Cristina's Library

January 7, 2012

Every Thing On It

A spider lives inside my head
Who weaves a strange and wondrous web
Of silken threads and silver strings
To catch all sorts of flying things,
Like crumbs of thought and bits of smiles
And specks of dried-up tears,
And dust of dreams that catch and cling
For years and years and years…

So begins the touching, magical, and often hilarious, collection of 145 previously unpublished poems from beloved children’s author Shel Silverstein. I read the book in one sitting on New Year’s Day, and absolutely loved it. Reading children’s poetry and books at this age helps me to realize even more clearly the underlying messages in them. A number of lines stood out to me, a few of them I’ve listed below:

This surely ain’t the magic
I was hopin’.
I guess in life it all depends
Which magic flask you open. – THE GENIE IN THE FLASK

She had blue skin
And so did he.
He kept it hid
And so did she.
They searched for blue
Their whole life through.
Then passed right by–
And never knew. – MASKS

Though it’s a posthumous publication put together by his family and original editor, Shel’s spirit and input is felt within every page, and the design of it stays true to his previous works. If you’ve read Where The Sidewalk Ends or The Giving Tree (which always brings tears to my eyes), you will love this never-before-seen collection. It’s one of those books that needs to be in everyone’s library. Like his other books, you will go back to it over and over throughout your life, and, eventually, pass it on. Shel Silverstein was one of those rare and masterful writers who penned works ostensibly for children, but with so much beauty and truth and humor that they can touch that last, faded remnant of innocence that even the crabbiest adults still have deep down in their shriveled little souls. Please do yourselves a favour and read this book!

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January 7, 2012

Reading Challenge 2012

Hello, 2012!
It still feels so weird to write 2012. I couldn’t be more excited for this year, and all of the surprises that are bound to come my way, as they always do. January 1st was an overcast, dark, rain-splattered Sunday, one of those afternoons that are so gloomy they are inspiring. I was scrolling through my Twitter timeline, when I noticed SavvyReader post about their 50 Book Pledge, an initiative that began at HarperCollins Canada last year, and I decided to get on board. The great thing about it is that it’s not competitive, intimidating, exclusive or set in stone – it can be 50 books, or 20, or 10. The most important part of the pledge is not the number of books you read, but the time that you make to read what you love. It’s a fun and wonderful way to encourage us to finally get started on the books we want to read, or have had on our minds for a while – and for me, that’s many! So far, hundreds of people have accepted the challenge, and made it their own.
Though my mom does not have Twitter (Facebook is enough social media for her at the moment), I’ve convinced her to set a challenge, too. She plans to read 10 books this year, ones that she has always been dying to start. I’ve pledged to read 100 books, and have tentatively started a list on Goodreads, though what I read next always changes depending on how I feel when I finish one book, or on a particular day. There are so many stories I can’t wait to delve into! I’d also like to include at least 10 non-fiction books (so far, Sleeping With the Enemy: Coco Chanel’s Secret War is on my list), so if you have any suggestions, please let me know! Stay tuned for my reviews/updates as I go along. And join the pledge: tweet with the hashtag #50BookPledge to get involved, read recommendations, and connect with other bookworms 🙂
Happy reading!
Cristina

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December 31, 2011

Two thousand (and eleven) memories

Today, I opened a Baci chocolate that said, on the little slip of paper wrapped snugly around it, “Love can hope where reason would despair.” Heckle me all you want, but I love to indulge in fortune cookies, horoscopes, messages from sidewalk graffiti, ghostly superstition, and the mysterious shapes of clouds at opportune moments. And because of these guilty pleasures, I believe that little Baci chocolate is a startlingly accurate summary of the past year, and a good projection of what’s to come. 2011 has shown me that logic, reality, finance, and reason take a backseat when passion is driving you. This is the mentality that I always want to carry with me.

With the close of 2011 comes a feeling of relief and anticipation. This year has felt like what I often refer to as a “buffer” book in a series – the one needed to explain backstories, flesh out ideas or plans, tie up loose ends, and set up the drama for the final book. Think Half-Blood Prince, or Catching Fire. So much has happened this year! There were many downs, but many more ups.

The good points shine out in my memory, vivid and sharp, a slow-motion mélange of images – graduating from university, completing a post-grad program and a publishing internship, living downtown, midnight dinners, friendships made, plans laid, good nights, new sights, New York City. It all feels so long ago, and just like yesterday, at the same time.

My friend, Ikhlas, wrote a precise and beautiful blog post on the question many of us hate to answer — “What is it that you do?” She lists seamstress, artist, and magician. I’ll add another of my own to the list: dreamer. All of my dreams come true in my imagination…and on paper. The most concrete things I learned this past year, in school and in life, have been about myself. I want to write. I want to travel more.

I’m looking forward to 2012…something tells me it’s going to be a fantastic, scary year. But all things beautiful are equally terrifying. When I asked my dad if he thought the world would end next year, he replied, “It already has. Everyone’s living for the wrong reasons.” How right he is. I feel little worry about Nostradamus/Mayan predictions – that’s one prophechy I don’t subscribe to. The Earth is stronger than any of us. Though our own society may be crumbling, the world is just fine. It’s the people that need to change. It’s us that need to understand the universe we live in, and all the ones that we create. Here’s to life, love, happiness, and doing it all for the right reasons.

Happy New Year, everyone.

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December 25, 2011

Have yourself a Merry little Christmas…

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December 6, 2011

New Moon

Surprisingly, I enjoyed this book. Why?

JACOB BLACK.

New Moon is a definite improvement for Meyer — not much, but an improvement all the same. There was a broody, melancholy feel to it, and I couldn’t put it down. It starts with Bella’s 18th birthday party, where Jasper can’t control his vampire tendencies and unintentionally tries to attack her after she gives herself a papercut. (Wouldn’t Alice have seen that coming? Hm.) Edward decides to leave Forks out of fear for Bella’s safety and soul, and out of love for her — he wants her to lead a normal human life, and carry on without him. Finally, he did something right. Except that the breakup goes something like this:

Edward says to Bella firmly, “No, I don’t want you to come. You’re no good for me.” And she basically agrees with him, thinking to herself that she is such a waste of space, and that it was all too good to be true. She then abandons all female dignity by racing after him in the woods, and laying down to cry in the mud.
Pull it together, woman.

In this situation, most women would grieve for some time, then realize it was for the best, pick up and carry on. Not Bella. Meyer portrays Bella as incapable of existence without Edward, morphing into a bleak, depressed zombie. I was waiting for the book to show that she can take care of herself, be her own woman, learn from this, gain some self-respect. Instead, months go by without change. 4 blank pages with the words October, November, December, and January depict this.

Don’t get me wrong — I do sympathize with her. It’s not easy for anyone to bear a breakup and, often, months do go by in a sad daze. But the screaming nightmares, dark, morbid thoughts, and suicide attempts were all a bit too much for me. I picture Bella as more of a fan than a girlfriend, and something in their relationship is lacking for me. What are the reasons Edward can’t live without Bella, and Bella without Edward? Why do they love each other? Nothing is given, other than he is beautiful and her blood sings to him.

But, like their weird and obsessive love, this series is inexplicably addictive.

The big change happens when Bella starts hanging out with Jacob Black, who essentially saves her from herself. He is a true and loyal friend. This is blossoming love to me: human warmth. Friendship. Little moments of connection that ring true. This is what she has with Jacob. I understood and loved their relationship, because he was real. He was an original character. I was pleasantly surprised with his characterization — he has a personality, a history, faults and triumphs. He is the only character who felt multi-faceted and normal. He’s friendly, warm, slightly cocky, good-natured and fun. He (for some reason) really cares for, and loves, Bella. She loves and cares for him. Jacob is the redeeming force of the Twilight series for me.

The book continues with Bella and Alice racing to Italy to save Edward from death at the hands of the Volturi (read: evil Vampire rulers). I was upset that there is hardly any detail to this part, which I thought was really interesting and poignant. The Volturi are wicked and evil and intriguing all at once, and it would have been nice if the entire event lasted longer than 1 rushed day. Meyer introduces a fascinating history, but really does not delve into it. It’s as though substantial writing is out of her comfort zone.

A few things bothered me while reading this book. One: Bella is extremely selfish. She spends time with Jacob in order to take her mind off of Edward — she uses him, and admits it to herself. She puts herself in dangerous situations just to imagine Edward’s admonishing voice, as her deranged mind starts to do. The Jacob plot becomes sadly overshadowed by the “I have such a huge hole in my heart, I miss Edward” whining for 200 pages. I felt so sorry for Jacob. He deserves better.

Two: Stephenie Meyer has the audacity to align her book with Romeo & Juliet in direct reference, and Wuthering Heights. Please.

Three: How can Edward and Bella kiss? It’s been bugging me since Book 1. I know it’s fictional, but it states somewhere that “in place of human fluids, there was venom“…isn’t there venom in his kiss, too? I’m just confused. The author really didn’t explain herself or think a lot of the details out. Sometimes it feels as though she wrote 50 pages in one sitting and never looked back on them to edit. She repeats herself so much, yet explains very little.

Oh yeah, and Victoria is still around, wanting revenge against Edward & Bella for James’ death. She’s loosely giving this series a plot, but we hear very little about her. On to Eclipse…

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