COMPLETED! MY 2013 Book Goal: 30 novels for the year

So excited that I was able to complete my goal of 30 novels for the year!

My 2013 books included:

A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire #1- George R.R. Martin (rated: 5 stars)

The Fault In Our Stars- John Green (rated: 5 stars)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky (rated: 5 stars)

Fifty Shades of Grey (book 1) - E.L. James (rated: 3 stars)

Fifty Shades Darker (book 2)- E.L. James (rated: 3 stars)

Fifty Shades Freed (book 3)- E.L. James (rated: 3 stars)

Paper Towns- John Green (rated: 5 stars)

The Picture of Dorian Gray- Oscar Wilde (rated: 5 stars)

Everything is Illuminated- Jonathan Safran Foer (rated: 4 stars)

The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald (rated: 5 stars)

Tender is the Night- F. Scott Fitzgerald (rated: 4 stars)

The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath (rated: 5 stars)

Never Let Me Go- Kazuo Ishiguro (rated: 4 stars)

A Clockwork Orange- Anthony Burgess (rated: 4 stars)

The Night Gwen Stacy Died- Sarah Bruni (rated: 3 stars)

Of Mice and Men- John Steinbeck (rated: 5 stars)

Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov (rated: 5 stars)

Slaughterhouse-Five- Kurt Vonnegut (rated: 5 stars)

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Book 1)- Cassandra Clare (rated: 3.5 stars)

Invisible Monsters- Chuck Palahniuk (rated: 5 stars)

The Book Thief- Markus Zusak (rated: 5 stars)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland- Lewis Carroll (rated: 5 stars)

Through the Looking Glass- Lewis Carroll (rated: 5 stars)

Frankenstein- Mary Shelley (rated: 5 stars)

Ender's Game- Orson Scott Card (rated: 4 stars)

Divergent (Divergent series Book 1)- Veronica Roth (rated: 5 stars)

Insurgent (Divergent series Book 2)- Veronica Roth (rated: 5 stars)

Allegiant (Divergent series Book 3)- Veronica Roth (rated: 5 stars)

An Abundance of Katherines- John Green (rated: 4 stars)

The Catcher in the Rye- J.D. Salinger (rated: 4 stars)

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (book 1)- Michael Scott (rated: NA)

Hope you guys made your goal as well! I'll be deciding on my 2014 goal soon!

questions? comments? please feel free to leave a message below!

NEW CONTENT COMING SOON!

Hello friends :)

Sorry for the delay in content. But I'd love for you to know what is coming up!

Reviews on:

• The new Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant series from Veronica Roth

• The works of Jane Austen

• Jack Kerouac 

• More novels from John Green

• Game of Thrones series and more!

Not to mention:

• More looks into comic books- Phoenix, Spiderman, Thor, and more!

And additionally:

• The effects of books on TV and Film! (What has happened and what is coming up in 2014!)

I hope you enjoy what you've seen so far and I can't wait to add more!

Stay tuned starting this weekend for more!

You can also follow me on Twitter! @RoxieReads

Leave comments about books you'd like to see reviews on, or some personal favorites you would recommend :)

Happy Holidays!

What happened to happy endings?

I read an article on the Guardian this past week and it really had me contemplating the subject:

Why does literary fiction hate happy endings?

It is something I noticed personally within the past year as one of my main goals was to read many of the classics I feel that I had been neglecting. And it seemed that every time I was explaining to those around me the great novel I was in the middle of reading or just read they always had been leading or actually ended rather depressingly. Was the novel great? Yes of course. But it did make me question why a serious work of fictional literature insists on having sad or depressing endings.

I think it is the very nature of a happy ending. It is quite difficult to write one and be taken seriously. Too often people want to dissect and over analyze their own happiness rather than merely being content and happy with how things are. It is this idea that we are constantly filling a void. It is the same reason we get into careers that we want to advance in, why we seek higher and higher payment for wages, why we are constantly working towards "improving" our lives.

Once upon a time we use to be happy with the bare essentials (or at least that is what we are lead to believe) but now it seems in our desire to aspire to better things we are constantly being disappointed.

Which brings me back to literary fiction.

Writers, most often, are the voice of their generation and therefore they attempt to reflect the tone and desires of their own and often the society in which they live.

But I do believe writers now have fallen into this trap that if they attempt to write something more upbeat it will not be taken seriously. But I think now it is important to note that we lack happy endings and are in dire need of them. Because a novel is uplifting and hopeful should not deem it unworthy as serious literature.

For the full article, click below:
Guardian article on literary fiction

What can I say? I'm a sucker for a happy ending :)

Questions? Comments? feel free to leave them below!

COMIC BOOK PROFILE: Black Widow "Homecoming"

So one thing i'm going to now introduce is another genre of literature: comic books.

As I posted previously there are arguments against comic books being deemed literature but I disagree. Comic books may be more visual and artistic but they do still carry within the drawings a story that is deep and complex as well as full of character development just like any novel i've ever read.

One of the female superheroes I previously mentioned in my video blog a few weeks ago (if you missed it, check it out now here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Chd42B_izo ) was Black Widow. Many of you readers know her from Iron Man or the Avengers film but I truly believe there should be a movie based solely on her and her backstory.

Black Widow appears in a variety of different marvel comics including a few of her own solo series.

Black Widow: Homecoming (November 2004- April 2005)

In this 6 part series Natasha Romanov (aka Natalia, aka Black Widow) is a retired agent of S.H.I.E.L.D and living in the US after defecting from Russia. But her past quickly begins to catch up with her as a string of global murders of women which seems unconnected next leads to an assassination attempt on her life.

In the process of attempting to determine who these women were and why she is next on the hit list she begins to find out a great deal more than she ever expected: what really happened to her as a child.

Natasha was a spy but her training in Russia was far more advanced and psychologically traumatizing than she or any one of the readers could have believed. It sets her on a motion to discover not only who is trying to kill her, but who made her the weapon she became.

Reasons I love Natasha's story:

• There is so much intrigue! We know that whatever she was brainwashed into doing she has also somehow repressed a great deal of it. Meaning she is still trying to figure it all out on her own. When she defects to the US and becomes an agent she is trying her best to makeup for the wrongs she has committed by following blindly her regime in Russia. But is it truly her fault? If she was manipulated and fixed to believe certain truths and to harm those that were deemed dangerous should she feel so remorseful in her future?

I think that's why I love her character so much. This is what makes a true hero. Not allowing yourself to be the victim but rather a survivor and work to right the wrongs you have made. She is not an evil person and she could easily blame it on others. Instead she chooses to fight for what is right and no longer follow blindly but seek the answers for herself.

• Also, lets be honest, she is a really attractive red head. Being that I also share the hair color of course there was a good chance I would think she is awesome. 

Note: another reason I love comic books is the artists frequently love to use red heads. I actually read in an article before this was because in art red stands out so much more making the character more lively and thus more intriguing. I LOVE THAT.

• Another great reason to read this comic series: she is Russian. While that seems like a strange reason it is all about her attitude. Yes they stereotyped her and made her a bit hard on the exterior, but truly it fits her actions. She is a no-nonsense, punch first ask questions later kind of woman. She is not someone to mess with. Exactly what you need in a spy if she is going to get the job done.

In future weeks I will be talking more about superheroes and characters from various comic books as well as updating you on films, TV that have adapted them.

Enjoy!

Comments, questions? Please feel free to leave them below!

LIBRARY LOVE AFFAIR: The Los Angeles Central Library

So it only seems fitting that since I live near LA and spend most of my time in and around it, its time for some features on LA based libraries and bookstores as well.

This week's Library Love Affair: LA Central Library

Address: 630 W 5th Street.
               Los Angeles, CA 90071

What makes it amazing: As much as modern architecture is cool, unique and interesting, I love the feeling of going into a library that is as old as the classics it contains. It was established in 1872 and was rapidly expanded in the early 1900's. It's also one of the largest publicly funded libraries in the world.

As it sits in historic downtown LA, which is an area I love going to I can tell you its a library worth checking out!

How to make your own Christmas tree! (with books :D )

So I wanted to do something fun for the holiday and I love whenever I go to a bookstore or a library and they have a christmas tree made of books! I know some might think it is silly but I book lovers can understand how happy it makes me.

So this year I decided to make my own!

Below i'm going to give you step by step how you can make your own christmas tree out of your personal library.


STEP 1: Find some space!

You can make a huge tree or a smaller one just find the space that is wide enough for the base of the tree to be built upon. For mine, I used the bay window in my kitchen.

STEP 2: Collect all of yours books!


And I mean it. This took so many books to just make a small tree so like 20 or so is not going to cut it. Get as many as you can!

STEP 3: Orangize your books by size!

This isn't totally necessary but I'm telling you it made it a million times easier. I put all my hardback, heavy books together first and then organized my paperbacks by size. When i say size, I mean both there front cover size as well as thickness. Cover size is going to help you build up and the thickness is going to help give you even levels.

STEP 4: Find a base!

I tried at first building it with nothing in the middle and it seemed like it was ready to collapse. So instead I got 2 boxes. One being a larger tupperware container and the other a smaller but taller box that I use for a christmas decoration I just put out. I stacked them on top of each other.

STEP 5: Start stacking books!

I'd suggest starting with the larger hardcover books on the base (mine contain Harry Potter, Mortal Instruments, and Inkheart series) Stack them around the base but not flat against the square box in the middle. Make them connect in a circle with just a corner touching the base. I put the spine of the books on the outside so you can still see the titles.

Continue doing this over and over again. Just as the base in the middle gets smaller, go from larger books (use the size of the book cover) to smaller books on your way up! Mine started with 6 going around and then 5, then 4, then 3, then 2, then 1. Just like any pyramid. Try on each level to use books that are the same thickness so that the levels stay even.

STEP 6: DECORATE!

This is just a personal preference thing. I added some lights around it, A bow on top, and a few little snowflakes to give it a little extra decor. But it is not necessary.

And VOILA!

A christmas tree as unique as you :) (and your reading tastes)

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial!

Stay tuned for more obsessive reading tales from this obsessive reader!

~HAPPY CHRISTMAS HARRY!~

Entertainment Weekly names BEST YA Novel!!!!

As I posted last month during the 4th bracket, Entertainment Weekly was pursuing votes for the best YA novel of all time.

It comes as no surprise to me considering its huge popularity over the last several years that the winner is:

HARRY POTTER (the series)

http://popwatch.ew.com/2013/11/25/best-ya-novel-winner-harry-potter/

This collection of 7 novels took the prize of several truly amazing novels such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Hunger Games, Enders Game, Princess Bride, The Outsiders, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Fault in Our Stars and the Book Thief.

For me, this was an impossible thing to vote for because I equally loved all of the top picks. Also it is important to note that some books many would believe should have been entered most likely were not considered a part of the Young Adult genre.

I totally support this choice though. One of the best series I have ever read and one that I will continue to re- read throughout my lifetime.

BOOK REVIEW: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

"So it goes."

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut is one of the best novels I have read, especially when compared to others that have been written based on the events of World War 2.

The narrator, Billy Pilgrim, tells his experience in a very unconventional way. The book is in no way linear and in fact is rather confusing when you first begin since you can't seem to tell at what point of his life you are joining. But as you continue to read you realize why that is. Not only is this a war novel but it also involves time travel and aliens. I'll admit that was the strangest element of it all, and yet also the most compelling.

By the introduction of time-travel the stories rapid jumping to and from time periods make perfect sense as well as making the novel even more entertaining.

"People aren't suppose to look back. I'm certainly not going to do it anymore."

Billy at first is attempting to write this novel that you are reading, and the story of the bombing of Dresden that was so often disregarded though it killed more people than the bombing on Hiroshima. As he begins, he is presented with hostility from someone who doesn't believe someone should write another novel about the glory of war and the brave, strong men that go into battle for the greater good of their country. Because the truth is, they were all just boys and there is no glory in war.

From then the novel jumps from time to time, before the war, after the war, during the war, and even taking place when Billy believes himself to have been kidnapped by aliens known as the Tralfamadorians.

The novel is in no way traditional as Billy Pilgrim is not the typical soldier you hear about, but entirely reluctant to fight, causing him more trouble as he causes problems and disgraces his fellow soldiers. His actions during the war will greatly effect his future, if he actually has a future since he seems to be unstuck from time.

Some say it is an anti-war novel, others argue that the novel is pro-war because it does not condemn the actions. The way I see it, it is neither. It actually seems to depict the inevitability of war. And while human beings often believe in the concept of "free will", if it truly did exist then war would be possible to stop. So it really calls into question whether free will is merely an ideal or if it in fact exists.

"It is just an illusion here on Earth, that one moment follows another one, like beads on a string, and that once one moment is gone, it is gone forever."

One of the most interesting concepts of the novel is an idea that time is not linear, but that everything exists simultaneously. That while I am sitting here writing this there is a future me doing something else, and there is a past me that is thinking about writing this post and so on. In this idea, people would never be nonexistent because there would always be a version of us that still exists somewhere else in time. So in this regard, we are always alive.

The novel, aside from being interesting, was thought-provoking and for me it was difficult to separate what it discussed about the way time works. I found myself constantly applying this logic to the world around me. It is truly a story that will affect someones philosophy and perspective of the world around them.

"There is no beginning, no middle, no end, no suspense, no moral, no causes, no effects. What we love in our books are the depths of many marvelous moments seen all at one time."

Comic books: Do they deserve literary merit?

Recently I did a video post on female superheroes from comic books and their lack of fame in the movie industry. And while I was doing some research on it I dove back into reading some of my favorite comic books.

In the midst of reading some of my favorite comic book trades a question came to mind: How many people out there give comic books literary merit?

Often when I have heard people refer to comic books they are not given literary merit. Comic books are often considered an art form because they are based primarily on the visual aspect of drawn photos to depict the action and ultimately tell the story. They are typically short reads, no longer than maybe 20 pages per story (though if you purchase trade books the way I do they are typically longer because they encompass an entire plot over the course of 6 or more short stories).

So here is my disagreement: Comic books are in fact BOOKS. They tell a story. They are complex story lines that are diverse and intriguing and make the reader feel invested. That is why they continue to build onto the story with future comic book story lines. In fact, because they have so much flexibility within the creative space, a story about one comic book superhero for instance can be used by many different authors and the story is able to branch into multiple stories all surrounding the original character.

I actually find comic books far more complex than a novel because of the fact that really they are able to keep a storyline alive forever. Even in one story where our hero may die, in another he/she may still be alive or have been resurrected in some amazing way.

Yes, they rely greatly on the visual aspect which does make comic books an art form. I agree with this. But that does not mean that the story itself is unimportant and take away from its literary merit.

So, for those of you who just can't find the time to invest in something like a novel (whether it be a classic or more contemporary work) I would highly recommend comic books as a great source for entertaining reading material.

COMING SOON: Some of my favorite characters and books from comics