Coraline: Book VS Movie

Aside

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman, is a fictional thriller, originally written as a novel, but later turned into a movie. The basic plot of the story is that a little girl named Coraline and her family move into a new house. Coraline finds a door in their new house that leads to a magical world where everything is perfect. Inside her perfect world, Coraline has ‘Other-Parents’ with sewn on button eyes. They try to convince Coraline to stay with them forever, on the condition that Coraline sews buttons into her eyes. This terrifies Coraline, who then tries to escape.

While I love both versions of the story, there are some major differences between the book and the movie.

Firstly, book Coraline’s parents are much nicer than they are in the movie. In the book, Coraline’s parents are stressed and tired. While they could have been nicer to their daughter, they were very busy and Coraline was being negative and bothersome. In the book, there is a very touching scene where Coraline tells The Cat about when her dad took her ‘adventuring’ and accidentally stepped on a wasp’s nest. Her dad took 39 stings to protect Coraline. So, in the book, Coraline’s parents are much nicer, and Coraline was mostly at fault. Throughout the book, she learns to appreciate her parents. In the movie, Coraline’s parents ignore Coraline and are unnecessarily snappish with her. In my opinion, the movie’s portrayal of Coraline’s parents makes more sense, because her parents’ unkindness is what drives Coraline to prefer the other world.

Secondly, in the book, Coraline visits the other world once and decides she doesn’t want to stay. In the movie, Coraline visits the other world three times before she decides to escape. Coraline in the book is very wary of other world and doesn’t trust her ‘Other Mother’. Movie Coraline was quick to accept the new world and wanted to stay there forever, until she learned that she would have to sew buttons on her eyes.

Thirdly, there is a character in the movie that was not present in the book. His name is Wybie, short for Wyborne. His grandmother’s sister was also taken by the Other Mother. Wybie finds a doll that looks exactly like Coraline, so he gives it to her. The doll was secretly a spy for the Other Mother, trying to find out what Coraline’s insecurities were to lure her to the other world. In the book, both the character Wybie and the doll he found did not exist.

There are many other small differences between the book and the movie (like Mr. Bobo AKA Bobinski, the singing rats, and Coraline’s blue hair), both the book and the movie were excellent. Would recommend!

Coraline by Neil Gaiman is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Michael Jordan’s Legendary Career

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Michael Jordan is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.  Drafted third overall in the 1984 draft, He won rookie of the year averaging 28 points a game.  But three games into the next season, Jordan suffered a broken foot which kept him sidelined for the majority of the season.  Jordan came back in 1986, averaged 37 points, and won his first scoring title. He also became the first player to win defensive player of the year and averaged 35 points a game in 1988. Jordan was a monster on both offense and defense.  He would go on to win six straight scoring titles from 1987 to 1993.  Jordan wins three consecutive championships from 1991 to 1993, but then shockingly retired after the 1993 championship season to go play baseball for two years before coming out of retirement at the end of the 1995 NBA season.  He would then come back and win three more scoring titles, three more championships, and three more NBA finals MVPs from 1996 to 1998.   He was the greatest scorer ever winning ten scoring titles, and averaging a record-high 30.1 points per game.  Michael Jordan was the most dominant player in his prime obliterating everyone he faced.

Jordan retired again after the 1998 championship run because the Bulls had fired his head coach Phil Jackson.  Jordan was not willing to play for any other coach so he retires for a second time.  Jordan would then return to basketball again for two more years in 2001 and 2002 to play for the Washington Wizards.  But everyone could tell it was not the Prime Jordan that had won 10 scoring titles.  He still played great averaging 20 points in both seasons, but it was not the same as before.  Jordan retires at the end of the 2002 season at the age of 40 and ended one of the great careers of all time.

Books about Michael Jordan are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Album Review: Ambient 1: Music for Airports

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One influential, yet fairly unknown album that has been under my radar for a while is Ambient 1: Music for Airports by Brian Eno. Today, I decided to finally give it a go, and, for what it is, it’s quite a good album.

The album cover of Ambient 1: Music for Airports

Ambient 1: Music for Airports is made up of 4 very long songs. The songs are extremely simple and minimalistic in nature, with the album goal’s being the defusing of the tense, anxious environment of a busy airport. Simultaneously, their production was complex with spliced tape loops being used quite heavily. Personally, my favorite song is 1/1, the opening track on the album.

The song is very piano heavy with piano loops making up the song. Apparently, the loops come from two pianists who couldn’t really hear each other well improvising, leading to different melodies that complement each other being played. The song meets the album’s goal, with it being a relaxing piece of music.

Ambient 1: Music for Airports essentially created the ambient genre of music. A large number of musicians would begin to consider the sonic textures of a work after the album came out.

This is a great piece of music to relax and play in the background while doing homework. Unfortunately, it doesn’t play well in other settings. It’s still good for what it is. I rate it a 7.5/10 and would recommend giving it a look.

The Little Prince book review

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When I first picked up The Little Prince, I thought that it was going to be a simple story with an easy-to-follow plot of a stranded pilot in the desert. However, as soon as I started reading, I knew that my preconceived notions couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, The Little Prince is a short book filled with illustrations, but Antoine de Saint-Exupery has created a book in which not a lot happens, and yet everything that does happen has incredible meaning.

My favorite part about this novella was how the relationships between the small cast of characters were extremely dynamic. Antoine de Saint-Exupery uses their similarities and contrasts to build many beautiful themes including what our purposes are in the world, the give and take within friendships, and how sometimes we can take what and who we love for granted. I found his ability to convey all these themes very impressive considering how short the story is.

It’s clear that The Little Prince is not your average children’s book. The narrator speaks in plain words of great concepts, which I thought was unusually brilliant. The descriptions of the scenery were subtle due to the illustrations but the descriptions of the many emotions the characters experienced were very vivid and drew you even further into the story. I would definitely recommend that everyone, no matter their age, read this wonderful tale, and I’m looking forward to reading more of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s books.

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Messenger is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

ESPN Fantasy Sports

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Fantasy Football - Leagues, Rankings, News, Picks & More - ESPNMany of you probably enjoy watching sports, whether it’s basketball, football, baseball, or even hockey. Now, what if I told you that you could have your own virtual team including your favorite players that help you get wins every week? Well, actually, you can!

ESPN Fantasy Sports is an app that allows you to play fantasy football, basketball, or any other major professional team sport in America (except soccer). 

To get started, you just need to create an account with ESPN Fantasy. Then, you can join a random online league and/or create your own league where you invite your friends to join. After creating a fantasy league of your choice, you need to send the invite link to your friends who you would like to join the league. Then, you can arrange a draft time when you and your fellow fantasy players will be able to draft your fantasy team. You can choose any player, from any team, to draft. 

After the draft, you can drop and pick up players onto your roster. You can also do trades with other teams, exchanging players, sometimes multiple at a time. 

I definitely recommend making a fantasy football league when the next season comes around (It might be too late now for this season) as it is extremely popular and fun to play. Since I enjoy basketball, I am also in a Fantasy Basketball league, but I suggest you make/join a fantasy league based on the sports you like. If you like hockey, maybe join a fantasy hockey league. If you enjoy baseball, maybe create a fantasy baseball league. In addition, the WNBA also has a fantasy league, so if that’s something you’re interested in, go for it! 

Fantasy football (and other sports) is one of my favorite activities to share with my friends. Whether it’s negotiating trades, trying to decide which players to choose on draft day, or competing in a neck-and-neck battle between fantasy teams, fantasy is a great way to socialize with friends, while competing at the same time! 

The Young Elites

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Spoilers Ahead!

Of the many books I have read, this is one of my favorites! The novel is bitter-sweet, and it keeps you interested till the very end. However, I do have to say that the romantic aspect of this book could have been developed a bit more. I wished that Enzo hadn’t died at the end, and that Adelina shouldn’t have been banished from the Dagger Society since she was only trying to protect her sister. I know what she did was wrong, but Raffael shouldn’t have banished her. Just my personal opinion. I do love the author’s choice of the special powers granted to Adelina. I have read many books and in general the only powers were limited to control over elements like water, fire, earth, or shapeshifting, etc. I haven’t actually read a book before where the main character’s powers are creating illusions! The uniqueness of this power allows the character to develop in different ways than I have been accustomed to. I also love how Adelina progresses in general as a person throughout the book and how she eventually falls in love with Enzo. It was quite disappointing, on the romantic front, but overall, I think this book could be made into an excellent movie. Out of 5 stars, I would rate this book around a 4.

The Young Elites by Marie Lu is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Book Review: how to cure a ghost by Fariha Róisín

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how to cure a ghost by Fariha Róisín is a poignant book of poetry and prose about Róisín’s struggle with her family, her identity (religious and cultural), and self-hate. Through the book, she discusses her familial struggles, and the mental health issues of her mother, as well as the unique struggles of growing up a Muslim immigrant in a primarily White country.

I have to admit, the subject matter examined in the book is most definitely deep, and important to discuss, especially today. However, Róisín’s execution is clunky- she doesn’t have the flawless command of the English language necessary to pull off the style of writing she’s attempting. The word choice and diction are often awkward- the use of parenthetical phrases throughout her pieces disrupt the flow of the work. The illustrations fit with the theme of the book, but are also disruptive to the flow of works.

Overall, I’d give this book a 6/10. I really appreciated the kinds of issues Róisín examined, and I enjoyed the references to South Asian words, foods, and customs peppered throughout the book. However, her implementation falls far short of what I expected- leading to shallow, surface-level analysis bloated with painful word choice and strange slang. This is the first time I’ve ever said that I wouldn’t recommend this book to the average reader 😦

-Vaidehi B.

Steps for Teens to Obtaining a California Driver’s License

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Many of us look forward to our 16th birthday, when we can officially obtain our driver’s license in California. If you want to get your license on your 16th birthday, it’s best to start planning not too long after you turn 15 years old, especially with all of the other commitments teens have nowadays with school, sports, jobs, and volunteering.
There are a lot of steps that are sometimes confusing to teens and their parents, so hopefully this information is helpful to start.

To obtain a driver’s license in California if you are between 16-18 years old, you must first complete at least 25 hours of classroom instruction or a virtual class, 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training, and 50 hours of supervised driving practice that includes 10 hours of driving at night (www.dmv.ca.gov).

The first step is to obtain your learner’s permit which you can do as soon as you turn 15 ½. Before going to the DMV to obtain the learner’s permit, you will need to take the 25 hours of instruction and pass the class, usually with a test. There are many ways to do this in person and online and many companies that offer this service. You’ll have to research and find the one that works best for you.

After you complete the class, you will receive a certificate to take with you to the DMV to prove that you’ve passed the course. It’s best to make an appointment at the DMV to avoid waiting in long lines. You’ll also need to complete the DMV driver’s permit application and have a parent or legal guardian sign it. When you go to the DMV you’ll need to bring proof of residency, pay an application fee, pass a vision test, take your picture and take a written test of your knowledge of driving laws. You must pass the multiple choice test with at least 80% of the questions answered correctly. Once you have done all that you may begin your behind the wheel training. If you pass, congratulations, you will be issued a learner’s permit and be allowed to begin your behind-the-wheel training. If you don’t pass the first time, its ok, you can try again, but you’ll have to wait at least 7 days and make sure to study hard during that time.

You’ll then need to complete at least 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training with an actual driver’s program. You’ll also need to complete 50 hours of driving behind the wheel with a parent or guardian who is at least 25 years old and has a CA driver’s license. Ten of those 50 hours need to be done at night.

After all of this, once you have had your provisional permit for at least 6 months and you are at least 16 years old, you can make an appointment at the DMV to take your in-car driving test. They’ll ask for current insurance documentation and give you a behind the wheel test. If you pass, YEAH! You’ll be an officially licensed driver in the State of California. You’ll be issued a temporary paper license, valid for 60 days or until you receive your official license in the mail. If you don’t pass, you’ll have to wait 14 days and try again and pay an additional fee. You can try 3 times before you are required to start the entire process all over again. This is why it’s especially important to make sure you are ready the first time around.

Requirements can always change, so please refer to the most recent information available at http://www.dmv.ca.gov.

Drive Safe!

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

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*this review may contain spoilers

I actually decided to read this book for my English class because we had to pick out a nonfiction memoir and decided that the cover looked cool. I’m forever glad I choose this book because I’ve never been touched by a book this much.

Michelle Zauner begins talking about her childhood and her association with supermarket chain, H-mart. The story follows along Zauner’s life story and specifically her relationship with her mother. Throughout the book, it’s been evident her mom has been experiencing health complications and Zauner touches back to her Korean roots to feel a connection with her mother. When her mother got diagnosed with cancer and ended up dying shortly after treatments, the readers get to feel Zauner’s emotions and her thoughts while all of these events unravel.

This story had me on the verge of tears especially since I’m also Korean so I felt connected with the author through the various Korean terms and phrases she used. She reminds me of myself and how we connect with our heritage. However, the relationship she had with her mother makes me want to feel more sympathetic towards my family and the time I have with them.

I highly recommend this book for those trying to branch out and look for new genres such as nonfiction memoirs. While reading this book, it felt like I was invading on her personal life but there is always a reason why someone shares their story. Take the message from the story with heart and keep reading!!!!

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

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The Yearling is a Pulitzer-winning novel by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.  The book is set in a remote area in the southern United States in the late 1800s.  A boy named Jody Baxter lives with his parents on a small farm.  He and his family live a relatively simple and primitive life.  Jody’s life changes when he discovers a baby deer.  He takes the fawn home and tries to raise it.  Jody develops a strong attachment to the fawn as he cares for it.  Later, Jody is forced to make difficult decisions as he tries to protect the animal from danger.

This is a classic story about boyhood and about maturing.  Jody grows up alongside his yearling, and he gradually learns to deal with the challenges of life.  Jody’s relationship with his family develops throughout the story.  I especially enjoyed reading about the development of his relationship with his father.  The dialogue in this book is immersive and captures the feeling of life in the South at that time.  The book is also highly descriptive.  I learned about plants and animals and a way of life that was almost totally unfamiliar to me beforehand.  The author seems to paint pictures with words to describe the sweeping landscapes and terrain of the southern backwoods.

I believe this is one of the best books I have read.  The story is deeply moving and seems to capture the essence of growing up in a dangerous and challenging world.  This book is considered a masterpiece, and I find it well-deserving of the Pulitzer Prize.  I highly recommend it.

The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.