Writer's Camp

Right now, I'm at writing camp - I'm having a lot of fun, and I hope I can manage to write more blog posts. I was planning to post pictures of my midwest trip, but I don't have my camera with me. Maybe I'll write a "this summer" post at the beginning of the school year, and post pictures of everything I've done.

I promised you a post with reviews of historical fiction and classics, but I haven't been able to read much lately, and no books immediately come to mind. Frankly, as I believe I've said before, historical fiction is not my favorite genre - so I don't read much of it. I like classics, though, and I think I'll be able to make a decent list later... maybe when I come home. I'm super stoked for a C. S. Lewis book I checked out of the library - not one of the Narnia books, I think it's more mature and philosophical. I'm also reading a sci-fi novel called Congo, which I also reccomend if sci-fi is your thing. 

Poll Results - Fantasy Book List

I haven't had the opportunity to write much, since I'm on a road trip with my family and it's been absolutely jam-packed with things to do. 

So far, I've been to Memphis, TN, and Saint Louis. Memphis was pretty cool, and Saint Louis was awesome. We saw penguins in the Saint Louis Zoo, and toured the arch. 

I've been paying attention to the poll results, and Fantasy is currently tied with Classics/Historical Fiction - so I've decided to make a fantasy book list.

A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray

I honestly don't know why I waited so long to read this book.  I'd heard good things about it, I'd seen it in the library, but I waited a while before actually reading it. It's creepy and wonderful, delving you deep into a magical world, and the secrets of a Victorian girl's school. 

Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones

When 18-year-old Sophie is cursed by the Witch of the Waist and turns into an old crone, she stoically decides to head out into the wilds in the hope of getting rid of the curse. Soon enough, she's made an agreement with Wizard Howl's fire demon, and gotten herself into a whole heap of trouble. It's the kind of book that you read slowly, because you don't want it to end. This book deserves to be a classic, 100%. I fully plan to read it to my children as a bedtime story. 

I finished the audio book just before leaving for my trip - I've read and re-read this book about about a zillion times, and I still love it. Diana Wynne Jones is pretty brilliant, and her old-fashioned fantasy style is reminiscent of  C. S. Lewis or Tolkien.* Actually, that's no coincidence - she attended lectures by both while she was at collage.

A scene from the movie - Howl's bedroom. Even though the movie is nothing like the book**, it's still terrific. I think this is maybe my favorite ever book-movie combo. I think animation is the perfect medium for fantasy movies, but I love animation in general. 

Terry Pratchett in General

Terry Pratchett is a satirical fantasy writer - one of the UK's best selling and most critically acclaimed fantasy writers before J. K. Rowling came along. I've only read three (Equal Rites, Small Gods, The Truth), but I've enjoyed all of them. 

I think The Truth is my favorite so far. The characters are the best thing about the book - Mr. Tulip and Otto the vampire have joined the ranks of my all-time favorite literary characters. I also like the concept behind the novels - they take place in a parallel universe, and the same characters pop up in different novels. The series is a lot of fun to read, and with 39(!) books in all, it'll take a good, long time to work though the whole thing. 

More fantasy books to come!

**As I believer I've said before, I don't mind if a movie doesn't follow a book, as long as the movie itself is good. So many people gripe about movies that don't follow the book, and when I ask them if it was actually a good movie, they look at me blankly and say, "Well, duh, no, it didn't follow the book!" 

So, you mean, a movie has horrible acting, bad directing, and 

*Speaking of Tolkien, have you seen the new Hobbit trailer?

J. K. Rowling on Female Characters

I just found this video - it's J. K. Rowling discussing female carecters in Harry Potter. It's terrific, and you should watch it. Here's the link:

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=l5Pj-MPN_co&feature=fvwp&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dl5Pj-MPN_co%26feature%3Dfvwp

I loved the video - I've read some criticism of Harry Potter, since a lot of the really powerful people in the series are male, but I've never thought any of it was well founded. In the video, Rowling explains why her female characters are the way they are, and shows how much thought went in to developing them. She talks about how she's always seen Mrs. Weasly as a really powerful female figure, not "just a housewife," and how much she drew on her own childhood for Hermione. It becomes clear how much thought she put in into her characters, and really, it flips everything around and it becomes clear that some of the most powerful figures in the series really are the women after all. 

Facts About Me

Here's a list of facts about me:

1. I have a 5-year-old mustached parakeet named India. She's feisty and adorable, and she's sitting on my shoulder (pirate style) right now.

2. My absolute favorite books are The Book Thief, The Giver, The Catcher in the Rye, and Go and Come Back. My favorite series is Harry Potter.

3. I love watching Japanese commercials. They're very entertaining and kinda addictive. There's a whole YouTube channel devoted to them, so you can have Japanese commercial marathons. Here's the link: http://m.youtube.com/channel/UCuTNcnGVHRlEJ7uq-X8mfTQ

5. My favorite TV shows are Downton Abby and The Simpsons.

6. When I grow up, I want to be a writer or an anthropologist. Someday, I want to write for National Geographic.

7. I'm a big nerd. Actually, you probably already knew that. 

8. I love crafty/DIY stuff, especially origami and collages. 

9. I am afraid of mushrooms. Google "Mycophobia". Yes, it's actually a thing. 

10. It's finally summer, and hopefully I'll have a lot of down time. That means a lot more posts are coming up soon!

Versatile Blogger Award

Hi, everybody. I have exciting news: I've been nominated for the versatile blogger award! The versatile blogger award, for anyone who doesn't know, is an award bloggers give and pass on to other bloggers. I was nominated by Chloe, who writes Rhinestone Moon (http://rhinestonemoon.blogspot.com/)

The Versatile Blogger Award is passed on from blogger to blogger, and helps bloggers gain recognition - so, I need to nominate other blogs I like and follow.

I nominate: 

A Writer's World - http://theweirdworder-awritersworld.blogspot.com/ 

This blog proves to those pretentious grown-ups of the world that YES, teenagers can think about meaningful topics. It's interesting and thoughtful.

As a Teen Writer - http://asateenwriter.blogspot.com/

This one really captures the feel of writing as a teen. Also, Karoline, who writes the blog, has started to serialise a novel she's written - which is super exciting and cool.

The Book Cewers - http://www.thebookchewers.com/2013/05/quote-of-week_26.html 

this is a super cool teen book blog. I just discovered it a few days ago, and I love it. I honestly don't mind if all of my followers ditch me in favor of The Book Chewers, It's that good. 

I wanted to nominate some of the fabulous bloggers I've found via rookie, but it was hard to find one that hadn't been nominated already!

(If I've nominated you, you don't need to do anything - just pass it on to your favorite blogs, and post a list of things your followers don't know about you! Also, if you have any objection to my nomination, comment and I'll remove your blog)

In Memoriam: All about E. L. Konigsburg

A few weeks ago, E. L. Konigsburg - my absolute favorite writer between the ages of 8 and 11 - died. Her books included From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place, and The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World, as well as View from Saturday. I loved her books. her characters were incredibly vivid, from feisty grand dames (ie, Mrs. Zender, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler) to my first fictional crush. She wrote about art, which made me, the daughter of two artists, feel smart. Her books were a huge part of my childhood. I haven't read one of in years, but I'll always remember and love them.
In honor of Mrs. Koningsburg's life, I'm making a booklist devoted to her books:
The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World

While I was working on this post, I took a break for a while to read the reviews of this book on goodreads, and I seriously wished I hadn't, because they depressed me. The reviewers, mostly grownups, had opinions about the book and it's intended age range. Apparently, 10-year-olds aren't supposed to care bout art. 10-year-olds aren't supposed read books that deal with the Holocaust or include the word bitch. I say, screw the grown-ups with grown-up opinions about what ten-year-olds should read. That's one of the best things about E. L. Konigsburg - she broke the standards of Kid Lit, but that only made them better. When I was a ten-year-old, I didn't care about what I was supposed to like or read. I read this book anyway, and I loved it.
The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place

A totally charming book about a girl  struggling to save the giant folk art sculpture her two uncles spent years making. I didn't let myself read the reviews on goodreads, so I can't rant against stupid grown-ups who have stupid opinions about this book.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler

The classic. You might have read this book for school. Anyway, if you don't already know, it's about Claudia and Jamie - brother and sister - who run away to live in the metropolitan museum of art. It's all about art, New York City, mysteries, and Konigsburg's signature feisty old lady - so how could it not be great? 

I loved this book so much. It's brilliant and funny - and to me, when I first read it, it was awe-inspiring. Reading and re-reading this book was a huge part of my childhood - I mean, I even carried it around just in case I suddenly, urgently needed to read it. I'm re-reading it now, and I still love it. It's just as charming as it always was. 

I'll miss you, E.L. Konigsburg. 

Book List!

          I'm very sorry I've taken so long with this post. I would tell you that I've been busy, but that's a pathetic excuse, and besides, "I've been lazy" would be more accurate. To make up for my laziness, I'm going to write a whole lot of mini-reviews on the books I've been reading lately.

Sphere, by Michael Crichton:

 I have to admit, I love science fiction. Michael Crichton, who wrote the original Jurassic Park novel, is terrific. Sphere is engrossing, creepy, and thought provoking: exactly what a good sci-fi novel should be. I love the premise, too - the military ships a group of scientists down to a research station in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where an unmanned spaceship encrusted with centuries of coral was discovered. It's not the spaceship itself they have to worry about, though, it's the mysterious and otherworldly sphere they find inside. 

   

Grendel by John Gardner and Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney:

Frankly, I expected Beowulf to be dry and incomprehensible (I had to read it for school), but Seamus Heaney's brilliant translation proved me wrong. It definitely wasn't an altogether easy read, but the poetry was so deliciously rich that I couldn't help but enjoy it. John Gardner's modern novel, Grendel, takes the monster antagonist of Beowulf  and digs into his thoughts. It's completely different from the original epic - it focuses on the psychology and emotion of the monster, whereas Beowulf only highlights heroism. 

The Diviners, by Libba Bray

I have a weak spot for all things 20's. Louise Brooks, art deco,  and those beautiful dresses... can anyone lend me a time machine?

The Diviners takes place in 1926, so when I saw it at the library, I had to get it. It's a dark and spooky book filled with serial killers, cults, magic, and flappers. I especially liked the characters - the author gives you plenty of details about each one, and allows you into their heads. The second book in the series should come out sometime next year.

Be forewarned, though, it's pretty hefty!