I feel very accomplished about already having finished a book this month, it's a good start to what I think will be being an overachiever in the book goal department. It did help that the first book was a quick read.

I have also heard of this story, but I never thought about reading it. It wasn't until I heard rumblings of the film and then ultimately seeing the trailer that I knew I had to read this before the film was released. 

I have to admit, it was hard not to picture the movie cast while I was reading it. That was partly due to the fact that I wasn't in the greatest of mindset (dealing with an injury), but also that it has been cast well, even though full comment on that will come later.

What I loved about this book was how it didn't talk down to the reader. There were some high-level theories going on, but never once did I felt that I couldn't follow along. Between the three main: Meg, Charles, and Calvin; the audience could find their place in the logic.

I also loved how it happened. There was no dilly-dally when it came to the story. It progressed, keeping the reading interested the whole time, and not waste any time getting to the point.

Which was a beautiful point, one that was presented nicely, but one you had to discover on your own.

I almost want to read it again before the movie.

One of the perks of my day-job, my trade as a Braillist, is reading books and educational materials. This might be seen as a cheat for some, but I did read it, even if I was formatting it for braille at the same time.

This was a cute book. I really enjoyed reading it. There were a few things that I think adults would catch that kids won't, and I appreciated that. It made the things that started to bother me be brushed aside. 

There were almost moments when Hannah would get on my nerves, but in a way that's a good thing. It proved that she was being her authentic self, not some pretend person to make herself sound better in letters. How many of us can say that as we post on our multiple social media sites?

The big thing that I will take away from this is the joy of writing and receiving letters. I've already talked with a dear cousin of mine about starting to do this, and I think I might expand it to more. Why not, something to look forward to in this crazy complicated world.

I've always been fascinated by the concept of ingesting art at the right moment, the moment that you need it the most. To be honest, I think there are times I seek this out, to be moved or inspired by what I've experienced when in truth it needs to happen organically.

My original intention was to read (or listen to since this was the auto version) back in the summer of 2015 when I was on my European cruise. I think it would have been just as powerful then, given the growth I went through on my trip, but part of me believes that it was meant to be experienced in March of 2017.

Due to some situations that I found myself in the last few years, I have been dealing with a lot. Many days and nights were spent on analyzing my situations and the effects. At times it was hard to deal with, others caused anger, but most of the time it was confusion. No matter how many times I told myself or others told me the "my truth" it was still hard to digest.

I'm not saying YES PLEASE cured all of that, but it did help in cementing what I've been told. Sometimes it takes a third party, unrelated to us personally, to help us see the light, and that was this book for me.

We all need to find strength somewhere, and who better than the incomparable Amy Poehler. Her story is fascinating, and the way she told it was both subjective and intimate. This balance allowed the reader to experience what she was going through, yet kept her distance to allow us to place ourselves in our own path to learn from her growth and incorporate it into ours.

I know I will revisit this book many times throughout my life, and I know that each time it will mean something different to me depending on my journey. It's interesting that a biography can do that, but all creative journeys are similar if we look behind the veil.

While I enjoyed this book, it was not what I was expecting. The title threw me for a loop, as I was hoping for more of a director Q&A formatted book. It’s not that it wasn’t what I would hope it would be, inspiration was always the goal, but not in the way that I was looking forward to. It might be me, as I have my literal moments, but if you are expecting conversation from the mouth of the king, you might be a bit disappointed.

This book is full of wonderful quotes from Mr. Brooks throughout his entire career, but the book is formatted as more of a biography time line than specific questions. This format, however, causes some confusion at times, as the Mel Brooks FAQ is about the career of one of America’s comedy gold. Writer Dale Sherman, it seems, spends more time worried about the exact time an event occurred in Mr. Brooks life instead of the actual situation and the journey after.

Yet again, the benefits of my job has helped me catch up on reading. I was the one who recommended this book to one of the students, so double bonus points.

I grew up with the movie Secret of NIMH and that alone is why I wanted to read this, because I didn’t know it was a book. Like most books to movies, the differences are drastic. However, I don’t know which I like better. Maybe it’s because the movie holds such a secure place in my heart, but I think they both are great in their own medium.

I might even make a point, and say that the movie makes Mrs. Brisby more of a badass single mom than the book did. One of the startling differences is when she gets caught in the kitchen. Mrs Brisby in the book, gets herself out. She goes through the water dish, cutting herself along the way, to tell the news to the Rats. In the book, Mrs. Frisby is let out by Justin.

It’s rare that I prefer the movie to the book, but I realized how much that change affected me as a child. Having a strong woman, a mother, do anything for her family, battling her fears to literally save everyone….We need to give her more credit as a strong film female.

The other change that I have loved in the book was Jeremy, I loved him as a character and loved all the added scenes. Maybe it’s because he was the “comic relief” but he’s such a great character. Minus the fact that I didn’t realize how wonderful the “crow personality” was sprinkled throughout. As I kid, I had no idea about crows and shiny things. I still, to this day, will refer to a round red pendant (which I am in search of) as a Sparkly.

I love both these, and they each live in their own wonderful world in their respected medium.