Heavens, it has been a while! Crazy, crazy semester right now. But quickly, right now I am reading a book called Thirty Nine Step for my Victorian/Modern period British Literature class. It was written in 1915 (Modern period) and was one of the first of the "man on the run" thriller archetype. It is the first in a series of Richard Hannay adventure/mystery novels, kind of like the modern day Jack Ryan from the popular thriller novels by author Tom Clancy. Alfred Hitchcock made an adaption of the Richard Hannay stories.
So, just for that historical aspect of it, it is an interesting book. But, I have very much enjoyed the story as well. It is a pretty quick read and a fun story. I'm not quite finished with it yet, but I am excited to find out what happens to Hannay! He's on the run and right in the middle a deep seeded conspiracy!
I am not always a fan of movie-adaptions of books. In fact, while closing up the sandwich shop I worked at a couple of months ago, I announced to my co-worker (in a dramatic moment of rash decision) that I was going to boycott any and all movies that are supposed to be books!
Okay, so that was a little over the top, and I'm pretty sure I saw a book-movie that weekend or so. But, the sentiment behind it is still true. I am always weary of my favorite books getting ruined in the theaters. The perfect representation of a beloved book is always a toss up and fairly impossible feat for film makers to achieve. When a million people read a book, that means there are a million different images of each character, setting, event, etc.
In My Opinion:
Movies that have failed their Books-
Twilight (Mostly just the two main characters.. and the music..)
The Indian in the Cupboard, 1995 version
Beastly
Percy Jackson
Eargon (So I've heard. I haven't read the book)
Movies that made their books proud-
Harry Potter
A Christmas Carol
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Pride and Prejudice, 2006
and
Jane Eyre, 2011!
I went on a little trip with my brother this past weekend and on the flight home, I experienced my first in-flight movie. I usually only fly a couple hour flights. This one was five. The captain announced that the attendants would be coming around and selling headphones for our in flight movie. "Today we will be viewing Jane Eyre". I was pretty excited. I looove this book, and didn't see the movie when it was in theaters, but the previews for it had given me hope about the movie. Sure enough, it was fantastic! Mia Wasikowska (Alice in the recent Alice and Wonderland) and Michael Fassbender did a credit to the Charlotte Bronte's classic characters Jane and Mr. Rochester. It was beautifully filmed, casted well, and stayed close to the story, making only appropriate changes (necessary for movie audience vs. book audience). There is something about stories from this time period that just get to me. Book or movie. Thank you Cary Fukunaga for giving us a nearly perfect representation of a nearly perfect romance. Maybe I need to give a little more slack to the book-to-movie makers out there...
Oh my, I had never read this book before as it seems almost all children have. I am 20 years old and I loved it! The best books are the books that span the age range! The Indian in the Cupboard is about a boy named Omri living with his family in England. For Omri's birthday, he gets two seemingly odd birthday presents. From his best friend, Patrick, he gets a plastic indian that Patrick had no use for, and from one of his brothers, an old cupboard that he found outside. The indian bores and almost irritates Omri, but the cupboard intrigues him. He finds a key amongst his mother's collection of keys that mysteriously fits the lock, and in desiring to store something in his now lockable cupboard, places the indian inside and goes to sleep. Next thing he knows, he is awoken to a strange sound from inside the cupboard. Yes, something is moving inside the cupboard. A little nervous and confused, he opens the door and there stands his toy indian.. only he is not a toy anymore...
Omri learns about respect, friendship, and responsibilty in this exciting, unique, and very entertaining tale of a British boy, an American Indian, and a Western Cowboy!
As a side note, I would not recommend the 1995 version of the movie...
What a fantastic story! Number the Stars is a story centered on a ten year old girl, Annemarie Johansen, but about her family and the people who secretly fought back against the Nazi's in their attempt to rid the world of a group of the people: The Jews. I think that the actions of people like the Johansens were some of the bravest standing-up that happened in the war (in no way discounting the bravery of the soldiers...). Annemarie's best friend, Ellen, is a jew. These two girls learn first hand about cruelty and fear, but also courage, strength, and love in this Historical Fiction account of WWII from a child's perspective.
Whether you own two books, eight hundred books, or plan on someday owning a book, you, no doubt, need a bookcase. I found this great site that shares 20 creative bookshelf ideas! Some extravegant, some pratical, and some just down right... different.. these are all great! (My favorite is the first one!) Check 'em out! Click Here
I would love to have a book plate like this.From the library of Hannah Nelson.
I think these are so cool. Ever since I bought those Shakespeare books at D.I. with the old book plates in the front.
I found the design on this website
Also my sister-in-law found this adorable picture and says that she knows one day I will be throwing parties like this.
B.J. you are so right!!! What a fun idea!
(Notice what the table runner is made out of)
In church today, in a lesson in Relief Society, the teacher quoted Jane Eyre. I wasn't actually in the lesson (I was teaching the four year olds... so cute..) but my mom shared it with me afterwards. I love that book, but this made me realize how much I have forgotten of it! I need to read it again.
Mr. Rochester is asking her to move in with him. (Mr. Rochester to Jane) "'You make me a liar by such language: you sully my honour. I declared I could not change: you tell me to my face I shall change soon. And what distortion in your judgement, what perversity in your ideas, is proved by your conduct! Is it better to drive a fellow-creature to despair than to transgress a mere human law- no man being injured by the breach? for you have neither relatives nor acquantances whom you need fear to offend by living with me.'
This was true: and while he spoke my very conscience and reason turned traitors against me, and charged me with crime in resisting him. They spoke almost as loud as Feeling: and that clamoured wildly. 'Oh, comply!' it said. 'Think of his misery; think of his danger- look at his state when left alone; remember his headlong nature; consider the recklessness following on despair- soothe him; save him; love him; tell him you love him and will be his. Who in the world cares for you? or who will be injured by what you do?'
Still indomitable was the reply- 'I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man. I will hold to the principles recieved by me when I was sane, and not mad- as I am now. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no tempation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be thier worth? They have a worth- so I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am insane- quite insane: with my veins running fire, and my heart beating faster than I can count its throbs. Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations, are all I have at this hour to stand by: there I plant my foot."
I just finished another Children's Literature (the class I am taking presently) book, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. I am usually a push over for books of any kind: a lover of the words, a nut for the story, best friends with the characters, just in love with the whole thing! Not this time though... What started out with elements of a cute and funny children's story, actually turns out to be, in my opinion, kind of a terrible message for kids. These kids run away from home because they are mad at their parents for doing... nothing. They don't care how it is making them feel really- worried, scared, "frantic"- they sneak around, feel proud of tricking the adults, break in, lie, steal money, and the ending thought of the book is about keeping secrets. The old lady they look up to encourages them to ignore their conscience and find happiness in having your special secret. And the two kids argue the entire time, which is also made to seem like an acceptable thing.. I kinda feel like these are not.. good things, to be teaching kids...
That makes it sound like an all together horrid book.. it was not. On a more positive side, it was great writing. Such fun diction for children and an interesting way to tell the story. The whole book was actually a letter from the narrator to her lawyer. And she loves these children. Konigsburg definitely has a talent with words and plot! My favorite line of the book was,
"lying in bed just before going to sleep is the worst time for organized thinking; it is the best time for free thinking. Ideas drift like clouds in an undecided breeze, taking first this direction and then that."
So true.
Now I am on to the next book: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. I am so excited for this book because I have been wanting to read some Lowry ever since I had the chance to meet her and listen to her speak to a little gathering of students at my school! It was amazing! She is amazing! And I learned a lot about her, how and why she writes, and little tidbits about the background of her books, like where the picture of the girl on the cover of Number the Stars comes from. Apparently she tried out photography for a while and photographed this beautiful young lady a long time ago. Mrs. Lowry is really fun too.
So those are my most recent book adventures.
This made me very happy:
Today, I got a package in the mail that I was not expecting. It was from my cousin in Utah. (Me, my cousin, and her husband a few years ago) Last time her and I we're together we had lovely one o'clock in the morning discussions about our favorite stories! It was so fun and she has such a great collection of books (organized beautifully by color in her adorable house)! Well, in this package, she sent me a picture she said "fits me perfectly" and that I just love! It is already framed and on my wall. Here it is. All of those books have real titles on them and then the quote in the middle is by Thomas Jefferson, who I already greatly respect. It says, "I cannot live with books" I love that he said that!! So fun!
And it goes perfectly with my room, which over the past few months has accumulated a bit of a theme... She knows me well.
This is a lamp made out of old book pages decoupaged onto a lamp shade. I got the idea from someone on etsy.com! So easy and fun! It is sitting on two of the books I have used for ripping apart and covering in glue.
The bookshelves my dad helped me make (or really the other way around...). More books have started sneaking themselves into other parts of my room as well now.. shelves in my nightstand, my closet, on top and inside my amoir.. I can't help it. I guess I am preparing to fill that dream library of mine!
Cool thing is that most of these books have been gifts or old antique books or just used books. They are each a story within a story!
The new collection of books that I am just dying for is this...
The Penguin Classics hardcover collection. It is Jane Austen, Charolette Bronte, Homer, Charles Dickens, and many more delightful authors and stories in these just beautiful covers!
If I had to choose just one from this collection, it would definitely be Jane Eyre. I have been looking for a copy of Jane Eyre that I liked for years! After I read the book, and fell in love with it, I knew I had to find just the right one to add to my collection, and the only ones I have ever found have those old paintings of dramatic lovers or are very plain or something else undesirable and unfitting for a story like this one! Then one day, low and behold, there it sat, in my school's bookstore, just calling my name. That is, until I turned it upside down and saw the price tag... I am a college student after all...
As dear Thomas Jefferson said, "I cannot live without my books"
I loved this book! Such a great story of a young boy who learns a lot about life, relationships, and the world. Really interesting historical fiction as well. It is about a boy, Johnny Tremain, who was an apprentice to a silversmith in Boston in the 1760's. He ends up getting involved with Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and other men and becomes as passionate as they were about freedom for themselves and their posterity. He learns the importance of home and his people in the colonies. Such a heart warming tale.
Really really awesome story! Keeps you hooked the whole time! My only problem with it was the language, which was a bummer. But other than that, it was such a fun and intense read! My first Dan Brown book. He is so good!
A beautifully told story! I have always loved this story from the time I first saw the Disney version, and Robin Mckinley brings it to life in a whole new way. There is such a depth to the characters and the settings in this story. It makes you think about what beauty truly is, is a great coming of age story, and is simply "magical"!
So, I have discovered the ways of the used bookstore. It is now one of my favorite places... ever. I found this cute little store in Rocklin, CA called Anna's Books. It's my favorite. Organized, lots of variety, old-new, nice people who share the book passion. I feel like a kindred spirit there. http://www.annasbooks.biz/ I don't really like a more popular one around here called Almost Perfect Books. It's about the largest bookstore I have EVER seen. But also the most chaotic! There is just too much and its not very cheap. It's alright though. http://www.almostperfectbookstore.com/ Idaho Falls, ID is where I began used-bookstore-ing because of my Young Adult Literature class. I had to read 30 YA novels, so naturally by the end of the semester the box of my mother's book I had borrowed was filled to the brim with new adventures and friends! The IF store is called Book City. It is right across from the mall. It's a really good one too! Deseret Industries is the best for prices! I have found the neatest books there and at Goodwill (basically the same thing). I bought 19 books for $30 from DI. Crazy! (yes, I do mean me for buying 19 books.. I know..) One of them was the Coolest dictionary in the world! It is over half a foot wide! The unabridged collegiate dictionary. Every word known to man, held in my hands at one time!.. well, almost. It looks just great up with all of my books! I found this collection of Shakespeares tragedies and comedies printed in 1944! It is a set of 4 books, I only found 3 of them. They are beautiful. Seriously. Green hardback covers, with gold and brown writing. On the inside of them all there is someone's old "ex-libris". I had been seeing that word a lot so started a research. Ex Libris translated directly from latin means "from the books". It is used to mean, "from the library of". Ex Libris is often on a book plate. A sticker in the front of the book with the person's name printed below ex libris. These books say ex libris Lenore Bosworth. It just makes me wonder. Who was Lenore Bosworth? What did these books mean to her? A great deal? Nothing? How did they end up at DI for $2.00? That is what I love about these old books. They have been through so much. These survived WWII! I also found a really cool old copy of The Book of Mormon from 1960. It is one of the blue copies from when David O. Mckay was prophet I believe. There is a name written in the front as well. At Goodwill I found a Havard edition of Homer's Odyssey. When opened up, on the left page is the story in it's original language and the english translation on the right page! So cool! Unfortunately, it's not the whole odyssey. It doesn't have a print date though, but it looks and feels pretty old. Today I purchased a copy of Ben Hur from 1908! Another beautiful book! It was given to a someone (I can't quite make out the name) for Christmas of 1914! I also found some textbooks I needed for my upcoming semester. These books make me realize just how small our world is. The book I am currently reading, The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society, says, "I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some secret homing instinct in books that brings them to there perfect readers. How delightful if that were true." The main character, Juliet, in this book is a woman after my own heart! She also says, "Because there is nothing I would rather do than rummage through bookstops... I have going to [Hasting's & Son's] for years, always finding the one book I wanted-and then three more I hadn't known I wanted." Exactly. Speaking of stories reminds me of one last thing. This really cool video my teacher showed us in my Contemporary British and American Literature class last semester. It's about collecting stories- our own and others around us, past and present.
Everybody, and everything, has a story. An old ticket stub, a saved bottle cap, a torn picture, an ex libris in the front of a book. There are unlimited ways to listen to a story.
All I can say is, WOW!!! What a fantastic story! I just finished the third book yesterday and am so sad that it is over!! (I'm thinking I will wait a month or so, so i will forget some of the details and read it again :) haha) The Hunger Games has everything to keep you on the edge of your seat and always wanting more. Suzanne Collins's characterization is great- you really start to love these characters- she is amazing with the action scenes, it is funny, heart-warming, inspiring, thought provoking, just an all around amazing series! Right now, they are definitely my favorite books.
“Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” - G.K. Chesterton
"It is not enough to speak, but to speak true." -William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream
"Everything in the world exists in order to end up as a book." -Stephane Mallarme
"A room without books is like a body without a soul." -Cicero
"Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book." -Author Unknown
"Perhaps there is some secret homing instinct that brings books to their perfect readers." -The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
"Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery" -Jane Austen
"The only way to do all the things you'd like to do is to read." -Tom Clancy
"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Suess
"So many books, so little time." -Frank Zappa
"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." -Mark Twain
"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one." -C.S. Lewis
"Isn't it amazing how we take them for granted, those little black marks on paper. Twenty six different shapes known as letters, arranged in endless combinations known as words. Lifeless until someone's eye falls on them. But then a miracle happens. Along the optic nerve, almost at the speed of light these tiny symbols are flashed to the brain where they are instantly decoded into ideas, images, concepts, meanings. The eye's owner is changed too. The little black marks can make him love or hate, laugh or cry, fight or run away..." -Arthur Gordon, Guideposts Associates
"The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read." -Abraham Lincoln
"Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them." -Lemony Snicket
Heavens, it has been a while! Crazy, crazy semester right now. But quickly, right now I am reading a book called Thirty Nine Step for my Victorian/Modern period British Literature class. It was written in 1915 (Modern period) and was one of the first of the "man on the run" thriller archetype. It is the first in a series of Richard Hannay adventure/mystery novels, kind of like the modern day Jack Ryan from the popular thriller novels by author Tom Clancy. Alfred Hitchcock made an adaption of the Richard Hannay stories.
