I'm Baaaaaack...

This post was going to be titled "It's been a long time" but I realized that I had already used that before. Is that a bad sign? Anyway, I suppose I could justify my absence by saying I had other stuff to do, which would be true, but in order to do so I would have to admit that I haven't been reading the whole time. Isn't that awful? All this time since my last post I have not read a single book that wasn't required for school (and the only one for school being Huck Finn, which doesn't count at all). After I noticed this, I decided to remedy the situation immediately, starting with a trip to the trusty book store followed by a stop at the local library. From the book store I picked up a collection of stories by H.P. Lovecraft, but I haven't yet started them so I really couldn't judge them at this time. From the library I picked up a series I have read at least thrice before, but decided to read again anyway. Those books will be the topic of my next post, so here we go!

It's been a long time...

But rest assured I am still alive. Really. I'm still working on my popup book and I'm still reading. I'll get some real content, eventually...

How To: Make a Pop-up Book

I finished the witten portion of my how-to, I'll be uploading pictures in a few days when I finish my pop-up myself. For now, it can be found on the sidebar!

*Spoiler Alert*

I just finished Huck Finn last night, and my favorite part was▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓!
I couldn't believe ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ did ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓! And when ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ went and ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓, it was amazing!

Anyway, since I finished the book, that means I can start with my pop-up book now. Yay!

To Read, or Not to Read...

...That is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler for me to wait
and continue my project,
or to start now and read
and by starting jump ahead?


I'm done with this poetry stuff. It's awful.


Anyway, my conundrum in this bright shiny new year is what to do for a project? I planned on continuing the blog, if simply to stay isolated from the rambunctious ramblings of the others I would share the original blog with. Bwahaha. In addition to that though, I thought that I would add other projects, supplements if you will, to help fill out my 20% time. What I was going to do was create another pop-up book based on the next book we will be reading in class-- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This would require reading it first, however, and in order to make a book I must finish it. I have already read the book in the past, which lessens my guilt, but the thought of reading ahead so far fills me with chagrin.

Of course, I didn't feel that way with The Lord of the Flies, or Of Mice and Men, or To Kill a Mockingbird, or The Crucible... I guess I'll be fine.

Expect pictures (ooh! maybe even a step-by-step!) in the future, since I will probably start the pop-up right after finishing the book (sometime tomorrow, since I have stuff to do tonight)

The Sorrows of the Speedreader

Oh, Woe is Me! *Dramatic Faint*

I finished the second book in the Golden Age series last night, which means I either write about that one right after the first or don't write about it at all. My biggest question is what to read after this series? I want to stay on the Science Fiction train for a little longer (we just left the station, after all) but I have read all of my science fiction books recently and so don't want to read them for awhile. Do I do the unthinkable and read another new book?

NO!

I will delve deeper into the collection that is my father's library and pull forth a really old book!

A REEALY old book.

Yeah, I've got nothing-- Maybe I'll start a new one after all.

*sigh*

The Reign of Science Fiction Has Begun

(If you haven't read the preamble to this post [which was too long {oh look! brackets} to go on this post] you can scroll down [or not, it wouldn't hurt my feelings {ok maybe a little}] and read it. Just a little background to the review.)

The latest book I read was The Golden Age, by John C. Wright. The story takes place ten thousand years in the future, in a utopian society where everyone can effectively live forever through the use of computers and recorded personalities. The protagonist, called Phaethon, (his real name being much longer, composing of his family, 'clan', school of thought, etc.) is suddenly approached by an old man who claims that Phaethon's memories were removed and that he is essentially an imposter. Phaethon goes on a 'quest' of sorts to discover why he would remove his own memories in a society where everything is perfect, eventually discovering that something he knew was a threat to the whole of the world's lifestyle. In a complex and confusing journey he uncovers truths behind who he really was, as well as attracting the attention of both the people who hid his memories and their hidden enemies. (If this sounds confusing, just go here to read the Wiki plot summary. That invents the word confusing.)

I liked the book, but since this was the first time I read it I probably missed a good portion of the details. I cautiously reccomend the book, since it has a great story, but because it is science fiction some may have trouble understanding it or truly enjoying it.