Book 4

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

I don't think I would have choosen to read this book on my own. The reason for picking it currenly is I was brought to a sneak pre-view of the movie by my library's children's staff. They thought I would be interested, and I appreciated their thinking of me.

This is the story of a girl and her father (a preacher) who move to a new town. The girl has trouble making new friends, and he dad is pretty uncomminicative (sp??). We find out the her mom abandoned them when the girl was 3 (she is presently 10) and her dad doesn't talk about it. For various reasons the girl meets a dog who proceeds to drag her around town to all the sort of forgotten folks who she then proceeds to befriend and it ends wtih them all having a party. Could we get anymore saccharine and Disney?

As far as the movie goes, I have no idea who it's going to appeal to, other than teachers and librarians using to to supplement the book. I mean, it was like watching Steel Magnolias for 10-year old girls, except nothing bad happens. Things seemed arbitrarily changed as well. The landlord became a more prominant figure, the dad in the movie couldn't stand Winn Dixie at first, the dad refused to go to the party at the end of the book. I'm not sure why the production company felt these changes were necessary.

However, Dave Matthews played Otis, and he made the movie worth watching. I have never been a fan of him, but he made the character.

It's a book about friendship, about not judging people by looks or rumors, it's about getting out and bringing folks together. I still feel really "eh" about it. I have no favorite quote.

Book 3

Geography Club by Brent Hartinger

Yes, I finally read it and you were all right. It was fantastic.

A small group of gay and lesbian students find each other, basically by chance, at a high and decide to start their own club. In order so that no one else knows about them, and so that no one esle would possbly think about joining, they call the Geography Club, because no one would want to join such a boring club.

That's the basic gist of the plot, but what's really at the center of the story is being alone, and what you are willing to do to not be alone. It's a painfully true depiction, the islands of popularity and their heirarchy, and then there's Outcast Island, somewere you don't want to be, but once you're there you don't get out. What are the characters willing to do, to betray, to sacrifice, to not end up there? Of course being outed would end you up there, or possibly somewhere worse.
I really felt for and identified with Brian Bund. I loved the rest of the story and the characters and the sweeteness of Russel's and Kevin's relationship, but Brian made the story for me.

I've removed the stuttering to save my bad typing skils:

"How do you do it?" I said. I wasn't sure if he'd know that I was talking about his being an outcast, but he did know.
"You get used to it," he said simply.
"All day long, I've felt like I'm going to burst into tears. Everyone staring at me, whispering things."
"No. You can't think like that."
"What do you mean?"
"You can't care what people think, You'll go crazy. You've got to save your energy for when people really do stuff."
Do stuff? I thought. But even as I thought this, I knew what kind of stuff he meant. Stuff like throwing food at him in the cafeteria. Or puling him into a darkened theater and dressing him up like a girl. Or trapping him in a deserted hallway after school.
It was good advice. It was also a fascinating insight into his life, evenif it was phenominally depressing.
"You ever want to change the way things are?" I said.
He looked down at his food. "Things don't change. Not for me, they don't." I didn't bother giving him some stupid pep talk about having a better attitude. He was absolutley right. For him, things never would change, not as long as he stayed at Goodkind High School.

He's right. The movies all lie. There is no make over, or foreign grandmother, or shiny new attitude that will save you once you find yourself on Outcast Island. I don't know how anybody ends up there. One year everyone's friends, and the next year, the Islands have formed up. I don't know how anyone survives it. I changed schools.

Book 1

The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty

This was a very cute and low key (for YA) book. It was great. It was damn funny and I particularly liked the revenge, and that they didn't go soft on it or feel bad, which at one point I thought they would. The writing was in my opinion quite good, and the telling of the story though journal entries and letters was succesfull. I was apprehensive about it, I've seen that REALLY not work. I loved the mock trial at the the end ("..hey, Bindy's putting all kinds of adjectives in the transcript.") This is a fantastic example of a light read without it being complete trash. Even though one character is dealing with the death of her father, it is handled well without it taking over the entire story, yet still being sensitive....and that sentence is getting out of hand.

Damn Good Book

This is still my favorite quote. It's what made me interested in reading the book, and strangely enough pulled Jeremy in as well.

In actual fact, I always think it's funny when a teacher tries to be cool. Most people want to slap them across the face, but I want to sit them down, like with a hand on their forehead, and say, "It's okay, you're a grown-up, you're allowed to be a nerd, just breathe in and out, that's all you need to do," and they would look up at me confused but also relieved and teary-eyed.

Book 2

Playing in Traffic by Gail Giles

When one of the school's 'invisibles" suddenly gains the attention of the school's wacko outcast goth girl, what will ensue? Well, it's certainly not hilarity. This is a Gail Giles book after all. This book deals with, amoung other things, what can you believe when a stranger decides to tell you all the most horrible things that are happening to her? Of course you try to help her, in any way you can. What happens when parts the stories start contradicting each other? How far will you go?

I have yet to see a positive portrayal of a goth in literature. Just pointing that out.

This does not have quite the hardcore twist that other Gail Giles books have had, but it definatley has the punch you in the face ending.

Damn Good Book

Favorite passage (possibly my favorite passage in a YA book EVER):

I didn't answer. I was seventeen and my bemoaned and as yet unrelieved virginity had made me unreliable in matters of character appraisal.

50 books in a year

Ok, so I really liked the idea of keeping track of what is read this year as sort of per Leila's suggestion. I really have no interest in joining another blog in order to do that. I think one blog is quite enough, thank you. I'm also curious as to how much I actually read in a year. I'm sure that Leila must read upwards of 200 books, but I would be interested what her count is too. Since I just said that, I in no way wish to suggest that this is a competion of ANY sort. I really am just curious what some of us wackos do.

(I am also in the process of forming some kind of list to of amazing YA book to present as a proposal to change the face of summer reading in high schools, but that's another project, in it's baby stages. I would appreciate any input any folks have towards this end at any point this year. I know you all have your favorites. I would like to have a finished proposal by fall, hopefully.)

Now a question for any one who feels like answering: If 10 books were republished in one huge QP to keep foks like me from loosing their place in the series does that count as 1 book or 10?

OW! OW! OW!

Subtitle: How the Biopsy Went

I don't think there are words I can use here to describe how much that sucked today. Really. Unless you are collecting new and interesting pains, avoid this at all costs.

Not much else to say: it sucked; OW!

Ok, I'll try to be Good

So the game that Jeremy and I got addicted to is World of Warcraft
They're so awesome that they did a special holiday patch that decorated the major cities with trees and lights and made quests that you had to bring milk and cookies to Father Great Winter. The undead city with wreaths all over it was a hoot.

Jeremy and I keep getting sick and if I have to go to the emergency room one more time I think I'm going to kill someone. We got a flu right after Thanksgiving, and THEN we got one right after Christmas. Flu part 2 is now tied for how I envision the 8th circle of Hell. Jeremy vomited so much in 4 hours he looked liked he had lost 15 pounds. We went to the ER for and IV for him at 1 AM, in Albany, NY, during a snowstorm. My mom wouldn't let me drive.

At this point I would like to comment on my general health problems, but I'm not sure you all want to hear about them and I'm not sure how comfortable I am talking about them. But, I am officially worried and a bit scared. I will say that are womanly problems and next week I am going for a biopsy.

I hope everyone had a good holiday and no one esle gets the horrible flu we had. We got an electric blanket that Jeremy is very excited about. I got some very good/expensive kitchen knives that I am very excited about.

Jeremy officially proposed to me on Christmas morning. I said yes.