Books Today

I am disappointed by the selection of books in bookstores today.

A couple things are definite: 1) Everything by John Green (and y'all know I do not appreciate John Green as an author), 2) The Hunger Games trilogy, 3) I'm not actually in a bookstore now so I can't tell you exactly, but pretty much any other super popular series — like Divergent.

Then the rest are just disappointing. My friend says that when she was at a book store a few months ago, she decided to not just window shop, but actually read the description of each book. She got to the second rack and couldn't go on because everything sounded exactly the same. And everything is pretty much a romance.

Now, I don't have any problems with romance, but the way romances are written today just sickens me. They'll be a strong female character that pretty much ruins her already screwed-up life for a guy — never anything but heterosexual females with 1st-world problems. Except in paranormal romances, where the girl is either in love with a vampire or is a vampire.

Even looking at the covers of the books sickens me. Every book — especially paranormal romances — has the same cover. I won't explain it — you can see for yourself. But it pretty much makes me want to figuratively die.

I understand that to a certain extent, most teenagers — excuse me, young adults — are looking for something like that, but that doesn't mean that authors can't be more creative. Some of the best series' that I've read don't include romance, or if they do, it isn't the main focus.

Please. Just please.

And leave me a comment.

The Hunger Games Trilogy

I wasn't planning on doing a formal review today, but I am now.

By the way, all the spoilers are below.

The Hunger Games is a good book. I like Katniss, I really like Cinna. He's my favorite character in the books. Peeta is nice, but could be a little less stalker-y. Rue's death was sad, but I didn't feel very sad about it, as the setting was the Hunger Games arena. I was ready for her death. All in all, I really did like this book. Recommend it.

Now we get to Catching Fire, where Katniss 1. Stars a fling with Gayle, and 2. Magically falls in love with Peeta, completely contrary to her feelings about Peeta and Gayle in the previous book. The romance is forced. I do like the characters introduced in the Quarter Quell, primarily Johanna and Finnick. Cinna's death was so sad, but since the Games started a literal minute after he was beaten and taken away, he wasn't appropriately mourned by Katniss or me. I could handle this book, it was good, but definitely the Hunger Games was better.

Mockingjay. Oh, dear Mockingjay. Go take all of your PTSD and war and so, so many names, dig yourself a hole, and crawl into it. I read it because I had to, as I needed to see the way the series would end. I like some of this book, but it was pretty unbearable at other times. Prim's death wasn't that sad for me, only because Katniss' mental state at the moment of Prim's death was very unstable. Katniss didn't even understand what had happened until much later. But Finnick's death was so sad. Probably the saddest in the whole series, because he had finally been reunited with Annie, and she was pregnant, and then he died.

As you already know, my favorite character is Cinna. My least favorite character is Gayle. Stupid, stupid Gayle. At first he's all in love with Katniss, and then he's killing Prim off with a bunch of other children. Then he abandons Katniss at the end to go work in District 2. But before he started being stupid, he had to create this whole love triangle. President Snow used the fact that he saw Katniss and Gayle kiss to manipulate her.

I do think you should read these books though. I do like them, even if my review seemed very critical. I tend to comment on the bad things and none of the good. Just assume that things I don't say I hate, I like.

Leave a comment.

It's January 1st

I just realized that I made a post on New Year's Day.

Happy New Year!

I feel like saying this is pointless, as no one actually reads this, but if you do happen upon this blog, comment and tell me a New Year's Resolution you've made.

Punctuation

This week is another simple rule. And that rule is punctuation. This rule simply states that sentences need to end with punctuation, unless you're trying to make a statement by not ending the

You get it.

Wrong: I had a sandwich for lunch
Correct: I had a sandwich for lunch.

On a different note, I've decided what to do post-wise. Tuesdays I'll do a book review, Thursdays I'll do a grammar tip, and Saturdays I'll do . . . something?

Leave a comment. Please.

Back to First Grade

Last year, I was reading some of my classmates' work, and I was disappointed. Not disappointed solely by poor vocabulary and terrible sentence structure, but by their failure to conform to the possibly simplest grammar rule ever: Capitalize the beginnings of your sentences, as well as proper nouns.

Incorrect: we went to the store.
Correct: We went to the store.

Incorrect: After they went to the store, i made cookies.
Correct: After they went to the store, I made cookies.

Proper nouns: The word "I" and names (of people, specific places, countries, days, months, etc.).
Proper nouns are capitalized, as well as the beginning of a sentence.

Just to be clear, a noun is a person, place, or thing.

Couldn't even find a cute comic to put here, because only small children are still learning this rule, and small children don't understand grammar humor.

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Chanukah 2014

Being the book nerd that I am, the majority of the presents I wanted for Chanukah were books. This is just a list of the ones I got.

1. Volumes 1-5 of the Oz books (includes all of the books by L. Frank Baum — like fourteen, I think)
2. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
3. The Arabian Nights

Sherlock Holmes and the Arabian Nights are really nice quality, with gold edges and all that. I am by far too excited by good quality books. I need help.

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The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Four best friends. Lena, the shy beauty, Tibby, the cynic, Bridget, the athlete, and Carmen, the angry but lovable Puerto Rican.

The day before their first summer apart, they find a pair of pants that Carmen was planning on throwing away. The Pants fit all of them perfectly, even with all of their different body types. They decide to send the Pants back and forth between them, so they have their friends with them during their travels.

The first three books are the summers of high school. Lena goes to the Rhode Island School of Design, Tibby goes to NYU for film school, Bridget is at Brown (I think), and Carmen goes somewhere.

The fourth book is the summer after their first year in college. I have to say that Carmen has the hardest time of the four, as she really lost her way during freshman year at college. But by the end of the summer, a fragile conclusion is reached.

The last book is set ten years later. The Sisterhood has fallen out of touch, with Bridget living in California, Carmen busy being an actress, Lena a poor artist, and Tibby in Australia.

They plan to go to a Greek island where Lena is from to spend time together, but when they get there, they receive some unfortunate news.

They are lost.

By the end of the book, a real conclusion is reached. Bittersweet, but real.

These books are so sad, especially the last three. But the first two have their heart wrenching moments. I love these books so much. Definitely read them.

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