Comfort Books

This may sound weird, but whenever I'm getting really stressed out and need to take a break, I always start re-reading books that I've read a million times before. I call them comfort books, because not only are they among my all-time favorites, but re-reading  them has a calming effect on me. Seeing the familiar words and the familiar characters helps me focus and when I'm done reading them I feel like I have a better handle on my life. I've also done this when I couldn't fall asleep a couple times and I have to tell you, it works. My go-to books are any Harry Potter book and the Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce. I've read them all at least a five times each, and yet I still love them so much that they are perpetually on my "List of Books to Re-Read."   It doesn't matter if I'm in the middle of another book at the time, I set that one aside and pick up the comfort book. Am I the only one who does this? Or rather, what is the book that you re-read all the time because you love the story so much? Please let me know, I would love to hear your answers!

More Hunger Games Posting

Okay, so I know that this is all over the internet and really isn't original at all, but I would like to post some more about The Hunger Games. The book, that is. Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited for the movie, and can't wait to go see it, but I feel like  the book in being forgotten amid all the movie hype.

I work at a bookstore, and love when people ask me for recommendations. And for the past six months (or more), my answer has always been The Hunger Games. Adults, kids, it doesn't matter. I see an adult buying it and tell them it's a great book. If they tell me it's for their kid, I tell them to read it anyway--they'll love it just as much.The series is so universal, and almost everyone I've talked to has said  they couldn't put it down. In fact, that's another piece of advice that I give to customers: just buy the trilogy or you'll be back in a couple days anyway.

Of course, I realize that the books aren't perfect. I have some issues with the end of the series, and maybe I'll talk about that some other time, but right now I want to focus on the versatility of the books. It surprises me a bit that everyone seems to be able to get behind this series. As amazing as they are, they're not exactly feel-good sort of books. They're dystopian, they're dark, and although there are romantic elements involved, it mostly centers around a rather terrible set of events. But it's gripping and definitely keeps people coming back for more. Like I said before, it's universal and, speaking as a bookseller, that's a rare occurrence indeed.

One final point: the movie does NOT take the place of the book. If you want to go see the movie, at least read the book first. I promise you won't be able to put it down.

Hunger Games Movie Cover

FINALLY! A movie tie-in cover that I can respect. Typically, I hate movie covers. I don't want to see actors on the covers of books. That completely defeats the purpose of an imagination. I have no problem with books being turned into movies-- Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are some of my favorite movies ever. But I don't want to see Viggo Mortensen or Elijah Wood on a book cover. Let future generations experience books the way they were meant to be experienced. Thank God they never tried to do this for Harry Potter; I would not have been pleased.

But this I can get behind. I might even like it better than the original cover.

Book Review: Something Borrowed

Over break, I read Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. This came about because I’ve been wanting to read the book since summer, and recently saw the movie. Now, I don’t generally like seeing movies before I read the books but I had access to the movie first, so… whatever. And, as far as book to movie adaptations go, it was pretty straightforward. Of course, they cut out a character to give John Krasinski’s character, Ethan, more face time, but it didn’t really effect the plot. At all. I would like to say here that overall, neither the book nor the movie were terrible. And now that I’ve experienced both versions of the story, I need to get something off my chest.

This story has a terrible message. More below the cut for those who don’t want this spoiled.

Introduction. . .albeit a bit late

I realized that I just jumped into this blog without introducing myself or anything first, so let me remedy that. My name is Jessica and I am a student at West Chester University. This blog  was made as an assignment for a class that I'm taking, WRH 205 Composing Cyberspace. Since we were able to decide what our blogs will be about, it was only natural that this blog be about books.  I am a complete bibliophile and welcome to opportunity to talk to people about any kinds of books. Recommendations are also always welcome. Mostly, I read sci-fi and fantasy but have been known to dabble in other genres as well. So, basically all are welcome! Here I'll post book review, inspiring quotes, pictures, and anything else I can think of that has to do with books/ writing. I have a Goodreads account, so feel welcome to find me on there. I also have a tumblr. Mionejeanpotter.tumblr.com. But be warned. That is usually reserved for the side of me that is a raging fangirl. :)

Digital Immersion

Since this blog is for a class I am taking (WRH 205: Composing Cyberspace), I'll be posting things about the assignments I've been given. The first assignment is a Digital Immersion paper in which we have to observe a social media site and write about what we experience. I have chosen Goodreads.com, a site that is all about books (my favorite!). You can keep track of what books you have read, rate them, and review them. You can also join groups that talk about certain books or genres. So far, I'm getting off to what is admittedly a slow start. I have rated a good number of books (81 as of last count) and am attempting to put them into categories, but only have one friend on the website. I have joined one group based on a favorite author of mine (which she occasionally frequents from what I understand) and intend on joining more in the near future so that I can start participating in discussions about books. I'll keep you updated!