Do You Treat Your Books Well?

As I’ve told before and won’t miss the opportunity to mention this again, I am a reading geek. You also know that I have a clear book weight, a waterproof book cover bath bag and a handmade reading nook to support the fact that I’m a true reading geek. I will not go on rambling about how books are important, why I love them because people who understand me definitely get everything without words. This post is not for this. I am writing now because I need your help and soon you’ll know why.

To tell the truth I can’t pass any bookstore without stopping by and eventually buying another thrilling story that goes up in the line of my to-read list. By the way, my last purchase was “Warlock” by Wilbur Smith. It is really good. Can’t tear myself way from it.

But that’s not the point. Over the past 5 years I have gathered a massive collection of books and it is great because I have always dreamt of my personal library. However, I have faced another problem: I don’t really have space to keep them. Me, two girls, my husband and two pets: you know what I mean when I say that it’s really difficult to squeeze some free space. So, as a result all my books are scattered around the house: in drawers, on coffee tables, bedside tables, window sills or even on the floor. And when I realized the fact that I’m committing a book crime and eventually I won’t be able to call myself a book lover, I decided to change my attitude and find a perfect place for them. I decided to make a perfect book case. 

I’ve already have chosen a place in the living room without direct sunlight and not close to the heater. I think that’ll help to keep them safe from damaging.

But my biggest concern is the design of the bookcase. I can’t really figure out whether it has to be a book case or just compact book shelves. Of course, I’ve searched the Internet and found a lot of beautiful variants as you can see here. But what I really need is a good advice.

So, my dear friends, do you treat your book well? Where do you store them? What do you think is better: a bookcase or book shelves?

I will be really grateful for your response cause I need help to go on being a true reading geek and only you can help me!

P.S. Actually can’t afford it but it’s my dream!

The Book Fangirling Blog Award

I have been nominated by A J Colher to take part in a very interesting cross-blog thing. I am pretty excited because it's all about books and you know that I'm a true reading geek and will always be one! So, let's see what it's got.

According to the rules of this blog award I must:
- create a post to accept my award (and I'm doing it right now. It's always cool to accept awards, especially just for loving books!);
- add the blog award button into my post and put it on the side of my blog as a widget (you see the button, as for the widget I'll try to realize it. I'll try hard:);
- answer the questions by A J Colher (the part with the most fun);
- nominee 5-10 book bloggers who also deserve this award;
- make up 5 questions for my nominees;
- notify my nominees that they must link me to their posts for me to see their answers.

Sounds exciting, doesn't it?

Here go the questions:

1. What book would you love to see made into a movie?

Actually, there are more than one story that I'd like to watch on the screen. I am a sci-fi fan and like all the supernatural things but recently I've bumped into a new author, Wilbur Smith. He writes realistic (a bit romanticized) novels about Africa and Egypt and they are so exciting that I just can't pull myself from them (totally worth reading). They are full of bright pictures and I would love to see them in the movie. When you read the books, you'll get what I'm talking about.

2. If you could rewrite the ending of any book, which and why?

"Christine" by Stephen King. I adore this writer and love all of his books. And this one, in particular, attracts me with its extraordinary plot and creative idea. But from the very beginning I could predict the ending and the death of the main character. It was too obvious, so I would modify it by adding a bit of unexpected twists. This way, it would make the book even more interesting.

3. Which fictional character would you love to date?

Khal Drogo from "Game of Thrones". He is gorgeous both in the book and in the TV show. Of course, I would prefer a more contemporary version of him but, you know, if I had an opportunity to date even a tribe man Khal Drogo, I would definitely give it a shot.

4. What is your best memory of early childhood reading/ the book that has had most impact on the rest of your life?

Undoubtedly, "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling. The best memories of dreaming about Hogwarts and flying broom.

5. Do you have any pet peeves when it comes to reading?

Of course, "50 Shades of Grey". I won't join the club of its haters. I've read all the books and they are written unquestionably good. Interesting plot, popular types of characters and sex, everything that makes this book successful. But I just can't stand all the fuss that has grown around this book and film. All the people rambling about how fantastic it is or how stupid Anastasia Still is irritate me very much. So, I'll just stop here before I haven't started to expand on it.

My questions:

1. Do you think there are some film adaptations that are actually better than books?
2. Name the book that you used to like in the childhood but now it is not so appealing to you anymore. Give your opinion on why it happens.
3. Which books make you laugh?
4. Does reading help you writing? If yes, then how?
5. Which book do you think your children must definitely read?

My nominees:

1. Nick from Nick's Book Blog
2. Natalie from Book Lover's Life
3. Brittanie from A Book Lover 
4. Kayleigh from A Book Lovers Playlist
5. Becky from Becky's Book Reviews

Hope that my questions are interesting for you!
I am eagerly waiting for your responses.

Under the Dome or What the Hell?

You know I like the word geek because you can fit it to any other word and make it sound cool. It doesn’t mean that “I love reading” sounds lame. But when you present yourself as a reading geek it certainly takes you to another level.

So, as you’ve already got it, I am a true reading geek. And I have all the necessary things to hold that title: clear book weight, a waterproof book cover bath bag and a handmade reading nook. And also I’m a Stephen King’s fan.

To tell the truth, when I heard that there would be a TV show “Under the Dome”, I hadn’t covered the book yet and that wasn’t my priority. First, I decided to watch the series and understand all the fuss around it. And I did.

After the first season, I wasn’t impressed and all this egg thing kind of perplexed me. That was the time when I started a book. As a result, the novel was fabulous as always and the TV show made me quite angry. Finally, my next step was watching the second season of the series. And it went totally wrong. I mean guys, have you opened the book? I’ve got the feeling that the directors only took the names of the characters and the motive of the dome.

The whole deep point of this novel is the power that drives people towards committing horrible things. However, the directors of the TV show considered that the pink stars falling nonsense and the four hands security that must kill Big Jim would be much more interesting. But that’s their call.

The first difference between the book and the show that has struck me much is “Big Jim” Rennie. In the novel it is the most vicious character that wants to transform the dome appearance into his benefit. He encourages the panic, makes people scared and arranges riots and clashes to sabotage the order in the city and all this is done to turn people into the flock of sheep. He doesn’t care about anything (even about his son), he sees only the perspective of taking over the power and ruling. The perfect villain. But what do we see in the show? Although Big Jim is a bad guy, has a meth laboratory, tries to kill Barbie, he also worries about Junior, suffers when his wife dies (who is killed, by the way, by Rennie in the book) and, most importantly, has guilty consciousness. I know that it may draw more attention to the character and people will feel with him maintaining hope that Big Jim will change. But it rarely happens in real life.

The next thing that is greatly different in the book is Junior. The novel says that Junior is a crazy sociopath with a brain tumor who kills two girls and keeps their corpses in the basement. He hates Barbie and by all means tries to mess with him. But in the show he has a kind of relationship with Angie (one of the killed girls in the book) and is very jealous. In due course he changes and has a noble will to help people affected by the dome. Oh, really?

Dale 'Barbie' Barbara is also one of the protagonists that has a controversial character. On the screen he is depicted as a forced-by-the-consequences “criminal” who killed Julia Shumway’s husband and is involved in some shady affairs with debt collection. He is one of the good guys in Chester’s Mill and tries to help the citizens to cope with the dome issues. Well, the book tells us more about his military past, says that he lives in Chester’s Mill for a while and works as a cook in the Sweetbriar Rose. It doesn’t mention anything about his criminal involvement. And I truly don’t understand the reason why this has been added to the show. Maybe to tag more sympathy to the “bad” boy who returns to the good side or more drama to the relationships with Julia, who knows.

Well, I can chew over all the mismatches for a long time. You know, these changes in the TV show really disappoint me. Phil Bushey, the meth cook by the book, is a popular radio DJ? Are you kidding me? And according to the novel the dome doesn’t contract or cause the North Pole. I’ll just stop before I start boiling over the egg thing and the crazy attempts to breed a virus. From pigs. By the school teacher. Genius.

All I want to say is that the TV show has missed all the main points of the novel: bad people very seldom become better; important facts, that can save everybody, don’t always appear on time and the evil triumphs over the good much more often than vice versa. The dome is created to show how people change when they are boxed in. Stephen King wrote a letter to his fans saying that “If the solution to the mystery were the same on TV as in the book, everyone would know it in short order, which would spoil a lot of the fun (besides, plenty of readers didn’t like my solution, anyway). By the same token, it would spoil things if you guys knew the arcs of the characters in advance.” I agree with him at some point but the fact that he was forced to write this letter says it all. Apparently, I’m not the only one who doesn’t like the pink stars falling thing.

I didn’t keep on watching the series because I’m not ready for the new “Easter eggs” the directors have prepared for us. I know that the TV show is not the book but Stephen King’s fans put it on the first place in their watching list simply because it’s done on the motives of their favorite author’s book. And what do they eventually get?

But it’s only my opinion.

And what is yours?

Harper Lee's New Book and a Stamp with Alice Munro

Last week happened to be very rich in literature events.  You know, I sometimes get very excited when I talk about books or authors. They are my real passion and I just don’t have enough strength to walk past any bookstore I come across (sometimes it gets even problematic cause I swear, I don’t know how I lose so much time there). Thus, as I’m a true reading geek, I just couldn’t miss the opportunity to share my impressions regarding literature news. There are two of them, in particular, that impressed me the most.

So, here we go.

A new book by Harper Lee “Go Set a Watchman” has been released on July 14^th. I haven’t managed to buy it yet but I will certainly do! “To Kill the Mockingbird” is one of my favorite books and here comes the next one. It’s surely on the bestseller list on Amazon and I suppose it couldn’t be any other way. However, I’ve read the first chapter kindly published by The Guardian and I have very mixed feelings. That’s certainly not what I expected but I can’t evaluate without seeing the big picture. I definitely want to purchase the full version and then I’ll be able to settle on my opinion.

By the way, you can also listen to the first chapter of “Go Set a Watchman” read by Reese Witherspoon. Intriguing, isn’t it?

But that’s not all. Canada Post created a stamp with the image of Alice Munro, the first Nobel Prize winner in Literature from Canada. I think it’s a real honor and she totally deserves it. I love her short stories written in a simple style. They are so deep that you sometimes wonder how it is possible to fit this world in such a small number of words.

That’s quite impressive and I suppose gives some food for thought.  Well, I hope next week will bring me more joy in the form of literature events and I will definitely share with you.