Goodreads

I'm all about distracting myself from real work by surfing the web. Recently a fellow bibliophile friend of mine recommended this insanely addicting site called goodreads.com. Needless to say I have spent the last hour and a half adding books to my various goodreads lists and book shelves, when I should really be doing school work. So if you love reading as much as I do join the site! Trust me you won't be disappointed.

p.s.
friend me!  http://www.goodreads.com/bananalise

The Sandman

The Sandman Volume 1 Preludes and Nocturnes
Written by Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg and Malcom Jones III
Published by DC Comics (Compilation Copyright Year 1999)

I've always had an interest in graphic novels. In fact the comic book genre is what got me to start reading in the first place. As a little girl the only way my parents could get me to read was by giving me Betty and Veronica comic books. Every couple of weeks my Dad would bring home the latest issue and I would tear through it. I don't read comics or graphic novels too often anymore, but I had been meaning to read the Sandman series for some time. I figured it would be a good addition to my list because it is so different than all the other books I have read. Let me just say I was not prepared for what I encountered.

This particular volume is a compilation of about five different 'issues' that had originally been released monthly. The comic focuses on the protagonist Morpheus. Morpheus is the anthropomorphic personification of dreams. He is the lord of the "Dream Realm" and he can control what people dream, thus the name Sandman. Basically this particular volume documents the capture of Morpheus by magicians who hold him captive for over 60 years. They take from him 3 items which hold his power. He spends the rest of the book attempting to take those items back so that he can rule the dream realm once again. Throughout this process he encounters some really messed up stuff. His journey to retrieve his magical items takes him to hell, a really creepy mental asylum and a house of horrors.

Right around the second issue I figured out why the Sandman series is said to contain adult content and is also considered to be in the horror genre. There are disturbing images of decapitation, people literally exploding, lots and lots of blood and gore, and some other really nasty stuff that I don't even know how to describe. I felt that the excessive use of violent images kind of took away from the story line, which was actually quite good. I was really impressed by the compilation of the frames within each page. Most of them weren't laid out in a consecutive manner, instead they flowed with the tone of the story which really made it a much more intense reading experience. The disorganization of the pages puts the reader on edge, which I assume is the feeling the artist was going for.  I've read almost all of Neil Gaiman's other works and realized that they are just as dark and creepy, but somehow seeing it drawn out for you just makes it a little hard to stomach. The story is riddled with references to ancient mythology, which gives it good depth.

I don't know if I plan on reading the rest of the series. From what I've heard and read, the other 12 or so volumes are much better. Honestly though, I just don't think it's my kind of thing. The fan base for this series is huge, so maybe I should give it another chance. But for now I think I am going to steer clear from this series, until I feel like I am up for the challenge again.

Footnote: Sorry for all of the grammatical errors in the first publication of this post. I suppose being all strung out on caffeine and trying to write a post at 1 in the morning isn't the best thing for my grammar, which isn't really very good to being with. Special thanks to my favorite 'editor' Nathan Kaplan for finding the errors for me :)

Identical Strangers

Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited
By Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein
Published by Random House in 2007

Let me just start by saying I don't read a lot of nonfiction, especially biographies and the like. It's not that I don't enjoy them, it just never seem to find one that can keep my attention throughout the whole thing. I always start with the good intention of reading it cover to cover, and 'bettering' myself. Instead, I end up getting half way through, skipping the boring parts, read the end and give up. So I was feeling skeptical when my Mom recommended that I read this book for my challenge. But the concept of identical twin sisters meeting each other for the first time since their were separated at birth lured me in.

At the start of the book Elyse and Paula are both 35-years-old and living their lives completely oblivious to the fact that either of them are twins. Both of the women were adopted as babies to Jewish families from an prestigious Jewish adoption agency. Neither the girls or their adoptive families are made aware of the fact that they are twins. Throughout their childhoods and early adult years both sisters are plagued with similar emotional and mental issues. Both go through periods of deep depression and struggle with a inexplicable sense of loss. Elyse, in particular, dealt with feelings of abandonment and a sense that someone or something was always missing from her life.

At age 35 Elyse decides to contact the adoption agency to request information regarding her birth mother. She finds that the agency is in the process of shutting down due to extensive law suits. The agency notifies her that she has a twin (Paula) and that they unknowingly were in a twin study about nature versus nurture.

The rest of the book deals with the sisters getting to know one another and dealing with fitting each other into their lives. The two of them constantly struggle with their own identities and how different their lives would have been if they hadn't been separated. The sisters try to remain individuals while attempting to learn more about themselves through each other. Together they attempt to find out more about their birth mother and the 'study' that they had been subjected to.

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to have a twin somewhere out there. Also, I found myself really like Elyse and Paula not so much, she seemed to whiny to me. The story of their reunion was touching but also sad because of all the time they lost growing up, and the life that could have been.

Still reading

So I'm in the middle of reading my next book Indentical Strangers. I should be finished in about a week. Until then you can watch this video from the new HBO show based on the Song of Ice and Fire series. The video goes along really well with my previous post. Enjoy!

First one down...twenty-four to go

 

950 pages later and I have finished my first book in the challenge!  To say that A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin is lengthy is an understatement, be ready to devote a lot of time to reading this book. I spent many of the past weeks staying up until 2 in the morning reading it. Not only did I want to finish it before January was up but I literally couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book to whomever has the stamina to read each of the 800+ page volumes that come before it. The series begins with A Game of Thrones, followed  by A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords.

This series is hard to describe so I will do my best...Imagine a reality TV show consisting of many players who are vying for the ultimate prize: the throne to a huge kingdom. But throw in a lot of intrigue, sabotage, violence, sex, war, plotting, more sex and some more violence. Then subtract any crap that you associate with reality TV and you've got the Song of Ice and Fire series.

But seriously this series is out of this world. The plot is always moving forward and each chapter covers a different character so we are constantly being given a different point of view. Martin doesn't give into the normal fantasy genre cliches and formulas. He has created a world in which there is no 'good versus evil' instead we are lead through a maze of characters that we can never seem to label in the traditional ways. If you shy away from violence, sex or the unpredictable this is not the book for you. Martin is ruthless with his plot twists and he is not above killing off what seem to be key characters. I would try and go into more detail but honestly I couldn't do the series justice in just a few paragraphs. Also, it's kind of hard to review just one small part of a larger series without giving everything away.

I highly recommend reading the first three books of the series before A Feast for Crows  just because of the complicated plot and the vast array of characters that you have to keep track of. If you are willing to make the commitment to this series go for it, you won't be disappointed. Also, keep an eye out for the rest of the series (3 more books) that have yet to be published. As far as I am aware he has been working on the 5th volume for almost 6 years, and it will hopefully be published within the year.

Finally for any HBO fans out there HBO is making these books into a TV series! I think the show is going to begin this April, and it promises to be amazing. And don't worry it's not a reality TV show, quite the opposite in fact.

Click the link if you are interested:
http://www.hbo.com/#/game-of-thrones

Or watch this clip from the HBO website

Clip Preview

Here we go...

Alright, it's January 2nd 2011 and the challenge has officially begun! I've started compiling my list and begun reading my first book. The book I decided to start with is the fourth in a seven part series A Feast for Crows by G.R.R. Martin. I have already read the first three and they were amazing, so far I am about 300 pages into the 4th book, with about 800 to go!