Short Stories

It appears that what I think are my favorite types of books in the world seems to come in phases to me. In 2007, my Harry Potter phase pretty much ended (because all the books were written), along with my ASOUE (A Series Of Unfortunate Events) phase around that same time. Then in 2008 I started my Pendragon phase, which sadly ended last year ~,~ (but it was an awesome ride all the same! ^_^). By the end of that year, I began blogging and a new collective phase opened up: James Dashner books, the Twilight saga, and popular books recommended on other book blogs in general. Also really big books. I loved big tomes that I could spend more than one day on.

For much of 2009 and 2010, it was clear that I was in my graphic novel phase. Maybe my readers have noticed this? First there was Bone and Flight, and then Cirque Du Freak and Runaways, plus lots of others. I only post about the good ones though. I've probably read many more graphic novels than I've bothered to mention, because I always read them very quickly. So I can be in a bookstore or the library, and if I see a catching graphic novel, I'll read it in one sitting. And then I'll gobble up another, and another if I'm lucky. Yes, graphic novels are truly awesome. I love their quickness. ^_^

And now folks, you will be witness to the birth of another book-loving phase. Now I am in love with *drumroll, please*: The Short Story. Or to be more specific, the Short Story Collection. Here's what happened.

First, I came upon this book in the library. The curious cover caught my eye, and when I saw Diana Wynne Jones on the cover I got even more interested (name recognition). So I took it out. I'm quite glad I did. There's a lot of funny stuff in those 15 short stories + 1 novella. Characters, worlds, styles, situations, mostly different, but all thoroughly entertaining. ^_^ Just like a graphic novel, I read through them all pretty quickly, but I also took my time a little, taking breaks between stories.

The theme for each story was pretty much what the title says: Unexpected Magic. Which meant that in each story, the characters either try to use magic but it doesn't turn out the way they thought it would, or they're normal people who fall victim to strange occurrences. I believe my favorite stories were the couple that were told from a cat's point of view. I loved the way the cats thought and reacted to situations.

The next time I went to the library, I found 2 books entirely by chance. I don't really remember why I took them down from the shelf in the first place. I'd certainly never heard of a guy named Bruce Coville before. But they looked like thin quick reads, and the titles kind of caught my eye. Oddly Enough, and Odder Than Ever. Obviously, these books were part of a series. Then I saw that they were both short story books, just like the one Diana Wynne Jones wrote! Once I looked at the inside flaps of both books, I was sold.

As with Unexpected Magic, the title said it all. These stories, in one way or another, were odd. The characters were odd, or the whole situation was odd. The hero either meets, or becomes, something entirely strange. Mythical creatures like ghosts, vampires, werewolves, monsters, brownies, elves, and angels are covered in this book.

When the stories were supposed funny, I really enjoyed their humor. And when the stories were told in all seriousness, I appreciated the worlds and ideas that Bruce had come up with. Definitely a wonderful book to read. Which is why I was very happy that I had the foresight to take out the next book.

This was kind of more of the same, but the stories were all totally different. I loved them all a lot. ^_^ There's nothing more for me to say.

I didn't see this in the library, but I heard that it was another book in the Odd Story Collection series. I am definitely going to look for it next time I'm there, just because I loved the first 2 books, and because I am now crazy about short stories. ^_^

Really, you've got to read these books. They are all utterly amazing. Those short stories I read gave me lots of ideas, perhaps even inspired me, as a writer. They made me think about how you don't have to tell a story that spans 200 or 300 pages long. The story can be simple and to the point, and it can affect the reader just as much, in a fraction of the reading time.

Some Graphic Novels I've read

I love graphic novels, but usually I read them so fast and in one sitting, in the library or in the bookstore, that I doubt whether or not they should count in my book count or not. Well, last night I read a really cool graphic novel, so I decided that now would be as good a time as any to bring up some of the books I've read this year that I neglected to review.

First, there is Zot. I read this in my Borders, on the first Friday of the year, I believe. Well, it was a Friday. Anyway, I was attracted to the book right away, because of it's author, Scott McCloud. This guy has written a bunch of other books: Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics. And guess what? All those books are written in a comic format! It's really cool to be learning about comics as you're reading them. So I read all of these a couple years ago, and when I saw this book, I quickly picked it up and read as much as I could before we had to leave. I couldn't finish it, unfortunately (I'll have to wait until we go back to Borders again), but here's what I picked up.

Zot is about 2 worlds. There's our Earth, where teenage girl Jenny (I think that's her name) lives, and then there's an alternate Earth, where there are flying cars and robots and world peace, where the boy nicknamed Zot lives. Even if he lives in an idyllic reality though, Zot's world has supervillains, and he's the hero who saves the day with his rocket boots and gadgets and boundless optimism. He never loses on his world. At the beginning of the book, I immediately think I'm missing something, because it's from Jenny's point of view, and it seemed as if they were already tentative boyfriend girlfriend, and she knew about his world, but she was missing him because he hadn't shown up for a while. But I kind of got up to speed, and there's cool saving the world fights, and Zot kind of realizes that on our Earth, he doesn't always win and stop the bad guy. Like I said, I'd have to read more to find out what happens, but I'm definitely going to pick this book up next chance I get.

It was probably sometime last week when I read this book, Dead High Yearbook. It was at the library, and I read it all in one shot. This graphic novel was... okay. Not something I'd rave about or recommend to everybody, but the stories were kind of good, and I really liked the artwork. See, I wouldn't be reading any graphic novel if I didn't like the look of it's artwork. This actually seemed to be a bunch of different styles, because it was by different artists. It was a collection of stories about the supernatural deaths of some high school students. It reminded me a little of the Twilight Zone or something. I wonder if there will be any other books like this in the future. I think it hinted at the end that there were more, but maybe those stories won't be told. I don't know. I don't need to get my hopes up.

Finally, the last book I want to talk about. I read this, too, at the library, in just one sitting. The art attracted me immediately, plus I remembered that a friend had once recommended the series to me. (Thanks Rainy! ^_~) It was a graphic novel adaptation of Alex Rider, Stormbreaker. Really a cool story. It takes place in England, and it's about this teen boy named Alex Rider, whose uncle is a secret agent, but Alex doesn't know it. One day the uncle is killed, and Alex finds out that all his life he's been trained to one day take his uncle's place. It's funny, because the first thing he says when he discovers the spy headquarters is, "Is this Hogwarts?" He gets all these gadgets and, predictably, uses them all in the course of the story to defeat the villain and his evil plot to take over the world.

In graphic novel form, I thought the story was really entertaining and funny. It was like when I read the graphic novel to the first Pendragon book, and found that I loved the series! Later I discovered that there are a couple graphic novels that come after this one, so I might find these and go through the first 3 books in the series that way. I don't know if I want to read the actual books. I might, but I won't count on it. There is also a movie of Stormbreaker, which I've posted a trailer to, but I'm really hesitant to watch it. Since it was a graphic novel, it was fun to notice all the scenes I'd read about when I saw them in the preview, but I've heard that the film actually isn't that good. It's a little too cartoony, and the believability of it flies out the window. It's an awesome story in book form, though not in a live action movie.

I'll try to be a lot better at reviewing the graphic novels I read in the future! I promise.

Coming up next, very soon: Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde.

The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown

Aw, darn it! I finished this book more than a week ago, and I made a draft for it in advance, but I completely forgot to write what I thought about it! How weird. That doesn't usually happen...

Well, I'm really sorry about this. I'm not sure what to say about The Lost Symbol now. It's been so long since I finished reading it, though I did really, really like it. So since I'm feeling lazy this particular post, I'll just link to the review my friend Graham Chops did on the same book. I pretty much agree with his opinion, especially the part about loving to hate this book's villain, and how this will probably make the best movie out of Dan Brown's 3 "Robert Langdon" novels. (Incidentally, Wikipedia says they'll make a film version in 2012.) Plus I agree that Mr. Brown used way too many proper nouns, and not enough pronouns. =P

Again, sorry that this post had to be so abnormally short. But I've got another book review to write today.

Pendragon #10: Soldiers of Halla, by D.J. MacHale

I.......... AM.......... FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!

(10 dots for each ellipse and 10 exclamation points, all representing my triumph over the 10th and final Pendragon adventure! Also, this is the largest type I'm allowed to use. That's how excited I am. ^_^)

It's incredible! I can hardly wrap my mind around it! This was the moment I've been working towards for soooo long! And... now it's over. -,- That's just too bad. But I'm not going to dwell on that, because that would ruin my tirade of how truly awesome the last book was!

Honestly, it was much like reading the final book of Harry Potter, only... well, I can't say it was better, since I love Harry so much and would hate to see him topple off his perch in my number one spot of best loved series, but Bobby is too good to be content with second place. So let's just say that Potter and Pendragon are holding hands at the finish line of their stories. Because it's the finale of a series that makes a reader decide whether it had all been worth it. The suspense. The adventure. The romance. The slight humor that you can't help smiling at, maybe even laugh at. The heartaches. The turmoil. The challenges. The cliff-hangers. The victories. The surprises. The characters. The villains that emulate every spirit of evilness in the world in one persona. The heroes you would follow to the ends of their worlds, cheering them on every step of their way to make things right for their people, risking everything. And of course, the universes of the stories themselves, sprung from the imaginations of two wonderful people, which are filled with the most amazing, mind-blowing, unbelievable, and yes, even magical, worlds I could never have imagined on my own. This is why I love reading so much.

I cannot give enough praise to D. J. for what he's published for the whole world to see. It's just terrific. (Graham, I'm talking to you. If you weren't convinced before to get into Pendragon, you've absolutely got to get started now! This series is too exciting to miss!) It is sooo hard to believe that I started this "journey through time and space" less than a year ago. Now I'm done.

I'm so glad I decided to just finish it already. I had a feeling that all the other books I borrowed from the library could definitely wait for another time. I wouldn't mind if Pendragon would be the last book I reviewed this month. I need to get back to writing my own incredible tale. I shouldn't be distracted by the hopes of fictional worlds that will seem hollow for a while after what I've just read.

Yes, I know. I've managed to reveal absolutely nothing about the plot-line of The Soldiers of Halla. Well, as much as I loved this book, I'd sure hate to be the one to ruin it for those who haven't yet read it. Funny, I thought I'd have a much harder time keeping the story a secret. But you know what? 

...I can't resist. ^,^

Here's a few things you can expect from this book, without any worry of spoiling the story. Sorry to tease and torture you like this, but I think it'll be fun for me:

• You may have thought it was over from the end of the last book, but in reality, Bobby and his friends are so far from over that they're on the far side of Pluto, it's so far. ^,^ (No! Not literally! Shut up! They don't go to Pluto. *snort* It's in a metaphorical sense. Duh!)
• There is much jumping between territories. You'd never believe it. And you thought the flumes were destroyed, right? Well, the Travellers still have a way to travel...
• The stakes are higher than ever before. It's not just about saving Halla. It's saving the spirit of Halla... (I'll let you think on that. ^,*)
• The military-like planning and fighting scenes are awesome! Not to mention the final battle. So appropriate!
• All you really have to know is that all the other books were a prelude compared to this epic! I swear, I could never have predicted it would come to this when I first picked the series up. Not in a million years!

Okay, enough of those vagueties (if that's actually a word). I still have a couple things I'm dying to share about the final book. Please forgive me if these secrets spoil your reading experience:

• A few people you thought were dead? They're not. Doh! I'm so sorry! That's a big one to give away. But trust me. It'll still be a relief to find out why they're not dead.
• Saint Dane's demise is sooo cool! Yes, I'm sorry about not putting you through the suspense, but Saint Dane is beaten for good. He completely deserved what he got. It was almost cooler than reading about Lord Voldemort's final defeat. Almost. ^,~
• The last chapter, what I'd call the epilogue (even though it doesn't say "Epilogue," that's ultimately what it is), I'd have to say is just a mite better than Harry Potter's. It's honestly all worth it in the end. Yes, it takes place in Bobby's future. (Uh-huh, sorry to spoil it, but Bobby has a future.) And what a future it is! It's completely worth it in the end. It truly comes full circle. To the very... last... sentence.

If you have any comments to share, I hope they're long ones. Please don't play concise with me. If you've read the book, please tell me if you can add anything to MacHale's pile of compliments. I hope all my friends can enjoy what I've just enjoyed to the fullest.

So glad I decided to buy it and not wait for it to come in the library!!! ^,^

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

At last, I am done. What a classic! Normally I don't read old classics because I expect them to be boring and full of people using outdated language and such. Like, perhaps the story would be exciting enough, but the manner in which the story is told wouldn't be. I remember trying to read David Copperfield after seeing the movie of it, which had been a good one, (Daniel Radcliffe played Copperfield as a young boy. He was sooo cute there! It also had Dame Maggie Smith, who plays Proffesor McGonagall, so that was extra awesome to have two Harry Potter characters.) but the book, as Charles Dickens had written it, was so dull and drawn out that I didn't bother to finish it.

But I think Jane Eyre was quite a worthwhile read. I didn't feel bored much when reading it, and though the language used would be considered old-fashioned, there is such a romantic and poetic ring to whatever verses or dialogue goes into the novel. It's kind of a not-quite Shakespearean talk that one sometimes wishes people still used, because it's so expressive.

I believe I really enjoyed the story because it had a sort of Twilight feel to it. Like, it's a brilliant love story. The title character, Jane, is a young lady with lots of great qualities in a woman. She's smart, quick-witted, thinks herself plain when other people might say she's pretty, very polite and honest. When she moves into a mansion as a new governess (a sort of nanny who teaches the children of the house... I suppose, in effect, home-schooling them!), she gets to know the slightly eccentric master of the house, Mr. Edward Rochester. Of course, with a name like Edward, who do you think I think of? ^,^ But honestly, as these two people start falling in love, the passion that Mr. Rochester develops for Jane is so strong that it reminds me of the connection between Edward and Bella. Even though Rochester isn't a vampire, he is still very fierce and passionate and wishes he could give everything in the world for Jane.

There's no battle of good versus evil, but it's still quite the epic story. Another thing that I liked about reading Jane Eyre was that I was constantly being reminded of the British, kind of sci-fi mystery series I'd enjoyed reading how many months ago, the Thursday Next series, by Jasper Fforde (yeah, that's not a typo. That's his name, with a double "f"), the first of which was The Eyre Affair. That was a cool book, where the main character, a kind of literary detective who goes into the books themselves to solve an awesome mystery, goes into the Jane Eyre story. Apparently it used to be a different story altogether, but then she makes things happen that actually show up in the real story. Like when Rochester's bed almost catches fire and Jane puts it out, I think there was some really some kind of accident. In The Eyre Affair, anyway. In Jane Eyre, they blame it on Rochester's crazy first wife. Also, when his whole mansion burns down while Jane is away with her cousins, and Rochester loses his eyesight and one of his arms, I think there was actually a battle with the main villain. He gets killed, don't worry. It was just really fascinating to remember those parts of the story while reading the real Jane Eyre novel.

It ends so happily, with Jane and Edward finally happily married, even though Edward has to rely on Jane for a lot because of his mutilation, but it's quite romantic. If anyone liked the Twilight Saga, I think Jane Eyre would be the best classic match for them. It was for me. Of course, you may not be as patient as I am with such a huge story or old fashioned dialogue, and there were a lot of footnotes and references that I had to keep flipping to the end for, but I honestly think the book was worth reading. You might not read it, but I just wanted to let you know how much I myself loved it.

BTW, I finished the book last night, and this morning I read Chapter 3 of Pendragon #10. It is so awesome! I want to read more, but I've got to restrain myself and wait until I've finished another book. ~_~ I'm putting this on myself and I'm going to stand firm, no matter how much I want to know what happens next.

The Fire Eternal, by Chris D'Lacey

I'm not really sure what to say about this book. I looked forward to reading it very much, because I liked the 3 books written before it, The Fire Within, Icefire, and Firestar. Though they're rather big books, I read them all very quickly last year, which is a pretty good sign that I rabidly enjoyed them. It had squirrels, clay dragons that came to life, a guy in college who becomes a writer, polar bears, all these spiritual, magical adventures, and an enviromental message.

I liked it a lot. But when I read this, I somehow got turned off from it. All the magic stuff kind of goes over my head, especially near the end. And the main character, David... I have no idea how he came back to life when he was supposed to have died in the previous book. It didn't give a good enough explanation.

I'm not sure where the author went wrong, but I think he should have left the series as a trilogy. Worse, the ending he wrote smacked of the possibility of another sequel. There were too many things that I didn't get, too many unresolved plot elements... Ah yes. I just checked out Wikipedia, and it seems there is a sequel on the way. Darkfire. Appropriate, I guess. It'll be released this summer. I'm not sure whether or not I'll pick it up, when I have the opportunity to. I am quite curious whether D'Lacey redeems himself with the next book, but I pretty much doubt it'll be worth it.

The Journal of Curious Letters, by James Dashner ^,~

This was my second time reading James Dashner's bestselling book. I read it while reading it to my brother of 11 years, Adam, for the first time. His verdict? He loves it and is probably going to pay more attention to this series. It was a great experienced, reading out loud to my brother. He doesn't like reading as much as me and my sister does, but he enjoyed listening to Dashner's words. I also think he liked me doing an impression of Mothball, who reminds me personally of a Russian person.

Rereading the book reminded me how much I liked James's writing style. It felt like reading his blog. He also uses funny metaphors and his sense of humor plainly leaks onto the pages. However, I didn't really like the fangen fighting scene that much. It was slightly confusing, and I can't really picture what one looks like in my mind. But ignoring that, I still say that I liked reading it and it is proof that James Dashner's book can stand the test of time. I can hardly wait until I'm able to read the sequel, Dark Infinity, or his other raved about book, The Maze Runner, which still has yet to arrive.

Even if I hated his books though, I love James Dashner's blog. For those who haven't read it before, please check out this link and be amazed. The life and times of this published author is fascinating to follow.

New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer

Man, oh man. What a follow-up to Twilight this book was! 565 pages, long, or 25 chapters. It took me 4 whole days to get through it. This time there wasn't a preview of the next book, so that was good. When I started this book on the 12th, I skipped the 1st chapter completely, since I remembered it perfectly from when I read it after finishing Twilight. But now, whenever I get Eclipse, I'm glad the whole thing will be a surprise. This was published 2006.

I absolutely loved it! It was just as awesome, maybe even more so, than it's predecessor. I'm sorry to have to disagree with Brian, but I thought this book was really good. I now understand why in the movie Twilight Victoria is shown in such a foreshadowing position, because she is quite a dangerous presence in the plot. She's never "shown" in the story, but she's a big threat to Bella anyway.

Anyway, like the first book, I found myself irresistibly, emotionally attached to the story somehow. It was again as if I were playing Bella, and whenever I put the book down I kept thinking about it, still feeling everything she told me she was feeling. When Edward dumped her, I thought her feeble existence in the following months was a bit pathetic, but I sympathized with her anyway. Still, it was cool when the plot picked up and she found a reason to live again. I loved getting to know Jacob Black. He's a really good character. Especially since his name is one letter away from someone I know ^,^ . Even him being a werewolf doesn't make me like him any less. I thought it was a little funny when Bella steps back and wonders why she finds herself so attracted to mythical monsters.

I think the last part was the best though. When Bella and Alice rush over to save Edward from killing himself. That was as exciting as when Bella was being hunted by James in the first book. Of course, as the story ends, I'm very curious about how things turn out. I mean, Bella likes Jacob, but she absolutely loves Edward. It seems inevitable that she's going to turn into a vampire herself sometime soon in the series, since she can't stand the idea of Edward looking forever young while she ages. I'm just so psyched about this series I can't stand waiting for the next part.

I'm sorry for giving away so many spoilers, and for making this a long review. I hope soon I'll get the chance to discuss this book with someone who's read it and shares my high approval. I also hope I won't be the only one reviewing books for much longer. Huh, now I wonder what I'm going to read next. How is it ever going to compare to this reading experience? I hope I don't set myself up for disappointment. Not everyone can write like Ms. Meyer.

Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer

Title: Twilight

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Published: 2005-----Made into a movie: 2008

Pages:500, plus 30 additional pages for a sneak peek of the sequel, New Moon

Chapters: 25, excluding the preview chapter of New Moon

Pages per Chapter (on average): 20 (not including New Moon)

Date Started: Jan. 4-----Date Finished: Jan. 8

My Reading Speed: 100 pages a day, or 5 chapters a day.

The Main Characters: Isabella, or Bella, Swan, a 17 year old girl who reminds me a lot of myself, and Edward Cullen, a vampire boy who sounds absolutly dreamy (sorry for my girliness)

My Brief Synopsis: Bella moves to Washington to live with her dad and in school is aquainted with the strangest and most perfect boy she's ever seen. Just being around him muddles her thinking. Turns out he's not even human. They go through a shaky relationship because he, Edward, doesn't want to risk harming Bella if they get to close.

The Conflicts: There are some who would keep these 2 foolish young lovers apart, like Billy Black, a friend of Bella's father, and a trio of hunter vampires who nearly kill her in the end.

My General Comments: I hardly know where on earth to start. This is probably the first book I've read in a while about characters that are actually my age. I absolutely love Bella. I can relate to her very easily. Of course I'm not so morbid, like she was in the beginning, I don't think of myself as clumsy (I can climb trees like no one's business), and I'm certainly not pale-skinned (I go to the beach nearly every weekend), but the rest of her I can live with. She allows me to pretend I'm the one in the story, having an utterly romantic love affair with a vampire. Also, from the preview of New Moon I read at the end of the book (I can't wait to read the rest of it!) I discovered that her birthday is Sept. 13, and mine is on the 7th. So cool!

My Favorite Part: I'd have to say my favorite part was actually a whole chunk of chapters merged together. I enjoyed everything between the event of Bella having dinner with Edward for the first time and when they're in the meadow together, freely enjoying each other's company.

My Favorite Things About the Book: It's got a very sneaky brand of humor. You have to read very carefully (or if you read it aloud, you have to perk your ears) to catch the little sarcastic jokes that pass between characters. That's my favorite kind, dry humor. And I've heard some reviewers say that the book had too many adjectives or something, but I think the story couldn't have been the same without all the little descriptions. I think it's been said that perfection doesn't come when you can't add anything more to something, but when you can't take anything away from it.

A Personal Shout Out to Stephenie Meyer: Your books are utterly breath-taking. You will be priveleged to know that this was my first romantic novel, and I loved it. Bella and Edward are amazing. I want so much to have a boyfriend like Edward Cullen (though he need not be a vampire or anything dangerous like that!) I look forward to reading your other books in the near future very much.

Here's the link to Twilight's Wikipedia Article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight(novel)

And this is for the Twiligh Saga website:

http://www.thetwilightsaga.com/

Below is Stephenie Meyer's own website:

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/

Below is a trailer video for the Twilight movie, in case you're interested. I can't wait to see it in the theater myself.

What is your favorite part? If you haven't read this book, sorry for all the spoilers, but you can comment and say if this book review was helpful. If you have read this book, please give me a comment or email me so we can discuss it. This would be the closest I've ever gotten to a book club, you know.