Under the Dome by Stephen King

The Book: Under the Dome happens to be my first Stephen King novel ever. I own a few of his books, and have seen a lot of movie adaptations of his book, but this is the first one I actually sat down and read. Under the Dome follows the residents of Chester's Mill, Maine, a small town that becomes completely cut off from the rest of the world when an invisible barrier, known as "The Dome" drops all of the sudden.

Under the Dome is written in third person but follows nearly every character in the town, switching POV's quite often. I personally really enjoyed that aspect of the book because it felt as if Chester's Mill was a snow globe and I was looking into it, with knowledge of what every character was thinking and doing. Stephen King did such a fantastic job writing characters that were real, that I grew to care about quickly. Characters that exist out in the real world and hit a certain nerve when you read about them (I'm looking at you Big Jim). There are very many subplots and at times it's hard to follow characters but once you really get into the book, it's quite easy. I became so invested in the story and the characters that I found myself sighing in frustration and shouting out "OH MY GOD" a lot while reading it.

The TV Show: Under the Dome has been made into a mini series that is airing Mondays on CBS and you can bet I am watching it. I saw the first episode and they changed so many things!!! Now I'm not going to write the show off just because of all the changes. However, I would definitely recommend not reading the book first because you'll just be nit-picking all the differences and end up not enjoying the show as much. That being said, after I told myself to stop comparing it to the book, and treat it as it's own entity, the show has a huge air of mystery surrounding it and I actually LIKE that they changed some things because it left me wondering what's gonna happen next, even though I read the book. I really like the cast and can't wait to watch the next episode to be honest.

Rating: ★★★★★
Recommendation: Yes, read it specially if you like Mystery Sci-fi.

Favorite Quotes: "Give a man or woman back his self-respect, and in most cases-not all, but most-you also give back that person's ability to think with at least some clarity.

Explaining the damn title and other things.

For days, it seems, I've been trying to get this blog up and running. But I have so much to do, I barely have time to breathe these days. I had this idea in my mind for what my first post should be. But it involved pictures, and honestly, more work than I want to do, or have time to do at this point. So for the very first post I decided to keep it simple and just give a quick intro and description on what I hope this blog will become and ...where the hell does the title come from?

First, an introduction.

I am, by no means, a trained writer. I did not major in English, or Journalism, or Literature. I do, however, have a passion for reading, and more than that, for sharing great books with the people I love. I made all my immediate friends read The Hunger Games by talking nonstop about how great the series was. So I figured, what a better way to share the books I love, and the ones I don't love so much (Yeah, I'm talking to you, Fifty Shades of Gray, and A Tale of Two Cities.) than to create a blog in which I discuss those books.
The same can be said for movies, tv shows, and music. When I find something I like, I HAVE to share it with the world (and that's when the blog description comes in). You can expect blog posts reviewing Movies, TV shows, and songs, but I will mostly focus on books. I will be taking suggestions, and requests for reviews, but that'll only happen if I get any readers. Here's to hoping.

Second, an explanation for the title.

The title of this blog comes from the mind of the wonderful Sherwood Anderson. When I was in High School, we were required to read Whinesburg, Ohio. At sixteen/seventeen, most of my classmates found this book extremely tedious and boring. But every word I read in it had such an effect on me, and part of it was because of the wonderful teacher that put so much emphasis in making us give meaning to Sherwood Anderson's words. The title of this blog was taken from the following passage:

“On the trees are only a few gnarled apples that the pickers have rejected. They look like the knuckles of Doctor Reefy's hands. One nibbles at them and they are delicious. Into a little round place at the side of the apple has been gathered all its sweetness. One runs from tree to tree over the frosted ground picking the gnarled, twisted apples and filling his pockets with them. Only the few know the sweetness of the twisted apples.”

It says "don't judge a book by its cover," and "try new things, you never know the sweetness you might find hidden in them." So whether the new thing you try is reading a book that wouldn't normally catch your attentions, or watching a movie you hadn't heard of, or a TV Show you thought looked extremely boring, nerdy or dramatic. My hope is that you come to know the "sweetness of the twisted apples."

Third, an advance apology and other disclaimers.

1. In advance I apologize for my language, which can be quite colorful, and I'm quite impressed I made it a whole blog post without cursing. 
2. Unless stated otherwise all books and movies and dvd boxsets are mine, bought with my own money.
3. All reviews are essentially my personal opinions. I don't expect you to agree with me on everything, so it's okay if you think I'm crazy for thinking Fifty Shades of Gray is a horrible book. Feel free to voice your opinions in the comments but don't be rude about it. 

Now let's go find some twisted apples!