30-day-Blog-Challenge

Coming June 1st!

A new book or two, or four for Benji

I am slowly forcing my book obsession on my son. This weekend was employee appreciation weekend for Borders employees (which is one of the few reasons I work those 4 little hours every week,) So with my extra 17% discount I went a little book crazy[er.] I got myself a new copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, mine has long ago gone missing, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare which I have been fighting reading, and Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer–she’s an up-and-comer who is getting great reviews.  All these YA titles, I know, but summer is around the corner and I am gonna need some light reads to balance out the heavy ones we are doing in my book club.

Benji is the one who made out like a bandit. He got Little Quack, two new Elephant and Piggie Books, Time For Bed, and Otis by Loren Long. Otis the one  I am truly excited about. The artwork in this book is so beautiful and full of contrast that it easily holds Benji’s attention and the story of the little tractor and his best friend the calf is something that he will be able to enjoy and learn from well into his kindergarten years.

I was going to get the board book version of it simply for it’s sturdy build but after talking with a friend about it, she convinced me that this is a book that I am going to want to have in hardcover as a keepsake after he out grows it. She was right. After just one read through of this book, I am in love with it. It’s sweet and sad and uplifting and delightful to the eye and I think is a must have for any baby boy collection, although I think this a necessity for every picture book lover out there too.

Even the government is preparing…

Whether it is the Rapture or the Zombie Apocalypse everyone should be prepared. The CDC has issued a warning about the Zombie Apocalypse including a list of how to be prepared. For more information on how to be ahead of the game in the event of Zombies (or the Rapture, if you get left behind,) click on the link below:

Of course you could always go the literary way and check out these titles by Max Brooks:

Whether you are looking for humor or looking for horror, Brooks’ books are sure to be the ticket. World War Z will open the window into what this world is going to look like after the said Zombie Apocalypse, where as The Zombie Survival Guide will give you a good resource for how to survive a zombie attach and will give you good laugh as well.

On a more serious note, “they” say the Rapture is coming tomorrow, so that is something to be aware of. If you are looking for a more realistic look at what our post Rapture world is going to look like you may want to turn your eyes to The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Talk about a haunting look into the future. Now I am not going to lie, this book is a little tough to get used to. In fact the writing style is so unconventional that I had to put it down the first time I tried reading it. HOWEVER, after rave reviews from my other bibliophilic friends, I forced myself to try it again. And I am so very glad I did. Grim, depressing, and downright scary, The Road teaches us to always have hope, even in the darkest of times.

“You have to carry the fire.”
I don’t know how to.”
Yes, you do.”
Is the fire real? The fire?”
Yes it is.”
Where is it? I don’t know where it is.”
Yes you do. It’s inside you. It always was there. I can see it.”
— Cormac McCarthy (The Road)

If you don’t have time before “The Rapture” tomorrow to read the entire book, I highly recommend the film that came out in 2009. Produced nearly scene for scene from the book, this film translated the original work impeccably. The acting is amazing, the art is profound. Another picture that was shot here in Pa. (not I am not a yinzer, I swear! this is strictly coincidence,) the abandoned mills and destroyed neighborhoods of Pittsburgh in correlation with the bleakness of Erie Pa. in the winter created a remarkable setting for this post-apocalyptic world.

I was lucky enough to spend an evening chatting with “the kid,” Kody Smit  McPhee during the filming and let me tell you, that kid is talented! And sweet! Him and his father were eating at the table next to my friend and I and we happened to start chatting with them. We talked all night. He was one of the smartest and friendliest 11-year-olds I have ever met, and his father was so personable and kind. My friend kept in touch with them for a while and we were even invited to the movie release party in New York. Unfortunately [for me and my friend,] the studio ended up pushing back the release date for the film for over a year, and we  lost touch with the family.

Any whoozle–good luck during the Rapture tomorrow, and for those of you still around next week, I look forward to seeing you 🙂

“Perhaps in the world’s destruction it would be possible at last to see how it was made. Oceans, mountains. The ponderous counterspectacle of things ceasing to be. The sweeping waste, hydroptic and coldly secular. The silence.”
— Cormac McCarthy (The Road)

Hello new friends!

So, I didn’t really want this to be my first post, but as the batteries are dead in my camera I was unable to take a picture of the my new star book on my shelf.  Instead, I am going to share the exciting news that they have begun filming The Perks of Being a Wallflower movie in the block that I work on. Emma Watson is cast as Sam, and I am pretty psyched about that…

“Perks” is one of those books that when someone tells me they are looking for a good book, I always recommend. Its unique writing style and relatable voice create this connection between the narrator and the reader that pulls you in and makes you part of the story. The story’s main character, Charlie, is telling a coming of age tale about his freshman year in high school, to someone he has never met but thought would understand. It is told through letters which creates this honest and personal voice for the narrator, who, due to the nature of the writing, is able to be more honest, it seems, than he would if he was telling these things to someone face to face, or to someone he knew.

Of course, the fact that the author is from my home town (Pittsburgh, Pa) and the story takes place here, does make it more relatable for me. There is a beautifully written scene in the book, when Charlie is coming through the Fort Pitt Tunnels and sees the city lit up at night.  I tried to find a photo to share with you of the view he describes, but there are none on Google, which says something. I am not sure what…but something. I can say, that if you have never seen it, it is hard to imagine, but Chbosky writes it so well that you can see it as if you were there.

The long and short of it is –I love this book, and I would recommend giving it a read–I am looking forward to the movie, hopefully they won’t bastardize it…

Well, I guess that is my first post…pretty exciting! Thanks for reading! Peace!