Amy C. Shaw

The Top 10 Words/Topics in Books That Interest Me

April 30, 2013 • 22 Comments

I wasn’t originally planning on doing today’s Top Ten Tuesday, but after reading a few lists, I decided to do one but modify it just slightly. The original topic is “Top Ten Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up A Book,” but there are literally zero topics/words that will instantly make me buy a book without consideration of other factors. Probably most of my topics will propel me to pick up books that I otherwise know nothing about, presuming that I like the cover. Otherwise, I probably won’t look into it without several recommendations. In no particular order, here are some of topics/words that will catch my interest when I’m looking at books:

1. World War II

I have actually read very few books set during WWII (though I recently read the non-fiction WWII story Unbroken), but I definitely want to read more as I love learning about this time period! (Please let me know if you have any recommendations!)

2. Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering is a topic that I randomly became interested in when I was in college. For this reason, For Darkness Shows the Stars is high on my TBR list, but I haven’t read it yet. Any other great reads about genetic engineering that you know (preferably fiction, or if non-fiction, then maybe a bit dumbed-down)?

3. Cloning

I almost feel wary to put this down, because I’ve seen this idea go wrong so many times before (primarily in movies). But this topic interests me as well, and I would love to read a good science fiction book about it.

4. Young Adult Dystopian & 5. “For Fans of The Hunger Games”

Dystopian-Collage — By the way, I have NOT read all these and I highly doubt I will.

These are basically the same, but I thought I would list them separately anyway. When I see one of these two plastered on a sign in Barnes and Noble, I will crane my neck to check out what they have. Same with if I see these labels online. And I have read a few books due to these words!

6. Psychological issues, mainly schizophrenia

I minored in psychology in college, and really, if I had not been concerned about scholarship money or graduating on time so I would not still be in school when I got married, I might would have double majored. On the whole, social psychology fascinates me most, but out of all the disorders I learned about, schizophrenia is the one that I love to learn more about. I’m a book fan of the movie A Beautiful Mind and of the book shown above, Finding Alice, both which focus on a character suffering from schizophrenia. I would definitely love recommendations for more book on the subject!

7. By Oscar Wilde

I was required to read two of Oscar Wilde’s works my senior year of high school, The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest. The only other one I have read on my own is Lady Windermere’s Fan, but I found it clever just as I did his other works, and I’m sure I’ll read some of his others sometime. After reading and enjoying three of his books/plays, I feel I can trust his work enough to just pick up something he wrote.

8. Fantasy/Fairytale-esque but grounded in reality

Think Chronicles of Narnia, books that are grounded in our world or reality but have an element of fantasy interest me. Though I am not sure I have actually read many books like this outside of Narnia. I would love recommendations!

9. Writing

I have read a few books about the technique of writing, but I also often times enjoy characters who also enjoy to write and talk about it (like Jo March).

10. Clean content

This really is the most important factor I consider with books. Sometimes I don’t always know going into a book just how clean it will be, but I try to find out. Otherwise, I try to borrow it, so I won’t be concerned if I decide to set it aside. Call me a prude or old-fashioned if you wish, but I simply don’t find books with a lot of language or sexual content enjoyable. As long as these things are kept to a minimal, I’ll show more interest in what the book is about.

What words or topics attract you to a book?

Babies Deserve Good Books Too

April 20, 2013 • 7 Comments

So I was browsing Books-A-Million today and saw these:

And I was like…

And then I was like…

But seriously…

This is a collection called Baby Lit Books, and they are board books designed for little ones that present classic literature for young audiences, such as the numbers of Pride and Prejudice (like 2 rich gentlemen), the opposites of Sense and Sensibility (Happy Willoughby, Sad Brandon), and the colors of Alice in Wonderland:

I was extremely tempted to get one for my friend’s little girl, but I don’t know… $9.99 seems a little steep for one of these small books, no matter how adorable they are.

Anybody else seen these? What do you think about them?

My Top 10 Favorite Book Covers

April 16, 2013 • 11 Comments

Today’s Broke and Bookish Top Ten Tuesday topic is TTT Rewind: Pick a topic you have missed in the past or want to revisit. Well, I’ve missed a lot, so I had several to choose from. And though there were many great topics, I ultimately went with my Top 10 Favorite Book Covers, which I found appropriate considering my recent post on bad book covers. In order to not have every book in the world be a contender, but to also not limit myself too greatly, the standard I decided to go by was favorite covers of books I have either read OR plan to read. I didn’t want to choose a cover for a book I had zero interest in. Also, I found out that I’m a book cover snob. (I can hear my husband laughing now… he says I’m a snob about everything! :-P) I did include some special edition covers because a lot of times they are made to be especially awesome! Anyhow, here’s my Top 10…

#10: Les Miserables

I know what you’re thinking… it’s a picture from the 2012 movie! I get it! But it’s so haunting and beautiful. It’s a lot better than cartoon Cosette in my opinion. I must confess though, I don’t know if the “movie cover” matches the tone of the book or not since I have not read it yet.

#9: For Darkness Shows the Stars

Another one I have not yet read so admittedly, I do not know how well the cover matches the tone of the book. But I know it’s pretty!

#8: Matched Trilogy

Part of me doesn’t love the bubble, but the symbolism of each cover is great. The colors also play an important role in the stories, so you can tell how well-thought out these covers were, which I appreciate.

#7: Pride and Prejudice

I didn’t read/don’t own the version with this cover, but I just love the artwork. It’s both fun and classic.

#6: Cinder

This is such a clever cover for a retelling of Cinderella that centers on a Cyborg. Even without knowing the plot, I think one can derive a hint from the cover what the book might be like.

#5: Little Women

As if the cover isn’t pretty enough on first glance, notice the “little women” integrated into the letters! Love it!

#4: Alice in Wonderland

Cute and covered in teapots!

#3: To Kill A Mockingbird

Seriously, how whimsy is this? I also love that it features the characters. So cute!

#2: The Selection and The Elite

Sometimes I wonder if the cover of The Selection is what drew me to read it because seriously, I have no interest in the show The Bachelor, so why would I want to read a book with a similar premise? But if you look at a big, clear picture of it, especially of The Selection, and see all those amazing details on the dress, and in the reflection… well, you can just see it’s just a gorgeous cover, reflecting all the splendor America experiences in the palace.

#1: Fahrenheit 451

This is probably seriously the most creative book cover EVER. Unfortunately, I have not read this classic yet but I have been wanting to for a while. And I’m kind of tempted to buy buy this version of it. Because it’s awesome.

What book covers are your favorite?

Review: Ender’s Game

April 13, 2013 • 9 Comments

I don’t know what suddenly drew me to Ender’s Game. I had been aware of it for some time, and I think when looking into books I might possibly want to read, it stuck out to me for some reason. I think this was around the same time I was kicking around a story idea I had that is slightly reminiscent of the movie Tron: Legacy, and I was wondering how Ender’s Game compared. Well, it turned out that it’s pretty different.

Ender is only six years old when he is picked up to attend Battle School, and he quickly moves up the ranks in the school, commanding his own army by the age of 9. From conversations we see at the beginning of each chapter, those in charge of Ender are determined that he is the only one who can annihilate the “buggers” (the aliens who have fought them in two wars now), which is why they accelerate him through the ranks. They do this, however, by isolating him, breaking him, and lying to him.

I knew this book was about children, so I was very surprised by how dark and gritty the story actually was. There’s also some language in here; it probably wouldn’t bother most people, but I wouldn’t call it kid-friendly. As a story of science fiction, however, this story was very profound. Everyone in charge of the Battle School is xenophobic, they are willing to push a child to limits that would be difficult for an adult, and the child himself is capable of producing great damage that he tries to deny for quite some time. As all good science fiction does, I think the story does a great job of mirroring how we as people are, regardless of the time and setting of the story.

I did have a few small issues with the story. The pacing sometimes seemed strange while reading because the story covers such a long period of time, though once you’ve read the whole story you can understand why certain parts emphasized on and why certain parts were abbreviated. And though I understand why all the emphasis was on Ender, I would have liked to have seen more development of some of the minor characters, particularly Alai, Bean, and Petra.

I also still have mixed feelings about the end of the story. I think I would have liked it better if the book had ended right after *SPOILER* Ender found the bugger queen’s cocoon *END SPOILER* instead of dragging things out a little bit longer to the years beyond. I am curious is Card was trying to wrap things up because he was unsure if he was writing more books, yet still leaving some mystery so that he could write more.

There is also a small subplot in which Ender’s brother Peter recruits their sister Valentine to help him try to infiltrate the Nets with the way people think. It’s both difficult and easy to believe at the same time, like a few other things in the story, but the part that bothers me most is how much credibility Peter still has once the war is over.

I would recommend this book for teens and adults. I think, like all good science fiction, it forces us to take a look at ourselves and what we are capable of and what we are willing to do. And it shows how what we do affects us; we see both Ender and Graff were affected greatly, but in different ways. I might read the sequels, but I don’t feel like I necessarily have to. I’m also interested in seeing the movie adaptation coming out this year and how it will compare to the book.

As he [Ender] thought of it, though, he could not imagine what “just living” might actually be. He had never done it in his life. But he wanted to do it anyway.

If you’ve read Ender’s Game, what are your thoughts? What do you hope they will include in the movie? If you’re read the sequels, would you recommend them?

Review on GoodReads.

Review: Red Dawn

April 7, 2013 • 0 Comments

My husband and I recently rented the remake Red Dawn from Redbox to watch. I had actually not really heard any of my friends say anything about the movie, either positive or negative, which usually deters me from checking a movie out (assuming it’s not something I was anticipating to see and see it the first night it’s in theaters), but I was curious. I have also never seen the original, so this review is based solely on what I thought about this story and movie as it stands alone.

For those who are unfamiliar, Red Dawn focuses on a group of ordinary teenagers who live in Spokane, Washington, when North Korean troops come in and take over. The movie starts with media footage (some of it definitely real, but I am unsure as to whether or not all of it is) about North Korea. It hits home with what we see in the news everyday, but also in clips where you see President Obama, VP Biden, and former Secretary of State Clinton discussing the matter. From the start, the movie feels like it could be real. Unfortunately, once I saw the vast number of N. Korean paratroopers in the sky over one neighborhood, it started to feel less real.

The whole takeover seemed a little too easy, but I allowed myself to believe it as I watched the film. Jed, one of the teenagers’ older brother is a Marine who takes charge of the group of frightened teenagers and trains them how to fight as warriors. He gives them a speech about how their job is to create chaos, and how to the people they will be fighting, they are just in some place, but their group is fighting at their home, for their home. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see much of the training, as it is pretty much reduced to a montage sequence. In the montage he also tells the group to find people in town they trust to get supplies from, and I wish we could have seen more about how they integrated into this new way of life, especially considering that just a minute before they were still hiding in the woods trying to stay out of sight.

After this, however, I felt the movie was paced better. There are several times that the Wolverines, as the group calls themselves, find ways to collect gun sand even bombs to help them create chaos. Along the way, they make mistakes at times that show that they are not trained military and that they are emotional teenagers. However, you can also seen a clear transformation in their characters as they accept who they are now. I feel this is especially true of the characters Robert and Daryl, who seem very apprehensive about fighting at first, but Daryl especially shows that he is willing to make sacrifices and tough choices for the cause. By the end, we also see a big change in Jed’s younger brother Matt, who harbored a lot of resentment towards his brother for leaving their family years before after their mom died, as rises up as a leader when needed.

I don’t want to give away too many details of the film, but I think it was pretty well done. I would have liked more development in the story itself, from how the North Koreans got such a foothold to more about the training of the Wolverines. The movie ends without a sure resolution, but you are left with a small sense of hope. I think it’s a movie people should see, despite a few flaws, and there are several poignant character moments. I would rate it 3 stars out of 5.

Has anyone else seen the remake of Red Dawn? What were your thoughts on it? If you’ve seen the original, how would you say it compares?

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