Monday, March 20, 2006

The Book Blog

Rule #1. No comments about "OMG you know how to read?" or "who has taken over you're blog, because YOU can't POSSIBLY be talking about books!?!?!"

Yes. it's true. I've started reading. And i kinda like it. I don't have books growing out of my hands and i couldn't open up my own Barnes and Noble (Quitter!) I also don't read the crap that Will reads. He just finished what i'm sure was an enthralling book about women governors. In his defense, it was for school... but still... who ever actually reads books for school? I'm quite picky about my books. I can't read hardback books. Too heavy. Too cumbersome. It's rare for me to read anywhere but in bed. (Though i'm guessing airports and planes will become new favorite reading locations soon.) Mom and Dad always read sci-fi and fantasy. I think this is why i was never a reader. Totally not my style. I've discovered that i gravitate towards books written in the first person. I think it makes it more believable, less like a story, more like something that could have actually happened. It sucks me in more. I also like semi-historical books, but not just rehashing history. I like a really great story that incorporates elements of history.

Several months ago I went into the Borders downtown (while i've never been a reader i've always LOVED bookstores, can't explain it) I was aimlessly wondering around and a very nice salesman caught my eye and asked if he could help me find something. I informed him that he probably could if i had ANY IDEA what i was looking for. I explained that i wasn't a reader, but that I kinda wanted to be. He smiled but didn't mock me at all. He led me over to a book called The Lovely Bones. It took me a couple months to read it (a huge improvement over toying with a book for several months only to never actually finish it) and i really liked it. Without giving too much away... It's told from the perspective of a girl named Susie who was murdered and is now looking on from heaven. She watches her friends and family as they go through stages of denial and grief. She struggles with not being able to help them work through their pain. The author introduces the theory of individual heavens that kind of intermingle. The idea is that everyone's heaven is different and some people will never meet in heaven because they are in different heavens. It's an interesting perspective.

The next book i read was Memoirs of a Geisha. I heard about the book a few years ago when it first came out. It seemed like it would be very interesting, but again.... i wasn't a reader. Recently the movie came out and i decided that i wanted to see it, but i thought i should read the book first. Oddly enough, still haven't seen the movie. LOVED the book. Loved the history and culture. I'm not sure i could read a book about Japanese history, but the fact that it was told through Chiyo/Sayuri's eyes. It was her experiences. I understand the story isn't autobiographical. It is fictional, but based on true events. I was a little disappointed by the ending. I don't want to give anything away, but it seemed a little too tidy to be realistic to me. Other than that, it was a fascinating story. It made me wish i could hop on a plane and go to Japan (even though it's not at all the same any more.) It reinforced my love of foreign culture.

Finally, Sunday afternoon, I took a long hot bath and finished reading Kite Runner. I think I liked it for a lot of the same reasons i liked Memoirs. It was glimpse into I world i know nothing about. People talk about books being an escape from reality. I think i'm beginning to understand that. Of course it makes me want to chuck it all grab a backpack and find some hostels to stay in so i can see the world. I LOVE other cultures and I love learning about other cultures, especially from the perspective of someone who lived there. I don't really know where to start on this book without giving everything away. It was a page turner though. The author was really good at making it look like the chapter was going to wrap up nicely, and then having a last sentence like "I didn't know then, but it was the last time I would ever see him." That's not a real quote, but you get the idea. I was annoyed by it at first, but i guess that's how you keep people reading.

Today i went to my own personal library................ My Aunt's bookshelf!!! (I should totally open a book store and name it that!!!) I haven't given her a nickname, and i think she would be upset if used the nickname that i've most recently given her. It's kind of a between us thing. So I'll use one of her old nicknames, Bange. Bange loaned me three books, i haven't decided which one i'm going to start with, but they all look pretty good. I'll keep you posted. Anyone else reading something good? (Quitter, if you don't comment I'll have no choice but to assume you've dropped off the face of the Earth. I KNOW you're reading something!)