I watched Blue Valentine so I have thoughts and feelings

I'm not going to lie and say I know how falling in love feels. I'm not going to say that I know the equation for the perfect relationship. Out of every experience that has ever occurred on this Earth, the comparative few I've had in my short twenty years is laughable. But I try. I may not be at a point where I'm brave enough to put myself out there all the time and experience everything for myself. I don't think that my emotions could handle that. I feel everything too deeply. But I do read and watch and observe and try to understand other people's experiences and stories. That's the only way we can understand people and how we function as a collective community. There is no way that you could ever understand what everyone is going through. It would be fatiguing to even consider that. But books, writing, theatre, and acting give us a way to experience the world through someone else. We have the chance to sink into the mind of someone else. We can see the world from their point of view. Though them, you can know what it feels like to fall in love. You might not have first hand knowledge, but you could have a shadow of it. An echo. Something to indicate that it is a real experience that people have. After all of the great art created around it, after the humanists considered it to be the founding principle, after Christians established an entire religion around the concept, Love can't be something only found in fiction. It has to be more than that. The experience every single person has had in the history of human existence has to make it more than a vague concept. Love is more that a thought or a feeling. It is tangible. Love is lying when she catches you looking at her, because she's not ready to hear it yet. Love is cooking dinner because you know he's had a long day. Love is staying up until he gets home, just so you know he is safe. Love is being 100% sure and completely uncertain, all at the same time. Love is feeling so much that you don't know exactly what you're feeling. Love is putting your chin on his shoulder and whispering "it's okay". Love is the brushes of fingertips against his temple because it's where his thoughts live. I know what Love is. I just don't know how the journey to it feels.

Napkin Thoughts: An Argument for Positive Concepts

When out to lunch today, I jotted down these unpolished ideas. They are basically stream of consciousness.

The fluidity of the human mind is a great and terrible truth. It is also part of one of the only enduring truths: that no matter when or where, change is imminent. One moment the brain is positive about what you want and about your path. Then, without the slightest provocation  the mind has changed itself. How is it possible for an individual, much less a society of individuals, to function? How can we contribute to society if we can't even decided what we want? I postulate, and though it might change, it is because we have certain constant concepts: beauty, truth, love, goodness. If you obtain any of these constantly you have a goal to maintain it. This goal motivates you to make choices hat let you keep these. It is for the good of your self, and the good of society therefore if your life contains beauty, truth, love, and goodness.

Book Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot

Meg Cabot's Abandon:

I was disappointed with this book. To fully understand the depth of this statement, you must know that I've read about 80% of everything Meg Cabot has published. So, I would say that I'm a fan of her work. But this one didn't do it for me. The narrator/MC was boring, bounced around in her head too much, and spent half of the book trying to convince the reader that she wasn't crazy or saying that she didn't care that anyone thought she was crazy. I thought the narrative was poorly constructed. It was supposed to be suspenseful (I wonder what happened to Hannah? Why did she get kicked out of her old school? What really happened to her in the Underworld?) but it just fell flat.

Also, she was just unintelligent. She didn't connect that D-Wing=rejects of school. She didn't ever TALK to anyone. She doesn't know who Homer is and she doesn't care. She comes off as an unlikable selfish spoiled rich girl who is self-absorbed. Only when she spoke to the Cemetery guy (I can't even remember his name) did the story begin to make any sense.

And John. He could have been such a developed tortured character. He came off as flat and one-dimensional though.

One aspect of the book that I like though, was the quotation from Dante's Inferno at the beginning of every chapter. I didn't necessarily think that many quotations should have been included (a few separating the book into sections would have sufficed) but it was appreciated.

My only hope is that the second and third books will somehow redeem this good, if poorly executed, idea.

Rating: 2/5.

DFTBA and happy reading!
Nadia

Writing and Connections

So occasionally I write things and even less often I post them on the internet. But, I feel like posting something this close to my heart will be good for me. It's hard and that's why I'm doing it. The working title is Connections  and I wrote it in a few minutes. It's unedited, raw, and straight from my heart or wherever that place is that magically makes words appear on a page. Now enough stalling, here it is:

There is an impossible sadness when you realize that all you want to do is spend time with someone. That you know you want to share your life with this person. To have them there to hold your hand. To exchange a glance that contains an entire conversation. To fight with about everything and nothing, just to challenge one another. To kiss on the forehead. To work through the bad times with and laugh during the good ones.

There is strength in relationships. We become better people when we let others in. Yes, we get hurt. We get used. Not every person wants to be your friend. By that’s ok because for every person you meet that is horrible to you, there is another one who will be nice to you. Who knows, that niceness might change your life. But you will never know if you don’t try. If you don’t take a chance and just say one word, “hi”. That little first step can look like a giant leap, but it can truly open a door to something that you’ve only dreamed about.

Without our relationships, we are nothing. We will have no one to remember us. No one to feel a tug in their heart whenever they hear your name on the street. And all it takes is “hi”. You could find a person that you want to share your life with, even in a platonic way. And there is nothing sadder that realizing all of this and wanting al of this and realizing that it might be beyond your reach. Maybe not forever- but for now. When it matters most. 

The Hunger Games

I just finished rereading The Hunger Games in time for the movie. I've said it before, but I have no idea how they're going to capture the majority of the violence. Also, one of the best parts of the book is knowing that Peeta loves Katniss and almost chuckling at how ignorant she is and how she sees the strings attached to every movement. Jennifer Lawrence better be a damn good actress to pull that off.

Also, if they mess up one moment of Rue's relationship with Katniss or her death, I will be very angry.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

I finally finished another book, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. But, because of my preconceived notions, it took me a few chapters to 'get into' the book. I heard this book was a horror novel, which almost detered me from reading it. But, it was a unique fantasy narrative blended with vintage photographs that added a chilling element to the story.

But before I discuss any further, some plot details. Jacob was a normal teenager whose grandfather, who is Jewish, told him stories from World War II. These stories eventually turned into fairy tales. The, Jacob's grandfather is murdered by a monster that is right out of the stories from Jacob's childhood. Everyone thinks that he is crazy and he gets sent to a psychiatrist. He then goes on a trip with his father to the island where his grandfather grew up during the war. Jacob meets children like his grandfather who are "peculiar" and the story twists, turns, and develops from there.

I would have enjoyed the pure narrative of this novel. But, the vintage photographs added a unique dimension. These photographs peppered throughout the novel are not random, but are what Jacob is looking at during the story. For some reason, I thought they were fake photos created for the novel. But, in the author's note in the end, Riggs states that they are all real vintage photographs. To me, this added a special touch. It makes the reader wonder who these 'peculiar' people pictured really are, what they were like, and what the true story was behind each photo.

The historical element was an added bonus as well. A decent portion of the novel is set on September 3, 194o (don't ask how this happens- just read the novel). There were many parallels between the hunting of the Jews and the hunting of the peculiar children.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and will anticipate the sequel that seems promised by the conclusion of the novel. My rating is 4.5/5 stars. No matter how slow certain parts were, it always propelled right back into the story. Also, I thought there were several underdeveloped minor plot points. But, I guess I'll just have to wait for the sequel to see if they ever get addressed!

Best Wishes and DFTBA!

Nadia

P.S.- Random note, but John Green and Ransom Riggs went to college together and remain friends. Here is a video by John discussing this. (Also, here is a rather hilarious video of a road trip they took together in college). At this time, they've been on or near the top of the New York Times Best Seller list for Children's Chapter Books for eight weeks in a row.

Crossed

Another YA review! This one is for Crossed by Ally Condie. (http://www.amazon.com/Crossed-Ally-Condie/dp/0525423656). This is the sequel to Matched. Basically, it is the dystopian love-triangle that you see in YA all the time. The "unique" twist is that every one is "matched" with their soul mate. But, Cassia, the main character, gets matched with two boys. She has to choose between her best friend and the guy that she has fallen in love with. Basically, that's the plot of Matched.

In Crossed, she has chosen (I won't tell you which one) and he was sent away. She got herself in trouble to try to escape the Society in order to join back up with him. This book is about her journey, and the choice they have to make together to join the Rising (the rebellion).

To be honest, there wasn't much remarkable about this novel. There were several moments of excellent suspense and the novel ended with a complete cliffhanger. My favorite thing about this series though, is the constant stress on the importance of history and art, including literature, poetry, songs, and visual art. But, there is not much that differentiates this novel from the myriad of other love triangles dystopian novels on the market right now. I do recommend the series if that is what you like because they are pretty well written and have excellent- if rather obvious- symbolism.