tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22951494729312837542024-03-14T00:24:13.061-05:00No BS BooksStraight Shooting YA Book ReviewsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-68633528943371056682013-06-26T18:38:00.000-05:002013-06-27T02:30:20.665-05:00The Institute of BS Explores - Human/Dragon Transformation in Seraphina by Rachel Hartman<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dragons are a staple of fantasy, and
a frequent barb in the side of the Institute of BS’s Science Department.
Everyone here is a great lover of fantasy; we’re all masochists you see, so
dragons are a common subject of scrutiny amongst us. Due to this, the
impossibility of dragons has been completely and overly proven (unless you ask
Kyoma, who swears that the volatile nature of their guts that allows them to
breathe fire, could be fired from another unnamed orifice, turning them into
living jets. Pure speculation of course, due to personal fantasy rather than
evidence). Or rather, was proven. You see, several months ago, we were
presented with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seraphina</i> by Rachel
Hartman.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Unlike the traditional dragon,
Rachel Hartman’s are extremely intelligent creatures with the ability to
transform into a saarantras, a dragon in human form. The process that allows
this is still unknown, but the problems it creates are amazingly interesting.
First of these problems is where does the excess flesh go</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before I can go into this, we need
to cover a principal of science we adhere to at the Institute of BS, the Theory
of Equivalent Exchange. Besides that, we also believe that matter cannot be
simply destroyed or created, but only converted into energy, and vice versa.
What this means is that the dragon’s extra mass can’t just cease to exist upon
transformation into man. We’re left with a few options because of this.</div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">●<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>When a dragon goes from its natural form to that of a
human, any extra mass (which there would be a considerable amount of) would be
converted into energy. When they become dragons again, they use energy to
recreate the extra mass. Problem with this system is the sheer inefficiency of
it. The amounts of energy would be massive, so acquiring the necessary amount
and storing it would be a monumental task. In addition to that, an explosion
would be created upon converting the mass into energy.</div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">●<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Rather than losing any mass, the dragons just condense
themselves when transforming into humans. I don’t think it needs to be said
that this wouldn’t work, but if we are anything, it’s thorough. I’d say a very
conservative estimation of dragon’s weight would be six tons, and that is an
embarrassingly conservative estimation. Even if we assume that when a dragon
takes a human shape, it retains the ability to live through and move regardless
of such weights, that doesn’t mean its surroundings can. Twelve-thousand pounds
spread across such a small area (that of the foot) would be more than enough to
destroy wood flooring, it’d pose a threat to stone, and would absolutely
decimate shoes. On the other hand, a punch by one of these theoretical
creatures would rival that of The Hulk. Now, I enjoy the idea of dragons
transforming into the Hulk as much as the next guy, but one has to be
clear-headed on such matters, lest we get carried away and ignore the
information we have on hand. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seraphina</i>,
a dragon is clearly depicted as being “man”handled, which would be impossible
if they weighed 6 tons. Unless you were the Hulk.</div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">●<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Since exploding dragons and lead saarantrai aren’t
feasible, I see only one other scientific explanation; feather-light dragons.
If, instead of a dragon’s weight condensing down to the size of a human, it was
a human’s weight expanding to the size of a dragon? This would explain why
saarantrai don’t destroy everything they touch, why humans can shove them
about, and it avoids having to deal with explosions- it avoids every problem of
the other two theories. In addition to solving those issues, it also explains
how a dragon can manage to fly, without resorting to becoming a natural jet.To
carry a twelve-thousand pound dragon with wings alone would be impossible,
unless the wings were the size of continents, thus taking so much muscle that
the animal in question would need to be even bigger, and the cycle just goes
on. However, if a dragon were to weigh a mere two hundred pounds, it could fly
faster than an eagle. Once again though, this is not the answer to all our
questions. Being so light would greatly reduce a dragon’s ability to fight.
Since force = mass x acceleration (F = m x a), the lack of mass would decrease
a dragon’s lethality to an unimaginable degree. Decreased mass would allow a
dragon to fly faster, maybe taking its viciousness up from “feathertick” to
“memory foam.” Not exactly the menacing monsters from the stories, are they?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seraphina
</i>had such great promise as a novel of scientific logic, but it tragically
fell into the trap that is fantasy. I wish it wasn’t so obvious that Rachel
Hartman didn’t do her research into the field of animal densities, especially
when it is so easy to enroll in the Institute of BS’s three week course on
Animal Densities and the Corresponding Effects on Flight for a mere 15 payments
of 12 dollars. Perhaps I will revisit <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seraphina</i>
to analyze other aspects of its world. Dragon/human crossbreeding, the
mysterious disappearance of a dragon’s stomach when taking human form- there
are many mysteries to be unlocked, which might hold the key to answering the
density conundrum.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dr. Cain Freeman PhD M.D. from the Institute of BS Science
Department out!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
*Seraphina by Rachel Hartman is a pretty awesome fantasy
novel. If you want to read my not very good review of it, <a href="http://nobsbooks.blogspot.com/2013/04/seraphina-by-rachel-hartman.html" target="_blank">here </a>it is! (It really is a horrid review. Might have to take it down one day.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Science relies on collaboration, so please feel free to discuss and debate your own theories on dragon transformation!</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-56654012377685879332013-06-24T21:14:00.001-05:002013-06-24T23:33:22.743-05:00Why I Hate the Barriers Genres Create<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Originally posted on <a href="http://theintrepidbookmoth.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Intrepid Book Moth</a> as a guest post)</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Genre</span></b><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">: <i>a class or category of artistic endeavor having a
particular form, content, technique, or the like</i></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
Genres are the backbone of books, the bed authors can fall back on. If an
author is ever suffering writer’s block, they can just look at the genre they
are writing within, take inspiration, see what’s needed. But just as they are a
bed, genres are also cells. Looking between the bars, you can see your fellow
inmates, crowded in their own cells; contact limited to shouts across the barren
hallways.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
Trust me, there were at least five layers of metaphor in there. I don’t think I
even understood all of them, but allow me to attempt to walk you through what I
just said. When I think about writing (which I do way more than actually
writing), I find myself subconsciously falling back onto genre conventions.
It’s Sci-Fi so it needs lasers, evil corporations, and tentacled aliens.
Bringing in ideas from other genres, ditching the evil corporation being
overthrown with a teen who’s going to commit suicide, it feels dirty; like I’m
defiling an unspoken rule. As a reader, I find myself doing the exact same,
staying a mile away from genres, just because I’ve had a few bad experiences,
and because I’m not supposed to read them. A teen guy reading a Romance? What’s
wrong with him? This partial-bibliophobia kills the opportunities for a rich
literature ecosystem, it creates formulaic plots, and fearful readers. Who does
this benefit?</span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
The best things happen when multiple elements are allowed to mix. Popcorn is
best with butter, chocolate is best with peanut butter. The inclusion of new
ingredients, borrowed from other genres, only serves to broaden scope and
advance literature. The example that immediately comes to mind is <i>The Legend
of Korra</i>,<i> </i>a cartoon. Its mix of Steampunk, the prohibition era, and
Fantasy makes its setting one of the most unique I can recall. While it isn’t a
book, it shows the magic that can happen when genres are allowed to bleed into
each other.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
Along with the barriers that genres create, they can be amazingly vague. Let’s
take Sci-Fi for example. What does it take to be a Sci-Fi novel? Future things,
like lasers and space slugs, right? Well, what about Steampunk? That doesn’t
have lasers. In fact, this sub-genre is usually a digression in technology,
resorting to metal monstrosities belching out black smoke. Genres were created
decades ago, designed to encompass that era’s literature, and are now
struggling with these ever growing, abstract ideas. It’s like trying to fit a
three-headed elephant through a doggie door.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
In my idealistic fantasies, we, the book “community”, would adopt a
build-a-bear setup. Rather than saying “I am a fan of mysteries,” you’d say, “I
am a fan of dark-cyberpunk-mysteries with a slight absurdist edge.” Which is
more telling? If someone says they like mysteries that could just as easily be
Dan Brown or A-Z Mysteries.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
As is the case with idealistic fantasies, they are just that, fantasies. People
gravitate towards unified vocabularies, and that is no different in books.
Libraries and bookstores have used and always will use the generalizing system
of genre based categorization, so readers will use them too. Can you imagine
trying to stock a library using the genre system I suggested? Or imagine
navigating it as you look for <i>Anna and the French Kiss</i>. It isn’t
feasible. In addition to the impractical nature of categorization, there are
problems with conversation. Someone asks me what kind of books I like, I don’t
want to give them an entire dissertation on the subject. Sci-Fi works as decent
shorthand, even though there are hordes of Sci-Fi I don’t enjoy.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
When I tone down my hopes, reel in my dreams, and look at this through logical
eyes, I find myself hoping that at least on the highest level, that of the
content creator, genres are ignored. Perhaps then, the mentality will sift down
to the consumer, once they start reading Chris Crutcher-esque plots in a
Fantasy setting. Until then, where’s my Dystopian trilogy with a love interest?</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-8759880000718662512013-06-20T20:49:00.002-05:002013-06-20T20:50:44.032-05:00Waz Up?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Some of you may remember that a few
weeks ago I posted a real quick update, informing everyone that I was not dead.
In addition to that very important announcement, I was planning on giving a
more in-depth look at my plans for the blog. Problem was, I’m an idiot, so I
waited till late in the evening to write it, meaning I didn’t have time to
finish. Today, I’ll be fixing that.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Let’s first start with the biggest
(and possibly only) subject of importance, the new series/features I’m thinking
of starting up! In the style of all the great unoriginals, this will be
presented as a list!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
1. Cain Freeman, PhD – Some of you
may not know this, but I have a PhD of Science from the Institute of BS. What
better way to use this than overanalyzing fantasy and science-fiction novels!
Not a hundred percent sure what I will be calling this, but I’m hoping it will
drip with delicious, delicious pun, much like grease.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
2. Song Title Challenge – I got
this idea from Emma at <a href="http://awordlessblogger.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Wordless Blogger</i></a>.
The idea is simple; you suggest a title of a song, and I’ll maybe write a story
around it. Just because you suggest a song doesn’t mean I will do it. Afterall,
if I don’t get any inspiration from the title, how could I possibly write a
story around it?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
3. Sometimes I get ideas that are
absolute shit. We’re talking cement flotation device levels of shit. Usually
they die off by themselves in the dark recesses of my mind, but there’s one
that lives. You see, there’s a writing community called Figment. It’s quite
big, quite famous. A misfiring neuron of mine thinks that it’d be a good idea
to review some of the stories on there. What service this offers to anyone, I
don’t know, but dammit! This neuron won’t shut up!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Yeah, so I might be doing some of
those.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
4. Discussion Posts (Which I may
start calling “No BS” because the blog’s name is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No BS Books</i>, and they both have No BS in the title and it’s all
really clever.) Don’t think this really needs to be explained. It’s just more
posts like “<a href="http://nobsbooks.blogspot.com/2013/06/white-pages-shouldnt-mean-white.html" target="_blank">White Pages Shouldn’t Mean White Characters</a>,” but dealing with
other topics.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
5. Self-Indulgence – Since I wanted
to pad out my word count, I’ll be including this series. Self-Indulgence isn’t
new, it began with <a href="http://nobsbooks.blogspot.com/2013/04/self-indulgence-musical-musings-in.html" target="_blank">my musings on the music of Delirium</a>, but hasn’t seen a post
in months. The name really says it all, my useless thoughts that have sprung up
from reading a book.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
That’s all really! I’m trying to
get several series (features?) up and running so I can reliably release content
on Tuesdays, alongside my reviews on Thursdays… which should be returning soon.
Slightly ridiculous that a post detailing what to expect on Tuesdays gets
released on a Thursday, isn’t it?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
PS – Since it looks like Google may be phasing out GFC, I’d
like to warn everyone that I will be switching over to Bloglovin’ and following
by email from now on. If you want to stay up-to-date, then I’d recommend
switching over to one of those. You can find the corresponding options on the
sidebar to the left!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Do you want to do a
good deed now so you don’t have to do a harder, more rewarding one later? Then
follow me on all my platforms! Follow No BS Books on<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/6029639/no-bs-books" target="_blank"> Bloglovin’</a>, and never miss
a post! If you prefer something a little more personal, then follow me on
<a href="https://twitter.com/nobsbooks" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. Guaranteed to be at least as interesting as triangle proofs! Now, for
you select, wild, daring individuals, I offer another outlet. It’s called
StumbleUpon, and it’ll eat your very soul. You’ll love it. Are you part of it
yet? If not, follow me, and I’ll help you learn the ropes. StumbleUpon can be
found <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/NoBSBooks" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-72097870040514767172013-06-06T19:00:00.001-05:002013-06-06T19:01:04.282-05:00I'm Alive!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’m alive! Air is in my lungs, blood
is flowing through my veins, and other life sustaining systems are sustaining
life! You know what that all means- I’m back. Everyone can call their PIs and
tell them that I have been found at long last. After a long, dark month spent
at the family’s, I am once again returning to blogging and supplying content
that is at least acceptable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Originally, this post was supposed
to update all of you to the various things I have planned, but since it’s now
two in the morning, I’ll leave that to another day. To put it quite simply,
nothing much is going to change, and I will hopefully be returning to the old
schedule (review every Thursday, maybe something on Tuesdays) with a few
additions perhaps, which I will go into another time!</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sorry about the short post, but time
was being a selfish POS, refusing to change its pace for me. Try not to give
too many loathing looks to your clocks though; they are nothing but the
messenger.</div>
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<br /></div>
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See ya on Tuesday! (Hopefully)</div>
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<br /></div>
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P.S. This will be first post to feature my new Shameless
Whore section, because why not? As far as I’m concerned, the fact that you are
reading this is evidence that stage one of the Shameless Whoring has worked,
meaning stage two must be started. What that means, you ask? Quite simple
actually: I’ll ask you to follow me on my various social media outlets, because
it makes me feel good.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Want to stay
up-to-date on all the blog happenings, and get a moment to moment glimpse into
my mind? Then follow <a href="https://twitter.com/nobsbooks" target="_blank">@NoBSBooks</a> on Twitter! Or, if you want something a tad
more interesting, you can follow/friend/whatever-StumbleUpon-uses, so when it
slowly takes over my life, I know I’m not alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can find that <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/NoBSBooks/likes" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-60407098254555415352013-05-16T14:11:00.000-05:002013-05-16T14:12:02.417-05:00Blogging Hibernation<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> To set the mood-</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Alright, all five of you reading
this right now, I have some terrible news. If you are one to stand while doing
your blog reading, then I must ask you to sit down, lest you go weak in the
knees. You see, I am around these people called “family.” I’m not just around
them, but living under their roof. The presence of these other bipedal
creatures has disrupted my hermit equilibrium, which is the source of my
blogging energies. Without a supply of blogging juices to spew, I can’t
reliably write reviews that don’t suck. What this all translates to is this: for
the next two or so weeks, while I’m around these fellow human beings, I will be
entering a blogger hibernation. Glad that I had you sit now, aren’t ya?</div>
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</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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So… See you later?</div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-74395186604783947832013-05-02T20:29:00.000-05:002013-05-02T20:29:30.281-05:00The Book Notes Project - Spreading the Love<!--[if !mso]>
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For various reasons I won’t be putting up a review today.
Instead, I’ll be talking about something far more interesting, <a href="http://booknotesproject.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Book Notes Project</a>. Spreading a little happiness, bit by bit.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><img alt="book notes" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-3575" height="359" src="http://awordlessblogger.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/book-notes.jpg?w=480&h=359" width="480" /> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="http://booknotesproject.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Book Notes Project</a>, started by
Emma at <a href="http://awordlessblogger.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">A Wordless Blogger</a>, is all about spreading happiness through the common
love of books. Simply by slipping a note with a kind message into a book, we
hope to bring a smile to someone’s face.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For me, a terribly pessimistic,
cynical human being, joining a group that is the embodiment of positivity feels
odd. I’m like the Grinch, learning that I don’t have to be a doom and gloom
type. “…they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day.” In
all reality, I’ve always been a fan of random acts of kindness as people call
them, or in my mind, simply being a good person.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When I stumbled across <a href="http://booknotesproject.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Book Notes Project</a>, I instantly knew that I wanted to participate in some capacity.
The idea, leaving notes in books, was one I had considered before, after I got
a book that had several of its own. When I found out that others had similar
ideas, my decision was made for me. Improving someone’s day with such a small,
simple thing is quite powerful to me, and makes me wonder, why wouldn’t someone
do it? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1.0in;">
Since joining <a href="http://booknotesproject.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Book Notes Project</a> a few days ago, I’ve already went to the library and littered the books
with notes. Just simple little messages, something to make a person smile. An
hour of my time is all it took, and now a dozen people hopefully have a better
day awaiting them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Really, this post is promotional.
When something is this amazing, I can make an exception to my distaste for
promotional posts. That wasn’t the intent, but I am far too tired to talk about
anything of meaning, so I will leave that for later this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you do want to participate, then please
email Emma at book-notes@hotmail.com. I’d strongly encourage you to join,
because why not make someone’s day?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sorry for the lack of content this
week, things just didn’t work out. I promise that things will be smoother next
week.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-73441768016668129082013-04-25T15:42:00.000-05:002013-04-25T15:42:41.199-05:00The 39 Deaths of Adam Strand by Gregory Galloway<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid--a4cf0ad-42e3-88cb-e8bc-bb540df1cd38" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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“Adam Strand isn't depressed. He's just bored. Disaffected.
So he kills himself—39 times. No matter the method, Adam can't seem to stay
dead; he wakes after each suicide alive and physically unharmed, more
determined to succeed and undeterred by others' concerns. But when his
self-contained, self-absorbed path is diverted, Adam is struck by the reality
that life is an ever-expanding web of impact and forged connections, and that
nothing—not even death—can sever those bonds.</div>
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<br /></div>
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In stark, arresting prose, Gregory Galloway finds hope and
understanding in the blackest humor.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’d like to thank the <a href="http://cuddlebuggery.com/" target="_blank">Cuddlebuggery Book Blog</a> for supplying <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The 39 Deaths of
Adam Strand</i> ARC through their <a href="http://cuddlebuggery.com/the-little-blogger-big-ambitions-project/" target="_blank">Little Blogger, Big Ambitions</a> project.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Every book ever written, I want to
love. I want it to be a gem, a euphoric experience. And when a book shows
potential, only to fall on its face, tripping over needless scenes,
unbelievable reactions… Well there are few things as saddening. When I finished
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The 39 Deaths of Adam Strand, </i>I
wasn’t sad because of an emotional story, I was sad because there could have
been an emotional story.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The core concept, committing
suicide, only to come back completely unharmed, I love. It opens up a lot of
interesting possibilities for a character. But when you have a concept as
unbelievable as this, you really have to sell it. That’s probably where
Galloway missed the mark the most.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Apparently everyone knows about
Adam, how he keeps coming back after he dies. They’re cool with it though, I
mean, nothing scary about a person who keeps living after blowing their brains
out. You see that every day! And it’s not like Adam may need some medical
treatment for compulsive suicides. That’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">definitely
</i>healthy in a sixteen year old.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If you can’t read through my subtle
sarcasm, I struggled with the character’s reactions to Adam. Since Adams don’t
exist, I don’t know what the proper reaction would be, but if current attitudes
are an indication, whether it’s sexual orientation, race, or a physical
disfigurement, people don’t like those that are different. When there were
strong reactions, they felt fake, insubstantial, like a movie set. Even his
parents’ reactions seemed muted. I can only assume that having your son commit
suicide only to come back repeatedly, would have serious ramifications on your
psyche. Later on, this is partially explained, and combined with Adam’s
self-centeredness, I could probably let it go, if it didn’t make me scream so
much at the beginning.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Everything at the beginning made me
scream. Between the characters and less than fantastic writing, I struggled
tooth and nail through the first hundred, hundred twenty pages. Having to fight
through that much of a book is unacceptable in my eyes. In all fairness, it did
get easier after that, whether I got used to the writing, Adam’s self-centered
POV, accepted the semi-casual treatment of Adam, or some combination of them.
Or maybe something else entirely! But having to fight through the first third
of a book is inexcusable.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even after the period of fighting, I
still felt like I was wading through the story instead of being pulled along.
There weren’t any characters I cared about, many scenes could have been cut completely
from the story, just nothing I was invested in. In my opinion, the plot did the
one thing Adam couldn’t, flatlined.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I don’t know if I’ve ever read a
book with so many scenes that made me go, “Huh?” For example, about halfway
through the book, Adam is in a basement with Violet Courtland, an effectively
crazy classmate of his. We have no prior knowledge of her, Adam doesn’t have
any sort of relationship with her before this, and they end up having sex. In
my mind, I’m thinking this is probably an important plot point, it will cause
problems with Adam’s friends, and then nothing really happens besides one
heated conversation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What was the point
of the scene? You brought in a whole new character to do what? This is only one
of several different times the book glosses over or throws in an unneeded
scene. Some can possibly be explained by Galloway trying to highlight Adam’s
character, and his self-centeredness, again, but others are just clumsy
plotting.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The book isn’t all bad execution.
There are moments that show the potential here, and some very funny lines,
which may be a tad too vulgar for here. The interactions between Adam and his
“friends” can be quite entertaining in their honesty, as they sit by the river
drinking cheap liquor. These moments are few and far between though, sandwiched
together between excessive, clumsy writing, and rip-your-hair-out moments.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To top it all off, there’s perhaps
one of the most unsatisfying endings I’ve ever read. While it may have fit in
with the tone of the book, I was left wanting more closure. Doesn’t help that
the preceding story arc ended just ten or so pages earlier, with a blinding
case of deus ex machina.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Whether because of incompetence or
inexperience, Gregory Galloway took what could have been fantastic in more able
hands, and wrote what feels like a first draft. His intent is clear, and the
message does come through, but it wasn’t entertaining. I’m excited to see what
else Galloway writes because he’s shown potential here, but he hasn’t come into
being yet.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-74380685290421515452013-04-23T16:51:00.000-05:002013-04-23T16:52:36.506-05:00Top Ten Tuesday #2 : Top Ten Books I Thought I’d Like More/Less than I Did<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You know that book, which had such
promise, that you were ready to just love, but served to only break your reader
heart? Or perhaps you know its brother; the quiet book, unassuming, which you
were prepared to read and forget about, but in the end loved, went so far as to
use your silken bookmark with? Who hasn’t been there? Follow me as I recount
the Top Ten Books I Thought I’d Like More/Less than I Did.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Disappointments</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1365393270l/15721642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The 39 Deaths of Adam Strand" border="0" height="200" id="coverImage" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1365393270l/15721642.jpg" width="131" /></a>4. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The 39 Deaths of
Adam Strand </i>by Gregory Galloway – I’m slightly hesitant to put it on the
list, since I haven’t even finished the book yet, but it’d take a miracle to
save this book. Why I had this book hyped up in my <span style="font-size: small;">head</span>, I don’t know, but I
was hoping for something fresh, experimental. Instead, it’s simply
unbelievable. Never before have I shouted at a book so much. Since a review
will be going up Monday, I won’t waste your time on the tedium.</div>
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358962036l/24770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Uglies (Uglies, #1)" border="0" height="200" id="coverImage" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358962036l/24770.jpg" width="129" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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3. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Uglies</i> by Scott
Westerfeld – Scott Westerfeld is one of those authors whose work I love. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Uglies</i> is probably his most popular
book, and I can honestly see why, but it managed to completely miss its mark
for me. The entire idea of the book, a commentary on beauty and conformity,
just didn’t touch me, meaning it felt like he was preaching to the choir, with
only meager scrapings left to pick over.</div>
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358275334l/2767052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)" border="0" height="200" id="coverImage" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358275334l/2767052.jpg" width="129" /></a> 2.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> The Hunger Games
Trilogy</i> by Suzanne Collins – Someone’s already writing a death threat,
aren’t they? Go ahead, because I mean it when I say I don’t get the following
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hunger Games.</i> Yes, they are
good books, but I can think of several pieces of dystopian fiction I consider
more “deserving” of the success. I wasn’t so much disappointed in the book as I
was disappointed by the fact that rose to the top of the charts, which is
completely illogical, but when are feelings ever logical?</div>
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347244739l/7171876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Fallout (Crank, #3)" border="0" height="200" id="coverImage" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347244739l/7171876.jpg" width="141" /></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">1. Fallout</i> by
Ellen Hopkins – If you’ve ever read anything on this entire blog, you know that
I want to wear Ellen Hopkins’s skin practically. After reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Crank</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Glass</i>, I was so excited to sink my teeth into Fallout. Having
Kristina’s story continue, by the extension of her kids, was such a promising
idea. And I left absolutely disappointed, and not because <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fallout</i> was bad, it wasn’t, but because <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Crank</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Glass</i> were so
good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fallout</i> didn’t serve as a fitting end to Kristina’s story, leaving
me a little bitter.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></b></span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span><br />
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Surprises</span></b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1334593677l/13537496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The Other Normals " border="0" height="200" id="coverImage" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1334593677l/13537496.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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3<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. The Other Normals</i>
by Ned Vizzini – My motivation for getting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Other Normals</i> was really quite basic, the blurb was crazy. No reason more
complex than that. I didn’t even expect it to be well written. When it turned
out that the book was a simple, ludicrous ode to pen and paper RPGs, I was
elated. People tend to take books too seriously, praising plot, character,
story, and shaming simple books, that focus on one thing. Admittedly, I do this
too, but that’s beside the point. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Other Normals</i> is simple, immature, funny.</div>
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1317064332l/6420846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lockdown (Escape From Furnace, #1)" border="0" height="200" id="coverImage" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1317064332l/6420846.jpg" width="133" /></a>2. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Escape from Furnace Series</i>
by Alexander Gordon Smith – These are glorious books. Beautiful is a word that
I hesitate to use in conjunction with books, but there is a strength of spirit
in these books that truly is beautiful. I know this idea is overused and
somewhat cheesy, but that’s how I felt. Why I ever doubted them, I don’t know.<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1356993940l/13262783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Every Day" border="0" height="200" id="coverImage" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1356993940l/13262783.jpg" width="132" /></a>1. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Every Day</i> by
David Levithan – Romance, a genre that I tend to stay a mile away from.
Whatever inspired me to reach out to this book, I don’t know. The dramatic
would say fate, I’d say being too lazy to read the blurb before checking it
out. In the end, it wasn’t even one of my favorite books. What it did though,
was reveal the stupidity of my treatment of romance as anathema. Actually, it helped
me dismantle my genre prejudices in general.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Seems like I’ll be branded as the
Blogger Who Can’t Count to Ten. Tell you what, let’s make a deal. When you
comment and tell me your list, I won’t judge your number, ‘kay? It’ll all be a
nice secret; no one else has to know.</div>
</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-33753206029835535262013-04-18T21:32:00.000-05:002013-04-18T21:32:01.558-05:00The Stages of Madness in One Email<br />
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<![endif]--><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’m not
going to give much explanation for this, but allow me to say that the following was
written at four in the morning, right after I finished my review of <i>Seraphina</i>. I needed to send it to my teach/editor so I wrote this email, with the intention of it being nice and short, sticking to the facts. However, my conscious
mind fell out of favor with my hands, allowing my subconscious to rise. You are
about to read an unedited glimpse into my (sleep deprived) mind.<br />
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<br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
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"Okay, I'm going to be honest with you. In my current
state of being, I could mistake a turd for a gold bar. I wrote a review in this
state, and those leading up to it. Do you see problems here? Because I
apparently thought this intelligent, wise, diligent. It may have been diligent,
but wise and intelligent? No. What this all means is that the review probably
smells as bad as lindbergh on an August day. Almost sure the first paragraph
will have to be scrapped completely, who knows what operations I'll have to do
to the rest. After the first paragraph, everything became a blur. Thing is, we
already established that I am in no state to write a review, so I am also in no
state to judge one either. If the review is horrid enough I'll put it up as a
warning and lesson, "Kids, sleep before thinking." Positive messages,
right? People like that sort of stuff. Also, this has been a great lesson in
sleep deprivation torture; you can't trust a thing that the person says. I feel
like I could break into reciting Paradise Lost, which I haven't even laid eyes
on before!</div>
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<br /></div>
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A Sleep Deprivation edition would be quite funny actually.
Maybe that should become a Feature. Couldn't be on books though... Maybe my
interpretations of needlessly dense poems? It'd have to be an unedited feature.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have I ever mentioned I get really talky when I am tired? I
do. I hope you haven't read this far down. This is time of your life you will
never get back, just so you know. Of course you know that. Almost everyime
someone says "just so you know" it's something that person knows
obviously. It'd be weird if humans weren't so weird. Would you look at that?
I'm a philosopher! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This poetry thing needs to happen. Just read this email.
There is potential there. Potential for madness and content as bad as can be,
but No BS Books has shit right in its name afterall. Sneaky, huh? Feel like a
politician, writing loopholes into laws.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pretty sure this email is going to be brought up in class,
isn't it? Wonder if I'll remember it tomorrow. Just so you know, a half lucid
rant on memory was barely avoided just now. My now, not yours. Obviously.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyways, due to me having to fight off vicious land sharks,
my history probably will be done by just before class. Can't imagine that will
throw any major wrenches into anything, but sorry if it does. Those land sharks
were going to eat somebody if I didn't prevent it. Hell, I'll probably be
Time's person of the year for what I did.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyways (yes, two consecutive paragraphs starting with
"anyways." What did you expect at this point of the email? Hemingway?
London? Shakespeare? Frost?) probably best that I go crawl in bed, leave...
this in the past.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Cain/Ken/Man of Many Mad Ramblings Past Midnight or
KCMMMRPM for short. Pronounced like the procuring and spitting of a loogie. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
PS- As an individual versed in the English language, this
email must send shivers down your spine, for I am assuming that I accidentally
wrote the almost as complicated language that is gibberish. Such an under
valued language these days, reserved to big business and politicians. Gotta
love "edgy" comments."</div>
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<![endif]-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-85905680336102104462013-04-18T21:31:00.001-05:002013-04-19T15:12:05.282-05:00Seraphina by Rachel Hartman<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TzDGGcorDpk/UXCTbe_waiI/AAAAAAAAAEM/ckZywDHm3Hk/s1600/Seraphina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TzDGGcorDpk/UXCTbe_waiI/AAAAAAAAAEM/ckZywDHm3Hk/s1600/Seraphina.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a> <span id="freeText4893713769388440934">"Four decades of peace
have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the
kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend
court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to
universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws
near, however, tensions are high.<br /><br />Seraphina Dombegh has reason
to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court
just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously
draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering
with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive
Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister
plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own
secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its
discovery could mean her very life.<br /><br />In her exquisitely written
fantasy debut, Rachel Hartman creates a rich, complex, and utterly
original world. Seraphina's tortuous journey to self-acceptance is one
readers will remember long after they've turned the final page." -taken from Goodreads</span><br />
<span id="freeText4893713769388440934"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span id="freeText4893713769388440934"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seraphina
</i>is a musical high fantasy that abandons the classic epic quest with a
racially charged mystery. Odd humor, melodies, and the Goreddi Court threaded
together, and created a wondrous welcome back into high fantasy for me. Good
characters, an interesting setting, and fantastic writing make this a book I
look forward to rereading one day.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Will it ever become normal to write
summaries at the beginning? Because as of right now, it feels really
artificial, and needlessly avant-garde. Just look! It has me using a fashion
term in a book review! I’m the guy who wears sweat pants, a clean shirt, and
Sorel boots as formal wear. I need to get back to the ranting, a field I am
comfortable in.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>World building in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seraphina</i> was hit and miss. For example,
the racial tensions between humans and dragons were beautifully crafted, with
the issue being far less black and white than in other books. The alien nature
of the dragons, from their emotionless, analytical stance to their silver
blood, allowed me to understand the reluctance of humans to embrace dragonkind.
On the flipside, the religion of Goredd wasn’t well explained, leaving me
wanting more information, even though it was a major player in the plot. Most
of the world building was excellent, but world building builds on top of
itself, meaning a single cracked pillar threatens to bring the whole building
down. Luckily, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seraphina </i>doesn’t fall
apart, just suffers some chipped paint.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The vagueness of the religion also
pulled me out of the experience. The unnamed religion, as far as I can tell,
has a resemblance to Christianity, with talks of Saints and Heaven. Being
deprived of details, I unconsciously filled in the blanks with what I know of
Christianity. Thing is, this is a far off land, completely removed from our
world. Why would they have a religion from here? Maybe this is my doing, but
nonetheless, I should not be jolted out of a story like that. Religion wasn’t
the sole element detracting from my immersion either. At one point, a character
says “smarty breeches” used like our “smarty pants.” Several times, little
things like this just pulled me out of the book, made me stop and stumble.
Albeit, some were quite funny, as much of the book was, but immersion didn’t
need to be sacrificed for humor.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Wow, I went on about that way too
long! Apparently I really had to make up for the use of “avant-garde.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seraphina’s </i>only failings were these small
things though, so now I can spout praise!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Just a few days ago I had a guest
post on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Intrepid Book Moth</i> about
my hate for genres, and my want to see them bleed into each other. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seraphina </i>has given me hope that this
will happen. Standard high fantasy: relatively normal person (or so we think at
the beginning) learns of some evil or is burdened with some task, and then must
go on an epic quest to save the kingdom! In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seraphina</i>
this format isn’t completely scrapped, but rather bent into a political
mystery, with racial tension and personal secrets. This twist is enough to make
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seraphina</i> a breath of fresh air.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Furthering the freshness was the
strong focus on music and general culture. Seraphina is a master musician, able
to make men weep. Going to music halls rather than battlefields was a wondrous
change of ambience, combat was replaced by lying, suits of armor scrapped in
favor of robes and something called a houppelande. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seraphina </i>is my first taste of cultured fantasy, and I hope that
isn’t due to there being few of them, because I quite enjoyed this viewpoint.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Inseparable from culture are the
characters who give it life. When the cast is full of politicians, you know
that no one is to be trusted. Who has an agenda? Stories where you are unsure
about the characters immediately invite more interesting characters. Some
stories seem to bet on this, not taking the time to actually make the
characters worth reading. Thank god <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seraphina’s
</i>characters are interesting in and of themselves. From Seraphina herself,
the half-dragon musician whose very existence is an abomination; to Prince
Lucian Kiggs, the bastard child embarrassment; or Orma, dragon scholar and
Seraphina’s uncle and teacher, Hartman creates unique characters. In my
opinion, some of the most interesting characters (who I can’t specify without
spoilers) get the least “screen time” but I can only hope this is alleviated in
the sequel.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Apparently life’s lesson for today
is, having the summary at the beginning ruins everything. I’m not going to just
copy and paste it down here, and I’m not going to repeat myself either. Ending
without a closing paragraph isn’t proper. So, we shall continue last week’s
solution: you will scroll up and read the summary as if it were down here, then
compliment me on the excellency of my problem solving abilities.</div>
<br />
<br />
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</xml><![endif]-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-11193263980770078072013-04-16T19:56:00.000-05:002013-04-18T16:30:22.339-05:00 Guest Post: The Kite Runner by Klaled Hosseini <i>This week, I'll be joined by Andrea from <a href="http://theintrepidbookmoth.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Intrepid Book Moth</a>, an absolutely fantastic blog dedicated to indiscriminate reading, who has reviewed Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini </i><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309288316l/77203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Kite Runner" border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309288316l/77203.jpg" height="320" width="195" /></a><span id="freeText5204177763391567423">"A novel set mostly in
Afghanistan. The introverted and insecure afghan narrator, Amir, grows
up in Afghanistan in the closing years of the monarchy and the first
years of the short-lived republic. His best and most faithful friend,
Hassan, is the son of a servant. Amir feels he betrays Hassan by not
coming to his aid when Hassan is set on by bullies and furthermore
forces Hassan and his father Ali to leave his father´s service. Amir´s
relatively privileged life in Kabul comes to an end when the communist
regime comes to power and his extrovert father, Baba emigrates with him
to the U.S. There Amir meets his future afghan wife and marries her.
Amir´s father dies in the U.S. and Amir receives a letter from his
father´s most trusted business partner and, for a time, Amir´s surrogate
father, which makes Amir return, alone, to a Taliban-dominated
Afghanistan in search of the truth about himself and his family, and
finally, a sort of redemption." -taken from Goodreads</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span id="freeText5204177763391567423"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Five Stars</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Kite Runner </span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">blew me away. Through Amir’s eyes I saw azure skies, filled with
colorful kites. I saw snowflakes flittering to the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This powerful novel brought to life the joys
and tribulations of the Afghan people, while also addressing the most basic
elements of the human experience: guilt, death, redemption, and life. Hosseini
spirited me away to Afghanistan, changed my world view, through the power of
words. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“For you, a thousand times over”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">-Hassan</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The first quarter of the
book filled me with dread. The tension filled me with foreboding, the falling
out of Hassan and Amir. The small moments of enjoyment were always laced with
Amir’s jealousy, prejudice against the Hazara, and so on. Still I loved reading
about Amir’s everyday life and childhood. Somehow I shared his nostalgia and
longing. This was exuberated by my trip to Turkey last year. I immediately
recognized the food I had so thoroughly enjoyed there, unique treats and
flavors of the Middle East. I loved all the foreign words and the cultural
nuances Hosseini imparted. Afghanistan ceased being just a shape on the map,
just a war zone uttered by a news anchor. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="h.gjdgxs"></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">ALA’s
2008 top ten challenged book list featured <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Kite Runner</i> in ninth place. The novel does contain mature content, a very
raw but true aspect of the novel. The jarring instability of Afghanistan -from
monarchy to communism to the Taliban- made the streets dangerous, death around
every corner. The social stigmas and prejudices also produced hardship. I felt
I finally could start understanding the religious and ethnic conflict ravaging
the Middle East. These problems are very real, and anybody should have the
opportunity to reach for this book and savor the bitterness and the sweetness
between its pages. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“There is only one sin and that is theft... when you tell a lie, you
steal someone’s right to the truth.” </span></i>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">-Baba</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When someone challenges and bans a book, that person
steals a reader’s right to read. Whether a book is appropriate, morally
correct, and so on is a personal opinion. Everyone should have the choice to
either read a book or not. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Kite
Runner</i> movie was actually banned in Afghanistan due showing ethnic groups
in a<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>“bad light”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this modern age, we are afraid to offend,
afraid to be bold and face the things we might not like to see. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Kite Runner</i> dug up the darkest human
fears and passions, and flung them at the reader’s face. I doubt I’ll find
another book like it, and I really don’t want to. </span></div>
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<![endif]-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-62740540233332463612013-04-11T19:08:00.001-05:002013-04-19T15:21:08.274-05:00Identical by Ellen Hopkins<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>TRIGGER WARNING - THIS BOOK FEATURES SEXUAL ABUSE, INCEST, AND RAPE</b><br />
<br /></div>
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</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-33Vkdy4Db10/UWNNFvR1UjI/AAAAAAAAADs/_0eLmDQUIl8/s1600/Identical.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-33Vkdy4Db10/UWNNFvR1UjI/AAAAAAAAADs/_0eLmDQUIl8/s1600/Identical.jpg" height="320" width="234" /></a></div>
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<span id="freeText3574111429457035977"><b>Do twins begin in the womb?<br /><br />Or in a better place?</b><br /><br />Kaeleigh
and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a
district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an
all-American family -- on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has
her own dark secret, and that's where their differences begin.<br /><br />For
Kaeleigh, she's the misplaced focus of Daddy's love, intended for a
mother whose presence on the campaign trail means absence at home. All
that Raeanne sees is Daddy playing a game of favorites -- and she is
losing. If she has to lose, she will do it on her own terms, so she
chooses drugs, alcohol, and sex.<br /><br />Secrets like the ones the twins
are harboring are not meant to be kept -- from each other or anyone
else. Pretty soon it's obvious that neither sister can handle it alone,
and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question is --
who?" - taken from Goodreads</span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I don’t want to write this review
really, because it’s going to be damn hard.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
Identical</i> is so focused, that to discuss the book could so easily spoil it.
If I’m more vague than usual, please excuse me. Sometimes you just can’t help
it. Also, this week I’ll be trying a slightly different format. My conclusion
will be at the beginning, my rants after that. If it works out, I’ll move over
to this format, so if you don’t want to read my rants, you won’t have to.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In classic Ellen Hopkins style, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Identical</i> focuses on its characters as
they struggle against real issues. Breaking away from Ellen Hopkins’ tendency
to explore consequences, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Identical</i>
looks at the effects sexual abuse has on the psyche. With the poetry used to
visualize the emotion, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Identical</i>
becomes an intense story that can equally shock and sadden.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>From the honest story to shock
ending, if you are a fan of Ellen Hopkins, you’ll love <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Identical</i>, and if you’ve never been exposed to the wonder that is
Ellen Hopkins, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Identical</i> is the
perfect book to do just that.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sexual abuse is tough to hear about
on the news, but to read a novel on it? It’s hard. The simple physical act of
it is horrific, but to see it through the character’s eyes, to hear her
thoughts on it? It becomes overwhelming. Moments where you don’t want to turn
the page, don’t want to know what is happening, but have to, are frequent.
Emotions are stretched to the breaking point.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On
top of the abuse, the book explores a range of other topics, all stemming from
the sexual abuse. Bulimia, coping mechanisms, dysfunctional families. Even
after you turn that last page, read the last stanza, you are still experiencing
the book. It’s been several days since I’ve finished, and my thoughts keep
returning to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Identical</i>, and its
ending.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Anybody who’s ever read a book by
Ellen Hopkins knows what I’m talking about when I say they end with a bang. A
sharp, sudden climax that gives you no time to collect yourself afterwards.
It’s the only element of her stories that I ever question. I prefer a lot of
follow up after the climax and conclusion. Ideally, epilogues should have
epilogues. Unfortunately, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Identical</i>
doesn’t just end with a bang, but a twist, which makes me doubly wary of it.
Then there’s the fact that I saw the twist coming, but discounted it, because
I<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>thought it would be too outrageous.
Psychologically, I don’t know how sound the ending is, but as a reader, I
wasn’t quite satisfied. It was the single scratch on the otherwise perfect
porcelain, the flaw that your eyes inadvertently fall upon.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’m no expert on poetry. In fact, I
am the last person you want to look to for poetry critiques, but this is a novel
written in verse so I do need to try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Dropping the usual conventions we associate with poetry, Ellen Hopkins
turns words into a piece of art. Placement, shape, and spacing are used to
highlight emotion, or to thread another meaning through the words. The best way
to explain it is to just show an example.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="height: 465px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; width: 347px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iiW3m_zvUfs/UWdPCnyFHgI/AAAAAAAAAD4/gUSbzJnqV7o/s1600/photo(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iiW3m_zvUfs/UWdPCnyFHgI/AAAAAAAAAD4/gUSbzJnqV7o/s1600/photo(2).JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry for the quality! iPads are not great cameras, so I had to make it giant. Otherwise it was like reading the fine print on a TV ad.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s not a poem in the traditional
sense, or what I’ve been taught is a poem, but isn’t standard prose either. Not by any means.
Some pages feature a more standard stanza format, while others take a more
artistic approach, like the example shown. Out of all the books I’ve read by
Ellen Hopkins, the poetry in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Identical</i>
is probably my favorite, and used to the greatest effect.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While writing this, I’ve debated
about returning to the issue of censorship and Ellen Hopkins’s role in it, but
in the end I’ve already said my piece on it in the <a href="http://nobsbooks.blogspot.com/2013/03/impulse-by-ellen-hopkins.html" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Impulse</i> review</a>, and am planning an entire series devoted to
covering banned books. Since a lot of this review is already reiteration, I
decided against it. Feel free to go and read my little rant on it, or you can
patiently wait for my series on censorship.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Guess that’s all… With the summary
of feelings being at the beginning, I have no clue how to end this. Tell you what;
how about you scroll back up, read my summary, pretend it was down here, and
then comment, telling me how great I am at solving problems.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-84778711427388628722013-04-09T14:38:00.002-05:002013-04-09T14:59:13.926-05:00Top Ten Tuesday 1# <div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Most Memorable Books I Read Before Becoming a Blogger</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme
hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a>, in which you make a list of ten things
(Absolutely shocking, I know. I didn’t mean to blindside you like that.), the
theme being given to you. This week, it’s the best books I’ve read before I was
a blogger. Now, I know this is my first week doing this, but I am going to
slightly twist the theme to Most Memorable Books I’ve Read Before Becoming a
Blogger. I hate to directly compare two books that have nothing to do with each
other. My love for <i>Crank</i> by Ellen Hopkins is completely different than my love
for the Inheritance Series by Christopher Paolini. Being memorable is
cross-genre though, and I feel that it’s fairly close to the original topic.
This list should NOT be treated as a list of recommendations, ‘kay? Cool.</div>
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<br />
10. <i>The Other Normals</i> by Ned Vizzini – The easiest way to
explain this book being on the list is this: the book uses pubic hair as an
honest to god tool for character development. It’s an odd mix of nerd wet
dreams and absurd humor, all woven together into a high fantasy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
9. <i>Fantastic Mr. Fox</i> by Roald Dahl – I was just five when I
was exposed to this story, and can still remember an alarming amount. My ma and
granny bought me several audio books, <i>James and the Giant Peach</i> being the only
one I can distinctly remember besides<i> Fantastic Mr. Fox</i>, when we were on a road
trip of sorts, and I think that was where the seed of my book addiction began.
It’s been more than ten years since then, and I can still remember the story.
<i>Fantastic Mr. Fox</i> served only as the seed for my addiction; the next book saw
to it that that seed would blossom…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8. <i>Harry Potter</i> by JK Rowling – There must be a hundred
people who attribute their love for stories to Rowling, and I proudly count
myself as one of them. Ma read them and then took me to the movies. It became
our thing, I guess. Eventually Granny started buying me audiobooks, which I
listened to over and over and over and over and over again. Every night without
fail I’d listen in bed. I must have listened to those tapes a good twenty times
a piece.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7. <i>Deadline</i> by Chris Crutcher – Can you promise not to
judge? You have to understand that between killing bears and rolling boulders,
men cry sometimes, okay? Tears shaped like swords, but tears nonetheless.
<i>Deadline </i>holds the title of first book to make my eyes water (that’s code for
bawl). That alone is enough to make it worthy of being on this list, but
alongside that, the book is simply funny.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6. <i>Unwind Trilogy</i> by Neal Shusterman – <i>Unwind </i>and <i>UnWholly </i>especially,
have stuck with me like no other books ever have. I read <i>UnWholly </i>over five
months ago and I still think about it almost daily! If that isn’t memorable, I
don’t know what is.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Crank</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Glass</i> by Ellen Hopkins – It isn’t a
secret that I’m a massive fan of Ellen Hopkins. Really, this list could just be
books by Ellen Hopkins, but figuring that’d be awfully dull, I chose just two.
<i>Crank </i>and <i>Glass </i>are powerful, horrifying stories. After I finished them, I
remember just staring at the wall for an hour, not even thinking, content in
simply being. Just writing about it leaves me breathless. Beautiful is a word
that I feel is overused, but Kristina’s story is beautiful.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4. Time Travel by Stein Gatter – I really wish I was able to
come up with more, but I have only one more and that deserves the place of 1,
so excuse me as I<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>teleport you to the
future.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And after those last three, you are probably asking
yourself, “How can Cain top those?” Well, dear reader, little did you know, but
those are nothing compared to…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1. <i>The Day My Butt went Psycho</i> by Andy Griffiths – Does this
need to be explained? Because it seems pretty self-explanatory to me. Butts
that detach themselves, plan to take over the world, too many puns (buns?) to
count… This book has it all. Even if someone has never read the book, the title
alone should get it on their lists!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, how’s that for a Top Ten Tuesday? Butts, drugs,
fantasy. Wouldn’t that be a great concept album? (If you said yes, we need to
talk.) I think I have covered every facet of literature, and I have given you
an insight into my insanity. Until next week!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
PS – First person to name the reference gets an internet
hug.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<![endif]-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-28324823426786439542013-04-04T22:16:00.001-05:002013-04-19T16:29:20.387-05:00Self-Indulgence - Musical Musings in Delirium<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> Welcome to the first in an irregular series I'll be doing, Self-Indulgence! Posts that have no substance or use, about thoughts I had that wouldn't be fit for a review. Completely self-indulgent.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If
there are two things I love in life, they are books and music. Unfortunately
there aren’t many opportunities for me to mesh these two interests. It’s only
natural to take every opportunity that’s presents itself then. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Delirium</i> has offered just that. Throughout
the book, Lena, the protagonist, goes to several illegal parties where they
play non-government approved music. Thing is, the music is described in the
vaguest, most abstract ways possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“…is
strange and clashing and wild- but nothing like the wailing and scratching that
I heard Hana playing on her computer…” As a headbanger, that sounds like metal
to me. So, in this completely self-indulgent post, I am going to use my inner
Sherlock Holmes to figure out just what the rebels like to listen to. First,
let me lay out what I have deduced.</div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>High pitched noises. So, that makes one think
electric guitar or some type of electronica. Maybe industrial?</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Chaotic and noisy. Points us in the same
direction. </li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Features singers sometimes at least. When a
singer was mentioned, she was described as having a voice that is thick and
heavy, like honey. To my knowledge, there aren’t singers in electronica like
that. However, I can think of metal bands with voices that could compare.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>When the girl singer was involved, it said the
music “ebbs and flows, irregular, sad.” Another time it was described as
“metallic and awful, fuzzy through the speakers.” If we are to assume that this
is the same genre, then it has to be one that has a wide range of sounds.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>I seem to remember a band being mentioned
several times, which doesn’t fit with electronica.</li>
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Using my abilities of deductive
reasoning and blatant bias, I have narrowed the music down to either rock or
metal. Now, we need to figure out what bands might be comparable.</div>
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Initially I jumped to Five Finger
Death Punch, or Five Finger Love Punch in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Delirium</i> universe, but they simply don’t fit musically. There are
songs by them that could fit lyrically though. “Burn it Down” being the one
that immediately comes to mind.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/gROfnYCSBhw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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“I’ve
questioned all your answers, they’re f---in’ lies</div>
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I
won’t conform to your system, I’d rather die,</div>
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Burn
it down just to watch it go,</div>
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Burn
it down so everybody knows,</div>
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Burn
it down just to see it torched,</div>
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Burn
it down I hate it to the core”</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Admittedly,
the song would be over-stating things, but I think you can see how it may fit.
Lyrically. After considering it for a split-second, I had to rule it out. Never
were there mentions of male vocals, or distorted vocals.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I had
to go to the drawing board again. After a few seconds of deliberation, I
thought that I would try Epica, one of the finest bands ever. They feature a
female vocalist (check), have a wide range of sound (check), and are a band
(check.) Oddly enough, I gravitated to one of my favorite songs, “Deconstruct."</div>
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<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/7EXQA_pkPc8/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/7EXQA_pkPc8&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/7EXQA_pkPc8&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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“If we could see
ourselves, the mirror would reflect insanity, <br />
Instead we camouflage the flaws that lie within,<br />
Condone the suffering we witness as we mingle casually,<br />
We need to right ourselves, or else we will derail”</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>More
subtle than Five Finger Love Punch, isn’t it? While Epica does feature
distorted vocals, they are used to a lesser extent so it’s theoretically
possible that Lena just missed it. Unfortunately, logistically it isn’t very
likely. Epica is a symphonic metal band, so their songs feature a symphonic orchestra
and choir, which is a large expense that I can’t see these illegal bands
risking. I do think this is closer though.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Next, I
started thinking about bands resembling Epica but more humble. This is when I
get my “Eureka!” moment. Evanescence. They’re almost a more reserved Epica.
They have some symphonic elements, some choir work, but they are far closer to
a traditional rock band. There’s a haunting quality to Evanescence songs that I
can really see in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Delirium</i>. </div>
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“Don’t say I’m out of
touch<br />
With this rampant chaos - your reality<br />
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge<br />
The nightmare I built my own world to escape”</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This conglomeration
of rock, sorrow, and beauty is what we are looking for. I could see Amy Lee up
on the stage, rocking out and risking her life to bring the beauty of music to
this land of the dead.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
Lauren Oliver was writing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Delirium</i>, I
don’t know what type of music she imagined. Music is such personal media, and
that is what’s so great about it. You may not even know about the bands I
mentioned here, Lauren Oliver could despise them, but they are truly what I
imagined, and in my eyes are completely correct. </div>
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What music did you imagine when you read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Delirium</i>? Loverex (Skrillex), Dustin
Webber (Justin Bieber), Dimmu Hugger (Dimmu Borgir). Tell me in the comments! </div>
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*I own none of the music mentioned</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-29175239616765060822013-03-29T00:37:00.000-05:002013-04-19T15:40:16.414-05:00Delirium by Lauren Oliver<i>Love, Dystopia, and Fantastic Setting? All in this week's review! </i><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ivP0MUTCAXg/UVUkcWqjxYI/AAAAAAAAADY/c5EM07GJGGQ/s1600/Delirium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ivP0MUTCAXg/UVUkcWqjxYI/AAAAAAAAADY/c5EM07GJGGQ/s1600/Delirium.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">“They
say that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">And
I've always believed them.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Until
now.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Now
everything has changed.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Now,
I'd rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a
hundred years smothered by a lie.</span></i><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Lena looks forward to receiving the
government-mandated cure that prevents the Delirium of love and leads to a
safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth
birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.” -from Delirium’s Goodreads
page</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since when did book descriptions get fancy on me? What do they think
they are -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>an Ellen Hopkins novel, with
all their weird formatting? That’d actually be great, a dystopian novel by Ellen
Hopkins… Anyways, reviewing!</span></div>
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</span>Delirium is yet another dystopian novel. Now, I can’t be the only one
getting tired of them, right? Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner. Some great
books, but I am getting desensitized to the idea of controlling societies, even
if many of them are completely different from each other. So, when I picked up
Delirium, I was slightly apprehensive, expecting another Hunger Games. I didn’t
find another Hunger Games.</span></div>
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</span>Delirium has a subtlety that I haven’t read in another dystopian,
besides 1984. In fact, I’d say that’s the most apt comparison. Rather than
having a government that is very much focused on maintaining its hold through
brute force, Delirium’s government has trained its people to worship the
control, to want to be controlled. This desire has been instilled so deeply
into the fabric of the culture, to the point of having the Christian religion
bastardized. This following passage is taken directly from the book:</span></div>
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<i><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The devil
stole into the Garden of Eden.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">He
carried with him the disease-amor deliria nervosa-</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">in the
form of a seed. It grew and flowered into a</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">magnificent
apple tree, which bore apples as bright as blood.</span></i></div>
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</span>That’s only one example of common stories, both Christian and cultural,
being warped into a terrifyingly recognizable form. This twisting of our world
rather than creating a new one puts everything into perspective. It’s not just
stories that allow us to relate to this world either; it’s the shop names, the
language, the mentions of things we do every day. The world takes on a ghastly
shape; I was more horrified here than I was in Hunger Games, a far more brutal
story than this. The fact that I was so disgusted reading about this world and
its government must be Delirium’s crowning achievement. Unfortunately the rest
of the story doesn’t hold up to the standard the setting set.</span></div>
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</span>Lena, the protagonist, is a fairly stereotypical teen girl. In other
words, she views herself as so-so in the looks department, envies her best
friend, a blonde beauty, and her life isn’t complete until Mr. Perfect makes it
so. At the beginning, Mr. Perfect is played by the government and their promise
of the cure, but once she falls for Alex, her life isn’t complete unless he’s
there with her. She has dependency issues. Considering the setting, when she
does find love it would become a drug of sorts, and she needs something to
control her a little. And I agree with that but that doesn’t mean I want to
read it. Romance is very rarely interesting in a book for me. When it is, it’s
used as a tool to highlight other aspects of the book. The Hunger Games for
example, with Peeta and Katniss being put into a position where both can’t win.
For me, that wasn’t interesting because I was thinking “Oh my God, Peeta is the
dreamiest boy ever.” It was interesting because “Oh my God, they are going to
kill each other.”</span></div>
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</span>Delirium’s setting is made for romance though. I knew there was going to
be one going in, it makes sense. I was hoping for one even. A love triangle
would even have been acceptable, with both the love interests having very
separate ideologies. I wasn’t hoping for a romance to this extent though, where
it became more than integral to the plot but became the plot itself. This
wouldn’t have been much of a problem if it weren’t so disconcerting. Lena is in
no way in a position to make responsible decisions involving relationships. She’s
never been in one, never witnessed one, and has only ever heard of them as
cautionary tales, so to see her risking her life by making out with dreamy
Alex, with his golden brown hair and honey eyes? I wanted to shake Alex, tell him
this isn’t right, even if an hour with love is better than a lifetime without
it, or whatever he may say. Admittedly it wasn’t as bad as Twilight’s
pedophilic relationship, but I was still a little weirded out.</span></div>
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</span>On top of that, Alex never felt fleshed out to me. I couldn’t ever get a
feel for his character or see much depth to him. Instead he felt like a
romantic fantasy, a perfect, true guy in a world of lies. Beyond a romantic
interest and a way to move the plot forward, what does he do? He tells Lena
that she’s pretty, because apparently she thinks otherwise. Maybe in the next
books he gains some depth, but a book should be able to stand by itself also.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Overall, the romance created a middle and end that dragged a little bit.
I found myself reading for the quotes at the beginning of all the chapters,
rather than for the plot. That shouldn’t happen in a book.</span></div>
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</span>In spite of the plot and characters, I still did enjoy it. The small
touches, like the quotes before each chapter or the familiarity of everything,
from convenience stores to Lena saying “F---”, contributed immensely to my
immersion.Partnered with the setting, and the story still manages to captivate at
parts, and entertain at the least. There were some faulty moments in the
writing involving vague description, usually of various stages of disrobement,
but I am looking forward to getting my hands on the sequels nonetheless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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</span>If you like setting or romance, then I’d advise you to consider picking
up Delirium. I think it’s the type of book to offer different things for
different people. For me, that happened to be the world, which is my favorite
of any classic style dystopian (Hunger Games as opposed to Unwind or The
Drowned Cities) that I have read yet. For a Twilight fan, it has a kind of
creepy romance. If you’re tired of dystopians though, this won’t hold much
appeal for you.</span></div>
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<![endif]-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-4269027500049272302013-03-21T20:27:00.000-05:002013-04-19T15:41:32.153-05:00Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi<i>Global Warming, Disappointment, and</i> <i>Ruined America? All in this week's review!</i><br />
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Before I can so much as summarize
the plot of <i>Ship Breaker</i>, I feel that I should point you towards my
review of <a href="http://nobsbooks.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-drowned-cities-by-paolo-bacigulupi_20.html" target="_blank"><i>The Drowned Cities</i></a>, the sequel/companion novel to <i>Ship
Breaker</i>. Since I am sure I’ll be making comparisons between the two, my
feelings towards <i>The Drowned Cities</i> may be helpful, though I hope this
review is coherent without that information. </div>
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To keep in the tradition that was
set with <i>The Drowned Cities</i>, I’ll allow the blurb to speak for itself: <i>“In
America's Gulf Coast region, grounded oil tankers are being broken down for
parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper
wiring just to make quota-and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by
luck or by chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a
recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip
the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and
wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life....”</i></div>
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I can't talk about <i>Ship Breaker</i> until I get something out of the way; <i>Ship Breaker</i> is a good book. I haven’t run into anyone
saying otherwise. However, I fear that I may come across as not liking it.
That’s not true. It’s just that I loved <i>The Drowned Cities</i> so much that
I was disappointed by <i>Ship Breaker</i> in some aspects. Just remember that
as I ramble on.</div>
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Setting is so important for me and is vital to a book. Without setting,
characters just become little puppets dancing around on an empty stage. And <i>Ship
Breaker</i> has a good setting; the destroyed beaches of the Gulf with the
monolithic metal skeletons of the past creating an atmosphere of powerlessness.
On a simply superficial level it’s striking, but the real advantage with the
setting is the voice it lends to the global warming discussion that’s threaded
very openly throughout the book.</div>
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In fact, the global warming almost becomes preachy at points. When the
characters pass through New Orleans, now a deserted and submerged city, there’s
a discussion on how stupid the previous inhabitants were. How couldn’t they
have seen it coming? I have no problems with fiction trying to send a message,
or science-fiction stories that lean more towards the side of “science” than
“fiction.” Actually, stories that do fall into this category are immensely
important, but I think that such blatant messages turn some people off.</div>
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While the setting was interesting, the characters failed to interest me. (Get
ready for a comparison to The Drowned Cities.) Mahlia, Mouse, and Ocho were
characters that I loved in <i>The Drowned Cities</i>, Nailer and Nita failed to
interest me at all though. This is all the more perplexing because everything
I’ve seen on <i>Ship Breaker</i> has praised the characters. In the entire
book, precisely two characters inspired any sort of intrigue for me; Richard
Lopez, Nailer’s devil of a father who’s constantly hopped up on cheap booze and
drugs, and Tool, the same half-man that was (will be) in <i>The Drowned Cities</i>.
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The characters in and of themselves weren’t that intriguing, but they offered a
chance to look at an interesting social system in the world. The amount of
social stratification and inability to climb upwards is a key element to the
entire story. When Nailer finds the clipper ship with its sole survivor, he
battles with himself on whether to kill her and just take the gold off her body
or not. After all, she’s just a swank, someone who’s never even given
consideration to a little beach rat like him. Above all else, this is my
favorite thing about the entire book- that seemingly good characters seriously
considered killing the helpless just so they could advance in life.</div>
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Getting back onto the “What did <i>The Drowned Cities</i> do better than <i>Ship
Breaker</i>” train, let me just say that this wasn’t nearly as visual of a
novel for me. I’ll admit that I am partial to reclaimed cities, but I was expecting
more scenes that transcended the humble trappings of “book” into a new state of
being, the embodiment of euphoria. As it stands, only one scene achieved that
level of perfection. However, a book can’t be expected to achieve that level
consistently, and it’s my own damn fault for even thinking for a single second
that I may find it here.</div>
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Luckily, I do have an objective comparison I can make! <i>Ship Breaker</i> had
the feeling of a boy’s adventure, a classic adventure story. On the other hand,
<i>The Drowned Cities</i> was a far darker, more oppressive tale, with
political rather than environmental focus. <i>Ship Breaker</i> felt much
lighter all around, not to say that it didn’t have its dark moments or themes;
but personally, I want everything to be dark and gritty. </div>
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<i>Ship Breaker</i>’s plot was slow to present itself. I don’t think it was
until a hundred or so pages in that the plot gained any real direction to it.
Since the beginning is dedicated to character and world development, I didn’t
feel my attention wavering, even if the main plot wasn’t present yet.</div>
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I am really afraid I gave a terribly inaccurate representation of <i>Ship
Breaker.</i> It <i>isn’t</i> a bad book. Every single problem I had with it
seems to be solely personal or based on my absolute love of <i>The Drowned
Cities</i> and subsequent over expectations. </div>
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Honestly, I wouldn’t feel right recommending this book and I wouldn’t feel
right telling you to avoid it. Instead I’m suggesting that you either get it
from a library or to do some independent research on it. No matter what you do,
if you plan on reading both <i>The Drowned Cities</i> and <i>Ship Breaker</i>,
read <i>Ship Breaker</i> first. It supplies some lore that you wouldn’t get
otherwise, and I think it is the lesser of the two books. Better to move up
than down. </div>
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<![endif]-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-493947101562784412013-03-07T14:55:00.000-06:002013-06-02T05:14:03.477-05:00Review - Impulse by Ellen <i>Suicide, recovery, and censorship? All in this review!</i><br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three
teens, sharing only the wish to end it all, meet after their failed suicide
attempts in Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital. Each has their own story:
Tony can only find his peace in pills after a hellish childhood, Vanessa who
has to cut so her secrets don’t tear her apart, and Connor, the picture of
perfect who hides an inner turmoil. Together they will fight to forge ahead and
write a brighter chapter in their lives.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ellen
Hopkins has a very distinctive style. Her books deal with young people coping
with very real issues in a heart-wrenching way, all in free verse poetry. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Impulse </i>is no exception as we are
presented with issues such as teen suicide, sexuality, and what family means.
This is all done with no holds barred, nothing off limits and no sugar coating.
Due to this honest and gritty approach, I felt that Hopkins showed a huge
amount of respect to both the subject matter, and the audience. Unfortunately,
many people have far more negative reactions to this, which I will touch upon
later.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before
I can talk about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Impulse </i>in any
detail, I think the free verse poetry needs to be discussed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Personally,
I’m not a poetry fan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me, it often
just comes across as obfuscating a simple idea. While that’s completely
inaccurate (don’t kill me poetry lovers), it is my interpretation of it more
often than not. However, due to the nature of the poems here, I didn’t get that
impression. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I’m struggling to find a way to
best explain myself here. The best I can do is this: When I have listened to an
Ellen Hopkins audio book ,I honestly couldn’t tell that it was poetry. It was
the same when I read some of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Impulse</i>
out loud to my grandmother. You don’t have the stereotypical rhyming, or very
obvious and forced structures, so when listening, you can only tell it’s poetry
due to more, get ready for this, poetic description. There’s a sense of a different
style, but I don’t think most people would conclude that it is poetry.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Due to this difference, I think
that both people who enjoy poetry and those that don’t can get into the story.
The only real effect it has is that every word says more. It’s like taking a
normal novel, cutting the needless words out, making sure every word has the
weight of a hundred, and then adding unique voice over it all. Can anyone say
that’s a bad idea? I can’t.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The poetry may not be for everyone,
but I’d advise everyone to at least try it. It doesn’t define the experience,
but it definitely doesn’t hurt it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
What could’ve hurt the book though
is one of the main mechanics of the story, drip feeding information. Throughout
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Impulse, </i>we slowly learn about the
three main characters’ pasts. The information is given in these perfectly timed
spoonfuls, the amounts calculated to perfection. If this wasn’t done so
intelligently, if it was the only thing the plot had to offer, or if the
characters weren’t interesting, it would have been a huge black mark against
the book. As it stands, it was a little irritating but ultimately done really
well and added to the experience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Going back to the characters, they
really were something else. Since Ellen Hopkins’s style lends itself to strong
character voice, her characters possess a very strong sense of individuality
and realism. I felt I could one day meet people like this. Directly because of
that, I found myself being interested in and caring about all three main
characters, an essential element for a character-driven story such as this.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The fact that I cared about the
characters makes it that much harder for me to understand why people want this
book, and other books by Ellen Hopkins, banned. It is true that Ellen Hopkins
has a tendency to push the boundaries of standard YA literature, with drugs and
sex often times playing key roles in the plot, but that doesn’t mean they
should be banned. If <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Impulse </i>were to
rely solely on shock value to carry it, I could perhaps be lenient. Thing is, NONE
of Hopkins’s novels use sex or drugs as a crutch, instead they rely on great
characters and heart-breaking plots. By banning these books, the struggles that
real people go through are diminished while the chance for people to learn
about these issues is all but denied.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Yes, these books aren’t for
everyone, but does that mean they aren’t for anyone. Can we please stop looking
at things in such a black and white way, a way where subtlety has no chance of
existing? We lose so much if we look at things and can only say “yay” or “nay.”
By denying them access to these books, you are denying them information that
can be infinitely useful in their lives. Ignorance does not fix problems, it
creates them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
If you are still interested in
banned books, look forward to a series I am doing on the subject. Hopefully,
that will happen soon. Now, back to the subject at hand, whether <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Impulse </i>is any good.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Once a book gets good enough, it’s
hard to objectively find what it can improve upon or what it does wrong. With <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Impulse</i> that’s where I am. Even those
improvements can only be mentioned in vague ways. I wish it had the emotional
impact of other Ellen Hopkins novels, but that’s pretty subjective, isn’t it?
And at this point, isn’t it just enough to say that it’s a very good book? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Impulse </i>is an emotionally
powerful story that charges ahead on the strength of its characters. Real
issues were presented boldly, but respect was maintained, both towards the
issues within the book and the audience. If you’re interested in a
character-driven novel, then I’d advise you to look at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Impulse </i>and any other book by Ellen Hopkins. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-76964101415100863602013-02-21T00:56:00.000-06:002013-04-09T14:52:26.920-05:00The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi<br />
<i>Post-apocalyptic America, civil war, and out of body experiences? All in this review!</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333712780l/12814594.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333712780l/12814594.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in center 3.25in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So, I usually start these
reviews with an overly long-winded summary of the book’s plot. In this case
though, I don’t trust myself. By that, I mean if I were to try to summarize <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Drowned Cities, </i>it’d end up at three
thousand words, not counting tangents. To avoid this, I am going to use the far
more eloquent blurb that the book supplies and elaborate as necessary. Call it
lazy, but I think it’s best for us all.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in center 3.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“In
a dark future America where violence, terror, and grief touch everyone, young
refugees Mahlia and Mouse have managed to leave behind the war-torn land of the
Drowned Cities by escaping into the jungle outskirts. But when they discover a
wounded half-man- a bioengineered war beast named Tool- who is being hunted by
a vengeful band of soldiers, their fragile existence quickly collapses. One is
taken prisoner by merciless soldier boys, and the other is faced with an
impossible decision: Risk everything to save a friend, or flee to a place where
freedom might finally be possible.”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in center 3.25in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></i>Problem
with the blurb is that it doesn’t get close to giving the setting or plot
justice. There has to be sacrifices though, to get away from having pages
explaining every minuscule detail, doesn’t there?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in center 3.25in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before I start singing praises,
I should mention that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Drowned Cities</i>
is a companion novel to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ship Breaker</i>.
I read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ship Breaker</i> two or three
years ago, or hundreds of books earlier, so my memories of it are hazy at best.
Because of this, I can’t comment on how faithful they are to each other, if one
is better written than the other, or any other comparison between the two. What
I am willing to say though, is that even without having previous knowledge of
the world, I was able to follow along without struggle. With that out of the
way, time to heap praises upon the shoulders of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Drowned Cities</i>.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in center 3.25in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I think this book marked the
beginning of a wonderful, joyous mental break. For most of my trip through, I
couldn’t tell whether I was reading a book or watching a movie. I stopped
realizing that I was turning pages; instead I became aware of bird song and
bullets. It would be hours later before I resurfaced, greeted by stark reality,
filled with a sense of melancholy and wonderment. My bare white walls were
lackluster compared to the vivid greens of the Drowned Cities.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in center 3.25in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To anyone who doesn’t read, or
to someone who hasn’t read a truly fantastic novel, this probably sounds
incredibly nerdy. But I mean it when I say that this book has achieved the same
visual feast that you expect with a movie. Or maybe I’m insane.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in center 3.25in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Paola didn’t just bring life to
a vibrant world, but a fascinating one- a world that punishes the idealistic
and righteous. Amongst the Drowned Cities warring factions, there isn’t a
single soul that hasn’t been touched by war, who doesn’t fear it every waking
hour. Never knowing if your children will be recruited by soldier boys, whether
these boys will set flame to your village or simply slaughter you. There’s this
magnificent juxtaposition of the beauty of the Drowned Cities and the violence
that pervades it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in center 3.25in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A problem I had setting-wise was
that there wasn’t quite enough. While there are mentions of tons of different
factions and places beyond the Drowned Cities, that really help make the world
feel large and real, we don’t actually get to see much of it. I am the type of
person who wants fifty pages dedicated to each individual religion, which
includes burial rites, marriage ceremonies, and where the forks go at a fancy
meal. I’ll have to hope that Paolo writes more books in this universe so he continues
drip feeding me lore. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in center 3.25in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While I am a world and plot
focused reader, with my anti-social tendencies giving characters a secondary position,
the characters of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Drowned Cities </i>struck
me. Mahlia, Mouse, Tool, and the rest of the cast were all fascinating. I
didn’t feel like I’d read them a hundred times before. In my opinion, they
would be more than strong enough to carry a series. I mean, if Bella and Edward
could spawn such monolithic success, then this should be a piece of cake.
(Yeah, I know. Low hanging fruit.) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in center 3.25in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Through the changing points of
view, we get to see the relationships between characters in a very fascinating
way. The most interesting amongst these is Ocho’s perspective. Ocho is one of
the “bad guys”, so to see the conflict from his perspective fleshes it out, along
with preventing a 2-D antagonist, something that too many authors do. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is how changing points of view should be
implemented. When it isn’t, I find that it can slow down a novel and leave it
feeling choppy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in center 3.25in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If I were to have one complaint
about the characters, it’s that they didn’t always make the more interesting
choice. If I were to be less politically correct about that, I’d say that they
weren’t always evil tyrants who have no regard for friendship. For whatever
reason, when I read, I become a TERRIBLE person who wants nothing more than to
see the world burn and puppies starved. So, the validity of this complaint is
just about zero, considering that I can’t expect an author to satisfy my evil
needs. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in center 3.25in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When it came to pacing, an
integral part of a good book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Drowned
Cities</i> nailed it. I never felt that I was wading through a sea of molasses
or that it was written by a young child with ADHD. In fact, it felt longer than
it actually was in the best way possible. Two-hundred pages in and the amount
of enjoyment I had was comparable to a book of at least twice that length.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I swear, Paola Bacigulupi is the Midas of
books, just without the sad stuff and the moral lessons.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in center 3.25in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Is it bad that my chief problem
with this book is something the book got right? Something that is spawned from
my own density rather than anything else? Probably. But it’s true; my largest
problem with this fantastic piece of writing is that I think I missed some of
the subtlety that it had to offer. I would catch fleeting glimpses of depth and
metaphor and then it would crumble around me. I’m not the type to read into
things, to make statements like, “The comparison between the metaphysical
existence of life and the state of the Nicaraguan politics was just beautiful.”
Instead, I’m the one going, “I liked the explosions.” Getting a glimpse of a
higher plane of thinking, only to have it taken away created a small seed of
resentment. And that is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">obviously</i> the
book’s fault.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in center 3.25in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Drowned Cities</i> has been one of the best books I’ve ever read.
If you have even a passing interest in the sci-fi genre then I implore you,
please read this book. And please, keep an eye out for anything else Paolo
Bacigalupi ever puts out, because if it even gets close to being as intriguing
as this piece of work, then it is more than worth your time, and possibly your
dollar. I know I will buy anything he ever writes, and plan on picking up <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ship Breaker</i> as soon as I can.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-47384247723973896372013-01-31T18:12:00.000-06:002013-04-09T14:52:39.818-05:00Insignia by S.J. Kincaid<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> <i>World War III, brain computers, AND Nazi Ninjas? All in this week's review!</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1317833510l/11115434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1317833510l/11115434.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Before I get
into my review of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Insignia, </i>I think
it’s important for me to talk about my feelings towards it, before I did more
than read the blurb.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ll admit,
I was a little apprehensive going in. This stemmed from the mention of World
War III, a less than original idea, and the repeated references to gaming.
First off, World War III.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As a concept
World War III is just fine. After all, it just means countries from around the
world are fighting each other and that it has been coined as the third World
War, a logical name. Thing is, it’s been done many times before, with few new
ideas implemented. So, I was worried this would read the same as so many other
books. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My second
worry was based off the repeated mentions of gaming. Don’t get me wrong, I love
videogames. They have given me some of the greatest experiences that any form
of media ever has. Probably because of this, it always irritates me to see them
used in a way that comes off boardroom-ey. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">So,
what have you come up with Mr. Mitchell?” Mr. Mitchell takes a deep breath and
tries to see more of Mr. Money’s face than the white glint of his monocle.
“Sir, how about a story where there is a boy and a girl and they try to find
their missing dog?” Mr. Money waits a few seconds before answering, “And what
markets does that tap? We need something that the teens will read! Mr.
Mitchell, what are you kids into these days?” Mr. Mitchell shifts in his seat
and replies, “Well, Sir, videogames are quite- “Mr. Money cuts Mr. Mitchell
off, exclaiming, “Perfect! Put video games into it!”</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When the plot of a book is
very video game centric, or football or ballet or D&D or anything of that
sort, and is then accompanied with little else of merit, it feels manipulative,
shallow, and possibly money grubbing. Every time I imagine the conversation
above.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So, it’s
with great joy I can say that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Insignia</i>
avoids both of these traps. Now, time to get to the review bit, what I imagine
you are here for.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The world is
in the midst of World War III, a war fought not on Earth, but in space and for
private rather than public interests. Companies sponsor Combatants, teenagers
that are the equivalent of fighter pilots or drone operators, who control the
spaceships from Earth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In this
world, Tom Raines is nothing. A short, pimple-faced teen who cons people at
games in all the little, run down casinos that his gambling-addicted dad makes
his home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So, when the
government sees Tom’s gaming prowess and asks him to go to the Pentagonal
Spire, where he will be trained to become a combatant, he agrees with the hope
of becoming important, something that he never has been.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tom is
implanted with a neural processor, from here on referred to as Brain Computer,
(which he knew nothing about till after he arrived) and quickly joins the other
trainees. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We are
quickly introduced to a handful of quirky characters. From Wyatt, the brilliant
but quiet girl who lacks any sort of social ability, to Yuri, the possible
Russian spy who’s as nice as can be but with a Brain Computer that is
intentionally bugged so he can’t remember any military secrets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
characters aren’t the most original or deep, to the exception of Tom and
possibly Blackburn, one of the teachers. What they lack in depth, they make up
for in laughs and the simple enjoyment they offer. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Insignia</i>’s plot revolves around Tom’s
struggles and triumphs with his teachers, classmates, and those that want to
use him because of his position as a trainee. I couldn’t identify any single
struggle or end goal that Tom was working towards. Instead, several struggles
were woven in, overlapping each other. Without a central goal, no king to kill
or dog to find, it became a series of antagonists that each had their moments,
but none took the role of
super-terrible-evil-bad-guy-who-wants-to-ruin-your-life that Tom could defeat.
Due to how the antagonists are introduced throughout the book, I can’t say
anything more without spoiling it, but rest assured that the lack of a goal
isn’t something that detracted from the book so much as it is something that
would have improved the book for me personally.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Insignia is
a funny book. More than being funny though, Insignia does a very good job
managing the humor. The balance of humor to seriousness is one of the things
that most struck me about this book. In a lot of books, and shows, I feel like
the change between humor to seriousness is so sudden that it detracts</span><span style="color: red; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">from both.
In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Insignia </i>though, I didn’t feel
this at all due to the fact that they each occupy different parts of the story.
The seriousness resides in the over-arching themes, while the moment to moment
scenes are where the humor exists. Even when there is a truly serious scene, it
still maintains that slight sense of absurdity so it works.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Just a heads
up, to those of you who like your humor very sophisticated, this may not be the
book for you. To put it simply, if you don’t like Nazi ninjas and you can’t
stand a boob, or if you prefer, bosom (Is that what you sophisticated ladies
and gentlemen say?), joke or two, then this is not what you are looking for.
This is a story seen through the eyes of a teenage boy, expect a faithful
representation. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A problem
this book may suffer from in the eyes of some is the relatively small setting.
The entire book, to the exception of a few excursions into Washington D.C. and
the fantastic simulations that Tom and the other trainees are put through, is
limited to only a handful of rooms in the Pentagonal Spire. Personally, I
didn’t find this to be a problem though. Even though it was the same room, same
class, and the same characters, momentum was maintained because the circumstances
have changed. The changing relationships between characters and, once again,
the humor, kept things fresh. The book does drag a little at parts when it
comes to moving the plot forward but it was never boring, which I think is the
most important thing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It also
helped that I found the setting to be very interesting. The privatizing of
military power has always been a concept that has intrigued me, so I was
immediately fascinated by the setting of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Insignia
</i>and wanted to know more. Unfortunately you never get to see anything at the
street level, but hopefully the following two books (Yeah, it’s another
trilogy) will show it off. If not, I feel that S.J. Kincaid is missing out on a
key perspective. Time will tell!<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2295149472931283754" name="h.gjdgxs"></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Always in
the background of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Insignia </i>are these
questions about trust. Can you trust the military when they control the
computer that controls your brain? Can you trust a government that is
controlled by corporations just seeking the next dollar? These questions are
never given an unwavering spotlight, but nevertheless, they are threaded
throughout the narrative allowing you, the reader, to tackle them if you so
please. They make up a (barely) hidden depth that once found feels good. It
always feels good to think that you have found something that maybe not
everyone else has, even if the accomplishment is little more than having a
working brain, an unfortunately large accomplishment.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">On top of everything else, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Insignia’s </i>ending is absolutely
satisfying. Even without the next two books that come in the series, I came
away feeling like the story has been told, which actually opens up a continuous
fear of mine. I am always scared that a series of books will become episodic
feeling, more like Nancy Drew than a continuous story. “What troubles our young
heroes this time on…” Thankfully <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Insignia</i>
left more than enough open to allow for more books. A great ending for a great
book.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Insignia </i>has been one of the best reads
I’ve had in a long time. It didn’t do anything that made me shake my head and
ask, “Why did you do that? You did everything right! And then… Then…"</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> It managed to be funny
without falling off the deep end, it managed to get me curious about the world,
it managed to make me think… It managed quite a lot in an easy to read package.
If you are looking for a fun Sci-fi novel then you could do a lot worse than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Insignia</i>. S.J. Kincaid has managed to
pull off a very promising debut novel that marks the beginning of a very
promising trilogy.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-6297947648122447722013-01-29T18:27:00.000-06:002013-01-30T15:29:23.072-06:00Introducing No BS Book Reviews<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I’ll be honest; I had no idea how to start this post. Not a
clue. And really, that’s an accurate way to describe this whole blogging
endeavor. It took me a month to come up with the name and it isn’t like No BS
Book Reviews is any sort of masterpiece. Nothing wrong with it either. I like
it. Describes what I want to do with the blog, it’s honest and distinctly
non-poetic. Robert Frost wouldn’t ever be so forthright, would he? Regardless,
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My goal
here is simple. First off, I want to provide reviews that aren’t BS. Too many
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altogether and just say “I liked it.” Well, guess what? That information helps
no one. I want to supply people with reviews that actually say something,
without falling off the deep end and becoming bone dry. Whether I succeed or
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Hope to be "seeing" you again!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295149472931283754.post-47580052923699591692013-01-24T15:51:00.000-06:002013-04-09T14:52:54.124-05:00Skin Deep by E.M. Crane<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <i> Cancer, pet dogs, and a "zombie" protaganist"! All in this week's review! </i></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://blog.syracuse.com/shelflife/2008/05/skindeep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://blog.syracuse.com/shelflife/2008/05/skindeep.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> When I first started reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Skin Deep</i> I wasn’t intending on doing a
review for it. It wasn’t until I was eighty pages in that I decided that this
book would mark my reviewing debut.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Within those eighty pages the book
beat me down. </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was on the verge of giving up on it, a sacrilegious act for me,
and if it wasn’t for me doing this review, I probably would have. But I think I
am probably getting ahead of myself.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The story starts with Andrea, a
fifteen year old girl who makes it her mission in life to stay unnoticed. Just
another girl with just another face going through the routines of life. To
accomplish this, she has honed the skill of not engaging people. If you don’t
talk to someone, don’t look them in the eye, then they won’t notice you. She is
one craving for brains away from being a zombie. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Away from the public eye, Andrea has
her Lean Cuisine meals with her mother and the soaps. Her father left years ago
as did her only friend. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Andrea’s one love is dogs, a passion
that has endured even through her mother’s refusals to get one. Instead of
having an actual dog, she imagines she has a dog with her when she takes walks
in the woods. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This all sounds like the promising
beginnings of a coming of age novel. And usually that would be the case. But in
the case of Andrea, it becomes an experience comparable to having your teeth
pulled. Slowly. Her lack of character (no opinions, no passion, etc…) breeds a
lack of caring. If I don’t care what happens to and around her, then no matter
how exquisite the plot, it won’t engage me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Skin
Deep</i> suffers from this failure to engage more than any other book I can
think of because the author wants us to feel nothing. It is an intentional act
so we feel like Andrea. At this, E.M. Crane excels. This feeling of nothingness
is so masterfully done that it is hard to believe. But, it doesn’t matter if
you are good at what you’re trying to do, if what you’re trying to do is shit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then, a life-changing event happens
to Andrea. Her mother gets her a job taking care of the neighbor’s dog, a short
haired St. Bernard named Zena, while the neighbor is in the hospital. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After only a few days, the neighbor,
who we learn to be named Honora, comes back from the hospital. She is a
life-loving artist who almost immediately takes center stage and does not
relinquish it at any point. She is the counter point to Andrea. Full of energy
and an unstoppable love for life. She keeps an herb garden, paints, rakus her
own pottery and sells it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The problem is, Honora has cancer.
Because of this, she takes Andrea on as an assistant so she can keep up with
her everyday activities even through chemo, radiation, and all the hell that
treatment entails. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It is not until this point that the
book starts getting good. Through Honora, Andrea starts to grow and open up to
the world. This is the other thing that struck me about the book, how good of a
job the author did at making Andrea change. It was slow and subtle and Andrea
showed frequent doubts about this change. I never felt like she just became a
new person who’s just woke up and seen the follies in her way. Instead the
change is implemented using introspective looks at herself and questioning. “It’s
time to accept the outside world for what it is. Time to explore the inside of
your head for what’s there, instead.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Honora also allows the book to
explore some interesting themes from the types of beauty a person can possess
to the states people die in. It’s your usual fair but still is interesting
nonetheless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While there are many good things
this book does, I have to go back to Andrea’s character. She got in the way of
my enjoyment of the book. All around her are a cast of bright, likable
characters but the dullness of Andrea overpowered them and set up a barrier for
me to get past. No one wants to be forced to fight to enjoy a book but that is
exactly what I found myself doing here.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At least the book managed to avoid
an unnecessary romance. Experiencing Andrea falling for someone would be
painful. How can such an unpassionate person fall in love? It would just turn
into a ridiculous “The only thing in the world I care about is you” story.
Maybe this is a disappointment for some of you, and in this case I can almost
agree with you. It would have made a nice change to have her feel something
strong somewhere. But for the already mentioned reasons, I don’t think that
would make that much of a story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So, in the end I would have to say
it was a below average book. The slow beginning coupled with the dullness of
Andrea overshadows the things the book gets right. You’ll have to make your own
call on this one though. If you really like coming of age stories, don’t
mind a protagonist like Andrea, or mind that the first third of the book is excruciating,
then this may be worth checking out from a library. I can't however recommend purchasing this book, especially when there are so
many fantastic coming of age stories out there. If you are itching to read one,
let me point you to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deadline</i> by Chris
Crutcher or maybe <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What Happened to Lani
Garver</i> by Carol Plum-Ucci, both of which are fantastic, especially <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deadline</i> which makes my top ten favorite
books.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And because apparently my opinion
isn’t the only one that matters, please take a look at </span><a href="http://readingkeepsyousane.blogspot.com/2008/10/skin-deep-by-e-m-crane.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">this review also</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> on Reading Keeps You Sane. She
offers a very different view on this book and I suggest you read it before
taking any of this too seriously.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659984199652042465noreply@blogger.com3