How Books Influenced Me To Do Things In Real Life

Books have influenced my life a lot. The other day when I saw Willow and Twig by Jean Little on a library shelf, I was reminded just how much.

Storytime!

When I was in probably grade four or five, my best friend and I both ended up reading Willow and Twig. We fell in love with the book and the characters. But we especially fell in love with the character of Red Mouse. Red Mouse was an imaginary friend that Willow had in her head and that she would talk to. It was basically a fictional version of her own thoughts.

Well, my friend and I liked this idea so much that we created our own imaginary friends stuck inside our heads. I think hers was a fish, and mine was a mouse named Rascal. I'm pretty sure I "talked" to him even in middle school sometimes.

I also ended up writing a picture book based on the character Red Mouse (one of the only two pieces of fanfiction I've ever written, incidentally - the other one was Bionicles fanfiction, which you can read here).

Then I was reminded of the Babysitters Club Books. My friend and I went crazy over these books. We tried to set up a BSC library, which was just a painted cardboard box that we were going to stuff all of the BSC books that we could get ahold of inside. We also tried to set up our own babysitter's club (unforunately at the conception of this idea, we were too young to babysit).

These things kind of just make me think of how strong of an influence books can have. I think they're a lot more powerful than we sometimes think they are.

What are some ways books have influenced you to do things in real life? Also, if you haven't read Willow and Twig yet, go do that! It is a beautiful book, and just looking at the cover brings back warm memories of reading it.

Love Letter to Books, Writing and Imagination

Yesterday  I started reading a book. Threeish hours later, I finished the book - and it was amazing. It was one of those books that opens you up to the world, gives you a fresh persepective on life and puts into words things that you knew but could never quite describe on your own. 

I felt like dancing around singing "I love books. I LOVE books." And I really do. They are so powerful, both in fiction and non-fiction form.

Anyway, today I was thinking of how much influence books have had on my life, ever since I was really young. Before I went into kindergarten, I knew how to read. I also loved to write and use my imagination. I'm sure a big part of the development of my imagination came from reading books. Yes, my imagination has gone running off on its own sometimes, but sometimes it's helped me.

A few months ago I was going through some old school stuff and found a bunch of random notebooks from grade 6. Grade 6 was the year where at first I had no friends, and then slowly I became best friends with this one girl, and then others. Anyway, this one girl and I spent our lunch hours... playing pretend. We made up an entire kingdom, and we were the Princesses Emerald and Topaz, based off our birthstones. We had an entire world, I tell you. The notebooks I found had notes outlining this world.

Another game of pretend that we played was during the winter. Snowplows would come during the winter and clear off the snow from the school grounds, and then huge piles of snow would be piled up on the school field. My friend and I used the huge piles of snow and made a fort for ourselves.

That was another thing I found in the notebooks. Apparently, some guys were bugging us and destroying our fort or something. In my notebook were nicknames for these guys and plans for "missions" that would thwart their bullying.

Yeah... I was a strange kid.

Anyway, as I was looking over this notebook, it made me wonder. At the time, it was all just fun and that was how I spent my free time at school. I never considered myself a victim of bullying, and I wasn't bothered by it. Yet as I was looking through these notebooks, I thought that maybe that was how I dealt with these bullies, though subconsciously. I made up things, and used my imagination to deal with them. It's a very curious thing, and it kind of makes me want to go back and psychoanalyze my 12-year-old self.

Even after middle school, my imagination and my writing and reading helped me. In grade 10, I wrote a lot of poems (well, a lot of poems for me) that helped me express things. And I still haven't stopped using imagination, writing and reading to help me. I am beyond grateful for all of these things.

So, I want to know. How has writing and/or reading and/or your imagination helped you throughout your life??

Oh, and I'm 18 now (as of May 3). That is why my thoughts have all of a sudden turned wistful and philosophical. (Haha). :D Have a great day, everyone!

Review of All The Books I Read In 2011

Well, since another year is over I thought I'd do a sort of overview of all the books I read in 2011. I read 120 books in 2011. Some of them were bad, some of them were awesome, some of them were OK. Some of them met expectations, a bunch of them didn't, a bunch of them absolutely surpassed all my expectations. I'm going to put some of the books I read into categories. I'm hoping to review some of the books I read last year over the course of this year, and of course keep reading books.

...And maybe this is just an excuse to talk about books. I'm like my sister, who if you get her started talking about movies, she will NOT stop. I'm the same, except with books. :D

The Absolute BEST Books I Read in 2011



Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta - Best book of all time!! I cannot say enough times how awesome this book is, and how much I think you should read it. I reviewed it here, with links of where you can get it. Please, please read it!!

The D.U.F.F. by Kody Keplinger - Honestly I had really low expectations of this book, I have no idea why, but it blew me out of the water. So much better than I thought, and it was so realistic and blew every annoying stereotype that I always see in YA out of the water.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - After reading a bunch of books because of hype and being terribly disappointed, I was nervous to read this book. Would it live up to the gianormous mounds of hype circulating it? YES. SO MUCH YES.

King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner - This book... I am so in awe of Megan Whalen Turner's writing skill. If you want to be a writer, you have to read this book. This woman knows how to write!! Although you have to read the first two in the series, The Thief and Queen of Attolia, in order to get the entire effect, I think. I definitely have more to say on this book, though.

The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta - Another beautifully spun contemporary novel by Melina Marchetta... the characters in her books are so awesome, and the stories... this book was so unique and awesome. :) I can't wait to read it again!

Obviously, I read more awesome books this year, but these are just some of the most awesome.

Books I Want to Buy

I use the library SO much, but there are just some of those books that I know I will read a million and one times over again if I own them.

Harry Potter - I finished Harry Potter in January of 2011 (I borrowed pretty much every book from my best friend) but I have to own them, because they are pretty much the perfect books to reread with all the awesome characters in there.

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen - I've already this book twice, loved it both times. It's such a cute story.

The Half-Life of Planets by Brendan Halpin and Emily Franklin - I love romance books with alternating perspectives, and I could read them over and over again. :)

The D.U.F.F. by Kody Keplinger - It was so good and interesting and awesome, I must read it again!

The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta and Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta - Books with awesome characters you just have to read a million times over again.

Books I Bought in 2011

I'm usually really hesitant about buying books before I read them, but this year I bought more books then I usually do.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis - I bought this book at Chapters with a gift card I got. I'd seen it online and I'd been following Beth Revis's blog for a bit, and I thought the summary sounded interesting enough. It was OK but I found I didn't get attached to the characters as much as I'd have liked to.

Divergent by Veronica Roth - There was tons of hype and excitement online around this one. My friend had also bought it and said it was good. I ordered it off Amazon, although for all the excitement I was a little disappointed. My mom also read it, and both of us agreed that the main character was the most bland, stereotypical character in every possible way.

Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin - I told you, I like cute romances and I know I'll read them over again. I saw it online somewhere and then ordered it on Amazon.

Dream Factory by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler - I bought this book because a) cute romance, and b) I'd read Scrambled Eggs at Midnight, also by the same authors, and I absolutely loved it.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - I completely fell in love with the cover of this book. The way the summary was written definitely attracted my attention as well. I have to say this book was so disappointing. Also, after reading the book, I don't like the cover as much because it has pretty much nothing to do with the book.

Books I Read For A Second (Or Third) Time in 2011

I reread books when I love them, or if I run out of good books from the library and then I go through my shelves of books I own and pick out my favourites to read again.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling - I reread Deathly Hallows because I wanted to reread Harry Potter like, as soon as I finished it, and I hadn't returned Deathly Hallows to my friend yet. I also reread Half-Blood Prince because that one was one of my favourites. :)

The Princess Bride by William Goldman - I reread this book because it's AWESOME, and because I have it.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta - Because I love this book. I read it 3 times this year.

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - I read Mockingjay a long time after I finished Catching Fire, so I kind of forgot what happened beforehand. I read this after reading just some OK books, and reading these I was reminded what awesome books are supposed to be like.

The Princess Diaries II and III by Meg Cabot - There are things in these books that should make me not like them, but I love them anyway. I read II because I have it, and III because it's my favourite.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin - I'd read this twice before. I read it again because we own it. It was worse the third time around. I think I'm done rereading this book.

I also reread Dream Factory, and Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance because I have them and I like cute romances.

2011 Releases

I had to look up all the books I read last year on Goodreads, because I honestly had no idea which books were 2011 releases. Do people really just care to read the newest releases? I think that's crazy... you miss out on so many good books that way.

Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard - So unique, and I loved that it focused pretty much completely on friendship. It's such a different book than any other YA book I don't really know what to think of it.

My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison - I just saw this on a shelf in the library and picked it up because I thought the cover was fun. I reviewed it here.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman - I'd read If I Stay because my mom bought it for me, and it was OK so I thought I'd try this companion novel. I liked this one better.

The Worst Books of 2011

The Karma Club by Jessica Brody - This was just a completely stereotypical, run of the mill YA book. Which is probably why I don't really remember much of it.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - Shallow, annoying characters. After this I didn't feel like reading another book by Lauren Oliver, no matter the hype around her and her books.

Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta - After falling in love with Jellicoe Road (and then Saving Francesca), this book was awful. The main character was so annoying and I hate annoying MCs. Fortunately, I read other books of Melina Marchetta's before I read this one. I guess she proves that you do get better as you write more. :) Fine, maybe I'll give Lauren Oliver another chance... haha.

Alice in Charge by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - I used to love the Alice books when I was younger. I hated this book. It was terrible.

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz - After seeing some things about the Alex Rider series, I thought I would try it out. This book was absolutely, completely, utterly boring, typical, and something a five year old would write. Someone told me it gets better, but I just can't bring myself to try another Alex Rider book.

The Julian Game by Adele Griffin - I picked this up because I saw it online somewhere, and I liked the cover. Unfortunately, I am completely done with YA books about popularity. DONE!!!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - After all the hype (and the beautiful cover), I was disappointed. Also, the latter part of the book turned all weird really unexpectedly and I completely didn't believe any of it (also I have a really hard time suspending my disbelief to read any paranormal stuff, so that may be part of the problem). I was also very disappointed that there is supposedly sequel - in my opinion, completely unnecessary. I did like the relationship between Mara and her brother, though.

Well! That's just a quick(ish) overview on some of the books I read in 2011. I love talking about books!!!

What awesome books did you read in 2011? Terrible books? 2011 releases? Books you would read again? Books you want to buy?

Symptoms of Falling in Love...With A Book



"You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend." -Paul Sweeney

1. You cannot put the book down.

That thing is so good it's glued to your fingers. You bring the book wherever you go and sneak a sentence every single chance you get. You will sacrifice everything if only to read onward!

2. You cannot stop thinking about the book.

When someone eventually rips that book out of your hands, you cannot think of anything else. You can't stop reliving your favourite scenes in your head, or agonizing over what could happen next. And, of course, you're plotting the perfect time to make an escape and go back to your book to pick it up once again. Oh, how your heart longs for those words!


source



3. You want to know everything about that book.

You want to find out every single little detail about the story-world in that book. The book itself just simply isn't enough. Who cares if you have to resort to poorly written fan-fiction. All you want is to frolick for the rest of your days with those characters and those settings. Or maybe you just try to find something written by the same author. It doesn't really matter, you just want MORE!

Unfortunately, love can sometimes border on obsession and I would advise you to be careful when spending time with your significant other favourite book. Be aware of how much time you are spending with them as opposed to your friends and family in the real world.

Happy reading!

What books have YOU fallen in love with?

(Mine would be.... Harry Potter series, Christy Miller series, and Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta)

---

So, sorry I haven't been blogging as much lately... school, y'know. Anyway, as I was looking for quotes to put above... I found this AWESOME quote by Oscar Wilde that basically sums up everything that I was trying to say in my last post: "The books the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame." Have a great weekend! (Oh, and in Canada, this weekend is Thanksgiving weekend... yeah don't really know why it's a month earlier than Americans but anyway... HAPPY THANKSGIVING!)

Banned Books Week: Spot The Pattern

It's banned book week this week, and here at I Am Writer Hear Me Roar, we are going to play a game called "spot the pattern". I'm sure you have played a version of this in your grade school math classes. You know, you're given the numbers 2 4 6 8 and you have to figure out the pattern (it goes up by multiples of [so a friend pointed this out to me: the numbers actually don't go up by mutliples of two... I just said the wrong word, but you probably got what I meant... and believe me, I actually can do math! I got like, a 90 in math last year!] two! What!?).

Except instead of numbers, we'll use books (because numbers scare us writerly people, right?)

Book #1: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Source

Harper Lee grew up in a society where black men were thought of as predators; where the only men in the jury were white men so black men had no chance of being acquitted; where things happened like nine teenage boys being accused of rape.

To Kill A Mockingbird is about a mishievous tomboy Scout and her adventures until her and her friends watch a black men getting tried in a court case after being accused, wrongly, of raping a white woman.

To Kill A Mockingbird brings to light the very large issue of racism against black people that was present in the 1930s (both the time Harper Lee grew up in and the time the book is set in) and the 1960s (the time when the book was published).

To Kill A Mockingbird has been banned or challenged at various schools for using swear words, racial slurs, and for general racism. (Just an interesting sidenote, though: it's been said that To Kill A Mockingbird is the one book other than the Bible that has changed people the most... hm....)

Book #2: Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Source

Huck Finn was first published in England in 1884, then in the U.S. in 1885. The book itself takes place sometime between 1835 and 1845. The book follows Huck as he goes on a journey with a black slave Jim, and realizes that Jim is a genuinely nice guy and not like society makes out black people to be.

Twain uses this book to criticize and challenge the racist American society of the time and the perception of black people, specifically the view that black people weren't human and didn't have feelings.

Source

Huck Finn has also been challenged and banned, for word choice (swears and racial slurs) and the line "he not only itched but scratched." It is

one of the most challenged/banned books of all time.

Book #3: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

S.E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders when she was 16, inspired and irked by the gang rivalry at her own school. The book itself follows two groups who are separated by their social status in high school. It was published in 1967.

The Outsiders has been banned/challenged for gang violence, drug and alcohol abuse, slang language, and family dysfunction.

Book #4: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Source

Our society today is obsessed with entertainment and reality TV. There are also wars, all over the world, all the time. The Hunger Games is about a dystopian society where a reality show-like event is held each year, where children enter an arena and kill each other while the rest of the world watches on live TV for their own entertainment.

When talking about where the idea came from for The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins says "one night, I was lying in bed, and I was channel surfing between reality TV programs and actual war coverage. On one channel, there's a group of young people competing for I don't even know; and on the next, there's a group of young people fighting in an actual war. I was really tired, and the lines between these stories started to blur in a very unsettling way."

The Hunger Games has been challenged/banned, mostly for violence.

Do you see the pattern?

I hope you do. If you don't, I want you to take a second look at all those books - all those books that deal with and bring to light issues of their day, critiquing everything that is wrong with that -our- society. I do not understand why people are banning these books when they have such, such important things to say.

I understand that some books aren't for everyone, I really do. But the thing that bugs me is that these people who are challenging these books, they are challenging them for little things. They are not looking at the big picture, of what the message of these books is, of what they are supposed to mean! These book-challengers are missing the big picture, are missing the fact that these books take all that crazy stuff from reality.

So. What do you think? Should books be banned? Do you agree with me - are these book-banners missing the big picture? Can you think of any other banned books that might deal with society's issues? (Oh, I already thought of another one... The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie...) What are your thoughts on banned books?

SOURCES (brace yourself):

(all other sources are linked to in the text/caption)

To Kill A Mockingbird:

ttp://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=bbwlinks&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=136590

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_kill_a_mockingbird

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Lee

Huck Finn:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huckleberry_Finn

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1842832_1842838_1844945,00.html  (ok so this article says that there's a movie version of Huck Finn where the black slave is played by an actor who is not black to avoid controversy...!?!?!?)

The Outsiders:

http://world.edu/worldedu_posts/banned-books-awareness-outsiders/

www.sehinton.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.E._Hinton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Outsiders_(novel)

The Hunger Games:

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6590063.html (where I got the quote from)

http://swardkehoe.blogspot.com/2011/09/banned-books-week-has-begun.html (what an intelligent reader has to say about The Hunger Games)

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/ideasandresources/free_downloads/2011banned.pdf

Why I Hate Books

Guess what these are:

Yes, they're books. But they are ALSO the first ever books I have bought where I have gone to the author's website before I read the book. Yup, apparently socialnetmarketing (or whatever it's called) works on me.

So I bought Divergent on Amazon, but Across the Universe I bought at the Chapters (The Bookstore for Canada) in Calgary.

So. I had convinced my mom to go to the Chapters that happened to be in the same shopping complex as the scrapbooking store she wanted to go to (and I did too, admittedly). She agreed, and as soon as I was in the store (oooh look books!!!) I headed straight for the teen section.

My heart started pounding and I kind of felt like jumping up and down like an excited little girl on her birthday. (But I contained myself). Because there, on the shelves, were BOOKS!!! (I know, I should have been prepared for this, considering it's a bookstore...)

And there were tons of books that I'd seen all over the 'net, their awesome blurbs and praise spread across the world. There was Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma, the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, She's So Dead to Us, Across the Universe, Beauty Queens, Falling for Hamlet... and even more!

And I had a $25.00 gift card.

That is ONE BOOK, my friend.

That's why I hate books. Because they're WAY TOO AWESOME. If they weren't, I wouldn't care about spending money on them.

But they are. And I do. So I hate them.

*Note: In this sense, "hate" means I adore them and want to eat them for breakfast because I love them so much. I love you, books!!