Barnes & Noble, Are You Worth it?

Every town has one. A big, shiny, well-kept Barnes & Noble Booksellers store, complete with a small Starbucks Cafe inside. In theory, this should be my regular hangout. In reality, I'm suspicious and skeptical of Barnes & Noble, and their whole scheme.

I don't know why I am so uneasy about the megabookstore. Maybe it's because I've watched You've Got Mail with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks too much. Maybe because I don't like their price listings. Maybe I just prefer to buy books on Amazon or check them out from the library. For whatever reason, although I do enjoy going there sometimes, I hardly like to buy from that store.

Not that I'm discriminating against just them. When Borders was in business (rest in peace), I didn't like to go there either. It was just another Barnes & Noble with subpar coffee and a smaller selection of equally overpriced books. Also they didn't use the double stacked bookshelves with ladders that I liked so much at a particular bookstore in downtown Fort Worth. Borders will just never compare.

I think a megabookstore's concept is what really makes me mad. Reading is extremely important in so many different ways, yet Barnes & Noble chooses to turn finding a book into sort of a retail shopping experience. That can be a good or bad thing. It's a good thing when a person who isn't necessarily the biggest fan of reading has fun picking out a book from Barnes & Noble to buy. Although they probably aren't buy the book for the right reason, at least it gets them out there and looking. It's a bad thing because I don't think books should be as expensive as they are at Barnes & Noble. I know that they just follow the book publisher's listing price, but it's unnecessary to spend 25 dollars on a recently released book at a big book store when you could buy the same book half price at Walmart or Target. That whole process makes me wonder about how much the publisher and the author actually wants to sell the book for, and what places like Wal-Mart and Target have to do in order to lower those prices, especially when the book has just been released. But that could be a whole other blog.

It makes me wonder if having a large retailer is necessary. I normally always say no, but it does make buying books easy and popular when large book retailers are in indoor and outdoor shopping malls. When Christmas comes around, the bookstores are always usually busy with customers and people looking to buy books for friends and family, and that promotes reading, which I'm always a fan of. I just believe that buying a book can be a personal experience that requires time and knowledge, and Barnes & Noble doesn't give me that special feeling that I just found a great book when I check out.

What do you think? Do you like big bookstores or are you into smaller retailers like me??

Dear Amazon Kindle, I hate you.

Okay. Let me preface this by saying that the Kindle is not a bad product. In fact, it is a good product. One that many people enjoy.

But, obviously, I do not. And I have reasons. And while many of these reasons are slightly crazy and have a lot to do with my personal preferences, they are important to me.

Reasons why I prefer paper books to E-Readers.

1) It's hard to read. Like many Americans, I have terrible vision that I correct daily with glasses or contacts. Reading text on a computer screen after just a few hours gives me a headache that I can only fix with a piece of red velvet cake. Also, I hate have to scroll down or across to get to every page. I know it sounds stupid, but it really bothers me that I just can't look over to the next page without having to scroll. The backlighting on the screen also can sometimes be deceptive to the eye and normally causes me to fiddle with the lighting until I finally can see. Very annoying.

2) I love cracking paper book's spines. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I love knowing and physically feeling that I am the first person to open this book. It's like christmas morning. You know that nobody else has played with your new toy. It's all yours. Hearing the spine crack instantly makes me ready to get into this new book. With a kindle, I get no satisfying spine cracking sound. The E-Reader doesn't give me the very important sound effects, and I resent it for that.

3) Beat up books are the best. I also get extreme satisfaction out of loving a book so much, I literally rip it apart over time. There is something about seeing my old, tattered copy of The Giver that just makes me so happy. I can't part with it. I'll have that old copy of the book until the day I die. Or I lose it. Which, for me, is always a possibility. You can't beat up the kindle. It has to stay in good condition or the thing doesn't work. I can't throw it across the room when I get fed up with a character, and it doesn't react very well when I accidentally spill water and/or goldfish on it. I always have to be careful with the E-Reader. I have to watch where I put it, because someone would steal it. Nobody would steal my torn paperback copy of The Giver.

4) Kindles, Ipads, Nooks, they all cost way too much money. I just find it extremely annoying to have to buy a 100, 200 or 5oo dollar E-Reader, and then still have to spend almost the exact same amount of money for a digital copy of the book as I would have spent for a paperback version. I would rather have book shelves filled with paperback and hardback books that I bought at a store, than a digital library I had to buy online. I want to look at the book covers closely. I don't want to spend extra money on an E-Reader.

I know that a lot of people disagree with me. And I love most of the new technological advances that we've made in the past 5 years. But for sentimental reasons, I can't let paperback books go, and I resent that the E-Reader market is trying to make me.

Norman Public Library, Y U NO like good books?

I went to the Norman Public Library today.

It was weird.

The end.

Not really. But I wasn't very impressed, and I've decided to rant about it. Libraries should be filled with every single kind of book that you may possibly want to read, accompanied by knowledgable 100 year old librarians who can find exactly what you need. Also dark corners where they keep all of the forbidden books and various other treasures and/or a secret tunnel to HoneyDuke's Candy Shop.

Instead, I found a dreary building that smelled funny, with some umm...interesting? people playing on the library's computers for entirely too long, and none of the books I wanted in were in stock, or even recognized by the unhelpful librarian. It was disheartening. It seemed like the citizens of Norman didn't really take their library as a resource, instead it's just a place filled with books. It also made me realize that libraries could be a thing of the past in a few years. With everything moving online, the possibilities of having online libraries around the country fill me with excitement and sadness. I'm excited for this possibility of online only libraries for convienice. Sometimes I can't make it to the library for weeks at a time, being able to download a book for free instantly sounds legit. I'm sad because there is something special about going to the library and finding the perfect book off the shelf. I'm sad because I enjoy judging books by their cover, and I like being able to read on the couches in the library. Except not the Norman Public Library couch, which was occupied by a screaming toddler and his bratty sister who may or may not have gone to the bathroom on the couch. (Her face made me nervous).

I wish we could have a nice, huge library. Like the one that the Beast showed Belle in his castle. But the sad reality is that many people don't like going to the library, and how beneficial a good library can be for so many reasons. Instead of concentrating on reading good books and learning, kids like to watch Spongebob Squarepants and go to the movies instead. Not that there is anything wrong with either of those things, but why not squeeze in a little bit of library time each week? Even if parents don't enjoy reading books, they should still be taking their children to the library at least a few times a year.

I think the harsh lessons I learned today at the library that were that A) People don't treat the library with respect, which I hate and B) Nobody wants to go to the library anymore. It's sad because an important part of the learning culture is a library, and generation after generation of people stop remembering that libraries still exist. What will that turn into? And what kind of consequences will come out of this new predicament?

I'm writing an anonymous letter to NPL about their couch. It needs to go.

Books into Movies Conversions, I am Afraid of You.

watch first:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fye5Nwe4qeI

The Hunger Games movie trailer came out on Monday. YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm happy.

I'm excited.

I'm slightly terrified.

But mostly pumped.

I love the Hunger Games. Love them. I just think the books are well written and heart-wrenching and bone-chilling and I have a clear obsession. But I'm scared that the movie adaptation is going to ruin the story for me.

I constantly wonder to myself if a movie version of a perfectly wonderful book is just a ploy to make more money. Actually, I know it is. Does it ruin the artistic integrity of the story? That depends on what kind of story it is in the first place. Many popular books have been turned into movies or a television series, but only a few have been tastefully done AND been extremely popular.

Take The Help, for example. A wonderful, interesting, and highly emotional book for me. The movie version turned out to be an extremely accurate and realistic retelling of the book. I was pleased. Because the movie followed a few good rules:

1) Kept the characters and plotline the exact same.

2) Stayed true to the author's basic intention with the novel

3) Didn't try to sensationalize the movie and turn it into a popularity contest. Yes, the movie was popular, but not overdone.

I think that if a movie producers tried to portray the story for what it is instead of what they want it to be, the whole process would make everyone happy. Instead, we usually see oversexed, overbudgeted, and understellar actors and actresses to fill the beloved roles of our favorite book characters. To portray a beloved character is hard enough, but to ask an actor or actress who doesn't care about the role or hasn't read the books is downright stupid. I'm sorry, but nobody wanted Daniel Ratcliffe to play Harry Potter when we first saw him. I mean, the kid had blue eyes. Rowling states throughout the entire series that Harry has his mother's GREENeyes, and then they pick a short kid with BLUE eyes. They didn't even bother fitting him with green contacts. They can spend millions of dollars on food and trailers and other useless crap, but they can't take the time or spend the money to buy a little pair of green contacts?!

It still makes me mad. Obvi. I luv tlkng in abbrevs.

To make my main point, I am skeptical about all book to movie conversions. And I'm terrified that The Hunger Games is going to not be good. And the purpose of making a book into a movie (besides making tons of money and attracting rabid fans) is to bring the book to life in the best way possible. I think that directors have forgotten the main purpose for the project. I'm afraid. And judging by the recent trailer of Breaking Dawn, I have a good reason to be afraid of these movies.

And yes I am going to still see it. That Jacob kid is cute. Also jailbait.

Why I prefer Young Adult books.

I'm not Peter Pan. I don't want to do the whole never grow up thing and be permanently stuck in puberty. I had braces and glasses...it was an interesting time.

But I digress. What I'm trying to say is, I know that I'm almost considered a grown up, and I am ready to graduate college and get a job. What I'm not willing to ever give up on is my imagination and ability to daydream. The Young Adult genre usually provides more imagination and emotion than other books trying to reach an older audience.

Why, as a 22 year old female who is getting engaged and about to graduate, am I so intrigued and excited about fantasy novels? While I am incapable of correctly going through my entire thought process about this topic, I do have a few ideas as to why I want to read fantasy YA.

1) I don't want to be a stereotypical, boring person. My life is full of stereotypes. I have blonde hair. Average height. Average weight (I hope). Member of a sorority. Average family. I'm in a long term relationship that will end in marriage, a dog, and then kids. Hopefully in that order (I'm feeling snarky). The message that I'm trying to convey in telling you all of these things is that, on paper, I'm the definition of boring. And sometimes, I feel boring. I feel bored with my life, and how I have limited myself to a few choices, instead of a world of possibilities. As I get older, I feel my charisma to do something great slipping away. Instead of wondering about my future, I find myself being alarmed about how clearly I can see the rest of my life.

That's where fantasy and YA come in. Because, in reading books about 17 year olds, I realize that I'm closer to them in age than I'm closer to 30. And I love how young that makes me feel. I also love the strange, exciting worlds that they live in, and how different they are from my own little world. I like to think about what I would do if I was Katniss from The Hunger Games, or Hermione from Harry Potter. I want to know all about these people, because in my head I can consider them an extension of myself, and through these characters, I can go on adventures. If you think that's weird and pathetic, then I feel sorry for you, because sometimes there is no greater feeling than getting really into a book.

2) I adore creativity. The amount of thought and research these authors put into their fantasy books is astounding. My journalism professor in Gaylord once told our class that the average book takes about 2-6 years to plan and write out. JK Rowling took 7 years to write Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I can appreciate that kind of effort in any book, but these YA books that have become so popular lately are spectarularly detailed, and I love it. There is a reason why so many people love these books, especially with older adults. They are magical. And the attraction is hard to resist. I am the first one to admit that I think the characters are weak in Twilight and the whole thing is getting out of hand, but I admire Stephenie Meyer for her ability to imagine and create Bella's world. It takes a special person to do something like that, and creative authors can be hard to come by sometimes. No matter if I think her characters are stupid and have insecurity problems (cough, Bella Don't-leave-me-ever -or-I'll-be-insane Swan).

3) I want an escape. Life is hard sometimes. I know that I generally have it really easy, but anybody who knows me well can easily tell when I'm overwhelmed and stressed. Especially because I normally say it over and over again. These books aren't hard to read, and they provide an enjoyable escape from the harsh monotony of everyday life. It's like going to the movies for some people. I just want to slip away from anything that is not going well in my life, so I essentially sneak away with imaginary people to get my mind off of things. I look forward to it almost every day, actually. To get a break and some type of rest from this is the best thing I can do for myself. And it's a hell of a lot cheaper than retail therapy. Which is my second favorite activity.

I know that Young Adult books can be cheesy and mindless. Sometimes I prefer them that way. I know that many people still will think that the Young Adult genre is a waste of time. But I really didn't write this post for them, or anybody else. I wrote this to remind myself why I feel so strongly about YA. Every time that I chide myself on reading a book with a stupid title (i.e "Fallen, Twilight, Beastly" etc..) I remember why I read them in the first place, and how rewarding they are for me in the end. And that beats being embarrassed to tell people that I love YA any day.