THE BOOK IS ALWAYS BETTER

The TV show, High Fidelity is adapted from both the book and the movie. Right from the start there are few obvious changes from both the book and the film. The TV show reverses the gender of Rob, and her being a woman brings upon some changes to her past experiences and relationships. Whereas the book takes place in London and the movie takes place in Chicago, the TV show takes place in Brooklyn. Also, the book was written in the 90s and the movie was produced in 2000. This adaptation is a modern take on the story, which, again, brings about some changes from the original story. Rob in the TV show has been dumped. However, now a year has gone by since the ex has left her to move across the pond to London. Now, he’s back in town, with his new girlfriend. She moves him into her top five most devastating heartbreaks of all time. First in the top-five most devastating heartbreaks is Kevin Bannister (the name of the boy Rob’s first girlfriend kissed in the book and the movie), who,...

I watched High Fidelity years ago. But, since I just read the book, I wanted to watch the movie again. As a movie, its pretty good. The characters are intriguing, the plot is interesting, and the movie moves quickly. I think as a movie inspired by a book, it’s one of the better ones that I’ve seen. The movie stays true to the book. There are also so many lines taken verbatim from the book, which I appreciated.   One reason that books are usually better than the movie, is because there is so much more information in the books. The author can tell the reader what is going on in the character’s mind, revealing his deepest thoughts. This inner monologue usually doesn’t translate on screen. However, in High Fidelity , John Cusack, who plays the main character, Rob, breaks the fourth wall and reveals his thoughts directly to the audience. I think that it works well, and I enjoyed this way of storytelling. Though I’m also glad that not every movie does it. I think that part of the ...

Rob, the owner of a record store and a music lover, has just been dumped by his girlfriend. This latest rejection doesn’t even rank in the top five of his most devastating breakups. And yet, he can’t seem to get over her. To understand why he keeps getting rejected, he decides to revisit those top five most devastating breakups to learn why things didn’t work out. Rob is an unlikable character. He has very strong opinions about music and judges those who don’t agree with him. He’s unambitious, continuing to work in the failing record store, rather than put himself out there and try something new. It is unsurprising that these are the reasons why his girlfriends have left him. He becomes too stuck in his ways and judgmental. He never shows a real interest in his girlfriends but tries to make them more like himself. His latest ex, Laura even complains that he only makes compilation tapes with the songs he likes, as opposed to making tapes with songs she likes. He never fully comm...

Last Spring, I attended BookCon in New York City. In all four of the panels that I attended, at least one member of the panel mentioned Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev. Each author spoke highly of the book and how important it was in adding diverse voices to the romance genre. The admiration for Dev that these authors had instantly made me add the book to my “To Be Read” list. Trisha Raje is a successful neurosurgeon who is passionate for her work. Despite her achievements in her career, she feels like the black sheep of her family. Years after an event almost jeopardizes her beloved older brother’s political aspirations, she still carries the guilt with her. DJ Caine is a private chef, who, like Trisha, has a deep passion for his career. His life is uprooted when his younger sister, the only family he has left, is diagnosed with a terminal tumor and he moves from Paris to San Francisco. Trisha and DJ’s paths cross as she is the only doctor who can operate on...

Welcome! My name is Maggie. I live in New York City. I teach Kindergarten. And I love to read. I have for all my life. I don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t read. I was the student who was always reading ahead in English class because I just had to know what happened next in the story. (And thank God I read ahead, because if I hadn’t, I would have been crying reading Bridge to Terabithia in my sixth grade English class. Being twelve is hard enough, I didn’t need to add being the girl who cried over books in class to the already inescapable awkwardness that comes with being a preteen.)   I always carry a book with me, wherever I go. Whether sitting on the subway or bus, standing in a long line, or waiting in the theatre for a movie or show to start, I love to take advantage of the time to read.   I always ask for a book from my parents for Christmas, my birthday, and Thanksgiving. Growing up, my parents would give my brothers and I a book for every ...