Sunday, August 8, 2010

365 Challenge, Day 22: Aaron's Book Club (Part One)


Today, I'd like to talk to you about glee.

No, not the hit FOX television show. No, not the wildly popular music that is currently trending more iTunes downloads than American Idol.

Instead, I want to talk to you about a new book series based on the television show and music.

Let me preface this by saying two things:

#1 - I don't normally read "literature" based on television programming. I tend to think it's trite, unimaginative, and unnecessary. Not to mention the fact that it usually contradicts the media it is based on.

#2 - I was bored today. And I love me some glee.

It was a quick read. Something one might finish off during an afternoon at the beach. As for me, I burn easily, so I read it in bed.

All told, glee: The Beginning was much better than I expected, and I seriously recommend it to any and all "gleeks." The book delves into events occurring prior to the pilot episode of glee and does a great job of establishing a status quo for the main cast.

My biggest concern about the transition to the written word was that there would be an inability to enjoy the musical numbers. I was right in that fear, but it is such a trivial concern. After a season with the glee kids, the show is more about the characters than it is about the singing. And thanks to the written word, I feel that I understand each of them better than I did before.

And that's what makes glee so great. No matter how old you are, no matter how far removed you are from high school, you can stilll relate to these kids. Each slushie thrown in their faces, each coming out story, each struggle with weight, each desire to be more popular. We all know, to some extent, what they are going through. The humor is but a backdrop. These are the laugh-to-keep-from-crying moments in everyone's lives. If you don't watch glee, you really should. If you do watch glee, you should read this book.

The book was penned by one Sophia Lowell. If her name sounds familiar, I couldn't say why. A Google search shows that this was her debut novel. She is working on a sequel, though, that is due in February. I'll be picking that up, too.

Oh, wait. Can I get a volunteer to please pick this up and mail it to Mexico?

Hello?

Anyone?

No comments:

Post a Comment