Halfway there

So I'm liking The Bell Jar. It's everything I hoped Huckleberry Finn would be, minus the the Mississippi. Imagine an actual character spewing actual social commentary, rather than just confusing insinuations that are supposed to be clever but actually just make me feel stupid.

I really like the mix of description, dialog and internal commentary. It's so refreshingly well done.

That's all I really have to say. I think I'll be reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall when I finish The Bell Jar (hopefully by the end of this week) and then I'll finish Huckleberry Finn. Then I'm thinking Ernest Hemingway. We all need a little Hemingway, right?

I don't know how to not say fail

You know when your friend doesn't call you back for a substantial period of time and then suddenly you happen across each other at the bookstore and it's awkward and neither of you has anything to say to the other and you both just wish that you could leave without reading the excerpt chapter of City of Fallen Angels that you came there to read?*

That's the exact same kind of awkward it is for me to tell you that I did not, in fact, read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in its entirety but still have approximately a third of it to go. But um, I did move this blog to Blogger, so that's something, right?

But I'm going to finish it. Possibly whilst I start The Belle Jar by Sylvia Plath which is, according to the reliable source of me, the next book I will be reading. It's on hold at the library.

Insanity. Looking forward to it. Hopefully, you are, too.

*Regardless of how much the accounts in this incredibly running on sentece may lead you to believe this happened to me, it did not. I swear it. Jeez people, I'm not Lemony Snicket. Trust me.

I don't thrive on the drama

Oh Mark Twain (that's not even your real name, is it?), somehow when I read your book, I feel as if you are insulting my intelligence. Is that your intent? Are you trying to prove how ridiculously uninitiated I am? Because it's already been documented.

I'm not sure why I feel condescended to while reading this book. I'd like to use that as my excuse for being so slow in reading it but I'm pretty sure that'd be a lie. I'm liking Huckleberry Finn of which I've only read 135 pages but shhh-we'll-get-to-that later. Somehow, though, I'm not as far as I should be.

Any why is that, by the way? Why can't I stick to my number of pages a day schedule and finish on time? Why do I start late and procrastinate later until it's July 30th* and I have 145 pages to read in less than 48 hours?

Remember the part in She's Just Not That Into You where the main guy who seems like a Justin tells her that girls thrive on drama and that's why we don't pay phone bills until the last minute? That generally did not make sense to me. Do you think I enjoy this? Do you think I like having to spend most of my day reading so I can finish this self imposed goal on time? Don't answer that if the answer you're thinking starts with the letter 'y'.

Because I don't enjoy it. Maybe a little but mostly not. I'm a busy person. I have novels to write and tank tops to knit and early episodes of Smallville to watch, not to mention blogs to write and read and YouTube videos to view... (as an afterthought there's also school, supposedly). I do not have eight hours on the last day of every month to finish listening to Mark Twain make supposed jokes that I don't even understand until I read their endnotes and realize, 'Oh that's ironic commentary on drying your socks on the west side of your house.'**

And yet my tomorrow is going to be filled with just that. Only maybe not eight hours. That's dramatic hyperbole.

*Happy Birthday, Neville.

**Footnote for the Alexs to my Mark Twain: this is a joke. I'm pretty sure Mark never had a comment on that.

Auto Draft

Ridiculously behind

What does it say about me that I'm consistently behind on every book I read for this blog? Is there anyone that wants to analyze this and get back to me? Or maybe I don't want to know. The only book that I actually finished reading a week before the end of the month was A Little Princess and that was the only children's book I've read.

And to complete this blog so it doesn't look like a grand, rhetorical question about my psyche, I will add that I'm mostly enjoying Huckleberry Finn, despite the procrastination. The weird thing is that I like to read before bed but lately that's been hard. I just can't keep my eyes open after 11pm. I suppose this could be seen as a good, healthy thing, but I am behind on my reading.

Note to self: renew efforts!

Princesstry

I loved this book. A Little Princess, I mean or in case you forgot. I almost did. I know we're eleven days into July and I'm like an absent, neglectful parent of this blog and I'd feel sorry for that but I don't see a point to feeling sorry. There's a lot going on and not to say that this isn't important (it is!) but it's not as high up on the list as you might like to believe.

My foot is asleep.

Reading A Little Princess (on one of my friends' list of books, by the by) was the first time in a long time that I read a children's' book that didn't make me feel like a child. Incidentally, I do not read a large amount of children's books but this one brought back something of a Harry Potter feeling. I love coming across an author who doesn't dumb things down for us young 'uns. I really enjoyed A Little Princess and not just because I admired Sara's composure or because of the rounded cast of characters. It was just a good story. Somewhat, anticlimactic at the end, but I dealt with it. Don't we all wish we were the strong, mature type who overcame poverty and adversity and imagined ourselves a better present and had it all turn out lovely in the end?

When you think about it, being a princess is freaking hard. I mean, you've got to be cordial and polite to everyone, no matter who idiotic or vindictive they are. Needless to say, I am filled with respect for Sara. She's going on my list of heroes. It's not a long list but she's on it. I've actually been trying to channel her energy. It's not really working but I think about it sometimes. What Would Sara Do? As I said, being a princess is hard. At least we all have something to aspire to.

A Little Princess is an amazing novel. It's inspiring and well written and not the least bit patronizing. Thank you Frances Hodgson Burnett for writing something meaningful intended for children. It's means a lot.

Next book is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I've heard only good things about Mark Twain and I shall not be disappointed. In theory.

Absences and Dramatic Returns

Hi. Remember me? Is that a gimmicky thing to say? Sorry if you agree with me that it is. I'm afraid I don't have any other techniques for jumping over the awkward gap left by my complete neglect of this blog and you, my mysterious reader. I won't be pretentious enough to add a plural to that. There *has* to be at least one of you. Hi Mom.

Since we last spoke I have done a few things but I will narrow it down to things pertaining to this blog:

1. I drove a car on the road for the first time.


2. Oh? That doesn't pertain to this blog. Oops.


3. I did not finish reading Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens.


4. I decided to read either A Little Princess or The Bell Jar.


5. I avoided posting anything at all.


6. I read A Little Princess.


7. I decided to write a blog and end the suspense.

And here we are. How was your month?

I will post my review sometime between now and June 30th. For now, I will simply say that I adored it.

*sigh* *awkward giggle* *puts on 'here goes' face*

I'm not going to finish Great Expectations this month. There, I said it.

I'm ceasing the efforts which, I will admit, were pitiful at best but I'm okay with that. I read about 100 pages in these past 26 days and though, yes, that is sad, I will not be conquering the remaining 370 in the next 5 days. It's not a question about whether I could. I'm positive that I could if I wanted to. But I don't want to. This whole "life" thing is obstructing my Great Expectations time and I'm tired of being disappointed in myself. Also, Great Expectations isn't the gripping narrative that could have me under the covers at 1am reading by the light of my iPod. I wish it was but I'm barely slogging through.

So I'll have to finish it some other time. As for next month, I will have to consult the list to decide what comes next. I will let you know.

Great Expectations... please don't have them

I wanted to inform all of you (or both of you, at least) that May's classic is Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens. I'm not sure why I picked this one but I felt it was about time to throw Dickens into the mix and because I was spoiled on the end of A Tale of Two Cities I don't know if I'll ever want to read it. This means that Great Expectations wins by default as it is the only other Dickens book on my shelf.

I think we've all heard a lot about the guy and so I'm rather excited to get started. Also there's the potential of this conversation...

"Oh, you're reading Great Expectations? Is that for school?"

"No, I'm just reading it."

"Ooooh, that's neat."

In my head, "Yeah, that's right, I *am* this deep."

Maybe I'm a bit of a literature egomaniac, even if I don't really have the credentials to be one. Yet. I cannot express how much I love being in on a literature reference. It's the best feeling, especially when no one else gets it.

Now what does that say about me as a person?

Persuasion explained: Twilight style

I know I just posted a blog and everything and that's great, but then I was thinking... (scary, I do that sometimes)... what do the people want? And is it sad that the answer I came up with is Twilight?

I was thinking the other day (again with the thinking, aaah!) about The Breakfast Club and how it supposedly defined/described an era. Then I was thinking about what movie would describe my teenage era and you know the sad thought that popped into my mind? I think you can guess. Starts with 'Twi' ends with 't'. No, not Twit, Twilight. And that made me a little upset. But hey, maybe we'll continue trashing the planet so by the time we're old and people are trying to define us, they won't need to because we'll all be dead. That's a cheery thought.

Anyway, I thought I would give a shot at describing Persuasion's plot, again, only this time trying, unsuccessfully I foresee, to draw parallels to Twilight. I hope this entertains at least me.

In Twilight's version of Persuasion, Anne is Edward and Captain Wentworth is Bella. Jacob represents all of Bella's other options (Louisa Musgrove). At the end of Twilight, Bella/Wentworth declare their undying love and wish to spend eternity with Edward/Anne. In the beginning of New Moon, Bella/Wentworth gets rejected. Burn.

(this is starting to confuse me already)

The end of New Moon is where Persuasions starts, however. Edward and Bella are reunited and it should normally be awkward. For Anne and Wentworth, it is. For Edward and Bella, they fight it and pretend everything is completely normal and one of them didn't totally crush the other, basically turning them into a zombie for half a year. Meanwhile Bella/Wentworth have been toying with their options. Hey, there's always Jacob/Louisa, right? Watching all of this, Edward/Anne are kind of tied up with all the pining they've been doing. Watching from afar, stalking, listening in on conversations, it gets tiring. But then, suddenly, all is clear both parties realize that they other has not forgotten loving them and they live happily ever after. Jacob/Louisa get together with the couple's baby and... wait. No, that's a bit to disturbing for Jane Austen. Scratch that romantic relationship with a baby part.

Obviously, Anne and Wentworth are the normal ones here. And I didn't even add in that Edward/Anne are vampires.

It's kind of been a month but... Persuasion wrap-up!

Perhaps I should have written this a little bit closer to when I actually finished the book. As it is, I left it and it's been about two weeks since I finished the book and it may be a little stagnant in my mind. But I'll start with a brief summary.

Eight years before the story starts, Frederick Wentworth* and Anne Wentworth fall in love. They were going to get married but Anne is convinced by a friend that it's a bad idea because Wentworth is of little social consequence, being in the navy, and so she breaks it off. And that's all very sad but if you know Jane Austen, you know it's all going to work out in the end. So now, eight years later, Anne's family is in a bad financial state (common Jane Austen protag issue) and Wentworth has come back to England as a super awesome captain. Anne is also on the old side (twenty-seven -gasp-) and her prospects are looking grim.

They get thrown together, both staying in the vicinity of the Musgrove family and it appears that Captain Fred is over Anne because he seems to be into these other girls while, secretly, he's pining over Anne while at the same time harbouring hurt feelings since she, like, rejected him. That hurts. Imagine if Logan and Rory were thrown together eight years after the series finale of Gilmore Girls and you have the awkward quota that Anne and Wentworth feel.

Obviously she still loves him but she can't *say* anything. Don't be absurd. So gradually they both realize that the other is still possibly interested and, though it looks iffy at times, I never really questioned the end. I absolutely loved Wentworth's note to Anne at the end but I guess I always was a fan of the written word.

Persuasion is definitely a favourite. With such a winning story of how love lasts (Jeez, did that sound corny) and such charming and redeeming main characters (unlike some books I've read *coughWutheringHeightscough*) obviously I had to love it. I suppose I'm just a Jane Austen fan, through and through, no matter what the Bronte sisters had to say about her. I would choose Darcy/Wentworth over Heathcliff/Rochester any day.

*you can call him Fred. Oh, Fred. *tear*

Two views yesterday. w00t.

We need to drum up the excitement here. Or maybe it's my content that needs work. If that's it I think we might as well shut down now. Oh well, it was good while it lasted.

Wait? What's that you whisper? I'm not doing this for popularity and views? Oh that's right, I did say I didn't care about views at first and I'm not about to sell out. But still... a couple more would be nice.

On a slightly related note I've started Persuasion. I'm on page 1 still but I read the first sentence and, get this, I read it on my iPod! I have this ebook thingy and Persuasion just happened to be one of the free selections. So that's awesome.

Dangit. I need to come up with some hilarious content. What do you people want from me?? Did I just sound like Adam Lambert? I hate that song.

Descriptions are so 2002

Maybe it's because I can't write them without sounding cheesy. Maybe it's because I have repressed ADD. Whatever the reason, I am not into drawn out descriptions. If this makes me sound immature, I guess I have to sacrifice that and I recognize that descriptions, when tastefully done, can be lovely and poetic. I also believe, however, that you should not have to read the same page four times simply because you couldn't tell what was going on between the descriptions of the sunset and how it reflected off the lagoon.

I'm pretty sure that Lord of the Flies was beautifully written. It was well crafted and theorized and visualized. It was an interesting look at human beings. It was also very descriptive which, at times, was beautiful. At other times, my eyes glazed over and I had to put the book down before I fell asleep, as I am close to doing now. *yawn*

It was also a bit depressing. Pre-pubescent boys can be a bit disheartening. And thinking about how quickly one would use their humanity in some such situation is scary. But I would hope that my personal version of LotF would look more like Flight 29 Down which, in case you're oblivious to obscure Disney channel shows, was a relatively terrible children's television show that I loved about a group of high school aged kids getting stranded on a South Pacific Island.

I can think of nothing else to right and it's getting late so I will just go. In conclusion, Lord of the Flies was interesting  and intriguing but a bit too descriptive for my taste.

Next book is Persuasion by Jane Austen. I'm excited for this one, I must say.

I'm not feeling cultured

In the past, old books have made me feel sophisticated, worldly, cultured. At this point in my project, I'm feeling at a loss for words. Sort of like the world isn't as bright. How about a quick recap...

To Kill a Mockingbird, while a great, heartwarming story with beautiful characters had themes of racism. I'm not against talking about the tough subjects in books but it's still a bit of a damper. Great story, well written novel, sort of makes you feel despair for human society. At the same time, I loved it for Scout's innocence and lovableness.

Wuthering Heights was supposedly a love story. It features Cathy and Heathcliff and their love which triumphs all, or so Bella says in Eclipse. Yeah, whatever. What I took from it was a terrible story, sans moral, driven by revenge and hate. Heathcliff does not do one nice thing in the novel and yet at the end you can't help feeling sorry for him. How can this be? He's a mean spirited monster whose only goal was to make everyone around him as miserable as he was. The best part of his existence was ***SPOILER ALERT*** when it ended. He was a freaking kidnapping manipulator. Jeez. Moving on.

Now we've got Lord of the Flies which I'm sure is an excellently written book but lacks the soft romantic charm I look for. I love witty, snappy dialogue be it Remy and Dexter from Sarah Dessen's This Lullaby or Elizabeth Bennet's snippy reply to a comment of Mr. Collins. LotF, starring a group of marooned pre-pubescent boys, is seriously lacking this. I'll get over it.

I'm starting to wonder, though, if this story is written to tell a story or to express a point. It all seems rather deep so far and while the characters are interesting enough I'm not too invested. And so I think that this is one of those lesson books and I'm sure it has some good story but the obvious themes can be distracting.

Oh well, we'll see.

Lord of the Gross Covers

I have procrastinated writing this blog long enough. The reason for that being that I hated Wuthering Heights and I don't know how to write a summarizing blog post that doesn't sound completely redundant. I've kind of said all I have to say about Wuthering Heights. Blah.

I'm going to go grab Eclipse so that I can read that part where Edward relates to Heathcliff. You will not notice my lack of presence.

Aha! I'm back. Yeah, I cannot leaf through that book looking for a single Heathcliff quotation. You will live without it or you will look it up on your own. The internet is a magical place, or so I hear.

Plus, I'm busy. Some people may say that watching Gilmore Girls does not equate to busy; I will differ here. I think I'm going to reread Eclipse. Parts of it, anyway. I don't like the parts with Jacob.

I love Jess.

My next book is Lord of the Flies. I am excited about this because three years ago someone told me it was her favourite book and I was going to read it. I got it out of the library and it sat on my shelf for three weeks and then I returned it. And now I have it again.

I am not excited about reading it because I got the gross cover. I wanted this cover:

I got this cover:

Ew. I don't want to be seen with this book. Plus, everyone who sees me reading it is going to think I'm reading it for school. I hate that. Yes, covers and people thinking I'm another schoolie is sort of vain, but there it is.

I have to go read a book with a gross pig on the cover. Seriously, what was the marketing department thinking? Oh yeah, let's put a bleeding pig on the cover. That'll make the kids buy 'em like hotcakes. Yum.

Wuthering Heights binge

All my years of book club have been training me for today when I had about one hundred pages to read.

Needless to say, I did it.

I'm not going to write my monologue now because a) I am tired and b) all I really want to do is watch an episode or two of Gilmore Girls and forget about the eeriness that is Wuthering Heights. Seriously, I feel like I should have a button that says "I survived Wuthering Heights".

I'm off. See you tomorrow.

Jump off the moors

I feel like I haven't posted in a while, but it hasn't been that long, has it? I'm here tonight because I recently rewatched Alex Day Read Twilight (on YouTube) and it inspired me. In his first video (or possibly second) he says that because Bella wants to read Wuthering Heights, she is not normal. Apparently, if she was normal, which we already knew she is not, she'd be reading Twilight.

Needless to say, I'm very confused as to how Wuthering Heights could be anyone's favourite book. Admittedly, I haven't read much of it since the last time I wrote and we all know how I was feeling then but at least I'm consistent in my dislike.

Maybe this is only another example of how Bella, who I don't mean to be talking about as if she is a real person, is an oddity. I have to note that the characters in my book (or at least Clementine and Liam) are what I would call odd, as well, but in a quirky, crazy-cousin-who-you-dearly-love way. Bella is weird in a my-favourite-book-revolves-around-people-who-are-selfish-revenge-thirsty-and-moraless way. You know what's a normal classic to read again and again? Pride and Prejudice. That's a good book with worthwhile characters and moral progression. Wuthering Heights? That's a strange gothic novel with a bunch of characters who should put themselves out of their misery and go jump off the moors in succession. Presumably there's a cliff at the end of the moors that leads to a rock, perilous beach.

Then I was wondering what Edward does in his spare time when he's not A) watching Bella sleep/snooping around in her room, reading her dog-eared copy of Wuthering Heights, B) creeping in the woods outside Bella's house thinking about how pathetic and tortured his live is or C) dismantling her car and taking away her personal freedom. My conclusion for what he does in his bedroom all night is reenact a one man show of Romeo and Juliet because it is his favourite play.

You can tell a lot about a person by their favourite literature. Bella and Edward are one strange example.

I'm sure there's normal people who like Wuthering Heights. Maybe. Far out there in Antarctica, hanging with the penguins. I'd like to talk to one of these people so they can motivate me to keep reading. If this blog--in which I didn't actually talk about the book at all--has been any indicator, I'm having a hard time with it. I don't actually care to know how Heathcliff will find his revenge on That Guy Whose Name I Cannot Even Remember. Lindly? Lindon? Linton? I think it's Linton. Whatever, I'll crack it open again tonight. Maybe.

Any suggestions for the next book? I'd like to read something I might actually enjoy.

Not Convinced

I'm one hundred pages into Wuthering Heights and while that's not exactly on track, it's an improvement to the beginning of the month. I'm not completely in love with the characters and story as I was with To Kill a Mockingbird. I thoroughly dislike these characters. The one person I can tell to have any redeeming qualities is Edgar Linton and I can tell something bad is going to become him, simply because he was moronic enough to marry Catherine who is a spoiled, selfish, mean-spirited woman. I'd say that her and Heathcliff deserve each other, but they do make each other happy and I'm not sure if they deserve to be happy.

I am happy to say I understand what's going on now. The combination of reading the Sparknotes guide and continuing to turn pages regardless of comprehension seems to have worked. More of less, anyway. I did find the following tidbit in Sparknotes which made me feel slightly better about being so confused.

The strange, deliberately confusing opening chapters of Wuthering Heightsserve as Brontë’s introduction to the world of the novel and to the complex relationships among the characters, as well as to the peculiar style of narration through which the story will be told.

For me to explain why I feel the way I do about these characters, I think I'll have to do something of a summary of events up into my current chapter. Wuthering Heights actually reminds me of a lot of different books only it doesn't have quite as many redeeming characters as any of the novels like it. So here is my take on the first one hundred pages.

The main story is that of Catherine Earnshaw and the orphan that her father took in when they were children, whose name is simply Heathcliff. The story is being told to some guy named Lockwood by Nelly Dean, Lockwood's housekeeper who grew up as a servant of Catherine's family. Heathcliff is loved by Catherine and Mr. Earnshaw (Catherine's father) but despised by Catherine's mother and brother, Hindley. In this way, Heathcliff reminds me of a mixture of Mr. Wickham from Pride & Prejudice, Fanny Price from Mansfield Park and Jane Eyre from, well, Jane Eyre. Catherine and him get up to all kinds of mischief, as children. They're very strange children and sort of mean, even then. When Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw die Hindley takes over the estate and reduces Heathcliff to a field worker because of his hatred of him. Because of this, I have a bit of sympathy for Heathcliff. However, Jane Eyre doesn't swear to get revenge on her aunt, does she?

All the characters grow up and Heathcliff is a bit rough around the edges due to his Jane Eyre-esque lot in life. Catherine is a young lady and entertaining the affections of Edgar Linton, a well off, kind and gentlemanly neighbour. Although Catherine has quite a temper, Edgar proposes to her and she accepts, even though she knows how strong her love for Heathcliff is. Here, she reminds me of Willoughby from Sense and Sensibility, choosing money and circumstance over what is supposedly true love. She sees herself and Heathcliff as one person and yet in telling Nelly about the engagement in secret with Heathcliff listening, unknown, in the back of the room, she drives him away.

That part was sad because she says something like she could never marry Heathcliff because it would degrade her to do it and, hearing this, Heathcliff departs before having a chance to hear Catherine go on next about her love for him. She says their souls of made of the same thing and they are one person but he doesn't hear it and he leaves that night, not to be seen for three years.

Catherine is heartbroken, of course, but she marries Edgar anyway and doesn't seen Heathcliff until he shows up at her door three years later aparrently wealthy and staying with Hindley at Wuthering Heights. Cue weird love square between Heathcliff, Cathy, Edgar and Edgar's sister (Isabelle) and you've got where I'm at right now.

Have I mentioned that I really don't like these characters or their shallow motives? Basically everything that's done in this book is based on jealousy, hatred and revenge. And the moral of the story is...?

Wuthering Woes

I'm bad at reading. It's February 10th, I'm at page 22 and I have absolutely no idea what is going on. I might have to read some sort of summary on the internet to figure out what's happening because I don't even know who's narrating this book. I am so confused. Why is February so short?

Usually, I'm against summaries. Whenever I read books, I want to be as in the dark as possible until that chapter that all is revealed. When I read Jane Eyre, I was lost in the beginning but instead of reading the Wikipedia page and spoiling the story for myself, I just read page after page until I was sort of kind of sure what was going down.

Similarly, I have gotten this far in Wuthering Heights because I keep reading. My attention wanders and I end up reading each page 2-3 times, but I do continue on. And now, at chapter three, I'm thinking I may just review SparkNotes and read the summary of the first few chapters. Is there anything inherently wrong with that?

I'm thinking yes, there is, because otherwise I would have done it already, rather than hesitating.

Because I have noticed similarities in my experience with Emily and Charlotte Bronte, I have come to two conclusions either of which could be correct: One is that the Bronte sisters are not talented with comprehensive beginnings that are readable and hook-y or, two, I am bad at reading.

Let's hope it's number one.

Unveiling...

Is the opposite of unveil veil? Veil Doesn't look like a real word. But it is. Some things are just weird like that. I use the word just too much.

Did you forget what you were reading? I need to work on my confusing skills.

With no reader polls* or anything of the sort, I have decided to read Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte, this month. The reason for this is, of course, because it is Bella and Edward's favourite book, and, when you have Bella and Edward on your side, where can you go wrong? All I need to make this decision completely supported is the opinion of dear Lauren, and I'm pretty sure she'd be into it. Who isn't into a guy named Heathcliff (he is from Wuthering Heights, correct?)? Come on, it's like a mixture of Heath Ledger (may he rest in peace <3) and cliff. As in Bella jumped off a _______. Coincedence?

From the cover of this novel alone, I am getting a very ominous vibe. Maybe this is like Edward Cullen's handbook. If so, it is sure to be very insightful, if not a little bit creepy at times. I think we're all ready for a little mysterious creepiness.

Bring it on, Bella's Favourite Book.**

*I totally learned that there's a way to actually to that and to prove it to you (and myself) I'm going to test it. Respond below.

**I may refer to it as this from now on.

[polldaddy poll=2645138]

Unveiling...

Is the opposite of unveil veil? Veil Doesn't look like a real word. But it is. Some things are just weird like that. I use the word just too much.

Did you forget what you were reading? I need to work on my confusing skills.

With no reader polls* or anything of the sort, I have decided to read Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte, this month. The reason for this is, of course, because it is Bella and Edward's favourite book, and, when you have Bella and Edward on your side, where can you go wrong? All I need to make this decision completely supported is the opinion of dear Lauren, and I'm pretty sure she'd be into it. Who isn't into a guy named Heathcliff (he is from Wuthering Heights, correct?)? Come on, it's like a mixture of Heath Ledger (may he rest in peace <3) and cliff. As in Bella jumped off a _______. Coincedence?

From the cover of this novel alone, I am getting a very ominous vibe. Maybe this is like Edward Cullen's handbook. If so, it is sure to be very insightful, if not a little bit creepy at times. I think we're all ready for a little mysterious creepiness.

Bring it on, Bella's Favourite Book.**

*I totally learned that there's a way to actually to that and to prove it to you (and myself) I'm going to test it. Respond below.

**I may refer to it as this from now on.

[polldaddy poll=2645138]

I finished in time!

For the last few days I have been pondering what makes the difference between a good book and one of my favourite books. I liked To Kill a Mockingbird. I really liked it. Maybe loved it. But will it be added to one of my favourites? Maybe. Okay, I loved it.

To try and make this clearer, I will be compiling a list.

Favourites:

• the Harry Potter series


• Paper Towns


• The Mortal Instruments series


• Pride and Prejudice


• Just Listen


• The Book Thief


• The Hunger Games


• Going Bovine

Those are the top ones I can think of.

And now for some books that I think are well written or that I really liked:

• Jane Eyre


• Looking For Alaska


• Speak


• Liar


• The Penelopiad


• The Messenger

There's tons more of those, but that's all I could think of off the top of my head.

So there it is. The one outright noticeable difference? My favourites have happy endings whereas the ones I thought were well written (but didn't make the final cut) mostly didn't. There's exceptions, of course. Some were happy, some were neither happy nor sad, some were happy/sad and some where just sad. But that's endings for you.

All of the listed are great books. They all have wonderful stories and believable characters. But the point here is that there are two lists. Books that made me think and books that I fell in love with. That makes the first list sound sort of vapid. Let me just say that all the books made me think. Every book I listed has some sort of underlying current of intelligentness**. To conclude this paragraph, if you can convey a theme/message with witty dialogue, quirky characters and preferably believably romantic romance, you've completely won my heart. But back to the point...

No, I didn't completely devour TKAM in one sitting. It didn't grip me and, most of the time, there were no tears. There was no swooning, either. It was a pretty mellow book for the most part. So at the time, no, it probably wasn't a favourite. Looking back, however, I can happily add it to the first list. How else could I rate a book that is about not wanting to grow up and listening to everyone's story and just overall acceptance of others?

Now I could try and delve into the themes and morals of TKAM but I'm not going to. The reasons are that 1. I probably couldn't explain it in a way that would capture the brilliance that the book is due and 2. Matt did it and he was really awesome doing it and I'm not going to just parrot everything he said when I can just post his video...



Excellent book. And not only that, it was a great story and very well told. Next book will be revealed tomorrow, or when I decide.

*At first, I typed google book. I thought you should know that.

**I love irony.

I finished in time!

For the last few days I have been pondering what makes the difference between a good book and one of my favourite books. I liked To Kill a Mockingbird. I really liked it. Maybe loved it. But will it be added to one of my favourites? Maybe. Okay, I loved it.

To try and make this clearer, I will be compiling a list.

Favourites:

• the Harry Potter series


• Paper Towns


• The Mortal Instruments series


• Pride and Prejudice


• Just Listen


• The Book Thief


• The Hunger Games


• Going Bovine

Those are the top ones I can think of.

And now for some books that I think are well written or that I really liked:

• Jane Eyre


• Looking For Alaska


• Speak


• Liar


• The Penelopiad


• The Messenger

There's tons more of those, but that's all I could think of off the top of my head.

So there it is. The one outright noticeable difference? My favourites have happy endings whereas the ones I thought were well written (but didn't make the final cut) mostly didn't. There's exceptions, of course. Some were happy, some were neither happy nor sad, some were happy/sad and some where just sad. But that's endings for you.

All of the listed are great books. They all have wonderful stories and believable characters. But the point here is that there are two lists. Books that made me think and books that I fell in love with. That makes the first list sound sort of vapid. Let me just say that all the books made me think. Every book I listed has some sort of underlying current of intelligentness**. To conclude this paragraph, if you can convey a theme/message with witty dialogue, quirky characters and preferably believably romantic romance, you've completely won my heart. But back to the point...

No, I didn't completely devour TKAM in one sitting. It didn't grip me and, most of the time, there were no tears. There was no swooning, either. It was a pretty mellow book for the most part. So at the time, no, it probably wasn't a favourite. Looking back, however, I can happily add it to the first list. How else could I rate a book that is about not wanting to grow up and listening to everyone's story and just overall acceptance of others?

Now I could try and delve into the themes and morals of TKAM but I'm not going to. The reasons are that 1. I probably couldn't explain it in a way that would capture the brilliance that the book is due and 2. Matt did it and he was really awesome doing it and I'm not going to just parrot everything he said when I can just post his video...



Excellent book. And not only that, it was a great story and very well told. Next book will be revealed tomorrow, or when I decide.

*At first, I typed google book. I thought you should know that.

**I love irony.

PART TWO!

PART TWO! Hooray!

I really have nothing to say other than last night I turned the page and there were only two words on the next one and they were part two.

Perhaps I shouldn't be revealing this. Perhaps I should be pretending that I'm more than a third of the way through so you can have some faith in my reading abilities.

Whatever, I'm going to go ahead and hit publish anyway.

PART TWO!

PART TWO! Hooray!

I really have nothing to say other than last night I turned the page and there were only two words on the next one and they were part two.

Perhaps I shouldn't be revealing this. Perhaps I should be pretending that I'm more than a third of the way through so you can have some faith in my reading abilities.

Whatever, I'm going to go ahead and hit publish anyway.

It's not lost, it's *misplaced*

It's been a while. Hello there. I have been reading. Not diligently, but sporadically. You know, three chapters while riding the bus, thirty pages before bed when I'm actually in bed before I want to pass out. It's not a very good system, and I'm not particularly proud of it, but I still have like what? Eight days left? Nine? Seven, maybe? It's fine. We're all good. Even if I don't read any of it before my EXAMS on Thursday I can still race to the end in the remaining 2 days of the month. Not that I will end up doing that, but it's always there, as an option. What's two hundred pages in two days to a home schooler? Pfft.

Today, an important question will be questioned and possibly answered or at least skirted around. According to my Language Arts mentor, I am good at skirting. I have honed this skill. Why provide a real opinion on an assignment when you can pick both sides while sounding very persuasive. Don't you just love writing essays?

The question: What is a classic?

This question is immediately easy for me to answer. In my humble and extremely important and noteworthy opinion, a classic is a book that was written a reasonable amount of time ago (for instance half of the time Edward has been seventeen. And sometimes shorter) that is still remembered today. For example, The Great Gatsby. I have no idea what it's about. I don't know anything about the book but it's title. And recently I learned there's someone named Daisy and a metaphor to God. Other than that, nothing. Yet, that is.

But I have heard of the title before. Even though it was written ages ago, the invention of the printing press has managed to connect us to an entirely different generation and way of thinking. Classic, yes?

This has been rather short and I don't think I got my point across entirely but I shall save it for another time because I've been non-writing for a while now and clearly anything else I say is going to be lamer than what I've already said.

Now, I shall go retrieve my book. Or submit an essay. Or something like that.

It's not lost, it's *misplaced*

It's been a while. Hello there. I have been reading. Not diligently, but sporadically. You know, three chapters while riding the bus, thirty pages before bed when I'm actually in bed before I want to pass out. It's not a very good system, and I'm not particularly proud of it, but I still have like what? Eight days left? Nine? Seven, maybe? It's fine. We're all good. Even if I don't read any of it before my EXAMS on Thursday I can still race to the end in the remaining 2 days of the month. Not that I will end up doing that, but it's always there, as an option. What's two hundred pages in two days to a home schooler? Pfft.

Today, an important question will be questioned and possibly answered or at least skirted around. According to my Language Arts mentor, I am good at skirting. I have honed this skill. Why provide a real opinion on an assignment when you can pick both sides while sounding very persuasive. Don't you just love writing essays?

The question: What is a classic?

This question is immediately easy for me to answer. In my humble and extremely important and noteworthy opinion, a classic is a book that was written a reasonable amount of time ago (for instance half of the time Edward has been seventeen. And sometimes shorter) that is still remembered today. For example, The Great Gatsby. I have no idea what it's about. I don't know anything about the book but it's title. And recently I learned there's someone named Daisy and a metaphor to God. Other than that, nothing. Yet, that is.

But I have heard of the title before. Even though it was written ages ago, the invention of the printing press has managed to connect us to an entirely different generation and way of thinking. Classic, yes?

This has been rather short and I don't think I got my point across entirely but I shall save it for another time because I've been non-writing for a while now and clearly anything else I say is going to be lamer than what I've already said.

Now, I shall go retrieve my book. Or submit an essay. Or something like that.

In which I disclose a secret about a cat, a washing machine and a huge mistake.

I had that whole resolution thing to not go on my computer past 10 o'clock but this is super important and so I'm blatently ignoring it from this point forward. Now that I've made that clear I should probably try to hook you into reading this blog because if I don't irony strikes seeing as how I'm writing this about hooks. Hopefully, the title will do it for you. The secret is a lie, as is the cake.* You won't be getting any of either.

I'm about 70 pages into To Kill a Mockingbird and I realize I should be farther as tomorrow marks the midpoint of this month but alas, I am not. I come to you today to talk about hooks and why they are more important today than they were in 1960.

I think there were probably less books published 50 years ago but that is purely based on my assumption so don't quote me in your thesis papers. With there being a smaller selection, I'm thinking there would be a little less competition than we apparently have in the book selling market today. Therefore, good books didn't have to immediately pull the reader into the story, they could do it slowly with more tact and skill, knowing that even if the beginning was a tad slow, the reader wouldn't put it back on the shelf after the first page.

I broached this idea to my mother and she said that not only were there less books, people had a longer attention span in 1960 (generally speaking). Today, we are bamboozled with ads and television and computers and technology and books seem somewhat dimmer in that light to some people. We seem to have less time than ever, despite all the technologies that are made to make our lives easier. And so when one is wandering the aisles of a bookstore, if one doesn't immediately feel compelled to read the novel in one's hand then one doesn't, because one already has enough to do and read (i.e. The Penelopiad for English).

To Kill a Mockingbird didn't start out with all the adults in town disappearing *coughGonecough* but I have more stock in it than I did with Michael Grant's novel. I have a feeling that I hold something excellent in my hands with To Kill a Mockingbird (only not right now because I'm typing and that's not practical).

Isn't that a positively profound thought I just documented? Will someone please record this in the history of my life so that I can go back sometime in the future and be like, "Yeah, when I was fifteen years old, I was SMART!" Oh wait, I kind of already did that. With this blog. Yes, I realize that was a bad joke. Sometimes, they just have to be made. Sorry about that.

So, no, the first chapter didn't exactly grab me but am I still going to read it? Yes. That's kind of beside the point, as the reason for this blog is so I can read books and pretend someone cares what I have to say about them. But yes, I'm still going to read it.

I have an urge to say 'stay tuned' but I won't other than to tell you that I won't be saying it.

*I don't understand that saying and yet I use it. Maybe it's a smart people thing.

In which I disclose a secret about a cat, a washing machine and a huge mistake.

I had that whole resolution thing to not go on my computer past 10 o'clock but this is super important and so I'm blatently ignoring it from this point forward. Now that I've made that clear I should probably try to hook you into reading this blog because if I don't irony strikes seeing as how I'm writing this about hooks. Hopefully, the title will do it for you. The secret is a lie, as is the cake.* You won't be getting any of either.

I'm about 70 pages into To Kill a Mockingbird and I realize I should be farther as tomorrow marks the midpoint of this month but alas, I am not. I come to you today to talk about hooks and why they are more important today than they were in 1960.

I think there were probably less books published 50 years ago but that is purely based on my assumption so don't quote me in your thesis papers. With there being a smaller selection, I'm thinking there would be a little less competition than we apparently have in the book selling market today. Therefore, good books didn't have to immediately pull the reader into the story, they could do it slowly with more tact and skill, knowing that even if the beginning was a tad slow, the reader wouldn't put it back on the shelf after the first page.

I broached this idea to my mother and she said that not only were there less books, people had a longer attention span in 1960 (generally speaking). Today, we are bamboozled with ads and television and computers and technology and books seem somewhat dimmer in that light to some people. We seem to have less time than ever, despite all the technologies that are made to make our lives easier. And so when one is wandering the aisles of a bookstore, if one doesn't immediately feel compelled to read the novel in one's hand then one doesn't, because one already has enough to do and read (i.e. The Penelopiad for English).

To Kill a Mockingbird didn't start out with all the adults in town disappearing *coughGonecough* but I have more stock in it than I did with Michael Grant's novel. I have a feeling that I hold something excellent in my hands with To Kill a Mockingbird (only not right now because I'm typing and that's not practical).

Isn't that a positively profound thought I just documented? Will someone please record this in the history of my life so that I can go back sometime in the future and be like, "Yeah, when I was fifteen years old, I was SMART!" Oh wait, I kind of already did that. With this blog. Yes, I realize that was a bad joke. Sometimes, they just have to be made. Sorry about that.

So, no, the first chapter didn't exactly grab me but am I still going to read it? Yes. That's kind of beside the point, as the reason for this blog is so I can read books and pretend someone cares what I have to say about them. But yes, I'm still going to read it.

I have an urge to say 'stay tuned' but I won't other than to tell you that I won't be saying it.

*I don't understand that saying and yet I use it. Maybe it's a smart people thing.

Ta-da!

I know you've all been waiting with bated breath and so before anything drastic happens (or the month ends), I will announce the book I will be reading. With a picture, no less.



If you're wondering what that indented looking pockmark on my book is, that's where I peeled the price sticker off. It left a mark. If it makes me seem more ghetto, I could tell you it's a bullet mark from when I was walking down the street and had to defend myself and the only thing available was the Pulitzer prize winning book by Harper Lee, but they* say honesty is the best policy.

So I went with the democratic process even though my sister didn't want me to. She thought that I should start with something light and though she's never read The Great Gatsby she thought that was the ticket. Hi Maddy. Love you. Of course I didn't just choose this book because Vita told me it was her favourite, over Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows no less, and I do whatever Vita tells me to do. Don't be ridiculous.

It took me a while to find this book. You see, it sat on my shelf for a couple months and then I decided that I'd just move it because my shelf has precious little space and I need to fill it with other books that I'm never going to find the time to read. So it went and sat on my mother's shelf for a while until very recently when it was misplaced. So even after majority ruled, I still wasn't sure if I'd be able to follow through on my promises.

Luckily, my mother is amazing** and she found it and here we are tonight. Page one, bring it on.

Hook sentences fascinate me. I mean, "When he was nearly thirteen my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow" doesn't seem particularly hook-y to me. Also, shouldn't there be a comma between thirteen and my? Am I an over user of commas? Maybe. Am I right? Yes. Right? Right?

So I haven't actually read anything but the first sentence so I will definitely do that now. Bye!

Oh, and I'm wondering is anyone going to read along with me? I know Maddy is. Hopefully. Just curious. That would be super awesome.

*They do rule over my life after all. But the question is, who are they?

**And no, she definitely didn't tell me to write that.

Ta-da!

I know you've all been waiting with bated breath and so before anything drastic happens (or the month ends), I will announce the book I will be reading. With a picture, no less.



If you're wondering what that indented looking pockmark on my book is, that's where I peeled the price sticker off. It left a mark. If it makes me seem more ghetto, I could tell you it's a bullet mark from when I was walking down the street and had to defend myself and the only thing available was the Pulitzer prize winning book by Harper Lee, but they* say honesty is the best policy.

So I went with the democratic process even though my sister didn't want me to. She thought that I should start with something light and though she's never read The Great Gatsby she thought that was the ticket. Hi Maddy. Love you. Of course I didn't just choose this book because Vita told me it was her favourite, over Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows no less, and I do whatever Vita tells me to do. Don't be ridiculous.

It took me a while to find this book. You see, it sat on my shelf for a couple months and then I decided that I'd just move it because my shelf has precious little space and I need to fill it with other books that I'm never going to find the time to read. So it went and sat on my mother's shelf for a while until very recently when it was misplaced. So even after majority ruled, I still wasn't sure if I'd be able to follow through on my promises.

Luckily, my mother is amazing** and she found it and here we are tonight. Page one, bring it on.

Hook sentences fascinate me. I mean, "When he was nearly thirteen my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow" doesn't seem particularly hook-y to me. Also, shouldn't there be a comma between thirteen and my? Am I an over user of commas? Maybe. Am I right? Yes. Right? Right?

So I haven't actually read anything but the first sentence so I will definitely do that now. Bye!

Oh, and I'm wondering is anyone going to read along with me? I know Maddy is. Hopefully. Just curious. That would be super awesome.

*They do rule over my life after all. But the question is, who are they?

**And no, she definitely didn't tell me to write that.

A Need to Quote Anastasia

My past as a blogger, though not wildly professional, is there and yet I've never done anything quite like this. Plans and themes have evading me and so I'm rubbing my hands together and ready to get started on this gem of a mind concoction.

I will now distract you from the clumsy beginning to this challenge by quoting from one of my favourite animated movies, Anastasia.

I feel like we are strangers, starting out on a journey. Never dreaming that our dreams (of literary abandon) would come true. Now here we are, and I'm suddenly standing at the beginning with you.

At this point I'm not really sure what we're looking at here. I think there'll be from 1 to 2 posts a week depending on how guilty I am that I'm failing at reading my current selection. I'm not even sure what these posts are really going to look like. There's a fuzzy draft in my mind that's sort of ruling over me and hopefully all will become clear as the weeks unroll. Hopefully you'll still be here.

The idea of reading one book a month for a year does not seem too onerous at this time but I am also factoring in that I have additional books to read for my book club, my English class and maybe a bit of leisure reading? You also have to add in all the time procrastinating, because I try to be honest with myself and procrastination is a vital part of my creative process. Okay, so maybe it's not vital, but it's definitely a part.

On to business: I need to pick January's novel. If you still think I was in any way prepared at this point, now you will probably give up hope. I did not decide on what I'm reading when, as I prefer the spontaneous method of planning. I was going to start with Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights for the single reason that's it's Bella and Edward's favourite book and when did that ever lead anyone astray, but my dear sister thought it was a little too dark for a beginning. How about a good old fashioned vote? Please comment below on which of the three following I should start off this marvelous year with and I will reward you with some imaginary cake. Pineapple upside down cake. How can you resist?

• The Great Gatsby


• Wuthering Heights


• To Kill a Mockingbird

A Need to Quote Anastasia

My past as a blogger, though not wildly professional, is there and yet I've never done anything quite like this. Plans and themes have evading me and so I'm rubbing my hands together and ready to get started on this gem of a mind concoction.

I will now distract you from the clumsy beginning to this challenge by quoting from one of my favourite animated movies, Anastasia.

I feel like we are strangers, starting out on a journey. Never dreaming that our dreams (of literary abandon) would come true. Now here we are, and I'm suddenly standing at the beginning with you.

At this point I'm not really sure what we're looking at here. I think there'll be from 1 to 2 posts a week depending on how guilty I am that I'm failing at reading my current selection. I'm not even sure what these posts are really going to look like. There's a fuzzy draft in my mind that's sort of ruling over me and hopefully all will become clear as the weeks unroll. Hopefully you'll still be here.

The idea of reading one book a month for a year does not seem too onerous at this time but I am also factoring in that I have additional books to read for my book club, my English class and maybe a bit of leisure reading? You also have to add in all the time procrastinating, because I try to be honest with myself and procrastination is a vital part of my creative process. Okay, so maybe it's not vital, but it's definitely a part.

On to business: I need to pick January's novel. If you still think I was in any way prepared at this point, now you will probably give up hope. I did not decide on what I'm reading when, as I prefer the spontaneous method of planning. I was going to start with Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights for the single reason that's it's Bella and Edward's favourite book and when did that ever lead anyone astray, but my dear sister thought it was a little too dark for a beginning. How about a good old fashioned vote? Please comment below on which of the three following I should start off this marvelous year with and I will reward you with some imaginary cake. Pineapple upside down cake. How can you resist?

• The Great Gatsby


• Wuthering Heights


• To Kill a Mockingbird

Chaos surrounds you

We're still under construction here, but I hope you will call again tomorrow or perhaps the next day would be best. I promise lots of awesome.

Chaos surrounds you

We're still under construction here, but I hope you will call again tomorrow or perhaps the next day would be best. I promise lots of awesome.