Spotted #1: Barnes & Noble Midtown

Spotted is a Feature on Novel Days where I spotlight books which I discover whilst about town.

The Twitter Diaries by Georgie Thompson: An entire novel written in the form of twitter updates. I wanted to turn up my nose at this, but I couldn't help but think of how fun this could be. Not to mention, it takes a good writer to write a compelling plot within 140 spaces.

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire: I believe I caught on to this novel some months before it caught fire amongst readers/bloggers everywhere. It's comparison to Fifty Shades is almost completely wrong, but the one way that they link is the self published/independently published factor. It's novels like these that make me so excited to self publish my own novel. A few years ago, who would've thought that it was possible for a self published author to gain a spot on The New York Times Bestseller List? Seeing this novel in a bookstore made me smile!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: I watched this novel float from tweet to tweet for almost a full week. How can I ignore such craze? I think I'm the only one who hasn't read it yet. What do you guys think about this novel? I'm game for a good mystery...as long as it isn't drawn out.

How To Write A Sentence and How To Read One by Stanley Fish: Because after Grad School I really need to re learn these basic functions.

The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern: I started reading this about a month ago, and now I'm ready to jump back into it. I've heard the most magical things about it, and the more I see it around, the more I would love to take a journey to a real life night circus (if such exists).

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles: Today, I picked up this promising gem as an early birthday present. One of my best friends and fellow bluestocking, Casee Marie from Literary Inklings, has consistently recommended this novel to me until I couldn't resist any longer. There's just something about the 30s and 40s that I'm fascinated with. It seems as if even daily life was romantic back then. I'm really looking forward to this one.

One Day by David Nicholls: This. Book. In my review of it, I talk of how this novel wracks my brain. Whenever I see it, I feel a mixture of awe, sadness, and irritation. Dexter will do that to you...that ending will do that to you.

Cosmopolis by Dan Delillo: I'll admit that I've only turned my eyes to this novel because of my dear, Robert Pattinson. I tried reading it while I was still in Wales, and it certainly seemed like our generations' Ulysees. I'm curious to read more, as I enjoyed the sound of the dialogue after seeing a few scenes from the movie. It is so slow and calculated. I'm almost sure that it's our version of Shakespearean language. I'm looking forward to discovering the meaning of each word.

The Conde Nast Book of Unforgettable Journeys-Great Writers on Great Places: There's nothing better than good writing that evokes a sense of place that makes one sure they've travelled. Good writing can certainly make a place seem mythic and lovely by bringing out the natural, untapped beauty of the place described. This would be an interesting addition to my library.

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss: So, I've had this novel trapped in my closet for the past 2 and a 1/2 years. I've heard pretty mixed reviews, but this quote: "Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering."--keeps me hopeful. One of my great missions as a writer is to discover new ways to write about and describe the act of loving someone, and this novel seems a treasure trove of inspiration. What do you guys think?

What awesome reads have you spotted around lately?

One Day by David Nicholls Book Review/Film Parallel

It’s 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met. But after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another. Over twenty years, snapshots of that relationship are revealed on the same day—July 15th—of each year. Dex and Em face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. And as the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed, they must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself.

-Barnes & Noble

One Day is one of those novels that you either love or you hate, and I must admit that this is not a novel that I would go back to. But despite the previous, I believe that it is a novel that should be read. It's not horrible in terms of content, or writing. I give Nicholl's many props for creating a fitting semi-omnipresent narrator peeking into aspects of each characters lives at the perfect time. His dialogue is engrossing, and pretty flawless, actually. There were hilarious moments that really boosted it's morale a bit, and then there were disheartening bits that really gutted you after reading. When I first started, I did not want to put it down. I loved the tone of it. It took a lifetime to read, and I literally felt as if I had lived through each wonderful and tank worthy moment in each characters' life. It was chock full of details, and by the end of it you definitely know these characters through and through.

My challenge with the novel comes with the characters, or really, just one...Dexter. I wanted to love him, and with the way Nicholls' paints him, you understand, to an extent, why he's so prone to idiotic decisions and has a seeming callous nature. Nevertheless, as the novel progressed, I couldn't stop wanting to smack him upside the face with something hard and bulky. Emma had her frustrating moments as well, but I felt I could relate to her more as she too is a struggling writer trying to figure her place in life. It was pretty hilarious, at certain points, to observe Dexter try and figure out what his feelings were for Emma, as well as his slip ups with her time and time again. I'm not sure if I were Emma, I could  endure Dexter's erratic, arrogant, and oftentimes condescending behavior.  It was a bit too much.

The conclusion is a scene that truly takes your breath away. I never pictured it ending this way, but it definitely causes you to wonder if you are appreciating the people in your life, and not taking their help, support, and love for granted.

Bottom line, I would say, read the novel. It's hard points read true to reality, and this could be perhaps, why it was so hard for me to enjoy the ride. I would love to discuss your thoughts!

The film, on the other hand...didn't even come close to the novel. Of course, this is probably true with most film adaptations, but I had a problem with connecting to the characters. It seems the film tried to squeeze their entire lives, and ended up leaving out really awesome parts, and rushing through significant  years. Jim Sturgess portrayed Dexter to a tee! I knew this because from the moment he popped onto the screen I couldn't STAND him. I wanted to punch his cocky little smirks off of his face, and scream, 'Show Emma some respect, for crying out loud!' Anne Hathaway also portrayed Emma very effectively. She brought out Emma's sarcastic deadpans, and wit. I'm not sure about her accent, but I'm not the authority on such things. Even after spending a year in the UK, I can't even say what an accurate Yorkshire accent is. The film was merely okay.

I give One Day three out of five cups of Earl Grey.

I give the film adaptation a two and a half out of five cups of Earl Grey. 

(This might be the meanest I'll ever review...hopefully!)