Acting Books

Recently, I finished reading these two books and I have to say, I am pretty appauled that I was never required to read either of these books during college. While I found both books very informative, I have to say that Audition felt like it was written for me. It is so informative and refreshing, reminding me of things I forgot and suggesting techniques I never thought of.

Admittedly, acting books are not the most exciting reads and it took me a while to get through both of these, but I decided to reward myself by reading a fiction book after I finish each book on acting.

Do you have any good summer reading recommendations?

Bright Hope

I tend to be private about my Faith. I have no specific reason for that, it is just how I am. (hence the lack of religious/scripture posts on this blog.) But I do have faith and I rely on it far more than I probably let on here. Anyway, I have a little devotional that I try to read from each day and yesterday’s devotion was entitled “Is Your Mind Stayed on God?” Below is a brief passage that stood out to me for some reason so I just thought I would quickly share it. I think I like the part about having inexpressibly bright hope the best. How wonderful that sounds!

Remember whose you are and whom you serve. Encourage yourself to remember, and your affection for God will increase tenfold. Your mind will no longer be starved, but will be quick and enthusiastic, and your hope will be inexpressibly bright.

~from My Untomost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers

Ella Enchanted

Well, it took me long enough to finish this book. Actually, this has nothing to do with the book itself. I just did not make the time for reading I typically do.

Yes, Ella Enchanted is a children’s book but it was given to me for my Birthday, a classic, and a story I had never read before.

It full of fancy and does not try to justify or ground itself in anything resembling reality. There are giants, ogres, elves, etc. I always love stories that commit to fancy and fantasy and do not try to ground themselves in reality whether they are books, movies, or TV shows.

The story has a lot of similarities to Cinderella but as long as you can accept that and not agonize about which story came first and who copied who then this is a great read for kids (or adults who enjoy a lighthearted children’s book once in a while.)

The Time Traveler’s Wife

It is the start of a new series on my blog. After I finish a book I am going to post my thoughts here- not necessarily reviews, just my ideas about what I read.

I finished reading The Time Traveler’s Wife earlier this week. I enjoyed reading the book but I was not nearly as obsessed over it as a lot of my friends were.

Spoilers! If you keep reading I am probably going to be talking about things that totally give the book away so if you don’t want to know what happens, stop reading now.

The story didn’t completely grab me until Henry and Clare got married. That was the point where I started wondering what would honestly happen next. The first half of the book was good, it just didn’t grab me though.

Henry time traveling and meeting Clare when she is 6 is kind of weird. I mean, Henry is a completely decent character and the author did her best to not make it awkward or creepy (because Henry’s not that kind of guy) but since Henry time travels naked (you can’t take your clothes with you) it was still a little weird.

I wish the end of the book had talked more about Clare’s life. Henry wrote Clare a letter telling her not to mark her life by his absence. Two years after his death Clare (who is an artist) revisits her art studio for the first time since his death. It seems as though those 2 years probably were marked by his absence. I can accept that. Grieving is different for everyone. Then it jumps to when Clare is 82 and meeting Henry again. So, did Clare actually live her life or did she live to see Henry one last time? I suppose I should draw my own conclusion but I felt like this weakened Clare as a character in the book.

Also, at one point Henry time travels into the future which is rare for him. He meets his daughter when she is older and finds out that he has died. Clare only sees Henry as he is disappearing but she still gets to see him. This was never revisited from Clare’s point of view. If she was so anxious to see him again seems like that would be an important moment in her life.

Overall a good read, Am I obsessed? No. But I’m glad I read it.

Lovely book (The Lovely Bones)

When I’m not online, I’m reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I checked it out from the library yesterday and I’m 250 pages in right now. Amazing!

Read.It. Now.

Also, I want this: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/