Cleaning Out the Bookshelf

I love to read- being able to leave the real world, and enter one that allows my transgressions and mishaps of the day to fade away. I often feel a sort of people-claustrophobia caused by social-anxiety. That isn't to say I dislike being around people, rather that I often over-analyze and work myself up about minor interactions and sometimes I just need to unwind.

I'm also a disorganized bookshelf keeper.

Recently, I found that my "unwinding" time is spent on the internet (Facebook, tumblr...), which still ends up in some sort of social interaction, even if indirect. I have begun to turn to video games, all the while my bookshelves of many unread promises are collecting dust.

I have 2 bookshelves in my dorm packed with books, and another, larger, bookshelf at home stuffed, and overfilling with many unread books.

With my last semester of college winding down, my goal is to begin reading these books, and create a collection that I wish to keep with me forever (Harry Potter, all Jane Austen novels... to name a few). I realize that because I will be moving out of my house (sorry mom, sorry dad, lovers you!)  in the near future, I should probably cut back on the number of books I hoard. My plan is to donate some of my books as I finish them- to give other people an opportunity to read, rather than have something that is going to collect dust on my shelf.

Don't get me wrong- I will one day have a large collection of books when I finally settle down. But that will not be happening soon. There is still too much of the world to explore.

With all that being said, I am beginning this clean out with a book called, Pop Goes the Weasel: The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes by Albert Jack. I don't know how long I've had this book... I think I bought it back when Borders (RIP) was closing.  

I likely won't publish something about all the books I read, but inspiration often leads to writing. There are also a few milestones fast approaching in life that I am sure I will have a lot to say about.

Curiosity Has Gotten the Better of Me

This is old news to everybody, I'm sure. Curiosity, a NASA Rover, has landed on Mars. Yay! What I really want to focus on though is A Very Potter Musical, and how these two things are related.

Maybe you've heard of the musical, and maybe not. In this play, the audience is informed of a couple things that the Harry Potter series neglect to tell us, like:

Hogwarts has a hidden swimming pool, and
There is another school of wizardry called Pigfarts. (It's on Mars. You need a rocket-ship.)

In any case, it's a great 3 hours of your life that will provide you with amazing quotes to add to your arsenal.

So Curiosity has landed on Mars, and you like a musical. How do they relate? Well! Let me tell you- they are completely related.

Allow me to take you back to Harry Potter's first trip to Diagon Alley, at Olivander's Wand shop. Was it not curious that Harry's wand shared the same core as the one who was bent on killing him. (Well not really, because by the end of the series we all know that a little piece of Voldy-man was latched onto Harry's forehead.)

Any-who, the phrase to describe the acknowledgement of this coincidence was, "Curious." Now correct me if I am wrong, but the base word of Curiosity is in fact- Curious. (I know, that knowledge just completely blew your mind.)

Is it not curious that Curiosity has landed on Mars, the exact planet where Pigfarts is rumored to be located only a short period of time after the ending of the Harry Potter era? I say nay, it is the perfect timing to continue the story.

I, like many others, am now awaiting this rover to discover my acceptance letter from Rumbleroar (the talking Lion headmaster of Pigfarts), so to learn wizardry on Mars, which would be totally awesome.

Also! I would like to resurface the Fred isn't dead tag. At the end of the musical, Dumbledore is asked by Rumbleroar if he was going to tell Harry that he was, in fact, alive. To which Dumbledore said, no, and proceeded to ride Rumbleroar to Pigfarts. Dumbledore was dead! We all saw Snape kill Dumbledore. Which means... if Fred died... he must just have been transported to Pigfarts! (Celebrations!)

Basically, the massive NASA, science, space success story that Curiosity is, has become a new excuse for me to smirk and bring up Pigfarts in normal day conversation.

Thank you NASA. Thank you Starkid.
And goodnight.

Why I Can't Dislike Fan-fiction

I have read many different threads, articles and posts about fan-fiction, mostly negative:

Fan-fiction is stupid. (level 0 argument for those who know any TOK)  

You are using someone else's characters, and not using any of your own imagination, which is pathetic. You have no creativity!

It ruins something that was perfectly fine before hand, with bad writing.

Hater's Gonna Hate.

Now. I will agree that, sometimes fan-fiction can be written terribly, and the ideas behind it don't line up with anything from the actual book that they are writing about, aside from character names. And maybe you could become successful writing your own story with your own plot base and everything. There are debates from both sides about whether or not fan-fiction is worth it. This article discusses and supports fan-fiction beautifully.

In as much as it pains me to read certain fan-fictions, as a whole, it is a wonderful thing. Fangirling (PH-AN-GURL-ING) may be one of the funnest things there is to do on the internet. While I, personally, am not into that whole erotic side of Fandoms, I cannot disown a Fandom for what another person... enjoys?

I won't lie to you by saying: I am perfectly okay with reading a fan-fiction in public. Saying it out loud can be embarrassing, especially to people who do not know anything about fan-fiction but the erotic side. When I admit to reading fan-fiction, they just assume I'm reading a porno version of Harry Potter, when in fact I am not. Thank you very much.

Sure, there are plenty of those around if that is what suits your fancy. I prefer those that follow the plot of the actual novel up to a certain point and then take on a side of their own.

Why are people drawn to fan-fiction? Why do I read fan-fiction even when it is so poorly written? Well, it starts with the author, who writes a story, that develops characters in such a way that when the story is done... you want more.

Maybe you are upset about who ended up with who because you ship something else (I SHIP IT ALL!). There is no shame in that. Maybe you want to write your own ending, or add yourself to the story. Maybe you are not a writer, but you love the characters. That is why fan-fiction is perfect. Fan-fiction allows the story to continue even when it is over. Fan-fiction is the legacy of a novel or series.

That is why I can't dislike it. Even when, sometimes, I want to.

Here are some of my ships for my favorite Fandoms:

Harry Potter: Dramione (sorry guys), Framione (Fred isn't dead.), Larry?  SeamusxAnyone!
Divergent: I ship what's cannon, because it's awesome.
Hunger Games: Buttermuts (Buttercupxmuttations?), KatCat (Because... Cato really had a big heart... and I like cats...)
Legend of Korra: I SHIP IT ALLLLLLL! (Meesami x14)
Maximum Ride: I don't want to talk about it, if I have to pick- TotalxAkila

Why I Simultaneously Hate and Somewhat Appreciate "Filler Books"

If you have read any book series in your life, chances are you have read what we call a "filler book," or a book that holds not enough significant information to merit over 50 pages. A book whose only true purpose is to continue building tension between the protagonist and antagonist and leave you with a severely annoying cliff-hanger and a year to wait for the next book. And yet we find ourselves reading these and anxiously waiting for the next installment in the series.

You usually can't tell your reading a filler book until you've finished it. And how do you know you've read a filler book? Because you feel like you haven't actually moved forward in the story. Maybe you've gained a tad bit more information, that isn't all that important to the overarching story. Most of the time, when you finish the book, you feel no sense of accomplishment, and find yourself saying, "That's it?" or "I just spent $20 to buy this is hardcover?"

This is why I despise filler books.

I would be lying however, if I said that I didn't also somewhat appreciate them. (This statement depends completely on whether or not the preceding books were worth reading).

Usually (again depending on the series), when I read a series, I get severely attached to the characters. They become my best-friends, and I don't want to grow apart. (Only a slight exaggeration).

I read the Maximum Ride series... when I thought it was just going to be three books (It's finally going to end in August 2012, 5 books and 3 comics later). When I found out a fourth book was in the works, my heart fluttered a little. And then I read the book, and then I read the book after that, and the one after that etc. etc, each time hoping that something would happen. I was slightly relieved by Angel, but still waiting for all the pieces to [hopefully] come together in the end. Filler books drive me crazy, but when you fall in love with characters, you don't care as much when they run around doing nothing.

When an amazing series ends, I can't help but silently demand more from the author. The Harry Potter series comes to mind. As much as I disliked Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and am convinced the only reason for that book was to kill Sirius and give us a real reason to hate Voldemort, I am glad that Rowling let us live in the Wizarding World a little longer.

But for me to even consider somewhat appreciating a filler book, it better be a dang good series.

What series have you read with a filler that drives you crazy?