Paper or Plastic

I can't do it. I just can't do it. How do people read books on electronic devices?! I can't do it! I know it's the same stories, but to me reading on a kindle is cold and lifeless compared to the real thing. Maybe its just because I go to the bookstore so much that the smell is ingrained in my head or the fact that I get nostalgia from reading stories with well worn corners. Or maybe it's because I get this rush of adrenaline when I realize that the story is almost over and yet that plot hasn't been resolved yet or this sense of mystery I get when I can't remember when a paper cut appeared on my fingertips. All I can say is that reading on electronic devices is handy in terms of portability, but its not for me. Enjoy your plastic books and I'll enjoy my paper.

Aging

Some say growing old is something horrendous.

Childhood is gone and wrinkles become clear.

They fear their lives will be nothing stupendous,

But there are always other sides to hear.

Age brings knowledge and wisdom to spare.

Lesson you’ll learn and life you will challenge,

Yet survive you will with stories to share.

Children will listen ‘til sky turns orange.

The pros and cons of aging are balanced,

But many are positive of their end.

Children grow older, become entranced

By the surprises coming ‘round the bend.

And listen to stories grandparent sends

My friends, time continues and life never ends

Titles

I really like to read, it is so fun,

The words leap off the page, tickle my brain.

For all the reading I do, a book weighs a ton.

If I don’t read some books today, I’ll go insane.

Fiction is what I read the most per day.

Biographies bore me with endless fact,

But I’ll read some until I’m old and gray

If you don’t believe me, I’ll make a pact.

I’ll read until my time is done and over.

Every genre will pass through my hand.

This will be my pact dear sir.

Maybe I’ll write my own about a distant land.

Endless titles will be written all right,

And if they cease to exist, I shall fight!

Movie Adaptations

Picture it. You've just found out that your favorite book is getting a movie. Imagine your thrill over having a world that's been living in your head suddenly being transferred onto the big screen. Now imagine yourself going to the movie and finding that the people making the movie have made some changes. It's pretty understandable. Books can be as thin as an excuse or big enough to be a doorstopper. Movies on the other hand tend to stop around the 2-3 hour mark.

Stuff gets cut out of the film to focus on more important things and I don't have a problem with that... My problem lies with the OTHER changes. The ones where the characters don't look or act similar to their book selves and plot devices are left out. Dear movie makers, when people say they want a movie adaptation, they mean they want it to be exactly like the book!

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule although the only one for me is Howl's Moving Castle. Maybe I'm just biased because I'm a HUGE Studio Ghibli fan. Maybe one day we'll have the technology to make a 100% believable book to movie translation... oh well.

Shift

1. "I caught myself thinking that Win would have liked this place. But I didn't miss him. Out on the road I'd realized something about us. As important as he was to me, and as strangely connected as we were, our friendship had almost gotten too tight."

Chris Collins and Winston Coggans have been best friends since their third grade teacher labeled their desks in alphabetical order. It was a no-brainer that they would do something together before going their separate ways for college. Their plan to go on a cross-country bike trek was supposed to be the adventure of their lives... until Win started acting funny. Jump ahead two months, Win has disappeared and Chris' nonchalant behavior has everyone worried. A lot can happen in a couple weeks.

I wasn't sure what to think of this book when I was assigned it a couple years back, but I'm glad for it now. I tend to gravitate toward fantasy novels and if someone doesn't shove me out of my comfort zone every now and then I wouldn't have the well-rounded library I have today. Not to mention, this book is one of the primary reasons I love in media res so much. By having the book alternate between the trek and what happens after, the reader gets right into the action and gets bogged down by uneccesary narration.

Shift also brings up a valid question. What happens when you outgrow your friend? Win is so entangled in Chris' life that when he's removed, everything goes wrong. Win's father wants him so much he's willing to ruin the life of Chris and those around him until Win is found. How do you let go of someone who causes trouble for you even when they aren't around? This book places Chris' struggle at the forefront of the conflict and his emotions throughout it are so believable that the reader will find themselves hard-pressed not to hug him at the end.

The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear

A bluebear has twenty-seven lives. I shall recount thirteen-and-a-half of them in this book but keep quiet about the rest. A bear must have his secrets, after all; they make him seem attractive and mysterious."

-Captain Bluebear       

The 13 1/2 lives of Captain Bluebear is the first in the Zamonia series written by Walter Moers and translated from German by John Brownjohn. Throughout this series the fictional world of Zamonia is fleshed out and explored through the eyes of its various main characters: Blubear, Rumo, Optimus Yarnspinner, and Echo. While each one has their own adventures, they are all connected in some way. Bluebear, as the first main character, spends the majority of the book getting tossed into new situations in order to establish Zamonia canon.  

Through brilliant illustrations, excerpts from the Encyclopdia of Marvels, and Bluebear's own insane narration, we the readers go through his adventures from being born in walnut shell hurtling towards a giant hole in the sea to traversing a giant's mind to being rescued from an ever-growing ship! He is not the average bear, but what do you expect from a guy who was named by talking waves?! 

If you enjoy works like the Phantom Tollbooth or Alice and Wonderland then this is the book for you! It was born with the same whimsical nature and its sense of wonder will leave you with a vague impression that you were traveling with Bluebear yourself.

Preferences

Everyone has certain preferences regarding what they like to read and I am no different. A book that may interest you may seem like the worst thing in the world to me. So... I am going to list my preferences. However, some of my favorite books do have qualities I usually dislike in other books so take this list with a grain of salt.

Likes
- World-building: I really don't care about plot as much as I care about creating a fantastic world. Maybe that's why I don't read a lot of realistic fiction. Fantasy can get away with a lot more.

- Character: What's better that a fantastically created world? A world that feels lived in! Especially a world filled with characters you can identify with or ones that you just love to read about. For me, if I can't decide on a favorite character, it means I love EVERY character!

-Third person narrative: I looooove dramatic irony. I love it when the reader knows everything and most of the suspense comes from knowing something the main characters don't. Third person is really awesome at giving the suspense I want from a story.

Dislikes
- First person narrative: I don't like being stuck with one person for the duration of a story. Call me crazy, but I just have to know everything about everybody. It just makes dramatic irony so much fun!

- Bad endings: An entire book can be ruined for me if the ending isn't good. Just imagine... a book with amazing characters, a suspenseful plot, fleshed out story.... and then it ends in a few short sentences that go nowhere. Cliffhangers that hint at another in a series do not count as bad endings, just final endings that add nothing to the story.

- Romance: I don't hate romantic novels, but I do hate it when plot is hi-jacked in order to get two characters together when more important things are happening. If two characters with great chemistry end up together naturally or because of the plot I'm okay.

Introduction

Welcome book lovers to my little nook of the blogosphere. This is just a place I'll use to review the books I've read and maybe post ideas for stories of my own. Books have always been an important part of my life and now I wish to share them with you! Let's get this adventure started!