Disappointment

Yesterday, I finished a book I had been looking forward to reading ever since I first heard about it.  The concept was intriguing, the book cover was eye-catching, and the author seemed cool - at least from the posts she wrote on a writing blog.

Then I read the book.

And I was... disappointed.

I didn't hate the book, like I have hated YA books in the past.  I'm just... indifferent to it.  I just don't care.  I'll probably read the rest of the trilogy, but I won't be engaged with the story.

And that's the difference.  At least with the series that I've hated - whether it's the writing, the characters, the plot - at least it's gotten a reaction out of me.  (I threw a book across the living room because how frustrated I was with a character, no joke.)

This book, on the other hand, was just so bland.  At the beginning of it, I was really annoyed with the character.  One of the things I can't stand is when people feel sorry for themselves publicly.  I get that everyone goes through pain and handles it differently, but when a character feels sorry for themselves in front of a guy who's supposed to be her romantic interest, I want to slap her.  But the character is so dry that I don't even care, despite my annoyance.

I cared about none of the characters.  Even the hero was boring.  I didn't love him and didn't understand how she loved him, and he, her.  She was overly defensive and he was infinitely patient.

To me, that equals boring, and that equals utter disappointment.

Now, I realize not everyone is going to like my books.  They might hate the characters or the plot, or even the writing.  But I hope I don't disappoint you.  That's even worse than inflicting uncontrollable rage where you throw your Kindle across your living room (which I'm not responsible for, by the way).

Traditions

This isn't a post on Thanksgiving or what I should be thankful for (lots of things, I know!) or anything like that.  I feel like Facebook has that covered.

Today, I want to talk about D.B. Cooper.  40 years ago today, the man we barely know anything about completely changed the way we view traveling in the sky.  First and foremost, he was an air pirate.  Nuff said, as far as I'm concerned.  Secondly, D. B. Cooper wasn't even his real name.  Third, he got away with $200,000 and was never heard from again.  Finally?  His case is the only hijacking case in American history to be unsolved.

You all know my love for gangsters, and while this one lived in 1971, it's still hard not to admire the guy.

Up in Washington, people are gathering this weekend in order to honor the legend that is D. B. Cooper.  I entered a poetry contest with him being the prompt.  If you're interested in reading it, you can find it here.  If you want more information on D. B. Cooper, I'd suggest buying the book SKYJACK: The Hunt For D. B. Cooper by Geoffrey Gray.  It's amazing, let me tell you.

Okay, I lied: Happy Thanksgiving!  Keep tradition - whatever that tradition may be - alive.  And, as long as I'm alive, so will D. B. Cooper.  And Dillinger.  And Karpis.  And many, many more.

Sunshine Sunday

Sundays are usually reserved for relaxation, for groaning because Monday brings school or work or waking up early to take your brother to school...  But I digress.  So I wanted to talk about things this week that have made me happy and what I'm looking forward to this week.  Ready?  Okay!

1)  Hockey is BACK!  Well, almost.  I attended the Ducks' training camp the past two days and it gets me super-excited for the season.  Getzy and Perry were pushing each other (playfully, of course!), Bobby Ryan was goofing around with his teammates, Hiller was nearly back to his best (but vertigo is scary to have for a starting goalie), and my personal favorite Dan Ellis, is on top of his game!  I also found a couple of players to watch out for (crossing my fingers that they make the team): Andrew Gordon and Mark Bell.

2)  I start school on Thursday.  I'm a bit nervous (I know an actual university is different from a community college but I'm not quite sure what those differences are yet and as such, can't prepare) but the closer it gets, the more excited I am.  I am planning to go to sporting events (Why can't UCI have a football team?  Why?) and socialize.  I'm hoping that UCI is where I'll belong, not just for academics but because I care about the school as a whole.  Plus, there's a bunch of cool activities during Welcome Week including screening X-Men: First Class on the Green.

3)  Demi Lovato's new album comes out on Tuesday.  I love her, her voice, and her songs, and I am looking forward to hearing what she has to offer.

4)  TV.  I'm a confessed couch potato who works out, okay?  All my favorite shows premiere this week (Community, The Office, Glee, How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family) and new shows that I'm looking forward to checking out (Whitney, Two Broke Girls, The New Girl, The X-Factor, Last Man Standing) and new shows that I checked out last week that I like (Free Agents, Up All Night).  Granted, I will/have watched a lot of these on my computer because I can't watch everyone at once.  I'm sad that I have to wait until October for Bones and all year until True Blood.  But I'm sure some shows (and hockey) will tide me over.

5)  Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper by Geoffrey Gray.  You know my love for Depression-Era gangsters.  D.B. Cooper is kind of like that, but for the 1970's.  He's polite and charming and jumped out of a flying airplane with two hundred thousand dollars strapped to his chest on a rainy night after threatening to blow up said plane with a bomb.  No one was harmed and to this day, nobody knows who Mr. Cooper really is.  I love this stuff.  Especially when the author wrote about an old woman who compared D.B. Cooper to John Dillinger.  The gangster-geek in me squealed like a school girl! If you're into this kind of stuff, I definitely recommend it!

What about you?  Any things you're looking forward to this week?

Vampires done right

I usually don't do these posts.  I love reading books and if I were to review every book I read, I wouldn't be able to write anything.  But if you like vampires (real vampires, not ones that refrain from eating meat and sparkle), go read the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, and then go read Bloodlines by the same author.

I'm obsessed.

My only qualm is that I have to wait until June of next year until the next book comes out.