Aianarie's Book of the Month: June

**PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.**

I read a handful of books in the month of June, so it was difficult for me to choose which I liked best. I ultimately chose If I Stay by Gayle Foreman.

Mia is a seventeen year old cellist that lives a pretty normal life with her eccentric, music-savvy parents, adorable little brother Teddy, and rocker boyfriend Adam.

But everything changes in a gruesome car accident one morning that kills her family and leaves Mia badly injured. As her body lies in a hospital bed, enduring constant surgery and beeping machines, Mia’s spirit lingers elsewhere, watching. And listening. And thinking.

Should she stay? Or should she go on with her family?

If I Stay is a heart-achingly beautiful journey to an American teenager’s world, as Mia reflects on her life and everything good, bad, and well, ugly that has happened to her. She doesn’t know where to go or what to do. She’s trapped. And it would only take one choice to make it all disappear forever. Should she go with her family to hopefully, a better place, and leave this world with its pains and suffering? Or should she stay with her boyfriend Adam and the other love in her life: music? Would she be strong enough to go through the long recovery process? Would she ever be healthy and normal again?

Gayle Foreman’s writing style is real, genuine, and engaging. The dialogue is hilariously believable and the characters positively charming. The story never drags or gets uninteresting; Foreman always pulls a rabbit to keep the reader interested. Another thing I liked about this book was the fact that it is a short, easy read. After reading far too many 450+ page books, it’s good to take a break.

If I Stay is a refreshing read. But I must note: If you’re not a crying person, prepare to be tested.

Four stars.

My pretend casting of "Shiver"

Recently, a friend of mine showed me some videos on YouTube made by Shiver fans of pretend casting for the book's upcoming movie (SO excited!!). She asked me to put together my own cast, so I did, and that’s what I’m going to share with everyone today.

*Full credit and my thanks go to the others who put together their videos; I have used some of their choices.

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AIANARIE'S PRETEND CAST

FOR SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater

Sam – MATT PROKOP
Casting Sam was extremely difficult. I couldn’t find anyone who fit the picture of him that I had in my mind. Finally I stumbled upon this cutie, from High School Musical and Furry Vengeance. I ultimately chose Matt because he looks almost exactly as Sam is described in the book by Maggie. I love his pouty face. :o)

Grace – DEBBY RYAN
Grace was another toughie. I wanted to find a girl that is cute but not too cute, with a face that radiated youth, curiosity, but also strong will. Grace has a great sense of humor, and I think that is another important aspect to casting her. You may recognize Debby from The Suite Life on Deck and 16 Wishes.

Beck – JUSTIN CHATWIN
Justin is a favorite amongst fans of Shiver for the role of Beck, and I have to agree. He seems to fit the part seamlessly.

Isabel – TAYLOR SWIFT
Taylor immediately sprang to my mind when I began looking for an actress to fill those designer shoes. I have no doubt that she would make a flawless Isabel.

Jack – JAKE ABEL
This character wasn’t too hard to cast, but I found that there were many choices to choose from and any of them would make an excellent Jack. I ended up choosing Jake Abel from Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief because he had that very jock-like appearance that I saw in Jack.

Rachel – EMMA WATSON
Emma was another fan favorite. I like this choice because her accent would really make Rachel stand out, and that’s exactly how Rachel is. She’s talkative, scatterbrained, and just plain funny. Emma would be absolutely hilarious.

Olivia – ANNASOPHIA ROBB
Olivia was the last character I casted. I know her part seems easy, but really it wasn’t (for me, anyway). I wanted to find an actress who had a very thoughtful, introspective look to her face.

Shelby – DAKOTA FANNING
Shelby was probably my least favorite character in the book, and I wanted to find an actress who would show everything I disliked about her in a less smoldering way. Almost everyone else picked a model-gorgeous girl to play Shelby, and I think that rivals Isabel’s role too much. I like Dakota for this part because she is pretty and has that passive, uninterested look to her face that is perfectly reminiscent of Shelby.

Grace’s Mom – JENNIFER ANISTON
For whatever reason, Jennifer seems to me a perfect choice for Grace’s artsy mother. Plus, she looks a lot like Debby Ryan, who I casted as Grace.

Grace’s Dad – PATRICK DEMPSEY
I don’t have a lot to say about why I chose Patrick for Grace’s father, I just like the fit. I think he could pull off the absentminded father who’s trying to be a businessman role quite nicely.


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I hope you enjoyed this! Please leave your comments; I would love to hear what you have to say.

I'm currently working on this blog to share some of my random ideas in regards to artwork, books, video games, movies, or whatever is on my mind.

Check back soon for my first official update. :o)