Books that Everyone Should Read

The Diary of a Young Girl

This is required reading for all of humanity. It tackles such a subject as World War II, and tells a light-hearted, sometimes comical, and sometimes heartbreaking story, as only a young girl could tell it. I laughed, I cried, and made me fall in love with a girl I wish I knew, who was lost in the most horrific human experience one could imagine. She is witty, philosophical, and wiser than most adults, and I imagine that the world would be very different if she would have been able to live on and share her eternal wisdom to the world, instead of just jotting them down in a diary, unbeknownst to the rest of humanity.

The Catcher in The Rye

You either love it or you hate it, but you certainly can't live your life without reading it. I personally loved it, as did most others, and is tied with another entry on this list as my favorite book ever. I love a good philosophical book, and this is definitely one of them. You aren't meant to like Holden Caulfield, but I did anyways. His wit and thoughts are beyond me, made me rethink my whole life, and also showed me that there's good and bad in everyone, myself and yourself included. This book is jammed pack with wisdom, roaming around New York City, and also controversial subject matter--ooh what fun!

11/22/63

Tied with The Catcher in The Rye as my favorite book ever, if you're going to read one Stephen King book, read this. It may be 800+ pages, but it is fast-paced, action-packed, and also has a bit of romance. It has something for everyone. I literally could not find one thing wrong about this book, although, a few people on Amazon seemed to find the entire thing to be garbage. I enjoyed every page, and every page is worth it. 

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone

If you have lived on this Earth and have not read this, what are you doing?! I personally thought that this series was *okay,* but this is the most popular book series ever, and is basically essential reading for life on Earth. I don't know who would even be reading this section because basically everyone has either watched a Harry Potter movie or has read one of the books or both, but, even though I didn't see the intrigue, billions of others have.

Animal Farm

Short, sweet, and to the point. This allegory of the Russian revolution and Stalinism entertains, terrifies, and mystifies as it weaves together an unforgettable stories with--spoilers--animals. It's creative, unique, and very different from the generic dystopian literature that you see today. It's not very long, so you can't say that it it. It's fast-paced and entertaining, so you can't say that it's boring. It's very interesting, so you can't say that you aren't intrigued. Basically, you don't have a single reason not to read it. I implore you, if you have not read Animal Farm, to read it. Especially if you like Russia or history.

My Thoughts on Book Collecting

A portion of my book collection
circa March 2016 from Instagram

I was recently asked elsewhere about why I collect so many books. I thought it would be something interesting to write about, so here I am.

I not only adore reading literature, but I also love book collecting a little more. Perhaps several bibliophiles will be angered by my obscene statement, but that's just my interest. I don't really like reading on my Kindle (no offense to people who do), and I also don't like borrowing books. I like to keep books, to collect them, to surround myself in their love and warmth. That may seem greedy, but it seems like everyone collects at least something, whether it be shoes or dust. I just so happen to collect books. I read a lot, too, don't forget. I fantasize day in and day out about getting more books to read and display, like trophies. I don't hate people who read and pass on a book, in fact, if you're one of those people, good on you. I admire your will power to let go a book that you enjoyed, and to pass it on to other people to enjoy as well. 😊

But, why do I collect books? Multiple reasons. Most of the times, it's so that I will be able to reread it when I want to. Sometimes, it's because I have a sentimental connection with it, and I'd be letting go of childhood memories if I got rid of them. And, in very rare occasions, it's just for filler on my shelves; books that I have no intention of reading, yet, no intention of getting rid of them. I also just love feeling books, just taking them off of my shelves, flipping the pages, basically groping the paper, looking under the dust-jacket, and reading some of my favorite parts if I'm not feeling up to rereading the entire thing. I also just like to admire my collection, staring at it all in it's entirety, surrounded by them. It's the overall atmosphere of books in general, from reading them, to groping them, to looking at them, to smelling them, they just make me happy. I love books. One day, I would like to make something like a "Little Free Library," only it would be as big as a Walmart. Impossible, I know, but it's a fantasy. 😃

My thoughts on Stephen King

My History with King

I grew up with Stephen King. My sister had two books of his (Dreamcatcher and Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales) and another sister had another book (The Stand). I grew up watching movies like Children of The Corn and Rose Red, and one time I watched Misery (which I found incredibly boring as a seven-year-old child). I remember when I was a kid, I thought that dust-jackets were just disposable covers that you could throw away, and when a book didn't have a picture under the dust-jacket, I'd draw one, replicating the original cover. My sister's books were both hardcovers, and I drew the covers of Everything's Eventual and Dreamcatcher in the places they belonged. I also attempted to read them, but they were really boring, so I'd stop. My sister was beyond furious after noticing the permanent marker on the binding. When I was a little older, around the time I was eleven, I was obsessed with horror movies. I watched everything from Psycho to Jaws. I also watched quite a bit of Stephen King movies. My favorite horror movie (and my favorite) is The Shining. I also watched the original Carrie and the 2013 remake. My childish mind perceived the remake as the greater film, dismissing the phenomenal acting and terror of the original and glorifying the jumpscares and gore of the remake. I also watched others, like It, Pet Semetary, Storm of The Century, and more recently, a few of his non-horror movies, like Stand by Me, The Green Mile, and 11.22.63. I never really linked all of those movies together except for the fact that they shared a common name in the credits.

I like making Christmas lists, and I still do to this day. I love writing out books or movies that I want, and giving it to the person who buys gifts for me. In my family, my family does a kind-of Secret Santa, only it isn't a secret. Everyone participates, draws names, and buys gifts for the person on the piece of paper for their birthdays and Christmas. My first draft of my Christmas list last year consisted entirely of horror movies. My mom took one look at it and insisted that I put something more "wholesome" on my list, so I went to Amazon and looked at the first scary book that popped up: The Shining. I was familiar with the film, and put it on my list. Later, upon reading the synopsis another time, I happened to look down at the "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" section, and saw a whole row of other familiar titles. Eventually, I had researched nearly his entire bibliography, mesmerized by his devilish ideas and amazed at his limitless imagination, and I wanted more. By Christmastime, my list that had five movies and one book, now had five books and one movie (The Shining). The list was sent to my godparents, who get me all of the things I ask for except for one, and they got me the books. I was thrilled, and read them all in a month. Beforehand, I was in a mega-reading slump before I discovered him, and I "practice read" a bunch of adult books, typically romance. I ended up reading some of my favorite books, and I loved all of the Stephen King books I had gotten. I was happy. I basically memorized his entire bibliography, watched almost every "Stephen King Book Collection" video on YouTube, read hundreds of Amazon reviews, and pumped myself full of Stephen King. I was obsessed.

On my Birthday, my mom got me two more Stephen King books (Doctor Sleep and 11/22/63), and I devoured them. 11/22/63 became my new favorite book, and I wanted even more. During the Summer and early Fall, I bought twelve more, from Barnes and Noble, Goodwill, and St. Vincent de Paul's thrift store. I have also read fourteen on my Kindle. Now, with Christmas approaching, I put a "Stephen King book lot" on my list. Book lots are the equivalent of going to a thrift store and getting a bunch of used books for a cheap price. They are on eBay, and the value of buying them is extraordinary!

Why do you like Stephen King?

I like his writing style. It's very matter-of-fact, doesn't have any complicated words or phrases that you must read several times in order to comprehend the meaning. It feels as if you're sitting down with a friend and he's telling you the story. He loves to ramble, and go into extreme detail, thus, it is required that you go into his works with an open mind and a lot of patience. He doesn't filter any language or leave out any sex or violence, and, because of that, it feels realer. It feels like it's actually happening.

I also love his ideas. I admit that he's starting to run out of them, and using a lot of the same tropes and characters over and over again, but each book is easily distinguished among the rest. You aren't going to confuse It with The Stand, or The Colorado Kid with Cujo. His ideas are creative, unique, and flawless. Even the worst of his books spawn off of a really good idea.

I also agree with a lot of his opinions. I don't worship him or anything, and defend every single thing that he does, but I do agree with him on many subjects, from political party, to religion. He's funny, philosophical, and, overall, a great guy.

What do you think about his adaptations?

Most of them are pretty mediocre, nearly crossing the line into bad movies, but there are a few gems. Stand By Me, Carrie, The Shining, The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, It, the list goes on! They are not only memorable, but also thrilling, touching, and terrifying.

Not surprisingly, his stories are written for literature. They are lengthy, full of dialogue, and rather than feeling like good ol' cinema, they feel more realistic. The only good adaptations are ones that changed a bunch of stuff, whether it be most of the storyline (The Shining) or just the general mood and atmosphere (most of them). His stories are always good on the page, but put on the screen, there must be changes.

In conclusion

Stephen King is my favorite author. There are a few books that I like, and a few that I don't. I don't agree with everything he does, but his stories are unforgettable, and that's all that matters. I implore everyone to try reading at least one of his works someday. He has books in basically every genre, from romance to westerns, from his well-known horror, to essays. He has something for everyone. Try him out. :)

"The Shining" Movie review (some spoilers)

The Shining is, by far, the scariest movie I have ever seen in my life. At first glace, I thought it was mighty creepy, but nothing special. Then, I saw a video on YouTube titled something like "The Shining Theory," and, thus, I was swept into a wave of conspiracy theories, hidden meanings, themes, and things, and the mind of Stanley Kubrick. I was instantly obsessed.

I read the book, written by my favorite author, Stephen King, in January, 2016, and it became the scariest book I had ever read--fitting for, arguably, the scariest movie ever made. The movie was very different from the book, but had the same basic plot and characters. There was Jack, Wendy, and Danny Torrance, who are the new caretakers of the Overlook Hotel over the winter. Jack's working on a writing project, and Danny has a supernatural gift: the shining. The ending of the book and the ending of the movie were exact opposites, but still had a great effect. The book and the movie each have their own atmosphere, and I love both of them. As an accurate book-to-move adaptation goes, this is very unfaithful, but as it's own thing, it is a cinematic masterpiece beyond words.

To look into the theories, just watch the documentary Room 237 which is basically the guide to digging into what The Shining was really about. There's tons of stuff on YouTube, too, like, if you look closely, there's a body falling out of the elevator, and there's a door open over there and you can see someone standing there watching Danny and stuff like that. It adds to the terror. But, I would rather you watch the movie first before watching theories and everything.

A lot of people say that the lady in the bathtub was the scariest part, or the twins, or the Here's Johnny scene, but I think that there are a lot of underrated scenes in it that gave me chills. Including the one on the right. If you look to the right of Danny, at the door closest to the camera, you can see that the door is open, and, if you brighten the image, you can see someone clearly watching him! This scene at first may seem dull, but when you see that door, this becomes one of the scariest scenes in the entire movie. I'm always creeped out by the feeling that I'm being watched, and this is the perfect example.

I literally cannot look at the image on the left. It is the scariest image in the entire movie. When it comes on the screen, I need to look away for some reason because I feel like it's a cursed image or something. It also doesn't help that the shot is after a really creepy, intense scene, and almost feels like a jumpscare. The shot of his frozen corpse is drawn-out and it has haunted my thoughts and dreams since I saw it.





So, in the end, this is one of the best-planned, best-made, most-studied films of all time. A lot of people just think that it's creepy, but that's because they aren't looking around the characters, at that open door, or at that corpse falling out of the elevator, or all of the foreshadowing. It is also one of my favorite movies, too.