Spontaneous Reviewing

In poker, it's called steaming when you've lost a hand you thought you'd win (or deserved to win, or whatever), and I promised I wouldn't review while I was steaming. But I tried to sleep on it, and here I am, still so friggin' irritated that I couldn't sleep.

Some mornings you couldn't wake me up with a hot poker (yesterday, for instance, or the day before that, and the day before that) and this morning, inexplicably, I woke up two hours early, still peeved about the book I finished last night, 31 Hours.

Let me explain. I started the book Tuesday night and only got two chapters into it. I was not really interested, but it had come highly recommended on www.flashlightworthybooks.com so I persevered. I continued and found, surprisingly, that the story got more interesting by the end of the third chapter and I was delighted. Essentially, the premise of the book is that this white, Anglo, American guy has converted to Islam and (SPOILER ALERT!) is part of an upcoming terrorist attack on NYC via the subway system. Let me tell you, it was fascinating. Literally. The book chronicles the, you guessed it, 31 hours, before the attack is to take place. It's told from various viewpoints- characters that are loosely connected, but ones you grow to love nonetheless. Each one is somehow tied to the events coming up- the terrorist attack on the NYC subway system- and as it turns out, several of the main characters may or may not be on the subway when the attack takes place, if it even does.

Then it ends.

Seriously, there is NO FRIGGIN' ENDING. The fella is wavering, unsure he wants to do this and he gets onto the subway and... the end. What about his girlfriend's little sister, who might be on the subway because she was trying to save her parents' marriage? What about the homeless guy that's friggin' adorable? No idea. Does the attack take place? Probably yes, but your guess is as good as mine.

ARGGGGGGG!!!!!

So yes, I just wrote an entire blog about it to vent. I absolutely believe in (and love) ambiguous endings, but this wasn't an ending, for heavens sake. *ANGRY SIGH!* So now I go to you, friends. How do you feel about ambiguous endings? What's a book with an up-in-the-air ending that you loved? Am I bonkers? Thanks for your opinions!

The book had one upside- I'm going to start reviewing books again. :)

Happy Reading!

Grammar? Punctuation? Artistry?

Hey friends, it's another chance for me to pick your brain on a random topic. This time, I'm wondering about grammar rules and your opinions.

Now, I know this seems general, and that's because it is. I'm a fierce grammarian and spelling is my FAVORITE (seriously) but I know it can all get a bit... annoying. And rigid. And overdone. I mean, I understand that there are rules that need to be followed, but seriously- what about artistic license? Sometimes saying things incorrectly is more dramatic, and therefore part of your own way of writing.

So what I'm asking is this- what are the grammar rules that you believe CANNOT be broken, and why? What rules do you flout with a smile? Where do you draw the line between artistic license and lunacy?

Short post, I know- I want some feedback, people!

Happy Reading!

onomatoPOEia?

This is going to get to books in a second, I swear, so just follow my train of thought. I'm going somewhere, I promise.

So, I was at a wonderful concert last weekend with Christmas carols given a rock edge, and this band, Future of Forestry, managed to do what NO ONE else has ever done- make me look forward to the song Little Drummer Boy.

Generally speaking, I really, really hate that song. HATE IT.

This band does a long drum section to finish the song- I saw it last year so I knew it was coming- and it is PHENOMENAL. But that's not the point of this.

So a friend couldn't believe that I generally don't like Little Drummer Boy, and I was trying to explain my peeve to her. Then, I realized the problem.

Pah-rum-pah-pum-pum.

It really annoys me that the song so literally states the drumming. Yuck. I mean, why? Is it necessary? You are playing instruments, for goodness sake- let the drum speak for itself! Sigh.

But it got me thinking about onomatopoeias- words that imitate a sound, like "bang", or "zap!" or "meow...". I was told by a creative writing teacher that they were named after Edgar Allen Poe (thus the spelling of onomatoPOEia) because he used them so much, especially in his poetry. For those of you better suited to this than me, is this rumor true? Have you ever heard this before, and is there anything to support this? I've read a LOT of Poe, and I've never noticed an irregularly high number of onomatopoeias. Am I missing something?

Also, what are your favorite onomatopoeias? This goes out to everyone! Before you laugh and say to yourself, "PSSSSHHH, what kind of nerd has a favorite onomatopoeia?" stop and this about it. Think about Batman and POW! or that stupid kid from the Mazda commercials saying ZoomZoom in that freaky voice. Onomatopoeias are a pop culture stigma, especially (to my knowledge) in English. For those of you that I KNOW are reading and have never commented, this is your chance! Give me your best contributions- I would love to hear them! Or just rip me apart for hating the little drummer boy- he really annoys me to death. Thanks to everyone that's been following!

Happy Reading!

Confession # 2...

It's been a while, I know. So let's go with another confession to get things rolling again.

Confession # 2- I'm a title snob.

Now, I know Shakespeare is sort of a genius and all, but when he says "What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet", I've gotta say, I disagree. Not that he doesn't have a sweet sentiment there, but some words are just GROSS. You know the ones I mean- crusty, moist (hehe, I know a few of you just shuddered)... need I go on?

So the thing is, I like books with awesome titles. By awesome, I mostly mean snobby. I am far more likely to pick up a book called The Elegance of the Hedgehog (it's true, I bought it at an airport) than, say, Catching Fire. Incidentally, I liked The Elegance of the Hedgehog, but I LOVED Catching Fire, so that goes to show you what kind of indicator my snobbery is of actual quality.

Other evidence of this can be found in The Imperfectionists, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and... another book that I read recently that I'm forgetting. Arg. I don't always like these books, necessarily, but I'll pick them up over others just based on the title. These Is My Words? Yes please! The Book Thief? Meh... (Both were phenomenal books, fyi...)So why do I do this to myself?

Anyways, the point is, I don't think I'm the only one. Do you judge a book by its title? This is different from judging it by its cover (which will be another confession). What book titles have been intriguing enough for you to pick it up, knowing nothing about it? For funsies, what are some other gross words?

Happy Reading!

The Tricky Business of Recommending Books

Hey all! It's been a while since the last post. I'm currently in California, visiting family for the holiday, and a thought came to mind as both my sister-in-law and I AND my sister and I had conversations about books. The question I'm pondering is this: Do you recommend books to friends and family?

Here's where I'm coming from. I myself recommend books with high-flying praises, usually. I find joy in things even if they weren't "my kind" of book. Even books I haven't liked at all *coughcoughThePoisonwoodBiblecoughcough* will get a recommendation from me because they are thought-provoking and enough people around me liked it to not trust my judgement completely.

The issue I find is this- occasionally, I've recommended a book (or a series) and either offended the reader or embarassed them. Has this ever happened to you?

Furthermore, doesn't what you read kind of say a lot about you? I've always thought the phrase "You are what you eat" was wrong- it's "You are what you read". Assuming this is at least a little bit true, what does it mean when I recommend a book and then a friend doesn't like it? In extreme cases it's hurtful, but at best it can be mildly embarassing, right?

So I pose all of these questions to you- Do you recommend books to just anyone, or are you selective? Do you recommend everything you like, or do you keep a few favorites locked away, afraid that someone will dislike it and change your opinion of the book? Am I ridiculous? Have you recommended something with an amusing or interesting result?

Also, a thought to end on- I refused to read Harry Potter until a good friend told me to shut up, stop being a snob, and read it already. I owe her a huge debt! Thanks to everyone that's recommended things to me! What was the best book someone ever recommended to you?

Happy Reading!

A tribute to the man!

Yes, I'm up at 7:30 am on Friday the 19th of November, 2010. I waited at the theater for *six* hours with my good friends before the 12:01 premier and got home around 3. To steal my friend's phrase, I'm a Harry Potter zombie.

Kirsten with 4.5 hours of sleep is no better than Kirsten with 4 hours of sleep, so I'm trying to get my mind functioning before I head off to work... and I'm going to use this time to call an all out, unadulterated, lovefest for the man himself- Harry Potter.

Harry Potter, you might say, who is that? *shun*. Go away. Never return.

Now, for everyone left, let's do this properly.

Which is your favorite book? Why?
Who is your favorite (non-Harry) character? Why?
Which house would you SERIOUSLY be in? (none of that duh, Gryffindor, because I chose it nonsense. I'd probably be a Ravenclaw- just own it!)
What is your favorite Harry moment?
HOW MUCH DID THAT MOVIE ROCK?!?!?

To answer my own questions, and hopefully start some debate...
My favorite book is, unequivocally, The Prisoner of Azkaban. Then Philosopher's/ Sorcerer's Stone. Personally, I think I relate to the high Harry gets from playing Quidditch, which is best depicted in these two- plus, they're where he has his happiest moments.

My favorite character is, easily, Molly Weasley. I am literally going to wet myself with anticipation for her upcoming duel. Plus, she gave birth to Fred and George, and I couldn't choose between the two. Neville rocks my socks and makes me cry, though... why did I pose this stupid question?

I'd be a Ravenclaw, like I said. Maybe even Hufflepuff. I'd love to have been in Gryffindor, and maybe my ego would have gotten me there, but honestly, it's more likely I'd be curled up in an armchair by Rowena's fire.

My favorite Harry moment is probably when he learns to fly- it's pure, sweet, childish glee. What's not to love?

Um, a lot! It rocked hardcore! I had a few eh moments- it was 2am after all, and we're driving down to California tonight and tomorrow- but seriously, they took most of the book at it's word, which is all I could ask for and more!

So now, it's your turn. Ask your own questions, tell your thoughts, hit me with something more unique than what I just came up with. Have fun and celebrate- one more countdown, and then we'll have made it!

Happy Reading!

Your Opinion, Just for Fun

So, some of you may be aware of NaNoWriMo, and some of you may not be. I'll explain quickly and then tell you where I'm going with this, since I'm sure you're dying to know.
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it's in November. The basic idea is that a bunch of nutters (yes, including me) that love to write spend the entire month of November writing novels- and trying to reach the word goal of 50,000 words. This is unedited (you just write and write and write) and self-inflicted and, actually, quite fun. I'm in my fourth year and, sadly, I have yet to finish- November's a crazy month for me!
So, I'm currently at Panera Bread, attending a write-in. As if we're not a nerdy enough bunch, there are write-ins where you motivate yourself by meeting other NaNoers, (or are we WriMos?) writing a bunch, and trying to bring up your word count. This always fails spectacularly for me- I usually end up with my close friend and best NaNo bud Tammy, talking about what genres we think other people are writing, and making fun of our own stories. It's dismal, actually.I have a wonderful time but, for the sake of word production, I should just write at work during naptime.
So here's where you come in! I'm curious- have YOU ever thought of writing a novel? If so, what would it be about? What do you think makes a good book? What makes you WANT to read something?
Now, I'm not asking so I can steal your ideas- I just want to hear what other people have to say!
Thanks everyone- Happy Reading!

Time for a Confession

Okay, so it's time. Confession number 1.

I once got into a car accident... because I was reading while I was driving.

It's true, I admit it. To defend myself, though, it's not like I was on the freeway or anything. I was in crazy traffic and had been for a while. I was on my way to work and I knew that I wasn't going to be able to read for a while once I got there. I was reading Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility and I had just found out that Willoughby (gasp!) was a sleaze! Much like Marianne, I wanted to know every. single. detail. And I happened to be driving. Or, worse, not driving while I should be driving. Or reading. I've only driven while reading really really really terribly once- after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out at midnight. I freely admit that I held that thing up against the steering wheel while I was on the freeway, but that was only once.

To further defend myself, I should also make it clear that I grew up in Los Angeles. This means, inherently, that this was not even close to the stupidest thing I've ever done while driving. What? You haven't made a left out of a right turn only, gone over a double yellow line and a concrete median, then made a U-turn over the same double yellow line and concrete median while you were driving without a license or registration, just to find out that this terrible idea had literally driven you in a circle around A BIKE COP?!? You've never done that? Well, you're lucky.

I'm a much, much better driver than I was then. The illegal circle of craziness was in college... though the accident was only a few years ago... but I'm much better, I promise!

So, for the brave ones, it's your turn. Have you done anything stupid while reading? Or was reading the stupid thing? (As if.)

That's it for now- Happy Reading!

The Mission Statement

It's almost a new year, so it's time for a new blog. Right?

As some of you know, I had a blog (kirstendana.blogspot.com) called Taking the Powell's Challenge. In short, I was trying to read EVERY book that Powell's staffers recommended from 2009- 155 books, if I'm not mistaken. To no one's surprise, I didn't finish, though I will say that I think I made a pretty good go of it for a while.

Here's what happened and what I realized. For those of you who don't know me, I hope this will serve as an introduction.

I stopped going through the list when my father-in-law passed away. Not because it was so traumatic (although it was, obviously), but simply because everything was out of whack for a while. A long while, honestly. Besides the legal ramifications of a death in the family (blech) there was also travel, family, and grieving- and all of these things took precedence, obviously. By the time life started to be normal again (for lack of a better word) I was knee deep in a leadership position for the Compassion Tigard clinic (compassionconnect.org) and that took me all the way through the end of October. It was an amazing experience that left me drained, to say the least.

And now here we are, early in November. I'm attempting to write a novel for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month- nanowrimo.org) while planning our trip to LA for Thanksgiving and still finishing our Christmas shopping before we get there (which will make December a piece of cake). We're also looking for a house, just to top it all off.

And you know what I realized? This may be obvious to everyone, but here it is:

Life will never slow down.

Obviously it will be slower sometimes, but it will never be slow, or relaxing, or paused. It will always be chaotic, things will always come up, and life will never stop happening.

And you know what else? I forgot how much I love to write. And read, for that matter. So what am I going to do? I'm starting a new blog. This one, ideally, will give me more freedom to write whatever I'm thinking- whether it's a confession (there will be many of those, I promise- I'm hoping some people will fly their freak flags with me) or a book review, or just a mental meandering...

So will you join me? We'll have some fun. :)

Happy Reading!