I don't know if anyone's1 noticed, but I haven't mentioned books for awhile now (is that two words or one? Must remember to check later...). Part of that is because this isn't intended to be a bookcentric blog (I have a librarything account for that), and I know that reading about books you haven't actually read really isn't all that interesting. Also, I really just haven't felt a deep urge to talk about anything in the books I've been reading.
Well, I just finished the second book in the Avatars series by Tui T. Sutherland, and I feel compelled to talk about it, as well as the first one, because even though both of these books are rereads2, I was still caught off guard by some of the twists and turns in them.
For those who are unfamiliar with the series, they are centered around four main teenagers, Gus, Venus, Kali, and Tigre. These teenagers are all going about their daily business one day, when something happens, and suddenly, they're alone, deserted. It's the end of the world.
(Here's where things start to get mildly spoiler-y)
Each of the four is inexplicably told to go towards New York by voices in their heads, with the exception of Gus. The three have various issues and adventures as they try to make it to their destination, but by the end, they're all in New York. There they meet a fifth teenager, named Amon (you sensing a theme here yet?) They find out that they are each an avatar of a god from various pantheons and religions - Greco-Roman, Mesoamerican, etc. - who brought about the end of the world so that they could rebuild anew. The avatars must fight so that one religion emerges victorious. They will rule the renewed world.
That's the synopsis of the first book at least. The second one expands on it, of course.
Anyway though, my Important Thoughts that I needed to share:
1. I thought it was kind of cool how Sutherland drops in the whole "end of the world in 2012" thing. One of the gods is asked why they chose four days before Christmas to set their plan into motion3, he says December 21, 2012 was a date of special significance to the Mesoamericans, and nobody else cared.
2. Also cool how Sutherland drops hints that the 2012 the avatars were in was slightly different from ours - at one point cloning is brought up, and Kali mentions that there were a huge number of laws against it.
3. Africa going into darkness because the gods there took back control was kind of cool, but also sort of terrifying, and I'm really glad we get to explore it more with this third book.
4. Probably my favorite image in the second book: Thor trying to protect Miracle from the rain. Super cute.
That's about it...onto the third book now!
1 There I go again, pretending like people reading these...
2 Because the third book came out, you see, to complete the trilogy, and I always like to read the previous books when that happens, as a sort of refresher.
3 A little bit more info - when everything had disappeared for the teens, what really happened was they moved forward 75 years into the future.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Firefly
Sooo, I started watching Firefly last night...and I kind of really like it. Like a lot.
I don't know, I really enjoy to characters - none of them take themselves too seriously (except maybe Inara, but...well, she's a different thing entirely).
Mal is fairly funny...when he's not being awkward and intense around Inara. Shepherd Book is perhaps a little too serious and righteous for my taste, but he's supposed to be that way. Wash is hilarious, Kaylee is super cute and bouncy and I want her to be my friend, and Simon is cuuuuute. Inara bothers me when she's being all calm and peacable and mysterious, but otherwise she's fine. I love Zoe's eye make-up, and River hasn't impressed me all that much - mainly because she hasn't done much that's been very interesting yet, despite the fact that she's crazy.
Small prediction: Jayne likes Kaylee. He luuuuuurves her. Maybe. Or maybe he's just crazy, who knows.
Also: I really like the music for this show. And the entire idea of a space western.
(SPOILER: I'm watching "Bushwhacked" right now and dear lord, I just screamed when the Reaver (Reever?) snuck up on Jayne)
I don't know, I really enjoy to characters - none of them take themselves too seriously (except maybe Inara, but...well, she's a different thing entirely).
Mal is fairly funny...when he's not being awkward and intense around Inara. Shepherd Book is perhaps a little too serious and righteous for my taste, but he's supposed to be that way. Wash is hilarious, Kaylee is super cute and bouncy and I want her to be my friend, and Simon is cuuuuute. Inara bothers me when she's being all calm and peacable and mysterious, but otherwise she's fine. I love Zoe's eye make-up, and River hasn't impressed me all that much - mainly because she hasn't done much that's been very interesting yet, despite the fact that she's crazy.
Small prediction: Jayne likes Kaylee. He luuuuuurves her. Maybe. Or maybe he's just crazy, who knows.
Also: I really like the music for this show. And the entire idea of a space western.
(SPOILER: I'm watching "Bushwhacked" right now and dear lord, I just screamed when the Reaver (Reever?) snuck up on Jayne)
Monday, November 29, 2010
Numbers
Remember how I talked about numbers & their personalities in that one blog post?
Well, I was in math the other day, having one of my weird conversations with one of my friends, and we were taking notes on derivatives for sine, cosine, etc. functions. And I mentioned that cosine would have a negative, because cosine is like sine, only more annoying (also, she's a girl). And we started talking about how we envision the trigonometric functions. And then we started talking about how we think about numbers - and I'm not alone! I am not the only one who has always had numbers with personalities!
(Meanwhile, the other two people at our table sort of looked at us funny when we'd look up eagerly at them to see if they agreed)
Well, I was in math the other day, having one of my weird conversations with one of my friends, and we were taking notes on derivatives for sine, cosine, etc. functions. And I mentioned that cosine would have a negative, because cosine is like sine, only more annoying (also, she's a girl). And we started talking about how we envision the trigonometric functions. And then we started talking about how we think about numbers - and I'm not alone! I am not the only one who has always had numbers with personalities!
(Meanwhile, the other two people at our table sort of looked at us funny when we'd look up eagerly at them to see if they agreed)
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Harry Potter VII
I saw it for the second time last night, and while some of my opinions were strengthened, I changed my mind on a couple of the others. (Obviously, there are spoilers in this)
Things I liked:
1. How fucking INTENSE everything was. Dear LORD, the scene with Bathilda and the snake was SO much creepier and terrifying, with the blood on the wall, and the flies...and all the torture scenes? Yeah, the idea that it's actually TORTURE going on there really sinks in. For example, the scene with Charity Burbage, the teacher of Muggle Studies - in the book, I don't remember feeling the same complete and utter horror that I did in the movie...
1.5 Because it sort of goes with the above: the writing of "Mudblood" on Hermione's arm. Was that in the book? Because that is some seriously messed up shit. But also kind of let's it sink in that these people are EVIL and, in the case of Bellatrix, mildly deranged.
2. The way in which the Three Brothers/Deathly Hallows story was told - I really liked the shadow puppet-esque style.
3. Luna and Neville are BEASTS. Luna is hilarious at the wedding, and though some people didn't like her contribution when Dobby died, I thought it was exactly what Luna would have done - she's sort of this weird character in my mind, because she's apart from the rest and has this special friendship with Harry, and so I feel like this would have been her way of showing that she cared, and none of that really made any sense.
4. Dialogue details: the little things that characters mumble about when the focus is on other things...for example, when Dolohov and that other Death Eater walk in and the focus is on them, you can hear Ron in the background saying to Hermione, "About the clothes, these are not my favorite jeans..." and it's absolutely wonderful, because that comment is pretty much in the book too.
5. The use of music to show Ron's growing paranoia and discontent was amazing - I especially loved how it even mimicked the radio noise.
(6. Also, Ron and his brothers bring the funny wherever they go. Just sayin'.)
Things I Disliked:
1. The way the locket Horcrux was done. Honestly, I always found that locket so creepy precisely because it was almost seemingly harmless - but also sinister. It was the fact that it seemed almost subdued, but that secretly it was trying to kill you - the subtlety. And let me tell you, a boiling mass if black goop screaming at you is not subtle in any way whatsoever. I mean, really, each Horcrux is supposed to be a mini-Voldemort, and monster thing is SO not Voldemort's style, gurl.
2. The whole "All evil people are Nazis" trope gets brought into this movie - notice how all the evil policemen types at the Ministry are wearing Nazi/soldier-esque uniforms? Which is silly, because these are WIZARDS who are trying to get rid of Muggles, etc. - shouldn't they be wearing robes?
3. The fact that in the movies, the character of Wormtail is played really wrong. He's groveling and submissive, yes, but he's doesn't have that same sense of weakness that he does in the book. I don't know how to describe it besides the fact that Movie!Wormtail is creepy in a pedophile sort of way, while Book!Wormtail is merely pathetic.
Anyway though, how that relates to this movie: because of the way he's been played, it's hard to have sympathy for Movie!Wormtail, so the whole thing with the silver hand strangling him is gone - which is sad, because I think it's a pretty important part within the part, in some ways showing the way not-so-evil people become one of the "bad guys" when really they're just weak and afraid. Instead, Movie!Wormtail is played for laughs.
4. Other random little details that are off - the fact that Kingsley's Patronus is a ball of light with screaming people running out of it, things like that.
Random Other Stuff I Noticed:
1. Harry and Hermione stop using Voldemort's name for no reason that is stated in this movie; in the book, it originally has to do with Ron being irritable, and then they find out about how it summons Death Eaters, but in the movie it's just sort of dropped.
2. The fact that Ron, Hermione, and Harry have new clothing pretty much every day on their adventuring - which in and of itself isn't super duper weird, because really they only show around fifteen different outfits probably - but the fact that they have different sweaters/other outerwear garments most times is a bit weird, as is the fact that none of these outerwear type garments are just normal sweatshirts layered over things. I think if I were trekking around day after day when it's cold out, I would probably not wear woolen sweaters, which are hard to clean, but instead a sweatshirt. (yeah yeah, it's picky, I know, but it's stuff I think about).
2.5 Related (sort of) to the above, but this is more for the book than the movie: Hermione isn't the brightest bulb in the world is she? I mean, I think the first thing I would have packed if I knew my two friends and I would be on the run is canned and boxed food...
3. Rufus Scrimgeour is Davy Jones! I KNEW I recognized those weird mouth movements!
Things I liked:
1. How fucking INTENSE everything was. Dear LORD, the scene with Bathilda and the snake was SO much creepier and terrifying, with the blood on the wall, and the flies...and all the torture scenes? Yeah, the idea that it's actually TORTURE going on there really sinks in. For example, the scene with Charity Burbage, the teacher of Muggle Studies - in the book, I don't remember feeling the same complete and utter horror that I did in the movie...
1.5 Because it sort of goes with the above: the writing of "Mudblood" on Hermione's arm. Was that in the book? Because that is some seriously messed up shit. But also kind of let's it sink in that these people are EVIL and, in the case of Bellatrix, mildly deranged.
2. The way in which the Three Brothers/Deathly Hallows story was told - I really liked the shadow puppet-esque style.
3. Luna and Neville are BEASTS. Luna is hilarious at the wedding, and though some people didn't like her contribution when Dobby died, I thought it was exactly what Luna would have done - she's sort of this weird character in my mind, because she's apart from the rest and has this special friendship with Harry, and so I feel like this would have been her way of showing that she cared, and none of that really made any sense.
4. Dialogue details: the little things that characters mumble about when the focus is on other things...for example, when Dolohov and that other Death Eater walk in and the focus is on them, you can hear Ron in the background saying to Hermione, "About the clothes, these are not my favorite jeans..." and it's absolutely wonderful, because that comment is pretty much in the book too.
5. The use of music to show Ron's growing paranoia and discontent was amazing - I especially loved how it even mimicked the radio noise.
(6. Also, Ron and his brothers bring the funny wherever they go. Just sayin'.)
Things I Disliked:
1. The way the locket Horcrux was done. Honestly, I always found that locket so creepy precisely because it was almost seemingly harmless - but also sinister. It was the fact that it seemed almost subdued, but that secretly it was trying to kill you - the subtlety. And let me tell you, a boiling mass if black goop screaming at you is not subtle in any way whatsoever. I mean, really, each Horcrux is supposed to be a mini-Voldemort, and monster thing is SO not Voldemort's style, gurl.
2. The whole "All evil people are Nazis" trope gets brought into this movie - notice how all the evil policemen types at the Ministry are wearing Nazi/soldier-esque uniforms? Which is silly, because these are WIZARDS who are trying to get rid of Muggles, etc. - shouldn't they be wearing robes?
3. The fact that in the movies, the character of Wormtail is played really wrong. He's groveling and submissive, yes, but he's doesn't have that same sense of weakness that he does in the book. I don't know how to describe it besides the fact that Movie!Wormtail is creepy in a pedophile sort of way, while Book!Wormtail is merely pathetic.
Anyway though, how that relates to this movie: because of the way he's been played, it's hard to have sympathy for Movie!Wormtail, so the whole thing with the silver hand strangling him is gone - which is sad, because I think it's a pretty important part within the part, in some ways showing the way not-so-evil people become one of the "bad guys" when really they're just weak and afraid. Instead, Movie!Wormtail is played for laughs.
4. Other random little details that are off - the fact that Kingsley's Patronus is a ball of light with screaming people running out of it, things like that.
Random Other Stuff I Noticed:
1. Harry and Hermione stop using Voldemort's name for no reason that is stated in this movie; in the book, it originally has to do with Ron being irritable, and then they find out about how it summons Death Eaters, but in the movie it's just sort of dropped.
2. The fact that Ron, Hermione, and Harry have new clothing pretty much every day on their adventuring - which in and of itself isn't super duper weird, because really they only show around fifteen different outfits probably - but the fact that they have different sweaters/other outerwear garments most times is a bit weird, as is the fact that none of these outerwear type garments are just normal sweatshirts layered over things. I think if I were trekking around day after day when it's cold out, I would probably not wear woolen sweaters, which are hard to clean, but instead a sweatshirt. (yeah yeah, it's picky, I know, but it's stuff I think about).
2.5 Related (sort of) to the above, but this is more for the book than the movie: Hermione isn't the brightest bulb in the world is she? I mean, I think the first thing I would have packed if I knew my two friends and I would be on the run is canned and boxed food...
3. Rufus Scrimgeour is Davy Jones! I KNEW I recognized those weird mouth movements!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thankfuls
I am thankful for books and movies and photographs.
I am thankful for holidays and snow and Christmas music.
I am thankful for my friends.
I am thankful for my mother and my father and my sister and my uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents.
I am thankful for our stupid, silly-looking dog.
I am thankful for pasta and bread and chocolate.
I am thankful for sweaters and socks.
I am thankful for trees and camp and summer.
I am thankful for rain and clouds and thunder.
I am thankful for the Internet. Which sounds super nerdy and kind of weird.
I am thankful for life.
I am thankful for holidays and snow and Christmas music.
I am thankful for my friends.
I am thankful for my mother and my father and my sister and my uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents.
I am thankful for our stupid, silly-looking dog.
I am thankful for pasta and bread and chocolate.
I am thankful for sweaters and socks.
I am thankful for trees and camp and summer.
I am thankful for rain and clouds and thunder.
I am thankful for the Internet. Which sounds super nerdy and kind of weird.
I am thankful for life.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
"I hate the fall"
Who can name what musical that's from? Anyone? Anyone? Come on y'all, you know this. (don't know who I'm talking to, obviously crazy, ignore me)
Anyway, it's not true. I do like fall, the season. It's just that usually it's so hard to distinguish it from fall, the school year, you know? Which makes me wonder how it'll feel when I'm older and retired, and there is no "back to work" mentality.
It's once again been awhile since I typed up a post and published it (I don't count Mockingjay...it was already ready to be published). School, sports, music, etc., etc. I have no free time.
Quick updates:
College searches have begun. Our school system has a five (usually it's four) day weekend in October this year for the teachers to grade or something, so me and my family'll be going to the East Coast.
My birthday's coming up - woohoo!
Lost my iPod - booooo!
AND FRINGE IS BACK ON! YESSSSSSSSS.
(Except this storyline is making me want to kill someone...)
Anyway, it's not true. I do like fall, the season. It's just that usually it's so hard to distinguish it from fall, the school year, you know? Which makes me wonder how it'll feel when I'm older and retired, and there is no "back to work" mentality.
It's once again been awhile since I typed up a post and published it (I don't count Mockingjay...it was already ready to be published). School, sports, music, etc., etc. I have no free time.
Quick updates:
College searches have begun. Our school system has a five (usually it's four) day weekend in October this year for the teachers to grade or something, so me and my family'll be going to the East Coast.
My birthday's coming up - woohoo!
Lost my iPod - booooo!
AND FRINGE IS BACK ON! YESSSSSSSSS.
(Except this storyline is making me want to kill someone...)
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Mockingjay (posted waaaay later than when I typed it...like by a month)
I don't know if I have any books that can even follow that up.
If you haven't read The Hunger Games, go read them. If you have, you know how good these books are, how well they're written, and how thought-provoking they are. Especially this last one.
For those of you who haven't read the series, they're about a place called Panem, which has 12 Districs in rings around a central city called the Capitol. In punishment for an uprising that took place many years ago among the Districts, there is a yearly event called the Hunger Games. Each year, two canidates are picked from each District, one boy and one girl, aged 12-18; they must participate in the Hunger Games, in which all the canidates are put in an outdoor arena and fight to the death. The entire event is televised for the viewing pleasure of the Capitol.
Spoilers, and I mean MAJOR details (highlight to read)
I thought she would kill off Gale. Or Peeta. Well, truthfully, I was expecting Gale to be killed off, because anyone could see she was always going to end up with Peeta. I never thought Prim was going to die - I thought that if she survived the District 12 destruction, and then the bombing of District 13, well, she must be okay, because she'd almost died twice already...and how would she ever be killed otehrwise? She was supposed to be safe.
And then there's Finnick. Finnick's death was a major blow - because Finnick was great. Really. Annie and him just really made it seem like things could be okay - that there could be someone you love, who you could get married to and have a life with, even with a horrible war going on...his death almost upset me more than Prim's did.
Other things: I liked that she didn't make the rebels perfect, because in reality, they never are. I like that, in fact, the rebel leader was someone who was just as bad as the previous dictator. The deaths of some were absolutely horrifying - Messala's in particular comes to mind.
The ending was a little weird, in a way. I know that because of what she did, Katniss was put in District 12 and didn't have a part in the politics anymore, but the idea that life just sort of went on is there, and that's odd. Though I supose the children didn't come around for a while, so that's why there's schools again and everything seems more normal. It's just hard to reconcile, you know? In real life it takes so long for damage to be undone...and what did they do with the people from the Capitol anyway? Did they have a Hunger Games? What was the compromise?
If you haven't read The Hunger Games, go read them. If you have, you know how good these books are, how well they're written, and how thought-provoking they are. Especially this last one.
For those of you who haven't read the series, they're about a place called Panem, which has 12 Districs in rings around a central city called the Capitol. In punishment for an uprising that took place many years ago among the Districts, there is a yearly event called the Hunger Games. Each year, two canidates are picked from each District, one boy and one girl, aged 12-18; they must participate in the Hunger Games, in which all the canidates are put in an outdoor arena and fight to the death. The entire event is televised for the viewing pleasure of the Capitol.
Spoilers, and I mean MAJOR details (highlight to read)
I thought she would kill off Gale. Or Peeta. Well, truthfully, I was expecting Gale to be killed off, because anyone could see she was always going to end up with Peeta. I never thought Prim was going to die - I thought that if she survived the District 12 destruction, and then the bombing of District 13, well, she must be okay, because she'd almost died twice already...and how would she ever be killed otehrwise? She was supposed to be safe.
And then there's Finnick. Finnick's death was a major blow - because Finnick was great. Really. Annie and him just really made it seem like things could be okay - that there could be someone you love, who you could get married to and have a life with, even with a horrible war going on...his death almost upset me more than Prim's did.
Other things: I liked that she didn't make the rebels perfect, because in reality, they never are. I like that, in fact, the rebel leader was someone who was just as bad as the previous dictator. The deaths of some were absolutely horrifying - Messala's in particular comes to mind.
The ending was a little weird, in a way. I know that because of what she did, Katniss was put in District 12 and didn't have a part in the politics anymore, but the idea that life just sort of went on is there, and that's odd. Though I supose the children didn't come around for a while, so that's why there's schools again and everything seems more normal. It's just hard to reconcile, you know? In real life it takes so long for damage to be undone...and what did they do with the people from the Capitol anyway? Did they have a Hunger Games? What was the compromise?
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