Happiness is a Bookstore

I can think of very little that makes me happier than a bookstore. Bookstores with coffee shops are particularly great. The smell of freshly-brewed coffee and literature is just wonderful. Though not a coffee drinker myself, I can't help but want to curl up in one of the nice leather armchairs, commonly found at bookstore, with a warm cup of coffee and read the book I've just purchased. I have been in a rut recently, opting to watch television rather than read. Now my bookshelf is full of lovely, unread books but none of them were appealing to me at the moment. Therefore, a couple of days ago I made trip to Barnes and Noble in search of a new novel. I first headed to the "young adult" section of the store (because its right by the door) and it turned out to be a MASSIVE disappointment for two reasons. Reason one: I recently watched Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement, maybe on ABC Family. I'm a sucker for a good love story so naturally I am fan of the movie. I decided that maybe I should read the books by Meg Cabot because they were good enough to be made into two movies. A lot of my friends read them in the middle school  years and I never did, so I figured I was missing out on something good because like I said they were made into movies. I wanted to start on the book that the second movie is based on because its my favorite of the two, and here comes massive disappointment number one: the second movie is not based on a book at all! In fact, Disney seems to have packed to whole series into the first movie! Needless to say, I did not get the book. While browsing the rest of the section looking for anything interesting I stumble across massive disappointment number two: Barnes and Noble has at least four sections of a bookshelf dedicated to "Teen Paranormal Romance." I am slightly confused as to what this entails. Is it strictly limited to our vampire and werewolf friends? Or does it expand to include the whole realm of mythical creatures like ghosties and unicorns? It's hard to say based on the covers (I was too lazy to actually pick up the books and read the backs). Nearly every book that falls under the category of "Teen Paranormal Romance" shares the same dark color palette and picture/graphic that attempts, in vain, to look intriguingly scary. Leaving the teen section empty-handed, I ventured to the expansive fiction section to look at the gloriously cheap Barnes and Noble classics. In an attempt to become more "well-read," I've decided to work my way through all the classics or at least those that are of interest to me. My latest selection is William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair. Though nearly seven hundred pages long, I am really excited to start reading it!

All the Pretty Horses - Post 4

This reading covered pages ninety-seven to one hundred and thirty-two. In the previous reading assignments, very little was said concerning horses leaving me wondering how the book got its title. Chapter two certainly makes up for the lack of horses in the prior sections. John Grady and Rawlins find work as cowboys on the Hacienda de Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion (which translate to Ranch of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception if you were wondering), a ranch owned by Don Hector Rocha y Villareal. After the boys work there for a couple days, a “spooky bunch of horses” is brought to the ranch. The sixteen colts, once wild, are frightened of the humans because in the words of John Grady “they’ve never seen a man afoot.” John Grady decides he wants to “break” every colt in four days. As soon as they start this task, John Grady excels in handling the little horses, speaking to them calming and explaining everything he plans to do. John Grady’s natural instincts contribute to his role as the Western hero of the novel. His innate ability to train the wild horses indicts that he belongs in the West.

"The Obligation to Be Happy"

"The Obligation to Be Happy" by Linda Pastan describes a woman (this can be inferred by references to housework and "narrow shoulders") failed attempts to be happy not for herself but for others. She says happiness is harder to maintain than love and beauty yet it is "expected of her casually." She puts of a façade of cheerfulness despite her inner sadness. She puts on a happy face to please those around her "as if her own fidelity to sadness were a hidden vice." She compares her obligation to be happy liking bearing the weight of "a knapsack heavy with gold coins."

All the Pretty Horses - 20 Questions

1. We mentioned in class that John Grady is a possible Christ figure. Is there in evidence of this in section one?
2. Why does Rawlins dislike Blevins so much?
3. Why is Blevins so private?
4. What is John Grady's relationship with his mother like? His father?
5. Why was it so easy for John Grady and Rawlins to leave everyone they know?
6. Why does Blevins leave the table at the boys' first stop in Mexico?
7. Do you think Rawlins and John Grady will see Blevins again? Why?
8. What does Blevins's persistence in retrieving his horse show about him?
9. We know very little about Blevins's past. How do you think he learned to be such a good rider and shooter?
10. How do the boys react when they first reach Mexico?
11. In what ways is John Grady a frontier hero?
12. What does the poverty of Mexico say about the ideal American conception of frontier life and the West?
13. Why does a man try to purchase Blevins?
14. Why does John Grady not want to tell Blevins about the man trying the buy him?
15. Why is Blevins so terrified of thunderstorms?
16. Why doesn't any body the boys run into find it odd or concerning that three teenagers are riding around Mexico alone?
17. Do you think Rocha is the girl Rawlins and John Grady saw riding?
18. Why is Blevins's horse so important to him?
19. Why does Rawlins continue to doubt that the horse actually belongs to Blevins?
20. What do you think the future holds for John Grady and Rawlins at this point in the novel?

The King's Speech

I just saw The King's Speech and by just I mean like maybe an hour ago. It was fabulous! It is based on the true story of King George VI, the father of current Queen Elizabeth. King George or Bertie as he is referred to in the movie (his first name is Albert) is trying to overcome a speech impediment he has had nearly his whole life. At the start of the movie, he is not King George but simply Prince Albert. As prince, he must go about his royal duties giving various speeches and making public appearances. Due his impediment, the speeches terrify him but he has tried almost everything to cure himself of it. His wife then seeks the help of elocution coach Lionel Logue. After much hard work and training, they have vastly improved Bertie's speech. Soon, however, the need to give impediment-free speeches becomes much more important as Albert is thrust into the position of king after the death of his father and abdication of his older brother with England on its way to entering World War II. The fact that this movie may not seem interesting to teenagers became apparent to me when my friend and I were the only people in the audience under thirty-five but the movie is not boring at all. It was witty, smart, and entertaining and I think everyone should go see it.

What?!?!

I think I am having an identity crisis. I have been reading the wrong horoscope for years! Apparently, due to a change in the Earth's alignment all the zodiac signs have changed! Not only that but there are not twelve signs of the zodiac but thirteen! The new sign is called Ophiuchus and falls between November 29th to December 17th. Check out your new sign:

Capricorn: Jan. 20 - Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16 - March 11
Pisces: March 11- April 18
Aries: April 18 - May 13
Taurus: May 13 - June 21
Gemini: June 21 - July 20
Cancer: July 20 - Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10 - Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16 - Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30 - Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23 - Nov. 29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29 - Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17 - Jan. 20

All the Pretty Horses - Post 2

While reading All the Pretty Horses, I noticed towards the beginning of the assigned reading that John Grady's town is pulling away from the western culture (I think that is what you would call it). San Angelo is modernizing, and John Grady and Rawlins, the Frontier Heroes they are, resent it. The boys are moving away from the civilization and seek a more untamed environment. A conversation between the protagonists reveals their displeasure with San Angelo:

How the hell do they expect a man to ride a horse in this country? said Rawlins

          They don't, said John Grady.

As the boys continue their journey to Mexico, the modernization of America becomes even more apparent. Highways have been built where horses and cattle once freely roamed. Rawlins comments on the surprisingly small number of cattle in the area. Stores no longer cater to the needs of cowboys as seen when the store had no feed. Rawlins and John Grady are even suspiciously watched as they saddle their horses. The boys are beginning the separation stage of the hero quest or in this case the frontier hero quest. They're pulling away from the civilized, refined American civilization and heading into the free, untamed Mexican wilderness.

A Day Lost on the Internet

Still under the impression that school was just delayed two hours, I woke up at eight this morning only to find out not soon after that school was in fact cancelled! To my misfortune, I was past the point of no return and therefore unable to go back to bed. I would like to say I spent the day reading books but in actuality all I did was read blogs. The music video above is on the blog of a cousin of a friend and it's made completely of individual hand painted watercolors! And song's not bad either! Below are some pictures from this other blog I stumbled upon called prettybooks (Link: http://prettybooks.tumblr.com/). As you've probably guessed, it's a blog all about books. The blog dares you to take the 50 Book Challenge which is reading the fifty books from the challenge list in a year or less. I almost took the challenge but one book series on the list stopped me. I know I will regret saying (typing?) this because I will probably start receiving hate mail from J.K. Rowling's loyal fans, but that series is Harry Potter. But if anyone is interested in the challenge here's the link:
http://prettybooks.tumblr.com/50bookchallenge

The Poe Toaster to come nevermore?

The Poe Toaster

I don't know of this is of any interest to anyone but being that the following post is book/literature related I thought I would share it here. I'm not sure if anyone knows this, but next week on January 19th is Edgar Allan Poe's birthday. Every year since 1949 an unknown man has come to his grave in Baltimore on that date leaving three roses and a half filled bottle of French cognac in tribute to the late author. This man has become known as the Poe Toaster. The original toaster is thought to have died in 1998 and the tradition was passed onto another. However, last year for the first time since 1949 the Poe Toaster did not make his annual visit. Now the question is will he be absent again this year? Update to come next Wednesday!

Update:
The Poe Toaster did not come again this year which has me very concerned that the tradition might be over for good.

All the Pretty Horses - Post 1

My first impression of All the Pretty Horses was, "I like this book." Though the lack of an exposition has made the story rather ambiguous thus far, it also has given me the desire to continue reading to find out all the missing information. Each sentence is almost like a mini cliffhanger. Even within the first thirty pages bits of information are revealed and John’s story is becoming clearer. His parts of his past are mainly exposed through character unmarked dialogue (which, at least in my mind, adds to the ambiguity of the story).

            In addition to the vagueness, McCarthy’s imagery also stood out to me. The simple, clear descriptions make ordinary things and events, excuse the cliché, extraordinary. This particular passage caught my attention:

“Sometimes at night after supper he’d walk to the road and catch a ride into town and walk the streets or he’d stand outside the hotel on Beauregard Street and look up at the room on the fourth floor where his father’s shape or father’s shadow would pass behind the gauzy window curtains and then turn back and pass back again like a sheetiron bear in a shooting-gallery only slower, thinner, more agonized.”

The nearly ghostly image of John’s father really demonstrates the brutal effect the divorce has had on him. A combination the uncertainty of the story and McCarthy’s simple yet interesting imagery will certainly have me reading ahead.

This is my first post, so I thought it would be appropriate to explain the name of my blog.

I’m generally horrible at naming things so I looked to the Beatles to title my blog. She Said She Said is from Revolver, one of my favorite Beatles albums. I thought it was a pretty clever name for a blog because I mean what I post is what I say. . .but anyways please enjoy recording of She Said She Said! (Also, please excuse the lack of a music video. I don't think they had them when the Beatles were around.)