Books to Read

...I want to read...?

I must be getting old...

I have recently discovered that the only stories that I can actually follow and understand, besides the Disney collections (not that there is anything wrong with that) is the Harry Potter series. Growing up, my comprehension skills sucked, and I have always struggled with learning and understanding things unless I had some sort of visual prop to help me. It started with the movie The Lorax. A few nights ago, Jayson and I went to Vince and Kelly's house for dinner and to watch The Lorax. I realized that I had never read that book as a kid and didn't know anything about the story. I ended up falling asleep after the introduction and woke up during the ending song and was a bit bummed that I still have no clue what it's about! Other than everyone in Thneedville (yes, Thneedville) has plastic trees and plants....

Anywhoozies, this made me realize that there are a few other series that I have seen the movies for, but never read their books. Now I know that most people prefer to books over the movies because movies tend to be a let down because they either change things in the story line, or don't put in 'the good parts. I, however, like to see the movie before I read the books. It's mostly because I'm a visual learner, and I need to have an image of the characters or setting in my mind for me to understand the books. Use your imagination- Well, the problem with my imagination is.... it doesn't keep thoughts and images consistently connected...

So as I said, there are a few series that I've decided that I'd like to read over the next few years. Now I'm hoping that it won't take me a full year to complete one series, since most of them are usually only three books, but I'm just gonna set a year deadline for each series anyway.

Harry Potter in 2012

"You've never read the series?!"

No, no I have not.

Honestly, I hated this series when The Sorcerer's Stone came out. I remember my elementary school librarian, Mrs. Lock, telling us that she just got this awesome book and thinks it would be a fantastic read for us all to try. You know that old saying, 'Don't judge a book by it's cover"? Well, I was in elementary school, and i always did that. And I remember looking at the cover and thinking 'well this looks dumb.' Then a little while later, I had a sleepover with a friend who lived down the street and when she asked me if I had seen the new Harry Potter movie, she told me that I HAD to see it.... I really wasn't excited about that idea, but I watched it anyway, and then I was hooked. Shortly after The Chamber of Secrets came out, I read that book at least five times and ended up doing my 5th grade book report on it. When The Prizoner of Azkaban came out, I had heard that it wasn't a very good book. Toward the end of the year I started reading The Goblet of Fire in class and my teacher had asked me why I had chosen to do my last book report on that book when she knew that I hadn't read PofA. When I told her that I had heard PofA wasn't very good, she did not give me permission to do my report on GofF unless I had read PofA first. At that point, I gave up on reading anymore and did my report on an entirely different book.

Over the years, my grandmother bought me books 1-4 in hopes that i would read them, but the movies hadn't come out for them yet so I didn't want to read them because it was too hard for me to follow. Now that the series is over, and there are no more Harry Potter movies in the making, *tear*, I've decided that I want to read all seven books before the end of the year.

Star Wars in 2013

I saw Episode 1 when I was younger, and really enjoyed it. I had never seen Episode 4, 5, or 6 up until four or five years ago. I didn't really enjoy the last three episodes (well, I guess technically they're the first three...),but I think that was because they were made in like.....the 80's? Ya, I have no clue when they were made...but I hate the graphics, and it bugs me to watch them. I'm weird, I know. But anyway, I really enjoyed the first three movies so I've wanted to read the series.

The Chronicles of Narnia in 2014

I remember my summer school teacher reading The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to us every morning in my English class. Again I judged the book by its cover, but by the end of the story, I actually thought it was pretty good, and the movie turned out great! I never went back and saw Prince Caspian when it came out, or read the rest of the series, but after having recently rented Prince C., it's made me want to go back and read the series.

~ ~ ~

So far that is all that's on my upcoming reading list. I'm not really one to jump into a new series when it's popular.. and right now, there isn't a series that's booming or seeming to be too popular, besides 50 Shades of Grey, but that is not at all any type of book or series that I would even consider getting into... I do wonder though what will be the new series that every kid follows like our generation did for the Harry Potter series. Will there ever even be a book/movie series where people come to the midnight premieres dressed as the characters? Will there ever be another series where one of the not-so-popular-characters from the 2nd movie endes up making another appearance in the last movie and when his death comes, the entire theater sheds a tear? Will there ever be another series where the entire theater is shocked that 'Snape' was there all along; always?