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Bel:

Cover

This looks for all with world like a post apocalyptic novel with a desolate desert scene, a cityscape in the distance and beside the sky in shades of sunset; there is only a lone figure in a red hoodie with two dogs. Quite dramatic and fits the story really well.

Characters

Almost everyone in this story is morally corrupt. Makes it easy to pick who I would want at my back.

Favourite

No brainer this one. Juneau, she’s discovering the world for the first time, literally, and making the best of the situation. She has to be one of the best heroines this year.

Least Favourite

Hmmm, this one is more difficult. Mr. Blackwell just makes my hackles rise.

Beginning

Juneau is going about the business of getting her clan fed. Then the helicopters came and took all but her and one other away to a far off place. It’s up to Juneau to find them and free them.

Storyline

When she travels beyond her clan’s borders, Juneau finds that her upbringing was based on lies. She’s determined to find her clan and free them, but the men who took her clan are now on the hunt for her.

Ending

Like last month’s book this continues on… so technically there was no ending.

Thoughts

I wasn’t holding my breath on liking this one. HOWEVER, I ended up having this book finished in about 12 hours. I loved it. I was glad some of the bad things I was expecting didn’t happen. I like that Juneau is battling on, and her focus is buoyed by the person we least expected. (Whoops, spoiler alert). I will definitely be looking to read on. Amy Plum has made a fan out of me.

Quote

“No, that’s what you do when your baby’s freaking out. So, Poe’s a raven-I inter-species extrapolated. And it worked. What would you have done?” ~Juneau giving Miles a piece of her mind.

Krista:

Cover

I really love the cover design, the contrast between the deserted land into the city and the clouds is really intriguing. But I don’t think it really fitted the story at all.

Characters

The story is told from rotating chapters between Juneau and Miles. She is on a mission, straight forward, direct and means business. Miles is just wanting to get away from his father who is very upset he just flunked a test and staying on his good side. He’s more laid back and curious.

Favourite

I found Juneau to be completely engrossing. She was in business mode, following the instructions she was given and always keeping her goal in mind. You don’t get that very often in YA books; it caught me off guard and I loved it.

Least Favourite

I would have to say Miles’ dad: completely egotistical and focused on money, no matter what the consequences.

Beginning

After some travelling, Juneau finds herself among a busy city full of people and technology and life. She was raised believing after World War Three in 1984 there was nothing left. Her clan disappeared while she was hunting and she must find them.

Storyline

Travelling from Alaska to Seattle, Juneau finds a world she did not know existed. Following the guidance of her Yara and her instincts, she uses her learned powers to guide her to her missing clan. She must out run the drug company that is after her by travelling through many states, and a member of her own clan who may have deceived them all.

Ending

It ends with a lot of questions and on a cliff hanger. Right when everything is all coming together, we have to wait! There is some romance as Miles and Juneau get close through their travels, but it definitely does not play a huge role in the story. The ending really shows a lot of heart.

Thoughts

With the book cover and the summary of the book, I was hoping for more apocalyptic-dystopian of a story, but was also pleasantly surprised to come by a character like Juneau. Not your usual type for a main character but one of the most admirable girls I have come across yet. She knew what had to be done and did whatever was needed to keep going. She didn’t take any crap and told it like it was: the full truth and nothing but the truth. I also love travelling or “road trip” stories and with this one we get to travel a lot, including to my home town of Salt Lake City!

Quote
“I’m lying here in a tent, pretending to be asleep but actually fearing for my life as I watch a bunny murderer have a conversation with our campfire.”- Miles

 

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Belinda Hamilton compares the book and film version of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

 

 

The Book

I was a little surprised by how short this book is, but with a highly concentrated story. So much fits into such a small package. Confronting themes are abundant and–forget about staying comfortable–you’re forced to look at the beauty in the ugliness.

I love the diary/letter writing format. Though it allows you to easily put the book down and take a break, the story is strong enough to have you picking it straight back up the moment you’re able to.

The characters are easy to relate to and well fleshed out. I felt for each of them in their personal struggles and each and every one had their own arc and progression. It is no wonder this film has received critical acclaim.

 

The Film

Stephen Chbosky directed this one so it’s no surprise that it is a brilliant film adaption.

Emma Thompson, Ezra Miller and Logan Lerman are the perfect picks for their characters and, I must admit, Ezra as Patrick is my favourite of the three. *sigh*

The drug-use scenes are suitably disturbing and Charlie’s mental state is depicted with respect and brutal honesty. This is something I find to be extremely important when mental illness is still such a taboo.

I was gripped and entertained, but also kept off-centre and confronted. I did like it, but I’ll have to be in the right mood to rewatch this film.

 

The wrap up

There don’t seem to be any big scenes missing and the shock value is still as strong in the film. The book and the film were created by the same man, so the adaption is as close to the author’s vision as it could ever be.

Despite this, I’m still going to say the book is better in the long run.

The only difference for me is the internal voice as I was reading versus the narration in the film. In my mind Charlie is a gentler person, but that may be just down to my interpretation.

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Cook club is coming to the Escape Club, so why don’t you join us! Mandy is a fantabulous cook, as we all know by her mouth-watering recipes. I, on the other hand, suck at cooking.

 

I failed Home Economics in high school. To some extent, flunking wasn’t entirely my fault. I’ve tried to remake the recipes in that lovely, photocopied and stapled together cook book, 20 years later and I am convinced it wasn’t me, it was the recipes.  They were not good, whichever way you cut it.

Who the heck eats carrot salad with sultanas in it anyway…? Eww.

I’d love to not be a failure in the kitchen, and if anyone’s recipes are worth testing its Mandy’s. So let’s see if I can manage to not screw up everything I touch in the Cook Club.

I’m sure some of the other staffers will want to get in on the fun, and hopefully I won’t be the only one giving stuff a go. Maybe they’ll post pics of their efforts, or impress us with youtube clips of their own.

I’m hoping Mandy will go easy on us for the first one. And if I should fail, at least it will be fun… I hope.

 

Cook club is coming to the Escape Club, so why don’t you join us!

First off we’ll be making Tim Tam cake pops!

 

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Watch Bel’s hilarious video as she puts on her eyelashes for Halloween!

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Going on a job hunt part 3

The hardest thing I’m finding about being on the job hunt is the amount of time that seems to be passing me by and the imbalance between effort put in and the level of results.

Here are a few things I’ve been doing to try and put that balance back into… well, balance.

#1 Volunteering. At my first sign of being down and out about being unemployed, I sought out a way for me to gain perspective on life. Seek.com.au has a volunteering section and though it may not be a paid position, you can still put it on your resume.

#2 Do a free online course. I signed up to the Write 101x course that everyone’s been buzzing about. I want to improve myself, and employers are big on correct grammar and spelling. It keeps my brain active, makes me accountable on time management with assessments and such, and it keeps me being social. It’s a winner on all counts.

#3 Watch inspirational clips on youtube. Now I’m sure I’ve thrown a few cute cat videos into the mix here, but what I’m aiming for is to give my mind something positive to gnaw on. Watch something with a useful takeaway message. Something like Amy Cuddy’s Ted talk about how your body language shapes who you are.

#4 Be sure to get up and get moving every day. Treat the job hunt like a job in itself. Get out of bed at a time when you would for the jobs you’re applying for. Shower, dress, teeth and hair etc, before sitting down for another period of time spent applying for jobs. This will not only get you in the right mindset, but help with keeping your complexion clear.

#5 Get sleep. You may be tempted to stay up until all hours of the night simply because you can, but it’s not going to do you any favours in the long run. Sleep deprivation changes your brain’s chemistry and it can make it really difficult to stay positive. Go to bed at a sensible time and endeavour to make 8 hours every night. That way you’ll be fresh faced and ready to do it all again tomorrow.

Read part one and two of Belinda’s job hunt.

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