Best Read Stories

   I read the original It , watched the 1980s movie, and watched the new It . So, I have a wealth of knowledge to help me understand It . Yet, I remained stumped when discussing the most recent movie adaptation. The most recent movies, chapters 1 and 2, effectively resolved the confusing storyline filled with too many flashbacks. It also adjusted the clown’s creepiness into a more sinister, scarier version. It also hinted at but didn’t include, Beverly’s odd team-building recommendation (in the novel, but omitted from the movies) was too disconcerting. So immediately, chapters 1 and 2 are easier to follow. But it still surprises me that this story was as successful as it was/is. The story isn’t horrible. It ‘s story taps into several societal ideas. Most people fear clowns, and too many people ignore the violence, discrimination, and mistreatment within our communities. King shows his audience the psychological horrors of childhood. However, I didn’t recognize themes d...

Like horror, war stories are last resort entertainment for me. War stories, and horror, are notorious for their “everybody dies,” “life is a gift,” and “nothing about life is a given” final scenes. I steer toward fantasy and romance because of their happy endings and potential to end in a better position rather than to end in blood and misery.  I can't get excited about everybody dying. Therefore, I’ve never watched First Blood the movie much less read the book. I know this isn’t a war story, but a veteran returning from war drama is not that far from a war story to me since it contains so much reality that I cannot ignore. But I recently read First Blood …twice. It's my new favorite book. While I couldn’t relate to the events, everything about the book (nope, not the movie)--the characters, the plot, the location, the themes--drew me in, and within the first chapter, I was hooked  First Blood made me think because it's complicated .  The characters' moral ambig...

Tolkien’s The Hobbit is a perfect example of adventure. Everything about the tale is large—the cast, the location, the story. The array of fourteen characters is distinct. No one would confuse the somewhat attractive flirty dwarf with the fat one or the surly dwarf who would be king. Nope, I don’t recall a single name or characteristics beyond the superficial ones—hair color, size, attitude. But were the characters meant to be distinct or just parts of a whole. Excluding Gandolf and Bilbo, personalities reflect societal characters—the brave, the talented, the young, the old, the fat, the leader, etc. Please don’t assume this generalization is bad; in fact, it helped me. The cast is large, and although they are not all primary characters, the dwarves frequently share the screen as a unit. It is easier to understand and accept the group when the individuals are treated generally. In contrast, learning every nuance and backstory of fourteen characters would exhaust and overwhelm me. ...

{spoilers} As is often the case with dramatic realism, I couldn’t find my words for The Hate U Give . How does one judge reality? How can I comment on a situation that could be any headline in a current newspaper? Because of its “ripped from the headlines” timeliness, the book’s popularity is understandable. People unfamiliar with this struggle are drawn to the well-written that builds empathy and understanding for black men and women’s struggles with police shootings. It is a well-written book—preferable to the movie—that effectively tells the story that Angie Thomas wanted to share. But determining how I feel and what I think of the story is tricky because the plot and characters feel authentic, yet not. So much of Starr and the Carter family is believable. I understand the precarious balance of Starr’s at-home life and her school persona. Her ability to fit into both lifestyles and struggle to maintain her identity without falling into the stereotypes that black girls fall vic...