manual mode, thank you very much

I need to make it known that I have officially switched to the world of manual on my DSLR. It is a beautiful, wonderful, detail-oriented world. Sure, it takes much more work, but the outcome is totally worth it.

I'm already noticing a difference in my photos. You may not notice, but I do!

[I admit being crazy for not learning the mode sooner. Teaching just gets in the way, so now I finally have a little (yes, a little) time on my hands to work with my hobbies.]

summer school Monday

The Fault in Our Stars

Reading this book angered me and upset me, quite frankly. It is such a change from the suspense of the first book of the summer, and to be honest, summer is not a time to read about cancer and blindness and cancer and dying and cancer.

I'm not trying to be cold-hearted. I have a big heart, which is why a book like this affects me. I knew it would, so I basically scanned the last twenty pages. Is that wrong?

I will give it this: it was a realistic (or at least what I can imagine) exemplification of cancer and what it's like to deal with disease. It shows a love story between two young kids, and they seem to have that kid-like affection that is interrupted by disease.

However, it didn't have the affection that loses me in feeling, and that's what I want from a book. It was very easy to read, which I also don't particularly like, and some of the circumstances between the characters wasn't necessarily believable.

I read this book because it was on a list of "Books to Read Before They Become Movies," and I definitely see why it is a fad book already. It's sad, so of course everyone decides it's a great book. Sad books need to make you fall in love with all of the characters, believe their story and relationship, feel connected to all the outside parts (the connection with that author didn't really keep my attention), and leave you not wanting to finish it.

Unfortunately, I read a fad book that I was ready to leave on the bookshelf when done. After reading real-life blog entries from a woman's perspective of her husband dying with cancer just last year, this book just irritates me. Maybe it irritates me because if it were true, it would be such a sad, sad story, and I would never want it to happen to me. (?)

I do, however, understand why it would become a movie (it's a quirky, untold love story), and I'm sure it will be good.

Gone Girl

This past week, I went from being a reader of classics, love stories, and easy-going stories about life, to a reader of murder-mysteries. I am a true convert! I am excited to say that I loved the book Gone Girl by Jeannette Walls.

I'm not going to spoil the book for anyone since I've already handed it off to a friend to read, and it's possible that she could see this post. I will say this: The book kept my attention with the back and forth chapters (perspective changes), which kept me turning the pages. Throughout the entire book, I never knew who to trust. Oddly enough, that kept me going. Why would I like to read a book about the worst possible situation, along with one heck of an ending? I dont' know, but I'm definitely converted to the world of "summer reads" and suspenseful mysteries. At the end of the book, I almost felt betrayed, because I didn't know who to trust, and the ending didn't really help any of that.

But I questioned it. And that's important.

Why read a book that doesn't make you think a little bit? (besides the obvious summer reads that you read only to not think) I love a story that makes me want to talk about it, to discuss it, to share it, to see the characters as real people...to see the entire story as something that really happened, even though it didn't.

Man, that's a good book.

And I'm still thinking about it.

Off to read book #2 of this summer: The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls. It's definitely a change of pace, so I'll let you know how it goes.