The Secret Circle (TV series) a bit of rant

The Secret Circle by L.J. Smith

Ok, I admit, I avoided trying to write this for some time, but I can't help it anymore. I read LJ Smith when I was a wee little girl when her books were coming out, so while not one of the original fanatical fans, let's just say I was there when it all first began. So stuff like the Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle were all child's play in terms of books and stories. The Night World Series, The Dark Visions, Forbidden Games... For a while, these books were listed so much more expensive than the 3.99 when then first came out. (Awww, do people still remember books were that economically accessible? Thank goodness for libraries. :D)

While all these books had their pitfalls, they were very important to me a child. Given English was my second language, you can safely assume that my grades were horrific growing up. Horrific. This was part of the reason I had problems expressing myself - even now still. BUT! This was also how reading saved me. After getting into reading again, my grades slowly improved and books became my best friends. Anyways, before I get all mushy...

When I found out The Vampire Diaries were being made into a series, I was ecstatic to say the least...then I watch it and wanted to invent something to erase my memories. Then I heard The Secret Circle was coming.

Ok, let me say this now...out of all the LJ Smith books I read, The Secret Circle was up there in the importance/influential level and I kept hoping and hoping it'll turn out well.

It barely made it halfway there. *sigh* Maybe it's the media nowadays or the way teenagers have been constantly portrayed, but I have become very wary and disturbed by a lot of these shows. The Secret Circle was a prime example.

A lot of yapping and stabbing...or knife wielding. Bambi eyed teens looking all serious yet doesn't seem to care of blink an eye with any long term effects. People killing each other like its nothing. No anguish, no repercussions. And all this disappearance and killing seem like nothing. No police officers? No suspicions of odd behavior? And what the heck is going on with the adults too? You have all these supposedly powerful people all just moping around about sex and power...but acting very dumb at times.

Also, a lot of cautionless sex. Again, wth? It might have been a while since I was a teenager, but seriously, teenagers are not sexing it up so very very much like how tv portrayed them. Especially not in high school. You have a bunch of fully formed adult actors/actresses playing teenagers but with college age and up behavior. No wonder kids are messed up. And where are the parents? I remember back in the days of Buffy - no, it wasn't perfect but...stuff like sex, family, killing...they were all portrayed with seriousness and severity. There were repercussions and long term effects...episode after episode... Nowadays, oh I killed someone! Blackmail! Over! Next... Is this how adults really envision the younger generations acting? O_o

Anyways...enough of my ranting. All I'm saying was, it's just weird. And yes, I know it's just television and make believe. And yes, I still watched it. Lol. Sadly, it does not compare very well with original novels. I'm trying hard to take this series as something completely separate. There were just too many differences that disturbed me. Half the teenagers were gone. Name changes. Killing off characters that were not killed off and adding character that did not exist. And...witch hunters? Really? *sigh*

We'll see how this series goes, but it's more like random entertainment for me now. I watch when time allowed. Nothing to wow over.

Revenge???

I'm sad to say, I stopped following after a while.

As much as I enjoy the music, adored the book and admire Madeleine Stowe, I got tired of it. There was just too much impossibility and too much cliche. I admit, I still skim it once in a while, but there's only so much people staring and looking off into some space can carry you through.

Maybe it's because they are dragging parts of it out for too long? I don't know, but I can tell you I'm probably not buying the DVD anytime soon. Maybe when there's a steep discount. >_<

There Is No Dog by Meg Rosoff

There Is No Dog by meg rosoff

Ok, so I admit, half the reason I bought it was because there was "dog" in the title. It also helped that the UK cover reminded me of another book that I adore with all my heart, but that's for another day.

Anyhoo~ I did hear good reviews on this book and thought I'd try something different to get me out of my slump. While interesting and certainly made me think, it wasn't as much of a "bam" as I had hoped (given the reviews). It was definitely different, in a good way. :)

Per the sleeve:

"What if God where a teenage boy?
In the beginning, Bob created the heavens and hear and the beasts of the field and the creatures of the sea, and twenty-five million other species (including lots of gorgeous girls). But mostly he prefers eating junk food and leaving his dirty clothes in a heap at the side of his bed.
Everytime he falls in love, earth erupts in natural disasters. So humankind is going to be very sorry indeed he ever ran into a beautiful, completely irresistible girl called Lucy..."

This was quite an interesting idea. What if the God of Earth was a teenage boy and he only got the job because no one else wanted it? Instead, the committee assigned Mr. B, a middle management to "help" out. Mr. B created the whales, by the way (at the insistence of Bob to also participate in creation). What got the story going was two eventful...er...events. ;)

Bob's mother, Mona, a beautiful drunken gambling goddess (the one that won the job of God of Earth in a cardgame) lost Eck, the unique last animal of the species of Eck. And of course, the aforementioned human Lucy whom caught Bob's eye and he wants to have sex with.

I don't know how accurate this teenage male was created given that my teenage years were far behind me and I'm of the opposite gender, so I'm weary to say the accuracy. Do 18-19 year old males really just think about sleeping in until 12, leaving a mess, snacking on junk food and sex? No idea. Are some of the horrendous individuals? Yes. Are some awesome creative people? Sure. But most, I think...don't act much like Bob. Still, if Bob was the creator, then maybe that's why he's kind of the extreme of it all.

Mr. B would be the typical average adult that took care of a teenager. Able to see the possibilities and talents, but unable to move kids in the direction to their fullest potential. And somewhat condescending.

There's Estelle whom became the feminine goodness even though she was the daughter of Emoto Hed (head honcho of a lot), a mightly feared God. Hed won Eck because Mona gambled Bob's pet away. How Hed's going to eat Eck...the last of his species. Estelle, quite unhappy with the turn of events, gave herself the mission to save Eck and in the process, fell in love with the chaotic Earth.

Ok, I'm making the story sound like a jumbled mess, but it really all makes sense once you sit down a read it. Lol. This was definitely an interesting book. I liked quite a lot of it and found an indescribable whimsical quality that seemed lost. Parts of the book read to touch upon something so foreign yet familiar - this idea of hope and life.

As much as I'm loving this book, there were quite a few pitfalls as well that I couldn't quite get over. I don't know if it's the trend now and maybe I'm finally starting to notice it, but what's with all the storylines? There were like three slightly interconnecting stories, but at the same time going all over the place. So many books these days have way too many people and story all going on at once. While I understand that life happens to be like that, it sometimes reads like filler plots. Or worse yet, like in this case, condensed plots. Certain parts were not as well developed as it could be.

Also, the religious part was definitely an interesting concept but ended up feeling too...western? I'm not quite sure how to explain it without sounding like I don't know what I'm saying, but the theology was a bit biased. The "god world" was basically like an odd form of bureaucracy, but kind of like the Roman/Greek mytho. The functionality of the universes and the "gods" don't quite make sense to me at times since the concept of aging was not explained other than they don't die. Example, I would have like to understand the background of Mr. B a little bit more than he's middle management and good at what he does. Family? Friends? Growth? Etc?

Whereas once we reach Earth, it was very Judo-Christian with the whole creation of the world by a teenager. Yet...now, this sounds crazy, but I also felt a touch of atheism. Yes, I know, sounds crazy. Bob and Estelle were a great contrast to one another in an odd sort of way. They both represent the two sides of younger generation. Both don't quite have much of a direction in their "life" yet, but both brilliant in their own ways. The situation with poor Eek and Lucy slammed them all together.

As characters, they were all pretty awesome. With human qualities and a godly maturity. No real antagonist, only flaws in characters which was great at times and annoying at times. I mean really, a goddess that was drunk most of the time? Another god contemplating eating her (even if it was just a threat)? Do teenagers really all seem like they're obsessed with sex and this idea of doom (if they cannot get what they want)? There were a few other things that bothered me, but in the end, I still quite enjoyed this book. It was a nice read, but I do wish I had waited for paperback. Lol.

I do love Eek. Then again, I love animals in general. It helped that the human setting was partially at a zoo. :)

Oh, and if someone understands the title, please point me in the right direction. I much appreciate it. :D

Happy Year o the Golden Dragon!

Happy Lunar New Year! Welcome to the year of the Dragon, this time in gold. :D

It's supposed to be a good year for a lot of people, but be careful not to be eaten. XP

Just a mini update, but I'm alive and doing ok. The reason why I have been so quiet these days, drum rolls please... I changed jobs. :) Work is ok. Just need to take some time to get used to it.

The downside was I haven't read any good books these days.

Does anyone have any good books to recommend? :)

In the meantime, keep warm and stay healthy. I wish you much joy and happiness in this new year.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

Finally, a review! Lol...and it's not even going to be a good one. Still, I'm alive. I still read. And I want to continue to write. :)

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Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett.

This book has been around so long I'm sure everyone and the children/parents knows the plot. Two very well known authors back in the days when they were still well known. Lol. So instead of the plot, I'm just going to ramble a little on my thoughts.

Let me first admit, I've read a few Neil Gaiman books, but not Terry Pratchett. Of the Neil Gaiman books, although I usually find them fascinating, I have a hard time connecting with his characters. More am I dazzled by the world he described.

This book somewhat follows that line of thought. I mean, come on, how hilarious was this idea. The anti-christ gets misplaced and no one knows until the hell dog found him. The idea of prophecies (Agnes was my favorite character, equal to Crawley and then came Aziraphale) no matter how accurate might not make sense because of context. These were great ideas, full of interesting characters and diverse situations.

All that said, I was again unable to connect. Maybe it was also the amount of time that has passed since this book first came out. The constant change in points of view, the vast number of characters...they all became very jarring and maybe I should've concentrated more, but I had trouble following sometimes. A sudden new character over and over, the multiple storylines, the push in time limit - I could only read in small doses, which doesn't work with the complexity. Lol.

Overall, I'm glad I read it, but I probably won't be re-reading any time soon. Also, this made me want to try to read more of Terry Pratchett then Neil Gaiman. Don't know why. Lol. It didn't really pull me out of my reading slump, but it did help me get some ideas rolling around in my head. So - good read, glad I read it, but that's about it. Nothing blew me away.

December!

Happy Holidays Everyone!
Yes, I'm alive. :)
It's already into deep winter and the air has definitely been chilly.

How is everyone doing? Well, I hope. :)

As for myself, let's just say I failed NaNoWriMo. It has been crazy lately which I will get into a crazy rant at some point.

Anyhoo~ As the cute little banner states, there was a Pet Adoption Fair again and I definitely went. Not really to adopt (since I'm not sure if I'll be ready...still miss my babies), but I wanted to look for some chance to volunteer. As a fun event, I thought to bring my mother. Errr...terrible mistake.

All those cute little animals of various ages, the sight caused my mom to cry...the whole time. She was so sadden by the sight, no matter what I said, she just wouldn't leave and kept crying. I completely agree that it's a terrible fact people do horrible things and treat animals poorly, but these were people helping. Mom was just too heartbroken by the fact so many animals were in cages and she couldn't stand the fact they'd be in such states. Oh my dear mother, it'll be alright.

So, I only got lists of organizations I shall look into for volunteer opportunities in the future, but it's the best place to start.

I have read a few books and I'm scared for writing the reviews since my opinion probably differ from the general public. Lol. Soon though. After a month of my crazy crappy/no-writing nonsense, it's back to the swing of things. :)

Hopefully, I'll have some news for everyone. In the meantime, please keep warm and stay healthy!

xoxox

Quickie Update

I'm alive. I so should have been posting more, but I completely got sidetracked by my horrible NaNoWriMo. It is kicking my butt. I haven't done this badly in such a long time.

Still watching shows like crazy. Maybe if I stop...hmmm. Like that'll every happen. Lol.

Reading slump still happening, but I am still reading. I will write reviews hopefully soon.

In the meantime, I fully admit to being a bit in the shadows this month. :)

Hope everyone is doing well and took the time today to thank the veterans for all their sacrifices no matter the politics.