Upon finishing The Horse and His Boy and starting Prince Caspian, I'm starting to think that these books are a little to disjointed for my personal tastes. I still enjoy them as separate books, and maybe when I've finished The Last Battle, it'll all make sense...I just thought it'd be more of a series. The only characters that repeat are the four kids (aka, the Kings and Queens of Narnia, btw), and they barely showed up in The Horse and His Boy. Also, maybe I'm just not used to such short books anymore. Let's face it. Most of the books I read are at least 350 pages because I like to savor the experience of reading a book. I like it if a book takes a while to read because I'm a pretty voracious reader. I fly through books, and 200 page books, if I'm given the time and I give the attention needed, can be an afternoon's worth of adventure. However, lately, it's been taking me longer and longer to read these types of books. Probably because I set my goals too low. Three chapters a night makes each book last 5 nights if I have the energy to read them, and hopefully my parents will insist on watching the Cavs game tonight. I always read better when something is on the TV and I have very little interest in it.
Okay, so, now I'm almost to the middle of Prince Caspian (and I'll rent the movie shortly after finishing the book. Hopefully this time it'll work out as planned.)
I don't know if I like it better than the previous book or not. I liked the romantic tension between Shasta and Aravis in the last book, and any part with Aslan was just epically awesome. Aslan makes me feel safe. He's like pre-Deathly Hallows Dumbledore except he doesn't make mistakes.
However, I like the continuation of the story about Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy in Prince Caspian. And even though chapters four through seven had nearly no mention of them at all (except the odd "Remember when Men ruled Narnia?" or "Even the High King Peter was a Man"), I feel like this one is more a part of the series than The Horse and His Boy. I really want to know what the purpose of that book was, and I don't think I'll find out until much later. Ugh.
Okay, so, I think it's time for that short introduction to the book I do every time:
Title: Prince Caspian
Author: C. S. Lewis
Number of Pages: 223
Brief Summary: Narnia, the land between the lamp-post and the castle of Cair Pravel, where animals talk, where magical things happen, and where adventure begins.
Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are returning to boarding school when they are summoned back from the dreary train station (by Susan's own magic horn) to return to the land of Narnia--the land where they had ruled as kings and queens and where their help is desperately needed.
How I Came To Own This Book: I think I got this through one of the Scholastic book fairs or something
History With This Book: I've owned this book since grade school. I've now read the first three books and am very close to the halfway point of this one. I'd never attempted this one as I don't like reading things out of order, but I'm eager to finish it and then watch the movie based on it.
In other news, I've successfully won a book from a really neat site called goodreads.com. I never actually expected to win it, but the geekiest book I will possibly ever own is on its way to my house in the coming week or so: The Lexicographer's Dilemma: The Evolution of "Proper" English From Shakespeare to South Park. Oh, yes. That's the title of the book I won, and I can't wait to read it...which means I need to pick up my pace if I'm going to read and then review it for the people of goodreads.com and Bloomsbury Publishing.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Here's the thing. I can't actually believe I'm reading the Chronicles of Narnia for the first time at twenty-two years old. I feel like most people read these in third grade, even if they don't get all the religious aspects of it. And the thing is...I'm absolutely loving it! C. S. Lewis sometimes has that A. A. Milne feel in his writing. Like, at various points in The Horse and His Boy, he talks directly to the reader, something I appreciate. (Side note: I'm a huge fan of breaking the fourth wall...in any medium.)
What I don't understand is why I feel like this is such an exciting book so far. It is! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love reading it, but if I listed off the events up until page ninety-three or so, it doesn't sound too interesting. You should probably take that with a grain of salt, however. We are talking about the girl who thought that some book about some dorky kid finding out he's a wizard, going to wizard school, and having to retrieve a magical stone was going to be dumb. Oh, twelve year old me. How foolish I was.
Anyway, I haven't actually read any of the book today since I've been nursing my work related wound :(
To Narnia and the North!
What I don't understand is why I feel like this is such an exciting book so far. It is! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love reading it, but if I listed off the events up until page ninety-three or so, it doesn't sound too interesting. You should probably take that with a grain of salt, however. We are talking about the girl who thought that some book about some dorky kid finding out he's a wizard, going to wizard school, and having to retrieve a magical stone was going to be dumb. Oh, twelve year old me. How foolish I was.
Anyway, I haven't actually read any of the book today since I've been nursing my work related wound :(
To Narnia and the North!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Book Thief and The Horse and His Boy
Title: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Number of Pages: 550
Brief Summary: It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist--books.
How I Came To Own This Book: Bought it at Half-Price Books
History With This Book: Confession: I only bought this book Friday, but since I hadn't read it and I do own it, I think I can count it. Especially since I spent so much of my weekend with it.
I can hardly begin to explain how much this book now means to me. When I first heard about it and read the book jacket, I wasn't sure what I'd think of it. It seemed interesting, and I hoped that it was good. However, I tried to not get my hopes up too high. I underestimated it.
I don't think I've ever had such an emotional response to a singular book. It usually takes having read a few books in a series for me to become so emotionally connected with a story. I cried when characters suffered or died in Harry Potter because I had known them for a few books, but this book had me hook, line, and sinker. Honestly, I finished it nearly twenty-four hours ago and my eyes still well up with tears when I think about the events of this book. If your eyes don't at all if you read this book, you quite literally have no soul.
One of the most interesting things about this book is that it's narrated by Death, but it's not the traditional, cold-hearted, scythe and black hood Death. He's more vulnerable. He is omniscient, but he wasn't always when it comes to Liesel's story. It's also pretty convenient because having him as the narrator, instead of hearing it straight from Liesel, is that he's able to take us to other characters, in other parts of Germany. We were able to get a more general overview of what was happening alongside Liesel's story.
This book has also convinced me that the characters I love most are destined to die. Luckily, only one of my two favorites died...unfortunately, it was my very favorite. A fair warning: There is lots of death in this book. You will cry.
As much as this book made me cry from sadness, it also made me cry from all the heartwarming moments in the book. One that comes to mind at the moment is one of the Christmases, the one when Max is with the Hubbermans. (Short background: Max's father is the reason that Herr Hubberman survived WWI. To pay him back, Hans agreed to hide Max from the Nazis.) After not having seen outside the basement for months, Liesel brings snow downstairs to Max on Christmas Eve and they have a snowball fight and build a snowman.
There's so much more that I could say about this book, but I would rather you just read it instead.
Now, to my next book.
Title: The Horse and His Boy
Author: C. S. Lewis
Number of Pages: 240
Brief Summary: Narnia, where horses talk and hermits like company, where evil men turn into donkeys, where boys go into battle, where the adventure begins. During the Golden Age of Narnia, when Peter is High King, a boy named Shasta discovers he is not the son of Arsheesh, the Calormene fisherman, and decides to run far away to the North -- to Narnia. When he is mistaken for another runaway, Shasta is led to discover who he really is and even finds his real father.
How I Came To Own This Book: I think I got this through one of the Scholastic book fairs or something
History With This Book: I've owned this book since grade school. I've read the first two books of the Chronicles of Narnia a couple times but never got to the other five, for some reason. Apparently, at some point, I tried read this book, but I only got to page 23. I don't know what made me quit because it's not a bad book so far (I'm just past that point).
Author: Markus Zusak
Number of Pages: 550
Brief Summary: It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist--books.
How I Came To Own This Book: Bought it at Half-Price Books
History With This Book: Confession: I only bought this book Friday, but since I hadn't read it and I do own it, I think I can count it. Especially since I spent so much of my weekend with it.
I can hardly begin to explain how much this book now means to me. When I first heard about it and read the book jacket, I wasn't sure what I'd think of it. It seemed interesting, and I hoped that it was good. However, I tried to not get my hopes up too high. I underestimated it.
I don't think I've ever had such an emotional response to a singular book. It usually takes having read a few books in a series for me to become so emotionally connected with a story. I cried when characters suffered or died in Harry Potter because I had known them for a few books, but this book had me hook, line, and sinker. Honestly, I finished it nearly twenty-four hours ago and my eyes still well up with tears when I think about the events of this book. If your eyes don't at all if you read this book, you quite literally have no soul.
One of the most interesting things about this book is that it's narrated by Death, but it's not the traditional, cold-hearted, scythe and black hood Death. He's more vulnerable. He is omniscient, but he wasn't always when it comes to Liesel's story. It's also pretty convenient because having him as the narrator, instead of hearing it straight from Liesel, is that he's able to take us to other characters, in other parts of Germany. We were able to get a more general overview of what was happening alongside Liesel's story.
This book has also convinced me that the characters I love most are destined to die. Luckily, only one of my two favorites died...unfortunately, it was my very favorite. A fair warning: There is lots of death in this book. You will cry.
As much as this book made me cry from sadness, it also made me cry from all the heartwarming moments in the book. One that comes to mind at the moment is one of the Christmases, the one when Max is with the Hubbermans. (Short background: Max's father is the reason that Herr Hubberman survived WWI. To pay him back, Hans agreed to hide Max from the Nazis.) After not having seen outside the basement for months, Liesel brings snow downstairs to Max on Christmas Eve and they have a snowball fight and build a snowman.
There's so much more that I could say about this book, but I would rather you just read it instead.
Now, to my next book.
Title: The Horse and His Boy
Author: C. S. Lewis
Number of Pages: 240
Brief Summary: Narnia, where horses talk and hermits like company, where evil men turn into donkeys, where boys go into battle, where the adventure begins. During the Golden Age of Narnia, when Peter is High King, a boy named Shasta discovers he is not the son of Arsheesh, the Calormene fisherman, and decides to run far away to the North -- to Narnia. When he is mistaken for another runaway, Shasta is led to discover who he really is and even finds his real father.
How I Came To Own This Book: I think I got this through one of the Scholastic book fairs or something
History With This Book: I've owned this book since grade school. I've read the first two books of the Chronicles of Narnia a couple times but never got to the other five, for some reason. Apparently, at some point, I tried read this book, but I only got to page 23. I don't know what made me quit because it's not a bad book so far (I'm just past that point).
End of Uglies & Winnie-the-Pooh
Thank goodness for road trips! For serious, that's the only way I could have possibly caught up with my book project. If I hadn't had those twelve plus hours in the car, I might have given up, even this early. I was three books behind already, and now I'm right on track.
So, final thoughts on Uglies. Though I haven't read the rest of the series yet, obviously, I think that it opens up the series really well. Sets up the characters, the dangers, the setting nicely and is definitely well written.
The thing I enjoyed the most, I think, was the relationship between the protagonist, Tally, and the main boy, David. It's a little contrived and would be the horrific self-insertion fest of other YA books if the author wasn't a guy. I realize now that my basis of a bad book is much of the Twilight series, and I want to reiterate that I don't hate the series. For the most part, I liked reading it. Meyers knows the elements of an entertaining story. That being said, it's not good literature, but back to Uglies.
The only problem I really see with it is that you can only read so many post-apocalyptic distopian novels before they start to become cliche. And when you've read the granddaddy of all distopian novels (in my opinion, 1984), it's hard to not see all the same elements of that category of fiction. You have the outcasts fighting the government which probably had good intentions at the beginning but has become so power hungry that all that has to be done is take it down.
Title: Winnie-the-Pooh
Author: A. A. Milne
Number of Pages: 176
Brief Summary: The adventures of Christopher Robin and his friends, Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, and Baby Roo, include Pooh's tangles with honeybees, and Piglet's encounter with a Heffalump.
How I Came To Own This Book: Bought it at Half-Price Books
History With This Book: I've loved Winnie-the-Pooh since I was very young. I think all kids do, but I was only familiar with the Disney version of Pooh and his friends. After I finished reading The Tao of Pooh, I wanted to read the actual stories, the whole stories not just excerpts, from which the author of The Tao of Pooh got his ideas. So, when I went to Half-Price and saw it on one of the front displays for $2, I knew I had to get it.
This book was every bit as enchanting and heartwarming as the cartoons were way back when...except...better. This isn't the Disney vs. Hans Christian Andersen Little Mermaid. Disney kept pretty close to the spirit of Milne's stories, but nothing can top the original.
My favorite thing was the way in which the stories were written. I know that they were written for Milne's son, Christopher Robin, and they were written on paper as though he's telling you a bedtime story, as if you are Christopher Robin and you pull the blankets up as close as you can while still being able to read the words. It's just comforting like the smell of cookies baking in the oven or the feel of your favorite sweater.
The next thing I post will be about the last book I read, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It deserves its own post.
So, final thoughts on Uglies. Though I haven't read the rest of the series yet, obviously, I think that it opens up the series really well. Sets up the characters, the dangers, the setting nicely and is definitely well written.
The thing I enjoyed the most, I think, was the relationship between the protagonist, Tally, and the main boy, David. It's a little contrived and would be the horrific self-insertion fest of other YA books if the author wasn't a guy. I realize now that my basis of a bad book is much of the Twilight series, and I want to reiterate that I don't hate the series. For the most part, I liked reading it. Meyers knows the elements of an entertaining story. That being said, it's not good literature, but back to Uglies.
The only problem I really see with it is that you can only read so many post-apocalyptic distopian novels before they start to become cliche. And when you've read the granddaddy of all distopian novels (in my opinion, 1984), it's hard to not see all the same elements of that category of fiction. You have the outcasts fighting the government which probably had good intentions at the beginning but has become so power hungry that all that has to be done is take it down.
Title: Winnie-the-Pooh
Author: A. A. Milne
Number of Pages: 176
Brief Summary: The adventures of Christopher Robin and his friends, Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, and Baby Roo, include Pooh's tangles with honeybees, and Piglet's encounter with a Heffalump.
How I Came To Own This Book: Bought it at Half-Price Books
History With This Book: I've loved Winnie-the-Pooh since I was very young. I think all kids do, but I was only familiar with the Disney version of Pooh and his friends. After I finished reading The Tao of Pooh, I wanted to read the actual stories, the whole stories not just excerpts, from which the author of The Tao of Pooh got his ideas. So, when I went to Half-Price and saw it on one of the front displays for $2, I knew I had to get it.
This book was every bit as enchanting and heartwarming as the cartoons were way back when...except...better. This isn't the Disney vs. Hans Christian Andersen Little Mermaid. Disney kept pretty close to the spirit of Milne's stories, but nothing can top the original.
My favorite thing was the way in which the stories were written. I know that they were written for Milne's son, Christopher Robin, and they were written on paper as though he's telling you a bedtime story, as if you are Christopher Robin and you pull the blankets up as close as you can while still being able to read the words. It's just comforting like the smell of cookies baking in the oven or the feel of your favorite sweater.
The next thing I post will be about the last book I read, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It deserves its own post.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Small Update
Last night, I finally finished reading Uglies, and I also finished reading Winnie-the-Pooh. Now, since I'm currently in Chicago visiting my brother at DePaul, I'm not going to do a real update until I get home on Monday. Hopefully, by then, I'll also have another book done (The Book Thief by Markus Zusak), so be prepared for a TON of reading come then.
I don't know what had happened to my need to read lately, but since I'm only one book behind my schedule, I'm feeling optimistic. I'll probably have to choose another short book for the coming week in order to accommodate The Book Thief, but it's worth it.
So, that's about it for right now.
I don't know what had happened to my need to read lately, but since I'm only one book behind my schedule, I'm feeling optimistic. I'll probably have to choose another short book for the coming week in order to accommodate The Book Thief, but it's worth it.
So, that's about it for right now.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Major Fail
I'm not done with Uglies yet. ::embarrassed face:: In fact, I'm not quite half way done. Today and tomorrow, I'm going to buckle down and finish it. You know, after I nap, that is. This is what got me into trouble in the first place! No matter how much I love naps, they're never a good idea when I have projects!
Also, having to go to the DMV tomorrow because my plates need to be renewed is going to cut into my reading motivation some. Sigh.
Anyway, the book's pretty good so far. It's one of those post-apocalyptic distopian (how does spell check not know distopian?) novels. Not on par with 1984, but I'm hoping that this one won't make me lose hope in the human race.
As a side note: I ended up buying The Book Lover's Cookbook at Half-Price Books. I've attempted a couple recipes...One turned out amazing, another was simply awful, and the other had good flavoring but I missed a step so it had a really weird texture. We're trying that one over sometime in the near future (Aunt Petunia's Baked Custard Pudding).
Okay, back to reading...
Also, having to go to the DMV tomorrow because my plates need to be renewed is going to cut into my reading motivation some. Sigh.
Anyway, the book's pretty good so far. It's one of those post-apocalyptic distopian (how does spell check not know distopian?) novels. Not on par with 1984, but I'm hoping that this one won't make me lose hope in the human race.
As a side note: I ended up buying The Book Lover's Cookbook at Half-Price Books. I've attempted a couple recipes...One turned out amazing, another was simply awful, and the other had good flavoring but I missed a step so it had a really weird texture. We're trying that one over sometime in the near future (Aunt Petunia's Baked Custard Pudding).
Okay, back to reading...
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Turning To Uglies
So, I haven't exactly been reading Jane Eyre like I'm supposed to be doing. Instead, I've been reading Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. And I know it ws behavior like this that got me into this project in the first place, but I'm just not in a "Classic Literature" mood right now. I'm more in a "YA/Nerdfighter Awesomeness" kind of mood, and even though I'm only fifty pages into the book now, I have Thursday off. Meaning: Thursday will be a sleeping in/reading a lot kind of day. Well, that and possibly making "Aunt Petunia's Baked Custard Pudding." Aunt Petunia, of course, being the only Aunt Petunia I know of...Petunia Dursley (formerly Evans).
I think that talking about a book I found at the library is okay for a little bit. It's a cookbook, and all the recipes are inspired by literature. It's called The Book Lover's Cookbook, and:
a.) I'm going to buy it one day soon, and
b.) in the meantime, I'm making everything I can out of it (well, everything that looks good to me).
Okay, onto Uglies...
Title: Uglies
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Number of Pages: 425
Brief Summary: Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license--for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.
But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world--and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.
How I Came To Own This Book: Bought it a few weeks ago
History With This Book: I became aware of this series in my sophomore year of college. At the time, one of my friends was reading it because the kids she was student teaching were reading it. I dismissed it at the time, but it stayed in the back of my mind for ages. Ever since watching the vlogbrothers videos on YouTube, and reading John Green's books, I've wanted to read this series. The author is a close friend of John Green, and pretty much any book John Green likes...well, I tend to like them.
I think that talking about a book I found at the library is okay for a little bit. It's a cookbook, and all the recipes are inspired by literature. It's called The Book Lover's Cookbook, and:
a.) I'm going to buy it one day soon, and
b.) in the meantime, I'm making everything I can out of it (well, everything that looks good to me).
Okay, onto Uglies...
Title: Uglies
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Number of Pages: 425
Brief Summary: Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license--for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.
But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world--and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.
How I Came To Own This Book: Bought it a few weeks ago
History With This Book: I became aware of this series in my sophomore year of college. At the time, one of my friends was reading it because the kids she was student teaching were reading it. I dismissed it at the time, but it stayed in the back of my mind for ages. Ever since watching the vlogbrothers videos on YouTube, and reading John Green's books, I've wanted to read this series. The author is a close friend of John Green, and pretty much any book John Green likes...well, I tend to like them.
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