The art of racing in the rain

Hello again friends

As promised here is my thoughts on the only book I've "read" recently that doesn't fit the memoir category The art of racing in the rain by Garth Stein(I dont know that audio books truly count as reading but I dont know what other verbiage to use... absorbing?  I digress. .)
My friend at work suggested this book to me for a while before I finally decided to read it. I am notoriously against reading any books about dogs ever because inevitably something happens to the dog and it hurts my soul as I like most dogs better than I like most people. (this goes for movies too I have never seen Marley and me and I refuse to let it cross the threshold of my house) however at the time a bunch of people in my unit were reading the book and I wanted to be part of the conversation. Basically this is the story of a mans life as told from the dogs perspective. the dogs name is enzo and the owner is a middle-aged man named Denny.  Denny is an amateur racer so a lot of the book is told in racing terms. If you aren't into car racing ( like indy 500) it can make some of the book both a little boring and a little confusing.  However enzo is the perfect narrator. As a dog he is preprogrammed to see the best in everything but he can also soften the blow of some of the more depressing moments in the book because he doesn't understand the motive behind some actions. However the narration never feels forced or cheesy.
As far as the book itself the best way to describe it is it reminded me a lot of the story of job from the bible. Denny is handed crap after crap in the book and has to figure out how to deal with it(or learn the art of racing in the rain as Enzo puts it). From getting married and having a child and buying his first house to sickness, death, custody Battles, and losing his job, seemingly overnight Denny's life goes from decent and normal to everything that could go wrong does. It might seem like the kind of book that makes you consider taking up drinking just to forget about it but because its narration is from a dog even when Denny is consumed by crushing depression with seemingly no way out theres always a layer of optimism however small.
The audio book is only about 7 hours so things do move fairly quickly in the story since from what I can tell it only covers a few years of Denny and enzo's life and so it never felt rushed to me. Although the ending made me cry like a baby I really liked this book...I think. Its the kind of book you'll kinda think back on every now and again and go yeah I think I liked it ( although not sure how long it'll be before I actually read it again. Probably at least a year)

I guess thats all the thoughts I have on this book really. Its worth a shot and I would suggest it to anyone looking for a semi short book thats a little out of the ordinary.

The Midnight Library by Kazuna Kohara

This children's book is adorable. I'll admit the story is cute (what bookworm wouldn't love a story of a girl who runs a library for the animals with the help of her 3 owl friends?), but I think what I loved most were the illustrations. This is another book for my "one day" library.

The Tiger Saga by Colleen Houck

Book 1: "Tiger's Curse"

This book was recommended to me by one of my friend's. I didn't know anything about the book other than the title when she recommended it. Just a quick "Hey, you should read this."
This is a fantasy series about a young adult, Kelsey. She gets a two-week summer job stint working for a small family owned traveling circus and gets pulled into the center of a 300 year old curse. One of her responsibilities is to help care for the tiger, Ren, who turns out to be a 300 hundred year old (yet still young and handsome) Indian prince. The Saga tells the story of how the curse is broken.

I wasn't immediately drawn into this book, but kept reading due to the recommendation from my friend. The writing is a teen level, and at times I felt the story was too fast (not enough details or description. Sometimes jumping ahead to fast) and other times too slow (where lengthy explanations were given for things that seemed obvious). However, I suppose I am biased against the lower level writing style, what with me being a twenty-something doctoral graduate. The story itself is well suited for teen age reading. There is a lot of teenage romance and emotion and the reader can see the characters growing up and developing. The romance reminded me of the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer in that there is a 300 year old teen boy who shows no sense of adult courtship, and an just-out-of-high-school female who has no idea how to deal with the fact that a gorgeous man loves and is loved by her. However, it is obvious that the author has a lot of background in Indian culture as well as general literature through the ages. This is what kept me reading.

Book 2: "Tiger's Quest"

This section of the story throws a huge wrench in the plot by bringing Ren's brother, Kishan, into the love mix. A little background on the brothers' past: The whole tiger curse thing was brought to pass in part, because Kishan got tied up with the girl his older brother was betrothed too. This leaves the reader wondering if there is a tragic flaw in Kishan that he will always fall for (and steal the heart of?) whatever girl is in his brother's romantic possession.

Book 3: "Tiger's Voyage"
The love triangle continues. I am sorry to keep referencing Twilight, but this made me think of the whole team Edward vs. team Jacob battle. It was satisfying to me to see the girl decide on the steady, kind, more normal guy and turn away from the controlling, but passionate, chemistry filled relationship. Though I kept thinking was too good to be true. The whole team continues to battle against the curse, and the villian. They get into sme pretty action-y situations. I didn't always the the writing, but these scenes would make pretty cool movies.

Book 4: "Tiger's Destiny"
Some interesting plot turns, though some were pretty expected truth be told. And of course it ends, as Ms. I would say, with pretty pink ribbons all tied in bows.

Let me know what ya'll think.

Dystopian Distress

I think we can safely say that before The Hunger Games trilogy, there wasn't an official "dystopian" genre. Sure, there were books that fit the mold (The Giver, 1984), but I think Hunger Games was the novel that set off the flood of dystopian novels that hit the bookshelves after that (I thought about adding a nice image of "dystopia" here but I looked online and some of the images are vaguely terrifying, so I settled with "post apocalyptic city." instead).



So first, what exactly is a dystopian novel, and what does it entail? Merriam-Webster defines dystopia as 1) an imaginary place where people are unhappy and usually afraid because they are not treated fairly, and 2) anti-utopia. Jeremy and I recently had a discussion about this. We came to the general conclusion that a "dsytopia" is basically a "utopia" gone terribly wrong. That a post-war society puts so much corrective emphasis on perfection and good qualities that they overshoot, and become corrupt and, well, imperfect.


I love the concept of the genre; the idea of a utopian society gone wrong is interesting to me; however, as  I have read more and more books in this genre, I am beginning to feel like we are scraping the bottom of the barrel. And today, I want to prove it. I am going to use three of my favorite dystopian novels: Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Divergent by Veronica Roth, and The Uglies by Scott Westerfield. I will go over the plots of a "cookie cutter" dystopian novel, and then show how each of these fits the mold.

Before I begin, let me say that I enjoyed all three of these series (each is a trilogy. Similarity #1). In fact, I would highly recommend The Uglies and Delirium. I was a little less of a fan of Divergent because Tris is a very flat narrator. She got a little irritating to me towards the end. I also need to say that I deliberately excluded The Hunger Games from this comparison. Not because the similarities aren't there (they are), but because I feel like since Hunger Games was the series that really began the dystopian craze, more people have read it than the three I am comparing. 

I will spare a lot of the commentary from here on out, and give you the examples from the books. Unfortunately, my kindle wouldn't give me specific page numbers, so I don't have precise references for you for the direct quotes. I apologize in advance.

Warning: Spoiler alert (but since I am arguing that if you have read one of these you have the gist of all three...it's not really THAT much of a spoiler).

We enter into a world, a futuristic version of our own. However, our own country has been ravaged and destroyed by war. This war has since been studied and picked apart, and has been determined to have been caused by a particular quality, for which there has now been discovered a cure.

• Delirium- "It has been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure."
• Divergent- "'Decades ago our ancestors realized that it is not political ideology, religious belief, race, or nationalism that is to blame for a warring world. Rather, they realized it was a fault of human personality--of mankind's inclination toward evil, in whatever form that is. They divided into factions that sought to eradicate those qualities they believed responsible for the world's disarray.'"
• The Uglies- I couldn't find a specific quote, but in The Uglies, it has been determined that wars and hatred all started because people looked different, and usually because one of the warring parties was ugly. Scientists realized that if they made everyone pretty, there would be no need to war, since everyone would be desirable. They have genetically engineered looks to show innocence and vulnerability.
 

Enter Main Character. She (for in all three of these books it is a 'she') is nearly the age to enter the greater, perfected society.

• Delirium-"I'm scheduled to have my procedure in exactly ninety-five days, on September 3. My birthday." The procedure she is about to have is the procedure that will eliminate love from her life. All members of society have the surgery at eighteen.
• Divergent-"Today is the day of the aptitude test that will show me which of the five factions I belong in. And tomorrow, at the Choosing Ceremony, I will decide on a faction; I will decide the rest of my life." At sixteen, children determine their futures by choosing a faction to join.
• The Uglies-"What could they do to her, anyway? In three months she'd be a pretty herself." At sixteen, all Uglies go through an intensive surgery to make them pretty. This includes (but isn't limited to) cheekbone implants, new skin, nose job, eye work, lip enhancement, etc.
 

Main Character seems pretty content with society herself, but of course, she has a rebellious (however, well-intentioned) Best Friend.

• Delirium- The role of best friend is taken by Hana. Hana and Lena (main character) have been best friends for years. She is scheduled for her procedure at the same time as Lena, but "she has been strange recently." She feels the laws are too restrictive, and the citizens are not given any choice. She whispers cryptically to Lena before an important exam to determine her future husband, "You know you can't be happy unless you're unhappy sometimes, right?" She leads Lena to break rules, like trespassing, she listens to forbidden music and attending parties with other uncured individuals. She means well, but tells Lena she just wants to "live a little" before they are cured.
• Divergent- Admittedly, this role was a little more difficult for me to find. Tris has a few people she is close with, but none are really rebellious, as far as the reader can tell. Tris' brother is a friend, but not really a confidante. The siblings keep a lot of secrets from each other. He rebels against his childhood faction Abnegation, but wouldn't be considered a "rebel." Tris meets Christina on her first day as a dauntless and they become friends, but also not really the rebellious type. I finally decided that Divergent is unique because Tris actually IS the rebellious friend. She refuses to learn to hide her Dauntless..ness, and keeps fighting the simulations. She sneaks out of the Dauntless compound, and basically breaks a whole bunch of rules to find answers that she wants. Tris IS the rebel, though she still is happy with society.
• The Uglies- Tally's best friend is Shay, whom Tally met as she was sneaking out at night. Shay is in the same situation as Tally--her friends were made into pretties and Shay is alone until she can be made pretty as well. She doesn't look forward to her birthday and pretty surgery. She feels the whole "pretty" thing is a game, and tells Tally that "making ourselves feel ugly is not fun...this whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves." Shay takes Tally out of the boundaries of the city, into the forbidden ruins of the Rusties--the people who were destroyed by the wars. She wants to have as much fun "before it's too late."

Main Character seems pretty average herself, and most people seem to agree with that assessment. However, Best Friend is beautiful.

• Delirium- "[Hana is] absolutely gorgeous--even when she just twists her blond hair into a messy knot on the top of her head, she looks as though she's just had it styled. I'm not ugly, but I'm not pretty either. Everything is in-between. I have eyes that aren't green or brown, but a muddle. I'm, not thin, but I'm not fat, either. The only thing you could definitely say about me is this: I'm short."
• Divergent- Tris doesn't say much about herself, except that she is allowed to look in a mirror once every three months for a haircut. She says that she is average--she still looks like a child, even though she is nearly sixteen. However, most of the people Tris associates with are really nice looking. Tris, in her ever-descriptive dialogue, describes Christina as "pretty," and describes Four as muscular and good looking. She also can't take her eyes off of him, and for a long while it seems like she is in awe of him.
• The Uglies- Okay, granted, this was harder to find evidence for, because the series DOES actually come from the fact in the novel's universe, people are considered "ugly" until they turn sixteen and have their surgery. However, there are hints that Shay is beautiful: "[her lips] were already almost pretty-sized," "for a minute, Shay's ugly face looked perfect."There are also hints in the novel about Shay's self confidence. She likes the way she looks, which is strange for an Ugly. Heck, it is strange for anyone in OUR universe.

In each dystopian society, there is a secret rebel group. The government is working to destroy this secret group, all the while assuring the public that the group "doesn't exist."

• Delirium- This group of people is rebelling against the cure the government offers. They are known as the "invalids," but the news works hard to cover up the havoc they cause on the city. In the beginning, the invalids let a truck full of cows wander into a government medical and testing facility, but the government covers it up by declaring it was a mixed up medical shipment.
• Divergent- The secret group in this novel is actually the same as the title: Divergent. Basically, what that means is that the government is unable to control these people through simulations. However, the government looks harshly on these individuals, eliminating them while at the same time denying their existence. Since divergence is kept a secret, these deaths are usually made to look like an accident. When Tris finds that she is divergent, she is encouraged to hide the fact, and never reveal the truth or risk being hunted and killed.
• The Uglies- The main areas of this story take place in Ugly town and New Pretty Town. However, there is a rebel group who have escaped from the borders of the city and run to a place called "the Smoke." These are people who refused to let the government change them. Most people call them "Smokies," but they believe smokies are just made up--bedtime stories to scare them when they were little.
 

Main character is trying to behave within the realms of society, but eventually meets someone from a rebel group and forms a Love interest.

• Delirium- Lena's love interest is Alex. She at first believes he is cured, but soon learns he is a rebel. However, despite the rules, Lena begins to meet Alex after curfew, and starts to develop feelings for him. They begin to sneak out of city boundaries late at night, and Lena falls in love with him.
• Divergent-Tris begins to develop feelings for Four, who is not only her trainer, but who is also divergent. They struggle with concealing their divergence, and try to figure out their feelings for each other. Which are... convoluted, because Tris has a thing against affection, and Four had a rough childhood.
• The Uglies- Tally meets David, who has lived in the Smoke from birth, and who helps smuggle uglies out of the city who don't want to go through their surgery and become pretties. Originally, Tally thinks David is just being polite, but she realizes that they both have feelings for each other.

At this point in the story, there is a lot of indecision. Does she continue to be a good girl and live within the boundaries society has set, or does she, too, join the rebellion?

• Delirium- Alex presents Lena with the option to run away with him to live with the Invalids, instead of being cured. Lena is torn; she desperately wants to be cured. She has heard all of her life that love is what killed her mother; she has heard what terrible things love can do to people. However, she realizes that she has fallen victim to love, and doesn't want to lose Alex.
• Divergent- Tris realizes there are some strange things going on with the Dauntless and Erudite leaders, as well as with the simulations the people are subjected to. She realizes something is wrong, but she isn't sure how far she should go to figure out the answer.
• The Uglies- On the day of Tally's surgery, she is taken by an enforcement group called Special Circumstances. They give her the option of either setting out to find the Smoke and turning in Shay and all the other Smokies, or to stay ugly her whole life. Tally makes her way toward the Smoke, and deliberates for days about what she should do. Even when she arrives, she isn't sure what she wants.

Still brimming with indecision, Main character decides to take a step towards the rebels. Not to fully commit to being a rebel, but to see better what is going on.

• Delirium- Lena agrees to run away with Alex. They decide to run away and to forever cross the fence that divides the city from the Wilds, so they can be together.
• Divergent- Tris decides to break faction rules and visit the Erudite compound to confront her brother about his faction and get some answers.
• The Uglies- Tally decides to hold off on notifying Special Circumstances once she reaches the Smoke. She decides to give it a few days to better decide how she feels about the whole thing.

Main Character learns the truth behind the city she used to live in, and the government system she trusts.

• Delirium- From her own experience, Lena learns that love isn't evil. She learns that love is an incredible gift. She also learns that the cure also dulls your brain, and takes out your desires. You no longer want anything, and become easy to control. With no desires, there is no reason to disagree or to defend something you hold dear. There isn't anything you really value. There is only submission to the government.
• Divergent- Tris learns about the original goals of the factions and realizes that they have lost sight of their ideals. She learns that the simulations can be used to control others, and the factions are a way to keep the people in line. Within the course of the three books, she realizes that the city isn't actually real. That it is all a part of a huge experiment, gone wrong.
• The Uglies- Tally meets David's parents, who were the first people in the Smoke. They tell her about their time in the city as doctors, and the truth about the cure; when people are subjected to the anesthesia, it causes tiny lesions in their brains. These lesions don't kill the person, they just slow their reaction time and their desire to do anything on their own, making it easy for the government to swoop in.

Just about when Main Character has decided that she wants to join the rebellion, there is a tragic event that involves a loved one--sometimes Love interest, sometimes Best friend, but nonetheless, tragedy strikes.

• Delirium- On the night Lena and Alex are to run away, the regulators (the police, essentially) sneak up on them and try to capture them both. Lena manages to escape over the fence, but she has no idea where Alex is. She hears gunshots, and realizes he was not as lucky as she.
• Divergent- Tris and Four find out from the Erudite leader (one who wants to take over the world, essentially) that a new simulation is being developed that will affect Divergent people, and Four is her first subject. He is injected, and no longer recognizes Tris. He has become a pawn, like everyone else in the city.
• The Uglies- The morning after Tally destroys the tracking device Special Circumstances gives her, there is an attack on the Smoke. Shay is captured, and the place Tally has begun to think of as home is destroyed.

There is a short, though appropriate, time of grieving for the Main Character as she comes to grips with what has happened, and what this means. Ultimately, this drives her to join the rebellion.

• Delirium- There is a period of time when Lena wanders about aimlessly outside of the fence. She doesn't know where to go or what to do. Luckily, she is discovered by Raven, the leader of the Invalids, who takes her back to their camp. They nurse Lena back to health and put her to work. Eventually, Lena begins to find some semblance of happiness again, and joins up with the Invalids.
• Divergent- Tris is rescued by her mother from the compound where she has been sentenced to death. Her mom takes her back to a safe house but is killed on the way. Tris takes some time while in the safe house to grieve for everyone she has lost--especially for her mother and Four. She ends up becoming the leader of the group, because she is a part of the Dauntless faction, and is more decisive than any of the others.
• The Uglies- After the Smoke is destroyed, Tally and David return to see the damage. The whole place is reduced to ashes, and they try to find any survivors they can. They find no one. Every moment, Tally feels more guilt for what occurred.

Eventually, Main Character learns that the tragic event wasn't as completely tragic as she first thought.

• Delirium- After Tally has fully joined the rebellion and is seeking to destroy the cure in each city, Alex appears one day. He is thin, and has had an abusive few months, but he is alive, and is out of the city.
• Divergent- Tris realizes that if there is a way to stop regular simulations, there must be a way to stop this new, more powerful simulation that Tobias has been subjected to. She starts to plan.
• The Uglies- Tally and David realize that most of the Smokies are not dead; most have just been returned to their cities and will undergo surgery. They realize that it will be difficult, but since Special Circumstances assumes everyone in the Smoke is dead, they have a chance to rescue the Smokies.

At this point, we see a surprisingly self-sacrificing part of the Main Character come out. However, all is not well with their Love Interest.

• Delirium- Lena, who hasn't really considered the actions of her escape before this point, returns to her home city and tries to make some repairs. She helps her step-family (who have fallen into ruin since she escaped), and does everything that she can to help the rebellion. However, Alex refuses to speak with her, and refuses to acknowledge her most of the time. He feels like she betrayed him, and left him for dead.
• Divergent- Tris decides to give herself up to save Tobias. She lays down her weapon and tells him to kill her. The simulation is undone, and Tris and Four escape. However, there are barriers forming between them, since Tris feels the need to keep secrets, and Four is dissatisfied with himself.
• The Uglies- Tally decides to give herself up to Special Circumstances in order to both rescue her friend and to find the reversal for the pretty surgery. However, the heroism of this action is lost on David, who has found out the truth behind the attack on the Smokies. He learns that Tally was behind it, and feels completely used.

However, not to worry! The rebellion eventually succeeds, and all becomes well... kind of. The...end? The final similarity here is that in dystopian novels, they end (obviously), but the ending is NOT satisfactory.

• Delirium- Good news! The rebellion succeeds in finding the headquarters for the government officials in charge, and stage an attack. Lena learns that Alex has loved her all along, but is now torn between him and another love interest. The series ends at the beginning of the final battle, after the Invalids have breached the wall of a government facility. Lena isn't sure what will happen or who she will end up with, and the battle starts. The end.
• Divergent- This ending was dissatisfying as well. Tris and Four have had some rough times; secrets, lies, and a rebellion to top it all off. They learn that the city they have lived in all their lives was an experiment,  and that Four isn't really Divergent after all. Four goes through a major identity crisis, and Tris learns that the science compound outside the city doesn't have the best interests of the people at heart, either. Tris sacrifices herself for the cause, and Four ends up lonely. The end.
• The Uglies- Tally sacrifices herself, as I mentioned before, but David doesn't seem to be able to get over the fact that she lied to him. In all fairness, it was a pretty drastic lie, but all the same, David never quite acts the same around Tally. Until the end of the series. Tally has undergone several different surgeries and finally ends up working for Special Circumstances, although she eventually cures herself. She is able to find a mass cure and showers it (literally, I believe) upon the people. Although David hasn't talked with her for two books, she leaves a note with the government saying essentially, "See ya, David and I are running away together, but we will keep an eye on y'all, now that you are cured." The end.

Now that I have totally ruined these novels for you, I have to say again that I did enjoy these stories. I didn't regret reading any of them. I just wanted to point out their many, MANY similarities. What other similarities have you seen in dystopian novels (or other novels) that make you feel like you are reading the same story over and over?

memoirs...

Hello friends Long time reader first time writer. ..
   I have been on a memoir kick lately.  The last 3 of 4 books I have read have fallen into that category (I'll post on the 4th book later) I'm not super good at writing and -full disclosure im writing this on my smartphone but... here goes.

Also all 3 books have some serious language and at least 1 has some adult situations. Just a heads up.

The first book I read was lone survivor by marcus littrel. this is the story of seal team 10 and operation redwing-which went terribly wrong.  The book is a great look into what the special forces go through. the first 6ish chapters focus on marcus's upbringing and training for the seals. If you aren't into military...everything like I am I've heard this part can be kinda long. I Loved it. The training the went through from the time marcus and his twin brother Morgan (who also became a seal) were teens is intense and the actual seal training has always been kind've kept underwraps But this book gives the most comprehensive look I've ever been able to find. After all the training chapters it moves into the ill fated mission behind enemy lines.  In case you don't know the story 4 seals were dropped into the mountains behind a Taliban controlled town in the hopes of getting Intel and maybe even the opportunity to take out a major Taliban leader. Shortly into the mission 3 goat headers- an older man and a teen and a small child- found the seals completely blowing their cover. The team decides to abandon their mission and let the goat hearders go rather than killing them and breaking the rules of engagement amd saving the mission.  This discussion among the team and the repercussions of it are so..conflicting. Its easy to say obviously they should kill the shepherds but its not so easy when they lay it out. One of the shepherds was about 6-8 years old. Maybe younger.  and even killing them they would've been in a pickle. They just would've had a little more time to prepare. All four members of the team had good points and ultimately I think I would've gone with the same thing they did but who knows. Anyway after they let the Shepards go within about an hour the seals were surrounded by Taliban.  The seals lasted a while and what they go through before the end is incredible. The last 3 or 4 chapters deal with marcus as the lone survivor and what happens when he reaches the village. As soon as my children are old enough to handle the subject matter they will read this and watch the movie -it is a tear jerker I read this book on my breaks at work..poor choice. I seriously cannot say enough good things about this book. I would hope that everyone would give this book a read despite the language.

The second book I read is orange is the new black. This is the story of one woman's year in woman's prison for being a drug mule for her girlfriend in college.  (This is the book with some adult situations..)
 We love the Netflix series based on this book. (Fyi incase any of you are looking to watch it. It would probably be rated at least r if not nc-17. Its a good series just very explicit with lesbian scenes. you have been warned) Because I had watched that I think I was a little spoiled.  If I had to do it again I think I would read the book first.  As the series is just that a series some of the situations were embellished or flat out made up to make the story better for tv. So a lot of things I was expecting were not in the book or not the same even a little. Piper (the main character) also comes off a lot more snooty in the book than on tv. I like netflix piper a whole lot more than I like book piper. I kinda hate book piper. Anyway this book is an interesting look at the life in a minimum security prison and may make you question some of the "mandatory sentences" for certain law violations but I dont think its anything I will read again for a while. For now I'll stick to my netflix jazzed up version of the story.

The third book im going to discuss is called silver screen fiend by patton Oswalt  This a very quick read (the audio book is under 5 hours) but its not very funny. I think if I had known that this book wasn't funny..like at all.. it would've been a different experience while reading.  If you don't know Patton Oswalt is the voice of Remy the rat in rattatiouie (or however thats spelled..I dont speak french nor own the movie to go look at ) as well as a whole slew of other acting credits. (Once you know what he looks and sounds like it seems he's everywhere) but he got his start and is still known for being a stand up comic. Being that he can always tickle my funny bone I feel like initially I was kinda let down by the lack of funny in the book. However once I got past the fact that is wasn't a stand up routine disguised as a memoir I really enjoyed it. The book is basically a look at 4 or 5 years of patton's life when he was just starting to break through with his career. However during this time he was watching at least 1 if not 2 or 3 movies in theaters per day. It became his addiction as real as any drug ones. Most of the movies he talks about are very old classics (Casablanca) or art house foreign films (irreversible a French drama) but as you can imagine watching that many movies there is a little bit of everything.  Its actually fairly interesting to see how he relates and pieces things together.  As someone who is a little into movies myself it really spoke to me to see how it affected his life and the way it shaped some of his views on things. I dont know if this book is for everyone but as an obsessive bipolar cinephile who loves art house dramas and indie sundance films I believe I will be back to visit this book again and again.

well thats all for now. as promised I will be back with a review of the 4th book.. but thats another show.

Good night and happy reading.

I Wear the Black Hat...Villains and Their Necessity

I just finished this book recently. The sad part is, it sounded a lot more intriguing than it ended up being. Which, I guess, is partially my fault because I read WAY too much into the title and introduction.

I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villains Real and Imaginary by Chuck Klosterman starts off with a simple question: "What is the most villainous move on the market?" Klosterman explores the question a bit, noting that murder is obviously wrong, human trafficking is terrible, and blowing up a planet is frowned upon. However, he notes that none of these deeds is really the "pinnacle" of villainy. He then argues that the most villainous act is tying a woman to the railroad tracks.

Honestly, this statement made me chuckle and think of watching Dudley Do-Right segments of Rocky and Bullwinkle as a kid. In fact, Klosterman actually DOES point out Snidely Whiplash, the villain of Dudley Do-Right, as his example. And then he explains why tying a woman to the railroad track is the most villainous act someone can commit: there is no reason to tie a woman to the railroad tracks. One does it for the pure intent of being evil. There are more effective ways to murder someone, if that is Snidely's goal, and there are certainly equally scary places to tie a lady to await her doom. There is no apparent gain for Snidely, yet he continues tying women to railroad tracks in nearly every episode he appears in. Snidely ties women to railroad tracks simply because he wants to. And that is what makes him villainous.

Unfortunately, the book took a downward turn at this point. I expected Klosterman to further explore commonly known villains: Lex Luther, the Joker, the Wicked Witch, heck, even the Big Bad Wolf. I thought the author would explore what makes these characters "villains" as opposed to simply "bad guys." But that is not where the book goes; it instead begins to explore examples of real people who have either become vilified, or who have managed to escape the lens of villainy, despite villainous acts. Some of the examples Klosterman uses are pop culture-related, but many were random and unknown to me. I had a hard time following the point of the book, and found myself skimming a good portion of it.

However, the overlying theme of villainy did give me some interesting food for thought, which is why I decided to talk about this book, despite the disappointment. Because, let's face it. We need villains almost as much as we need heroes. Villains keep stories moving. They make sure the main character doesn't get too comfortable. Without villains, books and movies would be boring.

Think about your favorite books, whatever they may be. Would the story be nearly as compelling without the villain to spice things up? No. Because villains add conflict to the story, and give us a reason to see the book through to the end. We love happy endings, and the ending often doesn't seem complete without the hero defeating the villain.

But sometimes, I think there is a tiny part of us that is cheering for the villain as well. Even if we hate what a villain does, there are many times when we respect a "good" villain. For example, there is a lot to hate about Voldemort, but at the same time, it was pretty ingenious of him to split his soul to protect himself for his anticipated triumphal rule. In the end, I wanted good to succeed, but I did love reading about the various methods Voldemort used to try and conquer the wizarding world. The same is true of many villains, both in books and movies. A few others that come to mind are the Joker (Batman), Big Brother (1984), Captain Hook (Peter Pan), and Count Olaf (The Series of Unfortunate Events), along with several others.

Some villains are meticulous in their schemes, and hatch elaborate plots to accomplish their ends. Others have a single goal in mind, and are willing to go to extraordinary heights of villainy to get what they want. Some want to rule the world. Some want chaos. Others protect their own ideal, and protect it fiercely, even if it is diluted. And it seems that the worst of all are those who have apparently no motive--those who (as Alfred says of the Joker in The Dark Knight) "just want to watch the world burn."

I appreciate authors who take the time to develop their villains, because they make a story that much more interesting. A well-thought-out villain often has more depth to his character than the main character of the story, and a disappointing villain can ruin an otherwise good story if he is not intended to be ridiculous.

Well, I have pounded villainy to the dirt now, but I would love to hear your thoughts! Who are your favorite (or least favorite) villains, and why?

The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

WARNING: This series has not all been published yet. Currently the author is working on the third book. If you are the type of person that hates to wait for the next book in a series to be released, you'll want to wait a few more years before you jump into this one.

My husband introduced me to this book. Usually it is the other way around. I am the bookworm of the family, though I am quite pleased to say that my bookishness is rubbing off on my family. It is starting to be the common bed time ritual for all of us to cozy up with our own books. *LOVE*

Anyway. He was introduced to this book at work. It is common for music or a book on tape to be playing. He had missed a good portion of the story, so we ended up getting the book on CD for one of our long road trips to visit our plethora of family.

"The Name of the Wind" Book (Day) 1 of the Kingkiller Chronicles

I really enjoyed book 1. There is some violence, so this is not a book for the younger kids. This is a fantasy story about a boy/man named Kvothe. It is a story that takes place in a time similar to the Renaissance period, but in a world with magic. Not Harry Potter kind of magic. But rather a magic with laws/rules, where names can be of great importance. The story tells of Kvothe and his journey to the University to pursue his studies. This was similar to other fantasy stories and yet unique at the same time. I think a lot of that has to do with the writing skills of the author. These books are very well written and the writing has some delightful surprises. I am not a writer, I'm a reader. So, rather than ineptly describe, I will give you a blurb. (Taken from http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/content/books.asp)

My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as "quothe." Names are important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I've had more names than anyone has a right to. The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how it's spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree. 

"The Flame" is obvious if you've ever seen me. I have red hair, bright. If I had been born a couple of hundred years ago I would probably have been burned as a demon. I keep it short but it's unruly. When left to its own devices, it sticks up and makes me look as if I have been set afire. 

"The Thunder" I attribute to a strong baritone and a great deal of stage training at an early age. 

I've never thought of "The Broken Tree" as very significant. Although in retrospect, I suppose it could be considered at least partially prophetic. 

My first mentor called me E'lir because I was clever and I knew it. My first real lover called me Dulator because she liked the sound of it. I have been called Shadicar, Lightfinger, and Six-String. I have been called Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, and Kvothe Kingkiller. I have earned those names. Bought and paid for them. 

But I was brought up as Kvothe. My father once told me it meant "to know." 

I have, of course, been called many other things. Most of them uncouth, although very few were unearned. 

I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. 

You may have heard of me. 

"The Wise Man's Fear" Day 2 of the Kingkiller Chronicles

The story continues in Book 2. The second book is almost as good as the first, but there are some aspects of the story that I really didn't like. A) there is a particular bloody battle scene, that is just horrible to imagine. B) There is a lot of sex in this book. Part of this comes from Kvothe visiting the Fae world where he finds, in essence, the goddess of intimacy (for lack of a stronger word), and they, well, go at it. A lot. Part of this also comes from visiting another country where they have very different ideas about intimacy. Call me a prude, but all of this was a huge turn off towards a story that was otherwise great.

"Doors of Stone" Day 3 of the Kingkiller Chronicles
Does not have a release date yet. However, there are some delightfully entertaining comments about the book to be found within the comments of Good Reads (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21032488-doors-of-stone).

"The Slow Regard of Silent Things"

This book is not part of the series, but it really wouldn't make sense to put a review of it in its own post. This book is an offshoot from the story and tells us about a week in the life of Auri, who is a character that Kvothe meets at University. This is a delightful and intriguing book. It is lovely and strange, and so very different from a lot of the stories out there. However, this book is not going to make a lot of sense or be even remotely appreciated if read on its own. You don't need to read the entire story of Kvothe to appreciate this book, but you should at least have the back ground of Auri from Book 1 of the Kingkiller Chronicles. So read "The Name of the Wind" and then read this.

The Girl and the Bicycle

I love to read. The passion started sometime in elementary school when my school librarian (Shout our to Ms. A!) showed me the Mary Poppins series by P. L. Travers. (Note to self: do a post about this series.) After that, my reading adventures led me to many different places, and those adventures continue today.

Also, I'm a mom. So in the spirit of sharing my loves with my daughter, I present to you "The Girl and the Bicycle" by Mark Pett.

For those of you who know my husband, it will be no surprise that this book practically jumped off the shelf at us during our weekly library visit. We all quickly fell in love with this book. This is an early literacy book, ie. no words, just pictures. "Read" it. I hope you love it as much as we did.