Yet Another Post on Books

Borders is going out of business and you know what that means?  They're havin a sale.  So today after work I mosied on over bought some books.  They were very picked over, but I found some good ones.  Guys, I think I'm addicted to buying books.  I have a whole stack I need to read.  But I can't help it.  I love books.  And one day I want a freakin huge library in my house.  Like in Beauty and the Beast.

Today's purchases included:

"This Side of Paradise" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain

"Flipped" by Wendelin Van Draanen (Have you seen this movie.  If not, stop whatever you are doing, go find it and watch it.  You'll thank me.  I want a boy like Bryce Loski who will plant a tree in my front yard)

"Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

I am pretty excited to read these.  Too bad school is starting in less than two weeks (whaaaaaaaaat?!) and I will have no time to breathe, let alone read.

2/3 done.

Last night I had a dream I was in the Hunger Games.  Well, a sort of Hunger Games.  A bunch of the people I work with at the library were in it, and we weren't in the actual games, we were just getting ready to go into the games.  It was weird.  I'm glad I didn't die.

I finished Catching Fire today.  My new current read is . . . you guessed it . . . Mockingjay.  It's a good think I'm reading this series again because, when I get into a good book I tend to read it so fast because I can't wait to find out what happens next.  Because I am speed reading, I miss out on some things, and reading it again I am seeing all these things I didn't notice before.  I am also picking up on little clues throughout the book because I know how it ends.  I hate how this one ends though.  Dang capitol.

Saturday's are the best.  Yesterday I woke up semi-early and got my room cleam, showered, went grocery shopping (and yet I still can't seem to find anything to eat) and then headed up the canyon with Ashley.  Our plan was to read, and I did get a little bit in, but we mostly talked, and she prepared her lesson for church.

When we got to the park, there were butterflies everywhere!  I wanted one to land by me to take a picture, but I ended up having to sneak up on it and that didn't work very well.  It started flying away so I just started snapping pictures hoping it'd show up in one. It did in this one!

It finally landed, but could it have chosen an uglier background to land on?  Mud?  Really Butterfly? I was hoping it'd land on grass, but mud is ok too I guess.

I discovered yesterday that sunflower seeds are addicting.

Later that night we met up with Caitlyn (roommates reunited!) and got Yogurtland and had a Grey's Anatomy marathon.  Is that not the most random combination of toppings ever on fro-yo?  My healthy taste buds and my sweet-not-so-healthy taste buds were having an argument.  Both won.

My Afternoon.

Today after working my first job, I had some free time on my hands before I had to be to my second job.  I decided to head up the canyon with a blanket and a book to soak up some sun and get some reading in.  It was so nice, I almost fell asleep. 

This is my reading face.  Well, actually, I knew I was taking a picture, so it's my pretending to read face.  But it's very similar, if not identical, to my reading face.

All You Need Is Love

I finished "A Wrinkle In Time" today while I was getting my oil changed.  I forgot how good of a book that is.  For those of you haven't read it, the premise of the book is Meg, her brother Charles Wallace (somebody please name their kid that and always call him by his full name) and their friend, Calvin go to Camazotz to save Meg's father.  He is being held there by IT (yes, IT) which is this big evil thing that controls this planet and takes away everybody's ability to make decisions. 

The ending of this book really got me thinking.  (Be warned, I'm about to get deep on you guys).  Meg is going back to Camazotz to save Charles Wallace, and Mrs. Which tells her that she has something that IT does not, and this thing that she has will help her save her brother.  She goes there and she tries to use her hate for IT as her power source to be strong enough to withstand, but IT feeds off the hate.  Then she remembers that before she had left to come back to Camazotz, Mrs. Which had told her that she loved her.  Meg remembers love and uses love to totally kick IT in the face (figuratively of course) and save her brother.

Earlier in the book, Meg was talking to a creature she called Aunt Beast who lived on a different planet.  She was trying to explain light, but Aunt Beast wasn't understanding it because they didn't have light on their planet the way Meg did on Earth.  Aunt Beast asked what it was used for and Meg said that they used it to see.  Then Aunt Beast said "We look not at the things which are what you would call seen, but at the things which are not seen.  For the things which are seen are temporal.  But the things which are not seen are eternal." (Deep for a children's book, right?)

How does this tie together?  Well, I'm not sure, but it got me thinking about love and hate and all those unseen forces that drive our world.  I think as humans we tend to look at things in terms of what is tangible, what can be seen right in front of us.  And if we do branch out into the unseen forces, it's usually hate or discrimination that we use, because it's easier to hate something we don't understand than to love it.  We always fight with hate and intolerance, but what if we fought with love?  Love is just as tangible as a gun, and it has more power than even the most hateful feeling.

Awhile ago, Patch Adams came to my college, and in his speech he asked why we don't teach love in school.  We spend so much time teaching students reading, math, and history, but we don't take any time to teach love.  How do you teach love?  It's not tangible like math.  You can't see it.  I can't check the back of the book to make sure the answer is right.  But does that make it less important?

I think The Beatles had it right when they said, "All you need is love."



New Current Read:  The Lightning Theif by Rick Riordan

Confession: Sometimes I Read Books Way Below My Grade Level.

I blame this on the fact that I am going into elementary education.  That's my excuse.  But really, who cares!  There is some great children's literature out there, and just because I'm no longer in elementary school doesn't mean I can't read it.  I took a children's literature class last semester where all we did was read and discuss children's books.  It was the best homework I ever had.

1. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.  I read this book when I was in 6th grade with my class and remember loving it.  Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which turn up and help Meg and her friends rescue her dad in Camazotz.

2. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli is about a boy who becomes a local legend.  It's a great story and it also touches on topics of racism and homelessness as Maniac is an orphan. 

3.  The Giver by Lois Lowry.  I love this book!  It's kind of hard to explain without reading, but it is set in a future town where the community has converted to sameness.  This eliminates emotion and problems of difference.  Jonas receives his calling as The Receiver and his eyes are opened to what emotion and feeling can do.

4. The Wish Giver by Bill Brittain.  My third grade teacher, Mr. Blood (yes his name was really Mr. Blood.  If that doesn't scare a 3rd grader into obedience I don't know what does) read this book to us and I have read it many times since.  It's about a mysterious man who comes to a small town and grants wishes.  The young people learn they have to be careful what they wish for.



5.  The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein has got to be one of my favorite picture books.  It's about a tree who loves a little boy and gives everything she has to make him happy.  It's a very sweet story of love and giving.

6.  The Junie B. Jones Series by Barbara Park.  These books are hilarious!  It's about a little girl named Junie and her dramas in kindergarten.  I was reading this to my little sister and laughing out loud because the things she says and thinks are so funny.

My goal this summer is to start these series:

7.  Percy Jackson and the Olympians.  Greek gods in children's literature?  I think so!  They made this into a movie, but I haven't had a chance to see it yet.  I'm really excited to read these books.

8.  A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.  These poor children have everything that can possibly go wrong, go wrong.  They made this into a movie that was excellent and I'm dying to read these books!



If you're looking for something quick and easy to read, I would recommend any of these.  Happy reading :)