books to movies

Last night my book club gathered to watch the Masterpiece Theatre production of The Women in White, our last month's book. (see July 30th post) With anticipation we settled in with our little plates of snacks and began the movie. Soon you could hear groans and exclamations of, "that wasn't in the book", or "I don't remember that", or "was that in the book?". As we watched over the next two hours all of us were disappointed at the liberties the producers took in their interpretation of "our" book. The story line took off in another direction, the characters changed and blended into new people, the plot varied and basically wasn't like the book in many ways. While I have to admit reducing a five hundred page book into two hours must be difficult, I don't know why producers have to change the story line so much, especially sensationalizing the basic plot. It was very distressing to all of us. I haven't seen too many movies that I liked as well as the book, and last night's viewing solidified my opinion that books are better than movies!

Back at school 2007-08

Well, I'm back at CHS and it seems like I never left for the summer. It's weird how almost twelve weeks can feel like only one. It's fun meeting the new students and trying to remember the returning student's names. Each fall brings a fresh start for everyone and this year is no exception. So, get out your new backpacks, supplies, and prepare for a new beginning of a great school year.

Virtual environments

Have you participated in a "Multiuser Virtual Environment"? This could be site like Club Penguin or Second Life. Did you know Second Life has over Seven Million users! The virtual world grows by the minute and I worry about what it is doing to our interpersonal skills, our face-to-face communication, and our brains in general. I realize social networking probably isn't going away, but when people spend millions of real dollars in a virtual environment I get concerned. Online user's avatars (their virtual online personalities) allow people to live in their fantasy world as another person, often very much unlike themselves. Is this healthy? My gut feeling tells me it is not good. Why are we so drawn to the virtual world? As someone who has her feet pretty close to the ground, I realize I probably don't understand the appeal. I would like to know however, I guess a trip through the Matrix is in order. See you on the other side. . .

keeping up on my reading and failing miserably

I have tried to read a stack of books from my library this summer and have only gotten through three of them so far. Between my master's classes and yearbook camp I just haven't had a lot of free time. However, I did enjoy reading Samurai Shortstop by Alan Gratz. This historical novel set in Japan in the late 1800's tells the story about Toyo, a son of a samurai. As his father tries to teach him bushido, the way of the warrior, Toyo learns to adapt the old with his new love of baseball. This book really kept my attention and I don't even like baseball - a big "thumbs up"! Another book I enjoyed and I think you will to is Lucy the Giant by Sherri L. Smith. Lucy, a huge fifteen year old girl from a small Alaskan town runs away from her abusive father and cruel classmates and joins up with a crabbing boat crew who accepts her as an adult. Lucy's character captivated me and I think you'll love her too. Again, this books receives a big "thumbs up". Not everything I pick up to read I finish, as in the case of Clay by David Almond. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this dark psychological thriller set in England, but I found myself putting this one down and never finishing it. However, you might enjoy this book about Davie and his new friend Stephen who can form figures out of clay and bring them to life. Eventually they create Clay, a man-sized figure that eventually turns into a monster that only Davie can stop. This book might not be for everyone, but I think some of you might really enjoy getting into this twisted, dark novel. Whatever you do, Keep Reading!