Book Review: Beautiful Creatures

By Meggie Vail

     At 563 pages, Beautiful Creatures is a brick. They're not short pages either, mind you. Written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, this is a tale made for lovers of the Twilight Saga. This epic centers on a small town teenage boy, Ethan, living in Gatlin, South Carolina. Like any small town boy with a superiority complex, a dead historian mom, recluse writer dad, and an elderly voodoo-master-housekeeper-pseudo-grandma, he's just ready to bust out and explore a world that is far more intelligent and interesting than Gatlin. Everyone in Gatlin is hypercritical, disapproving, and dripping with an off-tasting, artificially flavored dumb-Southerner typecast. Imagine a town filled with nitpicking, brownie making, Chrysler minivan driving soccer moms congregating at the Baptist church for book burnings and video game protests. This is Gatlin. 
     Garcia and Stohl put no effort into developing any characters, not even the main characters are well developed. Ethan’s bored out of his oversized skull until suddenly, the girl of his (literal) dreams, Lena, appears in a hearse (because the Oscar Meyer Weiner mobile had already been rented) beginning a whirlwind, star-crossed romance filled with a forbidden love at first sight, stereotypes, dead parents, the Civil War and magic (obviously). 
     As we would expect, Lena is unrealistically ostracized by the angry villagers of Gatlin because she doesn't fit in. Spoiler-but-actually-not-a-spoiler-alert, Lena is a witch or “Caster” who has a special telepathic connection with Ethan that no one can explain and they take mini-vacations to battles in the Civil War. Lena also smells like rosemary and lemons, which apparently is a very appealing scent, even when you’re not a chicken. My favorite part was when they spent five pages talking about how they couldn’t be together because she was too dangerous, but he was so in love with her that he couldn’t stay away. Sound like Twilight yet? 
     I picked this baby up because I heard it's going to be a movie with Jeremy Irons and Viola Davis and the trailer looked interesting. I need to find my receipt. This book is about 300 pages too long and is horrifically unoriginal and repetitive. For your own safety I suggest you avoid it, unless you're into Ulysses sized novels about supernatural star-crossed lovers, chicken perfume, and impending doom. If this sounds like you, you can have my copy.

(Cough, cough, Twilight)

My Ideal Book Shelf

By Laura Zweig

Harry Potter- The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling was a defining point in my childhood. I snarfed down every book like I was a starving child in Africa and the book was the first substantial food we’d seen in months. I would read Harry Potter everywhere, turning down invitations to play to read for the umpteenth time. Who needs sports when I can live vicariously through Quidditch matches?

To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee’s quintessential American novel is my favorite “serious literature” book. In addition to introducing me to Atticus Finch and thus raising my standards for all men everywhere, this book fosters a lingering element of humanity absent in other famous works. It’s a novel that recalls where society has been and instills hope for the future. It should be required reading.

Looking For Alaska- In one of John Green’s other books, there is a quote about literature that stood out to me. “Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.” That quote perfectly describes my feelings toward Looking For Alaska. Telling the story of the boarding school adventures of Miles and his friends The Colonel and Alaska, this young adult book examines life’s biggest questions about love and loss. It’s a book that changes you.

The Giving Tree- In my opinion, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is the greatest children’s book of all time because it transcends age. While some of the morals get a little sketchy and while I don’t recommend giving away everything one has to an unappreciative schoolboy, I just can’t help feeling all warm and fuzzy whenever I read it.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky’s book is basically everything I wanted my high school experience to be. Whenever I’m feeling happy or sad, I can connect to whatever raw emotions Charlie puts on the page. Every read is its own emotional catharsis, and I know it’s going to be one of those trusty books that I can always pick up and feel better.

The Book Thief- I’ve read a lot of Holocaust books in my time, but none have stuck with me like Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. Not just because I’ve “accidentally” “borrowed” books from every one of my English teachers, but because it’s such a chilling story told in a captivating way. Narrated by death, the book makes me laugh and cry and mourn and rejoice. 

Podcast Playlist: So Crazy It Might Just Work

  

             

By Laura Zweig

 Just because something is considered a fact doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true. A crowded hall of mathematicians in the early 20^th century witnessed their world being turned upside down. One renegade math nerd astounded the gathered masses when he proved that the number 2^67 – 1 was not actually prime, a fact that had been held true for 300 years. The man had spent 156 Sundays plugging and chugging until he found two numbers that multiplied together to get the desired product.

                The theme of this installment of WBEZ Chicago’s radio program/podcast This American Life was “So Crazy It Just Might Work.” The first chunk of the program was dedicated to a composer who thought he found a way to cure cancer. Building off of the idea that an opera singer who hits the right note can break glass, the man hypothesized that playing the right frequency could kill cancer cells while leaving healthy cells the way they were. Many doubted the man but he persisted.

                Was cancer cured? Tune in to find out. 

TED Talk: Before I Die...

What do you want to do before you die? The age old question always lingers, for most of us, unanswered. It seems like a simple question, but is it really? Candy Chang used the question as a way to help her fellow citizens express themselves and spruce up the neighborhood. Chang transformed a rundown, graffiti-covered, abandoned house into a chalkboard diary with the phrase “Before I die I want to ______”, providing chalk and leaving the blank to the community members to share their hopes dreams. Running the gamut of funny to heart wrenching, the Wall provided the community a way to connect with each other without ever knowing each other. Hopes and dreams were poured out onto the Wall covering it in days. The Wall did more than just bring a community together; it was a vessel for self exploration, making us all rethink the question: What do you want to do before you die?

On the eShelf: Tired

By Cara Passmore

                Tired? Want to go home and take a nap after the super long and boring day you had? I know most of the time I sit in class about to doze off as my economic teachers lecture about tradeoffs.  After a while all you hear is wah wah wah and your eyes start to close and it feels like a struggle to stay awake.  Or perhaps you think about how you totally forgot to study for chemistry class and you pull an all-nighter and all you can think about is wanting to curl up in a warm bed with a blanket.

Anyways how would you feel if you got plenty of sleep at night and you’re still utterly exhausted the rest of the day? Well there is a woman, Anna Sumner, who can sleep for what seems like forever, but never has the satisfaction of feeling wide-awake;  well feeling tired is in fact a disease called hypersomnolence. This story sounds similar to Sleeping Beauty except Anna Sumner didn’t have her finger pricked by an evil witch and prince charming can’t wake her up. Instead she says home and sleeps all day.

You’re probably thinking that sounds amazing right now since you’re sitting in Etymology class and are ready for a nap right after lunch. However, feeling like you’re going to fall asleep all the time would suck and never feeling satisfied with the amount of sleep you got.  Anna Sumner will only feel exhaustion and even slept for 53 hours straight. What day is it? How long have I been asleep for? What time is it? Those are the never ending questions that Anna Sumner feels when she wakes up. The only treatment to help her with this illness is given only by IV and only administered in hospitals. Sumner went to the FDA and tried to convince them to let her take medicine that she could take orally even though it was not approved yet. Somehow she got her wish and was able to receive the treatment needed to make her wake up. She also needed physical therapy because she muscle were so underused that she couldn’t go five minutes without feeling fatigue, so next time you think you never want to get out of bed you might want to reconsider. So one last question……ready for a nap? 

Article found here.

One Reader: My Grandma

By Morgan Scherrer

As a young child I would say 6 or 7, I spent countless days at my grandparents’ house.  They have a gorgeous house placed nicely on the shores of Lake Freeman.  My grandma has always had an eye for books.  There was not a time where you would not see her without her book.  My whole family knows if they want a good book to read my grandma would be the one to go to.  As a kid I had thought she read every book imaginable.    When she was nowhere to be found you could always look on the screened in porch near the lake water.  She would be sitting there quietly with the windows open letting in the cool breeze from the water flow in, sitting in her big brown comfy chair with her book open.  It was quite on that porch, besides the crackle of the pages being turned and the occasional wave crashing against the water or the peaceful sound of a boat drive by.  For Christmas a few years back we got her a Kindle, and I have never seen her so happy in her life.  I would always ask her to read to me.  My spot was right next to hers and I would sit there and listen.  I loved it when she read the Harry Potter books to me.  That was my favorite series and I think that they were her favorite as well.  I loved imagining Harry Potter and everyone flying around on little broom sticks.  We would sit there for hours and hours just reading.  It was the perfect setting for the perfect book.  I have yet to meet a person who appreciates a good book as much as my grandma did.  She spent any free she had with her mind engulfed in a book.  I would always think that I would be just like that when I grew up.

Book Review: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

By Cara Passmore

            We all have a book that we just can’t put down. A book that feels like it just sucks you in; and even if you really need to do your homework or go to bed you just can’t put it down. You keep telling yourself just one more page, and that page ends up turning into a whole chapter.

Most of us have a favorite book that we’ve read over and over and still are sad or excited even when you know what is going to happen. I have a lot of favorite books but I have one in particular, it’s called All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten By: Robert Fulghum. It was one of my mom’s books that I just happened to stumble upon. I read the first few pages and immediately fell in love with it. I could not put it down I was utterly absorbed in it. The way he described his life and how many things applied in his life from what he learned when he was a child. I found it to be absolutely exceptional. It became my favorite book and whenever I needed some perspective in my life I would go back and read it. That may sound stupid that I have such a connection with this book but I love it, it always make me laugh but more than anything it makes me think.

I highly recommend this book. If some doesn’t like it in my opinion they are crazy. Take my word for it and give it a try. You might just find that the things that are really important and you need to remember the most is the things you learned in kindergarten. 

On the eShelf: Rihanna's Unapologetic Release

by Morgan Scherrer

The very talented pop singer of our time, Rihanna, has recently released her seventh album in seven years of working with her label company, Def Jam.  As she planned to release her new album Unapologetic, keeping with the theme of seven, she toured seven cities in seven days.  A plane full of music journalists and fans took off from Los Angeles and went to Mexico City, Toronto, Stockholm, Paris, Berlin, London, and the last location was New York.  Traveling to seven different countries in seven different days is unheard of.  This is not the everyday album release that all the artists are doing when they build up suspense from commercials and internet advertising, or maybe you follow them on Twitter and they are always talking about their new album release.  The artist normally does a bunch of press on different talk shows and then sings one maybe two of their songs on the show.  Rihanna challenged the ordinary release by taking hostage of journalists onto a plane and flying them all over the world with her. 

This article can be read from: http://thequietus.com/articles/10746-rihanna-unapologetic-review-777-chris-brown?src=longreads&buffer_share=28d52&utm_source=buffer

Wild Card: Spring Awakening

In this installment of our regular column "Wild Card," Meggie reflects on a random spectacle of pop culture, whether it be music, television, movies, or the stage. 

I was raised on musicals. As a kid, I would listen to the soundtrack of The Phantom of the Opera for hours. I knew all the words of all the song by the time I could walk. Musicals are a special thing for me, so when I find a new one worth of my car CD player, I latch on and listen to it until it snaps in half. Recently, I was attracted to Spring Awakening because I watch Glee (go figure) and Lea Michele has the voice of an angel. Once Jonathan Groff was introduced, I lost it. Their natural chemistry and gorgeous voices make for unearthly duets. One thing lead to another and I found Spring Awakening. I watched an original Broadway performance with Groff and Michele illegally on YouTube and fell in love. It's a tale of rebellion, self discovery, and sexual awareness. It's kids in 19th century Germany learning about sex set to a new-age rock anthem, simply put. What's more fun than that? Some time later, my sister told me about how a girl in her sorority was going to be in a musical, Spring something.... I pounced and as soon as I got home I bought tickets to see the show. My mother and I headed down to Bloomington to see the spectacle and it was fantastic. The actors did a phenomenal job, they were as good as, or better than, any travelling show I'd seen. The performance was great through a gritty camera in the nosebleeds, but it was terrific live. I made it home and bought the CD on Amazon. It currently resides in my car CD player.

Channel Surfing: Partners

In this installment of our regular column “Channel Surfing,” Laura reflects on her highest-rated show of the week.

I’ll be honest upfront. I only started watching CBS’ new comedy Partners because it was on after How I Met Your Mother and I was too lazy to get up to change the channel. But I’m glad I did. This show about two best friends, one gay and one straight, who are business partners is ground-breaking in that it is completely ordinary. While I’m glad that television shows are embracing gay characters, they tend to be flamboyant cartoons of what gay people are actually like. And while yes, Louis (Michael Urie) is flamboyant and cartoonish, his sexuality is not treated as a novelty. Wyatt (Brandon Routh) and Louis’ relationship is treated exactly the same as Joe (David Krumholtz) and Ali’s (Sophia Bush). The show’s basis premise is that there are four friends and three couples, the third being Joe and Louis’ committed bromance. A recent episode showed Joe and Louis intervening in the other’s romantic life with mixed results. The show is funny in the way of a classic sitcom, with snarky back-and-forth and a dash of physical humor.  While I found myself laughing for most of the episode, this show is not without its problems. Work needs to be done in terms of character development, particularly in the show’s supporting players. Despite this flaw, the core of the show, the friendship and love between the main characters, is one worth watching. I’ll take a chance on it and hopefully so will CBS. 

What We're Hating

• the fact that it's not snowing right now. If it's cold, it may as well snow. 

• mandatory shut downs for computers even if they do allow us privileges we all acquired months ago

• the fact that the executives at NBC had their brains removed and decided to put Whitney, which is basically the worst show ever, back in the prime time line up instead of cult-favorite  Community. Unacceptable. 

• the fact that it's not Thanksgiving yet and we are so unbelievably hungry for turkey and pie. mostly pie. #pie

• the fact that Senor Peeper, a light among us mere mortals, is in San Antonio and not in class. No nos gusta. 

What We're Loving

• This review from the New York Times about Guy Fieri's new restaurant is hilariously scathing and passive aggressive. While we have no intention of ever visiting this restaurant, it's nice to imagine a "Flavor town" where radioactive margaritas are sold on a swirling vortex of a menu. 

• Modern Family for its spot-on commentary of the three dysfunctional families that keep us rolling on the floor laughing

• The innovative indie film Ruby Sparks for its sweet nature and original premise. Also Paul Dano. 

• Regina Spektor for being alive and being a goddess among us.

• This picture of Barack and Michelle Obama embracing. We can feel the love and we wish we were apart of it. We're willing to dog sit Bo! 

Music Mayhem: Red

  

In this installment of our regular column "Music Mayhem," Morgan reviews the head-boppin' tunes stuck in her head this week. 

The much anticipated CD Red by Taylor Swift recently came out. Taylor Swift has won many awards in country music such as Entertainer of the Year, Female Singer of the Year, Best Single, Best Album, and the list goes on. All of her previous albums Taylor Swift, Fearless, and Speak Now have all had number one songs on them. Taylor Swift continues to sell out concerts all over the world. Her new album Red was expected to do amazing in sales but it over exceeded what it was expected to do. Previously Taylor Swift’s albums were put into the country music category. Still Red is considered a country album but many people argue that the album is more of a pop CD.  The first single from Red, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” has continued to get stuck in everyone’s heads that listen to it or even read the title.  The catchy verse, also the title, “we are never ever getting back together” has everyone singing it.  That is just one song from the album, the rest of the songs are just as catchy and seem to capture the idea of all of Swift’s ex-boyfriends. Bashing on what went wrong in the relationship is the idea of almost all the songs on the album.  

The Reel Deal: Skyfall

In this installment of our regular column "The Reel Deal," Cara contemplates  whatever movie is blowing her mind this week. 

You can’t beat a James Bond movie, especially when it has Daniel Craig starring as 007.  My new favorite movie of the month, Skyfall, starts out scaring you beyond belief.  Anyone with a beating heart and working eyes was shocked as they witnessed the smooth talking assassin, James Bond (Daniel Craig), plummet to his untimely death. Then, you’re drowned in a wave of musical euphoria, Adele crooning her newest song, “Skyfall,” and you sit impatiently, anticipation building up inside of you, waiting to see what happens next.  The audience sat there utterly confounded and thinking there is absolutely no way they are going to kill off one of the most iconic character ever created, well at least that’s what I was thinking. The whole movie keeps you on edge of your seat from the unforeseen plot twists in every scene. I sat there thinking how cool it would be to be a gun-slinging, martini-drinking, expensive-clothes-wearing agent in the British secret service. I know it’s kind of pathetic that a James Bond movie got me so excited, but life would be so much more electrifying as an international badass. I knew I wasn’t the only one that was jumping out of my seat; I looked over and saw a woman moving side to the side in her seat along with James, ducking the imaginary bullets and explosions. Skyfall is a thrilling addition to the Bond collection, and in my opinion the best James Bond movie I have seen so far. It will be extremely hard to top it, but I’m dying to see them try.