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A Heavy Load

~ garrettpinder ~ Leave a comment

In less than a week, the Sickness will spread.

Actually, I’m just moving to a new apartment… But geographically, my books will be in more places! As much as I love my books, I have to admit, packing up boxes upon boxes of books and textbooks and cookbooks and video game guides and… (well, you get the idea)… Really calls my dedication, love, and muscles, into question.

In times like these, I’m forced to value the convenience of digital books. Though, my poor Kindle has been power-drained and sitting on a table… But it holds a good number of titles that could probably get me through the next few months easily.

Once I nestle into the comfort of my new home I anticipate a surge of organization and a renewed sense of vigor for reading. That also may be the result of the beginning of my summer break from graduate school — I’m not taking a class this summer! — so I can read anything I want! Pleasure reading again!

This move also means I can take inventory of everything that I have and republish my book list, which, admittedly, has gotten a bit out of hand… So stay tuned!

It’s Time I Knew Her Name

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Hush, Faithful Reader,

Let’s diverge from this young adult trend, as ugly as that may seem. I’m hungry for the games of a more mature  friend. I’ve reached an opening in this maze and found my match, the legend: Stephen King.

How many YA books did I just reference? 😉

But I said her name. Stephen King’s beginning… Carrie. (Another that is seeing a new theatrical release, this upcoming October.)

Someone recently expressed their excitement about the new adaptation of Carrie and it got me thinking about King’s work. Then I realized that I owned the book and, like so many others, I haven’t read yet. Crazy, right?! It’s time to change that.

I’ve seen the 1976 movie as well as the sequel. *sigh* Stephen King’s books just do not translate very well into films. Unless Frank Darabont is directing, that is. Those seem to do well. That said: I am looking forward to this iteration of Carrie.

Gosh, I don’t mean to keep talking about films, but it seems as though that theme has proven to be rather influential/relevant lately. I promise not EVERY book I read and write about will have a movie tie-in. I swear!

Since the film doesn’t premiere until October, I’ve got more than enough time to work through the text. It’s not a particularly long book… around 300 pages… so I’m positive that it will be a quick read.

As a side note: I’m in the process of packing and moving! This also means reorganizing my collection. Exciting, and also busy! Especially with final class projects etc. Stay tuned!

Running on a Hamster Wheel

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After picking a book up and being really excited about reading it– IT’S THE BOY VERSION OF HUNGER GAMES!!– I wasn’t completely impressed with The Maze Runner by James Dashner.

Maze Runner

I really struggled getting into this book. As I mentioned, I was looking forward to reading this book because there has been quite a bit of hype surrounding it. Along with so many other popular young adult series, this has also scored a movie deal. (Go figure.) Needless to say, I had high expectations. Some were met, some left my wheels spinning.  (Ha! – running…hamster wheel… spinning… see what I did there?)

We’ve got a teenage boy with amnesia that pops up in a world with bunch of other boys that have amnesia too. I think the author was trying to be clever in the reader’s connection with the protagonist — learning new information as they learned — but instead I found it downright frustrating. I felt as though a lot was deliberately being withheld such as “why do we do this?” or “what is that?” So many characters brushed off the protagonist, and therefore, the reader, which made me feel like the book was telling me “STOP READING ME! LEAVE ME ALONE!”

(Un)Fortunately, I was stuck with it through about 10 hours of plane rides over the last week and decided to plow my way through, breaking this wild horse of a book and beating it into submission. Rather than giving away any real plot points, mostly because I really want other readers to suffer like I did, I’ll just say that by the end of the book, I am intrigued.

Let’s see where the rest of this series goes. For now, I’ll catch my breath from my sprint through this book, stretch for a spell, and perhaps pick up another book with a more moderate pace.

A Crack in the Facade

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Somehow I made it through the holidays without buying a single book! My family and friends also listened to me when I said NO to books (and video games), which made gifting a lot more interesting this year. Who knew you could get things like wine?! Hello! Where have I been?

The one book I received was a cocktail recipe book — which you all know I don’t count towards the Sickness. Rather than books, I was able to focus on, dare I say, more practical and much-needed things. I DID receive a single Barnes & Noble gift card for a birthday present… but it wasn’t spent until we were well into the new year! On what you ask?…

Beautiful Creatures

There has been quite a stir surrounding this Beautiful Creatures series. What with a pending movie starring Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson, it could be the next big thing! However, I’m more intrigued by the authors and the writing style. Beautiful Creatures, written by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl. That’s right — TWO authors. After further investigation, I discovered that the authors actually sit down and write collaboratively, rather than alternating chapters, or having one write and one edit. I can only imagine this is a painstakingly long process, but it seems to work for them.

When I looked up the book to purchase online, I happened to find a neat hardcover boxed set with all four books in the series, typically listed for $75 on sale for $45! That works out to be quite a deal… one that I eventually gave in to. Unfortunately, the set was back ordered due to popularity, and even with two-day shipping, it took over a month before I received it!

With the movie set to be released for Valentines day, I didn’t have a whole lot of time to read the 500+ page book. Thankfully, I was pretty interested in the book, and I sped through it pretty quickly, as did several of my friends — all of us excited for the film. Reading a young adult love story, written by two women, from a boy’s perspective is definitely interesting… I must admit, at first, I thought the narrator was female. I quickly caught on. I quite enjoyed the setting, and many of the characters stood out…. which reminds me…:

A word of caution to anyone that is interested in either seeing the film or reading this book: THEY ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. I won’t spoil anything for anyone… But you will be disappointed if you read the book and then see the film. I’m generally very forgiving when it comes to adaptations to the big screen, and while this production was impressive (and yes, enjoyable), it diverges from the book quite substantially. Many main characters are omitted (including my favorite, a librarian! — unacceptable!), and major plot points were changed considerably.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I do look forward to reading the rest of this series; however, I do not anticipate seeing the rest of the series adapted for a screenplay.

Every Fangirl’s Fantasy

~ garrettpinder ~ 3 Comments

As I begin to scale these towers of books, I can’t help but point out a recent trend that I have unknowingly subscribed to. This category I speak of is one that I feel I may have passed over or not even noticed in years past. Yet somehow, this particular microcosm of fiction has wriggled its way into popular young adult literature (not to mention my bookshelves) and is swiftly spreading… almost like weeds.

Thanks to the success of other fantasy series such as Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer, fangirls (and boys) are coming out of hiding by riding on the coattails of their predecessors. Pouring out of parents’ cars to swarm midnight releases nationwide, teens arrive decked out in what I can only call “Pedestrian Comic-Con Chic.” This seems to be happening more and more. Now book launch parties have become more commonplace for the everyday “flavor-of-the-week” tweener pop craze rather than a spectacular event reserved only for the crème de la crème of juvenile literature. But I digress…

Strong female characters in post-apocolyptic dystopian fantasy fiction trilogies.

Gosh, that sure is a mouthful. And I thought Barnes & Noble was crazy for naming a whole section “Paranormal Teen Romance.”

Now, before I go further, I should probably mention that this topic may very well be a springboard into several of my first book reviews. Honestly, it’s because I have read quite a few already, so please bear with me as I trudge through this mini-genre of books over the next few blog entries. (I’ll try to break things up here and there so I don’t scare away too many potential readers.)

1. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
2. The Matched Trilogy by Ally Condi
3. The Mortal Instruments Trilogy by Cassandra Clare
4. The Dustlands Trilogy by Moira Young
5. The Forest of Hands and Teeth Trilogy by Carrie Ryan
6. The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

The six trilogies mentioned above contain books that I have either already read or ones that I own. I will also mention…

7. The Chemical Garden Trilogy by Lauren DeStefano

and a special mention to…

8. The Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner

The Chemical Garden Trilogy is a series that I can absolutely see myself buying that will fit right alongside the others in this little collection I already have going on. While The Maze Runner Trilogy on the other hand, offers the same general world setting as the others, but with a male as the central character — though, not exactly a departure from the traditions of what seems to be going on in this genre, a different perspective can shed light on many new things. These last two trilogies I mentioned are ones I do not own, and for the purpose of this blog, I will refrain from purchasing for the time being.

So far, three of the six trilogies are complete, while the remaining three are missing their second and/or third companions. With that in mind, I will start reviewing the completed series first, allowing more time for the remaining series to round themselves out.

~

Will Suzanne Collins will become the next J.K. Rowling?
Is a trilogy ever too long, or not long enough?
Team Peeta or Team Gale?

Tune in next time for my review and insight into The Hunger Games Trilogy.

The Sickness

~ garrettpinder ~ 2 Comments

BookSick
adjective

1. to be more concerned with collecting and owning books than reading
2. to derive pleasure in the acquisition of books

ex: I just got back from my friend’s apartment, and I’m worried he may be BookSick.

Symptoms:
I love reading, and I never go anywhere without a book. I buy books noticeably faster than I finish reading the ones I already have. I justify buying more books by buying clearance and used titles. I have strong urges to collect all the books written by the same authors. I multiple books at the same time. I spend hours in bookstores. With the exception of one book, I have never read a book more than once.

Treatment:
Now that I own… a lot of books, it’s time to buckle down and read. Part book review part self-therapeutic diary — this blog will help me document my journey as I work through my rather substantial personal library. I will finish the books I start reading. I will read one book at a time.

I cannot begin this process however, without recognizing certain obstacles.

First, I work a full-time job in retail. This means I work at least 40 hours every week. During the upcoming holiday season, those hours will increase. My job does not exactly facilitate reading during downtime, but reading ebooks on my phone is entirely feasible.

Second, I am an active member of a book club that meets once a month. Let’s face it, many of the books chosen will not be coming out of my own library. I will do my best to borrow rather than buy these titles.

Third, and most notably, in the fall of 2011 I will be joining the ranks of students aspiring to graduate with a Master’s Degree in Library Science and Information Studies. This part-time program will most likely consume one of my two days off every week.

Knowing my limitations, I will set a low goal for the time being, and I reserve the right to adjust the goal depending on the circumstances of my three limitations. That being said, I hope to read at least two books every month. One being a book club selection and another from my library.

Wish me luck!

And I’ll do my best not to buy more books.