THE HOST

        So I'll start off with the bad news. The Host was written by Stephenie Meyer, who was also the author of the Twilight saga. Now, I will admit to reading Twilight and enjoying it, but the entire series was ruined for me when the movie came out. When Meyer wrote The Host, though, she did a complete 180 from anything and everything Twilight. When I first started The Host, I didn't think it would be that good because of how Twilight turned out, but  boy was I wrong. The Host drew me in like it was taking over my body and allowing me no choice but to finish reading it. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down, it was that good.

        The Host is based in a futuristic world where extraterrestrials have taken over multiple planets and worlds and have made it to Earth. The aliens are parasites who take over a planet by attaching themselves to the inside of a life-form and taking over their consciousness, essentially outing that person’s mind from their body. Knowing the basic story-line, the title makes complete, simple sense, yeah? The story starts off in the perspective of a human who gets captured and taken over. For the rest of the book, though, the story is told from the perspective of the extraterrestrial in her body. But the human that Wanderer (The ‘alien’) has taken over has a stronger mind than most humans. She fights and is still aware of everything going on around her, which is not a normal thing for these creatures to experience. Usually the humans just kind of go away. This human in particular, though, stays inside her body, though she does not have complete control of it anymore.

        The parasites, as the humans call them, claim that they take control of other species to make the world a better place and to create peace. They don’t lie, they never use force with each other, they keep their bodies healthy, and they do everything right to create world peace. The one thing they seem to have missed, though, is that they are ousting human beings from their bodies, rendering that human basically nonexistent. If that’s not wrong, then I don’t know what is.

        The Host may not be super relatable, but there are some strong points mixed in there. For starters, the book enforces the idea of working together and getting along with others. I mean, we are all taught that we should be nice to others and try to work civilly with them, right? There’s also the whole bullying thing, too. I’m sure we’ve all been treated unfairly at one point or another. In the book, you will also see the bullying turn into a friendship, which may sound cheesy, but it’s not all that unrealistic. It’s not like a complete 180 switch, it’s more gradual and almost unnoticeable, which is how it sometimes goes in life.

        Now, I won’t lie, The Host is a somewhat lengthy story, but for how much they had to cut out of it to make the movie, I was surprised at how well it still managed to follow the original story-line. I think it was a really good movie, though not everyone would agree with me. In a review  Brad Brevet writes, “Even the lowest of expectations could not prepare me for the amount of awful that is The Host” (Brevet). Now, that is kind of harsh if you ask me. I honestly did not think the movie was all that bad. Yes, it is dull in comparison to the book, but I still do not regret the fact that I went to see it. So, if you read the book and like it, then great. You will most likely find some enjoyment in the movie, too. If you don’t read the book, I would still recommend seeing the movie. It’s not like those movies based on books that are hard to understand because of key information being cut out. It’s entertaining, and I definitely do not agree with those critics that say mean things about it.

        So read it, watch it, and enjoy it! Don’t be afraid to get involved with The Host just because it came from the same author who created the super-cheesy, vampire- and werewolf- obsessed Twilight Saga. It has a completely different genre and story-line, and I think, if you are anything like me, you will love it!

        “It’s easier to come up with new stories than it is to finish the ones you already have”

        --Stephenie Meyer

Divergent

        Divergent, by Veronica Roth is one of my most favorite books of all time. Yes, if you have read the first book, you should definitely read the rest of the trilogy. Usually, however, from my experience, the first book is always the best. I know you are probably surprised that I have this book on my “Must Read” list because it was actually written and published within my life-time. It actually came out a couple years ago in 2012. That’s recent compared to the other books on my list anyways, but Divergent is just so lovable that I have to tell you guys all about it!

        “Two paths diverged in a yellow wood…” (Frost). That line right there pretty much sums it all up. The book is all about a sixteen-year-old girl choosing the path she wants to take for the rest of her life. Beatrice Prior grew up in a home where she was taught to always put the needs and the happiness of others above herself. She was taught to always be selfless, and when she turned 16, she was expected to choose how she would live for the rest of her life. Her parents expected her to choose the path that they had taught her, of course, but she chose a different path entirely. At the age 16, can you believe it?! I mean, it’s not that much worse than people in our world being expected to know what they want to do at the age of 18, but still. Divergent is a story about a young adult’s fight to find herself and to stay alive in the process.

But, of course, what reason have you to read the book? Well, it’s a really good book, for starters. The story line is captivating, and once you start reading it, you won’t want to put the book down. Susan Dominus describes it as “brisk pac[ed], [with] lavish flights of the imagination and writing that occasionally startles with fine detail” (Dominus). Roth has quite the imagination if she could come up with this whole new world all on her own. Other than that, the story is about a young girl finding her way. It’s life put down on paper. Plus, Roth added in the whole “different” concept to her story. Tris (Beatrice) is different, and she has to hide it to fit in. The thing is, being different is what saves her life multiple times. We all know that every person is different, and we are taught that being different is okay, good even. The book goes right along with that. It is full of action and adventure, but it also has romance, making it interesting to both men and women. It is the kind of book you could read one-hundred times and not get tired of it. Every time I read it, It’s just as good as the first time, possibly even better.

        Now, Divergent the movie is not out yet. It actually comes out this year, in March. I am so excited for it, but at the same time, I am dreading it. Whenever a book is made into a movie, the movie is always disappointing compared to the book. I mean, I already don’t like the some of the actors they cast for it. I just don’t want to see how much they botched the story, but because I read the book, I absolutely have to see the movie...It’s like a compulsion. So, if you read the book and love it, I will see you there, at the midnight premier, to see how different the movie is from the book. I’m looking forward to it.

       

“I want people to come away from my book with questions. Questions about virtue and goodness. Not answers”

                                    --Veronica Roth

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland is book number three that should be on your reading list. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Alice in Wonderland? That’s a kid’s story!” I mean, it’s a common misconception, probably caused by the 1951 children’s cartoon, but I’ll get back to the cartoon later. Alice in Wonderland may have been converted into a story acceptable for children, but in its original form,  it kind of resembles a story you would find in Grimm’s Fairy Tales, if you know what I mean. James Topham even said in a review that it is “Brilliant for children, but with enough hilarity and joy for life in it to please adults, too” (Topham). I wouldn’t be surprised if the author, Lewis Carroll, was high on sugar crack when he wrote it because the story is random and almost psychedelic. On a side note, there’s an interesting thing about the name ‘Lewis Carroll’: it’s a pseudonym. The author of Alice in Wonderland’’s real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.

        The story was originally written in 1865, and to be honest, it has an Old English style of writing, similar to how Shakespeare writes. Whenever I read it, I imagine it with an English accent in my head which is quite amusing. Alice is a young girl who stumbles into a rabbit hole, and she falls right into a new dimension where if you eat a small cake you grow ten feet tall. Animals talk there, and cats can make themselves invisible. There are mad tea parties that you would expect to take place in a mental hospital, and Queens enjoy croquet and chopping off people’s heads. Oh, and there’s a white rabbit. Can’t forget the white rabbit. The story is all about Alice’s journey through Wonderland and all the new “people” she meets.

        It is an absolutely crazy story, and that’s why I like it so much. That is also why I think other people my age will like it, too. It’s all about being adventurous and curious. It’s about trying new things. It’s about a young girl trying to find her way. If it wasn’t so crazy and unrealistic, I would say it’s exactly like life. It’s about getting out there and having fun. Who wouldn’t want that? No, the story isn’t super-relatable, but it does make for a really good read. Sometimes you don’t want relatable and understandable. Sometimes I just want to read a book that’ll make me laugh because it just makes no sense at all. It’s a great story that will temporarily transport you into another world.

        The kid’s cartoon of Alice in Wonderland was actually my first exposure to the story. It’s kind of a mash-up of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the second book about Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass. It’s like the book was specifically written to be made into a cartoon; it’s all hectic and happy which makes for a great cartoon. While it is a great cartoon, like any movie, it does not do Carroll’s writing justice. “The music and production design of Alice in Wonderland is marvelous, but the film is too much of a good thing, much too frantic to do full honor to the whimsical Carroll original” (Alice in Wonderland). It’s great for kids, but as an adult, I still find it amusing. My favorite part, or character I should say, out of the cartoon is the Cheshire Cat. He is so splendidly creepy and almost alluring that I can’t help but love him. I wish my cat could make demented faces and disappear! That would be awesome.

        Then there’s the live movie that came out in 2010. The one that has yummy Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. “Mr. Depp’s strenuously flamboyant turn embodies the best and worst of Mr. Burton’s filmmaking tendencies even as the actor brings his own brand of cinematic crazy to the tea party” (Dargis). Depp is the perfect person to play that role if you ask me because he has shown time and again that he is great at playing the role of a scatterbrained, slightly demented character. The movie is actually supposed to be a sequel to Alice in Wonderland. Alice falls down the rabbit hole again, so to speak. The special effects could be better, but it was still pretty good. It had all the old, crazy characters, complete with the queen who wants to cut off everyone’s head. This story, though, has the giant monster called the Jabberwocky that Alice must slay in order to save Wonderland. It’s a good movie.

        So, take a break from the real world, and get lost in Carroll’s fantasy of crazy and impossible things. You won’t regret it.

        “What is the use of a book without pictures or conversations?”

        --Lewis Carroll

Ender's Game

So, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. It’s one of those books that most people had to read because of high school English class, right? When I first had to read the book, I absolutely hated it; it was just so confusing and seemed completely pointless and unrealistic to me. Plus, there was the fact that I was being forced to read it for school. I always hated school books, mostly on principle: I would have much rather read a book I had picked out myself. A couple years later, though, I decided I wanted to read it again. Crazy, right? I have no idea what was going through my head. That second time I read it, of my own volition, I completely loved it and have reread it several times now.

The book was published in 1985, but Card wrote it in the setting of a futuristic society. They have super-advanced technology, battleship schools in space, civilizations that have colonized and are living on other planets...and they’re in the middle of a war with a species of aliens. In this society, the

government has begun to breed military geniuses to ensure that they win the battles to come. Ender Wiggins is one such genius that the government chooses to exploit. Ender’s Game is full of action. I mean, it’s about a kid that gets sent away to battle school. How could that not be full of action? Another plus: it has the kind of sarcastic humor that will have you laughing out loud. I for one have had this happen to me on multiple occasions, usually in the middle of class or some other crowded place. People give me a lot of weird looks when I do this, but If I’m laughing, it means I am enjoying my book, so I tend not to notice the stares of the people around me.

Now, why do I say you should have this book on your reading list? Well, first, if you are into science fiction, this is definitely a book you should read. For those of you who don’t just pick up a book because of its genre, there are plenty of other reasons you should find your way into Card’s fantasy world. Though you may not realize it when you choose a book, read a book, etc…, some of the most interesting books are ones that you can relate to. Ender’s game is a perfect book for young adults like myself to relate to. The story is full of a child’s struggle through a new school. Ender may be younger than most of us, but high school is full of bullying. Even in college or later in life you will run into those people who enjoy tormenting others and getting what they want. And everyone knows about cliques. This story is full of them. It’s all about the terrors of school and Ender’s way of fighting through it, all rolled into a single book. Also, a main idea that you will see throughout the book is about choices and the consequences of those choices. “We live in a world of tradeoffs and hard decisions with which consequences we have to live with”(Real Detroit Weekly) says I. Mocko in a review. We all know about choices right? Now that we are becoming adults and heading out on our own, we are making a lot of choices, and we are having to live with the consequences.

Card actually wrote multiple books about Ender’s story, though I regret to inform you that I have not read any of them. They are actually my reading list, but being busy with college, I haven’t gotten to them yet.

While I haven’t read all the books, I did see the Ender’s Game movie that premiered last November. Now, everyone knows that when they make a book into a movie, they cut out a lot of information in order to compact it into a single movie. When they made Ender’s Game into a movie they cut out a lot. It was still a good movie, and I liked it very much. It is definitely a movie you should see. Though I suggest reading the book first. “The film tries too hard to straddle the line between assuming viewers are familiar with the details and bringing new viewers up to speed.”(entertainment.sladshot.org). I didn’t find it at all confusing, watching the movie, but that may be because I had already read the book and knew what was going on. I find it completely reasonable, though, for viewers who have not read the book to be a little confused at times.

Ender’s Game is thought provoking and a great read. It will provide you with a great distraction, a much needed break, from all the work of everyday life. Dive into Card’s mesmerizing world. You won’t be disappointed.

“I buy way too many books”

--Orson Scott Card

JUMPER

Jumper. Isn’t that a depressing title? I mean, honestly, what’s the first thing you think of when you hear/read it? Personally, when I read the title it makes me think of some poor, suicidal nut-job climbing over the railing of a balcony of some building and jumping to a death not unlike that of a bug going splat! against a car’s windshield. When you actually open the book and read it, though, you will pleasantly surprised to find out that isn’t what the story is about at all. It’s actually about a young boy, Davy, whose mother left him with his abusive father. He finds out he has the ability to travel anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye--as long as he has already been there before. He can travel the world in the blink of an eye. Conveniently, he discovers this power during one of his father’s more aggressive moments. It saved his life.
Steven Gould’s Jumper is a really good read if you ask me. It has a lot of action to keep guys interested with just a touch of romance to satisfy the ladies reading it. It definitely isn’t boring. But why should you as a teenager, a college student, a young adult, read this book? Well, of course, you should read it because it is a really good book, a great story, but that is not the only thing that makes it desirable. For one, it is full of things people our age can relate to. Sure, not all of us ran away from home because of an abusive home life like Davy did, but now that we are becoming adults, we are finding out what it is like to branch out on our own, to move to new places and fend for ourselves without parents to buy everything for us anymore. College

in particular is a time where people find themselves and explore new things, just like Davy does throughout the story. He experiences life, just like we are doing now, though his life has a bit of a twist to it. I mean, I know I can’t rob a bank just by picturing myself inside the vault and simply ‘jumping’ there like Davy does. And as you can probably guess, Davy gets into some trouble, makes mistakes, just like real life people do. This book is pretty realistic for how unrealistic it is, if you know what I mean. In a review, Greg Kim even says “I can imagine the setting in modern time although it was written in 1992” (Goodreads.com). I find it much more enjoyable to read something that sounds like it comes from today’s world, and I can easily see this story taking place in today’s society.
To the people who have already read this book: read it again. If you are currently in between books and do not know a good book to read next, this is a good book to fall back on and read over. Sure, you know what is going to happen, but maybe you missed something. Every time I reread a book, i find some detail that I overlooked before, and it makes me think “I don’t remember that!”. So read it again. If nothing else, reread it because you loved it the first time, and you know it will still be a good book just like it was before.

         Jumper was actually made into a movie, starring Hayden Christensen as Davy. It first came out in 2008. Maybe you’ve seen it? Reviews of the movie will tell you things like ‘it’s a terrible show with a crazy story line’. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 16% saying it “[Features] uninvolving characters and [a] loose narrative, Jumper is an erratic action pic with little coherence and lackluster special effects” (rottentomatoes.com). I for one, though, didn’t think the movie was half as bad as they say it is. I actually liked the special effects and the story line was not all that confusing to me. While I thought the movie was good, the book is definitely better. Aren’t the books always better than their movie counterparts? Half of it is because, with a book, you get to escape into another world where you decide things like what the people look like and where it takes place. You can even imagine yourself as the main character. Anything is possible with a book.
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          "The most erroneous stories are those we think we know best-- and therefore never scrutinize or question."
          --Steven Gould

About Me

       Welcome to my blog, Psycho Babble. I guess I should explain the title a little bit, shouldn't I? Well, I came up with the name Psycho Babble because it kind of fits my personality. My friends are always telling me how crazy they think I am. But really, aren't we all a little crazy sometimes? That's just life. So I just want this blog to be a way for me to get some of the random, crazy babbling out of my head, but in an orderly manner, if you know what I mean. Maybe there are even people out there like me who will actually be able to make sense of it.

       This first post is just going to be a kind of informal introduction about me, about the blog...stuff like that.

       So, first thing's first: I'm Alex, and I'm a freshman in college, majoring in Criminal Justice. I love college; it is so much better than any schooling I have experienced so far. A few hobbies of mine would be soccer, which I played in high school. I kind of miss it. I also do archery, and that's pretty cool. I also tap dance. Of all my hobbies, though, the one that I love the most would have to be reading. I am a total bookworm, through and through. I, personally, think being a book nerd is my best quality.

       So, yes, I love to read. If I have a book on my person, then I'm happy. Being a freshman in college, though, does not leave me with very much time to sit down with a good book. I definitely do not have as much time as I'd like, that's for sure. It also sucks when I don't know what to read next. I mean, I don't want to waste my time on a book that isn't even good. I'm sure other people feel the same way, right?

       That's my purpose for my next few posts: I want to give teenagers and college kids like me a few good books that are definitely not a waste of time. I'm going to show you the next five books that should be on your reading list. I'll even give you a sneak peek. The next five books you should read, even if you have already read them, are: Jumper, Ender's Game, Alice in Wonderland, Divergent, and The Host. Don't worry, I'll tell you why you should read them later.

     "It is with the reading of books the same as with looking at pictures; one must, without doubt, without hesitation, with assurance, admire what is beautiful"

       --Vincent van Gogh