According to True/Slant, President Obama is not the only writer in his family. Obama's half-brother Mark Ndesandjo just released a semi-autobiographical novel including an abusive parent based on Barack Obama Sr. -- the same parent from the president's memoir, "Dreams from My Father."
Here's a link to an article about Ndesandjo's novel, Nairobi to Shenzhen.
- Stefan
Move over, Amazon Kindle, and say hello to the Barnes & Noble Nook.
The latter E-reader has arrived in recent news to steal the spotlight due to its surpassing capabilities. Not only is the Nook equipped with integrated Wi-Fi technology, but moreover, Nook owners can lend books to other readers who have the Barnes & Noble E-reader software on their smart phones.
Here's a link to an Information Week article explaining this topic in fuller detail.
--Stefan
When you were growing up, did you ever read Where the Wild Things Are? Well, if you haven't heard, Hollywood is adapting it into a film version, just like Jumanji, The Cat in the Hat, or How the Grinch Stole Christmas. However, how do they turn a short picture book into a feature-length film? Check out this MSNBC link -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33312261/ns/entertainment-movies/ ---- for an interesting article.
-Stefan
Read some German poetry, it's good for you.
Translation is difficult, an art form, really. There can be good and bad translations, but what happens when you encounter a writer whose work purportedly cannot be expressed in another language?
This is the case with famous German poet Rainer Maria Rilke. Lord knows there are many bad translations of his poetry, so it's with great pleasure that I stumbled across this article.
It turns out Edward Snow, one of the better Rilke translators, has produced a definitive volume of his work.
This is fortunate, because the English-speaking world has been privy to bad translations, incomplete ones, etc. Plus, you can't beat the no-nonsense title: "The Poetry of Rilke." This isn't a collection of favorites. This is the whole shebang, surveying all of his most important later works (the best ones, mind you).
Of course, you could label a lot of poets as untranslatable. Snow comes pretty close, though, and you've got to give credit where it's due.
--Ricky
Amazon has recently decided to lower the price of the Kindle, perhaps to make it more available for early holiday bargain-hunters. However, I question whether the Kindle (or the Sony Reader, for that matter) is actually a good thing. The process of reading a physical book may seem old-fashioned, but it provides more of an aesthetic experience than looking at a screen. Despite the technological drawbacks -- it has been proven that books can download 0% of online material -- good old books still constitute the right choice in my eyes.
Here's a link to a Baltimore Sun article about the price change.
--Stefan
It seems nothing in the world is safe from digitization, not even something so sacred as children's books.
Disney recently announced that it's launching a new Web site chock full of interactive storybooks. Rather than turn the pages of concrete, hardcover objects, kids will soon be able to enjoy their favorite stories online.
This new practice can encourage more kids to pick up reading, which is great. The activity's not so hot anymore, given all the TV and video games they can get their hands on.
At the same time, it feels as if the old world of bedtime stories is rapidly vanishing.
Sure, these digital books aren't meant to replace the time parents spend reading with their children. But before long, children might prefer to read their books online, or maybe parents will omit the story time part of their nightly routine because, well, Junior already spent a few minutes on the magical Disney Web site earlier in the day.
No matter what, the future is coming, but even so, nothing equates to having a real book in your hands. Let's just hope parents don't forget that.
--Ricky
Not every trek to your local bookstore needs to be about finding the perfect novel; reading non-fiction can be ameliorative in our daily lives (it's not just for class!).
Rather than escaping into a fictional world, try escaping into a different facet of your actual world. You could learn about endangered animal species, cultural history, or even a memoir if you prefer a personal narrative.
Check out this link for some new non-fiction titles. Libraries are also a good resource if you don't want to spend $25 or more towards a book.
So, don't forget about non-fiction -- with your acquired knowledge, at least you'll be able to impress you friends!
--Stefan
The world has always had its legendary rivalries: Rock and roll versus pop, dogs versus cats, Batman versus the Joker, and yes, Harry Potter versus Twilight.
Not to inflame the fanboys -- and girls -- but Bluewater Comics is releasing issues about the famous women behind the two series for its biographical Female Force series. And who will win in this infamous duel between wizards and vampires?
By all rights, Harry Potter and Twilight shouldn't even be compared. Their target audiences are different. Their themes are different. One is about feuding magical people, the other about asexual mythical creatures.
But debating them endlessly is so much fun. Fan bases will be up in arms. A few weeks after both issues are released, perhaps the world will finally have an answer to the age-old feud.
--Ricky
Next week, it's okay to break the rules -- at least, insofar as literature is concerned.
From September 26-October 3, 2009, the American Library Association (ALA) will celebrate Banned Books Week, which aims to promote "intellectual freedom" and "availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints," according to the ALA website. To get into the spirit, here's a link to a top-10 list of some works that have been challenged over the years because of their included material.
Additionally, if you're interested in a more recent book, read The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky; it's a fantastic read and definitely worth your time.
--Stefan
Disney and Marvel don't seem compatible. The Jonas Brothers and Hulk shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence, let alone be found in comic books or even movies together.
So comic fans cried heresy when Disney bought Marvel for $4 billion, but is it really so bad?
While hilarious and disturbing fan-made mashups are sprouting all over the Internet (check these out:
Comic books have a lot to gain from this merger, mainly wider circulation and readership. Thing is, for this to happen, comic books need to depart from the superhero genre, which has happened in small ways, but not nearly enough.
There comes a point when every superhero becomes familiar, every superpower another gimmick. How many episodes of Star Wars can people possibly stand before they've had enough? Essentially, this is what Marvel has been doing for the past few decades, catering to its fan base without daring to branch out. Sure, it's made movies, but how many people picked up a Spider-Man comic after watching the movie and stuck with it?
So this merger is an opportunity to rethink comic books as a whole.
Disney reaches the younger crowd pretty effectively, especially girls, so more comics catering to females could be pleasant. Even more interesting would be if comics explored nonfiction, memoir, poetry - anything that doesn't involve a masked hero or mutant supervillain.
Not to say that Disney will actually help comics branch out, but their purchase certainly prompts discussion.
--Ricky
It's that time of the year again. Graduation slowly creeps closer for the seniors, and The Question is continually asked: "So, what are you doing after graduation?"
Luckily, Bridget Graham and Monique Reidy's Working World 101 can soothe some of the post-graduation day jitters by imparting wisdom about interview and workplace etiquette. For underclassmen who are still searching out summer internships, the information is just as useful.
I've read many a volume of career and interview advice, but this is a particularly comprehensive guide. It's obviously geared toward the college demographic and even has handy "cheat sheet" lists that break down the main points of each chapter.
Maybe it's not quite a fun, relaxing read...but, hey, it's reality!
-Stephanie
This week is National Library Week, a week-long celebration of libraries, librarians and basically, all things literary. Part of The American Library Association's festivities includes remembering and celebrating the most frequently challenged books in the United States.
"Challenged" does not equate "banned"; rather, challenged books are those that have received a formal, written request that a certain book be removed from the shelves of a library or school.
A plethora of different lists--The Most Challenged Books of the Century and Decade; The Most Challenged Authors, et cetera--can be viewed at www.ala.org. Here's a sample: The Most Challenged Books of the 21st Century (2000-2005):
1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
2. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
3. Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
5. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
6. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
7. It's Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
8. Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz
9. Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey
10. Forever by Judy Blume
I don't know about you, but I have read six of them and remain unscathed by their supposed illicit content. Let this be a week where we can all celebrate our freedom to read these books and anything else that strikes our fancies. Long live the library!
-Stephanie
Fans of film, history and, naturally, Gone with the Wind, will delight in Molly Haskell's Frankly, My Dear.
(Courtesy of ew.com)
In the book, Haskell focuses on the three major masterminds behind the award-winning film: producer David Selznick, author Margaret Mitchell and "Scarlett" herself, Vivien Leigh. A Southern girl herself, Haskell threads together historical context and personal commentary about her introduction to GWTW.
Mitchell's novel has inspired countless tributes, spin-offs and critiques over the years. However, Frankly, My Dear, with its elegant, engaging prose, creates an inimitable homage for any GWTW fan's collection. Pick up a copy today -- don't pull a Scarlett and put it off until "tomorrow"!
(Also, a warning: Schlow Centre Region Library has a book called Frankly, My Dear, but it is a cheesy romance paperback, not Haskell's novel!)
-Stephanie
In what's arguably one of the best chick flicks ever made--You've Got Mail --this week's selection for Book of the Week is mentioned.
Shopper: Do you have the "Shoe" books?
Salesperson: The "Shoe" books? Who's the author?
Shopper: I don't know. My friend told me my daughter has to read the "Shoe" books, so here I am.
Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan): Noel Streatfeild. Noel Streatfeild wrote Ballet Shoes and Skating Shoes and Theater Shoes and Movie Shoes...*starts crying* I'd start with Skating Shoes; it's my favorite. Although Ballet Shoes is completely wonderful.
Skating Shoes has been out of print and hard to track down for years, but it's being released on Amazon on October 13. Until then, make like Meg Ryan --err, Kathleen Kelly--and pick up another one of Streatfeild's Shoe books. Schlow Centre Region Library, 211 S. Allen St., has an exceptional collection.
-Stephanie
I have still been continuing my search for another college newspaper Web site that has an arts blog similar to the Collegian's, but my efforts are fruitless. If you know of one, hit me with it because I am curious to meet another of our kind.
Thus, my search this week led me to what I can gather is an independent site whose blogger A. J. Kohn does mostly book reviews interspersed with some book news.
"Used Books Blog" doesn't discriminate against genre or popularity in its reviews, which is a nice quality to have around in a reviewer. Sometimes you want to know about the underdog book, the one hardly anyone's reading.
Another great facet about this site is the bloggers contribute much more than simple opinion about the books. They interject their own theories, thoughts and anecdotes in a sort of philosophical banter about the books they discuss. In a venue when one's opinion and subjective feelings are allowed to roam freely, it's better to see them expressed than stifled.
It's simple, it offers great supplemental links and the bloggers cover some good issues in the book world, including the debate between whether it's better to use Google Books or Amazon's Kindle. This comprehensive site is worth a few minutes of your time.
-Jenna
http://usedbooksblog.com/ on "simple"
In Love Starts with Elle, protagonist Elle lives in the idyllic Southern town of Beaufort, South Carolina and owns an art gallery. The story is fairly simple--it's largely a romance story in which Elle must choose between the NFL football player-turned small-town pastor and the grieving widow from New York City. Sure, I knew after the first chapter whom she was going to choose, but, hey, it's still an enjoyable read for a lazy afternoon.
The plot does begin to thicken when some of Elle's family history is explored. Later, a friendship with an older woman opens Elle's eyes to how she should be living her life.
Please note: This book is classified as Christian fiction. However, as an avid reader of both secular and Christian chick lit, I can attest that this book probably won't be too religious for the mainstream reader. To each his/her own, though.
Happy reading,
Stephanie
Judy Blume is nothing short of a personal savior for me.
So this week, when my books from the library looked unappealing and I had already finished the new Rolling Stone, I searched my bookshelves for an old favorite.
I selected a copy of Blume's Smart Women that I've read about five times and fell in love with about five times.
The subject matter in this novel is decidedly more adult than some of Blume's others; for example, do not expect crazy tales about Fudge (Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing) or adolescent musings of bra sizes (Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret).
Instead, expect a fascinating tale, full of complex, serious issues: divorce, betrayal, nervous breakdowns...this surely isn't the Blume that many readers are familiar with, and that's a good thing. Schlow Centre Region Library, 211 S. Allen St., has one copy.
Also, check out Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume , which should be a staple of any respectable Blume fan's book collection.
Happy reading!
Stephanie
(Courtesy of fantasticfiction.co.uk)
Billie Letts is known for her most popular book to date, Where the Heart Is, an Oprah's Book Club selection. Where the Heart Is tells the story of Novalee Nation, a 17-year-old girl who gets pregnant and abandoned at a Wal-Mart by her boyfriend. She winds up living in the Wal-Mart and giving birth there as well.
Made in the U.S.A. starts out in much the same way: 15-year-old Lutie and her younger brother are abandoned in a Wal-Mart after their guardian falls and dies unexpectedly in the checkout line. Instead of taking up residence in the superstore, like Novalee did, they steal their guardian's car and head to Las Vegas to avoid being placed in foster care.
The rest of the novel is a heartbreaking, shocking look at what happens to them when they reach Las Vegas. The truth is that Vegas isn't always fun and glitzy, and the reader will undoubtedly be saddened at the lengths that two children must go to in order to survive. A satisfying ending and Letts' elegant, heartwarming prose make the upsetting parts worthwhile, though. Go pick it up at Schlow!
-Stephanie
I love a book that has good cover art, and Fat Chance has just the ticket: a delectable-looking cupcake with pink icing and some sort of heart sprinkles. Adorable -- and appetizing!
The book is just as good. Protagonist and pleasantly plump Maggie O'Leary discredits scientific evidence about obesity by strongly opposing the thin culture in her newspaper column. But what happens when a famous actor contacts Maggie about being a consultant for his next film? Can she stay true to herself in the crazy world of Southern California? I'll leave that up for you to discover.
Fat Chance is described as "a lusciously guilt-free pleasure that is good to the last page," and trust me -- you'll eat this one up. Schlow Centre Region Library doesn't have it, but you can buy it on Amazon.com for one cent. I don't know what that says about my literary preferences.
-Stephanie
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen initially piqued my interest because of the title, as ice cream is one of my all-time favorite desserts. I suddenly wanted to read this book regardless of its content, and thankfully, it worked out in the end. It proves that sometimes, you can judge a book by its cover.
I ultimately deemed Gregg's novel my unofficial "favorite book of 2008" when I read it last year, and since reading it, I have been recommending it to anyone who asks me for a reading suggestion. The book is set in the 1970s in Georgia (where, literally, the cool hangout is DQ -- my kind of place!). Read on as protagonist Catherine Grace Cline deals with the ups and downs of living in a small town, and sympathize with what happens when she decides to leave the tight-knit community. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll develop a real hankering for a Dilly Bar.
Schlow Centre Region Library, 211 S. Allen St., has one copy of this fascinating, inspiring tale.
-Stephanie
As I was reading this week's book (well, re-reading it for about the 25th time, as it's one of my all-time favorites), I suddenly realized the gold decal on its front cover. I love the book, but I often forget that others love it, too: It was the winner of the 1994 Newbery Medal, an award that recognizes "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children."
This got me thinking about the Newbery Award, and I luckily found this article on the Pittsburgh Tribune Web site that explained the process for selecting the annual book. The article brings up an excellent point: the selected book is not always one that's very popular with readers. For example, the 2008 winner, "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz was thought to be an odd choice.
I'm confident that The Giver was a good choice, though, and I'll continue to read about Jonas and the warless, painless, fearless Community where he resides. Maybe at this point in my life, I should be reading books that have won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction instead of the Newbery, but I can't stop myself from enjoying Lowry's literary treat.
If you never had to read The Giver in elementary or middle school, I highly recommend it. Find it at Schlow Centre Region Library, 211 S. Allen St., or the PA Center for the Book in Pattee.
-Stephanie
Bringing our books blog exploration back home again, I'd like to introduce the Penn State University Press' small contribution, "Are you loving publishing today?"
The blog's most attractive quality is its wit. Normally, I don't use "lol" or use similar acronyms, but I'll comfortably admit a few giggles escaped while perusing the bloggers' entries.
A feature this blog incorporates that larger readership blogs may not have is the addition of readers' comments in the posts.
February 3rd's post includes an e-mail message describing discrepancy a reader found in one of the Press' books, Set Up Running. The blogger's remarks on the message complement it also.
Along the right side bar there's a list of links titled, "linkin' linkin' I've been thinkin'," which offers a variety of sites and blogs that speculate on assorted fascinating topics.
Though it isn't updated as frequently as many, this blog is multimedia-loaded and brings humor to the literary world. Its next-door-neighbor feel makes it an easy resource for catching up on global news and what's happening at our university press.
-Jenna
In honor of the Washington Post's announcement that it will be ceasing to print its stand-alone book review section, Book World, beginning Feb. 15, I decided this week to explore Short Stack, the publication's literary blog.
Updated by Book World's editors, the blog covers "breaking news, book gossip, history and publishing trends."
What is most interesting about the newest two posts on this blog is that they're, of course, discussing the end of Book World, but how it isn't really the end.
In my opinion it isn't really a beginning, either.
Following the popular and semi-depressing trend of print journalism shifting to online publication, the Post will still offer the contents of Book World online, free of charge.
Short Stack is less flowery and uses a simpler diction than some of the other metropolitan paper's blogs. Still, that isn't to say it's an unworthy source to draw upon for information. It's even easier to follow.
The bloggers take care to hit major events, such as Updike's passing and the finalists for upcoming literary awards.
One of its main draws is the long list of other book news sources running along the left column. I also really liked their approach to book reviews: they're making an attempt now to hit university press books, as opposed to the mega bestsellers they think everyone else will surely review.
It's progressive and further establishes the Post as a leading news media company in America.
If you're interested in knowing definitely what you should know in the world of literature, this is a great place to find it.
-Jenna
I was plagued with sickness this week, so I wanted to do nothing other than curl up in bed with some quality literature. And Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is, in my opinion, just as comforting as hot tea and fleece blankets.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn has been my favorite book ever since I read it in ninth grade, and for good reason. My coughs and sniffles were long forgotten when I plucked Smith's novel off my bookshelf and was whisked away to Brooklyn for 500 pages. The novel follows Francie Nolan as she grows from a young girl to a young woman, detailing the hardships and happy times that come to her.
It's amazing how people at this time took pleasure in the simplest delights: penny candy and Saturday afternoon trips to the public library, to name a couple. Even while living in impoverished conditions in crowded, dirty tenements, Francie is a dreamer, through and through. It's a truly inspiring tale.
Pick it up at Schlow Centre Region Library, 211 S. Allen St., which has three available copies of the literary masterpiece, or Pattee Library, which has one copy. Schlow also owns an audio recording of the novel on CD, if that's more your style.
Happy reading!
-Stephanie
Book of the Week: Sweet Love by Sarah Strohmeyer
My New Year's resolution was to stop seeking comfort in hordes of predictable, preposterous, pink-covered chick lit.
Well, I made it until Jan. 19, which is better than I can say for previous resolutions I've made in my life. I blame my mother, the enabler, who sent me back to school with a suitcase of chick lit she got for me at the library.
Resisting, I decided to crack open Sarah Strohmeyer's Sweet Love and practically inhaled all 300 pages in one sitting, like a junkie getting her fix -- a dramatic example, but you get the gist.
Although Sweet Love follows the life of an over-40 woman named Julie, it is easy to relate to her. Since it's chick lit, it obviously has a distinctive love story running through it; however, the richer topics of women's health and mother-daughter relationships are explored as well. The best parts are the scenes of the dessert-making classes that Julie attends on Friday evenings. The descriptions alone will make you want to gobble up a slab of tiramisu or slurp spoonfuls of ginger ice cream. Yum!
If you don't have a chick lit enabler in your life, pick up a copy at Schlow Centre Region Library, 211 S. Allen St., which currently has two available copies. And, of course, come back next week to see what I'm reading (and loving!).
-Stephanie
I decided this week to post on a blog that has more of a local flavor to it (I promise I'm almost out of blogs=food puns).
The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, stationed right here in State College, serves "as a focal point for celebrating the legacy of books and the printed word," according to the organization's Web site.
The Millions is the Center's nationally-recognized blog that deals with art-related subjects, mainly books, culture and the printed word.
It offers many different viewpoints and angles on the issues it discusses. Sometimes there's a plug for a blogger's work elsewhere, but the way the site is split into two columns is also refreshing.
On the right, the blog offers tons of links to other related Web sites, books, questions, quizzes and archives.
The writing is super intelligent and well-researched, and there are quite a few unique diction choices. Chances are these bloggers know what's going on and have a million comments to make about it.
Maybe not a million.
Still, lick your chops because this week's feature entrée is a healthy-sized portion of culture and information.
-Jenna
I'm going to take a risk.
This semester, I plan to explore blogs from different newspapers, publications, and individuals that address, review, bash, discuss, praise, and critique books. They might do other things with them, too, but that's all I'm concerned about.
The risk comes from my blogging about blogs which are already talking about other written works. Somehow, I feel like the idea is more complicated written out linearly than comprehended. Kind of like Calculus. Or, actually, nothing like Calculus.
I'm beginning with the ultimate. The Moby Dick, the Mr. Darcy, the Central Valley. The New York Times' books blog, Paper Cuts, mixes some humor with their impeccable standards for writing and an almost overflow of information. Updated daily, sometimes more, the high-class reputation of the Times translates to this multimedia-loaded blog.
There are a lot of author profiles and features and even some bizarre entries like the one about bacon being found in books in libraries on January 8.
It's legit stuff, and here is my personal encouragement to try a taste. If you don't like it, spit it out. If you do, eat some more.
Until next week's delicacy,
-Jenna
Looking for a good book to unwind with as the end of the semester approaches? You'll find the answer in Lock and Key, the latest book from New York Times best-selling author Sarah Dessen.
Dessen is an author of young adult books, but she is one of two (Meg Cabot, as I've previously blogged about) that I have carried with me in my transition to adult fiction. While most of today's young adult literature offerings are juvenile stories about high school cheerleaders and the prom, Dessen's books have an unparalleled maturity about them.
Sure, Dessen writes about high school -- the main character in this novel, Ruby, is a high school student -- but she doesn't dwell on the hackneyed happenings of those four years. Instead, Dessen creates a character who deals with decidedly "grown-up" issues, like abandonment, the role of family, and love, all without the happily-ever-after mentality and sappiness that many teen novels exhibit.
As I embark on my twenties, I will definitely have Dessen's books at my side. Pick up Lock and Key, and you'll see what I mean.
-- Stephanie
I'm a huge bookworm. Although my assigned reading for classes takes up the bulk of my time, I still set aside an hour or so every night to do some leisure reading. When it comes to reading for fun, I always reach for books from the same genre: glamorous, predictable chick lit. My librarian mother loads me up with a stack of carefully selected chick lit when I go home for a weekend, and I also regularly visit Schlow Centre Region Library, 211 S. Allen Street.
The selection at Schlow is sorrowfully limited at times; I was recently looking at the "new fiction" shelves and spotted something there that I had read during my senior year of high school...three years ago. Anyway, Schlow does have one gem: Meg Cabot's Queen of Babble Gets Hitched, a 277-page lighthearted romance that I polished off last night in two hours after completing my assigned reading for Management.
Although Cabot is of Princess Diaries fame, she is the author of myriad other series that aren't aimed at the young-adult crowd. Queen of Babble Gets Hitched is catered toward adults, but Cabot's frothy banter and easy-to-follow plot line do not show any sort of maturity or movement from young-adult fiction. The story follows Lizzie Nichols, a wedding gown restorer with an insatiable penchant for Diet Coke, who "accidentally" cheats on her fiancé with her fiancé's best friend. Nichols is a lovable enough character -- except for the nearly constant references to her craving for Diet Coke. (I mean, I'm addicted to Diet Coke too, but Cabot thought it was funny to mention this quirk every couple of pages. Very strange.) I love a good wedding story, and this book has it all: deception, romance and extensive discussions about puffy white wedding gowns. It's not a book that will inspire you to contemplate life -- in fact, it probably won't even require you to think. But that's just fine with me.
Schlow has three copies of the book, and two of them are currently checked out. I'd urge chick lit fans to stop by sometime and pick up Queen of Babble Gets Hitched for some mindless, satisfying entertainment. Oh, and you'll probably want to read it with a Diet Coke in hand.
-- Stephanie
I have a confession: I am one of those girls obsessed with Edward Cullen from Twilight. Before I got into the novels, I used to see bumper stickers on Facebook saying "I love Edward Cullen," and I'd get so angry because I had no idea what they were talking about! It used to be so delightful to make fun of what I then thought to be a dumb vampire love story. Come on, how good could it be?
And then, I picked up the first novel. I've been hooked ever since. I'm not trying to say Twilight is a brilliant saga or anything, but it's one of those teen books that you just get sucked into reading until you finish the entire thing (think Harry Potter). The characters are so easy to become enthralled with and the plot is strikingly supernatural. I was satisfied with the whole series, and I'm sad that I've finished all four books. However, I'm really excited for the movie to come out on November 21st, and plan to watch it like the average dorky fan that I am.
Even though I have nothing but good things to say about Twilight (and, of course, Edward Cullen), I do like to hear people mock and laugh at it (seeing as I used to be one of them). That's why when I was searching YouTube for trailers I was comically pleased to find this trailer spoof.
-- Marilyn J
Whether it was giggling over the antics of the Cat in the Hat, celebrating the holidays with The Grinch, or getting Oh, the Places You'll Go upon graduation everyone has heard of Dr. Suess and his imaginitive tales.
However, not many are familiar with one of Suess' darker works, The Lorax. But a new enterprise, The Lorax Project, may change that. This project, started this year in honor of Earth Day 2008, was created to engage individuals of all ages to do their part to conserve the places and species that are critical to the future of our planet, according to the project's Web site, theloraxproject.com.
The book is being reprinted with a special environmental message that describes what The Lorax Project is. Ten to fifteen percent of profits from the book and from Earth-friendly consumer products featuring the Lorax's image will be used to stop deforestation in Madagascar, Brazil and China, according to an article on usatoday.com. Also, according to the article, Dr. Seuss Enterprises is sending a free digital download of The Lorax to public schools around the country.
The Lorax, though one of Suess' lesser known works, was always my personal favorite. I'm not really sure why this one stayed with me, but it has. For those not farmiliar with the less popular work by Suess it centers on a creature called the Lorax. Maybe it was this strange gopher-like creature's sheepish smile concealed beneath a fluffy blond mustache that won my heart, especially because the plot was certainly deeper and darker than the others Suess has written. A ten-year-old child wouldn't see the deeper issues that the work addresses, but they are even more relevant now than when the book was published in 1971.
The Lorax is the story of how a creature called the Once-er comes upon a beautiful landscape filled with colorful Truffula Trees, playful Brown Bar-ba-loots and Swomee-Swans. However, the Once-ler, amazed by the Truffula Trees, begins cutting them down to use their fluffy tops to make sweaterlike garments called "Thneeds." The Once-ler soon builds a factory to speed production, and ignores the Lorax's pleas when he asks them to leave. Soon the factory pollutes the lake and devastates the Truffula forests. The adorable animals that live in this magical land are forced to leave and the last few pages of the book are dark and murky in color compared to the bright vibrant colors that adorn the first few pages. Eventually even the Lorax is forced to flee the barren land and the Once-lers leave as well, once there are no more Truffula Trees to continue production.
The story is basically a tale of environmental destruction, mirroring the deforestation that is going on all over the world today. Maybe our forests aren't filled with pink fluffy topped Truffula Trees -- but the creatures and plants that fill them are just as magical as any of Dr. Suess' creations. The Lorax Project is something to be commended. With an interactive Web site kids can enjoy and learn from and an imaginative strategy to promote awareness about deforestation, maybe people will realize how much trouble our rainforests are in.
And as the last page of the book gives hope, this project also gives hope for the future of the forests and the environment.
"Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack. Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back."
-- Katie
In an age when television and the Internet have put pleasure reading on the back burner, authors should be striving to pull the public back, not encourage it to doubt or question the printed word.
But this week, yet another author has been found out for trying to pass fiction as fact.
A memoir, Love and Consequences, written by Margaret B. Jones was praised by Oprah in an issue of her O Magazine but the author, after being revealed by her sister, has admitted to making up the whole story.
According to msnbc.com, the novel told the story of the author's life as a half-white, half Native American foster child and former drug runner, but the story was actually written by Margaret Seltzer, a white, private school educated writer.
A similar case happened in 2006 when James Fray's memoir A Million Little Pieces gained attention from the national news -- because what was supposed to be truth turned out to be a novel filled with fabrications. Characters, scenes and events that occurred throughout the book came out of Frey's imagination and not the real moments that shaped his life.
The book, which features Frey's drug and alcohol addictions and his time spent in jail, was even featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show where she praised the work that was then at the top of The New York Times nonfiction paperback bestseller list. Frey was later forced to come clean on the very same television program.
Maybe we don't find something that comes from someone's imagination as intriguing if it came from real life, but in fact and fiction, there has to be a medium of honesty. Even when writing something that you have made up, if you don't believe in or agree with it, then it's just a lie on paper.
And it seems, with Seltzer's being the second case in less than two years, that publishers are perhaps not being careful enough with what they allow in the books they publish. However, there is such a thing as trust and publishing companies can only do so much to ensure that the material they print is legitimate.
We all have a tendency to embellish when telling stories, but Frey took it too far and Seltzer embellished things that weren't even true.
One example I can think of in memoirs that is positive is a book I am currently enjoying called What is the What by Dave Eggers. The story is based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng, a refugee from the Sudanese civil of the 80s and 90s. The story is called a "fictionalized memoir," because Deng writes in the prologue that he could not remember everything that had happened in detail to him when he was a child. Some exact memories and conversations had been forgotten, so he told his story to Eggers to write. The book is amazing in both content and the style of Egger's writing, and while parts of it may not be 100 percent true that in now way detracts from the emotion or truth of the events the story is about.
It seems like the pleasure for reading books has taken some hard hits. Another writer who was praised for her work has turned out to be a fake, and last week a cashier at Webster's praise me for actually buying a book for myself and saying I was "one in a minority." (this coming from someone who works at a place that sells books... ) Plus, there's the controversy surrounding Dmitri Nabokov's decision on whether or not to burn a novel that his father, on his death bed, requested his son burn.
Thus, I propose a challenge: this spring break, whether you're spending it be at home, in State College, or traveling to some far off destination -- read. Check out the New York Times bestseller list, ask a friend what their favorite book is or even rediscover one of those books you enjoyed during high school English classes. And, no, looking at your Facebook "newsfeed" does not count.
-- Katie
A Huxtable in Harrisburg