Imagining Others

I just finished reading Paper Towns by John Green this evening, which I really enjoyed. It was thoughtful, funny, and at some points, quite heartbreaking. Plus, it's by John Green, who, if you've ever seen his videos on YouTube, is totally hilarious. NERDFIGHTERS! DFTBA!

Erm, anyway...the book talks a lot about imagining other people, and if we're able to ever really fully imagine other people, and when we can imagine them best, and how sometimes we're just in love with the idea of a person rather than a person itself. All of this I find rather fascinating, by the way. The fact that we're all in our own shells and we'll always only ever be us, but at the same time, we rely so much on our connections with other people--that these are what make our life full. In fact, wanting to get into someone else's head is one of my main motivators for writing.

One of the scenes I liked in the book was when the main character, Quentin, and his friends were on a road trip. They were playing a game they made up called That Guy is a Gigolo (which is a great name for a game, by the way) where you basically see random people and imagine who they are...what their story is. I can't help but do this sometimes, especially when I see people walking alongside a highway or doing something otherwise strange. Usually my ideas of their lives are somewhat romanticized or melodramatic, and that comes into play in the book too: sometimes what you imagine about others shows more about you than it does about them.

Anyone else like thinking about the possible lives of strangers?

Oh, and speaking of Paper Towns, which cover did you prefer? I read the sad one, but I didn't have much choice in the matter, since I just got the library system to send me a copy. I really can't wait to see what they do cover-wise with the paperback version!

Emotional Investment

In almost all forms of entertainment, emotional investment seems to be key. I know I talked about American Idol earlier, and I'm not going to bore you with more American Idol details, but let's just say, I'm emotionally invested in one of the contestants (ANOOP!) and that's why I keep tuning in. Books are pretty similar. To keep turning the pages, or buying books in a series, you have to be emotionally invested in at least one character.

One series I was emotionally invested in--along with, like, half the world--was Harry Potter. While I, of course, was just as interested in Harry and his quests as everyone else, my most genuine emotional investment involved Hermione and Ron. I think it's because I could really relate to Hermione. I have the bushy brown hair and everything! Since book four or so, I've been on the edge of my seat, waiting for Ron and Hermione to finally be together.

Another book I was emotionally invested in was The Catcher in the Rye. Again, it was the relatability and sympathy of Holden that made me feel this way. I wanted him to not be so lost. I wanted things to be okay for him.

More recently, I just finished reading Jellicoe Road (which is the book I was talking about in my last post). In the beginning of the book, I was not as invested in the main character, Taylor, but by the end, I cared so much about her. I was outraged when she didn't get the information she deserved and was devestated along with her at a disaster towards the end. The book, overall, was very good by the way, and I highly reccomend it.

What are some books you all were emotionally invested in, and what do you think makes you emotionally invest in a book or a character?

Puzzle Pieces

I'm reading a YA book right now that's interesting to say the least. The beginning is confusing, but not in a badly written way. It's more like the author is scattering the puzzle pieces for later on in the book when the reader starts putting them together. I'm far enough in the book that a lot of the things that had me scratching my head earlier on are starting to make sense. Since I'm not done reading it yet, I don't have any official review of the book for you guys, but it sure is intriguing!

What do you guys think of these "puzzle piece" kind of books?

And can anyone guess what book I'm reading? It's fairly big in the YA world...at least when it comes to winning awards. Hint, hint.

My poor, poor books...

I think I'm going to change Cover Love Tuesday to just Cover Love Weekly or something, because, um, I'm apparently very horrible at doing things regularly on regular days and the like. So instead of having this feature, I'm instead going to talk about book abuse and deal breakers.

Now, as a high school student, I like to carry whatever book I'm currently reading around with me; that way, when class gets boring, I can open up the book and get some reading done. This means my books get hauled class to class and from home to school and back in my backpack. And...well, I'm not a particularly careful person. I guess you could say I neglect my books more than I abuse them. It's not that I purposely get pencil marks on them or bend the edges and smudge the covers. It just happens. Anybody have the same problem?

As for deal breakers, I just finished reading a YA novel with some romance. I had a bit of trouble with the main character's romantic interest, however, because some of his immoral actions. There are some things, when reading romance, that are just deal breakers to me with guys. I may enjoy the book, but if a guy is stealing or something, I'm not going to want him with the girl. I'm trying to think of some more deal breakers....just, in general, I am not into the bad boy thing at all. What can I say? I like my nice guys. Deal breakers for others out there?

Cover Love Tuesday (2)...Belated!

I guess this whole regular feature thing is going to take a while to get used to, since I forgot all about Cover Love Tuesday, where I blog about some extremely awesome covers. This week I'm going to take a look at one book on my To Be Read pile and one book I've read--and really enjoyed--before.

My first pick:
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley, YA, published in February 2009
Now I haven't read this book yet, but what I really love about it the cover--besides having a stunning photograph--is how well it fits the book's description. From what I know, North of Beautiful is about a beautiful girl with a port wine stain on a side of her face. This cover captures that beauty, but it also captures that feeling of embarrassment and hiding that I hope will be explored in the book's pages. Overall, I think the photo has an emotional quality to it. The map compass thing (don't know the word for it, I'm afraid) is a good addition because, from reading the first chapter or so, I know the character has an interest in leaving town and a connection to mapping and geography. Thematically, maybe the image is hinting that the main character will be dealing with her direction in life. This cover was one of the main things that attracted me towards this book, as well as some stellar reviews!

My second pick:
Dramarama by E. Lockhart, YA, published in 2007

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I am a huge E. Lockhart fan! I really enjoyed this book. Needless to say, I enjoyed the cover as well. The black and white, the hair, the lipstick (especially since it's pink and pops out), etc., just look good together and make me think old-fashioned and classy. It also reminds me of theater, putting me into a place of pre-show jitters when you're hurrying to get on your makeup and costume. Also, I like the model's eyebrows--random, I know--and the entire effect of the author's name across the eyes; it's a good alternative to headless body covers and the like. The spine of this book stands out a lot too.

Thanks for reading. Hopefully Cover Love Tuesday (3) will come on time next week!

The Catcher in the Rye

I just finished reading it for the first time. It was so awesome. I feel like there was so much deep stuff in there, though, that I've barely skimmed the surface, that to fully appreciate everything I might have to reread it a couple of times...sort of how I felt after reading The Great Gatsby (which is also another really good book). I don't mean, however, that the book wasn't incredibly powerful the first time around, because it was. I'm tempted to share some of the moments particularly and more of my in-depth thoughts, but I'm not sure there would be any interest in that; plus, I don't want to spoil anything.

Instead I'll just say that I loved it and that I found Holden so easy to relate to and identify with, even if some people may not like him. I think that every teenager would at least recognize themselves in Holden once in the novel, if not more than that. Maybe that's one of the reasons the book feels like such a classic coming-of-age story to me and definitely a Young Adult novel,
even if that distinction was not necessarily around at the time.

Thoughts on The Catcher in the Rye anyone? Any agreements that it has to be one of the ultimate YA novels, even if it technically isn't one? (Of course, I haven't read nearly enough books to be able to make this an educated claim, but whatever...) Does anyone else really love the title and how it came into play in the book?

And one last thing: I have to suggest checking out John Green's videos on The Catcher in the Rye. They really helped me get a better grasp on the book, and they were highly entertaining, because, uh, duh, it's John Green. Here's the intro, part one, and part two.