It's happened to everybody at one time or another. You've walked into a waiting room with a book, or checked out a book from the library, or something, and suddenly, you feel like you have to justify the fact you're reading that book. You feel like maybe you should be reading literature, not whatever quick and dirty paperback you have in your hands.
I used to have that problem. I'd be a little embarrassed buying, checking out or reading something that wasn't of "Lord of the Rings" quality.
"I just decided to go with something light today!" I'd tell the nearest person. "My favorite book is 'Lord of the Rings,' but I also quite enjoy a good Jane Austen novel now and again!"
It's true - I love "Lord of the Rings," and I liked the one Jane Austen novel I had to read for school ("Pride and Prejudice"), and I was one of the few that did. In fact, I've read a lot of "literature" in my time, and I've enjoyed a lot of it. I haven't liked every "classic" I've read or tried to read - I could and probably someday will write a post about how much I despised "The Grapes of Wrath" in high school - but I have a better track record than most with enjoying "The Classics."
But starting in late high school and through college, I began reading more and more popular fiction. Stephen King became a favorite standby. I read all of Dan Brown's novels. I even spent a summer where, on my mother's suggestion, I read mostly Sidney Sheldon and Jackie Collins. And I started reading young adult books, which I had mostly missed out on in my young adulthood because I was reading things like "Lord of the Rings."
I had to come to terms with this switch in the things I read. I had always prided myself on my ability to read really difficult books, and I still did sometimes. But it was much easier to read - and tote around - a silly paperback. It was easier to concentrate on while sitting in waiting rooms or on a train or plane. It was easier to set down when things got busy and pick back up five days later. Because, let's face it - life is tough, and you don't always need a big difficult book hanging over your head.
The important thing was that I kept reading, because reading is an important skill, a great escape and a wonderful way to stimulate your brain. That's what I think is important for everyone. I think it sometimes people stop reading because they don't like reading the "good" books and they're a little embarrassed to read books that don't have as much social stature attached, so they stop reading altogether. Sadly, this tends to be compounded in school, when children are forced to read more "literature" and less of whatever they want. It's important to appreciate the classics (though I think they should be taught differently a lot of the time but, again, that's a post for another time), but there should be ample opportunities in school for children and teens to read whatever they want, even if it's a Star Wars novel or a Stephen King book or "Twilight" or something else that isn't considered high literature.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go read "Moon Called" by Patricia Briggs now - a quick and dirty paperback if I ever saw one!
What do you think? Do you agree with me? Should people be trying to read more "literature?" Do you have quick & dirty paperbacks you like to read?
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
I am a quitter!
I have been having trouble blogging this week because I have been having issues reading this week. Not technically having issues with the words, just issues with getting into books. I have this problem occassionally, though I am not sure why. My currently theory is that after I read a really awesome books, or a few really awesome books in a row, I get into a mind frame of "Nothing will be as good!" I find that this book ADD happens after reading Meg Cabot books, Charlaine Harris books, and David Levithan books. It probably wasn't a smart idea for me to read Meg Cabot, Charlaine Harris, and David Levithan pretty much exclusively for the past few weeks. I did this to myself. One good thing to come out of it is that it finally gave me an idea for a great blog topic...Not finishing books that are started.
Many people think that if you start reading a book, you have to finish it. I am of the other mind. If I start a book and am not enjoying it, I put it down. I've never felt the need to waste time on a book that I do not like. Even in high school and college, I did not always finish assigned books. Most notably, I only read the first 5 chapters of The Grapes of Wrath, the first section of Gulliver's Travels, the first part of Faust, and about half of Madame Bovary. That is correct, when it came to assigned readings, I was a bit of a slacker. Shocker, I know. However, I think it is hard to enjoy any book that is required reading. It takes all the fun out of books. I have enjoyed numerous books that were required, but have also hated reading some books that I otherwise would have enjoyed. I love Mark Twain, but really disliked reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
More to the point, I do not finish books that I choose. And sometimes they are books that by all rights I should enjoy. I read and loved Redwall by Brian Jacques, but have not been able to get through Mossflower with repeated attempts. I read the first 3 Hitchhikers Guide books, but could not get through the 4th. I love Stephen King, but could not get more than a few chapters into Christine or Insomnia. I also did not finish Pet Semetary, but that was due to the fact that the book wigged me out and I did not want to find out what happened next. I also never finished Interview with a Vampire, The Historian, Digital Fortress by Dan Brown, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and many more.
I have three main reasons for not finishing books.
The first is that I get busy/distracted. This happened a lot during high school and college. The Historian specifically fell for this reason. I was reading it and really enjoying it. But than midterms happened. And projects started to be due. And reading for fun, especially something long and intense, had to be dropped. I have wanted to reread it since I stopped reading it, but didn't want to reread what I had just read. I am planning on reading it again soon since I have no forgotten everything about it.
The second reason is that I do not read very fast and sometimes forget what happened at the beginning if a book is really long. American Gods was one that was discarded for that reason. That books is super long and super complicated and about half way through I had no idea who any of the characters were. I love Neil Gaiman books, but dude...that books just confused me.
The last main reason is just because I am not enjoying the book. Oh, Interview with a Vampire. You were so hyped and loved by so many people. Just not me. I found the book boring and just finally gave up on it. Vampires can only sustain my interest so long if the rest of the plot is lame. I decided to watch the movie instead of finishing the book. I still have no idea what happens in either because I found the movie boring also.
I find that if I am not enjoying a book and I stop reading it, I tend to find a great book after. My advice to you all is that if I book is not holding your interest or you are just not enjoying it...stop reading. Put the book down. No one will know. No one will care. It gives you more time to read something awesome. I am not advocating not reading assigned reading though. Be a good student, read everything. Do as I say, not as I did. But seriously, don't torture yourself. Reading should be fun!
Many people think that if you start reading a book, you have to finish it. I am of the other mind. If I start a book and am not enjoying it, I put it down. I've never felt the need to waste time on a book that I do not like. Even in high school and college, I did not always finish assigned books. Most notably, I only read the first 5 chapters of The Grapes of Wrath, the first section of Gulliver's Travels, the first part of Faust, and about half of Madame Bovary. That is correct, when it came to assigned readings, I was a bit of a slacker. Shocker, I know. However, I think it is hard to enjoy any book that is required reading. It takes all the fun out of books. I have enjoyed numerous books that were required, but have also hated reading some books that I otherwise would have enjoyed. I love Mark Twain, but really disliked reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
More to the point, I do not finish books that I choose. And sometimes they are books that by all rights I should enjoy. I read and loved Redwall by Brian Jacques, but have not been able to get through Mossflower with repeated attempts. I read the first 3 Hitchhikers Guide books, but could not get through the 4th. I love Stephen King, but could not get more than a few chapters into Christine or Insomnia. I also did not finish Pet Semetary, but that was due to the fact that the book wigged me out and I did not want to find out what happened next. I also never finished Interview with a Vampire, The Historian, Digital Fortress by Dan Brown, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and many more.
I have three main reasons for not finishing books.
The first is that I get busy/distracted. This happened a lot during high school and college. The Historian specifically fell for this reason. I was reading it and really enjoying it. But than midterms happened. And projects started to be due. And reading for fun, especially something long and intense, had to be dropped. I have wanted to reread it since I stopped reading it, but didn't want to reread what I had just read. I am planning on reading it again soon since I have no forgotten everything about it.
The second reason is that I do not read very fast and sometimes forget what happened at the beginning if a book is really long. American Gods was one that was discarded for that reason. That books is super long and super complicated and about half way through I had no idea who any of the characters were. I love Neil Gaiman books, but dude...that books just confused me.
The last main reason is just because I am not enjoying the book. Oh, Interview with a Vampire. You were so hyped and loved by so many people. Just not me. I found the book boring and just finally gave up on it. Vampires can only sustain my interest so long if the rest of the plot is lame. I decided to watch the movie instead of finishing the book. I still have no idea what happens in either because I found the movie boring also.
I find that if I am not enjoying a book and I stop reading it, I tend to find a great book after. My advice to you all is that if I book is not holding your interest or you are just not enjoying it...stop reading. Put the book down. No one will know. No one will care. It gives you more time to read something awesome. I am not advocating not reading assigned reading though. Be a good student, read everything. Do as I say, not as I did. But seriously, don't torture yourself. Reading should be fun!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Follow up to Jenny's post
Jenny’s previous post about what kids read seems to provide a nice segue into a topic that is both timely and annoying: book censorship!
Ah yes, the every present and controversial topic of what books are appropriate for what age. I’m going to state right away that I am against censorship of books. I think parents have the right to dictate what their kids read, but not what other peoples’ kids read.
A woman who has at least one middle school kid in the Fond du Lac School District filed complaints about 7 books at Theisen Middle School library: One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Girls in Pants, Forever in Blue, Get Well Soon, and What My Mother Doesn’t Know. Two librarians got fired from a public library in Kentucky for not allowing an 11 year old check out The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume IV: The Black Dossier. A woman from Crestview Florida is trying to get a graphic novel (shelved in the general collection, not the children or teen section) pulled from the public library that apparently traumatized her teenage son. And those are just the stories I’ve read about in the past couple months that have to do with libraries.
Now, out of all those books, the only ones I’ve read are the Traveling Pants books. I read the first two books in high school and the other two in college. I distinctly recall feeling like I was too old to be reading the books in high school. They are not inappropriate. There is pretty much zero language as far as I remember and no violence. There is definitely some discussion and having of sex, though nothing actually “on screen”. And the repercussions definitely seem to point toward the message of “don’t have sex if you aren’t ready”. I’m going to guess that most of the other books from Theisen Middle School are the same thing.
Now here comes my argument. Maybe the books that the Fond du Lac mother wants to get banned are inappropriate for her daughter. Some 6th graders might not want to read books where there is sex and people die. Some 10th graders might not want to read books with that kind of stuff. However, there might be 4th graders who are fine with reading about sex and death. Herein lies the problem with censorship. One person cannot tell another person’s kid what they should read. The Fond du Lac mother can tell her daughter to not read the Traveling Pants books; maybe her daughter is not mature enough to read them. The Fond du Lac mother cannot tell another parent that their kid can’t read the Traveling Pants books because that kid might be plenty mature.
In my family, we could read whatever we wanted to. That isn’t to say that my parents encouraged my sister and I to read books that were inappropriate to us…up until middle school, I read pretty much at my level. My sister was reading at like a 4th grade reading level in 1st grade, so she obviously was going to be reading pretty heavy stuff pretty early. Starting in middle school, I started reading above my grade level; I found all the books at the middle school library boring. When I was in 8th grade, I started reading Stephen King. I’ll write a whole blog post about my love of Stephen King, but I was like 13. Funnily enough, no one ever really said anything about it until the summer before my junior year in high school, when I was 16. I went on a mission trip with my church down to Tennessee. I happened to have been reading Carrie by Stephen King at that time and I brought it with me to read in the car. When we got back from the trip, one of the adults from the trip asked my mom if she knew what I was reading. At 16, I had an adult worried that I was reading a book that was inappropriate. Around where I lived, at 16 you could usually get into R rated movies with no problem. And maybe that adult wouldn’t have let her kid read a Stephen King book, but she had no right to tell me not to.
My advice to parents is this…make sure your kids are reading books that are appropriate to their maturity and leave everyone else alone.
Ah yes, the every present and controversial topic of what books are appropriate for what age. I’m going to state right away that I am against censorship of books. I think parents have the right to dictate what their kids read, but not what other peoples’ kids read.
A woman who has at least one middle school kid in the Fond du Lac School District filed complaints about 7 books at Theisen Middle School library: One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Girls in Pants, Forever in Blue, Get Well Soon, and What My Mother Doesn’t Know. Two librarians got fired from a public library in Kentucky for not allowing an 11 year old check out The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume IV: The Black Dossier. A woman from Crestview Florida is trying to get a graphic novel (shelved in the general collection, not the children or teen section) pulled from the public library that apparently traumatized her teenage son. And those are just the stories I’ve read about in the past couple months that have to do with libraries.
Now, out of all those books, the only ones I’ve read are the Traveling Pants books. I read the first two books in high school and the other two in college. I distinctly recall feeling like I was too old to be reading the books in high school. They are not inappropriate. There is pretty much zero language as far as I remember and no violence. There is definitely some discussion and having of sex, though nothing actually “on screen”. And the repercussions definitely seem to point toward the message of “don’t have sex if you aren’t ready”. I’m going to guess that most of the other books from Theisen Middle School are the same thing.
Now here comes my argument. Maybe the books that the Fond du Lac mother wants to get banned are inappropriate for her daughter. Some 6th graders might not want to read books where there is sex and people die. Some 10th graders might not want to read books with that kind of stuff. However, there might be 4th graders who are fine with reading about sex and death. Herein lies the problem with censorship. One person cannot tell another person’s kid what they should read. The Fond du Lac mother can tell her daughter to not read the Traveling Pants books; maybe her daughter is not mature enough to read them. The Fond du Lac mother cannot tell another parent that their kid can’t read the Traveling Pants books because that kid might be plenty mature.
In my family, we could read whatever we wanted to. That isn’t to say that my parents encouraged my sister and I to read books that were inappropriate to us…up until middle school, I read pretty much at my level. My sister was reading at like a 4th grade reading level in 1st grade, so she obviously was going to be reading pretty heavy stuff pretty early. Starting in middle school, I started reading above my grade level; I found all the books at the middle school library boring. When I was in 8th grade, I started reading Stephen King. I’ll write a whole blog post about my love of Stephen King, but I was like 13. Funnily enough, no one ever really said anything about it until the summer before my junior year in high school, when I was 16. I went on a mission trip with my church down to Tennessee. I happened to have been reading Carrie by Stephen King at that time and I brought it with me to read in the car. When we got back from the trip, one of the adults from the trip asked my mom if she knew what I was reading. At 16, I had an adult worried that I was reading a book that was inappropriate. Around where I lived, at 16 you could usually get into R rated movies with no problem. And maybe that adult wouldn’t have let her kid read a Stephen King book, but she had no right to tell me not to.
My advice to parents is this…make sure your kids are reading books that are appropriate to their maturity and leave everyone else alone.
If kids are reading, does it matter what they read?
Is it OK if boys are reading books about farts as long as they're reading?
According to a Washington Post article, boys lag behind girls in reading, and some teachers, librarians and authors are hoping that books about more boy-centric topics might get them to read.
The article explains:
But books about bodily functions such as "SweetFarts" and "Captain Underpants" (which, I'll admit, I haven't read), or even a lot of popular books for kids (in my day, it was "Goosebumps" and "The Babysitter's Club") aren't on reading lists that kids get at school. I never had much of a problem with that - I was a voracious reader and read a lot of "classics" as well as some popular fiction - but many kids just want to read something fun. By forcing them to read "literature" all the time, it's easy to turn them off from reading forever. I'm not saying that kids should never have to read more challenging books, because there are books that every American should be required to read. But by forcing children and teens to only read a certain list of books, it's not much of a stretch for kids to just stop reading altogether.
Parents and schools need to realize this, and allow children to read what they want to read. My Book Tart partner Kelly and I were very lucky - our parents let us read literally anything we wanted to read growing up, and we had more than one librarian, teacher or other adult question what we were reading and whether our parents knew what book we had in our possession. I know that I tried reading several books that I just could never finish, because they were too difficult for me. Kelly and I both probably read some books that were at least marginally inappropriate for us when we read them - Kelly was reading Stephen King horror novels at a pretty young age. But, you know what? We turned out all right, and we still read like crazy ... even to the point that we actually started this blog to write about what we read!
Reading, and literacy in general, is a very, very important part of building a productive, educated society. Let kids read what they want, so that they can foster that love of reading and be part of a better society.
According to a Washington Post article, boys lag behind girls in reading, and some teachers, librarians and authors are hoping that books about more boy-centric topics might get them to read.
The article explains:
Parents of reluctant readers complain that boys are forced to stick to stuffy required school lists that exclude nonfiction or silly subjects, or have teachers who cater to higher achievers and girls. They're hoping books that exploit boys' love of bodily functions and gross-out humor can close the gap.Some of the most popular topics, according to the article, include "sports and historical nonfiction, potty humor, bloodthirsty vampires and action-packed graphic novels, fantasy and sleuthing." One librarian even held an armpit-noise demonstration. If you've ever been around an elementary school boy, you know that this will thrill them beyond anything else you can do. My 11-year-old nephew loves all that kind of stuff.
But books about bodily functions such as "SweetFarts" and "Captain Underpants" (which, I'll admit, I haven't read), or even a lot of popular books for kids (in my day, it was "Goosebumps" and "The Babysitter's Club") aren't on reading lists that kids get at school. I never had much of a problem with that - I was a voracious reader and read a lot of "classics" as well as some popular fiction - but many kids just want to read something fun. By forcing them to read "literature" all the time, it's easy to turn them off from reading forever. I'm not saying that kids should never have to read more challenging books, because there are books that every American should be required to read. But by forcing children and teens to only read a certain list of books, it's not much of a stretch for kids to just stop reading altogether.
Parents and schools need to realize this, and allow children to read what they want to read. My Book Tart partner Kelly and I were very lucky - our parents let us read literally anything we wanted to read growing up, and we had more than one librarian, teacher or other adult question what we were reading and whether our parents knew what book we had in our possession. I know that I tried reading several books that I just could never finish, because they were too difficult for me. Kelly and I both probably read some books that were at least marginally inappropriate for us when we read them - Kelly was reading Stephen King horror novels at a pretty young age. But, you know what? We turned out all right, and we still read like crazy ... even to the point that we actually started this blog to write about what we read!
Reading, and literacy in general, is a very, very important part of building a productive, educated society. Let kids read what they want, so that they can foster that love of reading and be part of a better society.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Mood music to read by
I love listening to music while I read. This seems weird to me because I could not listen to music at all if I was reading, doing homework, studying, etc. I had to have uber quiet to concentrate. At some point in college that changed and I often listen to music while I read. I am very picky about what music I listen to, though. It can’t be any old Pandora station or playlist on my computer. I find that different books need different mood music. For example, I wouldn’t want to listen to hard rock music if I was reading a fantasy book. I wouldn’t want to listen to orchestral music if I was reading a David Levithan book. The music has to fit the mood of the book.
I read a lot of fantasy novels, including vampire novels and fantasy-type historical romances, and I find that Celtic and Irish music works best for those kinds of novels. And of course, by Celtic and Irish music, I mean Celtic and Irish rock. I have a Dropkick Murphys station on Pandora that is my go to station for reading. It is good music to groove to, but does not inspire me to sing along too often. I especially like listening to it if I am sitting outside reading. Irish rock + trashy book + sunshine = ideal situation.
Sometimes Irish rock music is not the right mood. Sometimes I find that the Sookie Stackhouse books are putting me in a different mood, one that needs annoying pop/rock/dance music. I have an awesome workout mix on my computer that has Cobra Starship, Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, Blake Lewis, Jesse McCartney, Mika, Scissor Sisters, and OK Go all mixed together. It is ideal for the days that I am in a bit of an energetic mood and am reading something that goes quickly.
When I am reading Meg Cabot, I tend to enjoy girl rock: Lily Allen, Jem, Lady Gaga, Brittney Spears, Pink. Something about having super strong female leads in books just inspires me to listen to super strong female music. Plus, there is something light and fun about a Meg Cabot book that translates really well into super fun girl pop like Lady Gaga.
And then there are the days when I am reading something super trashy, like a random trashy romance novel, which just screams “annoying dance crap music”. And those are the days that I listen to my 3Oh!3 Pandora station. It is loud, dancey, inappropriate music that is just fun.
When I am driving around listening to music, I enjoy listening to classic rock and alt rock…huge fan of my Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bowling for Soup stations on Pandora…but I have yet to find books to read to that music. Maybe if I read westerns? I am also a bit worried about finding music to listen to while reading an Ann Brashares book I got from the library. I feel like the book is going to be too dramatic to listen to dance music to. Maybe I’ll go with something a bit chill…Jason Mraz/Mat Kearney.
I read a lot of fantasy novels, including vampire novels and fantasy-type historical romances, and I find that Celtic and Irish music works best for those kinds of novels. And of course, by Celtic and Irish music, I mean Celtic and Irish rock. I have a Dropkick Murphys station on Pandora that is my go to station for reading. It is good music to groove to, but does not inspire me to sing along too often. I especially like listening to it if I am sitting outside reading. Irish rock + trashy book + sunshine = ideal situation.
Sometimes Irish rock music is not the right mood. Sometimes I find that the Sookie Stackhouse books are putting me in a different mood, one that needs annoying pop/rock/dance music. I have an awesome workout mix on my computer that has Cobra Starship, Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, Blake Lewis, Jesse McCartney, Mika, Scissor Sisters, and OK Go all mixed together. It is ideal for the days that I am in a bit of an energetic mood and am reading something that goes quickly.
When I am reading Meg Cabot, I tend to enjoy girl rock: Lily Allen, Jem, Lady Gaga, Brittney Spears, Pink. Something about having super strong female leads in books just inspires me to listen to super strong female music. Plus, there is something light and fun about a Meg Cabot book that translates really well into super fun girl pop like Lady Gaga.
And then there are the days when I am reading something super trashy, like a random trashy romance novel, which just screams “annoying dance crap music”. And those are the days that I listen to my 3Oh!3 Pandora station. It is loud, dancey, inappropriate music that is just fun.
When I am driving around listening to music, I enjoy listening to classic rock and alt rock…huge fan of my Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bowling for Soup stations on Pandora…but I have yet to find books to read to that music. Maybe if I read westerns? I am also a bit worried about finding music to listen to while reading an Ann Brashares book I got from the library. I feel like the book is going to be too dramatic to listen to dance music to. Maybe I’ll go with something a bit chill…Jason Mraz/Mat Kearney.
Losing My Graphic Novel Virginity
I finally did it. I took the plunge.
I read a graphic novel.
Hi, I'm Jenny. I'm 25 years old, and I'm no longer a graphic novel virgin.
I chose "Watchmen" for my first time, for three main reasons:
1. It's the only graphic novel in our house.
2. I LOVED the movie. A lot.
3. I made a deal with my husband that if he read "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," I would read "Watchmen." He read "Harry Potter," so it was my turn to read something I was apprehensive about.
After I saw the movie last year, I tried to read the book, but I put it down quickly. To a longtime novel reader like me, the graphic novel format was a completely different way to experience a story. Instead of just reading the words and imagining the characters, setting and action, I had to allow Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and John Higgins to show me what was happening.
The flow of reading a graphic novel is quite different from reading a novel. At first, I realized that I was just reading the dialogue without really looking at the pictures, and I was missing a lot of the plot. Many times, especially in the first two or three chapters, I had to make myself go back and look at the pictures so that I could get what was going on. It was a completely new experience for me.
I loved the story of "Watchmen" when it was a movie, and I appreciated the story even more in graphic novel form. If you don't know, "Watchmen" is an alternative history story about what might have happened if masked vigilantes/superheroes were real. The U.S. wins the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon is still president in the 1980s, and the world is on the brink of nuclear war with Russia. I love seeing superheroes as normal people - only one of them has real "super powers." They have character flaws, and are just generally weird, dysfunctional people. Let's be honest, you'd have to be to dress up in goofy costumes and fight crime. I liked the somewhat complicated structure - it tells the story, but in between chapters, there are "documents," such as chapters of an old superhero's memoirs, that help tell the story. In addition, interspersed throughout the book are parts of a comic about an adventurer at sea, called "Tales of the Black Freighter." Confused yet? It gets a little complicated, but it does a great job telling the story in a less straightfoward, normal way.
The biggest thing about reading graphic novels if you've never done it before is getting used to the flow. If you're an accomplished novel reader, it will take you a while, but if you stick with it, it will get easier. The other thing that you might have to get over is the idea that a graphic novel is somehow a "lower" form of storytelling, or that it is not literature, somehow. A book as good as "Watchmen" is literature. It tells a great story, but it tells a story in a different media. It's just like accepting that animated movies or TV shows can be a perfectly good way to tell a story. Neither medium is inherently better - they're just different, and people can use them all to tell great stories.
If you've never read "Watchmen," I highly recommend it. If you've never read a graphic novel, I suggest you try "Watchmen."
And if you have any suggestions for great graphic novels to try, let me know ... I'm ready for round two!
I read a graphic novel.
Hi, I'm Jenny. I'm 25 years old, and I'm no longer a graphic novel virgin.
I chose "Watchmen" for my first time, for three main reasons:
1. It's the only graphic novel in our house.
2. I LOVED the movie. A lot.
3. I made a deal with my husband that if he read "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," I would read "Watchmen." He read "Harry Potter," so it was my turn to read something I was apprehensive about.
After I saw the movie last year, I tried to read the book, but I put it down quickly. To a longtime novel reader like me, the graphic novel format was a completely different way to experience a story. Instead of just reading the words and imagining the characters, setting and action, I had to allow Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and John Higgins to show me what was happening.
The flow of reading a graphic novel is quite different from reading a novel. At first, I realized that I was just reading the dialogue without really looking at the pictures, and I was missing a lot of the plot. Many times, especially in the first two or three chapters, I had to make myself go back and look at the pictures so that I could get what was going on. It was a completely new experience for me.
I loved the story of "Watchmen" when it was a movie, and I appreciated the story even more in graphic novel form. If you don't know, "Watchmen" is an alternative history story about what might have happened if masked vigilantes/superheroes were real. The U.S. wins the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon is still president in the 1980s, and the world is on the brink of nuclear war with Russia. I love seeing superheroes as normal people - only one of them has real "super powers." They have character flaws, and are just generally weird, dysfunctional people. Let's be honest, you'd have to be to dress up in goofy costumes and fight crime. I liked the somewhat complicated structure - it tells the story, but in between chapters, there are "documents," such as chapters of an old superhero's memoirs, that help tell the story. In addition, interspersed throughout the book are parts of a comic about an adventurer at sea, called "Tales of the Black Freighter." Confused yet? It gets a little complicated, but it does a great job telling the story in a less straightfoward, normal way.
The biggest thing about reading graphic novels if you've never done it before is getting used to the flow. If you're an accomplished novel reader, it will take you a while, but if you stick with it, it will get easier. The other thing that you might have to get over is the idea that a graphic novel is somehow a "lower" form of storytelling, or that it is not literature, somehow. A book as good as "Watchmen" is literature. It tells a great story, but it tells a story in a different media. It's just like accepting that animated movies or TV shows can be a perfectly good way to tell a story. Neither medium is inherently better - they're just different, and people can use them all to tell great stories.
If you've never read "Watchmen," I highly recommend it. If you've never read a graphic novel, I suggest you try "Watchmen."
And if you have any suggestions for great graphic novels to try, let me know ... I'm ready for round two!
Friday, July 16, 2010
I have read 46 Meg Cabot books
Yes. You read that right. 46 Meg Cabot books. She has written 67 books. That is slightly under 70% of her books. Considering I first read one of her books in 2001, that seems pretty good to me. The first Meg Cabot book I read was The Princess Diaries, though I definitely read it before the movie came out. I quickly realized that I needed to read every book of hers I could find. The problem was that she had not written much else under the name Meg Cabot at that time.
However, I found the book Haunted, which I read and loved. After reading it, I discovered that it was the 5th book in a series written under the name Jenny Carroll. I then spent much time in book stores trying to find the first four Mediate Series books. Even though I read The Princess Diaries books first (as many as were out at that time), I loved The Mediator Series more! The main character, Suze, was much the same as Mia in The Princess Diaries, but she could see ghosts. Awesome! As I started to get into upper high school, I still enjoyed reading her teen books, but wanted something more. Luckily, Meg Cabot has also written books for adults. Chick Lit, if you will. My favorite being the Heather Wells Series (Size 12 is Not Fat, etc.). Of all of the heroines in all of the Meg Cabot books, Heather Wells is my favorite. Eventually I will write a whole post about why I love Meg Cabot Female Characters so much, but that will take up too much space in this already rambling post. Anyway, Heather Wells was the first grown up Meg Cabot books I read, but quickly followed with any other book I could find, like the Boy Series. I found that as much as I love all the teen books, I loved the adult books more. All the same great fun and humor and pop culture, more of the sexy stuff.
Eventually, I learned that Meg Cabot had another name she wrote under, Patricia Cabot. Those books would be what most people would consider "Romance Novels" or "Historical Romances". I refer to them as bodice-rippers. They are delightful fun and the perfect book for a summer day in the sun or a winter day curled up under a blanket with hot chocolate.
All of this is to say that Meg Cabot is my favorite author and I have read a majority of her books. I have never finished one of her books and thought, "Gee, that was disappointing". Each one has been awesome and I want to eventually own all of her teen and adult books. Why? Just because!
However, I found the book Haunted, which I read and loved. After reading it, I discovered that it was the 5th book in a series written under the name Jenny Carroll. I then spent much time in book stores trying to find the first four Mediate Series books. Even though I read The Princess Diaries books first (as many as were out at that time), I loved The Mediator Series more! The main character, Suze, was much the same as Mia in The Princess Diaries, but she could see ghosts. Awesome! As I started to get into upper high school, I still enjoyed reading her teen books, but wanted something more. Luckily, Meg Cabot has also written books for adults. Chick Lit, if you will. My favorite being the Heather Wells Series (Size 12 is Not Fat, etc.). Of all of the heroines in all of the Meg Cabot books, Heather Wells is my favorite. Eventually I will write a whole post about why I love Meg Cabot Female Characters so much, but that will take up too much space in this already rambling post. Anyway, Heather Wells was the first grown up Meg Cabot books I read, but quickly followed with any other book I could find, like the Boy Series. I found that as much as I love all the teen books, I loved the adult books more. All the same great fun and humor and pop culture, more of the sexy stuff.
Eventually, I learned that Meg Cabot had another name she wrote under, Patricia Cabot. Those books would be what most people would consider "Romance Novels" or "Historical Romances". I refer to them as bodice-rippers. They are delightful fun and the perfect book for a summer day in the sun or a winter day curled up under a blanket with hot chocolate.
All of this is to say that Meg Cabot is my favorite author and I have read a majority of her books. I have never finished one of her books and thought, "Gee, that was disappointing". Each one has been awesome and I want to eventually own all of her teen and adult books. Why? Just because!
Welcome to our blog!
Hello internet people, and welcome to The Book Tarts blog. This is a new endeavor between myself and my sister. I'll introduce us both and then we will get on with the posting about books soon.
My name is Kelly. I am the librarian of this duo. I live in a super tiny town in New Hampshire and work at a small college. I am in my early twenties and have an eclectic book selection. I am generally fond of vampire novels, Meg Cabot books, Stephen King books, chick lit, fantasy, teen books, and bodice-ripping romance novels. My tv and movie viewing is equally varied; it is not unusual for me to watch True Blood followed by Greek followed by Bones followed by Glee followed by The Bourne Identity followed by Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Your other faithful blogger is Jenny; she would be the journalist. She lives in a "small" town in Indiana (her small town is about 4 times as large as my small town) with her husband and cat. She is midtwenties and has an equally strange collection of books she reads. She has been known to read anywhere from Oprah book club selections to Star Wars novels with much of the same stuff that I read inbetween. She is also a fan of Meg Cabot, Stephen King, and vampire novels.
We already have some really interesting topics that we want to write about on here, so we should be posting fairly regularly. Some posts will be from just one of us, but we are planning on having some joint posts also. Stay tuned!
My name is Kelly. I am the librarian of this duo. I live in a super tiny town in New Hampshire and work at a small college. I am in my early twenties and have an eclectic book selection. I am generally fond of vampire novels, Meg Cabot books, Stephen King books, chick lit, fantasy, teen books, and bodice-ripping romance novels. My tv and movie viewing is equally varied; it is not unusual for me to watch True Blood followed by Greek followed by Bones followed by Glee followed by The Bourne Identity followed by Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Your other faithful blogger is Jenny; she would be the journalist. She lives in a "small" town in Indiana (her small town is about 4 times as large as my small town) with her husband and cat. She is midtwenties and has an equally strange collection of books she reads. She has been known to read anywhere from Oprah book club selections to Star Wars novels with much of the same stuff that I read inbetween. She is also a fan of Meg Cabot, Stephen King, and vampire novels.
We already have some really interesting topics that we want to write about on here, so we should be posting fairly regularly. Some posts will be from just one of us, but we are planning on having some joint posts also. Stay tuned!
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