Random Rant Thursday! (#3)

TODAY'S TOPIC: This is worth this many books

OK, I don't know if I'm the only one who does this, but I get really annoyed when I see people, mainly my family, spend so much money on things that aren't books. Some useless things that cost way too much. So what I do is I compare the amount of money we spend in a week, and compare that to how many books we could have gotten for that amount of money. Yes, I know different books have different prices, but I generally go with a book that costs 10 bucks. Like Illusions by Aprilynne Pike, in paperback format. If someone spent around $70 while out, it would be like having wasted 7 good books, and yes, seven books for a normal person like me is a LOT.

So that was me, ranting about how valuable money is (book-wise). What are YOU ranting about? 

Random Rant Thursday (#2)

Random Rant Thursday's is a weekly meme hosted by Zanib Dawn of the Books. There is only one rule, RANT.

 Today's rant will be about clichés. Some typical clichés usually revolve around romance, but let me tell you, there are a bunch more that can really get on someone's nerves.

The first, and for most: When the main character is described as beautiful, yet constantly calls his/herself ugly and/or unattractive. You guys following me? I read it all the time, and one of the examples is (sorry Stephanie Meyers) Twilight. Bella is supposedly a 'pale' and normal girl who all the guys in the school are after. Yet, she can't seem to understand why? Her 'flowing brown hair' is just so plain? Yes, what a nuisance. It gets really annoying. I mean, why can't the main characters have a physical flaw? Or the lovers of the main character?

Then there is the stereotypical bad guys. I'm talking about the beauty queens out of cliques formed in Chick Lit. They're always out to get the main character because of some pathetic reason. Are people in real life like that? I suppose somewhere, there might be... but honestly, I think that all bad guys need to be good guys misguided. Lets say, Voldemort for example? If you know nothing about him, go pick up the Harry Potter books. He is like the baddest of the bad, yet he has an innocent history... get me? That's what makes a character... characterized.

That's all for today, let me know what YOU are ranting about.

Introducing... Random Rant Thursday (#1)

Random Rant Thursday's is a weekly meme hosted by Zanib Dawn of the Books! If there's one thing I absolutely love, it's ranting. I don't really care what the rant is about, as long as it's related to books. So there I was, bored out of my wits, hoping I'd get a chance to rant with someone who couldn't possibly top me, that I had my idea. Random Rant Thursday's. Every Thursday, I will rant about something from dog folding the pages of a book, to clichés that make we want to puke. Today, The topic will be about vampires. Yes, the good ol' vamps.

You see, ever since Stephanie Meyers released Twilight, vampires became the next big thing. She, Stephanie Meyers, is who we must thank for the glorious blood sucking creatures.... RIGHT?! No, no, no! If I am correct, vampires were the big thing even way before that! And who brought them to life? That's right, our beloved Bram Stoker. I am an uber fan of his work, and boy, did I love 'Dracula'. The vampire in his book was the original, the loyal, and the vicious. The vampires in Twilight are the copies that are... a little 'different'. I swear, sparkling vampires? At least Stephanie had the guts to go with such a crazy, and bemusing idea. Sparkling... *giggles*.

It's true that vampires are really high right now, but it's also true that some people are getting sick of the 'drop dead gorgeous' male vampires who all seem to have muscles chiselled out of stone... I, on the other hand am not. Well, the gorgeous dudes are getting on my nerves, but not vampires. There are many stories out there that hold a lot of originality, and if you haven't read 'Cirque du Freak' by Darren Shan yet, then close this screen and go to your nearest emergency book store and buy it! Yes, that was my pathetic attempt at a joke. Let us move on.

I love vampires, I am obsessed, in fact. It all began with Darren Shan, and ever since then, I vowed that I would never let go of my dear blood suckers. Guess what? Twilight was awesome too. I read the whole series maybe twice? People have been bad mouthing those books a lot, comparing them to Harry Potter and the Hunger Games. First of all, Twilight is not as good as Harry Potter. It's a fact. People argue that the romance in Twilight is so much heavier and quicker then in Harry Potter, well news-flash, Twilight is a romance, while HP is an action/adventure/fantasy. Second, Twilight is better then The Hunger Games, now that's my opinion.

My point here is, don't ever be discouraged when you pick up the word vampire on the back of a book. You know it, and I know it, that vampire lovers are turning into vampire haters because of influence. Believe it or not, people like me (bookaholics/book reviewers) have a really big impact on the people who read are stuff (because we're cool like that), and sometimes, we change peoples minds on things just because we're talented in the arts of persuasion. Then again, there are always those hot-shots who think they know everything, and you'll probably listen to them because they have so much confidence. Whatever, just don't be discouraged. Vampire's rock, and we all know it.... Get the pun?

What're you guys ranting about?

Dystopia on the rise?

Is this really what we want? A dystopian future?

Ok, don't know about you guys, but I've noticed that dystopian books have been getting really popular. It seems like most movie companies want to make dystopian books into movies (i.e. I am number four, Hunger Games, Chaos Walking). I was wondering, what do you guys think it is about these war filled futures that really intrigue us? Is it that we know life on earth isn't getting any better, so we make up dystopian worlds just to see what our futures are going to be like? I mean, think about it. Gas prices are really starting to rise, and for all we know, one day we might not even have any to fuel cars and such. The book Empty by Suzanne Weyn, talks about how in the 'near future' (there is the word 'future' again) fossil fuels are running out, and soon we have no oil to run cars, no heat, supermarkets are empty, malls are closed. In a way, the story is hinting at how vulnerable we humans could become if we lost even one thing like fuel. Like there is some sort of chain reaction where everything is connected, and you take one thing away, you lose the whole puzzle. The there are books such as Never Let Me Go by

Kazuo Ishiguro, that deal with subjects such as clones. The story is about children who are kept hidden inside a school that has dark secrets. Apparently, the children are clones, and as they grow older, they must become donors. This one hints at how desperate we might become in the future for organs, that secret organisations might start cloning. Of course, these are just some ideas, nothing we need to worry about in the next five, or ten years, but you never know. In the Hunger Games, the dystopian theme is focused on how the government is taking over, and that is another possibility in real life. To sum things up, it seems that we are all fascinated by the touchy topic of, how bad will the future be? Because it obviously doesn't seem to be getting better what with all the global warming, discrimination, racism, precious pure water, oil, etc.. I'm sure you guys all know about the sudden rise in library fines, and Toronto has sold its zoo for money... Lots of people have gone on strikes, lately. And then you must know about how in Egypt, there were conflicts with the president, and the citizens threw him down. In fact, there was also news on how Russia was planning on drilling in the arctic for oil! You guys see now where I'm coming from? Is this why the dystopian genre is so popular? Do we really want a dystopian future? Let me know what you guys think!