Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

Picking this book up with the recommendations of two friends as well as the constant reminder of having to read a genre requirement for the third quarter of school, I had no idea what I had just gotten myself into. And that's in a good way. While reading, I couldn't help but be fascinated by the growth of Augusten, as well as him plainly as a character. And I've got to say, he's probably my favorite character out of ANY book I've read this year, even including Don Quixote himself! Why though? Well, he starts as a pathetic little boy with a crazy mother (for the lack of better words) and an alcoholic father. The two got in so many fights, Augusten would fear for his mother's life. Trying to cope with this, Augusten became obsessed with many things. First, his hair. A bad hair day was considered a better excuse to get out of school than a strep throat! Second, his clothing. His clothing had to be perfectly ironed--even one wrinkle would warrant an immediate fit on Augusten's part. Third, shiny things. The boy boiled coins to make them shinier and used his allowance to buy squares of mirror, which he put around his room! He also decided at a very young age that he would be a doctor or an actor. A doctor because he liked the pristine white coat, or an actor because he wanted to be a star. Preferably, he would be an actor who plays a doctor.

What childhood could possibly make that boy, obsessed with everything tidy and shiny, become a writer? What could possibly make him become one of the Finches, the family of his mother's psychiatrist? You'll have to read to find out. And don't worry, the ride won't be boring. Not at all.

Genre Plans, Top Book Pick So Far

So far this year, I've finished the genre requirement of classic, science fiction/fantasy/mystery and I am currently reading a memoir (which I love by the way, I might read more from this author). This of course means that next quarter I have to read a play/poetry/historical fiction to complete my genre requirement. Truthfully, I have never been a big fan of historical fiction. I mean, I read them when they're recommended to me, but lately I've found myself enjoying other types of books more. Also, I'm leaning towards a play since plays have story lines. I mean, poetry can be telling a story, don't get me wrong, but it's hard to do and a play would almost seem more satisfying to read. I've also been looking to see if there are any good plays out there that I should read. Some that I've come across that look interesting are Reckless by Craig Lucas, A Perfect Ganesh by Terrance McNally, Crimes of Heart by Beth Henley, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams and The Dog it Was That Died. They all look so good!

The books I read this quarter were also amazing books. I really don't know how to pick between the two... Don Quixote and Running With Scissors are just so different! I mean, Don Quixote is about a guy who goes crazy and rides around Spain as a knight, while Running With Scissors is about the most messed up childhood I have ever heard of. I'm not sure which I liked better... Both characters enthralled me in different ways. Don Quixote baffled me with his actions, while I'm able to relate to Augusten. Plus, both books have interesting story lines as well as side characters... I just can't choose!

On a side note, I found something interesting while surfing the web. Have you ever heard of Manga Shakespeare? Well, manga are Japanese comics, which is of course in a different style than American comics. I love reading manga because they're like comics except more interesting, at least to me (I'd rather not go into this right now). It's kinda cool though that there was manga made out of Shakespeare. I wonder what it's like!

Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes

I've got to say, this has to be the most interesting book I've started all year! And yes, I'm reading all 1001 pages of it. Why? Because my dad gave me his version from college. That, and it's about a crazy guy who thinks he's a knight and rides around Spain trying to find his "princess" who, at this point, is most likely a prostitute. Who, after hearing that, wouldn't read this book? Besides the people that are illeterite and those who won't read anything over 200 pages of course. But, besides them--the party poopers--I think that most anyone would read this book! Plus, I bet there's some deeper meaning to it. I'm not exactly sure what yet, but hey, so far it's just about a crazy guy on a horse... Maybe the moral of the story is to live your life so you don't go completely bonkers? Or something else... Whatever the case may be, the story behind this book is so freakin awesome, that I don't think it can compare to ANYTHING else I've EVER read! Especially the scene where Don Quixote thought that the windmill was a giant and tried to kill it! Now, that was amazing! I swear, Cervantes is the best writer in the existance of the world (excluding Hemmingway, who is also fantastical) for writing this masterpiece!

Planet X by Michael jan Friedman

I'm not sure the exact title of this book, since on the binding and on the front page it says, "Star Trek the Next Generation X-Men Planet X," and while that may seem simple, after all, that whole thing could be a title... But I just have this feeling that it's not. So I'll just call it Planet X. It's short and simple, like the book itself. It didn't even take me a week to finish this book... it was only 265 pages after all. Plus, it was a page turner, for someone who likes X-Men or Star Trek that is--like me. You see, I'm obsessed with X-Men, Nightcrawler to be specific. I mean, who doesn't love a comical character who's blue, fuzzy, has elf ears, golden eyes, a pointed tail and only three fingers on each hand...and don't forget that he can teleport! The other characters are amazing too, like Kitty, Wolverine, Storm, all of whom were in this book. Of course, let's not discredit the amazing star trek characters as well, like Captain Picard and Commander Worf. And putting together all of these amazing characters was just... well.... amazing, for the lack of a better word! The way all of the characters interact is really cool to see, like how Picard has a crush on Storm and Wolverine is best friends with Worf! In addition, the storyline is fantasic! The X-Men having been transported to Picard's dimension because their machine broke (forgot exactly what it was or what it did, that was kinda confusing), which may have been because of Nightcrawler! You see, the staff on Picard's ship work on sending the X-Men home by exploring how their powers really work, and it was interesting to see how it would work with physics and chemistry in real life! And the way they all work together to salvage the situation on a far away planet where people are transforming into mutants, hunted by the government. Tying that to the X-Men and the Enterprise was just awesome, making the storyline an overall success. However, the tone of the book annoyed me, since it went from being complicated to really simple, which just lessened the overall effect of the book. But it was still an easy read, and something fun, a good break after just reading Anna Karenina. =]

FIN!!!!! (Of Anna Karenina)

I bet you never thought this day would come, when I finally finished Anna Karenina!!!!!! After slaving through the first part of the book, until I finally got the hang of the writing style and found some part of the story I liked--the well developed characters. And for all of those who want to know how it ends, I'll post it below. For everyone else... SPOILER ALERT!!!

It's been a while since my past post, but there's one basic thing that happened that's sooooo shocking, you'll never guess it!!! ... Anna died!!!!! Other than that, I'll just skip characters I haven't introduced to save you from confusion... Vronsky outfits and joins a group of volunteers to give Serbia military support (it's where people are typically exiled to) since nothing else in life matters to him anymore now that Anna died. Anna's ex husband, Karenin, takes custody of her daughter, and not only are Kitty and Levin married (I'm not sure if I've mentioned that), but they have an infant son named Mitya. Also, since Levin has become a father, he's been trying to find the meaning of life... Until he finally found his faith in God. Then a thunderstorm strikes and everyone rushes inside (they were all near Levin's house at this time), but Kitty and Mitya aren't inside. Levin goes crazy searching for them, until he finds them safely in the forest. His endless love for his son just confirms his faith and... the book ends there. Sorry if that was a bit of a ramble, I'm having a hard time putting things together today. But yeah, that's basically it. Next I'm moving on to a MUCH different book, it's a crossover between Star Trek and X-Men (Which is an AWESOME idea by the way) (I'm going to have soooo much fun with this book!!!). So, until next week... umm... bye! =]

Anna Karenina (Man, this really is a long book!)

After a bit of reading, Kitty still isn't better! And yes, I actually have been reading the book, not just lazing off on it. Now she's in a spa in Germany... Spoiled girl... What she does at the spa really isn't all that important to the story either either. She makes a non-important friend (to the story), makes another non-important friend and upsets his wife and her idol turns out to be a pompous, stubby woman... So, if you like Kitty, then woo, this would be great reading for you! As for me, I don't particularly care. I mean, I get that Kitty's important to the story, so characterizing her is important, but she's just not one of my favorite characters. That's all!

On another note, the chemistry between Anna and Vronsky is finally realized by others besides the pair. You see, Anna and her husband, Karenin, go to an outing where Vronsky just happens to be. Of course, at this point EVERYONE knows that he loves Anna. Even the woman who once praised Anna now can't wait to gossip about her because they've all realized how much Vronsky loves Anna, even if he's never let it slip. Anyways, at the outing, Anna takes a special consideration for every word Vronsky says and actually weeps for him when he slips! This is just all to obvious, and her husband finally notices it, though how could he not when, on the ride back, Anna confesses her love for Vronsky to him?! He, of course, was furious, but she did tell him that she hated him as well and that the only reason she's staying is for their son. However, the two finally agree to at least act like a couple as to not destroy their image until they can find a proper solution to the problem. You know, I wish that divorces today were like that--Civil. If only it would happen... It's too bad! I would add to this, but what happens later kinda destroys my dream of ideal divorces, since Karenin decides to make Anna suffer by never allowing her a divorce... But you know... Well... There's nothing to know to add to that... So, that's all for now! And seriously, don't dismiss my point just because the book contradicts it! It's still nice to think about!

Anna Karenina: The illness of love

In the book, the weirdest thing has happened! Kitty has suddenly fallen ill. It started right after the ball, when Vronsky seemed to like Anna rather than Kitty, who had refused Levin for Vronsky. Kitty's family consults many doctors, none able to find anything wrong with her except for the visible symptoms, none of which leading to a diagnosis. However, Dolly doesn't seem to think that the problem is medical, and insists on talking to Kitty. It takes a while, but finally Kitty breakdown crying, and Dolly learns that she was right--the problem wasn't medical but emotional. Other things happen after this, such as rumors going around about Anna's relationship with Vronsky and her husband confronting her, but these events aren't of all that much importance to me. You see, when Kitty's illness came up, I started wondering, is it really possible for someone to get sick because of love?

I know that it's possible to become sick because of stress, but not because of love... I always thought that being "love sick" wasn't a real thing. I actually spent a couple of hours researching this to see what was right: the book or my instincts. However, all I could find on the subject was sexual addiction and songs. This made me believe that my first instincts on the subject were right. After all, if it was an actual sickness, then there would be some webpage about it somewhere, like there is for stress! Now I am lead to believe that Kitty isn't sick because of love rather than stress. She feels that she must make a good match, and choosing between making a good match and her feelings was hard, but she choose making a match when instead of accepting Levin, whom it's obvious she has real feelings for, she denied him for Vronsky, whom her mother believed would make a better match. But when Vronsky developed feelings for Anna rather than her, Kitty got sick. It makes sense that this is stress, since Kitty feels stress to find a good match but now both of her matches are gone.