I read because...

If you're anything like me, you've had to defend your love of reading to a *scoff* nonreader. One of my favorite quotes (that I'm sure I've shared before) is, "For those that understand, no explanation is needed. For those that don't, none will do." It's often like that for me-I don't quite know how to explain why I love to read, but I do. It seems, too, that I can never convince some people- it will always be "boring" or something like that. I always wish I had something prepared for these people, so here it is.

I love to read because...

---I get to be someone else for a time. I can be a princess, a warrior, a vampire (a la Anne Rice, thank you very much), a woman in London, a woman at the beginning of time, a young child, an animal- ANYTHING.

---I get to be somewhere else. I don't care if you believe it or not- a good author can take you to a dungeon, to a forest, to an ocean, or to space. I've been to Ancient Greece, Egypt, the future- it's as close as I'll get to time travelling.

--- I learn. I learn constantly- whether it's fact or fiction, I'm learning something, even if it's useless anywhere other than Jeopardy.

---I can relate to people I've never met. Now, I know it's true that this can be said of anything- loving the same music, following the same blog, whatever- but I maintain that books are different. I have a bond with people that have read and loved the same books that I can rarely duplicate with other common interests. I doubt that I'd feel an instant kinship with anyone over loving Con Air (though I suppose it's possible, and yes, I do love it), but give me someone else that loves Agatha Christie and BAM! We're friends. Done and done.

--- I'm given a chance to see into someone else's soul. Not the characters- oh no. The author. I have been trying to write for years and if I've learned one thing it's that an author can't hide in their writing. you're revealing the depths of your very being and I am so honored to see people's passions come out in their writing. Now, this isn't pleasant with everyone, which is probably why I hate F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. (Yeah, I said it- wanna fight about it?!?)

--- It soothes away my day. I know that sounds like an awful sign they sell at the counter at a Hallmark, but hey, it's true. I can come home from being spit on, sneezed on, and pooped on, with glitter and snot in my hair and... what, you don't want me to go on? Okay then, you get the picture, I work at a preschool. So I can come home from a day like that and still feel better with a good book. It's perfect for forgetting your day.

--- They comfort me. Like everyone in this world, I've had issues. I've still got them, and I will continue to have them until the day I die, I suspect. And while friends are absolutely wonderful, we always feel like they don't get it, or it's not something we can share or... Anyways, sometimes, a character just goes through something that we share with them, or, at the least, we can imagine that they do- and it is comforting. Am I right?

----I get to be a kid again. Need I say more? If I do... read the last blog post. It's magical.

Now, to be honest, I'm sure there's more. I know I'm missing things but for now, this is it. Please, please, please- SHARE WITH ME! I want to know your thoughts, your opinions, your feelings- whatever!

Happy Reading!

Calling all Young Adults!

Hey friendlies!

So in the last few years, I've noticed that I love YA books- or for everyone that's NOT a nerd, Young Adult.

So here's what I think is funny- I never actually read YA books as a, you know, YA. I completely skipped over the genre all together. I went from reading Goosebumps to reading Great Expectations. I can thank my mom for this a little bit- when I was a 5th-grader-going-on-6th-grader, I read as much as humanly possible. The library would let a person pick up 10 books at a time, and my mom's rule was that I could pick out 9- mostly R.L.Stine or Christopher Pike or Richie Tankersley Cusick, and she would pick out one classic for me. We would return the next Friday if, and only if, I had finished the books- including the one she picked. It was AWESOME and helped to shape my reading- my preferences, my speed, my random choices in books- it was perfect.

Somewhere in this time, though, I realized that I read like an adult. My new favorite book was soon Jane Eyre, and I could converse with adults about classic literature. So... I kept reading that way. I skipped YA altogether and began reading things that were, occasionally, totally inappropriate. But regardless, I read as an adult at 12-or-so, and it shaped me.

The only thing is, I'm almost reading as a tween now- YA at every turn. I didn't mean for this to happen- there were a few things like Harry Potter that slipped in, but they were far and away the minority. Now, still they're the minority- but I find myself looking forward to YA books on my list and picking them out specifically.

So why the blog? Well, I need some advice. Recently I read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and laughed my pants off, wishing fourteen-year-old me had been able to read it. I've been cyber-stalking the Tigard librarians, wondering why the heck they haven't gotten Another Whole Nother Story in (until finally I went and bought it because I was too friggin' impatient) and I can not WAIT for my copy of Heck: Where Bad Kids Go to come in. So now I need your help- have you read any YA books that you loved? It doesn't have to be new- I'm just throroughly enjoying this phase!

So that's it. Sing praises or call me names, but leave me suggestions too. Thanks!

Happy Reading!

Confession #3...

This may not be a shocker, but here it is:

I love books about books.

*gasp*- Right? So, let's discuss for a moment. I chose to make this a confession rather than a random post because it goes beyond a normal liking. I am absolutely, unequivocally, irrevocably passionate about books and literacy. What's more is that I am an absolute sucker for anyone that feels the same way. Some books paint such a powerful picture of the strength and wisdom that words, literacy, and books can bring, that it just makes me melt. And then there are other books that are simply a love story to books, and well, there I go- head over heels.

Examples that come to mind are The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, about a girl that lives in Germany during WWII, or These is My Words by Nancy Turner, about a girl that settles in the Arizona Territories. I even loved A Novel Bookstore, by Laurence Cosse, about some people that open a bookstore that sells only good books (I wish!).

It even goes beyond that- I fell in love with Jane Eyre when I was 13 because she would hide in the window seat, asking to be left alone to read. My favorite Disney princess is Belle because of her ginormous library and singing songs about books. (Well, okay, that's not true. My favorite is Sleeping Beauty, but for other reasons. If I were being objective, it would be Belle who is, easily, a close second.) Basically, I love characters who love books as much as I do.

I think the crux of it is this- with books about the power of books, I feel normal. I feel like someone really gets it- someone (even if they're fictional, though I suspect the author is not) agrees with me about the essence of literacy. I've always heard this quote, though credited to a few different people, and I think it explains what I'm feeling quite eloquently. "For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who don't, none will do." You see? Instead of the thousand upon thousands of people who LOATHE reading (coughcoughmyveryownhusbandcoughcough), there is someone out there that I don't have to explain it to. I enjoy a kinship with these books, these characters, these authors, and these readers.

Alright, that's my two cents on the subject. So now, as always, I have some questions- What books about books am I missing? Am I alone in feeling like the authors of these books are my brethren? What are your thoughts on the subject in general?

Til next time, Happy Reading!

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!