Books, books, books.
Mar. 22nd, 2015 04:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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thefridayfive:
01. What was your favorite book during childhood?
I read Matilda by Roald Dahl in fifth grade, and I wanted so badly to achieve my own telekinetic powers (and still try to do this every so often, to no avail). During my childhood and adolescence I also really liked several book series, including but limited to: Goosebumps by R.L. Stine, The Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin, Animorphs by K.A. Applegate, and Fearless by Francine Pascal.
02. What is your favorite book now?
Oh goodness, there's quite a few. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, Out by Natsuo Kirino, Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang by Joyce Carol Oates and Battle Royale by Koushun Takami are ones that have really made an impression on me. Also Flowers in the Attic, which I first read in junior high, still holds up today as one of my favorites. Most earlier works of V.C. Andrews do, in fact. Currently at the moment I'm really enjoying Revenge by Yoko Ogawa, which is a short horror anthology and is brilliantly unnerving.
03. What is your favorite movie adaptation of a book?
Harry Potter, Battle Royale, The Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. I base this on the entertainment value and bringing these universes to life instead of how 100% accurate they were to the source material, if that makes any sense.
4. Do you prefer checking out books from the library or buying them?
It's been a long, long time since I've checked anything out from a library. If I want to get a book I either go into a bookstore, browse, pick up something that peaks my interest, flip through it, and then decide whether it's good enough to buy. Also, searching and looking up things online and buying that way.
05. Have you ever been let down by a book that was highly recommended to you?
I don't think letdown is the right word, more like disappointed that I couldn't get into it. There are some books out there that I'm sure are incredible, but unfortunately I cannot get into or don't like the particular writing style the author has chosen. And I have tried with some of the most widely recommended books (Lord of the Rings, Kushiel's Dart), and I do feel bad because I know the story and the world-building is amazing, but sadly my brain cannot comprehend that style of writing for some reason.
thefridayfive:01. What was your favorite book during childhood?
I read Matilda by Roald Dahl in fifth grade, and I wanted so badly to achieve my own telekinetic powers (and still try to do this every so often, to no avail). During my childhood and adolescence I also really liked several book series, including but limited to: Goosebumps by R.L. Stine, The Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin, Animorphs by K.A. Applegate, and Fearless by Francine Pascal.
02. What is your favorite book now?
Oh goodness, there's quite a few. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, Out by Natsuo Kirino, Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang by Joyce Carol Oates and Battle Royale by Koushun Takami are ones that have really made an impression on me. Also Flowers in the Attic, which I first read in junior high, still holds up today as one of my favorites. Most earlier works of V.C. Andrews do, in fact. Currently at the moment I'm really enjoying Revenge by Yoko Ogawa, which is a short horror anthology and is brilliantly unnerving.
03. What is your favorite movie adaptation of a book?
Harry Potter, Battle Royale, The Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. I base this on the entertainment value and bringing these universes to life instead of how 100% accurate they were to the source material, if that makes any sense.
4. Do you prefer checking out books from the library or buying them?
It's been a long, long time since I've checked anything out from a library. If I want to get a book I either go into a bookstore, browse, pick up something that peaks my interest, flip through it, and then decide whether it's good enough to buy. Also, searching and looking up things online and buying that way.
05. Have you ever been let down by a book that was highly recommended to you?
I don't think letdown is the right word, more like disappointed that I couldn't get into it. There are some books out there that I'm sure are incredible, but unfortunately I cannot get into or don't like the particular writing style the author has chosen. And I have tried with some of the most widely recommended books (Lord of the Rings, Kushiel's Dart), and I do feel bad because I know the story and the world-building is amazing, but sadly my brain cannot comprehend that style of writing for some reason.
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Date: 2015-03-23 05:33 am (UTC)I had NO idea that Battle Royale was based on a book!
I'm like you. I have fond memories of visits to the library as a kid, though. Checking out the books I picked out was the first time I remember feeling "grown up". lol
It's funny you should mention Lord of the Rings. I've recently decided to try and read Lord of the Rings again. I tried to read it as a teenager, but was unable to get through the insane amount of detail that always pops up in Tolkien's writing. I made it through the first book, but that was it. No need to feel bad about it. As for me, I find John Green's books to be a big let down. The only thing I've made it through is "The Fault in Our Stars". It was my first exposure to him and I was happy with it, until I realized that most of his stories, in my opinion, are just the same thing in a different context. I don't feel bad about it. If we love everything we read, then either we aren't breaking out of our comfort zone, or we are missing the whole point of reading. :)
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Date: 2015-03-23 11:07 am (UTC)I had NO idea that Battle Royale was based on a book!
It was, and the book goes into even further detail about the things that happened with individual characters and their points of view, and a better understanding of the world they live in. I highly recommend checking it out when you have the time, it's really good. There's also a manga that was created from the book as well, though that is even more explicitly graphic in the violence and sexual content.
It's interesting the things you learn that were originally based on a book. The Ring (or Ringu), for example, was from a book series as well.
I made it through the first book, but that was it. No need to feel bad about it.
I feel like I better appreciate how passionate Tolkien was in creating this world than anything else. I like reading up on that process and everything else involved in that, but the actual written style of his is kind of a doozy to get through. The Hobbit I read, LOTR I tried but failed, and don't get me started on The Silmarillion (I read the cliffnotes anyway). I think it's why I adore the films as much as I do; purists will rant and seethe, but the films managed to capture this vast world that Tolkien created to basically perfection and it's possibly the best book-to-film adaptation we'll ever have on this scale.
It was my first exposure to him and I was happy with it, until I realized that most of his stories, in my opinion, are just the same thing in a different context.
Yeah, there are definitely some authors out there that kind of write the same thing over and over. You'll pick up one book and like it, but once picking up their other works you start to notice that pattern. Sometimes it's not that obvious, but other times it's too predicable. It's like same shit, just different setting; rinse, lather, repeat.