Rewrite of one blog post: Black Maria

"Like that card game, where the one who wins the Queen of Spades loses the game." Not a sentence i would think very relevant until now. Starting the book, i was having the hardest of times finding just what the point was. Diana Wynne Jones is a great writer, but lord does she take forever to explain the situation. Once the scene was set, and you were thoroughly annoyed by Aunt Maria, you then become utterly confused by what is going on with this town. Eventually it all starts to click into place as the events of the town unfold and clues fall into place. I really liked this novel because of its mystery and confusing aspects, which actually surprised me. Although I am not a lover of Science Fiction, I must say i do enjoy the magical. As a die-hard fan of the Harry Potter series, I found myself relating all of the details of Ms. Jones book to that of J.K. Rowling's.

I need to reread this story unfortunately, not only because i know i missed key points as I read through the book in rather a rush (I am not used to finishing a book in a weeks time), but because I know i will understand some of the pretext better having found out about the real purpose of the story. I'm not sure if that makes it a good novel or not, but finding out the very last second what the heck you were just reading for 300 pages is an interesting idea to me. I hated it while i was reading, that is for sure. but looking back at the book as a whole it defiantly worked.

I felt connected with Naomi, one of the main characters, who is constantly writing in her diary which is the book we are now reading. not only weirded out by the situation, but in the same boat as her. With a brother, who is as annoying as Chris, and far off family members, i somehow made connections and for a quick second pretended my Aunt was a powerful witch. I pretended she was a little nicer, and could walk, but never-the-less the same. With the same strong personality and stubborn nature as Aunt Maria, it wasn't difficult to make the connection.

Now I am not one to go into deep interpretation of novels, and I don't think I will ever be able to. Speaking with authors from all different genres, maybe 10% out of the grouping (I have met a good number of authors, so my personal statistics may not be totally accurate, but for the purpose of this blog posting, they are perfect) thought about the meaning behind certain aspects which were supposed to make the reader read between the lines. The rest of the creatives told me they thought language arts teachers (mind you I was in high school when I asked this question) where ridiculous and they chose those "key" points or specific colors because they liked them or thought they were pretty. There was no in depth hidden meaning behind the blue curtains, they just made the room feel big. I think the same thing applies to Aunt Maria, although I do think their was reason behind the specific animal types she transforms people into, as well as color of the outfits to accent the mood of the scene. This book was merely meant to entertain, and for me confuse, the audience. This strange world and euphoric town was chosen for just that.

The ones who walk from Omelas and Nanny's Day

What in gods name did I just read??

The Ones Who Walk From Omelas is confusing, interesting, but confusing. Who is this boy in the broom closet? Who figured out that this boy was the key to happiness? What was going on before then that someone said "lock the next new-born in this dirty closet and make sure he is more miserable than us!"? The author did a great job at describing this almost utopian city, with vivid details and imagery, as well as the horror that came with this child's existence.

Nannys day, was in no way science fiction. How did this short story get picked to work alongside all of the crazy stories we have been reading up until now? My only understanding is that they are all terrifying situation to certain people, such as mothers who in both stories are effected by the horrible idea of loss. As a mother, thinking of a child you could be comforting and taking care who is instead locked away in a closet is heart wrenching and soul crushing. With Nanny's Day the idea of loosing your child to a paid assistant because you are trying to be a good parent and bring home money is horrid.

I enjoyed these reads though, and wished all of our novels this semester were this short and easy to understand, would have made trying to finish them in a week in time for class not so daunting.

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

Interesting. This book is really... Interesting. The mash up of manga and steam punk was a hit to me, but I have to say I wasn't pulled in right away like I usually am with a good book. There were many issues with figuring out what the hell some words ment, or if they were even in English. The character descriptions took forever to figure out too, not really know what each individual looked like till almost the end of the book. I did enjoy the new world though, the end of the world really, and seeing all of the entirely possible situations and scenarios take hold of the place. We have already started to move into that technology age where a robo-chick is probable. In all likelihood, apple with probably make it.

Babel17

It never stops to amaze me at how most science-fiction artists seem to so accurately predict the future. Body modifications, sexuality acceptance and intellectual wars, all apart of our lives now, maybe not to the extreme that Babel predicts, but pretty damn close. To think that this was created in the 60's, and then looked at as a great novel surprises me a little. I would imagine people criticizing it for being too over the top, or to difficult to comprehend. I couldn't get into the book as much as I would have liked to, it was difficult to wrap my mind around the idea of a language changing you, but I guess it makes sense in a way. It was intriguing to read the details of the sub-characters and their lives, how intricate they were even just as a added detail about this new world. The author put so much thought into the history and background to make the reader understand the senses overload in this insane world. In terms of Rydra, she is so "three dimensional and very complex. To first get an idea of who this person is before we get into her head is an interesting concept and one that works very well in this situation.

Anansi Boys

A little out of order, but still needed to be written about because... Well it was interesting. Clever, funny most of the time, a different look on the mythical gods I've always learned about. I was not able to finish reading far into the book due to senior year kicking my ass.. But I enjoyed what I did read. I have to admit I had to read a summary after to see what ended up happening, and didn't even realize the guy was black! Neil Gayman did a beautiful job at writing once again, but continues to work around details that I would think are important but really did not matter as much as I would have originally predicted. The story itself was a simple concept that was taken, twisted, and grown into what I believe to be a fabulous novel that really hit all of the right points, made me emotional, and want to continue to read.

Starship Troopers

Can not read this book without imagining "Wreck It Ralph". I know that is one of the many movies and sci-fi creations that was heavily influenced by Mr. Heinlein, but I imagine the book in animated form, and the deep voice of Jane Lynch screaming orders. I am reminded of my brother yelling from his game room on the Xbox using call signs, foreign terminology, and military commands at whichever game is the new phenomenon.

I was not very intrigued by this book, it never caught my attention as much as others from the previous list of novels has. Maybe it was the complicated jargon, or the topic of military in general, but it was not my cup of tea. I can see easily why this would be such a show stopper in the 50's though, with an intense, action-packed, new and exciting topic, another simple war novel was not going to have had the same effect. Setting an example for all sci-fi movies, books, and creations after it, Starship Troopers was a big deal, and will forever be a mentioned name in sci-fi history.

Night Circus

Beautifully written and easy to get into, night circus has a level of fascination comparable to the Harry Potter series. Although I was not able to read enough to find out what happens with the weird circus challenge, but the story made me totally engulfed in the magic and the mystery only 100 pages in. A the vivid imagery that the author creates puts me right in the room, in the shoes of the characters, apart of the scene, hidden like a fly on the wall. Magic is a fascination of mine, one similar to that of spirits, something I want to believe in but haven't had the opportunity or event happen that would convince me 100%. To hear a different side of the "wizarding world", one us normal folk are used to seeing, is an interesting twist on the old stories and shows.