A Magical Idea

Delusion by Laura Sullivan

**Spoilers**

When I picked up Laura L. Sullivan’s Delusion, I was genuinely excited to start it.  The book appeared to combine two of my favorite things: historical fiction and magic.  Set in World War II England, Delusion follows twin sisters and stage magicians Phil and Fee Albion as the bombs of the London Blitz send them to the safety of the England countryside.  Phil is set on continuing to help the war effort despite the reluctance of the citizens of Bittersweet.  Her twin sister Fee, always the romantic, is caught up in the ambiance of the countryside and is looking for a romance of her own.  However, when Phil discovers a castle in the countryside full of real magicians, all of the twins’ ideas of what their time in the countryside will constitute changes. 

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Books

Who here has read Ann Brashares’ Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series? (*Proceeds to raise hand*) The concept is really quite simple: four friends are preparing to spend their first summer apart when they discover a pair of jeans that happens to fit each of them perfectly. The friends decide to share the pants over the summer. Each time a girl mails them to the next friend, they send an accompanying letter about all of the adventures the “traveling pants” have blessed them with. This summer, three friends, Hayley, Natalie, Caroline, and I decided to do something similar and formed The Sisterhood of the Traveling Books. Each of us selected a book and wrote a letter detailing our reasons for picking it. On the tenth of each month, we rotated books, so I shipped one to Natalie who shipped one to Caroline who shipped one to Hayley who shipped one to me. At the end of each book, the reader also wrote a new letter about how the book has influenced her, just like in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Turning Pages, Changing Channels

The Vampire Diaries: Dripping with Differences

**Spoilers Alert**

The CW’s The Vampire Diaries has won multiple People’s Choice, Teen’s Choice, Do Something, and Young Hollywood Awards in its five-season run.  The television series is based on the book series of the same name written by L.J. Smith.  The original books came out in the early to mid-nineties.  Since the television show gained acclaim, however, more books have been added to the series.  The show debuted in 2009, among the vampire craze caused, in part, by the Twilight franchise.  Though both series keep you on the edge of your seat by following Elena Gilbert into a world of supernatural love triangles and plots for revenge, the books and show have substantial differences. 

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Let’s start with the characters.  Both the show and the books portray Elena Gilbert as the town’s golden girl.  In the books, however, the phrase is a bit more literal; Elena is fair with blonde hair and blue eyes.  On the show, she has dark hair and eyes.  The casting of Stefan and Damon Salvatore, the vampire brothers in love with Elena, is more accurate to their descriptions in the book.  The cast of characters, in general, is different from the original set in the books.  On the show, Elena has a teenage brother, Jeremy, but, in the books, she has a toddler sister.  Elena also has three best friends in the books: Bonnie, who has a connection to the druids, Meredith, who seems to always keep her wits when facing a crisis, and Caroline, who eventually gives in to her dark side.  In the show, Bonnie is a descendent of the Salem witches and Caroline eventually becomes a vampire.  The role of Tyler, the local teenage werewolf, is also much larger in the television show than the books.  The role of the history teacher and vampire slayer, Alaric Saltzman, is also much different in each series.  In the books, he is a mentor and friend.  He helps the group of teenagers protect the town from several supernatural threats and, eventually, dates Elena’s friend, Meredith.  On the show, he plays the role of friend and mentor, but only for a limited time.  Eventually, he is turned into something supernatural, as well, and killed.

Turning Pages, Changing Channels

Elementary, My Dear Watson

In recent years, Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch have joined an elite club located at 221b Baker Street.  Both men have taken on the role of Sherlock Homes (originally brought to life by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) on CBS’s Elementary and BBC’s Sherlock, respectively.  Each show takes a drastically different approach to both the detective and his faithful sidekick, Watson, played by Lucy Liu (Elementary) and Martin Freeman (Sherlock).

           

BBC’s Sherlock is aired in three-episode seasons.  So far, there have been two.  The series adheres rather closely to Doyle’s original works.  The cases that Cumberbatch and Freeman solve are based on the cases of the fictional detective in the novels.  The dry British sense of humor is also apparent in the writing.  Sherlock is portrayed as an absolute genius, and far from modest.  The portrayal of how his mind works in this series is depicted as being rather computer-like.  As an episode progresses, viewers get to see Cumberbatch solve various clues as they come together in Sherlock’s mind. The similarities between this interpretation and Doyle’s original range from Irene Adler to Watson’s recording Sherlock’s cases, albeit in a blog.  

Turning Pages, Changing Channels

Pretty Little Plot Twists

**SPOILERS**

Welcome to the first installment of “Turning Pages, Changing Channels!”  ABC Family’s hit show Pretty Little Liars follows a fourteen book series of the same name written by Sara Shepard.  In the series, a group of girls is haunted by two things: the unsolved murder of their best friend, Alison, and anonymous messages signed by the mysterious and vindictive A that reveal secrets only Alison would have known. However, fans of the books already know the identity of A, so why watch the television series?