Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Random Fandom- Poetry

As National Poetry month comes to a close today, I realized I have done absolutely nothing this month to celebrate my passion for Poetry. But it is not to late, good souls, as today is still April, so I can still get in some celebrating. Trying to narrow down my favorite poem is an impossible task, so I give you not one, but five poems that I truly enjoy reading over and over again. Just a few suggestions to get your poetry palette wet. Happy National Poetry Month!

A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe
Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream? 



Do not go gentle into that great night by Dillon Thomas
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on that sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. 



Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

I carry your heart with me by E.E. Cummings
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
                                                         
i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

Fire and Ice by Robert Frost
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.


Monday, April 29, 2013

The Reluctant Messiah by Eric Guindon

My favorite book of all time is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I absolutely adore the mix of comedy, adventure, and quirkiness. The collection, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe, is the first leather-bound collector's edition I ever bought. Now it sits a long side many of my favorites in a book shelf I reserve only for collector's editions or my absolute favorites that I just can't seem to stomach giving away or donating.  I am very excited to add another book to the shelf, The Reluctant Messiah by Eric Guidon.

Occasionally when I'm on Goodreads, I will check out a section of the site where they have contests and giveaway books. I like to check out books coming out and authors I may not have heard of yet. The Reluctant Messiah caught my eye. I especially liked the tag line, "A Darkly Comedic Tale Of Prophecies." I entered the contest and actually won. I wasn't sure what to expect.The back of the book reads:
                                                                            Magic!
Prophecies!
Cults!
Demons
 ...and Oliver?
Oliver Kirkle had a normal life until prophecies got in the way. A multitude of cults, each with its own interpretation of the prophecies, think Oliver is their messiah.                                             Unfortunately for Oliver, that's the only thing they agree about...
I instantly fell in love with Guidon's writing. He reminds me of Douglas Adams or Neil Gaiman. Tackling  dark subjects like cults and doomsday prophecies and injecting it with witty banter and a lighthearted playfulness. Right away I noticed how well the book flowed from chapter to chapter, guiding the reader through the story with ease. During Oliver's introduction to the story, I actually visualized his budding romance with Bunny as a movie montage. I thought it was a brilliant way of covering  the formative years of Oliver's life, giving a glimpse into what makes him tick.

I loved the story and can't wait to see where it is going. I only wish it was a little longer, but happy to see book two is out already. I will definitely be following this series.

You can pick up The Reluctant Messiah here and the sequel An Unexpected Apocalypse here.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Serendipity


Serendipity is probably my favorite word in the English language and I so rarely get to use it.

I am always reading and always on the look out for good books. Occasionally, I just browse the shelves at Barnes and Noble, but usually I find my books by recommendations or newsletters. A Goodreads user in an online book club I joined suggested I pick up Fated. I have a horrible habit of not writing down enough information. Wasting time at the bookstore one day, the recommendation popped into my head, but I just couldn't remember the name of the book or the author, all I remembered was it was part of the Soul Seekers Series. One thing I love about bookstores, much like movie stores, is the ability to walk up to an employee and say, "Hey, do you know that book with that guy that does that one thing?" and their response is, "Oh, yeah, that one book. I love that book. It's right over here."

I allowed the sales associate to guide me to the Teen Paranormal section of Barnes and Noble, which I was not expecting. First of all, I didn't even know there was a whole section devoted to Teen Paranormal and it's about three times the size given to the Poetry section, which really makes me sad. Second, I didn't know the book was a Young Adult book when I went into the store. Don't get me wrong, there are some brilliant YA books out there. Harry Potter and Pendragon were both amazing series'. But when it comes to YA, I am skeptical that I will enjoy it or be able to relate to characters. The sales associate handed me the book and felling a little deflated, I just threw the book onto my pile. There was no standing and reading the back or looking at the picture. I checked out and headed home and kind of just forgot about it. A couple of weeks ago, I found it again and realized I had bought the second book in the series. Being a bit OCD about reading books or watching movies in order, I decided I would rectify my mistake and go buy the first book.

The next day I went to Target on my lunch hour. I was a bit distracted and rushed. This time the book was in the Best Sellers row. I located the book and got a phone call. Totally immersed in conversation, I grabbed the book and headed to the check out lane. So, after many books and a few months after the recommendation was given, I finally set down to read Fated. I opened my red and white bulls eye Target bag and pulled out...
 Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire. Oops, for the second time in a row, I bought the wrong book and I am so glad I did.

The book follows Abby Abernathy as she arrives at Eastern University and reinvents herself into the good girl stereotype in order to escape the life she left behind and mold her future into her vision of normal. As soon as she arrives, she meets Travis Maddox, an underground fighter and campus man-whore.

Even though I rarely read chick lit, once in a while I'll indulge and take a break from Sci-fi and mysteries. This one has definitely moved into my favorites bookcase. I immediately related to Abby. I found myself on an emotional roller coaster ride. Quickly falling in love with Travis, but hating him at the same time. I found myself rooting for him and then a few chapters later, wishing I could jump in the book and tell Abby to run as fast as she could and don't look back. From the moment I read the first chapter, I was hooked and didn't put it down until I had read the whole book and the next day I went back to Target and bought...

The sequel, Walking Disaster, tells the exact same story as Beautiful Disaster, but it is told from Travis' point of view. Still a good story the second time around and dammit, Jamie McGuire made me like Travis. At the end of the first book, I wished it had ended differently. It didn't distract from my enjoyment of the first book, but the relationship was dysfunctional and poisonous. The second book had me looking at the relationship from a different perspective, understanding why actions were taken and conversations never heard from the other perspective.  I couldn't put this one down either and read it in one night. Two books in two nights does not make for restful nights. By accident, I stumbled upon two amazingly written books. It truly was serendipity.

I recently picked up Fated. I haven't read it yet, but I am absolutely sure I got the correct book when I got home. But so far the road to acquiring it has been well worth the effort.