So I'm doing this thing were I'm trying to catch up on some of the major children's/young adult novels that I missed so whenever Chance gets around to reading I'll know what his books are about. Essentially, I'm reading below my age level (because I am SO SMART). See, I was pretty well versed in most of the kids' books growing up, but I read so much (*cough* bookworm geek) that somewhere around 12ish I finished up everything in our grade school library and I switched over to adult books. And by adult books I don't mean Forever, I mean adult sci-fi and fantasy.
Because just in case you haven't figured it out from the many previous statements on this blog… I am a nerd.
(Which of course translates to assuming my child will also be a nerd.)
So I've been picking up some of the more popular books, including the Percy Jackson series. Of course, I'm proudly walking around with my Percy Jackson books, pointing out to 8-year-olds in various waiting rooms, "Hey, I'm reading that, too!" and asking if anyone's seen the movie yet, etc ad nauseam.
And someone said, "Isn't that just like Harry Potter?" Whereas I proceeded to prove my inherent nerdiness by uttering "NO!" with all the appropriate accompanying Napoleon-Dynamatic sounds and readying my Gandolf action figure for battle. "Um, one has witches and wizards and the other has Greek gods. Duh."
Then me and the other 8-year-olds totally share this commiserating eye-roll.
Anywho, I have to say I've been really digging (they still say that right?) the Percy Jackson books. I've torn through the series at a pretty undignified clip for an adult who has no business wrestling children for the last copy at the bookstore and what has impressed me is the incorporation of the original myths. I had to read the Odyssey and the Iliad in school, taught by an actual Greek who was close to retiring (because you're only allowed to be Greek for so long) and I vividly remember this class because this particular teacher would read out passages and then ask us, the students, what we thought it meant and we would offer up our best interpretations and stumble bravely along and we were always wrong, because we were not Greek. But he would never tell us what anything actually meant. Way to earn that pension. However, besides the fact that, according to Greeks I know nothing, I DO KNOW that the books are pretty darn entertaining and clever to this super hip middle-aged mom who may or may not need a little escapism now and again (and you wouldn't begrudge her that, would you? even if she is a nerd). And… I love Percy's attitude. Attitude goes a long way with me. I learned that in college.
Now hopefully they won't fuck up the whole series via film. Have I mentioned I haven't seen the movie? That's my next stop after picking up something skelanimal at Hot Topic.
I thought for sure I had a point somewhere besides the business end of a sword.
– the weirdgirl
Oh, this post made me laugh. I am reading those books, too, and I honestly think I’m skipping the movie entirely. Hell, I don’t think it’s even still playing in theaters here.
Anyway, I was like you. I quite reading young adult/kids books when I was young. Moved right into Stephen King and such, but now, thanks to my job, I’m reading so many young adult novels I have to remind myself to read grown up books from time to time.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Percy Jackson series. I, too, am a total nerd. And I will read absolutely anything. Including YA novels. Because I am actually a twelve-year old.
FADKOG – You know sometimes I get in runs where I prefer the kids/YA novels because the grown up books are so damn depressing. Even when they have happy endings there is just a little too much dark cynicism. I mean, I can make myself depressed all on my own, thank you very much.
Jess – I think I’d rather be twelve. Now if someone would take care of our mortgages for us.
Guess what? I now get more comments for my blog on my Facebook page than I do on my blog. Weird.
I’m with you on making movies out of every single children’s book these days. There was “The Cat in the Hat”, “Stuart Little”, and “Where the Wild Things Are”. “Where the Wild Things Are” was my favorite book, of all, as a child (followed by “The Cat in the Hat Comes Back”). The book is wonderful, the pictures are wonderful–why in the hell do they have to make a movie of it? The whole point behind children’s books is to entice them into reading and using their imaginations (i.e. to think)! And if every kid’s book is a movie, the kids won’t have any reason to think! I can understand making “Gone with the Wind” and “War and Peace” into movies–because the books are so long. But short children’s books–that’s crossing the line!