Learning My Habits

Learning My Habits

I have been reading for a long, long, long, time. So, you might expect that I have learned a Ton about my habits, and well I have.

I've noticed that I’m very inconstant; sometimes I will read a book in a day. Other times, the same book could take a month. This is due to the fact that I will randomly put a book down; a perfectly good book, with a great plot, sweet characters, and amazing description. I will be caught up in the story, and set the book down to go grab dinner, or use the restroom, or attend an appointment. I think that I will go back to that book, once I finish with whatever I was doing, but I don’t. For some reason, that book won’t ‘call’ to me. Then one day, who knows how many day’s latter, I will pick it up and finish it often under 3 hours depending on book size. This creates some problems and inconsistencies with reading speed.

I've also noticed that I tend to only want to stay in one series, thus depleting my book choices. So I expand… into the realm of Fan-Fiction. This is most likely why I have inconstant reading… cue guilty look. :/ Fan-Fiction, allows me to read extended scenes, view different plot, and explore some ‘what if’s’ in some of my favorite series. I’m very drawn to Fan-Fiction, but in terms of a ‘real’ book, I would say that I’m drawn to Fiction, Sci-Fi, or Mystery novels. I also read Young Adult books, but most of those fall into Fiction any ways.

My reading Habits are constantly changing, what could be problematic today, might be helpful tomorrow. All I know for certain is what I read like now, and what I read like then. All that’s left is the Future, which, as we know, is unknown.  

Where the Wild Things Are

 Where the Wild Things Are, a classic children’s book by Maurice Sendak. It tells a story about Max, a boy, who gets into a fight with his mom, and is, sent up to his room for the night. Then Max goes on a fantastical adventure in to the land of the Wild Things. There he makes them believe that he is their King, while there they play, but Max sends them to bed without supper. Max then misses his mom and wants to return home. The Wild Things didn’t want that though, and tried to make Max stay, but alas Max still leaves despite this. Once ‘home’ Max wakes up from his dream, to find his dinner on a table, symbolizing that Max and his Mom are okay, despite their fight.

The premise to the Movie, Where the Wild Things Are, is rather the same. Max is feeling lonely because his sister won’t play with him, and his mom is stressed from work and her love life. So when asked to call his sister down for dinner, a fight between Max and his mom escalated to the point where Max runs away. While Max is running away from his home, we hear Max’s mom calling Max back home, but he still runs anyways. While he is running he finds a boat, and hops in. This boat takes Max down to the Wild Things. When we first arrive on their land, we find Carol, one of the wild things’ destroying huts and arguing with the other wild things. Max trying to fit in with the Wild Things, attempts to destroy a hut. Soon Max is spinning this web of lies, saying things like how he’s a king and has magic powers and defeated armies. ‘Cause of this, the Wild Things accept Max as a king. During Max’s time as king he tries to make Carol’s dreams come true, and bring the Wild Thing’s closer together. Soon the Wild Things start to see through Max’s web of lies, and he decides to leave. So Max once more loads himself onto the boat, and sails back to where he ran away to. Max runs straight home, and when he comes home, his mom and him hug. Max’s mom also pulls down Max’s animal hood, as a symbol, saying ‘Your just Max and I love that’.

The movie did its job and represented the book; bringing the characters to life and teaching a lesson. The movie took a lot of creative liberty through the story. The creative liberty started by creating a sister for Max, allowing Max to run away, or giving the Wild Things personal problems. Normally I don’t like creative liberties in adaptations, but in this case I felt that the liberties allowed the story to move on, and create a since of sorrow for Max. This would have been one short-short-short movie, had they literally word for word recreated the children’s book. Over all I thought the plot music and CGI’s were done very well. It taught me a lesion, to be yourself and tell the truth, as lies can only get you into trouble. Over all, a very successful book, and equally successful movie, five stars.

Percy Jackson... WHY?????

Percy Jackson… WHY?????

Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief by Rick Riordan was a great book but a dismal movie. Some of the main characters that were essential for the other books weren’t introduced at all. Namely Clarisse, who plays a major role in the next book, Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters. There were some major casting errors in the movie. Percy’s first Demigod friend Annabeth was supposed to be a blonde in the movie and she had brown hair. The guy who was playing Luke was missing a scar on his cheek from a dragon fight. There were some prop mistakes too, the compact shield that Percy has was supposed to be given to Percy by Tyson in the next book, not by Luke in the Lighting Thief.

Persephone was supposed to be in Hell, because it was summer, not because she was held captive. The war God Ares, held a major part in the book, but in the movie he was only shown up on Olympus. Percy couldn’t have any electronics because they attracted monsters. In the movie Percy is shown with an IPod Touch, when fighting Medusa. 

Dionysus the wine God, who is a camp counselor in the book, is never shown in the first movie. During the first capture the flag game Percy and Annabeth were to be on the same team, rather than different ones shown in the movie. The Gods, in the book are shown with human clothing, however; in the movie, their shown in togas and armor. Hades needed to wear black silky robes rather than the rock star style attire he does wear. Hades is also shown in a humorous light, when he was supposed to be rather harsh with Percy and his friends. While on Olympus the Gods were 60 feet tall, almost a 45 foot difference from book to movie. Grover in the book is shy and clumsy while in the movie he is outgoing and sporty. Percy’s dad was unknown in the book, while everyone in the movie knew who’s son he was. The monsters dissolved in the books when they died, but in the movies they stayed where they were killed. Percy had a nickname, seaweed brain, which was never used in the movie. Percy can breathe underwater, but in the movie it’s shown that he can hold his breath for long periods of time, seven minutes. Chiron, the centaur, is the only centaur on Camp Half Blood; however, he was shown with a group of centaurs on the grounds of the camp.

I would have added some scenes from the book into the movie, if I were the director. One of these scenes would have been Percy fighting with Ares and interacting more with him. Likewise, during the book, Ares asks Percy and Annabeth to go get an item for him. I would have added that quest. I would have cast the characters differently, based on their descriptions. I would have added in major characters into the movie, such as Dionysus and Clarisse and Ares. Over all when I first saw the movie, having not yet read the book, it was very good with great character dynamics and scenic affects. But once I read the book, most of my respect for the movie went way down. I didn’t think that the producers and directors read the book and used spark notes or something instead. Read the book and ditch the movie, ‘cause in this case the book was way better than the movie.