50% comics and novels……gone

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A month back, in addition to the 99% of academic books and textbooks and assignments gone, I also threw out (meaning recycled/donated) 50% of my comics and novels from my high school days.

Why?

sigh*

I just have to.

Not enough space, it’s time, time to move on, time to let go. Cliche hey, but that’s because they are true.

Anyways, I threw away all my Ladybird Key Words Reading Scheme or Peter and Jane as I used to call them when I was a kid.

My Chicken Soup series donated to The Book Attic at Central.

Some comics are gone.

Chinese and English novels I know I won’t read again made up the majorities of the pile on the table.

I don’t think I had any non-fiction in the pile as I didn’t get into the genre until university.

Childhood Books that remain on my bookshelves are:

The Berenstain Bears – Big Chapter Books, The Bear Scouts – A collection I am very proud of, didn’t stop collecting until around the 9th grade. I think I am just a few books short of the complete collection. A collection that traced back to the 4th grade.

Anything earlier than that belongs to a Japanese translated into Chinese comic called  <足球小將>, Captain Tsubasa. A collection I am also very proud of and didn’t stop collecting until shortly after university. Sadly, it’s incomplete.

Back to the 50%. They are gone now and made way for books I’ve collected and read from university.

And if I stack the 50% one by one, they would take up 1 pile floor to ceiling ~9 feet high. Doesn’t take up much space eh.

 

 

A book from The Wheel of Time

Book One: The Eye of the World

Yesterday I tried to read it, tried to get my head into it but I just can’t. Got past the prologue but then I had to put the book down. Sure I was never into sci-fi and fantasy genre as a kid, the names were just harder to remember, but I am no better now.

What’s troubling me is that I think I have lost the touch of reading fiction. It’s not the first time it’s happened. Last time was in my last year at university and I tried to get back into reading fictions, it proved to be hard too.

I am so used to reading non-fictions; business-related (i.e. First Break All the Rules), ideas-opinions (i.e. The World is Flat, Outlier), cultural studies (i.e. Keep the Change) etc., that I can’t do fictions anymore!

What’s happening to me

 

A Storm of Swords & A Feast for Crows

So I bought the two books Dec 20th,2011, and I just finished A Storm of Swords just now. Yes, took me 7 days to read it, maybe the book is meant to read in 7 days, after all, 7 days a week, 7 hells, 7 kingdoms.

I wanted to upload the photo right away saying I got the books, I got the books, but I didn’t because I was busy reading. I didn’t do a whole lot over the past 7 days, eat, sleep, read. My room is a mess, and as much as I want to start on the 4th book of the series right away, I think I need to give myself half a day rest. It’s now or never to read the 4th book, it’s the last week of the year and January comes life will be fast-paced again.

I have been wondering, I read the first book A Game of Thrones because of the HBO series, then riding that high I read the second book A Clash of Kings plus my curiosity was killing me and I needed to know what’s going to happen after season 1. After the second book, I felt much better because I am ahead of the curve, I already know what’s going to happen in season 2. Then why do I need to read book 3 A Storm of Swords. I could wait till end of 2012 before I even buy the book.

Seven hells, I don’t know, I just can’t let myself hang in mid air after the second book. Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister are two story lines I wanted to read going into book 2 (again, HBO season 1 was a large factor), which gave me plenty to chew on. So what was I seeking in book 3 A Storm of Swords?

Quarter of the way through, I found it or them; Bran Stark and Arya Stark story lines. I really want to see how these the maximum strengths and potentials of two young wolves. I want to see where the author will take them. Jon and Tyrion have had their share of spot lights in the second and third book; Bran and Arya’s haven’t even started yet, lots of high hopes there. So yes, I think Bran and Arya will have their spot lights in the fourth book.

One thing has been bugging me reading the third book; is Winter here? I have been hearing winter is coming since the TV series season 1 and book 1. So I figured winter has to be here in book 2, no it didn’t. So book 3 then. No, not really from the view points of characters. We are into the third book of the series and I feel like we are still getting cold winds are rising, when winter is here….. How could that be? I assume it’s the beginning of Winter and not at its height and coldest.

Wikipedia shows there are 2 more books to come after the 5th A Dance with Dragons, the sixth one and seventh one are titled The Winds of Winter and A Dream Of Spring. This is where I am stuck, does this mean Winter finally arrives in the 6th book? That can’t be right, winters suppose to last for years in the land of Westeros. From A Game of Thrones, I learned that if a summer is long, winter will be longer and the current summer is 9 years long. Doesn’t that mean the winter will be even longer? I don’t know what to think. Too bad the TV series season 2 isn’t airing January 2012, otherwise I would have some guidance.

[Updated Dec 31st, 2011, 4:25pm]

So I finished the fourth book A Feast for Crows last night. Took me five days, Dec 26th-30th (inclusive) to finish it. Boy was I ever wrong, I really thought Bran and Arya Stark would be the spotlights but former went MIA and latter storyline was less adventurous than I had anticipated. Shortly after, I found out A Dance with Dragons and A Feast for Crows are actually one book split into two.

I really need to detox myself from the series, as I did nothing but read for the last two weeks. If not, I am going to start m’lord, m’lady, and Your grace to friends around me. The series is too good, I can’t put the book down and A Dance with Dragon is the thickest up to date. Maybe I will take a day or two off before I start on the book.

A book I can’t decide to read or not to read

I am in a dilemma. I’ve been told The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is the new Twilight, that everyone is reading the trilogy, and it’s going to be the next big thing. IF IT’S the next Twilight, I don’t know if I want to read since I am a HP fan.

On the other hand, I don’t want to be left behind, (have to jump on the bandwagon now, so I wont’ be called one later), and I just saw the trailer (just a movie is coming out next year). The trailer looks awesome and very epic. It’s a teaser but it’s enough to make me “oh I have to see it”.

Then, yesterday everything changed. The Hunger Games is located Teens 13+ at Chapters! And it’s a small book with big font! My heart was deflated. I was expecting it in the Fiction section, something that resembles the size and weight of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (haven’t read it but that’s the one came to mind). It’s my fault, I jumped to conclusion too early.

My first thought was, “oh god, it’s a kids book, and I am an adult”. But the movie looks so good! And it’s the next big thing! So you see the dilemma.

If any one of my close friends is reading it, I am going to have to read it. After all, I still read HP time to time, and yes I did say that out loud.

 

This Christmas……

I want to read, buy, finish:

A Storm of Swords by George R R Martin

A Feast for Crows by George R R Martin

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Reading the Brain: The Science and Evolution of a Human Invention by Stanislas Dehaene

 

Maybe not exactly in that order, and of course I have more books I want to read but for now those are the four I need to get my hands on.

Next time I hear “So this is Christmas And what have you done……” I can silently whisper “I read four books!”

Harvard Business Review – December 2011 Issue

Went to two bookstores today: White Dwarf Books and Chapters on Broadway (and yes they are both on Foursquare).

First time ever at White Dwarf Books! It’s located at Alma and 10th. They have a huge collection of fantasy and science fiction collection. Is that what they call specialization? Also, I found out Locus is a magazine in the Sci Fi and Fantasy world. It’s not a local magazine but published in California according to their website.

Afterward, I visited Chapters for about an hour. I was tempted to buy the Vancouver Eating & Drinking 2012 and Harvard Business Review Magazine December 2011 Issue.

The former because the magazine is so new and glossy and I was pretty sure no one has flipped through the pages of the one I was holding.

The latter because I found several articles that really intrigued me; the cover story, First Let’s Fire All the Managers, no it’s not the title but the business model of The Morning Star. A company with no managers, what does that look like.

Then there’s the special section just on retail; 4 articles on ‘Reinventing Retail’. Wow. If you have only 1 minute, make sure you read the comics. Talk about empowering the frontline employees, using social media, and performing customer service, all achieved in those 11 small squares.

To be honest, I love the Case Study section. More than often, I could envision myself in one of those situations. I have read better case studies from HBR magazine than I did in university.

It’s the last issue before 2012, I realized I still have the Jan/Feb 2011 issue on my bookshelf. I didn’t buy an issue from other months, and I remember I had a good reason to buy the Jan/Feb 2011 issue, I just can’t remember what the reason was, and so maybe it’s a sign. A sign from the book of god that I should have the first and last 2011 issue in my possession.

A Game of Thrones (revisit)

***Spoiler Alerts***

Where do I even begin?

This is the first time in recent memories I watched a TV show before reading the book.  I love books, I do.  I am really hard to please when it comes to movies/TV shows based on novels.  I am one of those people in the “but the books are better” camp.

I don’t dislike the movies/TV shows just because the books are better, I am saying books provide more information on characters, story-lines, there’s just so much more for the readers to chew on.

When I was a kid and learning English as my second language, I used to think if I don’t understand meanings of the verbs or nouns that are used to describe the surroundings and environment of the characters, I can wait for the movie or TV show, then flip to the page, and voila ! the screen says it all.  Boy was I ever wrong.  It wasn’t until Harry Potter the first movie circa 2001 that I realized a movie or TV show doesn’t jump out of the book verbatim, and it also doesn’t follow every description.  (What a huge disappointment right?)

I enjoy comparing fictions and their movies, TV shows based on them.  I love compare and contrast.

I love being able to tell what scenes are from the books and what scenes are not.  I love being about to tell the differences.  It’s like playing a game of can you spot the differences?

Advantages of not reading the book first

Faces

So reading A Game of Thrones was definitely a whole new experience for me, and what a ride it was, why?  The advantages of watching entire season 1 before reading the book.

I was reading the fictional characters with the real actors and actresses in mind!

Eddard Stark had Sean Bean’s face; Tyrion Lannister hasdPeter Dinklage’s face, Jon Snow had Kit Harington’s face, Arya Stark had Maisie Williams’ face.

And even characters without their own chapters, I still read them with their real life actors and actresses, such as Lena Headey’s Cersei Lannister, Sophie Turner’s Sansa Stark, Mark Addy’s Robert Baratheon.

Had I not watched season 1 prior, I would have seen blank faces when reading the characters.  When I was reading Harry Potter Book 1-4, I was drawing blank faces, starting the fifth book I think, I started seeing Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.  (Am I the only one?)

I thought reading the characters with real actors and actresses faces made the reading more exciting.  It felt like I ALREADY KNEW THEM or brought me a degree closer to their fictional character counterparts.

I don’t know if this is a good thing or not, it does take away the readers’ imaginations, but at the same time, you get one of those, “oh I remember this from the show! Peter Dinklage plays this part so well!”, which brings me to my second point.

The characters come to life!!!

Especially Peter’s Dinklage’s Tyrion Lannister.  Dinklage won the 2011 Emmy award for Best Supporting Actor category, and I say he deserved it.  In my opinion, TV Tyrion is better than Book Tyrion, all because of Dinklage’s superb acting.

If I have to pick 3 favorite characters; Eddard Stark, Tyrion Lannister and Arrya Stark.  I have to admit the choices are picked based on the real life actors and actress, their acting and fictional character’s personalities.

Eddard Stark is the hero, the man that every boy wants to be.  He is a lord, owns a castle, has a lovely wife, has five kids and command thousands of bannermen.  He also helped his best pal to win the king’s crown who appointed him the ‘Hand of the King’ (second most powerful position in the kingdom).  Consider him a CEO.

Tyrion, what’s not to like, Dinklage makes him a character that you either love or hate, makes the viewers always guessing is he good or is he bad.  Tyrion easily racks up all the funniest lines in the story.

Arya Stark, she’s definitely ahead of her time, she’s the poster girl for modern day feminism.  She wants to play with swords, she doesn’t want to become a lady like her sister Sansa Stark.

If there is one part that Arya Stark is better than the book; it’s the scenes between her and the dancing master teaching her how to sword fight.  More scenes and dialogues were created than the book, and the dancing master is portrayed as a wisdom teacher teaching Arya about life, death, fear and fighting.

One of the dialogues that wasn’t in the book:

Dancing Master: “what do we say to god of death?”

Arya: “not today.”

If you watched the show, you would know how touching the scene was.

Name pronunciations

If I hadn’t watched the show first, I would have pronounced in my head (because I read in silent):

Arya as r-ya (on the show, I misheard it as Ion)

Joffrey as Jeffrey

Daenerys as Danny

Eddard as Edward

Targaryen as tar

Baratheon as barth

What I mean is, I WILL MAKE UP SOME SOUNDS in my head to replace the I-don’t-know-how-to-pronounce-this-name-but-too-embrassed-to-ask.

The reading pace flew smoothly, because I could pronounce the character’s names accurately, thanks to real life actors and actresses saying the names.

More Epic!

I want to add there are two scenes from the book that felt more epic to me because of the way they were filmed on the show.

P. 782-784,

Lord Commander asked Jon Snow “Are you a brother of the Night’s Watch…or only a bastard boy who wants to play at war?”

Jon Snow: “I am…yours, my lord. Your man. I swear I it. I will not run again.”

Watching those scenes on episode 10, I felt my adrenaline rushing, why?  The SOUND EDITING, the SOUND MIXING, the VISUAL EFFECTS (props and costumes), and most importantly

the VOICE OVER, the scene had Kit Harignton as Jon Snow on a horse staring at the gate of THE WALL, WITH lord commander’s question as voice over.  The scene didn’t even have Jon Snow answered, only riding out of the gate.

A picture is worth a thousand words eh.

P. 794-797,

When all the bannermen laid their swords at Robb Stark’s feet, repeatedly chanting “The King in the North”.

Again, the sound editing, the sound mixing, visual effects made the scene really epic.

When I was reading these pages, my memory immediately went back to those scenes, COPY AND PASTE them onto the words on the pages.  EPIC.

Book 2

I wish season 1 had more than 10 episodes.  I wish there were 24 episodes!! There’s so much more they could have scripted into the HBO series.

As much as I want to start on book 2 A Clash of Kings, I know I will get addicted, so I need to make sure my timetable is free for a week, which is pretty hard to do.  My goal is to finish A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, and A Feast for Crows before season 2 premier.  Fingers crossed.

A Game of Thrones

Where do I start?

I bought this book yesterday at PulpFiction Books and I cannot put it down since.  A Game of Thrones is first book of the series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin.  At a bookstore, this book is logged under Sci-fi &Fantasy.  I have never read books in this genre, NEVER, until yesterday.

When I was a kid, I used to like the mystery books such as The Boxcar Children, The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew; high school, I liked contemporary fictions such as Life of Pi, Harry Potter; university, I started reading non-fiction, business and career related.  As little as I could remember, I always thought it’s a bit NERDY and GEEKY reading a sci-fi and fantasy novel.  I always thought they were too fiction, too fantasy, too sci-fi for me; I cannot relate to them.  For king’s sake, I grew up in a city, cars instead of cars, skyscrapers instead of castles, capitalism instead of feudalism.

However, you cannot mistake such books, each one is almost always 7″ high, 4″ wide and almost 2″ thick.  I always see them the same size lined up neatly on bookshelves at bookstores and libraries.  I’d look at them, literally, and then move on to the business or fiction section.

Ironically, I have a HUGE appetite for medieval stories, maybe it’s all those Hollywood movies and Disney cartoons I grew up with.  I love European history especially the medieval periods, with the knights, kings, ladies, castles, wars, heroes, damsels, did I say knights?  Who doesn’t want to be a knight?  I admit, I have never wanted to be a king, just a knight.

Yes, I know the ironies, I like knighthood stories but I don’t read the respective fictional books.  I watch the related movies and read history textbooks.

Why did I buy the book?

I watched the HBO series Game of Thrones, based on the book, and I fell in love with the TV series.  I surprised myself, when I secretly told my alter ego I have to buy the book.  In recent memories, this is the first time I bought a book BECAUSE OF A TV SERIES.  When I watched Legend of the Seekers, I didn’t buy any Terry Goodkind books. Don’t’ get me wrong, I liked the Legend of the Seekers, all two seasons of it. However, Game of Thrones is better, much better TV series.

This is also the first time I bought a book AFTER a TV series or a movie had come out.  I read both Harry Potter and Twilight sagas prior to the movies.  I finished The Time Traveler’s Wife and Water For Elephants before the movies came out. There are many times I watched a movie only to find out afterward that it’s based on a novel, and as much as I liked the movie, I never bought the book.  It’s the “Oh I already the ending, what’s the point” of buying the book now mentality.

This time, it’s different, and hate to sound like a broken record, I surprised myself when I sought out and bought the book.  Given season 1 = book 1; I already watched the season 1 finale = I already know the ending of book 1, WHAT’S THE POINT.  I already know the element of surprise.  Well, there are 4 more books in the series, the hit series has been renewed for a 2nd season.  I am going to watch the show for years to come.  So I have to buy, read and finish the entire series BEFORE the 2nd season starts.  I NEED TO KNOW.

Which cover

Then comes the question, which one to buy.  The cover with Sean Bean or the original blue cover.  If I hadn’t watched the show prior, I would have bought the blue cover as it is the original cover.

Over the years, I have noticed  whenever a fiction gets turned into a silver screen, the publisher likes to roll out the novel with a new cover, very often character(s) or a snapshot of the movie.  In this case, Sean Bean sitting on the Iron Throne.  I have never liked this sort of cover.

I prefer the original one.  That’s the one that feels most pure, most innocent, and most original; it makes the book more of a divine art.  Contrarily, a novel with a movie cover feels a commercialized commodity, disallowing me to fully submerge into the story.  It just feels like a cover for the bandwagon jumping people.  Simply put, owning a book with an original cover means you are one of the original readers.

Unfortunately, I am not one of the original readers for this series, I watched and fell in love with the show, and then I bought the book because of it.  I should buy the cover with Sean Bean, my favorite characters on the show, but also the television is the drama is the reason I bought the book.

In the end, originality triumphs, but I will have to clarify why I bought the book next time I am with people or more importantly, with A Song of Ice and Fire fans.

Winter is Coming

Thanks to years of education, September marks the beginning of a new chapter, new stage in life, also marks ending of summer.  As the weather has suddenly turned cold in Vancouver last couple of days, I wonder if it has anything to do with House of Stark motto:

Winter is Coming

……to Vancouver?