Tuesday, 31 May 2011
A Book Trailer for The Secret Life of Bees
The follwing is a a homemade trailer for Sue Monk Kidd's bestseller that I made. I chose this book because I enjoyed reading it and learned a lot from doing so. Hope you enjoy!
The Reapers are the Angels: Finished
I recently finished Alden Bell's The Reapers are the Angels, my first venture into apocalyptic novels. More specifically, it was my first venture into apocalyptic zombie novels. The book doesn't allow zombies and their violence to play a big role, rather, the book instead focuses on emotional and personal stories of its human characters. Overall, I really enjoyed it, though, like any book, it has a few minor faults.
As I described in an earlier post, the struggle of the main character, Temple, is to overcome the evilness that she believes resides within her. I find this a very interesting and somewhat unique, but at times, I think Bell goes too far with it. I understand that it's all part of her journey, but sometimes I think Temple's self-hatred gets too repetitive. By no means does that ruin the book -- it doesn't come close -- but it did get a bit annoying, especially towards the end. Also, it didn't seem like there was a real gradual change in Temple. She sort of came to an understanding in the last thirty pages or so, when we finally heard what happened to Malcolm and when she spoke to Moses.
Not to dwell on the negatives, but I think Moses' motivation was not totally clear. Obviously, he wanted to avenge his brother's death, but with relationship he developed with Temple over the course of the book, I thought he might have a change in heart, too. Then, at the end, I wasn't clear why he took Maury up to Niagara Falls. Wasn't that Temple's dream? Maybe I just missed something, but Moses wasn't totally clear for me.
I'm a very critical person, so don't get the wrong idea -- The Reapers are the Angels is a very good book. Though sometimes too overbearing (sometimes seeming like he's writing to show off rather than tell a story), Bell's writing is awesome. The characters seem genuine, and they stay in character all the time. Temple's journey is fascinating, and I'm happy to have, in a way, gone along with her and Maury. This is a great book for summer, and I'd recommend it to anybody looking for a fun, adventurous book.
As I described in an earlier post, the struggle of the main character, Temple, is to overcome the evilness that she believes resides within her. I find this a very interesting and somewhat unique, but at times, I think Bell goes too far with it. I understand that it's all part of her journey, but sometimes I think Temple's self-hatred gets too repetitive. By no means does that ruin the book -- it doesn't come close -- but it did get a bit annoying, especially towards the end. Also, it didn't seem like there was a real gradual change in Temple. She sort of came to an understanding in the last thirty pages or so, when we finally heard what happened to Malcolm and when she spoke to Moses.
Not to dwell on the negatives, but I think Moses' motivation was not totally clear. Obviously, he wanted to avenge his brother's death, but with relationship he developed with Temple over the course of the book, I thought he might have a change in heart, too. Then, at the end, I wasn't clear why he took Maury up to Niagara Falls. Wasn't that Temple's dream? Maybe I just missed something, but Moses wasn't totally clear for me.
I'm a very critical person, so don't get the wrong idea -- The Reapers are the Angels is a very good book. Though sometimes too overbearing (sometimes seeming like he's writing to show off rather than tell a story), Bell's writing is awesome. The characters seem genuine, and they stay in character all the time. Temple's journey is fascinating, and I'm happy to have, in a way, gone along with her and Maury. This is a great book for summer, and I'd recommend it to anybody looking for a fun, adventurous book.
How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse
While we may be taking our zombie literature lightly, there are people out there who believe the events of books like The Reapers are the Angels and Warm Bodies might actually happen. This video is of a man who's prepared for a real zombie apocalypse, though National Geographic prepared it more as a metaphor for any kind of world disaster. It's both entertaining and mildly serious -- it's not a bad idea, really.
I am the Messenger
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| Markus Zusak |
A lot of people have heard and read The Book Thief, and for good reason. My class read it last year, and it quickly became one of everybody's favorite books. The next summer I read another, less-known book by Zusak called I am the Messenger.
Ed Kennedy, an underage cabby, is incurably in love with his best friend, Audrey. His life is filled with playing cards with his friends, and essentially Ed's a bum. One day while at the bank with his friend, Marv, a gunman held up the bank. They were worried more about the possibility of getting another parking ticket in the fifteen-minute parking zone outside. Zusak immediatly sets up a feeling that these guys are not the most successful people out there -- Ed describes Marv's car as not even worth the parking ticket.
After escaping the bank, Ed begins to receive aces in he mail. The first one, the ace of diamonds, gives three addresses and times:
45 Edgar Street, midnight
13 Harrison Avenue, 6pm
6 Macedoni Street, 5:30 am
Ed decides to go to each one, and in the process he stops a woman from being raped every night, comforts an old lady missing her husband, and helps a teenage girl gain confidence and do well in life. The source of the card is still unknown, but cards continue to come into Ed's possession, next the clubs, followed the ace of spades and then of hearts. Ed continues to help people, to deliver messages of inspiration and hope to different people the cards bring him to.
The cards lead him to repair relationships with his friends, including Audrey. Finally, his own adress is written on a joker that comes in the mail. Ed realizes that he is not the messenger, but the message. He finds out that the person sending these cards was the bank robber, a man with a connection to Ed's father. It's not totally clear, but I got the idea that somebody had been controlling Ed's life just to prove that somebody as ordinary as him could be the "message" -- he instructed the man to rape the woman every night, and he even killed Ed's father.The ending was a bit fuzzy to me, but everything else -- the self-discovery, the small victories, and the helped lives -- really make for a good book. The writing is really interesting. There is profanity, but never gratuitous, and Zusak's use of language as is facinating. It's simple and to the point, but still descriptive and very engaging. I'd recommend I am the Messenger to anybody who likes mystery and adventure.
Harry Potter
The end is approaching -- the final movie, I mean. It's difficult to call myself a true fan of J.K. Rowling's masterpieces when I never actually read the books until the summer after the fifth movie was released. After that, I read the first six books in two weeks during summer break. I was obsessed, but with the coming of the next school year, my Harry Potter fixation halted.
However, it embarrasses me to say that, after speeding through the first six, I only made it half-way through the seventh. I read up until the break between part 1 and part 2 of the movie version, and I'm just now getting around to finally finishing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I suppose that means I can't call myself a true fan, but I can definitely say that I am totally in love with the series.
Before reading and watching the magic of Harry Potter, I wasn't much of a fantasy fan. I can't say they changed me into a fantasy fanatic, because Harry Potter is still the only series or single fantasy book that I've thoroughly enjoyed.
So if there is anybody out there who hasn't read Harry Potter, I am not suggesting but telling you to read these books. I'm sure most of you know or at least have heard of the plot, but in short, Harry Potter, a boy born a wizard, must overcome a destiny he shares with Lord Voldemort, the evil wizard who killed his parents when he was an infant. Along with friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, Harry learns magic and explores the dangers of the wizard world at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. J.K. Rowling's writing is superb -- entertainingly funny dialog, creative names and creatures, amazing friendships, and a staggering imagination. You feel like another member of the triad, just following along. By now, I know the characters and their personality, and I genuinely worry and feel happy for them, even after I remind myself that it's just a book.
My favorite book of the series is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth in the series. A wizard competition called the Tri-Wizard Cup is held at Hogwarts, and, of course, Harry is selected to represent Hogwarts even though he is technically too young. I'm a competitive person, and I really like the idea of a magical tournament.
Overall, the Harry Potter series is a must-read. Even if you generally don't like fantasy books, read these. I literally couldn't put them down. There's hype over them for a reason.
However, it embarrasses me to say that, after speeding through the first six, I only made it half-way through the seventh. I read up until the break between part 1 and part 2 of the movie version, and I'm just now getting around to finally finishing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I suppose that means I can't call myself a true fan, but I can definitely say that I am totally in love with the series.
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| Poster for the Final Movie |
So if there is anybody out there who hasn't read Harry Potter, I am not suggesting but telling you to read these books. I'm sure most of you know or at least have heard of the plot, but in short, Harry Potter, a boy born a wizard, must overcome a destiny he shares with Lord Voldemort, the evil wizard who killed his parents when he was an infant. Along with friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, Harry learns magic and explores the dangers of the wizard world at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. J.K. Rowling's writing is superb -- entertainingly funny dialog, creative names and creatures, amazing friendships, and a staggering imagination. You feel like another member of the triad, just following along. By now, I know the characters and their personality, and I genuinely worry and feel happy for them, even after I remind myself that it's just a book.
My favorite book of the series is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth in the series. A wizard competition called the Tri-Wizard Cup is held at Hogwarts, and, of course, Harry is selected to represent Hogwarts even though he is technically too young. I'm a competitive person, and I really like the idea of a magical tournament.
Overall, the Harry Potter series is a must-read. Even if you generally don't like fantasy books, read these. I literally couldn't put them down. There's hype over them for a reason.
Friday, 27 May 2011
The Reapers are the Angels: Temple
As I read further into The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell, I've come to enjoy the story even more than before. There are so many post-apocalyptic books and movies (some cheesy, some gory, some just plain silly) out there like 2012 and World War Z, so for this book to stand out is an accomplishment. Again, I'm not the most experienced with zombie or even apocalypse literature, but I have read a lot of other great books -- realistic ones without monsters and gore -- and The Reapers are the Angels can most certainly fit in with books like The Book Thief and To Kill a Mockingbird.
Anyways, half way through the book, the main character of Temple has really developed. It's become very clear that Temple is battling something inside her, something that makes her despise herself for the evil she thinks resides in her. She constantly says things like "I ain't good," (p. 79) and refuses to listen when people tell her otherwise. Moses says, "I've seen evil girl, and you ain't it," (p. 158) and she replies by saying "Then what am I?"
The following is an excerpt of what Temple says to Maury on pages 161 and 162:
Temple, because she believes she is so awful and evil, cannot allow herself to become part of a whole. She thinks she's unlovable, that she can't forgive herself for the many times she's killed. This is shown by her constant wondering -- the most frustrating part of this book has been that Temple can't settle somewhere and stay. The Griersons at Belle Isle seemed like a great place to settle down, and where I am now in the book, the train seems like a good place, too. She's left so many places because of her self-hatred. What I'd like to see happen at the end is Temple come to forgive herself (and believe God will, too), and then she and Maury settle down at some safe place.
Anyways, half way through the book, the main character of Temple has really developed. It's become very clear that Temple is battling something inside her, something that makes her despise herself for the evil she thinks resides in her. She constantly says things like "I ain't good," (p. 79) and refuses to listen when people tell her otherwise. Moses says, "I've seen evil girl, and you ain't it," (p. 158) and she replies by saying "Then what am I?"
The following is an excerpt of what Temple says to Maury on pages 161 and 162:
... It's a sin as big as the world we live in , bigger even -- to lay your hands on a creation of God's and snuff it out. It don't matter how ugly a thing it is, it's a sin, and God will send a terrible vengeance down on you for it -- I know, I seen it. but the truth is -- the truth is I don't know where I got off on the wrong track. Moses, he says I ain't evil, but then if I ain't evil... If I ain't evil then what am I? Cause me hands, see, they ain't seem to got no purpose except when they're bashin in a skull or slittin a throat. That's the whole, all around truth of the matter. Them meatskins, they kill -- but they ain't get any satisfaction out of it. Maury, you sure are waderin a lonely earth -- full of breach and befoulment -- but the real abomination is sittin right next to you.
Temple, because she believes she is so awful and evil, cannot allow herself to become part of a whole. She thinks she's unlovable, that she can't forgive herself for the many times she's killed. This is shown by her constant wondering -- the most frustrating part of this book has been that Temple can't settle somewhere and stay. The Griersons at Belle Isle seemed like a great place to settle down, and where I am now in the book, the train seems like a good place, too. She's left so many places because of her self-hatred. What I'd like to see happen at the end is Temple come to forgive herself (and believe God will, too), and then she and Maury settle down at some safe place.
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Questioning Happiness
Authentic questions I have about being happy:
1) Is happiness a decision? If so, how can a person make that decision?
2) What's optimism and what's just covering up sadness?
3) When people are really sad, for instance, they might commit suicide. What does somebody overcome with happiness do?
4) How much of happiness is related to people around us and how much is material possessions?
5) For me, giving a gift is makes me happier than receiving one. Of course, I love getting presents -- it's more fun and exciting -- but what is it that makes me happy to give away things?
6) Sometimes it seems like happiness and negative emotions (not necessarily sadness) go hand in hand. It's as if the sadder you are and you work through that sadness, the happier you are. That might not make much sense, but I think that the happiest people also feel the most sadness, too. Why are emotions that way?
7) What is the effect of nature on happiness?
8) How can animals help us feel happier?
9) Why is it that unusually happy people tend to bug typical people?
10) Biologically, what is the difference between tears of happiness and tears of sadness? They're still the same salty water, but they feel so different. Are all emotions just interconnected?
11) What's the difference between childhood happiness and adulthood happiness? Is ignorance really bliss?
12) Why can a person feel happy one day and then depressed another? Why can somebody be labeled a "happy" person when emotions are different every day?
11) What's the difference between childhood happiness and adulthood happiness? Is ignorance really bliss?
12) Why can a person feel happy one day and then depressed another? Why can somebody be labeled a "happy" person when emotions are different every day?
Sunday, 22 May 2011
The Walking Dead: Theme of Episode 2
The theme thus far is sort of like the characters letting go of their normal, loving selves in the horrible, dangerous times in which they're living. At the beginning, Rick's wife cheats on him with Rick's best friend, and it's deliberately shown that she takes off her wedding ring around her neck. She obviously knew what she was doing, but let it slip perhaps because she felt like there was no longer a reason -- maybe her husband had been killed. Rick, trapped with Glenn and the others at the store in Atlanta, takes leadership by being a bit violent with troublemakers like Dixon. He was a cop, sure, but just a typical sheriff. Now he's making harsh decisions to survive. It looks like they're going to cover themselves with zombie guts to cover their living smell, perhaps showing something about losing touch with who they are.
The Reapers are the Angels: A Pleasant Surprise
I should be honest, right? Well, when I first heard my class would be reading books about human-eating corpses, I couldn't help but to roll my eyes a little bit. I like books with friendships and emotional journeys and not just bloody brawls, so I wasn't too thrilled to have to read one. Besides the Harry Potter series, I don't read a lot of fantasy or science-fiction. Zombies would be a stretch.
But to my pleasant surprise, I love The Reapers are the Angels. I mean love. The zombies are just like surrounding window-dressings or decorations -- they don't play as much of a part as I expected. There's religion through characters named Moses and Abraham, mentions of God, and a Sunday service, and there's Temple's struggle to find herself and have friendships with real people like Malcolm. Also to my pleasant surprise, the little bit of the story that is about flesh-eating zombies is really entertaining. I love a little adventure and mystery with my emotions, even if it just functions as a backdrop.
Temple, though she's a rough girl not afraid of anything but intimacy, is a very likable character. She's funny and cunning. There have been times when I really want Temple to just stay in place and be happy by becoming part of a community or staying friends with somebody. When Temple was with Ruby, who helped her heal and escape, I wanted (and sort of expected) Ruby to remain in the picture.
I can't wait to read more of this not-too-gory, emotive book -- so far, it gives a good name to zombie literature, something I previously wouldn't take too seriously.
But to my pleasant surprise, I love The Reapers are the Angels. I mean love. The zombies are just like surrounding window-dressings or decorations -- they don't play as much of a part as I expected. There's religion through characters named Moses and Abraham, mentions of God, and a Sunday service, and there's Temple's struggle to find herself and have friendships with real people like Malcolm. Also to my pleasant surprise, the little bit of the story that is about flesh-eating zombies is really entertaining. I love a little adventure and mystery with my emotions, even if it just functions as a backdrop.
Temple, though she's a rough girl not afraid of anything but intimacy, is a very likable character. She's funny and cunning. There have been times when I really want Temple to just stay in place and be happy by becoming part of a community or staying friends with somebody. When Temple was with Ruby, who helped her heal and escape, I wanted (and sort of expected) Ruby to remain in the picture.
I can't wait to read more of this not-too-gory, emotive book -- so far, it gives a good name to zombie literature, something I previously wouldn't take too seriously.
The Reapers are the Angels: Airplanes
In the early chapters of The Reapers are the Angels, airplanes show up a few times, symbolizing hope and freedom. Temple remembers a time in the car with Malcolm, a boy who she grew up with and treats like a brother, when they saw an airplane flying overheard. Later, Temple picks up a toy airplane while on the road of survival.
This book isn't just about slaughtering zombies -- it has a real, deep plot with human emotions and relationships. Planes carry a personal significance for Temple, the extent and details of which are yet to have been revealed, but they also exist in the story to resemble hope and freedom. Moreover, they symbolize the hope for freedom. Temple can't remember a time before the apocalypse, but she can remember a time when she was happy -- with Malcolm, it seems. The freedom isn't necessarily a freedom from zombies, but a freedom from her self-hatred and lack of human friendships. Temple hopes for this again, and she keeps this hope alive through remembering airplanes.
This book isn't just about slaughtering zombies -- it has a real, deep plot with human emotions and relationships. Planes carry a personal significance for Temple, the extent and details of which are yet to have been revealed, but they also exist in the story to resemble hope and freedom. Moreover, they symbolize the hope for freedom. Temple can't remember a time before the apocalypse, but she can remember a time when she was happy -- with Malcolm, it seems. The freedom isn't necessarily a freedom from zombies, but a freedom from her self-hatred and lack of human friendships. Temple hopes for this again, and she keeps this hope alive through remembering airplanes.
The Reapers are the Angels: The Lighthouse
In the first chapter of Alden Bell's The Reapers are the Angels, Temple, a young woman and the book's main character, leaves an island. There, she slept in a lighthouse. When a zombie washed up on the shore of the island, Temple left everything, including the lighthouse. If one were following the story with the structure of the Hero's Journey, this would be the inciting incident -- the event that introduces the major conflict of the story. Temple's conflict is, of course, to survive the "meatskins," but also to address the horrors in her past with a boy named Malcolm and better understand the evil she's convinced lies within her.
The lighthouse symbolizes safety and guidance. The lighthouse is used to see danger coming out in the rough waters, and it provides a safe haven in which Temple could stay on the island. When she leaves the lighthouse, Temple is entering a new world, a world of conflict. She no longer has the safety, the "light," of the tall tower that helped her survive, and so she's sent into this new world to discover and fend for herself.
The lighthouse symbolizes safety and guidance. The lighthouse is used to see danger coming out in the rough waters, and it provides a safe haven in which Temple could stay on the island. When she leaves the lighthouse, Temple is entering a new world, a world of conflict. She no longer has the safety, the "light," of the tall tower that helped her survive, and so she's sent into this new world to discover and fend for herself.
Friday, 20 May 2011
A Classic Summer
I never answered many questions about literature in my academic bowl exploits, probably because my book knowledge is lacking in one major way -- the classics. The most definitive of books I've read are Watership Down, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Treasure Island, all three of which you can see on my list of favorite books to the right. I've heard so many good things, of course, about these books, and yet I've stuck to reading new books like Harry Potter. This summer and over the next year, I vow to change that.
On my list of must-read classics:
Wuthering Heights
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Crime and Punishment
Uncle Tom's Cabin
The Catcher in the Rye
Jane Eyre
The Great Gatsby
Of course, the following aren't exactly classics, or at least not yet, but I'm also determined to read...
The Poisenwood Bible
Something Borrowed
and The Help
On my list of must-read classics:
Wuthering Heights
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Crime and Punishment
Uncle Tom's Cabin
The Catcher in the Rye
Jane Eyre
The Great Gatsby
Of course, the following aren't exactly classics, or at least not yet, but I'm also determined to read...
The Poisenwood Bible
Something Borrowed
and The Help
Thursday, 19 May 2011
What I'm Reading about Reading
To the right of my blog, I've posted 5 other blogs about books that inspired the this one that you're reading.
1) Tor writes regularly about the latest in science-fiction writing. When I read the page, one of the first entries to appear was one about the possibilty of a zombie apocolypse, exactly the scenario in the book I'm currently reading, The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell. It may not be the most personal of blogs (it's huge and posts are written by many different people), but the content directly relates to what we're studying -- angels and zombies. It talks about science-fiction books, shows, news, and movies.
2) A Book Blogger's Diary consists of one woman's quest for good books. Her name isn't shown, but she gives detailed, helpful reviews after providing a quick synopsis of the book. It was voted one of the top blogs of 2010 by Online PhD Programs.
3) "MizB" writes every single day without fail (from "Musing Mondays" to "Sunday Salon") about books on her blog called Should Be Reading. She reviews books -- lots of them -- and talks about books and reading more generally, too. I've already found a book or two that I'd like to read from her blog (Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin and Falling Under by Gwen Hayes).
4) Kristi is a young woman who considers herself fairly similar to teenagers. Her blog, The Story Siren, gives reviews about books mostly about romance. The posts are detailed and helpful, allowing you to choose whether or not it sounds interesting with still her own opinionated views.
5) While many of those previously listed blogs focus on more romantic books, A Bookworm's World discusses novels with mystery and suspense. Personally, I like a good balance between hard-core books with death and detectives and some sugarcoated sweetness of a summer romance.
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