Yes, I know it is Friday. Late again! Story of my new life. Before I had CB I believed unless you were ten minutes early you were late... now getting anywhere or getting anything done at all is the goal : )
In contrast to last week's question, this week's asks to name a book you hope will never be made into a movie, no matter how fabulous the movie might be.
There are a few : )
I have mentioned The Jellyfish Season on a previous blog and would have to say it is one book I hope would never be made into a movie, although there is no reason to think it ever would be anyway. As I wrote before, I am very attached to those characters (or at least my 12-year-old self is) and I would hate to see them portrayed differently than they appear in my own mind. Possibly a selfish answer (heehee) but I have been disappointed before by the book-turned-movie, especially when the film fails to fullydevelop a character... or the entire plot (Confessions of a Shopaholic, anyone? The movie was a train wreck).
I would also say The Lemon Jelly Cake (Is there a jelly theme this evening? Hmm. Maybe I am hungry).
Harvard Yard... amazing combination of history and mystery... no movies, please : ) Also, not being the first appearance of main character Peter Fallon, it would no doubt require prequels and sequels and all that jazz... and we all know subsequent films are never as good as the first one.
I could certainly list more but GoodReads seems to be unresponsive and I am unable to scroll through my virtual bookshelf... boo! Does anyone else feel how technology, which is supposed to make our lives easier, sometimes make things much more difficult than they need to be? Anyway.
On this topic... the idea the book is better than the movie is usually the general consensus... but do any of y'all have examples of the opposite view? Mine: The Devil Wears Prada. LOVE the film... thought I was going to die before I made it through the book. I thought it was terrible.
Yesterday's question... fun but difficult...!!
If you could see one book turned into the perfect movie -- one that would capture everything you love, the characters, the look, the feel, the story -- what book would you choose?
I read this book several years ago and honestly do not remember too many of the details... but I do remember being completely consumed by it and not being able to put it down!
Failing this, I would have to say Austenland by Shannon Hale... silly, but I think it would make an excellent Chick Flick : )
Here is an interesting question... can you judge a book by its cover?
I don't think you can but I know people do!
There have been many amazing books which do not have especially attractive covers, and I have chosen books based on interesting jackets which turned out to be incredibly boring books.
More than the design, I feel the description of the book can make or break a person's decision to dive in and read it... I certainly have put books down based on the back-cover summaries and may have missed out on occassion.
I have missed the past two Booking Through Thursdays thanks to a nutty busy schedule over the past three weeks and not being home much... I am trying to catch up... on everything!
The first question I missed is in regard to the popularity of e-readers and library loans... these have reduced the number of physical books in people's homes, not giving your visitors any insight into who you are by browsing your bookcases... is this a good or bad thing?
Personally, I love being surrounded by books and do feel your reading choices tell a lot about who you are... or who you would like to be. A person's home should be a reflection of them, as well as cozy and welcoming, and I believe books play a large role in creating this type of environment.
My short and sweet answer : )
Book displays! This week's question is how do you display your books... are they visible to everyone or do you have them tucked away?
Well... it depends on the books! I have several stored on the shelf under one of our end tables in the back living room... these are my baby reference books and the ones I am hoping to read next... easy access here!
Our "office" has two large bookcases which are filled with both mine and my husband's novels... this is where we keep most of the books, especially paperbacks... along with all my college textbooks, my teaching materials, and years of Texas Highways magazines... plus dictionaries, an atlas, and all those kinds of things. I have to admit, most of the shelves are a bit of a mess... but this one was okay to photograph! The door to this room stays closed most of the time so they are not on display.
We have an entertainment center in our upstairs gameroom with bookcases on either side... these house some of our hardback books, some of my history books, and my (tiny) vintage yearbook collection.
ALSO... all of CB's books are in her room on a bookcase my father built... but she is already asleep so I am unable to take a photo : ) However, here is a pic of Rainbow Fish which has found a new home on our coffee table.
Where do you store your books?
Many of the blogs I follow are written by college students, and it lately there have been lots of posts about Spring Break adventures, registering for summer and fall sessions and preparing for final exams... make this girl a bit nostalgic for her alma maters!
SO... I started thinking about my undergrad and graduate years... life certainly is different now! Here are some things I miss about college!
1. Being in total control of my life... more or less. Sure, there are those pesky group projects (where one or two people usually carry the entire group)... occassionally the section you want to register for is already full... but during college I was bascially in control of every part of my life, specifically my time... not the case after graduation...!!
2. My drive to College Station. Highway 6 may not be some people's idea of an ideal drive but I miss those rides to campus.
3. Oatmeal cookies at the Connections Cafe at UTA. The. best. oatmeal. cookies. ever. My last semester as an undergrad I had classes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and then a long break before one 2 p.m. class. I spent this time going to the Connections Cafe in the University Center to get cookies. (Also... there is now an Einstein Bagel Bros. in the Fine Arts building which makes me so sad... why was this not there when I was a student?! This was my building... I would have had a bagel sandwich every day! Actually, maybe it is better there was not one...!)
4. Being on campus in the evening, when it was quiet and calm. This can be said for both UT-Arlington and Texas A&M... I loved walking around campus as the sun was setting, when you could literally feel the spirit of the school in the air. It is hard to explain. This time of day was very relaxing and when the campus was quiet it gave me an opportunity to reflect on the day and just take in being a college student... it would not last forever : ) I used to admire the older buildings as I walked, imaging what it was like to be a student when those were new.
5. My part-time job. I worked at our local zoo throughout high school and college (and some since)... and I adored my job. I worked in the Guest Relations office during college, selling zoo memberships, answering guest questions and dealing with guest concerns (aka complaints!) The hours were wonderful, we all had time at work to study, my co-workers and I were so close (several of us still are)... and I had the most fabulous manager ever. I loved everything about it and miss it very much.
6. Focusing on learning. What? I was there for an education? Really? Ha! Seriously, I miss having the time and energy to focus on learning. Graduate school was a bit of a different story because I was teaching full-time, but looking back undergrad life was great... all I had to do was go to school and study. Fast-forward to today, filled with working, taking care of the baby, and house cleaning... and all the "adult" stresses that come with those things... and there is barely time to get the basics done, much less really concentrate on reading or mastering a new skill.
7. Dr. Andresen at UTA and Dr. Burlbaw at TAMU. Andresen was tough, Burlbaw was brilliant. They were both awesome and I miss taking classes with them.
8. Carrying my bright pink Jansport backpack. When I transferred to UTA I purchased this backpack... it was large, pink, and amazing. I called it the Magic Pink Bag. I have been unofficially credited with starting the pink backpack trend on campus. The bag is tucked away in the top of my closet... I will never part with it... it got me through college : )
I am sure there are plenty of other things I miss but these are the things which came to mind. I will leave you with photos of my graduations... UTA Class of '03 and a member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of '09.
Yes, I know it is Friday (or at least I hope it is!)... but yesterday was so crazy busy I missed Booking Through Thursday!
This week's question is what is the oddest thing you have ever read... not a book, magazine, or article.
Took some thought, and I am sure at some point in life I have read something stranger, but I make a habit of reading the backs of my shampoo bottles... while I am in the shower. Multiple times each. Nutty. Is that odd? Not sure much weird in itself (you have to learn what the product is going to do to you!) but I guess odd in the frequency in which I read them, ha!
This is not a very good answer : (
What is the oddest thing you have read?
