Dorothy Parker, you get it. I don't know anything about you, really. But "A Telephone Call" (short story) is exactly how I feel right now. Well, not right now, but right now I remember feeling like ATC, and Parker has written my thoughts exactly.
How do authors do this? Well, they are only human, after all...
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Re-Reading High School Series: To Kill a Mockingbird
I've finished my first book in this series, whoop, whoop!
In case you don't already know, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a fictional novel published in 1960 which is set in 1935. It is told from the perspective of a 10 year old girl : Scout (Jean Louise) Finch who lives in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. What begins as a humorous and somewhat lighthearted story about two southern siblings and their widower father becomes what is for many people a timeless metaphor for the hatred of racism and the pain of growing up.
Well, because I hope to hope that most students have read or will read this story, I will keep my review brief. This book is so, so much better than I had remembered! I've always held this book dear to my heart because it is one of the first "American classics" that I read on my own, you might even be able to pinpoint my love for literature to this book. However, I had forgotten how funny Scout is! Many quotes from this book actually induced peals of laughter. Furthermore, the little hints of detail Lee scatters about the story are almost too good to be fictional. More: Atticus Finch (the kids' father) is the epitome of an intelligent gentleman. I guarantee that if you read this book, you will wish you had an Atticus of your own.
If you haven't read this book, do yourself a favor. Soon! Also: what was your favorite book from freshman year?
Next up in the series: A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. Follow along if "thou art a man!"
Chao
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Re-Reading High School
Hullo!
Alrighty, so I haven't been able to pick a book for the last few weeks, so I have finally come up with a solution. This isn't a new idea of mine, but I've been planning to do it for quite a while, and now is the perfect time to start. My idea: choose one book from each year of high school to re-read during my last months of high school as a sort of refresher-course. Ho, ho, how novel. After careful deliberation, here is my tentative reading list for the upcoming months:
1. Freshman year: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
During my 7th and 8th grade years, I read this in the month right before school got out. It is, and will remain, a Summer book for me.
2. Sophomore Year: A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
GKC's all time favorite Shakespearean play, I can't wait to explore it again now that I understand Shakespeare-speak.
3. Junior Year: The Great Gatsby by F. (Francis) Scott Fitzgerald
Who doesn't love Gatsby?
4. Senior Year: Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Admittedly, I didn't actually read this when the rest of my class did. But I will now!
And finally, a few "extra credit" books in case I want to continue this project after my core four:
-The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Wild/Wilde love is prevalent among young adults everywhere.
-Paper Towns by John Green
An end-of-senior-year book if ever I met one.
-and Eighth Grade: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
I read this during a solitary fall evening, S. E. Hinton is fantastic.
Whenever I finish a book on my reading list, I'll recount blasts from the past (that is, if I get any), and review them as better or worse than I remember. Anyways, this should keep me busy for awhile, but I've started Mockingbird and it is divine.
Aufiderzein!
Alrighty, so I haven't been able to pick a book for the last few weeks, so I have finally come up with a solution. This isn't a new idea of mine, but I've been planning to do it for quite a while, and now is the perfect time to start. My idea: choose one book from each year of high school to re-read during my last months of high school as a sort of refresher-course. Ho, ho, how novel. After careful deliberation, here is my tentative reading list for the upcoming months:
1. Freshman year: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
During my 7th and 8th grade years, I read this in the month right before school got out. It is, and will remain, a Summer book for me.
2. Sophomore Year: A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
GKC's all time favorite Shakespearean play, I can't wait to explore it again now that I understand Shakespeare-speak.
3. Junior Year: The Great Gatsby by F. (Francis) Scott Fitzgerald
Who doesn't love Gatsby?
4. Senior Year: Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Admittedly, I didn't actually read this when the rest of my class did. But I will now!
And finally, a few "extra credit" books in case I want to continue this project after my core four:
-The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Wild/Wilde love is prevalent among young adults everywhere.
-Paper Towns by John Green
An end-of-senior-year book if ever I met one.
-and Eighth Grade: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
I read this during a solitary fall evening, S. E. Hinton is fantastic.
Whenever I finish a book on my reading list, I'll recount blasts from the past (that is, if I get any), and review them as better or worse than I remember. Anyways, this should keep me busy for awhile, but I've started Mockingbird and it is divine.
Aufiderzein!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Inspired by Pablo Neruda
Our class assignment was simply to write a poem of at least 12 lines, inspired by The Poetry Foundation. I searched for Nash first, but unfortunately my search was in vain. However, Neruda did appear in my shuffle through the "N" names, so why not? Here's what I came out with, inspired by Pablo, the moderns, and The Great Divorce... kinda. And wheat fields, obviously.
Oh, and for anyone who is curious: I will not be participating in BEDA, for a multitude of reasons. First of all, this is not a blog of my life events, because my life events are not interesting enough for me to feel the need to spend hours writing and editing, and then delivering to the masses. Also, work started this month, which means my blog would probably consist of a lot of "they messed up the schedule again" or "I seriously hate people sometimes!" And you don't need that kind of pessimism *oh, the joys of working at a theme park...* Last, I've never kept a successful diary or journal alive for more than a week, even attempting to do it every day for a month would be enough to keep me off blogger for the whole of April, and I like it too much to leave! Anywhoot, enough excuses.
Adieu!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Bookstores on the Chopping Block
Here is an article which, I heartily believe, expresses the opinions of true book lovers everywhere.
Slainte!
Slainte!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Californian Once More
Whelp, I'm back. I suppose it was inevitable. So lets get this part out of the way before I forget:
Above: College choice numero uno. Pretty, no? I do love brick.
Above: The college hangout of choice: Bucer's (pronounced Boot-zer's) coffeehouse and pub. Their americanos are amazing.
So. I'm still mulling over how I want to address my trip, but more on Idaho later. Today, I received my official acceptance package for Pepperdine University, Seaver College. And I got enough financial aide to MORE THAN pay for tuition. But I LOVE my Idahoan school! What should I do, internet? What should I do...
As always, there will be books here! While I was away I added several books/authors to my "must read" list. Enjoy:
-(more) Lewis
-Nietzsche
-(more) Dostoevsky
-Ogden Nash
-Elizabeth Eliot
-N. D. Wilson
-The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
More to come.
Cheers.
Above: College choice numero uno. Pretty, no? I do love brick.
Above: The college hangout of choice: Bucer's (pronounced Boot-zer's) coffeehouse and pub. Their americanos are amazing.
So. I'm still mulling over how I want to address my trip, but more on Idaho later. Today, I received my official acceptance package for Pepperdine University, Seaver College. And I got enough financial aide to MORE THAN pay for tuition. But I LOVE my Idahoan school! What should I do, internet? What should I do...
As always, there will be books here! While I was away I added several books/authors to my "must read" list. Enjoy:
-(more) Lewis
-Nietzsche
-(more) Dostoevsky
-Ogden Nash
-Elizabeth Eliot
-N. D. Wilson
-The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
More to come.
Cheers.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
College Trip: Idaho
Tomorrow, at precisely 8:15 in the morning, my mother and I will be cramming pounds of cardigans and scarves into our suitcases, and heading northeast for Idaho.
A little background here:
I don't really know where I want to go to college next fall, but my first choice is a teeny college in Moscow, Idaho. I've already been accepted, but the school follows a classical education curriculum, which essentially means freshman year looks like this:
Latin Colloqium
Lordship Colloqium
Classical Rhetoric Colloqium
and Music Colloqium
...for everyone. Everyone = 60 students. So there's that...
I love the idea of learning Latin, but I'm really worried that school is a little more than I'm ready for. Anyways, I'll be finding out a lot more about it soon, but this relates to the blog because I'm not sure if I'll be able to post while I'm gone at all. If not, here's a story to tide this thing over:
Last year, I was (somehow) convinced (wheedled) into taking AP Psychology. And our teacher asked us to email her the morning of our absence, just to let her know we wouldn't be there. I don't have a clue as to why. But that was the rule. Anyways, as I was a particularly prickly brand of junior, I missed class... a lot. So I felt the need to spice up my absence-emails. Upon one such urge, I thought a little, and ended up sending her this:
A Poem to Inform You of My Absence
It is to my distress
that on this very day
I do heartily confess
that sadly I'm away
The funny part is that my psych teacher is best friends with my journalism teacher, and apparently they talked about it because the next day I had to explain why I hadn't written a poem to/for my very indignant journalism teacher!
If I can't post on the road, I'll be back Tuesday, and hopefully I'll be brimming with good things to say about "Operation: BIG, Scary Decision" (a.k.a. the college search).
I also wanted to say a quick hullo and thank you to Sarah and Dani-Elle for their kind comments on my last post, I hope I didn't scare you people with my bitter sarcasm... though perhaps it was only fair to warn you. ^^
A little background here:
I don't really know where I want to go to college next fall, but my first choice is a teeny college in Moscow, Idaho. I've already been accepted, but the school follows a classical education curriculum, which essentially means freshman year looks like this:
Latin Colloqium
Lordship Colloqium
Classical Rhetoric Colloqium
and Music Colloqium
...for everyone. Everyone = 60 students. So there's that...
I love the idea of learning Latin, but I'm really worried that school is a little more than I'm ready for. Anyways, I'll be finding out a lot more about it soon, but this relates to the blog because I'm not sure if I'll be able to post while I'm gone at all. If not, here's a story to tide this thing over:
Last year, I was (somehow) convinced (wheedled) into taking AP Psychology. And our teacher asked us to email her the morning of our absence, just to let her know we wouldn't be there. I don't have a clue as to why. But that was the rule. Anyways, as I was a particularly prickly brand of junior, I missed class... a lot. So I felt the need to spice up my absence-emails. Upon one such urge, I thought a little, and ended up sending her this:
A Poem to Inform You of My Absence
It is to my distress
that on this very day
I do heartily confess
that sadly I'm away
The funny part is that my psych teacher is best friends with my journalism teacher, and apparently they talked about it because the next day I had to explain why I hadn't written a poem to/for my very indignant journalism teacher!
If I can't post on the road, I'll be back Tuesday, and hopefully I'll be brimming with good things to say about "Operation: BIG, Scary Decision" (a.k.a. the college search).
I also wanted to say a quick hullo and thank you to Sarah and Dani-Elle for their kind comments on my last post, I hope I didn't scare you people with my bitter sarcasm... though perhaps it was only fair to warn you. ^^
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Writing > Therapy
More writing. I did this during a free 7th period... and during a fit of frustration at my peers. Enjoy.
Prom.
One word.
One night.
But oh, the agony.
Nothing, nothing, instantly vaporizes the brains of hormonal teenage girls everywhere--like prom. And the fact that I go to an upper-middle class private school doesn't help the situation much. Essentially, nothing ever happens to these people. They skip first period and go to Starbucks instead, and then they feel bad ass for a week. We don't have world travelers here, we have Thursday-night teenybopper party-ers whose vernacular probably doesn't include the word vernacular. So it comes as no surprise to me that when a dance is held--gasp--an hour away and--faint--on a boat, the girls nearly forget to use two forms of the word "f***ing" to describe how ugly their friends' dresses are behind their backs or neglect to show even one of their unwilling classmates photos of all three of their prom dress options.
I say nearly.
What kills me is that I can see how exciting this occasion must be for them. A typical teenage female will spend the entire year WAITING for someone to ask her about herself--just so that she can feel as though she really is the expert on something the rest of the population is interested in. But here is this opportunity: this shining chance for them to unashamedly gab about the exorbitant amounts of money their parents are paying for a night of loud, loud slut-songs and a show of their class acting as though civility will have to pause for a moment as this generation makes its mark on history. But let me tell you ladies, the rest of us? We don't care where you are going to get colored and glitterized plastic super-glued to your fingers. Your shoes don't hold us captivated with awe at your glory. A limo is just a very, very long taxi. And we certainly don't need to hear the story of how "omg, the very first dress I tried on was just--THE ONE! I knew it right when I gazed, lovingly, at my reflection in the mirror at Macy's--I said it right then, "'I am done, THIS IS IT! MY PROM DRESS! AAAAAHHH!"'
Save it for facebook people, as for me, I don't want to hear about prom until I get to laugh at humiliating pictures of my peers on Sunday. ...what can I say? Prom IS good for something.
Prom.
One word.
One night.
But oh, the agony.
Nothing, nothing, instantly vaporizes the brains of hormonal teenage girls everywhere--like prom. And the fact that I go to an upper-middle class private school doesn't help the situation much. Essentially, nothing ever happens to these people. They skip first period and go to Starbucks instead, and then they feel bad ass for a week. We don't have world travelers here, we have Thursday-night teenybopper party-ers whose vernacular probably doesn't include the word vernacular. So it comes as no surprise to me that when a dance is held--gasp--an hour away and--faint--on a boat, the girls nearly forget to use two forms of the word "f***ing" to describe how ugly their friends' dresses are behind their backs or neglect to show even one of their unwilling classmates photos of all three of their prom dress options.
I say nearly.
What kills me is that I can see how exciting this occasion must be for them. A typical teenage female will spend the entire year WAITING for someone to ask her about herself--just so that she can feel as though she really is the expert on something the rest of the population is interested in. But here is this opportunity: this shining chance for them to unashamedly gab about the exorbitant amounts of money their parents are paying for a night of loud, loud slut-songs and a show of their class acting as though civility will have to pause for a moment as this generation makes its mark on history. But let me tell you ladies, the rest of us? We don't care where you are going to get colored and glitterized plastic super-glued to your fingers. Your shoes don't hold us captivated with awe at your glory. A limo is just a very, very long taxi. And we certainly don't need to hear the story of how "omg, the very first dress I tried on was just--THE ONE! I knew it right when I gazed, lovingly, at my reflection in the mirror at Macy's--I said it right then, "'I am done, THIS IS IT! MY PROM DRESS! AAAAAHHH!"'
Save it for facebook people, as for me, I don't want to hear about prom until I get to laugh at humiliating pictures of my peers on Sunday. ...what can I say? Prom IS good for something.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Clipping Salinger
You really should read this. And the book. But mostly the book.
"If there is an amateur reader still left in the world--or anybody who just reads and runs--I ask him or her, with untellable affection and grattitude, to split the dedication of this book four ways with my wife and children."
"By every logical definition he was an unhealthy specimen, he did on his worst nights and late afternoons give out not only cries of pain but cries for help, and when nominal help arrived, he did decline to say in perfectly intelligible language where it hurt (104)."
From Seymour an Introduction
by J.D. Salinger
I love Salinger because he makes for a fantastic narrator. He lies to you. He knows his own weaknesses. Salinger gave us a bouquet of parentheses, who else gave us a bouquet of parentheses? Who thinks of such things? J. D. Salinger looked at the world and saw what shit it could be, but he also found immense satisfaction out of a hot day and a silent old man. His narrators were wrong, and sweaty, and hopeless. But Salinger can do something no one else can: he can be haunting AND funny AND morbid AND detatched AND overcaring. AND AND AND. And when he gave us a floral arrangement made out of punctuation, we took those beauties and ran away with him. Who could blame us?
Cheers.
Series: Etymologies for Posterity
Learned this in class today:
So good.
...and I finally remembered to look this up just now:
Did everybody know what a confab was but me? Goon guys, help a brother out next time.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Photography (and also Books)
Hey, so I may be a book freak, but I like other things too! I'm really into photography, and I'm quite obsessed with flickr.com. Anywho, I just wanted to share a pair of topical (at least for this blog) pictures I recently shot in an L.A. library with my Canon A-1.
Here:
and this:
Here:
Bonus points for anyone who knows why we love Dorothy L. Sayers.
You can check out the rest of my photostream here. Happy Friday!
Thievery, Bankruptcy... and Borders. (Book Haul)
So, Borders is going/is (?) bankrupt. I suppose it was inevitable that the massive savings garnered via amazon purchases would greatly impact bookstores. I'm lucky enough to have survived this threat to book lovers everywhere because my town is home to a huge Barnes and Noble, but no Borders. However, the Borders in Santa Cruz, CA is the main bookstore for a few of my closest peeps, and I cannot help but vicariously feel their pain. I would be heartbroken if my B&N closed! HEARTBROKEN! (didja catch the nickelodeon reference? har, har.)
Which leads me to my bittersweet (but, regrettably, I must admit more sweet than bitter) story. As I was shopping for snow clothes downtown, my mum and I were affronted by a sea of those signs with huge red and yellow percentage signs (a la aqui -->) and sale listings. To my great, sick pleasure, Borders was in the midst of their "everything must go!" sale, and I was in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. You see, with closing sales such as this, for optimal book-buying conditions, you must be neither too early nor too late. Too early, and sales are in the 10-20-30% off range (this is doubly ridiculous since these prices are 1. about what I get with my B&N membership and 2. still WAY more than the prices on amazon...just sayin'.) and too late, and we're looking at MAYBE: some Jane Austen, travel guide books, obscure religious 12-step programs, and children's books no one has ever heard of. It's slim pickings. But, as I was saying, my arrival on that fateful corner met up perfectly with the 40%-60% off sales, and my harvest was fruitful. There were PLENTY of books to choose from--more than I could actually handle when there were only 30 minutes left on the parking meter and we had to pick up my brother in less than an hour--and I was in a book-addict's paradise.
1. A Boy's Will and North of Boston Collection by Robert Frost
Suggested Retail Price: $4.95
Amazon's Price: $4.95 (+ Shipping)
3. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Suggested Retail Price: $8.99
Amazon's Price: $8.99 (+ Shipping)
Borders Sale Price: $5.39
Reason: Meg Cabot is hailed as the Columbus of Young Adult Fiction. I thought I ought to have this handy for Summer.
4. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
So, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to the new members of our Book family. We hope they will be very happy with us. (List follows order of excitement at purchase from least to greatest).
1. A Boy's Will and North of Boston Collection by Robert Frost
Suggested Retail Price: $4.95
Amazon's Price: $4.95 (+ Shipping)
Borders Sale Price: $2.47
Reason: When I first approached the Poetry section, I had wanted Yeats or Neruda or Donne. But when I saw a 50% off copy of Frost, I couldn't say no.
2. CliffsNotes (2): "On Salinger's The Catcher and the Rye" and "On Sophocles' Oedipus Trilogy"
Suggested Retail Price: $5.99
Amazon's Price: $5.99 (+ Shipping)
Borders Sale Price: $3.59
Reason: I feel like I have to defend myself here. Yes, I admit it, I do read Cliffsnotes on occasion. I enjoy reading them; they are great for AP essay fodder. I like that if I read the text and the Cliffsnotes for it, it feels as though I've studied it as thoroughly as I would if we were reading it together in English class. That said, I bought Salinger CN because I am obsessed with Salinger, and I bought the Sophocles because I know I'll need it!
Suggested Retail Price: $5.99
Amazon's Price: $5.99 (+ Shipping)
Borders Sale Price: $3.59
Reason: I feel like I have to defend myself here. Yes, I admit it, I do read Cliffsnotes on occasion. I enjoy reading them; they are great for AP essay fodder. I like that if I read the text and the Cliffsnotes for it, it feels as though I've studied it as thoroughly as I would if we were reading it together in English class. That said, I bought Salinger CN because I am obsessed with Salinger, and I bought the Sophocles because I know I'll need it!
3. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Suggested Retail Price: $8.99
Amazon's Price: $8.99 (+ Shipping)
Borders Sale Price: $5.39
Reason: Meg Cabot is hailed as the Columbus of Young Adult Fiction. I thought I ought to have this handy for Summer.
4. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Suggested Retail Price: $9.99
Amazon's Price: $9.99 (+ Shipping)
Borders Sale Price: $5.99
Reason: I loved this book when I was in 8th grade. I can't wait to read it again and see whether I like it more or less now.
Amazon's Price: $8.99 (+ Shipping)
Borders Sale Price: $5.39
Reason: I've liked Johnson's fluffy work in the past in the forms of both The Key to the Golden Firebird as well as The Bermudez Triangle. I've been promised that this book won't disappoint me, we shall see...
...and last, the best find of the day. I looked for this book frantically. I scanned each shelf more than once. Finally, I recovered it from its hiding place and cheered in triumph for myself. The lucky number 6 is...
6. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Suggested Retail Price: $16.99
While I may have spent a little more than I had intended, my receipt claims I saved $25.28, and as soon as I figure out how the receipt managed to tell me things, I will begin the delightful agony of deciding which book to read first. All these savings make me feel as though I've stolen something >.< Here's to wishing you all great finds and low sale prices...
Long live the written word,
Cheers!
Suggested Retail Price: $16.99
Amazon's Price: $9.82 (+ Shipping)
Borders Sale Price: $10.19
Reason: The first time I read it, I had borrowed it from the library. Now it's all mine, and I can't wait to FORCE--uh, I mean lend it to people!
While I may have spent a little more than I had intended, my receipt claims I saved $25.28, and as soon as I figure out how the receipt managed to tell me things, I will begin the delightful agony of deciding which book to read first. All these savings make me feel as though I've stolen something >.< Here's to wishing you all great finds and low sale prices...
Long live the written word,
Cheers!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Lent, Withdrawals, and Verse
I would like to explain something.
Lent is a tradition of Christians (more often of Catholics than Protestants, but I am the latter and my church participates in the *fun*) during the 40 days before easter. Essentially, we don't allow ourselves one kind of pleasure in order to remember the darkness which was present in the world before Christ atoned for our sins on the cross. Also, we are to use the time during which we are unhappy or missing our pleasure to read the Bible, pray, or work on our relationship with God.
This year, I gave up youtube.
And I love youtube.
So I am in pain right now.
Deep, deep, withdrawals. Primarily in the form of Hayleyghoover. You should go watch one of her videos, since I can't.
Here are two poems (ahem, verse!) that I decided to share. I wrote them during a dark wave of depression last week, brought on by the confusion which often comes with senior year, enjoy~
So, there you have it. Modern poetry from the girl who detests William Carlos Williams with fiery passion and tacked the classroom portrait of Walt Whitman upside down just to make a point. Now, I retire to my books. Or my worrying. Or both. Definitely the latter.
Cheers!
Lent is a tradition of Christians (more often of Catholics than Protestants, but I am the latter and my church participates in the *fun*) during the 40 days before easter. Essentially, we don't allow ourselves one kind of pleasure in order to remember the darkness which was present in the world before Christ atoned for our sins on the cross. Also, we are to use the time during which we are unhappy or missing our pleasure to read the Bible, pray, or work on our relationship with God.
This year, I gave up youtube.
And I love youtube.
So I am in pain right now.
Deep, deep, withdrawals. Primarily in the form of Hayleyghoover. You should go watch one of her videos, since I can't.
Here are two poems (ahem, verse!) that I decided to share. I wrote them during a dark wave of depression last week, brought on by the confusion which often comes with senior year, enjoy~
Lonliness
is a word
in my mind
when I can’t think of things
because they are too big.
or dark.
and because the book is over.
--
Lace your fingers
between mine
and I'll watch your hair
fly up in the August dusk.
We can walk now, forever
just as long as summer lasts
and I can wrap my arms
around you
whenever I begin
to fly away.
Cheers!
Reading Habits & Anna and the French Kiss
Oh, lovely.
It appears that several months have elapsed since my last post. But none of you are here. I am writing to myself after all. This is quite near a diary. Though I won't be revealing my undying love for the hottie with "oh so perfect hair" who sits next to me in biology. (Sorry, for those who are curious).
So as I'm writing to myself, I see no reason why I should have to apologize. Which brings me to the point: I am quite unashamedly here. Ready to write about books again. Like it or not, blogger shall be expanded to fit my needs as I see fit. I expect very little from it, and I will take advantage of it as often as I like. Allow me to proceed.
The really REAL reason I come to write, is that I have just finished a book that I have to talk about. --or rave about.
Now, let me explain.
I love books.
Perhaps you gathered that from the title of this blog. I am an addict. If someone offered me a book describing--in detail--the migratory patterns of pigeons, or scientific formulas and their origins...or even *shudder* a math book, I would take it, stroke the spine, and ease it nice and gently into my bookshelf. Glancing around my room now, I see a journal, stacks of magazines (I am subscribed to both TIME and Marie Clarie, (I reveal for those with insatiable curiosity, like myself)), I see a pile of to-read books (a small sampling: Classical Christian Education by Douglass Wilson, The Narnian by Alan Jacobs, What I learned in Narnia by Douglas Wilson, The Road not Taken and other Poems by if you need me to tell you who, you should probably leave now and save yourself some time, the cambridge edition (I KNOW! (edit: I have read AMSND, I just haven't read this edition!) of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the list goes on), my nightstand houses a cambridge Latin workbook, the Bell Jar, and some Y.A. fiction, among other things, and don't even get me started on the bookshelves. So, as I say not so quickly: I have A LOT of books, about everything, and my tastes are more varied than an affirmative-action-crazed state university.
But we all have our tastes.
My favorite literary anyone: Shakespeare. Again, if you are--right now--staring at me with your mouth wide with incredulous disbelief, I offer you the back door. You won't be happy here.
Other favorites include: anything Russian, chiefly Dostoevsky, Steinbeck, O'Connor, Robert Frost, and Mythology in general (Greek, duh).
I do like Y.A. fiction, I enjoyed the Hunger Games (the first of my friends to do so, but I felt it my overwhelming duty to force the series on everyone within arms' reach(oh, and HP FTW)), but I am more of a realistic-fiction Y.A. person. So while Unwind (By Shusterman) was thrilling, John Green is my Y.A. hero. He champions the teenage male voice to new heights. Nobody does it like John. (Another note, to me, Y.A. is all about the dialogue and the characters, plot doesn't matter so long as you love the people you're reading about). (Sorry Sophocles!) So while I enjoy Y.A. fiction, I usually feel slackerish when I read it. It's hard to really love something you know is a complete waste of time.
Finally, I have a thing for J. D. Salinger. And I feel terrible about it, okay? I know, I know. If you don't know, don't ask. But he is just... Well, if you know, you know.
Getting to the point: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Synopsis/Book Reviews Here!
Stephanie Perkins' Blog
ANYHOO, I just finished Anna and the French Kiss while on vacation. In one day.
And it was great. For Y.A.
I am now obsessed with all things parisian. I loved Anna's friends (especially Josh and St. Claire), the plot was as predictable as they come, but again, with Y.A., don't expect miracles and don't expect HP, we all learn that one the hard way.
Perkins (the author) is fabulous in her creation of Etienne St. Clair (the gooey love interest) who is masterfully created and seems like a genuinely cool/funny/interesting person.
He also loves history... so +10pts.
I just have to go to Paris now, and learn French... and buy Perkins' next book in the Anna series (not really a series, but it's a three part companion novel(s)).
Unfortunately, I will have to wait until the cows come home (September 29th). It will be agonizing, but it must be done none the less. I realize that this was less of a review and more of a recommendation, but that's okay. I'm fine with that. Are you? Okay, good.
Anyways, Salinger rant/rave coming up soon. Probably. No promises. Bye.
It appears that several months have elapsed since my last post. But none of you are here. I am writing to myself after all. This is quite near a diary. Though I won't be revealing my undying love for the hottie with "oh so perfect hair" who sits next to me in biology. (Sorry, for those who are curious).
So as I'm writing to myself, I see no reason why I should have to apologize. Which brings me to the point: I am quite unashamedly here. Ready to write about books again. Like it or not, blogger shall be expanded to fit my needs as I see fit. I expect very little from it, and I will take advantage of it as often as I like. Allow me to proceed.
The really REAL reason I come to write, is that I have just finished a book that I have to talk about. --or rave about.
Now, let me explain.
I love books.
Perhaps you gathered that from the title of this blog. I am an addict. If someone offered me a book describing--in detail--the migratory patterns of pigeons, or scientific formulas and their origins...or even *shudder* a math book, I would take it, stroke the spine, and ease it nice and gently into my bookshelf. Glancing around my room now, I see a journal, stacks of magazines (I am subscribed to both TIME and Marie Clarie, (I reveal for those with insatiable curiosity, like myself)), I see a pile of to-read books (a small sampling: Classical Christian Education by Douglass Wilson, The Narnian by Alan Jacobs, What I learned in Narnia by Douglas Wilson, The Road not Taken and other Poems by if you need me to tell you who, you should probably leave now and save yourself some time, the cambridge edition (I KNOW! (edit: I have read AMSND, I just haven't read this edition!) of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the list goes on), my nightstand houses a cambridge Latin workbook, the Bell Jar, and some Y.A. fiction, among other things, and don't even get me started on the bookshelves. So, as I say not so quickly: I have A LOT of books, about everything, and my tastes are more varied than an affirmative-action-crazed state university.
But we all have our tastes.
My favorite literary anyone: Shakespeare. Again, if you are--right now--staring at me with your mouth wide with incredulous disbelief, I offer you the back door. You won't be happy here.
Other favorites include: anything Russian, chiefly Dostoevsky, Steinbeck, O'Connor, Robert Frost, and Mythology in general (Greek, duh).
I do like Y.A. fiction, I enjoyed the Hunger Games (the first of my friends to do so, but I felt it my overwhelming duty to force the series on everyone within arms' reach(oh, and HP FTW)), but I am more of a realistic-fiction Y.A. person. So while Unwind (By Shusterman) was thrilling, John Green is my Y.A. hero. He champions the teenage male voice to new heights. Nobody does it like John. (Another note, to me, Y.A. is all about the dialogue and the characters, plot doesn't matter so long as you love the people you're reading about). (Sorry Sophocles!) So while I enjoy Y.A. fiction, I usually feel slackerish when I read it. It's hard to really love something you know is a complete waste of time.
Finally, I have a thing for J. D. Salinger. And I feel terrible about it, okay? I know, I know. If you don't know, don't ask. But he is just... Well, if you know, you know.
Getting to the point: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Synopsis/Book Reviews Here!
Stephanie Perkins' Blog
And it was great. For Y.A.
I am now obsessed with all things parisian. I loved Anna's friends (especially Josh and St. Claire), the plot was as predictable as they come, but again, with Y.A., don't expect miracles and don't expect HP, we all learn that one the hard way.
Perkins (the author) is fabulous in her creation of Etienne St. Clair (the gooey love interest) who is masterfully created and seems like a genuinely cool/funny/interesting person.
He also loves history... so +10pts.
I just have to go to Paris now, and learn French... and buy Perkins' next book in the Anna series (not really a series, but it's a three part companion novel(s)).
Unfortunately, I will have to wait until the cows come home (September 29th). It will be agonizing, but it must be done none the less. I realize that this was less of a review and more of a recommendation, but that's okay. I'm fine with that. Are you? Okay, good.
Anyways, Salinger rant/rave coming up soon. Probably. No promises. Bye.
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