On criticism. (Small Rant Post)

Tonight I watched this documentary Jamie Kennedy made called "Heckler." The movie basically just looks at the way people in the entertainment industry are criticized. There were some clips showed from comedy shows where a comedian would just lose it because of either one or multiple people in the audience not behaving accordingly. Jamie also talked a lot about specific reviews he's gotten and how most of them come off as a personal attack as opposed to an intelligent look at the work.
Since this movie also had a portion that discussed the stuff that is said online and the effect blogs can have, I feel it's important for me to put out there that I am not here to critique or criticize any of the books I choose to talk about on this blog. As someone who studied English and had numerous classes that consisted of lots of class discussions of texts, I love hearing other peoples reads of things and hearing other peoples interpretations. It's so interesting to me that we can all read the same book and notice and pick out different things about it. I'm not here to rip apart any book, even if I don't like it.
It's weird to me that some people gravitate towards meanness and hatred. Sometimes, I think people confuse being truthful with being plain mean. There's also this weird thing where like people seem to think they need to be shocking so they can gain notoriety but that is usually at the expense of another person. It's like people think it's cool to be cynical and mean and will say anything without thinking about what those words will mean after they're said. I guess my point is, as Ellen always says, be kind to one another.

(omg sorry about this weird tirade we'll be back to your regularly scheduled programming shortly here's an unflattering picture of me to get us back on track)

An Update from Liesel's Basement ("The Book Thief" Part 1)

So I'm just a smidge over halfway through the book.
I've basically fallen in love with death like he seriously makes the book. I loved when he said he liked the idea of a grim reaper, that he liked the scythe like his commentary is everything. And when he said that like he doesn't like mysteries because they bore him I was just like woah same.
I'm also really into Liesel and Rudy's friendship like how he's always asking to kiss her and they get into so many shenanigans. I ship it which feels wrong since they're children and freaking death has already told me what happens to Rudy but not HOW WTF DEATH?!?!
Also Max ugh sigh he's just so cute like he fucking just painted Liesel a book about how she's like his friend and how grateful he is for her and is so big brotherly. And he always is like down on himself and feeling guilty and I'm just like pls just let me hug you.
In conclusion: I like. So far.
P.S. sorry for saying fucking. (Just kidding I'm not sorry I like cursing.)

I'M TRYING REALLY HARD TO NOT INCLUDE SPOILERS ("The Mortal Instruments: City of Lost Souls" Part 2)

But there might be some so don't be mad if I included stuff that may or may not be spoilery!
Alright I finished "City of Lost Souls" today. What I'm enjoying as this series goes on is that the story doesn't just focus on what's going on with the main couple or characters (Jace and Clary) but the reader gets to feel like he or she knows all of these characters intimately, which is a quality I loved in Stephen King's "It."
Also, Clare really has a knack for making the endings move quickly. She packs so much into the last few chapters of the book. I found myself lazily moving through the story until I was approaching the end and all of the sudden it was like AH HELP CAN'T STOP MUST FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS!!!!!
I really admire the way Clare writes her battle scenes. Particularly I loved this scene she wrote with Clary, Jace, and Sebastian (aka Jonathan) and Clary feels the adrenaline high from battle for the first time. I thought this scene was detailed really well. Clary kind of sums it all up when she says, "I feel good."
However much I love this series and was happy with this book, I do have a few bones to pick. The young couples in the novel all generally have sexy, detailed, intimate scenes where they generally just make out. Every touch and the feeling it evokes is described in a really lovely way. I love to see the dynamics and differences in each relationship. Jace and Clary are always sweet and slow with one another, Simon and Isabelle have some hesitations (and then there's the biting), Jordan and Maia are aggressive and passionate. I've noticed that Mangus and Alec don't really get these kind of detailed scenes. Sure, there are parts where they kiss but none of the intimacy or details are put into their scenes. I'd like to see some of that for them in the next book.
Another thing I had issue with was when Clary went to go help Jace while he was basically being controlled by Sebastian. I found parts of her being there a bit confusing. I know that she went to find out what they were planning but it didn't really seem like she made any real moves to find out what was going on. There were moments when she seemed to preoccupied by making out with Jace or being confused by her brother. Maybe parts of this section of the book were confusing since she was confused most of the time while she was with them. So maybe it's confusing on purpose NEVER MIND.
Overall, I'm in love with this series and I can't wait for the next one.

P.S. I really love this symbol and kind of want it (tattooed) on my body ugh okay bye

Just to get started ("The Mortal Instruments: Ciry of Lost Souls" Part 1)

Alright, just so everyone knows where I'm at, I'm currently reading "The Mortal Instruments: City of Lost Souls." What I find kind of irritating, not only about this book but the series as a whole, is that Jace just can't seem to catch a break. I mean I guess that's just the nature of storytelling but it always seems like once things are alright something completely horrible or life- threatening happens.
I'll do a whole post about the book when I'm finished. I don't want to post my opinion until I'm done the whole thing. I've about 200 pages to go so I should be done sometime this week.