The Abyss for cheap

I can't find The Abyss at the library, but here is a whole heap of cheap copies from www.half.com

http://product.half.ebay.com/The-Abyss_W0QQprZ30271548QQtgZinfo

I'll buy one today or tomorrow. If you get one, maybe you could post, so we can know who has it and share with each other.

We still need to choose a date for the book club--preferably a time we could hang out and watch the movie together, too. Should we do an evening in late March or stick to the afternoon?

The House of Night Series

Like a lot of teens, Erick's friends are obsessed with Vampires, thanks to Twilight. He told me that they are crazy about this other series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. (They are mother and daughter) I thought, huh, maybe it will be interesting to look into. So I sent Jason to buy the first out of the four books in the series. Of course he got me the fourth book and we argued the fact that it said the fourth book on the back, and on the front page. So I looked into it, and it was really confusing. These books have to be read in a row to understand, inspite of the authors best effort to update each character and situation at the beginning of each book. I grow very tired of this. It annoys me. I don't remember the Twilight books having to do this with every sequel. The series have four books right now, and a fifth is coming out next week.

As far as the subject goes, I would not let Erick read these books. The authors have done a good job at being inside the mind of kids at the age of 16 -18. The story revolves around a girl named Zoey, who seemed like a normal girl until she gets marked. After that, the story gets Harry Potter meets Sookie Stackhouse like. To become a Vampire, you get marked with a blue crescent moon on your forehead. You aren't bitten. After you are marked you sent to the House of Night. A four year school for others who are marked where they can learn all about being a Vampire. Sounds different huh? Well, at this school you either die because your body rejects the change or you complete the change. When you complete the change, the moon fills in and they receive a blue tattoo pattern on their body. It's weird. I read all four books last week. To read these books, I really had to pay attention. I am really engrossed in the story line, and I am awaiting the next book that comes in next week, but after I have read it, I will never do it again.

As I read on, it was clear that I did not like how the story involved more sex. Those scenes were not graphic and rare, but I can't help but be worried about the teens that read these books. I can imagine that they would get the idea that it is acceptable to be involved with a teacher or have multiple boyfriends. The Lord's name in vain is used ALOT! Which also bothers me. The Christan religion that is represented in the books are meant to seem wacko . The Vampires worship a Pagan religion, which makes it seem cool and fun to be a part of. Could you imagine of such a thing really existed? I have bad feelings about this, I feel these books could give the wrong ideas for our youth and lead them away from God, depending on how they value these books. Of course it's just entertainment for me, but do they know that? The reason why I bring this up is because I can remember being that same age, and having a curiosity for witchcraft etc. The things I discovered was that it could be cool, fun, and scary. Thank goodness I overcome that phase, and realized that it would led to path to the darkside. So, then I became more active in my Ward, and left that stuff behind. If anyone wants to borrow these books, and/or would like to know more about them, you can just ask me.

Next Month

When we met today, after talking over Pride & Prejudice and Austenland, we decided maybe we should have a looser format for future books. So, for the next little while, we're going to be reading books that have been made into movies and vice versa.

Our first pick is "The Abyss" by Orson Scott Card. This one was actually written after the movie, based on the screenplay, which is an unusual route. Card is an outstanding author and I think this science fiction novel and it's accompanying movie will be a fun combination. I didn't find it on the library site, but it costs about a dollar on Amazon.com, so it should be doable. We'd like to read the book, then meet to watch the movie and talk about them both.

We're trying to think of all the movie/book combinations we can think of. Please add to the list below in your comments:

Marly & Me
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Emma
Coraline
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Where the Heart Is
Harry Potter series
The Five People You Meet In Heaven