Well, my readers have spoken and more than 2/3 of you do not want me to read Twilight, either because it sends you screaming from the room or because you don’t want to listen to me whine about it. Both valid reasons, I think.
So. No Twilight for Grace!
Thank you to everyone who voted.
So, to get home I had to switch planes in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Some of you may or may not know that I recently graduated from college in Minneapolis (Saint Paul, really, but basically the same thing) neighboring Saint Paul, Minnesota, which is not at all the same as Minneapolis, being much cooler and filled with much nicer people and generally 10x as awesome in every way.* And as we landed around 8:30 last night, and we were flying low over the cities and there was the Mississippi laid out beneath me–well, I got a little bit sad. Nostalgic. This had been my home for four years, and now it was just a stopping point.
And then.
As I was walking from gate G-whatever to gate G-whatever, I heard my name. “Grace!”
At least, I thought I did. I tend to think that every one-syllable word with a long A sound, especially if shouted, is my name. But I looked around, and I saw–
One of my best friends waving at me as the moving walkway whisked him away.
I caught him, of course, and we had a cozy little reunion in the airport while we waited for our flights. I kept wanting to reach out and poke him, to make sure he was really there.
I mean, really, was that crazy lucky or what? If we’d been in different gates, or if one of us had walked at a slightly different speed, or if he had had his head turned in a slightly different direction… wow. Thanksgiving FTW.
So that is this year’s story of thanksgiving. (dude, my favorite holiday rocks.) May yours be just as wonderful. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
*edited to more accurately represent the facts
I am not going to like it. I know this already. I tend not to like pop culture phenoms that are adored by screaming multitudes of teenage girls, unless we are talking Beatles; and I don’t like romance in general and the book sounds more romance than vampire; and Bella sounds like my worst nightmare as a person or a character; and people whose opinions I respect–and understand–have said things that make me think I will abhor it.
That said, I’m a writer, and Twilight is the hot shit right now in publishing. The new Harry Potter and whatnot. (I mean, I’m like 5 years behind, but whatevs.) I probably should read it, you know, as research. But man I so don’t want to.
So.
Should I read it?
Vote now. I created a poll off to the right. –> (my first poll on wordpress! very exciting.)
I’ll probably close voting, like, after Thanksgiving sometime. Maybe Sunday.
Speaking of, this will probably be my last post before I head back to the land of mountains and wide open spaces for Thanskgiving. Farewell, everyone! Safe travels, happy eating.
Today I decided it was time for an upgrade.
I’m an adult now, see, so I need nice professional things and not gross college-like things. This applies to clothes, food, and–today’s adventure–luggage. See, I’ve been using an enormous computer bag/backpack-like thing that I bought like five years ago as a carry-on suitcase–it’s not even a proper backpack. So my luggage collection is that bag (which is covered in weird straps and whatnot that always get caught on things) and an enormous wheeled bag that I took when I was going to England for four months. But nothing in between, and nothing small that wasn’t irritating slash ugly.
But I’m going to Seattle in a couple of weeks for work. The ratty and gross college student style really just doesn’t work in a professional setting. So today I went luggage-shopping. The goal: a small wheeled carry-on, preferably in a vaguely interesting color or design, for a reasonable price.
I hit two stores, Marshall’s and Macy’s (opposite ends of the spectrum, what?) and took a total of about an hour and a half. Yeah I know. I’m a total pain in the ass to shop with. Marshall’s was a relatively quick stop, it only took me like fifteen minutes to rule out the one bag that I was considering (yes, I examined the same bag for fifteen minutes). Then I went to Macy’s and spent the next hour or so in their luggage department.
There were really only three or four bags that fit my requirements of size, style, and price, but I gave them each a fair and equal shot at impressing me. I opened them, I closed them, I wheeled them around. I made up my mind and then unmade it. I got distracted by bags I couldn’t afford and bags I didn’t need. I debated between purple and burgundy–which goes better with my purse? which is a better representation of my style?–and decided on blue. Then I realized the burgundy was actually my favorite color and that bag had a cool little zipper thing, but wait this other bag had it too–
Yeah, really, shopping with me is hell on wheels. I recommend you avoid it.
I ended up with a nice little something (brand forgotten already) in navy blue. I’m all set to be professional in Seattle, and I can take it home for Thanksgiving too!
Look at me all grown up.
(Preface to Post)
So, I’m always a little behind the times as far as pop culture phenomenons go. The Kid Brother and I didn’t start reading Harry Potter til the 3rd book was out. I just began watching The West Wing like a month ago and fell in love (and am now on the 6th season). I was a year or two behind the times on Firefly, too. The list goes on.
This is all to explain why I am about to review a book that was hot stuff last year (2007), a book that was on the NY TImes bestseller list and won all sorts of awards and basically is known about and has been judged by everyone who would want to know about or judge it. So basically, I’m not looking to move any mountains or cause any great stir with this book review. But I read a book I liked and wanted to comment on (the latter being a more important reason to review, I think) so here I go.
~~~
(Post Proper)
The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart
Young Adult adventure, published by Little, Brown and Company
Reynie Muldoon sets off one day to take an important and mysterious test. He and the other children do not know what the test will be or what they will win if they pass, they are all simply answering an ad in the newspaper: “Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?”
And thus begins the adventure of a lifetime. The test-takers are soon narrowed down to four extraordinary children: Reynie, George “Sticky” Washington, Kate “The Great Kate Weather Machine” Wetherall, and Constance Contraire. These kids all possess an impressive combination of intelligence, bravery, and that certain je ne sais quoi that makes a hero, which is good because they pretty much have to save the entire world from Evil.
The plot is perfectly fine, clever but nothing to write home about (evil mastermind, lots of minions, the kids go undercover at a secret institution to infiltrate the minions and defeat the evil mastermind and his evil machine) but the way in which Stewart has crafted this world and this story is fantastic. The book is oddball and clever, filled with puzzles and trickery and fun, memorable characters. The puzzles are such that the reader can play along and applaud Reynie for his wits, and there’s Morse Code on the back cover. How cool is that?
I have seen Stewart compared to various other writers, including Roald Dahl and some named Blue Balliett (who is this? should I look into him? anybody?) but the one who jumped directly to my mind was Lemony Snicket. Not just because of the tone, even though both write in a way that’s kind of dark and uppity at the same time, but because of the way they treat children, both their characters and their readers: with respect.
Writing for children is incredibly difficult. You have to use simple language for sometimes complex ideas, but you can’t talk down to them. Children hate being talked down to and they’re very good at spotting it. Stewart tackles this head-on, having multiple characters (adult and child) observe how nobody ever listens to children, how children and their ideas are disregarded by adult society. And while children are, you know, children, they can also be quite sharp and can tell when they’re being lectured and treated shoddily. A writer who can tell an entertaining story while treating child characters and child readers as children but not in a condescending way–this is a rare and invaluable writer. This is the most powerful thing that I took away from this book, Stewart’s amazing respect for his subject and audience.
There is one other thing that I think Stewart handles particularly well: family. One of the common tropes of children’s literature is the orphaned main character, whether the character is actually orphaned (Harry Potter) or if the family is just absent (Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy from Narnia). There are a couple of reasons for this, the main one being that it is easier to go off adventuring if you don’t have parents looking after you–parents worry a remarkable amount and most of the parents I know would not let their children go off on a life-or-death adventure, no matter how much danger humanity is in. Being an orphan also adds a certain facet to a character, a pain and an emptiness and a loneliness that can be explored throughout a book.
Stewart touches on this loneliness quite often in Mysterious Benedict Society. All four of the children are in some ways orphaned, even if temporarily. Mr. Benedict, the man who has gathered the children together, states frankly that this isolation of theirs is a benefit for the situation in much the way I described above. This idea is built upon as the main characters deal with their lack of family throughout the book, longing for some stability. I like that Stewart faces this subject without hesitation, making family an important part of the story and (not to give anything away) the conclusion. There is always family out there, he seems to be saying, you just have to be brave enough to find it.
One of the questions on Reynie Muldoon’s test is “Are you brave?” His answer: “I hope so.” This light-hearted and exquisitely crafted book shows that there are different types of bravery, each one important, a message wrapped up in cleverness and fun. The 450+ pages fly by but leave you thinking. Really an excellent book.
There’s a sequel out (The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey) but I’m not sure I want to read it even though I liked this one so much. Everything just ended so well. We’ll see.
I spent most of yesterday wandering around Cambridge, and I learned three things:
1. College freshmen annoy me. I conveniently forget that I very recently was one.
2. I need a heavier coat. This whole icy-wind-cutting-through-to-my-bones thing is not working for me.
3. The Harvard Coop is perhaps the greatest bookstore known to mankind.
Now, there are bigger bookstores. Powell’s in Portland, Oregon, claims to be the largest independent bookstore in the world, and I believe it. It’s all warehousey and fantastic. There are cozier bookstores; personally I’m a fan of the small cramped used bookstore that barely has enough room for all the shelves, let alone people. But–wow. I love the Coop.
It has four levels of books and a cafe held together by some beautiful architecture, but I think what really made it marvelous was the people. The bookstore was simply full of people, it bustled with activity–rare for a bookstore these days. And the people themselves just–I don’t really know how to put this–everyone seemed smart. I had the same reaction in the MIT Coop a few hours earlier. (Like I said, I was wandering.) I think it’s true of many high-level college bookstores. You walk in and it’s full of smart people. I mean, people in bookstores tend to be of the literati anyway (I mean, duh) but in the Harvard Coop it just seemed like I was in the midst of a meandering crowd of brilliance.
You can tell that it is owned by Barnes and Noble or something–it has a very B&N feel underneath all the coolness. Bleh. But that’s well-buried under the store’s massive amounts of character. Really, you can hardly tell.
So anyway. People from the Boston area probably don’t need to be told about this, but any visitors: totally hit up the Coop while you’re here. It’s fantastic. And it’s totally within walking distance of where I’m about to move…
The fact that computers can psychoanalyze me reasonably accurately is worrying. This comes from Typealyzer (What type is that blog?):
The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead – they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.
The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation – qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.
Present moment, check. Avoiding conflict, check. Helping others, more than I’m given credit for. Entertaining, definitely.
I even dress like the girl in the picture…
scary…
I am a hockey fan, in the true sense of the word fanatic. I moved to San Jose, California, the same year the San Jose Sharks were created, so I was there on the cusp of hockey excitement/marketing in San Jose. My young mind was very easily influenced by the hype, and I got swept up in Teal Fever. But soon I began to love the game for itself. Even after I moved away I kept watching my boys in teal and whatever other games happened to be around, NHL or otherwise. In college, I started playing (badly). It’s just–it’s my favorite sport to watch, to play, to talk about. I love hockey. When played well, it is the most beautiful sport in the world.
Not, however, a popular one, at least not in this country. One of my friends took great delight in telling me what non-news the playoffs were last season when my Sharks were battling their arch-nemesis, the Dallas Stars (boo, hiss). I’ve gotten used to it. I love my little sport, and I don’t care if everyone else would rather watch football or baseball (both of which, incidentally, I am also fond of–really I like watching most sports), I will sit by myself and yell at the tv as the Sharks once again suck at the power play.
I mean, I understand the problems. Take soccer. To play soccer, you need a roundish object and an area in which to kick it around. Those two things are easily accessible to pretty much everyone. To play hockey, you need, at the very least, ice, skates, a stick, and a flattish object to thwack around, and those first two are specialized objects that can’t be substituted. Some people are lucky enough to live in some freezing icy wasteland, but even in Minnesota most people have to buy ice time, and that ain’t cheap. And if you’re going to play properly (safely, in a league) you need hundreds of dollars worth of equipment.
So hockey’s not really accessible to the masses, which understandably makes it less enjoyable for many people to watch. That’s the nice half of my “why hockey isn’t popular” argument. The somewhat ruder half: a lot of people can’t keep up with how fast the game moves and don’t bother to try (you really do have to work to watch hockey sometimes) and therefore declare it boring. (snark, snark)
So I’ve never been surprised by hockey’s lack of fans in the U.S.
But–
There may yet be hope.
According to this story, the NHL’s popularity may be starting to outpace the NBA’s. And hey, it’s not the NFL, but it’s a start. I’m excited. Maybe finally there will be someone to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs with me, and I won’t be stuck by myself with my Doritos and my beer.
Dude. You asked a guy a question. Another guy totally used you–he could have used anybody–to make a political point. What makes you think anyone cares what you have to say about “American values?“
And how the hell are you going to have a book ready for release on December 1st?
My favorite part of this story is that he’s signed on with a publisher that has published exactly ONE other book, a novel–and the author of that book is “co-writing” Joe’s book. And it’s being released on December 1st. Which is like, a week and a half from now.
Like, wtf. Seriously, Joe. WTF.
First of all, there’s no way it’s going to be good that quickly, and by good I mean both well-written and/or bound with something stronger than chewing gum.
Second of all, I don’t understand how you chose this publisher. Their website is practically non-existent, and what exists is badly written. (like, not unintelligible, but no competent editor would have let that novel’s blurb anywhere near the public.) Random House and whoever may be big companies, they may be part of some evil empire, but they at least have editors, and marketing departments, and money.
Third of all–do you actually have anything to say? And why should I care whether you answer yes or no?
Okay, I admit, I loved Joe the Plumber during that third debate, because McCain just used him ridiculously. But now I want him to go away. WTF.
Never fear, dear reader(s). You have come to the right place. Gracetopia has simply undergone a massive renovation–even I am still trying to find my way around. But it’s still here! And it may be sporting a new look, but it’s the same spunky little utopia it always was.
What was wrong with the old look? As I mentioned below, one of my loyal readers was complaining about the lack of posting, pointing out that it had been NINE days since my last post. So I came over here to rectify the situation, and I was… bored. I’d seen it all before. Really, I have the attention span of a… something with a short attention span. I need bright new shiny things to keep myself entertained.
So, I wrote some new posts and began playing around with templates and formatting and whatnot. I decided on this look, which is called “Twenty-eight Thirteen” (?). I hope you like it. I’m having fun with it so far. We’ll see how long it takes before I get bored again.
What do you think? Improvement? Failure? Couldn’t care less?
(the comment link is up at the top of the post now…)
