books

ə-ˈdik-shən: Confessions of a Bookaholic

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“When I read, the world gets bigger.”

That’s probably why I can’t stop. Why I must confess…

Hi, I’m Alaina and I’m a bookaholic.

Please don’t think that I’m joking, but also excuse me when I do make light of the situation because…well…I’m just not that serious.

With a bookshelf double layered with books, an eReader teeming with unread material and a library reserve list nearly to the maximum allotment, I have to finally admit I’ve got a problem. Admittance is the first step toward recovery, right? I have mentioned on numerous occasions to my husband, in a joking manner, that I’m addicted to books/reading, but it was only recently that I truly admitted that it seems to be a real matter of concern.

Unfortunately, addiction runs in my family. I could say the plus is my “drug” of choice isn’t a deadly substance, but any addiction is unhealthy. Don’t think I’m blaming my parents/family for my bookaholism. I choose to be addicted just as anyone chooses to do drugs or drink alcohol (I don’t mean to open up a can of worms — I’ve known many addicts who feel like it is less of a choice and more of a disease that they can’t control — I digress). I even say the same things any addict would say:

“I can quit/stop whenever I want.”
“I’m in control of it, not the other way around.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“I’m not nearly as bad as other people.”

Let me put my addiction into perspective. While writing this post (in the span of less than an hour) I bought two books, reserved four from the library, read a few (3-4) synopsis of potential books, and popped over to goodreads.com to update my to-read list. I also stopped writing for a bit so I could read a chapter from a book as well as an article from Time Magazine and download my new Doctor Who book (Yes…I’m a Whovian aka Doctor Who fan, but that is a whole other post).

While my addiction may be a more “acceptable” one, it can still lead to unhealthy behavior. I have to remember to not let it control me or my life. The good thing is I don’t lose sleep because of it (okay on occasion I stay up late); I haven’t robbed, murdered or maimed anyone (this is true); it also doesn’t affect my job (also true); and I’m not missing out on quality time with family or friends (I can put down the book…sometimes…other times my husband drives and I read until our final destination is reached).

We’re all addicted to something (online shopping, gaming, sugar, caffeine, nicotine, etc.) and I’m not here to be your therapist or tell you what to do. However, I will tell you that I’m not letting my habit rule me and I will keep reminding myself it’s okay to go a day without reading a book (oh how that killed me to write those words). That said, you should benefit from my bookaholism. How about I share a list of books with you that I like for one reason or another. Just think, if I wasn’t a bookaholic I probably wouldn’t have as many suggestions (I could’ve gone on forever, but I did cut it off). I hope you pick a few to read, and if you have questions or want to have a discussion about any of the books please feel free to contact me or comment.

Here are my suggestions (listed in alphabetical order by title):

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour – Morgan Matson
Ashes in the Wind – Kathleen Woodiwiss (This one is listed because my name is in the book)
Attachments – Rainbow Rowell
Between the Lines – Jodi Picoult & Samantha van Leer
Bloodsucking Fiends – Christopher Moore
The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
Cemetery Dance – Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White
City of Bones – Cassandra Clare
The Corpse Had a Familiar Face: Covering Miami, America’s Hottest Beat – Edna Buchanan
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Jazz Age Stories – F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud – David Nicholls
Delirium (series) – Lauren Oliver
Eleanor & Park – Rainbow Rowell
The Fault in Our Stars – John Green
Fight Club – Chuck Palahniuk
Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
Green Eggs and Ham – Dr. Seuss
Hatchet – Gary Paulsen
How I live Now – Meg Rosoff
Hunger Games (series) – Suzanne Collins
I Am Legend – Richard Matheson
I Know What You Did Last Summer – Lois Duncan
If I Ran the Circus – Dr. Seuss
James and the Giant Peach – Roald Dahl
Legend (series) – Marie Lu
Looking for Alaska – John Green
The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
Much Ado About Nothing – William Shakespeare (I know…not a book, but still one of my favs – read the complete works)
My Sister’s Keeper – Jodi Picoult
The Name of the Star (series) – Maureen Johnson
Never Eighteen – Megan Bostic
Nineteen Minutes – Jodi Picoult
On Writing – Stephen King
Panic – Lauren Oliver
The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Ralph S. Mouse – Beverly Clearly
Summer Falls and Other Stories – Varies authors (Doctor Who related)
The Tale of Peter Rabbit – Beatrix Potter
True Grit – Charles Portis
Under the Never Sky (series) – Veronica Rossi
The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle
Warm Bodies – Isaac Marion
We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver
Where the Heart Is – Billie Letts
Who Moved My Cheese – Spencer Johnson
Will Grayson, Will Grayson – John Green & David Levithan
Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Frank Baum
The World I Made for Her – Thomas Moran
A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle
You Suck – Christopher Moore

 

bookaholic
I wanted to see if you were still reading. 

TFiOS and the “feels”

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“The-Fault-in-Our-Stars”

Okay. I was a fanatical nerd, who couldn’t wait, so I went to the movie premiere of The Fault in Our Stars, which if you’ve been living under a rock, is the story of two teens with terminal cancer who fall in love. The Night Before Our Stars was an opportunity for the Fault Fanatics (that would be me) who couldn’t wait for June 6 to see the movie.

I have to say that moviegoers and fans of the book will probably fall in love with TFiOS the way Hazel Grace fell in love with Augustus Waters, slowly then all at once.

I know it sounds cheesy, but it is true. Maybe it is my natural distaste of book-movies that made me hold back in instantly loving this movie. Filmmakers often don’t do justice to the books they turn into films, but there are always the exceptions. It is especially hard if the book is outstanding and extremely well written. And of course, as much as I enjoyed the film adaption, the book is better…okay? Okay. Don’t throw eggs at me just because I wasn’t instantly smitten with the film and the actors. I was committed to trying to like them, which is why in the end I love them.

Josh Boone and the filmmakers at Fox did a superb job at capturing the elements of John Green’s bestselling novel. I won’t go into details of the film, but I will say you need to read the book before you see the movie. I think reading the book makes the movie so much better (not that it can’t stand alone…because it can). You get all the unsaid jokes, all the emotions that had to go unfelt, all the words that had to be cut, if you read the book.

Ansel Elgort and his winning smile will win you over, too. He’s pretty adorable and I’m a bit disappointed that more reviews aren’t commenting on his performance. Shailene Woodley is stealing the limelight. I’m not saying she wasn’t good, but Elgort shows you that even cute boys are ugly criers. He does a great job of bring Gus to life and being as boyishly charming as John Green wrote the character to be. You can’t help but like Augustus Waters.

Woodley’s performance is also well done. Some reviews are saying her performance deserves an Oscar nomination, but I wasn’t THAT impressed. Don’t get me wrong, I thought she did an outstanding job of making Hazel Grace real for so many people including me. Her chemistry with Elgort is obvious and plays out well for the storyline. The girl can shed some tears, I’ll give her that.

One thing I didn’t like about the movie was the pop up, animated text messages. I thought it was a little too silly, but it was easy to get over because it was meant to make you laugh. In a way, it brought a lightheartedness to an extremely sad story.

Beautifully written, well acted, heartbreaking tale of first love — it will make you laugh and cry just like the book.

Take a box of tissues. It’s okay…even grown men will cry.

Wow…what can I say

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I just finished an amazing book. It takes a lot for me to put a book on a pedestal of awesomeness. I also don’t like recommending books because I don’t want something I think is fantastic to be ruined by my friend saying, “Eh, it was okay.”

That said, if you haven’t already read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak you should do so immediately (well after you’ve finished reading this blog post). I know I’m behind on the times and I severely regret not having read this book sooner, but it’s never too late to read a good book.

This is not a boy-meets-girl kind of story, but it is about love and identity and so much more. When a book evokes a variety of emotions and sucks the reader into the story, you know it is well written. Zusak does a spectacular job of this. The story is narrated by none other than Death, which is a unique choice. The point-of-view is mostly Liesel Meminger’s, but as told by Death, who occasionally has outside observations the make the story well rounded. Not only is the narrator interesting, he is also thought provoking. He gives a unique perspective on humans, but not an omniscient one because he gets his info through his experiences and what he hears/sees. But he is Death, so he brings a lot to the table. He’ll have you loving and disliking the characters you’re meant to, and cheering for the human race in general.

Because there is so much depth to each character, you can tell the writer (and the narrator) took great care in telling the story of this girl, Liesel, and the people she loves and loses. I read a blurb that said: “It’s the kind of book that can be LIFE CHANGING.” It was for me (to some degree). With young adult books there is so much fluff and crap on the shelves, it is inspiring to read something great. And as a writer who is interested in YA, I have to appreciate the wording and phrases that were used. There is an elegance and intelligence needed to write such a moving piece (I know I’m being a bit cheesy, but it’s true).

Even if you have no interest in history or Nazi Germany, you will fall in love with this book or I hope, at the very least, you will enjoy it half as much as I did. It will leave your heart bleeding and cheering at the same time.

SIDE NOTE: I don’t say this often about a “book” movie, BUT…you should watch the movie as well. It is just as thought provoking and beautiful in its own right. They did a great job at casting the characters and telling Liesel’s story.

Greetings from a nerdy girl

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Hello!

This is not my first attempt at a blog, but I’m hoping this one will stick. It is the third one, so it has got to be the charm. Right?

Mostly, I am starting this blog to get into the habit of writing more than once in a blue moon. I seriously need to write more. The key to writing is simply writing (and a crap ton of other things, but let’s keep it simple).

I’m sure at some point I will post stories that make fun of myself and my goofy thoughts or interpretations of things (like how I went most of my life thinking the saying was “nip it in the butt”). I’m also about to start a class about Flash Fiction writing and I’ll have plenty to share from that experience. I may occasionally post book reviews or comments about things that drive me insane (like COMIC SANS…yuck). You probably won’t see post about sex (well maybe), religion or politics because it isn’t polite to talk about those things in mixed company. Too many opinions.

Speaking of opinions. I welcome feedback. I’m open to constructive criticism, friendly debates and banter, but please keep your nasty, negative thoughts to yourself or post them elsewhere.

I’ll end this post with a phrase from one of my favorite online communities, Nerdfighteria:

Don’t Forget To Be Awesome (DFTBA)

– AM

P.S. Forgive my typos and feel free to point them out so I can correct them.