Reading Horror and Sci-Fi

 Midterm Count Books Read Week 01 - Frankenstein - (6pts) Week 02 - Interview with a Vampire - (6pts) ; Also watched the movie, had fun. Week 03 - A Wild Sheep Chase (6pts); Watched Battle Royal and was intrigued. Week 04 - Annihilation (6pts); Also watched the movie afterwards and enjoyed the visuals but did not like the adaptation as much compared to the book. Week 05 - Redlands (5pts); Afterwards watched Kiki's delivery service and Mary & the witch flower. Love it. Week 06 - The Hobbit (6pts); Had a late night LoTR marathon since it is one of my favorite franchises. Week 07 - The Night Circus (6pts); I love this book. I have not missed any class but came late to the class of September 21 but was late due to being stuck in the meeting room and had emailed you about it. Eventually the room let me into class.

  This week I am putting aside from re-reading my beloved Harry Potter and instead read Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. This reading truly made me sit down and think about how much our view of a fantasy world is based on the wizarding world of Harry Potter and how us readers are used to certain norms that are not seen in the Night Circus. An example is the distinction of two worlds living together but ignoring each other as much as they can. In the Harry Potter saga we see this constantly when one compares the world of muggles compared to those of wizards and how the wizarding world is a fun club secret that only the cool kids know. And because of these two worlds basic morals are taught to children on the differences between good versus email and how not every child is born with the same privilege as others but have the same potential to be someone great. In the Night Circus these rules established by Harry Potter are blurred to the point that the reader does not feel complete...

  This week I read an all-time favorite, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. It was a complete pleasure to move away from my computer and grab one of my copies of book and dive into a world that always seems to comfort me. The Hobbit is not just a story of a stubborn country bumpkin going off into an adventure. It is a story that explores self-discovery and acceptance when confronted with tough situation that tests one self. Which is one of the reasons why I never miss a chance to go back and experience once again with Bilbo how it feels to leave your comfort zone and grow a bit as a person. As I am writing this, the class discussion on The Hobbit has already passed and one of the comments has kept me thinking and re-examining my favorite fantasy tale is the one discussing about the female representation in this story. As a female reader who has read and watch the saga so many times it surprises me how I never came to question the representation of females in this story. Especially a...

Witches, a controversial yet popular topic especially in October when ghouls come out of hiding and us humans are intrigued by anything spooky. There are many reasons why witches are controversial but mostly it is based on history in which certain women were murdered due to their suspicions of using “dark magic” to aid them and others in their life. So, anything any woman that would break from her gender roles in any way or had a different point of view was considered a witch.     As we all know witches have been viewed in many different ways as either these horrid ugly women who are mischievous and only care about themselves or were seen as a sex icon of sorts that seduced others in her evil doing. What was in common in all these tropes is the view that these women were not to be trusted in any circumstances and were wrong in the eyes of society. This led to an evolution in where nowadays many people relate to witches and see them as an icon of rebellion for women who ...

    This week is all about the weird which may be one of the most interesting genre I have explored up till now. Fiction that falls into this category usually are known for their non-traditional way of storytelling and how it connects psychological trauma with supernatural elements. For this week I read Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. It is a classic story of character who venture into the unknown and face dangerous supernatural elements that one way or the other connected by science. As your usual Horror Sci-Fi goes little by little each character is eliminated leaving the main character alone with their choices and thoughts.  Our cast of character in this book have no names and are only known by their roles. Our protagonist who is the Biologist is the one guiding us through this journey as we accompany her through her physical and psychological transformation. The Biologist is a character unlike many that I have experienced. She is a woman who for the most part ...

     This week is all about Asian Horror and how the genre brings in a different side of horror that us westerns do not expect. We are talking about the world of the psychological and all the different life questions that would split out head open if we were to truly dive into it. This genre explores everything that is strange and also moments of awkwardness. It is truly a genre that is not for all but for those who want to dive headfirst into everything that doesn’t make sense and doesn’t necessarily have to. A perfect example of this is “A Wild Sheep Chase” by Haruki Murakami.   As I said previously, the world of Asian horror is not just ghost and supernatural but rather things that don’t make sense and are not in our control. It’s all about analyzing the madness in the protagonist brain or rather in this case their emptiness. Meet the narrator of this story who like in many other Murakami stories does not have a name also does not care or remember anyone else’s ...

Vampire Week!              This week is vampire week and I have decided to read Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice. When I first started reading I did not know what to expect. I didn’t know if I should expect the vampires to be modern and kinda goofy like in the Twilight franchise or have a creepy old school vampire like in Nosferatu. Little did I know the psychological drama that this book was offering me through the point of view of Louis who is gladly retelling his tale of unfortunate events.      As most fiction that involves vampires this book explores how relationships change and deform once you have turned to the dark side. How you outlive others who aren’t part of your kind and watch as the world changes without ever stopping. Yet this book truly makes the readers jump into the deep end by exploring how becoming a vampire not only changes your diet but makes you outlive your previous beliefs or morals. How as the years go by a...