Double-Post Wednesday! aka “What I’m Reading” Ep. 1

… As if you actually wanted anymore reading. I decided that since I was horrible and didn’t post on time last week, I would give you a double feature so that you have a wide variety of items to chew on for the next week or so, just in case school becomes a little too much once more. I thought it might be fun to do a “What I’m reading” segment each week, because a lot of the time (and I’m sure you all feel the same way), what I’m reading directly correlates to my current outlook on, well, EVERYTHING. More specifically, what I read influences the way in which I think and feel for as long as it takes to read the book.

Interestingly enough, I have read a couple of books lately … none of which came from my growing “To-Read” pile. Remember this sad list? Well, I bought more books. I shouldn’t have, but I did. And boy, am I glad I did. Without further ado, although with much fanfare and suitable theme music …

What I’m Reading, Ep. 1: Measuring Success and Divergence from the Path Most Travelled

 Divergent by Veronica Roth

 Let me tell you, buddy. This book is already fairly big in many circles and is only about to get bigger. I would pick it up and read it soon if you are one to avoid the bandwagon.

 Its becoming a major motion picture, which is exciting. What is more exciting is seeing this amazing story come to life before my eyes.

 The concept itself is cool, this dystopian society is divided into five factions Abnegation, Erudite, Dauntless, Candor, and Amity. Children are raised in the faction of their parents and are tested at the age of sixteen for their aptitudes in each area. The results of the test and what they know from their home faction guide their decision as to which faction they choose to spend the rest of their lives.

Beatrice Prior, the heroine of this tale, is different. She is Divergent, meaning that she shows aptitude for more than one faction. And that’s right about the time that her world as she know is is forever changed, for the better … at least thats what I think. Its a good, action packed read, the pacing is fantastic … Roth’s style of writing puts you in Tris’ shoes so perfectly that you can see the events unfold around you. I highly recommend this read.

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcom Gladwell

While I haven’t really finished this on quite yet, I’m really enjoying it so I thought I’d give you a little taste. The book centres around the argument that “hard work”, “natural talent” and “superior skill/ability” are all things that contribute to a person’s success, though they are not the only things.

Gladwell argues that there are a variety of non-controlled variables coming into play that shorten a person’s path to success … right down to when and where a person is born. I had never previously give this much thought to my lifetime of successes and failures … but it all makes sense.

It is also a rather nice thought, if you are unsuccessful in your endeavours, is it because you weren’t good enough? Or was it that a specific environmental factor was not in place to ensure your success? I believe that there is a place and a time for everything, and being in the right place at the right time ensures that good things will happen. Give it a go, and maybe comment what you think … I’d love to hear from you!

This concludes “What I’m Reading” for this afternoon. Funnily enough, I’m off to grab a coffee and read for a little while longer before class.

Make good choices!

Shiny, Scary People: The Shining by Stephen King

Jack Torrance had just got a job maintaining the Overlook hotel for the long, isolated Colorado winter. His past troubles with alcohol and problematic reputation makes this the only real choice of employment, thanks to his friend, Al Shockley. And so, he, his wife Wendy, and son Danny move into the Overlook, and ready themselves for a long season alone.

The Shining has been heralded as Stephen Kings best book. Wonderfully written, it’s an incredibly strong book that really lets King’s many and varied literary talents shine through – see what I did there?

Back to the story. The Torrance family are not without their share of big plans and even bigger heartbreak. Jack feels that the Overlook will be good for his family, as well as his play. The isolation will, supposedly, help Jack write. Wendy on the other hand, is as King so eloquently puts it, both frightened of the past and terrified of the future. And Danny? Well, he’s a shining example of a kid caught between parents. Oh, and he has telepathic powers that allow him to feel, see, and hear things that no one else can.

Upon moving in, Danny can already sense the supernatural scars that tarnish its appearance. He learns that he is not alone in this when the hotel chef takes a shine to him. The chef, Dick Hallorann calls the ability “the shine”. Puns aside, as the Torrance family settles in at the hotel, Danny’s visions become increasingly threatening and violent. Unable to take advantage of Danny, the ghosts of the Overlook turn their attentions to Jack, whose alcoholism and developing case of cabin fever make him an easy target.

The ghosts possess Jack’s body, and by the time Wendy and Danny become aware of Jack’s mental departure, it is already too late. To survive the winter, isolated with a murderous psychopath on the loose, Wendy and Danny must rely on Danny’s psychic abilities to save them.

I could probably go on for days ranting about why I like this book so much. But let me just give you the major reasons. To begin with, I find that King shaped very believable, relatable characters. Jack is a loving father, but clearly has issues. Wendy is tormented by her husband’s problematic past, and terrified of what the future might bring. Yet, she still really loves her husband and wants to make it work, if not only for the sake of her son. And Danny is a bright little guy with his own issues to deal with.

I also really like that the world that King creates is one that I can picture almost perfectly and lose myself in. This is especially important because setting is crucial in a book like this, what with murderous spirits being responsible for mysterious happenings all over the hotel grounds.

Finally, I find this book chilling down to my very bones. Being a horror novel, you would think that this is a given. But, it’s surprising how many members of the genre fall short of giving me an adequate scare. Following this train of thought, King manages to frighten me, while maintaining the integrity of his novel. By that I mean that the scare is not what carries it, he doesn’t sacrifice quality of his story. I think that it is for this reason, among many others, that The Shining can be relegated to the realm of classic literature.

Around this point is when most would talk about how unfair it should be that King’s best book was his first, or how his best is yet to come. To save you a wasted eternity, I will simply say that The Shining is one of my all-time favourites, still sending shivers down my spine as I relive the story again and again.

Happy Birthday, Super Dadman!

Today is my Dad’s birthday! He’s a pretty cool guy, and I haven’t seen him in a while so I miss him quite a bit. He was one of the only people (other than my Mom) who encouraged me to be, well, me. Growing up, like everyone else does, I faced a couple of tough decisions that would have an impact on who I was to be. Every time I did, there was my Dad. He taught me that loving books doesn’t make you a nerd, and if it does, then being a nerd is the coolest thing in the world. He fed my book-addiction, by the way, taking me to the bookstore and letting me geek out, smelling the books, touching the books, and audibly emoting when I found the one I wanted, for hours.

He also taught me that smart girls are the best girls and that I shouldn’t ever have to dumb myself down to get a guy to like me. A good man, according to him, will always be a gentleman, will like me for my mind and not my body, will encourage me to do what I love to do, who is successful in his own endeavours, and one who keeps me off the couch and in the world of the living … when I’m not in another world, reading of course.

And any bad choices in men can be solved by calling him and letting him deal with them … I’m not sure how comfortable I am with that, but my Dad has always joked that jail time is not an issue when defending his daughters’ honour.

He tried his best to have me turn out as a lady, I remember he would tell me to act as if the Queen of England was following me everywhere I went and my bad manners would offend her deeply. Although, I usually just belched and said, “Oops, sorry Liz.” I like to think I managed to heed at least some of his advice.

I guess you could say that my Dad’s a bit of a superhero. I mean, pretty much every kid grows up thinking that, but I truly believe it. He does his thing, and never asks anything in return from anyone.

He’s the strongest man I’ve ever met (physically and mentally).

Photo Cred goes to http://www.theavengers2012-movie.com/2012/03/20/hulk-biggest-greenest-meanest-hero/

He’s the smartest and funniest.

Courtesy of fanpop.com

And he does what is right, because it is right. Plain and simple.

Courtesy of dccomics.com

I know I’m mixing universes here, but I wasn’t sure if I liked Superman as an example. I tend to gravitate towards superheroes whose strength comes from their own devices, the type of heroes that could actually exist, given the research facilities and unlimited capital, a la Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Bruce Wayne (Batman). The Hulk is probably the only superhero in my “Favourites” category that has superpowers (with the exception of the X-Men. They’re just cool). But he’s ridiculously overpowered, and not much can kill him. Given all of the stuff my Dad’s been through, I like to think the same of him.

Back to my Dad, who’s a superhero. I love him to death and I hope he’s having a SUPER 52nd birthday!

Happy Birthday, Dad!