LJR says -
I really like Shannon Hale's books, Book of a Thousand Days, Princess Academy, and Austenland. I started reading Goose Girl but I didn't really get hooked and I gave up.
Why do I bring this up? Well, for English this year we have to read 300 pages of any book -besides the one we are reading as a class- each term for our grade. To prove to our teacher (Ms. W) that we really read the book, we can make a reading log, write a short paper on what we liked and disliked about it, or go in and do an interview with her where she asks you questions about the book. So, last week I went in and did an interview for Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyers. Ms. W is getting sick of reviewing Meyers' books since so many people are reading them, but I expected that because she had mentioned it in class. This week KAJ did an interview for Enna Burning by Shannon Hale. When KAJ sat down and handed Ms. W her book and Ms. W groaned. KAJ looked at me and we were both wondering what's wrong with Enna Burning!?! At least it's not another Meyers books. Turns out Ms. W was room mates with Shannon Hale and they hated each other!!! She didn't tell us why they hated each other, just that they did! She didn't even want to ask KAJ questions about the book because she has never read any of Hale's books and she said she doesn't even want to know what they're about!!
I really wonder what on earth could have made Ms. W hate Hale so much that she doesn't even want to read her books!!
Kinda a random post, but I thought it was really interesting!
Time
15 years ago
9 comments:
I'm just glad that she didn't dock me for it or give me an F!!! lol ;)
-KAJ
Enna burning is tons better than Goose Girl, but my objection to all of Hale's books (1000 Days is the worst for this) is that no girl has any other goal but to get married and have babies. The girls have all these adventures -- but then they stop so they can have babies.
But at least Hale can write. Her works are infinitely better than those of Meyers.
And I bet I can guess why your teacher didn't like Hale. I've met Hale in person twice, heard her give talks, had books signed. And at the signing for Stephenie Meyer, Hale sat right in front of me, so I got to talk to her one-on-one. Or I tried, anyway. And I think she's quite stuck up.
I guess you can't really blame her. She's young, beautiful, tremendously successful, has an adoring husband and two healthy children.
But she has publicly stated various times on her blog that teachers shouldn't assign classic literature to kids because it's boring. Then she's like about this on her blog and said she didn't say it.
Plus, she has an attitude of being better than everyone else. This is both in person and on her website.
I don't think I'd want to room with her even overnight. She'd be so annoying being the best at everything always.
If you want some different books to read, try some classics, for heaven's sakes! Go to your old junior high website, click on the blue menu and get teacher websites. Click on my name, go to 9GT, and you can find your old reading list there as a document. There are plenty of books you didn't get to read last year.
If you want newer or easier books, try something by Maureen Johnson. I'd recommend Suite Scarlet or Girl at Sea. Or what about Stuart Hill's Icemark trilogy? That's awesome.
Hale is really way too easy for honors sophomores. That may be another reason why she groaned.
And I'm sick to death of hearing girls moaning about Edward Cullen, so I can certainly understand her point there.
my bad on doing my report on twilight. But I still found it kind of boring and stupid. you know.
yes a paperback writer is my advisory teacher! RLW I don't remember who asked me that if it was LJR or KAJ
LJR says -
A Paperback Writer,
Hale's books didn't really seem like that to me. I think it would be cool to think up an alternate ending for the books, where the girls continue to have adventures and be independent. Or they could still get married, but continue to have adventures. That way you could stop reading Hale's book and finish the story how you like it.
That was kinda random but it sounded good to me... :)
Our English teacher wants the class to read 'important books' to prepare us for AP classes and tests. So right now we are still reading The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan, as a class (it is pretty boring and there's not much of a plot to it.) We are on Chapter 14 and I can only remember it mentioning The JLC once since the 1st two chapters. And for my outside reading book I am reading Six Characters in Search of an Author by Luigi Pirandello. Have you read it? Do you know if it's any good?
LJR says -
I agree A Nerd. Twilight was dumb. It (and the rest of the series) could have been much better if the main character wasn't so stupid, dependent, and whiny! I think the book has a good plot and if you replaced Bella with someone who could stand up for herself and get over the stupid boys in it, it could have been great.
hey I think that Emmet is cool and I wish I had the power to make people happy when I came in the room.
I'm going to have to disagree with A Paperback Writer on this one.
Not about Twilight and Stephenie Meyer, I TOTALLY agree with her on that point. :)
However I also have met Shannon Hale and I found her to be a sweet, down-to-earth and generally good person. She didn't seem to be stuck up at all and, in fact, she was very talkative and friendly. I was very impressed when I met her.
Now, I never lived with her, so I don't know what she's like as a roommate, but on a casual level she seems to be someone who I would like to associate with.
Plus, there's nothing wrong with girls OR guys "stopping their adventures" to have babies - that is another amazing adventure in itself.
Joel, maybe she's different with guys. Some people act differently around different genders.
I still found that BOTH times I saw her interact with lots of different people at 2 different readings (one where she was the star and one where it was Meyer), she acted like she was God's gift to the world. She also talked way down to kids. She treated the 12-year-old girls like they were 5.
LJR, fun ideas about alternate endings. How very post modern. Did you know the book the French Lieutenant's Woman has 3 endings in a row so you can decide which one is the "real" ending and which ones aren't?
Yes, for classes now you should be reading books that prepare you for college. Does your English teacher have any clue what I made you people read last year?!
Amy Tan's not my favorite, but then I really don't like postmodernism (in spite of referring to FL'sW in the preceding paragraph). Just hope to heaven she doesn't make you read Doris Lessing's Golden Notebook or Tony Morrison's Beloved. Ick!
I've heard of the 6 characters book but I've never read it.
I had American Lit Honors for my sophomore year. We did Huck Finn, Intruder in the Dust, a little Hemingway, and Julius Caesar (yeah, I know that's not American). It was the only year I didn't have a good English teacher, so we didn't read very much. Fortunately, my freshman, junior, and senior years had really good teachers.
If you get to choose books and need help, contact me. I can give you tons of ideas of what to read.
(Try Twain, Poe, Austen, both Brontes, Scott, James Hogg, Stevenson, Hemingway, and lots of Shakespeare. If it has to be postmodern, then it's going to be hard to find clean books. Or books with plots, for that matter -- postmodernist stuff is famously devoid of plots. But I can find something if it has to be that.)
If you get to read sci-fi, I recommend Connie Willis and of course HG Wells.
Post a Comment