Gifting Books

This blog has been all about books and reading. Its also been about how reading and books affect the lives of people and those around them. I really believe that books help to shape who we are. They give us a chance to escape reality and all we have to do is take it. Since Christmas is only about two weeks away, and its on everyone's mind then why not talk about getting and giving books out for the holidays.

Giving people books can be tricky sometimes and for several reasons. One, you don't know what books they like to read. Sure you can always ask but just because they like a genre doesn't mean that they will like the book that you happen to pick out. Two, so say that you do know what they like to read which definitely makes things easier but there is still a hitch. Depending on when you picked up the book, there is a chance that they could have already read that book. If that does happen, its not completely doom and gloom. That book could be a book they've read sure, but it also could be a book that was so enjoyed and loved that whomever gets it will gladly read again. These are a few reasons why giving a book as a gift can be tricky but its also very rewarding at least in my opinion.

I believe that when someone gifts a book, they are opening up a whole new world. Even more so when the book they are gifting is one that they have loved. I think its one of the best ways to get to know someone. When you share a book, it's like another connection is born between the pages and ink. It's a really great feeling knowing that someone is giving you the chance to make new connections and that they want to give you to chance to have the same great time they did. I think that when a book is shared between people then those people have a better understanding of each other. A book opens you up to new thoughts, experiences and sometimes even new worlds. So when that process is shred with someone else, it's a great time. I know that with my friends since we are all big bookworms, it's amazing to be able to talk about the characters as though they are as flesh and blood as we are. There is this quote that I found once that I like and it makes a really good point.

This is very true. While two or more people can share a book and love it, what each reader interprets and takes from the story is unique to the reader. It's pretty amazing to me that people can read the same book cover to cover and its still different for each individual. In short, gifting books can be tricky but I think its something that is definitely worth the risk. 

Happy Holidays everyone and happy reading!

Tales As Old As Time

Fairy tales are a part of everyone's life. Whether it be the occasional Disney binge day or a story that you read as a child. Fairy tales give us the ability to see that happy endings do happen and a chance to slip out of reality for awhile. Of course, Disney's version of events isn't exactly what happened. The original fairy tales by the Grimm Brothers, Hans Christian Andersen, and others were much darker. For example, in Cinderella in order for the evil stepsisters to fit into the glass slipper they cut off parts of their feet. Not exactly the pretty picture that Disney painted. Not to say I don't love Disney. I'm a huge Disney fan. It's something that is interesting to me about how many different takes there are on these beloved fairy tales.

I recently started watching Once Upon a Time (OUAT), which as the title indicates is a show from ABC about all the different fairy tales come to life and clashing with the modern world . To name just a few characters there is Snow White, Captain Hook, Prince Charming, the Evil Queen, and tons more. It was really interesting to me how the show took the characters that we all know and still managed to create something new. They have the villain being a hero and a hero as a bad guy. It was very different seeing some of my favorite characters being portrayed as something else. I went from watching the Disney version where good and evil are very clearly defined to a TV show that proves no one is all bad or all good. Now here are gonna be some spoilers so if you ever plan on watching this show, you should stop reading now.

                   SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

For an example, I grew up with Peter Pan being a good guy. But in OUAT, he is a bad guy and Captain Hook ends up being a good guy who is fighting for the love of main character, Emma Swan. It was really hard for me at first to see one of my favorite characters as a villain. He wasn't even a small villain. He was the main advisory for a good chunk of season three. Instead of being the mischievous boy who never grows up, he is the villain that tricks a boy into giving him his heart in order for Pan to live. In one episode, we get Pan's back story and a surprising connection to Rumpelstiltskin, who is another villain and oddly a hero. We find out that Pan was Rumpelstiltskin's father that gave him up to live in Neverland and thus Peter Pan was born.

I just find it amazing how the same story can be told in so many different ways. There is the darker version of the Grimm Brothers. Then you have the sugar-coated Disney and then there is OUAT. All have a place in people's lives and they all provide us with something. For me, Disney is part of my life. I grew up watching the movies. Disney gives me a chance to break away from reality, see the magic, and all the happily ever afters that we don't get in everyday life. OUAT shows us that not everything is always cut and dry. OUAT is more real life even though its based on fairy tales. It shows that not all villains are completely evil and not all heroes are completely good. Life is much to complicated for that. All in all, it's amazing to me that the books about these characters that were written so very long ago can be turned into movies, and shows that will stay with us for a long time to come.