On The Shelf

The next book on the shelf is a very enriching novel about the life of a boy in Afghanistan named Kite Runner. The interesting title actually stems from an Afghani tradition, kite fighting. During the winter months, the town boys would work in pairs to either buy or craft a kite to be flown in a tournament. The tournament has a unique twist; each of the kites has a string that is coated in ground glass. The kite flyer attempts to maneuver the kite and its line to cut the string of another kite flying in the tournament. The winner is considered the last kite flying. It is also a tradition that the boys chase after the final kite to fall from the sky, these boys were known as kite runners. It was not uncommon for fights to breakout over the fallen kite because it was considered a magnificent honor to recover the final kite and this novel wraps around the tragedy that befell one child while recovering the kite. The main character witnesses the horror that befalls his friend within the darkened alley way, and the novel illustrates the psychological effect the rape had on both the victim and the witness as the two slowly drift apart. The novel is a fantastic read, tracing the progression of the schism between the family due to this tragedy and as a result of external cultural prejudice.

Nominated Posts

My top post picks (no particular order)

"Ocean's music has been characterized by music writers as idiosyncratic in style. Ocean generally plays the electronic keyboard, and is backed by a subdued rhythm section in the production. His compositions are often mid-tempo and feature unconventional melodies, occasionally having experimental song structure. Whenever I'm in the mood to pause and slow this life down a bit, or if I want to ponder about my "sophisticated" high school romances, I choose Frank."
http://chranderson.blogspot.com/

"...The basis of the plot is Tiger Lily’s decision between marrying a terrible man in her own tribe and running away to an uncertain future with Peter (because they fell in love). I found myself conflicted as well; it is always difficult to choose between going with your heart or with your head. Tiger Lily was always the mischievous native in Peter Pan the movie, but this novel shows another side of this dynamic character in adventures involving bravery, family, and of course, love."
http://drysuitwetwater.blogspot.com/

On the Shelf

This week I bring to you the final update for the novel, “The Hobbit”. I just finished the great novel last night while half-way paying attention to one of those wonderful made-for-T.V. sci-fi movies. The sci-fi movie made an excellent foil for The Hobbit; The Hobbit is remarkably well written and moves beyond the predictable realm of “the not even scary guy who abruptly enters frame with a loud noise” shocker moments. While on the note of sharp contrast, the ending of the novel brings up a major contrast between Bilbo and his picture perfect foil, Thorin. When the adventuring party finally makes it to the Lonely Mountain, Thorin takes great pride in claiming the treasure as his own to dispense as he pleases, modeling that five year old child on the playground who won’t share HIS jungle-gym with the rest of the kids. While sitting atop his gratuitous pile of gold, silver, gems, and priceless jewelry, Thorin manages to start an unwinnable war with the men of the lake who helped him earn his golden throne (ex. Killing the dragon that once guarded it). Bilbo, taking advantage of his natural leadership and benevolence, sneaks out to the enemy camp and makes a selfless offer to prevent the war from commencing. Bilbo offers to give his claim to the treasure to the men of the lake in order to appease the war-bound men and elves. Our little King Midas disowns Bilbo for his “treachery” and war is on the verge of fruition. After a great chain of plot twisting of events, Thorin formally apologizes to Bilbo and attempts to redeem himself from his greed by renouncing his action. The book ends with Bilbo’s return journey, where he is exceedingly generous in rewarding the friendly faces who helped him complete his quest. This conclusion shows that even though Bilbo developed into a natural leader, a crafty escape artist, and a peacemaker, Bilbo still maintained his devotion to a life of simplicity.

On the Shelf

In this installment of On the Shelf I bring another up date on the epic story The Hobbit. A great number of events transpired this week within The Hobbit, all bringing about various not so subtle changes in our beloved protagonist Bilbo Baggins. The fearless adventuring party faces a plethora of legendary enemies including: goblins riding wolves, spell casting wood-elves, maniacal kings, and the ineffably powerful dragon, Smaug, who is sure to make anyone second guess how important this quest for glory really is. Along the quest we start to uncover the various perspective changes within the party, most notably about the party's view of Bilbo. Bilbo's use of the magic ring to solve just about any giant spider filled, prison bound, fire breathing , barrel-surfing problem that the dwarves manage to throw themselves into causes a dramatic shift in the role Bilbo plays. Bilbo changes from the mild, napping-on-the-front-porch-on-a-hot-summer-day hobbit to a crafty escape artist capable of saving his companions from anything. The quote below represents Bilbos dramatic change in character.

"It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterwards were as nothing compared to it. he fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait."

 Additionally, Bilbo manages to hold onto his country boy roots, saving him from getting carried away with his quest and forgetting all about the qualities of his home that he loves so dearly.

What I'm Loving

"There is no way for us to be human without other people." The opening quote of Chris Abani's amazing monologue "On Humanity", plants a lingering thought for his whole story. He recounts his amazing experiences with his missionary mother in Nigeria where he learns the power of compassion and bravery. His touching story transitions into a dramatic personal account of passing through a coming of age trial where he learned the importance of childhood innocence; through the actions of a child soldier. Chris then transitions between a comical story and another personal story, Chris brings us to his story on death row in Nigeria where he met a 14 year old boy who changed his life forever. He then finishes his story with a poem called "Libation" which pulls together his stories into one powerful message.

On the Shelf

This week I have been reading The Hobbit in anticipation of the release of the movie interpretation of the story on December 14. The story so far been an exciting chain of episodic action that dynamically leads from one intense situation to another. Along the journey, Bilbo met a very exciting character named Gollum. Tolkin  vividly describes Gollum as both a disgusting creature not worthy to live, and also as a victim of circumstance who does not deserve the horrors he has faced. Tolkin brings the reader into the mind of Bilbo and shows his development from a timid villager of the Shire, into a brave adventurer who stumbles upon a curious ring. Bilbo is reluctant to reveal the ring of power to his companions because he does not fully understand its power, and he is right to be cautious. As the tale continues, their brotherhood strengthens and the story maintains its focus around the various aspects of the fantasy genre, inserting mythical beasts and divine-like intervention. Overall, The Hobbit has so far been able to fulfill the big check that has been written for it as the prelude to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

On the Shelf

I just finished reading the book Divergent which is a fantastic novel about a believable dystopian future. The 500ish page book ended up being pretty simple in its writing style but frequently brought in descriptions of subtle body language and personal reactions to the world around Tris, adding a whole new layer of believability. This novel has no shortage of plot twists and startling situations that will leave the reader on the edge of their seat with one eyebrow raised. The unique environments that the characters are placed in and the extreme circumstances that these realistic characters face bring certain credibility to the story; it made the novel easy to connect with and easy to believe.  The storyline also has numerous difficult and defining choices that help to build a character representation of who each of the individuals within the story really are. From betrayal, to revenge, romance, to clutch-player moments, this story has it all.

On the List

The next book I will be reading is in anticipation of the movie release of The Hobbit, the prelude to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I cannot wait to get into The Hobbit (a.k.a There and Back Again for the Lord of the Rings fans) and of course I cannot wait for the movie to come out December 14th.