Freewrite: Funeral Potato Contest Day!

Today at the Deseret Book corporate building, we had a funeral potato contest! A few months ago, they asked readers to submit their best funeral potato recipes. Then we DB employees each made one of the recipes, brought the results in to work today, and tasted them all so we could vote for the top five.

This is the one I made. It's a green onion potato casserole with French onions on top. It could have used some salt but it was so good!

 Needless to say, it was a great day.

Of course, some recipes were better than others.

This one...was not good. Word spread quickly and hardly any of it was eaten. Thankfully, Kelsey's husband is vegan, so he'll appreciate the leftovers.  

...Sorry PJ. :)

Are you hungry yet?

It was a great way to socialize with everyone in the building (though we were missing quite a few people who were trying to stay updated on the US vs. Germany match).

I finally got a picture of everyone on the LDS Living team! 

Yes, I even got Preston. Eventually. :)

Can you tell which ones were crowd favorites? 

In conclusion, if you every need to make funeral potatoes in the near future (...hopefully not for actual funerals...), I've got some great recipes for you! The winning recipes will be printed in a future issue of LDS Living.

In the meantime, we all have tons of leftovers. Especially Kelsey. 

Movie Review: Maleficent

Photo from Forbes.com

So I'm a little busy doing laundry and making funeral potatoes for our LDS Living recipe contest, but on Saturday I went to my first drive-in movie and saw Maleficent.

But before I review the film, I wanted to mention the ambiance. I'd never been to a drive-in theater before. It was...an experience. Definitely something everyone should do at least once.

But I would never make it my standard method for watching new movies. I was really glad that I’d already seen How to Train Your Dragon 2, because I really couldn’t see it very well. We were parked in the second-to-last row, and my eyes hurt at the end of the night from straining to see the screen (it was much smaller than I expected!).

The sound was great, coming from the three cars my group of friends had brought, but I felt bad for my friends who couldn’t see all the beautiful detail of the movie. (It still made them cry, but I know they’ll love it so much more when they see it on a big screen for the first time).

It was fun in a social way, don’t get me wrong. We all either sat in the beds of trucks or else out in lawn chairs. Much easier to interact with each other that way.

Unfortunately, I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like to interact during movies.

It wasn’t bad during How to Train Your Dragon 2 (because I’d already seen it), but during Maleficent (it was a double-feature) it was really distracting to have friends show up late and ask us to tell them what they’d missed. There were kids running around everywhere--a lot of them crying at the top of their lungs--and cars would randomly leave, shining their headlights right in our faces. Plus there were people smoking the whole time, so that was gross.

Photo from detroitdriving.com

What I found very interesting about the place, though, is that there were flocks of seagulls there that have become nocturnal! The second movie ended at like 1:30am, and once all the cars revved up and headed out, hordes of seagulls came swooping down through the dark to find all the food we’d left behind.

It was bizarre. I thought they must be owls at first. It’s just something you don’t see every day. Funny how nature adapts to survive. Those seagulls have probably become completely dependent on their nighttime feasts. So interesting!

Anyways. Maleficent. I couldn’t see the details of the movie very well because we were so far away, but I liked it for the most part. I can see why it got lukewarm ratings, and I decided it’s because as a story, it’s great. As a movie, not so much. I would have loved to read it as a book--to get the characters’ inner dialogue and such.

But as a movie, it was just so fast. I didn’t feel connected to the characters, and their motives were so unclear. I understand why Maleficent went bad (it was actually worse than I’d expected--my friends were all saying it wasn’t bad enough to turn her evil), but why did she go bad against fellow fairies? I don’t get that. Hate humans for what they did, sure. But what did your own people ever do but admire and follow you?

Photo from hypable.com

*spoilers in the next paragraph*

Plus I thought it was sad how they ultimately preached that there’s no such thing as true love unless it’s between women who have become good friends. Just because Maleficent’s first kiss wasn’t “true love,” and Aurora’s wasn’t love yet either (they did just meet like a day before and he was kind of coerced into it), that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist! I was hoping the true love’s kiss would come from the crow guy or something. He demonstrated more selflessness and more concern and fondness for Aurora than Maleficent ever did (in the beginning, at least). To just conclude that men are useless was kind of offensive to me. And I’m a woman!

*end spoilers* 

Anyways, I’d really like it as a book. I hope it did come from a book so I can find it and see if it’s any good. If not, oh well. It was a fun watch, but I won’t go see it again.

I know people who just loved it as the best thing since sliced bread, and have seen it five times already, but I definitely didn’t get that vibe. It wasn’t anything super groundbreaking, aside from the feminism, which has been so frequent lately that it’s nothing new, either.

I, for one, have no problem with the original Disney tales. And the fact that they’re redoing Cinderella too is worrying me. How are they gonna spin that to make Cinderella a feminist? Are they gonna do this with every Disney princess except Pocahontas, Mulan, Merida, and Elsa? Are people so ashamed of the Disney princesses I grew up admiring that we’re calling do-overs on all of them?

This is a still from the new Cinderella movie apparently. Photo from disney.wikia.com

Whatever. As long as it remains a good story, I’ll be fine with a redo. The problem is that they haven’t been very good so far. Snow White and the Huntsman was a flop. So was Alice in Wonderland. And Maleficent didn’t do great either.

Here’s hoping that Cinderella does better. And The Jungle Book. And Cruella (good luck finding a noble motive for her!). And Beauty and the Beast.

But really, when it comes to Beauty and the Beast I just want to scream. Don’t ruin my childhood, please!

(P.S. I'm not making any of those up. They really are making all those movies in the near future. Follow the links if you don't believe me.)

Doodle in the Margins: Martens!

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Today I doodled. I doodled pine martens. You know how I love ferrets, right? Well pine martens are like the bigger, prettier, North American version of ferrets. They hide out in trees, and seem to only ever come to the ground in the winter, so I had a hard time finding any photos of their whole bodies. So I did kind of a study of different pine martens in different poses to get an idea of what they really look like. :)

These bottom two are really the most accurate. I got better as I went. Which is why practices like these are so useful. :)

Freewrite: Weddings & Weekends

I am being so good about posting lately. :D

Here are just a few photos from this week. On Tuesday, I got to go to the wedding of my friend Jamie (who is also my coworker/boss). We finally got some great photos together, but these are the only ones I got with my phone.

This is Jenny, me, and Jannalee looking adorable. These girls have become some of my best friends. Aren't these flowers beautiful? They were on every table, so we each got to take home a bouquet of our own.

Aaaaand this is just me. :) 

Then last night/this morning, we had a ward cabin trip up at Rachel's cabin in Huntsville.

It was so much fun. It was a nice warm night, so we had dinner outside, roasted s'mores, and hung out together outside--playing ping-pong, chatting it up, and stargazing. We went on a little adventure out to the beach of the lake to get a better view of the stars, but it got a little cloudy.

But it was fun! I met lots of new people and got a surprisingly good amount of sleep, considering all the girls crammed into the small house. I shared a king-sized bed with two of my friends, with six other girls on the floor around us. I was terrified that I would kick my bedmates or roll off the side and squish someone, but nothing like that happened. :)

(If you're wondering, the guys brought tents and slept outside.)

Then this morning we all got up, had breakfast, and just chatted some more while throwing footballs around and just enjoying each others' company. It was a great break from city life, and I'm super glad I went.

Anyways, here are some photos.

Playing games in the barn.

A handful of us milling about outside before breakfast.

Such a charming old house! Rachel says it's 110 years old!

The nicest campsite I've ever seen! 

Breakfast being prepared.

Stimulating breakfast conversation (this is my good friend Heather).

And an awesome swing!

Well, that's all I've got, but I thought maybe you'd enjoy. Now I'm pretty exhausted, so I need to take a nap. Tonight we're going to a drive-in double feature--How to Train Your Dragon 2 (again!! I'm so excited!!) and Maleficent (which I'm less excited about, and it'll start at like 11:00pm so I may sleep through a lot of it).

Book Review: Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

Synopsis: Rigg is well trained at keeping secrets. Only his father knows the truth about Rigg's strange talent for seeing the paths of people's pasts. But when his father dies, Rigg is stunned to learn just how many secrets Father had kept from him--secrets about Rigg's own past, his identity, and his destiny. And when Rigg discovers that he has the power not only to see the past, but also to change it, his future suddenly becomes anything but certain.

(Yes, Shelli--if you read this--I have in fact already finished this book, even though I just got it from you five days ago.)

To be honest, I usually shy away from things written by Orson Scott Card, because his writing is so complex and often more than a little crass.

But this book really surprised me. It was so well-written, in a realistic way without being vulgar, so that audiences old and young can enjoy it. I kept forgetting it was OSC who wrote it, honestly. Sometimes it felt more like Brandon Sanderson or someone.

His magic systems are super complicated, though. I still don't fully understand how everyone's abilities work.

Even as I read what was going on, I was trying to work it out in my mind, re-reading the descriptions to see if I could figure out how they did it. The science was way confusing. I'm not a physicist. If I were, though, I think it would be that much more enjoyable.

The world of this story is spectacular. From the start, you realize that something is off about the setting, even aside from the fact that some people have magical abilities. Then as the side-story told at the beginning of each chapter starts developing further, it just blows your mind how this seemingly unconnected story about a guy on a spaceship coincides with the story of Rigg and his friends in their fantasy world.

It's really brilliantly done. Even if I still don't fully understand it all.

Even OSC kind of admitted how confusing it all is. In his afterward he had to spell out exactly what had happened with the guy in the spaceship. Now it's a little clearer, but it still makes no sense. :)

It makes me wish I knew more about physics.

And the conversations the characters have make me wish I was smarter and wittier. They spend chapters at a time just bantering and theorizing and it's all so clever. My characters must seem pretty stupid in comparison. :)

One thing I realized at the end of the book, though, was that OSC is amazing at developing characters, because he hardly ever touches on their physical traits! Like yeah I know that Umbo is short, Rigg's mother has choppy hair, and Rigg's posture changes according to the situation, but I have no idea what hair color any of them have. I have no idea what color their eyes are. I don't know if they're slender or fat. They could have seven fingers on each hand and I wouldn't know!

It just doesn't matter! If somehow their physical appearance is important to the story, then sure he'll mention it. (For example, Rigg's mom's hair is choppy because people cut it off rather unceremoniously, which establishes her situation rather well.) But if it's not important to the story, OSC doesn't put much stock into appearance.

And I think that's awesome.

Not just because we should all focus less on outward beauty, but also because it makes for better character-creating skills. Somehow, OSC makes these characters stand apart in my mind just by making them real characters with real personality. So many writers depend on appearance alone to set characters apart (*cough* James Dashner *cough* [yes, I'm still hung up about that]), but OSC doesn't need to.

It's amazing. It's an art, really. It's making me reconsider how I portray my own characters.

Oh, and that afterword I mentioned earlier? In it, OSC is like, "Oh man this book took me so long to write--like six months!"

 My jaw literally dropped. The book is 657 pages long, has two stories going at the same time that later intertwine, establishes a completely new world, clearly explains and demonstrates very complex magical abilities, and it only took you SIX. MONTHS??

That's it. I'm writing Snow Glider right now. If he can do that in six months, I can finish my short, simple, mediocre story in one or two. I really have no excuse.

Funny how this book made me think about my own writing so much. I think it's probably just because I didn't really like OSC's earlier books, and now I see how much he's improved and how fast he can write now. It's made me think that practice really makes perfect. I need to practice! Then maybe someday I can have characters with awesome personality, complex world-building, witty banter, and the speedy-but-high-quality writing skills of a ninja.

...assuming ninjas have insane writing skills...?

Whatever. :) If you have time to read a long book, and want one that will entertain you while it stretches your thinking muscles, then this is the one for you! I can't wait to read the sequel!

Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon 2

(This belongs to DreamWorks Animation. Not me.)

I had heard that this movie was good, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. Sequels of beloved movies rarely make me happy, and the original How to Train Your Dragon is one of my all-time favorite movies.

But now, I honestly think I might like this movie even better than the first HTTYD.

I had tears brimming in my eyes almost the entire time, whether from actual sad events or just from the overall epicness. There was a point in the movie where I had to unglue myself from the screen and literally remember to breathe.

Whoever was in charge of producing and marketing this movie is my new hero. Not only did he create this masterpiece, but he approved trailers that didn't spoil anything for me. I hate it when the trailers show all the best/funniest parts, and then the rest of the movie is bland. This guy put only the mildly-funny/epic stuff in the trailer, so that when I got to the movie I was genuinely surprised by the depth and craft of the humor, characters, and plot.

Since I appreciate that so much, I definitely won't spoil anything for you now. I'll just tell you to go see it ASAP so you, too, can have your life changed by a masterpiece of a movie.

All I will say is that all your favorite characters are back, but everyone has grown so much (in fact, five years have passed between the last movie and this one). The character designs are all matured, and with the older characters comes a somewhat edgier plot.

The conflict was genuinely scary on so many emotional levels. When I was watching the first HTTYD movie, I thought, "Yep, this is definitely gonna be turned into a video game." Everything about the ending screamed "Boss Level."

But HTTYD2 has a villain and plot that, while still in a fantastical setting, has very human, very realistic drive behind it. Everything that made dragons dangerous in the first movie is made that much worse when backed by evil, irrational human behavior.

That's as close to spoilers as I'll get in this. But one other observation that made me really enjoy this film: the animators must be experts on dog behavior. There were so many moments in this movie where I was watching Toothless play in the background and thinking, "Oh my gosh, he's just like Leo." And when little dragons are submissive to bigger dragons, they do exactly what dogs do--crouch low and avoid eye contact.

Once again the animation in general was breathtakingly beautiful. I loved the setting of the first movie, and this one just expanded on it further. It introduced new characters, all with unique designs and attributes that made them memorable, not just blank extras. And there were more girls shown this time, so yay!

The music was moving, just like the music from the first movie. It recycled some of the same tunes, but the music never felt recycled. All the arrangements were new enough to make me feel nostalgic for the first movie while simultaneously filling me up with new emotion connected to a new plot.

So in conclusion, I give this movie a perfect 5 out of 5. Brilliant work, everyone! Here's hoping that How to Train Your Dragon 3 is just as great! At this point, I will happily clamor for another sequel.

Sunday Soliloquy: Dad, This One's For You

(I don't own this photo. I just found it here.)

Today (in about four hours) I get to give a talk in sacrament meeting about fathers! The member of our bishopric who asked me seemed worried that I would say no, but I was actually really excited. Men (especially men in the Church) have been getting such a bad rap lately, and I am so happy that I get to publicly honor them today.

So here's a copy of the talk I'll give. And don't worry, I won't be starting it with the typical Mormon talk openers. ;)

* * * * *

A few years ago, my dad told us about a dream he had. In the dream, we were all at our family vacation spot, with our aunts, uncles, and cousins. My dad, for whatever reason, was showing off by jumping over the tall flames of the fire pit where we were all gathered to roast marshmallows. He safely cleared the fire pit every time and was feeling pretty good about himself. But then, after another successful jump, he turned around and saw, to his horror, that one of the little cousins had decided to mimic him. The boy was too small to make the jump, and he fell right into the flames.

That dream really shook my dad up. He felt that it was a warning, not of literal future events, but of the influence that my dad’s actions have on those who look up to him and want to be like him. He said that it gave him greater conviction to teach his children. To lead them down a safe path. To not toy with spiritual dangers, but to avoid them completely.

That’s just one of the many life lessons my dad has taught me, and it's stuck with me. I can say with confidence that he has done right in the sight of the Lord, to lead his family in righteousness. That's what it means to be a father. 

Fathers everywhere have such tremendous influence over families, for better or worse. I believe the world is a much better place when men do all they can to be good fathers.

If you haven’t seen the movie Courageous, you really should go find it and watch it. It’s an amazing movie about four fathers who make a pact to be more involved with their families and more active in teaching their children about God. In the end, one of the fathers gives a speech. It’s a bit long, but I want to quote it now: “I now believe that God desires for EVERY father to courageously step up and do whatever it takes to be involved in the lives of his children. But more than just being there providing for them, he is to walk with them through their young lives and be a visual representation of the character of God, their father in heaven. A father should love his children, and seek to win their hearts. He should protect them, discipline them, and teach them about God. He should model how to walk with integrity and treat others with respect, and should call out his children to become responsible men and women, who live their lives for what matters in eternity.  

“[...] There are some men, who regardless of the mistakes we've made in the past, regardless of what our fathers did NOT do for us, will give the strength of our arms and the rest of our days to loving God with all that we are and to teach our children to do the same. And whenever possible to love and mentor others who have no father in their lives, but who desperately need help and direction. And we are inviting any man whose heart is willing and courageous, to join us in this resolution.

“In my home, the decision has already been made. You don't have to ask who will guide my family, because by God's grace, I will. You don't have to ask who will teach my son to follow Christ, because I will. Who will accept the responsibility of providing and protecting my family? I will. Who will ask God to break the chain of destructive patterns in my family's history? I will. Who will pray for, and bless my children to boldly pursue whatever God calls them to do? I am their father. I will. I accept this responsibility and it is my privilege to embrace it. I want the favor of God and his blessing on my home. Any good man does.

“So where are you men of courage? Where are you, fathers who fear the Lord? It's time to rise up and answer the call that God has given to you and to say I will. I will. I will!”

I love that movie so much, even though I’ll never be a father. :)

Prophets have long talked about the importance of leading by example and taking control of your own life to improve the lives of your families.

President Harold B. Lee said that "The greatest work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own home."

I’m really grateful to be able to say that my dad has done his best to follow the prophets’ counsel and teach us by example what we need to do to improve spiritually.

Thanks to him, I’m now a big believe in the power of little daily things that have eternal consequences. One of the things my dad really enforced my whole life was the tradition of daily family prayer. Before we all left the house for school and work, we would all have to kneel in a circle, hold hands, and say a prayer. And we had to kiss both mom and dad goodbye before we could leave the circle. That’s what we’ve been doing for as long as I can remember. Even when we were super impatient to get to school on time, we made sure to hold hands and say proper goodbyes for just a brief moment every day. I’m so glad my dad enforced that behavior, because on days when tempers were high, we still had to hold hands and pray together, unified for at least a few minutes each day. I think that had a big role in holding us together as a family.

Another thing he never neglected was weekly family church attendance. If we ever protested that we didn’t want to go to church because it was our right to not go if we didn’t want to, he would answer, “You’re right, you definitely have the freedom to choose what to do. You can choose a yellow parachute or a green parachute or a red parachute, but there’s no way I’m letting you jump out of the plane with no parachute at all.” 

For him, letting us “exercise our agency” by neglecting spiritual things was as foolish as letting us exercise our will by jumping out of a plane with no parachute. It was no light decision for him. But he never forced us to do anything. He didn’t drag us kicking and screaming to the car. He’d just explain the doctrine, bear his testimony of the consequences of missing church, then go wait for us out in the car. We were often tempted to just be stubborn and stay home, but we didn’t want to let our dad down, so we’d grab everything and race out the door. We’d often still be pouting, but we’d be there in church as a family.

My dad has always been an example of patient perseverance. My sisters and I were such brats sometimes. There are four of us and we’re close in age, so the teenage years were kind of hard. My poor dad would come home to find the house a mess and his daughters and wife screaming at each other. No doubt it wasn’t an environment he liked coming home to. I wonder if he ever just felt like not coming home at all. But he always did. He always came home and worked to set things right between us. We got through it. And now we’re all thanking him for his patience, realizing how wrong we were. We do all we can not to burden him again, and no doubt he’ll be blessed exponentially for what he did to keep our family together and on the right path.

These little things have taught me so much over the years. I'm grateful for his lessons from the scriptures and by example. I'm grateful for his leadership as a father. For the legacy of faith he's done his part to keep strong. He made it so clear that happiness lies in obedience to the gospel (not just to him), and that he expects nothing less of us than to continue that legacy of testimony and faith.

But, as the Courageous quote said earlier, you don’t have to already have a strong family legacy to make one of your own. You men don’t even have to be fathers yet to start your family legacy. You still have the power to have a fatherly influence. People talk all the time about how we women might not be mothers but we still have the maternal instincts that make us mother figures. I believe the same is true of men. You can exercise your paternal instincts now, in little ways. Be a good example to those around you. Serve others. Strengthen your fellow men and help each other become good fathers.

And I know that there are many who haven’t had a father’s good influence in their lives for whatever reason. I can’t imagine what that’s like, but I can testify that there are great men following the gospel of Jesus Christ who will gladly do what they can do fill that void.

The summer before college, I lived a state away from my dad, and I realized that I hadn't gotten a father’s blessing before I left home. I was pretty devastated, not wanting to start this new phase of life without one. Then I felt prompted to ask my uncle for a blessing instead. I was a little worried that, without knowing me as well as my dad, the blessing would be short and impersonal. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I’d forgotten that all blessings that come from worthy priesthood holders actually come straight from God. Even though I’d never confided my deepest fears to my uncle, he addressed all of them. He knew just what to say. 

I had a similar experience on my mission, when I asked a district leader for a blessing. I barely knew him and I gave him no explanation for why I wanted a blessing, but the Spirit flowed through him, and I felt that my Heavenly Father was near, even if my earthly father was a continent away. 

I love knowing that even now, in this ward I’m very new in, I could ask any one of you men to represent my Heavenly Father and give me comfort and guidance when I need it. God may not have given us all the same family units, but He will provide us all with the blessings and relationships we yearn for, if we seek for it. I'm grateful to all the men in my life who have acted in His name to help me out.

And that brings me to the best father of all--our Heavenly Father.

“Father, Consider Your Ways” says, “Fatherhood, in a sense, is an apprenticeship to godhood [...] The title father is sacred and eternal. It is significant that of all the titles of respect and honor and admiration that are given to Deity, He has asked us to address Him as Father.

Our Heavenly Father loves us as His children, and He wants us to be happy. I testify of that. When I was waiting for my mission call, I kept having deep-rooted insecurity issues. I had recurring nightmares where I’d get a letter in the mail from the first presidency, but it wouldn’t be a call. It would be a rejection. I’d be too overweight. I’d be too weak spiritually. I’d be too unworthy because of my past sins. I was sure the Lord couldn’t want me to represent Him.

When my call came in the mail, I opened it all by myself because I was afraid I would be disappointed, and I didn’t want my family to see in my eyes that I was disappointed. In that moment, by myself, I felt the Spirit more strongly than I’d ever felt it before. It was like God was there, sitting beside me with his arm around my shoulders, holding me close and saying, “Don’t you worry, Carly. I love you. You are worthy, and you are strong enough to do this, and I’ve prepared a mission experience for you that is even better than you dared pray for.”

I’ll never forget that moment. Even as my memories of the last few years get dimmer, that feeling is sharp and indismissable. 

Heavenly Father loves us all so much. He is the greatest Father, and we should really honor Him today too. And every day, really.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught: “After generations of prophets had tried to teach the family of man the will and the way of the Father, usually with little success, God in His ultimate effort to have us know Him, sent to earth His Only Begotten and perfect Son, created in His very likeness and image, to live and serve among mortals in the everyday rigors of life.

“The Father … doeth the works,” [Jesus] said in earnest. “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever [the Father] doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” On another occasion He said: “I speak that which I have seen with my Father.” “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me.” “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”

Sometimes we feel distant from our Heavenly Father, but we have the scriptures to remind us who He is and how much He loves us. Jesus Christ made it clear that everything He did was what the Father would have done in His situation.

What this means is that God would have gone through the Atonement for us had it been possible. He would have suffered it all to save us, but that’s not how it works. His son Jesus Christ had to do it instead. But think about that. God loves us that much. He would have done it himself. People tend to see God as the harsh judge and Christ as the compassionate one, but Christ reminds us repeatedly that He learned everything from God Himself. All the goodness of Christ is what we can expect from our Heavenly Father when we meet him again.

I testify that this is true. That fatherhood is sacred and wonderful. I’m so grateful for the restored gospel, which has given us this knowledge. I wish all men everywhere a Happy Father’s Day. They deserve it. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

* * * * *

So thank you so much for everything, Dad! I love you so so much.

Book Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

This week I read a wonderful book that Aunt Shelli suggested I borrow from her.

She's been my source of reading material lately, and I'd already grabbed two other books when she said, "Have you read Wonder?" When I said no, she just went, "You need to read Wonder."

So I grabbed it. Along with Book 2 of The Maze Runner. Which I also read this week. Which I won't bother writing a review for because it was just as disappointing as the first book.

I'm gonna finish the series just on the microscopic chance that James Dashner explains everything in the most brilliant way possible and makes me look back on the first two books with fondness instead of loathing.

(But really, even if you save the big resolution to the mystery for the very end, the other books shouldn't be so crazy hard to get through. I've read great mystery series that didn't resolve until many books later, but they at least had lovable characters, a clear antagonist in the meantime [lightning is scary but it's just lightning--not an actual villain who I can actually hate], and at least some kind of conflict resolution [finishing a test isn't really conflict. It's survival, but there can be much more conflict in a survivalist setting than just surviving. See LOST for example. The mysteries in that series are actually never resolved, but the relationship between Jack and Sawyer was WAY interesting. The Others were WAY interesting. Stuff happened. I was satisfied even without an actual conclusion.] Anyways, we're not here to talk about The Maze Runner. Yet.)

But Wonder was a great read. I'm so glad Shelli recommended it to me, because she was right. I did need to read that. It gave me a boost of faith in humanity.

Here's the synopsis:

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance. 

I didn't read this synopsis before I plunged into the book, so I was immediately sucked in by the first few pages, where August is describing what it's been like to grow up as the ugliest kid in the neighborhood.

Immediately your heart goes out to him. On the one hand, this makes you sympathize because you know what it feels to think you're rejected by kids around you (at least, I do). But on the other hand, it makes you say, "Wow, I am so grateful for how easy my childhood actually was compared to this kid's."

This was R.J. Palacio's very first published book, and it's brilliantly done. Even as she jumps around between narrators, her style is very dialogue-heavy. Usually I don't like that, but her dialogue is so realistic. People say "um" and ramble when they're nervous, but it never feels forced or long-winded. It actually adds to the setting and characters very well.

August does a lot of the setting up the story, but later the point of view jumps around between secondary characters. Their narratives overlap a bit to show what was going on with them during events that other narrators describe (usually revealing key elements of the plot that others were oblivious to), and then goes on to tell more of the overall story.

The story covers the first year of August's experience at a "real" school (he'd been homeschooled until that point, for his own protection). I was worried that it was going to be a non-stop heartbreaking read. It certainly starts out heartbreaking, and even when things get better for August, sad things keep happening out of the blue. But in the end, August has grown so much, and the people around him are changed forever because of his quiet strength. It's a beautiful ending.

Even though this is marked as a "kids book," I think every adult should read it, too. It makes you think about how you treat others--especially how quickly you judge others on appearance alone. It takes you on an emotional roller coaster, making you feel happy for August's triumphs and sad for his trials. It shows how, even though August's peers are just as bad as the adults in the beginning, they later demonstrate the Christlike love and friendship that we all should have.

So now that you've scratched The Maze Runner off of your list of great books to read this summer, you can replace it with Wonder, and I guarantee you'll enjoy it.

Doodle in the Margins: Springer Pride!

After talking to my family about our upcoming trip to Europe, I guess I felt drawn back to my German roots. If we ever redesign our Springer coat of arms, I vote this stag be a part of it. 

I'll probably color it in someday, but for now, here you go. 

(I know I need to be doing actual Sunday Soliloquies again, but I didn't have the energy for it today. Only enough to doodle a deer.)

Show Review: Sherlock

On Monday, Netflix put up Season 3 episodes of Sherlock, which is one of my favorite BBC shows. Actually, it's just one of my favorite shows, period.

To celebrate the fact that I can now legally rewatch my favorite moments from Season 3, I thought I'd give a review of the show so that I can maybe get a few of you hooked to it as well.

This is for the DVD cover. I do not own it. Please don't sue me.

For those of you who know nothing about it, here's a synopsis of the show (courtesy of Wikipedia):

Sherlock depicts London "consulting detective" Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) in solving various mysteries. Holmes is assisted by his flatmate and friend, Dr John Watson (Martin Freeman), who has returned from military service in Afghanistan with the Royal Army Medical Corps. Although Metropolitan Police Service Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade (Rupert Graves) and others are at first skeptical of Holmes, over time his remarkable intellect and powers of observation persuade them of his value. In part through Watson's blog documenting their adventures Holmes becomes a reluctant celebrity, with the press reporting on his cases and eccentric personal life, and both ordinary people and the British government ask for his help.
Although the series depicts a variety of crimes and perpetrators, Holmes' conflict with archnemesis Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) is a recurring feature. Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey), a pathologist at St. Bart's Hospital occasionally assists Holmes in his cases. Other recurring roles include Una Stubbs as Mrs Hudson, Holmes and Watson's landlady, and series co-creator Mark Gatiss as Holmes' elder brother and government official Mycroft.

So basically, it's in a modern setting, different from our own world only in that the Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes books don't exist.

Each episode is reminiscent of a canonical Sherlock Holmes story ("A Study in Pink" instead of "A Study in Scarlet" for example). I haven't actually read many Sherlock Holmes stories, but from what I've heard from fans, the modern-day stories aren't very similar to the old ones at all. They share some elements and characters, but obviously the modern setting makes everything different and exciting, even for those who are long-time fans of all Sherlock Holmes books.

There are only three seasons so far, and each season only has three episodes. Yeah, I know, that's hardly any. Trust me, I know. It's painful how few there are.

But each episode is an hour and a half long, so it's like getting three movies per season. What this means is that you can watch them at whatever pace without necessarily HAVING TO click "next episode." Except for the last episode of each season, which always ends on a cliffhanger. Be warned.

However, it also means that you have really long hiatuses. Like two-year-long hiatuses. (...hiati...? Nope. Squiggly red line says "hiatuses.") The producers spend a really long time making the new episodes amazing (which I highly appreciate), but then they release all three episodes three weeks in a row. So you get one month of Sherlocky awesomeness, and then you have to wait two years for more! It's insane.

For that reason, I've probably rewatched these episodes more than any other show or movie I've ever seen. They're just so good that I keep wanting more, but there aren't any more. Thus, I rewatch.

If you know anything about Doctor Who, then you know who Steve Moffat is. And you know that he's notorious for getting you super attached to characters, only to make heart-wrenching things happen to them. Well, Steve Moffat directs Sherlock, and he pulls no punches, so prepare yourself for feels.

This show has everything I love: great characters/great actors who create great characters, great plots, and great direction.

The Sherlock Holmes character is extremely well-known. Apparently he's the most-adapted character. Ever. So there's really not much new I can tell you except that Benedict Cumberbatch does an amazing job. You all know him from Star Trek, War Horse, or Amazing Grace, probably (you might even recognize him as the voice of Smaug in the Hobbit), but I first knew him as Sherlock (not to sound like a hipster or anything...).

Sherlock himself is a very analytical, unexpressive person, but occasionally he'll get really excited about something or need to play a role for a case, and it's like he turns into a completely different person. Benedict Cumberbatch brings life to any role he plays. I mean, you compare him as Khan with him as Sherlock at his best, and it's like, "Wait. That's the same actor?"

Sherlock:

 

Khan:

And here he is in Amazing Grace, just to further prove my point:

Yeah, make-up and costumes to a lot, but just look at the expressions just in these photos. He's awesome.

Martin Freeman is spectacular as John Watson, too. (You may know him as Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit.) Rather than stumble around in Sherlock's wake saying, "Wow! How do you do it? You're amazing, Sherlock!" he's an ex-military man who's fully capable of taking care of himself and isn't afraid to put Sherlock in his place. His and Cumberbatch's chemistry in the show is great. Both Sherlock and Watson are so unemotional and snarky, yet they're such good friends and really care so much about each other. Just wait until you get to Season 3. HOLY. CROW.

Anyways, all of the actors are great. All the villains are menacing in their own way, and I just love everyone's British charm. I'm glad I studied English, too, so I understand more of the cultural references and lingo. For example, "hoovering" means "vacuuming." Just FYI. :)

The plots of the episodes are really well done. They keep you guessing the whole time, because really only Sherlock's brilliant mind can work it out. But then (as is the norm for any Sherlock adaptation), we get a run-through from Sherlock of how he deduced everything, and it makes total sense in hindsight and leads to a satisfying conclusion. Our minds just work much slower. I love the direction of this show, though, because it shows us in real time what's going on in Sherlock's head. It's brilliant. As is the music and cinematography overall.

But I wonder how long it takes these people to put these complicated plots together. Like, do they have a team of conspiracy theorists at their disposal who combine all their crazy coincidences and details to make the most unlikely (but ultra-believable) scenarios ever?

"Okay. Sherlock's gonna go see the scene of the crime, which is in a school yard. In the school yard, he'll find mud. The mud will have come from the shoe of a little school girl who happened to visit a duck pond five miles away. At the duck pond, Sherlock will find red dog hairs. The dog hairs will belong to the Irish setter of the murderer. Case solved!"

Wow, my own attempt to make a crazy plot just failed miserably. Now I'm extra impressed at how well-done the Sherlock plots are. :)

The best thing about Sherlock is that it's relatively family-friendly! Some shows on BBC have no qualms about dropping the F-bomb and being very explicit (all under a TV-14 rating!!), but this one, even though it has an all-adult cast and is aimed at an older audience, has clean language, isn't explicit, and isn't ever graphic or anything, either. You get occasional innuendo (Season 2, episode 1 is the worst offender), but overall it's great for any age.

So I hope I've convinced you to give it a shot the next time you're bored and looking for an hour and a half episode to fill your spare time! I apologize in advance for any Sherlock addiction you may experience as a direct result of this promotion. Then again, no, I'm not sorry. :)