Everyone Loves a Little Beauty Sleep

April's recommendation of the month goes unquestionably to Cameron Dokey's Beauty Sleep, a retelling of the well known story of Sleeping Beauty. I believe it is a part of a group of books published by Simon & Schuster known as the Once Upon a Time series. Essentially they are all retellings of classic fairy tales although they are not all written by the same authors. I read one once before. I can't remember the title or even the story it was based off of for the life of me. All I remember is thinking although it wasn't bad, it wasn't my favorite either. For me, it just landed on that "okay" mark. My expectations for Beauty Sleep were that it too would land on that "okay" mark despite the fact that it is writeen by a different author. I was in for a pleasant surprise.

I fell in love with this book almost instantly. It may have something to do with the fact that it begins like so:

Preamble

(A FANCY WAY OF SAYING INTRODUCTION)

I was amused from the get go, and already I was curious. One of my favorite things about this story is Aurore's voice. The story is told by her, which I love. It worked well as she tells you the main plot and every once in a while gives her own insights in a way that isn't distracting but helps the story form and move along. It's funny, thoughtful, loving--it's interesting how such a well known story can be retold in such a way that it so fantastically becomes it's own story.

I'm one of those people who gets way too connected to characters. You know that person who tries to hide the fact that their eyes are watering during a mvie? Yeah, that would be me. But it's not just with movies. I believe I've admitted previously how emotionally involved I can get with characters in books (see that post I wrote about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). Not every story does it. I'm not that much of a cry baby :) But every once in awhile there seems to come a book that for it's entire duration or perhaps just for certain moments touches me on an even deeper level. I tried to explain it to my mother who so graciously listens to me when I go on such rants. I think she got it. The question is, can I explain it adequately twice?

Beauty Sleep is one of those books that connected with the very core of my being. I don't how else to explain it, and no doubt it will not have the same effect for everyone. It was the way she spoke about certain characters that got to me, how without physically being there and without a blatant declaration of love, I could feel it. And I'm not just talking about romantic love either. Without I doubt, I knew her father loved her. True, they are only fictional characters, but when you create a shadow of a love that deep in my heart as I read the symbol actions of these characters, I suppose you'd called that talent, a gift even. That is the greatest thing this book did for me.

Even if it doesn't hit your core like it did mine, it's still a great read. It's a great look at a story we all know so well. Once again, her voice is delightful. The characters are believable and heartfelt. The plot itself is interesting. The ending was different than I expected. I am happy with it simply by the fact that it fulfilled the desires I had for the romantic side of the story. It wasn't a bad ending by all means. I'm just preparing you in case you like to form your own ending before you even reach the actual end like I seem to do.

In other bookshelf challenge news, I've just finished reading The Schwa was Here by Neal Shusterman. It's the story of Calvin Schwa, a boy with the unique ability to blend in to the point of near invisibility. The story is told by Anthony "Antsy" Bonano, a friend of The Schwa.

Take a look at the back cover:

They say his clothes blend into the background, no matter where he stands. They say if you stare at him long enough, you can see what's written on the wall behind him. They say a lot of things about the Schwa, but one thing's for sure: No one ever noticed him. Except me. My name is Antsy Bonano--and I can tell you what's true and what's not, 'cause I was there. So if you all just shut up and listen, I'll tell you everything there is to know about the Schwa, from how he got his name to what really happened with hi mom. I'll spill everything. Unless, of course, "the Scwa Effect" wipes him out of my brain before I'm done...

There you have it. It was a good book, but not necessarily one that hit home for me. However, I think it will be the right fit for another reader. It has unique characters, an interesting concept, and it seems tons of nerdy references which I'm a fan of. I can guarntee that Darth Vader is mentioned at least once. So although it landed more on the "okay" line for me, if it sounds interesting to you, I'd still recommend picking it up. Maybe it just wasn't the type of adventure I was in the mood for. Maybe it just wasn't my soul book. It still made me smile and chuckle even though it won't rank among my favorite books.

In conclusion, the next book on the list for my bookshelf challenge is Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. I think it's about time I read it. Happy reading :)



Updates, Queens, and Ember

Hey guys. I've had to take a bit of a break from this blog. I think for the time being it's going to turn into a book review sort of blog. I'll update you when I get a chance. Keep reading and writing and enjoying life! Oh, by the way, The Sugar Queen and The City Of Ember were both enjoyable books.

The Sugar Queen

A quick word of caution. This book does contain some language and sexual content. I felt I should add that little disclaimer for those of you who are bothered by that. It started to bother me, but I am more sensitive than some people. It was a cute story. It felt real despite it's little fantastical elements. I think on the whole that it will appeal to many women. I enjoyed witnessing the development in these characters, specifically that of Josey. She's one of those characters who you're drawn to because you'll find a little bit of yourself in her. As she learns and grows and finally becomes more of the person she wants to be instead of punishing herself, I think it gives us hope that we can overcome our trials. We don't have to hold ourselves back. We can have faith in ourselves. We all make mistakes, but we can move past those and become better.

City of Ember

I didn't realize this was the first in a series of books. However, I was pleased with this one and will pick up the rest of the series at some point. It stands well on it's own. Some might disagree with me judged on how it ends, but I'm one of those people where if you give me enough you don't have to give me the entire picture. I can figure it out on my own. I can handle an ending like M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. The short story "The Lady or the Tiger" on the other hand drives me a little nuts. I feel like The City of Ember has an ending like The Village. We don't have to see the guy get better to know that he does. Of course, you could write a sequel where he dies... That changes everything. Anyway, I enjoyed it. It wasn't a difficult read. The two main characters are strong and believable. Plus, I just like the whole dystopian novel thing. I like seeing the world of Ember through these two children's eyes. Ember and the way of life there is so easily understood because of how convincing it is portrayed. I understood how it worked. I could imagine myself there. Well done.

I'm still doing my bookshelf challenge! I'll keep you updated as I go along. I've been kind of slow because I've been putting some other things first. Hopefully now I'll be able to invest more time into it. Have a great weekend!

Little Women and Sugar Queens

I survived Little Women. Can I tell you how proud of myself I am for actually making it through the whole thing this time, especially after that little fiasco I had halfway through? I actually enjoyed the book, and so I feel it's appropriate that it goes for this month's recommendation, don't you? Although I don't like reading these sorts of books all the time, every once in a while I like to sit down and read these real sort of domestic stories. I like the characters, and it was really interesting to connect their lives with my own. Who knew that women my age thought some of the same things then as they do now? Sure, environment and technology and orther things are different, but I find it interesting that some things stay the same. I guess we're still all human no matter what time we live in.

For those of you who don't know about the plot, Little Women follows the lives of the March family, particularlly that of the four daughters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. The book begins during the time of the Civil War. Their father has gone to fight, and the girls must learn to live happily with what little things they can afford. It's full of all sorts of life lessons as we watch the girls overcome their individual struggles. They each have such different personalities. I think that's part of what makes it fun. Also, the neighbor boy, Laurie, becomes a good friend of theirs. He's probably my favorite male character of the entire story.

Having seen the movie first before reading the book, I was curious how a certain relationship would work out. I don't want to spoil anything for those of you not familiar with the story. To try and put this simply, I was not satisfied with certain relationships in the movie, but as I read the book, the circumstances seemed more clear, and I was more readily able to forgive the characters for not behaving the way I wanted them to. Surely, I'm not the only one who's come face to face with that issue :)

My biggest problem with the book was its length. There were certain moments that just seemed to drag on and on! But keep pushing through it! There are good lessons and life experiences shared that I think you'll enjoy. I just would have liked it even better if it was 200 pages shorter :)

So read this book when you're willing to be patient. Like I said, it's good. It's just a bit long. I think I should recommend the movie also. It's been a while since I've seen it, and I know they made some changes to the story, but nothing major. If I recall correctly, it's a pretty good representation of the book. I can't believe I'm condoning this, but if you can't stomach the book, you should at least check out the movie. Or perhaps see the movie first then make your way through the book.

Technically the next book on the list should be Little Men, but I think I'm going to switch it up a little just because I want a little change of pace. So that one will be coming, but for now we're skipping to the next one: The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. I haven't heard much about it, but here's what the back says:

Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter is her favorite season, she's a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother's house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night.... Until she finds her closet harboring Della Lee Baker, a local waitress who is one part nemesis--and two parts fairy godmother. With Della Lee's tough love, Josey's narrow existence quickly expands. She even bonds with Chloe Finley, a young woman who is hounded by books that inexplicably appear when she needs them--and who has a close connection to Josey's long-time crush. Soon Josey is living in a world where the color red has startling powers, and passion can make eggs fry in their cartons. And that's just for starters.

Brimming with warmth, wit, and a sprinkling of magic, here is a spellbinding tale of freindship, love--and the enchanting possibilities of every new day.

Sounds exciting, right? Okay. Enough chatter. Time to get some reading done!

So Ends Part One? What?

I've been trying to be good and actually make time for reading so that I can be successful in my challenge to myself. If I don't make myself read now, there's a good possibility that I will forget my challenge and pick up whatever book seems sweetest at the moment. I'm determined to stick with my challenge. So I've been reading Little Women, and I was quite surprised when I made it past the halfway mark and still hadn't reached the place where I stopped reading so many years ago. I wondered why I'd been so lazy as to not finish the book when I was so near the end. Well, when there were only about fifty pages left I knew something was up. I'm familiar enough with the story to know that much more had to happen before it came to it's close, and there was no way that everything that was meant to happen could happen in fifty pages.

I kept reading and just now made it to the end of those fifty pages. It was then that I made a curious discovery. The end of my copy reads thus: "So grouped, the curtain falls upon Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. Whether it ever rises again depends upon the reception given to the first act of the domestic drama called LITTLE WOMEN." Can you imagine my distress when I realized the story is broken up into two parts and I held in my hands only the first? My reaction was something to the affect of, "What the heck? Why would you only publish part one in a book when there are two parts? Curse you!" I'm still very fond of the copy as I like old copies of books and mine is a printing from the 1960's, and I realize some of you might not think that old at all, but I'm afraid it's before my time. Please forgive me.

Fortunately, I happen to have another copy of Little Women, and it has both parts! So tomorrow I resume my reading. Meg has just become engaged, meaning the next chapter may very well be the one that lost my interest the first time I tried to read it. You will not beat me this time! I think I'm enjoying the book better this time around. I'm enjoying the little bits of wisdom. I also love Laurie, and I have a little rant about him, but I think that should be saved until after I've finished the book since my judgements are based solely on movie representation. It won't be long now until I'm on to book two!

Danielle's Bookshelf Challenge

I have a lot of books. I guess you could say that's one of my guilty pleasures. It's so hard to resist picking up a new book or adopting some from a thrift store. So I've gathered quite I few over the years. I'm sure it's not us much as some people, but it's enough where each shelf is stuffed with two layers of books instead of one, and I'm starting to stack books on top of the two rows as well. The thing is I haven't read a good chunk of them. I picked them up because they sounded good and I fully intended on reading them. I just haven't yet.

Here's my challenge: to read every book on my shelf that I haven't read (excluding nonfiction and some collections of short stories). I thought I should start in order as I do have most of them arranged by author. Any guesses as to what book number one is? I'll give you a hint. The author's last name starts with an A and ends with an lcott. That's right. Louisa May Alcott is the writer and the book is Little Women. I'll admit, I almost skipped over this one. I'm horrible right? I'm familiar with the story. I even read half of it once when I was younger. I read up until the point when Meg got married, and then I was so bored I couldn't continue.

Well, I'm pretty sure I've told you all about my belief that sometimes books deserve a second chance. I obviously thought this one warrented a second chance seeing as I did buy it at some point after I'd read that portion of it. I really do like the story. I'm thinking this time, now that I'm older and a little more used to this type of literature, that I'll enjoy it more. I'll finally be able to say I've read it through instead of just knowing the story from seeing the movie. Huzzah!

You'll get to hear about all my adventures too. It wouldn't be fair of me to leave you out of this. I'll keep you posted on the books I read and what I think of them once I'm finished. Feel free to read along with me and let me know what you think as well. I do love discussing a good book...or even a really bad one :)

Until next time!

Oh, Storyline. You Make My Hours of Gameplay Worthwhile!

When the movie The Prince of Persia came to theaters, I remember talking with some people about it at work. One of my coworkers commented how the storyline of the film differed from that of the video game it is based off of. Another coworker then said something to the effect of, "Video games don't have storylines."

Bless her heart.

I was thinking about this recently as I finished the aforementioned Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. (Side note: I love this series and you should to. Play it or die! Or don't and live I guess...) I would have to disagree with my coworker's comment. Even many of the simplest video games have some sort of plot. Want some examples and pictures? Good because that's what you're about to get.

Anyoone remember this beauty? I would remember it years later for it's theme that so easily got stuck in my head... Oh great. Now it's going to be there for awhile. Anyway, the gameplay pretty much consisted of you moving your little dinosaur around, blowing bubbles at enemies, and then popping them once the enemies got trapped inside. You only have to make it through 100 levels to make it to the end of the game! But why? Why would you spend quarter after quarter to make it to level 100 besides the obvious addictive quality of the game? What is your little dinosaur's motive for running around blowing bubbles from his mouth? Well, let me tell you in a very simple fashion. Your dinosaur is actually a guy who as been magicked into dinosaur form! And you have to get to level 100 to save your captured girlfriend and hopefully return yourself to normal! Although, given the choice, I might choose to remain a bubble blowing dinosaur, but that's just me.

My sister and I discovered Burger Island  for the Wii a couple years ago. We were hooked. We played that thing night and day. Everyone knows that a fast food environment is much more fun when you're experiencing it from the comforts of your own home! This game isn't that hard to figure out--a customer makes an order and you fulfill it. Simple enough right? Well, it can get pretty tricky, but it's also addictive. At least, it seems to be addictive to the lady folk. Guys don't seem to understand the appeal. That's the case in my experience anyway. There was one part my sister always skipped over when we played: the bit in between levels where we were told (hold your breath) the story! It's something to the effect of you've crashed landed on the island, you take over the local burger joint, and you get help from the tiki gods to get new recipes.

Then there are games that get a little more complicated with their twists and turns and sidequests. And I bet you can guess one of the first ones that popped into my mind. Besides much loved titles like Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Secret of Mana, I thought of none other than Kingdom Hearts!

The following little clip is from Kingdom Hearts II but it's flashbacks from the first game.




The storyline can be a bit complex, but to put simply, the story follows Sora, a teenage boy who wakes up in Traverse Town after his world has been attacked. With the help Donald and Goofy, they travel from world to world in search of Sora's friends, Riku and Kairi, and King Mickey. At the same time, they must defeat the dark creatures known as heartless before they can take over other worlds and steal hearts.

I first became interested in the idea of storyline and plot in video games after playing the first game of the series. I blame it on studying English in college. All those books and poems and articles you read trying to dig out all you can get and then use it yourself in your own papers! It made me see stories differently. I evaluate movies, books, and even video games differently now. And the reason Kingdom Hearts has stuck with me is for some of the same reasons some of my favorite books remain my favorite. I love the characters, the messages I take from their struggles, the fact that I can relate to them. I love their story, their struggles, their triumphs. I love being a part of it.

It made me think of how much we as people love the concept of "story." We gossip. We tell people about our day. We watch movies and read books. We watch the news. We listen to music which has a story all it's own. Our whole lives are filled with story. A part of us thrives off that I think.

So in case you were left with any doubt, video games like books, movies, and even music have a story. This is not me giving you permission to spend your entire life playing World of Warcraft or any other titles I've mentioned. But perhaps a little video game time in your life isn't such a bad thing.

An Excuse for my Neglect

It's a new year and it's been over a month since I've updated! I apologize. One of the most recent things to consume a good portion of my time:




That's right. I've set aside my love for books temporarily for my love of Kingdom Hearts. But in my defense, one of the reasons I love the Kingdom Hearts series is the story. That's one thing that it has in common with books! They both have a plot :)

Well, I hope you enjoy the new year as I continue to endeaver to save the world! More updates soon!