BOOK REVIEW: THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

Hello again, bookaholics! 

Before I begin my book review, I just want to say I'm pretty upset because Lauren Olivier, the author of "Delirium" and recently "Panic", actually came to Malaysia to hold her book tour for Panic and I wasn't able to attend because 1) I didn't know that and 2) I had school that day, so I'm pretty mad even thinking about it now, but you'll never know, maybe I'll see her again.

Anyway, I'm ready to begin my first official book review on one of my favourite books of all time. I'm pretty sure all of you know about "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" because it really is an inspiring, must read book of all time. It was so good until it released a film adaption on September 8, 2012 and the movie is also really good.

  If those who don't know what the book is entirely all about or those who heard the name of the book but don't really know much about the content, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is set in the early 1990s and it centers around an eponymous wallflower, whose name is Charlie as he adapts through out his freshman year of high school in a Pittsburgh suburb. Charlie is actually a really shy and unpopular teenager, but deep down, he's actually a really intelligent and kind-hearted person. He often write letters to a friend about his true feelings about school, his friends and family, and the things that he observed on-and-off about them. 

  The story starts off with him telling this friend of his through a letter about a suicide committed by his best friend, Michael, and he wished that he could at least write a note before he past away but he didn't. To me, the first letter had already got me hooked with the story because it's really emotional. When I was reading "The Fault in Our Stars" (Another book I would be writing about on my book review list), this book actually came up to my mind because of the emotional scenes that were in the book so I actually re-read it after I finished "The Fault in Our Stars" and I recently just finished re-reading it and it definitely brought me back to memory lane. Alright, back to the story, Charlie eventually befriended a senior named Patrick, who is actually gay and he is secretly dating a football player for the school named Brad. Patrick is often referred as "Nothing", which Charlie referred as in his letter before actually knowing him, because kids used to tease him in middle school like calling him Patty, so Patrick would always tell these kids, "Listen, you either call me Patrick, or you call me nothing." And that's how he got "Nothing" as a name, but Charlie never called him that. Patrick eventually introduced Charlie to his step-sister, Sam. At the moment they met, he has this deep-affection and attraction towards Sam but kept quiet about it because Sam is already in a relationship with another guy named Craig, who is actually few years senior than her. He is absorbed into their group of friends and begins to control flashbacks and the emotions he has harboured about his aunt Helen involving in a fatal car accident for getting him his birthday gift on his birthday. Charlie eventually found out about the relationship between Patrick and Brad after walking into their room unintentionally and found them kissing, but promised to keep it as a secret due to Brad doesn't want anyone to know. Charlie also gave his first kiss to Sam because she wants him to give his first kiss to someone who loves him for who he is unlike her who gave it to his father's friend when she was only seven years-old. Still harbouring feelings for Sam, Charlie soon pursues a relationship with Mary Elizabeth, an outspoken member in their group, but her obsessions and behaviours are starting to annoy him. So in a game of truth-or-dare, Charlie was dared by Patrick to kiss 'the prettiest girl in the room' and he eventually kissed Sam without any hesitation which resulted the end of their relationship and friendship with the group except for Bob, who still occasionally sold drugs to him due to him having flashbacks about his aunt again. After spending weeks alienated by the group, one day, during lunch, Patrick was involved in a fight with Brad after being called "Nothing" and "Faggot" and was soon attacked by Brad's football players, when Charlie intervenes by stopping the attackers and soon finds himself reconnecting with the group including Sam and Mary Elizabeth. When high school ended for the seniors, Charlie is helping Sam pack-up for college and they eventually discussed about his feelings for her, which caused Sam to become angry and emotional as he had never said anything about it. They kissed, and as she touches his inner thigh, he stops her, but he doesn't really know why. That night itself, he dreamed of his aunt Helen touching him, the way that Sam did. The next day, he experiences a flood of emotions where he is bombarded by memories of his aunt Helen touching him, and begins to break down - shortly signing off to his anonymous friend. In the epilogue, it emerges that his aunt Helen had sexually abused him, on a weekly basis when he was little, but his love for her caused him to repress these memories. Charlie is admitted to the same hospital he was placed in at age 7 after his aunt Helen's death, remains in a catatonic state for a week. He then spends several months in the hospital where he comes to terms with his past, saying that "even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there". He signs off with "So, if this does end up being my last letter, please believe that things are good with me, and even when they're not, they will be soon enough. And I will believe the same about you. Love always, Charlie." And that's pretty much about it.

I really enjoy the way Charlie narrates the story by writing letters to this mystery friend of his, he doesn't really talk bad about anyone and is really honest about everything even though sometimes he doesn't really revealed too much information on that certain someone. Furthermore, I also enjoyed the way he expressed his feelings on certain things, especially about love. I know the popular saying from the movie is "We Accept the Love We Think We Deserve", which actually came from the book, I preferred this saying, "And in that Moment, I Swear We were Infinite." Other than having a psychopath aunt, I think we're all related to Charlie somehow, in your own way. 

  Anyway, I do highly-recommend this book and rate this book as 4.5/5. Too be honest, I love re-reading books because it often takes me back to certain moments in my life. I actually re-read it for like three times now because it really is an inspiring and life-changing book about life and love. If you don't have this book yet, you should head to your nearest book store RIGHT NOW and BUY IT.

The First Edition of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky.

The Second Edition of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky before the film was released; Also the first edition I bought before the film cover was released.

The Back Cover of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower".

The Film Cover also Third Edition of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky; Also the Second Edition I bought after the film was released.

British actress, Emma Watson, with her edition of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" for the preparation of her role as Sam in the film adaption.

Now that the Book Review of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is completed, I can now move on to the five books I recently purchased:

1. Dead Reckoning by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill
2. Letters From a Nut's Family Tree by Ted L. Nancy
3. The Hypnotists by Gordon Korman
4. The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick
5. The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix

I'm still currently reading "Dead Reckoning"...very slowly...because I don't really enjoy the first few pages when the authors are introducing about the main protagonist. It's a bit confusing, but I won't give up on this book simply because I don't find the introduction interesting so I'll give it a second chance. Anyway, if you have already read about these books, do comment on the comment section below on your thoughts about the book. 

Like always, if you find my blogs, (My Little Book Affairs and Le Blog de Nicole), interesting, do subscribe them by clicking on the buttons beside my blog or you can also read it through your email just simply insert your email address on the column beside this blog. You can also follow me in Twitter (@NicoleWong1998), Instagram (CameraStyleMe) and Pinterest (Nicolette 'Nicole' Wong). I also recently just set-up my Tumblr account (NicoleTheGirlNextDoor), you can also follow me there. 

Thanks for reading! We'll see each other very soon! 

DIVERGENT (FILM) REVIEW

Okay...Okay...I'm still in the Divergent fangirling mood, but I'll keep calm for my blog's sake. 
*After 10 minutes
Nope! The fangirling mood is still here, but I'll proceed on with my Divergent film review. 
Before reviewing Divergent, for those who didn't read the book, (*Spoiler Alert) Divergent is actually about futuristic Chicago and society has been split into 5 distinct factions according to their personalities. There are Abnegation (Selflessness), Amity (Kind), Candor (Honesty), Dauntless (Bravery) and Erudite (Intelligence). The story is actually based on the main protagonist, Beatrice 'Tris' Prior's perspective. People must go through an aptitude test to determine the factions they truly belong and it seems like the perfect way to divide the people. However, there is also one kind of people that can fit into several categories/factions, they're known as 'Divergent'. In this case, Beatrice's aptitude test results revealed that she could fit in several factions therefore being inconclusive, which also makes her a Divergent. At that time, being a Divergent is very dangerous because people like Jeanine Matthews (Main Antagonist) from Erudite thinks Divergent are threats to the system they're living now, so Beatrice has to keep her Divergent identity a secret to avoid being killed or removed from the system. During the choosing ceremony, where people are also given the chance to choose the factions they truly desire, Tris chooses Dauntless (Bravery) instead of her previous faction, Abnegation (Selflessness), and decided to leave her faction and family behind. Along the process of adapting her new lifestyle in her new faction, Tris changes her name from Beatrice to Tris and made some new friends like Christina (originally from Candor), Will (originally from Erudite), Albert or he goes by the name as Al (originally from Candor), Edward (originally from Erudite) and even made some new rivals other than Jeanine like Peter (originally from Candor) and Molly (originally from Candor). She also developed a romantic relationship with her instructor, Tobias 'Four' Eaton. Tobias, who goes by the name as Four during his days in Dauntless due to only having four fears, is originally from Abnegation but due to his father's abusive behaviour he chooses Dauntless instead of staying in his original faction. The Dauntless are injected with some sort of mind-controlling serum and was controlled to destroy Abnegation and sorting out Divergents. Along the process of shutting down the entire program and prevent Abnegation to be destroyed, Tris' mother, Natalie Prior, was shot dead after trying to protect her daughter and her father, Andrew Prior, too was shot dead for the same reasons like her mother. She eventually found the control room back in Dauntless and Four who was previously taken away after being sorted out as a Divergent, but got into a fight with Four before officially shutting down the program. Tris, Four, Marcus (Four's abusive father, who is also one of the council members in Abnegation), Caleb (Tris' brother) and Peter (who 'kind-of' helped them in the end) boarded the train and head towards Amity. That pretty sums it up, but trust me, the book was so good, I kept RE-reading it for several times.
  As for the movie, I got to say it definitely stayed true to the book and it didn't really had any big changes like what they did to "Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief and Sea of Monsters" and I really appreciate that. First, I got to praise SHAILENE WOODLEY, who portrayed Tris Prior. I mean, if you watched the movie, you would probably understand what I'm saying. Many young generation know her through "The Secret Life of the American Teenager"; Older generations would know her through "The Descendants". In my case, I knew her through both and was definitely shocked when I heard she was cast as Tris because I never thought characters like Tris would actually be Shailene's thing. Originally, I never thought she could actually portray Tris, but after watching the movie, she is just a natural like how Jennifer Lawrence did with Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games". Next, THEO JAMES! When I first heard he was cast, I was definitely skeptical with it because I never actually watched his acting performance before. Many would know him through "Downtown Abbey", where he played as Kemal Pamuk, the guy who 'deflowered' Mary and later died on a fatal heart-attack or his role as Walter William Clark, Jr in "Golden Boy", but I actually knew him through his role as David in "Underworld: Awakening". I was watching a few episodes of "Golden Boy" the other day and it was such a shame they cancelled the show because it was really good. Other than having Theo, the story line wasn't actually that bad like the way the critics said, but you guys should definitely watch it. Furthermore, I was actually really excited to watch Kate Winslet portraying Jeanine Matthews even though she is an evil leader from Erudite. I love and admire her ever since her debut in "Titanic" and I never stopped loving her. I actually watched "Labor Day" like few days ago with my parents and even they said she was amazing. I think she portrayed Jeanine really well despite it was an evil character and there is also Maggie Q who portrayed Tori in the film. Overall, I think Neil did a great job in the casting especially adding Veronica Roth, who goes by a Dauntless member, in the zip-ling scene. I mean, who could imagine the author and creator of Divergent would actually participate in it. It's so cool!
I give a score of 4.0/5. I think this movie definitely was better than "The Hunger Games" and "Twilight" but is still a few steps behind "Catching Fire". They could have done a better work, but still it was enjoyable and entertaining, much like the book.

The Official Movie Poster of Divergent

The society of futuristic Chicago are separated into 5 factions: Abnegation (Selflessness), Amity (Kind), Candor (Honesty), Dauntless (Bravery) and Erudite (Intelligence). And the rare species of 'Divergent', people who can be fitted into several categories and are presumed to be threats to their society. 

Also a Movie Poster, but with the official cast members in their own personal tattoos after joining Dauntless. 

Academy Award Nominee Shailene Woodley in the cover of the 2013 November issue of Elle Magazine. She portrayed the main protagonist, Beatrice 'Tris' Prior.

Shailene Woodley as Tris Prior in the film adaption of Divergent.

Famous for his role in "Downtown Abbey" and "Golden Boy", Theo James portrayed one of the main protagonist and Tris' love interest in the film adaption of Divergent.

Theo James portraying Tris' instructor in Dauntless and eventually developed a romantic relationship. Theo is ready to kick-butt in his portrayal as Four. Credits: Entertainment Weekly.

I just couldn't get over Tris and Four or Six and Four (if you already read the book). Their undying love and the will to protect each other from harm are one of the few reasons I couldn't keep my hands of the book and my eyes off the movie.

Did anyone realized I'm also a #SHEO shipper? Yup! I'm all about Shailene Woodley and Theo James right now!

There is all I got to say about Divergent. I scored the movie 4.0/5 because:

1) They stayed true to the book, however, there were few changes in the movie, but it definitely didn't change the story line or anything like that.

2) I think Neil is a great director and he directed Divergent really well. I enjoyed what he did to the casting. Love Shailene Woodley, still fangirling over Theo James and I just adore Kate Winslet even though she was portraying an evil character.

3) They built a perfect futuristic Chicago, much like what I pictured it in my mind.

4) I think they should have shown the scene where Peter attacked Edward and both Edward and Molly became factionless. That scene would definitely show the true nature and the morality people still have in that society. 

5) There were several scenes where I think Neil was rushing it. Like, there were several scenes were really short and sometimes really messy but still it stayed true to the book.

I just hope the sequel to Divergent, "Insurgent" would be better than "Catching Fire" and just hope that the director of "Allegiant" would changed the ending like what Veronica wanted. Other than that, it's a really realistic and touching movie. You should watch it in your nearest cinema or maybe buy the book in your nearest bookstore and start fangirling over it. I did that when I started reading it for the first time. I actually spent 3 hours reading it and eventually finished it by 3 hours because it was so addictive and WOW!

Anyway, if you're a Divergent fan like me, do subscribe to my blogs, "My Little Book Affairs" and "Le Blog de Nicole" for more Divergent information. You can also follow me on Twitter: @NicoleWong1998 , Instagram: CameraStyleMe or even Pinterest: Nicolette 'Nicole' Wong for any recommendations, suggestions and comments. You can also comment on the box below. And if you're a #SHEO shipper, do post a picture and hashtag like this #SHEO ,I would surely retweet or favourite your tweet on Twitter.

Bye! For now!

ABOUT ME

Hello bookaholics and welcome to my first post of my latest blog. 

The reason why I named this blog "My Little Book Affairs" is because I'm going to be writing a lot about books like the latest book release that I know of, thoughts on the book I'm currently reading and basically book reviews on the books that I've read in the past or just finished. 

Before creating this blog, I've considered to dedicate this blog mainly for books only because I've also created another blog, "Le Blog de Nicole", but then I want that blog specifically for fashion and trends, video games and my personal playlist, so I'll be collaborating this blog with other information that I like to share like TV Shows, Movies and other news about the entertainment world.

Before I start my official post on books, I want to thoroughly introduce myself. My name is Nicolette Wong, but my friends call me Nicole. I'm still 15 because my birthday is in July and it has ended yet, but I considered myself 16. My parents exposed me to books ever since I was a toddler. I remember reading Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Peter and Jane and of course, Enid Blyton, but I still considered Alice in Wonderland is one of my favourite childhood book. I officially fell in love with reading novels when I got my first "The Vampire Diaries" novel 9 years ago and thinking about it, I've been in love with reading for a really long time. I also have the passion for writing 6 years ago and started writing a few short stories for my school board in primary school and middle school (I'm currently in high school by the way) and participated in all the writing competitions in my country. Although I didn't won, I was glad that I actually had that courage to let a stranger look over my 'masterpiece' (just kidding) and know the fact I wasn't as good as other people, it just made me want to step up onto my game even more. I actually started blogging two years ago on my other blog, but I just didn't had the time because of my studies and exams happening in those few years, but I finally settled down and decided to continue on this one.

If you read my profile information, which (I think) is on the right side of the blog, you would see that I'm actually a lover for ice tea and a bookaholic myself and you're also see I'm a fashion lover. I love fashion so much it hurts and kills me because I can't have them all. I love to think that I got my fashion inspiration from my mother, who always appear to be stylish as ever even though sometimes she looks like a typical mother, she's still beautiful. I mean, beautiful comes from the inside, not from the outside right? Anyway, I love fashion. I love the fabrics that formed the clothing; I love each and every tiny details of lace or antique buttons sewn onto the outfit; I love the red sole bottom of the heels that shows absolute elegance of a masterpiece. One of my favourite clothing line is Robert Cavalli and Carolina Herrera. I just love their sense of fashion and style. They just don't over do the outfit and that's what makes it perfect. If you followed my Twitter page, you would know that because I tweet about these two A LOT. Moving on to VIDEO GAMES. Yup! I'm a girl and yes I play video games. I just love the video gaming world. You just sit around on your couch or on the floor, holding your consoles and just play around on your playstation or X-box, no worries (except for how to kill the ultimate boss) and just full liberty in your own gaming bubble. My first Video Game is Kingdom Hearts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Hearts), which became my all time favourite. The story line, the characters and the gameplay just drew me into their world. I mean how often do you find Final Fantasy and Disney characters together in one show. I'm also currently in love with Assassin's Creed, if you don't know what that is, you can click on this link to find out more about it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin's_Creed) and Call of Duty (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty). The last but not least, I'm also a Music Addict. Taylor Swift changed my world through her voice and lyrics, Lana del Rey changed my perspective about Life, Christina Perri taught me how to Love and Ed Sheeran was there to guide me with his British accent. Yup! That pretty sums them all up.

After reading this blog, if you love books, do follow http://mylittlebookaffairs.blogspot.com/

But if you're in love with Fashion, Video Games and Music, do follow http://bonshare.blogspot.com/

Other than that, do follow my Twitter page: https://twitter.com/NicoleWong1998 and Instagram page:http://instagram.com/camerastyleme