Because Everyone Loves a Good ‘Ole Classic Saturday, May 5 2012

“Cinderella” is my favorite princess above all other Disney princesses.  I love her because she was the most beautiful (in my opinion).  And who doesn’t love a fairy god-mother??  The tragedy that this poor girl has gone through, losing her mother and father and now living with an evil stepmother, was heartbreaking for me.  However, she never seemed too sad, she was always looking on the bright side.  Seeing that she never let anything get her down was an inspiration to me.  I usually let bad/stressful things weigh down on me and I start to feel disheartened, but then I think “What would Cinderella do?”  Unfortunately, there aren’t too many prince’s around me and I’ve never been to a ball, so I don’t call upon my mice companions to make me a beautiful ball gown.  Instead, I lift my head up and will maybe hum a tune and I’ll think about three great things that are in my life.  Cinderella has gotten me through my ups and downs.

But I love all princesses.  Belle I love because she didn’t just take what the Beast dished out.  She fought for him and ended up breaking his curse.  She is someone you don’t want to mess with.  Sleeping Beauty is not my favorite, but I still like it.  I just find it odd that the prince kissed a thought-to-be dead girl.  Maybe I’m not romantic enough but that sounds a tidbit creepy to me.  And Snow White has a similar aspect but I love this one because it was Walt’s first princess.

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Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo Friday, May 4 2012

This is a very cute book! “Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo” by Heather Wardell is about Candice and her marriage that is hanging on by a thread.  Her in-laws died in a car accident eight months ago, and after that her husband stopped being the charming self he used to be.  She understood his pain but was beginning to wonder how long it would be before he touched her again, or even made eye contact.  Ian, her husband, goes on a month-long trip overseas to build houses.  While he’s over there, Candice works the design of a restaurant, only too soon find out that the restaurant is owned by her first love.

This book was a little slow for me at the start.  At first, I only got this book because it was free, but then I started reading it and feel in love with the characters.  Candice is like a real person.  She has real person problems and has to go through something that, I’m sure a lot of people have had to go through.  She gets a second chance at being with her first love and comes dangerously close to leaving her husband.  It seriously had me guessing the whole way.  And I was rooting for Kegan, the first love, to win her heart, but she went with the morally correct choice and stayed with her husband.

There are so many twists and turns in this book that it really keeps you interested the whole way.  Even somewhat boring parts, like when she is curled up on the couch hating life, you have to read it because you get a good inside look to her thoughts and that is what really kept me captivated.  Wardell did a fabulous job of capturing young love’s first glow and how it can be brought back to life.  She’s a great writer and I hope that this isn’t the last I read of her.

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The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth Wednesday, May 2 2012

This fun, quirky book was written by Alexandra Robbins.  “The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth” is about seven real people battling with uncertainties of high school life.  There’s the Loner, The Popular B*tch, The Nerd, The New Girl, The Gamer, The Weird Girl, and The Band Geek.  She intertwines these narratives -often triumphant, sometimes heartbreaking, always captivating with essays exploring the secrets of popularity, and other high school clichés.  She makes the reader understand that being the odd one out isn’t a bad thing, in fact, it may be the best thing.

I read this book because my mom had heard about it and she wanted it to be the first book I bought on my Nook.  I was pretty excited to read it because it basically spelled out my high school life; being the odd-one-out, not always fitting in, sometimes feeling lost in a sea of popularity.  I started reading this book and knew that I would have some late nights with me, this book, and my lamp.

This first chapter is titled MEET THE CAFETERIA FRINGE.  And you may have just asked yourself the first question that I asked myself when I read this.  What the heck is Cafeteria Fringe??  And suddenly I pictured my school cafeteria with a lacy fringe along the walls.  Little did I know, I wasn’t too far off.  Robbins’ definition of Cafeteria Fringe is “People who are not part of or who are excluded from a school’s or society’s in crowd”.  Sound like you?  Because that hits the nail on the head for me.

The first part of the chapter is about Danielle, the Loner.  Her story is heart-wrenching.  She doesn’t have any close friends, and the three friends that she does have, she doesn’t like.  Some mean kids at her school convinced her to join her own hate club.  The club was labeled the “I hate Dominoes Club” and all of her supposed friends were joining.  She got pressured into joining as well and became the school’s laughing-stock for quite some time.  And that was how she became a Loner.  Her story continues on about how she wants to have friends but doesn’t know how to approach anyone.  After the first semester though, Robbins gives Danielle a challenge and tells her to go meet new people.  When she does, she finds that she has more in common with people then she thought.

That’s just a little tidbit of the entire book.  The other six stories are just as heart crushing; even the Popularity’s story.  However, one of the students turns out to be a teacher who is getting picked on at school.. Her story is truly amazing.

I extremely recommend you read this book, because it will change the way you look at cliques forever.  Even if you aren’t in high school anymore, this can even help with work cliques, or teams, or anything.  This book changed my life.  I have learned that high school may not be the peak of my life, and that is a good thing.  Because the people who are at their peak now, have only downhill to go while I’m still climbing.  In the end, the Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth.  So, Watch Out!!!!!

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Worst Book I Have Ever Read Tuesday, May 1 2012

I have been dreading writing about this book… It brings back awful memories.  As you already know, I am in a composition class, and for a class assignment we had to pick a banned book and write an essay as to why we think it was banned, and if we think it should actually be banned.  I had the pleasure of reading “American Psycho” by Bret Easton Ellis.

Instead of me summing it all up, I’ll give you the legitimate blurb from the book

In American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis imaginatively explores the incomprehensible depths of madness and captures the insanity of violence in out time or any other.  Patrick Bateman moves among the young and trendy in 1980s Manhattan.  Young, handsome, and well-educated, Bateman earns his fortune on Wall Street by day while spending his nights in ways we cannot begin to fathom.  Expressing himself through torture and murder, Bateman prefigures an apocalyptic horror that no society could bear to confront.

Okay, I don’t think that really captures the real brutality of this horror novel.  Bateman, the main character, goes on crazy rampages and murders whomever he feels like, ranging from hobo’s to his friends.  The first murder that we, as readers, encounter is with a homeless man.  I’m not going to go into detail, because I don’t want you to get sick, but it is gruesome.  And Ellis loves to go into grave detail.  I seriously thought I was going to get sick when I read that part…

I wanted to stop right then and there… but being that it was a class project, I had to read on.  The book is really not written well.  The narrator, Bateman, can’t seem to keep a straight train of thought.  There are about three chapters where he just talks about the new CD he got.  Or there will be page after page after page of him describing, in detail, EVERY ONE’S  clothing apparel.  Really, Ellis didn’t need to add all of that.  Do I really care if someone’s Ralph Lauren socks don’t match their Dolce and Gabana belt??  Not really.

Furthermore, Bateman makes women sound like they are just sex toys.  He picks up women, women that he knows or has called up from a prostitution hotline, has gruesome intercourse with them and will then murder them in awful, dehumanizing ways.  He also resorts to eating one of them…COME ON!!! REALLY????

This has to be the worst book I have ever read, and I will probably never say this again because I have pretty high tolerance for books.  But this is so dehumanizing, and horrid that I want Ellis to be institutionalized.  No one should be able to come up with this kind of murderous book.

I had nightmares from reading this book.  And they still haunt me sometimes.  I don’t know if I will ever forget this book, though I pray that I do eventually.  Spare yourself and STAY AWAY FROM THIS BOOK!!!

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A New Spin On A Great Classic Saturday, Apr 28 2012

A little while ago I was browsing through the free books section on my nook and stumbled upon a little one called “The Beast” by Alianne Donnelly.  She’s a fellow blogger, so I HIGHLY recommend checking out her blog here.  She is an amazing author and seems to really enjoy her work.

She wrote about a new spin on the classic Beauty and the Beast.  In her version, the Beast is the kind-hearted soul for most of the month.  When the full moon rises however, his evil counterpart emerges.  The Beast then turns into the human Bastien.  Lysette (a.k.a. Belle, a.k.a. Beauty) is in love with the Beast, but Bastien starts to seduce Lysette and she falls to his temptation.

That’s the main gist of the story.  There’s so much more to it though.  But I don’t want to ruin it for you.  Alianne’s ability to take a classic work and make it all her own is a seriously true talent.  She makes the well-known story all her own and seems to not be afraid of anything.

And now, Alianne is doing something truly amazing; she is telling the story from Bastien’s point of view.  She has put chapter’s one through three on her blog and I have read them the minute they were published.  It’s absolutely amazing how she captured his strong intensity.  I cannot wait for the full book to be published!

I’m an avid reader of Alianne’s work and I encourage all of you to check her out as well! And not just “The Beast” and “Bastien” but also her other works.  Like “Blood Moon’s”, a part of the Blood Series.

Thank you so much, Alianne, for writing these amazing stories!

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“And May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor” Friday, Apr 27 2012

“The Hunger Games” is a trilogy that has sweeped the nation.  Everyone I know has either read or is hastily reading it right now.  I just finished the third and final book last night, and I must say that I cried.  I not only cried because of the ending, but also because it is over.

***CAUTION*** This entry contains spoilers!!!

This trilogy was absolutely amazing, and I could not put it down.  It took me four days to finish the “Hunger Games” one very long Sunday night to finish “Catching Fire” and three days to finish “Mockingjay.”  I could literally not put them down.  When I finished “Hunger Games,” I grew frantic and asked everyone I knew if they had the next book.  They all replied by saying that they either were reading right now, had not gotten it yet, or got it from the school library.  But when I checked the school library, all copies were lent out and there was a waiting list of about 23 people.  Luckily, my cousin had the book and let me borrow it.  And then “Mockingjay” proved harder to find.  Until a friend of mine was talking about and I asked him to lend it to me.  Which he did :)

“The Hunger Games” is about a futuristic America.  Although, it’s not America anymore; it’s Panem.  The book is based in a post-war era, apparently we all got into a big fight and nearly killed out our entire race.  After the fighting stopped, the head honchos were afraid of it happening again, so they decided to create the Hunger Games.  Each district, there were 13 but District 13 was bombed, chooses two children (under the age of 18, older than 8), one boy and one girl.  They are then sent into an arena where they fight to the death against the other tributes.  There is to be only one victor, which leaves 23 grieving families.

When eight year old Primrose is chosen out of the bowl to be the tribute for District 12, the poorest of all districts, her sister, Katniss, takes her place.  As Katniss endures the Hunger Games, she is faced with hundreds of challenges.  Having to fight against a friend of hers, losing an ally, and the Gamemakers trying to kill her makes for a very intense book.  However, she makes it out alive, along with the other District 12 tribute Peeta.  When all the other tributes have died, they decide to take poisonous berries so that they die together. But the Gamemakers stop them, saying that they can both live on.

That is just the first book.  And Suzanne Collins does something that I thought was nearly impossible to do; she made the second and third books equally as amazing and heart-wrenching.  I cried at least once in each book.  The amazing outcomes, the loses, and the love that comes from all of this is spectacular.  I give many thanks to Suzanne for writing these books.

However, I have one suggestion for you, Ms. Collins, I think that there should also be at least one book done from Peeta’s point of view.  If you want to do only one of the books in his view, make it Mockingjay.  It would be amazing and your fans would adore you for it!

But, as it stands, “The Hunger Games” is on my list for “Favorite Books.”  And I plan to read them again and again!

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In the Company of Crazies Thursday, Apr 19 2012

This is a cute little book, written by Nora Raleigh Baskin.  “In the Company of Crazies” is about a young girl who has run into a bit of trouble lately and ends up going to a “nut” farm (or otherwise known as an “alternative” boarding school).  Mia Singer is the main character and has been shoplifting for no real reason, and has become “hard to deal with.”  The sudden death of a classmate makes her feel odd, though she can’t explain it.

I read this 170 paged book in just a couple of hours.  To be completely honest, I didn’t really like it too much.  There didn’t seem to be a climatic point and it all had a very monotone feel about it.  Mia is a fine character, but I don’t know if Nora Baskin captured her true feelings.  I feel that there was something left out, or something that Mia wasn’t telling us that would have made the entire story better.  It’s almost like she intentionally sold herself short.  Perhaps she didn’t want her story told?

However, the story was cute.  The overall plot had a nice feel to it.  A young girl gets sent to a boarding school with a bunch of boys who all have somewhat mental illnesses.  It was funny and quirky, but not for me.

But, I still have faith in Nora Baskin.  I haven’t yet, but plan to read at least one other book written by her.

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Speak Monday, Apr 16 2012

So, I happen to have a few favorite books (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is still #1 though).  But, next in line is Laurie Halse Anderson’s book, “Speak.”

Just the title alone captivates me enough.  The simple, one word title says so much.  Right off the bat, I knew that this was going to be a great book.  Previous to receiving this book, I had never heard of it before, but quickly fell into love with the main character.

My copy of this book is about five years old, ragged, dog-eared, and perfect in every way.  I have read it countless times and will read it countless more.  However, I want to go over a few reasons as to why Laurie Halse Anderson is such an awesome writer.

To start off, she starts the book with a chapter titled “Welcome to Merryweather High.”  I got mixed feelings when I read this title; is it sarcastic?  Or is this really going to be a book about a student who loves her school?  And you only have to read the first sentence to know that the former is the correct answer.

“It was my first morning of high school.  I have seven new notebooks, a skirt I hate and a stomach ache.”  This sentence was like a golden beacon for me.  What eight-grader wouldn’t eat this up?  Wide-eyed over the thought of high school, and now Laurie Anderson has given us an inside look of what it is!  She’s my hero… Or so I thought.

The story carries on in a very nonchalant tone.  Melinda, the main character, is narrating her encounters at the school.  She is outcast because she called the police at a high school party.  There were drugs and alcohol and Melinda was raped by an older boy in his car.  She didn’t know what else to do, and now she is being glared at and abandoned by her friends.

So, I guess, if you’re in the same situation as Melinda, then Laurie Anderson has helped guide your path into high school… but chances are, this is just going to be a great story.  But maybe you will learn something, like how to treat everyone nicely.

I won’t ruin the entire book for you, but Melinda does eventually find her voice (and her revenge).  This book is the best book I have read because of Laurie’s amazing character development and the way she really captured the voice of a mute.

 

 

 

 

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My Favorite Book of all Time! Saturday, Apr 14 2012

Ah, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”  Most of us have heard of it, read it, or have seen the movie.  And if you haven’t, GET OUT THERE AND READ/WATCH IT!!!!  Stieg Larsson’s character, Salander, has to be my favorite fiction character of all time.  She is smart, intuitive, and not afraid to kick butt and take name!  And Blomkvist, he’s a really cool character as well.  He may have been tricked by an old friend, but was smart enough to know how to handle himself after the big scandal.

This book has a few memories with it.  I was at the Indianapolis Airport with my mom and sister, we had some time to kill before I boarded the plane, so we decided to check out the little shop.  I was sort of out of it because this was going to be my first time flying in a plane without anyone that I knew, so naturally I was nervous.  We were browsing the store and I grabbed an Indianapolis bad for my cousin (who lives in Washington State), a “My Little Pony” coloring book (with giant crayons), and just as we were about to check out, my mom snagged the greenish/yellow book and said “Hey, look at this! It’s a number one best seller.  Want to read it?”  I said sure and we paid for the new treasures.

I left my mom and sister behind and started the process of boarding the plane.  I boarded the plane, found my seat, and nervously chewed my spearmint gum.  A little girl, with blonde hair and blue eyes, sat next to me and her mom sat in the aisle seat.  She was happily bouncing and made me feel ridiculous for being nervous.  The plane took off and I gripped the arm rests of my seat.  “Are you okay?” the little girl sheepishly said.  “Oh yeah, it’s just, I hate taking off and landing… Those are the worst parts.”  She nodded her head and sat back in her seat.  When the pilot chimed in that it was “now okay to move about the cabin,” I grabbed my carry-on bag and shifted through my belongings.  I pushed the book aside and reached for the coloring book.  As I pulled it out, the little girl’s eyes grew wide.  “I love My Little Pony!” she exclaimed.  So, I put both of our trays down and tore off one of the pages and made the crayons available to her.  Needless to say, we spent the flight coloring while her mother got, what looked like, a much needed nap.

I actually didn’t start reading the book until, about the second day I was in Matlock, Washington.  I had woken up before everyone else (still being on Indiana time) and decided to grab the book and read it.  It took me awhile to get into it.  At first, I thought it was just going to be about Blomkvist and this big scandal, and it didn’t interest me too much.  What kept me reading was that it was based in Sweden, which is were my grandmother’s side of the family is based, and it has always interested me.  So, I read on.  I eventually started learning about Lisbeth Salander’s character and she captivated me.  Her cool finesse, the way she carried herself, and the fact that she wasn’t like most female characters, really captured me.

It didn’t take me long to finish the book and was stunned at what a beautiful book it was.  I don’t really want to write about the book itself, because I feel that I would not do it justice.  However, I knew instantly that I needed to get my hands on “The Girl Who Played with Fire” and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.”  I wasn’t able to get them until that following Christmas, but they proved to be just as good as the first.  Stieg Larsson is a phenomenal writer, and I wish he were still with us today, but alas, all good things must come to an end.

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The Inferno by Dante Alighieri Saturday, Apr 14 2012

“The Inferno” is the first installment of Dante’s trilogy, “The Divine Comedy.”  In this poem, Dante goes on a journey through the depths of Hell, guided by a Roman poet named Virgil.  Along the way to the deepest part of Hell, Lucifer, Dante and Virgil meet people who explain why they ended up in that certain circle of Hell (there are nine total, but some have different levels within the circle).  I found this poem to be absolutely amazing and would recommend it to anyone.

In the first canto I, Dante is lost in a dark patch of woods in front of a mountain.  He is confronted by three beasts, a lion, leopard, and she-wolf, on the way up the mountain.  He runs back down and meets Virgil, begging for him to save him.  Virgil introduces himself and tells Dante that he is a spirit now, but was once a poet.  He tells Dante that he will be taking him to Hell because Dante has strayed off of his moral path.  Dante accepts, though is reluctant (really, who would be willing to go to Hell?)

As Dante and Virgil travel through Hell, Dante pities the sinners.  Virgil chastises him, saying that they all deserve their punishment.  The unbaptized are the least punished, they can simply not enter Paradise.  The punishments get worse as Dante travels deeper into Hell.

The next to be punished are the carnal sinners, whom are tossed about by fierce winds.  Dante is appalled, but they continue deeper and deeper.  The gluttons are punished by living in filth and having a constant hail, snow, and colored water rain on them.

Later on, Dante encounters the heretics, whom are punished in a tomb that is raging with fire.  The discover the beginning of the city of Dis, and find themselves facing a river of blood.  This is were murderers, whom have killed their neighbor, reside.  When some of the damned try to emerge from the river, Minotaurs take aim with their bows and arrows and the sinners go back under the blood.  Virgil and Dante cross the river with the help of a Minotaur.

In the last circle, the encounter Lucifer.  He is trapped waist deep in ice.  He is the very center of hell, and resides there because he personal treachery against God.

This poem is the best poem I have ever read.  Dante had me captivated the whole time.  I encourage all of you to read this and appreciate it as I do.  I recommend the Barnes and Nobel edition, it is translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the introduction and notes are by IU professor, Peter Bondanella.  It seriously made my reading experience amazing.  If you only read one book in your life, make it “The Inferno.”

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