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Because it's a more casual forgiving format. So I don't feel pressure to write 2000 words 3 times a week.
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February: Missed YA Reads Month

"Only thin, weak thinkers despise fairy stories. Each one has a true, strange fact hidden in it, you know, which you can find if you look."

I was a pretentious teenager*. When everyone was reading The Hunger Games and The Perks of Being  a Wallflower, I had loftier literary aspirations. I remember cracking open The Picture of Dorian Gray in my Algebra II class at age 13 and just feeling so superior. I was reading Oscar Wilde, master of silver-tounged satire and wit. Perhaps I thought it would just rub off on me. Unfortunately, it just kind of bounced off my forehead. I didn't quite wake up from that literary stupor until my english teacher assigned me Fahrenheit 451, which pretty much caused me to lose faith in all of humanity. Sense and Sensibility followed, and after A Tale of Two Cities and a phase of Haruki Murakami, I really learned how to read a book. (I later went back to Dorian Grey and realized I didn't even like it. I no longer have a special place for Wilde in my heart, either. I can't help but be quite resentful of the way he writes us morning people off as bores.)

Unfortunately, since my literary upbringing was so odd, I missed out on a lot of great YA novels. What I love about these books now is I see exactly their purpose; that is, where they fit on the "literary growth chart," so to speak. These books are transition books. If you skip them and go from reading White Fang to Crime and Punishment, it's pretty much like driving a stick shift with no practice: it's clunky, awkward, and makes driving a terrible experience.

The good ones teach you to read. They're complex, multi-faceted, and the themes stick to your brain like glue for years and years. The only YA book I really remember reading in high school (fad books like Uglies aside) was Howl's Moving Castle. But let me tell you, whenever anyone asked me what my favorite books were, it would always be there (and will always be), nestled among David Copperfield and All the King's Men. It spoke to me on so many levels because it was written with my age in mind. It was exactly what I needed at the time, and will probably always need. In fact, I still read it once a year. When I read Fire and Hemlock** at 17, I was devastated that I had not read it earlier. I went on reading sprees of Diana Wynne Jones (my absolute favorite YA author), devoured I Capture the Castle, and Ella Enchanted. 

So this past Christmas, as I was once again being entranced by Fire and Hemlock, my sister and I began to talk about YA fantasy. She was more of an avid reader in high school than I was, and that I believe is because she did not opt out of the YA transition phase. 

"You haven't read Sabriel? Or The Hero and the Crown? And you call yourself a feminist..."

And she was right. I missed out on a huge number of great books because I was proud. I regret that. 

So this month (and all this year!), I'm going to read them. I encourage you to read with me; pick a book from your angsty teenage years that you missed out on and find its merits. I guarantee it will be magical!

*I still am to a large degree...

**I will not, however, be reading Fire and Hemlock this month. I would like to have a re-read or read-a-long later in the year, so I'm saving it for then.

Breakfast at Tiffany's (#3) and Kiss and Tell (#4)

I've been in a rather serious mood with my literature lately, and after I finish the book I'm currently reading, I think I'm going to need a change of pace.
Both of these novels (or Novella, in just Breakfast at Tiffany's case) get quite philosophical, and honestly, Tiffany's is pretty  much a downer. Kiss and Tell was comical and pleasant, but the structure left a little something to be desired, and got heavy at some points. I'm currently following them up with Brideshead Revisited, and I can honestly say that I'm not quite enjoying it as much as I thought I would, though I've been wanting to read it for a long time.

But enough about me. Let's get to the books!

Breakfast at Tiffany's
First of all, I'm completely guilty of reading this after I saw the film. But, having first seen the film when I was very young, I can't say I would have absorbed all that much anyway, and I also can't say the film and the novella have very much in common.
I can say, however, that I liked the book better. Ultimately, the message about identity and coming to grips with reality is far, far more prominent in the book. The movie never did much for me. I always felt like it was lacking something, and I think the book had that something.

Definitely worth your time (especially because it's only about 120 pages), and wish it lasted longer.

Kiss and Tell

It's definitely a funny story, how I came across this book. As I said earlier, I read a passage on a practice AP exam and had to spend the second part of the test stifling my laughter. This book totally appeals to my sense of humor - it's witty, sharp, and quite quirky. 

For one, you never know the speaker's name. The book simply starts with the reader being plopped right down into the action. When his ex-girlfriend calls him selfish and egotistical before they break-up, Mr. Narrator decides he will be completely dedicated to his next relationship. So dedicated, in fact, that he will write a biography on this women. She turns out to be a regular girl he meet s at a party named Isabel. They being a relationship, and the author begins to chronicle Isabel's life. 

However, this book is not fiction, at least not completely. There's quite a bit of philosophy interspersed between sporadic narrative passages. I can't say all of the philosophical sections are as riveting as the plot-based stuff, but a lot of is quite insightful, though some passages work better than others. It does kind of throw off the balance of the book - right when you think you're getting into a groove reading it, he sometimes goes off on these tangents that can get heady quickly.

Ultimately, though, the concept works, and the message of the book is prominently laid out. It raises philosophical questions not only about biography, but about relationships we have with other people, how we view ourselves, and ultimately how much we really know about each other. The sweet spots of the book (the chapters about sex and love, and the epilogue) really gelled well and made me wish the rest of the book had turned out as nicely. The ending is a nice little slap in the face, too. (I won't spoil it)

So I recommend if you like thinking a lot, and humor, and philosophy. If that's the case, I also recommend looking up this author's other books. This is not his finest work, but is still quite good. 

List Love

Yes, I've read two more books in the past week. No, I have not reviewed them.
So far, I can definitely say my project is sucsessful. As January winds down (VERY quickly, might I add), I'm starting to think of a theme for next month. Romance is the obvious one, but I feel there should be some sort of other criteria involved.
I'll see.
At any rate, I wanted to do some sort of weekend round-up on my blog since I don't post often, so I have some sort of scheduled content on here. And thus, List Love was born! I just wanted to make a basic list of what's new in my life this week. Maybe I'll have discovered some sort of hidden gem that the entire world has no clue existed until I posted.

1. Alain de Botton on Atheism If you don't read anything by this man, please, PLEASE, get on that now. It's definitely philosophy for everyone. I first read a passage from his novel Kiss and Tell on an AP practice exam in high school (go figure) and had been meaning to read it for ages. I finally picked it up last week. Needless to say, I am hooked on his books. I've got two more sitting on my dresser. 
2. Valentine Cookies Oh my goodness. Maybe I'm just a softie for pink, but I have a special love for Valentine treats. 
3. Yesterday was Edith Wharton's Birthday Edith is one of my favorite authors. The Age of Innocence is and will always be a favorite of mine. Read it! If you like it, you have an excuse to get this insanely beautiful anthology by penguin classics. If that's not enough reason alone, then I don't know what is!
4. Fandom Teas Seriously, though. It's crazily unnecessary and indulgent. But I just want it.
5. Game of Thrones Season 3 Images Released GET PUMPED.
6. Bright Star Did you know Jane Campion made a movie about John Keats? Played by Ben Whishaw? How was I not aware of this film when it was released 4 years ago? Can I really call myself a John Keats acolyte if I didn't know about it? Who cares. Just go buy a box of kleenex and netflix all of that.
7. Penguin Drop Caps Because who doesn't want a beautiful, hardcover copy of their favorite classic? 
8. Pride and Prejudice Turns 200 on Monday I don't know what everyone else is doing. If I didn't have school, I would sit at home with a box of Petite Ecoliers and have a read-a-thon. Unfortunately, I have school, so it looks like it's gonna be the film with Keira Knightly (which is still one of my favorite films, by the way!).