The Spirit Window and All You Get is Me

When I heard about All You Get Is Me by Yvonne Prinz, it made me think of Joyce Sweeney's The Spirit Window. The stories probably have little in common, but they both involve a teenager who loves photography, are thrust into nature, not knowing what to expect, and in turn learn valuable life lessons along the way.

I read The Spirit Window by Joyce Sweeney years ago, when I was a sophomore in high school, determined to read a new book as often as possible. In my English class, there was a certain amount of pages we had to read each semester, and the more you read, the more extra credit you got, and the person who read the most got a prize. Back when I was 15, I lived on the other side of town from my best friend and only got to see her on weekends, and did not fit in with the rich preps my school was made up of. Reading, and writing, were my two favorite activities to pass the time. Unfortunately, I moved away before I was able to claim my prize, but this book was one I discovered during that period of time.



It wasn't the most exciting book in the world, but it's a cute story of family, friendship, finding first love, and understanding nature. Teenager, Miranda, travels to Florida to visit her estranged grandmother with her father and stepmother. Unsure what to expect, she is introduced to the land that her grandmother loves, the land her father wants to dig up and build on top of. There are no big surprises and the relationship involving Miranda and Adam is predictable, but I would recommend reading it nonetheless for a quick, memorable read.

I have not had a chance to read All You Get Is Me, but I'm interested in getting my hands on it. From what I've read about it, there are many things going on in this book that the main character, Roar (Roar? Forest? Storm? Ugh), is dealing with and experiencing - a broken family, leaving the city for farm life, a budding romance, friendships, and rights for immigrant workers. It all sounds interesting. I'm afraid, though, that there might be too much going on in this book, but my curiosity has been roused enough to find out for myself what happens.

Anticipated New Release

Timeless by Alexandra Monir (debut novel!)



I have this kind of fascination with romances involving time travel. Well, specifically time travel into the 1800s and early 1900s. One of my favorite YA books from when I was 13, Out of Time, deals with this kind of travel, so when I read about this book, I was immediately intrigued. It comes out today (well, technically yesterday by the time I finish writing this) so if you are a sucker for impossible love stories, you should check it out. I've already heard good things about Monir's writing. I especially admire period pieces when they are done well, when research is done correctly and there is a great attention to detail. My only gripe so far is that this is the first in a series. I know series books are quite popular right now, but I'm not the biggest fan - mostly because I am so impatient. I loath waiting.

A free sample of the book has already been downloaded onto Marv (my Kindle. Aw, another reason why I love this nifty e reader), so when I can find time to start reading a new project, I will absolutely dive into this. But who knows when that will be. Currently, I am stuck in the world of 19th century poetry and am supposed to be finishing a paper on Mont Blanc as I sit here procrastinating. . . I should probably get to that.

For your amusement, here is the trailer to the 1980 movie, Somewhere in Time. Oh, 80s, how you make me laugh.



I love how the announcer sounds bored as hell as he describes this movie.

Recently Read

I recently finished reading Emma by Jane Austen. It was a nice step away from YA and really old British literature, but still keeping to the themes I find most appealing: love. Teenage angst-y enough? Most definitely, and in a humorous way.



What made this so exciting to me was:

1. I have never read a Jane Austen book prior to this.
2. It was the first book from beginning to end that I read on my Kindle.

I chose Emma because it was a story I knew nothing about and I had not seen any of the movie adaptions created over the years, so I was completely unbiased. If you know nothing about Kindles (or e readers in general), public domain books are free. To me, especially being a broke college student, free is very enticing. So this opportunity to use my new Christmas gift was my opportunity, and excuse, to catch up on the many classics I've never read. And how is it that I've gotten away without ever reading Jane Austen? Well, I blame my public school upbringing, where I was hardly ever encouraged to read more than I had to and was very rarely introduced to the classics and their authors. And I'm not the biggest Gwyneth Paltrow fan, so seeing any of her movies interests me little.

What made me not want to put my book down was more to satisfy my own curiosity. From the very beginning, I made my assumptions as to what was going to happen, and each time I was introduced to a new character, I would make a guess as to what would happen to them as well. At times, the writing and speeches went on for more than I could have wanted, but aside from that, the story was entertaining. And I wanted to find out if I was right - I've been told I'm a good guesser.

So was I right? Absolutely. Everyone ended up with the people I said they were going to end up with. HA! Am I really that good of a guesser? Probably not. Austen was not secretive and there were definitely hints as to where the story was going. But it was a cute, fun story. It lacked thrills, which is what I love, but made up for it in the romance department.

As for reading on my Kindle, that's a whole other topic, but let me just say that I really heart my Kindle. I read so many books that it's nice to be able to save paper and trees, though I admit I will continue to buy hard copies of my favorite books. I wish there were real page numbers instead of location numbers, and flipping through a Kindle is not as easy as flipping through an actual book, but I still love it and am always being pleasantly surprised by its capabilities and its potential (I guess while I'm promoting the Kindle, I should provide a link).

For your entertainment, enjoy this cheesy trailer from a movie I still have no desire to watch (but probably will - right now).