Countdown to the final book of the Hunger Games!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "Means a little bit more."

I'm going to take a break from the challenge today, because there's been something on my mind.
Yesterday, at work, I was washing some guy's ratty Santa wig and beard, and I thought to myself, "Gee this sure takes the magic right out of Christmas doesn't it?" And I thought about how much I genuinely hate the song, "Last Christmas" because it's so selfish and then I remembered how a few years ago, one of my friends from high school was saying that Christmas didn't excite him anymore. That it didn't really mean anything.

And I had to admit that this year, at least, I wasn't really feeling it either. At first, I blamed it on spending the first week of December in Florida (which was awesome by the way). As I thought of how I would have to stay a few extra days in Provo without my roommates so I could perform with the choir I'm in at the Institute at UVU, I dreaded it. I just wanted to be home with my family so it could feel like Christmas.

I went to the dress rehearsal of Lex de Azevedo's "Gloria" at the Provo Tabernacle on Thursday night, and it was so beautiful in there. I thought to myself, "Wow, this is Christmas. This is it. When we perform in here tomorrow, I'll really feel the Christmas spirit because it looks just like I think Christmas should look."

When I woke up the next morning to a text saying that the Provo Tabernacle had caught on fire, at first I thought it was a really stupid joke. Then as it became apparent that it had in fact happened, a mixture of feelings came to me. I shamefully admit that I felt some relief to think we weren't going to sing "Gloria" anymore. I felt sadness that something so beautiful could be destroyed in one night. I couldn't believe that the one place I thought I was finally going to feel the Christmas spirit was gone. I just wanted to go to Colorado and sit by the fire and Christmas tree in my family's house, in my own house where I've spent most of the Christmases of my life.

Word came that we were going to sing "Gloria" in a different venue and give people the option of donating to help people who lost things in the fire. I didn't really want to do it, but I've had a really good experience with this choir and I had agreed to spend my time rehearsing and performing with them. So I wasn't going to back out.

The Alpine Tabernacle is pretty enough, but it is nowhere near as stunning in my opinion as the Provo Tabernacle was. And there were no beautiful decorations, no cool lighting. Just the choir and the instruments and the audience.

As Lex de Azevedo addressed the audience and shared his feelings about what had occurred, he pointed out that although he felt sad that it was all gone, the fire could never destroy the music. That when all the flashy and fancy packaging was stripped away, the fire couldn't take what we had in our hearts. I'm not even totally sure that's exactly what he said, but that's what I heard.

Suddenly, as silly as it may sound, the words of Dr. Seuss came to mind from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." In the end, when the Whos join hands and sing, despite having their Christmas "stolen" from them, the Grinch realizes something:

"'It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!'

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.

'Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas,' he thought, 'Means a little bit more.'"

Christmas isn't in the beautifully decorated trees or the holly or mistletoe. It's not in Santa wigs and beards. It's not in the hot chocolate and warm fire during a blizzard. It's not in the bells or department stores.

Christmas is the love we show our neighbors in remembrance of Him who loves us more than we can possibly imagine. It's in good friends who come to your choir concert and keep you company when otherwise you knew you'd be sitting at home all alone. It's in cheering up those lonely hearts of God's children, and reminding them that two thousand years ago a Child was born in a simple stable among the animals, a Child who would one day give His life for each and every one of us. Christmas is the Love of our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ. And no material thing could ever take the place of that.

I love Christmas.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Rascal Flatts - I'm Movin' On



Yeah, someday I'll figure out how to work this thing....

Day 10-Songs you listen to when you're bored, happy, sad, mad, hyped

Oh man, so it's been a while. Really, the reason why I haven't been so strict with the 30 day challenge is because my sister-in-law has been just as bad. Yep, I'm using her as an excuse.

Also, I've had to think about this one. Which is weird. It should come that easy because I am constantly listening to music. I'm one of those people when someone gets up in church and says that we should try to turn off our ipods and radios who nervously looks away ha ha.
I just love music so much! I love to listen, and even more, I love to sing it!

When I'm bored, I listen to a lot of different music. It's like I have this choice when I'm bored. I can either eat or listen to music, but either will defeat my boredom. I really listen to anything from Elton John to Broadway musicals to The Rocket Summer to Lady Antebellum. If it's got a good melody and good lyrics, I don't care what genre it's in, I'll listen. And belt it out if I'm alone. Just check out my playlist at the bottom of the page. I listen to that at work.

The songs I listen to when I'm happy depend on what's made me happy. Because honestly, it could be something like "If It's Love" by Train, or it could be something like "The Spirit of God." So...could be a temporal happy or a spiritual happy. I mean, I guess either way is good, one's just more lasting. ;)

The Fray, Dashboard Confessional and Taylor Swift win points for the most sad songs I listen to. Although "I'm Moving On" by Rascal Flatts is the all-time best song when I'm sad. Because it helps me get through the sad part and onto the "moving on" part. Another song that gets me every time I'm sad is called "Sometimes He Lets It Rain." I'm not sure who sings it, but it's on my girl's camp CD.


When I'm mad, I'm all about Pink and Kelly Clarkson. They just have so many good girl-power songs. If I'm listening to one of their angry songs, don't mess with me.

When I'm hyped, I have to say I love those terrible songs by Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry. Like, if I'm gonna have a night out with the girls, you can bet those songs will be blaring. "Hot and dangerous, if you're one of us then roll with us, 'cause we make the hipsters fall in love when we've got our hot pants on and up."

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Day 9-Something You're Proud of in the Past Few Days

I edited this. I love making things with my hands and being creative.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Day 8-Short Term Goals for the Month

I am absolutely terrible at making goals and planning things out. In fact, I always have to do things in little increments if I want to get anything done at all.

That being said, the only goals I've made so far this month are:

-Getting registered for classes and applying for financial aid for next semester before Wednesday

-Depositing my check tomorrow so I can pay rent on Wednesday

-Aaaaaaaand knowing all the songs in choir before I have to perform them ha ha ha. Probably a good goal right?


Yep. Look at me go.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Day 7-Biggest Impact

When I think about what's made the biggest impact on my life, I can't think of just one thing. So I picked three.

First, there's my family. I love all of these people more than life itself. They are my best friends, and it's their love and their examples that inspire me daily. I can't even express how very very grateful I am to know each and every single one of them and how much joy it brings me to think that I can be with them forever. I'm seriously so blessed.



I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I love it. Nothing shapes my decisions more than knowing that I am a child of God and that He loves me. Looking at life through the Gospel lens shows me a more beautiful world and life than I could ever imagine on my own. I know I would be a different, and much less happy person without the Gospel in my life.
Also, this is a picture of the Manti Temple, which is special in and of itself to me. This is the closest temple to Snow College. My experience at Snow is not something I would ever trade. I learned so much there, and that has nothing to do with the amount of college credits I earned. There will always be a soft spot in my heart for Ephraim and the people I met there.


Last, anyone who's known me well for about the last 5 years knows how much this guy here has affected me. I'm not sure why, he's still one of the weirdest people I know. But he is also one of the most beautiful souls I've ever met. We're not as close as we used to be, but I still refer to him as my best friend when I'm telling people about him. He changed my life when I was in high school because for the first time I felt like I could be myself, and that I was a person worth loving. Life will take us both down different paths, but I'll never forget the kindness he showed me, and I will always be praying for his happiness. Because he deserves it.





Saturday, November 13, 2010

Day 6-Favorite Superhero and Why

So, maybe I'm not blogging every day. Kinda like how I decided I would journal every single day this year. Oh man, not happening...




My favorite superhero is Batman. Of course, technically, he's not even "super" hero since he doesn't have any out-of-the ordinary powers--just a lot of money to buy some really sweet high-tech gadgets.

Anyway, at first, the real reason why Batman is my favorite superhero is just that he's plain cool. I mean, seriously, the guy wears a batsuit and swings between buildings every night, taking out bad guys. Really, he kicks as much butt as Superman and he's just a normal human being--well, one trained by ninjas with awesome technology, but still. Bruce Wayne may seem like a wealthy, bitter recluse by day, but at night, he's making life better for the city of Gotham. He has a dark past, but he uses that as his inspiration to make the world better.

I just remember watching Batman on Saturday mornings as a kid, even though I thought it was a boy thing, I still watched it, mostly because my older brother thought it was cool, and if Clayton thought something was cool, then it definitely was. I think that's still true. And now there's no doubt that when it comes to superhero movies, the absolute best one that's ever been made is The Dark Knight. No contest. The writing, the cinematography, the music, the acting (Heath Ledger made himself a legend as The Joker), and let's face it, Christian Bale is a hottie.

I have such a hard time ending these. Years of English classes tell me I should sum this all up and conclude it, but everything I write sounds like a lame conclusion for an English class. Stupid English classes. Why did I never learn to write a cool conclusion?

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Day 5-A picture of a place you've been

This isn't a picture from our trip to DisneyWorld when I was 11, seeing how those pictures were taken pre-digital age, but I have been here and.......We're going there again in December!!! And I'm stoked beyond reason.

Ahh!!! DisneyWorld!!!!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Day 4-A Habit I Wish I Didn't Have

There are a lot of habits I wish I didn't have. But one in particular kind of messes with my life a lot, unfortunately. And that is that I am late everywhere to everything. I just have no concept of time, I guess, because I always think I have more time to get places than I do. This morning, for instance, I was meeting with an admissions counselor at BYU, and I had already decided I would work out first, then shower, then get ready to go. I've been out of cereal for the past week or so, so I didn't have to figure breakfast into my plan (which I hate), but even though I woke up just after 8 and my appointment wasn't until 10, I was still booking it in the frigid air with wet hair to BYU today. It was ridiculous. And I was really hoping to make a good impression.
The worst is when you show up late to church, and the bishop stands up at the podium and says how irreverent it is to show up late, and how that means you have no respect, and you know everyone's eyes are on you...and...yeah, it's no good.
I think, psychologically, this stems from the fact that I feel really awkward when I show up early to things, because I just don't know what to do with myself, sometimes. I mean, in some cases, I could socialize...but who really wants to do that, right? So, I end up trying to show up on time, right on the dot, and that never works out.

Maybe I should branch out and try to be social sometime, and then I'd always want to be early. Maybe.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Day 3-A little late...

So I know it says ONE picture, but I wanted to post a little more. First of all, my very best friends are members of my family, and since there's another post I'm supposed to make later that's another picture of me and my friends, I'm just gonna do friends right now. Of course, some family is still gonna show up... :)


This is a picture of Jessica Hagemeister, Landon Newton and I before we all left home. At this time, these two were my best friends. And whatever has happened between all of us since, I still have a lot of respect for the both of them. Jessica is on her mission in Croatia (which is so awesome), and Landon is at home working so he can go on his mission. I love him dearly. And he knows it ha ha.

These super awesome people are the people I went to San Diego with my freshman year at Snow College. In order, we have Michelle, Jesse, Steve, me, Jon, Angie, Trever, David, and Rachel. Steve, Jon, and David lived underneath me, and that always made me feel safe for some reason, knowing that they were there. They were just that awesome. Jon was one of my best friends, he's a real cool guy. And Jesse has really good taste in music and is one of the most upbeat people I know.

This is me with Kyle and Angie. Where do I even begin with these two? Angie is like the best thing that ever happened to me. She was my roommate at Snow, and I'm sure I would not have had half the good times at Snow that I had if she hadn't been there. We used to stay up super late talking, hang out with the boys, practice for our dance classes--one time we decided to learn some of the dances from Saturday's Warrior. She is happily married these days. Oh man, I miss that girl.

And then there's Kyle. I have so much respect for this guy. No matter what, I always know that if I talk to Kyle, he's gonna make me feel better about my life, because he's always so positive. And he's so fun, and I feel like I can just talk to him about anything. And most of all, he's such a good friend, not just to me, but to his other friends. Such a legit guy.

This was at my sister-in-law Malae's bachelorette party. In order, that's me, Malae, Shyanne (Malae's best friend), Jessica, Rachel, and Alexa. Words cannot describe how much I love Malae and how glad I am that she married my brother. Jessica is my cousin and was my roommate, and she's getting married pretty soon, which will be awesome. Rachel is my sister and I live with her and Alexa. I'm so glad that I'm living with those two girls, because it's basically a party all the time. I'm so grateful for the kind of friend that Alexa is to Rachel--she's the best.

Last, these are the people I've been hanging out with lately. That's me, Marcus, Michael, and Rachel. Marcus is so sweet and funny, and while Michael and I totally butt heads, I'm glad he's dating my sister because he's a really good guy, and he's tons of fun. Even when we're arguing he's kind of fun to argue with. My family is definitely gonna love him when he meets them this weekend.





Thursday, November 4, 2010

Day 2-Blog Name

Ok, so I'm gonna make this one quick. But yeah, my blog is called Reading is Love because I love to read, and it makes me happy, and love makes me happy and so....yeah. I just wanted to write about books I read because I love to analyze them.

Yep. That's it.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Thirty Day Challenge: Day 1

So my lovely sister-in-law started this on her blog and I thought it would be fun. So, here goes.





Day 1-Recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself.


Day 2-The meaning behind your blog name


Day 3-A picture of you and your friends


Day 4-A habit that you wish you didn't have


Day 5-A picture of somewhere you've been to


Day 6-Favorite super hero and why


Day 7-A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you


Day 8-Short term goals for this month and when you'll accomplish them


Day 9-Something you're proud of in the past few days


Day 10-Songs you listen to when you're bored, happy, sad, mad, hyped


Day 11-Another picture of you and your friends


Day 12-How you found out about blogger and why you have one


Day 13-A letter to someone who has hurt you recently


Day 14-A picture of you and your family


Day 15-Put your ipod or shuffle on-first 10 songs that play


Day 16-Another picture of yourself


Day 17-Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why


Day 18-Plans/dreams/goals you have


Day 19-Nicknames you have and why you have them


Day 20-Someone you see yourself marrying or being with in the future


Day 21-A picture of something that makes you happy


Day 22-What makes you different from everyone else


Day 23-Something you crave for a lot


Day 24-A letter to your parents


Day 25-What I would find in your bag


Day 26-What do you think about your friends


Day 27-Why you are doing this 30 day challenge


Day 28-A picture of you from last year and now how have you changed?


Day 29-In this past month, what have you learned?


Day 30-Your favorite song



So, I know, this is cheesy, but this is the newest thing in my life. His name is Marcus and he's pretty much the most adorable man ever.

Fifteen interesting things about me:

1. I had an extra tooth when I was a kid. It was just a baby tooth and when I lost it, there wasn't a new one in its place. Weird, right?

2. Sometimes, I'm sure I have insomnia because I just cannot fall asleep at night, even when I was younger. My mind is always racing.

3. I have always wanted to travel to London. I'm going to someday. For real.

4. I love to dress up in costumes. Which is why my job at Taylor Maid is perfect for me, because I get to dress up all the time, and not only that, but my costumes are actually legit. I will look for any excuse at all to wear a costume. I don't really know why, it's just really fun to me.

5. I have had 28 different roommates since I moved out of my house. And I can list all their names. Notice how many Amy/Aimees there have been: Angie, Makale, Terra, Jessica, Rachel D, Lauren, Nikki, Amy F, Judith, Destini, Amy, Laramie, Melissa, Aimee, Kendra, Nashelle, Winona, Makayla, Tiffany, Julie, Amy G, Lalitha, Rachelle, Caitlin, Cosette, Kira, Alexa, and my sister Rachel. Just think: that many girls have dealt with my messy tendencies. Well, I take that back because I was a clean freak when I lived with Judith, Destini and Amy.

6. I clean when I'm feeling really anxious and need something productive to do with my hands that doesn't take much thinking. Otherwise, I just don't bother ha ha. Hence why I cleaned so much when I lived in Creekside, because that was just not a good time of my life.

7. I really liked doing theatre when I was younger. I'd like to do more of it, but I don't really have that many opportunities right now. Shows I have done (onstage and backstage) are: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Schoolhouse Rock, Once on This Island, Les Miserables, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Honk!, Guys and Dolls, Seussical, Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, Into the Night, Pickle Chiffon Pie, Grease, A Lie of the Mind, and Aladdin. I also wrote two One-Acts and directed one of them. I miss theatre.

8. My favorite animal is a kangaroo.

9. I love Harry Potter. Really I do. It's weird, I know, but I really appreciate a well-structured story that is not only a good story, but can teach you good values. And I love finding themes in those stories, which is kind of what this blog is supposed to be about, if I wasn't such a slacker.

10. I am ridiculously attracted to men with Peter Pan complexes. Probably because I have one too deep down, and I love it when they bring that out in me.

11. I have never broken a bone. Knock on wood.

12. I miss people a lot when they're not in my life anymore. I just get really, really super attached. I blame my parents for being so loving all the time. Even if things didn't end well, I still miss them. Like my two best friends from middle school/high school, Kelsey and Tristan. I'm pretty sure they have no idea that I miss them or that they even still cross my mind.

13. I am a crier. I really cry a lot. Like it's weird for me to get through a whole week without crying at least once, and depending on what's going on in my life, sometimes it's weird to get through a whole day. It's not always because I'm sad, I cry a lot when I'm happy or I see something beautiful. Just whenever I'm filled with a lot of emotion, it all spills out.

14. I love singing! Singing feels as good to me as kissing--which feels really good, or crying--which also, surprising or not, feels really good. It's the same kind of release I feel like. I love it. I love it so much. There will be singing in my house when I get married and have children. It will be music all the time!

15. I hope to be a writer someday. It may even be someday soon. ;) We'll see.

Ok, it's past midnight, but this post is for November 3rd. I will blog again tomorrow. It'll be a great time.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Just For Tonight

It's not like it's the end of the world
Although I feel that weight in my heart
All over again

But I know that Life has a funny way of working out
And I trust his judgement
If anyone deserves a happy ending, it's him

I have been inspired to be a better person because of him

I refuse to live in the past
I refuse to let old dreams drag me down
I know someday I'll find just what it is that I need.

But tonight, I need to be sad.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

The Death of Music

So I know this post has nothing to do with reading, but I just went on a major rant this morning and decided that my opinion was worth sharing, so here it is:

I think that Brad Paisley killed music. Like seriously, his music is SO BAD that it makes me wanna stop listening forever. If I have to hear that STUPID Tick song one more time--or even worse--that STUPID song called The World, I think I may just vomit. I mean none of his songs have any value whatsoever. I have no problem with songs that are light-hearted or funny, but his songs are so corny--I mean I guess if you're a redneck and you have no higher level of thinking then maybe you might enjoy them.

I love just about any kind of music, but Brad Paisley makes me wanna barf blood.

I'll get back to the space travel thing, really. But I decided that since it's gonna be a part of my next book, I'm gonna go to the library and do some real research on it. It'll be awesome.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Turning

Like a shattered glass Christmas ornament
It still shimmers
All broken on the ground.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

To Infinity And Beyond!

I just watched a documentary on the History Channel about light speed, and it blew my mind, basically. And it reminded me of two books I've read, and also reminded me just how ridiculously cool science fiction is. Not to mention, I've just started to plot out a new science fiction book of my own.
Anyway, the most interesting part about the documentary was the possiblities it presented for space travel. Really, it said that the amount of energy required to move at the speed of light is infinite, so therefore, it would be impossible to move that fast, although scientists have been able to send particles close to that speed. And, according to Einstein, it's impossible to move any faster than light speed, as put forth by his theory of relativity. Now, I'm not going to pretend like I understand even the slightest bit of the theory of relativity at all...I'm a very curious person, but I always feel like scientists take the excitement out of discovery by giving things these long, boring names (like one of the galaxies they talked about didn't even have a name, just a combination of letters and numbers) and attaching all these weird numbers and equations to them. Now I'm rambling. The point though, is that light bends around objects and space and time are "stretchy", and furthermore, if a person traveling at lightspeed were to run in circles around a person who is in normal human time, the person in the middle would age much faster than the person in lightspeed. Which is exactly what the scientist who got sent to planet Treason in the book "Treason" by Orson Scott Card must have figured out, because all of his descendents were able to control their own personal times to speed up or slow down according to their own will power, so could make a moment last for years or spend many years in one moment. Although, I think that the fast moving people aged faster in the book, because they were spending their own personal allotted time. I'm not sure how that worked exactly. But, I can say that "Treason" is a surprisingly good read, if you can get past the weirdness of the main character and how his body starts growing extra parts. Which, I'm still reading the book on characterization that I mentioned in my last post, but Card did mention in the section that talked about how main characters are often the reflection of the author, that he wrote a book and one of his friends that read it commented: "Wow, you must really hate your body." And he said that it was true that he did have a negative view on his own body which translated into, I think, this story about a boy who can't control the fact that his genes have hardwired him into becoming a many-limbed monster, hated by his father, the king. It's a pretty good story, even though I've just realized that apparently the time idea works just the opposite of the way it really would in real life. But that's fiction for you!

Alright, I've got more to say on this lightspeed topic, but I want a break in this post, otherwise, it'll be too long. In Part II, however, I'm going to talk about one of my all-time favorites, "A Wrinkle in Time," which also has a lot to do with space travel.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Freely Giving Your Best Gifts

"Our objective as storytellers and writers isn't to make money--there are faster and easier ways of doing that. Our objective is to change people by putting our stories in their memory; to make the world better by bringing other people face to face with reality, or giving them a vision of hope, or whatever other form our truthtelling might take. You want the widest possible audience to receive this message; when you use your best skills to open up your story to other readers, you aren't 'pandering to the masses,' you're freely giving your best gifts." --Orson Scott Card

People keep asking me: "Why would you go to Virginia for school?" See, the guy that wrote that quote teaches there.

I really do believe in writing and stories and that it can change people. It can be something as simple as just changing someone's mood. I know that if I'm in a bad mood, sometimes all I really need is a good scifi book, and it'll change my whole outlook on the day because let's face it, life never gets as bad in real life as it does in scifi novels. It can even be as grand as reading parables in the scriptures--something that can change your life. A story doesn't have to have really happened to be true. Fiction is a mirror through which we can examine real life. It's a glimpse into someone else's perception, which helps us to forget ourselves for a moment, and in doing so, find ourselves.

The quote at the beginning of this post comes from a book I'm reading by Orson Scott Card called Characters and Viewpoint. Normally, I don't really like How-to writing books, because I feel like everyone has a story and can tell a story, and I don't like being told how I should say something that's in my own heart. So it was really a combination of me not being ready to move onto another book after finishing Catching Fire, because I'm still not over it (is anyone really surprised about the lack of boyfriends in my life?), and still needing something to read. But I am actually finding this book really insightful. I'm not sure that's what you're supposed to get out of a how-to book.

One of the things Card brings up, and I've often had the same thought, that we are, in effect, telling our own story through what we write. And it's true that in the novel I've written, I see more of me in the main character than I had intended, which is scary because she's so rash and immature and melodramatic. What can I say? If I were to list some of my bad qualities, those would make it to the top ten. Also, I used to read up on Harry Potter a lot, and therefore I've also read a lot about JK Rowling and her thoughts on the books. It may surprise some people to discover that a lot of Harry Potter is actually about religion, especially the last book. She said that she had a lot of confusion about religion and had done a lot of soul searching. In the end, there are at least two direct quotes from the Bible in the final book ("for where your treasure is, there will be your heart also," "death shall be the last enemy that is conquered"), and ultimately, the whole series is about gaining that complete and unconditional love for people that leads you to be willing to lay down your very life for them. I think it's interesting that for someone who felt like she needed religion, the Harry Potter books are what resulted.

There are so many other amazing examples of fantastic books, and I think it helps people like me to process life when I read or when I write. It certainly does a lot to calm my nerves and soothe my frustrations.

There's so much that can be done through writing, and I love that because that's exactly what I want to do.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Twilight

Sorry about the double poetry posting. Couldn't help it. I wrote some more poems, but I don't know if I want to post them just yet. Not that it matters, because I have like 3 followers, but someday, this blog will be more awesome.

Anyway, back to the job at hand, and why I decided to make this blog. Basically, I love reading because it makes you think, you know, besides all the other awesome benefits of an escape and all that. But it really makes me think about life. Which is why Twilight makes the list of books I will discuss.

Now, at first, I didn't want to read it, because it had been my experience in middle school, whenever I was looking for a new book to read (this is when I discovered Madeline L'Engle), if ever I picked up a vampire story, it was completely saturated in sexual overtones with lots of things my little 12-year-old mind didn't comprehend. But I never actually read any beyond the summary or the little tag lines, because even they were dirty. So I started hearing about this Twilight book when I moved up to Snow College, and there was this girl in my ward who was reading it, and then I heard that the author, Stephanie Meyer, was LDS. And then my roommates read them and really liked them, so I thought, hey, what the heck, right?

The first book...well, let's just say that I'm not a mushy romance kind of person. And at least 80% of the book is spent detailing Edward's perfect features. Bleh. It's not that I didn't imagine a very attractive man in my mind, which is fine, I mean, I like attractive men, but that was it. He was just good-looking, and had this weird chemical attraction to the main character.

The following two books were much better. Partly because in the second book, Jacob actually had a personality, unlike Edward (hence why I was always a Jacob fan), and then also because Stephanie Meyer upped the action--which I love. I mean really, if I'm reading a story about werewolves and vampires, there better darn well be some sweet action scenes. I love a good romance, but only if it's more like an accessory to the overall outfit of action and adventure.

Anyway, mostly I wanted to focus on the Edward phenomenon. Why are so many girls attracted to him? He is the world's most boring character--you know, except for the part when he's super creepy and watches Bella sleep. The protectiveness he feels for Bella is attractive, I'll give him that, but seriously, that's it. And I hate that everyone idealizes him as "the perfect man." Because there is no universal "perfect man." There's the man that's best for you, but your perfect man should in no way align with my perfect man.

Perfection is boring to me. I mean, if the person you met was already perfect, then how could you learn and grow together? After all, "love is what you go through together."

I was talking to my really good friend the other day, and he said that if you don't think someone has faults, then you don't know them well enough. The trick is, once you learn what their faults are, you love them anyway. And he's a really good example of that. I really never approved of the romance between him and his girl, but since he told me that, I just couldn't help but feel happy for them. That is beautiful.

Everyone has faults, so Edward is completely unrealistic and flat as a character. And why would you ever want to fall in love with someone like that? True love is knowing that someone is imperfect, but loving them anyway.

And that, my friends, is why Twilight is not better than Harry Potter. Ha ha.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

sunbreak

Dappled sunlight streams through
Layered stories of green
That's us and how we are
And what we'll never be
There's always hope that the spring will
Overtake this chill in the air
As I watched the rain gently disrupt the puddles
I realized how beautiful it was to me
Everlasting ripples in such a small pool
Sometimes we like to hear ourselves talk
But me, I'd rather just hear you talk
Because your voice is comfortable like sleeping
And your laugh is like a clear blue day
But I'm still in a rainstorm on my balcony
Just dreaming again
I wonder if it'll ever stop raining
Will the puddles turn to dark, raging oceans
That sweep me away?
Taking me to foreign lands
Where the air is always hazy
Choking memories of the sun

Sunday, May 16, 2010

In.More.Color or To Whom It May Concern

You treat life like a distant.lover
In a constant state of love.unrequited
Teal.compassion leaks from your star.streaming.eyes
You can feel the pull of the world on your tender.heart
Tearing with claws of cold.steel basically.black.and.white
Yet you can see the hurt of the monster
Deep in bubbling.earth's.crust
Seeing your downfall is like watching a gentle.angel
Tragically.beautiful
Glowing.innocence fading into dark.pathways
You were always dark.somehow
Your brilliance is not easily observed
Not with the shifty eyes of heartless.judges
Throwing your soul in with the.eyeless
Never knowing that you only see the world
In.more.color

Thursday, April 29, 2010

so so so hungry

Well, folks. I finished the Hunger Games today. About half an hour ago in fact. And I can't even believe how amazing it was. At first, I had a hard time reading it because it is a YA novel and I had just finished another amazing novel called The Name of the Wind, and the writing in HG is way less complex, and I've never been a fan of first person (although that's the way Ella Enchanted is written), or present tense. But, it still hooked me.
From the very beginning it had a very Ender's Game and Lord of the Flies feel to it, except in this case, it was from the point of view of a girl, which seems to be an uncommon occurrence in SciFi books. Yet, it's just so unexpected how it works out. I'm dying to get my hands on Catching Fire now.
I was sitting alone in my living room just now, eating it all up, and shouting for joy at the good parts and cringing at the bad parts. And nervous, still nervous to see what happens in the next book. I can't say too much about it without revealing the plot--which at one point I decided was completely predictable, and then it totally threw me for a loop.

I just want to recommend this book to anyone who wants to read an awesome book. But really. It's fantastic-o!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Ella

It seems fitting that I would start with Ella Enchanted. This was the book that started the reading fire in my life. It's complete with everything you'd ever want in a book: adventure, romance, humor, and a headstrong main character. I was in fifth grade when I read it for the first time. I think it was a Christmas present from my Mom (I love it when she gives me books for Christmas). I distinctly remember sitting in that classroom that reeked of ferret stench, during quiet reading time, and laughing out loud, and then looking around to see if anyone had heard me. It was kind of embarrassing, but not as bad as that time during quiet reading time when I overheard some girls talking about how ugly my shoes were. It was a rough time.


Anyway, back to Ella. I know I said I don't want to summarize too much, but I think it's obvious just from the title that this is a Cinderella story. That being said, I've read it several times since, and it always strikes me just how lovable Ella is and how despicable her wicked stepfamily is. So you're just rooting for Ella to overcome it all in the end. And let's not forget Char. I hate it when people suggest that I just haven't met my "Prince Charming" yet, because then I just get this image of an Edward-like man who's every bit as dull as Edward Cullen and whose only redeeming quality is his clean-cut good looks. Yuck. But I'll talk about Twilight another time. The point I'm trying to make is that if Prince Charming was more like Char from Ella Enchanted, then he'd actually be a guy I'd like to meet. He sees in Ella what the readers see, her determination, her wittiness, and even her silliness, and he loves her for it. Oh man, I love it. I recommend this book...mostly just to females though.


I also met Gail Carson Levine, the author, one time. When I was at Snow College, some friends and I just happened to in Provo at the time of the Life, the Universe, and Everything Conference, and I went up to BYU, hoping to see her when she gave her keynote address. But I had to run to the bathroom right before I sat down. There was this short little lady with gray hair washing her hands when I came in, and then two ladies walked past me and whispered, "That's her! That's Gail Carson Levine!" So, I pretended I had to wash my hands too and glanced at her name tag. Sure enough, it was her. I said, "You're Gail Carson Levine?" and she said, "Yes I am," and I said "Oh, I love Ella Enchanted! It's my favorite book!" and she said "Thank you," and left.


Now I realize she probably felt awkward about running into a fan in the bathroom...but I can still say now that I met her!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Dear Future Readers

I've been wanting to start my own blog for a while now, but I couldn't think of anything I wanted to say. Until today. I finally, finally, bought my own copy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins--don't worry, I'm on chapter 3. Then I started thinking about all the fantastic books I've read in my life, and I decided that I wanted to recommend my all-time favorite books. So, my plan is that I'll feature one book a week, and I'll talk about what I liked about the book, without summarizing too much or posting any spoilers.

What can I say? I love reading.