dwell in possibility

Well that was an interesting experience....Slaughterhouse Five was nothing like I expected it to be. Not only was the subject not what I expected, but the format was not what I expected and the style and tone were unexpected. 

So what was I expecting? A sci-fi adventure through time. 

What did I get? A sci-fi, historical fiction, anti-war statement that included time travel and possibly insanity....and lots of wimpy, yet thoughtful men. 

And I am still not quite sure what I thought about it. It was engaging and a perfect book for a long bus ride (when I read a majority of this book). And yet...it felt lacking. My mom had read it for school back when she was a girl and I expected it to be more like other books I had read for school....but with this one I had to sift and think through what I was reading in order to find the deeper, worth studying and reading, themes and ideas presented in this strange little book. 

And unfortunately, as I write this I have a headache and my thoughts are still scattered, but I wanted to write this up before I forgot and while everything was fresh in my mind. So I will go with the easy way again...

Things I liked:

1. The tone - while it surprised me at first, it is the kind of tone I like.

2. Writing style - Again, surprising, but I love it.

3. The story arc and time travel - I loved how mixed up everything was!

4. The characters - They were delightfully flawed.

Things I didn't like so much:

1. The first chapter - When I finished the book I understood why it was included, but at the time I just felt like it was out of place and confusing.

2. Expectations - I didn't like that I wasn't getting what I expected to get. It didn't ruin the book for me, but it was frustrating at first until I let the story be what it was.

3. The characters - Unfortunately their flaws also made them annoying at times...

Soundtrack: Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPo6v0KhBdw

Premise - 3/5 
Characters - 4/5 
Writing Style - 4/5 
Story – 3/5 
Realistic(the plot made sense) - 4/5 
Enjoyment – 4/5

Average Rating - 3.6
My Rating - 3
Cover – I have no opinion about this cover :P

Aren't bookstores beautiful? 

Filled to the brim with journeys into the imagination of others, just waiting to be discovered.Today I was visiting a friend in Harrisburg and we discovered the most amazing used and rare book store. It had a little cafe, music events, and an amazing mural on the wall. But most of all it had the most insane collection of books. And we just kept discovering more and more. It had everything! Art books, performing arts, classics, history books, philosophy, even a whole section devoted to books on linguistics. It was insane. Insane and beautiful. We spent most of our day exploring this incredible place, it was a magical experience, everywhere we look we found another doorway, another set of steps, another hall leading to a treasure trove of new books to marvel over. 

I wanted to buy so many. But I was able to narrow it down to two. Psychologie et Epistemologie by Piaget and a 1925 version of Letters of Travel by Rudyard Kipling. Simply two of my favorite book purchases! I just love old books and books in other languages!

reading

Food for thought...

I've been waiting what feels like forever to read Quintana of Charyn. The minute I finished Froi of the Exiles I was ready for its sequel. No. More than ready. Desperate. Well, perhaps not desperate. But I wanted to read it and I wanted to read it then. Instead I had to wait for it to come out, first in Australia and then finally in the US. Of course it came out while I was still in school so I had to wait even longer until I was home and could finally have it in my hands. And of course it came a few days after I had picked up a book from the library (Seraphina) so I had to finish that first and Quintana got pushed back a few more days....

So what that whole paragraph means is that when I finally was able to start reading it you would think I would be thrilled. And, being the smart person you are, you would be right. I was so excited I couldn't read it. It is the worst feeling ever. It has happened a number of times before (in fact it happened with Seraphina). I love a book so much and was so excited to read it that I just can't read more than a few pages before I get so excited and have to put it down. 

This normally happens until I get to about page...150 or 200. Until then I am in constant torment and agony, trying to read this book I love and desperate (yes, truly desperate this time) to find out what happens and to revisit beloved characters, but unable to continue for more than a few pages because of how truly excited I am. 

Right now I am almost to the point in Quintana that I will be able to just read through to the end. But not quite. Almost....I can't wait! And that is what I have to say about what I am reading now. It is so awesome I can't put it into words. I love every single page I read!

I suppose I should start out this review saying that this book was not what I expected. I avoided it for so long because I was "out of my dragon phase" or "it couldn't possibly live up to the hype it's just a dragon book" or "how different could it be from the many other dragon books I've read."

I'd just like it to be on record that I was wrong. Boy was I wrong. This book was fantastic, it did something entirely new with dragons and was engaging and completely lived up to the hype. And it made me love dragons again.

Because to be honest, I had grown disheartened with dragons. So many of the books I read that contained dragons were cheesy or silly or childish. This was the opposite. It took dragons and made them realistic in a way that was unique and innovative. It didn't try to make them contemporary or create a complete fantasy world. Instead, the dragons in Seraphina were formally grounded in the past, a fictional past in a false world, but the past. The author took the elements of medieval Europe and the many different peoples that resided within it and used this truth to create her fantasy. I have always thought the best fantasies were the ones that were grounded in truth. And Seraphina continues that strain of thought.

I just loved the world she created: the religion, the prejudices, the superstitions, the politics, the philosophy, the culture, the arts. Hartman didn't just create a place for her characters to reside in. She created a textured world within which they could thrive and come to life. I couldn't have been happier reading about Seraphina's music or the dragon's philosophy (not to mention the many other philosophers that were brought up as well as the many saints). It added legitimacy to the story. The characters (the good and bad and in between) didn't do things 'just because'; they had reasons and beliefs to back up their actions. Some believed firmly in ard and the dragon philosophy of the insanity of love, and when they spoke I was almost convinced. Likewise, others believed that dragons were evil and soulless and their lack of emotion was a revelation of that, and sometimes I even almost believed that. But most of the time I was torn, like Seraphina, between the two sides. And by the end of the book, as the Earl of Apsig so aptly put, "Nowhere is exclusively human; no side in this conflict is ours alone." He meant it in a much different way, but it rung true. No side was without good and bad, neither side was clear cut it was all mixed up.

So....where to go from here. There are so many things I want to say, but I have already gone on so much. So a list.

Things I loved:
1. Seraphina's garden.
2. Seraphina's character in general. (She was special without being "special")
3. Orma!!!! He is just a completely amazing character.
4. Basind....I couldn't help myself. He was so pathetically hopeless.
5. Kiggs. Duh. How can you not like him?
6. The religion. It was done very well and was incredibly intriguing.
7. Music!!!!
8. Lars and Abdo: they were entirely adorable and I couldn't help but love them both!
9. The complex relationships between....everyone essentially.

Things I didn't like so much:
1. The revelation (I felt it was a tad anti-climatic....not how she revealed it, but Kiggs and Selda's reaction was a bit...meh...fortunately it got better)
2. Sometimes Seraphina was annoying in a bad way (I don't care if a character acts in an annoying fashion if it makes sense and is part of the character, in fact I love it when I am annoyed by characters because I get annoyed by people a lot...but sometimes they can be annoying in a way that is detrimental rather than good)
3. The lack of a certain plot element that was revealed early on, but not mentioned again as a good reason for Seraphina to keep her secret...also not mentioned when it was revealed. I just hope it gets mentioned in the next book cause it is kinda important. (SPOILER: Umm...does anyone else remember that half breeds were supposed to be killed...according the Allsaints? I feel that would be important to remember...)

So I suppose that is it. I could go on more, but I have things to do, books to read, places to explore...

Soundtrack: Wood by Second Person (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILo1v6Y7IB4)

Premise - 2/5
Characters - 5/5
Writing Style - 5/5
Story – 4/5
Realistic(the plot made sense) - 4/5
Enjoyment – 5/5

Average Rating - 4.2
My Rating - 4
Cover – Fantastic cover. It goes perfectly with the story!

The only polite way to start anything at all is to write an introduction. This introduction will inform those present about who you are, what you are talking about, and why you are talking about it. Consider this my introduction, light and filled with little facts alongside of important remarks (I'll let you know when I say anything you may need to jot down to mull over in awe later). 

I am Hope. Isn't that dandy? And since a name defines a person...well it may not but I do tend to be very hopeful. I hope you all enjoy whatever I put on here and I hope I keep up with this because it seems rather interesting and most of all I hope to read far more than I have any way of reading. 

"What am I talking about?" You may ask, well I shall tell you. I have so many books on my shelf to read that it alternately thrills me and gives me despair....because I want to read them all RIGHT. NOW. Unfortunately I have not perfected my clone plan....so I am stuck wishing to read them all at once but having to read only one at a time. Alas. 

"So why come here and waste time that could be spent reading?" You would probably ask next. And that is a very good question. You must be very smart. Well my first answer is, because despite wanting to read all these books I have a terrible tendency to procrastinate and get distracted resulting in much wasted time spent doing things other than that which I desire to do. But that is a silly reason. The second answer is that I like to talk about books and what I read with others who like to do the same. I also like to spend my reading time wisely and avoid reading books I will not enjoy, so I examine reviews and explore books to make the best choices possible for reading (of course in the process I add at least twenty other books to my to read shelf). Also, in the same mindset of wanting to spend my time wisely and avoiding books I won't enjoy, when I do read a book that I do not like (or one that I love) I like to share that information with others so that they can more wisely choose a book that they will enjoy. 

So, that is the who, what, and why of me. I hope it was helpful and I will work on posting some awesome stuff pronto. 

Currently Reading: Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta

Currently Listening To: Headlock by Imogen Heap