Borders Bargains

I spend a lot of money at Borders. It's really a bad habit of mine. Today, however, I went and they were having the best sales ever. I never find books there under five dollars, especially not hardcovers. I bought:

1.)Mysterious Stranger and Other Stories by Mark Twain $3.97 [Can you believe it? A hardcover book for $3.97! Mark Twain is one of my heroes. I read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer completely on my own free will.]

2.)Jane Eyre $4.97 [Also a hardcover. I don't know much about Charlotte Brontë, but it was cheap so I figured why not?]

3.)Candida, Mrs. Warren's Profession, Man and Superman, and Ceasar and Cleopatra by George Bernard Shaw $6.95 [I read one of his pieces in English about his mom being cremated and I thought it was the coolest thing I'd read since Green Eggs and Ham.]

4.) Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom $4.99 [This one was paperback, but it was the nice paperback, not the mass market version. I loved Tuesdays with Morrie, so I'm sure I'll like this one too.]

5.) Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs $4.99 [This one was a hardcover. Burroughs's (whom I highly recommend) books prices have really gone up since the Running with Scissors movie was made, so this was exciting]

6.) Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner $27.95 [This was anything but a bargain, but I needed to get it for my English class. It better be good. I would have gone to the library, but I like to write in my books and I don't think the people who check it out in the future would appreciate my scribblings.]

Grand Total: $53.82

REBEL ANGELS by Libba Bray

I'm not sure what I was expecting from A Great and Terrible Beauty's sequel, but it's (though I thought it'd be impossible) even better then Libba Bray's first novel. Rebel Angels is the continuation of Gemma, Felicity, Anne, and Pippa's adventure. This book is dark, like the first one. Betrayal is a theme trailing through from page one to 548, the final page. Rebel Angels makes a lot more sense then the sometimes misleading and confusing A Great and Terrible Beauty. Bray clears up some of those wishy washy events from her last book in Rebel Angels, something I, along with other fans, really appreciated. The plot and motivations of the characters seems more defined, which helps us readers fall in love with the book even more. I felt it was easier to connect to the girls in this book. All our favorite characters who seemed to disappear at the end of book one are back. Bray doesn't seem to be finshed writing Karktic, Pippa, or Ms. Moore. These books got it all: adventure, romance, magic, human characters and the classic growing up at boarding school story. Read them. You won't regret it.

See more reviews or buy Rebel Angels at Amazon.

AVALON HIGH by Meg Cabot

*WARNING: GIRLY BOOK!* Meg Cabot is one of the funniest, quirkiest, most lovable voices I've ever read. She's fantastic. Avalon High is nothing next to The Princess Diaries, but it was still a fun book. If you're into the King Arthur legends, this book is a cool twist on the traditional story. I breezed through it in a couple days. I came to conclusion within a few pages I'm far too old for this book, but I enjoyed it anyways. My eleven year old sister is going to love it, as would any eleven year old girl. If you've never read Meg Cabot you're missing out. I highly recommend The Princess Diaries. The movie is hilarious, but the book is a different sort of humor. I personally find it even more funny then Disney's interpretation, but that's just me.

See more reviews or buy Avalon High at Amazon.

Catcher in the Rye in January? I don't think so.

I got the strangest urge to reread The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger today. I flew through it the first time I read it and didn't take any time to savor what I now consider one of my favorite books. I should really make a list ranking my favorite books. I'm not sure if that's even possible. How could I ever choose? I'm sidetracking badly... Anyways, after this sudden craving for The Catcher in the Rye, I realized I couldn't read it because it was cold outside. Isn't that strange? It just seems wrong to me to read The Catcher in they Rye in January. Maybe this is because I finished reading it the first time through early last summer. Everybody I know read this book during summer, mainly because it's often required reading over break. I wish I'd have read it not as an English class assignment, but as a pleasure book—one I read on my own will. I really feel like I should read it with the mindset I choose to be spending time with the book, not thinking I have to be spending time with the book and just happen to be enjoying it. The Catcher in the Rye just shouldn't be read in wintertime. I can't do it. I'm not sure why this is, but it feels wrong and I can't really help it. Since it seemed like I'm going to have to wait until it warms up a bit to read the book, I looked up J.D. Salinger and his novel on Wikipedia.com. It was really interesting. I read the entire article about him and a separate piece about his book. Here are some facts about the book. All the information is quoted from Wikipedia.com.

• Mark David Chapman, murderer of musician John Lennon, was carrying the book when he was arrested immediately after the murder and referred to it in his statement to police shortly thereafter. John Hinckley, Jr., who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, was also reported to have been obsessed with the book.


• Thirty years after its first publication in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye was both the most banned book in America as well as the second most taught book in public schools.


• While the novel would seem a natural for the big screen, Salinger has refused to license the film rights to any producer or director. Salinger said that the reason for his refusal to allow a film version of the novel is "I would like to see it done, but Holden wouldn't approve"--a reference to Holden's disdain for Hollywood and the entire motion picture industry as being "phony." Personally, I'm so incredibly relieved there is no The Catcher in the Rye movie. Unexplainably, the idea of a film makes me want to yell at somebody. It's a book, nothing else.

So, today in English class...

So, today in English class we were assigned an essay about cheating. Here's the prompt. Scroll down for my response.

Prompt:

Not surprisingly, academic integrity is a potent topic on many college
campuses. Instructors feel betrayed and angry when they discover one of their
students has plagiarized a paper or copied homework; however, most students are
remorseful when confronted with the evidence of their cheating. A
surprising number of students play the sullen and resentful victim, claiming
their scholastic dishonesty is a result of unreasonable teachers, irrelevant
curricula, or work schedules they can't manage. The problem seems to be creeping
into the lower grade levels steadily. Given this, does more need to be done to
make clear to students that academic honesty has long-term rewards, and that
dishonesty has a real price in the world? Or are students correct in
getting the grade any way they can, since, after all, they have to keep up with
the other students who are cheating?

My response:

Dear Mrs. Harvey [English teacher],
Brandon wasn't here today, so I had a lot of trouble writing the
essay. You see, I normally just reword whatever he says. Please
forgive me for my paper's lack of... thought.
Emilie
PS. I'm totally kidding.

I then began to write a very terrible essay, which I am very very ashamed of. I'm working on revising at the moment, but I needed a break so I decided I'd post.

BLUE LIKE JAZZ by Donald Miller

This is the first 'Christian' memoir I've read. I tend to avoid books with churchy themes. I enjoy reading and don't want to be preached at. Unsurprisingly, I was hesitant to start reading Blue Like Jazz. I was afraid of being yelled at by a book. Why would I, a person who loathes lectures and whose memoir collection consists of Augusten Burroghs and David Sedaris, ever buy a book like Blue Like Jazz in the first place? Donald Miller spoke at the National Lutheran Youth Gathering in San Antonio last summer, which I had the pleasure of attending. He's quite the public speaker. Very inspirational. So inspirational, in fact, he motivated to go out and buy his book. I finally got around to reading it and now I wish I would have finished it ages ago. Blue Like Jazz is not preachy or condescending, just very loving. Miller is funny and honest (a match made in heaven). Even though Miller and I were on the same page when it came to Christian beliefs, Blue Like Jazz is nothing short of life changing. I probably won't act any different than I did before reading Blue Like Jazz, but it changed the way I think; it enhanced my love for other people.

See more reviews or buy Blue Like Jazz at Amazon.

INKSPELL by Cornelia Funke

Inkspell is Cornelia Funke's sequel to her very popular children's fantasy book Inkheart. I can't really say much about Inkspell without ruining Inkheart, but I'll do my best anyways. These books play on frame stories. Frame stories is a story within a story (Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum; the Oz movie is also a good example). The story we read and the story the characters in Funke's books read become tangled. Characters may leave the world they're from and enter a 'fictional' one instead. The line between the real world and the imagined one becomes even hazier in Inkspell when Meggie, along with her family and friends, enter the 'Inkworld.' I loved the first book, and Inkspell was even better. Most of the characters love to read. I felt like we had a lot in common. This story was so much darker than the first. Meggie, our hero, doesn't always make good choices. There's death, near death, and sacrifice, which I can't get enough of. There's more romance between all the characters: Meggie and Farid, Mo and Resa, Dustfinger and..? Inkspell felt more magical than Inkheart because the majority of the story it takes place in 'Inkworld.' These two books are some of my favorite fantasy stories. Definitely great for all ages. Just read it. I don't know what else to say. It's pure pleasure, a great adventure story (plot twists included) with lots of enjoyable, perfectly imperfect characters. Please don’t deny yourself this enchantment.

See more reviews or buy Inkspell at Amazon.

Thank You Anne Skwerok

My grandmother's best friend loves to read too, and when gramma showed her my blog, she very kindly sent me some books to add to my collection. If you're reading this Anne, thank you very very much. I can't wait to devour them all. She sent me:

• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Endurance by Alfred Lansing
• Selected poetry from Tenyson
• The Virginian by Owen Wister

It's Been a While

I've been at camp for Winter Drumline the past couple days. 12 hours each day! Can you believe that. At least they kept us busy so boredom was never really an issue. Anyways, things are back to normal now because today was the first day back to school since the holiday break. I just finished reading Inkspell by Cornelia Funke so be expecting a review soon. I also just started reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. So far, it's fantastic. I haven't read many (maybe any) inspirational books, but this one's great (at least the first 30 pages or so). I should be able to post some more stuff now that 50% of my day isn't being spent counting.

My Grandma's Painting

This is a photo of my Grandma's (Vivian Chaska) painting entitled Wrinkled Thought. Hmm.... I wonder where she came up with that name.

New Year Resolutions

1. Read 45 books: I read 37 books last year, and I really wasn't pushing that hard to get most of them finished, so I don't think 45 is an impossible goal. I may have to dedicate a little more time to reading, but I don't think I'll have any problem motivating myself to do that.
2. Keep up in class: I have a habit of getting behind in books we read for school. I almost never choose not to read or finish. I usually get it done, but I'm never on the right page for class discussions.

3. Never miss a Secret Readers meeting: Secret Readers is what we call our book club. I can't remember why, but we that's what we named it. I've only missed one meeting (I think), but I don't want that to happen again. If there's a scheduling conflict for one of the meetings there's not much I can do about that. I'll just have to read the book anyways. Most of the group is graduating this spring, so there probably won't be a Secret Readers after the summer. I want to savor it while I can.
4. Read some classics: I don't read enough of those. When I do, it's normally for school. A lot of books written today borrow lots of stuff from classic novels. I want to know when I read something like that and get to know the books that inspired so many modern day authors and their stories.


5. Paperbacks only: Had anyone else noticed how much money books are? The majority of my money is spent on books and food. I need to train myself to wait on that paperback to come out. Hardcovers are usually a good five dollars more expensive. What I should do is buy all my books online. That's how you can really save money because you buy never been read books used, which is usually a very good deal.

What I want to read in 2007

• Harry Potter 3, 4, and 5: I read the first, second, and sixth books in 2006. I want to finish rereading the rest of the series this year.
• Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller: I heard Donald Miller speak at the National Lutheran Youth Gathering this summer. I was really impressed. He's funny, smart, and writes books too.
• The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud: I bought this book ages ago and haven't got around to it. I need to finish it before I jump into any of the books I got for Christmas.
• Some Les Miserables by Victor Hugo: There's no way I could read this whole book straight through. It's just too massive. I think I'm going to divide it up into smaller chunks and just take my time with it.
• At least one Jane Austen book: I've started a couple of them trying to decide which I'd like to read the most. I need to finish one.
• At least one Lewis Carroll book: Hunting of the Snark was hilarious, but short. I need to read a longer story.
• The Hobbit by J.R. Tolkein: I read The Fellowship of the Ring in seventh grade. I liked it, but didn't really enjoy it as much as I think I would have it if the book wasn't required to be read for school. I'm not about to pick it up for a reread, but I'd like to read some more J.R. Tolkein. The Hobbit is the most attractive at the moment.
• I also want to read all the books I got for Christmas before 2008.

Together We'll Ring in the New Year

Motion City Soundtrack is one of my favorite bands. Here's one of their songs about New Years.

This must be it.

Welcome to the new year.

The drinks were consumed,the plants were destroyed,

and the hors d'oeuvres dismantled.

I'm not smiling behind this fake veneer.

I am often interruptedor completely ignored,

but most of all I'm bored.
I'm trying to find out if my words have any meaning.

Lackluster and full of contemptwhen it always ends the same.
Why won't she listen to me?
Why did I come?

Oh, why did I come here?

These humans all suck.

I'd rather be homefeeling violent and lonely.

I'm not trying to sound so insincere,but the postcard that's taped to the freezer reads:"Wish you were here."

How I wish I could disappear.
I'm trying to find out if my words have any meaning.

Lackluster and full of contemptwhen it always ends the same.
Heads up Damage Control,there's a ring around her finger.

Last chance for changing lanes, and you missed it by a mile.
Why won't she listen to me?
This must be it.Welcome to the new year.