Mid-Book Impressions: The Three Musketeers and Eugene Onegin

If you look at the sidebar on my blog, you'll notice that I'm reading The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. If you read Cyrillic, you'll also have figured out that I'm reading Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin. Sorry I didn't get an actual book cover for it, but I liked the drawing. Pushkin was good at drawing too, who knew?
Ahem. I've noticed several similarities between these books, and I'm less than halfway through Musketeers and nearly done with Eugene Onegin.

First off, they both feature dueling. Musketeers treats dueling as casually as you treat brushing your teeth, and Onegin treats dueling as something tragic that ruins lives. Huh. I wonder if those people you just skewered had families and lovers, d'Artagnan.
Pushkin goes out of his way to show how horrible the early death of the man killed in the duel was, whereas in Musketeers, the bodies pile up with hardly a batted eye. But again, I'm less then halfway through it. I'm either in for three hundred more pages of this, or an epic Dantes-esque redemption arc. Why do I doubt the latter.

Second, the leading men are both deeply flawed. Eugene is jaded and ends up making many mistakes that ruin his happiness. d'Artagnan is impulsive and a little too quick on the draw, also he is actively trying to get a married woman to be his mistress. Eugene's flaws are what drives the story to tragedy, d'Artagnan's are portrayed in kind of a 'boys will be boys' way. Needless to say, I don't like it.

Third, the author's names are both Alexander. Nothing deep to say here, I just thought it was really funny how I just so happened to pick these two at the same time. Coincidence, won't you?

The thing that surprised me about Onegin is that it's written in verse, and I usually hate books in verse. I couldn't even finish The Ballad of White Horse by Chesterton, because I was so lost and irritated with the style. However, I'm plowing through Onegin, and enjoying it very much. I'm also considering learning Russian so I can read this and my other favorite Russian novels in their original language. I already speak French, so I should probably brush up on that so I can reach fluency. But still, reading this in the original language would be a treat, because due to the format- poetry, it's really hard to convey the author's feelings. So Someday. Someday I'd like to read Pushkin's actual words.

As for Musketeers.... eurgh. I'll finish it, and give a final consensus, but it's not looking good.
Tell me, am I going way too hard on what is essentially supposed to be a fun adventure story? Maybe I shouldn't take it so seriously. I dunno. I think my expectations were unfairly high due to the sheer epicness that was The Count of Monte Cristo. Maybe I should reread that in the original French, that'd be fun.

Mah Reading List of 2016

If I'm not posting that much, it's because I have a truck ton of stuff going on in music. Two orchestra rehearsals a week, one 4 hours long and the other 3 hours long, a Woodwind ensemble, and a Jazz band that I entered by accident (long story). Oh, and composing. It might appear kinda silly, but this is what I love, and I'm willing to dedicate most of my free time to studying it. :)
ANYWAYS, here is my reading list for 2016!
The Martian was #1 on the list, but I uh... just finished that one a few nights ago.

 

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Ugh, I don't like this book, but I HAVE to finish it! I'm more than halfway thr

ough!! The writing is pretty good, but maybe it wasn't right to read this one and The Martian at the same time. Let's put the difference this way. The last line of The Martian is "This is the best day of my life!", and The Grapes of Wrath is dusty and wants you to be depressed. I'm not saying it doesn't have a very important social message, because it does, but I'm just not crazy about it.

 

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

This one is REALLY good. The Author's writing style is so much like my own (not to say that I'm really good at writing, because I'm not, but mine is very sardonic too!), and the characters are hard to predict and really interesting! Can't wait to read more of it, but I keep falling asleep before I can get to reading every night.

 

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

I love Russian literature. Even when it's hard to understand (*cough*theidiot*cough*) it's really good! I read a quarter of this book last year, but I lost it before I could finish. I like what I read, though.

 

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

I LOVED The Count of Monte Cristo, so I have pretty high expectations for this one! Not that I expect it to be deep or anything, I just want some awesome memorable characters and lots of swashbuckling action!

 

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Because French Literature, and I want to read a book where I don't know how it's going to end. Something where, like Vanity Fair for me, I don't really know much about it! So I can be surprised, haha! I hear that this one too is kind of Satirical, but not in a really funny way.

 

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Yes, again. Because awesomeness. It's been more than a year since I've read it, so I'm totally allowed to read it again! Mwahahahahaha!!!

What I'm Reading

I talk too much about orchestra and music. I talk about orchestra and music so much that I'm afraid of making people who read this blog hate orchestra and music because I talk about nothing but.
So here's me talking about books, because we all love books, right? Pretty much everyone reads, reading is universal.

The Martian by Andy Weir [2011]
So far I'm REALLY liking this one. It's so fun and interesting. I can see some people not really liking it because there is a LOT of science rambling which makes non-science-y people (like me) want to skim some paragraphs. For me though, the punchy dialogue, fun characters, and overall tone are all worth skimming through some jargon. Very fun, very interesting read. I'm only about 20% into it right now, so I can't wait to read more!

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck [1939]
[sigh] This book has taught me one thing. That you can utterly love and hate a book at the same time. John Steinbeck and I share a hometown, so I grew up with his giant, painted face staring at me from the various murals throughout town. The writing in this book is powerful and touches on issues that are still important today. The characters are somewhat interesting, and Steinbeck has got a great talent for description. But it's also bleak and hopeless and I'm find one of the characters who I'm supposed to like absolutely disgusting and horrible. Tom Joad is pretty interesting, though. Sorta like him.
But I'll finish it because I don't like being a quitter. C'mon, Monica... you're more than halfway there, si se puede!!!

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray [1847-8]
Probably my favorite book that I'm reading at the moment. Thackeray's writing is so sardonic, so dryly witty, so... accessible! To put it bluntly, he writes the way people talk. Very bouncy, and even self-aware at times! Towards the beginning, he writes something along the lines of- "I can just see some critic right now scribbling into his notebook that this novel is awfully boring". There are so many writing gems in this book. It's 700+ pages long, but well worth it. And I'm not even halfway through, haha!!

Book Memes Fer Dayzz

Hee hee, these are fun!

 

1: What's the first book you can remember reading as a child?

A Snow White and the Seven Dwarves board book. An also my little kid church missal. It was called 'My Picture Missal', but I misread it as 'My Priest's Missal', and proudly told my aunt what I thought it was called, saying "I can read!" Oops. XD

2: Do you have any playlists you listen to while reading?

Hm.... a lot of the time, music distracts me while I read, so not really. Sometimes I have on Claude Debussy.

3: Where's your favorite place to read?

Bed!

4: Have you ever recommended a book that ruined someone else's life? What was it?

Whaaaaaaaat? Whaaaaaaaaaaat?! No comprendo!

5: Which book had the greatest impact on your life?

I have a book with Fulton J. Sheen's essays in it, and his writing really helps me to understand my faith better. :)

6: Which author would you be thrilled to go out for coffee with?

Dean Koontz!

7: What questions would you ask your favorite author given the chance?

I don't know! I do wonder what Fyodor Dostoevsky was going to with Alyosha's character in the other two books he was planning to write. And I'd like to ask Dean Koontz what the dealio with Annamaria is...

8: Which character can you relate to most?

My sister says I remind her of Meg from A Wrinkle in Time. I also relate a lot to Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle.

9: Do you have a goodreads account?

Considering it, but I do most of my book ranting on here.

10: Do you read fanfiction?

No, but I'm not so opposed to it that I would refuse to read some if a friend of mine wanted me to read her story.

11: Do you watch any booktubers?

Erm, I don't think so? What's a booktuber?

12: What's the prettiest book cover you've seen?

Well, there's this one! It has nice colors and a very ambient atmosphere!

 

This one is a very cute, and the design to me is very evocative of the ending scene!

 

I know this one isn't conventionally beautiful, but I love the composition. I'm no good at analyzing art, but there's something very interesting about how Sydney and the Seamstress are the only ones in full color here. It's like despite all the misery around them, it doesn't matter because they [cue romantic music] have each other. Aww.

13: Have you ever met any authors in person?

No, I don't think so. Well, I did meet a local author who autographed a dinosaur story book for me. I was like, 7.

14: If you had to switch lives with one book character, who would it be?

I don't know, all the ones I know are tragic! Oh wait, Emma!

15: If you were to live in any universe from books you've read, which would it be?
I really am enthralled with the universe that Howl's Moving Castle takes place in! But It'd also be cool to live in Alexandre Dumas' more fantastical and swashbuckling version of 19th Century Europe! Except for the fact that I would probably be dead in minutes from poisoning or dueling or both. XD!

16: What is the absolute worst book you've ever read?
........ EMILYOFNEWMOONPRINCESSACADEMYTHENEARWITCHFRANKENSTEIN!!!

17: Preferred reading format-- ebooks, physical books, or both?
I'm cool with both! I like paper books better, but when during the school year when I was taking classes up in the big(ger) city, my kindle was perfect.

18: When is the best time to read a book (in your opinion)?
Anytime. ;) I personally read most during the night hours, but I'm a Night Owl. ;)

19: Which movie adaptations of a book were actually amazing and which made you cringe?
Well, the Sense and Sensibility from 1995 is really good. So is the adaptation of Coraline! One that just made me cringe though was some version of A Tale of Two Cities from the 80's. They really just butchered a lot of the characters and plot elements. And the Tale of Despereaux movie was so awful!!

20: What are your top 3 favorite books?
Les Miserables, A Tale of Two Cities, The Brothers Karamazov, Emma, The City, and The Count of Monte Cristo. Sorry, can't pick just 3!

YET ANOTHER Book Meme!

A book meme, because I don't have any new comics to post. :P Working on a super long one though!

A. Author You’ve Read The Most Books From
Um, I don't know! Either Jane Austen, or... I don't know. When I was little, I read a TON of Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House books. :P
B. Best Sequel Ever
Oh! Oh! Oh! Brother Odd by Dean Koontz! It's a scary, but also very moving story, and the characters are so cool. This book actually made me a leetle-bit teary at some parts, too.
C. Currently Reading
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens and Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoi. But the second one is more of a backburner kind of thing.
D. Drink of Choice While Reading
I don't really drink while I read because I'm paranoid about spilling on my book. XD
E. E-Reader or Physical Books
I prefer Physical Books, but I do own a kindle, so I could go either way.
F. Fictional Character You Would Have Dated In High School
None of them, because I don't want to experience a stupid teen breakup.
G. Glad You Gave This Book A Chance
Black Beauty. I thought I would hate it, but I read it to make my sister happy, and I discovered that it's actually a very nice book! So many good passages, and the characters were cool, even though I wasn't too attached to them.
H. Hidden Gem Book
The Brothers Karamazov. I thought it would be really dry and boring, but I read it, and I REALLY liked it!
I. Important Moments of Your Reading Life
Um... Je ne sais pas!
J. Just Finished
The Count of Monte Cristo, but that was almost a month ago by now. And I already want to read it again!
K. Kinds of Books You Won’t Read
I dislike Young Adult fiction. I've been giving certain YA books a chance, like The Hunger Games, and Ender's Game, but generally, it's a genre that I just really hate. I could explain why, but that would be a REALLY long post. Oh, and romance. Most romance isn't my cup of tea.
L. Longest Book You’ve Read
Either Les Miserables or The Count of Monte Cristo.
M. Major Book Hangover Because Of
I don't know! I know that was at a loss on what to read when I finished The Idiot. But I'm not quite clear what a book hangover is, so yeah.
N. Number of Bookcases You Own
[looks over shoulder] Uh, One and a half. Some of my books are on my nightstand, and others are on the bookshelf.
O. One Book That You Have Read Multiple Times
A Tale of Two Cities, most of the Odd Thomas books... pretty much any book I like, I'll read it to death, like The Tale of Despereaux.
P. Preferred Place to Read
Anywhere comfortable. :)
Q. Quote From A Book That Inspires You/Gives You Feels
Aw, there are so many! But I'll pick just one... oooooooff. Just one of many, mind you!!

Monte Cristo was beginning to think, what he had not for a long time dared to believe, that there were two Mercedes in the world, and he might yet be happy.

R. Reading Regret
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. RRRRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHATETHISBOOK
S. Series You Started and Need to Finish
Uh, I don't know! The only series I've really been reading was Odd Thomas, and that series finished this past month!
T. Three Of Your All-Time Favorite Books
Les Miserables, A Tale of Two Cities, aaaaannnnddd...... Brother Odd. No, Emma. No wait, I um, can it be top four books of all time? XD
U. Unapologetic Fangirl For
[shrugs] Lotsa things.
W. Worst Bookish Habit
Uh... they make me stay up very late when I have exams the following day? And I have a tendency to judge books before I read them. Because I'm just a meanie like that. XD But I'm sometimes proven wrong, like with Black Beauty! So I'm not so close-minded that I won't admit I was wrong about a book. ;)
V. Very Excited For This Release More Than Any Other
I was super excited for the last Odd Thomas book... (gotta stop ranting about that)
X Marks The Spot (Start On Your Bookshelf And Count to the 27th
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. :)
Y. Your Latest Book Purchase
A nice copy of Les Miserables. Because I'm just frivolous like that. ;)
Z. ZZZ-Snatcher (last book that kept you up WAY late)
So many books did this! But Les Miserables kept me up super late many times. I remember being up past 2 am, and I read from the fall of the barricade all the way to Javert's suicide. It was just so gripping!

Favorite Books of 2014!

I just wanted to do a quick little post on (obviously!) my favorite books of this year. :)

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

This is the first Dickens novel I've read, and I'm so glad I read it! I had always liked the story, because I as very familiar with the story from the miniseries. Dicken's writing is very witty and entertaining, and very biting at times. My favorite character was Mr. Jarndyce, and I was quite surprised by Sir Lester at the end. A very good read, if you've got the patience for 800 pages. :)

 

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

I read this one because I liked Bleak House so much, it is now one of my favorite books. A Tale of Two Cities is different from the usual Dickens style, the names of the characters are less goofy, it's much shorter, and the plot is a whole lot simpler. This book has a strong, likeable cast of characters and some plot twists that genuinely did surprise me. In short, it's a lovely story of redemption with one of my favorite fictional heroes. Ever.

 

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

I read two Michael Crichton book this year, Jurassic Park and the Andromeda Strain, and dang does that man know how to write sciency-stuff and make it engaging and interesting. Usually when a book gets into technobabble I just groan and turn the pages until I find something good happening, but here it was so cool! This book gives you a lot to think about, which is always good. Plus, it was pretty dang scary at times! I stayed up until 4 am reading this one night, that's how suspenseful it was.

 

Emma by Jane Austen

This here is my favorite Jane Austen novel. I found it quite a wonderful read. Emma is sort of an anti-heroine at first, in that she is meddlesome and maybe a little bit spoiled. She gets better of course, but that's half the fun of the book. All the supporting cast is memorable and delightful, especially Emma's hypochondriac father. Jane Austen's writing is witty in a rather dry, snarky way, and it was an absolute joy to read.

 

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Like Jurassic Park, this book provides a lot of things to think about. Ender's Game is one of those books that doesn't have a strict 'ending' where everything is 100% wrapped up. Rather, it ends when things are emotionally finished. I really like that kind of ending, and I almost cried at the end of this book. I'm so glad I gave it a chance, since Sci-Fi isn't a genre I really go nuts for usually. :)

 

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

So. Dang. Good. This book is suspenseful, creepy, and like a lot of books on this list, gives you something to think about! A lot of the characters don't really go in the direction you expect them to, and this is one of the book's best strengths. I like the atmosphere throughout the book, and I absolutely loved the ending, even though it wasn't the most complete or happy ending, I still think it was perfect.

 

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Okay, I haven't finished this one yet. I've been working on it for a while though, and I only have 200 pages left. This book is AWESOME. I love it so much! It does require a bit more suspension of disbelief than normal for a book set in real-life France, but it is so amazing. There are prison escapes, poisoners, hidden fortunes, people in disguise, people faking their deaths, it's got everything that makes my heart go all aflutter. Not that it's all fun and games though. A lot of The Count's actions have repercussions that he wasn't prepared for, and he has to think about what he's done and if it was actually the right thing to do. So yeah. Awesome!

 

Momo by Michael Ende

This is such a lovely little book. The characters are terrific, and the plot is so original, I honestly haven't read anything like it! Even though it was written as a children's book, I think this is a book that everyone can read and enjoy. It has some deep themes, too, and one of the reasons it's a great children's book is because it doesn't think that kids are too stupid to catch onto the themes and such.

 

What To Read Next?

I have only 200 pages left in The Count of Monte Cristo (which took a little dip in awesomeness with the Valentine/Maximilien subplot, but quickly earned it back), and it's time to start thinking about what to read next. XD
So here's my list of possibilities. :)

Middlemarch by George Eliot

I read Silas Marner way back in August, I think, and I liked it a lot. So much that when I found Middlemarch in our garage, I decided that it would be great to give that a read sometime! So I'm considering it for when I'm done with Monte Cristo.

 

Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

I know next to nothing about this book, aside from the fact that it's by Charles Dickens, and um... yeah. I know nothing. My copy has money on the cover though, so maybe it has something to do with money that everybody is trying to get their hands on. I don't know. But I really like Charles Dickens books, and look forward to reading another one!

 

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

I've never read anything by Tolstoy, I am ashamed. But I like this story, and one of the subplots is really nice, it involves a guy trying to find his faith again or something, and I can't remember how or if it was resolved. Just another reason to read the book, I guess!

 

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I've heard a lot of different things about this book, some people say that it's terrible, and other people say it's brilliant. So I have no idea what to expect, and I'm looking forward to finding out for myself whether or not this is a good read. :)

 

Any other suggestions? Once I finish Monte Cristo, I'm going to be a little bit at a loss on what to read. And I just finished The Idiot on kindle, so I'm searching for something to read on that, too. :)



Dracula by Bram Stoker [1897]

I don't think that I like this book as much as I liked it when I was fourteen. XD
Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate this book, I didn't even dislike it all that much. But there were a few things that bugged me a bit and a few other things I'm not sure how to feel about!
For things that I didn't like, first of all, way too melodramatic. I know that it's the 19th century and melodrama was about as in back then as stupid teen romance is in now. But I found many scenes that were supposed to be dramatic, well, I found them quite hilarious.

Now for the things I don't know how to feel about.
First off, this book has a lot of rather sexist tendencies. I know, and I know, 19th Century, product of it's time, blah, blah, blah. But riddle me this, Batman! If that's just how 19th Century female characters are, then how come The Count of Monte Cristo has so many varied and interesting ladies? Then again, maybe it's just the , and not the author, who are being unintentionally sexist. I mean, they are all very courteous and kind to the point of revering Mina. And Mina is one of the smartest characters in the book. I just lost it when a character made a remark about Mina being too frail and delicate in mind to help them in their monster-hunting work. Hello?! Jonathan Harker? He's a man, and he had a big ol' nervous breakdown towards the beginning of the book! Who's frail and delicate again?

Then there was the cavalier treatment of the Holy Eucharist. As a Catholic, (I know most of my readers probably aren't, but this is me explaining my issues with the book, and to do that I have to sometimes bring up Religious issues), I believe that the consecrated wafers used in Mass are in fact, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The way Van Helsing hands out consecrated communion wafers like Halloween candy for the others to use against Dracula, it made me think of a rather important question! Do Van Helsing and the others have actual faith in the Holy Items they are using to fight the monster or are they just waving them around the way you would use a magic wand? It kind of bugged me in a big way how casually they used the Holy Eucharist.

The Verdict: B-
Yeah, it was allright. I did appreciate all the Christian stuff in the book, aside from the possible irreverence. I liked this book MUCH better than Frankenstein, which I plan on Video Reviewing as soon as possible, but I don't know if I'm going to read this again any time soon.

Translations, Translations, Translations!

S-so... sick... eurggghhhhhhhh I hope you're happy virus, I had to miss my piano midterm because of you.
Anyway!
So, I've been reading a lot of books that were originally written in different languages lately. Books like The Count of Monte Cristo, The Broskis Brothers Karamazov, Les Miserables, The Man Who Laughs, the list goes on and on and on!
I spend a lot of time in the college library, and as interested in reading The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky. On the back of the book it said that this new translation was extremely faithful to the original Russian, and that it had gotten rid of all the 'anglizations' that were in the first translation of the novel. That sounds good right? Keeping the book as close to the original as humanly possible. But I opened the book to look at it, and it was near un-readable. At least to me. My eyes wandered all over the page trying to find something to latch onto, but all I could see were 'thous' and 'hithers' and tons of weird Russian-isms that you had to flip to the footnotes at the back of the book to find out what they meant.
Then I bought a pretty new copy of Les Miserables to sort of replace my battered copy (shhh, don't tell it it's being phased out!), and a lot of the amazon reviews criticized it for having a rather modernish translation. And yeah, reading thought it today I have found some rather interesting phrases that don't quite sound 19th Century France ("Pull yourself together!" "Hey Kid!" "Alright with you?"), but get this! I'm not bugged at all by it.
So those two stories tie together (like any good Lost plotline...) and lead me to the point of this post.
I suppose the question you ask yourself about a translation is where the 'line' is. Where does it go from clearing up peculiarities of the language to changing what the author wanted to say? And what makes a good translation, anyway?
I would say that to make a good, faithful translation, you would first translate the text literally, and then revise to make it run smoothly in English, or whatever language you're translating into. Yes, you can't translate something to exactly what the author was saying. Especially from a language like Japanese that is so intricate and different from any other language that you can only give the reader an idea of what was being written.
Translating from a different language is a difficult project to tackle. There are so many different variables you have to work with, especially when you're going over a book written in French or Spanish where there are two ways of saying 'You'- one of them formal and one of them more friendly. English doesn't have that, so it's hard to translate a passage that has a lot of subtext with the Vous/Tu thing, like you'll find in The Count of Monte Cristo.
So it's difficult, you know! I cut the translators some slack because yeah, I could get picky about the translation for being modern. But then what would I do? Just read The Idiot in the original Russian? No thank you! I would rather read a modernized translation than one that is so excessively accurate that it is hard to read.
Bible translations on the other hand, are a completely different deck of cards. A deck of cards that I'm not even authorized to shuffle. So that's a different post for when I'm a hundred years wiser. ;)

Chocolate Book Tag

Not two days after I say that I'm taking a break... XD Can't stay away for long, isn't that right?
I saw this meme or Hamlette's blog, and on Hannah's blog, and thought it would be a fun, quickie post. Because certain parties thought I was leaving my blog forever, here's me saying that I'm not. ;)

 Dark Chocolate [a book that covers a dark topic]

Hi, we're two dudes who don't look like
any of the characters in this book.

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. This book is amazing, and I really liked it, but I also had to put it down sometimes because it got a little bit, howyousay... nightmarish? The atmosphere was quite dark and heavy and sometimes it was a little too much so. The ending was really sweet though. I thought it would be all dark and depressing, but it actually had a really nice ending!

White Chocolate [a light and humorous read]

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. I'm not a ginormous Tolkien fan, but this book was just very fun and quite amusing. It had its moments of melancholy, but for the most part it was very charming and whimsical. In a good way, whimsical in a good way.

Milk Chocolate [a book with a lot of hype that you're dying to read]
Ummm, here's the thing about me. Things with LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of hype kind of put me off. So I tend not to read them until they cease to be constantly shoved down my throat.

Caramel Filled Chocolate [a book that makes you feel gooey inside]

 

By gooey inside do you mean nauseous or do you mean sentimental? Just kidding, just kidding..
I'm just wrapping up Sense and Sensibility, and that book makes me feel a little goopy inside. :) Colonel Brandon makes me happy...

Wafer-less Kit-Kat [a book that surprised you]

The aforementioned Broskis K, since I thought it would be really boring and dry when it was the total opposite. But also Momo by Michael Ende. I thought it would be a cute little story about a mysterious girl and her friends, but it was actually SUCH a deep little story, and I really like it. :)

Snickers [a book you're going nuts about]

SUCH a cool painting on the cover.

So many! Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, Odd Thomas... So many! But if I had to pick one I'd pick The Count of Monte Cristo because it's what I'm currently reading and I'm very excited about it.

Hot Chocolate with Mini Marshmallows [a book you turn to for comfort]

Usually whatever I'm reading at the moment is what I go to. But The Scarlet Pimpernel is almost a guaranteed mood-booster for me. :) Along with The Tale of Despereaux.

A Box of Chocolates [a series you feel has something for everyone]

I don't know. I would say the Odd Thomas book because they're full of action, a spot of romance, lots of suspense, and a good moral compass. But they're also a little too weird and creepy for a lot of peoples tastes, so I don't know. :P

 Of thee I zing, Ice Cream, of The Blog of Ice Cream!

And anybody else who wants to do it, I just don't want to badger anyone or be irritating. :)

Book Meme!

1. Favourite childhood book?
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. I love that book!

2. What are you reading right now?
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Two completely different books, I know!

3. What books do you have on request at the library?
None, to be honest. :P

4. Bad book habit?
If there's a line or section I really like then I dogear or underline. But Never with a nice or new copy of a book.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
Pygmalion, the play that the musical My Fair Lady is based on. :) I got it for my sister from the campus library.
6. Do you have an e-reader?
I have a kindle app on my computer, but I prefer reading real books. They smell nice (new books and old books both have distinctive smells, I find), they feel great in your hands, and it just feels 'right' to me. :)

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I'm able to read several books at once, unless I'm reading something very heavy, or intensive. Then I'd just rather concentrate on that one book.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Not really. But I did find several good titles by reading other people's blogs! Like The Scarlet Pimpernel and Toilers of the Sea.

9. Least favourite book you read this year (so far?)
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Meh.

10. Favourite book you've read this year (so far?)
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens! I know it's probably really old and stuffy material, but for whatever reason it just clicked with me and I really like it. :)

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
I don't know. Not that often probably, because my comfort zone consists of books that I know I will most likely enjoy, and I don't like wasting time on books I won't like.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
I read a lot of classics, so I suppose those are the books I feel most comfortable with. Basically anything that isn't Young Adult literature or (certain kinds of) Sci Fi is fine with me! XD

13. Can you read on the bus?
Yeah. I don't ride the bus that often, but I can read in the car without getting sick.

14. Favourite place to read?
I like to read in our garage lying down on the couch with both doors open and air circulating in... sigh... it's so pleasant.

15. What is your policy on book lending?
I'd just like it back in as good condition as it was when I lent it. Wrinkled up on the spine and covers is fine, but if it comes back seriously trashed or damaged I'll probably feel a little angryful.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
Yes. Before you decide that I'm evil, hear me out. I don't dog-ear nice copies of books, or new copies of books. I did dog-ear the living daylights out of my battered copy of Les Miserables the first time I read it though. So many good lines and thoughts to keep track of!

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Only if it's something I have been told to take notes on. Or if it's a super lousy book (like The Near Witch) I'll write riffs and quips in the margins that mock the book. XD

18. Not even with text books?
I write in text book margins, except for my French one, that's on loan. :P

19. What is your favourite language to read in?
Pffft, English! I know a smidgen of French and Japanese, but not well enough to read whole novels. Wish I could though. :P

20. What makes you love a book?
Here's the list!
- A hero who does the right thing, but still has flaws
- Nice imagery and writing
- Really good ending lines!
- Interesting characters who feel real
- Vivid settings
- Interesting philosophical themes
- Books that provide Thought-Fodder!

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
I don't really reccomend books to my friends and family. Parly because I'm afraid of coming off as naggy, but also because I'm afraid of them reading the book, hating it, and thinking that I have bad taste in books. But I suppose the critera can be found in the previous question...

22. Favourite genres?
Classic Literature, but specifically drama like Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and Victor Hugo. I also really like 'spooky' books, like Odd Thomas or Coraline. And Fantasy. Not really a sword and sorcery person, but Fantasy in general I find very appealing. :)

23. Genres you rarely read (but wish you did?)
I don't know, if I see a book that I like I usually make an effort to grab it, but maybe historical fiction? Mysteries too. I wish I could find our copy of the complete Sherlock Holmes, I read A Study in Scarlet and it was great!

24. Favourite biography?
Ummm..... Pass. I don't really read biographies.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
What the deuce are self-help books?

26. Favourite cookbook?
We have a cookbook that's just chocolate recipes, I used to actually carry that one around with me when I was a preteen. XD

27. Most inspirational book you've read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
The Divine Romance by Fulton J. Sheen. :)

28. Favourite reading snack?
I don't usually eat when I read (book balancing issues, you know) but I usually read while I'm eating breakfast. So, cereal.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
I don't know! I haven't read that many uber-hyped books. Well, I was pretty sick of the Hunger Games before I even cracked the spine on that one.

29. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
Eh, 50/50. There are some books I love that critics hate, and other ones that they love. So I don't know if they're wrong, or me. XD

30. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I think they're fun to write! Mwahaha! No regrets here! Unless it's a book that somebody reccomended to me. In that case, I wouldn't even write a review, just quietly pretend that I never read it.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Japanese or French!

34. The most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens. I hear it's really good, but.... I'm scared. XD

35. Favourite Poet?
I don't read a whole lot of poetry, it depresses me because I can't write that well. :P

38. Favourite fictional character?
SO MANY! Um, here's the list. :)
- Sydney Carton (A Tale of Two Cities)
-Atticus Finch and Scout (To Kill a Mockingbird)
- Jean Valjean, The Bishop, Eponine (Les Miserables)
- Despereaux (The Tale of Despereaux)
- Emma Woodhouse and Mr. Knightley (Emma)
- Catherine Morland and Henry Tilney (Northanger Abbey)
- Mr. Jarndyce (Bleak House)
- Gandalf and Sam Gamgee (The Lord of the Rings)
- Alexei 'Alyosha' Karamazov (The Brothers Karamazov)
-Elinor & Marianne Dashwood and Colonel Brandon (Sense and Sensibility)

39. Favourite fictional villain?
Again. So many. XD And a lot of these guys aren't really pure evil.
- He's not evil, but he is in the way of the hero, so I guess he belongs here. Javert (Les Miserables)
- Madame Defarge (A Tale of Two Cities)
- Smeagol (The Lord of the Rings)
- Roscuro (The Tale of Despereaux


40. Books I'm most likely to bring on holiday?
Um, whatever I happen to be reading at the moment.

41. The longest I've gone without reading.
I haven't kept track. :)

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
Wuthering Heights. Ugh, that book is TURGID!! I wish I could find somebody who likes it and ask them what they see in it!

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
The TV.

44. Favourite film adaptation of a novel?
I really like Sense and Sensibility (1995)!

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Eh, the 1980 A Tale of Two Cities TV movie. It was wrong on so many little levels that I just didn't like it that much. I prefer the cheesy one from 1989. I mean, that one wasn't perfect, but at least we had a blast watching it! XD

46. The most money I've ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
35 bucks for a piano textbook. ._.

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
I sometimes check out the first chapter, but a lot of the time I go into books 'blind', as it were.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
A turgid pace that doens't take the book anywhere, characters who don't make sense, and heroines who the author keeps claiming are 'special', while they're really just like every other generic heroine out there. Oh, and teen romance. And by teen romance, I don't mean the common situation in older books where people got married at 17. I mean teenagers slurping each other and going on and on about how different they are from everyone else. Ugh.

49. Do you like to keep your books organised?
Yeah, but I haven't got them very organized at the moment. See, I don't have a bookshelf, so my rather large collection is somewhat scattered around my room. :P

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you've read them?
Wha? I keep my books, because (a) I like just opening to a favorite part and reading (b) A book I really like is kind of like a friend. Call me selfish or hording, but I wouldn't really want to give it away unless I had multiple copies.

53. A book you didn't expect to like but did?
I don't know. I hardly ever read outside of my comfort zone, because I'm lame like that. Well, I thought To Kill a Mockingbird would be dry and preachy, like most 'important books'. But it was actually a very moving story and one of my favorite books. :)

54. A book that you expected to like but didn't?
Emily of New Moon. Grrr, I hate that book. Didn't even finish it.

55. Favourite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Odd Thomas! Pretty much any Dean Koontz, really. :)

Gotta go! Thanks for reading!

My 'Autumn-Winter' Reading List

Yeah... I finished my Summer reading list way sooner than I expected, and it's still not Autumn! Kind of funny really. But I ran out of stuff to read, so I figured I'd just start this now. It'll probably take me a while to finish it anyway, since I've got a load of super long books on it! I hope to be able to finish it by January.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

I've heard some seriously conflicting things about this book. One side says that it's a horrid book that tries to make twisted obsession look beautiful, and the other camp says that it's a study on why that kind of love wouldn't work. I'd like to find out myself, though I am a little intimidated by the first chapter. I tried it a year or two ago, and could not make it through! Let's hope I'm more patient this time around! Oh, and you should have seen my Dad's face when I said I was reading this. :D

Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo

Another book my sister wants me to 'screen' for her. I've heard good things about it, and you can't really go too wrong in a story about guys fighting sea monsters. Right? And it's Victor Hugo, I'm sure I'll learn a lot about the life and habits of the giant squid. ;)

The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo

I got this one used at the library for 50 cents. I had heard some things about it, but I didn't know the full plot. All I can say is that it sounds pretty good, though a little disturbing. And the depressing ending sounds very tacked on. I'll have to read the full thing to find out though.

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

I heard it's about a guy who rescued innocent people from the guillotine, that's pretty rad, yeah? Should be good...

Persuasion by Jane Austen

I'm slowly but surely working my way through all the books of Jane Austen, of which I have read three. This one's actually one of the shorter books on this reading list, and I already know the story fairly well, so it should be a nice read!

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Then I'll just have Sense and Sensibility left! Huzzah!

Ahem, this is probably the least popular Jane Austen novel, but my Mom gave me a short lecture on why it's just as cool as the others, so I shall soon embark on a quest to read it!

Confessions of St. Augustine by... St. Augustine!

St. Augustine is one of my favorite saints, and I recently found this in the garage (Our garage is filled with wonderous piles of boxes that are filled with books. Some of which have been eaten by silverfish :P). It should be good spiritual reading, something that I really should be doing all the time.

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

This book is translated from Russian, about four brothers each accused of patricide, deeply introspective and philosophical, and 993 pages long. SI SE PUEDE! SI SE PUEDE!!

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Saw it at the library and thought "I should read THAT sometime!" This is that time. Also, I know this sounds really bad, but we recently saw the 2002 movie, and it is so awesome!

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

If only I didn't already have a copy of this book...
Pretty cover...

"Let it go, Monica!!"

"But I found our copy with the pretty red cover!"

"You just read it last year!"

"My precioooouuuuusssssss..."

"Urgh, she's hopeless."

 

By the way, my friend Ice Cream has written a lovely post in defense of Frodo, you can read it here.



My Reading List for the Summer

Let's see if I can finish a reading list. :)

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

As opposed to Pride and Prejudice by Mark Twain. ;)

Anyway, this one's a re-read, because the first time I read this book I was reading it for school, and barely paid attention. So to give it a fair chance, I'm reading it again, and even though I'm not really crazy about it, I definitely like it better than last time.

 

 

Silas Marner by George Eliot

I don't remember much about the plot for this one. I watched the mini-series a few years back, and I remember that I liked it. So I figured, what the hey! Might as well give it a shot.

 

The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien

I feel so illiterate... the truth is, I have read most of LOTR... just never in the right order. But I figured now was the time to read all the way through the trilogy, that way I can consider myself a proper homeschooled teenager. ;)

 

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

A while back, my sister and I took the Jane Austen heroine quiz, and Libby came out as Catherine Morland. We did some research on Miss Morland, and Libby decided that she liked her very much. So it has fallen upon me to read the book and see if it's anything my sister could read. Should be fun!

 

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

... It's on the kindle, and the premise sounds interesting. Oh, and some friends of mine have a cat called Dorian. That's about it. XD

 

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Another re-read. But it's been ages since the last time I read this one, and I've just read Babe The Gallant Pig, and I want to see how the two measure up against each other. ;)

 

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

Yet another re-read. But I wanted some nice, short books to read in between the really long hauls. I really resent the fact that the back of this book says Ages 7-10. It's an amazingly deep story, and I think it can be enjoyed by all ages. Except apparently, for all those adults on Amazon reviews who think it's too dark.

 

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

My mom read this one to me and my siblings a really long time ago, and I figured it was time to read it myself. My sister's also read the abridged version, and is very attached to the character Hector.

 

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

This book is amazing. It's a little weird and scary, but I like stories that make me afraid of the dark hallway. XD

 



So there it is! I hope to be able to finish these by the end of summer, or at least the end of the year. I also have school reading to do, so that might slow down the progress a bit, but hey! What's bedtime for besides staying up for hours reading?



Young Adult Literature and How to Improve It

Hah. As if there even WAS a way to improve modern young adult literature (hereafter referred to as YAL). Seriously, until the following guidelines are met, just go to the library and grab some Dickens or Twain. (Unless you have been banished from the city libraries, like me)

Give me a heroine who DOES NOT have a boyfriend or give me death!!

Seriously. These books 'claim' to have independent young women who can take care of themselves... and they still have boyfriends. It is totally possible for a female character to have both a love interest and a will of her own. There's Princess Leia, Emma Woodhouse, Eowyn, and Stormy Llewellyn, to name a random few. Unfortunately, YAL authors seem to have lost the art of the well-balanced female character. Your average YAL heroine is moody, cold-hearted (These days Cold-Hearted is supposed to pass for cool and indpendent), extremely talented at something, in possession of a unique eye color, and of course, completely dependent on her boyfriend.
I had a pretty good opinion of Katniss Everdeen until that scene in Mockingjay where she saw Peeta on the TV screen and pressed her face and hands against it. Yeah. Icon of feminism, ladies and gentleman.

Can we have something that isn't Dystopian Future, Vampire-Based, Zombie Based, or a Romance?

I like Dystopia books. I like Vampires (provided they aren't sparkly, mind you) and I like Zombies. I even like Romance if it's done right. But these plot elements are so incredibly overused these days that I roll my eyes whenever I see a book with these things in them! Trust me, YAL authors of the world! We are able to have interest in things that aren't distopian, zombie, romance, vampire, or all at once! Maybe give us some historical fiction, or or hey! Here's an idea! A book about a regular bum kid like us who doesn't have powers, or go to magic school, or kill the bourgeois with a bow and arrow. You know, like Ramona Quimby for older kids!

No more magic school!

You heard me! Harry Potter played that card with titanic success, and as a consequence any subsequent attempt at the genre will seem like a blatant rip off. That didn't stop the author of the Percy Jackson series, anyway... seriously. It's even got the hero boy/awkward sidekick/clever girl trio going!

Must the plot always be on a world-shaking scale?

I love books who's story rocks the entire world it's set in. Stories like LOTR where the fate of the world is at stake, etc. But I also like stories that are contained on a very small scale. Stories who's events don't change the world beyond the lives of the characters. Examples would be Emma, or perhaps Bleak House. I like the sense that after the events of the story time keeps marching on, no stops. It gives me chills to think that the world of the story keeps on turning even after the hero's story is over. I'm not sure what I mean by this, but I suppose the point that I'm getting at is that the story doesn't have to be mind-bendingly epic. You can have a journey of self-discovery without travelling the world. YAL however, seems to suggest just the opposite.

That's all I can think of for now, after all, I don't actually read a great deal of YAL. Do any of you have any thoughts on this? Any other criteria for the improvement of YAL? Or maybe we should all just give up it and stick with older stuff. :P