the thing about jellyfish. ali benjamin. (318)

i picked up ali benjamin's the thing about jellyfish because it is national book finalist in the young adult category.  i wasn't sure what the story was about, but liked the title and figured since it was nominated, it should be good.  and it was.

the thing about jellyfish was the story of a young girl, suzy, that recently lost her best friend.  the lost was sudden, her best friend, franny, died on a beach, her heart just stopped.  as a result, suzy went mute a couple of months after her friend's death.  losing a best friend is difficult at any age, but to have lost your best friend at 12, is even more difficult.   however, age isn't the only factor, as it is slowly revealed, franny and suzy had grown apart.  franny had become one of the "cool" yet mean girls, and their last incident was when suzy froze pee and put it inside franny's locker.  suzy was never able to apologize and this guilt only add to her difficulty to cope.

frozen pee was extreme, but when suzy explained her reasoning for it, it made sense, though it was still awful.  suzy was a socially awkward kid, i actually read her as autistic, but when i googled to see if that was the intent of the author, i can not find anything on it.  i assumed that she was because it was noted when she was younger on a report card that she wasn't adapt at making friends.  also, the way that she fixated on subjects ie jellyfish, i assumed that she was autistic.  however, i mean everyone is awkward at that age, so that could be it as well.

so the thing about jellyfish in this novel is that suzy became fixated on the theory that franny died after being stung by an irukandij jellyfish.  her obsession about the jellyfish fueled by her need to understand what happen to her friend.  the novel (which i absolutely loved) was set up like a science project with the following sections:  purpose, hypothesis, background, variables, procedure, and results, and we see suzy test her theory and ultimately come to terms with the lost of her friend. i have to add that the novel is also very informative, i learned alot about jellyfish and other great facts.  for example, that the average middle school student has about 20 billion atoms from shakespeare, which means that suzy has some of franny's atoms, and we have atoms of any of the people that we lost.  (what a great lesson for kids to learn when dealing with a loss.)

i also loved how in the end, suzy found friends that understood her and didn't think she was "weird".  

this novel is really great and i highly recommend it, especially if you have a young reader.  it is helpful not only with grieving the loss of a love one, but also helpful with those awkward years.  it shows kids that we are all a little weird, and that you will find friends that will love you for who you are. 

me and earl and the dying girl. jesse andrews. (277)

i picked up me, and earl, and the dying girl, because there will be a panel about the movie based on it at bookcon.  but unlike the other ya novels that i have read for bookcon, i absolutely adored this one.  and if you are going to watch a movie based on a ya novel this summer, make it this one!  screw paper towns!  team me, and earl, and the dying girl!  i have to add that the movie did really well at sundance and nick offerman is in it!

so the novel.  i feel like i have read something with a similar premise or maybe saw a movie (?), but basically this novel is an admission letter by greg gaines (the me in the title) to explain why his grades went south his senior year of high school.  i love that novel ended with greg saying that he would not turn this book into a novel, but maybe that was jesse andrews way of saying that he wanted it to become a movie.  lol

i don't know what to write, other than you need to read it.  its a ya novel, so it shouldn't take you long.  and its sweet without being sappy.  i also loved the realness of the characters.  earl grew up in a troubled home with gangster brothers.  greg is a bit of a dick.  these kids are not goody two shoes but regular teens.  i also admired how it was very realistic with its dealing of leukemia.  i, for one, appreciated "the moron's guide to leukemia", because you always read about it, but never really know what it is.  also i loved that greg didn't know how to comfort rachel (the dying girl) except to make her laugh, because most of the times we don't know what to do in those situation.  it was nice to see greg struggle with that instead of always saying the right thing.  i know i for one am always lost for the right words though my heart is filled with good intentions.  greg struggling to comfort rachel was refreshing, he's a teenage boy, what does he know about death?

though i will add that i was shocked how abruptly rachel died, but i guess that is how it is.  also her death wasn't stretched out but the again, this was greg's story, not hers.  and like novel warned us, this wasn't like other books that deal with cancer and teens.

and of course, i loved their movies!  i did have to look up most of them online. i have to admit that i have no desire to see aguirre, the warth of god that did not look interesting to me, but to each his own.  this part of the novel reminded me of michel gondry's  be kind rewind.  as i read about their remakes, i had visions of mos def and jack black remaking movies. 

i also loved the different forms of writing that andrews used, ie the stage directions and dialogue, the bullet points in that one chapter.

i really enjoyed this book and wish that it was around in high school.  and out of all the ya novels i read for bookcon, i have to say this may have been the best.

driftwood. elizabeth dutton. (254)

i picked up driftwood because emma robert's posted it on our instagram.  and i kind of wish i scrolled through by the picture because i did not enjoy the book.

the premise sounded cool, the daughter of a rock star goes on a road trip planned out for her by her dad upon his death.  i figured it would be as moving as cameron crowe's elizabethtown.  it was not.  it was like a bad lifetime movie.

to start, clem, the daughter was seriously #heiressproblems.  it's hard to be sympathetic to a character when money ain't a problem to them.  i am not saying that money solves everything, but i don't understand this mentality that money makes one immune to real issues.  i mean her biggest issue was that she didn't get excited about life.  really? she was unemployed but lived a life of luxury.  and yes she was lost like all twentysomethings are but she had the means to pursue her dreams because her family could financially support what she wanted to pursue.  her dad wasn't going to help her start a cafe but the ambition fizzled out of her. i couldn't empathize with her, i was too annoyed by her #firstworldproblems.

just like clem, the book lacked depth.  the road trip was a bit of a farce.  i felt like clem didn't gain any insight on her father based from the actual locations but more from the letters, so she probably should have just read them at home.  a random love interest was thrown in to help put the "lessons" she was learning into effect, but it all felt so staged.

but the worse was the ending.  it turned out her father wasn't who he said he was.  he actually killed a man and took on his identity, well name!  it was the most bizarre twist.  granted it was painted as a result of the abuse he dealt with as a child.  the abuse was revealed during the trip in a letter.  it was also foreshadowed by her love interest's story of beating up a guy because he had an abusive dad.  but whatever i still felt it was inexcusable. i mean he killed a man and took on his name and lived a normal life.  can we say psycho killer?!?! i can't believe clem didn't freak out, but actually discovered herself via this ending.  seriously, such a horrible book.

the only plus i can say is that one, it mentioned wasco which is near where i live! and two i learned that when nor cal and so cal meet on the 99, there is a pine tree and palm tree planted to represent the two regions

other than that, my advice to you, do not read this book.

can't we talk about something more pleasant?: a memoir. roz chast. (250)

i had seen roz chast's memoir, can we talk about something more pleasant? on a handful of must read list.  however, i didn't start paying attention until i saw it included on best of 2014 lists and since i realized i hadn't read many of the books listed on the best of 2014 lists (though i have read books that came out in 2014), i decided to check it out.

prior to this memoir, i was not familiar with chast work.  she is a cartoonist for the new yorker.  i also was not familiar with the premise for the book.  based on the title and the cover, i thought it was going to be a fun stories of how parents get senile as they grow older and the odd conversations we have with them.  however, it is actually about her dealing with her parents aging and their deaths.  whenever chast tried to have a conversation about death, "can we talk about something more pleasant?" would be her parents' response.  i have to admit that i was a little bit worried about reading this because it has been a year since my grandmother death.  i was worried about it bringing up painful memories or that i might just randomly burst into tears.  it didn't.  though it reminded me how grateful i was to be with my grandma in her final years of life.  i always claimed that it was good for me to be back home for her to keep an eye on me but in reality, it was better to have her taking care of me.

being a graphic memoir, i actually finished the book in a day, probably closer to an afternoon.  it was an enjoyable read though it did remind me that i have a rough time ahead of me as my mom starts to grow older.  in fact, my aunt tracey and my uncle bob too.  but i don't want to think about that now.

the memoir is completely honest.  it covers all of the anxiety and stress that comes with dealing with aging parents.  and chast is a little neurotic and i was often shocked by how she reacted to some events.  for example, when chast's mother had her fall and went to the er, chast did not go to the hospital until a couple of hours after she got the phone call.  i understand that each person deals with emergencies in their own way, but i don't know how she didn't immediately rush to the hospital.  another time i was shocked was when her mother was released and instead of spending the night with her parents, she went back home.  again some people are different.  and i hate to be judgy, because it is tough and i have no idea what i would do if i was in that situation, i mean she is an only child and when i go through this i will have my siblings as support.  i hate to be so mean, but it was still shocking to read. 

and i know that its easier to said then done, but i can honestly say that i have done.  i'm not saying that i am better than chast and i hate to seem so judgy. but i am extremely squeamish when it comes to hospitals, like i could never sit through the emergency scenes in "ER" or the surgery scenes of "nip/tuck", however, i was always fine with staying overnight in the hospital room with my grandma.  in fact, my sister and i stayed with her in icu, one of the nights we were warned could be one of her last (thankfully we had her for a couple more weeks).  

and please don't take the examples as what time person chast.  she was actually very dedicated to making sure her parents were taken care of and comforted.  those were just two incidents that stuck out to me as i read.  there is alot more beauty to this book.  there is of course some humor, and i plan on reading more of her works.  it s a beautiful work in which she pays tribute to her parents and gives a very honest view of how tough it is to deal with death.

this is where i leave you. jonathan tropper.

my friend nina loaned me her copy of this is where i leave you handful of years ago (i should really return it), but i didn't read it.  i bought it on amazon because it was a daily deal, but still did not read it. i considered reading it when my grandma passed away, but wasn't sure if i was ready for it.  but what finally got me to read it was the fact that adam driver was in the movie version of it, along with jason bateman and tina fey.  my love for all three, especially driver, i decided to read so i could watch the film.

before i go on, i have to say based on what i read, i am sure driver was an excellent philip.  as i read, i totally driver was philip in mind (thanks to "girls" it was quite easy to do), even down to the random singing that he did.  i actually saw the movie cast as the characters in the book, because i imbd-ed the cast to see if adam was philip.  i think bateman was the perfect choice for jude.  and though i love her, i did not see tina fey as wendy.  i hate to be mean because i was a nerd in high school but i can't imagine tina fey being the girl everyone fell for in high school.  i know its so mean to say, i still love her, but really?  also, i can't imagine her having a romance with a ex-bad boy like horry.  i am happy with timothy olyphant's casting, mostly so i can drool! overall, i am looking forward to watching the movie, primarily because i think driver is going to be amazing.  i love love love loved the book and normally i don't like watching movies based on books, i love, because movies normally ruin it.  however, i think bateman and fey will be hilarious and if all else fails i'll just drool over driver. oh and of ben schwartz too!  love him as jean-ralphio on "parks and rec" and excited to watch him on the big screen too!

the novel was not at all what i expected, but in a good way.  i thought it would be some deep, meaningful, reflection on life and family since the foxmans were sitting shiva for their father.  however, it turns out that they were not practicing jews, so the novel turned out to be a lot funnier than i had anticipated.  

jude, the central character, and the perspective that we read from, in addition to dealing with his father's death is going through a rough patch right now, actually a more accurate adjective would be shitty patch.  he and his wife, jen, his college sweetheart, are currently separated because he found her in bed fucking (for lack of a better word) his boss.  this scene was shared in the story and was just as dramatizing for the reader as jude, but also extremely hilarious.  i think the reason this book is so great is that every single thought that crosses jude's mind was shared, there was no filter, the-horrible-i-could- never-share-it-but-i-definitely-thought-it-thoughts were shared.  due to this jude, became your best friend, you got frustrated with his actions, sympathized with things went wrong, and overall wanted the best for him.  and in my opinion the best would be for him to leave his wife, even though she was pregnant with his child (seriously, i swear, talk about a shitty patch, oh he found this out later, initially they thought it was his boss' child).  i understand that the lost of jude and jen's first child, had some serious repercussions and as jen explained she felt that jude had moved on and didn't provide any comfort to jen.  and i can understand that jen felt alone and depressed about this situation, however, the solution is not to have sex with your husband's boss, go to therapy, maybe try communicating to your husband but not an affair!  and from the scene that jude shared with us, it wasn't just sex, it was some serious fucking with jen making some crazy sounds.  so yeah, i didn't like jen.  i hope that jude ends up with his high school crush, penny, with whom jude has one of those pacts to marry if they aren't married by a certain age.  penny, though she was a total tease in high school, but i can see a good relationship blossoming between the two of them.  penny and jude went on a couple of dates, okay more like made out a lot and had sex, but she is a better option then jen.

in addition to all of this, jude also has to deal with his family because they are sitting shiva for their father.  and the foxmans, like every family, are screwed up but hilarious and always ready with a smartass remark (very much like my own family if i do say so).  to start, their mother, who flaunted her fake  breast was a shrink and a celebrity expert of parenting, and it will later will be revealed is bisexual and is dating their neighbor who was like a second mom to them.  paul, the eldest, was in charge of the family business, and he has his wife are trying for kids.  his wife is so desperate that she pretty much rapes jude though the term rape does not come up.  wendy and her husband barry have three kids but barry was more dedicated to his work than his family.  and wendy ended up sleeping with horry, their neighbor/best friend and son of their mom's new girlfriend.  philip, the baby and their parents had him later in life.  philip was the official fuck-up of the family, ie he showed up late to their father's service.  and though he was an asshole, the things he said were normally true and needed to be said.  but as you can see a lot of family drama, but that is a given with families.

 jude gets along with his sister wendy and littler brother philip for the most part, but his relationship with his older brother paul was a little estranged   it was later shared that paul lost his promising baseball career after a freak accident in which a dog attacked him after he and jude went to beat up this guy that kneed jude.  jude thought that paul resented him for this, but in fact it was revealed that paul resented the fact that jude never visited him or cared about his recovery, which was true.  jude turned out to be the ass.  and isn't that how it is, we go around blaming our family for all the wrongs in our life, but what we need to do take responsibility for our own actions.  we shouldn't keep a list of who did what for who, because at the end of the day, it's your family, you should have wanted to help.  whenever my little sister and i would fight, my grandma would always remind us that we might think we hate each other and can do without the another but we were family and that in the end, we were all we had.  when my grandma was ill in the hospital, right before she passed, my family came together, and there was reassurance to her that we would all take care of each other.  we haven't encountered anything (thankfully) that has required us to work as a support unit for one another, but i can see that there is some division among my mom's brothers and sisters. i don't know what the solution is for my family to have the togetherness that my grandmother wanted, i almost wish we had sat shiva, so that my aunts and uncles could have worked out all of their issues.  but i do have faith, i know they will come together, when they need to. 

back to the novel.  as i said, i was surprised by how funny the novel was, given its serious premise.  tropper is a wonderful writer and made me laugh with the most random comments throughout his work.  here are some of clever parts i enjoyed:

his description of linda callen, their neighbor and mom's closest friend turned lover, "like a wise mother rate from a disney cartoon, the sort that will sit in a tiny rocking chair and wear little rat glasses and be voiced by judi dench or hellen mirren."  

the description of wendy's son, cole, "cole is in what wendy refers to as his e.t. stage, wherein he waddles around the house like e.t., exploring and trashing everything within reach, making strange little noises as he goes."

i also loved how he described cole's two-year-old speech as "his immigrant english."   lol what a perfect metaphor for kids learning english.

talking about falling in love, "and even if you didn't fall in love in the eighties, in your mind it will all feel like the eighties, all innocent and airbrushed, with bright colors and shoulder pads and pat benatar or the cure on soundtrack."

this simile, "flashing him a look sharp enough for a circumcision."

"jen starts to silently cry, like those statues of the virgin mary that are always turning up in south american villages."  what a beautiful yet funny description of silent cry!

as you can see tropper has a way with words and the novel was very entertaining.

oh but i have to admit i did have one complaint.  there was a lot of ass looking in this book.  and i get it, guys check out girls' asses, but it seemed like every women under 40 had a perfect ass and that just seemed impossible.  i'm going to give jude the benefit of the doubt and think he just saw every ass as perfect because he was so fucked up.

but all in all, a wonderful book that i very much enjoyed.  and i can't wait for the movie!!! oh and hopefully i marry a jew but if i don't, my family will totally sit shiva.  though at my rate, i might only have one kid.

a heartbreaking work of staggering genius. dave eggers. (208)

i have discussed this before but i do have hipster tendencies.  so when the huffington post listed the most hipster books of all time, and i had only read a handful of them, i decided to check them out.  i started with dave eggers' a heartbreaking work of staggering genius.

i feel horrible for saying this, especially considering it's premise, a memoir about raising a younger sibling after both parents passing away, but i hated this book.  it took everything i had to actually finish it.  ironically, i should have listened to the rules and suggestions for enjoyment of this book (which is listed at the beginning) it suggested that "the first three or four chapters are all some of you might want to bother with.  that gets you to page 109 or so, which is a nice length, a nice novella sort of length."  i thought eggers was being cheeky when in fact he was just being honest, he knew the second half wasnt' worth it. 

 

a heartbreaking work of staggering genius covers eggers' early twenties and what he encountered raising his little brother, tophe, after having lost both their parents within three months of each other.  they lost their mother to stomach cancer, and the father to what i am assumed was a heart condition  (i feel eggers really didn't share what happen to him, other than his sister finding him kneeling in the driveway one night), since he was a heavy drinker and smoker.  due to the title and the premise, i imagined myself having an emotional connection to the book having just lost my grandmother.  i was actually very hesitant about reading, worried that it would stir up too many memories and thoughts that i was not ready to revisit.  i will admit that reading about their mother is icu was difficult to read, i did cry, reminded of being in icu with my grandmother. and later in the book when eggers discussed his speaking at this mother's memorial service (their parents donated their bodies to science so there wasn't a formal burial), i understood what he went through.  i do recall when my grandmother first entered icu, i thought about what i would say at her funeral.  one feels bad for thinking such thoughts but its something that needs to be considered.  i also identified with egger's uncertainity when it came to speaking at the service.  i was the same way, wanting to share but not wanting too.  though i will add, i didn't want pity like he did but to honor my grandmother.  but that was as far as my identification and enjoyment of the book went.

my enjoyment, seriously only went up until page 109, because that is the only part that truly discussed tophe.  the rest was pretty much about the magazine, he and his friends started, which i did not find interesting at all.  to be completely honest, the only real take away i had from the remainder of the book, was that eggers wasn't casted on mtv's real world: san francisco and that puck came to do a photo shoot for them.  well not for a feature on puck but he was a model, they needed nude models for a piece about humans being the same.  but yeah that is all i really remember.  oh and i would have appreciated the innovativeness of the real world "interview" being a means of eggers discussing his childhood, but then when he had to let the cat out of the bag, recognizing that it was a made up interview to allow for this exploration, so i started to lose interest.

i really hated it.  it was seriously just about the magazine.  it could have been a work of staggering genius if he focused on the issues that he confronted while raising his brother more than whether or not he could still get laid. 

i also think that i may have missed the mark on this book.  had i read it 2000 (though i was in high school, i maybe have been to young) this would have been revolutionary.  maybe if i read it fresh out of college, i would have enjoyed it more.  i don't know what its right, i just know that it bored me.

i also want to add that i see how the book is hipstery.  i mean this is the publishing page!

its very tongue-in-cheek and clever and i would have praised it if i loved the book.  but since i did not enjoy it, i find it excessive and annoying. 

furthermore, there is the "rules" for enjoying the book that i mentioned earlier.  in addition to that there is a preface, contents page, acknowledgements (which runs for like 10 pages and includes diagrams and a random drawing of  a stapler, seriously?!?!?!) all of which i did not read because i did not want to give this book, any more time in my life.  though i will add that in the acknowledgement section, eggers says that the first 200 people that take a picture of a book and your receipt can receive a $5 check from him.  i wonder if people really did that, i would have done that and still felt robbed because the book was horrible.  you can also send it for a fictionalized version of the book on floppy disk, i might look into purchasing that if i still can.  but yeah, i can see the coolness in this, but like anything hipster, if it sucks, one does become annoyed but it.

if a heartbreaking work of staggering genius is on your to-read list, just read up to page 109.  i can tell you the story about real world and puck so you don't have to read the rest.

the stranger. albert camus. (199)

the stranger has been on my to-read list forever now.  i had a third grade teacher recommend it to me once and people are always praising it.  but what persuaded me was a book i purchased for "california bookstore day" which took place may 3.  (i will have to do a post on it because my purchases were adorable.) i purchased depressed, repressed, obsessed: 3-panel book reviews by lisa brown.  after reading the review for the stranger, i decided to read it.

this is an excellent review.

and now for my review, i am not sure to make of it.  i at first read camus as a nihilist since menursault didn't care about anything.  but then i read on wikipedia that camus was like anti-nihilism, but this work was suppose to promote his philosophy of absurd, in which the wikipedia page described as "the conflict between the human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life and the human inability to find any." since i got this analysis from wikipedia, i will discuss my initial thoughts after i had finish reading and then my thoughts with this knowledge.

to start, i wasn't sure how to read menursault, i thought maybe he had aspergers because his social and communication skills were poor.  he was unable to articulate how he felt or what he meant, which the reader sees via his conversations and his testimony during the trial.  he had good intentions he was just unable to manifest them in his speech and actions.  for example, he did love marie, but it was as though she was asking him the wrong questions, he was answering her questions sincerely but he was too literal.  he also seemed to lack social graces as demonstrated in his behavior at maman's funeral which was later used against him at trial.

i also do not know how he got involved in the mess that he did with raymond but he did.  but i guess that is the demonstration of the absurd.  things happen and we don't know how or why but there is no need to look for deeper meaning but just take them as the way life turned out.

as horrible and indifferent, menursault sounded throughout the work, he was right.  nothing really matters, well more like everything do not matter.  i get it.  i was disappointed at first because i didn't have this profound "wow" moment like i thought i was (based on others' love of this work), but my lack of one could because my view of life has absurd tendencies.  every time i stress out about something especially regrets, i have to remind myself that in the grand spectrum of things, it doesn't matter because one day i will die and will cease to exist.  its sound horrible and makes me sound depressed but i think it's just a real outlook on life.  especially since i am an insignificant nobody in the grand spectrum of life.  i mean i have meaning to those around me but after my grandchildren die off, no one will really know me, so the decisions that i make day to day don't really matter.  i mean why do i even have this blog.  why do i even read?  i enjoy it so that should be reason enough.  but i think what camus is trying to address is this need to give significance to actions for this an idea of afterlife.  i don't believe in an afterlife, and i admired menursault for refusing to see the chaplain.  i mean he was going to die, god wouldn't be able to save him now.  and really should god be accepting last minute conversions like that?  i feel like god should be more strict about who he forgives and allowed into heaven especially since these conversion come from fear of death versus remorse of actions, but that is a whole other story.

back to the work.  so yes, i do believe in philosophy of absurd, i do have a tendency to be the opposite and also look for signs from the universe, but i recognize that it is absurd.  we shouldn't put some much value and meaning into things that do not have them but there needs to be a balance, you need to find something that makes you happy and it's okay to give that meaning and value, just not everything.  i don't know if this makes sense, but i guess i shouldn't worry because it doesn't really matter if this blog as value or not, since "existance is meaningless."

innocent eréndira and other stories. gabriel garcía márquez.

as i have mentioned before in this blog,  gabriel garcía márquez's one hundred years of solitude is one of my all-time favorite books.  when he passed away on may 17, i was sadden, and then next day on a visit to strand bookstore (i was in nyc) i purchased innocent eréndira and other stories in honor of him. it was in a book tote that i purchased and so kind of forgot about it, but i came across it and decided to finally read it.

i have mixed feelings about this collection of short stories.  the first three stories, i absolutely adored, but the rest of the stories bored me a bit.  his writing was not poor in the later, i did not find the topics interesting or compelling.

so lets start with the good.  the first three stories, "innocent eréndira and her heartless grandmother", "the sea of lost time" and "death constant beyond love" were written in 1972, 1961, and 1970 respectively.  they were written around one hundred years and contained that mythical, magical realism that caused me to fall in love with garcía márquez's work.  growing up, i went through a period in which i loved greek mythology, and this is soft spot for myths is why i  love garcía márquez's work.  one hundred years  and these stories remind me of myths, they are filled magical seas and lands, individuals with special talents and gifts, and the crossing between the dreamworld and reality.  i quickly become lost in these stories, caught up in their magic. 

the title story,  innocent eréndira and her heartless grandmother is the story of eréndira, a young girl who was a slave to her grandmother and as the title states, she was heartless.  poor eréndira, worked all day and night taking care of fat grandmother, and one evening, her wind of misfortune, caused their mansion to burn down.  since eréndira caused the fire, she had to pay her grandmother back.  i hate to be such a prude but i was shocked by how eréndira earned her money.  her grandmother turned her into  a whore, she sold her body! i know i was so shocked to read that!  eréndira did fall in love with a magical young man, and he saved her on his second attempt.  but they do not end up together, which i found disappointing but i think in order to escape her misfortune she had to escape everything.

"the sea of lost time", i enjoyed as well, specifically the actual sea, which held a village and the dead, including the most beautiful woman in the world, old jacob's dead wife.  the sex in this story shocked me too, there was a prostitute that slept with 100 at $5 a piece.  but i did enjoy tobias and his wife sex life being described as doing it as earthworms and rabbits.  lol.   i liked "death constant beyond love" for it's ending, though again my inner prude was shocked that a father gave up his daughter like that.  enjoyable tales though my inner prude blushed as i read.

after those three stories, i began to lose interest in the collection.  his stories from the 40's and 50's were not for me.  i didn't enjoy the topic of death.  i understand, as a child, i was always frightened of death because i imagined that i would be conscious of the world around me.  this fear would keep me up at night.  it was though garcía márquez's stories from this time was his confrontation of this fear.  each story is told from a spirit/ghost/energy's perspective that has died.  they were well-written, but the subject matter didn't interest me.  "eva is inside her cat" was just bizarre, why didn't she just return to the cat, reincarnation is better than nothing.  though i must admit that they were not all bad, i did enjoy "eyes of a blue dog", the story of lovers that meet in their dreams but can not remember the next day so they can meet in real life.  i also liked "someone has been disarranging these roses", this spirit was fine with his death and simply wanted to put roses on his grave.  all the other stories were good because they were written by garcía márquez but they did not remind me why i love his work.

check out this collection of stories, and i won't judge you if you only read the first three.

the secret garden. frances hodgson burnett.

as i mentioned in my matilda post, i was inspired to read the secret garden because it was one of matilda's favorite. i had purchased it a couple weeks prior but it shot to the top of my to-read list because of matilda.

the secret garden is another book that i owned as a child but never read it.  i used to carry a copy around all the time with the intent to read it but never got very far.  i just couldn't get into it.  i have to admit on this read i had a difficult time picking it up.  i did get a little bored with it.  i am not one for mystery or gardening so i was like get on with the story already!    

but before i go on, i have to give a quick little rant about the secret garden being the original the secret.  i learned about the secret back in 2010 (i think) on the car ride to coachella with my friends, carnation, cody, jerry and john.  my bestie, john, explained to us that if we wanted something we needed to put it out into the universe for it to happen. cody put it out there for cheese at a party we were attending later that evening.  now let me explain we were in a car, and there was no way cheese could possibly happen . . . but it did!!!  carnation, our driver pulled out from her backpack, cheese snacks!  it blew our minds, i mean we had no idea it would work but it did!  and ever seen seeing that i quasi-believe in the secret.  now i haven't read the book the secret, but after reading the secret garden think the author behind it's philosphy just ripped off colin.  colin knew the power of putting things out into the universe and making it happen!  the kid gained the ability to walk and run from his believe in the power of reciting something.

this power that colin had is what i believed made this book so great.  its important for kids to understand the importance of self-confidence and faith.  it's one thing to have dreams, its quite another to have the self-assurance to know that you can accomplish those dreams.  to quote george michael, you got to have fa-fa-faith.   

another important lesson from the secret garden, is that you must move on from death (a lesson i needed since i lost my grandma bea the week before).  when someone closes to you dies, you can't shut off the world and wallow in sadness.  you have to continue in life and continue to love all the things that person loved and taught you to love.  if mr. craven did not see his son as what he had lost but as a part of his wife that he still had and need to love and care for he, he would not have wasted 12 years being miserable. furthermore, if he took care of the garden and allow it to grow, they would have had a place in which her spirit could always reside.  i am extremely grateful that mary came to them and helped them both heal and see that they could live and not feel sad about having lost mrs. craven.  they could allow mrs. craven's memory to live on through them and the garden.  we need to be happy about that times we had with those we have lost versus be sad about them not being in our present.

also i absolutely loved martha and her family!  dickson and his little gang of critters.  he was like a woodland fairy with his ability to talk and care for animals.  but the best was their mother, mrs. sowerby was filled with such wisdom when it came to kids.

  

my favorite was the story mrs. medock share about some wise words of her.  

[mrs. sowerby] says, 'once when i was givin' th' children a but of a preach after they'd been fightin' i ses to 'em all, "when i was at school my jography told as th' world was shaped like a orange an' i found out before i was ten that th' whole orange doesn't belong to nobody. no one owns more than his bit of a quarter an' there's times it seems like there's not enow quaters to go around.  but don't you--none o' you--think as you own th' whole orange or you'll find out you're mistaken, an you won't find out with hard knocks." what children leaned from children,' she says, 'is that there's no sense in grabbin' at th' who orange--peel an' all.  if you do you'll likely not even get th' pips, an' them's to bitter to eat."

it is true we don't own the whole world and if we think so, life will be tough for us.

another great quote came from mr. craven, "where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow."

where we plant love and happiness, hate and sorrow can not grow.  we must seek the positive.

and this sentiment is why the secret garden is a timeless classic.  i am glad i finally read it and regret not reading it in my youth.  my adult mind may have gotten bored but my adult heart needed to learn the lessons from this book. 

the book thief. markus zusak. (151)

i have to admit that when i saw the book thief in the ya section at kmart, last year, i was judgy and didn't think much of it.  i like books, but what kind of person steals them?  and why would i want to read about it?!?!   (yeah, i totally misjudged that title.)  however, when i saw it on my friend fabian's instagram, i decided to not dismiss it.  and then when i saw the trailer for the movie version and saw the girl stealing the book from the nazi burn pile, i decided i had to check it out!

to start, i have to say i appreciate death as the narrator.  having death as the storyteller allowed the reader even greater insight.  also it allowed for the bleak comments about dying to be clever versus shocking because they came straight from death's mouth. it also got me thinking why is death never revered as a god?  he is never the head god but a b-list one.  death is something that is inevitable so shouldn't we have an open dialogue with death?  especially since everyone believes in death, so why not party to me?  i want to be able to ask him for more time? maybe exchange our own time for some more of our loved ones?  as odd as it may seem i would find greater comfort praying to death versus god, death is certain, i am unsure if god even exists.

but back to the book thief, it was a wonderful story.  i absolutely adored liesel, rudy, hans, the mayor's wife, and max.  i loved how hans taught liesel to read by painting unknown words on the wall.  i loved how hans kept his promised and kept max as safe as he could.  and i admired hans for having a heart, for instinctually helping the old jewish man during the march, not seeing him as a jew but someone in need.  

i loved how rudy rebelled against the hitler youth and always tried to stick up for the little guy.  though i have to say rudy's blackface as jesse owens was inexcusable, having grown up with white idols as a person of colored i never tried to whiten my face to emulate what i saw on tv.  rudy's desire to paint himself black demonstrated that he did not see jesse owens as a hero but a black hero.  blackface is inherently racist regardless of how hard the author attempted to make it endearing.  

i loved how liesel went to read books with the mayor's wife.  i admired the mayor's wife for understanding that liesel's anger was due to the tension of the world and left her a book for her to  steal.  

i also loved max, his boxing hitler (with a realistic ending) and the stories he wrote for liesel.  i will say that his story of him as a bird was better then the tree one.  

the characters were great and memorable.  i of course, cried at the end. how sad i was to lose all the characters that i loved.  i was in tears as liesel discovered all of the ones she loved were dead.  and how happy i was when we all discovered that max survived and that liesel went onto life a long life.

it was a great story and how brave liesel was.  her desire to read and thirst for knowledge was inspiring.  i admired how she wanted to test herself with reading at school.  how brave and lucky she was for not being killed by the nazis each time she intervened with the marching of the jewish prisoners.  and how beautiful it was when she and max discovered each others sufferings and helped each other overcome grief.  i loved how when he was sick she brought him a small gift, things to tell him when he woke up.  how sweet and endearing.

i loved the whimsy this book was filled with though i have to admit that some of the death's interjection did get a tad distracting.  i also have to admit that all of the foreshadowing that occurred via death did take away from the story.  i understand that the foreshadowing was to lessen the blow that would be dealt later but i think even the ya readers could have expected the impact.  no offense but a story about nazi germany, someone and quite possibly everyone will die.  also it made me too paranoid about the mayor's wife.  i kept waiting for her to snap but she never did.

regardless of all that, it was a very lovely read and i look forward to seeing the film.

unaccustomed earth. jhumpa lahiri (147)

(i forgot got to take a picture of the book i checked out.)

as seen in previous post, i am on a jhumpa lahiri kick.  prior to this i read, the namesake, and afterward will read the lowland.  i am actually proud of myself for reading her works in order of publication!  (sorry it's the same things that excite bookworms).

unaccustomed earth is another collection of short stories, and after having read both a novel and her collections of short stories, i have to say i think she is a better short story writer.  her novel seemed to meander around, uncertain of where to go or now to end.  in retrospect, i felt like things would go off on a tangent and not truly enhance the overall story.  whereas her short stories are concise and to the point which actually allows for a deeper emotional experience.  

if you haven't read this, i would stop here.  highly recommend this collection of short stories, which you should read and experience on your own first.  my post does go i to a lot of detail and has some spoilers.

i absolutely loved part two of the book:  "hems and kaushik".  i was not ready for the ending, and as much as i wanted it to end happily ever after, i know that it wasn't the way things were meant to be and i would have been unsatisfied with a fairy tale ending.  

"hema and kaushik" is three stories.  the first story, "once in a lifetime" is told from hema's perspective. it tells the story of how as an adolescent she fell in love with kaushik, when his family returned to the united states and lived with hema's family while they looked for a home.  kaushik discovered a family's burial area in the woods behind hema's family's home and there he shared with her that his mother is dying from cancer.  something she never shared with her family even when they complained about kaushik's family overstaying their welcome. 

the second story, "year's end", is the story of kaushik dealing with his father remarrying after his mother's death.  his father needing companionship, married a woman from india with two daughter from a previous marriage.  kaushik, initially unable to accept the marriage initially began to accepted it due to his two stepsisters.  however, one night while babysitting the girls, they discover a hidden box of photos of his mother.  overwhelmed by the memory of his mother and his father's new life, he attacks the girls verbally and leaves the house.  he ends up never returning home and begins a career as a photojournalist.

the final story, "going ashore", told from hema's perspective, as fate, would have it, hema and kaushik's path cross again in rome at a friend's lunch party.  they began a relationship but hema is to be married.  kaushik asked her to stay with him but hema realized does not ask her to marry him so she refuses.  a doomed fate as foreshadowed by the leaving of her grandmother's bracelet at airport security.  and sadly in the very end, kaushik died due to an earthquake in thailand.  it broke my heart that things ended this way.  i really wanted them to be together, but life doesn't always work out the way we want them to.  and sometimes we have to thing with our head as opposed to our heart.  furthermore, i was impressed that lahiri had me on a rollercoaster of emotions in just three stories, i kind wished she had turned hema and kaushik into a novel.  i also secretly hope that mira nair turns it into a movie.

the other stories were just as sad and emotional, the same beauty of "the interpreter of maladies" can be found in this collection as well.  four stories compose the first part of the book. i enjoyed "only goodness". it demonstrated what can occur when children are overindulged and addiction is ignored. it was sad that how the family was ill-equipped to deal with addiction and did not get the brother the help that he needed.

"hell-heaven" was my favorite because it demonstrated how often we forget that our parents have a history as well.  it's the story of a young girl and how her mother was secretly in love with a family friend, pranab chankarborty.  her love almost resulted tragically after pranab married an american.  the mother planned on setting herself on fire, overwhelmed by grief and love lost but a neighbor with a simple compliment ended up stopping her.  a story the narrator was told after a man broke her heart. 

but yes, another beautiful work by jhumpa lahiri.

the bridge to terabithia. katherine paterson.

i never read "bridge to terabithia" as a kid but i always saw it at the library.  i avoided it as a kid because it seemed too fantasy for me (which it turned out not to be).  however, now i regret judging a book by its title because i missed out on a great book as a kid.  

about a year ago, i came across the movie, it was on ktla, one of those sunday afternoon movies.  i watched it, primarily because zooey deschanel is in it, and it left me in tears.  i cried my heart out and realized that i needed to read the book.  i bought it at the goodwill but it sat on my bookshelf for a while.  while researching banned books for banned books week i noticed it on the list so decided to finally read it.

and before i go, zooey deschanel was the perfect person to play miss edmunds the music teacher.  miss edmunds was described as:

her long swishy black hair and blue blue eyes.  she could play the guitar like a regular recording star and she had this soft floaty voice that made jess squish inside.  lord, she was gorgeous.

totally, zooey right?

also, i loved annasophia robb as leslie but i wished they had made her hair a boyish cut and dressed her poor (even though she was rich), which is how it was in the book.  but other than that a great adaption.

if you haven't read "bridge to terabithia" please stop by right now and go read it.  there are spoilers ahead.

"bridge to terabithia" is the story of two fifth graders, jesse and leslie and their unlikely friendship.  leslie is a new kid at school and unconventional.  her parents are considered "hippies" by jesse's parents, they are both successful writers but they moved to the country to live off of the land.  at first, jesse was jealous of leslie because she beat him in a race.  he was also hesitant because she was a little different from the rest of the kids.  she didn't watch tv and was intelligent (sad how smart makes you different versus the norm) but he soon saw that she needed a friend and helped her out at school.  i should add, jesse is a little different from the other kids at school.  he is sensitive, well-mannered boy who secretly likes to draw and loves music class.  jesse saved leslie from the school bully, janice avery, and after that they became friends and started hanging out everyday afterschool (they are neighbors).

there is a woods near their home, and one day they crossed over the creek with a rope swing and created their own mythical land, terabithia.  leslie, who is well-read, likened their mythical place to nardia, and started sharing books with jesse.  leslie came up with all of these mythical creatures and areas and jesse felt less creative in contrast, but they still have fun.

they had typical kid adventures.  they get revenge on the school bully for stealing jesse's kid sister's twinkie, but then leslie befriended her and discovered that she was a bully due to abuse at home.  as a reader, you are happy for jesse and leslie and their friendship.

and then you are hit with a curveball.  i was prepared for it because of the film, but when i watched the film, it had me in tears.  jesse went to the museum for the day with miss edmunds (which in itself is creepy but i guess it was a different time?) and when he came back, he finds out that leslie is dead.  yes, dead!  it was raining and she had an accident swinging on the rope.  it was devasting reading about jesse dealing with her death.  he was uncertain about his feelings and how to mourn and what to do.  in the end, he does get closure, he created a bridge to terabithia and shared the kingdom with his little sister.

"bridge to terabithia" is a wonderful book but sadly, it is on the banned books list.  the reasons its listing are death and atheism (leslie doesn't believe in god or go to church).  two things that i think children should not be shielded from, i don't have kids but i was a kid and like i have seen in maurice sendak's books and his documentary, it's better to be honest.  

i first want to discuss the "atheism", which i actually read as being in support of spirituality.  leslie is an atheist and doesn't go to church.  but one day she joins jesse and his family.  jesse and his sister who go to church every week are bored at the service, jesse spends his worship time counting things.  while leslie, the atheist, finds the story of jesus beautiful even likens it to lincolm and socrates.  furthermore, more when leslie talks about the crufixtion of christ with jesse and may belle they focused on the gory details while she understood the higher meaning in it.  she even tells them, "you believe in it, but you hate it.  i don't have to believe in it and i think it's beautiful".  a pretty deep thought for a kid, but a demonstration of the importance of following rules of a church and being considered religious but lacking any spiritual (and i think more important) connection to god.  leslie's "atheism" then demonstrated the importance of finding the beautiful within god instead of going through the motions.

since leslie doesn't believe in god, may belle is frightened that she will go to hell for not believing when she died.  i thought this was an interesting topic because the reader knows that leslie was a good person and would not end up in hell.  again i think it reinforces the idea of its more important to have good works here on earth versus having blind faith in god.

this discussion on spirtuality may go unnoticed by a child, but the topic of death is a main focus and probably the main reason, this book is banned.  as a kid, i was frightened of death.  i used to pray at night for god to keep my grandparents alive.  i was also petrified of mankind's demise.  it must have been due to a science lesson but at night, i would imagine that the sun no longer existed and how mankind would eventually die out like the dinosaurs due to lack of food.  i never shared this with anyone but i would think about this all the time, as a 5th/6th grader.  furthermore, since adults treat death as a taboo with kids, instead of protecting them from death, it just makes death more frightening.  kids need to understand that death is a fact of life, there is no way to avoid it so we should not be frightened of it.  and if you scared of death, its okay because others are too.  

i learned online that paterson was inspired to write "bridge to terabithia" after her son's best friend was strucked by lightning and died.  this book was meant to help children deal with death.  it is supposed to explain to them something that even baffles adults.  it demonstrates that there is no one way to mourn and that you will experience maby different feelings.  it also shows that adults have a difficult time dealing with death as well.  i can admit that even with my thirty years of life, i never know what to say when someone loses a loved one and am still scared of those around me dying.  however the only difference is that now as an adult i understand i am not the only one who has these worries.  

i am glad i read this as an adult but really wish i read it as a kid.  i also hope that kids do read this book.  by reading "bridge to terabithia", the reader learns an important life lesson and if read as child, it will last them their lifetime.

ps food for thought:  many children's books are banned because of death as a topic.  however, every disney movie has a dead parent especially in the recent years.  in "lion king", we see mufasa's death.  "finding nemo", scene with nemo's mom was intense for me and i was an adult when i saw it.  however there is never a ban on them and parents normally buy movie merchandise and take them to disneyland to ride rides based on the movie. 

the descendants. kaui hart hemmings.

i picked up kaui hart hemmings' "the descendants" at the beale library book sale for $1.  i am not one for movie cover books but figured for a $1, i'll give it a go. i am glad i did.

i didn't see "the descendants" the movie in theaters but i wanted to, especially after all of the awards it won.  i did see it a couple of weeks ago and loved it.  i was surprised by how sad it was, i was in tears at the end.  the trailer was misleading making it seem like a comedic drama with clooney running to his friends house and the little sister in the older sister's underwear.  but it wasn't.  but it was still a wonderful movie and i couldn't wait to read the book.

and of course the book did not disappoint.  it gave more depth to the story and characters but the movie was a great adaption and did the book justice.  i will add that i enjoyed the added bonus of reading it in george clooney's voice since he played matt king.  and random little note, loved how in the book, scottie wore a mrs. clooney shirt which matt did not understand.  i wish they put that in the movie.

of course like any book turned film, i enjoyed the book more, primarily because i enjoyed king's narrative.  he was witty, wise, and utterly clueless at time about how to get his life together.  he was so honest about life, family and love that his faults were endearing instead of tragic.  i enjoyed reading about his dealing with his daughters.  i'm not parent but it must difficult to raise kids today.  i found it sweet yet comedic    how he read up on the blogs and googled for the best child-rearing/dealing with teens methods.  i can imagine myself doing this as a parent and hope that most parents do because let's face it, all parents are clueless.  kids don't come with instruction manuals. he wanted to give his daughters the best and though his methods were odd ie the banana game, letting alex smoke and teaching scottie how to flip off people; he wasn't the worst parent or guardian, i have ever read about. 

 

though i will add that i was worried about scottie.  she just seemed too mature for her age.  i don't know if it was due to her older sister alex or the fact that kids nowadays are exposed to too much sex.  but i was shocked by what came out of her mouth.   i have a 10 year old brother and can not imagine him knowing or saying anything that scottie did.  it was sad that she though she was 10, she wasn't really a child.  i also worried about scottie's desperation for a good story.  her man-o-war story was unbelievable and scary, but then again she had a mother that demanded attention and can lead one to be delusional about life.  i felt bad but was grateful that matt was on track to giving her a more stable environment.

a character i liked more in the books was sid.  i did enjoy reading about his stoner philosophic ramblings in the car but there was a lot more depth to him than in the movie.  we discover that though his father had died he saw it as a blessing because his father had molested his friend.  his ability to forgive his dead father is one of the factors that helps matt forgive his wife for cheating.  even as young as he is, he understands you can't hate the dead but you also can not be ignorant of how they really were.   as a result, in the novel, it is sid that contacts brian's wife to tell her what happen.

it's interesting because though he seemed like silly stoner kid, sid really did help matt through all of this tough time.  what an unlikely source for wisdom on life and death but he provided it.

in the end, matt forgave his wife for her infidelity and was ready to begin a new chapter with his daughters.  i won't go into anything more because hopefully you have seen the movie.  if not, you should and definitely check out the book.

i will add this novel totally made me wish i was in hawaii.  it also gave me a craving for malasadas.  

   

my brother's book. maurice sendak. (117)

after seeing maurice sendak discuss his love for his older brother jack and his  desire to create a simple but definitive book in the documentary, "tell them anything you want", i couldn't help but be emotional when i read this book.  i was just happy that sendak was able to create a book to honor his brother.

i have never read shakespeare's "winter's tale" so did get any of the allusions, but luckily the forward explained it to me.

the book is the story of two brothers who are separated when a star collides with earth.  one brother, jack (the name of maurice's brother) is sent to a world of ice and is frozen.  the other brother guy tumbles into the middle of the earth where he is captured by a bear.  he tells the bear a riddle which can not be solved and is released.  he then finds his brother, jack who has become a tree.  they embrace and are together again.  

the story is short and sweet but the true story behind it is which is what makes it great.  i do not believe in an afterlife but i do believe in it for my family.  i think heaven is too complicated to truly exist. i mean what age will you be? who will you be with? what will you do? and what about all the gray areas in life, i know religious people who don't deserve to be in heaven and sinners who do not deserve hell.  life is too complex for heaven to exist.  the only reason i would want an afterlife to exist was if i could be my family.  

i was raised mormon and one of their central beliefs is that families should be sealed in the temple so they can be together in heaven. growing up i never questioned this but as an adult, i saw how illogical it was.  we do not chose the family we are born into and they are the ones that install in us morals and help us become who we are.  due to this, i could not understand why god would separate families when we die.  it seems cruel, god sticks us with people on earth, we love them unconditionally and purposely separates us when we die unless we are sealed in a mormon temple.  i could and can not believe in a god that is so demanding and unreasonably cruel.  my loss of faith in this mormon doctrine came when my grandfather passed away.  my grandfather was muslim and very stubborn so though a baptism for the dead was probably performed for him, i doubt he would agree to convert in the spiritual world.  as a result i could not believe in a doctrine that would not allow me to be with my grandfather based on faith and not love.  i would rather be with my grandfather in heaven than with god.  at the risk of sounding blasphemous, i know what my grandfather did for me in my life versus what god theoretically did for me.  i know no one should be before god, but if i had to choose between a family member and god, i would go with the family member.  i would not follow the example of abraham and would have never put issac on the alter.  

due to this, i appreciate how it is guy's love for his brother that reunites them.  love can overcome all and like captain and tennille sang "will keep us together".

also the artwork is lovely:

a christmas carol. charles dickens. (83)

i have to start off by saying that i hate blogger. i had just finished my entry for this and went to add a second picture and it somehow deleted my entry. what you are reading is a second draft and sadly prolly not as good as the first one.

charles dickens has been on my to read list every since i started my classics mission. with christmas coming up, i decided to read "a christmas carol". i started reading it on the 21st and planned on reading a stave a day so that i would be finished on christmas. (i learned on wikipedia that a stave is a stanza so it goes with theme of it being a carol!)

i, like majority of people, am familiar with the story due to childhood cartoons but have never read the story. i mean, this christmas alone, i saw bits and pieces of a smurf's version, mr. magoo's version, a looney tunes that referenced it and the disney version with jim carrey (i plan on watching this in its entirety simply because colin firth voiced fred). however as i was reading, i kept on thinking to myself, "how is this kid-friendly"?!?! i mean the ghost of christmas yet to come and the discussions on poverty at death are quite serious for a kid. then again the tales of brother grimm are quite dark yet they are staples for kids everywhere.

"a christmas carol" is a beloved christmas classic but i didn't enjoy it. i will start by saying that it wasn't due to the writing. dickens is dickens and though at times he left me scratching my head because i had no idea what he was rambling on about, it was well written. i will say that i did enjoy some ramblings like the opening discussion on the phrase "as dead as a doornail". and even though the story is now apart of popular culture and is retold every year and there are countless adaptions, (i mean there is a matthew mcconaughey/jennifer rom com based on it) the story premise is still interesting. a man is visited by three ghosts and sees the error of his way and changes for the better. still solid stuff.

so why didn't i enjoy it?

first it's because christmas has turned into this crazy capitalistic machine. i might sound crazy and maybe it's because i am miserly and heartless but scrooge made perfect sense in the beginning. i might be jaded by the problems of the current welfare system in america and the abuse of it i see in delano, but i agreed with his argument for not giving to charity. it is true that those who receive charity are idle because they receive charity. i can speak from first hand experience, my unemployment check did not motivate me to get a job because i was getting a consistent check each month without any work. in addition to this, i do not believe in the concept of wealth = greater christmas. one does not need money to be able to celebrate christmas, all one needs is love. and in the immortal words of j.lo, "love don't cost a thing." furthermore, jesus was born in a manager, christmas is definitely a holiday grounded in humility not extravagance.

i also agreed with his words on holiday pay. it is unfair that he was expected to pay for a day of work when he did not receive any labor in exchange. i mean i am all for paid vacation time but let's be honest it is greedy of us to expect it. we want sick pay, vacation pay and holiday pay, and in essence it is pay for absolutely nothing. there is no labor so there should be no wages.

furthermore, i saw nothing wrong with scrooge not celebrating christmas or recognizing the holiday. where does it say that one has to celebrate christmas? and don't say the bible. i had never read it in its entirety but do not recall god ever saying "thou shalt celebrate the birth of my beloved son jesus by exchanging gifts, decorating a tree and drinking eggnog every 25th of december". also wasn't jesus' birth in april? if scrooge wanted to spend his day by himself than so be it. i am a very festive person but i don't judge or ostracize individuals that don't celebrate it. it's jesus' birthday and you should do as you please (well except breaking one of the ten commandments), plus his lessons were all about tolerance so he would be okay with it. jesus just wanted everyone to be included so would be okay with however someone wanted to honor them, even if it is a lack of honor, he is that humble. christmas day of all days should be the one day in which we respect others' beliefs and allow them to celebrate as they please.

so the story became kinda pointless because i didn't think scrooge needed to change. he's an old man and like they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. he was set in his way about christmas so they should have just let him be. but then again he wasn't really harming anyone. he was greedy but he made his own money and if he wanted to keep it all for himself than that's his prerogative! and sure he cracked the whip on cratchit but i mean that is how business goes. a nice boss in england during that time would have been the exception not the rule.

in addition to being okay with how scrooge was, i wasn't completely sold on their tactics for changing scrooge. i did believe that the ghost of christmas past did a good job but not the other two. i think the memory of his sister was important for scrooge to experience because he forgotten the importance of family. it was sad that he loved his sister so much but neglected his nephew. it is an important lesson for all to set aside any differences one may have with his/her family for at least one day. family will always be drama but regardless they are your family and will always be a source of love. it is important to celebrate them on christmas.

i didn't agree with the ideas the ghost of christmas present presented. yes the cratchits were poor in terms of money but they were rich in love and happiness. the ghost was the ghost of christmas spirit so he should have understood that one does not need wealth to be happy on christmas. so it was insulting that he sprinkled their meal, they has enough love in this household do make the meal wonderful. they didn't need his pity, it seemed superfluous to give them more joy when they had so much. again, it's this idea where those who live in poverty can not understand happiness. yet all major religions promote this ideal of giving up worldly wants and desires. yet her is the ghost of christmas present helping those who don't necessarily need it just because they are poor in terms of material things.

random digression but was the ghost of christmas present supposed to be jesus or the holy ghost. when discussing business closing on the sabbath, scrooge referred to it being done in his name or the name of his family? also they traveled whenever scrooge touched his robe. this reminded me of jesus and how lepers and the blind were healed when they touched his robe.

last but not least i did not like what the ghost of christmas yet to come represented. i do agree that it was important for the ghost to show how scrooge could prevent tiny tim's death. if at any time charity can help the life of a child than it should be given. i agreed with this aspect of the vision.

i did not agree with death being the motivation for scrooge. we should not be motivated to do good works during our time here on earth because we are scared of dying, the source of our good works should be love. to do something because you are afraid of death is to do something in vain, your reason for being positive is selfish because you are actually only thinking of your own well being. this is going to sound horrible but a lot of times when christians want to help others they are doing it with their position in heaven in mind, when in fact they should simply do it out of love for what god has created. love should be the source of life and not the desire to outlast death.

furthermore, i did not understand the evasdropping on people to see if they were talking about scrooge's death. everyone dies, there is no need for an audience. yes everyone wants to leave a good legacy but still it seems silly to be upset if people aren't talking about you after you die. i would love for their to be a memorial for me but if there isn't, it's okay because guess what, i'm dead! in addition to that i would not be sad if someone stole from my deathbed cos i'm dead. as like my grandma bea says you can't take it with you. i understand that one's death spot should be sacred but i mean if you are than sad of person who wants the bed curtains of a dead person than help yourself. it is more of a demonstration of how creepy you are fore stealing than saying anything about the dead.

i also could not sympathize with the couple that were happy that scrooge died because they were in debt to him. pay your creditors people, don't wish for your creditors' death. that made him worse than him.

so that is it. i didn't think scrooge needed to charge nor did i agree with what the ghosts presented. it was all based on this idea that in order to truely have the christmas spirit, you need money. and as we all hopefully know that is not the case.

the edition that i read was illustrated by quentin blake of rolad dahl fame. i love his drawings and so was excited to find this edition. i loved the drawings in this book except the cratchits women's bows, that hair was awful.

and i hate to be such a perv but seriously this drawing for a man described as "with a pendulous excrescence on the end of his nose that shook like the gills of a turkey cock."

i know my mind is in the gutter, but so was dickens' narrator. the narrator describes the grandchildren of scrooge's ex pouncing on their mother.
the kids are touching her lips, eyelashes, and hair. to which he adds "in short, i should have liked, i do confess to have had the lightest license of a child and yet been man enough to know its value". how inappropriate!!!!