Tag: Books

Posted in Books

And even when your hope is gone…

Posted on by Bri

The Twilight Obsession.

You’ve all heard about it, don’t try to pretend otherwise. Stephenie Meyer’s novel Twilight and the following three books have exploded in sales for young adults, specifically among teenage girls. There’s a movie coming out in November, fan clubs littered all over the internet, and merchandise being sold left and right.

I’m only a little ashamed to admit my part in this. My laptop is named Bella, my camera is Edward, and the truck I drive is Jacob. I got roped, unwillingly, into a Twilight book club at school, I’m planning on going to the movie as soon as it comes out, I went to the midnight release party for the final book, I dressed up as a Cullen for Halloween freshman year, and my copy of Twilight is so worn it looks like it’s been through a weed whacker. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I’ve been infected with Twilight-induced insanity.

But if you haven’t read these books, you’re missing out exponentially. The writing is incredible, the characters alluring and captivating, and the plot contenting. Stephenie Meyer, who has another book out, The Host, is an excellent writer and should not be shunned merely because her books are now “mainstream”. That’s the problem with people today. Once something becomes “mainstream” it loses its value. I like this book far before it was insanely popular, and Rachel read it even before that. I’m no poser, ladies and gents. I fell in love with Edward years ago.

And that one thing I saw on the internet was right… Twilight makes human boys suck.

Posted in Books

On Writing

Posted on by Rachel

not only is Stephen King twisted, crude, and terrifying, but he’s also brilliant.
This book is a refreshing nonfiction addition to his works, and it’s very good for all aspiring writers. Not only do you learn what not to do when you write, you learn about Stephen King and he’s even kind enough to give you blurbs about how he got his book ideas, which taught me, at least, that I don’t want to read them.

So, if you’re going to be a well-read person, you have to know Stephen King, and this book is pretty much everything you need to know. It’s funny, creative, smart, and interesting. He had a wildly cool life, for the most part.

most of all, however, this book reminds us that anyone can be an author. All they have to do is write.

Posted in Books

The Long Awaited Release Of…

Posted on by Bri

BREAKING DAWN!

I’m ashamed to say it took me a week to finish it…but that was because I was gone this whole week, consequently missing my blog day…but I just got home yesterday.

This series has been a roller coaster for me…Twilight was just amazing. New Moon was just weird, Eclipse ticked me off, and Breaking Dawn was the Best. Book. Ever.
I dunno it’s a tie between that and Harry Potter for my favorite series.
Anyway.

The reason this book was so amazing was simply because Stephenie Meyer wrote everything we wanted her to. She wrote, essentially, the perfect book. It ended SO WELL. No disappointment whatsoever, everything tied up neatly, no saying “I can’t believe the author did/didn’t…”, no cliffhangers. if i could marry this book i would.

The characters are better than ever, I could actually stand Jacob this time…Meyer has a way with characters. It’s silly but she makes my stomach hurt for a long time after reading cause I wish my life was that exciting.
She just pulls you into an alternate reality for a long time until disappointment and monotony bring you back into your own life.

ennewayz. most amazing book i’ve ever read. Read it. Feel it. Love it.

Posted in Books

My Name is Asher Lev

Posted on by Rachel

Why did I like this book?
I don’t know.
It’s the only book I’ve been forced to read in school that i actually enjoyed.
First of all, this is a very character driven novel. And I love Asher Lev. He is the greatest. I connect with him in some weird way. He’s a Jewish boy trying to find a balance of religion and family and passion, struggling to find a point where it doesn’t feel like you’re going to fall of the edge of a cliff if you move too quickly.
His passion is art (if you don’t like art I don’t think you’d get as involved as I did). It’s more than his passion, it’s the substance of his existence. He doesn’t like the things the Jewish religion allows him to paint, however, he’s not sure if he wants to give up his tradition and way of live to pursue some vast, unknowable, dangerous dream.
This books takes him from a young boy to a man, and every step of the journey he is met with confusion, fear, opposition, and enlightenment. His father is overbearing, his mother is haunted, and he is much too good for the world.
Now that you’re hanging off a cliff, I won’t give away the ending!! hah hah. This is not a cliffhanging book, but it’s a thoughtful portrait of the life of a Jewish boy in America during WWII who loves art.
and that’s all.

suggested for: bored people, artists, atheists, Jews, Mormons, Catholics, WWII veterans, Protestants, Buddhists, hungry people, relaxed people, mature people.

and here’s a joke

how many mystery writers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

Two, one to screw it in almost all the way, and another to give it a surprising twist at the end.

Posted in Books

My New Calling

Posted on by Rachel

Is reviewing books. I’m not sure how well this will go over since the books I read don’t usually appeal to a ton of people.
But get over it, you don’t have to read it.

Here is an example: I recently finished House of the Seven Gables, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and now I will review it for your viewing pleasure.

First off, I like Nathaniel Hawthorne. He’s very witty; throwing in these metaphors that you wouldn’t normally consider but that made a ton of sense when you think about it. I chuckled aloud a couple times. I enjoyed his writing style, even though it did tend to ramble-and I mean ramble. Long descriptive passages.
Also, in recent years, I traveled to Boston and went on a day trip to Salem, where I saw the very house that inspired Hawthorne’s novel. That whole town is creepy. The house is definitely not an exception, so I was excited to read his book about said house.

Second off, the characters are great. They are all very flawed and very human, not the normal beautiful girl and the tall dark handsome bachelor. The main character is an old woman named Hepzibah and I LOVE HER! There is also her cousin Pheobe, who is young and zealous and not annoyingly perfect like some other book characters. There’s Clifford, the mysterious and more than a little crazy brother, and the infamous Judge, whom nobody likes. A lot of the central conflict in this novel is between the characters.

Third, the plot was…subtle. I read the jacket of the book and I was like sweet! mysterious deaths, old creepy house, weird people! (that’s what I like reading about 😀 ) After about the first five chapters, however, there was not more than one mysterious death, no creepiness, and no real issues. I had a hard time figuring out what was going on, you really have to pay attention. This book is very much a character driven novel, but it helps to know what’s happening. So i stopped reading it for awhile cause it just wasn’t what I expected it to be. This is a classic?? kind of stuff.
So if you are not accustomed to reading too many 19th C authors, or classics in general, you will want to look at the plot outline on sparknotes. it will make you excited to read and or finish this book. (yes I’m lame, but hey, whatever it takes to finish). A book is not enjoyable if you don’t know what’s going on. So know what’s going on. TGFS.

Fourth, it was a good book. Unusual, and thoughtful, and appropriately creepy.

But if you’re not into setting out blocks of time in which to read, or you just hate books published before 1900, I suggest you look elsewhere.

So long, happy reading….

Posted in Entertainment

It’s TOO LATE TO ‘POLOGIIIIZE

Posted on by Bri

I don’t understand why people like that song so much…. it’s alright I guess, but not brilliant.

    Ok, so I was thinking today about all the controversy over movies, their writers, books, and their religious overtones/undertones. And it occurred to me that I honestly never notice.

    The Christians are getting all upset over The Golden Compass and the atheists are getting angry over the Chronicles of Narnia. I’ve read both of these books (admittedly I didn’t make it past the third book of Narnia, but I did read the second one about fifty times), and to be quite frank, I never noticed the religious implications in either of them. Now that I look closely I can see it, obviously, but the first times I read them, well, I read them for the stories, not the symbolism. What kid is going to become an atheist from reading the Golden Compass? It’s an excellent book, and although it does mention the Church, -a lot- it also depicts bravery, love, adventure, and friendship. But obviously, the fact that it was written by an atheist and it suggests that we should make our own heaven is too awful to allow the other ideas to spread.

    And the Chronicles of Narnia? Sure, like Animal Farm, a lot of the characters are allusions to people, namely religious ones (Aslan=Jesus), but does that mean that every child that sees that movie or reads those books is going to become an avid member of their local congregation? No! When I was a kid, I read it because

    A. I enjoyed adventure/fantasy stories

    B. It was well written

    To be fair, I’m sure not all kids read it because it’s a good story, and I’m sure not all kids don’t care about the religious implementation. But just because these books have these symbols in them, does that make them any worse or better than a book of the same genre but without the religious/non-religious messages imbedded? NO!

    Another thing; HARRY POTTER. A lot of people hate these because, quote, “The books have a serious tone of death, hate, lack of respect and sheer evil,” said Elizabeth Mounce of Columbia. Of course, the serious tones of friendship, family, bravery, courage, love, perseverance and tenacity, responsibility, being the underdog but achieving success, and hard work aren’t relevant in her analysis. And for the record, if you show me where lack of respect is a theme in ALL of the books, not just the one scene Ms. Mounce read, let me know.

    Theist, deist, or anti-theist, it doesn’t matter. You all worry about the same petty things. Look, if you don’t want to go see a movie, read a book, or allow your children to watch or read those books, don’t do it! Just stop encroaching on everyone else’s right to enjoy good films and literature. And remember, Philip Pullman and C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling didn’t just write books to tick people off, they wrote these books to make you think, but more importantly, be entertained, which is the entire purpose of writing fiction books.

    Oh yeah, my other point. It’s fiction, and furthermore, it is an opinion.

Posted in Books

HOLY AMAZINGNESS!!!!

Posted on by Bri

For those of you who have not looked at the shoutbox, there is a message from Brian Mandabach, author of Or Not!!! He must have done a search for mentions of his name (look at the “books I’m reading” block on the bottom right of the page), and came to here!! Isn’t that awesome?? So I think this calls for a full-blown review of this incredible book.

 

Cassie is a fourteen year old non-conformist living in a non-tolerant world. She has an older brother whose girlfriend is her self-appointed older sister and parents who really care about and understand her. The story is about her coping with several different events in her life, and her take on the world around her.

When I was reading this, it was like talking to myself. I like to think I’m fairly non-conformist (but yes, I do shave my legs. I just like the feel of it), and her sarcastic, creative way of describing things reminds me a lot of myself and my friends. It’s written in first person, which I love, and in journal form, which is also cool, because you really get to understand the character. I tend to write and read first person character-based stories, as opposed to third person plot based ones, because reading about a person is like making a new friend. And Cassie seems to be someone who I would realy get along with.

There isn’t much to complain about in this book, it had the perfect mix of unhappiness, cynicism, sarcasm, good character traits, and bad character traits. There are a ton of things I disagree with Cassie about, but if Mr. Mandabach can write a character that I disagree with but still love and connect to, that truely marks him as an excellent writer. He captures perfectly the essence of being a teenager, and he really seems to understand how we think. Cassie may be a little advanced and strong minded for a 14-year-old, but I have to admit, I was a lot like her. Still am, as a matter of fact. But I’m not average, and neither is she. I know people are always complaining that books have too many heroes and not enough normal people, but why would you want to read a book about an average joe doing average things? We read books to get away from reality, but not so much that they’re completely ridiculous. Even fantasy and science fiction have ties with reality. Mr. Mandabach’s book, Or Not, is something I would reccomend to anyone.