Posts Tagged ‘Princess Diaries’
A Year Of Challenges: Results
Posted on: December 31, 2011
- In: Books | Life
- 7 Comments
A year ago I decided to undertake five, count ‘em FIVE reading challenges. At this point I have realized my insanity with all the work I had to do this year. These goals were rather ambitious and I graciously accept defeat in most if not all my challenges.
Challenge #1: War & Peace Read-Along
I never finished this book, didn’t even half or quarter it, I barely scratched the surface. I got as far as the army inspection after the boys were deployed and stopped. I lost interest and when next I picked up a book it was anything but War and Peace. I imagine one day I’ll finish it as I hate starting a book and not finishing it, even if I don’t like it, I have to see it through, just in case it turns the corner and becomes magnificent.
Challenge #2: Read 50 Books in 2011
Yeah, about that I’ve read 19 books. Which is sad since in my A Year Of Challenges: Progress Report post I had read 12. However I cite school, work and sleep as the reason for my lackluster performance, school was brutal this semester, it’s a miracle I made it out alive. oO
Challenge #3: Fill In The Gaps – 100 Books That Fell Through The Cracks In 5 Years
As this challenge doesn’t end until January 1, 2016 I still have time to complete it and redeem myself. Since my last report I have dispatched three more making my final tally for 2011, six.
#4: Princess Diaries – Meg Cabot
#6: Sense & Sensibility – Jane Austen
#8: Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
#9: Pride & Prejudice – Jane Austen
#30: A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
#90: The Vampire Diaries Series – L.J. Smith
Challenge #4: Nicholas Sparks
Technically I have completed this challenge but not how I had planned to. The challenge merely asks for me to complete 1-4 Nicholas Sparks books but my goal was to read four, I only read two; The Notebook and A Walk To Remember.
Challenge #5: Harry Potter
As I stated in my progress report I never got around to re-reading these books but I will someday, possibly in audiobook format. 
Bonus Challenge: WordPress Post A Week
Yeah, I have not posted a blog post a week and have not amassed 52 posts in 2011 and as such fail this challenge as well but I have tried to post more often, if that is any consolation.
So all in all this year was a failure for my challenges, it could be due to the pressure to complete them (my mind tends to procrastinate when told to do something) or the lack of time due to my obligations, or a combination of both. As a result I have vowed not to take any challenges this year, except of course the fill in the gaps which will continue until 2016 and see if my performance is any better when I’m not bound to reading.
Did you fare any better on your reading challenges this year? I sure hope so.
Let me know in the comments below.
Be safe ringing in the new year and happy reading!
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- Reading Challenges for 2012 (chenoafawn.wordpress.com)
- Tea & Books Challenge (theeclecticreader.wordpress.com)
- Rediscovering Jane Austen (booksandreviews.wordpress.com)
- Nikki’s 2011 Reads (ravingmadscientists.wordpress.com)
- Where Are You Reading Challenge (campbellsoup614.wordpress.com)
The Princess Diaries
Posted on: June 25, 2011
- In: Books
- 4 Comments
Title: The Princess Diaries
Author: Meg Cabot
Published: 2001
Description: She’s just a New York City girl living with her artist mom…
News flash: Dad is prince of Genovia. (So that’s why a limo always meets her at the airport!)
Downer: Dad can’t have any more kids. (So no heir to the throne.)
Shock of the century: Like it or not, Mia is prime princess material.
The worst part: Princess lessons from her dreaded grandmere, the dowager princess of Genovia, who thinks Mia has a thing or two to learn before she steps up to the throne.
Well, her father can lecture her until he’s royal-blue in the face about her princessly duty no— way is she moving to Genovia and leaving Manhattan behind. But what’s a girl to do when her name is PRINCESS AMELIA MIGNONETTE GRIMALDI THERMOPOLIS RENALDO? (Taken from Goodreads)
After watching the movie years ago I decided that I must read the book that inspired it all, little did I know it was a series. The rule of the book being better than the movie was definitely the culprit here. I thought the movie so funny, so quirky I knew there had to be so many funny bits left out for lack of time and possibly for a simpler plot. As such I endeavored to procure this book and read it immediately.
However as is normally the case I couldn’t get my hands on it and it soon slipped my mind. Some months ago a friend of mine bestowed upon me a stack of books and there atop it all was a copy of The Princess Diaries. My interest renewed I resolved to read it but circumstances got in the way and I have just gotten around to it.
The first thing I realized to my dismay is that it was actually written in a diary style. There was no narrative just a string of diary entries, one after the other to the very end. My reason for disliking this method is as follows…it just isn’t plausible. I cannot and will not believe that any person, much less a young girl would sit and write out her entire day in a diary with dialogue unless it was something very important and even then it would be only a quote at best.
My second issue was that her grandmere as she liked to be called was nothing at all like the one sweet Julie Andrews played in the movie. She smoked, she was attention hungry, rude, crazy…she was just not likable in the least. She was just…weird. And I highly disliked her.
The story however was okay, enjoyable, even funny and entertaining at times but I’ve decided I much prefer the movie to the book. All the characters are much more likable in the movie and the story more believable as it wasn’t told through the diary of a naïve teen. The book doesn’t go all the way to the end of the movie but I’ve decided one is enough.
I give this book a 3 out of 5 and recommend it only if you enjoy and can buy into the diary style of writing which was very distracting to me.
Have you ever read The Princess Diaries? Was it because of the movie?
Let me know in the comments below.
Happy Reading!
Related articles
- Old favorites revisited: ‘Princess Diaries’, ‘She’s the Man’ (lauradonovan.wordpress.com)
