Category Archives: Books

My Top 10 Books I Was “Forced” to Read

Top Ten Tuesday topic is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is Top Ten Books I Was “Forced” to Read, whether it is from required reading, a book club, or just an extreme amount of peer pressure! This week’s list is no particular order.

Required for School

Crime and Punishment

crime&punish2When I saw that Crime and Punishment was part of my required SUMMER reading for AP English my senior year of high school I’m sure I was thinking, really?! What surprised me though was how much I really liked it. Sure, nearly half of the book could have been omitted (especially the subplot with his sister’s drama) but the story of redemption in it is powerful to me. I even did a video project in college based on this book.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

dorian grayI read The Picture of Dorian Gray the same summer as C&P, and enjoyed it as well. Oscar Wilde’s commentary of his society is filled with wit and it was easy to understand, even if I didn’t know much about the time period and place. Also, the ending’s a kicker.

The Crucible

the-crucibleI read The Crucible my junior year in high school and it really made an impact on me how the characters stood up for themselves, disregarding what others said of them and even disregarding that they could be put to death.

Rebecca 

rebecca-by-daphne-du-maurierI read Rebecca my sophomore year of high school and found it so much more intriguing and suspenseful than many of the other books I had to read for school! And you know it has to be good when Alfred Hitchcock, master of suspense himself, adapted it to film. Let’s just say that the film I made off this book for my English class was no where near as good…

To Kill a Mockingbird

Mockingbird2I’m pretty sure I read To Kill a Mockingbird my sophomore year in high school as well, but unfortunately I have a little more book amnesia with it. Of course I remember the main themes and that I did enjoy it, but I definitely need to revist it sometime, especially now that I am older and can look at it with new eyes.

The Importance of Being Earnest

being-earnestI read this play my senior year of high school and again, I just loved Oscar Wilde’s wit. If you need a light read that feels intellectual at the same time, this is a perfect fit.

Night

nightI read Night my junior year of high school and found this story of a Jewish Holocaust survivor powerful. I had read The Hiding Place previous to this, so I was not unaware of concentration camp horrors (I would highly recommend it as well, by the way), but I always like hearing someone else’s story about what happened to them during WWII. It’s an important reminder of a dark time in history.

The Hobbit

the-hobbitI read The Hobbit in eighth grade I believe, and admittedly, I actually remember very little of it (let’s say when I saw all those dwarves in the movie adaptation I was completely surprised). However, I think this book was unknowingly a turning point for me. I didn’t think there was any way I could like this book, but I did, and I think that it might have helped me down the road be more open to different genres than what I had been reading.

Due to A Movie, Multiple Recommendations, and the Whole World Reading It

The Hunger Games

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Thanks to some junior high aged girls at church, two friends, and Lionsgate, my interest in The Hunger Games got picqued to the point where it could not be ignored. FINE, I’LL READ IT! Clearly, I’m glad I did. Not only did I love it and the entire trilogy, but it got me back into reading after quite a hiatus, and it re-introduced me to the YA market, which was booming with some great content.

Book Club

What’s Left Of Me

hybrid-chroniclesI am in a blogger’s book club and we have read one book so far, What’s Left of Me. As mentioned in previous posts, I had the chance to get my book signed by Kat Zhang and get the sequel Once We Were early as well, so I felt compelled to buy and read it as well. Thankfully, I enjoyed both!

What books were you “forced” to read but ended up really enjoying? 

Double Review: What’s Left of Me and Once We Were

A few months ago, some fellow bloggers and I decided to form an online book club where we would chat quarterly about a book we had chosen to read. Our first book of choice was What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang. While buying the book at a local bookstore, I was informed that Kat is local and was going to be coming there in a couple of weeks to sign books, including her second book Once We Were, which would be available for sale a couple of weeks before it would be available everywhere else! So I came back a couple of weeks later to grab the second book and to have both signed.

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I knew then that I would have to read the books back-to-back and review them both together! My feelings for both, overall, are positive. There are mild spoilers below for both books.

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The concept for the series is interesting: everyone is born a hybrid, with two souls in one body. However, one soul is supposed to “settle” over time, essentially just disappear and allow the dominant soul take control. However, as we discussed in our group chat, we were filled with many questions: How is everyone born with two souls? How does one just fade away? How awkward is it to hear someone else’s thoughts alongside your own?

Eva is the POV character in both books, and she is the more silent soul trapped inside a body shared with Addie, the dominant soul. Though Addie is more dominant, Eva has never completely faded away, always present in Addie’s mind. The only true problem this seems to present is the secrecy of it, though it is hard for Eva to cope with the inability to move their body herself, or to experience things for herself, like a kiss or even practicing a hobby she enjoys. She feels completely alone until a girl from school, Hally, reveals that she too is a hybrid and offers to help Eva be able to take control of hers and Addie’s body. Unfortunately, Hally/Lissa, Addie/Eva, and H/L’s brother Devon/Ryan are all found out and taken away to a facility. By the end of book one they manage to escape the facility, and book two is about the characters trying to hide their identities, meeting with other hybrids, and partaking in some revolution efforts.

What I liked about both books:

I liked Eva’s arc. At the beginning of Once We Were, I wasn’t even sure if I would like her. I was still slightly weirded out by the concept that Eva was alone and detached in someone else’s body, watching everything from a distance. Honestly, she felt so detached I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to connect with her, but thankfully somewhere before page 100, I finally started to feel that connection and she started to feel more real.

I also really like Ryan, the slightly less dominant soul of Hally’s brother Devon. He and Eva have a bond that is clear early on, and they grow closer together throughout the first book. By the second book they are more or less together, as much as you can be in such a situation as they are, but I am not sure if their relationship really flourished. But once again, of course it is difficult under the circumstances. Just the same, I liked how sweet he was, and I would consider him my favorite character.

I also enjoyed both the writing style and the story itself (more so for the first book than the second though).

What I did not like as much:

The world-building is vague. When does the book take place? All through the first book I was wondering, this is in America, right? (The second book confirms this.) Why does it seem pretty contemporary in every way except in that not everyone has a computer? And to further complicate all my questions, we hear references to wars that sound like they are wars we really fought, The American Revolution and the World Wars, but the names are slightly differently and the propaganda from the government makes it seem like it all had to do with hybrids. I could buy that if I understood why. But in the second book there is still no explanation. The second book does talk a little bit more about the world, but it still left me quite confused. I suppose I should take it as some sort of alternate version of our world, a sort of “what if everyone was born with two souls?” question that is plopped into what we know, but it’s hard for me to know for sure. I like to know exactly where I am in place and time.

Also, the level of action in these two books, while admirable because I enjoy good action, almost goes overboard. Addie/Eva is a normal girl but she’s jumping out of windows, coming toe-to-toe with baddies, dealing with bomb-related activities… I’ve seen Red Dawn, and I understand drastic times call for drastic measures, but the shift from normal to doing all these things felt a little unrealistic. I mostly accepted it because I want to believe I could play the hero too, but I would have like to have seen a more natural progression from who she was to revolutionary.

Final Thoughts

Again, overall I really enjoyed both books. The story stays interesting, the relationship between Eva and Ryan gave me feels, especially in the first book, and it’s a unique concept that is pretty well executed. I do feel the second book did struggle some in its pacing, as most second books do, so I hope to see a good, tight wrap-up in the third book as everything meets the end of an arc. The first book is a very solid four stars for me, but the second book is a little lower, more like a 3.75. Still, I don’t reward 3.75’s, so they both get 4 stars from me.

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If you’ve read one or both of the books of The Hybrid Chronicles, what are your thoughts? 

The Standards of Book Content vs. Movie Content

Last week was Banned Book week, so there were plenty of buzz around the blogsphere around it, and it got me thinking about the content in books compared to movies. There are several YA books out there with sex, language, and violence (hence why some of these books get “banned”). Some could be equated to a PG-13 rated movie, but some start getting into R rated movie territory, and I cannot help but wonder though, why it seems more socially acceptable for such content to be present in a YA book versus a movie, which will get rated R if there is too much of said content. Note before we go any further: this isn’t about banning books with “harsher” content, just about the content in books versus movies, and how available they are.

contentI watched Up in the Air recently, but on TV, so it was edited. And it was very clear just how many words they took out. I looked up the content advisory on my IMDB, which says it has, “Close to 25 f-words and about 10 s-words,” and then proceeds to describe some of the other language in the movie. It also has some brief nudity (which was also edited out). I have not read Looking for Alaska, but according to Rated Reads, it has “well over 50 swear words. (At least 17 of which are the f-word.) There also are two detailed sex scenes…” I list these stats to make a point. You see, Up In the Air is clearly marked as rated R if you see the DVD case or on a theater marquee. I realize the movie is not targeted towards teens, but it can’t be even if it wanted to be due to the content which lead to the rating. Looking for Alaska, on the other hand, sits on a bookshelf next to the tamer The Fault in our Stars in the YA section without any sort of labeling. A parent or a teacher would have no way to know what the difference between these books by the same author is without reading the books themselves or doing the research. I am not trying to excuse laziness on the part of a parent or teacher, but I just wonder about the double standard. Why does it seem important to keep kids under 18 out of the movie theater that is showing Up in the Air but they can buy Looking for Alaska without any parental consent?

I’m not really offering any solutions in this post, just questions and thoughts I have, and I am curious if anyone has insight on the matter. Do people think it’s different because books are “cranial”? Do they think reading is different than seeing (personally I don’t think there’s much difference). What do you think of this matter? Do you see a difference between book content and movie content? 

Star Trek Convention 2013: Part Two

Read Part One if you haven’t already!

So just days before the convention, we learned that Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway from Voyager), who was supposed to be the headliner for the weekend, would not be making it to the convention. A few weeks before that, we learned that Robert Picardo (The Doctor on Voyager) would not be attending either. Luckily Chase Masterson stepped in with a couple weeks left to spare, and then with just days left until the convention, fortunately they were able to get Tim Russ (Tuvok from Voyager) to fill in!

Tim Russ isn’t quite Vulcan himself, but he is pretty straight-laced and calm in his manner. He did go into “Tuvok mode” at one point, and it was like he flipped a switch in his mind. It was amazing how he could turn it on and off as he did. It also sounded like he knew how to have a good time with his fellow cast-mates. I was grateful that he came to fill in a void in the lineup and enjoyed hearing him.

trekcon-ferengiNext were Max Grodenchik and Aron Eisenberg, appearing in full makeup as their characters Rom and Nog from Deep Space Nine. Pictured here with them is Armin Shimmerman, who played Quark but did not appear in his makeup, and spoke later on his own. Max and Aron were doing a skit, which quite frankly, wasn’t that great on its own (especially since they were reading from their scripts!) but the derailing of it was quite hilarious! They just let it go and started cracking their own jokes, and my face literally hurt from all the laughter.

trekcon-ferengiloveHere “Nog” taught a convention audience member the “Ferengi Love Dance,” which you can see Nog do in the season six Deep Space Nine episode “You Are Cordially Invited.”

trekcon-deniseNext was Denise Crosby, who briefly played the role of Tasha Yar on The Next Generation (by briefly I mean, less than a season. Spoiler for anyone who hasn’t watched The Next Generation: she gets killed). I’d be lying if I said I was a Tasha fan, because I’m not. But it was interesting to hear Denise talk, especially about what she was able to do later on with The Next Generation.

trekcon-arminThen we got to see Armin Shimmerman again, though this time it was him taking questions instead of crashing Max and Aron’s skit. He was extremely gracious to the fans, which again, I just really appreciate. Even though the Ferengi on Deep Space Nine (or in general) drive me crazy, and even though Quark is included in that, Armin shared something about his character that I thought was neat. He talked to one of the writers of the show about the finale episode, and about how so many characters got to hook up with someone else and/or get to go on to a new chapter of their lives, and he was like, “So what happens with Quark?” The writer shared with him, “Quark is the heart of Deep Space Nine.” And when I thought about it, it was true. It’s quirky and not very Star Fleet like, like Quark, and also, he really helped the morale of the station through hard times just with his bar. It was a neat perspective.

trekcon-g&t1Terry Ferrell was scheduled to come out again, but we also got treated to Garrett Wang again, and the two of them together were so funny! Here, Garrett is teaching Terry how to do a George Takei “Oh my!” impersonation.

trekcon-g&t2There were hugs…

trekcon-g&t3High fives…

trekcon-g&t4And general silliness. Somewhere in all this, Terry also admitted she has never watched Voyager (the show Garrett was on). Whoops.

trekcon-rene&nanaAnd last we had Rene Auberjonois and Nana Visitor, who played Odo and Kira Nerys on Deep Space Nine, respectively. It was fun to see them together; you can tell that they enjoyed working together. And Kira is so hot-headed and high-strung on the show, but Nana seemed much more sweet and mellow, so that was nice to see the difference between her and her character.

Beyond the convention… 

I have had such a busy September! In addition to this convention I also attended a writing conference, went on a mini-vacation, and celebrated my birthday! At the writing conference the keynote speaker was Jay Asher, author of the YA bestseller Thirteen Reasons Why, which I am reading now, thanks to the co-worker who told me about the conference buying the book while we were there and then loaning it to me.  It took Jay many years to sell his first book, and even now as a published author he still has not released much, as he is a self-proclaimed slow writer, and I found it oddly encouraging. This in conjunction with what he said about, “Just because you enjoy reading it, it doesn’t mean that is what you should be writing,” made me realize I don’t have to try to break into the writing industry with an epic six book YA dystopia series like I think I need to.

I’ve been highly considering participating in NaNoWriMo this year for the first time, and so it’s making me consider which story idea (out of the many that I have) I want to focus on for that, because I’m thinking I might want to push aside this huge dystopia series idea I have right now. (Also, this is only representative of one agent in the YA market, but he’s getting tired of dystopia and is not looking for that at all when he reads queries from new authors, so I wonder if the tide will be changing in that genre soon.) I’ve got a month to figure it out.

Other pictures from this month…

biltmoreMy husband and I went to Asheville, NC, and visited the Biltmore, and it was really neat. I’d definitely recommend it if you have the chance to go. Then the day after my birthday, my friend took me to the zoo where we checked out the new…

kangaroo exhibit! And if they came to the path, you could pet them, so we got to pet this guy right here! All the others were lazily lounging in the grass. I was sad I didn’t get to see them to hop around, but was so happy this guy let us pet him. His fur was soft! I definitely want to go back and do it again! And I also got a lot of books for my birthday…

IMG_0854It’ll be a while before I get all these read. I also seriously need a new bookcase. Maybe for Christmas…

Phew! That was a lot! What have you guys been up to? I’m still trying to catch up on blog posts!

The Phantom of the Opera: An Awesome Audio Adaptation

Awesome Adaptations is hosted by Picture Me Reading, and is a focus on book-to-movie adaptations that we think are awesome! Today’s topic is an awesome audio adaptation. I have to confess that I am not 100% sure what this topic means, but I assume it means a musical, as I decided to go with a favorite!

book-movie-phantomAside from Disney movies or those featuring the Muppets, The Phantom of the Opera may have been the first musical I fell in love with. The 2004 movie entranced me so much and quickly became one of my favorite movies for quite a time, and seeing Phantom of the Opera on Broadway also became a top priority for my bucket list. Fortunately, I was able to fulfill this as a sophomore in college. I was in New York for a trip with my church’s college group, and on our free day a group of friends and I grabbed tickets and headed off to see it!

I was undoubtedly freezing while this picture was being taken, but also quite excited! And the year after I saw the musical, my favorite American Idol contestant of Season 7 (AKA the winner!) David Cook did an amazing cover of the song on the show:

This still gets play time on my iPod.

In short, I think the 2004 film is a magical experience, between the haunting music and the stunning visuals. I get that Gerard Butler isn’t an amazing singer, but I quite enjoy him in the role and I have really gotten used to his voice in these songs (though I would gladly listen to David Cook’s version of all the songs as well!). In the movie, I think my favorite part might be when Christine and The Phantom sing “Past the Point of No Return,” even if it is a bit creepy. Something that was pulled off quite well in the movie but I especially loved seeing in the stage production is the performance of “Masquerade.” The stairs! The costumes! It’s just a delight! Check out this film yet if you haven’t already! And I still need to read the book!

masquearade_the_phantom_of_the_opera What do you think of Phantom of the Opera?