Books and Fate

I have finished the second book of the night. I intend to start a third.

The second book in question happens to be The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. It was good, but it took warming up to. I don't know if it was too close to me, too overdone, or too much of anything.

Right now I'm not sure if this voracious reading is entertainment or escape.

The thing is, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is more or less a book about fate. About how you are always affecting others and lives are always entwined with one another.

And I think, now:

If my parents had not come to school here, I would not be writing in English. I might not even exist. Was it fate?

If we hadn't moved when I was five, I might have gone to my friend's current school and thus met her and possibly all my other friends. Was it fate?

If I hadn't known so many of the people I do, I would not be this person. I could be someone far different. Were all of my encounters fate?

Fate has played a massive role in my life, I think. Fate and chance. My life sometimes feels as if it's on an edge, or a dartboard. Something random. I don't understand it.

I don't get how some people I meet seem to be like fictional characters. I don't grasp how I can have two languages and almost two lives. I don't see how I - me! - got the chance to be this way.

Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve it.

Nerdfighters, Nerdfighters everywhere

On Sunday, I went to a Nerdfighter gathering at the Prudential Center in Boston.

I arrived shortly after 2 with my ukulele, etc. and some Nerdfighters had already taken over one corner of the food court. They had already hijacked a lot of tables and made them into an L-shape. I helped more people (because more and more were arriving) make a little island in the middle of the L. We talked about fandoms and ages and things we'd done, tried to play Munchkin Space, tried to play Bang, and then I migrated to another corner. Then my girlfriend and her friends arrived and then we played a game with a beach ball covered with questions that somebody had ingeniously created. Then we took a group photo and thoroughly freaked out the rest of the food court by shouting, "DFTBA!"

Then we migrated to Barnes & Noble and played the "In Your Pants" game. If you're not familiar with it, it's the theory that if you add "In Your Pants" to any book title, it instantly becomes hilarious. Some of the best selections include:

That's the Way I Blow

Justin Bieber

Katy Perry

The Dust Bowl

Fire

World War II

The Casual Vacancy

You've Gotta Have Balls

and more, which I can't remember just now. We looked around for a while before finding "Must-Read Books by John Green."

Worship at the altar, worship at the altar.

And Harry Potter.

Worship at the altar, worship at the altar.

Then we went and looked at books and the rack of hand puppets which included a Hedwig-style snowy owl and a puffy hedgehog and a dog and a squirrel.

After the Barnes and Noble people were well and thoroughly freaked-out (and a lot of Nerdfighters had started to leave), we went and sat in a corner and played more beach ball question game. Then I had to leave, and everyone exchanged hugs.

I think it was one of the best days I've had lately. I've been told how lucky I am to have Nerdfighteria, and I really am. I think the whole world is lucky to have such a beautiful community. There are so many bad things in the world, so many people who say that we're only getting worse, that we're getting more and more apathetic. But then there's Nerdfighteria. And just as one lamp can light a room, Nerdfighteria gives hope where there might not be as much.

DFTBA!

Book Survey

1. Favorite childhood book?

Define "childhood." But anyway, when I was younger I really liked Boxcar Children books by Gertrude Chandler Warner (some name, right?). Then I read Harry Potter and I couldn't read anything else for two months. After that I liked pretentious award-winning books. I still do, I guess.

2. What are you reading right now?

Physics for Future Presidents by Richard A. Muller, The King Must Die by Mary Renault, various Batman comics, and rereading books from my library.

3. What books do you have on request at the library?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by I-forget-who, various Batman comics by various authors, etc. 

4. Bad book habit?

Insisting that I must keep reading even when I'm exhausted and my mind starts to wander so that I read whole pages and don't register a word. 

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?

Not including movies: All-Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder, volume 1 written by Frank Miller, Scrawl: a novel by Mark Shulman, Batman: Haunted Knight by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, Witness for the Prosecution, and other stories by Agatha Christie, Bad Boy: a memoir by Walter Dean Myers, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Now and Forever by Ray Bradbury, Tamar by Mal Peet, Batman and Son by Grant Morrison, Batman: Battle for the Cowl by Tony S. Daniel, Batman: Dark Victory by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, the aforementioned Physics for Future Presidents by Richard A. Muller, Gilgamesh, translated by Stephen Mitchell, The King Must Die by Mary Renault, The Batman Handbook by Scott Beatty, Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman, Catwoman: When in Rome by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, and A User's Guide to the Universe by Dave Goldberg and Jeff Blomquist.

That makes me look Batman-obsessed. Batman does not rival the magnitude of my other obsessions.

6. Do you have an e-reader?

Yeah. A nook.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?

It depends on the book. At the moment I am reading several less-engrossing books, but if they're really interesting, I'll figuratively swallow them whole one at a time. (Honestly, my throat can only take so much.)

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?

No? I don't think?

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)

Uhhh...I don't know...I haven't read bad books, really...

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?

The complete works of John Green. They're good enough that I bought them. (I read Looking for Alaska in late 2011 but whatever.)

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?

Often, I guess, but out of my comfort zone sort of is my comfort zone, if that makes any sense. Like I said, I like award-winning books, so I do read those. And I'd like to be well-read, so earlier this year I read Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing which was great, even though I didn't understand every word. I would like to read the great classics as well.

Also, my friend is going to a pretentious high school next year and I said I would read all the books on her summer reading list. Which admittedly are only four. But damn, they're high-end. Gilgamesh, The King Must Die, Physics for Future Presidents, and Gulliver's Travels. So yeah.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?

Everything except erotica and most sci-fi.

13. Can you read on the bus?

Yeah, usually. Sometimes I get queasy, but not often. 

14. Favorite place to read?

On my bed, on the couch, or on the front steps.

15. What is your policy on book lending?

I am horrible at getting books back to people (it once took me five years), so if someone asks I'll lend it to them but I'll be sure to try to get them back.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?

No. I am big on libraries and not buying books unless I really love them or I just should, so I try to preserve them as they are. That said, I did take a pencil and correct the it's-instead-of-its in Physics for Future Presidents. That is something that the next reader will benefit from, and will let me stop freaking out over it.

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?

Not usually. But see the previous question for a special case.

18. Not even with text books?

I wish I could. But most of them belong to the school. It would make it so much easier if I could write in them.

19. What is your favorite language to read in?

English. I ought to read more in Hebrew, especially as I've got some good books that aren't translated. I hate reading translations if I have the opportunity to read the original. I'd like to reach a level in French so that I could read all sorts of French literature.

20. What makes you love a book?

Good writing, believable characters, compelling plot.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?

1. If I really like it or 2. if I would like to discuss it with someone. Why else?

22. Favorite genre?

Middle-grade and YA fiction. No vampires.

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)

Nonfiction/biographies or maybe more classics.

24. Favorite biography?

I prefer biographies of fictional characters. ;) Not really, I just don't read very many biographies.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?

Unless you count The Feelings Book from American Girl, no, I don't think. 

26. Favorite cookbook?

I am not in the habit of reading cookbooks. However, The Crêpe-Makers' Pact by Julie Crabtree has some recipes in it. That was an enjoyable book.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?

Paper Towns or The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, or maybe The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

28. Favorite reading snack?

Anything?

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.

None that I can think of, but I'll come back to edit this if I do.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?

I try not to read reviews because they influence me. I know it sounds a little crazy, but their opinions will make me vaguely question my own.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?

I feel that if I don't like it, I don't have to say I like it.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?

French, German, or Russian. Just because I love languages.

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read? 

Can't think of any right now...

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I read a little bit and it creeped me out.

35. Favorite Poet?

I love poetry, but I don't have a favorite.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?

Around twenty.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?

A few times, just because they were 1. on hold or 2. overdue and not renewable.

38. Favorite fictional character? 

Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, Margo Roth Spiegelman, Hazel Grace Lancaster, Pudge Halter, Severus Snape.

39. Favorite fictional villain?

Severus Snape or Draco Malfoy. Amazing characters.

40. Books you’re most likely to bring on vacation?

I bring anything I can on vacation! Probably things I'm reading or am looking forward to reading.

41. The longest you’ve gone without reading.

Perhaps a month. It did not end well.

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein. But my brother has recently read/listened to it and I can't let him out-read me. 

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?

My thoughts. They are extremely loud.

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?

Hugo. We are calling The Invention of Hugo Cabret a novel, right?

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It did not scare me like it should have.

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?

Over $100, at Strand Bookstore in New York City. That's the only place I allow myself to buy books without having read them yet. 

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?

Never. Ever.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?

Slow plot. I can't deal with it!

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?

I used to. But since I just decided to give away a lot of my books, I haven't really kept them organized. I don't really have too many because of my commitment to not-buying-until-I-have-really-thought-about-it-long-and-hard, so organization isn't all that important, I just need them to be on the shelves.

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?

Keep and lend.

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?

Twilight. I REFUSE.

52. Name a book that made you angry.

Mockingjay. Just - so depressing and screwed-up. I felt horrible after reading that and I was already not the sanest of people, so that's definitely not good.

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?

Harry Potter, funnily enough. I had been avoiding it for a while because people had told me it was "scary" and "hard" so even when it was recommended to me, I didn't read it. Until my fourth-grade teacher read it aloud to us. Then I couldn't stop reading it. Still can't, really.

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?

Again: Mockingjay. WHY, Suzanne Collins, WHY?

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?

Rereading books I like. And I don't really read except for pleasure - I mean, I try to enjoy even assigned books. That said, I'm not a great fan of textbooks.

In which I seem to be crazier than usual

So, here I sit by my computer with languages jumbled in my head along with the blog post that started writing itself as I was setting the table for a dinner that my dad is out shopping for while my brother is watching Jeopardy downstairs and I am eating cereal (because, you know, cereal is awesome).

One of the strangest run on sentences I've ever written.

I went out and bought a few books today - The Hobbit and Fahrenheit 451 because they are classics that must be read and Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, and Paper Towns by John Green because they are awesome and hopefully someday they shall be classics that must be read.

I started re-reading Looking for Alaska because when I read it I hadn't read any of his other books yet and besides I was all depressedly screwed-up (or anyway, more depressedly screwed-up than I am now) and probably read it slightly differently.

People, you have to read this book. And all of John's books. But heck, if you haven't read any of them, stop reading this blog post now and go to your bookstore or library or website of choice and get it somehow. Break-in may be necessary if it's past closing time. But even if you get chucked in jail for a bit, you know, you'll have read the book.

And I know it's controversial and whatever, which sort of startled me when I first read it (prepare for extreme profanity), I've become someone who swears more often now (though thankfully enough I don't smoke) so that part doesn't bother me that much.

I can so relate to these characters. Oh my freaking Rowling, just read it.

I have absolutely no idea what to put as the title

Right...yes...

I am obsessed with my ukulele which I got when I was three and only got interested in like four days ago. Ukuleles are super cool. I can now play "Time to Reply" by Charlie McDonnell (charlieissocoollike on the YouTubes). My goal is to be able to play "The Big Bang 2" by Chameleon Circuit, but that might be a while. It's not like I don't know the chords, I just can't transition between them quickly, and that is a fast song.

Back in America. Everything is so American.

"Things are thingy." ~ Hank Green

I should probably continue unpacking...or really, sorting my books, because it bothers me so much that they're messy that I can't do anything else.

A Piece of Brilliance

So I was watching John Green's video about Book Expo and towards the end he said this:

"In our hyper-secular world, worship is still inevitable. But it's vital to remember that our gods don't choose us. We choose them."

~ John Green

And I think that is just amazingly true.  John Green is an amazing author. If you haven't read his books, I encourage you to do so.

DFTBA!

You Shall Not Run

So I've found that when I sit in one place and do nothing (specifically, while watching YouTube or Doctor Who or reading) my nose runs less.

I am resolved to move as little as possible today. Not that that's a major deviation from what I normally do when provided with a computer and a library and some art stuff.

By the way, has anyone else realized the irony of saying that "feet smell" and "noses run?" No? Okay, fine, I'm alone.

Though I would like to mention that when the great lexicographer Samuel Johnson was told by a lady that he "smelled," he said, "No, madam: you smell; I stink." There you go, nice tidbit of knowledge for you. Now you should probably go look up "lexicographer," because in all respect you probably don't know what it means.

Nookify

I brought my nook to school today.

"Is that a Samsung Galaxy?"
"No. It's for reading books."
"From outside the country?"
"Yeah."

"What's that?"
"It's for reading books."
"Whoa, cool!" ("cool" was substituted for various words - "awesome," "great," etc.)

"What the hell is that?" (although they used much worse language)
"It's for reading books."
"God, what do you do with your life?"
"Stuff...or, in your view, nothing."
"I can see that."

Books. Are. Cool.

Wednesday

Normally I hate Wednesdays. They're the longest school days of the week - 8:45-2:45 - and it's annoying, even though in America I was at school for longer each day. The main reason of my dislike of Wednesdays is that I have three double classes - three classes of ninety minutes each, plus a forty-five minute class. It's tedious.

However, today seemed to be more okay than usual. I mean, obviously Grammar class was boring as ever, but we always have recess between the two classes and the teacher generally arrives at least ten minutes late for the second class. Israeli Heritage is an alright class anyway, and it was forty-five minutes. Besides which, it was quite an interesting conversation-class to listen to (sometimes I like listening to debates more than participating in them).

Then came English.

Now, obviously I'll be the first of my class to say that English is awesome, for obvious reasons. It's nice to have an opportunity to speak English to a teacher because you have to. Although I suppose the thing I like best is that I can make a total mess of the languages and every person in the room will understand. Unless I use really big words, like sesquipedalian. Which is an awesome word which means "a person fond of long words."

But today's first English class was one of the awesomest ones ever. Why? Because there was no class. Later (in the second class) we found out that our teacher had been with a student in the library and had forgotten entirely that she was supposed to teach our first class (a variation of this has happened before). I had hilarious conversations with my friends who are boys (NOT boyfriends, just to be clear, and I am not a polyandrist). Over the course of these conversations I realized that (1) I have had more ease in making friends with boys here than girls and (2) my friends who are boys have exceedingly perverted views of the world. I also swore a few times, at which they kind of stared at me for a few moments before going back to their own (and rather more heavily-loaded with profanity) points to make.

In the second class, the teacher came in, which was a sad end to our hilarity, because we had to complete a quiz. It was okay in the end, though.

After that we had math, which is usually the boringest of borings. (And yes, I know "boringest" is not a word!) But today another of my friends who are boys sat next to me. He's a math genius, so half of the lesson was us sniggering in the back of the class, laughing at the "leaning tower of Pisa"s we'd made by sticking our pens in holes in the desk (apparently, someone in a class before us was really, really bored and in possession of something sharp), and the other half was him answering questions intelligently and going through the class/homework faster than anyone else.

It was a good day. At least until I re-injured my back in ballet class (I injured it on Sunday and I thought it had healed). What will I tell the PE teacher tomorrow? I had to sit out last class too...sigh...

Seize the Story by Victoria Hanley

If you are a writer, I encourage you to read this book. If not, well...you may still find it interesting, but certainly this is meant directly for "teens who like to write" as it says on the cover.

At first when I looked around for writing advice books I came up with some nice ones. Yeah, they're all nice. I haven't yet read the favorite recommendation of professionals that is Bird by Bird, but I've read Seize the Story by Victoria Hanley; that should count for something, shouldn't it?

On a side note, has anyone else noticed that "seize" is one of the 927 words in the English language that break "i before e except after c?" Because of those words, it is no longer taught in schools.

Continuing with the subject at hand.

So I was reading through all these things talking about writing and publishing, and then I came across Seize the Story. This is not only a helpful guide but also fun to read. Yeah, it goes into grammar and "show don't tell" and things like that, but it's not dry in the least. It's the only writing book I've actually bought besides Writer's Market. It's the only book I dragged along here.

So.

Open up your local library's homepage and search Seize the Story to make sure they have it. If not, get it somewhere else. But to any writers: I do encourage you to read it.

Quote of The Week: I Procrastinated Edition

Yeah, what the title says. I was sitting around reading Paper Towns instead of doing any work, which I distinctly paid for last night. Oh well, it was kind of worth it. Especially because I got a quote from there! I actually have more, but this one is the only one I have so far committed to memory because it's the shortest.

"Ninjas don't splash other ninjas."

~Paper Towns by John Green

Hear that? Any ninjas out there, you better not be splashing.

It's Kind of a Funny Story: Book Recommendation!

Today I finished It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, a book which was actually recommended to me by a friend.

The book is about Craig, a freshman at a very competitive high school, who is depressed. He doesn't exactly know why - all he knows is that it's hard to do anything, hard to get up in the morning, hard to get through school, hard to deal with the pressure, hard to stomach any food at all. His grades are going down and it becomes a cycle. Finally it becomes so hard that he almost tries to kill himself, so he checks himself into a hospital. There he attempts to find recovery, or as he calls it, "The Shift," something he's been trying but unable to do for a long time, even with the help of therapists and psychologists.

This book really spoke to me because I have been through some of it. I got depressed for the same reason as Craig, and although I could always eat and I wasn't suicidal, he thinks the same thoughts as I did and looks at the world the same way. He also has the same thoughts about getting out of it - he knows he has to because if he keeps living like that he'll die. I don't know how reading it would be for someone who was never depressed, but it is a very powerful book.

Cups of tea: 33

My pathetic library

So in my room here I have two closets. One I use for clothes and the other I sort of share with the rest of my family as a storage space. Which includes my library.

Guess how many physical items are in the corner of one shelf? Three. The Fault in Our Stars, Seize the Story, and my nook. The nook does have about ten titles or so on it, so you could count that. But that's still pretty pathetic, don't you agree? My nook actually has more books on it than the rest of the library put together. That's not hard to do, of course, but still...where are my overflowing shelves back in America?

Cups of tea: 30

Quote of the Week

I really super extra want to put a quote from TFiOS in here, but I do not want to be spoilerful. So here is a quote that is found in TFiOS but is also found in one of John's YouTube videos. At least, something similar is found there.

*SEMI-SPOILER ALERT BUT SOMETHING LIKE THE QUOTE IS ALSO ON YOUTUBE SO WHATEVER*

"...Never was Shakespeare more wrong than when he had Cassius note, 'The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars / but in ourselves.' Easy enough to say when you're a Roman nobleman (or Shakespeare!) but there is no shortage of fault to be found amid our stars."

-Peter Van Houten in The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

TFiOS was AWESOME. Read it.

Cups of tea: 26

J'ai fini!

So I proclaimed when I finished The Fault in Our Stars, aka the book that has officially topped my favorites list.

I am not going to hand out any spoilers. I want everyone to have the same experience I did when reading this wonderful will-be classic. As John Green himself said he hoped it would, it made me feel ALL OF THE THINGS! I did cry, I laughed more than once, it made me think. It is a beautiful work of fiction that somewhere, sometime, in some other parallel life, is true. Fiction is what we call something that isn't real in our world. But it's real, in a place that we call Imagination. Writers spend a lot of time there.

This book made me cry, but unlike Feed and Mockingjay, it did not make me feel depressed afterwards. I do not know if depression has left me. I do not care. Today it has at least gone on vacation. I am hoping very much that it stays there.

Now I have to, in some point in my life, read An Imperial Affliction, if it exists. I strongly encourage you to read TFiOS. It is the best book I've read in a while. And in the acknowledgements, he thanked Nerdfighters for being awesome! That's me! (And hopefully you as well...)

Cups of tea: 26

What's in that box?

TFiOS is holy, there's no arguing. It must be preserved, perfect and pristine and SIGNED.

But I wanted to read it in school. In English class you get bonus points if you're reading when the teacher comes in, so that was one reason, and another was that I just wanted to damn well read it.

So what did I do?

I took the box in which the holy book came in and took it to school with the book in it. The book survived this long in that box with no damage whatsoever, so it was a pretty good place to put it.

However, by second period, people began asking me, "What's in that box?" One girl (incidentally another Shira) told me to take the book out and toss the box. NO, I responded, I WILL NOT. It is HOLY. One girl actually recognized the book (on account of the fact that her sister is reading it - I want to meet this sister!).

Today, because I was looking at the box in class out of boredom, I discovered the more than slight over-cautiousness of Israeli security. There is a note on the package that commands you to remember if you were expecting a package. If not, well, it only says to talk to the people at the post office. No telling what they would do with it. Possibly try to detonate it.

I also discovered a sticker in French that informs me of the fact that my book has been to France and Germany. This would never have happened if I had been back in America! So even though it's later than I would have procured it in America, it's pretty awesome that the book has so far been through three continents.

Cups of tea: 25?

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS IS HERE AND IT'S HOLY

Exactly what the title says.

And why is it holy?

Because John Green signed it. HE ACTUALLY HAS PHYSICALLY SIGNED IT. His signature is red, if you were wondering. Most of them were green. Some were purple. I got red. I cannot put into words how excited I am for it to BE HERE.

The reason John Green is so amazing is because he is a leader of Nerdfighteria and he's a brilliant author. Yes, John, if every you stumble across this blog post, which it is very likely you won't, I want you to know that you are one of my role models. I want to be able to write as powerfully as you can. Not better than you (because frankly, that would be close to impossible) but I would like to move people with words. As you do. And besides that you're a great YouTuber with views that I mostly agree with. I say mostly because I have not seen all of your videos.

Why am I addressing someone who will likely never read this post? I have no idea. Do not question the bipolar depressed lunatic. Which I am pretty close to being, really, if I'm not that yet.

Cups of tea: 24

To the Post Office!

So just now, we went to the post office to pick up a package which my mom thought was some sheet music for the Magnificat she's playing in a few weeks, but NO! Guess what it was!

It's so exciting!

IT'S THE FAULT IN OUR STARS! BY JOHN GREEN! THE BOOK THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE MID-FEBRUARY! AHHH!

Now I shall open it...