Growing up & out?
Wow, I have been blogging quite a lot recently. XD Warning for a possible rant coming on...
Anyway, right now I'm reading a young adult book called A Great and Terribly Beauty by Libby Bray, which Nia recommended to me a while back. The premise kinda reminded me of the Harry Potter series in that there's a girl who is a witch/ has magic powers & she's off at a finishing school in England. However, I have been having a surprisingly difficult time getting into this book. It's quite a switch from the horror & gore of Laurell K. Hamilton, but more than that, I wonder if I'm starting to grow out of the young adult genre a little bit. I dunno. Or at least the middle school and high school angst.
Even when I was in high school my life was not full of angst. I didn't have crappy friends who treated me one way when we were alone and another when in a group. I never worried about popularity. I didn't drink, smoke, steal, have sex. None of that drama in my life then or now. Hence I'm having a very difficult time relating to the heroine of this novel who is a smart, gifted 16-year-old who makes all sorts of stupid decisions that she knows are stupid. I just want to yell at her for giving in to peer pressure. It's lame. *sigh*
As some of you know, I have strong opinions on how I like my vampire or other paranormal/supernatural novel. More so than how I like my tea. These are the big baddies that go bump in the night. They are supposed to be scary, dangerous, and often just this side of evil. I know that vampirism needs to have its own twist for each author, otherwise all vampires would be written the same and that would be boring, right? Right. But I <3 me some dark paranormals novels. None of this light paranormal, vampire single mom goes clothes shopping and meets hottie vampire CHICK LIT! Gaaaah!
And now we have paranormal teenage angst?! Wasn't there enough vampire angst from Louie in Interview with a Vampire to last several decades? All he did was whine, angst, whine some more, kill a person or two, contemplate his place in the universe, angst angst angsssssstttt. I admit that I have enjoyed Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, but I appreciate that because I am a hopeless romantic. On top of that, the ton of angst that there was did not focus on high school drama. It focused on love and friendship drama. That was easier to take. I admit that the Twilight series is not a work of literary art. It is entertainment. And that's what I like in most my books. So I don't have many qualms.
Now then, my aunt told me about a mother daughter duo she saw on Good Morning America who write a vampire series. Vampires in high school angst angst angst. I'm sure many of you have seen the series at Borders, the 'House of Night' series. Black cover with black designs, bold & colorful font and likely a girl's face intently staring from the cover or part of her naked back. Yeah, those ones. The mother daughter author team is P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. So I watched the video clip on Good Morning America like my mom and aunt suggested. I'm curious about the books, but not necessarily interested. By the way everyone on the video clip explained it, it's vampires at finishing school, people turning into vampires to graduate (or they die in the process). There is high school drama, sex, the abnormal amounts of angst, that type of stuff. *sigh*
If some people had such a crappy time in high school, why do they want to keep reliving it?!?! Then these kiddies read this stuff and are like, yeah, I can relate to this. It must be a good idea after all to give in and have sex with my 27 year old teacher. What the hell. I do admit that I like how authors said the series has an interesting mix of paganism and the vampiric society it matriarchal. But still.
I guess my ultimate question that I didn't realized I wanted to know is: How many times can you keep doing the vampire (specifically the angsty teen vampire) before it just becomes repetitive angsty crap?
Yet among all this, I do want to return to the Harry Potter series. Perhaps read them all again. But hey, that's classic. That's a hell of a lot more original than the stuff coming out now. And it's what I’ve grown up on. I've decided I prefer wizard angst over vampire angst. At least wizards are not soulless, likely cursed and, oh yeah, dead.
P.S. I apologize for the over-use of the word 'Angst'. I could not find another word to adequately express all the drama & mental issues that five-letter word carries.
Anyway, right now I'm reading a young adult book called A Great and Terribly Beauty by Libby Bray, which Nia recommended to me a while back. The premise kinda reminded me of the Harry Potter series in that there's a girl who is a witch/ has magic powers & she's off at a finishing school in England. However, I have been having a surprisingly difficult time getting into this book. It's quite a switch from the horror & gore of Laurell K. Hamilton, but more than that, I wonder if I'm starting to grow out of the young adult genre a little bit. I dunno. Or at least the middle school and high school angst.
Even when I was in high school my life was not full of angst. I didn't have crappy friends who treated me one way when we were alone and another when in a group. I never worried about popularity. I didn't drink, smoke, steal, have sex. None of that drama in my life then or now. Hence I'm having a very difficult time relating to the heroine of this novel who is a smart, gifted 16-year-old who makes all sorts of stupid decisions that she knows are stupid. I just want to yell at her for giving in to peer pressure. It's lame. *sigh*
As some of you know, I have strong opinions on how I like my vampire or other paranormal/supernatural novel. More so than how I like my tea. These are the big baddies that go bump in the night. They are supposed to be scary, dangerous, and often just this side of evil. I know that vampirism needs to have its own twist for each author, otherwise all vampires would be written the same and that would be boring, right? Right. But I <3 me some dark paranormals novels. None of this light paranormal, vampire single mom goes clothes shopping and meets hottie vampire CHICK LIT! Gaaaah!
And now we have paranormal teenage angst?! Wasn't there enough vampire angst from Louie in Interview with a Vampire to last several decades? All he did was whine, angst, whine some more, kill a person or two, contemplate his place in the universe, angst angst angsssssstttt. I admit that I have enjoyed Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, but I appreciate that because I am a hopeless romantic. On top of that, the ton of angst that there was did not focus on high school drama. It focused on love and friendship drama. That was easier to take. I admit that the Twilight series is not a work of literary art. It is entertainment. And that's what I like in most my books. So I don't have many qualms.
Now then, my aunt told me about a mother daughter duo she saw on Good Morning America who write a vampire series. Vampires in high school angst angst angst. I'm sure many of you have seen the series at Borders, the 'House of Night' series. Black cover with black designs, bold & colorful font and likely a girl's face intently staring from the cover or part of her naked back. Yeah, those ones. The mother daughter author team is P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. So I watched the video clip on Good Morning America like my mom and aunt suggested. I'm curious about the books, but not necessarily interested. By the way everyone on the video clip explained it, it's vampires at finishing school, people turning into vampires to graduate (or they die in the process). There is high school drama, sex, the abnormal amounts of angst, that type of stuff. *sigh*
If some people had such a crappy time in high school, why do they want to keep reliving it?!?! Then these kiddies read this stuff and are like, yeah, I can relate to this. It must be a good idea after all to give in and have sex with my 27 year old teacher. What the hell. I do admit that I like how authors said the series has an interesting mix of paganism and the vampiric society it matriarchal. But still.
I guess my ultimate question that I didn't realized I wanted to know is: How many times can you keep doing the vampire (specifically the angsty teen vampire) before it just becomes repetitive angsty crap?
Yet among all this, I do want to return to the Harry Potter series. Perhaps read them all again. But hey, that's classic. That's a hell of a lot more original than the stuff coming out now. And it's what I’ve grown up on. I've decided I prefer wizard angst over vampire angst. At least wizards are not soulless, likely cursed and, oh yeah, dead.
P.S. I apologize for the over-use of the word 'Angst'. I could not find another word to adequately express all the drama & mental issues that five-letter word carries.