Off The Beaten Path-The Nature Conservancy. A collection of short-stories of place, reflecting the variety and character of our diminishing wild land, and in the end, leading to inner places. 

I honesty don't know how I came across this book, and apparently I am not cultured enough to recognize any of those damn authors. Some of the stories weren't bad though! So, if you are a person like me who will literally read an oven manual if nothing else is around, this might be for you. 

The Hobbit-J.R.R. Tolkien. Both a fantasy novel and a children's book, set in a time "Before the dawn of the faerie and the Dominion of Men". The Hobbit follows the quest of home-loving Bilbo Baggins to win a share of treasure guarded by the dragaon, Smaug. By accepting the disreputable, romantic, fey and adventurous sides of nature and applying his wits and common sense, Bilbo gains maturity, and wisdom. 

This book was a Christmas gift, but I mostly needed to re-read this to remind myself of how much I truly loved this story before Peter Jackson butchered the living shit out of it. 

The Silkworm-By Robert Galbraith. The second novel in the series of private investigator Comoran Strike, following the successful resolution of the Lulu Laundry case. While handling a steady stream of divorce cases, and the occasional job on behalf of a tabloid journalist, Strike is approached by the wife of an infamous writer, with a plea to locate him, as he has gone missing. 

This series is shaping up to be pretty good, I honestly love how much the side-characters are developing, which gives me hope that "Good ol' J.K.!" will keep this series going. 

Well there you have it, the books that got me through a very, very cold winter. I know that I am super-behind on posts, but I am hoping to get another one in this week, so stay tuned!

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor, Titan Comics- New adventures with the Twelfth Doctor and Clara! Okay, you guys already know my mad, undying love for Doctor Who, so this one really should not come as a surprise. However, I did not intend on reading it, mostly because I did not know that it existed. When I was at Comics & More last month looking for Bitch Planet, I got into a conversation with one of the employees, Chris, and I admitted that I really did not know shit about comics. He was really helpful, and since I mentioned Doctor Who, he showed me the new series that just started up with the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Doctors, and since I am now a huge fan of 12/Clara, I caved. 

Kyle also gets an honorable mention in this post. Detroit Comics is super close to my house, but Comics & More is closer to his work. Asking Kyle to stop at the comic book store to pick up my comics is the equivalent to asking most dude-bros to head to CVS to get tampons. I am actually considering doing the pull-service for Detroit Comics. There is a $20 fee, but then it is %10 off comics, so it essentially pays for itself. So far I only have these three comics down, so I think I should add a few more to make it worth my while. That being said, I will take suggestions! I am a little nervous about starting something that has been out for ages, but hell if it is really good, I will give it a go! So please, suggestions, I will take them. 

Alright, it is Friday night, and I am burning mix CDs for two of my friends, sipping a beer (or two), and cleaning out my closet. A much needed night in, and I am looking forward to the rest of it. Happy Friday!

The Nanny Diaries- By Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, both who are former nannies. The book satires upper class Manhattan as seen through the eyes of their children's caregivers.

Okay, this movie I remember seeing, but not the specific details. As in most cases, the book is better by far. The major difference being that in the movie, the main character Nanny is a post-grad who just takes a nanny job because she does not know what to do with herself. In the book, Nanny is still in school and majoring in child development. I think this is important to note because this character has a passion for working with children that the movie character just doesn't portray correctly. The satire in the novel is amazing, and situations that Nanny goes through redefine both 'stressful' and 'awkward'. 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone- By J.K. Rowling, is the first novel in the Harry Potter series. The plot follows Harry, a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage, as he makes close friends and a few enemies in his first year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. With the help of his friends, Harry faces an attempted comeback  by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents when he was just one year old.

Every once in awhile I feel the need to revisit these books, and I am glad that I did. I really had the chance to remember accurate details that the movies changed, and it was nice to see characters in their true form once again. 

The Cuckoo's Calling- By J.K. Rowling, under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, is a crime-fiction novel. A private investigator is hired by the adopted brother of a famous supermodel. The supermodel supposedly died of a suicide, but the brother suspects foul play.

This is not my preferred genre, but I can say that I quickly loved the characters as they were introduced. There were a lot of smaller characters that I had a hard time keeping track of, but the story itself was well-written, and interesting. The novel only takes place over about a month, but there is some great character development, and the story is a fast read. 

A novel about a young woman in the repressed culture of Edwardian era England? Count me in! A Room With a View is not unlike a standard song by The Smiths; a light and seemingly fun story, hiding more serious themes. It is a Bridget Jones-esque story of a young woman torn between two love interests, but also being emotionally and physically sheltered by those around her. 

Plot: Lucy Honeychurch is touring Italy with her overbearing older cousin and chaperone, Charlotte Bartlett. They meet a Mr. Emerson and his son, who are straight-forward and a little blunt, causing Charlotte to have an immediate dislike for them. Lucy likes them, and continues to spend time with them in Italy, but is confused over her feelings for the younger Emerson. In the second part of the novel, Lucy is back at home in England and newly engaged to another man, Cecil Vyse. Although most of her family are not overly fond of Cecil, they agree that he is a good "match" for Lucy by social standpoint. However, the Emerson's re-enter the Honeychurch's lives as they come to stay close-by in England. Lucy struggles with her inner feelings for the two young men in her life, as well as being influenced by close friends and family. 

What I liked about this novel was Forester's overly-blunt opinions of English society during this time period. Not only are there issues of class to be dealt with here,  as the Emerson's are at a different class level than the Honeychurches and Cecil Vyse, but there are social and gender issues to be dealt with as well. When Lucy expresses a concern, members of her family don't take her seriously simply because she is an 'emotional young woman'. Several times throughout the novel she has an adult male family friend speak on her behalf, simply because he is a male and therefore, must be correct. When Lucy makes decisions that are unconventional, her family inwardly agrees that her decisions are the best, but because they are socially frowned upon, they disagree with her, while the whole time, the narrator blatantly states why this is wrong. 

I am currently reading four different books, so hopefully that will add some variety to these posts as I have been on a classic-kick as of late (damn you Rory Gilmore book list!). However, I highly recommend reading a classic novel outside of school requirements, even if it is one you've already read. Now I get to try to con Kyle into watching the movie, huzzah! 

A Room Of One's Own is an extended essay by Virginia Woolf, based on a series of lectures she delivered at Newnham College, and Girton College, two women's colleges at Cambridge University. The essay employs a fictional narrator and narrative to explore women both as writers and characters in fiction, it is in fact, non-fiction. The essay is most commonly viewed as a feminist text, because of Woolf's notable argument for both a literal and figurative space for women writers within a culture dominated by patriarchy.

The spine of this essay maybe fairly thin, but Woolf manages to cover a lot in these pages. Most notably, the title, stating that in order to be a successful writer, women must have a room of their own in order to do so. Meaning, they must have money. However, women are kept from such things due to their relative poverty and lack of financial freedom. In order for women to have "a room of their own", they would have to have extremely wealthy parents. Woolf also brings up a lot of other interesting points, such as Judith Shakespeare (William Shakespeare's sister, a fictional character she created for the essay). What if this woman did exist with the same talent as her brother? It would not matter, because her gift would be denied to her because women are not granted the same opportunities as men. 

I don't want to spoil the rest of the essay, so I won't give anymore of it away. However, it really is interesting to see Woolf's arguments pan out in today's society. Being financially secure enough to write is still an issue among many people, especially women, however, could J.K. Rowling have written Harry Potter if she was not starving and forcing herself to use her talent as a means of survival? It's possible, but she proved that she could write, even while on welfare and as a single mother at that.  However, she didn't use her full name Joanna Kathleen Rowling, instead she choose to use J.K. Rowling .Why? Because J.K. could be anyone, where Joanna is a recognizable female name. Still proving that women are denied a lot of the same literary opportunities (not to mention loads of others) as men, even in our modern society. 

Once upon a time when I was an adolescent, my Father would yell at me to go outside and play with my friends, instead of sitting on my butt reading. Whenever there was a break from school for the holidays, I would basically read all day until relatives came over and whatnot. Now as an adult, I am hoping for at least an hour of my upcoming vacation week to read. Stupid adulthood. Anyway, this book was so captivating to me, that I took it to the bar and ignored my friends while I finished the last chapter. At least I am still a dork?

Plot: A Tree Grows In Brooklyn focuses on and Irish-American family in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City during the first and second decades of the 20th century; Francie Nolan, her younger brother Neely, and her parents Katie and Johnny. Francie relies on her love of reading and her imagination to escape from the poverty that defines her daily existence. The family survives off of Katie's earnings as a cleaning lady, pennies the children receive from junk-selling and odd jobs, and Johnny's irregular earnings as a singing waiter. Johnny's alcoholism makes it difficult for him to keep a steady job, and he views himself as a disappointment to his family because of it. Francie admires him because he is handsome, talented, and emotional and sentimental, like her. Katie has little time for sentiment as she is the breadwinner of the family who has forsaken fantasies and dreams for survival. 

Of course the novel is a beautifully written piece on a struggling family's journey of hope and survival, while breaking the reader's heart several times before it is finished. But that is not what made me fall in love with this book. It was how real the characters were. We don't just see Francie and her family work hard, go hungry, etc. But we see what her days are like, what the family eats on a daily basis, what Francie's mind wanders to when it does, what she thinks about when she walks home from school, and how these things change as she grows. It is like little snap-shots of someone's life, and it made me realize that is why things like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are so popular now. Something that might come off as "boring", like what a person is eating for dinner might also be considered intimate. The reader also has to keep in mind that Francie's lifestyle is what forces her to share what she does in a creative manner, so the reader becomes more appreciative of something as simple as what hot, fresh, coffee tastes like. 

This book exposed the practices in the meat packing industry in the early 20th century, concerning many Americans. Sinclair wrote the novel after spending several weeks working incognito in the Chicago stockyards before publishing this first in a newspaper, then in a novel. A film adaptation was made, but has since been considered lost. 

This was a very well-written book, and was shocking as well as heart-breaking. Not only did Upton Sinclair succeed in painting a mental image of how horrifying life was for the working class during that time, but he also created characters that the reader becomes attached to, even going as far as referring Jurgis as "our friend" several times in the novel. Sinclair also succeeded in making me even more leery of proceed foods, even though times have obviously changed since then. Either way, an excellent read indeed. 

During the summer months, I felt inclined to read more fantasy-type novels because it was summer and time to relax and read adventurous books. Now that we are just past the peak of autumn, I find myself drawn to more classic novels. I am actually surprised that I had never had to read this one in high school, or college, but it snuck its way onto my reading list and here we are. 

The Grapes of Wrath is an American realist novel, set during the Great Depression. The novel focuses on the Joads, a poor family of tenant farmers driven from their Oklahoma home by drought, economic hardship, and changes in the agricultural farming industry forcing tenant farmers out of work. Due to their nearly hopeless situation, and it part because they were trapped in the Dust Bowl, the Joads set out for California. Along with thousands of other "Okies", they sought jobs, land, dignity, and a future. 

Not even going to lie, this book is sad. Reading this book as someone who is familiar with the fate of so many families like the Joads, I could not help but feel a constant despair knowing what hardships lay in store for them. However, the determination of the Joads is captivating. They do their best to "follow the rules", but not everyone's path is the same. No matter how dire the situation, how bleak things look, the Joads just don't stop.  It truly is amazing.  

This book. I have read this book a total of three times in my life, all within the past four years. Each time it is such a struggle because it is incredibly well-written, but so very racist. However, each time I read it, short as it is, I tend to pick up something I missed the previous time. Also, the previous times I did read this book, it was required reading for school. I have mentioned before that reading a book again when it is not required of you has a different feel to it, and I still think that is very true.

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is a short novel, presented as a frame narrative, about Charles Marlow's job as an ivory transporter down in the Congo river in Central Africa. During this commercial work, Marlow becomes obsessed with Mr. Kurtz, an Ivory-procurement agent, a man of established notoriety among the natives and the European colonies.  

The novel portrays how colonialism and racism made imperialism possible, and because is it a narrative, these themes are more shocking to the reader. I honestly think that this book is best read alongside Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, just to get another perspective of such a horrific them (who knows, maybe I would be a decent English professor, eh?) Again, reading something like this for recreational purposes always provokes my imagination even more. I always try to imagine reading it as a person would when it was first published and very controversial, makes for an interesting perspective.

Comic books! A book about comics, love, and WWII. 

The novel begins in 1939, with 19 year old Josef "Joe" Kavalier, a Jewish refugee in New York City. He has come to live with his cousin Sammy Klayman, in hopes to make enough money to buy passage for the rest of his family to join him in the United States. Sammy has been hoarding an idea for a comic book for ages, and once he sees Joe's artwork, he gets enough confidence to present his idea to his boss at Empire Novelty, a novelty company. Their hero is The Escapist, on account of Joe having been trained as an escape artist in his youth. 

The comic is a hit. However, life is not easy for Sammy and Joe. Joe struggles daily with becoming an American, while still trying to get his family over safely. Sammy struggles with adulthood, dealing with a controversial love interest, and not knowing how to handle the success of the comic, other than throwing himself into more work. And as the years go by, America changes, the comics change, and the cousins change. 

Despite this vague description (not trying to spoil anything here), this book lives up to its title. I have never been overly fond of war books, they tend to be heart-wrenching, but this book takes on a whole new perspective. The reader gets a taste of not just the solders during the war, but of the struggles of the refugees, and the many different feelings and opinions of Americans during the war. We get to see Sammy and Joe fight Germany through controversial comic strips; the cover of the first issue shows The Escapist punching Hitler in the face. 

Although a fictional tale, this is such an interesting take on something that has been written before, with a very different perspective. It also touches on other controversial topics like sex in the media, feminism and the roles of women during that time frame, homosexuality, and racism. I honestly cannot wait for Kyle to read this because I think it will be one of the few books that we will both obsesses over. Now, go read it! 

Not only am I behind on my 2013 Goodreads reading challenge, I am behind at posting reviews. WHATEVER. I had read A Thousand Splendid Suns (by the same author) two years prior,so I knew what I was getting into with this book. I still cried. 

Broke into three different parts, The Kite Runner tells the story of two close friends; Amir,  a wealthy Pushtun boy, and his servant Hassaun, a Hazara. They are the same age, and live on the same property with their fathers. Hassaun's father is also a servant, but, like Hassaun, he is well-loved by the family and considered a family member, despite their different social statuses and roles in society. Amir and Hassaun have vast differences, different backgrounds, different education (or lack their of, for Hassaun), and different lifestyles. However, they share the same passion for stories, playing games, and of course, kite fighting. In Kabul, 1974,  kite fighting is the highlight of of the winter season for Amir and Hassaun, until one incident drastically changes their relationship. 

Five years later, Amir and his father Baba decide to leave Kabul after the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan. They make for Fremont, California to start their lives basically from scratch. During this time, Amir realizes that he may never live up to his father's expectations of himself. He does however grow up, while dealing with the many difficulties that life throws at him, but he never really stops thinking about Hassaun. Amir eventually decides to return to Kabul to visit an old friend who is in need, only to learn that the Kabul he once knew has changed greatly. 

Trying my best to not give away any spoilers here, but this book really was wonderful in so many ways. The critical reception of it will tell you that, however, I really loved the relationships between so many of the characters, and a personal (if still fictional) experience with the vast changes Afghanistan went through in just a few decades. I think my favorite aspect of the novel was the fact that Baba reminded me of my own father in many ways. A hard worker, who wants what is best for his child. But when he hung up a poster of Ronald Reagan and Amir rolled his eyes (inwardly), that nailed it. 

The book is a fast-read, and I highly recommend it. That is if you haven't already read it :P 

The further I get into this series, the better it gets! Although much of the story is still focused on Rhapsody, now pregnant with a child of many mixed and ancient races, further character development is evident in many of the other major and minor characters. 

Rhapsody is having a very rough pregnancy and decides to seek shelter with Elynsynos, a great dragon and also  her husband Ashe's great grandmother. Gwydion, ward of Rhapsody and her husband,  becomes the new duke of Narvarne and embarks on a mission with his mentor the crippled Anborn. Grunthor and Achmed continue to rebuild the kingdom of Yorlc, with Achmed's obsession with rebuilding an ancient and dangerous device called The Light Catcher, and in this process threatens his friendship with Rhapsody. To top it off, a great stone solider, as well as an angry thought to be dead dragon, rampage on innocent people, leaving destruction and chaos in their paths. 

There is one more book left in this series, and I am dragging ass reading it because I don't want it to end. However, I recently discovered that Elizabeth Haydon also wrote The Floating Island, and of course I will have to add it to next year's reading list. BOOKS.

Finally a book that Sideburns and I can both agree is good! 

One Hundred Years of Solitude is a story of seven generations of the Buendia family in the town of Macondo. Jose Arcadio Buendia and Ursula Iguaran (his wife and first cousin) move from Colombia, to Macondo to start a new life and find a new home. Soon after their arrival, strange things begin to happen in Macondo, and the Buendia family becomes afflicted, most of the time because of their own involvement. 

Non-linear, and with characters named after each other, repeatedly, this book can be a bit hard to follow at first. I honestly would recommend reading this book in its entirety without many breaks i.e. don't read a chapter, set it down for a month, then expect to remember what happened. It has a very nice flow to it, so reading it quickly is rather easy, and the stories themselves (because it is lots of smaller stories encased in a larger one) are both hilarious and heartbreaking. 

With that guys, we are off on vacation for  a week! Sideburns and I, as well as a few friends are heading out on a camping trip around the mitten, yay! Blogging will continue when we return, in the meantime check out my blogroll-that I FINALLY updated after years of neglect- for some other really awesome blogs to read. Most of them are better than mine. 

Delicately creepy. Two, out of many words that I would describe this book. Although it took me awhile to sit down and read it (stupid life, getting in the way of books), I was enamored each time I did open it. 

Dorian Gray is the subject of painter Basil Hallward, a youthful, beautiful subject who Basil holds on a pedestal and claims for his muse. During one of his sittings, Basil introduces Dorian to his friend Lord Henry Wotton, whom Dorian becomes extremely close with fast. Henry talks to Dorian about his ideologies of life, that the only things worth pursuing are beauty, and fulfillment of the senses. Both men continuously shower Dorian with compliments about his youth and appearance, so much so that when Basil reveals his painting of his subject, Dorian  panics about aging.  He wishes for the painting to absorb the years to come, so that Dorian may remain youthful. 

Dorian's wish is granted, and the painting begins to change. However, with the painting absorbing Dorian's physical aging, it also absorbs the physical corruption that Dorian begins to avoid, while he goes through the motions of living a corrupted life without the repercussions one would normally face. Quite literally. 

I could not help but think of Dorian as a pseudo-vampire, with his continuous youth and destructive ways. I really did love this novel, the only actual novel ever written by Oscar Wilde and it was very controversial, and had to be altered. Still, a great story. 

I had room for one more book on my reading list (the one that I have been slacking on horribly, btw), and so I basically stole this from my friend Dan. 

The Casual Vacancy is kind of a big deal. Because it is J.K. Rowling's (author of the Harry Potter series, duh) first adult novel. This was an enormous change for me. Harry Potter got very dark at times, this book is dark from cover-to-cover. The story takes place in a small town with some very large political issues, and the intense events that take place in that town after the death of one man. 

Despite the huge difference in genere of this book compared to her others, I could easily tell it was her. The style of writing is the same, the complex, very interesting and diverse characters are all Rowling, the dramatic plot, you get it. Despite its 500-odd pages, it is a fast read. I did really enjoy it and recommend it, however, it is dark. If it were a movie, it would have been rated R. Just sayin'.

 I have had this book sitting in my "To Read" pile for ages, I am happy to report that this book blows the movie version out of the water (although, the movie was good too, if a bit rushed). 

This book basically tells the tale of a downward-spiraling relationship between Vivi Walker, and her daughter Sidda. Through a series of flashbacks, stories, and an overstuffed scrap-book, we learn bits of the past, both good and bad, of these two women. Sidda is struggling to figure out how to communicate with her mother after an over-exposed New York Times article was published, loaded with intimate and personal details of her childhood-most of which involve the abusive behavior of Vivi. Humiliated beyond all means, Vivi has refused to speak to her daughter, and is even working on removing her from her will. Aside from the obvious issue with her mother, Sidda is struggling with one more issue: She cancelled her engagement to the perfect man, who has been there for her for years, because she feels that she cannot go through with it. Sidda feels that she cannot love, and therefore needs her mother to help her, but how can she when they cannot even speak to each other without biting each other's heads off?

In an act of truce, Vivi sends Sidda The Divine Secrets, a scrapbook containing memories of Vivi's own life, that one filled with love with her close friends, The Ya-Ya's. 

The comradery between Vivi and the Ya-Ya's in the book is wonderful, and it made me crave my middle-school years when I caused havoc with my own group of friends. It also made me realize that my own group of wonderful, asshole friends have stuck with me for this long, and there is a large chance we will all be causing shenanigans when we are 90 years old. I can picture us now: Sitting in giant robes on a large front porch with all of our cats, trying to flirt with the strapping young lads who will be mowing our lawns for us. Getting old is going to be fun! 

Walt Whitman started writing Leaves of Grass in 1851, the selection of poems he devoted most of his life to. This is a first edition version, and the first time I have read it all the way through. Like the fantasy novels that I like to read when I need a break from reality, poetry works the same way. It makes me focus on each line, each word, causing me to ignore everything else that is going on and it becomes very relaxing. This book varies from shorter and longer poems, to prose, so there is a variety for my mind to ponder on. For instance:

"I celebrate myself, 

And what I assume you shall assume, 

For every atom belonging to me as good as belongs to you."

Picine Patel, known to all as "Pi". Pi is raised Hindu, however, he soon exposes himself to Islam and Christianity-much to his parent's confusion. The novel takes place in the seventies, and his parents feel that they are pretty modern, especially by owning their own zoo in Pondicherry,  and can therefore not really comprehend where this fascination with three different religions stems from. Pi's answer is that he simply "just wants to love god". 

A few years later, and his family decided to close the zoo and sell it, to start a new life in Canada. Pi is now sixteen years old, and will set foot on a boat for the first time ever with his family, and a few of the zoo animals. The boat crashes, and Pi finds himself stranded on a lifeboat with none other than Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger. 

The only way Pi can cope with his reality, is to focus entirely on Richard Parker. Richard Parker's survival depends on Pi, but, Pi also comes to realize his own survival depends on Richard Parker's. 

One reference to this book was something along the lines of: Calvin and Hobbes with an overt, religious theme. I could agree to that to an extent, as there is a religious theme to the book, but not in a pressing way. In fact, it is almost humorous when Pi is trying to explain why he needs to participate in three different religions to his parents, and they are racking their brains on what to do with him. Pi's relationship with Richard Parker is terrifying, awesome, and very emotional. I am guaranteeing that a review of the movie will be present on this blog very soon.  

A collection of  previously unpublished writings on war & peace, including an intro written by his son Mark Vonnegut, this book comes off as a tribute the late Kurt Vonnegut himself. 

I have read some of Vonnegut's work before, but this was a fast-read, and had a charming way of terrifying me while I read it. Vonnegut's morals are depicted in each of these stories, heavy with the subject of war and lives of soldiers. He even addresses his own habits of making horrible things seem lighter by creating sarcasm  around the subject in one of the earlier pieces, answering the common question: "Do you take anything seriously?"

If anything, this book makes me want to read everything else this man has ever written. 

We all know the story of The Wizard of Oz, how Dorothy and her misfit friends defeated the Wicked Witch, but what we don't know is why the witch was so wicked to begin with. Gregory Maguire creates a history, a recollection of who this "Wicked Witch" is, and how she came to be. Elphaba, as we come to know her, is the person who eventually becomes the witch we are all familiar with, but first she is what everyone else is: A baby. 

Elphaba was born green, with razer-sharp teeth. The very first indication that she was, different. Her tale is told primarily through the view-points of others in the novel, and we come to learn just how different she really is, not only from everyone who surrounds her, but from her portrayal in The Wizard of OZ. So who is Elphaba? She is many things; a radical, an atheist, a lover, and wait for it, a friend. Yes, she has family, and friends. She is capable of caring, even loving, others. However, it is not just the witch that we get a healthy dose of knowledge of, but also Oz itself. 

This book is quite different than I thought it would be. I figured it would be a fantasy, but it really is so much more. It is also a thriller, and very political. I loved that the book is mostly told from the supporting character's point of views, because it gives really insight on how others would react to Elphaba. From the initial shock of the shade of her green skin, to appreciating her boldness in standing up for her beliefs, and also seeing how much she really does care for those few who she lets into her life.