Hey! Hey You!

Our URL is changing! (And by "our" I mean me. I am not plural people.) Next week it is going to become www.i-have-a-book-problem.blogspot.com. Write it on your forehead or something, so you won't forget (at least, you won't forget as long as you're looking in the mirror.)

Legend and Prodigy

I just realized I haven't posted in like 2 months. Sorry 'bout that. High school is trying to kill me.
In the last two weeks, I read Legend and Prodigy by Marie Lu.

(Actually, the cover for Legend in this picture is the paperback edition. I like the hardcover edition better because it makes is look like some fancy seal on something.)

Here's the blurb for Legend from Goodreads.com: "What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets."

I all honesty, I only read Legend because there was nothing else for me to read. It was... decent. The dialogue is weird, it all sounds a little awkward. Also, I was convinced for half of the book that June was a robot or something. I mean, her brother dies, and she's not even all that sad about it. We don't really see how hard it is for June with Metias gone until 200 pages into Prodigy. When we do see it, yes it's very emotional and sad, but it's kind of too late.

Other than that, Legend is pretty good. I really like the setting of a futuristic, completely militarized Los Angeles. June is probably one of my favorite heroines, mostly because I like her last name (it's Iparis and its super fun to say.) Also, while she may have to emotional capacity of a robot, she's kind of a boss.

I picked up Prodigy a year later because even though I didn't absolutely love the first book, I wanted to know what happens. I won't include the blurb in this post because it's spoilery, but what I'm about to say next, I don't consider spoilers.

If you've ever read any YA book in your life, you can tell that June and Day get together. I mean really. You don't introduce a boy in the blurb of a book and then not have him be the love interest. So yeah, they got together. And, however sad this may sound, my favorite part about June and Day's relationship is how aware they are that they're not in love. So often in YA books we see characters who barely know each other confessing there undying love for one another after they've just met, and the whole time you're sitting there going "YOU TWO HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR TWO WEEKS. COOL IT." There is one point in Prodigy where Day tells June he loves her, and June says "No you don't, you've known me for a month." I love June for this, because it shows just how smart she is to recognize the reality of the situation, and it also makes the book seem... you know, real. It may be dystopian fiction, but if this were really to happen, this is how the characters would react. And all this may sound really cynical, but you have to realize that just because June and Day don't love each other now doesn’t mean they won't ever love each other, it just means they don't know each other well enough to say "I love you" and really mean it.

At the same time, I hate the way Day views their relationship. In Prodigy, he kind of goes back and forth from "Oh gosh, June is the girl of my dreams" to "She used to be rich so I can't be with her because I'm not rich so she must hate me". It's stupid logic, and I wish he would stop. Not because I want him to just be with June and be happy and all, but because it's just stupid.

Overall, Legend and Prodigy are pretty good. I will definitely say that Prodigy is way more interesting that Legend, so even if you don't like Legend all that much, maybe just try reading Prodigy, because you may actually like it.

Also, fun fact: Marie Lu based Legend off of Les Miserables, specifically the relationship between Jean Valjean and Javert(*swoon*). June is Javert, Day is Jean Valjean.

Does that make Metias Cosette?

Day: A heart full of love, no fear no regret-
June: Slow down there buddy.

Here's the hardcover edition of Legend:

 

It's much cooler.

 

Oh Danny Boyle...

Danny Boyle is a British film director, for those of you who don't know. He does good work, or so I've heard. While I haven't ever seen Slumdog Millionaire or 127 Hours (both his work), even years after their release people are raving about them. He also did the opening ceremonies for the 2012 Olympic games which, if you remember, were fantastic (the ceremonies I mean.) I've been dying to see a Danny Boyle movie since the Olympics.

I was in London recently, where they have this new film called Trance. I knew nothing about it except 1. It starred James McAvoy, and 2. Danny Boyle was the director. Either of these things would be enough to make me see a movie, and put together, I had to. Not only that, but we don't have to film in the U.S (at least, we didn't at the time. We do now) so I thought this might be my only chance to see it.

James McAvoy plays Simon, a fine art auctioneer who gets involved with criminals who steal paintings. One day, Simon steals a painting that was just about to be sold for 27 million pounds, but then he gets hit on the head and forgets what he did with it. In an effort to bring back his memory, he starts to see a hypnotherapist (which is where the title comes from- the hypnotherapist can include trances). And then there's a whole lot of sex and bullets to the head and everyone goes crazy and eventually they blow up a car and everyone lives happily ever after.

Really. I have no idea what happened in this movie. I was so hopeful, too- I mean, it starts off really well. The first ten minutes is James McAvoy giving a very nice monologue in a very cute accent and you can tell it would all be a perfect segue into something if they structured it right. But they do not structure it right, and twenty minutes later, James McAvoy has convinced everyone in the theatre that he is the King of All Jerkfaces and the story has gone from "wow this could be really good" to "ugh what is this?" at least, I think so. It was hard to tell because the explanations are not really explanations, and I had no idea what was going on. Twenty minutes after that, the movie has become less of a story, and is basically just alternating shots of sex scenes and people getting shot and the whole time I'm thinking "that was a waste of a perfectly good monologue."

To be fair, this was an original screenplay, and it was not Danny Boyle's. He did a perfectly fine job as a director on most fronts. Cinematically, it was a decent film (by which I mean, it was quality acting and some pretty good cinematography. Minus all random sex montages.) But he was the one who said he wanted this script, so I'm disappointed with him for that. The dialogue, while being very artistic and at times thought provoking, did nothing to explain the plot, and the confusion kept me from seeing what may have been good moments. He took 8 weeks off from planning the Opening Ceremonies to do this film to "replenish his creative juices" or something. But you can tell he only spent 8 weeks on it.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend it. Unless you have some weird fetish for creepy hypnotherapy, then by all means, go see it.

UK poster:

Slightly more trippy US poster:

 

Happy Hunger Games!

          
You probably don't remember (I do, cuz it was all I talked about for 6 months,) but last week marked one year since the Hunger Games movie came out. To celebrate, I thought I would talk about it on the blog.

I've read the books probably five or six times, and every time I do, I find myself thinking "why is this so good?" When you take a step back and look at it, you realize that Katniss is kinda grumpy, Peeta isn't very helpful, and the writing is good, but it's not incredible.

So why am I obsessed with it?

I guess it's like a car wreck, or apocalypse movies, they're so awful you can't look away. The idea behind the Hunger Games is so sickening; it walks this line between permissible and impermissible. The whole concept of kids killing kids, and then the extensive description an entire book provides, could very easily be deemed "not okay" for people to read. But somehow, Collins had gotten away with it, and once we've read it, we can't stop. It's an idea that some of us would never dare to think, either because it's too awful that we would immediately dismiss it, or because it's so terrible we could never imagine it. To see someone has thought about that, enough to write an entire book based on it, we can't help but be intrigued.

And while Katniss may be grumpy, I can't help but envy her. I think on some level, she's the type of person everyone wants to be: smart, brave, capable, and cunning. Even if we can't be her, she's fun to read about. Throughout the books, Katniss plays with the Gamemakers just as much as their playing with her. She knows that the Games are just a television show, so she plays the part long enough to get the sponsors she needs to stay alive. My favorite part about the book is the contrast between Katniss knowing she needs to stay alive, which has it's own type of logic, and having to beat not only the other tribute, but the Gamemakers as well, which is something completely different.

The character dynamics are also very interesting in The Hunger Games. Many of the characters fit into specific roles, but Katniss's and Peeta's roles seem to be switched. In any other YA book, Katniss would be the quiet, philosophical one, and Peeta would be the one taking out tributes with a bow every other page. Props to Suzanne Collins- it can be hard to present fans with a girl character who has the typical characteristics of a male character, because it's so rarely done, but she's pulled it off without a hitch.

I also want to talk about the movie, because I think it deserves some of its own praise. Often times, the problem we see with books made into movies is that the movie has few accolades to claim its own. While an original screenplay can make its mark with its plot and dialouge, in an adaptation, those praises are usually reserved for the author of the book. I'm not saying that Suzanne Collins doesn't deserve those praises- she totally does- but I think it's important to recognize all the good things Gary Ross (the director) did with his version of the story.

The Hunger Games is a deeply personal novel- we're in Katniss's head the entire time, reading her every thought. Movies can portray important emotions through the actors' expressions, but Katniss's thoughts were actually crucial to the reader. She's grown up watching the Games, she knows how the Gamemakers think. Part of us understanding the book as we do is Katniss explaining this all to the reader. In the movie, this would be very difficult to accomplish without having narration, which can very easily go bad. Adding the Gamemakers' room allowed the viewer to know what was going on behind the scenes, and understand how messed up the Games are (I mean, they are actually trying to kill these kids.) It was a way for us to understand what we needed to in order to fully comprehend Katniss's situation, without risking the cheesiness of narration.

Here's a picture of the Gamemakers' room. It's pretty awesome, I know. The spsecial effects are also amazing in the movie,especially in the Capitol scenes. 

 

Overall, The Hunger Games is an amazing book and movie. And let's be real: who doesn't find Haymitch entertaining? There's something about drunk people that just makes them so funny.

Falling Kingdoms

This week, I read Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes.

Can we talk about how flippin' awesome this cover is? Seriously. It looks like Assassins' Creed or something. Although, even after reading the book, I have no idea who is on the cover. I think they just put that picture in to make it look cool. If so, mission accomplished.

Here's the blurb from goodreads.com: "In a land where magic has been forgotten but peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest is simmering. Three kingdoms grapple for power—brutally transforming their subjects' lives in the process. Amidst betrayals, bargains, and battles, four young people find their fates forever intertwined:
Cleo: A princess raised in luxury must embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct.
Jonas: Enraged at injustice, a rebel lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.
Lucia: A girl adopted at birth into a royal family discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.
Magnus: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, a firstborn son begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword. . . .
The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?"


I've heard this is being called the "YA Game of Thrones", so I guess now the question is: why don't I just read Game of Thrones? For the same reason I don't like Lord of The Rings; there are too many characters, I feel like I barely know any of them by the end. Falling Kingdoms has all the high fantasy splendor of Game of Thrones, but Rhodes narrows it down to four characters, and the story switches between their points of views.

What I love about Falling Kingdoms is that it doesn't follow the typical formula of a book using multiple perspectives. We all know it; the characters are apart for a bit at the beginning of the book, but some problem brings them together and they have to band up to fix it. It was my expectation from the beginning that all four characters would wind up being friends.

Nope.

The relationships in Falling Kingdoms are far more complex than that; characters come together one by one, some people like each other some people hate each other. It's really cool because when something goes wrong, it shows both sides of the story. For example, if Cleo does something that makes Jonas really angry, when we read it from Jonas's POV, it portrays Cleo as the bad guy, but when we read Cleo's POV, we see her reasons behind it. It makes it hard to understand who really is the bad guy, but it keeps you thinking, which I like. Also, I love that Rhodes is taking full advantage of having four characters from very different backgrounds, and with very different beliefs/morals. Obviously they're not going to see eye to eye, and having them fight makes the story seem 1. more real and 2. more exciting.

The only complaint I would have about this book is the lack of explanation for a few of the relationships. WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD For example, when Theon and Cleo suddenly fall in love, there was no thought process for either of them. In fact, Cleo's entire experience of it was basically "oh look, there's Theon," then "yo he's pretty hot" then "okay, I'll just make out with him now." Also, Magnus and Lucia. Let's talk about them for a second. Incest is some pretty heavy stuff, it doesn't just happen. (For those of you who don't know, Magnus and Lucia are siblings. Magnus is in love with Lucia.) While reading, I was hoping there would be some explanation on Magnus's part on how he rationalizes his love for his sister, but there isn't any. All we know is that Magnus loves her, weird as it may be.

Despite that, I really like Falling Kingdoms. It's very fast paced and exciting, but also very intricate. I'm definitely looking forward to the second one (the cover was just released!It's called "Rebel Spring" click here to see more.)

Mystic City

I am trying to be less of a book snob, so this week I read debut author Theo Lawrence's new book, Mystic City.

       

     

   

The cover is really pretty. That's part of the reason why I chose it.

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads.com: "Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself"

 

Due to the overwhelming romance theme in the blurb, I knew this was the type of book I would usually try to avoid. But I thought the same thing about The Pledge, and ended up really liking it. So I decided to give this book I try.

I think the main problem in this book is the difference between planning and execution. Lawrence obviously had a really creative and beautiful idea for a story, but the portrayal of his ideas is where all that beauty and creativity was lost. A lot of the writing was corny, the characters were unrealistic and annoying, and the plot was extremely predictable. However, there were some very solid parts to the story, so I think it's only fair to separate the good from the bad.

 The Good: The idea behind Mystic City is incredibly imaginative. There are magic-workers (dubbed Mystics) living in some of the larger cities in America, Manhattan included. Years ago, a bomb made of mystic energy was used to blow up a building in an event called the Conflagration. The mystics were blamed, and now their powers are illegal. Twice a year, the government demands they have their powers drained, and then their drained magic is used to fuel the city. One of the interesting things about the book is that Lawrence created an entire history between mystics and humans, and I think he did so accurately. The oppression of the mystics seems like something that could really happen if we ever found magic people living in our society. More importantly, it adds to the world building in a way to make it more believable. The magic in the book is really cool, and has a cinematic like quality (this book would translate really well to film) Also, I love the idea of people living exclusively in skyscrapers. In fact, there's one scene where Aria sees grass for the first time in her life.

 The Bad: The characters are shallow and uninteresting (okay, well, Turk is mildly interesting. Only because he has a Mohawk and a motorcycle though.) They all do things with no explanation as to why they did them. The most important example that comes to mind is Hunter's reasons for loving Aria. I understand why Aria likes Hunter, he's funny, sweet, and pretty, but Aria is materialistic, unintelligent, and she likes boy bands. Why would Hunter ever be interested in her? Also, there were very clear categories that all the characters fits into. I understand the idea of certain characters playing certain roles, but the characters in Mystic City seemed to be YA Fantasy stereotypes. All of the boys just so happened to be really pretty, and all the girls thought about were the boys (seriously, every single girl in the book, even the minor characters, managed to get a word in about how great pretty boys are.) Like romance, those types of characters are good in measured doses, but it's also important to have variety.

The dialogue between characters also ranges from "okay, that's kind of a weird thing to say" to eye-roll worthy to "did he really just say that? Did that actually come out of his mouth?" At one point, there are these love letters that one character writes to another, and for some reason they're written in Shakespearian language, just for the heck of it. This may have been a literary decision on Lawrence's part, but if it is, it's not working.

My biggest problem with this book was how predictable it was. After 15 pages, I felt like I had already read the entire book, because I already knew what was going to happen. Granted, there were a few surprises, but not enough to stop me from putting it down for long periods of time.

All in all, the book is decent. Maybe a little less than decent. I really do think that the world Lawrence creates is interesting, I've never heard of anything like it before, but I think a lot of his good ideas were lost in the execution. However, I feel it's important to acknowledge what he did well, just as much as what he didn't do too well on. I don't think I would reread this book, but I may read the rest of the series just to see where he takes it.

I think I'm going to go back to being a book snob for a while. Next up: Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

 

 



Books Worth Rereading: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

I read Rae Carson's Girl of Fire and Thorns about a year ago and didn't think much of it. I recently reread it, and I think I must've just forgotten how awesome it was because this book is REALLY good.

 

 Here's the synopsis taken from Goodreads.com: "Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.
Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will. Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.
Most of the chosen do"

      

In terms of characters, Elisa is one of the best I've ever read, not just because she's really cool but because she's really well written. Sometimes I find it hard to relate to characters because their circumstances are so different from my own. Obviously the things you deal with are going to affect your personality, and in high fantasy books (like Girl of Fire and Thorn) the characters' world is completely different from your own, so often times it's hard to relate to the things they're dealing with, and the emotions they have. However, Rae Carson does a really great job of finding a few universal themes and giving them to Elisa, which makes her seem like someone who could exist both in our world and in hers, it makes her very relatable. She is self conscious and uncertain in a lot of areas, but there are also some things she knows she's good at, and trusts herself to do. It makes for a nice balance of self depreciation and confidence, which I think accurately represents a lot of teenage girls in today's world.

The book in general is also amazing. It’s high fantasy, so the world in the book is entirely different from our own. In the story, magic is seen as something evil. I love the idea of magic being forbidden, and the paradoxes it creates within the story. For example, magic isn’t good, but Elisa was granted access to magic by God, so if it was given to her by God, is it still bad? The landscape of the world they live in is also incredible. The majority of the first book takes place in the desert, but in the second (if you read it, which you should) takes them all over the world, and some of the places they encounter are just amazing, even if they’re only text on a page. While the blurb focuses mainly of the romantic aspects, the book has a lot more elements. I think romance is good, but only in measured doses. Girl of Fire and Thorn has some romance-y bits, but it also has a lot of fighting, magic-ing, and cleverness. Also, there are enough secrets to keep you interesting. I gasped out loud quite a few times while reading this.

The only complaint I hear about this book is that it's too religious, but I think you have to read it to understand. It's religious because it has to be. Part of Elisa's character is that she feels she has to prove herself not only to her people, but to God. If the "God" part were taken out of that, Elisa would not be half the character she is, and the book would be much less interesting.

       

 



Ni No Kuni

Ni No Kuni (literally translated as "The Second Country" or "The Another World") is a Japanese video game made by renowned animator, Hayao Miyazaki.

For those of you who don't know, Hayao Miyazaki is a famous anime (Japanese style of animation) artist. He did Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, and, more recently, The Secret World of Arietty. His stuff is usually out in Japan first, with an English dub released a few months later. Because of the delay, the western version of this game was released only last month, and I played it for the first time yesterday.

As far as I know, Hayao Miyazaki played a big role in the plotting for the game. When he writes the story, it's kind of a hit or miss. As a writer, Miyazaki is wildly creative, so sometimes we get these incredible stories (Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away) but then sometimes his imagination is just overflowing, and we get movies like Nausicaa, which are just trippy and weird. So I was a little worried at first, but after playing it, I realized that Ni No Kuni is most definitely a hit.

It's kind of like Zelda meets Pokemon. In the game, you play as a little boy named Oliver. His favorite stuffed animal, Mr. Drippy, comes to life one day and takes you to Ni No Kuni, a parallel universe where every person has an opposite. Once there, Mr. Drippy tells you that you have to learn to be a master wizard so you can defeat Shadar, and evil sorcerer who has been stealing bits of people's hearts. There's only one problem: the book that you're supposed to use to learn how to be a wizard, the Wizard's Companion, is missing nearly all the pages. So you have to go questing around this new universe to find the pages, fight bosses, and give people back pieces of their hearts.

It has the basic journey platform of Zelda (minus the puzzles, which I like. I can't play Zelda because I'm not smart enough to figure those stupid puzzles) and the companion idea of Pokemon. In the game, there are little creatures called "familiars" which you can tame and then send out into battle for you. Also like Pokemon, you can evolve these to be better fighters. In a fight, you can play as one of your familiars, or you can play as Oliver, which means you get to cast spells. When you get companions to travel with you, you can play as them, too.

The game also has really great controls. I know that's not something most people consider, but there are some games I refuse to play because the controls are so weird and I always lose because I'm trying to figure them out. Ni No Kuni's controls actually make sense though, so you can spend your time fighting evil wizards and not trying to figure out which button is attack.

Some other cool features: The game includes little videos done in Miyazaki's traditional 2D animation style (the game is usually done in a 3D sort of animation) so it's like an interactive Miyazaki film! Also, the familiars are awesome. You can name them whatever you want, (we have one named Jaques) you can buy special weapons for them, which will increase the damage their attack does (we just got metal talons for Zaboomafoo, he's unstoppable) and when one familiar gets experience, all of the familiars in your reserve do, too (which makes upgrading them a lot easier.)

The only drawback of Ni No Kuni is that it's only available on Playstation 3 or Nintendo DS (sorry Xbox owners.) But if you have either of these systems, I highly recommend you pick up this game. You may have to order it off Amazon because I don't think it's very popular in the West, but it's totally worth it! It has a amazing story, great characters, awesome game play, and the animation is adorable!

 

Sorry, But I Only Date Fictional Characters

In case you have been living under a rock (I see you Patrick Star) and don't know, Valentine's Day is tomorrow! And, if you're anything like me, you will be spending it alone. (well, not really alone. There's always good ol' tumblr to fill your dashboard with pictures of Benedict Cumberbatch.)
        In honor of this day of love (or, in some cases, profound lonelieness) I have decided to do a post about some of my favorite fictional romances.
1. Elizabeth/ Darcy- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
    One of the really cool things about Lizzie and Darcy is that they basically sets the standard for romantic comedies everywhere. Now, when we see a movie about two people who at first hate each other but eventually love each other, it's nothing new. But for Jane Austen, who was writing these characters in 1813, it was practically unheard of.
     Also, Darcy has this incredible evolution as a character. There were times in the book when I was thinking "No, I can't ever like Darcy. He's too much of a jerkface" (jerkface is a technical term we intellectuals use) but one of the best parts was reading about Lizzie growing to love him, and feeling myself grow more attached to him, too.
     And they are both extremely sassy. It's quite funny.
2. Grace/ Sam- Shiver Trilogy by Maggie Steifvater
     I've written about Steifvater before on this blog, I think. She's worth writing about twice.
     I love Grace and Sam because so often in young adult literature, we see couples who are only expressing love through sexual contact, or being sexy, or just doing things that would make you cringe if you had to watch them with your parents. But Grace and Sam are just... cute. They go to candy shops and drive out to look at the northern lights together and make quiche while dancing. It was nice to read about a relationship that was just fun.
     Also, the two of them contrast wonderfully as characters. Grace is very practical while Sam is halfway between an Elliot Smith version of emo and a six year old kid. You wouldn't think it would work, but it totally does.
3. Tessa/Jem- The Infernal Devices Trilogy by Cassandra Clare
    Oh gosh. These guys are my favorite. Everytime I read about them, I have to hide my face in the book because I can't stop smiling like an idiot.
    What you have to understand about Jem is that he has to compete with the typical dark, tortured, and mysterious boy for the girl. Jem, in comparison, is sweet, selfless, and by all means the guy who would lose in any other book. Everybody always gets mad about how the best friend never gets the girl, but Jem does. Tessa chose him because she saw what we have been trying to explain to these fictional characters our entire lives: the other guy is a jerk.
4. Hazel/ Augustus- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
    It was impossible for me to not put this in. Hazel and Augustus are like a modern day Romeo and Juliet, I can't let them go unnoticed.
    Like Grace and Sam, Hazel and Augustus have a relationship based purely on fun. But what is interesting about their characters together is how acutely aware they are of reality. (For those of you who don't know, in the book, Hazel has terminal cancer.) They can go from talking about their impossible dreams to the metaphorical irony of sickness within the span of a page. Normally, this would throw me off, but John Green does a fantastic job of keeping it balanced. Hazel and Augustus are the perfect reminders of what life and love is: hard, but worth it.
5. Deryn/Alec- Leviathan by Scott Westerfield
    This one is kind of grueling, mostly because for two and a half out of three books, Alec thinks that Deryn is a boy. (Deryn is a girl who wanted to join the British Air Service, so she pretends to be a boy. Like Mulan.) But these two are some of my favorite characters ever.
     Alec is very pompous and acts like the sterreotypical aristocrat at times, and what I love about him and Deryn interacting is that Deryn is never afraid to put him in his place. I think it may actually be better that Alec thought she was a boy, because the book takes place in a time period where being a woman would make you inferior. But because Alec gets to know Deryn as a boy, he treats her like they're on equal footing. It's so fun to read their conversations, mostly because of the slang they use in the book, but also because they're both wildly smart and innovative when they're together.
    But really. The slang is awesome. In what other context are you going to see someone say "Aye, and make sure that clever boots boffin finds her beastie." Nowhere, only in Leviathan.

So, if you've seen everything of your tumblr dashboard, maybe check out a few of these books. I hope everyone has a happy Valentine's Day, whether your date is fictional or not!

Youtube Keeps Me Unproductive

          Like many people out there, I used to think that Youtube was only for cat videos and gangam style. It wasn't until two months ago that I discovered that was not the case at all. Video blogs, "vlogs", are slowly becoming more and more popular.
           AND THEY ARE ADDICTING.
           While these vlogs will send you into an eternal downward spiral of procrastination and genral unproductiveness, I highly recommend you check some out. Here are a few of my favorites...

The Vlog Brothers: On January 1st, 2007, brothers John and Hank Green challenged each other to spend a whole year communicating without texting and instead to make videos on their joint vlog for each other to watch. Turns out, they were super funny and awesome and the project gained so much popularity that today, it is one of the most watched channels on youtube and known throughout the world. Followers of the vlog are called "Nerdfighters" (not people who fight nerds, but people who fight in the name of nerdom.) Every year, the vlog brothers take over youtube for The Project for Awesome, a massive charity event where nonprofits make videos explaining why people should donate to them, and people vote on their favorites to recieve money at the end of the two days The Project for Awesome takes place. Also, each comment the videos get are matched with something like a penny up to $10,000 from each John and Hank as well as a handful of other donors. The brothers also do a 48 hour live stream where they talk to donors and heads of nonprofits.
       Maybe you've heard of John Green. He's a YA author, his most popular book, The Fault in Our Stars, is already considered a modern classic. Here's a good introduciton video to Vlogbrothers: 

 

         Hank Green also has a few songs on itunes. For extra points, I would love to hear someone sing all of The Universe is Weird in one try. (Listen to the song and you'll see how hard this is. Not even Hank can do it, and he wrote the song.)



 

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: A modernization of Pride and Prejudice created and produced by Hank Green. The idea is that Lizzie Bennet is a grad student trying to get her mass communications degree and the vlog is her thesis project, but her life follows the storyline of Pride and Prejudice. This is really good to watch as you read the book because you get to know the characters a lot better, and it does a really great job of making Pride and Prejudice relevant to today's world (Like, in 2013, running away with an unmarried man would not be scandalous, but a sex tape would be. They adapt things so they have the same levity in the modern world as they would in 1813.) The only downside is that the vlog also stays on the same timeline, which means that if something happens at christmastime, you have to wait until christmas to see it. If it leaves off on a cliffhanger, you're just going to have to suck it up and sit in a corner in fetal position trying to cope until the next video comes out. Here's the first video:



      P.S. Darcy doesn't come in until the 60th video. I tell you this because I watch this for 4 hours just waiting for him to show up.
      

The Super Amazing Project: British Youtubers danisnotonfire and amzingphil join up to create a show about supernatural occurences in the world. Complete with creepy Robert Pattinson masks and jokes about the Queen (isn't that illegal or something?) I can't explain these guys. They're funny just because of who they are. But be warned, some videos are a little inappropriate, especially on Dan and Phil's own channels. Also, Dan seems to have a problem with wearing pants. I don't get it, he wears belts in every single video and yet his pants still sag. Just pull them up, it's not that hard. Here's one of my favorite videos:

 

I think Phil is the male version of me.

 

If you liked the video above, also check out Dan and Phil's individual channels, Danisnotonfire and Amazing Phil, or some of their youtuber friends: Itswaypastmybedtime, Nerimon, and Charlieissocoollike. John and Hank Green also have a few good educational shows, Crash Course World History/ English, Sci Show, and the Brain Scoop (done by their awesome taxidermist friend Emily.) 

Why It Sucks to be A Whovian

With the fiftieth anniversary of the British Sci-fi show Doctor Who coming up, I thought I would do a bit on it.

     I started watching Doctor Who over the summer and quickly realized that is the epitome of nerd. Advanced alien technology? Got it. Robot trees? Season five. Dinosaurs on a spaceship? Yup. Egyptian Queen Nefertiti? In the same episode.
     Fezzes and bowties? Of course.
     If you have never seen an episode of Doctor Who, here's a breakdown: A quirky British alien (who looks just like a human) named The Doctor has a police box that can travel anywhere in time and space (not just a time machine, it's also a spaceship!) He hops around the universe in this trusty blue box solving mysteries and saving worlds with the help of his human companions, who travel with him. It pretty much has everything: humor, adventure, mystery, and unbelievably confusing season finales.
     In the world of infinite fictions, Doctor Who is king. In the show, the Doctor can take on new forms by regenerating, it basically makes him immortal. In real life this means that if the actor playing the Doctor dies or wants to leave the show, they can be replaced no problem, there's still a Doctor, the show continues.
     But the human companions are not immortal. Everytime the actor who plays the companion wants to leave the show, it gets written in as a tragic death, or a mistake that results in them never being able to be seen again.
     You have to understand, Doctor Who fans are crazy. It's like a cult, but nerdier and with less sacrifice. We get dangerously and irrationally attached to the characters, especially the companions. Every time one of them dies, which is about every two seasons, the writers tell the fans in advance so we don't start some sort of uprising. We get a 6 month warning that our favorite characters are about to die, and that we better come to terms with it before the episode premiers so that we can keep the sobbing to a minimum and actually understand the plot when we watch it.
    So, in some ways, being a Whovian really sucks. Like how you get your heart broken every two years. Or how you have to wait three seasons to find the answer to one little question. But in the end, it's totally worth it. There's no other show like Doctor Who out there, with so much history and support backing it. Whenever you find out someone watches Doctor Who, they're instantly your friend, there's something to be said for that.
     Also, Doctor Who has bowties. Bowties are cool.


    

Book Snobbery

Recently, I read the first two books in Kimberly Derting's The Pledge series.

Here's the blurb from Goodreads.com: "In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime."

       I would never have picked up something like this for myself (I got the book as a gift.) Even just from the blurb, I could tell that the book would mostly be about the relationship between Charlie and Max, which would undoubtedly be romantic. It's not that I don't like romance in books, I do, I just don't like the book to be ALL romance- I would prefer some action. Also, I know they say you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but I do. I usually shy away from books with pictures of girls making pouty faces on the cover. Just from a first impression, The Pledge was the type of book I tried to avoid.
        But I started to read the book anyway, just to see what it was like. It was weird at first- it's set in the future, but seems like it's trying to be in the past. The writing at times gets overly formal, and the dialouge is corny and generally unrealistic. I kept reading though, because the world the characters live in is really cool, and it was kind of like a guilted pleasure. However, whenever I explained the book to one of my friends, I would preface it with "It's so bad." So why did I keep reading it?
         I think sometimes we can forget what reading is supposed to be. A lot of times, I get so caught up in the quality of the writing, I completely forget about the quality of the story, and isn't that what books are supposed to be about? The truth is, the writing in The Pledge is mediocre at best, but the stroy and the world is so unbelievably imaginative, it kept me reading bated breath into the early hours of the morning. There is so much more to it than what's in the blurb, and I'm really glad I read it.
         I guess what I'm saying is that book snobbery will only make reading boring. If we only ever read the most intelligent, well- written, sophisticated books, we would never discover books like this. Some books can have all those traits, and that's great, but not all books have to be like that. Sometimes, the best books are lacking, but we love them anyway. Reading is supposed to be fun, so we should just pick whichever books interest us.

        

Why Frodo is a Little Punk

Hi, sorry I haven't posted in a while. Movies to see, books to be read :)
So about a year ago, in an effort to increase my "nerd levels" I watched all of the Lord Of The Rings movies. Extended cut. You know how long that takes?
     12 hours.
This is my thought process through out:
The Fellowship of the Ring: Okay I guess this is cool. I mean, Logolas is a boss. Aragorn seems like he's pretty cool. Frodo is kinda stupid but he has pretty eyes. The other hobbits are really cute.
The Two Towers: Okay Frodo is really stupid. He doesn't do anything. And for the record, I don't even care about any of the other characters, this movie should be called "Legolas the Awesome and his Posse of Annoying People"
Return of the King: FORGET LEGOLAS, SAM JUST HAULED FRODO'S BUTT UP TO MORDOR AND FRODO DIDN'T EVEN SAY "Hey, thanks buddy. You know, I really appreciate you." HE JUST COMPLAINED ABOUT HAVING TO GO BACK TO THE SHIRE!

    As soon as the last movie ands, I turn to my friend and say "Frodo is a little punk" and she just goes "No no, he was so brave! He did this and this and then Legolas had to do this, but he did this and this and blah blah blah blah." I finally just stopped listening, because Peter Jackson had clearly brainwashed her into thinking that Frodo was actually helpful, and everyone knows you can't argue with brainwashed people.
    But this morning, a year after the initial watching of Frodo being a useless lard, she came up to me and goes "Frodo is a little punk."
    Which only proves that my reasoning is irrefutable.
    This is supposed to be a review blog, so consider this my review of LOTR
    Sure, Frodo is brave and all for agreeing to take the ring to Mordor, but lets be honest, he never really embraced the important position he held. Mostly what he does is whine and complain and be generally unhelpful. It would be one think if he grew into his leadership, but he doesn't. At all. Even in the climax of the entire series, it wasn't him doing the work, it was Sam.
    That's what really gets me about Lord of The Rings, Sam is so underrated. He is more devoted to Frodo than Frodo is to the ring. I mean, who is gonna haul you up the side of a volcanoe when you pass out, and then not ask for any form of thanks? Who is going to stand over your nearly dead body and say "do not go where I can't follow"? Sam. That's who. But he doesn't get any credit for it. Legolas is this awesome elf guy, Aragorn is a long lost king, Frodo is Frodo, even Mary and Pippin get to be the funny guys. But Sam is just Sam. The garden boy. He wasn't "destined for greatness" or "born to be a hero", he's just a good friend. In my opinion, he's the best character in the entire series.

What if they had like an e-harmony for underrated characters? Luna Lovegood could date Finnick, and Isaac from The Fault in Our Stars could go out with Molly from Sherlock. Oh, and Sam and Bombur would have their own little Tolkien bromance. It would be great.