The world of Pern

I was first introduced to the world of Pern when I was a young girl. I read Dragonflight for the first time at the age of 12 and was immediately and irrecovably in love. I used to dream of having a dragon of my very own and frequently named my pets after characters in the stories, (I once had a salamander named Ruth- however things got complicated because my beloved grandmother's name was also Ruth and she was quite put out by sharing her name with a slimy critter... I also didn't have the heart to tell her that, in the book, Ruth is a BOY dragon!).

The world of Pern was created by the late Anne McCaffrey, who sadly left us in November of 2011. The entire world is based on a group of human colonists from earth and how their culture develops as they settle their new home. Everything seems perfect with their new home until they discover the menacing Thread which is an organism that falls from the sky and eats everything biological in its path! Genetisists create the dragons out of a smaller life form that exists in the natural ecosystem of Pern, and these are used to combat the Thread. The story begins hundreds of years later when all technology is lost and only stories remain of the original landing of the settlers.

I recently began re-reading the series in anticipation of a movie that is scheduled to go into production sometime this year. You can read more about the movie here, but so far I'm very excited. Some small part of me knows that the world of Pern on the big screen could never be as wonderous as in my imagination, but I can't help feeling like a little kid at Christmas to see my childhood fantasies come to life.

If you are not a science fiction / fantasy geek like me, I encourage you to read them anyway. If for no other reason than to appreciate the enourmous talent and descriptive literatary genious that was Anne McCaffrey. The world is a darker place without her, but she will live on in our imaginations.

P.S. ----> Anne, if you can hear this - please let Santa know that I still would very much like a dragon for Christmas, a Queen if he can manage it, but I'm not picky.

Love Jewels

The Room

I downloaded this book on my kindle, not knowing much about it, and let me tell you, am I ever glad I did. The entire premise of the story is just brilliant. I started reading it in the bath the other night, and then 3 hours later I sneezed and finally noticed that the water had gone cold some time ago and that I had totally lost touch with reality - It's that good.

The plot takes place around a boy, whose entire existence is the 11x11 square foot room he was born in. His mother has been a captive there for the last seven years and has raised him solely using the few books she has and her memory. I won't tell you much more and spoil it for you but the amount of detail the author gives in the telling of this wonderful but dark story makes the characters become a part of you as you read it. I couldn't go to sleep until I had finished the last page.

The ramifications of such a childhood are endless. Every time I think about the world that the author had to dream up I'm amazed. It is a heart-warming story about a mothers love for her child, and how she will stop at nothing to make sure that child is safe, secure and happy.

Have you read it?

The Daily Shout-Out

Today's winner is a meme that I think I might play along with (what is the definition for the word meme anyway? Bloggers seem to have developed their own language... but I digress). The blog is Should Be Reading. Here's what the author has to say about the meme:

I think I will play along. What can I say, I love books.

Look What I've Got!

Hubby surprised me with a used Sony Book Reader that he got from Ebay. This is an incredibly thoughtful gift as Hubby knows my fondness for books. When I first found out about it I was very skeptical. Half the fun of reading is selecting the book from the store based on cover art, and flowery description. Plus you can't beat that new book smell. None of these features are available with the Sony Book Reader. It's just sort of... blah.

The first book I loaded onto it was Robert Jordan's The Path Of Daggers.

(I'm currently re-reading this because of the latest release in the series).

Look at this cover art:

How awesome is that? Look at what I'm missing? This is a lovely picture, but it really is much more impressive in real life. Cooked up right out of the artists/authors imagination. Sigh.

When I am reading a novel I will often flip back to the cover, or maps to help create a visual in my mind of the characters, or geographical reference. You don't get to do this with the book reader. There are zero graphics. Not that I need graphics... I DO have an imagination, but I miss them.

This is the part where I tell you I'm converted. Even though I had condemned it before I even attempted to use it, I am now an advocate of the digital book reader. Why, you ask? Several reasons:

1. It's very portable and is now a permanent fixture in my purse. I take it everywhere and use it all the time.

2.I no longer need to worry about dog-earring my precious book collection, or having it get squished up and torn on an airplane, (the fate of the most recent addition to my collection - The Sookie Stackhouse novels).

3. It's super light. Some of my novels are 700 pages or more and can grow quite heavy after an hour of reading. My hands never get sore from holding the book open, and I don't break the spines anymore by squishing them flat. Most of the time I'm not even holding it, it's propped between the bed and the wall. The reading experience is now much more comfortable.

4. I move a lot. A LOT. I have packed and unpacked the same books 10 times in the last 12 years. I've lugged them upstairs, and downstairs, in elevators, from car to car. I am TIRED of moving books. Now I don't have to. Ever again.

It was a little irritating flipping the pages so much at first. I had a hard time adjusting to the 5 inch screen, but now don't even notice. I love it. I'm converted. My entire book collection is being packed up to go to the used book store. All is right in the world.

The Twilight Craze

When the book Twilight by Stephanie Myers came out, followed closely by the movie... I admit, I was skeptical and not so interested. I do have a thing for vampire movies though, so I did plan to watch it eventually. While I was waiting for it to hit theatres, I picked up the first book. I wasn't expecting much as it was written for teens... I was pleasently surprised. I am now a complete addict. I read the first 350 pages yesterday and had trouble putting it down to get some sleep before work. Completely fabulous book. I had read some silly review from Stephen King earlier that said Myers was a horrible author and the book was crap... someone should shoot that man. Her character development was fabulous, and her descriptions so detailed (without being overly flowery), that I actually felt like I could look up from the book and see fog and mist. The story itself is very simple, but looks at the whole vampire legend/culture from a bit of a different angle. This isn't Buffy the Vampire Slayer, (which I was completely expecting). I can relate to the main character, even though she is seventeen and I'm 27, and when I'm reading, I feel like I AM her... the sign of a well written book. I'm so absorbed when I'm reading that I forget my surroundings. However, I will issue you a warning... if you're looking for the next piece of Great American Literature... this isn't it. It is a incredibly entertaining piece, but an easy read, targeted at teens and young adults.

Have you read it? Tell me what you think!