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Fiona's Journal  I just finished Sophie's World last night, and I loved it! It took me longer to finish than usual - the book is easy to read and even though the philosophical theories and such were on a basic level, I needed time to wrap my head around all of the concepts. It was worth it, though - everything was really interesting and even though I had some background knowledge on philosophy, I learned a lot. I was really surprised by the "twist," though - it was so unexpected, but it made things more interesting. I can see why Sophie's World was a best-selling book. I couldn't really tell that the book was translated, apart from the Norwegian names. It was very well-written, and everything in the book had an air of magic, mystery, and mysticism. I'm not much of a fantasy person, but I didn't mind the kind of magical fantasy that took place in Sophie's World. It was all just so wonderful, and some of it even made me feel nostalgic. I can see why Sophie's World was an international best-seller. I would recommend Sophie's World to anyone wishing to get familiar with the basics of philosophy or the history of philosophy, or anyone who is looking for a nice, thick book to enjoy.  You are a True Elitist. Not like those stupid ass 1337 Speakers, you are the best kind there is. You are irritated with bad spelling/puncuation/grammar and let it be known. You constantly find yourself ranting about things that irritate you and somehow people agree- even those who are the offenders! You probably have charisma coming out of your pores, but are way too elitist to just befriend -anyone-. You, my friend, rock. What Internet Personality Are You? brought to you by Quizilla Current music: Counting Headlights - Liam Titcomb. I just finished Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld. Lee Fiora is a socially awkward teenage girl, originally from South Bend, Indiana, who attends the prestigious Ault boarding school after being accepted and winning a scholarship that pays 3/4 of her tuition. Inititally, Lee has many fantasies about attending boarding school - she imagines that there will be athletic, intelligent boys there who will share her interests in reading, and that she will meet such a boy, of whom she can take walks with on chilly Sunday mornings, both of them wearing wooly sweaters. Her dreamy fantasies about Ault School, however, are soon shattered once she starts there. While Lee was a star student in her elementary and junior schools, she finds she is struggling to keep up with her classes and Ault's high academic standards. Her social awkwardness separates her from her fellow classmates who, to Lee, seem to act frivolous and childish. For instance, sometimes she feels like saying things, but refrains for fear of appearing stupid or redundant. No one seems to pay much attention to her; most of the time, it's like she's invisible. To add to this, Lee often spends her time alone, which isolates her even more from her peers. Whenever any boy pays the slightest attention to her, she feels flattered. The majority of her peers come from very affluent families, and throughout the book, Lee often dwells on this discrepancy - that she is on scholarship, significantly more poor than her peers, who are able to squander their money with ease and frivolity. Prep explores the boarding school experience of the interesting Lee Fiora. Readers discover that although Lee seems quiet and invisible to her peers, she actually makes very shrewd and keen observations about people around her - she does this often because she has taken the position of being a wallflower - an observer, rather than a participant in things like school and social events. Curtis Sittenfeld has done a magnificent job with this debut novel of hers. A highly talented writer, Sittenfeld accurately captures the very essence of social awkwardness and teen angst. The fact that the protagonist is experiencing her trials and tribulations while attending a prestigious boarding school is refreshing and interesting to read about. In addition, she has a way of capturing those seemingly insignificant moments that everyone experiences at one time or another in an authentic and eloquent manner. I found that I could understand and relate to almost all of the observations that Lee made about her peers - often, the descriptions of her peers, when you think about them, fit the description of people you yourself know. The plot of Prep is engaging and utterly compelling - I felt almost addicted to this book; once I started reading, I found it very difficult to stop. Lee's experiences are both interesting and reminiscent of experiences that we have all had before, in one way or another. With no doubt, Lee Fiora completely captivated me. Prep is not just another typical novel that explores teen angst and a girl's high school experience. It is distinguised in its own entity; Sittenfeld makes sure of it, by creating a memorable heroine who experiences and perceives very real emotions that, I bet, every socially awkward teenager could relate to. Prep, in a way, is a tribute to all of those socially awkward teens out there, letting them know that they're not alone. More importantly, Prep is ultimately a novel of self-discovery. Readers will realize that as the novel progresses; the changes in Lee Fiora are palpable, and by the end of the book, Lee has become a more distinguished individual, someone who has experienced much and has learned from it all. I do not feel I can adequately express how I felt by this book. It changed me, in a way. I found that Lee Fiora was very much like me, and her feelings and thoughts were all ones that I had experienced before. Maybe that's why I felt I shared such a strong affinity with her. It felt comforting, for lack of a better word, that I wasn't the only one who thought such things, however random or weird they were. Prep is such a wonderful book, written so precociously and eloquently. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever felt socially awkward or who has ever felt different or alienated. Lee Fiora is a keen and witty narrator, one that surely will not fade from your memory. Highly recommended. Current mood:  chipper.
I just finished The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. And wow, I have to say I'm amazed. This book blew me away. I loved the plot - it was so intriguing. The beginning of the book is misleading, as I felt it was a bit boring and going a bit slow. But during the middle and end, the book definitely reaches its zenith, and I was utterly compelled to keep reading. Wang Lung is a poor Chinese farmer. In the beginning of the book, he wakes up to his marriage day. On this day, he goes to the great House of Hwang and gets a kitchen slave as his wife. O-lan, his wife, is a plain woman whose feet are unbound. She is not pretty, but she bears for Wang Lung many children. She also takes care of him, and all the while Wang Lung continually underappreciates her. She is like a shadow in the background - only being used for Wang Lung's pleasure, for bearing him children, and for cooking and cleaning. A turn of events finds Wang Lung rich and prosperous, and when this happens, Wang Lung grows insouciant and haughty. Silver trickles out of his hands like water as he squanders his money on everything and anything. When he grows lustful, he goes to a tea shop, and soon there, he finds a beautiful, petite woman to pleasure himself with. As Wang Lung grows more and more prosperous, his personality changes more and more, and at times it seems like every vestige of the poor country farmer that Wang Lung once was, is gone. I think The Good Earth ultimately explores human nature - especially avarice, lust, and depravity. It illustrates the destiny of man through the farmer Wang Lung. Pearl S. Buck wrote The Good Earth eloquently and beautifully. She writes in a way so that you care for the characters, that you sympathize with them. I really enjoyed reading about Wang Lung and all of his experiences - the good and the bad. It is no surprise to me now why The Good Earth won the Pulitzer Prize in the 1930s, and why Pearl S. Buck is a Nobel-prize winning author. I know that she was a daughter of a missionary in China, but even writing as a white woman, she transcends the difference in culture and writes confidently and accurately about China and Chinese customs. I highly commend her for doing this, and am adding The Good Earth to my list of favourite books. I highly recommend The Good Earth. It is a book that I underestimated at first, because of the beginning, but I stuck with it and it was definitely worth it in the end. Not only does The Good Earth explore the Chinese culture, but its message is one that is universal to everyone. Current mood: awake. Current music: Counting Headlights - Liam Titcomb. I finished All That Matters by Wayson Choy in the wee hours of the early morning. It was so beautiful and compelling that I could hardly bear to put it down to finish the next day. All That Matters is the long and eagerly awaited sequel to Choy's first book, the award-winning and national best-selling The Jade Peony. Expectedly, it is a continuation of Jade Peony, this time written in First Son Kiam Kim's eyes, instead of the rotating narrators (which included all of the siblings of the Chen family) found in The Jade Peony. All That Matters is very reminiscent of The Jade Peony - it is almost like an echo of Choy's first book. The book focuses centrally on Kiam Kim, from when he first boards the Hong Kong ship to Gold Mountain (Vancouver, B.C.) to his adulthood in Vancouver's Chinatown. Kiam Kim's Poh Poh is another important part of the story, with her Old China and superstitious ways. She tells stories about ancient myths and ghosts, of which make Kiam Kim feel torn - in some instances, he believes in the things Poh Poh tells him, but his father is constantly reminding him that they are in Gold Mountain, not Old China, and to adapt essentially to "modern, scientific, Canadian ways." Kiam Kim's responsibility as "First Son" and "Dai-Goh (Oldest Brother)" sometimes burdens him, but he soon learns that this is the Chinese way - as the First Son and the oldest sibling, he needs to be a good role-model for the rest of the family and, ultimately, refrain from "shaming" the family in any way. He is best friends with Jack O'Connor, an Irish white boy who is his next-door neighbour. A somewhat clandestine but intimate relationship between Kiam Kim and Jenny Chong (the daughter of one of Poh Poh's mah-jong mates) forms. All That Matters also deals with the second World War, of which readers will see makes a significant impact on Kiam Kim and the rest of the characters in the book. All in all, All That Matters is a satisfying, triumphant sequel to The Jade Peony - and rightfully so that it was long and eagerly awaited. Choy does not disappoint in this sequel to his first book. In fact, he writes hauntingly and seductively, often incorporating Chinese phrases uttered by Poh Poh and other members of his family to make things more homely and authentic. Readers will be compelled by this wonderful book, entering the world of Kiam Kim - his trials and tribulations, his responsibilities and burdens, his relationships and family, and, ultimately, what matters. For fans of The Jade Peony, I highly urge you to pick up All That Matters and to read it. I guarantee you will like it as much, if not more, than The Jade Peony. It is no surprise why All That Matters won the Trillium Award again, not to mention was also a finalist for the Giller Prize. Having met Wayson Choy at an author reading in December made reading All That Matters for me that much more exciting and thrilling. I felt like I shared an affinity with various characters in the book and, at times, with Wayson Choy. I am certainly looking forward to reading more work by Wayson Choy. I've heard he's signed a contract to write a book that will be published in 2007 about Poh Poh. Did anyone, by any chance, tape the Guns, Germs, and Steel PBS airing for all three chapters? I've seen part of part 1 and half an hour of part 2. I feel devastated I've only seen parts of the chapters, as I have read the book and am really interested in the material. I know they're selling the DVD, but that's $39.95. If anyone has taped it and is willing to send it to me (I'll even pay you, if you want), it would be much appreciated. Or if anyone knows anyone that would tape it, I would be grateful if you asked them. Please let me know - thanks! Does anyone know if this Guns, Germs, and Steel airing is going to have a rerun? Current mood:  disappointed.
Make an offer, or if you have some good books to trade, that is possible too. This shirt is new and has never been worn. Read Life of Pi by Yann Martel. An enigmatic, wonderful read. Reading The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Seems to be interesting so far. |
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