Fire

I. Am. So. Tired--

6.5 hours later, and I am still tired, though a 2.5 hour nap has slightly mollified my fatigue. I don't have much to report today other than my lack of sleep, though I went to lunch with my Nanny and Mom, furthering my deprivation of sleep. But, whatever. I love libraries, by the way. I've only devoured four or five books since last week (when I started my treks to the library), though to be fair some of my books were quite long. Anyhow, my goal of 25 doesn't seem so far off, I don't think. The remaining books aren't too long, in the mid-two to three hundreds (pages) collectively. One of the books I've read has been Fire by Kristin Cashore.

I can't tell you why I love this author so much. With only two books out, Graceling (a 100% recommended read!) and Fire, the one I just finished, there isn't much to awe at, you would think. Maybe it's her style. Stephenie Meyer could really take some notes from Kristin. Now, I know authors have different styles and different voices. Yeah, I know, but, frankly, Kristin could write the sparkles out of Stephenie Meyer. All this is to say, I highly recommend her books: they're moving, strong and intelligent. I still can't seem to extrapolate Fire from my thoughts. I can't compare her works to things like Fountainhead or Catcher in the Rye, mainly because Graceling and Fire lack motives. They just are. Her stories are driven by the personality and, sometimes, bad lots her characters are forced into, how they overcome it and what meets them in-between. They're real. They whine sometimes but don't get away with it, like some helpless girls from Washington. They aren't slapped on the wrist, but humbled.

I think the quality and tangibility of her characters are what moves me. I sound like a fanatic, I know, but I'm really just proud that for every whiny girl dependent on her man who is dependent on his eye color and sullen, but somehow sexy and alluring, attitude there are characters that are dimensional, capable and human.

Every time I read a book, I am changed somehow, shaped a little differently. I can't say that Fire has changed me as a person, but it's made me think a little clearer: It's why I read. After a book, my thoughts have learned a little more and change just a little.

I only hope I don't stay the same.

Toodle Pip.