Category: Books
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Book Club
I have this kind of bossy friend. And she has taken it upon herself to organize a book club among several people in the Bay Area, who haven’t managed to get it together amongst ourselves. There are five of us – four girls and one guy.
(I was going to write “women and man,” but that felt really weird, so I changed it back. “Girls and guy” feels okay – although it’s more awkward written out than it would be if I just said it. I always wonder what to say. “Chicks and dude.” “Ladies and gent.” I don’t know.)
Four of us are XX and one is XY. We live all up and down the peninsula. We are all busy enough that we needed this one kind of bossy friend to make us all commit to doing this thing.
The rules are: we trade off choosing books, and you have to choose something that no one has read yet.
Our first book is Divergent by Veronica Roth – a young adult book along the same dystopian themes as Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. (Speaking of The Hunger Games, have you seen the trailer yet?? The movie comes out in March and my coworkers and I can’t wait!) Divergent is about a society in which everyone is divided into factions: Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Erudite (the intelligent), and Dauntless (the brave). You choose your faction when you’re 16 and factions are stronger than blood. If you fall out of a faction (the factionless), you’re essentially homeless and you have very little food and clothing and you have a sucky job.
I do think she is sort of jumping on the Hunger Games bandwagon – but better that than the Twilight bandwagon, amirite?
I haven’t had much time to read yet – but so far I really, really like it. I think it’s going to make for some very interesting conversation when we finally get it together and all five of us sit down and talk about our feelings. I’ve been trying to figure out what faction I would choose, and I currently have no idea. I mean, I’m only 125 pages in (out of almost 500). It makes the main character very sympathetic.
I’m pretty stoked about having a book club. I have been wanting to have one – but not wanting necessarily to join someone else’s and abide by their rules and choices. The kind of bossy leader of our club says that it’s my turn to choose next. I’m debating between Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer and Augusten Burroughs’ Possible Side Effects or something completely different.
I’m open to suggestions – although I think Augusten Burroughs would be really fun for everyone. Book club ftw!
(Sorry, you-know-who, I kid. Your bossyness is great! Love you!)
So, this is the first time in 2011 that I went over 7 days without posting. It’s been busy here, y’all.
I’ve been reading, among other books, this book that I got at the Palo Alto Borders at like 90% off right before they closed. It’s a paperback thriller by an author that I have been reading for years. I have about half a dozen of his books that I adore, and have read over and over again. I would definitely admit to liking this author.
I bought this 90% off book because it’s from the early 90s (I like his late 80s-early 90s stuff the best), and I thought it sounded promising. But it’s like, in 1992, something weird happened in this guy’s head and everything just got super purple.
Here are a couple passages to make my point:
“When Redlow regained consciousness, his assorted pains were so bad, they took one hundred percent of his attention. He had a violent headache to which he could have testified with such feeling in a television commercial that they would have been forced to open new aspirin factories to meet the consumer response.” WTF.
“Later, on their way from the Haunted House to an attraction called Swamp Creature, they stopped at a stand sellling blocks of ice cream dipped in chocolate and rolled in crushed nuts.” You mean an ice cream bar? Why not just say “ice cream bars”?
“Well, if she did cry, her treacherous sinuses would kick in, and the old snot-faucet would start gushing, whcih would surely make her even more appealing. He’d give up the idea of a leisurely drive, and head for home at such tremendous speed that he’d have to stand on the brakes a mile from the house to avoid shooting straight through the back of the garage.” Puuuuurple!
I mean, what is going on here? This doesn’t even feel like the same guy. Maybe someone else did this one for him? Or maybe, as Drew suggested, he had a word quota to meet? Despite all that, I’m still reading it eagerly and I have no idea what’s going to happen in the end, so that’s fun.
NaNoWriMo starts next week, and I am getting a little anxious. I knew that Oct 1 – Nov 15 was going to be a crazy busy time. I’m just glad that we’re nearing the end of it.
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Google > Bing
Today I learned from the radio that soma is a modern drug, also known as Carisoprodol. It’s a muscle relaxant and pain reliever.
But I remember Soma as the drug in Brave New World that everyone had to take, that kept them apathetic and “happy.” What a reference!
Apparently, Brave New World borrowed the name from a mythical (assumedly hallucinogenic) drink consumed by the ancient Indo-Aryans.
Indo-Aryans are now most highly concentrated in the following areas: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives. There are one billion native speakers of the Indo-Aryan languages.
You should try to learn one new thing every day. Now we’ve learned four!
Or maybe you already knew one or two or three of these things. If so, you’re still good. If you knew all four, then you’ll have to find your own new thing for today.
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At the library…
Last week, Jonathan and I were in Borders on University in Palo Alto, picking through the few things left. I actually picked up some good stuff – a Dean Koontz book from the 80s (love them!), Laurie Notaro’s Spooky Little Girl, an Augusten Burroughs I haven’t read yet, and It’s All Relative, by Wade Rouse – a memoir that Jen Lancaster told me to read. 80% off rocks – although I am sorry that Borders has to close.
Anyway, I saw this on the mystery shelf: The Chocolate Cat Caper. And I took a picture of it, and made fun of it in my head.
I’m sure you know what I mean.
Like, I totally believe there’s a market somewhere of older women, who just love chocolate, cats, and mysteries. I mean, I guess I like all those things, and I’m not that old. But I just don’t think that you have to make it that easy for people to make fun of you.
Psshhh…Chocolate Cat Caper.
So then yesterday, I was killing time between the matinee and the evening show, at the Mountain View public library. I wandered over to the mysteries shelf, and checked out the Agatha Christies. I picked up The Pale Horse because I’ve never read it. The main character’s name is Thomasina, which I thought was funny, or something.
I wandered through a few more aisles, and then saw One Hundred Girls’ Mother, “A Women of the West Novel” by Lenore Carroll, lying out of place on a shelf. the cover looked interesting so I opened it up to read the inside flap of the jacket, and it also features a woman named Thomasina! So I thought it was a sign, and I took that one too.
Then I saw Tales of the City, by Armistead Maupin, which I totally have been wanting to read, so I grabbed that too. Pretty excited about that one.
Anyway, then I saw this series of books back in the mystery section!
A whole series of Chocolate Mystery things! That is even funnier than I originally thought it was. And that’s the whole point of this post.
This happens out of nowhere:
Drew: Where?
Me: What?
Drew sits up and picks up Practical Magic off of my bookshelf.
Drew: Should I have been saving the other letters?
Me: What letters?
Drew: From…never mind.
Drew puts down Practical Magic and lies back down.
Drew: It’s not real anyway.
Categories
Girls dressing like boys
I started reading the Alanna books recently, by Tamora Pierce.
I remember reading the first book when I was a tween (or so), and I remember liking it, but also, the only thing I could remember was that she was dressed like a boy, and couldn’t go swimming with the other boys, and also, when she “becomes a woman” things get awkward.
But I’m reading them again now on the insistence of a reader friend of mine, who recently handed me an oversized gift bag filled with Tamora Pierce books for 12-year-olds. But we like them because of their strong female protagonists, who make smart, level-headed decisions.
Anyway, I just wanted to point out that the illustrator for this edition of these books does a great job getting in the feeling of the book, the horse, the cat, the purple fog that is her magic, whatever – but CANNOT seem to capture a facial expression.
Behold:
This just cracks me up. I have to get Drew to make the face on the cover of the third book, and get a picture of it. It’s perfect.
I also noticed that they’ve redone the books (a couple times) with more badass covers. Like so:
Darker, and “cooler,” and possibly more representative of the actual feel of the books. I guess maybe I’m paying more attention to stuff like this, as I get more comfortable and familiar with my job.
Got a great YA novel recommendation? Leave it here for me! (It definitely doesn’t have to be fantasy.)
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Fool Me Eight Times
I’m kind of a snob about books made into movies. It’s not good to be a snob about anything, probably, but if it had to be something, I’m glad it’s book-to-movie adaptations, and not beer or cars or food, I guess.
(Although, that might be circular logic. If I really cared about beer or cars or food, then I’d be glad I did…etc.)
Anyway, here’s a list of good book-to-movie adaptations:
“Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” by Stephen King –> The Shawshank Redemption
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg –> Fried Green Tomatoes, in which the director had to mostly remove the lesbian subplot, although he has said that the food fight is supposed to symbolize their sexual relationship.
All three of the Lord of the Rings books by JRR Tolkein –> the Lord of the Rings trilogy
The Green Mile by Stephen King –> The Green Mile, starring Tom Hanks (looking all plastic and Polar Express-y), and look at that! Directed by Frank Darabont, who also directed The Shawshank Redemption
Little Children, by Tom Perrotta –> Little Children – hot movie poster, totally changed ending and all!
Rosemary’s Baby, by Ira Levin, one of the greatest writers ever –> Rosemary’s Baby, a horror movie I only recently watched on Netflix instant, and was totally pleasantly surprised
And here’s an example of a bad book-to-movie adaptation,
which is really my whole point here:
Every Harry Potter movie ever, but most recently, Deathly Hallows part 2.
Last night, after seeing it with Drew (who agrees with me) and my friend Molly (who really liked it), I posted on my Facebook saying that I thought the movie was disappointing, and asking if anyone felt the same way. I refrained from saying anything sweeping and vague, and obviously looking for trouble, like, “It was terrible.” But I got only comments from people saying they enjoyed it.
Luckily, these people are my friends, and I think we can agree to disagree on something on stupid as a Harry Potter movie. But I still wanted a response from someone who agreed with me. (I’m super grateful that Drew feels the same way as I do – otherwise it could’ve gotten tense around these parts last night.)
Even at work this morning I was met with someone saying, “Well, I really liked it, but then, I read all the books.” And I was like… “Um, so did I. That’s part of the problem.”
Since I don’t want to pick fights with anyone, but I still want to vent my feelings, and I’m due a blog post anyway…this is what you get. This is my platform to say that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was a bad representation of the second half of the book, as well as being not a good stand-alone movie.
My particular issues (POSSIBLE SPOILERS):
1. Why change things? What’s all this about a boathouse? What’s wrong with going to the Shrieking Shack?
2. What is this “Harry hears horcruxes” business? Don’t you wish now, WB, you had waited to start making the movies until JK Rowling had written all the books, so you could put in all the information you needed, so you didn’t have to make up some dumb ish about him “hearing” the horcruxes?
3. Does anyone who hasn’t read the books even know what a horcrux is? Someone who hasn’t read the books, please comment and tell me if you have any idea what horcruxes and hallows are. Can you name all of them? And describe their function in the story?
4. I felt like this movie was ALL ACTION. Which I guess makes sense, given it is the final 400 pages of a 4000-page (estimate) series. But it was too much action. I needed more story. Not just running and jumping and then apparently…flying around…with Voldemort? C’mon.
Okay. So I get that I was set up to dislike the movie. I mean, I haven’t really liked any of them, and I’ve been very focused on what was left out or changed from the books, as well as that familiar disappointment about characters and places not looking like how I pictured them. But still. Deathly Hallows part 1 was actually kind of impressive, and I guess that raised my hopes a little for part 2.
At any rate, I definitely wanted to see it in the theatre, it’s the end of an era, etc, etc. I just know there have to be more people out there who don’t feel like this movie should be getting a 97% on rottentomatoes.
Okay. I have probably said enough. But it’s like I have said before, it’s hard for me to keep quiet about certain things. Harry Potter movies, embarrassingly enough, are one of those things.
On a happy note…my favorite part of part 1 was the animation about the creation of the deathly hallows!
Categories
Super Sad True Love Story
I’m reading Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart. It’s called absurdist, a satirical romance, and “too funny for his own good.” So far, though, I’m just finding it freaky.
It’s futuristic, but just barely, and I think that’s the unsettling part. His descriptions of the world include:
- technology: everyone wears a device that can instantly scan and be scanned by others, revealing your income, personality rating, hotness level, etc; and books are called “printed, bound media artifacts” (or “doorstops” in slang);
- clothing: one of the hot new clothing items is a brand of jeans called “Onionskin” – they’re totally transparent; and
- relationships: “Hey baby, let’s FAC” means “Let’s Form A Community” – basically, let’s have a conversation.
I like the story, and I am finding it entertaining and amusing, but at the same time it’s just too possible. It’s not hovercars and reading minds and people going into space…it’s the decline of the dollar, the increasingly “Big Brother” nature of the government, and the further dependency on gadgets and technology.
It’s a really appropriate book to be reading on this, Day 1 of my new life as a smartphone user. It’s been difficult to put the thing down today – although I definitely had work to get done – and since I got home Drew’s been playing on it. We may quickly become a 2-smartphone family. And isn’t it time? I mean, it’s 2011. Shouldn’t we get with the program?
Not to sound totally bi-polar, but it’s exactly that type of thinking – get with the program – that freaks me out even more. The world is changing so fast, and the rate at which it changes is picking up. (Pair that with the uneasy feeling I have about all these natural disasters that have been happening…and I am one paranoid girl.)
When I was in middle school, all I wanted in the world was my very own landline. I finally got it, and was the happiest girl alive.
In fact, at one point in my early teens, my parents were redoing the floors in all the house except the bedrooms – so they had to move everything into those rooms. I somehow ended up with the TV and the VCR in my room. I remember spending one delightful evening sitting in my own bedroom, door closed, on my dial up internet (my personal landline), talking on the phone (the family’s landline), and watching movies.
Is there anything sweeter?
And yet…here I sit, wireless laptop on my knees, cell phone near by, all the channels I could possibly desire on the cable and movies galore available for streaming from Netflix, via my lightning fast internet. I can have this any time I want! But how could I have foreseen this? Or maybe I just didn’t care enough at the time to project what type of technology would be available to me in the future.
(How tangent-ful has this gotten? I’ve been going on long enough for Drew to get to the second world in Angry Birds.)
Sometimes I just want to stretch out on the couch in the silence, and read a good old-fashioned paperback. Not Super Sad True Love Story. Maybe some nice 1980s Stephen King.
This morning, on my one-week-behind Sarah and Vinnie podcasts, they read the top baby names for 2010 (2011? not sure how this works. is it one year behind, like taxes? or is it somehow of this current year, even though we’re not even halfway through?). Anyway, the top baby name for girls is Isabella. Sarah said that’s from Twilight, which, while it is the name of the protagonist, it’s certainly not “from” Twilight.
The top baby name for boys is Jacob, and then Sarah and Vinnie and everyone went, “Riiiiiiight, that’s from Twilight too,” knowingly. But Jacob has been on or near the top of the list for years. I refuse to believe that has anything to do with Twilight. But with the rise of popularity of names like Macy and Bentley, which both come straight and irrefutably from the MTV show Teen Mom, everyone assumes there’s this pop culture explanation for all the popular names.
I have always intended to write a confessional about how I own all four of the Twilight books and have read them more than once. There’s just something irresistibly juicy and terrible about them. Yes, I know Bella is a total mary-sue character. Wikipedia defines “mary-sue” as “a fictional character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for the author.” This basically describes Bella, who is one of the worst role models for young girls.
Some good female role models in literature right now:
- Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games series
- Katsa in the Graceling series
- Hermione in the Harry Potter series
I am hard pressed to say why I read the Twilight books the second time, and why I will read them again sometime in the next year. There’s something about the storyline of the two strong protective guys fighting over the girl in the middle, that’s strangely captivating. The story is actually not terrible, as plot lines go. She manages to wrap up all the storylines she starts. It’s so easy and so quick to read.
It’s like eating ice cream out of the carton with a spoon. It goes super fast and then before you realize it, you’re halfway through and you barely remember any of it.
I generally don’t open my mouth about Twilight. I find that I don’t fit in with the groups of Twihard fans (yes, that’s an accepted term), but neither do I fit in with the people who disparage the books for utter trash. (I do think there has to be something good about getting so many tween girls to read, and enjoy reading, a 4-book series.) I have to find the middle ground, where I can fit in.
Wanted: A book club to occasionally read the Twilight series (all the way through, once every 18 months – 2 years). Requirements: You must agree that Bella is a terrible flat unlikeable character, but still read gleefully. Team Jacob preferred, but Team Edward understood. Fanfic writers and shippers need not apply. Please send a list of your top 10 favorite books, and a letter about your first experience with Twilight, and the best explanation you can come up with for why you like it.
The Cameraphone Diaries 