Read What You Want

I’m a big advocate for the world of books. I think reading is important. Extremely important. Reading opens up brand new worlds. It forces you to rely on your imagination rather than have things spoon fed to you. It can open your mind, let you look into new points of view. And all the CGI in the world is no match for your imagination when it comes down to it.

And, I’ve always defended people’s right to read. I love Young Adult Novels, so when a writer decided that Young Adult Novels were beneath her and she strung together a few sentences letting me know that I’m an idiot for reading them, I defended myself and others who I know love Young Adult Novels. Every year for banned books week, I try to raise awareness about banning books. It’s wrong. The banning of ideas is never a good idea. The Klingons knew it best: 

“Have you ever fought an idea, Picard? It has no weapon to destroy, no body to kill.”

That was our buddy Gowron, leader of the Klingons talking. (He was later killed. Turns out, he did have a body to kill.)

I can even remember way back in the “day” when a little book was burning up the reading lists. It was turning a new generation back into readers, and it was enticing old ones. And a lot of elites thought that this book shouldn’t be read, because it was for kids… FOR KIDS. Of course, it then became 8 movies and a theme park. And I would say the world is a better place learning the adventures of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and the true hero of the book series, Ron Weasley. 

So what’s this preamble for? I’ve talked about Ron. I’ve talked about banned books. And you all know that I’ve been an advocate for reading. Even the bad stuff, even if it’s to learn why you hate it. 

Well, a few weeks ago a little trailer showed up for a movie called 50 Shades of Grey. Yes, I talked about this during banned books week, and whether it should be a banned book. (I don’t think it should be, even with the subject matter. It should be available to whomever, and if you’re worried about your kid reading it, you could try, I don’t know… parenting to your kid rather than keeping everyone from reading it.) But the trailer itself initiated talk about the book, and more specifically, should people read it. 

For the three of you who don’t know, or for those who wish to pretend not to know, 50 Shades of Grey is an erotic novel about a young college student named Anastasia Steele and a rich dude named Christian Grey, and their deepening relationship that happens to involve sex that some people like to pretend that other people don’t actually have. (kinky stuff. I’ll let you look it up.)

The release of the trailer sparked an interesting conversation amongst me and my friends. Particularly, a lot of my previous posts: It got people to read, right? People are reading for all the reasons you just mentioned. Have you actually read the book to know what people dislike about it? Or are you going off what people said and mocking them because of what the book is about.

So really, if I’m an advocate for reading, should I single out a book about a naughty relationship because it happens to be about a naughty relationship based on what the author originally wanted to see happen among several of the characters of Twilight when I have no problem saying everyone should read a book about a boy wizard who saves the world from an evil wizard.

And… they got me. If this book gets people to read, the people should read it. I’m not saying it’s everyone’s silk tie, but my friends are right… if people want to read this, and it gets them back into reading, it’s not something we should spend a lot of time mocking, as many people have. There’s really no difference people the people who decide to pick up 50 Shades of Grey, and when I decide to pick up the latest Mortal Instruments… we’re both reading something we WANT to read. Who’s to judge? It gets our imaginations going. It encourages us to think for a little bit. And it takes us to a different world we may initially not want to visit in real life. (Although if I could have magic powers and fight vampires, I’d totally do that.)

Yes, I get that it’s based on Twilight fan fiction. But who among us hasn’t, in their heads, “written” something about a book we read, or a movie we’ve seen. How many novels about Star Trek, Star Wars, or Warhammer are written a year? And they don’t take place in anywhere but the writer’s mind? All fiction is in some way, fan fiction. This one just got a boost from starting it off by using established characters. Who has really never read a novel that did that? I like superhero novels, you know how many different versions of Superman I’ve read about in the past year? One of my favorite comics is simply the tagline, “What if Batman was the Joker?” It’s not sanctioned by DC Comics, and the dude has a movie deal.  So, the fan fiction thing is pretty popular.

But… WHAT ABOUT THE SEX!?! WHAT ABOUT THE SEX!? IT’S NON-TRADITIONAL?!? Of course, if you are worried about sex and reading this on the internet, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you. Also, a lot of other books contain sex. They also contain violence. Harry Potter’s ending features a war fought primarily with school children. (A lot of people gloss over that while reading about Ron’s heroics.) But we don’t have a problem holding that up as an example of great fiction. The issue really is about how people feel about it, and the thing is that everyone needs to relax. Everyone has sex. Maybe not this kind. But it’s working for some people.

And yes, what about the children. I’m going to let you all in on a story. When I was younger, I lived in Korea. We got an American station. That’s AN American station. Just the one. There was a show on it that I wanted to watch called Married with Children, because it was a big hit with my friends back home, and all over the place. My parents didn’t want me watching it. So, they forbid me from doing it, despite my pleading. They then ensured that I was otherwise occupied (reading… going outside… etc.) while it was on. What they didn’t do was overly mock it, then request everyone ban it. My point being, is if this book really offends your moral sensibilities, don’t read it. It’s that simple. If you don’t want your kids reading it, don't allow them to read it.

Overall, 50 Shades of Grey won’t go down as one of my favorite books. I felt the relationship was a little more abusive than people like to admit, and the main character didn’t have much of a personality. It wasn’t the worst book I read. It was better than another book I read about death row inmates injected with a serum that turned them all into mind controlling vampires. (How could that have gone wrong???) But was supposedly one of the best books of the year! (The sequel undid everything the first book established. How… how do you say that’s better?) 

But at the end of the day it’s a book, and it’s getting people to read. So, rather than judging other people’s reading choices, let’s focus on what makes us happy to read. Then we’ll all be happy.

Take A Look, It's in A Book

“But you don’t have to take my word for it.” 

For some people, those words mean a lot. They mean that Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton was about to turn over his show to the people he had been speaking to, the kids, and letting them review books. It was a short but extremely powerful message, one that got down to the core of Reading Rainbow, which was this, “How do we encourage kids to read?” And it got to a very simple answer: Ask them what they think.

If you haven’t been paying attention, recently former Reading Rainbow host and former Geordi LaForge (Oh, like I wasn’t going to put in a Star Trek reference. He even dedicated part of his show to the behind the scenes look at The Next Generation. Like you haven’t read this blog before) recently used Kickstarter to bring back Reading Rainbow. The show has been off the  air since 2009, after an impressive 26 year run. It attracted a lot of attention, setting records and even getting Family Guy himself, Seth MacFarlane, to match donations to ensure that the program would reach as many people as possible.  (And presumably to make up for A Million Ways to Die in the West.)

I love to read. Pulling back the curtain and showing the inner workings of Bad Shakespeare, the truth is that little tab that says, “What I’m currently reading” remains unchanged so long because I’m usually reading a few books at a time. I generally have a few books put aside that suit my mood. Maybe a comedy mixed with a mystery mixed with a coming of age novel where people come to terms with stuff. Maybe I’ll take a break from my science fiction novel to check in on some old friends. And typically have a bookmark placed in Good Omens, one of my very favorite books. I can trace this to a television show that started out with a butterfly.

I’m glad that LeVar Burton is working hard to bring it back. I know it was around in App form for a few years (which everything is nowadays.) I can honestly say that this is one of the things that really fostered my love of reading. 

Reading for pleasure is sort of an abstract thing. It’s one thing to sit in an English class and be told what to read. You have to read it. But why should we read outside of the classroom? Why should we read at all? The best part about Reading Rainbow was the fact that LeVar Burton used to show us why it was important. He’d visit some location that tied into the book, and showed us the story behind it. he would show us why reading was important. He showed us why knowledge of the outside world wasn’t a bad thing, and even if a story was fiction, it tied into the real world. 

But then, there were those reviews from real kids. Rather than an adult (and celebrity narrator) just talking at kids for the entire show, everyone would take a step back and ask the kids what they thought. They’d ask the kids why they wanted to read, why they were reading, and why they enjoyed a certain book. It gave them power over their own reading for enjoyment, not just something  grown-up told them to read. That’s important when encouraging kids to read. 

Of course, with Kickstarter Campaigns breeds controversies as people jump over themselves to find some reason to hate something. Because in this day and age, any time someone does anything, even if it’s encouraging a person to read, we have to find a reason to hate it or a flaw in the plan. A poorly researched Washington Post article (that I won’t link to because… I don’t want this person to get the views) called out Reading Rainbow, much in the same way a bully calls out someone weaker than them. No, “writer” who can’t be bothered to do any research on Reading Rainbow, it was not cancelled because because it wasn’t effective. It wasn’t cancelled because it wasn’t being watched. It was cancelled because their funding was pulled. You know how I figured that out? Research. I’d recommend you do that before you write your articles. 

But that’s just a small portion of what’s going on. Reading Rainbow meant a lot to me as a young reader. It means a lot to me today, as someone who reads for fun, and as someone who writes as much as he can.  I’m hoping that it continues to mean a lot to people as readers, and raise a new group of people that read not because they have to, but because it’s fun. Because it helps you learn. Because it can take you to a new place that you’ve never been before, make you a new person. 

I hope that people will take advantage of Reading Rainbow coming back. I thought of a few different ways I could end this post, but I’m going to leave it up to LeVar Burton, who will hopefully forgive me for taking his line.

“I’ll see you next time.” 

In Brightest Day, in Blackest Night, No Mean Lady Will Stop Me From Reading, Not Quite...

You may notice, from my “What I’m Currently Reading” tab to the right (Oh... you don’t notice it? Allow me to direct you to it. It’s to your right) that I read a lot of Young Adult Novels. I even took a class in “How to Teach Young Adult Novels.” I was doing it way back before it was cool to read it, make a movie out of it, then have everyone choose a “team” for the movie despite the fact that the book series wrapped up years ago and we all know which couples end up together. (Although deep in my heart, I was hoping that Bella would end up with that one minor character from the first book of the Twilight series. If I’m going to make a joke about it, I probably should read it closer. No, no.. I’m standing by that joke.)

I’m also very aware of the fact that I’m a 34 year old man. A 34 year old man that still wears shirts with his favorite cartoon characters on it and has a Green Lantern Ring for every day of the week, but I give the outward appearance of a responsible adult to those who may not know me that well. I kind of hope that the rather mean lady I met on the metro the other day had known me better to know that while I do a great impression of a responsible adult, I’m a giant kid at heart when she confronted me about reading a young adult novel.

You may have noticed that Reached by Ally Condie was in my “What I’m Currently Reading” tab (located to the right of this article) for quite some time. (I was savoring it.) But unlike a lot of the other books I read, I wasn’t reading it on my Kindle or tablet-like device, I was reading the actual paper book. You know, like they make from trees and the souls of the writer. This wasn’t to make a bold statement, I had mentioned I had enjoyed the first book on my kindle, and my wife being nice surprised me with the book versions of the other two. But rather than reading a faceless black tab of plastic, I was reading a colorful book that showed a young lady in red, standing through a broken glass bubble, symbolizing the final part of the book and the fact that our young hero, Cassia, was able to walk through the final pill: the dreaded red one that takes away memories.

So, it was obvious I was reading a young adult novel when this rather unpleasant lady broke Metro Rule # 1 and actually talked to a stranger during rush hour.

“What book is that?” she asked, looking up from her phone ever so briefly.

“It’s Reached,” I said. I was taken back by the fact that someone was talking to me, so I didn’t point out the large word, “REACHED” written on the front cover along with the young lady in red, standing through a broken glass bubble, symbolizing yadda yadda yadda...

“What’s it about?”

“It’s about a young girl...” and I launched into a rousing description of a dystopian society and a young girl who broke all the societal norms for love, friendship, and freedom.

“So it’s a kids book?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

At this point, I knew where the conversation was going. I was torn by saying a simple, “yes” or something more obnoxious by pointing out that I was reading while she was crushing colorful objects on the game on her phone. I split the difference and commented that it was a young adult novel, and I really didn’t have to defend any of my life choices to her as we’ve known each other for a good four minutes at this point.

“Why don’t you read a real book?”

“This is a real book.”

“It’s for kids! Grow up!” with that the metro lurched to a stop, moved forward a little bit more for some reason, then lurched to a stop again and she was away, no doubt to hop on her broom and interject her special brand of wisdom on someone else minding their own business.

Let me say that Bad Shakespeare does not endorse the persecution of witches, and I sincerely hope that that lady avoids all forms of liquids, as I’m certain that would be fatal to her. I saw it in a movie once, so I’m assuming it’s true.

This post is not to defend any of my life choices, particularly with reading. What candy jewel crushing mean lady was not doing was not reading, which at that point leads me to wonder what type of book she likes to read, if any? (Except Witches’ Quarterly, particularly that one article that tells you to stop one random stranger on a train and tell them that they’re doing everything wrong.) I enjoy Young Adult Novels. I enjoy Science Fiction (or speculative fiction, nerds) Novels. I enjoy Fantasy, Historical, Graphic, Realistic Novels. I like to read. Young Adult is just another form of that.

There’s also the fact that lately Young Adult Novels have been a lot more imaginative than some of the other novels I’ve read lately. I really enjoyed the Matched Series, as I pointed out, and yes, I hopped right on that Hunger Games trilogy bandwagon right when it got cool. Hero was one of my particular favorites, and dealt with the idea of coming out to your father (while saving the world) in a mature, intelligent, fashion. Divergent, Mrs. Pettigrew’s Home for Peculiar Children, and Mortal Instruments are both on my radar once I finish whatever book is in my “What I’m Currently Reading” tab. (located to your right.) So is Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell, but that’s not Young Adult so it’s not proving my point.

I think the point I’m trying to really get across is that one of the things I enjoy doing with my life is reading. I love it. I love reading books. Except The Twelve. That one just made me sad. But for the most part, I love books. And it’s like anything, I look for interesting things that inspire me. And interesting things that inspire me really don’t have an age limit. You just enjoy them. And that’s what you should do.

Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to put down my book and catch the latest episode of Phineas and Ferb.

Reading, Raising Rates, and the Ride to Work

        Recently, my job moved from it’s comfy nest at the corner of two roads that are overused during rush hour to a place that OH MY GOD GET OUT OF THE ROAD YOU DRIVE WAY TOO SLOW! As a result, I’ve decided to start taking the Washington, DC Metro in.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Washington, DC Metro system basically take something that’s simple to work, say, sending more trains during rush hour, and do the opposite. Then take some escalators that have been broken so long they legally need to start being called, “stairs” and raise rates whenever someone sneezes. That’s the DC Metro System. 

Although, I come to you today not to make fun of the DC Metro... no, that’s just bonus. Actually, I’m here to talk to you today because the time has allowed me to do something that I have wanted to do for a long time: Read more. Driving into our location has it’s own charms, but it really doesn’t allow for much time for reading. But since I started using the metro (and with the extra time I have waiting for a train that may or may not come) I have had time to start reading without the extra distractions.

At home, there are a million different distractions... the lawn needs mowing, the laundry needs washing, dishes in the sink, the cats need to be walked, brand new episodes of The Walking Dead, bills to pay... plus I’ve been in school which has been fun in reading a lot of books about teaching theory, but very little time to read books I actually want to read. I’d work hard to make time, but sometimes, it just doesn’t work that way. We’re all stuck in that curse of the Mad Hatter, “He’s killing Time!” and then Time turns on us. I'm sort of glad now I get this forced time to finally get down to reading what I want to read.

But I’ve actually found the ride in a bit relaxing. I get a half hour where no one really bothers me. (Unless they break the cardinal rule of riding the train in the morning: no talking. It’s not an official rule, more of a suggestion. Your seat-mate is headed to work with you, not your best friend. I digress.) I get a half hour to escape into the world of zombies, or a newspaper in Rome, or two guys escalating a war of suburban proportions. 

Mostly, it has reminded me of what I missed by not spending time reading. And I don’t want it to be a resolution, mostly because resolutions inevitably fail, but I wanted it to be something I should do more. My world slows down when I read a book. I’m able to enjoy seeing a different world, then I can put it down, and then I have to deal with the fact that no, I’m not actually in command of a starship, nor does the planet rely on my next decision. (Which is probably for the best. I’d sell any of you out for a bag of cheetos.)  It’s just a nice time. It’s my half hour I get, each way, spending time with a good book, and the lives of characters I get to visit for a little bit.

Sometimes, I try to make a big point with these posts. I don’t know that I have one today. In fact I know for a fact that I don’t have one today. I just wanted to talk about reading. I plan on reporting on what I’ve read, and you can check out what I’m currently reading on the righthand corner of my blog. Feel free to check it out as I review them.

Benson, Robert Frost, Firefly, and Star Trek. Possibly the Best Year End Post, Ever.

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.”  -Neil Gaiman

So, here we all are, the end of the old year, and the beginning of the new year. It’s a time for resolutions, it’s a time for promises, it’s a time where we reflect on the past year, on past accomplishments and past... well we won’t really call them “failures” so much as “oopsie daisies.” 

I’ve always found it both odd and interesting that we take this time to reflect. On the one hand, nothing really changes. Today is Monday, tomorrow will be Tuesday no matter what the calendar says. Same bills are due. Rent is due. All that really happened is that when someone asks me the date I’m going to type 2012 instead of 2013 for a little while, much in the same way that sometimes I’ll accidentally type “February” when we reach January 31st. Really most of the Earth stays the same.

But on the other hand, it is another year, insofar as we understand time, gone. We do have a need to recognize time gone by, whether it be some kind of anniversary (That I swear I’ll remember this time) or birthday (until you reach 39) or some other significant event that you want to recognize (11 years since Firefly was taken off the air. We want your adventures back, Captain Mal.)

The other interesting concept is the idea of New Years Resolutions. I used to enjoy making these, back when the stakes were lower. I mean, “Hey I want to get in shape” means something different. But I don’t like making them now. Not that I think people should, (especially me) but because they’re so easy to break. Yes, I made a promise to myself I’d write more, but there’s this Firefly marathon on, and I don’t want to miss an episode that I’ve already seen twenty times. (Damn you, Joss Whedon!)

So, this year I have decided I’m not making any resolutions. I’m not making easily breakable promises that I’ll forget in a couple of months and chalk it up to “Not keeping my New Years Resolutions”. No, the Twenty Twelve Michael Bay Explosion Monster really did a number on me. And the only way that things are going to get better is if I make some changes. Real changes that will improve my life and ensure that there’s no Twenty Twelve Michael Bay Explosion Monster Part two. I’m at the point that I need 2013 to be better for my own general sanity. So I’m not making resolutions. I’m making actual promises that I must keep. There is no other option. So...

I promise to actually start do do more with my writing. Yes, I blog here at Bad Shakespeare, and I will continue to do so. And I love each and every one of my readers, thank you for following these adventures. But I need to do more. I need to finish my comedy novel that got mired in my own melancholy and was stalled. (That’s a good line. Remind me to do something with that.)

I promise to finish my degree and become a teacher. I’ve spent a good number of years learning what I’m not good at. I’m an ok editor. I’m a pretty good writer. I’m a so-so government acquistioner. I suck at working at Best Buy and as a Lifeguard. But I’m an excellent teacher. I love literature. Keeping me out of a classroom is bad for me. I have so many ideas, some original and some standing on top of desks like Robin Williams in that one movie.

I promise to do more that scares me and makes me uncomfortable. Like all of life’s big questions, I usually turn to the philosophy imparted in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. (Two science fiction references in one post! Score!) In it, Constable Odo, who’s a shapeshifter, was a blob of goo that was found by a scientist. The Scientist “tortured” him until he finally showed him that he was a living, thinking creature that could shapeshift into the guy that played Clayton on Benson. The kicker was the scientist wasn’t torturing him. Odo loved being a blob of goo. That was comfortable to him. It was being uncomfortable and challenging himself that allowed him to eventually become humanoid, then help round out the cast of the best Star Trek series on television to date. We all need to be a little uncomfortable or scared. Taking the well-worn path is easy. Look at the Frost Poem “The Road Not Taken”. While people love to quote it and hold it up as an example of adventure! Of course once you read it you find out that the speaker has decided to just call the path he took as the one less travelled. Probably to impress the ladies. So rather than just saying I’m taking the scarier path, I’m going to actually take the scary path.

Star Trek, Benson, and Robert Frost in one paragraph. I’m on a roll today!

There are more, and I will update you all on them as they occur. From me, I hope you all have a healthy, happy, exciting, wonderful, unsafe, book reading, suprising, adventure filled, twitterpaited, gravity-defying, goal breaking, path not taken, Cow and Boy reading, Yippie Kai Yaying, Bad Shakespeare reading, Firefly-watching, Benson-referencing 2013. 

And as for you, Twenty Twelve Michael Bay Explosion Monster... you didn’t win.

The Hipster Games. Now That's a Book Worth Reading

            So, originally, today I was going to write about the time I went to buy the final two Hunger Games books.

            

            I’m not going to pretend for half a minute that originally read them for some deeper meaning…  I read them because they’re popular. They seemed interesting. And why not? The movie was good, and the books are getting people reading. That’s the point of any good book: to entertain. (Although there’s a lot more to the books than the “pew-pew shaky camera action sequence!” that the movie emphasized)

            I was going to write about how the hipster lady behind the counter with her carefully picked out Vintage! ™ T-shirt and her carefully selected hair color that wasn’t found in nature and nose rings that made her unique, like every other hipster out there that had died their hair and placed those nose rings so uniquely, scoffed at my book selection. She helpfully let me know that “she didn’t read fad books.”

            I didn’t know how to respond, I was going to write about today. I mean… I was just trying to buy books. I just wanted to read them. What did it really matter to her what I was going to read? I mean, I suppose I could pick up some indie book from a manufactured tortured soul, but I just hadn’t heard of anything good coming out. I might have bought a book that was dense, and everyone sits around and pretends to know what it’s about and how deep it was, but I don’t like books like that. What I heard about that was good was The Hunger Games Trilogy, so I was going to read that.

            I was going to write how after I paid, I made a snide comment about her Vintage! ™ shirt and how there were a billion others like it at Hot Topic, then I left. (Luckily, I paid in cash.) I feel sad for people like her, who have to jump so far off the bandwagon they can't just be entertained for a few minutes, I would say if I were writing about this today.

            But instead I came across a story about how a computer glitch in the Nook reader changed every instance of the word “kindle” in a digital copy of War and Peace to “nook.” So I thought I’d write about e-readers. Sadly, this post has gone on too long, so I guess I'll write about e-readers another day.

            But trust me; the story behind me going to buy those books would have been great.

This post is rated "T" for "Totally Awesome!"

I have talked to great length about censorship with young adult novels. Yes, it’s sorta going to be one of those posts again. Turns out there is a lot to cover when talking about censorship. Buckle up.

    The most recent is the proposal by a few “concerned citizens” to start rating young adult novels. You know, like movies, TV shows and video games are rated now, to great effectiveness. (side note: that was sarcasm. You can tell by tone of my typing.) These ratings help us determine different things, like how harmed the children will be by seeing scenes of smoking, or mild cleavage. (both real things that will people are concerned about, apparently.)

    Of course, this was brought on by a concerned citizen who took the time to count the number of swear words (by their definition by the way) that we like to pretend that kids don’t say in several young adult books. Like the recent documentary, “Bully” being rated R for language to help protect the kids from seeing naughty words. No one really batted an eye at the irony of the fact that these were kids saying the naughty words. (I don’t know why I used the word “naughty.” I am a 33 year old man.)

    Look, it never really hurts to know the content of what kids are reading. Labeling them based on one groups set of standards is never going to work, because you will be forcing that morality on someone else. If you really want to take a look at the content of what your kids are reading, pick up the book, and read it with them. You may be surprised at the content, yes, but you’ll be even more surprised that you can talk to them about it, and learn something about them.