Books and Hate
I really hate it when I get a good ways into a book and then I put the book down and forget about it for several months. And when I go to pick it up again, I sorta maybe kinda remember where I left off and what was going on, but I've mostly forgotten everything that came before. So I always vacillate over whether I ought to just pick up where I left off or start the whole book over again. In fact, I vacillate SO MUCH that most of the time I just never bother to finish the book! I hate that.
And right now I have no less than eight or nine unfinished books hanging over my head. Most pathetically, I cannot seem to make it through the first Spiderwick book. YEAH, I KNOW. It has like twelve pages! Like I said, totally pathetic. I need to finish the first one at least, because Kierra wants me to read them. But so far, I am unimpressed. They are obnoxious, like the Lemony Snicket books. Plus for some inane reason that is completely beyond me, I strongly associate Holly Black with Cassie Claire, so whenever I get bored of the book (which is often) I start thinking about how much I despise leather-pants-wearing!Draco and Ron-hating and everything else the stupid Draco Trilogy represents, and I get all pissed off.
And of course, since I have all of these stupid unfinished books, all I want to do is go buy brand new books! I have this kick ass Barnes & Noble coupon burning a hole in my pocket, and I am sort of in the mood for something mindless and fluffy. Like a new Princess Diaries or Stephanie Plum novel. Only, of course, I've already read all of those. So I was even sort of maybe kind of thinking I would go pick up the sexay vampire books everyone but me reads, only that would be TOTALLY MASOCHISTIC, considering:
1. I hate vampires.
2. I cannot take any book that describes itself as "burning with erotic tension" seriously.
3. Edward Cullen, quite frankly, sounds like a flaming Gary Stu, and I know that I will hate him on sight. And the fact that the author sounds like she is completely infatuated him will only serve to piss me off further.
So WHY do I want to read these books? Only because everyone else does, which is a pretty crappy reason, especially considering that I have NINE UNFINISHED BOOKS laying around the house.
Anyway, I was looking over Kierra's first school project today, and it completely warmed my heart. There was a section where she had to write about her favorite book, and she choose The Penderwicks! Which was my Christmas gift to her two years ago! And the last book we read together! We both had the flu around New Years, and I read it to her while were were sick, and I did the voices and everything!
But she has good taste, because of all the books I've read over the last two years, it's definitely one of my favorites. It originally caught my eye because it was about four sisters, but I had no idea how satisfying a read it would turn out to be. The four sisters were all great, fully-formed characters with distinct personalities, but they weren't pigeon-holed by their individual quirks. The plot follows the sisters while they spend their summer vacation at a cottage on the estate of an old, New England mansion. They befriend the lonely son of the owner and have little, moderately eventful adventures and mishaps. Even though it's set in current times (it startled me when a laptop appeared toward the end of the book!), it has a very old-fashioned feel to it. And I liked all of the cute subplots, like the oldest sister's crush on the gardener or how one of the middle sisters is constantly making-up silly Mary Sue stories in her head. I just really, really liked it. It's aimed at younger kids than the kid lit I usually read, and the story is more subdued than what's popular right now (fantasy and flashiness), but it wasn't trendy (like Spiderwick is, sigh), and the characters have really stayed with me, which is unusual nowadays. I'll definitely be picking up anything else Jeanne Birdsall writes. Consider it recommended!
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caitiedidit) wrote,
