The Life, Times, and Library Blog of Clare

Hi there, library public! Interested in learning more about what USI’s library can do for you? Want to find new books and movies to enjoy right in your very own backyard (quad)? Did you just randomly stumble upon this page looking for Blackboard again? Well either way, you’re here now, so welcome! My name is Clare Pratt and I am the new Rice Library Blogger! I’ll be using this blog to tell you all about what’s going on in the library, all the things offered here, and more or less whatever pops into my mind that I can somehow make relevant to the library. But first, let me tell you a little bit about me!  I am a (super) senior from Greensburg, Indiana. I am an English major with an emphasis in rhetoric and composition, and I love reading. A lot.  It tends to come up in conversation if you hang out with me for a while.  I also love movies, music, TV, internet comics, pretty much anything. But to make a long profile short, here are a few quick facts about me:

 

    1.       I partially run on coffee

    2.       I spend way too much time on Pinterest these days

    3.       My favorite stress relievers are tennis, Mumford and Sons, and videos of cats on the internet

    4.     If you tell me you hate movies that are in black and white, be warned: I will waste a ton of your time listing movies that I am sure will change your mind

    5.       I love mint chocolate ice cream. Nothing else really. I just really like mint chocolate ice cream. Thought you might want to know.

 

Well that’s me, more or less. But what am I actually doing here? Well, the library has recently created a brand new job in which a student writer is a major contributor to the library blog. I will share information about what’s going on in the library, and about how recent events, whether they be local, national, or global, can be tied back to resources we have here in the library. We will look at books, movies, music, services, library programs, digital collections from University Archives, and basically anything else that will increase my word count. I have a lot of ideas for using this blog to interest you in the library, so I hope you like reading it as much as I’ll like writing it.  Feel free to make comments or suggestions if you think of something you might be interested in!   

 

CP

But the Book is Better!

Like the sun rising, and the summer turning into fall, some things are inevitable. They have happened for eons, and they will surely continue. Another inevitable part of life is that when a book is fairly popular, there will be an adaptation. There are various ways to adapt a book to a different medium, and some are done better than others. Every time you watch a movie, play, or TV show based on a book, one of the first things you will hear from many people is how the book is “SO much better than that silly adaptation.”  But is that always true? Well, you won’t know until you actually try the books! Here are three books in Rice Library that have been adapted into film, TV, or theater. Check them out and see how they match up!

      

1.       A Walk to Remember- Nicholas Sparks  [PS3569.P363 W35 1999]

       You might remember this movie from around 2002, it’s one of the first Nick Sparks movies I remember people being into. It’s a typical Sparks love story. Boy meets girl. They don’t much care for each other, but eventually fall in love, despite their differences in class and personality. Then tragic death. The movie follows the book loosely, with the major plot being the same, while the plot details and the time period are different. But the shameless tear jerking is the same. If you liked the movie, pure sweet Mandy Moore and all, you will probably like the book as well. It’s sweet and nostalgic and tragically romantic, thus everything you would expect from Nicholas Sparks.

           2.      Bag of Bones- Stephen King  [PS3561.I483 B34 1998]
                              One of the less famous of Stephen King’s books, Bag of Bones is a novel about two of King’s favorite things: writers and ghosts. It is also filled with betrayal, towns in Maine with dark secrets, family relationships, and lost love. More of Stephen King’s favorite things! But it really is a good read, especially if you’re interested in history, the writing process, or just like a good ghost story. It’s not always the happiest story, and takes some pretty disturbing turns, but it is Stephen King after all. It’s sort of expected. There was, of course, a mini-series based on it made just last year in 2011. I remember being excited, as a fan of the book, to check it out. As far as adaptations go, it’s not bad, but if you have only seen the TV movie, definitely check out the book. It’s similar, but goes far deeper into the history of the characters, and gives the story a lot more atmosphere than the movie does. If you’re still missing Halloween and looking for something creepy, check it out.

3. Wicked- Gregory Maguire  [PS3563.A3535 W5 1996]

         Now here’s one you have probably heard of. The play, with its epic musical numbers and lavish production and endless run on Broadway, has become a major theatrical piece, and probably one of the more famous modern musicals. It tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West, back when she was just Elphaba, a socially awkward green skinned girl, meeting and eventually befriending Glinda the good witch, back in their college days. But, did you know it was a book first? It’s not only a book, its actually part of a big series, expanding the story of The Wizard of Oz, told from multiple points of view. So how does the play stand up next to the books? Well, the book is darker. A lot darker. While the play is hardly all rainbows and butterflies, it is much more family friendly then the book, which deals more with politics and the nature of good and evil, and is just generally a darker story. But does that make it better? Or worse? You should check out the book (and the play) to find out!

 

CP