Saturday, May 2, 2009

The Bandwagon

I don't care what anyone says. The Twilight series is remarkable. The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks, is another “one” that I absolutely adore. Judge me if you must, (though I'll probably strongly dislike you for doing so) but I cannot help but jump on the bandwagon with some of the overly popularized “ones.”

By “ones,” I mean the Harry Potter geek saga, Danielle Steele’s juicy romance novels, every Nicholas Sparks’ book to ever hit bookshelves (and theaters), and of course, Stephenie Meyer’s vampire craze, Twilight. Overall, every book that has ever been dramatically marketed, gossiped, or made into action figures. Or an animated TV series.

Yet “one” that I have never been able to force myself to read and enjoy is the Harry Potter series. Naturally, I began with the Chamber of Secrets. After getting through the first few chapters, I felt the strong urge to burn my book. I attempted the movie and fell asleep halfway through—in the midst of a cram packed theater.

I take this in a positive way though. Maybe I’m not prone to falling into the traps of all the “ones.”After all, just a glimpse at a Danielle Steele book and my skin crawls.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Roll Call

Along with basking in the sun and attending as many concerts as I possibly can this summer, I also plan to get through an extensive list of books along the way:

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman-I've always had an unusual interest in witchcraft and the supernatural.

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy-One of my favorite books is The Road, so I figured I should read another of his. (Genius, I know.) Yet I attempted to read the book before and actually couldn't get into it. I'll take another stab at it this summer.

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella-It is probably a semi-autobiographical version of my life. So I figured I'd be laughing the majority of the way through it...or crying.

On The Road by Jack Kerouac-I feel like a disgrace to mankind for not having read this book yet.

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky-It's in the "Favorite Books" section for almost everyone on Facebook. But then again, so is Harry Potter. Could be an audacious move on my part.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan-I've read excerpts of it for a class and became very interested. I love reading about different cultures and historical events.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte-The novel has been referenced in a few of my favorite books. Plus it's a classic. So I figured I find a copy to indulge in.

Misery by Stephen King-Two words: Kathy Bates. And naturally, it's a Stephen King book. The idea of a sadistic fanatic holding her favorite author hostage is enough to grab my interest.

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max-Read the first few pages of it online and laughed repeatedly the whole way through it.

Witches of Eastwick by John Updike-Again, the supernatural is definitely a page turner for me.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer-Once again, I feel like a disgrace to humanity for not reading this yet.