The Last Time Around

Goodbye Blog. This will be my last post and sadly there are no new reviews or anything. Unfortunately books don’t read themselves. Of course that would be a little sad because I hope it is obvious by now that I love reading. I think I’m going to end my posts with a little talk about reading and books and how much joy they can bring. I decided to create a blog about reading because reading is an escape and it’s an escape I welcome and love. It is easily one of my favorite hobbies, it is right up there with hiking and taking long walks alone or with company. If a book is good, it can take you to a place where you think about nothing else but what you are reading and you are essentially transported into the world of the book. I actually really love this book called Inkheart even though it’s more of a teenage book because it is about becoming a part of the pages of a story. It is about a father who when he reads aloud can bring characters out of a book and into the real world, and transversely can put people into the stories of a book. It’s great because that’s exactly how I feel when I read. I think I love Stephen King so much because his stories always leave me with that wanting to know more feeling and that I can’t believe it is over feeling. That goes for Tana French and Chuck Palahniuk as well. Eve Ensler makes me think and appreciate and David Sedaris just makes me laugh. I really wish I had more time and even had more determination to read because it is a lot better than TV, but I watch a lot more TV because it feels like it takes less effort for some reason. Also I need complete silence for reading and living in a dorm I don’t get a whole lot of that. Reading outside in the sunshine and among the trees is the absolute best. 

-J.

The Shining and Friends

So here’s my current reading list, the goal is to finish all three of these before the semester is over. This may be impossible with finals and all the assignments that are crammed at the end of the year, but I am going to try my very best. So here are the books, still working on The Shining, Intensity by Dean Kootz, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I am reading The Shining because I started it, and I am about three quarters of the way through and I really want to finish it. Everyone left me to go home for Easter this weekend and I’m pretty sick so there may be a good possibility that I will finish The Shining this weekend. I am reading Intensity because it is a borrowed book and I have to give it back at the end of the semester, so that is kind of self-explanatory. Lastly I started The book Thief a few years ago and it was really good but for some reason I put it down and forgot about it, it is actually a really good book because the narrator is Death. So in conclusion, those are the books I am reading and I have heard from very reliable sources that they are all excellent, so I would give them a try if you are looking for something to read.

Trailer for The Shining:

Desperation

It’s been a rough weekend. Therefore, no books have been read. I have decided to talk about yet another Stephen King book that I read previously because that is the only idea in my head right now, and honestly the title sort of fits this bad weekend so at least I’ve got some reasons for the particular subject of this particular blog. The book is called Desperation. Did I already write about this book? I don’t think so; I think I just posted the trailer when I was talking about Stephen King in an earlier post. So Desperation is amazing.The first couple of pages has you hooked, and spoiler alert I’m giving it away now because literally you would read this as soon as you opened the book anyway. The book begins with a family driving down a highway in the middle of a desert and they see a sign, it may be the sign for the city Desperation or it may be a speed sign, but anyway they see the sign and there is a dead cat nailed to it. How greatly does the just set the tone for the entire book, it starts out and you're just like what? Then I will warn you it gets a little slow for a few chapters while they basically discuss character development and introduce you to the characters. The book is essentially a group of people coming together from all walks of life in this town and they have to defeat this supernatural presence that is after them all. The book gets so intense and so frightening as the story picks up and the ending is just as climatic. I would give this book a ten and recommend it to anyone who is not a scaredy cat. Also if Desperation interests you, I would also check out The Regulators which are the same exact characters, but a completely different story and they don’t know each other, it’s really cool. I’m including a picture of both the cover of Desperation and The Regulators because they actually fit together in a really cool way. That is all.

-J.

A Little Bit of Nothing pt 2

It is finally warm outside. And do you know what nice weather is good for? Reading. There is nothing better than going outside in a beautiful day and reading a great book in the sun, except for maybe going to the beach, but this blog is about reading. I would love to be reading outside at this very minute but alas I have a chemistry test on Monday and once I can beat my procrastination I will be studying for that. I really want to read one of my David Sedaris books; I miss his dry humor and his wit. Perhaps I’ll get a chance to start one during a study break or I’ll get to read more of the Shining. I really want to finish it even though I already know more or less what the climax is; I still want to see the action unfold. I’m going to review a book I read a little while ago by whom else but Stephen King. It is called Bag of Bones and it is wonderful. It is a haunted love story I guess, that’s what I’ve heard it been described as. The love changes throughout the story but I can’t really get into specifics without giving away the book. The story just builds and builds to become more intense and the ending is seriously crazy. After I finished the book I just sat there thinking for a while and it just left me with a “wow” feeling. It’s also got its supernatural element to it, so yes it is a little creepy. Speaking of Supernatural, episodes come back on tonight Friday at 9 on the CW, just in case anyone was interested, which I doubt.

-J.

PostSecret

Today I am writing about a collection of books that are not the traditional book per say. It is called PostSecret, created by Frank Warren.  It’s pretty much a big community art project of postcards with one twist; every card reveals someone’s inner most secret. Some secrets are funny, some are heartwarming, and some are sad and disturbing. Anyone can mail in their secrets to Frank, and they either go up on his website which I will post a link to at the end or they are put in a book that is sold worldwide and can be found in virtually any book store or online. All secrets are anonymous and people really get creative when creating their postcards. Frank started this project to help people release their inner demons or just get a secret off their chest. After they mail their secret they can just let go of it. He holds a lot of conventions where people can go and hear speeches and share their secrets and I’ve heard it’s a great uplifting experience. I have been infatuated with PostSecret for a couple years now simply because it’s such a cool idea and really lets people feel like they’re not alone. I feel like it helps connect people and bring this world together. I love PostSecret, they get a 10 out of 10 and I would highly recommend checking out their free website someday. Here is the link to the website and an example of one of my favorite PostSecrets:

http://www.postsecret.com/

-J.

A Little Bit of Nothing

Hey did anyone notice the vagina monologues is playing here for like five dollars? I wrote a post about Eve Ensler previously and mentioned it and seriously this play is a must see. It’s great for entertainment, but really it’s just powerful and it can change your entire perspective on life. Just had to mention that. I haven’t really been reading, and I don’t really have another author I can think of at the moment who I know enough about to write with some authority. I am going to start a new book soon, Intensity by Dean Koontz. From what I heard and read it truly is very intense. It’s about a girl who sleeps over at her friend’s house and while she is there the parents get murdered and her friend is abducted. This girl jumps in the murder’s truck to try and save her friend and ends up journeying with him hidden for weeks. Sounds really interesting or at least I think so. I like Lost in the Meritocracy. It’s really refreshing to read about something that you are actually experiencing and going through at the moment. I haven’t read too many books about college, so I like that it is very relevant to this time in our lives. I think it’s really interesting too, especially since it so opposite from my own college experience. I wish I had more to say, but as much as I love reading books it really does take a lot of time. I can’t wait for the summer when I’m free to read all the time.

-J.

Sophie Kinsella

I am very hesitant to create a post about this author, but I am running out of authors that I read religiously and read multiples of their books. I have tried up until this point to more or less sound slightly sophisticated in my book and author selection. I mean I know I haven’t been choosing any classics or anything because really at my age those aren’t appealing to me yet, except I do like Dostoevsky. I haven’t really had a chance to try any Faulkner of Chaucer or anything like that so maybe when I do I will end up liking them as well. I am digressing so much from my original point. Anyway, the author I have chosen is Sophie Kinsella because while I love a good book that has a message I also like to read for pure girly entertainment. It has been unfair of me to have hidden this side of myself for so long when I really am a closet teen fiction reader. I should probably start talking about Kinsella now. Her books are great. If you are looking for some lite, fun, entertainment, pick up one of her books. Her books may be catered more towards females, but heck women play football and men have long hair, so males branch out. Her most know series is the Shopaholic series and I have read all of the books in it and they are hilarious. Her characters are funny and relatable and it is an all-around good time reading it. I would recommend her books to anyone who just wants to read for pure enjoyment. She gets an 8 rating and yes, I know, everyone reading this is looking forward to the trailer I am about to post that corresponds with her book Confessions of a Shopaholic. (The movie is not as good as the book) Enjoy.

-J.