Books I've been reading:
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Quotes:
"My uncle will never know it. He'd insist on doing it too. He'd want to know all about it. Nothing could stop him! Such a determined geologist! He'd go, he would, in spite of everything and everybody, and he'd take me with him, and we'd never get back. Never! Never!"
"To hell with dinner! and the one who made prepared it, and those who will eat it!"
"In April, after he had planted seedlings of mignonette and morning glory in the clay pots in his living-room, he would go every morning and tug them by their leaves to accelerate their growth."
All of these quotes come from Journey to the Center of the Earth; I've found that I like this book more than Verne's others, and I think it's because this one actually has some comic relief that goes along with the story line. The first quote is from Axel after he finds out the secret to a hidden message. There is a frantic atmosphere around him after he figures out the message for fear of what his uncle will do. The second is by Dr. Lindenbrock when he is working on the message, he tends to give off a mad scientist vibe...I love it :D The same goes for the third quote, which is again about the Professor.
Reading:
I've reached the end of the required time for this blog, but I've started like sharing my point of view about books. I've always been a big reader, since about the 1st grade...mostly because that's the age when I learned to read. Etymology class has given me a reason for reading, normally I merely read for fun. Although reading was required, I still enjoyed the freedom of reading what I wanted. I'm actually quite thankful for the class, mostly because when I could have been doing other homework, I read. And when I was asked if I had any homework left, I would simply say "but I am doing homework." I don't know if I've particularly developed better reading skills, however I have read books that I ordinarily would not read. Instead of only reading classics, I expanded my horizons to random books that had nice covers when I went into the library. Also, this was a great way in which I could share my ideas about reading and writing and other such nonsense to the rest of the world. So for now I bid thee goodbye.
Pages this week: 101
All pages read: 409
P.S. Fear not I shall be back.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Light v. Dark
Long time no blog. How's life on the interweb?
I recently finished 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and started Journey to the Center of the Earth. So far I have liked the new one a lot better compared to the latter. It's going to sound petty but, the book is less scientific and more action. I haven't gotten too far, so updates will come soon. I'm too brain dead at the moment to actually delve into the details of Jules Verne and the wonders of his writings. Instead, here's a poem that I like. Enjoy :)
But Men Loved Darkness rather than Light
Richard Crashaw
The world’s light shines, shine as it will,
The world will love its darkness still.
I doubt though when the world’s in hell,
It will not love its darkness half so well.
I recently finished 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and started Journey to the Center of the Earth. So far I have liked the new one a lot better compared to the latter. It's going to sound petty but, the book is less scientific and more action. I haven't gotten too far, so updates will come soon. I'm too brain dead at the moment to actually delve into the details of Jules Verne and the wonders of his writings. Instead, here's a poem that I like. Enjoy :)
But Men Loved Darkness rather than Light
Richard Crashaw
The world’s light shines, shine as it will,
The world will love its darkness still.
I doubt though when the world’s in hell,
It will not love its darkness half so well.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Currently
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Quoteable Quotes:
"Like snails, we were fixed to our shells, and I declare it is easy to lead a snails life."
"Place a beehive on my grave
and let the honey soak through.
When I'm dead and gone,
that's what I want from you.
The streets of heaven are gold and sunny,
but I'll stick with my plot and a pot of honey.
Place a beehive on my grave
and let the honey soak through."
"She marched over to the sweeping woman to get a look at her and discovered it was none other than Mary. Mary smiled at Beatrix, then led her back to her room and gave her back her nun outfit. You see, Lily, all that time Mary had been standing in for her."
The first quote is from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Professor Aronnax is talking about life on the Nautilus and every time I think of living life like a snail I immediately think of Doctor Doolittle (not the one with Eddie Murphy). At the end of a movie his friends live inside of a giant snail shell, while Dr. Doolittle travels to the moon on a giant moth...ahh such a good movie. The last two are from The Secret Life of Bees, the first is a song that the honey harvesters sing and the second is part of a story that the main character, Lily, is told by the woman whom she is living with. Although the first is kind of morbid I like the peacefullness of it. And the second is simply a good story. I would highly suggest reading the book.
Pages this week: 162
All pages read: 308
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Quoteable Quotes:
"Like snails, we were fixed to our shells, and I declare it is easy to lead a snails life."
"Place a beehive on my grave
and let the honey soak through.
When I'm dead and gone,
that's what I want from you.
The streets of heaven are gold and sunny,
but I'll stick with my plot and a pot of honey.
Place a beehive on my grave
and let the honey soak through."
"She marched over to the sweeping woman to get a look at her and discovered it was none other than Mary. Mary smiled at Beatrix, then led her back to her room and gave her back her nun outfit. You see, Lily, all that time Mary had been standing in for her."
The first quote is from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Professor Aronnax is talking about life on the Nautilus and every time I think of living life like a snail I immediately think of Doctor Doolittle (not the one with Eddie Murphy). At the end of a movie his friends live inside of a giant snail shell, while Dr. Doolittle travels to the moon on a giant moth...ahh such a good movie. The last two are from The Secret Life of Bees, the first is a song that the honey harvesters sing and the second is part of a story that the main character, Lily, is told by the woman whom she is living with. Although the first is kind of morbid I like the peacefullness of it. And the second is simply a good story. I would highly suggest reading the book.
Pages this week: 162
All pages read: 308
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Botherations
When I started reading Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, I didn't know what to expect. Yet, after the first chapter or so I was pretty excited. Although that may be because they kept refering to the narwhal in the book as a "unicorn," but that's just me. Anyways, the only draw back that I have come into would probably be the fact that Verne has a tendency to make lists, long lists, page long lists. And as much as I want to know the coloring and physological tendency of a bonito fish, I find the information a little unneccessary. The listing and the usage of latitude and longitude are what really bother me. The longitude and latitude part bug me mostly because I don't (normally) have a map in front of me when I'm reading the book, thus they seem quite pointless. Maybe people back in the 1800's had maps with them at all times. Maybe. Oh well, overall it's a pretty good book.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Women and Skin
*Enjoy my mini rant...I was feeling rather philosophical at the time*
I've been reading The Secret Life of Bees lately and I realized that for all that I have learned about the Civil Rights movement and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, I don't think about rights that often. So many of us are growing up in an age in which many of assume that we should all have certain rights and, thankfully, many of us have those rights. Not many little girls today think about that fact that about 100 years ago they would have been expected to learn how to sew and take care of children. If I was born in that lifetime I would have gone insane. Men assumed that women were inferior and deserved to stay at home. Even women had problems taking leadership roles, during the Seneca Falls Convention, a man was asked to head the project because women didn't think it was proper to have a woman in that position. Crazy. Along with women, African Americans didn't have the same rights as others. This book I'm reading has in a way opened my mind to some more thought into the matter of rights for blacks. It's odd to think that when my grandmother was a little girl there was still segregation. There were Jim Crow laws and literacy tests, all of those horrible things that we learn about in history class, and yet, all of if happened 50-60 years ago. Not that many people who are growing up in this age of technology and "information" realize that life was extremely different not that long ago. It's kind of hard to wrap your mind around. People, ordinary people, hated others simply for the color of their skin. I think that shows how cruel humans can be.
I've been reading The Secret Life of Bees lately and I realized that for all that I have learned about the Civil Rights movement and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, I don't think about rights that often. So many of us are growing up in an age in which many of assume that we should all have certain rights and, thankfully, many of us have those rights. Not many little girls today think about that fact that about 100 years ago they would have been expected to learn how to sew and take care of children. If I was born in that lifetime I would have gone insane. Men assumed that women were inferior and deserved to stay at home. Even women had problems taking leadership roles, during the Seneca Falls Convention, a man was asked to head the project because women didn't think it was proper to have a woman in that position. Crazy. Along with women, African Americans didn't have the same rights as others. This book I'm reading has in a way opened my mind to some more thought into the matter of rights for blacks. It's odd to think that when my grandmother was a little girl there was still segregation. There were Jim Crow laws and literacy tests, all of those horrible things that we learn about in history class, and yet, all of if happened 50-60 years ago. Not that many people who are growing up in this age of technology and "information" realize that life was extremely different not that long ago. It's kind of hard to wrap your mind around. People, ordinary people, hated others simply for the color of their skin. I think that shows how cruel humans can be.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Bees and Seas
I finished Little Bee, it's been a long time since I've taken the time to finish a book in a week. It feels nice. I have decided to stick with bees and I have started The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I saw the movie a long time ago, but I loved it; hopefully the book will be just as good.
*Side note*
I recently got The Mysterious Island and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, so I will be talking about those two soon.
*Side note*
I recently got The Mysterious Island and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, so I will be talking about those two soon.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Close-reading BINGO!
Common Weaknesses:
Rule #6 Avoid the verbs "use" and "shows."
"Salinger uses boring, depressing words"
Rule #8 Punctuation goes inside the quotation marks:
"J.D. uses common words to describe his past, such as "crap" and "lousy"."
Rule #2 Don't use long quotations as the subject of a sentence:
""Turned toward the escalators, carrying a black Penguin paperback and a small white CVS bag, its receipt stapled over the top," describes the harsh clattering of the setting."
Rule #1 Avoid "he says" quote introductions:
"...he tells us that "On sunny days like this one, a temporary, steeper escalator of daylight, formed by intersections of the lobby's towering volumes of marble and glass, met the real escalators just above their middle point, spreading into a needly area of shine where it fell against their brushed-steel side-pannels, and adding long glossy highlights to each of the black rubber handrails""
Overall Best Response:
"Furthermore, sentence fragments, such as, "One of those little English jobs that can do around two hundred miles an hour," destroy any last vestige of formality, further developing the aura of simply telling a story to a friend."
Rule #6 Avoid the verbs "use" and "shows."
"Salinger uses boring, depressing words"
Rule #8 Punctuation goes inside the quotation marks:
"J.D. uses common words to describe his past, such as "crap" and "lousy"."
Rule #2 Don't use long quotations as the subject of a sentence:
""Turned toward the escalators, carrying a black Penguin paperback and a small white CVS bag, its receipt stapled over the top," describes the harsh clattering of the setting."
Rule #1 Avoid "he says" quote introductions:
"...he tells us that "On sunny days like this one, a temporary, steeper escalator of daylight, formed by intersections of the lobby's towering volumes of marble and glass, met the real escalators just above their middle point, spreading into a needly area of shine where it fell against their brushed-steel side-pannels, and adding long glossy highlights to each of the black rubber handrails""
Overall Best Response:
"Furthermore, sentence fragments, such as, "One of those little English jobs that can do around two hundred miles an hour," destroy any last vestige of formality, further developing the aura of simply telling a story to a friend."
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Close Reading: Diction
Below is my take on the diction that is used in Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees
:
In The Secret Life of Bees Kidd exhibits a musical, soft diction that exemplifies the sad atmosphere that surrounds the main character, Lily. In statements such as “split my heart down the seam” and “felt the longing build in my chest,” Kidd’s diction expresses the emotion that swelling within Lily. The language that used is not over sophisticated, yet it is neither vulgar nor blunt. The words themselves are descriptive and informative, however there are metaphors displayed throughout the piece; especially in the references to the chest and the heart. Although the language is simple in usage, it builds upon itself and becomes figuratively advanced.
:
In The Secret Life of Bees Kidd exhibits a musical, soft diction that exemplifies the sad atmosphere that surrounds the main character, Lily. In statements such as “split my heart down the seam” and “felt the longing build in my chest,” Kidd’s diction expresses the emotion that swelling within Lily. The language that used is not over sophisticated, yet it is neither vulgar nor blunt. The words themselves are descriptive and informative, however there are metaphors displayed throughout the piece; especially in the references to the chest and the heart. Although the language is simple in usage, it builds upon itself and becomes figuratively advanced.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Currently
Books I'm Reading:
Devil In The Details by Jennifer Traig
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Sentences I like:
Zengerine:
In contrast, Cormac McCarthy's figurative-language-heavy introduction to Blood Meridian balances both an earthy grittiness and an elevated vocabulary as McCarthy describes the surroundings.
Twilight:
In a passage from Cherry Adair's "Out of Sight," she uses blunt vulgarity, noisy and straight-forwardness to get her point across.
Look Up...(Now!):
Cabot uses blunt, familiar words to make her protagonist easy to relate to in these first few sentences, using denotative language and a bit of humor.
The Lurking Times:
Stardust is also more of a connotation having a poetic theme to it as well as being very lyrical about it.
Keep It Classy:
The language is humble, but it is suggestive of the culture and personality of the characters.
Overall I particularly like Zengerine's sentence, mostly because of the adjectives that she used. The way she described the work is matter-a-fact and extremely descriptive.
Pages this week: 240
All pages read:
Devil In The Details by Jennifer Traig
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Sentences I like:
Zengerine:
In contrast, Cormac McCarthy's figurative-language-heavy introduction to Blood Meridian balances both an earthy grittiness and an elevated vocabulary as McCarthy describes the surroundings.
Twilight:
In a passage from Cherry Adair's "Out of Sight," she uses blunt vulgarity, noisy and straight-forwardness to get her point across.
Look Up...(Now!):
Cabot uses blunt, familiar words to make her protagonist easy to relate to in these first few sentences, using denotative language and a bit of humor.
The Lurking Times:
Stardust is also more of a connotation having a poetic theme to it as well as being very lyrical about it.
Keep It Classy:
The language is humble, but it is suggestive of the culture and personality of the characters.
Overall I particularly like Zengerine's sentence, mostly because of the adjectives that she used. The way she described the work is matter-a-fact and extremely descriptive.
Pages this week: 240
All pages read:
Friday, October 21, 2011
Style Mapping: McCarthy, Gaiman, and Cleave
Neil Gaiman, Chris Cleave and Cormac McCarthy all express their works with different diction. No one work is exactly the same as the next, each ranging from high to low and from musical too harsh. Gaiman’s Stardust expresses a familiar yet rather plain diction that is combined with informative and clear language. This diction can be seen in phrases such as, “The house of Wall are square and old, built of grey stone, with dark slate roofs and high chimney.” There is no particular sound quality to the work; it is neither harsh nor musical. On the other hand, McCarthy’s Blood Meridian holds a musical quality to the words, as well as descriptive and distinct linguistics. The usage of words such as “dark,” “bitter” and “steel” all direct the passage to these assets. Much like McCarthy’s work, Little Bee by Cleave displays contrasting yet powerful language and metaphorical cleverness in the use of words. Cleave articulates this form of language in phrases such as, “Most days I wish I was a British pound coin instead of an African girl.” All of these use diverse language, but are similar in the sense that they express the emotions and atmosphere surrounding the characters.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Cute couples and Bees
I found these adorable little mushrooms in the woods the other day and I absolutely fell in love with them. For some reason these too remind me of a cute little couple :)
-ANON-
I've started a new book...whoa is me; I am never going to finish any of these books. The book is Little Bee by Chris Cleave, it's amazing. Basically a woman named Sarah, a widower struggling to cope, and an illegal Nigerian alien ,who goes by the name Little Bee, are living in Britian trying to live life. There's so much raw emotion in the book; oh, and the book is from both women's points of veiw. Although the book tends to be a bit confusing because of the jumps into the past and the changing of points of veiw. But, overall it's great, I guess it must be considering I'v read about 160 pages in around 2 days.
Quarterly
Independent reading has consumed my life as far back as I can remember. Some of my fondest memories of my dad reading Harry Potter to me and my sister. Because reading has been so ingrained into my life, reading for a class simply gives me an excuse to read rather than actually doing anything else. Lately, I think the most challenging book that I have read would probably The Vampire Lestat and that's only because of the sheer size of the book, not because it's a particularly hard book to read. As for what time of day I read, I read just about anytime I can. Recently I have been reading quite a bit at night. Also, I've taken up reading on the bus again...not one of my best ideas considering I get carsick, or bus-sick depending on how you look at it. Other than that my reading has been pretty similar to all of the reading that took my life before. Next quarter I hope to read more books than I have so far, maybe some more classics?
Pages this week: 154
All pages read: 1352
Pages this week: 154
All pages read: 1352
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Words...
Have you ever run into times where you don't know what to say? You just sit there and wonder what the perfect words are for the situation and nothing comes to you. And then when the words do come, the moment has already passed and you're left sitting there staring off into space with the words sitting on your tongue. Or maybe nothing comes for so long and you look back and continue to play that conversation in your head over and over again still searching for those perfect words. I don't particularly know where this rant came from by I found this amazing poem that I think expresses that wonderfulness yet bitterness of words.
“Words”
by Anne Sexton
Be careful of words,
even the miraculous ones.
For the miraculous we do our best,
sometimes they swarm like insects
and leave not a sting but a kiss.
They can be as good as fingers.
They can be as trusty as the rock
you stick your bottom on.
But they can be both daisies and bruises.
Yet I am in love with words.
They are doves falling out of the ceiling.
They are six holy oranges sitting in my lap.
They are the trees, the legs of summer,
and the sun, its passionate face.
Yet often they fail me.
I have so much I want to say,
so many stories, images, proverbs, etc.
But the words aren’t good enough,
the wrong ones kiss me.
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
but with the wings of a wren.
But I try to take care
and be gentle to them.
Words and eggs must be handled with care.
Once broken they are impossible
things to repair.
“Words”
by Anne Sexton
Be careful of words,
even the miraculous ones.
For the miraculous we do our best,
sometimes they swarm like insects
and leave not a sting but a kiss.
They can be as good as fingers.
They can be as trusty as the rock
you stick your bottom on.
But they can be both daisies and bruises.
Yet I am in love with words.
They are doves falling out of the ceiling.
They are six holy oranges sitting in my lap.
They are the trees, the legs of summer,
and the sun, its passionate face.
Yet often they fail me.
I have so much I want to say,
so many stories, images, proverbs, etc.
But the words aren’t good enough,
the wrong ones kiss me.
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
but with the wings of a wren.
But I try to take care
and be gentle to them.
Words and eggs must be handled with care.
Once broken they are impossible
things to repair.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
OCD
Even though I have yet to finish my other books...I'm starting a new one. It's called Devil in the Details by Jennifer Traig; the book is about the author looking back on her teen years and how she grew up with OCD. Although I've only recently started (and by recently I mean this morning) I think the whole story is amazing. It is actually funny, which I didn't expect. I figured it would be sad or something of the like, but it's not. I think I'm going to like this book.
*Hours Later*
This book is absolutely amazing :D Oh, and yet another week has gone by and I have still failed to read more of Wuthering Heights, RAWR! I will read said book...eventually.
*Hours Later*
This book is absolutely amazing :D Oh, and yet another week has gone by and I have still failed to read more of Wuthering Heights, RAWR! I will read said book...eventually.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
CURRENTLY
The Vampire Lesat by Anne Rice
The Boneshaker by Kate Milford
Previous Likable Quotes:
"Don't be a fool for the devil, darling!" The Vampire Lestat Truly I'm not to sure why I particularly like this sentence. Most likely it's because of the image I get in my head of Lestat. I see him surrounded by dozens of filthy, lowly vampires and him in his silk clothing and jewels; I see him yelling at the vampires that choose to worship the devil rather than live an vampire life.
"Good night, Westley. Good work.I'll most likely kill you in the morning." The Princess Bride The book itself doesn't focus on this part of the story too much. But this one sentence kind of sums up what exactly Westley lived through while he was captured by pirates. Of course he knew that the captain wouldn't kill him, but it must have been a little daunting going to sleep knowing that it was quite possible that you would die at the hands of a pirate. I think that if Goldman wanted he could develop a whole story simply around Westley and his time as a pirate.
"...maybe the strings break, or maybe our ships sink, or maybe we're grass- our roots so interdependent that no one is dead as long as someone is still alive." Paper Towns The imagery from this metaphor is extremely striking. John Green yanks at the fundamentals of life and pulls out a quote like this. I'm impressed.
Pages this week: 144
All pages read: 1198
The Boneshaker by Kate Milford
Previous Likable Quotes:
"Don't be a fool for the devil, darling!" The Vampire Lestat Truly I'm not to sure why I particularly like this sentence. Most likely it's because of the image I get in my head of Lestat. I see him surrounded by dozens of filthy, lowly vampires and him in his silk clothing and jewels; I see him yelling at the vampires that choose to worship the devil rather than live an vampire life.
"Good night, Westley. Good work.I'll most likely kill you in the morning." The Princess Bride The book itself doesn't focus on this part of the story too much. But this one sentence kind of sums up what exactly Westley lived through while he was captured by pirates. Of course he knew that the captain wouldn't kill him, but it must have been a little daunting going to sleep knowing that it was quite possible that you would die at the hands of a pirate. I think that if Goldman wanted he could develop a whole story simply around Westley and his time as a pirate.
"...maybe the strings break, or maybe our ships sink, or maybe we're grass- our roots so interdependent that no one is dead as long as someone is still alive." Paper Towns The imagery from this metaphor is extremely striking. John Green yanks at the fundamentals of life and pulls out a quote like this. I'm impressed.
Pages this week: 144
All pages read: 1198
Death and Decisions
I need to start reading Wuthering Heights. Almost everyone in book club is done with the book and I'm pretty sure that I'm still on page 80. I don't know why, but I can't get that into the book. I am determined to finish it though since I already know the ending. EVERYONE DIES! Well, almost everyone dies. So, it must be a good book, right?
Due to the fact that I can't stick to one book, I will probably start reading something new soon. Until that point I will be reading Lestat which continues to become stranger and stranger. I'm not sure if I will read anything else in the series after this book because...I guess I don't have a reason. Depending on the ending I might just stop after Lestat. I loved Interview with a Vampire and I like The Vampire Lestat. I guess I'm afraid that if I read the next book in the series I won't like it as much, which would consequently ruin the whole series for me. Uhh...what to do? What to do?
Due to the fact that I can't stick to one book, I will probably start reading something new soon. Until that point I will be reading Lestat which continues to become stranger and stranger. I'm not sure if I will read anything else in the series after this book because...I guess I don't have a reason. Depending on the ending I might just stop after Lestat. I loved Interview with a Vampire and I like The Vampire Lestat. I guess I'm afraid that if I read the next book in the series I won't like it as much, which would consequently ruin the whole series for me. Uhh...what to do? What to do?
Sunday, October 9, 2011
British accents and IQA
I finished The Boneshaker! I'm really proud of myself...and I have no idea why. It's not like it was a difficult read, but I'm pretty darn pround of myself. But mum's the word, I'll not be telling you the ending (I can't say that sentence without using a British accent). That's about it in the reading world for me though. Which leads me to telling you about my life...
I went to my first IQA game. It was amazing. For those of you poor souls who don't know what IQA is, it stands for Intercolliagete Quidditch Association. And now for the needed cliche...it was magical. Although some of the teams were brutal, there was tackling and hitting and other interesting forms of hurt going on. I loved it :D I would highly recommend going to a game.
I went to my first IQA game. It was amazing. For those of you poor souls who don't know what IQA is, it stands for Intercolliagete Quidditch Association. And now for the needed cliche...it was magical. Although some of the teams were brutal, there was tackling and hitting and other interesting forms of hurt going on. I loved it :D I would highly recommend going to a game.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Age Changes and Bob Dylan
THE BLOGGER GODS HATE ME! Ok, so maybe that's a little dramatic- but only a little. For some reason Blogger won't let me leave comments on other blogs, which means that I spent quite a long time writing out a comment, that was grammatically correct and everything, and then Blogger wouldn't let me leave it...GRRR!
Moving on...
I've been reminicing about my middle school years and one of the most distinct memories is this song...http://youtu.be/mw6yliZ75lg This song was a large part of my 8th grade year. One of my teachers had me and my class do a project on this song. Let's just say we spent most of our time making fun of the song that anything else. Listening to it now, it's not as bad as I remembered it to be.
Onward to the next topic! I still have no idea what age Armand is, at first I thought he was a little kid and now I don't think so. He told Lestat all about his life with Marius and yeah, I don't think he's a little boy. At least I really hope he isn't, you'll understand if you read the book. Now that I've gotten farther I think that he's probably in his 20's or so and Lestat calls him childish in appearance merely because Armand is younger that Lestat. If so, the a lot of other parts of the book make more sense, at least they do in my mind. But now that he's older in my mind, his whole appearance has changed. It's kind of odd, one page picturing a character as a small kid and on the next page he's 20 years old. Bizarre.
Moving on...
I've been reminicing about my middle school years and one of the most distinct memories is this song...http://youtu.be/mw6yliZ75lg This song was a large part of my 8th grade year. One of my teachers had me and my class do a project on this song. Let's just say we spent most of our time making fun of the song that anything else. Listening to it now, it's not as bad as I remembered it to be.
Onward to the next topic! I still have no idea what age Armand is, at first I thought he was a little kid and now I don't think so. He told Lestat all about his life with Marius and yeah, I don't think he's a little boy. At least I really hope he isn't, you'll understand if you read the book. Now that I've gotten farther I think that he's probably in his 20's or so and Lestat calls him childish in appearance merely because Armand is younger that Lestat. If so, the a lot of other parts of the book make more sense, at least they do in my mind. But now that he's older in my mind, his whole appearance has changed. It's kind of odd, one page picturing a character as a small kid and on the next page he's 20 years old. Bizarre.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Nostrums and Weirdness
Dr. Jake Limberleg's Nostrum Fair and Technological Medicine Show. What's a nostrum fair or a technological medicine show, you may ask? I still haven't quite figured that out yet...BUT the magical, wonderful google has come and saved the day. A nostrum is a type of medicine that is prepared from an unqualified person and I'm pretty sure everyone out there knows what a fair is, right? The other part I kind of guessed on (mostly because google kind of failed me on this one), although I guess it is common sense if you think about it, technological means something do with technology, medicine is...medicine, and a show is a display or demonstration. Thus, a Nostrum Fair and Technological Medicine Show is essentially a Traveling Fair of made-up medicines with some technology-type medicines put on display. Ta-da!
This rambling definition does have a point, A POINT I TELL YOU! Sorry, I needed to get that out of my system (it's been a long day)...anyways, I have been reading The Boneshaker by Kate Milford for about a week, maybe more, and the whole basis is around this creepy man coming into town and then all of these weird things (for lack of a better word) start happening. The whole book itself kind of reminds me of A Series of Unfortunate Events, that odd kind of mystical yet not quite misunderstandable (is that word?). Despite the strangeness of the book, I rather like this book. Good night :)
This rambling definition does have a point, A POINT I TELL YOU! Sorry, I needed to get that out of my system (it's been a long day)...anyways, I have been reading The Boneshaker by Kate Milford for about a week, maybe more, and the whole basis is around this creepy man coming into town and then all of these weird things (for lack of a better word) start happening. The whole book itself kind of reminds me of A Series of Unfortunate Events, that odd kind of mystical yet not quite misunderstandable (is that word?). Despite the strangeness of the book, I rather like this book. Good night :)
Friday, September 30, 2011
Character Change
I need to get this whole blogging thing onto a schedule. Maybe I will start blogging every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Sound good? Good.
I've been reading The Vampire Lestat and like I've said before, I can't help but make connections between it and the first book- too many English classes does that too you. Lestat, he is the main person (along with Armand) that I have been making these connections with; mostly due to the fact that he has such a large character change throughout the series. In the first book Lestat is a pompous, arrogant, and slightly obnoxious man who wants everyone to love him. Which makes sense slightly with the second book because Lestat always wants to have another vampire with him, so he made Louis and Claudia in the first book, and Gabrielle and Nicki in the second book. Yet, the personality is what doesn't particularity match up. In Lestat Lestat is emotional and loving, of course he still has the arrogance, but just not as much as in Interview with a Vampire. Ah, what complex creatures vampires are...the well written ones of course.
I've been reading The Vampire Lestat and like I've said before, I can't help but make connections between it and the first book- too many English classes does that too you. Lestat, he is the main person (along with Armand) that I have been making these connections with; mostly due to the fact that he has such a large character change throughout the series. In the first book Lestat is a pompous, arrogant, and slightly obnoxious man who wants everyone to love him. Which makes sense slightly with the second book because Lestat always wants to have another vampire with him, so he made Louis and Claudia in the first book, and Gabrielle and Nicki in the second book. Yet, the personality is what doesn't particularity match up. In Lestat Lestat is emotional and loving, of course he still has the arrogance, but just not as much as in Interview with a Vampire. Ah, what complex creatures vampires are...the well written ones of course.
Me Books and Things
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
The Boneshaker by Kate Milford
Quotes of Quoteness:
"I GIVE YOU THE THEATER OF THE VAMPIRES! THE THEATER OF THE VAMPIRES! THE GREATEST SPECTACLE OF THE BOULEVARD!" Nicki seems to display such a power, a madness of sorts, that Lestat lacks. Yet, Nicki with his madness creates this frightening idea, a theater for vampires, where they will kill humans, but the humans will love them. It's bizarre. Anne Rice has a slightly twisted mind, in an amazing author sort of way.
"I sud more likker look for th' horse. It 'ud be to more sense. Bud I can look for norther horse nur man of a neeght loike this- as black as t' chimbley! und Heathcliff's noan chap to coom at my whistle- happen he'll be less hard o' hearing wi' ye!" Yeah, I just like this one because of the way it looks and sounds when you say it out loud.
"His face was turned to me, but not by design, his hair a tangle of curls and blood. And with his eyes closed, and his hand open beside him, he appeared the abandoned offspring of time and supernatural accident, someone as miserable as myself." This quote is by far my favorite of this week; Lestat and Armand share a connection- yet to be explained- that allows them to love each other, but hate each other at the same time.
Pages this week: 132
All pages read: 1186
The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
The Boneshaker by Kate Milford
Quotes of Quoteness:
"I GIVE YOU THE THEATER OF THE VAMPIRES! THE THEATER OF THE VAMPIRES! THE GREATEST SPECTACLE OF THE BOULEVARD!" Nicki seems to display such a power, a madness of sorts, that Lestat lacks. Yet, Nicki with his madness creates this frightening idea, a theater for vampires, where they will kill humans, but the humans will love them. It's bizarre. Anne Rice has a slightly twisted mind, in an amazing author sort of way.
"I sud more likker look for th' horse. It 'ud be to more sense. Bud I can look for norther horse nur man of a neeght loike this- as black as t' chimbley! und Heathcliff's noan chap to coom at my whistle- happen he'll be less hard o' hearing wi' ye!" Yeah, I just like this one because of the way it looks and sounds when you say it out loud.
"His face was turned to me, but not by design, his hair a tangle of curls and blood. And with his eyes closed, and his hand open beside him, he appeared the abandoned offspring of time and supernatural accident, someone as miserable as myself." This quote is by far my favorite of this week; Lestat and Armand share a connection- yet to be explained- that allows them to love each other, but hate each other at the same time.
Pages this week: 132
All pages read: 1186
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Death and Stuff
So I was thinking about death today...wow that sentence sounds overly creepy. I wasn't thinking about it in the 'oh I think dying would be oh-so-fun' kind of way, more the 'Lestat has a really twisted point of veiw on death' kind of way. The point is Lestat spends quite a bit of time pondering death, and worrying about death, and killing other people-which ultimately leads to death. The moral of the story is that vampires think about death ALOT. Which kind of makes sense because they've escaped death in a way, plus they have forever to wonder about the afterlife and what it is to die. I don't think I want to be a vampire...too weird...and morbid.
Moving on.
I have been reading The Boneshaker quite a bit lately; it's not quite what I had orginally suspected it would be like. Although to be fair I didn't have a clue what it was about when I picked it out (hehe I made a rhyme). The whole plot is based around this odd medical show coming into town in the 1918-ish time period. The lead character is this girl and she has an affinity towards mechanical stuff- something I lack. Other than that I don't have to much information into what the novel is truley about, hopefully the plot will really start picking up soon.
Moving on.
I have been reading The Boneshaker quite a bit lately; it's not quite what I had orginally suspected it would be like. Although to be fair I didn't have a clue what it was about when I picked it out (hehe I made a rhyme). The whole plot is based around this odd medical show coming into town in the 1918-ish time period. The lead character is this girl and she has an affinity towards mechanical stuff- something I lack. Other than that I don't have to much information into what the novel is truley about, hopefully the plot will really start picking up soon.
Friday, September 23, 2011
A Look at the Past
The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
The Bone Shaker
by Kate Milford
Sentences from the past month:
"Don't be a fool for the devil, darling!" I don't know why I like this one, I just do.
"Mawwage. Mawwage is what bwings us together today." I like this one simply for the lols
"I am your Prince and you will marry me," Humperdinck said.
Buttercup whispered, "I am your servant and I refuse."
"I am you Prince and you cannot refuse."
"I am your loyal servant and I just did."
"Refusal means death."
"Kill me then." Of all three of these, this is my absolute favorite.Every time I read it I get chills.
Pages this week: 100 (I need to read more next week)
All pages read: 1054
The Bone Shaker
by Kate Milford
Sentences from the past month:
"Don't be a fool for the devil, darling!" I don't know why I like this one, I just do.
"Mawwage. Mawwage is what bwings us together today." I like this one simply for the lols
"I am your Prince and you will marry me," Humperdinck said.
Buttercup whispered, "I am your servant and I refuse."
"I am you Prince and you cannot refuse."
"I am your loyal servant and I just did."
"Refusal means death."
"Kill me then." Of all three of these, this is my absolute favorite.Every time I read it I get chills.
Pages this week: 100 (I need to read more next week)
All pages read: 1054
Thursday, September 22, 2011
COVERS!
It's almost FRIDAY!
I have this thing about not wanting to judge books by their covers, but I always do. I know it's terrible; you grow up being told not to judge a book by it's cover, but by it's content. Well, I think that rule is absolutely bleh. My dislike of that rule is...ineffable. I mean everyone judges books by how they look. It is a human trait to judge, most especially how something looks. Ok, so the point of my rant. I picked said book because of it's cover. The book is The Boneshaker by Kate Milford, the cover was very steampunk-esque. I friend said it was great so I will share with you soon what my opinion. Not much other than that. Bye-bye for now.
I have this thing about not wanting to judge books by their covers, but I always do. I know it's terrible; you grow up being told not to judge a book by it's cover, but by it's content. Well, I think that rule is absolutely bleh. My dislike of that rule is...ineffable. I mean everyone judges books by how they look. It is a human trait to judge, most especially how something looks. Ok, so the point of my rant. I picked said book because of it's cover. The book is The Boneshaker by Kate Milford, the cover was very steampunk-esque. I friend said it was great so I will share with you soon what my opinion. Not much other than that. Bye-bye for now.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Rather Pointless Ramblings
I have been uber busy this week, so my reading has been pushed back a little. Plus, I'm in the middle of reading a book for class, "Heart of Darkness", not something I would recommend :P I have just started back up with Lestat, which is wonderful. *spoiler alert* Lestat just changed Nicki into a vampire, which is quite interesting; I didn't think he would actually change Nicki. I figured that Lestat wouldn't give into his want. Oh well, Nicolas was going to live a screwed life anyways. He had two options at that point: 1. become a vampire or 2. be a a crazy madman for the rest of his life. Personally I would have gone crazy simply from the decision (although that's just me, I suck at making decisions...it's pretty bad...I have problems deciding what to have for breakfast...yeah) Anyways. I have also been making some connections to Interview with a Vampire, the first book in the series, and some of them are kinda laughable...in my mind. At one point Lestat gives over his theater to a group of vampires; which I believe will eventually become the theater in the other book. Yeah, not that funny, but it was kind of an AH! moment for me. Oh, and if anyone has read the book and would like to clarify for me...Armand is a kid vampire that is extremely old right? I was rather confused because in Interview I had figured that he was a grown man, but it's saying that he is a kid...did I just formulate some obscure idea in my mind that he was an adult?
I will pick up with my reading on Wuthering Heights soon. I think that's it for today. Goodnight :)
I will pick up with my reading on Wuthering Heights soon. I think that's it for today. Goodnight :)
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Claims of Goodness
Claims of my liking:
This refreshingly bright photograph taken in the environmental center reflects an existence of both dreamlike tranquility and effortless freedom.
In this scene from Grease, the director's melodic sound, crazy setting, open facial expression, and clean clothing expresses a sense of intimate playfulness, romantic energy, and loving animation.
In Todrick Hall's "I Wanna Be On Glee," Hall's plea to Glee creator Ryan Murphy shows Hall's inventiveness and artistic talents through the music video's cleverly pariodistic lyrics, assertive instrumentals, and effervescent choreography.
In this flash mob by Todrick Hall, the mischievous and adventurous expressions, jubilant sounds, and bustling moves, show the explosive creativity and confident energy of the dancers.
In the album art for United Paper People‘s Kisschasy, the foreboding colors, overwhelming space, and perilous actions reflect a sense of destructive loneliness and irrational wonder.
I would have to say that I the last claim and the third claim are my favorite. I like the descriptive language that they both use. They are quite specific in their usage of language in reference to their topics.
Favorite artifact:
http://budinthegarden.blogspot.com/
I love the picture this person chose for their close reading. Absolutely gorgeous.
This refreshingly bright photograph taken in the environmental center reflects an existence of both dreamlike tranquility and effortless freedom.
In this scene from Grease, the director's melodic sound, crazy setting, open facial expression, and clean clothing expresses a sense of intimate playfulness, romantic energy, and loving animation.
In Todrick Hall's "I Wanna Be On Glee," Hall's plea to Glee creator Ryan Murphy shows Hall's inventiveness and artistic talents through the music video's cleverly pariodistic lyrics, assertive instrumentals, and effervescent choreography.
In this flash mob by Todrick Hall, the mischievous and adventurous expressions, jubilant sounds, and bustling moves, show the explosive creativity and confident energy of the dancers.
In the album art for United Paper People‘s Kisschasy, the foreboding colors, overwhelming space, and perilous actions reflect a sense of destructive loneliness and irrational wonder.
I would have to say that I the last claim and the third claim are my favorite. I like the descriptive language that they both use. They are quite specific in their usage of language in reference to their topics.
Favorite artifact:
http://budinthegarden.blogspot.com/
I love the picture this person chose for their close reading. Absolutely gorgeous.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Shawn Johnson
Observe:
Dance
-Arm and leg movement
o Graceful
o Swift
o Energetic
o Fluid
- Facial expression
o Concentrated
o Intense
o Happy
o Cheerful
- Posture
o Steady
o Flexible
o Strong
Tumbling
- Powerful
- Strong/vigorous
- solid
Music
- Loud
- Forceful
- Acoustic
- Dramatic
Clothing
- Meaningful
- Representative
- Colorful
- Sparkly
- Bright/shiny
Infer:
Energetic
Confident
Calm
Passionate
Vibrant
Wonder
Cheerfulness
Exuberant
Enthusiastic
Claim
[During her routine, Shawn Johnson displays powerful tumbling, gracefully swift dance, intense expression, and representative attire; which sets forth a confidently energetic, yet cheerful routine.]
Here's the link to the routine I'm talking about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9OYS4Th0zk
Dance
-Arm and leg movement
o Graceful
o Swift
o Energetic
o Fluid
- Facial expression
o Concentrated
o Intense
o Happy
o Cheerful
- Posture
o Steady
o Flexible
o Strong
Tumbling
- Powerful
- Strong/vigorous
- solid
Music
- Loud
- Forceful
- Acoustic
- Dramatic
Clothing
- Meaningful
- Representative
- Colorful
- Sparkly
- Bright/shiny
Infer:
Energetic
Confident
Calm
Passionate
Vibrant
Wonder
Cheerfulness
Exuberant
Enthusiastic
Claim
[During her routine, Shawn Johnson displays powerful tumbling, gracefully swift dance, intense expression, and representative attire; which sets forth a confidently energetic, yet cheerful routine.]
Here's the link to the routine I'm talking about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9OYS4Th0zk
Sunday, September 18, 2011
What's Broken
What’s Broken
By Dorianne Laux
The slate black sky. The middle step
of the back porch. And long ago
my mother’s necklace, the beads
rolling north and south. Broken
the rose stem, water into drops, glass
knobs on the bedroom door. Last summer’s
pot of parsley and mint, white roots
shooting like streamers through the cracks.
Years ago the cat’s tail, the bird bath,
the car hood’s rusted latch. Broken
little finger on my right hand at birth—
I was pulled out too fast. What hasn’t
been rent, divided, split? Broken
the days into nights, the night sky
into stars, the stars into patterns
I make up as I trace them
with a broken-off blade
of grass. Possible, unthinkable,
the cricket’s tiny back as I lie
on the lawn in the dark, my heart
a blue cup fallen from someone’s hands.
By Dorianne Laux
The slate black sky. The middle step
of the back porch. And long ago
my mother’s necklace, the beads
rolling north and south. Broken
the rose stem, water into drops, glass
knobs on the bedroom door. Last summer’s
pot of parsley and mint, white roots
shooting like streamers through the cracks.
Years ago the cat’s tail, the bird bath,
the car hood’s rusted latch. Broken
little finger on my right hand at birth—
I was pulled out too fast. What hasn’t
been rent, divided, split? Broken
the days into nights, the night sky
into stars, the stars into patterns
I make up as I trace them
with a broken-off blade
of grass. Possible, unthinkable,
the cricket’s tiny back as I lie
on the lawn in the dark, my heart
a blue cup fallen from someone’s hands.
Friday, September 16, 2011
*Insert Creative Title*
The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Likable sentences:
"Don't be a fool for the devil, darling!" By far my favorite, at this part Lestat is talking to a vampire who lives in rags underneath a cemetery. A vampire chastising another vampire for following the devil's ideals...irony anyone?
"Every object she saw, the moment she crossed the threshold, appeared to delight her" SHINY!!!! Sorry I couldn't help myself. In my mind I picture a young woman walking through a house, looking in awe at everything. Quite a funny picture if you think about when the book was written.
"Yet it seemed an arrogant thing, an obscene thing to move the lid of the coffin again and gaze at her in sleep as I had done last night." At least Lestat had the decency to not watch her anymore; unlike another known vampire *coughedwardcough*.
Pages this week: 136
A pages read: 954
P.S. I read 172 pages last week
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Likable sentences:
"Don't be a fool for the devil, darling!" By far my favorite, at this part Lestat is talking to a vampire who lives in rags underneath a cemetery. A vampire chastising another vampire for following the devil's ideals...irony anyone?
"Every object she saw, the moment she crossed the threshold, appeared to delight her" SHINY!!!! Sorry I couldn't help myself. In my mind I picture a young woman walking through a house, looking in awe at everything. Quite a funny picture if you think about when the book was written.
"Yet it seemed an arrogant thing, an obscene thing to move the lid of the coffin again and gaze at her in sleep as I had done last night." At least Lestat had the decency to not watch her anymore; unlike another known vampire *coughedwardcough*.
Pages this week: 136
A pages read: 954
P.S. I read 172 pages last week
Thursday, September 15, 2011
MY EYES!
Ok, so I meant to read last night...(here it comes)....but I ran into some problems. I went to the eye doctor, so that they could fixith my eyes. Unfortunately, while I was there they dilated my eyes...not fun. I had never had that done before; I didn't know what to expected. Ordinarily when I went to the eye doctor they would use this giant machine thingy that you had to stare into and eventually (after 10 tries) they would have a picture of the inside of your eyeball. This new eye place that I'm going to does not have said magical machine. So, instead of reading, I spent my evening run into objects that were too blurry to make out. Although, I did try to convince my mom to read Wuthing Heights to me; let's that is a book that should not be read out loud, it becomes even more confusing. Listening to her was quite interesting because it sounded like she had fallen out of a different century; you gotta love old english. The whole point of this story was to inform that I have yet to read anything more than when I had last updated.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Ponderings on Heathcliff
Ok, so Lestat has been put on the back burner lately because I have just started reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Thus, I am going to delve into the world of Heathcliff and Catherine. The set-up of the book wasn't exactly what I had expected it to be; especially the narration. Rather than being from the point of veiw of either Heathcliff or Catherine, the book is from the point of veiw of one Mr. Lockwood (after seeing this name I immediately thought of Lowood, from Jane Eyre). There are also parts of the book where the housekeeper from Thrushcross Grange tells of her life at Wuthering Heights. I have yet to decide who is my favorite character in the book; although I do kind of like Heathcliff. Maybe it's the anger that he displays at life, or it's the fact that he is pushed aside while Catherine is placed in the spotlight. I kind of feel bad for him...just let him know.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Oedipus and 103
Ok so I think that Lestat has some Oedipus complex or something...at first I thought that Lestat was in love with Nicolas, but now I'm just confused.*SPOILER ALERT* Maybe I read the part wrong, but Lestat started kissing his mom before he turned her into a vampire. Am I the only one who finds that odd? Eh, whatever. I do think that it shows Lestat's deep love for his mother when he turns her. He didn't know what would happen to him if he turned her, but he took a leap of faith and he saved her from a death that she feared. That takes true commitment.
*Random Change of Subject*
Ok so yesterday I mentioned that I have a Life List of Classics. Pretty much it's a list of books that I want to read before I die. Like a bucket list, but in book form. I know that I will keep adding books to the list but at the moment I am up to 103 books. Yeah I really like mah classics. The most popular authors on there include: Verne, Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen and Bronte (all 3). Some of the lesser known authors are....drum roll please...: Ali, Boulle, Burnett, Swift, Plye and Dahl. Looky them up and then you shall be learned. Until tomorrow.
*Random Change of Subject*
Ok so yesterday I mentioned that I have a Life List of Classics. Pretty much it's a list of books that I want to read before I die. Like a bucket list, but in book form. I know that I will keep adding books to the list but at the moment I am up to 103 books. Yeah I really like mah classics. The most popular authors on there include: Verne, Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen and Bronte (all 3). Some of the lesser known authors are....drum roll please...: Ali, Boulle, Burnett, Swift, Plye and Dahl. Looky them up and then you shall be learned. Until tomorrow.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Personality Test
So I took this personality test and I think that it got it ok-ish. Here are my results:
distinctively expressed introvert
distinctively expressed intuitive personality
moderately expressed thinking personality
moderately expressed judging personality
I don't think I'm totally introverted, I just kind of like my own personal time. Although I do like to spend time with other people, I am actually a really outward person when I'm with other people. The rest is pretty correct...although I don't know what it meant by judging personality. Does it mean that I judge people? Or does it mean that I have good judgement? Oh well. Just thought I would share. That's all.
distinctively expressed introvert
distinctively expressed intuitive personality
moderately expressed thinking personality
moderately expressed judging personality
I don't think I'm totally introverted, I just kind of like my own personal time. Although I do like to spend time with other people, I am actually a really outward person when I'm with other people. The rest is pretty correct...although I don't know what it meant by judging personality. Does it mean that I judge people? Or does it mean that I have good judgement? Oh well. Just thought I would share. That's all.
LESTAT PWNS EDWARD
VAMPIRES DON'T SPARKLE!!! Sorry Ms. Meyers but no...just no...
Anyways, I have only read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice this week which means that I am on a total vampire rampage. And no I don't mean the supernatural romance blehy crap that authors have been mass producing lately. I have nothing against supernatural, heck I actually liker most fantasy/supernatural/mythical stories...but I do like some variety in my reading. Which leads me back to Lestat. As much as I disliked him in Interview With a Vampire I absolutely love him now. Unlike Louis there's so much more emotion and feeling. Lesat goes out an experiences the world, while all Louis did was spend time with Claudia and Lestat and Armand. Oh, and while I'm talking about vampires...maybe I might start reading Dracula by Bram Stoker. I think I'm on a vampire theme.
By the way, I have also finished reading The Princess Bride. Other than my latest vampire rampage, I think I might start working on my Life List of Classics. Yeah, more about that later.
Anyways, I have only read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice this week which means that I am on a total vampire rampage. And no I don't mean the supernatural romance blehy crap that authors have been mass producing lately. I have nothing against supernatural, heck I actually liker most fantasy/supernatural/mythical stories...but I do like some variety in my reading. Which leads me back to Lestat. As much as I disliked him in Interview With a Vampire I absolutely love him now. Unlike Louis there's so much more emotion and feeling. Lesat goes out an experiences the world, while all Louis did was spend time with Claudia and Lestat and Armand. Oh, and while I'm talking about vampires...maybe I might start reading Dracula by Bram Stoker. I think I'm on a vampire theme.
By the way, I have also finished reading The Princess Bride. Other than my latest vampire rampage, I think I might start working on my Life List of Classics. Yeah, more about that later.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Friday Books of Bookiness
Paper Towns by John Green
The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Sentences of Interest:
"...maybe the strings break, or maybe our ships sink, or maybe we're grass-our roots so interdependent that no one is dead as long as someone is still alive." Paper Towns I went on a rant yesterday about how I didn't like the book but...I genuinely liked the ending. I expected some dumb, clique ending that would suck. It didn't though so it kind of made up for the parts that I didn't like. This sentence itself I found interesting due to the fact that it's true...everyone is connected, we all live inside each other's memories.
"I want to sing and to dance." The Vampire Lestat I found this sentence quite funny. Mostly because in the last book Lestat was stuck-up and rather annoying. Yet, now he wants to be a rockstar. A rockstar. He used to be a rich, pompousm, killing aristocrat and now he is wearing leather and dancing on a stage. And for some reason I find that extremely funny.
"Mawwage. Mawwage is what bwings us together today." The Princess Bride This one is pretty self-explanatory as to why I like it. Its pretty darn funny and if you can't admit that you obviously don't have a sense of humor. Also, they used the exact same quote from the book in the movie. Which makes it infinitly better.
Pages this week: 203
All pages read: 646
The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Sentences of Interest:
"...maybe the strings break, or maybe our ships sink, or maybe we're grass-our roots so interdependent that no one is dead as long as someone is still alive." Paper Towns I went on a rant yesterday about how I didn't like the book but...I genuinely liked the ending. I expected some dumb, clique ending that would suck. It didn't though so it kind of made up for the parts that I didn't like. This sentence itself I found interesting due to the fact that it's true...everyone is connected, we all live inside each other's memories.
"I want to sing and to dance." The Vampire Lestat I found this sentence quite funny. Mostly because in the last book Lestat was stuck-up and rather annoying. Yet, now he wants to be a rockstar. A rockstar. He used to be a rich, pompousm, killing aristocrat and now he is wearing leather and dancing on a stage. And for some reason I find that extremely funny.
"Mawwage. Mawwage is what bwings us together today." The Princess Bride This one is pretty self-explanatory as to why I like it. Its pretty darn funny and if you can't admit that you obviously don't have a sense of humor. Also, they used the exact same quote from the book in the movie. Which makes it infinitly better.
Pages this week: 203
All pages read: 646
Forgetfulness
Dear People,
I forgot to mention last night that I am also reading Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Mostly I want to finish it before the new movie comes out so I have some time.
Sincerely, Reading too many books to keep track of
I forgot to mention last night that I am also reading Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Mostly I want to finish it before the new movie comes out so I have some time.
Sincerely, Reading too many books to keep track of
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Rambling...
“My Name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die”. If this is the first time that you have ever heard this phrase then you have not fully lived. Go this site and feel the wonderful joy that is watching Inigo say this line: http://youtu.be/6JGp7Meg42U . To fill in those people who haven’t heard of this; it’s a line from a book called The Princess Bride by William Goldman. The book was adapted into an amazing movie that is and will forever be one of my favorites.
*Totally different train of thought*
Alongside reading the Princess Bride I am also reading The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice. I read the first book in this series in about two days; it was good book to say the least. Unlike recent vampire books, The Vampire Chronicles excludes sparkly vampires *coughstupidcough* and petty romances which makes it quite a relief from the more recent stories (not that I’m biased or anything). I started the book yesterday so I haven’t gotten too far, you since my life doesn’t totally revolve around reading, although it would be nice if did. Ah, the good old days, when school was easy and I could read whenever I wanted. Wait…now I’m getting sidetracked. Back to my original point- Lestat. In the last book I wasn’t much of a Lestat fan, but from what I’ve read I really like him so far. He’s not as much of a pushover as Louis was. Plus I like the way that Rice set up the book; it goes from Lestat in the present day into a book that Lestat is writing. It’s a book within a book. Oh Merlin! It’s INCEPTION! It’s a nice twist, I quite like it.
*New thought (I have a slight lack of attention span)*
I’m finishing up reading John Green’s Paper Towns and I am literally pages away from ending the book and…I’m not sure if I liked the book. Have you ever read a book and gotten to the end and you’re just so ready for the book to end that you don’t even want to read the ending. Well that’s where I’m at right now. I feel like the story has been drug out for so long that it kind of got over emphasized…GRRR…I don’t know how to phrase it properly. This is irritating. I want to end the book, but because I am tired of the book I don’t want to read it. Does that make sense? Now I’m not saying that I don’t like John Green as a writer, I think it’s this certain plot, it’s so un-relatable. Plus there was this point where I was thinking wow, here comes a great plot development and then it crash landed into a big heap of “well that was pointless”. Yeah…anyways I would still recommend the book, maybe it’s just me and I’m over analyzing the whole thing. Oh well, life goes on. John Green is coming out with a new book called The Fault in Our Stars and I am looking forward to seeing what it is actually about. I believe he mentioned that it is from the point of view of a girl, which is new for him. Also, I have yet to know anything about the book- other than the title, obviously- so I am kinda hoping that he branches out a little and trying going for something other than a teen romance. Not that his love stories aren’t interesting or anything. It’s just that a lot of authors now are writing about two things: Vampires or Romance. Which makes sense, those two things sell, but I want to read something with a little more umph. I can’t be too critical of these authors; I have yet to even finish anything that I have written lately. On that note, I bid thee goodnight…or good morning depending on where you live…
*Totally different train of thought*
Alongside reading the Princess Bride I am also reading The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice. I read the first book in this series in about two days; it was good book to say the least. Unlike recent vampire books, The Vampire Chronicles excludes sparkly vampires *coughstupidcough* and petty romances which makes it quite a relief from the more recent stories (not that I’m biased or anything). I started the book yesterday so I haven’t gotten too far, you since my life doesn’t totally revolve around reading, although it would be nice if did. Ah, the good old days, when school was easy and I could read whenever I wanted. Wait…now I’m getting sidetracked. Back to my original point- Lestat. In the last book I wasn’t much of a Lestat fan, but from what I’ve read I really like him so far. He’s not as much of a pushover as Louis was. Plus I like the way that Rice set up the book; it goes from Lestat in the present day into a book that Lestat is writing. It’s a book within a book. Oh Merlin! It’s INCEPTION! It’s a nice twist, I quite like it.
*New thought (I have a slight lack of attention span)*
I’m finishing up reading John Green’s Paper Towns and I am literally pages away from ending the book and…I’m not sure if I liked the book. Have you ever read a book and gotten to the end and you’re just so ready for the book to end that you don’t even want to read the ending. Well that’s where I’m at right now. I feel like the story has been drug out for so long that it kind of got over emphasized…GRRR…I don’t know how to phrase it properly. This is irritating. I want to end the book, but because I am tired of the book I don’t want to read it. Does that make sense? Now I’m not saying that I don’t like John Green as a writer, I think it’s this certain plot, it’s so un-relatable. Plus there was this point where I was thinking wow, here comes a great plot development and then it crash landed into a big heap of “well that was pointless”. Yeah…anyways I would still recommend the book, maybe it’s just me and I’m over analyzing the whole thing. Oh well, life goes on. John Green is coming out with a new book called The Fault in Our Stars and I am looking forward to seeing what it is actually about. I believe he mentioned that it is from the point of view of a girl, which is new for him. Also, I have yet to know anything about the book- other than the title, obviously- so I am kinda hoping that he branches out a little and trying going for something other than a teen romance. Not that his love stories aren’t interesting or anything. It’s just that a lot of authors now are writing about two things: Vampires or Romance. Which makes sense, those two things sell, but I want to read something with a little more umph. I can’t be too critical of these authors; I have yet to even finish anything that I have written lately. On that note, I bid thee goodnight…or good morning depending on where you live…
Friday, August 26, 2011
Currently
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Paper Towns by John Green
Sentences of Interest:
"IT IS NOT MY FAULT THAT MY PARENTS OWN THE WORLD'S LARGEST COLLECTION OF BLACK SANTAS." Paper Towns There was something so strange about this sentence that I had to reread it 4 or so times before I actually understood what the character was saying...and then I laughed. ALOT. I don't know if it's the idea of owning the world's largest collection of black santas or the context in which the statement was made, but I still find that sentence funny.
"Good night, Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning." The Princess Bride As morbid as this sentence seems it's actually quite funny if you understand the context that it's coming from. The idea that the Dread Pirate Roberts would being willing to not kill someone because of true love is kind of laughable. The pirate who is known to have no mercy is stopped by the thought of true love.
"I am your Prince and you will marry me," Humperdinck said.
Buttercup whispered, "I am your servant and I refuse."
"I am you Prince and you cannot refuse."
"I am your loyal servant and I just did."
"Refusal means death."
"Kill me then." The Princess Bride I am not a fan of love stories. Most of the time I try to avoid them, but this book is the one exception. William Goldman created this book that makes love so wonderful, yet there's action and death and pirates. This section itself kind of represtents Buttercup's love for Westley; she is often displayed as this beautiful, dumb woman, but she has this undying love that seems to make up for the fact that she would have trouble spelling 'box'.
Pages this week: 228
All pages read: 443
Paper Towns by John Green
Sentences of Interest:
"IT IS NOT MY FAULT THAT MY PARENTS OWN THE WORLD'S LARGEST COLLECTION OF BLACK SANTAS." Paper Towns There was something so strange about this sentence that I had to reread it 4 or so times before I actually understood what the character was saying...and then I laughed. ALOT. I don't know if it's the idea of owning the world's largest collection of black santas or the context in which the statement was made, but I still find that sentence funny.
"Good night, Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning." The Princess Bride As morbid as this sentence seems it's actually quite funny if you understand the context that it's coming from. The idea that the Dread Pirate Roberts would being willing to not kill someone because of true love is kind of laughable. The pirate who is known to have no mercy is stopped by the thought of true love.
"I am your Prince and you will marry me," Humperdinck said.
Buttercup whispered, "I am your servant and I refuse."
"I am you Prince and you cannot refuse."
"I am your loyal servant and I just did."
"Refusal means death."
"Kill me then." The Princess Bride I am not a fan of love stories. Most of the time I try to avoid them, but this book is the one exception. William Goldman created this book that makes love so wonderful, yet there's action and death and pirates. This section itself kind of represtents Buttercup's love for Westley; she is often displayed as this beautiful, dumb woman, but she has this undying love that seems to make up for the fact that she would have trouble spelling 'box'.
Pages this week: 228
All pages read: 443
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
John Green pt. 2
“Paper Towns”…I just love that title; it’s so simple yet has such meaning. Thinking about it I imagine a whole town made out of paper.
Margo: “All those paper people living in their paper houses, burning the future to stay warm.”
John Green puts a lot into that one sentence. There’s a reference to the over usage of natural resources, the fakeness of people, the fact that people are so fragile and breakable. Even though I’ve only just begun the book I can see that it’s not merely a story of entertainment. There’s so many underlying themes :D I love it! Who said literature for teens didn’t have a purpose behind the plot. If you need a book to read, you know what to pick.
Margo: “All those paper people living in their paper houses, burning the future to stay warm.”
John Green puts a lot into that one sentence. There’s a reference to the over usage of natural resources, the fakeness of people, the fact that people are so fragile and breakable. Even though I’ve only just begun the book I can see that it’s not merely a story of entertainment. There’s so many underlying themes :D I love it! Who said literature for teens didn’t have a purpose behind the plot. If you need a book to read, you know what to pick.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
John Green
I’ve been reading. I have been reading my whole life; and now is time that I share my over abundance of thoughts about the never ending list of books that I read. So to begin….
Recently I finished reading An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. If you haven’t heard of John Green then prepare to be educated. John Green is the marvelous author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and the yet to be released book The Fault in our Stars. I’ve taken it upon myself to read all of his books. A task that decided to achieve after watching numerous videos made by John Green and his brother Hank Green. If you’re really into YouTube, you might have heard their names mentioned once or twice. They are “vloggers” (people who make video logs of just about anything) that made it big when they only communicated through the videos that they posted online. Ever since then a large amount of people have created a community of sorts, they go by the name nerdfighters. Go to http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers?blend=1&ob=5#p/u/0/FyQi79aYfxU to learn more about them and their many videos.
Now onto the book! An Abundance of Katherines was interestingly funny. Just for some background info: It’s about a prodigy that graduates from high school and then is dumped by his girlfriend; the nineteenth girl that he has dated that had the name “Katherine”. To cure is heartbreak woes he and his friend go on a road trip and end up in a small town that claims to be the burial site of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. While there he works on a mathematical formula as to why he is always the dumpee and never the dumper. Read the book if you want to know more. Mi opinion on the book: I found the basis of the plot to be interesting, but the book wasn’t much of a challenge to read. The plot was easy to follow, the only part that I found confusing was that there was quite a bit of math involved and I’m not a math extraordinaire. Thankfully Mr. Green helped out the math deficient by explaining ALL of the math, there’s even an appendix that describes how the theorem in the book was created and how it is used. Speaking of the author, he included footnotes that were kind of like his commentary on the book which I thought was awesome. It added some more character to the book in a way. Over all I thought it was a great book that is well work a look into.
Pages read this week: 0
All pages read: 215
Recently I finished reading An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. If you haven’t heard of John Green then prepare to be educated. John Green is the marvelous author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and the yet to be released book The Fault in our Stars. I’ve taken it upon myself to read all of his books. A task that decided to achieve after watching numerous videos made by John Green and his brother Hank Green. If you’re really into YouTube, you might have heard their names mentioned once or twice. They are “vloggers” (people who make video logs of just about anything) that made it big when they only communicated through the videos that they posted online. Ever since then a large amount of people have created a community of sorts, they go by the name nerdfighters. Go to http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers?blend=1&ob=5#p/u/0/FyQi79aYfxU to learn more about them and their many videos.
Now onto the book! An Abundance of Katherines was interestingly funny. Just for some background info: It’s about a prodigy that graduates from high school and then is dumped by his girlfriend; the nineteenth girl that he has dated that had the name “Katherine”. To cure is heartbreak woes he and his friend go on a road trip and end up in a small town that claims to be the burial site of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. While there he works on a mathematical formula as to why he is always the dumpee and never the dumper. Read the book if you want to know more. Mi opinion on the book: I found the basis of the plot to be interesting, but the book wasn’t much of a challenge to read. The plot was easy to follow, the only part that I found confusing was that there was quite a bit of math involved and I’m not a math extraordinaire. Thankfully Mr. Green helped out the math deficient by explaining ALL of the math, there’s even an appendix that describes how the theorem in the book was created and how it is used. Speaking of the author, he included footnotes that were kind of like his commentary on the book which I thought was awesome. It added some more character to the book in a way. Over all I thought it was a great book that is well work a look into.
Pages read this week: 0
All pages read: 215
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)