When she learned there was a sequel, she just had to have it. So we bought it and again, that's all we heard about.
At that point, I figured, I better take a look at this book. So I read the first two books in the series and fell in love.
I talked about it so much my husband had to read them. Then my 12 year old daughter got involved. When MOCKING JAY came out we pretty much fought over who was going to read it first. (I won, since I read the fastest.)
But that's not what my blog post is about. Not really.
It's about the impact of good books in real life.
Ever since we read THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy, we've adopted Katniss Everdeen's "Hollow Days" saying.
Whenever someone in our family is super hungry now, and no amount of food will fill us, it is called a Hollow day.
My children say it often. Very often. (Maybe I ought to think about feeding them more.)
Which got me thinking about the impact of books on our lives.
I noticed recently that the term MUDBLOOD (From the HARRY POTTER series) has been added to the urban dictionary. Has our society felt such a strong need for this term that it's become part of our language?
Or Madeleine L'Engle's famous line, "It was a dark and stormy night..." (A WRINKLE IN TIME) has become the ultimate cliche in the English language (though I'm pretty sure she didn't actually coin the phrase).
And then there's always my favorite, from Lewis Carroll's ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. “One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. 'Which road do I take?' she asked. 'Where do you want to go?' was his response. 'I don't know,' Alice answered. 'Then, said the cat, it doesn't matter.'”
I LOVE that! Such great advice, from a cat, no less. :)
I'm in constant awe over how books can influence us as individuals, as families, as a society.
So have you ever read a book and adopted a piece of it in your life?
oh - BTW - if you are looking for some books to add to your real life, go visit Taryn's blog for an awesome contest!!
19 comments:
I can't say I've ever adopted sayings into my life like that, but my kids do. Mostly my boys, of course, repeating the phrases that are the most inappropriate. But usually, the character just stays with me.
I'm with Laura. It's the characters that stay with me and what they did rather than what they said.
Oh, I love that you and your daughters can share a bond and interest in reading the same series. I hope to have that with my daught someday too!
I love stories and characters that stay with me long after I finish a book. Great post!
Love this post (and the Hunger Games)!
I recently read Across the Universe by Beth Revis and have found myself using the word "Frex" from time to time. Naturally, it just comes out. It was such a part of the world and weaved into their language, that days later, I still use it without realizing it.
I love THAT. ;)
Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote the dark and stormy night quote first--if you haven't checked out the original, do it! It's deliciously awful.
I'm like Kristi--I'll adopt curse words and other jargon from novels. My best friend (an avid reader but not writer) and I are always speaking half in book-speak which bothers everyone around us.
Great post, Amie :) I actually LOLed at a few things.
Not recently, though I'd like to think religious people try to put the teachings of sacred scriptures into their lives.
wonderful comments! and i love characters that stay with me too. and maybe that's the common thread with these sayings and phrases, is that it's really because the character was so memorable.
and angela - yes, my friend! so true!
My parents have a pantry that's under the stairs and after we read Harry Potter, it was officially dubbed "Harry's Room." And that's still what we call it. :)
LOVE it karen! that's awesome!
I love how you guys use Hollow days. So cute. My husband tell each other "May the odds be ever in your favor."
I think Harry Potter is a great example because people of all ages understand words like muggle, quidditch, etc. It's like they're part of the English language now.
I find myself doing this too with the books I've read.
Wow, that is so true. I guess I never noticed! I love the way you and your family have shared that AMAZING series!! If only I could get the hubs into reading...
Sounds like I need to sit down and read these books.
I never really have, just because I don't hang out with people who read. Music and movies however......
We gave our oldest son the middle name Atticus because To Kill a Mockingbird had such a profound impact on me.
I love this too, though I can't imagine my 10 year old after reading hunger games lOl were still in twilight Harry potter quotes there, but she's my oldest so we shall see!
We do this with both books and movies. Everything from "That will do, pig" from BABE to "What we talking about?" from CHICKEN LITTLE finds it's way into our everyday conversations. It's become a game to use quotes in passing and see if the family can place the book or movie.
I do love the ripple affect of a good book. That’s why I absolutely love this quote from Julia Alvarez:
"I believe that stories have this power- they enter us, transport us, they change things inside us, so invisibly, so minutely, that sometimes, we’re not even aware that we come out of a great book as a different person from the person we were when we began reading it."
Ooh, interesting question.
When I was a teenager I was an Anglophile, thanks to reading Brit books and watching Brit shows.
I'm sure there were other instances, but I can't recall.
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