The Hunger Games

This isn't something I've ever really covered in any previous blog post so I might as well cover it now. I've heard many arguments for and against the series of books and now the new film. I won't rehash them now because there would be no point. I only know what I personally like and what I do like is The Hunger Games. I saw the movie yesterday with an entire group of teenagers from the library where I work and I went again today with my sister and our closest friend. All three of us are in agreement. The film puts many franchises to shame, Twilight included. Most of the time books are so much better than their movie counterparts but in regards The Hunger Games the two are nearly equal.

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Reading "Twilight" (Part 1)

I don't know what possessed me to try, but I'm determined to read Stephanie Meyer's series in its entirety. Twilight was on my reading list about 4 years ago and I did read it and enjoy it, but then I tried again a year later with the intention of reading all the books but quickly gave up. It just didn't interest me like it had the first time. Of course, that was also the time when all of the Twihards were coming out of the woodwork and terrifying me with their obsession. We won't mention that I'm just as obsessed about certain things myself. *cough, Sherlock, cough*

But I realized I needed to give the series another chance. I'm hoping to, I don't know, understand the appeal. I'm halfway through chapter 10 and here's what I've realized so far:

• Writing Style
• The book isn't as dreadful as I remembered which only strengthens my idea that I hated it before because it was such a huge success and the Twihards gave me the willies.
• In fact, Twilight is very entertaining and an easy read which I've proven in that I only started it yesterday and I'm already over 200 pages in.
•  Entertaining yes, but her grammar is still rudimentary at best.
• If she had just toned down the "godlike" imagery of Edward a little bit it would have done wonders for the overall quality of the novel.
• She uses far too many adjectives like "blackly" or "angrily" to describe Edward's reactions.
• "His brow creased angrily for a moment, then smoothed  . . ." and "he chuckled blackly."
• Take those adjectives away and the sentence is tighter and lets the reader decide on their own what Edward is feeling. Few readers like to have emotion dictated to them.
• Oh well, her writing isn't perfect. Big surprise, but it's still a fun read.

• Edward
• The films have never and will never do him justice. I'd forgotten just how attractive book Edward is to the female psyche.
• He thinks of Bella's safety before his own in a way we rarely see today.
• He's courteous and gentle, funny and romantic.
• In a word, there is NO WAY that I can connect book!Edward with film!Edward. It's like film!Edward is a mere shadow of the Edward Stephanie Meyer created.
  
•  Bella
• Where do I start?
• I find it very hard to like Bella, for three reasons.
• 1: She lies to her father about going to Seattle alone when she'll actually be spending the day with Edward. Edward thinks she should tell Charlie, Bella refuses. Not good since parents are put in our lives as a guiding light for a reason.
• 2: Bella thinks, and I quote, "If I had to, I suppose I could purposefully put myself in danger to keep him close." Say what?!
•  She's not good enough for Edward. Bella approaches the relationship from a selfish perspective while Edward, throughout their relationship, only tries to think of what's best for her. Hence the "she's not good enough for him" statement.
• Sorry, I know some of this probably sacrilege, but I can't help it. Bella's entire behavior is one of neediness. I can forgive some of this because she's only 17, but then so is Edward so why is he more mature? After all, living for 100 years at the age of 17 doesn't mean any hormonal issues just float away.
• So, Bella is highly imperfect and drives me crazy. Sometimes I sympathize with her and other days, like with that quote about putting herself in danger, I can see how she became so miserable in New Moon that she risked her life in order to see visions of Edward.

• Conclusion up to Chapter 10 of Twilight
• The film version of Twilight is dreadful.
• Romance is at the heart of this novel. A desire to find true love, to be cherished by a man and pursued by him with honorable intentions. It's a beautiful dream and as a woman who sometimes feels like she's permanently single, I get the appeal of Edward. Note: married women who worship Edward creep me out so much I can't even describe the revulsion.
• Let's just say that Edward's side of the romance is from an adult perspective and Bella's side is from the teenage angst perspective. Meyer's somehow managed to combine the two, which is why I respect Edward's love and have very little sympathy with Bella's.
• Oh, and I am really liking Twilight, just in case you couldn't tell by my little critique. We'll see what happens throughout the rest of the book.

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Piers Morgan & Kirk Cameron

It's happened again. Another Christian being forced into an opinion on homosexuality and then named an ignorant bigot. Only this time that Christian is Kirk Cameron and the brute is Piers Morgan and I'm having a really hard time dealing with it. Piers is brutal in his opinions of people and always has been. He's hard to watch on America's Got Talent! because of that very problem. He rarely has anything nice to say about anyone. But I honestly didn't think he would stoop this low.

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Christian Vampire Fiction?

How is it possible for me to go merrily along in life one moment and be broiling towards a fellow Christian the next? Who is this unfortunate soul, you ask? No one I know personally, lucky for him and me. He's a narrow-minded individual even though he's saved by the same blood that covers me and all his fellow believers. Most of the time I love being a Christian, following Christ, learning His commandments and realizing how much He loves me. Then, sometimes, I meet a few of His other children that frustrate me no end.

There's a marvelous movement in the Christian publishing world right now, that of the vampire Christian fiction. Tracey Bateman has written a few books about vampires and there's another author Charity's reading at the moment that is also written from a religious viewpoint. I couldn't be happier! Why, you ask? Because what are the kids reading right now? Think about it. They're reading VAMPIRE books! The secular, sexy, unhealthy kind that gives them all kinds of bad, bad, very bad mental images.

Soooo, what is the teen market demanding? Vampire fiction. What should the Christian publishing world be giving them? Vampire fiction. It's a no-brainer to me. Imagine what good Christian writers can do with creatures who are potentially soulless and in need of redemption! Can there be redemption? Is it possible? Do they still have souls? There are all sorts of possibilities that can be examined if vampire fiction makes it into the Christian publishing market.

Which leads me back to my original paragraph that ranted without much detail. In my hunt online I ran across a brother in Christ, seemingly sane, who compares vampire Christian fiction with Christian porn. As in a, "If we allow this into the Christian world then this will follow." Say what? He belittled any Christians who read or watch anything to do with vampires. Now, I'm not saying this man has to read vampire Christian fiction. I don't read Amish fiction and have no opinion on it one way or the other. He can do the same. What troubles me the most, though, is how he is tearing something down that is just starting to make an impact. Authors are tentatively feeling the waters on this taboo subject matter. Loud and belligerent voices like his are only going to send them fleeing back to the types of books that every Christian author writes.

Whether he likes it or not there is a group of avid Christian readers who aren't being fed. Their literary interests are being ignored and they are those of us interested in fantasy, science fiction, and the supernatural realm. I LOVE these types of books but they are non-existent in the Christian publishing market right now. They're thought to be dangerous, evil, precipitating an unhealthy interest in magic and the supernatural. Hello? If Christians write these types of books, don't you think there will be some smidgeon of God's truth hidden in there somewhere? What about C.S. Lewis? Or J.R.R. Tolkien? The latter who, by the way, this blogger insulted, upsetting me even more.

What I'm really saying is that Christian readers who are avid lovers of these genres need to make their voices heard. We have to speak up or there will never be a genre added to Christian fiction for us. I, for one, don't want to see that happening. Fortunately I found a publisher whose original purpose, the reason for its existence, was to publish Speculative Christian Fiction as they have termed it. It's Marcher Lord Press and I encourage you to give their books a glance and see if your libraries carry any of them. If they don't, consider putting in a request. I know that's what I'm going to do!

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Friends & The Godfather

I've been lolling around the house today, a complete sloth of utter contentment. Such a lovely experience and one I revel in because it doesn't happen very often. It's the end of my finals week which included a philosophy paper on theories of truth and an essay on Cranford which I enjoyed soooooo much. I could actually care less about my grades, or maybe it's just that I'm worn out and the nervous waiting hasn't set in yet. I'm hoping it's just trusting that God has the grades in control. Which is most likely what this relaxation means.

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The Spirit of Fear

Fear is a funny thing. It can paralyze you to the point where you're most afraid, not of a physical object, but of the idea of sinning against God. It's the spiritual side of fear that has you locked down, not an actual activity you've engaged in. Weird topic, I know, but this concept of fear arose in one of my classes, the last week of school as it happens. I have a fellow classmate who, at this moment, appears to not have read the text this week, the text being The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I could be wrong and she did, but her post implies otherwise. Her excuse is that she would be opening herself up to evil by reading anything resembling horror and so she refuses. I'm actually a bit stunned because I find this approach to be very archaic.

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A Day of Romance (not what you think)

 

Everyone who knows me intimately knows that I'm not much moved by Valentine's Day. That's not to say I'm not romantic but when  you don't yet have a sweetie of your own, it's not that impressive of a holiday. That said though, sometimes Valentine's Day has its good points. Such as last Saturday. The library district I work for has been trying hard to plan different and exciting events. I mean, we're having an anime prom for the teens in May and my library branch actually had a rave last year. A RAVE! But I never actually expected them to try something so radically different as planning an entire event about Christian romance! I know, it's mushy and gooey and saccharine sweet, but when did that become so wrong? Romance writing isn't for everyone, but it is for a lot of people and they certainly deserve to have books written for them. Sometimes it's not the ultimate outcome of a book that matters but the journey itself. I like seeing how the hero and heroine get together. Knowing they'll get together is superfluous to the journey.

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