Have you ever read someone's diary?

Or perhaps stolen their journal and read as much as you could before they stopped you?

...has anyone ever given you their journal?

My best friend gave me her journal the other day. She's a bit eccentric like that; she lives in the moment, doesn't think of what lies in the future, of what could happen. That's complete opposite from me, because my actions are based largely on my fear of what will happen in the tomorrow.

I don't know that anyone is absolutely transparent--there's probably always something they're keeping hidden. And a good many things do need to be hidden. Some things we're embarrassed about. Some things are only for a family to know, or a secret you promised a friend you'd keep. Some things simply just don't need to be broadcasted.

It's an odd thing, to read someone's diary. Most people are bluntly honest in their journals because they don't have too much of a fear of someone reading it. Some people keep a journal on MS Word and have it password-protected. So they're honest. They can be embarrassed without an audience.

So my friend gave me her journal. And I suddenly understand her better. A lot better. And I've known her since I was nine. I learned some things I wish I'd never known, and some things I never expected, such as her thoughts of suicide. I got to see her character. Sure, she had thoughts of suicide, but I also got to see something else--her unwavering faith. Sure, she's had thoughts of suicide, but she refuses to give up and clings to Jesus with every ounce of strength she has. And I am so proud of her for that.

After she gave me her journal, I started glancing through mine, to see if I at all wanted to give her mine. Now see--I keep a daily journal. I write in it every night. As a result, I have to move on to a fresh book every five months or so. But I don't know if I could give her any of mine. Most of it is repetitive junk, a log of what I did for the day, but there are also really personal things in there, things that... I evidently don't even want my best friend to know.

But maybe someday I will.




_{btw i miss my calvin and hobbes journal skin T_T}

It's almost that time of year again.

What time of year? Take a stab in the dark. It's...

ALMOST NOVEMBER!



...Yeah. That's because November is the month of NaNoWriMo--National Novel Writing Month. This will be my third year doing it, and I'm stoked. This year I actually have a life and it's going to be a challenge for me to get the word count in every day. Bring it.

Yes, it's actually going to be a challenge. Because I have to write a 10-paged research paper for English by December 3rd. Like I said--bring it.

But I'm like, really exhausted right now, and things won't stop until Sunday, when NaNoWriMo actually starts. I'm kinda feeling overwhelmed right now, but I actually looked at the calendar and realized that this is my annual Third Week Of Hating School, and on top of that, it's THAT time of the month. Urk.

To make up for all that, I'm eating Halloween candy and am procrastinating on everything by playing my gameboy. My Gameboy SP. I need to defeat Sword of Mana and Pokemon Emerald because I got those games as gifts two years ago and need to beat them ._.

Clubs

From , original by

A LIT MEME FOR ALL THE BOOK NERDS:

. So, you can read! Congrats!
Are you reading a book right now? How far are you into it and what do you think so far? If you're not, what was the last book you read and how did you feel about it?

--I'm just about to start reading Black Unicorn by Tanith Lee, but I seriously just finished reading a different book, Sanctuary by Meg Cabot, today. I'm also in the middle of Making Comics by Scott McCloud, but that's not a novel.

. Do you have a favorite book? Do you have... a book you really liked, at least?

--My childhood favorite is The Treasure Tree by Trent and Smalley. Beyond that I can't really pick a favorite--there are so many good books out there. But closely ranking would be Kiki Strike by Kirsten Miller, The Edge Chronicles by Stewart and Riddell, and The Call of the Sea by Jan de Hartog.

. What would you say is your favorite genre to read? What to tend to steer away from?

--My favorite genres are Historical Fiction, and war novels. Or, better yet, historical fiction war novels! My favorite period to read about is the Civil war, so fiction like Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith, Girl in Blue by Ann Rinaldi, and The Refiner's Fire series by Lynn Austin are all books I remember fondly. That said, I love any sort of Historical Fiction, and any kind of war novels. Especially war. I love it. Don't ask me why. I just do. <3

I'm not too hip on total FANTASY, though. The keywords Magic, Witches, Warlocks, Faeries (spelled like that, too. Evidently I play neopets too much. >.> ) and all that other stuff makes me want to gag. I don't mind fantasy at all, but I hate it when it's overdone. I can take it in small doses. Also, I'm not too big on talking animals. I would have never known the stories of the Chronicles of Narnia if Focus on the Family hadn't done an epic radio drama, because I just can't read about it. Movies or radio are great, though. I don't have to invest that long in it as I would a book.

I also don't like Political Thrillers.

. Do you read more fiction or non-fiction/information books?

--Fiction, definitely. I mean, I still read some regular books, but when I pick up something, it's usually fiction.

. How about a favorite author, or perhaps a few?

--Jan de Hartog. This Dutch guy simply wrote some amazing stories. They are clear and enrapturing, when other things written in the same period are so hard to read. He totally captured me with his style. And he wrote some war novels. =3

Ann Rinaldi is my favorite Historical Fiction writer, and I also like Tanith Lee, because her fantasy is just how I like it--not too over the top, but still fun.

. Have you read any terrible books? Something you'd recommend staying away from?

--I'm not going to name it, it was so bad. This was the only book I actually THREW IN THE TRASH. Yeah, it was that bad.

. Do you reread books, or is once enough? Any exceptions so far?

--I usually only read books once. With so many other books I HAVEN'T read, it's hard for me to stop and reread some books. There are a few, though, that I can read again, bit I rarely do that.

. What were some of your favorite books as a child?

--As stated, The Treasure Tree was my fav. I also got every single book in The Magic Tree House series because they were just so amazing.

. Do you usually pick books from the kids, teen, young adult, or adult books? How old are you, if you don't mind?

--The teen/YA section is usually where I go. The kids stuff is obviously too childish, but that adult stuff is usually either 1.) raunchy, or 2.) way too boring and slow-paced. The Teen stuff is usually interesting, and it's pretty obvious if it's going to be a raunchy novel, so you can put it down just by reading the back cover.

. Do you buy books much or mostly just borrow?

--Library. Books are too expensive to buy these days. I only buy books if I REALLY REALLY want it, or if I find it at a garage sale or the local book liquidation center. But I usually put books I want to own on my Amazon wishlist and have my family buy it for me on my b-day or Christmas, because people would rather buy a book for you than a video game.

. Have you read any books after seeing them in movie form? Which did you enjoy more?

--A couple. among them would be Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, after watching the anime by Ghibli, I saw that they were both really good in their own right. And that's how all movies are to their books. No, they're not the same, but they're good in their own right. I also attempted reading Lord of the Rings after watching the trilogy, but I couldn't get through it. >_O So I like the movies of LOTR, at least.

. What about reading the book before there was a movie? How did you feel about the movie? Did you even bother seeing it?

--That's usually how it happens. I remember watching A Wrinkle in Time after I read it, and was so appalled that they couldn't find a blonde actor for Charles Wallace. I mean, really. Also The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke was a great book, and I found out there was a movie (pirated up on youtube xD) and I enjoyed them both. And of course, there are plenty of others I can't think of right now.

. Do you read any other forms of literature aside from novels? Such as graphic novels, comics, (fan fiction???) etc.?

--Boy, do I ever! I have a whole shelf committed to Graphic Novels/manga! I think I only have one comic book, though, and that would be a Titan A.E. one. xD I've been getting a lot of stuff from the library--expanding my knowledge. Read +Anima and YuYu Hakusho (oh how I LOVE Yu Yu Hakusho) and some graphic novels, like The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman, which was absolutely astounding visually, and American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, which was more cartoony, and not to mention The Circle Trilogy Graphic Novels written by Ted Dekker. And I just picked up a graphic novel of The Hobbit and I hope it's going to be good.

As for fanfiction, it can burn. I really don't care unless it has an OC in it or something. I don't want to read a story about the same characters. Make a new one, for crying out loud. BETTER YET, MAKE YOUR OWN STORY.

. What is a book you want to read, but haven't yet? What intrigues you about it?

--The El Dorado Adventure by Lloyd Alexander. It looks exciting!

. If you could rewrite the end of one book (or any other part, I suppose), which would you choose? If you were satisfied with every book you read's end, yay.

--All books that leave a cliffhanger/blackmail to buy the next book. I especially hate this in graphic novels. Ugh.


If you can think of one, name a book that made you:
- cry: Gee, I was sobbing at something or other recently but I can't remember what it was at all. It was probably Stella/The Distant Shore by Jan de Hartog.

- laugh: The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald

- think, in a deeper sense than the obvious: A Stitch and a Prayer by Phyllis Tickle. Shortest book I ever read, but it was amazing. And Winterflight by Joseph Bayly.

- feel pure happiness: Bonanza Girl by Praticia Beatty

- become so addicted you put off everything in order to finish it: Stormchaser by Stewart and Riddell.

- die of boredom: Interlude by Lela Gilbert >_O

- learn something new: Kiki Strike by Kirsten Miller. 12-year-old girl-scout spies ftw

- squirm with squickiness: The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman

- squirm with glee:The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

- very embarrassed to be reading it: Twilight? I picked it up just to see what all the girls were squealing about and wasn't impressed.

- angry: Finding Katie by Beatrice Sparks. How do parents do terrible things to their children?