Something Small

    Today, I read a quote and I thought it was beautiful and simple and I wanted to share it with you lovely people. Unfortunately, I don't know who said it, so just know that these are someone else's words, not mine.

"Your small stories are important." 

         

Finally, some Ireland!

Day Thirteen:                                                                                                       May 29, 2015

Today was Aran Islands Day. First we took a bus (for about an hour) to the ferry and we were on the ferry for another forty minutes or so. But then we got there! The first thing I did was eat lunch with [Professor T], [Friend H], [Friend K], and [Friend J]. I just got soup and brown bread because it was the cheapest and I was hoping to find something for my sister to spend my money on. I was separated from  [Friends B, C, and M], but I found them as I was climbing up to the fort and the cliffs. [Friend B] was kind enough to go back up with me. The view was breathtaking! I can only imagine what the Cliffs of Moher will look like. After we got back down, [Friend B] had to eat.
The line was super long, so she told me to go ahead and look for something for my sister (again, no luck). I did, however, find myself a sweatshirt, which I wasn't planning on for this trip. Oh well, it's super warm and comfy. It's much thicker than all of my sweatshirts at home. I had just enough time to buy the sweatshirt and then it was time to get on the tour bus (it was more like a glorified van) to see the rest of the island. There are so many church ruins! We stopped at one and I was so tempted to pick up a rock (and keep it). They were all perfect oval skipping stones. WE also stopped at a place where you could step in the water. I didn't, unfortunately, because I was wearing hiking boots and it was very cold. Then we stopped at another place where you could see seals! Unfortunately, the tide was in, so we could only see their heads bobbing around in the water. When the tour was done, [Friend B], [Friend K], [Professor T], and I stopped in a café to warm up. I ordered a mint hot chocolate and it was the most disgusting thing I've ever had. It was like drinking straight liquid peppermint, which doesn't actually found that bad in concept, but it's really quite gross. We didn't have much time after that before we were on the ferry for another hour and then an hour on the bus after that. We made stuffed chicken and veggies for dinner. So good! And then we all worked on homework until bedtime.


Day Fourteen:                                                                                                     May 30, 2015

Today was our free day. I read a good chunk of The Return of the King. because I was up early and we weren't going to set out until 10:30. We went straight to the market area. That was so cool! (I've never actually been to an outdoor market like that before,) It reminded me of the free fair a little bit, with all the stands and such. Our group was separated somewhere in there. We started with eleven of us and ended up with six. We never found the others, so we went to find lunch. We went to an Italian restaurant and I had an open bread panini. Afterwards, we headed in the general direction of Butler's Chocolate Cafe (!!), making a few stops along the way, including one at a music store. That's where I bought my older brother's gift. I'd been having a hard time trying to find him something, because I just really don't know what he would want. Hopefully he likes the drum. We also stopped at a few jewelry stores and I tried, in vain, to find something for my sister. I just don't know what to get her. It's too much pressure! But anyway, we went to Butler's and I got another mint hot chocolate...and a box of chocolates to make chocolate at home. I'm so excited! Then we wandered up the street to TK Maxx (which is basically TJ Maxx). [Friend B] and I rode up and down the escalators while everyone else used the toilets. After that we found a huge mall. It was weird though. You walk into this alleyway thing and you're a bit scared for your life and bam! You're in this huge shopping centre! We stopped at Burger King because [Friend A] wanted some fries. While were there [Friend C] and I took some gorgeous pictures in a Frozen cut out thing. (I was Anna and [Friend C] was Elsa). And then we found the book store. I tried to resist, I really did. But Maskerade was really calling to me. I heard it! And I was, of course, drawn to the Irish copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as I have been in every book store I've been in. Each time, I pick it up, think about getting it, and then put it back down. I'm not sure who eventually convinced me to just get it ([Friend B] or [Friend C]?) but I'm glad I got it. I'm running rather low on euros at this point, so hopefully I can make it to the end of the trip. And hopefully I can find something for Zoie when we go to the Cliffs of Moher tomorrow!! (Fingers crossed...)

*I don't have any good Day 14 pictures, so you get extra for Day 13*

Book Challenge Day 9

Day 9: A Book You Wish More People Would Read

I discovered this book while watching The Today Show a few years ago. It was receiving pretty high praise and Samantha Shannon was being hailed 'the next J.K. Rowling'. Obviously, there is no comparison. J.K. Rowling published seven novels for children and young adults that became a worldwide phenomenon. That's not to say Shannon isn't an extraordinary writer, because she is. It's just that the books, the authors, the circumstances...they're all different. Not really a good comparison. Also, Shannon's books are not getting the attention they deserve. In my opinion, they should be a worldwide phenomenon. Unfortunately, they're not. So go! All of you! Read The Bone Season and then The Mime Order and then wait impatiently for the next book to come out with the rest of us.





"Perhaps I feel safest when I think of nothing." -The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

A Character Comparison

          Oh, hi there. I feel bad that I haven't posted anything all that great lately. Sure, lists are fun, but there's no depth. I also feel bad that I haven't continued my book photo challenge or my Ireland posts. I've got a good reason for the latter and a decent excuse for the first. You see, I left my Ireland notebook at home and I don't get to go home for another 9 days and 15 hours or so. To say I'm desperately homesick would be a touch of an understatement, but I've already written a post on that, so I won't do it again. As for the book photo challenge, I do have most of my books here, but the one I have in mind for the next day is currently not in my possession (I do have a habit of thrusting books I love into my friends' hands). So, unable to do either of those and with a desire to give you something more than a list, I'll give you a realization.
          Before I begin, I'd like to say that there are going to be book spoilers in this post for Graceling by Kristin Cashore, and probably for Fire as well (same author). And The Hunger Games (If, by some reason, you haven't already heard how it ends, I will spoil it.) Also, if you haven't read these books and you don't care about spoilers, you might not really care about what I have to write anyway. However, I came to a realization about a character, or even the comparison between to characters, and I want to write about it, savvy? (Also, I've been thinking about pirates).
          Ready? Last chance to turn back....Ok. Here we go:

          Both of the main characters in Graceling and Fire are female characters, Katsa, from Graceling, and Fire, from Fire. Katsa is a graceling with the grace of killing (or so she thinks). Naturally, with a grace like that, it's got to be difficult to lead a peaceful life (which she doesn't). Fire is a Monster (which means she is the most attractive thing in the world, pretty much, and she can enter and influence the minds of others). Generally, readers adore Katsa and like Fire pretty well. However, I have always liked Fire more and almost disliked Katsa. It finally hit me while I was rereading the books the past couple of weeks why I dislike her.
          See, there's this idea of the 'strong, female character' that they all seem to fit into. These characters are fiercely independent and reject the feminine aspects of being female (Being pretty? No. Getting married? I don't need no man. Children? Bah, who needs 'em?). These strong, female characters are sometimes more masculine than they are feminine. Just because she is strong, doesn't mean she has to emulate masculinity. Now, most 'strong, female characters' will take on a few of these traits. Katniss from The Hunger Games, for example, is very independent and rejects the idea of beauty, becoming a very masculine soldier against the capitol. However, in the end, she is with Peeta and they have children. She becomes a mother, even though it scares her, so she can have a family with him. Tris from the Divergent trilogy is also rather masculine. She chops off her hair and throughout the trilogy is mostly concerned with fighting. And yet, there is a softness to her. She loves Tobias and Christina, and even Caleb. That strong love is pretty feminine.
          And then there is Katsa. She is the most masculine, uber-feminist character that I've encountered so far in my readings. As mentioned before, she has a killing grace, which is understandably difficult to live with, but it turns her into such a cold, unfeeling person it's hard to like her. Even when Po softens her, she still is pretty manly. She doesn't care about beauty, which, let's be honest, neither do I. But Katsa takes it to a whole other level. Not once in the course of the book does she ever want to look pretty. Her feminine form is a burden to her. She chops of her hair and wears men's clothing. She also abhors the idea of having children. The biggest issue I have with her, though, is her selfishness in regards to Po. He is willing to do anything for her, because he loves her. Love is supposed to be like that, a give and take. But all Katsa does is take everything Po gives. She refuses to marry him because she doesn't want to be owned by him. She is too selfish to give herself to him in an equal relationship based on mutual trust.
          Fire, on the other hand, I adore. She is what I envision a strong, female character to be. Her being a Monster, and the last of her kind, has always set her apart. She's had very few friends in her lifetime and she's always been afraid of her ability to take another person's mind. Despite all this, the people she has in her life, she cares very deeply about. We get to see her heart stretch and fill with more people. She isn't afraid to love. And Fire is very brave. She does what she has to do to protect people she loves and even those that she doesn't even know. She desperately wants children, but she knows that the Monster bloodline must end with her. The scenes involving her decision to sterilize herself are gut wrenching and you can feel her pain at having made the decision. One thing I love about Fire, and Brigan agrees with me, is her pain. It humanizes her and makes her stronger for overcoming it. Katsa is always impervious to pain, even her emotional pain isn't all that bad. But Fire feels whatever she feels very deeply. She also overcomes her fear of herself. She learns how to become who she is supposed to be and she does it selflessly. Which brings me to her relationship with Brigan. While they had a rocky start, as did Katsa and Po, once they began their relationship was built on trust. The scene discussing the need of a guard, for both of them, is a great example of the trust that they have built with each other. They are equals.

          And that, folks, is why I like Fire better than Katsa. I apologize for the rambling nature of the paragraphs regarding my character comparison. Someday, maybe, I'll turn this into an actual character analysis essay. But today is not that day. Instead, I shall leave with a quote. Good day!



"It made Fire so angry, the thought of such a medicine, a violence done to herself to stop her from creating anything like herself. And what was the purpose of these eyes, this impossible face, the softness and the curves of this body, the strength of this mind; what was the point, if none of the men who desired her were to give her any babies, and all it ever brought her was grief? What was the purpose of a woman monster?" -Fire by Kristin Cashore

The Book List

          I meant to post this last weekend, because it was my birthday. Of course, time got away from me and I've had midterms this week (I've actually got one in a couple of hours...but I just can't study anymore). Anyway, I turned 20 last Saturday and I thought I should at least post something for my birthday. I couldn't really think of anything to write about because currently my life is all about school, which isn't that interesting. So, in lieu of something touching or thoughtful, here is a list of 20 books that I have read that were published in the last 20 years (all of which I would recommend). Enjoy!

1. Maskerade by Terry Pratchett (1995)
2. Calvin and Hobbes: It's a Magical World by Bill Watterson (1996)
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (1997)
4. Holes by Louis Sachar (1998)
5. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (1999)
6. How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen (2000)
7. Pay it Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde (2001)
8. Tithe by Holly Black (2002)
9. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (2003)
10. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (2004)
11. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (2005)
12. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini (2006)
13. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (2007)
14. The Host by Stephanie Meyer (2008)
15. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare (2009)
16. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (2010)
17. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (2011)
18. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (2012)
19. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (2013)
20. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare (2014)
21. The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon (2015)

"I guess it's hard for people who are so used to things the way they are - even if they're bad - to change. 'Cause they kind of give up. And when they do, everybody kind of loses." -Pay it Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

*Possible Spoilers*

The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak

Read: September, 2015
Published: 2005
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: NA

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. (Amazon)





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Why did you read this book?
This one has always kind of been in the back of my mind. I really liked the cover and I knew that death was the narrator, but that's all I knew about it. It seemed interesting, but I never really had a strong desire to read it, and so it wasn't very high on my To Read list. Then, about a year ago, I saw the movie and I loved it. Of course, the book is always better, right? The book was officially on my list. This summer I had the good fortune of finding it at a used book sale for a measly fifty cents. Score! I finally just finished it the other day, so here we go.

What didn't you like about this book?
I already knew what was going to happen anyway, because I saw the movie, but I hated how Death would tell the reader what was going to happen right away. You knew the characters were going to die and you couldn't help but fall in love with them. I mean, it was excellent writing and it was very well done. But as a reader, it sucked because it hurt. (That really should be in the good things, but I don't have very many bad things). There are parts in the book that are just a bit slow and I had a hard time really getting into, particularly in the first half. 

What did you like about this book?
One of my favorite parts about this book was Death...not all the death that happened, but the character. The way Death is portrayed is very different here than in most books. This Death is exhausted with his work and he is gentle with the people he takes. I also loved the other characters (Liesel, Hans, Max, and Rudy especially). I was really appreciated that the story was of a young German girl living in Nazi Germany. Most novels from this point in our history comes from the point of the victims. Yes, their story needs and deserves to be heard, but so did Liesel's and Rudy's, two kids growing up in a world that didn't fully make sense. Markus Zusak writes so beautifully that you feel you are in the story. He makes it funny, and he causes anger and heartbreak. I knew what was going to happen, both because I saw the movie and because Death spoils the ending (thanks a lot, Death!), but it made me cry anyway.

Book vs. Movie
I really loved the movie when I saw it. It made me cry, so of course I loved it. I thought it was well cast and tastefully made. It also doesn't hurt that it had a beautiful, and at times haunting, soundtrack with excellent piano scores (thank you, John Williams!). However, as always, there is so much more to the book. The relationships between the characters are much deeper and there were characters and scenes that didn't make it into the movie. Overall, I think the movie did a good job following the most important parts of the book, but I do have one bone to pick. Rudy was Liesel's best friend. This is shown in the movie, but you feel it in the book. There was so much more to him than what the film allowed for. 

Bottom-Line:
I love this book. I love the movie. I love them both so much that I don't even care that I own the movie cover edition (and I usually care very much about that). One thing I might suggest is watching the movie first. The book is better and you will be looking for the differences and the absences if you read it before you see the movie. But they are both worth the time, so watch and read.


"A small but noteworthy note. I've seen so many young men over the years who think they're running at other young men. They are not. They're running at me." -Death, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

*Possible Spoilers*

The 5th Wave 
by Rick Yancey

Read: August 2-3, 2015
Published: May 7, 2013
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Two currently published

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up. (Amazon)




______________________________________________________________________________

Why did you read this book?
My sister got this book almost a year ago for her birthday and it's been sitting on our shelf ever since. She wanted me to read it first, to make sure it was appropriate and all that jazz. You never know with young adult books. They can get pretty risque for a thirteen year old girl. Anyway, so I told her I would read it...and about nine months later...I did!

What didn't you like about this book?
The book switches between points of view at several places in the book and it's not always obvious whose point of view it is until the end of it (although, I think that's the point). It got kind of confusing for me. Also, be prepared for lots of inner thoughts and not much dialogue. Sometimes I'd find myself skimming through pages, waiting for something to happen. Don't get me wrong, things do happen, but I think this book is less about what is happening and more about how the characters react to what is happening (which, is actually a good thing...so I'll move on to that section now).

What did you like about this book?
Oh, there were so many things I enjoyed. Each of the characters are different and interesting in their own way, which I enjoy, of course. I especially enjoyed reading about Evan Walker. He's a bit of a conundrum in the story and that makes it interesting. The story moves along at a decent pace and Rick Yancey does an excellent job making it suspenseful. You try to predict what's going to happen, but then you're second guessing yourself and end up surprised even if you were right. I really liked the concept of this book, the whole 'aliens are taking over and there is little hope for humanity, until...' There's just something intriguing about a book where humans as a race take on overwhelming odds and (hopefully) win. Oh, and let's talk about that cover art. Isn't it great? That's half the reason I finally picked the book up...such a pretty cover!

This book reminded me of...
...The Host by Stephanie Meyer. It's the closest book to it that I've read before. They share the aliens coming to Earth and taking out humans/taking over their bodies, however The 5th Wave is much less about the romance. There's a bit there, but that's not what it is about. This one is actually about the survival of humans, and I appreciated that.

Bottom-Line:
This book gave me a lot of feelings and now I've got that empty feeling, you know, when you finish a book and you don't know what to do with your life? It was very good and I liked it enough that there's a good chance I'll buy it eventually (it all kind of depends on how the third book is...) If you enjoy science fiction and aliens, read it! If you enjoy overwhelming odds, I'd definitely recommend it. If you are one of my friends, you already know, I will recommend this book to you and be irrationally excited if you read it so we can talk about it and stuff.

Quick Note:
The second book, The Infinite Sea, was just as good as the first. I won't be doing a review on it because my likes and dislikes are still kind of the same at this point. I just need to know what happens!! The third book is coming out May 2016.



"...I thought the only way to hold on was to find something to live for. It isn't. To hold on, you have to find something you're willing to die for." -The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey