redeeming quality was their love for each other and their willingness to fight for each other. Narcissa's final act of defiance against Voldemort (not revealing that Harry was alive) for the sole purpose of protecting her son, her daring to lie to Voldemort in his presence was impressive.

***END OF SPOILER SECTION***

Overall, it was an okay conclusion to the series and a nice read. It left me mostly satisfied and I had only a few complaints about it. While it was a nice book overall, it was by no means my favorite from the series. That's why I gave this book 4/5*. Now, having read all of the books in the series, if I had to put them in order of preference, I'd put them as follows:

• From most to least favorite:

1. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
2. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"
3. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"
4. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"
5. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"
6. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"
7. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the book and how much you liked/disliked it. Please, feel free to share your opinions and tell me how you'd rank the books/movies according to your own preference.

My Bookish Goals for 2023

2022 was a nice reading year, but I really hope 2023 will be even better and I'll read even more. I will try my best to achieve it and not fall back again. However, I'm going to keep setting small and achievable goals...

1. Read at least 20 books: The same number as last year, neither higher, nor lower. If I see that I'm doing well around the middle of the year, I may raise it a bit. However, if I see I'm doing lousy, it's not being reduced! 20 books is my threshold and I don't want to accept anything lower from myself and, ideally, I'd like to do better than last year.
2. Read at least 2 classics: I've been meaning to read more classics since last year but didn't get around to it. This year I'll try to hold myself accountable and do it.
3. Listen to at least 2 audiobooks: I've come to really enjoy audiobooks and I want to keep them in my reading schedule. If I manage to read even more than 2, I'll be even happier.
4. Read at least 2 non-fiction books: Non-fiction books can be enlightening and educational and they take me out of my comfort zone. I want to keep reading all the different kinds and genres of non-fiction books.
5. Read at least 2 Stephen King books: I've been meaning to do this for a while, and this is the year, that it's getting done.
6. Keep reviewing the books I read: And writing everything book-related for my blog.

That's about it with my reading goals... A few, small goals, just to keep me motivated. Feel free to share your goals for the new year with me, you can comment below and share your thoughts.

I wish you all a great, very enjoyable, very productive, and fulfilling year!

My Reading Wrap-Up For 2022

 

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a fantastic time the past days and I also wish you all the best for 2023!

As usual, I want to start the year with a reading Wrap-Up, to see how I did with all of my reading - and not only - goals of the past year and so I can use it to help me set my goals for the year to come. If you want to see the full post on my reading goals for 2022, before you check out this one, you can find it here. I'll jump right into it...

My reading goals for 2022 were:

1. Read at least 20 books ✔
   
   I only barely reached this goal and I don't even know if it counts or if it's considered cheating since this number includes quite a few comic books and a couple of audiobooks. Nevertheless, I'm still happy and proud of myself for making it! I read 20 books and even though I wish I could have read a few more, I think it's still a good number for me.
   
   
2. Try to read every single day even if it's just a couple of pages ✘
   
   Now, this one I failed hard. Not only did I not read every day, I read even fewer days than I did last year (about 100 days down) and I also read a smaller amount of pages (smaller books).
   
   
3. Finish the Harry Potter series ✔
   
   I finally managed to finish this series! I've wanted to read these books for a long time now and I was very excited when I started a couple of years ago. When I got around to reading them, I was eager to read on and finally read them all, so that I could finally form a complete opinion. 2022 was the year I finally reached this goal and not only am I happy for making it, I'm also a bit proud of myself for not giving up and getting through with it. It's an undeniable satisfaction to have such a big and popular series on my "read" shelf.
   
   
4. Read at least 1 classic book ✘
   Hard fail. I didn't even consider reading a classic until just about the end of 2022, and by then, I couldn't even attempt it, because I knew I wouldn't have the time it needed.
   
   
5. Read 1 Stephen King book ✘
   I did think about this one a few times but never actually got around to it, so again, one more fail.
   
   
6. Read at least 1 non-fiction book ✔
   I actually read 2 non-fiction books this year, one of which had to do with political and religious consciousness and the other was about creativity.
   
   
7. Try to be more committed to the blog and consistent with my posting and improve the blog in general ✔
   I managed to reach this goal and I am very happy and proud of myself for it. Not only was I more consistent with my blog than ever before, not only did I write more than I have before, but I also got to do quite a few new things with it!
   
   
8. Listen to at least 1 audiobook ✔
   I only listened to 1 audiobook, but it was enough for me and I feel great about it!

Overall, 2022 was a very beautiful, interesting, and happy year for me. I may not have reached all of the goals I had set for myself (in fact, I achieved about half of them) but I feel good for how well I've done and how far I've come. Life has been crazy, with too many unexpected things happening all at once, and at times it was hard to keep up with everything. However, I managed to keep going and I'm grateful for all the nice things that have occurred! I only hope that this new year will be just as - if not even more - beautiful!

Christmas Gifts for Book Lovers

Christmas, many people's favorite holiday, is just around the corner and I'm sure that most of you have already done your Christmas shopping for yourself and your loved ones. However, just in case some of you still need to do it, or in case you want to find some more book-related gifts, I'm going to share some of my ideas with you. 

Here, at One More Chapter, we love giving bookish gifts and sharing our ideas about them, so there's already one more post on this blog about book-related gifts you can check it out here before checking this one, so you can get even more cool ideas. Any of the items listed in the previous post can also be given as Christmas gifts if you'd like, but they will not be listed on this current post in order to avoid repetition.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you choose to purchase the following products I may receive a small commission without any additional cost to you. Please read my Disclaimer for more information.

1. Bookish Christmas tree ornaments: A gift that your bookworm friends will surely love, as they will surely love to place it on their tree and admire it all the time! There are always enough branches on the tree for all our favorite decorations, especially if they are book related, and even if there aren't, you can still just hang it anywhere you'd like!
2. Bookish socks: For half of the Earth's hemisphere, this time of the year is cold. So we'll all need some help to warm up and what would be better for this than a warm and cozy pair of socks?
3. Bookish slippers: In a similar spirit to the previous idea, this gift will definitely be useful, as it will keep your friends warm and cozy and they will surely love it because it will always remind them not only of their favorite hobby but also of you, the friend who brought them the gift!
4. Bookish jewelry: A book-shaped necklace, bracelet, or even a bookish pin... Simple, cute, and who wouldn't want it, really?

I hope these ideas helped you a little bit in our search for a Christmas present, but even if it didn't, remember there's always the choice to give them their favorite book, or a book they've wanted to read for a while, or a pretty/rare edition of a book they love. You can carefully pick something according to their preferences and they surely won't be disappointed! 

After all, Christmas is all about the spirit and being with your loved ones and gifts are all about thought and showing your love, so whatever you pick, in the end, what matters is the connection between you and them!

Whatever you do this Christmas, with whoever you decide to spend it, and in whichever way, I hope you all will have a great time, full of love and happiness! 

Merry Christmas and may all your wishes come true!

How Audiobooks Changed My Reading

Audiobooks have been around for a long time and have become popular among many people. They're fast, and easy to follow, and you can listen to them any place and any time you want, even while doing your daily chores. I think it would be fair to say that audiobooks have changed many people's reading habits. 

I, however, have been avoiding them until recently, not because I thought there was anything wrong with them, or because I thought I wouldn't like them - on the contrary, I've always been intrigued by them. I've been avoiding them because when I tried listening to fiction books, I struggled to get used to the narrating voice, especially regarding the characters' voices. Don't get me wrong, most of these narrators are usually amazing and do a great job, it's just that I as a reader want to imagine the characters' voices a specific way and when the narrating voice, accent, and general demeanor don't match the voice in my head I have a problem to fully emerge to the story.

I tried listening to several fiction books and realized that it didn't really work for me, so I didn't really give audiobooks a second chance until I realized that I could try listening to non-fiction books! As it turned out, this was one of my best ideas regarding reading, it had a lot of perks, and it completely changed my reading!

So, below I'll list some of the pros of listening to audiobooks, some of the things I've gained from listening to them, and some of the ways my reading habits have changed because of them.

• Audiobooks help you read more: By nature, they are fast and easy to consume, and you can listen to them at any place and at any time. So naturally, that will increase the number of books you read and will help you reach your reading goals. Especially if you are like me and have limited free time, they seem like the ideal solution.
• They increase the variety of the books you can read: The most significant change that has happened for me in my experience of listening to audiobooks is that they got me into reading all different kinds and genres of books that I never thought I would be into, and which I wouldn't have read otherwise. Audiobooks helped me get through heavy classics that I would have otherwise found boring, but most of all, they allowed me to read plenty of non-fiction books that I normally wouldn't have picked to read and I surely wouldn't have the patience to read any other way.
• Similarly, they can get you into new authors: Authors that you never thought you'd try reading, authors that you wouldn't have gone for... Audiobooks will get you acquainted with their various writing styles and different genres and will open your eyes to new worlds and experiences.
• Listening to a book is an entirely different experience: It gives you a whole new sense of the book, and each narrator can bring something new and unique to a book. Granted, not all of the narrators are equally great, there will be some that you won't like, but most of them are very passionate and really talented. Some of the narrators can bring an entirely new feeling to the book and they can draw you into it.
• More time spent productively - less time wasted: Reading (or listening) to a book is not only an enjoyable but also a very productive activity that exercises your brain and engages all your senses. It's certainly a much preferable investment of your time, rather than scrolling through social media or procrastinating, doing nothing. You'll find that the more you use your free time to listen to a book, the more you'll learn, the better you'll feel and your bad habits and procrastinating will gradually be reduced.

These have been some of the positive changes I have noticed after I started listening to audiobooks more regularly. Audiobooks have now become a big part of my reading and I've grown to love them and the positive impact they've had on me. I will possibly discover even more facts about them as I listen to them more and more and I will be back to discuss them with you again...

"Avatar The Last Airbender: North And South" || Book Review

 

Hello book friends!

I know I have been away for a long time and I'm sorry for this, but life has been chaotic (mostly in a good way, thankfully) and it has been hard for me to keep up with everything, but at last, I'm back. I'm back with a review of one more of ATLA's comic book series, and this time it's "North and South". 

***NON-SPOILER SECTION***

I finished reading these just yesterday and I wanted to lay down my thoughts as quickly as possible, as they are fresh in my mind. To me, these three comic books were a tad underwhelming compared to the others in the series, but not entirely disappointing. The first two parts, in particular, were a bit boring to me, but luckily the third part is where the story picks up and finally gets more interesting. The pacing was a little weird for me, because, as I mentioned, the first two parts were slow and kind of boring and the build-up only starts halfway through Part II and it's slow, while Part III feels much faster and more interesting. As a result, the first two parts feel boring, while the last part - even though it is much faster and more exciting to read - feels crammed, as it's full of all the major events and information. 

This time, the story focuses on the South Pole, Katara, and her family for the most part. It deals with pretty much the same themes as some of the previous installations: tradition vs modernization, and keeping up with the times while maintaining a distinct cultural identity and connection with your past/history. As a consequence, there aren't many new things to explore there that haven't already been explored and this resulted in the whole thing feeling kind of repetitive. It makes sense both as a character and thematically that Katara would go through something similar to Aang and it also makes sense worldbuilding-wise since this is a changing world and everyone in it will be involved sooner or later. However, having already seen it a couple of times in the same universe before as a theme, it's unavoidable that it would feel repetitive.

***SPOILER SECTION***

It was great that in this trilogy we got to see some of the real Sokka again, his cleverness, his wit, and his insight, not just the funny, goofy side that we saw in the previous comic books and which was disappointing. Sokka in the original series was an amazing character; he wasn't just funny, he was insightful, creative, and resourceful, and he was deep and multi-dimensional. The comic books used him for comic relief a bit more than they should, ignoring all of his other great qualities. He may be goofy and playful, but he's also mature. Luckily, in this one we got to see more of him; I love how he deals with changes, how he views the future and the world, how he keeps an open mind and how he is able to get these things through to Katara, as well. He not only consoles and comforts her, but he also helps her see and understand, without being afraid to be honest with her. He speaks sense, he is the voice of reason, but, in this case, he's also the voice of emotions and empathy, as he's able to understand their father's feelings more quickly and better.

It was nice to see Katara and Sokka dealing with their father and his new relationship with another woman, such a long time after their mother's death. It was interesting to see how each of them views the matter differently and why. What was more important though, was that even though they approached it differently, both of them still reached acceptance in the end and dealt with their feelings. It was also nice to see Katara deal with her feelings about her mother. While we see her talk about her mother multiple times in the series, I don't think that we've ever seen her have closure with this open wound as we did in the final part of this trilogy. The final scene, where Katara speaks to her mom's grave was very emotional and touching and brought tears to my eyes.

I loved seeing Zuko's progress; how he's evolved not only as a bender but also as a character and a leader of his people. His role in this trilogy is small, it was, however, great to see him again.

Gilak was a thoroughly nasty and horrible villain, he really made me hate him. Even though he was disgusting, and I didn't feel sad about his death, I thought his story was indeed tragic.

The ending was wholesome and sweet, as it gets the message of unity and friendship across very nicely. The image of all these different people from different places just sitting together and eating food from their homeland was all that was needed. It was a satisfying conclusion to the story and a good pay-off for the build-up. 

***OVERALL THOUGHTS AND RATING***

So, overall, I thought that even though this trilogy was a bit underwhelming compared to the rest of the comic books, it was still a good installation and I liked it. I rated Part I 3/5*, and it was my lowest rating of the three since it was the one I liked the least. Then I gave Part II 4/5*, because it picked up and was more enjoyable. I also gave Part III 4/5*, because, even though I liked it more than Part II, it still didn't quite reach 5* for me. So, overall, I'd say it's like a 3,5/5*. Now, is the slow build-up worth it? Is the end satisfying enough? Of course, it is. This is still quite an enjoyable read and has all these ATLA traits that we already know and have grown to love, even if it's not as great as the rest.

Thanks for reading!