book: catcher in the rye

I read this one last Saturday night instead of going to sleep, which I really should of done, because we began 8:30am church the next day. (You read that right - 8:30AM!)

I kept telling myself, one more chapter, then stop, especially since I still had to write in my journal, read my scriptures and all those good things.

I've never really had much self control when it comes to reading. The only divisions in books that I'll possibly respect are books within the book, or the last page.

I had never read this book before, though I did recognize the title as a book that I probably should read at least once in my life. I think, having read it, I would like to reread it at some laster date, so perhaps I can find what the book was really all about.

But, there were some themes that I could definitely relate to, the biggest of which was to not be a phony.

It would be an interesting exercise to count the number of times Holden Caulfield says the word phony.

He has a good point, though. But there are times when we are all phonies, but if we could limit the time when acting so, life we would be much more pleasant and enjoyable.

Also, I really really dislike swearing. I've been inundated by foul language from every quarter, and nothing's Sacred. I was grateful that Holden at least didn't use F***. He had at least some class, going even so far as to remove it from walls at his old/his sister's current school.

I loved how the book didn't try to tie everything up - sometimes I like the neat tidy endings, but I think in this case it didn't need one. We know he has learned a lot about the world, and we know that he could very easily succeed in whatever he put his mind to - the question is if he will allow himself to do that, to begin to live again. I hope he does, for Allie's sake, and for his sake.

You know that for as messed up and depressed as he is, all he really wants to do is to help others. We learn this through his misquoting of the Burn's Poem. I read the Burns poem and didn't see what it had to do with the narrative, and I'm thinking nothing - it was the visual image he liked. Standing on the edge of a cliff, ready to catch any poor kid who come charging through the rye, not knowing about the cliff.

I read some wiki analyses of the book, and how at times he was the catcher, but he and his sister change roles, etc etc. I don't know if I agree with them, but I can't really remember what I thought, knowing that is was influenced by the other perspective as soon as I read it. Silly wikipedia. I really should stay away sometimes.

book: vampirates!

Well, I finished the book. If you're looking for literary greatness, don't bother. The writing is horribly clunky, and there are a few premises in the plot that make you wonder what the author was thinking. Why was it necessary to set the story in the 2500s?

But, If you love vampires, and pirates, especially 17 year old Irish vampires who aren't trying to be more than friends, this book is for you.

It's a quick read, and truthfully, if my local library has the next book or two, I'd probably check them out. The story is fairly engaging. It's not a book I would recommend seeking out, unless you meet the qualifications stated above, but it's not a book that you would regret reading either.

I leave you now with words of wisdom from Vampirates:

[Life] won't be an easy journey - do not expect it to be. But the easy journeys are not worth the leather on the soles of our shoes... It's the journey that test us to our very core - the journeys that strip the clothes from our back, mess with our minds, and shake our spirits - these are the journeys worth taking in life. The show us who we are. (295)

a request for parenting from parents

I bought Breaking Dawn at Costco. For $12.50. I am glad I did not spend more on it. It wasn't bad, but, well, it left a funny taste in the mouth. I don't know what I was hoping for - perhaps less focus on the 'intimate relations' of our friends Bella and Edward. I

I finished all 754 pages in about 12 hours, including a few, well, about four hours sleep, so a total of eight hours. I feel the same way I felt after watching the Dark Knight: I do not regret seeing the movie, but it wasn't good for the soul.

I've been reading a bit of the definitions of Romance novels, and the subgenres, and strongly feel that with the usual problems of defining and categorizing things, it firmly belongs within this realm. Okay, I'll let it be in the subgenre of Paranormal Romance. I hope you noticed if you went to the Wikipedia article, that in the url there is the term Bodice Ripper. This is quite literal in this case. (Also, I don't know how I feel of Jane Austen being included, and lauded at one of the first Romance writers. hmm....)

That being said, I know millions of fans across the globe will love every scintillating moment, wishing that they were Bella (or Edward for the male fans). And that is where true problem with the book begins: it is being marketed as a Young Adult book. That, it is not. Parents, I know you won't be able to stop your young girls from reading the book, but please read it yourself so that you know what it contains, and what they have read. Please.

book: jonathan strange and mr norrell

It took me a long time until I had the energy needed to read this book. In fact, it took a temporary job sitting in the sun to finish the book. Anywhere up to a year ago, Sarah lent me this book to read. I read maybe the first chapter, but nothing more. The book is huge! I believe it's at least 700 pages, and there are included footnotes, and the typeface is not large.

But, I was not allowed to listen to books as I worked security, so I decided to take the huge tome with me as I worked security at the gates during Stadium of Fire.

The first day I worked at 6am (in theory, at least) until, well, I don't remember when. I was stationed at gate one with a grandma who wanted to talk about her grandkids, and how she doesn't read anything unless it comes from Deseret Book.

I didn't go there.

Oh, and she didn't like fantasy. So, the common ground was quite small. It consisted of my reading of Work and the Glory, which I had read in the sixth grade. Still, she wanted to chat. This meant my reading time was limited, but it was enough to get me hooked in the story.

The second day I worked 10-3pm, alone, at a gate with very little thoroughfare, so I read a LOT. I believe by the end of the shift I had gone through at least 500 pages. Stadium workers who would go in and out of the same gate would occasionally check my progress and were impressed. And they were worried that I was bored.

Any other self-respecting book would have been finished by now, but not this one. It took an all almost all nighter that same night to finish, but finish I did.

One of my major complaints about books, well, more especially about movie adaptations about books is that the powers that be feel the need to spice things up (translation: dumb things down by blowing things up)

This book did not have that. It was refreshingly unexciting. It was real life. They just happened to be magicians. Other than the magic part, there was nothing in the book that we ourselves could not have experienced!


Bottom line: If you have the willpower, read it. Faerie now makes sense, well, at least more sense.

book: summerland

For last month's audible.com credit, I downloaded Summerland by Michael Chabon. I'd had it in my wish list for a while, and it finally came its turn after I finished the Dark is Rising series.

Hmm, how to describe Summerland... it's about a boy, Ethan, his friend Jennifer T. and how they save the world whilst playing baseball. This story is intertwined with elements of American folklore such as fairies (which are similar to those found in faerie), giants, Sasquatches, were-foxes and Coyote. Oh, and don't forget the Cuban baseball star!

I did worry if I would like it, for after all, the main activity participated in by the protagonists was baseball; oft times major developments resulted from baseball. I knew that I was enjoying the book when I began to wonder what was going to happen. Okay, not to spoil the story and all, but I had deduced that it was going to end happily, but how? How was that possible with the odds so against them?

Overall, yes, I did enjoy the book. There were a few cheap tricks in the plot line, but they were forgivable. I haven't devised a rating system, and I really don't know to which other books it is comparable to, other than Rip Van Winkle and other American folk tales.




Final verdict: read worthy material, especially if you like the folk myth of America. He does a good job of integrating the characters in a believable manner.

For the mums: there are a few instances of swearing, but nothing horribly vulgar. One instance of descriptive nudity and at least one passage of potty humor that I can remember.