That's What You're Reading?

My niece showed me the book she’s currently reading.  She likes the new Young Adult novels.  I was ready to say “Really?  That’s nice” to her, since many of the new books aren’t what you would call quality literature and I’m not terribly impressed.  I know that the Percy Jackson series teaches something of Greek Mythology, but what exactly are we learning from Eduard and Bella?  Hunger Games was at least tolerable and the Harry Potter series has good characters.  But stories that make you think?  That you have to actually concentrate on?  The Star Wars novels are entertaining, and come closer than some to getting out of the shallow end.
So I looked at her book and all that came out was “That’s Orson Scott Card.”  She said, “Yeah, Ender’s Game.  It’s this new series and they’re making a movie out of it.”  Of course they are.  Hollywood makes a movie out of everything.  All I could say was “that’s not new.”  Inside I’m cheering, cartwheels and everything. 
I’m one of those who never watches the movie first.  I’ve usually read the book even before Hollywood gets a hold of it—except Nicholas Sparks.  I can’t say I’m a chicklit reader or watcher.  Sometimes I don’t even watch the movie because I know the screenwriters are going to mess it up. Two hours on the screen just can’t capture the depth of the written narrative.  Even Game of Thrones doesn’t tell everything George R.R. Martin is trying to share and HBO has had a few seasons for it.
And they aren’t supposed to. You thought this was to criticize movies, right?  Wrong.  I’m watching The Two Towers—again—as I write this.  I’ve read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the Hobbit, and Simarillion.   The movie series did disappoint me until I said “hey, this isn’t the book.  It’s okay if Legolas is reduced to a pretty boy with a petty feud with a dwarf. It’s just a movie.”  Screenplays aren’t novels and novels aren’t screenplays. 
But if a movie directs someone to a novel, how cool is that?  I have to admit, the Sharpe Series was like that for me.  I saw it on PBS back in the day and not only fell in love with swashbuckling action, but also began a life-long obsession.   In retrospect, there isn’t much depth, just lots of Sean, in the movies but it opened me up to something different than scifi and fantasy.  Whether in novels or on the screen, that’s good story telling. 
I’m going to watch Ender’s Game with my niece in November.  I’m going to be disappointed because that’s just the way it goes.  But, I’m also going to say but they’ve picked a story to peak her interest. She’ll go back and look for more at the library.  And then she’ll ask the librarian for similar things.  She’ll read Margaret Weis, Madeline l’Engle, Piers Anthony, Terry Brooks, and others.  She’ll want more from her novels than she’s been getting and be more discerning in her movie viewing.  And she will still be able to enjoy them all.
You don’t start a baby off on meat and potatoes.  You give them baby food first, let them learn to digest it, then as they grow their palates become more sophisticated, not only able to handle better, but actually wanting it.  That’s the way it is with good story telling.  We start them small and then expand their horizons. 
Hopefully there’s not a lot of abuse and neglect along the way. 

Celebrate Friday! It's Been A While

 

CELEBRATION FRIDAY!
 My celebrate is that I'm back on this site. 
I always have big plans, but then life happens....
So, in the interim, I haven't slacked.  Wrote some poems, took some pictures, worked on the elusive novel.  Went to Nova Scotia to dig up some family roots.  Very fun.  I want to do some posts about this.
Will try to be more blog productive, but who knows? 
 

Memorial Monday

Since illness doesn't take a holiday our office was open today.  On my way home I stopped by the grocery store, taking for granted that it would be open and that not only would it have food, it would have what I wanted.  I appreciated the help the produce guy gave me in trying to find vegetables to grill. (I already had steaks)  I waited in line while the lady in front of me complained that what she was trying to buy wasn't eligible through SNAP (LA food stamp program). I looked in her basket and was glad my tax dollars didn't cover all that was in there.
 When I stopped for gas I overheard a woman complaining about how much it cost to fill up her car.  She got to talking to a gentleman about the politicians and the war in Afghanistan and how it all really had to do with greed and oil and big businesses.  They got into government and health care.  We all agreed that since we'd exercised our right to vote, we should have a right to complain and even demand a recount. (I got the feeling we all had different ideas about who should go from the state and federal levels.) 
We were supposed to grill at my brother's house, but since crime also doesn't take a holiday, he got called in to work.  Grilling ended up at my house.  He did get a chance to stop by and we'd saved him some food, but we were disappointed he couldn't hang out with us. 
I'm glad it was for just one afternoon we missed him.  He's a police officer now, but at one time he was in the U.S. Army.  He's been to war and he's come home.  So many soldiers didn't.  So many families can only lay flowers on a grave. 
At first I was ashamed that so many of us take for granted what our soldiers have sacrificed for us.  But, then I was grateful. 
I live in a country where we're so rich, even the poor have access to good food, health care, and nice housing.  We have the freedom to complain openly and not worry we'll be arrested. We can naively believe war is unnecessary, that everyone will listen to reason and believe like us.  We can't comprehend a land where it would be any different. 
We have our soldiers to thank for this.  Sure, civilians make rules.  They run the day in day outs of life.  But it's our military people who protect our way of life.  We will never understand the sacrifices they make.  We'll never see what they've seen or do what they've had to do. I'd stand up and fight with them any time, but I pray I'll never have to. 
And as long as they're willing to pay the price, we never will.  I pray I'll never stop being grateful for this.