Saturday, December 27, 2008

My Life Between Semesters...PURE HEAVEN!

So, there have been many people that have told me to enjoy school because I will miss it. At this point in time, I don't believe it. Since my last final, I have done nothing but sleep in, read (for pleasure), and play games. Not once have I thought about school (only the dread of having to return for one more semester. To those of you wondering why I chose to continue school, I am one of you and I have no answer. All I know is this better be worth it!)

I normally have the tradition of reading the Harry Potter series every Christmas. I don't think I will ever get tired of those books (it hasn't happened yet and I've read them 6 times so far!) However, I have been missing the suspense curiosity that comes with a new series, one that I don't know the ending to. In my quest of finding a new series, I talked with some friends and was told of three:
  1. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
  2. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
  3. Leven Thumps by Obert Skye
Percy Jackson and the Olympians topped my list because it's about a modern-day greek hero (part human, part Olympian). In this series, Rick Riordan combines Greek mythology with modern-day adventure. It's fantastic! I was able to borrow the books from the library and read through them in a week. Now, I'm awaiting the final book (The Last Olympian, due in May 2009). Even though the story line is very juvenile (and there's nothing wrong with that), it has been a page turner because I am extremely fascinated by Greek Mythology. I think these books are a must-read for any avid Greek mythology lover!

Fablehaven and Leven Thumps sounded interesting as well and, I must say, have always caught my eye every time I enter a bookstore. I just started reading Fablehaven, only because I'm still waiting for the first Leven Thumps book to become available. I wanted to wait with Fablehaven because that series still has two books left to be published (and I really hate waiting for books to be published!). However, I did start and I like what I've read so far.

Other books on my I-Want-To-Read list include, but are not limited to,
  1. The Mayor of Casterbridge
  2. Paradise Lost (in the middle of this one, fabulous!)
  3. The Return of the Native (also in the middle, read previously, also fabulous!)
  4. Beloved
  5. Don Quixote
  6. Cien Anos de Soledad
  7. War and Peace
  8. The Idiot
  9. The Koran
  10. The Apocrypha
I am also open and looking for other good books to read (it's so much more entertaining than watching tv!) I also have a pretty lengthy list of previously-read material that I really enoyed! However, this post is already a novel, so I will postpone my list of top reads! Until then, stay tuned :)

4 comments:

Amy said...

I can't believe you've read the HP series 6 times!! I've read it 3 (except book 7). I don't get sick of them either, I just have a tough time finding time to read. By the way, when my brother was chewing me out about a book, it was the new JK Rowling book--Tales of Beedle the Bard. Anyway, it's a good read too. If you can't get Leventhumps before you go back to school, you can borrow it from me.

Tyler and Julia said...

I LOVE Harry Potter too. My most favorite books in the series are the 3rd, 4th, 6th & 7th books, but I still love reading them all. I haven't gotten a chance to read them over again yet, but I am certainly planning on it. :)

Dave said...

I fear any new series has a high competition in my mind. Harry Potter was just too good that it will be difficult to top. I do admit the Percy Jackson series has been interesting (I love Greek Mythology!) but I was more connected with the world of Harry Potter :)

FriĆ°rikssonS (and Parents) said...

Hey Dave! I totally know where you are coming from (i.e. school) seeing that we are both in the same graduating class. I cannot tell you how excited I feel knowing that I will be getting a fixed job for the next few decades. I am so ready for a rutine, hobbies, family, etc. I am sure you will agree.

Quotes

"[Confucius] taught that the country which develops the finest music, the grandest poetry, and the noblest moral ideals--that is, the country with the most exalted culture--will always yield the greatest power in the world."

-Letters from the Jade Dragon Box by Gale Sears



"Who is such a reprobate as I! And yet it seems that even I am in Somebody's hand!'

-Mr. Henchard in The Mayor of Casterbridge



"...[T]he magnitude of [life] is not as to [one's] external displacements, but as to [one's] subjective experiences."

-Thomas Hardy in Tess of the d'Urbervilles





"...I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed--because 'Thou mayest.'"

-Lee in East of Eden