{Lindsay} 13-19

I'm feeling really lazy with these write-ups lately, so I'm a bit behind. Hopefully this post won't be as long as my last one..

First in this batch was The Princess Bride by William Goldman. I've been a huge fan of the movie adaptation for years, but this was only my first time reading the book. There were only a few things that the movie changed from the book, but they weren't very big changes, so there weren't any weird plot or character differences between the two. What I like about the book, though, is that Goldman presents his own original story as a translation of someone else's novel. He even includes fake reviews that reference the "original," non-translated version, and includes notes explaining where he "abridged" his supposed translation to make the story more interesting. I have no idea why he did this, but it definitely adds a nice meta layer to the novel.

Next was Stardust by Neil Gaiman, another book adapted to film where I fell in love with the film before even knowing it was based on a book. This was another really enjoyable read, though the movie did change more things for the sake of adding humor. I think the book has a more serious and mystical feel to it, whereas the film definitely has more comedic elements that make the serious and fantastical parts that were left in seem a bit forced and awkward, and not as genuine as they come across in the book. Regardless, I very much enjoy both (though for very different reasons) and I'd really like to read more of Gaiman's other works.

After that was some more Vonnegut, this time in the form of Breakfast of Champions. I dunno, I really enjoy his style, but I always feel like I'm missing something in his novels, though I'm not sure if I actually am or if I'm just trying to read more into them than is actually necessary. Whatever. I'd like to take a class on him or something.

Next was a wee trip down memory lane. I read Mossflower, Mariel of Redwall, and The Bellmaker by Brian Jacques. These are all part of his Redwall series that he started in the mid 80s and that I started reading in fourth grade. They're definitely young adult fantasy books, but they were a really big part of my childhood, and at one point a few years ago I got to meet Brian Jacques at a booksigning in Middletown and he autographed my favorite book of his. Good times! At this point I read them purely for nostalgic purposes, so it's clearer now where the writing is super awkward, and that every book follows the same basic formula, but overall they're well-written and very engaging. It's easy to get sucked into one and finish it within a day. I'll probably be reading more before the year is out.

Finally for this batch was Superstud by Paul Feig. For anyone out there that enjoys Freaks and Geeks, this guy was involved. It's great to read his autobiographical works (his other one is called Kick Me) and discover bits of Freaks and Geeks plotlines in his life. This particular book is all about his dating woes, and how he didn't have sex until he was 24. He's a really amusing writer, and the things that happened to him were in themselves funny, so I definitely enjoyed this one.

Now I'm reading a book on metaphors, a book on American eating habits, and a book on human dominionism over the rest of the natural world. I have a huge pile to get through after that, so I'm hoping I can catch up my book-to-week count soon before school starts up again. I should be able to do it in the next two months . . .