"The Casual Vacancy" by J.K. Rowling - REVIEW

Hello Muggles,

today I would like to give you my thoughts on J.K. Rowlings current novel "The Casual Vacancy", which is her first book for adults after writing so many Harry Potter related things.

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What is it about?

And here starts the difficulty. If you're interested in the book and look online for some content or storyline summaries you know that they're not that easy to find and there's a simple reason for that: It's almost not possible to write about "The Casual Vacancy" without revealing too much. But I will try my best:

The whole story takes place in a very small town in south-west England (am I right, here?) and begins with Barry Fairbrother's sudden death. He is a member of Parish Council and after he dies there are some people, who are quite eager to get his place. There's a voting going on and everything but the main focus lays on the many, many different characters story. There are about 34 characters, who are mostly related to someone else from the town due to family background, friendships or just loose contacts.

The plot goes through all kinds of social origins (mostly English working and middle class) without avoiding the ugly sides of each.

Basically it's about people's behaviour in very stressed situations, I think.

What do I think about it?

Okay, as many people probably I bought the book because I love J.K. Rowling for Harry Potter and her way of writing and creating new worlds through words. Because of my very high image I have of Mrs Rowling in my head starting to read "The Casual Vacancy" was quite hard. I didn't really know what to think about the whole thing until I got to page 150 / 200... so quite a while! I had some problems with remembering all the different characters and their relation to each other and sometimes I struggled with vocabulary because I read in English and those Parish Council vocab is totally new to me and I'm not sure if I got everything right.

What I found extremely difficult is that there are 34 characters but I didn't like one of them very much... I felt more dislike and disrelished most of them (which is far too much real life for me xD There are enough people to dislike in life and this is why I would like to have at least one character in a book that I find super sympathetic) - the only one, who I felt slight sympathy for was Kay Walden maybe but... uhm, not enough actually.

So, after the first 200 pages I got used to it and started to feel some interest in the characters. I especially "enjoyed" reading about Krystal Weedon, who represented the people from very, very difficult social backgrounds (I don't know the exact term for it - in German it is "sozialer Brennpunkt", which would be something like "social hotspot" but with a very negative meaning). I didn't like what I read but I just felt moved by her story and found it incredibly sad to see what's going on there.

While reading I didn't expect the end to be that tragic actually. I don't want to spoiler, so I can't tell you too much only that I didn't expect it and it really left me there being confused and sad and feeling miserable... which I don't consider as bad after reading a book. I like books that make me think a lot afterwards and "The Casual Vacancy" definitely made that but nevertheless it wasn't strong / convincing for the first half. :/

What I really didn't like that much was the language. I know it's supposed to be real but do people really swear this much? I think J.K. Rowling just put that many slang words and curses and raw language in it to clearly distance from Harry Potter - which I don't think is the cleverest thing to do.

Would I recommend it?

Hm... all in all I probably would. 

I would recommend it if you're interested in a good, real-life based novel and if you're not struggling with having many characters and a lot to remember (I know my Mom does have huuuge problems with remembering names and stuff and she literally reads one book every other day, so I don't think she would be able to keep a proper view^^) AND if you have strong nerves. There are some very intense moments, whether it is a very harsh (verbal) fight, someone gets battered or is just being a little too vulgar. There are SO many swear words that I sometimes was glad my English isn't perfect and I didn't know their meaning.

The point that lets me recommend it anyway is the thing that happens in the 2nd half. You just feel a tiny connection with the characters and your interest gets aroused. In the end it leaves you speechless, no matter if you think that's fine or bad - I think this is what a book is supposed to do.

Definitely give it a go and read through it because there's no sense in putting it away after a few pages; it gets better!

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Okay, this was my review for J.K. Rowlings first adult novel "The Casual Vacancy" - I hope you liked it and are more / less determined to get and read it now. 

If you have any suggestions or questions feel free to leave a comment or write me a private message! 

I would love to know what you think about it if you have already read it, so please write a comment if you did so! :)

See you next time,

Hermione

Follow me on Twitter: @HermioneG7

Tips for school (A-levels): #9 Read the Lectures!

Hello again Muggles,

today I would like to present my 9th tip for school to you. :)

#9: Read your lectures!

-> In my school time we actually really started reading lectures in A-level. I think before that time we just read one tiny book in English and two in German, which is pretty sad...

BUT starting A-levels it feels like you have to read one a month, which is a difference... and I really enjoyed it! :)

The thing is that I'm generally interested in literature and I have fun reading and talking about diefferent stories - and I think I was one of the few people, who really read every lecture we got (even if it was italian and I just learned it for 1 year o.o).

In my opinion it is the easiest way to get good marks. Especially if you're writing a test or an exam about lectures. There just won't be anything suprising because the lecture has a limited storyline and you can just prepare yourself perfectly for something like writing a character-analysis, which is what we had to do quite often. You just know what to expect when it comes to tests / exams about lectures and additionally you have another important topic like analysing stylistic devices, interepretating a certain aspect of the story and so on in class, so (as I said before) you know how the test / exam will look like and there won't be any bad suprises.
You can also do great additional tasks like writing an essay about the lecture, which helps you to improve your marks and it shows the teacher that you're interested which is always good and helpful. :)
Okay, to come back to the topic: I think it's very important to really read the lectures / books your given because it's the easiest way for a good mark. :)

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I hope you found that helpful.
Next week there will be the final tip for school by me, so look out for that.
I hope you have a lovely sunday (it actually is quite warm for autumn over here in Germany, which I personally like :)) and I would love you to check out my older posts - I have ordered my first beauty box and also got some things I put in a collective haul. :)

See you next time,
Hermione    


Follow me on Twitter: @HermioneG7   

REVIEW: "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky

Oh hello there Muggles,

so after I finally ordered "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and already finished it I just had to write this review. I hope you enjoy it! :)

What it is about:

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is about Charlie, who is an 15 year old freshman in highschool. All you get to know about him and his surroundings he tells you through letters, who are addressed to a "friend". 

Although Charlie is very intelligent he is socially awkward and too shy to find real friends especially after his friend Michael killed himself before Charlie starts to write the letters. 

After some time in his new school he meets Patrick and Sam, who are siblings, and they become friends like Charlie never had them before.

He also starts something like a friendship with his English teacher, who gives him books to read and write about and this is how Charlie discovers that he wants to be a writer one day.

Charlie writes the letters for about a year and he tells you what happens in his life, which includes first kisses and drug-experiences but you're also confronted by his difficult personality and background.

Picture by teaser-trailer.com

What I though about it:

Shame on me but I only found out about "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" because of the upcoming film starring Emma Watson. I love her because she "incarnated" my favourite book-character ever: Hermione Granger. :)

After reading about the book on Hayleys Blog Water Painted Dreams I looked for it in local book stores and the library but couldn't find it in English (an extra loud hurray for Germany -.-) and when I read about her loving it SO much again I just ordered it on Amazon. Well, this is why so many order things on Amazon, I guess. :/

Long story short: I got it with my mail on Tuesday and I finished it Wednesday evening and now I am sitting here writing this review because to say it as modest as I can: It was mind-blowing! :)

I would like to start talking about the characters because I think they are the leading role - the most important part in a book. 

I felt kind of connected with Charlie right from the start. I felt with him when he was talking about being nervous starting school. I was overwhelmed by his strange way to look at things. Sometimes you think of him being a 10 year old and one moment later he writes down the wisest words I ever heard. And during the whole book he is just pure honesty in person - probably just because he sometimes is not aware of what goes on or how to react and that always reminded me of a child. You definitely notice that something is not right with him and the end just left me standing there feeling helpless for him - but enough for now: I don't want to spoiler.

Charlie often talks about his friends Patrick, Sam, Mary Elizabeth (worst name ever... sorry for all the "Mary Elizabeth's" out there^^), the rest of the "group" and also his English teacher, who he addresses by his first name "Bill" - all those characters are described so detailed that you think they're real and I'm sure everyone can find some character traits of their one friends in them.

Last but not least there is his family, which is just so perfectly not perfect. There is a lot of love within the family but nevertheless they are in a constant sea saw just as the whole story is basically.

Let me pass into the story in general. And this one is hard because I don't want to spoiler here. Let's just say it's a combination of fun(ny moments), tragic and normality in a very special way because Charlie as the main character is special. There are many, many emotional moments especially because Charlie cries a lot but I never found this to be annoying but moving.

As I said before it is quite a sea saw and you never know what to expect next. Because you can only see the whole story through Charlies eyes, or better say his words, you feel especially connected to him and there are moments in which you can't really understand why he acted like he did - at least I thought so. 

In almost every letter Charlie mentions famous bands, songs, books or films, which makes you feel that it is real and a true happening and I love those little details. You can listen to "The Smiths" and try to understand what Charlie feels when putting one of their songs onto a mixtape he gives to his best friend. :)

Final Conclusion:

I enjoyed every minute I read "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" - no matter how happy or tragic or awkward the storyline was. I felt like I experienced everything with Charlie and I would like to meet him and his surroundings because it's like every person in the book really exists.

The most important part and the thing why I already love "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is that it makes you think a lot and it makes you feel with every character. 

I think it's one of those books that leaves a permanent impression!

I really hoped you liked it.

Please let me know if you already read "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and tell me what you think of it!

I would also love to know if you saw the film or if your going to see it in cinemas! :)

See you next time,

Hermione :)

THE BEST BOOK EVER (not talking about Harry Potter :D)

Hello Muggles,

I am SOOO excited right now because I found out that my favourite Book "Der Märchenerzähler" by the german author Antonia Michaelis is now available in English -> "The Storyteller"!!

Unfortunately the cover isn't as pretty as the German one but don't be too superficial with that. :D REEEEEAD IT!! :)

What is "The Storyteller" about?

 The Storyteller is about Anna, who lives quite a perfect and carefree life, and Abel, who is the exact opposite as he's called the "school drugdealer". Although Anna and Abel are in the same year in school they don't really know each other. That changes when Anna follows Abel after school finding out that he has a younger sister he has to take care of. Anna then listens to the story Abel tells his sister Micha and as the story continues through the whole book you, the reader, can't really tell if it's only a story or a "real happening".
Of course, Anna and Abel get to know each other better and Anna finds out how tragic Abel's life has been and in a very subtle way they start to like each other - but it's never 100 % obvious, so it's no typical love story at all!  

What do I think of "The Storyteller"?

Hm, so after reading the headline it's quite obvious. I'm totally convinced by the characters, the story and every little thing about it.

I don't want to spoiler, so I try to hold myself back BUT there are some things I just have to say: 

I'm not going to talk about a particular scene that has been discussed and "ripped apart" by German readers, because it would reveal too much of the content, but what's connected to it is the relationship between Anna and Abel. And this is what I like about "The Storyteller" - it's not easy but complicated, tragic and confusing. I personally don't want everything in a book to be pink and full of butterflies, rainbows and gooey declarations of love. 
Well, let's get to the point: The story is told by a 3rd person narrator, who is mainly personal (Annas view!). We never get to know what Abel thinks or what he does when Anna's not around. What a lot of German readers claimed is that Abel doesn't "love" Anna and that she only runs after him. I really can't understand this because we just don't know what's going on in Abels mind due to the narrators perspective. Most people don't know how it is to live with someone that had not even 50 % of the problems Abel Tannatek had in "The Storyteller" - so I think only a few people can understand how hard living is for him and for everyone else with family problems. I hoped there would be more empathy out there. Of course, you don't have to understand everything he does (because he does very cruel things) and you can't but if you deal with psychology just a little you know that you can't just judge him. Otherwise you would be quite an ignorant person. :/

Well, okay - Antonia Michaelis made me feel extremely sorry for Abel due to her style of writing and building up the whole story. Not until the end you will know what really happened to Abel and what he went through and the moment you get to know it (at least it was the case with me) you will break down or cry and just feel the need to take Abels hand and be there for him ... like Anna did. So maybe this is why I could understand what Anna did and why she behaved like she did. I just felt incredibely sorry for Abel and even now (after 15 months or so) I think about Abel Tannatek every freaking day. The whole story and especially his character are still stuck into my head - probably because I "know" that there is someone like Abel in every school and maybe you see this person daily without knowing his / her true background story. 



Would I recommend "The Storyteller"?

This is quite difficult although I love it to death (quite an inappropriate stylistic device^^)...
I would recomment it to everyone, who has quite strong nerves and a good heart. :)
Basically I would recommend it to everyone except for young people (maybe 15+) and those, who are easily offended or very sensitive. ;)

Please tell me if you have read "The Storyteller" by Antonia Michaelis in the comment section down below. :)

See you next time,
Hermione

Tops & Flops (September)

Hello Muggles,

September has already come to an end and I thought of telling you what I liked and disliked. :)

TOP:

1) Danisnotonfire

If you could see me writing you would know how red my cheeks are right now. :') 

I'm turning into a creepy girly-girl when thinking about Dan from danisnotonfire 

I don't watch his videos because he's handsome as hell (oh yeah, we all know it's true - you know it's true, Dan) - although this probably is the reason why I watch so many of them - BUT he's just the funniest guy ever and he makes me laugh every single second - pure entertainment especially in the grey days of autumn that are to come! :)

Watch his videos, if you like a good laugh... and you can handle the handsomeness. ;D

(I also love AmazingPhil, of course! Rawr!)

2) Essiebutton

Let me just talk about Youtubers at once. You probably already know how much I adore Estée from essiebutton but I can't get enough of watching her videos. :) She is hilarious and entertaining like no other and you just have to watch the video I put up below - especially the end will demonstrate you why I'm so in love with her. :D

3) Books ("The Future of us")

As "books" is quite a lame headline for something I liked this month (because I didn't just like books in September...) I added one of the novels I read, which was "The Future of us" by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. I read within 24 hours because it's just very easy to read and to be honest I had a lot of time and fun reading it so it was ticked of very fast. I will do a more detailed review about it because it's one of the few books I read in the last couple of months that is actually written in English - so everyone of you should be able to read it, which makes the whole thing of writing / reading a review more interesting! ;)
Other books I read were "Log Out" by Sylvia Witt and Oliver Uschmann, "Das Portal" by Elke Pistor (which I didn't like), "Der Krähenturm" by Kerstin Pflieger and last but definitely not least: "Solange die Nachtigall singt" by Antonia Michaelis!
I also finished the "Jane Eyre" audiobook - which I loved! :)


 

4) Dark red / Plum lipstick

Picture by P2 - I bought the middle one (Rue de Rivoli)

 

This is probably mostly autumn inspired but I love darker lipsticks on other people and so I bought my first really dark one, which you will also see in an upcoming collective haul very soon. :)

My favourite look for autumn is wearing a dark lip and only mascara on your eyes - no eyeshadow or anything else that diverts from your lipstick.

There`s a quite interesting "Dos and Don'ts of Dark Lipsticks" on the Glamour page. Just click here to check it out. :)

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FLOP:

1) The Hunger Games (Film)

Picture by mmm-mag.com

Okay, I know that it's not nice to talk about anything in a bad way but I'm just being honest here and I don't want everything to be perfectly good every time because it just isn't. 

After this short disclaimer I would like to talk about how disappointed I am about "The Hunger Games". This film is SO hyped and everyone I know watched it in the cinema and liked it so I wanted to have a look myself. Here's the truth: I watched 30 minutes! That's it.

Firstly, the camera was driving me insane.

Secondly, I think the actors aren't good and convincing at all - worst of all: Liam Hemsworth! I just didn't believe him. He was like thrown in there like anyone told him: "Just be the "pretty" friend of Katniss, don't show any personality:" o.o

Thirdly, the animations. How can a film, which was this expensive have animations that look like in Blue's Clues? 

And in the end: I felt sooo bad watching! I literally felt like one of those crazy people in the Hunger Games world that watches the Hunger Games in TV or something. I couldn't deal with that and felt so bad after thirty minutes that I decided to end my Hunger Games experience there. 

Maybe I will read the books but probably the topic in general is not for me.

Don't be mean with me because I'm just talking about my opinion and if you liked the film than why shouldn't that be okay? Hurray for you. ;)

2) Learning Latin in 3 weeks

Yes, it's as stupid as it sounds. Because I'm about to do "English Studies" in university I have to learn Latin. It's not enough that I already did 4 years of French and 3 years of Italian - no, it has to be Latin, as well! -.-
The genious I am, I decided to do two crash courses for three weeks each. I finished the first one last week and should be able to know about 600 words and a million forms of grammar. Sad story is I am not. So the plan for the following 11 months is to do revision all the time. Hopefully that will work because there is an Latin exam to come next year... and I have to pass! 
Hurray to the future. ;D




 3) Bye, bye summer - hello autumn

Picture by wallpaperzzz.com

As romantic as this autumn picture might look like... I don't like it. I'm surprised how many Youtubers and Bloggers adore this time of a year - but they mostly said they like it because of the fashion... I also like autumn fashion but I fancy warm and sunny days anyway. :'D
I don't know how to survive winter yet... -.-
xD


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Okay, I think that's enough for now. I hope you enjoyed it.

Please let me know what your September top and flops are or link your own blog in the comment section down below! :)

See you next time,
Hermione 

Visited the Library...

Hey everyone,

I'm totally into English Literature and classical novels at the moment, which is why I went to the library and hoped to find some reading material. I've already been there last week and got two audio books ("Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte and "Lady Susan" by Jane Austen).

Unfortunately the library in my town is not that big and they don't have many english books. :(  But this is what I got yesterday:

Sorry about the light. I'm quite a lousy photographer and the camera I use at the moment is probably not the best one. ;)

As you can see I found "Sense and Sensibilty" by Jane Austen. I actually didn't want to take it with me because the letters are very small and it won't be that nice to read but when I couldn't find any other Jane Austen novel in English I just took it.

The other book ("By a Lady") I found is a collection of extracts of Austen's novels, which is in Englisch and German.

As you can see I got four more Audio Books. There is "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville, "The Picture of Dorian Grey" by Oscar Wilde, "David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens and last but not least "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien, which I already read and only brought for my boyfriend, so he can listen to it when he can't sleep. ;D

This is it for now - just wanted to show you what I'm interested in at the moment and I would love to see what you think about it in the comment section. :)

See you next time,

Hermione