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2008's Stuff Made of Awesome: Top 3 Songs of the Year
Member Since: 10/28/2006
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!! <33333333
piece of me
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Member Since: 10/13/2003
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Member Since: 7/4/2007
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Singles Machines: All the albums with at least three great singles yet aren’t quite at 80% overall.
1982 Thriller: Thriller, Beat It, & Billie Jean
1991 Beauty & the Beast: Something There, Belle, & Beauty and the Beast
1996 Spice: Wannabe, Say You'll Be There, & 2 Become 1
1997 Backstreet Boys: Everybody Backstreet's Back, As Long As You Love Me, & Quit Playing Games With My Heart
2000 Born to Do It: Fill Me In, 7 Days, & Walking Away
2001: Survivor: Independent Women Part I, Survivor, Bootylicious & Nasty Girl
J. Lo: Love Don't Cost a Thing, Play, Ain't it Funny, & I'm Real
Spirit Room: Everywhere, All You Wanted, Goodbye to You
Missundaztood: Don't Let Me Get Me, Just Like a Pill, & Family Portrait
Discovery: One More Time, Aerodynamic, Harder Better Faster Stronger, & Digital Love
2002: J to tha L-O: I'm Real, Ain't it Funny, & I'm Gonna Be Alright
Chicago: Funny Honey, Roxie, Mister Cellophane, & Nowadays
No Pads No Helmets Just Balls: I'm Just a Kid, I'd Do Anything, Addicted, & Perfect
Young and the Hopeless: Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Anthem, Girls & Boys, & Hold On
Let Go: Complicated, Sk8er Boi, & I'm With You
2003 Diary of Alicia Keys: If I Ain’t Got You, Diary, Karma
Fefe Dobson: Bye Bye Boyfriend, Everything, Take Me Away
2004 Confessions: Confessions Part 2, Burn, My Boo
JoJo: Leave Get Out, Baby It's You, Not That Kinda Girl
Autobiography: Pieces of Me, Shadow, La La
2006 B'Day: Irreplaceable, Beautiful Liar, Listen, & Get Me Bodied
Taylor Swift: Tim McGraw, Teardrops on My Guitar, Our Song, & Should've Said No
Paris: Stars are Blind, Turn It Up, & Nothing in This World
The Dutchess: Glamorous, Big Girls Don't Cry, Clumsy, & Finally
Everytime We Touch: Everytime We Touch, Truly Madly Deeply & Miracle
Paula Deanda: When It Was Me, Easy, & Walk Away
2007 Too Young to Fight It: Discotech, Find a New Way, Too Young to Fight It
2008 Circus: Womanizer, Circus, ?
I’m (99%) positive that a future single from Circus will be good.
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Member Since: 10/13/2003
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Michael Jackson,BSB,SP,GC,Alicia Keys, and Taylor Swift <3333
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 7/24/2004
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I love that you include Born To Do It, that was a great R&B album.
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Member Since: 7/4/2007
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Anticipated albums of 2009: ETA Now there's ten, with Em.
Kelly Clarkson – My top three albums of all time.
Christina Aguilera – Along with Kelly, Britney, and Relient K, a releaser of multiple good albums. The only problem is she keeps getting worse with each album…still, she might improve, or she might have some awesome singles still.
Eminem's Relapse - He just had and "exclusive interview" with Billboard; it's due out this spring. Exciting because his discs do tend to include a good number of quite good songs, especially the fun leadoffs.
JoJo – Horrible at choosing and promoting follow-up hits; uneven albums, but she does have a number of good songs on both albums thus far.
Paula Deanda – Likewise.
Michelle Branch – Gave us a number of good hits a long, long time ago. Maybe she still has it in her after years as a country group artist.
Nicole Scherzinger – Some of her songs are good…although if the PCD album is anything to judge by, most of the ones unreleased are likely bad.
Lindsay Lohan’s Spirit in the Dark – Her first album has a number of good songs that I still listen to. Her second…not so much, but she could recover. Though Bossy sucks.
Lily Allen's It's Not Me, It's You - Her first album had some good songs, I suppose.
The Lonely Island’s Incredibad – They brought the world a Dick in a Box and their Jizz in My Pants; now those and 14 new songs will be on a comedy album; they’re collaborating with T-Pain, Jack Black, the Strokes, and Norah Jones.
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Member Since: 8/2/2006
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I definitely can't wait for Kelly Clarkson to come back in 2009! I hope it's a mix of Breakaway and My December!
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Member Since: 10/13/2003
Posts: 48,022
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Kelly Clarkson + Michelle Branch <333
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Member Since: 9/4/2006
Posts: 8,136
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Is Nicole still thinking about releasing her debut album?
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Banned
Member Since: 10/21/2001
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Let's be reasonable here
Paula <3
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Member Since: 7/4/2007
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A Guide to R.L. Stine
I've been reading the blogs Blogger Beware, Shadyside Snark, and Fearstreet1; plus, I read lots of Fear Street books over the summer (Hey, dumb summer reading is better than doing no summer reading.), so here's what I think about R.L. Stine's books...
A guide to Fear Street series: Fear Street Seniors (By far the best set of Fear Street books, it covered the senior year of a class that was possibly doomed. I didn’t reread all of them, but out of the other five books combined, only one death happened, so they couldn’t have mattered that much. Maybe if Stine had more books that were connected to each other but weren’t necessarily the same things over and over again, like his other miniseries, I would like him more.) B-
No. 3 The Thirst The story was actually surprising, and decently written besides the parts from the vampire’s point of view. I like the characters well enough by the end, though the twins in the cover photo are not blonde the way the book says they are. I like different conceptions of vampires, though this one wasn’t that complex, basically just: human, but stake-able and blood-drinking. I didn’t like Stine’s “parts” of the book as usual. Boo that none of the yearbook pictures are attractive. B
No. 4 No Answer The characters aren’t as likable as in the 3rd installment. The ending really was surprising, if a bit far-fetched. B-
No. 7 Fight Team Fight Lame that in the cheerleading pyramid cover photo, the three fug ones are on the bottom. At least the captain is the series’s token Asian, and likable if kind of boring. It’s kinda lame sauce that with the series half over, only three of the 24 characters in the yearbook died. Dana’s a follower now? Psh. Why is she such a bitca here, besides convenience to the plot? Wait, weren’t fire batons burning cheerleaders in one of the Cheerleaders books? This is probs better than any of those though. Ok, the identity of the villain has no logical buildup. I guess the yearbook isn’t complete. These books are starting to seem like standalones with recurring characters. B-
No. 8 Sweetheart Evil Heart I didn’t like Ty. The cover picture doesn’t really make sense. I do like that the plot is a forerunner of a certain sucky Hollywood teen movie, though the identity of the villain again, at best, slightly makes sense. The ending is surprising but not really fitting. B-
No. 9 Spring Break Josie’s storyline was worthless, except for the last page, and I don’t get why she’s whining about not going to Trisha’s when they’re bff’s so if she wanted to she could totes go. This was basically two books mushed together so neither part feels satisfying, especially since neither lead character is fleshed-out well. The truth about the villain in Josh’s story again makes no sense. Also, par-tee is not a word. C+
No. 10 Wicked Clarissa and Josie are bitcas, probs cuz they don’t like this book’s protagonist, but even during books from their pov’s, I didn’t like them. Not that I really like Marla. Trisha and Jennifer are lame in this book. Ok, Jennifer was always lame. The power of three will set us free: Charmed ripoff, I think…when did Charmed start? Shades of Carrie and Voldemort, too. If Trisha’s getting into Brown weeks early cuz of her dad, that makes her some combination of Blair and Serena. The ending kind of blows, especially cuz it doesn’t make sense given the prologue. I like books with magic, but this book squandered that. Plus its couple’s more gratuitous than Ron/Hermione. B-
No. 12 Graduation Day The storyline of who the villains are is…kind of stupid. And a letdown after twelve books of buildup. Only one person dies before the last page, which is kinda lame for a concluding chapter of a series. That last page is so stupid and gratuitous and doesn’t actually make sense, and is there only because it’s the kind of ending Stine likes. I was hoping the three heroines would do awesome things, but not really. Jennifer being flippant about death is a lame “joke,” and she and Josie were both kinda meh in the book. Ordering 30 pizzas made me wonder how many seniors there were, since the reader only knows of 24. In the end, out of those 24, two-thirds I’m indifferent about, and I like two: Phoebe (who’s still kinda boring) and Trisha. B-
The other, lesser, non-good Fear Street miniseries:
Fear Park trilogy C+: Better than Fear Street typically is. The first one dragged on forever and I didn’t give a frick about the parts in the past, which takes up most of the book (D). The second actually is quite good, very atmospheric (B). The third was annoying in a lot of bits, especially because Robin sucks, but the end is quite nice (B-).
The Fear Street Saga trilogy C+ It’s nice to see how the Fears started, but it takes way too many pages since a number of the plotlines suck.
The Stepsister duology C+ The first is pretty good actually. The twist is surprising and interesting, and the clues throughout are well-placed (B). The second is a pointless regurgitation of the first book with no surprises. (C-)
Silent Night trilogy C+ The first one is decent, but I don’t think we needed any more Reva after that.
Fear Street Cheerleaders C: It starts out decently, but it would have been best if it stayed at one book; there’s six, and each new one just makes the miniseries a little bit worse.
Fear Street Nights trilogy C He came out with a Fear Street miniseries a few years after the last one had been published…and this is all he could come up with? It’s really not that interesting.
Cataluna Chronicles trilogy C I liked this one as a kid, but it’s dumb and the characters are stupid; some ideas are kind of interesting though.
The Best Friend duology C-: The first book is actually good and interesting (B), but like with most of his sequels and continuations, R.L. Stine louses it up with the second book. You could put the blame on the fact that he let a fan outline the book, but he made the choice of which book idea to use, and the book makes no sense, commits character assassination (metaphorically, and this is a feat since it's not like Stine has brilliant characters), and gives me a headache with its stupid twists (B-).
99 Fear Street: The House of Evil trilogy C The first one’s kind of scary, though it doesn’t make much sense or satisfy the reader (B-). The second is so insubstantial and ridiculous (C), and the third one has evil mind-controlling rats(D).
The Baby-Sitter quartet C- Again, the first one’s decent, but it didn’t deserve sequels that just get repetitive, running the story into the ground.
The Wrong Number D: The first felt like it would never end, and has no surprises (D) & the sequel’s ridiculous and a bit offensive, and doesn’t make sense or have a point (D)
Fear Hall duology D Ugh. I hate plotlines like this.
A guide to Goosebumps: Out of the 87 books Blogger Beware has covered so far, my favorites are (with biases towards the ones I still own and the few with happy endings):
1. Cuckoo Clock of Doom – I love the ending and still remember the TV episode fondly, though the latter’s probably actually pretty sucky.
2. Haunted Mask – I remember the episode was one of my favorites and really made me enthused about the books and the show. The sequel sucks though.
3. Say Cheese and Die – I own this one; I’ve never had a camera so I find them pretty interesting. At the time I thought a haunted camera was so original. The sequel sucks though.
4. Girl Who Cried Monster – I mostly remember the TV episode; the ending is so awesome.
5. Horror at Camp Jellyjam – I never went to camp, so the kinds of things they do here were what I thought people actually did in real life (minus the monsters and whatnot); good for escapism.
6. How I Got My Shrunken Head – I really relate to the protagonist; also, I really adore books where someone finds out they have powers.
7. Calling all Creeps – The end is great.
8. More & More & More Tales to Give You Goosebumps – A short story collection, with most tales being more interesting than most full Goosebumps books and still including those trademark twist endings; stories include one similar to the show Angel’s quite good episode Waiting in the Wings, a Stepfordian transformation by a videotape, werewolf children, twins on the ski slopes, a lesson for asshole older siblings, and a seemingly Chucky-like toy. If only one or more could have been a full-fledged book.
Pretty much the rest of the books are ones with which it's more enjoyable to read a snarky synopsis than the book itself.
Oh, and btw, I am neither a juvenile nor can only read at a juvenile reading level (I read at a college level back in 6th grade.). These books this year served me for A) nostalgia including at my low standards for literature back in elementary school, but mostly B) laughing at how dumb the books are, with the help of some funny bloggers who know how to make lemonade out of the lemons of dumb books.
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Member Since: 10/13/2003
Posts: 48,022
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Goosebumps <333 i used to read those when i was a child.
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Banned
Member Since: 10/21/2001
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Member Since: 10/13/2003
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you are doing an awesome job <333
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Member Since: 7/4/2007
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Best Books of the Year: Wow, I read a ton of books this year; these are just the ones that got at least a B+. There’s actually a lot more books I liked this year than songs. Or movies. Or TV shows. Maybe that's because I like reading books that have been out for awhile, since most of these didn't come out this year (I think maybe four did.). But generally I don't stumble upon music, movies, or shows that have been out for awhile and like them.
11. Unwind/Neal Shusterman A-
Incredibly unique concept, and shockingly well-executed (just because most authors would have made it so contrived and struck falsely; plus, after rereading this author’s Downsiders, I feel that that book’s brilliant concept could have been executed better). In the future, pro-choice and pro-life had a war that ended in a compromise: Abortion is illegal, but as soon as kids turn thirteen until they are eighteen parents or guardians have the choice of making them donate all of their organs…as soon as possible, so all of their parts are still “living,” just in many different bodies. The book is about three of these kids who run away since, well, that’s crazy. It reminds me a little bit of Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Among the Hidden (though I stopped reading its sequels as they kept getting worse) because there are kids whose existence is put into question, but in there the thing is that having three kids is illegal, so families who’ll do anything to illegally protect their shadow children clearly are not the same as families who want to get rid of their kids. Unwind: great surprises, unexpected plotlines, likable fully developed characters, an ending that begs for a sequel, genuinely wrought emotion, absorbing writing…greatness. The only nitpicks I have are that parts of Lev’s storyline could have been pared back a bit but his change should have taken up a bit more space as it seemed a bit of a stretch, and the fate of one of the protagonists seems slightly unfair a la Remember Me 2. But it makes a lot more sense than in that book, so. I also sort of wanted to know what happened to some other characters, but it makes sense within the context of the book that we don’t need to know.
12. Middlesex/Jeffrey Eugenides B+ Like Lolita, I was kinda squicked out by the sexual premise, here of a Flowers in the Attic type relationship. But I must say, Desdemona's story was the most interesting part of the book; I never really was able to really like Tessie or Milton. Well, I didn't like Lefty that much either, but Desdemona was more prominent than him. Cal's story was uneven; the second half was duller, which was surprising since now he knows who he is. I did like all the small glimpses of Cal's present life in between the story of the family's past. Overall, quite a good book, but with certain things that could have been excised, certain things that could have been more interesting. Highly readable for the most part. I wish we could have seen how Cal's life ended up, and also maybe how Cal ever could have known enough about her grandparents to be a reliable narrator. Maybe Desdemona had Cal go to her room a lot to tell the story?
13. Deception Point/Dan Brown B+ I like the main character and the love interest, certainly. Some other characters are appropriately ambiguous and I change my mind about whether I like them. Further characters are one-dimensional and unlikable, whether they are supposed to be the latter or not. The plot is done quite well, although it does not end up having the “ooh” factor his Langdon books have. I did like that the protagonist is female. The ending is nice and open-ended in such a way that the reader would probably enjoy sequels, if a bit trite and out-of-character. The two main sets of perspectives are interweaved well, but there are many other points of view that bog the story down and make it more dull; cutting them would have made for a more taut thriller.
14. House of Mirth/Edith Wharton B+ It is really good for the most part, with fully drawn characters, interesting plot twists, and surprising depth and humor. But, Lily is so annoying in the last few chapters because of her insistence on being a good person, which ruins her life and makes a sucky ending for the leading couple.
15. Remember Me?/Sophie Kinsella B+ I kinda hope this becomes a series, since Shopaholic can’t last forever. Ok, so I only liked the main character and her bff, but with Shopaholic, I also felt like the love interest(s) were less than three-dimensional at the end of the first book. If there were sequels, this could be resolved…Also, I didn’t find the main character’s decisions re: her husband at all realistic. Did like the reasoning behind her changes though.
16. Remember Me/Christopher Pike B+ A magnet that talks to the universe and then a body channeling another being again? Um, meta with Ann’s Answer reffing The Eternal Enemy. Overall, quite a strong story, with incredible yet somehow believable plot twists, as well as deep ideas about life and death that manage not to come off as contrived. The ending feels very complete…yet this is one of just a few Pike books to get sequels. Hopefully they’re just as good. The only complaints are that the ending of the book includes a contrivance I feel is way overused in literature, and I didn’t really like any of the characters who stayed alive in the story. Still, deffo readable.
17. The Tales of Beedle the Bard/J.K. Rowling B+
If you read the Amazon summaries months ago, you’d know pretty much what happens in the stories, and honestly only one is significantly improved by reading the actual text (The Fountain of Fair Fortune, which I think could be much expanded…*cough* spinoff book). But they are good, well-written tales with interesting if simple lessons. The highlight is really “Dumbledore’s” commentary, which takes up about half the text, especially: goat references, a reveal about Nearly Headless Nick, an interesting explanation for sociopathy, an Alexander Pope reference, the line “the world’s most brilliant wizards (footnote: such as myself), and an explanation of how Magick Moste Evile came about. The book is also funny and has surprisingly good characterization given how short the stories are. Rowling’s writing seems to be able to do no wrong
18. Undomestic Goddess/Sophie Kinsella B+ Sophie Kinsella is the master at fluffy but satisfying chick lit. So glad that she got out of her Madeleine Wickham phase as from what I’ve gathered those books have casts more than a central protagonist, are less fun, and have too much moral ambiguity – things that can work, but shouldn’t be in chick lit. Anyway, the protagonist is awesome and it’s really interesting to see how much she changes in the book, especially as reflected in the shifting tone of the novel; although, the other characters aren’t that fleshed out, with the love interest and the bff having the most potential to be more interesting. The reveal was surprising in a great way, which makes up for its slightly being not believable. The very end – like the last chapter or so – seems unnecessary and could have been replaced with an epilogue-like section. The plot seemed kinda dull at first glance, which was why it took me awhile to pick up the book, but it’s handled deftly. This, like Remember Me, would make a good series, I think, though I don't know what sequels would be about. Maybe a spinoff-y book about her funny and likable if fleeting bff, like Emily Griffin did with Something Borrowed and Something Blue.
19. Digital Fortress/Dan Brown B+ I was reluctant to read this because it seemed like a techno-thriller with computer and math stuff I wouldn’t understand. But it’s very similar to his other books: conspiracies, a shocking traitor, murders, main characters being a couple saving the day together. Though Susan and David start out in love and are in different countries from each other for most of the book. The couple is more believable than Deception Point’s since both characters are developed, though it’s annoying how much Susan’s hotness is a plot point. Highly readable, taut story that’s hard to put down because you must find out the next twist. Since Susan’s a cryptologist, I thought this would be more like Da Vinci Code, but there’s only one real cryptograph in the book. And it’s sorta a lame, obvious one and it was stupid that the climax of the book was the characters going crazy trying to solve it for about fifty pages. Oh, wait, there was another one; I liked it for its simplicity. The epilogue seemed to be gratuitous, and I think makes this the only Brown book that doesn’t end with the couple in bed, happy at last.
20. Tenant of Wildfell Hall/Ann Bronte B+ Not nearly as good as Jane Eyre. But the writing is technically very good. I like the leads much more at the end than the beginning…but overall they’re still not that likable or fully realized. The ending wraps things up in the kind of bow I adore. I do like that the filters of narration, though, as the book is a series of letters from the male lead, and within these letters is included diary entries from the female lead. As a device, it works better than Jane Eyre being an autobiography. I noted more motifs, though whether that’s a good thing I’m not sure.
21. Lock and Key/Sarah Dessen B+ Really good, and reading both this and Love the One You're With reminded me of how teen "chick lit" does not mean it's worse than "adult chick lit." The plot is realistic while exploring a situation that most of its readers probably aren't familiar with. Readable page-turner, with a satisfying start and end. The relationship between the protagonist and her sister is probably the emotional center of the book, and it is by far the one I was most invested in. Really, none of the other relationships are developed that thoroughly. But that's not really a problem since the protagonist is so at the center of the story that others are mostly just peripheral.
22. It’s Kind of a Funny Story/Ned Vizzini B+ The book is much more feel-good, uplifting than Veronika, which is more spiritual and about Big Thoughts. The kind of book you can breeze through then wish was longer. The opening chapter is horrible, though maybe it was so bad because I heard some boring voice recite it on the author’s Myspace before I read the book. But it quickly gets better after that, especially when he gets to the hospital. Like Veronika, the only characters I really take a shine to are the protagonist and love interest, but that’s not bad. I do think the high school seems highly unrealistic; I don’t care how exclusive it is. Freshmen expected to be in calculus, 93%’s considered average, perfect standardized test scores the norm? And what kind of horrible class makes you make a portfolio of every day’s current events to tie into rising and falling stock prices? In Gossip Girl; Constance is way exclusive and they spend barely any time thinking about academics. The cover rules, given what’s in the book. I am surprised that so much of this book is set over less than a week, and surprised that Craig does get out so quickly, though it makes sense given Vizzini’s stay. I do wonder about Vizzini’s exact circumstances, though.
23. Time of Your Life, Part 4/Joss Whedon B+ The Buffy comics this year overall were pretty disappointing, but the last installment of the Buffy/Fray crossover finally made it clear what the purpose of Season 8 is. Plus, there’s another good guy gone rogue that’s kind of surprising, and a nicely emotional climax.
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Member Since: 8/2/2006
Posts: 31,102
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I would say that that's a great list of books, but I haven't read any of them. I actually I haven't read one book this year ... except half of Twilight and 10 pages of New Moon. LOL.
I do know that Dan Brown is a great author though!
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Member Since: 10/13/2003
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Member Since: 7/4/2007
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Hmm, I kinda hate Twilight. Just based on the Wikipedia summaries I've read, the series seems to be, like, offensively anti-feminist.
1. Season of Passage/Christopher Pike A
Incredible.
Before reading: The length and the genre make me feel like this will be Stephen King-ish. The cover makes me feel like this will be V.C. Andrew-ish. Ha, the reviews on the inside say this will be Proustian and a mix of sci-fi, horror, and fantasy. The former isn’t necessarily a good thing and makes me wonder if most of Pike’s readers have even read Proust. The latter makes me think, of course, of Buffy.
The space-ness makes me think of that Dan Brown novel I just read, Deception Point. Wonder if this will involve conspiracies and elections.
While reading: Self-referentiality, clever. Hey, there’s the issue of the NASA budget in this and wondering if aliens are bugs just like in Brown’s book. People are kinda shallow in this book, but so are actual people. Kinda gory. Drunk not=stoned.
Hey, there’s vampire slaying by one girl in all the world with powers from generations ago!
Ha: “Did she get fed up so quickly with the men she dated because she was an egotistical feminist bitch who thought she was better than everyone who wore a penis?” (35)
“I did not know the young lady was a female animal or a vicious or immoral woman, and could thus be classified as a bitch.” (129)
After reading: What I thought were creepy statutory vibes were actually justified and rendered non-creepy by what is revealed. I thought there were too many points of view, but there weren’t, especially because they helped increase the vibe of having stories within stories, intertexts galore to make this book even richer. The Christian-ness I thought I saw another character pointed out and refuted, pretty cool.
So, amazingly drawn characters, incredible surprises, everything really comes together so perfectly despite what it might seem before the end comes, the end is so perfect in a way I wouldn’t have imagined, and the writing is in fact not Proustian but great.
2. Jane Eyre/Charlotte Bronte A Well, I can’t be unbiased because I loved this in elementary school. I do know it’s not perfect, though. The lovey-dovey parts with Jane and Rochester kind of bore. But so many parts of Jane’s life are brilliantly rendered and realized and rich enough for several books’ worth of material. But the conceit of it being an “autobiography” seems gratuitous. And the ending isn’t resolve-y enough for me.
3-8. The Last Vampire (Each book: A-)
This is really one story in multiple volumes, a la Harry Potter or Remembrance of Things Past, so I can’t really judge the different volumes completely apart from each other. The main character, Sita, is fantastic, though, granted, she is the only character to =love, even in my favorite series Harry Potter I only lurved at most three characters. The Dumbledore-ian Krishna and Hermione-ish Seymour, naturally, come closest. At first I was kinda wary of Sita because of her killing people, but after awhile I really rooted for her and she wasn’t even kicking as much ass as I wanted her to; there were definitely shades of Fearless and Buffy in here. Plus Veronica Mars. Though disappointingly we never get to see her lesbian tendencies at work even though she mentions them. The main plot devices that Pike kept using over and over in such a way that I started to get annoyed were reincarnation and characters turning out to not have died after all. I mean, it worked, but, really, does everyone have to be a reincarnation? And the non-dying thing is why I don’t want to watch Heroes anymore. Devices he used consistently well and non-repetitively were interrupting the narrative for Sita to tell stories about her past and when Sita would have dreams in which she would talk to Krishna and find the answers she was looking for to defeat the latest crop of evil. The latter sounds cheesy but it somehow works, probably thanks to Pike’s consistently strong writing. Pike’s references to Stanford and USC turn out okay because no one actually ends up going to either. The character retcons were annoying and inconsistent, but necessary to the plot so it evens out. The clues and foreshadowing were constructed subtly well. I like the callbacks to other books he’s written, most notably Sati with the description of Krishna and certain names and characterizations used, especially in the last book.
Some, much of it unacademic, comments on each book:
1: The standard-bearer and my favorite, but really one must read all six to get the full experience of awesomeness, because all six are worth it to read. This one sets up the universe in such a way that it doesn’t feel exposition-y, and I really do like Pike’s concept of a vampire, especially because Sita points out the differences from popular lore. This one has my favorite ending, my favorite love interest, and my favorite villain. I liked how the protagonist is able to sorta be a teenager so that Pike could stay within his target audience and be consistent with his other books. I didn’t really understand why Yaksha was able to age, whether it was because he was the original or because he reached the peak age of maturation.
2: Black Blood. Ray started to suck as a character in this one and never stopped sucking in the series. The ending seems designed to create a sequel. I like how Sita defeats the villains of the series in different ways, and the reference to baked Alaska.
3: Red Dice. I still don’t know what an elixir of holiness is. And Sita’s angelic qualities were never explained. Shades of Proust w/ regards to the cage. Christianity’s bastardization by a holy man has been done, but it’s done well here. The ending’s pat.
4: The Phantom.The rampant would-be rapists started making me think of Sweet Valley. I liked the similarities with the third season of Angel. Sita’s decision is super kickass. Pike never addresses who the old man in the book is. Her new boyfriend’s real identity is ridiculous. And I’m not sure the back cover description is actually accurate because I don’t know who the “stranger” referenced is.
5: Evil Thirst. I like how Sita’s realization makes you look at the events of the last two books with a different eye. The ending bugs.
6: Creatures of Forever. I don’t like how Pike dips into genres here that are in his other books but not any of the other five in this series. I mean, I see that it helps the plot move forward, but still. I don’t know what the back cover means in relation to what actually happens. And I’m unconvinced that, like Sita says, the villain here is the most evil creature to ever walk the earth, and the defeat seemed a bit pat. The ending, while fitting, giving me chills, and making everything come circle, brings up a lot of questions. If Yaksha said he came to Earth so that he could eventually have grace, is Sita’s decision really a good one? Does her decision really help the universe in the long run, given how much good is undone? Or does everything somehow turn out okay, perhaps through the magical plot device of reincarnation? And I hate it when people forget what’s happened to them and are implied to never remember.
9. Uncle Tom’s Cabin/Harriet Beecher Stowe A-
I thought it’d be incredibly depressing; I also thought the bulk of it would be set in the eponymous cabin. But actually inspiring, and the ending is pretty perfect. Many likable characters, though the only ones that are extremely likable and interesting are Tom and Eva, if only cuz Eliza and George’s narrative takes up vastly fewer pages. Just about every chapter was highly readable and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
10. Falling/Christopher Pike A-
Quite a departure for Pike, this is a straight-up crime thriller, without any sci-fi or Big Ideas about the Universe. More intelligently plotted and better-written than most crime thrillers, it does feature Pike’s trademark story-within-the-story, but only in minute doses, and the stories are integral to the plot without turning out to be about past incarnations of the protagonist – very unusual for Pike. This book vastly improves as it goes along, and the main characters develop very well; in the beginning I can’t find sympathy for either, but in the end I’m wistful that they couldn’t be even happier than they are though the ending is quite fitting for what comes before it. Multiple times, I would think, “Wait, how are there so many more pages? It kinda seems like the book would be over after the impending event,” but then Pike would throw another organic, logical twist in so the pacing remains perfect.
Hmm, all Christopher Pike or so-called Literary Classics. But Pike is such a good writer that the fact that I read all of his books this year made it inevitable that a number of his books would be on my list, though really I only have like a small fraction of his books so far.
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Member Since: 7/4/2007
Posts: 24,859
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I was studying so didn't update (I'm sure all my literate commentators were devastated.), so double update.
Books in '09 I'm looking forward to:
Secret Society/Tom Dolby Four teens who attend an elite Upper East Side prep school in Manhattan, The Mansfield School find their lives intertwined when tapped to join an exclusive underground group called The Society. I loved his book The Trouble Boy.
The Solomon Key/Dan Brown The third book, after Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code involving the fictional Robert Langdon.
Twenties Girl/Sophie Kinsella Yay Kinsella.
Perfect Fifths/Megan McCafferty The fifth book in the Jessica Darling series. The first two are awesome; hopefully this one will be too.
*** Laude/Cecily von Ziegesar The first adult novel from the author of Gossip Girl; a preppy girl from Greenwich, a hippie from Manhattan, a jock-turned-artist from Westchester whose work is said to display some violent tendencies toward women, and a college-age boy whose beautiful younger sister suffers a terrible fate meet freshman year at a small college in Maine. The thing is, the Gossip Girl books, while enjoyable and biting, seemed to purposefully leave the characters without much actual substance and realistic personality. So this might be a fail.
Along for the Ride/Sarah Dessen: Auden stays with her dad and his new family and is introduced to Girl World, since her mother demanded perfection from her. She starts hanging out at night with a guy who feels responsible for a friend’s death.
Relatedly, Kinsella and Brown's books I haven't discussed yet:
Sophie Kinsella’s other six books:
Confessions of a Shopaholic, Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, Shopaholic Ties the Knot, Shopaholic and Sister, Shopaholic and Baby – Funny and likable, Becky Bloomwood is my favorite character in (adult) chick lit. The first one was surprisingly good, as I wasn’t expecting much. The second one I may have liked slightly more just because I think living in Manhattan would be a dream come true, and her descriptions of life there seems fabulous, especially sample sales. The third one, the conflict isn’t about shopping anymore, but it is a conflict that’s more realistic and makes Becky into more of a complex character than a one-note one. The fourth was interesting, though a little different, and the climax is a little contrived. It took me awhile to like her sister. The conflicts with Luke and Suze are realistic and make me like Becky more. The last one, it’s funny how Becky has such magical intuition; it felt like the focus was too narrow, but maybe that’s just because I don’t find pregnancy that interesting. Overall, in a way the series is like Veronica Mars: it technically has gotten slightly worse, but it’s still so good that it’s one of the best things out there.
Can You Keep a Secret? – As always with Kinsella, a highly unlikely but hilarious setup that underscores the wackiness of her likable protagonist. The ending and beginning are great, although the climax does feel a bit rushed and I wish we could have at least another book with Emma. And all the stuff in the middle is pretty worth reading too. Though it is slightly annoying that her heroines are often incompetent at their jobs because they find them boring. I’m not sure what that’s supposed to say. Especially since their men are always so much more successful than them. Oh, but I do like that in all her books, some characters are complete cows and aren’t redeemed.
Dan Brown’s other books (duh):
Angel and Demons – Some aspects better than Da Vinci, others worse. It was kinda disappointing how they build Vittoria up and then she’s just gone in the next one. Maybe he’s supposed to be like Bond. Except since Sophie is supposed to be in the third book, then the movies would be a bit odd…though I guess he could be explained to be getting back together with his ex. Maybe it’s bias, but the stakes weren’t as high in this one; plus, the secrets all lead up to a solution of…eh. I mean, very surprising, but not earth-shattering. I do like ambigrams, and the connection to the four elements; I blame shows I watched as a kid like Captain Planet for thinking elements are so cool.
The Da Vinci Code – The actual writing and structure is not as good as A&D, but it’s more exciting with a better resolution and I like Sophie better as a romantic interest. Both books have equally surprising villains. The ritual’s kinda lame-o. I adore the idea of the sacred feminine, especially stuff about redheads (Little Mermaid yo.).
And if anyone cares, I keep reviews of the books I read on: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/blehblah
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Member Since: 7/4/2007
Posts: 24,859
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Top 10 in Sports:
1. Matthew Mitcham for being one of a kind at the Olympics (& the only non-Chinese to win a gold in diving).
2. Michael Phelps bringing his total up to 16 medals, 2 short of the record
3. Venus Williams for her Olympic gold, Wimbledon gold, and WTA championship
4& 5. Nastia Liukin’s 5 and Shawn’s 4, giving the US their best Games gymnastics haul ever
6-9. Women’s teams in beach volleyball, soccer, basketball, and tennis raking in the gold.
10. Surprise medalist Jonathan Horton
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