Ta-da!
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Youtube Channel and Video!
So after more than half a year, I finally posted another video on my channel! Yay!
Ta-da!
Also check out my channel and the rest of the New Catholic Generation Videos!
Ta-da!
The Divergent Series
I've been a bit into dystopian fiction lately, and I recently received this series for my birthday. Now I've read that book on my Chocolate Book list that falls under Milk Chocolate!
And since lately I've had time issues anyways, I decided to review this as a series instead of book by book. Also, uh, I tore through the books so fast (that's three 500 page books in little more than a week. Yeah.....) that I kind of have trouble remembering where one book ends and the next book begins. Like, did Tris know her Mom was Dauntless during or after 'Divergent'?
Anyways, let's get to it!
Oh, yeah, I should probably do a quick plot summary.
The Divergent books are set in (guess what?) the future in a wrecked Chicago. Society is divided into five factions which are supposed to keep the city peaceful. Children grow up in the factions of their parents and when they are 16 they go through an aptitude test which is supposed to help them decide which faction to enter. The main character is Tris Prior, who leaves her Abnegation faction for the Dauntless. She discovers from her aptitude test that she is Divergent, which is, she is told, very dangerous, and she must keep it a secret. During Dauntless initiation she meets fellow Divergent Four, or Tobias. They discover that the Erudite are planning to destroy the Abnegation faction, and then it's all down-hill from there.
I have to say, these are very fast-paced books. Even though each book is around 500 pages long, the author doesn't ramble. Which gives you an idea of just how much happens in these books. The books are in the first person, which normally means you get a lot of reminiscences, but you don't get any of that. Which completely fits with Tris' personality. She's not the kind of dreamy eyed, rambling girl. The last one swaps back and forth between the first-person perspectives of Tris and her boyfriend Tobias, which really confused me at first because I didn't realize that whenever the perspective swaps, a new chapter starts at the same time and under the chapter number it tells you whose perspective it is. Silly me :P
As for the characters, the characters were good, but not crazy uber good. Tris was a very interesting character with a good story arc. She starts out almost like a little girl at first, but during initiation she matures a lot. During most of the second book she seesaws between trying to fight the Erudite and being depressed about all the horrors she's seen (and done). By the end of the book she's gotten through the initial rough patches (with the help of her boyfriend of course), and her story ends with a very bittersweet, heroic ending. And although sometimes I'm sarcastic about her having a boyfriend and how that's so typical of most modern heroines, Tris' relationship with Tobias is different from most modern boy/girl relationships. They protect each other, and Tris is definitely not entirely dependent on him. There are some times when Tris totally ignores Tobias' advice and what he asks her to do. Tris makes a lot of hard choices, and while she's definitely not perfect, she does the best that she can in the tough spots she gets stuck in.
Tobias, the other main character, is also interesting, but not quite as complicated as Tris. He has abusive parent issues that plague him and make him constantly question his self-worth. Tris helps him to see that he is not worthless, which is another reason that their relationship is different from other guy/gal relationships: It's not just that Tris depends on Tobias; Tobias depends on Tris too. They lean on each other for support. Tobias was uber protective of Tris during 'Insurgent', but Tris got it through his head that she really didn't need or want protecting. Oh, and I forgot, his nickname is Four, but I call him Tobias, because, well, that's what Tris does most of the time.
None of the other characters are really relevant enough to talk about here, maybe I'll do a post with some thoughts on them another time.
But what about the villain?
Okay, so if you've only read the first book, stop reading this post, because it contains mucha spoilers.
In the last book you find out that several generations ago after several wars the U.S. government tried to eliminate all the bad aspects of human nature by removing certain people's genetic tendencies towards a certain trait: i.e., removing the gene for cowardice, or aggressiveness, or, well, you get the idea. The only problem that the government didn't foresee was that if you removed one genetic tendency, you also removed another and brought out an even worse one. The people who didn't have a genetic tendency towards cowardice for example, also lost their sympathy and became ruthless. Anyone who had been genetically altered like this was labeled Genetically Damaged. Their memories were reset and they were placed in 'experiments' (major cities that had been devastated by previous wars) that were designed to be self-sufficient in the hopes that after a couple of centuries the genetically damaged population would become genetically pure again. Genetically pure people were the Divergents.
Oh, and on top of that, the government has been lying to everyone about, well, about a lot of things. First off, the government claims that the world was all rainbows and sunshine before the genetically altered people came along, and that all previous wars were the fault of the genetically altered people. Tris finds out that the government was lying and that there were wars before the genetically altered people came along, and that the government was just using this as an excuse to set up the experiments. Grrr.....
Good grief this post is looooong, so I'll try to wrap it up quick.
There were very few things I didn't like about the book, one of which was Tris and Tobias' kissing so much throughout the books. Seriously, the book stands fine on its own without all the gross stuff, okay? Oh, and in the Epilogue, Tobias scatters Tris's ashes while zip-lining. Really? Why does she have to be cremated?!
The Divergent series incorporates several different issues, and I would love to give you all long speeches on all of them, but I'll save that. Issues such as a new take on racial prejudice (Genetically damged people are treated as inferior to genetically pure), human dignity in general, and also free will.
All in all it's a really good series, and if I had to pick a favorite, it would be Allegiant.
Sorry, for this excessively long post, I don't know what got into me!
Anyways, let's get to it!
Oh, yeah, I should probably do a quick plot summary.
The Divergent books are set in (guess what?) the future in a wrecked Chicago. Society is divided into five factions which are supposed to keep the city peaceful. Children grow up in the factions of their parents and when they are 16 they go through an aptitude test which is supposed to help them decide which faction to enter. The main character is Tris Prior, who leaves her Abnegation faction for the Dauntless. She discovers from her aptitude test that she is Divergent, which is, she is told, very dangerous, and she must keep it a secret. During Dauntless initiation she meets fellow Divergent Four, or Tobias. They discover that the Erudite are planning to destroy the Abnegation faction, and then it's all down-hill from there.
I have to say, these are very fast-paced books. Even though each book is around 500 pages long, the author doesn't ramble. Which gives you an idea of just how much happens in these books. The books are in the first person, which normally means you get a lot of reminiscences, but you don't get any of that. Which completely fits with Tris' personality. She's not the kind of dreamy eyed, rambling girl. The last one swaps back and forth between the first-person perspectives of Tris and her boyfriend Tobias, which really confused me at first because I didn't realize that whenever the perspective swaps, a new chapter starts at the same time and under the chapter number it tells you whose perspective it is. Silly me :P
 |
| I know I'm reviewing the book, but visual aid anyone? |
 |
| Trust me, he's not just a pretty boy |
None of the other characters are really relevant enough to talk about here, maybe I'll do a post with some thoughts on them another time.
But what about the villain?
Okay, so if you've only read the first book, stop reading this post, because it contains mucha spoilers.
In the last book you find out that several generations ago after several wars the U.S. government tried to eliminate all the bad aspects of human nature by removing certain people's genetic tendencies towards a certain trait: i.e., removing the gene for cowardice, or aggressiveness, or, well, you get the idea. The only problem that the government didn't foresee was that if you removed one genetic tendency, you also removed another and brought out an even worse one. The people who didn't have a genetic tendency towards cowardice for example, also lost their sympathy and became ruthless. Anyone who had been genetically altered like this was labeled Genetically Damaged. Their memories were reset and they were placed in 'experiments' (major cities that had been devastated by previous wars) that were designed to be self-sufficient in the hopes that after a couple of centuries the genetically damaged population would become genetically pure again. Genetically pure people were the Divergents.
Oh, and on top of that, the government has been lying to everyone about, well, about a lot of things. First off, the government claims that the world was all rainbows and sunshine before the genetically altered people came along, and that all previous wars were the fault of the genetically altered people. Tris finds out that the government was lying and that there were wars before the genetically altered people came along, and that the government was just using this as an excuse to set up the experiments. Grrr.....
Good grief this post is looooong, so I'll try to wrap it up quick.
There were very few things I didn't like about the book, one of which was Tris and Tobias' kissing so much throughout the books. Seriously, the book stands fine on its own without all the gross stuff, okay? Oh, and in the Epilogue, Tobias scatters Tris's ashes while zip-lining. Really? Why does she have to be cremated?!
The Divergent series incorporates several different issues, and I would love to give you all long speeches on all of them, but I'll save that. Issues such as a new take on racial prejudice (Genetically damged people are treated as inferior to genetically pure), human dignity in general, and also free will.
All in all it's a really good series, and if I had to pick a favorite, it would be Allegiant.
Sorry, for this excessively long post, I don't know what got into me!
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Following Gandalf
"For countless people, 'The Lord of the Rings' has provided splendid refreshment. For that, the author would be glad. But his deeper desire is that for some it would be an introduction to the mountains."
- Following Gandalf
I've had people tell me that the books I read are too serious. That may be true. I read more than just books about books though!
But, nevertheless, you've caught me red-handed. This is a book about a book. Actually, about all of Tolkien's books.
'Following Gandalf' by Matthew Dickerson is study of several aspects of Tolkien's philosophy and theology that can be deduced from his writings. Mr. Dickerson begins his book by debunking the view that the Lord of the Rings glorifies war. While I agree with his conclusions drawn from LotR and Tolkien's own letters that the Lord of the Rings does NOT glorify war, I wish he had also written a little about how while Tolkien doesn't glorify war, he does show how one's part in war can be noble, as Peter Kreeft does in 'The Philosophy of J.R.R. Tolkien'. I'm not going to get into that here though. The book also touches on the deeper war in Tolkien's Middle Earth books, namely, the spiritual war.
Dickerson also writes about Freedom (or free-doom as he calls it sometimes), the true power of the Ring (being the domination of wills), stewardship, hope and despair, salvation in its manifestations in LotR, and 'fate' vs. the guiding purpose of an all-powerful being, in the case of Middle Earth, Iluvatar.
Dickerson ends by asking and answering the question, "Is The Lord of the Rings a Christian Myth?" with an ambiguous 'yes and no'. I'm not going to give the reasons here though, this is a review of the book, not a lecture on it.
The book was very well written and clear, and easy to understand. I really liked how Mr. Dickerson had a quote from Tolkien's letters or books to support everything he said.
I really enjoyed reading this book, and I gained a deeper insight into LotR and the rest of Tolkien's writings by reading it.
Now, there are books about books that are fun (like this one) and books about books that are not (I here must mention 'The Philosophy of J.R.R. Tolkien', which while an interesting read, wasn't 'fun' in the common sense of the word). I definitely recommend this book to any Tolkien fan, even if they don't like philosophy or books about books ;)
Oh, and by the way, the quote at the beginning of this post contains the last words of the book. I thought it was a neat reference to 'A Leaf by Niggle', and a fitting way to end the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here I must attempt to apologize again. I missed yet another week of Stocking Update :P I make a solemn promise to post one on Saturday, even at the cost of my life and/or sanity. And possibly my Chemistry test score. Do I really have to memorize half the periodic table for a good grade?
- Following Gandalf
I've had people tell me that the books I read are too serious. That may be true. I read more than just books about books though!
But, nevertheless, you've caught me red-handed. This is a book about a book. Actually, about all of Tolkien's books.'Following Gandalf' by Matthew Dickerson is study of several aspects of Tolkien's philosophy and theology that can be deduced from his writings. Mr. Dickerson begins his book by debunking the view that the Lord of the Rings glorifies war. While I agree with his conclusions drawn from LotR and Tolkien's own letters that the Lord of the Rings does NOT glorify war, I wish he had also written a little about how while Tolkien doesn't glorify war, he does show how one's part in war can be noble, as Peter Kreeft does in 'The Philosophy of J.R.R. Tolkien'. I'm not going to get into that here though. The book also touches on the deeper war in Tolkien's Middle Earth books, namely, the spiritual war.
Dickerson also writes about Freedom (or free-doom as he calls it sometimes), the true power of the Ring (being the domination of wills), stewardship, hope and despair, salvation in its manifestations in LotR, and 'fate' vs. the guiding purpose of an all-powerful being, in the case of Middle Earth, Iluvatar.
Dickerson ends by asking and answering the question, "Is The Lord of the Rings a Christian Myth?" with an ambiguous 'yes and no'. I'm not going to give the reasons here though, this is a review of the book, not a lecture on it.
The book was very well written and clear, and easy to understand. I really liked how Mr. Dickerson had a quote from Tolkien's letters or books to support everything he said.
I really enjoyed reading this book, and I gained a deeper insight into LotR and the rest of Tolkien's writings by reading it.
Now, there are books about books that are fun (like this one) and books about books that are not (I here must mention 'The Philosophy of J.R.R. Tolkien', which while an interesting read, wasn't 'fun' in the common sense of the word). I definitely recommend this book to any Tolkien fan, even if they don't like philosophy or books about books ;)
Oh, and by the way, the quote at the beginning of this post contains the last words of the book. I thought it was a neat reference to 'A Leaf by Niggle', and a fitting way to end the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here I must attempt to apologize again. I missed yet another week of Stocking Update :P I make a solemn promise to post one on Saturday, even at the cost of my life and/or sanity. And possibly my Chemistry test score. Do I really have to memorize half the periodic table for a good grade?
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Stocking Update: Fail
I think I have learned a lesson. When your Dad is gone for a month on a business trip, it's all you can do to make sure your Mom doesn't go insane and help her keep the house together. That's my excuse for not posting in like, three weeks.
But yeah, I haven't worked on the stocking at all since the last post. So you're not missing anything. When I do start working on it again I will post stuff. Hopefully I will be posting stuff again next week.
Oh, and I finished one of the books on my reading list, and will be posting a review soon :)
I also got the Divergent series for my birthday :D and I will review that too. I probably won't do separate book reviews (for several reasons), but I'll review the series as a whole.
Look out for some posts soon, but in the meantime, have some ice cream!
But yeah, I haven't worked on the stocking at all since the last post. So you're not missing anything. When I do start working on it again I will post stuff. Hopefully I will be posting stuff again next week.
Oh, and I finished one of the books on my reading list, and will be posting a review soon :)
I also got the Divergent series for my birthday :D and I will review that too. I probably won't do separate book reviews (for several reasons), but I'll review the series as a whole.
Look out for some posts soon, but in the meantime, have some ice cream!
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Stocking Update: Week 1
First week of Stocking updates! Yay!
So I started the stocking like, two weeks ago, and normally the only chance I get to work on it is on the weekends, and at The Needle Club (a girl's crafty group where I live). So I don't normally get a lot done. If it was my younger sister who is crazy about crafts and will sew and crochet all day long, she'd have it done by now. But I don't have the luxury of that much time :P
Oh yes, and please excuse the low quality of some of the pictures.
Before I started taking photos of this project I finished the stocking front, which was mostly a lot of sequins and embroidery.
Then the fun stuff started!! The snowman has, well, a snowman butt bottom, so I sequined it and appliqued (fancy for sewing it onto the main body of the stocking) it, and it actually turned out pretty nice. I had some problems with sequins that wanted to keep falling off, but it looks pretty nice now.
Then I did the snowman arms and mittens. The arms were pretty easy, just sequin, stuff, and applique.
Then came the mittens. There's not one, not two, but THREE pieces to the mittens. And how they were supposed to go on was kind of confusing. And never mind all that, I also had to have my first experiment and embroidery!!! O.o And, yeah, that didn't turn out too well. I think one of the lines turned out pretty well, but the rest were a mess.
I've been told that practice makes perfect, but, uh, I'm not sure I'll ever get anywhere near perfect.
I finally figured out how to put the finger ends of the mittens on, and it turns out I'm not supposed to sew all the way around the edge of the fingers when you applique the mitten fingers on, so that way the snowman can hold his lights. Yeah........
But all turned out well, and I'm working on sequinning the snowman middle, so that should be on by next week! But for now, there are two floating snowman arms......... Hey, if I could I would put the head on next and then we could have a floatingsnoman snowman head too!
So I started the stocking like, two weeks ago, and normally the only chance I get to work on it is on the weekends, and at The Needle Club (a girl's crafty group where I live). So I don't normally get a lot done. If it was my younger sister who is crazy about crafts and will sew and crochet all day long, she'd have it done by now. But I don't have the luxury of that much time :P
Oh yes, and please excuse the low quality of some of the pictures.
Before I started taking photos of this project I finished the stocking front, which was mostly a lot of sequins and embroidery.
 |
| Pretty snowflakes! |
Then I did the snowman arms and mittens. The arms were pretty easy, just sequin, stuff, and applique.
 |
| I never actually got a picture of the arm by itself. Woops |
 |
| They don't look terrible in this picture, but trust me, they are worse in real life. |
I finally figured out how to put the finger ends of the mittens on, and it turns out I'm not supposed to sew all the way around the edge of the fingers when you applique the mitten fingers on, so that way the snowman can hold his lights. Yeah........
But all turned out well, and I'm working on sequinning the snowman middle, so that should be on by next week! But for now, there are two floating snowman arms......... Hey, if I could I would put the head on next and then we could have a floating
 |
| For some reason this reminds me of the Cheshire Cat..... |
Friday, November 7, 2014
Experiment Post: Intro
Okay, so I've decided to start a, uh, what should I call this? An Update Series? How about I just give background information and maybe it will explain itself.
I'm making a Christmas stocking for my youngest brother, who isn't born yet, but will be in January. We'll call him Peanut :) It's a tradition in our family (has been for like, almost three generations) to make each other's Christmas stockings, so I have the privilege of making Peanut's stocking! I'll post updates here every Saturday. I'll include some pictures and an explanation of my adventures while making the stocking. Trust me, it gets pretty crazy sometimes, and all I'm doing is making a stocking!!
This is the stocking I'm making:
Pretty cute right? And simple, which I like because it means less work! Well, actually I wish there was more detail, because then there would be more fun.
I already started the stocking before I decided to do this, but I haven't gotten too far, so nobody's missed much :)
I'll start posting updates every Saturday, so look out for my first post tomorrow!
I'm making a Christmas stocking for my youngest brother, who isn't born yet, but will be in January. We'll call him Peanut :) It's a tradition in our family (has been for like, almost three generations) to make each other's Christmas stockings, so I have the privilege of making Peanut's stocking! I'll post updates here every Saturday. I'll include some pictures and an explanation of my adventures while making the stocking. Trust me, it gets pretty crazy sometimes, and all I'm doing is making a stocking!!
This is the stocking I'm making:
I already started the stocking before I decided to do this, but I haven't gotten too far, so nobody's missed much :)
I'll start posting updates every Saturday, so look out for my first post tomorrow!
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Chocolate Book Tag
Yay!! Two of my favorite things combined! Thanks to Monica at Spilled Ink for the tagging of me :)
I think I'm gonna have to go with Island of the World by Michael O'Brien. I could put almost any of his Children of the Last Days series under here, but I feel like this one is the one that best fits the description. Or maybe I'm just putting it here because the book is so deep and that makes me think of Dark Chocolate?
While not exactly humorous, this book (or any in the series) is a very light read, and pretty fun too.
I've been wanting to read this one ever since I watched the movie. That was shortly after I saw the Hunger Games, and I wanted to compare the two stories. Now I really want to read the book, which, as a little birdie told me, my sister is getting me for my birthday :) Don't tell her I know, I dragged the secret out of Mom.
This is one of the many romance novels I have read that makes me feel gooey inside :) But this one does it the most!
I was going to mention one of my first sci-fi books here, but instead I'm putting Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale instead. This book, unlike the sci-fi books which surprised me in a good way, surprised me in a not so good way. It was just really dry, which surprised and disappointed me, since the prequel was soooooo good. I was really surprised at how cookie-cutter it seemed, especially after the originality of the first book, Princess Academy.
The Lord of the Rings :) Need I say more?
Dark Chocolate (a book that covers a dark topic)
I think I'm gonna have to go with Island of the World by Michael O'Brien. I could put almost any of his Children of the Last Days series under here, but I feel like this one is the one that best fits the description. Or maybe I'm just putting it here because the book is so deep and that makes me think of Dark Chocolate?
White Chocolate (a light and humorous read)
Milk Chocolate (a book with lots of hype that you're dying to read)
I've been wanting to read this one ever since I watched the movie. That was shortly after I saw the Hunger Games, and I wanted to compare the two stories. Now I really want to read the book, which, as a little birdie told me, my sister is getting me for my birthday :) Don't tell her I know, I dragged the secret out of Mom.
Caramel Filled Chocolate (a book that makes you feel gooey inside)
Wafer-less Kit-Kat (a book that surprised you)
I was going to mention one of my first sci-fi books here, but instead I'm putting Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale instead. This book, unlike the sci-fi books which surprised me in a good way, surprised me in a not so good way. It was just really dry, which surprised and disappointed me, since the prequel was soooooo good. I was really surprised at how cookie-cutter it seemed, especially after the originality of the first book, Princess Academy.
*Snickers (a book you're going nuts about)
This is kind of hard, because there are books that I have gone nuts about before that I now am not so entranced with, and there are books that I would like to go nuts over, but haven't read them yet (e.g., The City, Divergent, etc.). That being said, I... don't really have an answer.Hot Chocolate with Mini-Marshmallows (a book you turn to for comfort)
A Box of Chocolates (a series you feel has something for everyone)
I think I would have to say the Fairy Tales Retold series. It has a little bit of romance, a little bit of adventure, and a little bit of religion. The religion part might annoy some people, but it's one of the highlights of the series to me.
Well there you have it!! My Chocolate Book list :) Look out for more posts in the near future.
*I king of feel like this should be called Nutty Bar, since you're going nuts over it?
Well there you have it!! My Chocolate Book list :) Look out for more posts in the near future.
*I king of feel like this should be called Nutty Bar, since you're going nuts over it?
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Open Letter to Cry Room Invaders
Dear Cry Room Invaders,
I would say you know who you are, but you obviously don't because of your behavior to all parents who correctly use the cry room. So allow me to let you know who you are.
You are the crazy people who come in with your 20-something year old children (who by the way, are NOT children) who are perfectly well-behaved. You are also the parents who come in with your children who are legitimately children but are perfect angels who obviously do NOT need to be in the cry room (there's a method to the madness of its name, people). You are also the random people who come just to sit because, I don't know, you think it's quieter? But why on earth would you think that, it's a CRY room!! You are also the people who are only in the cry room in order to hide until communion time. WHY?!
Never mind the fact that you are taking up seats and room for the people who actually use the cry room for its specific purpose, but you insist on rebuking those who come in to the cry room to use it for its full intent!!!!! 'Rebuking' is a nice name for your behavior towards those parents, but I'll just leave it at that.
But seriously, the cry room is made for parents when their children just will not stop banging the pews, or yelling about the fact that their older sibling is serving on the altar, why can't they? or just won't stop yelling and screaming in general. The parents of these children should be able to scoop the adorable but mischievous child up and go into the cry room, where they can participate in the Mass but be sure of not disrupting it.
You, my dear Cry Room Invaders obviously do not realize this. The parent of a loud child is usually already flustered that their kid was being super loud, and does not need to be flustered even more by you, insisting that their child is being loud, so they "really need to leave." NO! They DO NOT need to leave!! You do, if such behavior is distracting to you! If the child is being loud, they belong, and you do not. It is NOT your space, and if anything, these parents should be able to ask YOU to leave. But of course, they are wrestling a screaming child, so who can expect them to think of that?
And you parents who decide to bring your children here even when they are well-behaved, would you be kind enough to leave if you and your children are distracted by the little kid who keeps banging on all the chairs, or screaming, instead of telling the parent who is correctly using the cry room to leave? I know some churches have 'family rooms' (which are actually supposed to be used in the same way a cry room is) but this is a cry room, so please use it like one.
I'm sure that no church wants to have a volunteer position of 'cry room monitor' whose duty it is to kick the ineligible out of said cry room, so Cry Room Invaders, please do everyone (including yourselves) a favor and stay in the main room of the church? It's much nicer out there anyway (and quieter).
Thank you,
Ice Cream
I would say you know who you are, but you obviously don't because of your behavior to all parents who correctly use the cry room. So allow me to let you know who you are.
You are the crazy people who come in with your 20-something year old children (who by the way, are NOT children) who are perfectly well-behaved. You are also the parents who come in with your children who are legitimately children but are perfect angels who obviously do NOT need to be in the cry room (there's a method to the madness of its name, people). You are also the random people who come just to sit because, I don't know, you think it's quieter? But why on earth would you think that, it's a CRY room!! You are also the people who are only in the cry room in order to hide until communion time. WHY?!Never mind the fact that you are taking up seats and room for the people who actually use the cry room for its specific purpose, but you insist on rebuking those who come in to the cry room to use it for its full intent!!!!! 'Rebuking' is a nice name for your behavior towards those parents, but I'll just leave it at that.
But seriously, the cry room is made for parents when their children just will not stop banging the pews, or yelling about the fact that their older sibling is serving on the altar, why can't they? or just won't stop yelling and screaming in general. The parents of these children should be able to scoop the adorable but mischievous child up and go into the cry room, where they can participate in the Mass but be sure of not disrupting it.
You, my dear Cry Room Invaders obviously do not realize this. The parent of a loud child is usually already flustered that their kid was being super loud, and does not need to be flustered even more by you, insisting that their child is being loud, so they "really need to leave." NO! They DO NOT need to leave!! You do, if such behavior is distracting to you! If the child is being loud, they belong, and you do not. It is NOT your space, and if anything, these parents should be able to ask YOU to leave. But of course, they are wrestling a screaming child, so who can expect them to think of that?
And you parents who decide to bring your children here even when they are well-behaved, would you be kind enough to leave if you and your children are distracted by the little kid who keeps banging on all the chairs, or screaming, instead of telling the parent who is correctly using the cry room to leave? I know some churches have 'family rooms' (which are actually supposed to be used in the same way a cry room is) but this is a cry room, so please use it like one.
I'm sure that no church wants to have a volunteer position of 'cry room monitor' whose duty it is to kick the ineligible out of said cry room, so Cry Room Invaders, please do everyone (including yourselves) a favor and stay in the main room of the church? It's much nicer out there anyway (and quieter).
Thank you,
Ice Cream
Reading List
Yikes, my last post was almost three months ago :P
I suppose one reason that I haven't posted is because I haven't had anything to post about. My reading for school has been too much to leave room for some fun books, but lately I've had more time for fun reading, so I've decided to come up with a list and post it! Some of these books aren't actually what some people would consider 'fun' books. They are part of my unofficial Tolkien Study Reading List. And since I like reading books about Tolkien and his works, these make the list of my 'fun' books :)
So here's the list!
1. Following Gandalf by Matthew Dickerson
2. Island of the World by Michael O'Brien
I actually started this one a while ago, but it is such a hefty book that I'm still not done :P I am a pretty big O'Brien fan, and I was super excited when Mom got this one.
3. The City by Dean Koontz
Recommended by my friend Monica, of Spilled Ink :) My Grandmother has also read several Dean Koontz books and loves them, so I thought I'd give them a go.
4. Tolkien Man and Myth by Joseph Pearce
Another of my Tolkien study books. 'A literary life' makes it sound like a biography, and normally biographies are not my thing, so we'll see how that goes.
5. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter
6. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
This is a re-read. After reading so many books about Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings, I missed reading the actual books and decided to start the trilogy again! But I'm just putting the first book on this list for now. I would've started with the Silmarillion, but our copy is falling apart :P Too many younger brothers left it out in weird places (isn't it amazing that by too many, I actually mean one?). But isn't the cover just so cool?! I know that in this picture if you look closely at the bottom, it says 'THE ART OF THE FELLOWHIP OF THE RING GART RUSSELL' in all its caps glory, but trust me, this is the cover for my copy of FotR.
So there you have it! My reading list. I might or might not be posting reviews, and I might or might not be reading the list in order. So no commitment over here, except for the commitment to finish this list.
I suppose one reason that I haven't posted is because I haven't had anything to post about. My reading for school has been too much to leave room for some fun books, but lately I've had more time for fun reading, so I've decided to come up with a list and post it! Some of these books aren't actually what some people would consider 'fun' books. They are part of my unofficial Tolkien Study Reading List. And since I like reading books about Tolkien and his works, these make the list of my 'fun' books :)
So here's the list!
1. Following Gandalf by Matthew Dickerson
I've actually already started this one, I like it so far. The title sounds cool, doesn't it?
2. Island of the World by Michael O'Brien
3. The City by Dean Koontz
4. Tolkien Man and Myth by Joseph Pearce
5. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter
And another Tolkien study book. This is the last one for this list, don't worry :) This book is thicker than I thought it would be O.o But after reading it quoted in so many other books on Tolkien, I'm pretty eager to read the whole book.
So there you have it! My reading list. I might or might not be posting reviews, and I might or might not be reading the list in order. So no commitment over here, except for the commitment to finish this list.
Friday, August 8, 2014
Breed to Come
Okay, so my step-grandfather got me hooked on sci-fi books. It was an attempt to get me away from some of the more serious books that aren't actually stories (like 'Myth, Morality, and Religion' or 'The Philosophy of Tolkien') but it didn't work, because in one of books the author was talking about the relation between The Lord of the Rings and sci-fi books, so they were good examples :)
'Breed to Come' by Andre Norton (that's a nom-de-plume, her real name is Mary Norton) is a post-apocalyptic story, which is basically what you would get if you took evolution, Humans leaving earth, very advanced technology, cats, and rolled them all into one. Humans have been gone from our good planet Earth for quite some time. In those long, long years Cats, Dogs, Wild Boars, and Rats have evolved and become the four dominant species, all capable of reasoning and at the very least, using simple tools. The first three species are living very primitively near the ruins of a Human university. Cats have developed the ability to walk constantly on two legs, and they are able to use primitive tools and weapons. The Rats live in the ruins of the city, and not much is learned about them until the end of the book. They are very similar to Cats, though.
The hero of the story is a Cat named Furtig, whose ancestor Gammage left the Clans to live in the ruins of the Human university and discover their secrets. Furtig, after losing his chance at the Trials (a contest between the males so the females have a chance to choose their mate), decides to follow Gammage and the many Cats who followed him. When he finally arrives, Furtig discovers that Gammage and the Cats under him have made tremendous progress discovering how to use the Human's technology, and why the Humans left in the first place. Even so, Gammage is very concerned that the Humans will return, and soon, to reclaim their home planet.
The story is very complex, and there is so much about the technology of the Humans that is never explained. There is an extremely interesting plot twist, which I never really expected, but probably should have. I wish I could rant about it, but I'm going to restrain myself. There is not much conversation throughout the book, which is usually what it takes to keep me occupied with a book, otherwise I will read through three full pages without actually registering what was happening, then I have to go back and re-read. But the book kept my attention the whole way through! I absolutely could not put it down. If it was possible to read all the time (literally) I would have read this book while I slept!
I give this book an: A-
The book was really good, and I love, love, love the plot, however, nothing really relevant to the plot happens until you're almost half way through the book. Okay, stuff happens, it's just very slow. After reading more Andre Norton books I find this rather typical of her. There is also not a whole lot of character development, which in NOT typical of Andre Norton.
I would TOTALLY recommend this book!
Oh, and one thing I LOVE about Andre Norton's books is that she proves that romance is not required to make a good book :D
 |
| I am so glad I found the cool cover not the creepy one. |
The hero of the story is a Cat named Furtig, whose ancestor Gammage left the Clans to live in the ruins of the Human university and discover their secrets. Furtig, after losing his chance at the Trials (a contest between the males so the females have a chance to choose their mate), decides to follow Gammage and the many Cats who followed him. When he finally arrives, Furtig discovers that Gammage and the Cats under him have made tremendous progress discovering how to use the Human's technology, and why the Humans left in the first place. Even so, Gammage is very concerned that the Humans will return, and soon, to reclaim their home planet.
The story is very complex, and there is so much about the technology of the Humans that is never explained. There is an extremely interesting plot twist, which I never really expected, but probably should have. I wish I could rant about it, but I'm going to restrain myself. There is not much conversation throughout the book, which is usually what it takes to keep me occupied with a book, otherwise I will read through three full pages without actually registering what was happening, then I have to go back and re-read. But the book kept my attention the whole way through! I absolutely could not put it down. If it was possible to read all the time (literally) I would have read this book while I slept!
I give this book an: A-
The book was really good, and I love, love, love the plot, however, nothing really relevant to the plot happens until you're almost half way through the book. Okay, stuff happens, it's just very slow. After reading more Andre Norton books I find this rather typical of her. There is also not a whole lot of character development, which in NOT typical of Andre Norton.
I would TOTALLY recommend this book!
Oh, and one thing I LOVE about Andre Norton's books is that she proves that romance is not required to make a good book :D
Sunday, August 3, 2014
In Defense of Frodo
So recently I was at a summer camp, and while there I was talking with a group of girls, and we got into the subject of The Lord of the Rings, one of my favorite subjects. While on this subject, one of the girls started gushing about Sam in a manner such as the following:
"Sam is sooooo awesome! I love Sam so much, he is so cool, he is the best character in LotR!" etc. Then she moves on to Sam's counterpart, Frodo: "Frodo on the other hand is soooooo annoying, he's all greedy, and mean to Sam, and an educated snob!! He's always acting above Sam!!
Now hold on. I like Sam and Frodo, they are both really cool. For different reasons. Which is as it should be. Now I am not going to point out Sam's character flaws in this post, I shall devote a small post to that later. But for now:
In Defense of Frodo:
First things first: Frodo is NOT greedy. If by 'greedy' you are referring to his being possessive of the Ring, possessive is not the same as greedy. This possessiveness is also not part of Frodo, it comes as a side effect of The Ring. Anyone can become affected in this way by it, including but not limited to Boromir, Gollum/Smeagol, Bilbo, oh, and Sam was definitely hesitant before he gave the Ring back to Frodo after he rescued him from the Orc tower.
Second: Frodo is NOT mean to Sam. He may be a bit snappish towards the end of the quest, but again, that's a side effect of The Ring.
When does Frodo act like a snob? Is this part of the whole 'he's mean and greedy' thing? Because we already debunked that. He also doesn't act above Sam. Sam is Frodo's closest friend! It's also not Frodo's fault that he has an opportunity to be more educated than Sam. Also, Sam isn't as not educated as some might think. In the books it mentions Sam spending lots of time with Bilbo and listening to him. Don't you think he might've learned something from him?
Now that I have done my best at justifying Frodo, I'm now going to justify all those fanpeople who love Sam and strongly dislike Frodo.
In Defense of All Those Who Love Sam and Dislike Frodo:
This is perfectly normal for people to love Sam. That's kind of the way that Tolkien set it up. Sam is the character whom Tolkien made to be most similar to the average Joe. He has regular person characteristics, and reacts to most situations in the same ways that a regular person would. The real thing is, that despite the fact that Sam is similar to a regular person, he does do many quite heroic things, including, but not limited to, carrying Frodo (literally and mentally), providing for the material needs of himself and Frodo, going off with Frodo when Frodo was going to go alone, saving the Shire, helping to defend Frodo from Gollum, rescuing Frodo from an orc tower, taking on a gigantic spider that I have nightmares about (sorry diehard Sam fans, he didn't ever actually kill it), and etc. This heroicness while still being ordinary is what appeals to so many people who read The Lord of the Rings.
Frodo is not like this, because he had to be one of the higher characters. It was a consequence of his choosing to carry the Ring. Frodo had to become more than an ordinary person, because of his more than ordinary burden. Frodo says to Sam, "We set out to save the Shire, and it has been saved. But not for me." That reflects the fact that Frodo has grown since his quest, and he has been hurt. The Shire can no longer hold Frodo, he is not at peace there, so he has to go across the sea into the Undying Lands. He will eventually die there, by the way, just because the Undying Lands are undying doesn't mean that Frodo won't die.
I think that Frodo is a tragic character, who had the right to be honored, and should have been mourned. I honestly feel sorry for Frodo. I still like Sam, I think he's great example of courage in the ordinary person, but just because you like Sam doesn't mean you should bash on Frodo. In fact, you should probably love Frodo just as much as Sam did. After all, if it wasn't for his love for Frodo, Sam wouldn't have become the hero that he is.
 |
| I'd like to suggest that he does, at least in the fan world |
Now hold on. I like Sam and Frodo, they are both really cool. For different reasons. Which is as it should be. Now I am not going to point out Sam's character flaws in this post, I shall devote a small post to that later. But for now:
In Defense of Frodo:
First things first: Frodo is NOT greedy. If by 'greedy' you are referring to his being possessive of the Ring, possessive is not the same as greedy. This possessiveness is also not part of Frodo, it comes as a side effect of The Ring. Anyone can become affected in this way by it, including but not limited to Boromir, Gollum/Smeagol, Bilbo, oh, and Sam was definitely hesitant before he gave the Ring back to Frodo after he rescued him from the Orc tower.
Second: Frodo is NOT mean to Sam. He may be a bit snappish towards the end of the quest, but again, that's a side effect of The Ring.When does Frodo act like a snob? Is this part of the whole 'he's mean and greedy' thing? Because we already debunked that. He also doesn't act above Sam. Sam is Frodo's closest friend! It's also not Frodo's fault that he has an opportunity to be more educated than Sam. Also, Sam isn't as not educated as some might think. In the books it mentions Sam spending lots of time with Bilbo and listening to him. Don't you think he might've learned something from him?
Now that I have done my best at justifying Frodo, I'm now going to justify all those fanpeople who love Sam and strongly dislike Frodo.
In Defense of All Those Who Love Sam and Dislike Frodo:
This is perfectly normal for people to love Sam. That's kind of the way that Tolkien set it up. Sam is the character whom Tolkien made to be most similar to the average Joe. He has regular person characteristics, and reacts to most situations in the same ways that a regular person would. The real thing is, that despite the fact that Sam is similar to a regular person, he does do many quite heroic things, including, but not limited to, carrying Frodo (literally and mentally), providing for the material needs of himself and Frodo, going off with Frodo when Frodo was going to go alone, saving the Shire, helping to defend Frodo from Gollum, rescuing Frodo from an orc tower, taking on a gigantic spider that I have nightmares about (sorry diehard Sam fans, he didn't ever actually kill it), and etc. This heroicness while still being ordinary is what appeals to so many people who read The Lord of the Rings.
Frodo is not like this, because he had to be one of the higher characters. It was a consequence of his choosing to carry the Ring. Frodo had to become more than an ordinary person, because of his more than ordinary burden. Frodo says to Sam, "We set out to save the Shire, and it has been saved. But not for me." That reflects the fact that Frodo has grown since his quest, and he has been hurt. The Shire can no longer hold Frodo, he is not at peace there, so he has to go across the sea into the Undying Lands. He will eventually die there, by the way, just because the Undying Lands are undying doesn't mean that Frodo won't die.
I think that Frodo is a tragic character, who had the right to be honored, and should have been mourned. I honestly feel sorry for Frodo. I still like Sam, I think he's great example of courage in the ordinary person, but just because you like Sam doesn't mean you should bash on Frodo. In fact, you should probably love Frodo just as much as Sam did. After all, if it wasn't for his love for Frodo, Sam wouldn't have become the hero that he is.
Friday, August 1, 2014
Bucket List Tag!
So I was tagged by my dear friend Monica at Spilled Ink for the Bucket List Tag! Thanks Monica! I shall now list the ten things I wish to do before I kick the bucket (translation: before I die).
Oh, and by the way, I have close to three reviews I want to get out, plus another post on the side, but almost NO TIME to do so. What's that rhyme in The Hobbit, it brings down mountains and eats up people, etc.? Yeah, it also prevents me from posting on here. Ah, the many abilities of time.
- Start a Pro-Life group
- Become an OB-GYN (a pro-life one!)
- Go sky-diving, bungee-jumping, and/or deep sea scuba-diving!
- Read every bit of writing that Tolkien ever wrote
- Eat a dessert pizza
- Remember all of my friends' birthdays for at least one year
- Go to Europe and see the sights, Catholic and secular!
- Cook all the meals for my family for at least one day (technically I could, I just have never done it yet)
- Own a horse!
- Win a blue ribbon at a horse show (lots of red second place ribbons, never a beautiful blue first place ribbon)
- Whoa, that's it? I guess so!
Oh, and by the way, I have close to three reviews I want to get out, plus another post on the side, but almost NO TIME to do so. What's that rhyme in The Hobbit, it brings down mountains and eats up people, etc.? Yeah, it also prevents me from posting on here. Ah, the many abilities of time.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
The Hunger Games
I know, I know, all the real literary people have stopped viewing my blog as of the time they read this title. But hey, even though I suck at reviewing, and nobody reads this blog anyways (except one of my best friends), I can post whatever I want! So onward!
Before I watched the movie I had my doubts. I really thought this was going to be a silly movie with no substance whatsoever. (Another) One of my best friends is crazy about The Hunger Games series (to the point where you can't look anywhere in her room without seeing SOMETHING relating to HG), and I couldn't understand it. Now I do. (However, I'm not one of the HG series fawning fangirls, like my friend is. It wasn't THAT good)
I thought the movie was going to be all about Katniss, her (sort of?) love triangle between Gale, Peeta, and herself, and the killing, and blah blah blah. But I was so wrong. It was definitely something more than that.
Katniss lives in a dystopian North America, which is split into 14 areas: The Capitol (where all the rich people and tyrants live), and 13 poorer districts, which all specialize in in producing certain things for The Capitol. Once upon a time, the 13 districts rebelled. The Capitol defeated them, and as a punishment, obliterated district 13 and started the annual Hunger Games. Each district sends a girl and boy tribute between the ages of 12-18 to compete in an arena where the contestants fight to the death. Or if you don't like going out and killing people, you can just wait it out. That works, as long as you don't die of a bug bite, food poisoning, or hypothermia along the way. Katniss' little sister Primrose is chosen as the girl tribute (against unthinkable odds) and Katniss volunteers in her place.
Like I said, I really thought it would be all about the killing, and Katniss being a hero by volunteering for her little sister, etc. But as I watched the movie, I realized that the Games had a political influence as well. The Capitol is definitely a troubled place, and when you think about it, people are so desperate for entertainment that they are willing to watch people, and not just people, but KIDS kill each other. This makes me think of our society now. People watch a LOT of TV, and Youtube, and just videos in general. They are also always looking for the next best thing to entertain them. How long until we really ARE so desensitized that we are willing to kill people for entertainment? Actually, now that I think about it, The Hunger Games reminds me a lot of the Roman Coliseum....
The Hunger Games is not only about the danger of entertainment at any cost, but also about Human Dignity. A review of the books is actually what brought this point to light. The children sent to the arena are robbed of their dignity and made into objects for entertainment, and the viewers are also robbing themselves of their dignity and are made into objects. There's your philosophical bit for the day :)
I have to say, that I really liked the movie. Well, I'll say movies, I saw Catching Fire as well, but I don't think I'm going to write another review. I would recommend the movie, but only to certain people.
I'm going to give this a B-, it was a good movie, but it was VERY graphic. That's what I mean when I say certain people. I am a teen, and I almost had to leave at certain parts. I would also not let teenage boys watch it, just because of all the violence, and even you talked to them about how WRONG all this is, boys are easily desensitized to this stuff. I also really felt like the sort of love triangle between Gale, Katniss, and Peeta, wasn't that well played out. I kind of felt like Gale liked Katniss, but not that much, and then Peeta was just out of nowhere! Also, in the books* it explains more why Katniss is so EXPLOSIVE with her mother, but in this movie, all you really see is that Katniss' relationship with her mom is, not that great, to put it nicely.
*As a side note, I read the first few chapters of the book at said friend's house, and honestly, I really dislike Katniss in the book. Really. I like the movie better than the book, but maybe I'm not giving the book a fair chance?
Before I watched the movie I had my doubts. I really thought this was going to be a silly movie with no substance whatsoever. (Another) One of my best friends is crazy about The Hunger Games series (to the point where you can't look anywhere in her room without seeing SOMETHING relating to HG), and I couldn't understand it. Now I do. (However, I'm not one of the HG series fawning fangirls, like my friend is. It wasn't THAT good)
I thought the movie was going to be all about Katniss, her (sort of?) love triangle between Gale, Peeta, and herself, and the killing, and blah blah blah. But I was so wrong. It was definitely something more than that.
Katniss lives in a dystopian North America, which is split into 14 areas: The Capitol (where all the rich people and tyrants live), and 13 poorer districts, which all specialize in in producing certain things for The Capitol. Once upon a time, the 13 districts rebelled. The Capitol defeated them, and as a punishment, obliterated district 13 and started the annual Hunger Games. Each district sends a girl and boy tribute between the ages of 12-18 to compete in an arena where the contestants fight to the death. Or if you don't like going out and killing people, you can just wait it out. That works, as long as you don't die of a bug bite, food poisoning, or hypothermia along the way. Katniss' little sister Primrose is chosen as the girl tribute (against unthinkable odds) and Katniss volunteers in her place.
Like I said, I really thought it would be all about the killing, and Katniss being a hero by volunteering for her little sister, etc. But as I watched the movie, I realized that the Games had a political influence as well. The Capitol is definitely a troubled place, and when you think about it, people are so desperate for entertainment that they are willing to watch people, and not just people, but KIDS kill each other. This makes me think of our society now. People watch a LOT of TV, and Youtube, and just videos in general. They are also always looking for the next best thing to entertain them. How long until we really ARE so desensitized that we are willing to kill people for entertainment? Actually, now that I think about it, The Hunger Games reminds me a lot of the Roman Coliseum....
The Hunger Games is not only about the danger of entertainment at any cost, but also about Human Dignity. A review of the books is actually what brought this point to light. The children sent to the arena are robbed of their dignity and made into objects for entertainment, and the viewers are also robbing themselves of their dignity and are made into objects. There's your philosophical bit for the day :)
I have to say, that I really liked the movie. Well, I'll say movies, I saw Catching Fire as well, but I don't think I'm going to write another review. I would recommend the movie, but only to certain people.
I'm going to give this a B-, it was a good movie, but it was VERY graphic. That's what I mean when I say certain people. I am a teen, and I almost had to leave at certain parts. I would also not let teenage boys watch it, just because of all the violence, and even you talked to them about how WRONG all this is, boys are easily desensitized to this stuff. I also really felt like the sort of love triangle between Gale, Katniss, and Peeta, wasn't that well played out. I kind of felt like Gale liked Katniss, but not that much, and then Peeta was just out of nowhere! Also, in the books* it explains more why Katniss is so EXPLOSIVE with her mother, but in this movie, all you really see is that Katniss' relationship with her mom is, not that great, to put it nicely.
*As a side note, I read the first few chapters of the book at said friend's house, and honestly, I really dislike Katniss in the book. Really. I like the movie better than the book, but maybe I'm not giving the book a fair chance?
Monday, June 30, 2014
The Yearling
Whew, where do I start? Well, I suppose I could start out with saying that 'The Yearling' is one chunk of a book! I think the only reason that I finished it in less than a week is because I was able to read 100 pages of that book in one day.
Even though 'The Yearling' is really long (between 450 and 500 pages, depending on your publisher) a lot happens in it. The story is about a young boy (Jody) and his mother and father (Ory and Penny Baxter) living in the scrub of Florida. There is no exact date, but certain hints let the reader know that it takes place sometime shortly after the Civil War. The book is about the Baxter's fight to survive, along with how Jody matures in response to their many adventures and disasters.
The titular yearling is a baby fawn that Jody adopts. Despite being the source of the title for the book, the fawn and Jody's relationship with it are not really what constitute the main plot of the book. The main plot is (as I mentioned above) Jody's experiences as he crosses the line between being a boy and being a man. In fact, Jody doesn't find the fawn until almost halfway through the book, and the fawn is mentioned in passing most of the time after that. The fawn does have an effect on the Baxter's struggle though, and the tragic ending is the result of a collision between the fawn and the need to survive.
I really like Rawlings' way of writing. It's very descriptive, however, unlike most books, I think Rawlings was able to walk the fine line when it came to descriptions and actual stuff happening. The book is written from Jody's point of view, but it's still in the third person, which I think works well with Jody's character, because Jody sometimes has trouble putting what he feels into words.
As for characters, I have to say I really like most of the characters in the book. Even with the characters that Jody actually meets with once or twice you can get a really good feel for who and what they are. My favorite character is probably Jody's father, Penny. Penny isn't his real name, it's just a nickname that he got from his neighbors because he is so short and thin. His real name is Ezra. Penny is a good man, a fair man, and a just man. He lets Jody play as often as he can because when he was a boy he didn't get much time to be a boy. He is also very kind towards animals, only killing when he needs to and when there's a fair chance for the animal, meaning he won't shoot a doe and her fawn, or an animal that is mating, etc. Penny is one of those characters that I wish I could meet in real life. I'm not going to go through all the characters here, just the ones I really liked. Jody is a good boy, sometimes a slacker, but he still wants to please his parents (especially his father). Jody also has a longing for something "with dependence to it" as he says. This is part of the reason why he eventually adopts the fawn, which he names Flag. Jody also has a strong dislike for girls, which ends up being funny. Jody really does change at the end of the book. All of his experiences help to change him into more than a boy.
I just though of something. Maybe the fawn isn't the reason for the book's title. Jody is somewhat like a yearling himself. A yearling is technically a wild animal that is a year old, and generally the animal can take care of itself and leaves its parents around that age. In a sense, the animal is 'all grown up'. By the end of the book, Jody definitely fits that description, taking on most of the work while his father is laid up with an injury. His disposition is also more mature.
Verdict: B+
I would give this an A, I don't want to seem like I give A's to everything? Honestly I haven't really read a lot of books that I didn't like. There are a few, but not a lot. Anyways, this is not the book for you if you don't like stories about living off of the land and hunting and camping, etc. I like those things, so I liked this book. Even if you don't like those things you might like the way that Rawlings wrote the book, which I really like. I would recommend this book to people who are used to a book that's an inch and half thick and who enjoy reading a good story.
Even though 'The Yearling' is really long (between 450 and 500 pages, depending on your publisher) a lot happens in it. The story is about a young boy (Jody) and his mother and father (Ory and Penny Baxter) living in the scrub of Florida. There is no exact date, but certain hints let the reader know that it takes place sometime shortly after the Civil War. The book is about the Baxter's fight to survive, along with how Jody matures in response to their many adventures and disasters.The titular yearling is a baby fawn that Jody adopts. Despite being the source of the title for the book, the fawn and Jody's relationship with it are not really what constitute the main plot of the book. The main plot is (as I mentioned above) Jody's experiences as he crosses the line between being a boy and being a man. In fact, Jody doesn't find the fawn until almost halfway through the book, and the fawn is mentioned in passing most of the time after that. The fawn does have an effect on the Baxter's struggle though, and the tragic ending is the result of a collision between the fawn and the need to survive.
I really like Rawlings' way of writing. It's very descriptive, however, unlike most books, I think Rawlings was able to walk the fine line when it came to descriptions and actual stuff happening. The book is written from Jody's point of view, but it's still in the third person, which I think works well with Jody's character, because Jody sometimes has trouble putting what he feels into words.
As for characters, I have to say I really like most of the characters in the book. Even with the characters that Jody actually meets with once or twice you can get a really good feel for who and what they are. My favorite character is probably Jody's father, Penny. Penny isn't his real name, it's just a nickname that he got from his neighbors because he is so short and thin. His real name is Ezra. Penny is a good man, a fair man, and a just man. He lets Jody play as often as he can because when he was a boy he didn't get much time to be a boy. He is also very kind towards animals, only killing when he needs to and when there's a fair chance for the animal, meaning he won't shoot a doe and her fawn, or an animal that is mating, etc. Penny is one of those characters that I wish I could meet in real life. I'm not going to go through all the characters here, just the ones I really liked. Jody is a good boy, sometimes a slacker, but he still wants to please his parents (especially his father). Jody also has a longing for something "with dependence to it" as he says. This is part of the reason why he eventually adopts the fawn, which he names Flag. Jody also has a strong dislike for girls, which ends up being funny. Jody really does change at the end of the book. All of his experiences help to change him into more than a boy.
I just though of something. Maybe the fawn isn't the reason for the book's title. Jody is somewhat like a yearling himself. A yearling is technically a wild animal that is a year old, and generally the animal can take care of itself and leaves its parents around that age. In a sense, the animal is 'all grown up'. By the end of the book, Jody definitely fits that description, taking on most of the work while his father is laid up with an injury. His disposition is also more mature.
Verdict: B+
I would give this an A, I don't want to seem like I give A's to everything? Honestly I haven't really read a lot of books that I didn't like. There are a few, but not a lot. Anyways, this is not the book for you if you don't like stories about living off of the land and hunting and camping, etc. I like those things, so I liked this book. Even if you don't like those things you might like the way that Rawlings wrote the book, which I really like. I would recommend this book to people who are used to a book that's an inch and half thick and who enjoy reading a good story.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Interview with Monica from Spilled Ink
This is my interview with my dear friend Monica, who lives somewhere on planet Earth. We decided a while ago that we would interview each other and post the interviews on our blogs, and of course, being as cool as she is, Monica got there first :) If you don't already follow her at her blog 'Spilled Ink', please do so now!
Q. 1: What inspired you to start your blog?
A.: Somebody told me that my Chibi comics were funny, and my Mom suggested that I start a blog to post them on. I also wanted a place to ramble and not worry about bugging anybody. ;) And really, I enjoy the power-trip that comes from having a blog. XD
Q. 2: Even though you haven't read all the books yet, which do you prefer, The Lord of the Rings Movies or Books?
A.: Um... I like certain elements from both! Overall I'd say that I like the books better, but I did like a few of the things they changed in the movies. Like the Helm's Deep part in the movie, I know it wasn't so big and dramatic in the books, but I just loved that part of the movie! "Where is the horse and the rider..." [dreamy sigh] But then again, I dislike what the Two Towers movie did to Faramir. >:(
Q. 3: You're homeschooled, I'm homeschooled, and we both know that homeschooling rocks (no disrespect to all you public schoolers and private schoolers out there), but tell us why it rocks?
A.: Well, for me the biggest advantage is that I don't have to deal with all that peer pressure stuff. Not like I would abandon my beliefs, but I would seriously be having trouble dealing with the whole world screaming at me that I'm wrong. I'm also glad I don't have to sit through Planned Parenthood contraception talks. They give those at high-schools. And really, I just like the freedom.
Q. 4: If you could only have one, what superpower would you have?
A.: Telekinesis! Moving stuff with my mind, eventually going crazy and turning into energy... Yeah. All the supers with Telekinesis end up going crazy! I wonder why that is...
Q. 5: Favorite author of all time?
A.: Aaaaaahhhh! Why? I like a lot of authors [sniff]. Well, Charles Dickens is awesome, and A Tale of Two Cities is my favorite book at the moment. Victor Hugo is also terrific, what with all that rambling. My favorite modern author is Dean Koontz, he writes horror/suspense. I suppose that overall, I'd say Fulton J. Sheen. He was a Catholic philosopher, and his writing has really helped me understand The Bible and the life of Jesus.
Q. 6: If you could vacation anywhere on Earth, where would it be?
A.: Japan! More specifically, Nikko, Japan. It's in the Tochigi prefecture, and it's beautiful! If I couldn't go to Japan, I'd go to France or the Guadalupe Shrine in Mexico. Viva Mexico!
Q. 7: What is your most viewed post?
A.: For whatever reason it's my review of The Phantom of the Opera. XD It's got close to 100 views.
Q. 8: Would you rather tell us your deepest, darkest secret, or fall over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel?
A.: Fall off Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel, that way I could at least reenact the Barrel Escape scene from The Desolation of Smaug. :D
Q. 9: Now do whatever you picked in the last question. Just kidding! :D Tell us how long you've been drawing chibi comics and why you started?
A.: I've been drawing them since September of 2012, and trust me, they have GREATLY improved since then! They used to be so tall and skinny, with perfectly round, creepy eyes! Anyway, I don't know why I started. I think I wanted to draw comics like Bill Watterson and Jim Davis. I'm finally inventing some characters to start my own kind of strip. :)
Q. 10: The final most important question, favorite flavor of Ice Cream?
A.: CHERRY!! Cherry is divine, Cherry is wonderful.
Thanks so much for answering these questions! Reading them gave me that feeling that you get when you open a present on your birthday or Christmas :D
Again to all you people who don't already follow Monica! Go do it, now!!!
Q. 1: What inspired you to start your blog?
A.: Somebody told me that my Chibi comics were funny, and my Mom suggested that I start a blog to post them on. I also wanted a place to ramble and not worry about bugging anybody. ;) And really, I enjoy the power-trip that comes from having a blog. XDQ. 2: Even though you haven't read all the books yet, which do you prefer, The Lord of the Rings Movies or Books?
A.: Um... I like certain elements from both! Overall I'd say that I like the books better, but I did like a few of the things they changed in the movies. Like the Helm's Deep part in the movie, I know it wasn't so big and dramatic in the books, but I just loved that part of the movie! "Where is the horse and the rider..." [dreamy sigh] But then again, I dislike what the Two Towers movie did to Faramir. >:(
Q. 3: You're homeschooled, I'm homeschooled, and we both know that homeschooling rocks (no disrespect to all you public schoolers and private schoolers out there), but tell us why it rocks?
A.: Well, for me the biggest advantage is that I don't have to deal with all that peer pressure stuff. Not like I would abandon my beliefs, but I would seriously be having trouble dealing with the whole world screaming at me that I'm wrong. I'm also glad I don't have to sit through Planned Parenthood contraception talks. They give those at high-schools. And really, I just like the freedom. Q. 4: If you could only have one, what superpower would you have?
A.: Telekinesis! Moving stuff with my mind, eventually going crazy and turning into energy... Yeah. All the supers with Telekinesis end up going crazy! I wonder why that is...
Q. 5: Favorite author of all time?
A.: Aaaaaahhhh! Why? I like a lot of authors [sniff]. Well, Charles Dickens is awesome, and A Tale of Two Cities is my favorite book at the moment. Victor Hugo is also terrific, what with all that rambling. My favorite modern author is Dean Koontz, he writes horror/suspense. I suppose that overall, I'd say Fulton J. Sheen. He was a Catholic philosopher, and his writing has really helped me understand The Bible and the life of Jesus.
Q. 6: If you could vacation anywhere on Earth, where would it be?
A.: Japan! More specifically, Nikko, Japan. It's in the Tochigi prefecture, and it's beautiful! If I couldn't go to Japan, I'd go to France or the Guadalupe Shrine in Mexico. Viva Mexico!
Q. 7: What is your most viewed post?
A.: For whatever reason it's my review of The Phantom of the Opera. XD It's got close to 100 views.
Q. 8: Would you rather tell us your deepest, darkest secret, or fall over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel?
A.: Fall off Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel, that way I could at least reenact the Barrel Escape scene from The Desolation of Smaug. :D
Q. 9: Now do whatever you picked in the last question. Just kidding! :D Tell us how long you've been drawing chibi comics and why you started?
A.: I've been drawing them since September of 2012, and trust me, they have GREATLY improved since then! They used to be so tall and skinny, with perfectly round, creepy eyes! Anyway, I don't know why I started. I think I wanted to draw comics like Bill Watterson and Jim Davis. I'm finally inventing some characters to start my own kind of strip. :)
Q. 10: The final most important question, favorite flavor of Ice Cream?
A.: CHERRY!! Cherry is divine, Cherry is wonderful.
Thanks so much for answering these questions! Reading them gave me that feeling that you get when you open a present on your birthday or Christmas :D
Again to all you people who don't already follow Monica! Go do it, now!!!
Reflections
This is something that I just wanted to put up because, well, this is my blog and I can put up what I want!
Well anyways, reading through The Shadow of the Bear I noticed some things about the book that I never really noticed before. Or maybe I had and I just don't remember, but in any case, onward!
Okay, so in the beginning of the book Rose, Blanche, and Bear are talking, and Rose mentions that she believes that everyone (or at least most people) are really something other than what they seem, and that either they have forgotten their true form, or secretly know. She says, "Ugh, imagine being a princess and not knowing it!" That (like lots of other things in books) started me on the following train of thought:
Wait, when you're baptized, that makes you a child of God and heir to the kingdom of Heaven, which in turn makes you a prince or princess. Well, really, we're all children of God, but some of us don't know, or have forgotten that fact. So a lot of people in this world really are princes and princesses, but don't know it. That really is sad.
Now I don't know if I'm coming up with things that the author never meant to be there, or what, but that's just my train of thought. You can get on the train, or let it pass, your choice! Oh, and by the way, I won't judge you based on your choice :)
Well anyways, reading through The Shadow of the Bear I noticed some things about the book that I never really noticed before. Or maybe I had and I just don't remember, but in any case, onward!
Okay, so in the beginning of the book Rose, Blanche, and Bear are talking, and Rose mentions that she believes that everyone (or at least most people) are really something other than what they seem, and that either they have forgotten their true form, or secretly know. She says, "Ugh, imagine being a princess and not knowing it!" That (like lots of other things in books) started me on the following train of thought:
Wait, when you're baptized, that makes you a child of God and heir to the kingdom of Heaven, which in turn makes you a prince or princess. Well, really, we're all children of God, but some of us don't know, or have forgotten that fact. So a lot of people in this world really are princes and princesses, but don't know it. That really is sad.
Now I don't know if I'm coming up with things that the author never meant to be there, or what, but that's just my train of thought. You can get on the train, or let it pass, your choice! Oh, and by the way, I won't judge you based on your choice :)
Monday, June 23, 2014
The Shadow of the Bear
Well, here I go, trying my hand at this review thing. I would have typed this out and posted it a while ago except our family computer crashed and while a Nook works well for viewing blogs, it does not work nearly as well for typing out posts and posting them. Anyways, moving on!
I have to warn you, I am a huge fangirl of these books, not only because they are so well written and action packed, but also because they are very Catholic. Personal opinions aside, I will try my best to provide some reasons why this book is not perfect. First though, a quick sketch of the storyline:
The book is a retelling of the Fairy Tale 'Snow White and Rose Red' by the Brothers Grimm. The retold story is set in modern day New York, where Blanche and Rose Brier live with their widowed mother Jean Brier. One snowy night Jean is coming home from work, and as she steps out of her car, a crazy driver swerves toward her. A young man (nicknamed Bear) saves her just in time. Mrs. Brier invites the young man inside and so begins a friendship between Bear and the Briers. Bear, however, is in some sort of trouble, and even though he visits the Briers multiple times, the girls are never able to figure out what the trouble is. Until one day... But that would be spoiling the story :) I won't hand out spoilers now. Let me just say that it leaves you wondering whether or not they will make it to the end alive!
I really like the plot of the story, it's definitely cool and makes for an interesting story. It is a little, how do I say this, extreme? The story is one that I suppose could happen in real life, but it's definitely not something that seems likely to happen. Drug gangs, mean teenagers, kidnappers, murderers, they're all real, but roll them all together (SPOILERS!!!!!) and add a guy who's so obsessed with beautiful church vessels that he's willing to murder a priest and frame the priest's two young friends (yep, that's Bear and his younger brother Fish), and that's when it gets a bit extreme. (SPOILERS end here, you can look now)
The characters are definitely people that you can imagine are real. They've got their high points and their low points, their good qualities and their quirks. Rose and Blanche remind me of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility. Both sisters share a love of books and poetry, and Rose loves to quote poetry at any given time. Rose also mentions that Blanche has read more of the classics, while Rose prefers poetry. Blanche is the more down to earth of the two, and tends to be a bit less rash than her sister Rose. Blanche is very shy and believes that she lacks in courage, although at the end of the book she disproves that theory. She is also a little more profound in her thoughts, and despairs a bit more easily. Rose on the other hand is extremely optimistic, brave (or is the right word silly? A bit of both I guess), a lover of adventure, and imaginative. She mentions to Bear in the beginning of the book that she believes most people are really something else, a prince, a princess, a witch, a wizard, a dwarf, a knight, a king, etc., and that they have either forgotten who they really are, or secretly know. She also believes that her eyes are similar to a chameleon in that they can change color when she wants them to. At one point in time Rose gets mad at a boy at her highschool for bullying her sister and when she goes to confront him she cues her eyes to change to a stone grey color XD I've always thought that was really funny. She does have something of a temper, and like I said, is too brave for her own good. Bear is an interesting character, sweet, protective of Rose and Blanche (especially Blanche). He is unwilling to draw the girls into his secret danger, but enjoys their friendship too much to just let them go. You get a much better picture of the girls' characters then his or his brother's, because, as I forgot to mention, the book is told from the sister's point of view. More about that in a minute. Bear's brother Fish is okay, he doesn't really enter the story until the end, but he is referenced to and ( HUGE SPOILER!!!) Rose meets up with him while venting her feelings through playing violin in a park. (end of Spoilers). He's a very detached person, and quite sarcastic. He is also an escape artist, and very smart and resourceful. You never see much deeper into his character than that, at least in this book (Waking Rose, the 3rd in this series, centers on Fish and Rose and is told from their viewpoints). Mr. Freet, the antagonist, is quite a character (I keep misspelling character, as charactar, why????). He is theologically and philosophically messed up, believing that beauty has its source in itself, beauty, and not in truth. He is also obsessed with beautiful church vessels, and doesn't shrink away from murder and lying to get the ones he wants. He's a pretty crazy guy (especially since his doorcode is 666, does that give anyone else the creeps?), and a cold-hearted, cruel villain. Pretty stereotypical, except for his aforementioned obsession with church vessels. Although, most villains are obsessed with something, like Rings, or the destruction of prophecies, or someone's downfall.
I really like the way that Regina Doman wrote this book, she is a great story teller. There are like one or two references to some more mature content, but my younger sister, 9 years old, is reading it now, and she will either not realize what they're talking about, or realize that it is not a good thing. The immoral stuff is always shown in a bad light though, just to clarify. Rose gets into a tight spot with a guy, but escapes before anything happens, and some mean girls make some rude remarks about seeing Blanche with Bear at a prom. That's really it. As I mentioned before, the book does swap back and forth between viewpoints which is cool and gives several different perspectives on the story since the sisters are so different. It might be annoying for some people, but the change is clearly marked by a small picture of a rose at the beginning of the paragraph where the swap occurs. Sometimes the swap is a bit sudden and a little confusing though. Once you read through it again it makes more sense, but you do have to read through it again sometimes.
One of the highlights of this book is that it is soooo Catholic! Rose and Blanche do go to a Catholic highschool, they are Catholic, Bear and his brother are Catholic, sacred church vessels are a main part of the plot, the girls pray whenever they find themselves in a jam, how much more Catholic can you get?!
Enough! This is getting really long, and I need to stop. If you've read this far, good for you! If not, well, then, I suppose you won't be reading this, so um, well, awkward.......
Verdict: A+
I'm adopting my friend's rating system :) I really like this book, it's AWESOME!!!! The book is a really fun read, and short too (under 200 pages). I love pretty much everything about the book, from the characters to the plot, to the profound philosophical and theological thoughts stashed away in the book that took me two or three times to realize they were there!
Well, thanks for reading, and tell me what you think about the book, about my review, about what you're eating for lunch today, you get the idea :) Oh and let me know if you would like me to review some more books!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)