Like...a lot like to read.
Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants is my latest conquest.
Truth be told, I heard about the book because the ever-delicious RPattz is staring in the movie rendition that will be released in April of 2011.
(So far away...So, so far away...)
Anyway. The weird part about all of this is that I had no idea what the book was about- except that it maybe had something to do with a circus; a conclusion I came to solely based on having seen the cover of the book somewhere. Eventually, I tracked a copy of the book down at my all-time favorite bookstore Half Price Books. I sat down on one of those odd, wheeled stepping stool things in the aisle of the store and started reading. And reading....And reading.
When I got to Chapter 3 I knew I needed to just buy the book and get it over with because I was just that immediately engrossed.
But I didn't.
At the time 7 bucks was a lot and I knew better than to spend it on a book when I had more pressing things to spend seven dollars on. Like gas for my car. Food for my cat. Maybe even dinner for me. You know how it goes...
Anyway, for weeks this book plagued my mind until I finally broke down and bought the book.
I love this book.
Like...a lot love this book.
Jacob is so wholesome and wonderful throughout you just can't help but fall in love him. Marlena is sweet and innocent but stronger than she appears. August tries to make you love him, but no matter how hard you try, you just can't get comfortable. Walter, as much as he tries to keep you at bay, you end up falling for him too.
The synopsis via hubpages ::
Read about Jacob, a 90-something-year old that is now in a retirement home. He recounts his youth and tells about how he joined the circus during the Great Depression era. Jacob meets the beautiful horse trainer, Marlena. He befriends Walter the midget. And one of Jacob's best friends is Rosie, an abused elephant.
Water for Elephants reveals what circus life and the Depression may have been like. It is filled with some memorable characters. Who can ever forget Walter and his beloved dog?
Love, action, mystery, some suspense and even a little dog named Queenie. What more could you want in a book to get you through this transition between summer and autumn?
Water for Elephants is the first book I've read in a long time that was so good, I was sad when I finished it.
Reading a book that you enjoy that much - especially one you're reading for the first time - is like having your best friend with you all the time. And then you finish the book....And that friend is gone. I miss Jacob.
It's funny how people get attached to characters. I know I do. Do I also wish for an Edward Cullen to subtly enter my life and sweep me off my mortal feet? Well, yeah. The same can be said for Christopher Dollanganger in the Flowers in the Attic series by VC Andrews, and George, the King of Thieves, in Tamora Pierce's The Song of the Lioness series.
I'm not really sure where I'm headed in the book world now. I'm still kind of reeling from finishing Water for Elephants and it's leaving me crave more. But I don't know if I'm quite ready to re-read.
I came across a copy of Inkspell today while I was at Goodwill. It's the second installment of the series started by Inkheart - a delightful story about Mo and his daughter Meggie that both have the power to bring characters out of their stories by simply reading the story aloud. I haven't read the first book, but I saw the movie. I actually tried to find it today and couldn't track a copy down. I paid a whole $.09 for Inspell, and plan on giving it a go based on only having seen the first book's movie version...All the while keeping an eye out for the first book in the series, naturally.
I also picked up a new-to-me compilation of Edgar Allan Poe works and a ridiculous story book called Sailor Moon: Friends and Foes. I haven't really looked at it yet, but it was $.80 and it was printed in Canada in 1995. The collector in me just couldn't pass it up. It now lives on my shelf right next to my Strawberry Shortcake picture book from the 80s.
A bit a go I mentioned Edward Cullen. Edward Cullen, Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer, etc. I'm a nerd. I love me some Twilight and I'm only a little ashamed to admit it. Alright then. I also have a thing for reading people's theories on "what's really going on" in all these works of fiction. I picked up The Twilight Companion: The Unauthorized Guide to the Series, by Lois H. Gresh. I think it will be interesting to read what she has to say about the series, the characters, and relationships within the series.
I think I'm done nerdgasming all over the place now. But I like talking about books. Talk about books with me. There's a comment section below.
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Comment.
Don't be scared. You don't have to be a member of anything or sell your identity to do so.
Let's talk.
Two nerdgasms are better than one.
Love,
Jennanigans
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