Did You Know...

You can delete a blog? Because I didn't. That would've solved SO many problems last year.

Regardless, I found it strange when I logged in and saw the "undelete blog" option next to some blog title written in faint gray.

So I undeleted it and read it.

And I really liked the concept.

At first I didn't get it.

Then I started hitting enter a lot and making every sentence a new paragraph and somehow it just clicked.

So props to Basil for coming up with ANOTHER great idea :)

And props to my enter key for not breaking while I write this.

Who knows, maybe I'll revisit this later?

-JJ

Something, Maybe (Elizabeth Scott)

Summary:
Hannah devotes her life to living under the radar. Seriously, she actually has made an effort to NOT be noticed ever since she moved to Slaterville when she was about 12 years old. With short-lived star Candy Madison and famous (player) Jackson James as parents, not being noticed is particularly challenging. However, she manages to go through most of highschool unnoticed by all but college dropout Teagan and her coworkers Josh and Finn at the local BurgerTown Big Bite drive-thru call center. She's always known that she's been in love with Josh, since he's basically perfect. He loves to help others and wants to make a change in the world. However, what happens when she gets a sudden call from Jackson James (currently living far away in New York after breaking up with Candy) and begins to notice Finn in a slightly different way?

Oh, yeah. That was suckish summary #1. You'll be seeing a lot more of them from now on, since I plan on beginning each post with a summary. This is to encourage you to go and read the book before reading my ranting, since my rant will most definitely contain spoilers, and you will get more out of the pointless ranting if you've read the book.

**SPOILERS START HERE**
(that also means GO READ THE BOOK NOW! IT'S GOOD IF IT WAS WORTH WRITING ABOUT!)

So, yeah. Just by reading the summary you can tell that Hannah and Finn will end up together...no surprise there. That's why my stupid post will be about Finn...ladidadidah.

Finn. Ah, Finn. So he's basically got the dream guy description going on. Blonde hair, blue eyes, the works. According to him, he's liked Hannah since the first day he saw her and has been trying to win her over since, even though she's been oh-so-obviously infatuated with Josh. He starts out as the casual coworker/friend, but eventually becomes more than that when Hannah has a realization about who Josh really is. In the end, he and Hannah end up together, happily ever after.

Now, how did he accomplish this, exactly?

He starts out seeming like just another annoying guy that Hannah has to deal with. We've all been there. Annoying guys seem to make up the vast majority of the male student body. However, Hannah makes new discoveries about him through out the book:
1. He remembers basically everything about Hannah, from her hatred of her father to the fact that she loves the idea of stars as gifts. What kind of guy ever remembers all that? Only someone who really cares. That's sweet :)
2. He's intellectual under his jock-ish mask (he supposedly plays football, though not very well...). He takes AP English and actually absorbs the information (as shown by his conversation with Josh about "The Brothers Karamazov"), showing how he's not only strong, but also smart.
3. Finally, he's one of the sweetest guys you'll ever read about. Sure, he's annoying, but he brings Hannah chocolate, comforts her when she's down and eventually actually buys her a star. Along with all this, after he and Hannah kiss for the first time, he shows up under her window, throwing rocks to get her attention. I want to meet this guy. I really do <3

Along with Finn, there are other guys that don't have as typical a role, but do contribute to how I feel a great guy is described in this story:

First of all is Josh. He basically shows the classic "don't judge a book by its cover" thing. I feel Josh is perfect to show what to be, yet what not to be all at the same time:
1. Josh shows a lot of concern for the problems of the world, according to Hannah. However, Finn brings up an excellent point when he says that Josh should be actually working to change said problems of the world instead of sitting around drinking $4 mocha lattes. Nobody can be seen as generally good if they complain about everything and don't do anything about it (I can't say none of us have done it, but this is a book, here, so any imperfections in guys are rare and must be pointed out, even if they are normal human traits).
2. He writes poetry. That's actually really sweet, and I agree with Hannah in valuing this trait. Guys who aren't afraid to show their feelings through expressive writing are pretty cool, so long as they have other traits to back that up and further create their awesomeness. However, the rest of Josh (besides his good looks) is just plain wrong, so the poetry just makes him slightly creepier o.O
3. If you've read the book, which I'm sure you have due to my recommendation on the top of this post, you'll know what this last reason is for. Seriously, who asks out someone only to see and attempt to hit on their mom? Along with that, Josh ends up kissing Hannah, only to stay at her house as she heads to work, then basically teasing her the day after. Who does that? well, yeah, Josh does, but who does that?

The teenage boys are done, and this post is getting so much longer than I'd originally planned. So I'll make the last twp short and sweet.

Jackson James:
WHY THE FISH WOULD YOU INVITE YOUR DAUGHTER TO SPEND THE DAY WITH YOU, PROMISING NO CAMERAS OR HALF-NAKED WOMEN LOUNGING AROUND, ONLY TO HAVE A CAMERA CREW AND SAID HALF-NAKED WOMEN BARGE IN DURING A WONDERFUL ICE CREAM LUNCH? WHY?????

Jose....do we ever figure out his last name?:
Ah, true love at first sight does happen. That's all I can say to keep this short.

**END OF SPOILERS**

Here's how I'll wrap this up. In my perspective (there can be many, so this is only my personal opinion), in "Something, Maybe", Elizabeth Scott can describe an ideal boyfriend as:
That guy you thought you never noticed, but has been sweet for all the time you've known him, who isn't afraid to show his feelings and always remembers what you love. He is willing to go to great lengths to show you his feelings, and he knows when he really loves someone, since it's basically love at first sight. He's cute, intellectual and athletic, but isn't a total jerkface who goes back on his promises or is a total player. The end.

Wow, after reading this, I realized how pointless and stupid it is. Oh, well. I've been dying to write stuff like this for a while, so I'll post it anyway. Feel free to revel in my lame-ness. Or at least go read the book I just spent a long time writing about. Bye!

~Basil~

Introduction

Hey, it's Basil. You may know me from my other blogs such as "Nonsense That Makes Sense" and "101 Ways to be Popular"

Oh, who am I kidding...barely anyone reads those blogs...
But if someone's reading this, then that's a great sign. Go and look at those blogs. Now. Along with www.degrassipwns.blogspot.com.

Back to this blog...
So, the title looks a little...odd...but I'm doing this out of sheer observation inspired by a journal entry I made. I'm sure this isn't exactly the most original blog concept, but I find this topic pretty interesting.

What do published authors define boyfriends to be like, as shown in their books?

Honestly, none of the boyfriends I've ever seen in any of the books I've read seem to be real. I mean, in the end, all the guys end up being perfect, with very few flaws or a girlfriend who's completely willing to get over those flaws. They all live happily ever after and yadda yadda yadda.

I've created this blog to analyze each boyfriend many authors have created throughout the numerous books I've read. Whether they be popular books it seems everyone on the face of the planet has read, or books that seemingly nobody has heard of, I will find the traits of the amazing guys in these books and show their realistic and unrealistic traits that can show everyone that love like this just doesn't happen as often as it seems.

You may be asking yourself, "What the heck did any of that mean?"
Well, here's my primary example, and reason for writing this seemingly endless introduction.

Imagine your first relationship. Or your second. Or your third. Or any relationship you've ever been in. How many times has a boy shown up throwing rocks at your bedroom window, begging for a chance to talk or to ask for your forgiveness? How many times has a boy you met on vacation changed his college career track just to be with you? How many times have you run away from home, attempted suicide and cut all your hair off, only to find that your ex-boyfriend still loved you and wanted you back? Never? No surprise there.

The fact that these books are basically convincing my brain these guys will eventually show up in my life is just plain frustrating, and I'd like to vent this out. Through this blog. Go ahead, don't read it you imaginary readers, but if you see a title you recognize or a title you don't that seems good, go ahead and click and read my wonderful rants. Thanks for your time, since this intro was pretty boring and long.

~Basil~

P.S. JJ, I know you'll read this eventually. Want to join in? Go ahead. We have different literary experiences, so feel perfectly free to contribute.