Daily Shenanigans, 01/03/2014: 'The Book Thief'.

I didn't think I was going to have an awful lot to write about today, but as it turns out, in the last few hours a number of exciting things have happened. Before that, I'll just quickly note that 'Daughter Of Smoke & Bone' arrived this morning, so only 'Tithe' left to wait for. The rest of the morning/early afternoon was a mix of watching the newish movie 'The A-Team' with Dad, while doing a great deal on my script and sorting out my Kindle a little. I enjoyed 'The A-Team', Bradley Cooper and Liam Neeson were pretty good and it was better than I thought it would be. Also, I'm glad I've got round to Kindle sorting as I really need to make a list of books that I need to get for it, there just isn't enough room in my shelves for many more books.

Mat came over after work, and about an hour later, we headed out to the cinema. Let me just say that 'The Book Thief' is my favourite book. No exceptions. Okay I obviously have other favourite books (Matilda, Pride & Prejudice, etc.) but this one I just adore. And when I heard they were making a film, there was no doubt in my mind that I had to see it. The film itself, I really liked. I think I ended up bursting into tears a good 4 or 5 times as it progressed (those who have read the book will know exactly which bits I mean) and it just took me back to the last time I had read the book and how much I cried. The acting was amazing, special mention to Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson for really bringing Hans and Rosa Hubermann to life. Especially Rush, he just captured Hans exactly how I had always imagined him. Cheeky, good-humoured but with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Ben Schnetzer as well was a very touching Max, and his relationship with Liesel translated well to screen.

Some minor niggles, obviously they don't include everything in the book. This was expected but it meant some of my favourite quotes and screens were missed out. Death, as a character, I felt could have been made more of. He's such a prominent part of the book, and my favourite to read, but he only has a few lines in the film. Overall though, it was an amazing film, poignant and vivid. It touched me emotionally and I would love to see it again after reading the book once more, to make a better comparison between the two, and to appreciate it more. I wasn't in anyway disappointed and I think anyone who loved the book should try and see it. Some of the images you imagine from the novel are just as harrowing on screen and will remain with me for a long time.

Coming back from the cinema, my friend who is composing the music for my piece has written the first draft for it's introduction. I am so excited about this, I've listened to it and am mega pleased! I feel a little less stressed today, things are coming together a bit now. I just want the next few weeks to be over so I can enjoy my Easter holiday and focus solely on my final project before breaking up for Summer. Many people have suggested I enroll on a writing course after Uni, but I would quite like a year out from education just to work and write without other commitments to worry about. I'll see where it takes me. Talking of commitments, I received an email tonight saying that more auditions for Jesus Christ Superstar are taking place on Tuesday evening. Now I feel a bit less stressed, my dilemma is back to haunt me. They have told us they want a song from the musical, sung by the character we would like to play and I think this would be a lot easier to practice for so I'm seriously considering it. We'll see.