Book Review: The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

Goodreads Book Description:

A BIG NOVEL ABOUT A SMALL TOWN ...

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils ... Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

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When I first heard about this book last year, I knew I had to read it.  I mean, it's by J.K Rowling, right?  How could it not be good?  Despite having read not-so-good reviews, I picked it up as soon as I got a chance (translation: when I finally found it on sale), and I am glad that I didn't doubt her for a second.  She did not disappoint me at all.

The book starts off slow at first, with Rowling introducing the characters and their intertwined lives.  She goes to great lengths to describe her characters, showing us not only their very human flaws, but also their loves and interests.  That's what makes this book so good.  There is a realism to her characters that I find to be rare in books.  Of course, you could see said realism in her characters in Harry Potter, which is probably why so many people relate to the characters, despite their fantastical lives, but The Casual Vacancy goes more in depth, perhaps because there isn't much going on outside of the characters, other than the political chaos.

Once I began to know the characters, and what they believed was the right thing to do-  politically, morally, and socially- the pace of the book sped up.  By the end, I was left wanting more of these characters, though the book doesn't end with a cliff-hanger.  That was the richness of the development of these characters.  I would definitely recommend it to everyone that has patience and an open mind. 

Until next time!

-S

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Memes and more memes...

Hey there!

As I'm sure many of you have noticed, there have been a surplus of book-related memes this past year.  Some of them are downright hilarious, while some are not-so-funny, but either way it's nice when you can actually catch the reference, or just relate overall to the phrase.  So I thought it would be fun to go on a hunt to collect the ones that I consider the best and absolutely relatable.

Here goes:

1.  The Hunger Games Meme

I thought this one was particularly funny because it is somewhat true, at least to me.  I remember thinking something similar to this after reading the book.

2.  The Disney Memes

 

Again, all of these are true for me.  And who doesn't think the hipster princesses are funny?

3.  The Harry Potter Reference Meme

This is one of those that I was talking about earlier, in which you would have to be a big fan of the book to truly understand it.  At least I think so.  I've never not been a Harry Potter fan, so I wouldn't know.

4.  The Denial Memes

'Nuff said.

5.  The Fictional Character Obsession Memes

I think these might be the most relatable ones of all.

6.  The Truer-than-True Memes 

Like the title, these just speak the utter truth about reading.  Any true fan can tell you that.

Anyway, hope this was fun to read/see and agree, and I will be posting more soon!

Until next time,

-S

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Follow me on Bloglovin!

Hey everyone!

You can now follow me on Bloglovin, if you so desire.  Just click on the bloglovin' widget.  I'd appreciate it!

Thanks!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/8612491/?claim=p7yrj8pa83b">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

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Independence Day

Happy Independence Day to all you fellow Americans out there!  I hope everyone is having a great day!

It's a beautiful, sunny day here in NYC, so I'm gonna go and enjoy the heck out of it, but first I wanted to share with you guys my favorite version of our national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," sang by no other than the amazingly talented late Whitney Houston!

I just think it's important to remember and be proud of who we are and what we stand for, especially in hard times as these.  Anyway, enjoy and have fun today!

-S

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Sour Milk on a Saturday

So yesterday I went to my cousin's high school graduation and seeing all the newly graduated kids' faces made me remember my own graduation.  That day is one that is filled with both relief and excitement; an end and a beginning.  And while this isn't news to me, or anyone really, it made me reflect back to when I was 17, and how I thought my life would be when I was 21.  And now that I am 21, I realized that my life really hasn't change all that much.  And that makes me sad.

At 17, I thought that at this point in my life I would have already been living on my own, even if just at a dorm room at some far off college.  At 17, I hoped that I'd graduate at 21 or 22.  And then go to Grad School.  None of these are my current reality.  Although, at 17, I also thought I wanted to be a lawyer.  I quickly changed my mind after entering college, though.  I decided that I would pursue my love of reading and writing, and if I wanted to go to Law School after that, so be it.

So I'm going to make a conscious note to move forward.  Too often we get comfortable in our lives and our surroundings.  Or maybe we're just too lazy to do anything to change it.  That last one is probably the case with me.  Although, if you're exactly where you want to be, then you've done something right. No need to fix something that's not broken.

There's a lot in my life I don't regret, but I have just come to the realization that I am super afraid of going nowhere.  Everyone around me is moving forward, and I'm just... stuck.  I almost gave up.  But seeing those high-schoolers throw their caps in the air gave me new hope.  It's as if their enthusiasm was contagious.  Maybe it is.  Sometimes they say that about smiles.

On a different note, anyone else constantly get sour milk in their coffee?  I feel like it happens to me all
the time.  I just took a sip of my freshly made coffee, and what do know?  It had sour milk!  I wonder what that says about me...

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The Little Nook that Could

I'm Back!

I apologize for the long absence.  I have no real reason as to why I haven't updated, other than the utterly lousy fact that I'm no good at finishing anything I start.  So no excuses.  Just the truth.

With that said,  I recently made the life-changing decision of purchasing a Nook from Barnes and Noble.  And I say "life-changing" because I was at first against the idea of e-books and refused to even consider it.  I like the feel of a physical book in my hands, the smell of the pages- everything.  And I like to see a full bookshelf.  I don't know why.  I just do.  But books are heavy, especially hardcover ones, and if you're a die-hard fan of reading like I am, then you can't wait for the paperback to come out.  And heavy books are not fun to carry around all day, on the bus or train.  Plus, the Nook is really tiny and awesome and it fits in my tiny cross-shoulder bag.  That was just the cherry on top for me.  But what really convinced me once and for all to go for it was something that Stephen King said in a recent interview.  He said:  

"The book is not the important part. The book is the delivery system. The important part is the story."

(To be read in a wise old man's voice.  Whomever your heart desires.  I, for one, always go with Dumbledore.)

Stephen King said this when he was asked for his thoughts on E-books.  And it made me realize that, yes, there's nothing like reading a book and actually turning the pages, but I don't read a book simply because I like holding it.  I read it for the story, for the words, for the characters and their adventures.  I read books because it's nice to go to a different world- someone else's world for a little bit.  And does it really matter how I get to that world?

But the point of this post is not that I got a Nook, but what has come from it.  Since I bought myself the Nook, I have already read three books in it, which is a big deal considering that I really haven't read in a while.  And that in itself is a big deal because it is so much a part of me, that I sometimes don't even know what to do if I'm not completely immersed in a story.  Besides, the best way to write is to read.

And who knows?  Maybe I'll be listening to audiobooks next.  Not very likely, but never say never, right?

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Productive Procrastination

I recently found this gem of a video on Youtube on one of the many times that I was procrastinating from doing something much more important (i.e. school papers, cleaning, writing, just about anything that is productive) but it turned out to be something that inspires me often when I am feeling unmotivated or if I am out of ideas and my creative process has been wiped clean like a dog dish, used and abused and left empty.  It even helps ground me when I need help concentrating and I am, ironically, procrastinating.

So with that, I leave you, hopefully with something that may inspire someone out there if, like me, they are feeling a little uninspired, or if they're having a case of writer's block.  But this really pertains to any kind of art there is, anything that needs some kind of will power and needs you get to get up from that couch and just do it (though in the case of writers it requires for us to actually  sit down but, you know, whatever.)

Write, draw, paint, sing, whatever you love to do, just do it!

Until next time!

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