Book Blogger Hop (2)

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books, to help book bloggers and readers interact, and to find new blogs. Every week, a question is posted for participants to answer.

Question:

"What do you consider the most important in a story: the plot or the characters?"

Answer:

As a writer, the best answer I can give is that both are essential to a good story. You can have the best plot in the world, but if the characters are too weak, the story will fall flat on its face. On the other hand, you can have the best, most dynamic characters in the world, but if the plot isn't interesting, then it's a good bet few people would want to read it.

Personally, though, I might say that character wins, if only by a very small margin. I've finished a book on the merit of a character more than once before, and I've often found it rewarding. It's the characters, after all, who tell the stories; we as readers experience their lives as our own. If a character is dull, then it so follows that the story will also be dull. On the other hand, if a character has some interesting qualities, then the story will be that much better because of it. I'll also say this: it's much more difficult, at least for me, to come up with strong characters than with a strong plot.

Hoppy happing!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Arthur Dent is in a pickle. His house is being knocked down to make way for a bypass. In fact, his entire planet is being destroyed to make way for a bypass. And unlike the Earth’s construction workers, the Vogons, who have been charged with the annihilation of Earth, don’t care if you lie in front of their destruction vehicles. Fortunately, Arthur has made a friend of Ford Prefect, a man who, unbeknownst to him, is not human, but a hitchhiker from another planet. And fortunately for the both of them, the Vogons have employed on their ships creatures that are not especially fond of them. All too soon, Arthur and Ford find themselves on the Heart of Gold with the ex-president of the galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox and Earthling Trillian in what may be the strangest adventure of their lives.

It was upon reading this book for the nth time that I realized that I love British humor, especially when it comes to the absurd. I could say that the sheer complexities of what seems to be simple hilarity are the aspects which primarily draw me in and proceed to keep me reading.

Or I could say that I was laughing too much to care.

Both, in a way, are true. Adams’ brand of humor, while absurd, appears simple. His ability to suspend belief is great; more often than not, I missed the punchline in his logical narrative, only to get it much later. I’ve had people tell me that affecting such British humor is easy, simple even. I don’t see how; every joke, every parallel that Adams sets up is so absurdly logical it has to be purposeful. His humor is filled with nuances of every kind, ranging from the serious to the ridiculous.

The result is a novel that is very difficult to generalize upon. What are its themes? Life? The universe? Everything? What are its important concepts or motifs? The significance of the number forty-two? Certainly the parallels with reality are something to think about, but even those are far too numerous to choose one.

So instead of focusing on the usual, let us lend our minds to the logical processes of the first book in the Hitchhiker’s Trilogy. Because that’s exactly what it is: logical.

When reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, everything makes sense. It makes so much sense, in fact, that one is liable to miss the jokes that are right in front of them. That in itself is the genius of Douglas Adams’ work; everything is so perfectly logical and straightforward that the jokes are made so complex by their complete absurdity. This might be the one time when the “why” is put in the back of the mind; who cares about that when the “what” appears to justify itself?

I could go on, but to avoid spoilers and save everyone a few hours, I will simply say this: while I enjoyed this book, not everyone would. The complexities behind the humor may be a bit much for some people, and those who aren’t willing to just accept the bizarreness might find this book very strange, but utterly un-enjoyable because of it. That doesn’t mean I don’t recommend it. It just means that not all books are for everyone, and the dryness of British humor, especially in this case, can be disliked because of the never-ending feeling that someone is just pulling your leg.

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Notes: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was Douglas Adams’ debut novel, and is the first book in the Hitchhiker's Trilogy. It was first published in 1979 by Serious Productions. The version I read was paperback, published in 2005 by Del Ray Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House.

Adult comedial science fiction, 216 pages (309 pages including Afterword and Appendices), omniscient third person point of view

Topics: The meaning of life, reality (numerous parallels), absurdism

Publisher’s age recommendation: N/A

Warnings: Brief but strong innuendo. Some non-involved violence. Indirect descriptions of depression. Talk of alcohol and brief insinuation of alcohol abuse. Minor swearing.

Book Blogger Hop and Odd Tidbits

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books, to help book bloggers interact, and to find new blogs. Every week, a question is posted for participants to answer.

Question:

"What is the thing you like the most about reading book blogs? Is it the reviews, author guest posts, articles, giveaways, or something else entirely?"

Answer:

As someone relatively new to the blogosphere, I'd have to say that I honestly don't know. Perhaps, if I were to pick one, though, it might be articles. There's just something compelling about the articles, especially when reading a book blog. It's so out of the norm that it becomes more of a way to get to know the blogger than reviews themselves.


In other news, I've found a great new author. Well, he's not new, really, and he's been dead for twenty-eight years. But I'm loving his books. The one I'm reading right now is post-apocalyptic sci-fi, and sports a rather odd (so I thought) title: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

For those who like to know these things, the above-mentioned author is Philip K. Dick, and the book is now also published under the title Blade Runner. Yes, you read that right. The movie we all know and love (those of us who are geeky sci-fi fanatics, anyway) was originally based on a book with a very strange title. So far, it's proven to be a very good book, too, with all the glory of an older science fiction novel.

Hoppy happing!

Ethan Frome

Ethan Frome lives on a failing farm in Starkfield, Massachusetts. Having once escaped the dreariness of small-town life, he has been pulled back to Starkfield on account of his mother’s illness and subsequent death. Now married to his mother’s nurse and cousin, Ethan Frome is trapped in a cold and dreary New England world. He doesn’t even have control over his house--the hypochondriac Zeena sees to that. When Zeena decides to hire a maid, Ethan balks at the money that will cost them; how are they supposed to afford the extra living expenses, let alone the girl’s pay? But instead of a hired girl, Zeena finds Mattie, her sickly, orphaned cousin, left without money by her late father. Ethan likes Mattie, and Mattie likes Ethan. There might be no problem with this, except for the fact that Ethan is already married, and divorce isn’t looked upon highly by his fellow peers. With a wife like Zeena and a love like Mattie, what’s a man to do?

I probably would not have read this book if I hadn’t been reading it for a class. The narrative was long and the pacing was slow, but that wasn’t what really drove me away. The plot just didn’t catch my attention. I had to force myself to finish.

Conceptually, however, the novel is very powerful. It’s a perfect example of the themes of power and control. All Ethan wants is to be able to live by his own rules, and every thought that goes through his head, every action he takes, revolves, however indirectly, around gaining his own freedom. I was especially taken by the irony of the book’s ending and this theme; while it could have been anticipated, the ending really grounds out the reality of Ethan’s situation.

Also apparent throughout this novel was the theme of societal values. Taking into account the setting of the story, certain items, such as Zeena’s pickle dish, make these values easy to see and understand. Marriage is important; divorce is not to be considered. The differences between what Ethan wants and what he gets are so great that even nature appears to work against him in some instances. In essence, the entire novel is thematic, centering on Ethan’s potential situation and the harshness of the reality with which he is faced.

Special attention, I think, was also given to the color red; Mattie is associated with the color in every single appearance. Coincidence? I think not.

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Notes: Ethan Frome was Edith Wahrton’s seventh novel. It was first published in 1911 by Charles Scribner’s Sons. The version I read was hardcover, published in 2003 by Marco Book Company.

Adult tragic romantic fiction, 132 pages,, third person point of view

Topics: Freedom, power, control, potential versus reality, societal values

Publisher’s age recommendation: N/A

Warnings: A single instance of suicidal thoughts and actions, though these are not successful; implied incest.

International News Tidbits

I realize how long it's been. But I've begun another project--or rather, the same project, but with a different method. More on that later.

In the meantime, I've recently been inspired to write a little something about current events that might just pertain to some seemingly random things. I would appreciate any reactions you might have to hearing these things, but please keep it polite. No one needs flaming trolls, while I do encourage discussion, if anyone begins trolling their comments will be deleted.

1.) The United States government is allowing the emergency unemployment benefits enacted in 2009 to expire. This means that thousands of unemployed people will not only be without jobs, but without money.

2.) On November 23, North Korea bombed the South Korean island of Yeongpyeong. This was the first organized attack since the official ending of the Korean War in 1953.

3.) In response to the attack on South Korea, the United States requested that China help stop the aggression of North Korea. The problem: while China may is an ally of the United States, it is still a close ally of North Korea, and so does not want to provoke hostilities with either of them. The United States, on the other hand, has declared that they will support South Korea in any way they can.

4.) On October 4, 2010, reservoirs on an aluminum plant in Hungary broke, releasing almost two hundred-million gallons of toxic red mud.

5.) Scientists in the United States have trained a bacterium taken from Mono Lake, California, to eat arsenic.

6.) Testing for HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, has reached an all-time high in the United States.


I'm looking for reactions. How do you feel about hearing these things? Is any of this information surprising or shocking to you? Was any of it new information, or had you heard it before? Which of these news tidbits do you consider to be the most important, or the most relevant to your life? Do any of them make you want to know more about the subject?

Please remember that there are no right or wrong answers to these questions. I'm looking for honest responses to international news--yes, I'm aware that a good portion has to do with the United States, but I'm working on fixing that in future posts.

Bad Girls Don't Die

Alexis is the outcast. At school, she doesn’t even fit in with the outcasts themselves, with their surprisingly cliquish attitude that’s really no better than the hated cheerleaders. At home, she is ignored as every positive thought seems to be saved for her little sister, Kasey. And Kasey herself is a little more than strange: rumors have begun spreading about how the doll-crazy girl has finally cracked. Alexis’ first instinct is to deny everything, but then Kasey’s quirky behaviors begin to border on creepy. As Alexis begins tries to work out what exactly is going on, she finds herself dragging in more people than just her family. Even if they’re not really friends, it seems like there might be people willing to help her. But then again, that might not be a good thing.

I inhaled this book. If I didn’t inhale it, then I certainly devoured it; it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to devote my attention to a book so completely. So I think I should say now that this was how much I loved this one. I couldn’t put it down. Post-impressions aside, my first impression of Katie Alender’s debut novel, even without a friend’s recommendation, was that this was going to be a creepy book. And creepy it was, from Kasey’s initial bizarre habits to her more threatening actions.

I did get frustrated at Alexis from time to time, when she didn’t see what appeared to be directly in front of her. She had appeared to be so smart--how could she miss that? But other than that, I found her to be a very identifiable and very real character. Her narration, too, was easy to follow; in a way, I think seeing things from her point of view made the situation especially creepy. The way she noticed little things--normal things, to her--kind of freaked me out: things like Kasey’s obsession with dolls and her odd nervous behaviors. Alexis’ sanity contrasted sharply with Kasey’s insanity, making Kasey’s new behaviors stand out even more against the supposed normalcy of her life.

In the middle of the book, I noticed several things. First, some Alexis’ actions may seem slightly comical in hindsight, due to her sarcastic attitude, but they certainly seemed very real and serious at the time. I found her to be a very strong, independent person, made all the more real by the fact that she had so many flaws. She kept making so many mistakes, kept regretting so many things, was so suspicious of Megan--she began to be sympathetic in the extreme, to the point where the entire circumstance seemed as if it could be all too real. Second, when I looked back to check, I found that there were no swear words. This is probably one of the first books I’ve read with the latter occurrence, especially seeing as it takes place when the main character is in high school. I don’t know exactly what difference it makes, but I fully enjoyed reading a book with no swear words. Somehow it made the whole book all the more powerful, from Alexis’ situation at school to her increasingly dangerous situation at home.

Would I read it again? Certainly. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Just make sure you know it’s not exactly something to be reading right before bed.

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Notes: Bad Girls Don’t Die is Katie Alender’s debut novel, and is the first in a trilogy. It was first published in 2009 by Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group. The version I read was paperback, published by Scholastic by arrangement with Hyperion Books for Children. Check out Katie Alender's website here.

Young adult horror, supernatural and mystery fiction (though some places have it marked as children’s), 346 pages, first person point of view

Topics: Identity, family

Publisher’s age recommendation: 12+ (I’ve also seen it as 11-13)

Warnings: Some violence related to paranormal events, accompanied by strong suspense. Direct description of possession.

How to Make Friends With Demons

William Heaney is a master forger, the face front of a rare-book business that puts all profits towards the homeless. He and his friends have it all worked out: Jazz finds a customer, William discusses the product and price, and Stinx, the artist, forges a perfect authentic copy. But that’s not all. William Heaney sees demons. They live on the fringes of human life, the shadowy, smoky figures that attach themselves to humans. And he can’t do anything about them. But why should he worry? He’s been clean of them for several years now, as he works on his forgeries. At least, that’s until Yasmin appears, with her questionable association with a prospective client. And her appearance is quickly followed by two seemingly unconnected men: one who fought in Desert Storm, and another that he’d rather forget. Now it appears that a simple book-dealing business has turned into a fight for William Heaney to stay on his feet.

It occurs to me that all the books I’ve read recently have been written in the first person. This one in particular was recommended by a friend. And the beginning, I admit, was fairly good. But I soon grew tired of the endless narration, and the book that should have taken one week to read took four.

That isn’t to say I didn’t like it at all. The beginning roused my curiosity with Heaney’s talk of demons, and Antonia was a good character. The ending, I thought, was very powerful, and the overall narration was carried over well. But when it came to the middle, I found that I just couldn’t get into it. Sure, there were a few good parts--I particularly enjoyed Heaney’s conversations with his daughter Sarah and her boyfriend, Mo--but other than that, I can’t say that I liked it much. I found the narration to be endless, the characters a bit flat. Everything seemed to be dragged out, with a few exceptions.

Still, I can’t say that I wouldn’t recommend it. The narration was much more lighthearted than that in the other books I’ve been reading, and it was a welcome break from such seriousness. Once again, the ending was very powerful, and I think the book was worth reading just for that. And the book carries a great message in the way of reality: what is reality, exactly, except for what a person experiences? Heaney is normal--there is nothing wrong with him, and this has been stated by a psychologist. But what is normal, really? Joyce really pushes the meaning of reality to the limit, and that’s just what I loved about this book.

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Notes: How to Make Friends With Demons by Graham Joyce was first published in 2008 by Gollancz, an imprint of Orion Publishing Group under the title Memoirs of a Master Forger under the pseudonym William Heaney. The version I read was hardcover, published in 2009 by Night Shade Books.

Adult speculative dark fantasy, 298 pages, first person point of view

Topics: Existentialism, homelessness, acceptance, self-forgiveness, family

Publisher’s age recommendation: N/A

Warnings: Prevalent, blatant sexual references. Some violence (an explosion, an account of the Persian Gulf War). Liberal use of alcohol, prevalent use of drugs (mostly smoking, though there are some references to other, more hard-core substances), and strong implication of substance abuse. Liberal swearing, highly prevalent.