OhmygodOhmygodOhmygod
I am so excited to see this
These books got me through many a mean red, provided ample reminder of sincerity in this snarky world and generally fed my need for awkward teen love.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Friday, September 7, 2007
weep
Madeleine L'Engle died today.
Read her books, if you haven't already.
I always wanted to be Meg Murray and someday meet my Calvin O'Keefe.
What a great example of awkward teenage love...
Is there anything more pure, more baggage-free, more soul-comforting than 100% unsullied-by-time nerd-love?
No.
No there isn't.
*sigh*
Read her books, if you haven't already.
I always wanted to be Meg Murray and someday meet my Calvin O'Keefe.
What a great example of awkward teenage love...
Is there anything more pure, more baggage-free, more soul-comforting than 100% unsullied-by-time nerd-love?
No.
No there isn't.
*sigh*
Monday, July 23, 2007
Potter Update Again (Spoilers)
Update: Slate agrees. "Did we really go through all this just to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione take up residence on a cul-de-sac?"
Worst epilogue EVER.
Obviously written for 6 year olds.
So... you go through what you go through and 19 years later, you're reduced to being a BORING ADULT.
That's it.
Get married.
Move to the suburbs.
Have babies (according to the math starting at 23 or 24 years old)
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
No mention of world travels.
Not a peep about career.
Professional athletics?
Scientific advances?
Insights into psychology of evil?
Nope, he's a dad - and from the lack of additional information, it appears he's just a dad.
I mean its fine to be a dad, who here would be here without a dad, but I just think there should be a little more to the characters at that point.
At least some nod to the legitimacy of life outside the whole marriage/suburbs/babies choices for a main character.
I get the whole "the boy without a family wants a family" thing, but it's such a horribly 2D version of family that it just seems jarring in comparison to the rest of the tale. It's like happily ever after in a fairy tale - believe in such simplicity and you're doomed to a life of disappointment.
Where's the fullness, the color, the adultness and complexity of our now adult characters?
Boring adults.
They've been reduced to stereotypically BORING ADULTS.
*sigh*
Worst epilogue EVER.
Obviously written for 6 year olds.
So... you go through what you go through and 19 years later, you're reduced to being a BORING ADULT.
That's it.
Get married.
Move to the suburbs.
Have babies (according to the math starting at 23 or 24 years old)
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
No mention of world travels.
Not a peep about career.
Professional athletics?
Scientific advances?
Insights into psychology of evil?
Nope, he's a dad - and from the lack of additional information, it appears he's just a dad.
I mean its fine to be a dad, who here would be here without a dad, but I just think there should be a little more to the characters at that point.
At least some nod to the legitimacy of life outside the whole marriage/suburbs/babies choices for a main character.
I get the whole "the boy without a family wants a family" thing, but it's such a horribly 2D version of family that it just seems jarring in comparison to the rest of the tale. It's like happily ever after in a fairy tale - believe in such simplicity and you're doomed to a life of disappointment.
Where's the fullness, the color, the adultness and complexity of our now adult characters?
Boring adults.
They've been reduced to stereotypically BORING ADULTS.
*sigh*
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Potter update
Oodles of Awkward Teenage Love (Yea!)
And my favorite quote thus far... on Ron's birthday gift to Harry.
"This isn't your average book... It's pure gold. Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches...You'd be surprised, it's not all about wandwork, either."
*snort*
Wandwork?
O my...
Scandalous.
But such skills certainly don't hurt a fella either... muggle or otherwise.
UPDATE: 72% of all people who find my blog via search engines search the phrase "it's not all about wandwork, either"
I freaking LOVE you people.
And my favorite quote thus far... on Ron's birthday gift to Harry.
"This isn't your average book... It's pure gold. Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches...You'd be surprised, it's not all about wandwork, either."
*snort*
Wandwork?
O my...
Scandalous.
But such skills certainly don't hurt a fella either... muggle or otherwise.
UPDATE: 72% of all people who find my blog via search engines search the phrase "it's not all about wandwork, either"
I freaking LOVE you people.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Potter vs Silvertongue
While the whole world is going Potter-mad (and I'm not exempt - seen the flick, got the book today)
may I suggest another series, just as dark (if not more so), just as British and fantasy laden with films soon to be released.
His Dark Materials written by Philip Pulman is a trilogy that focuses on an orphaned girl (if not legally, then at least in her reality) raised around academics, fated to lead. It all the requisite pieces necessary for a good read: awkward adolescent love, deep friendship, corrupt power structures and alot of grey regarding good vs evil (only with some characters, many are pretty straightforeward).
What I love is his thoughts on religion and science - in one world religion is science - and in our world, there's character who renounces her life as a nun for science - and her monologue on the limitations that religion can put on life are very interesting (esp. considering its touted as a childrens' book).
They've been working on the movie, which is slated for release in early December (I'm going to Phoenix to watch it with an old friend). Sure, see the movie, but read the books first.
may I suggest another series, just as dark (if not more so), just as British and fantasy laden with films soon to be released.
His Dark Materials written by Philip Pulman is a trilogy that focuses on an orphaned girl (if not legally, then at least in her reality) raised around academics, fated to lead. It all the requisite pieces necessary for a good read: awkward adolescent love, deep friendship, corrupt power structures and alot of grey regarding good vs evil (only with some characters, many are pretty straightforeward).
What I love is his thoughts on religion and science - in one world religion is science - and in our world, there's character who renounces her life as a nun for science - and her monologue on the limitations that religion can put on life are very interesting (esp. considering its touted as a childrens' book).
They've been working on the movie, which is slated for release in early December (I'm going to Phoenix to watch it with an old friend). Sure, see the movie, but read the books first.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
These are a few of my favorite things
I also picked up this book at the CPL booksale - again, not sure how I'm finding time to enjoy it, but I promised myself I'd savor it, if only for these references...
Scientific America, Horn & Hardart, The Fox Sisters, blind pigs and speakeasies, quaint sexual euphamisms like... "Mina sounded close to her crisis," French terms of endearment and oyster bars.
Because oysters were the french fries of the early 20th century... a concept I've always loved.
Definitely recommended reading for a cool October evening.
UPDATE: My initial ardour for this book has cooled significantly. I think I was so giddy from the rarely-made references, that I saw past the moment when the story began to fall apart.
But the first half or so is still good, but the ending sort of tumbled into uncertain confusion.
Scientific America, Horn & Hardart, The Fox Sisters, blind pigs and speakeasies, quaint sexual euphamisms like... "Mina sounded close to her crisis," French terms of endearment and oyster bars.
Because oysters were the french fries of the early 20th century... a concept I've always loved.
Definitely recommended reading for a cool October evening.
UPDATE: My initial ardour for this book has cooled significantly. I think I was so giddy from the rarely-made references, that I saw past the moment when the story began to fall apart.
But the first half or so is still good, but the ending sort of tumbled into uncertain confusion.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
What a great question
I managed to get to the Cleveland Public Library for the book sale last week (perk of working downtown, along with Teahouse Noodle lunches, seeing long-lost acquaintances on the street and last minute al fresco happy hours at the bar downstairs).
Anyway, I picked up Amy Tan's "Bonesetter's Daughter" for a $1 - I enjoyed some of her previous work, but having experienced not so good luck with fiction lately, I was suspect.
I proceeded to gobble it up in 3 days time (amazing, considering it was a truly-evenings-and-weekends-heavy kind of work week). I highly recommend it.
But what inspired me to post about this book, was an answer to a question on page 341.
"...If I want anything, it's to know what's possible to want."
I don't come from a guilt inducing background, but I must admit to being a bit of a needless wonder.
As though wanting something translates to having unreasonable expectations -
so it's mostly easier to train yourself to expect nothing, right?
Logically, this would result in nothing but exceeded expectations, but in reality, I think it leads to a whole lot of nothing.
I'm not endorsing magial thinking, but I think maybe it's ok to want things.
Anyway, I picked up Amy Tan's "Bonesetter's Daughter" for a $1 - I enjoyed some of her previous work, but having experienced not so good luck with fiction lately, I was suspect.
I proceeded to gobble it up in 3 days time (amazing, considering it was a truly-evenings-and-weekends-heavy kind of work week). I highly recommend it.
But what inspired me to post about this book, was an answer to a question on page 341.
"...If I want anything, it's to know what's possible to want."
I don't come from a guilt inducing background, but I must admit to being a bit of a needless wonder.
As though wanting something translates to having unreasonable expectations -
so it's mostly easier to train yourself to expect nothing, right?
Logically, this would result in nothing but exceeded expectations, but in reality, I think it leads to a whole lot of nothing.
I'm not endorsing magial thinking, but I think maybe it's ok to want things.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Books to avoid
Into every life, some rain must fall...
So I've been reading a bit more these days - I ran into a heavily laden $1 cart at Half-price books and picked up a few pieces for summer - and Visible Voice is a great resource when craving a good read in a comfy chair.
In bookstores, I go with my gut, and recently, my gut has been so wrong.
I stumbled upon a used copy of this and thought it would be a good read. With a title like "Manliness" I didn't think I could go wrong. I thought maybe some Freud or war talk would dull it up a bit, but I was expecting to be led on horseback into the deep, craggy recesses of the masculine brain. I was looking for answers, dammit! And instead I get...
"...The American Patriarch, if you want to call him that..."
"...Dagwood Bumstead..."
"nondescript , codified human beings......."
snore.
My second strike was this piece of tripe. Which is pretty much the worst assult on the written word - ever. I thought it would be good for beach reading - nope. I think a seagull laughed at me when he saw what I was reading.
My third strike was this. Not as bad as the other two - I'm still making my way through it - but for a GREAT novel along similar lines, go for Geek Love - HANDS DOWN a better read.
I'm also reading this, this, and this...which are making up for the awful.
Research, sarah, do your reseach before you open your wallet...
good girl.
So I've been reading a bit more these days - I ran into a heavily laden $1 cart at Half-price books and picked up a few pieces for summer - and Visible Voice is a great resource when craving a good read in a comfy chair.
In bookstores, I go with my gut, and recently, my gut has been so wrong.
I stumbled upon a used copy of this and thought it would be a good read. With a title like "Manliness" I didn't think I could go wrong. I thought maybe some Freud or war talk would dull it up a bit, but I was expecting to be led on horseback into the deep, craggy recesses of the masculine brain. I was looking for answers, dammit! And instead I get...
"...The American Patriarch, if you want to call him that..."
"...Dagwood Bumstead..."
"nondescript , codified human beings......."
snore.
My second strike was this piece of tripe. Which is pretty much the worst assult on the written word - ever. I thought it would be good for beach reading - nope. I think a seagull laughed at me when he saw what I was reading.
My third strike was this. Not as bad as the other two - I'm still making my way through it - but for a GREAT novel along similar lines, go for Geek Love - HANDS DOWN a better read.
I'm also reading this, this, and this...which are making up for the awful.
Research, sarah, do your reseach before you open your wallet...
good girl.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Impatient to read
As an unofficial 10-year boy, I'm fidgeting in my seat, banging my foot against floor, tapping my pencil incessently and all worked up to read this book. Whales and snails and puppy-dog tails - not to mention how to build a go-cart.
Read an excerpt here.
UPDATE: For those who question my unofficial/official boy-ness...
I got the HANDBOOK.
So there...
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