Snow by Caroline Olsen

Norsk? Les lenger ned

I randomly came across a fellow writer on a Norwegian forum,and now I’ve read her book! Funny how small the world is^^ Sure,I was the one who asked the library to buy it,but still.

I can definitely recommend it to others.

Uh-oh, there goes that secret..

Ok,so I loved it. It’s rare that I go into instant fangirlmode when I read (actually that has happened ONCE before, with the  Harry Potter fandom.)  but this time it hit me hard!

Here’s from the Snow Webstore’s About the book;

“Snow

Authored by Caroline Olsen
Cover design or artwork by Lanny Suhandy

‘Snow’ is the story about Maaya, a teenage boy from Tokyo.
Intelligent, kind and compassionate, with bright pink hair, this artistic boy is already well-known by those around him, engaged in politics as well as art and eccentric in his own way.
He’s always been different, and is fairly calm about it when he at 16 comes out and reveals that he’s gay.
Though he himself has no problem admitting to it and accepting it – there are others who aren’t as approving. And perhaps he wasn’t prepared for the consequences?
Maybe he lacked the cynical abilities to see that people would be bothered by who and what he was?

Through his best friend Atsushi’s retrospective, Maaya’s story is told, from the day he first came out; to his first love and heartbreak, and up to the moment where it all ended. In the worst way anyone could’ve imagined.
And then of course…there was Aki, an obnoxious, rude and enigmatic fifteen year old who brought out both contradictive feelings and empathy in Maaya.”

I said it already, but I love it. <3 Not just saying it because I think the author is really cool, but I love the main chara to pieces. (After reading it, who wouldn’t?Read it and then try to disagree with me, go on – I dare ya!)

Maaya is a sweet and perfect boy. I was afraid he would be too perfect, that he would be unbelievable like some characters can be, especially in manga, but he wasn’t. He was so perfect and sweet,and yet he seemed real and alive. Like a friend.

Yes I know that’s lame,but I’m a fangirl,and I don’t care. *sticks out tongue*

I brought up manga, and there’s a good reason for that. Now,I’ve read countless mangas (ok,not countless) and I know the ‘feel of manga’.  This feel slike it. And due to Lanny’s wonderful artwork, which I am a MAJOR fan of,- I mean check out her art! – , when I read it became manga in my head. I don’t know if that’s just me (it happened when I read Tithe by Holly Black as well, but then it was in the graphic novel style of Books of magic) or if it’s intentional,but it works!

I love the fact that it’s small things like one of my favourite songs mentioned in a scene “Yume no naka e” (Yes, I have the five-DVD:set of Kare Kano.^^)

And I was waiting impatiently for Aki’s appearance, and don’t read beyond here if you don’t want to be semi-spoiled. ^^

If you don’t want to be spoiled; Short story I loved it – go read it!!

.

……

still here huh?

Well, the ending broke my heart. It was a really well written ending,and I cried, and I honestly think it’s a better-written ending than the Harry Potter books have. Now,Snow isn’t fantasy, and the only reason I keep comparing, is because HP was my first and still is my heaviest fandom. But Snow is a good second. <3

Seriously; It’s a great book, for the yaoi fangirl,for the japanophile, for the gay,for the straight, for young adults especially – and adults as well.

Negatives;

Now, when you’re freshly in love, you have a hard time picking on the one you like,right? So …right now I can’t see any negatives with this book, except that the second book isn’t in my hands right now,lol…

Spread the word,and go READ it!!

The official Snowblog here

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Okey,på norsk.

De fleste av dere har sikkert skjønt hva jeg har skrevet så langt, og siden boken til Caroline Olsen er skrevet på engelsk, bør dere kunne engelsk for å lese den uansett :p Den er awesome! Vil bare oppfordre alle til å få bibliotekene sine til å kjøpe den inn <3

Thoughts on vampires

This will be in English only. I see my grammar is slacking off again,so please kick my ass about it. Also, fair warning, might be offensive material in this blog

It hit me.
It’s all about the basics. That’s why we are so drawn to vampires.

As humans,as a species, we are born,we feed,we sleep,we live and reproduce,and then we die.

The basics are so simple. Life,death,lust,love..

Life or fear of death is probably what draws us most to vampires. Most of us wants to live. Or to exist, at the very least. Not to be gone and forgotten.

..and cool powers aren’t a drawback either.

Everyone needs sustenance of some sort. Nutrition. Food. We feed physically off of plants and animals, and we feed mentally off of each other. Gossip is a tool of power,for instance. I am personally not drawn to the idea of drinking blood, mainly because I don’t like tasting watery blood in my steak. But I’m guessing what it must be like to enjoy it. Like a five course dinner and dessert, all in there.
Feeding is pretty basic. I watched my daughter when I was breastfeeding, and whenever she looses the nipple in her sleep, she seeks for it, savagely, blindly, but she finds it every time.
We are created for survival. Vampires are just the same.
Can you imagine what it must be like to be a newborn vampire? To smell food all around you, to know that it’s there,so easily taken,and to hunger for it,crave it,but knowing at the same time,someone must die for you to get it?
That’s why I sympathize with Edward,and Jasper, more so than Bella,when it comes to twilight.

I actually never liked Bella. Something about her just plain annoyed me. She was too slow on the uptake. Hello,of course he’s a vampire! Dumbass.

I don’t really know when I learned what a vampire was, I remember reading about Rydiger, the obnoxious little vampire in the books by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg, but I already knew it by then. I watched Interview with the vampire, and abhorred Lestat,and adored Louis,I saw Bram Stokers Dracula, and loved the beauty of it.
I have failed to read all of the Anne Rice vampire books,but I’ll get there. (I have to save SOME books for later) I like twilight. Loved the first book, am awaiting the fourth. Loved the movie.

And now I like True Blood.

In every one of these (of course excluding the childrens books) the combination of lust and love is very much present. I think that on some level, the ones lusting for the vampire craves their powers. I don’t think that because you’re into vampires,you’re gonna go hump a corpse (some village idiot said that to me once. Goddamn in-bred moron.) or that you seriously fancy dead people. What I think is that vampires remind us of death, and makes us feel more alive. Adrenaline.
Also,the wicked powers.

Of course.

I see that there’s a whole new batch of fresh series of books out there,starring our pale-faced bloodsucking friends. I for one,intend to devour them all.

I remember,back when I was in school,my best friend and me,we made a pact. If one of us turned into a vampire,we would turn the other one.
I wouldn’t do that now,vampirism is far too sexual for that. He’s like a brother to me. It would be gross. But isn’t that nice though?

That really is friends for ever.

Now,back on track,yes..I digress a lot. Sorry.

Vampires are so much stronger,faster,smarter (well,you’d learn a trick or two if you’d been around for that long a time,eyh?) and they only NEED that one thing. We,the mere mortals, need so much STUFF.

Vampires are free. All they need to do is feed. We need to go to work, buy food, get a house, go to the doctor, and vampires.. can do whatever the hell they want.

That’s what it’s all about in the end.

Freedom.

We all want to live our lives the way we want it, without being tied down by everything material, everything human.

Vampire stuff I DON’T like.

-Buffy …superficial,yes. But I like my vampires pretty.

I would love some thoughts on this…I’ve got a Visual Novel planned,so this monologue might go in it. Please feel free to discuss it

–I will edit in pictures and links later.

Bookblogtour – Genesis – Bokbloggturne

I’m participating in www.cappelen.no ‘s bookblog tour.
How it works; You sign up, get a book in the mail, read it and publish your review when they tell you to
Pretty cool? Go do it too!

The first book – Bernard Beckett – Genesis

Jeg deltar i cappelens bokbloggturne! Det funker slik; Du sier ifra at du vil være med,de får navn og adresse, så får du en bok i posten. Du får en dato blogginnlegget skal postes på,og det er det hele! Ganske kult?

Disse bloggene har dagen før og etter min: www.shauriblog.com
solgunnsin.blogspot.com

Genesis av Bernard Beckett
ISBN: 9788202291587
ISBN-10: 8202291585
Bokbloggturneens Facebookside

Mulig det kommer en spoiler,men prøver å unngå det.
Sci-fi for eldre tenåringer og oppover.

Det som starter som en opptaksprøve til Akademiet,blir for hovedpersonen Anaximander en tankereise i filosofiens irrganger.

Anaximander har en fem timers eksamen å fremlegge om legenden Adam Forde. Om hun blir opptatt i Akademiet eller ikke,avhenger av hvor godt hun svarer.

Republikken har så vidt gjenoppstått, og Akademiet er noe av det viktigste som finnes.

Men etter hvert blir hun mer og mer klar over at det står mer på spill, ikke bare et “inn eller ikke” spørsmål. Det er et spørsmål om tilværelse, om hva som er sjel, om hva som er viktig, og riktig ved det å være til.

*~~*~~*

Boka var veldig spennende, slukte den så å si i ett jafs. Den er litt tung for de yngste tenåringene, tror jeg. (Nå går jeg ut i fra massene, og ikke unntakene. Det er vel unntakene som leser mest,så det er kanskje dem jeg burde gå ut ifra?)

Jeg har en eneste negativ ting å si om denne boka. Det var at på en av de første sidene sto ordet ånd med en forklaring under. “Spirit”. Det irriterte meg,for om man leser en setning eller to videre så forstår man svært enkelt hva de mener. Ikke noe å bry seg om, kanskje, men jeg er pirkete.

Det er en tidløs spørsmålsstilling; Hva er sjel ? Hvem kan ha sjel?
Man blir tvunget til å tenke nytt,og det er en veldig bra ting. Jeg tror at måten boka er på gjør at den ikke vil passe så godt til yngre lesere,under 15 blir det for vanskelig å følge tankebanene og henge helt med ennå. Men på størrelsen er det en god begynnerbok,for dem som ikke leser så ofte. Du bør nok likevel ha en viss forståelse av filosofi for å få mest mulig ut av den.

Jeg liker ikke å si så veldig mye om handlingen i bøker,for det verste jeg vet er å få ødelagt en bok eller film, på grunn av at noen fortalte hva som skjer, men jeg vil si så mye at den overrasket meg på slutten.
Og dere som kjenner meg vet at det er ingenting jeg liker bedre enn at en bok overrasker meg.

Alt i alt; Les den om du liker science fiction og filosofi. Hvis ikke, les den likevel. Kongebok!
8/10