A prologue, so to speak.

Welcome to my new blog!

I'm just going to jump into this: 

I love reading. I love writing. And I love books.

That is why I have made this blog and I have to say... I am really, really excited!! Now why don't I introduce myself a little bit? My name is Calypso for all intents and purposes. Maybe you've seen one of my other blogs? If not, they are conveniently placed to your right on the little side bar thingy. Assuming you're not reading this upside down. (Then it would be to your left.) You're welcome, all you upside-down-readers.

I am a teenager living in a very rainy city in the US. But I love this city, not only because I happen to love rain, but because it is home to the greatest, biggest, most SPECTACULAR independent book store in the US. Powell's City of Books... and it is one of my most favorite places on Earth. And it's greatness is not a matter of opinion, IT IS SHEER FACT. It takes up a whole city block and has four glorious floors that people are always getting lost in. They even make maps to help people get around, isn't that fantastic?? A new and used city of books that actually requires a map to aid navigation. <3 Trust me, there will be many, many posts devoted to the place, so stay tuned. ;) 

Continuing on with meee.... When it comes to writing, I have a slight tendency to overuse commas and capital letters. You will definitely notice. When it comes to reading, I love all kinds of styles, all kinds of genres. Sci-fi, dystopian, mystery, poetry, classic, historical, fiction, non-fiction... I know it sounds cheesy, but I really do love them all. Some of my favorite authors are: the Bronte sisters (Charlotte and Emily, really, I've never read Anne before), Isaac Asimov, Nabokov, Douglas Adams, Ayn Rand (though I don't agree with any of her ideas, she is an INCREDIBLE writer), Agatha Christie, Laurie Halse Anderson, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck and... ohhhhhh, finnneee.... F. Scott Fitzgerald. I say this last name with gritted teeth because I honestly used to hate this author. I always thought his characters were jerks and his issues--the woes and worries of the upper class 20s--boring. I still think these things, but my admiration for his incredible knack for description and writing in general have taken over. I just can't help myself... I still hate his characters and his horrible portrayal of women though, don't worry. :P

Now I feel I ought to tell you a little of what I intend to do with this blog. I hope to write a full out book review once or twice each week, but school is a handful and truthfully... I probably won't. But I'll give it my best! I also want to devote full posts to poetry, fabulous authors, literary quotes, excitingly weird and obscure new book genres, lessons in literary devices, my fancy book purchases, my book store explorations, and plenty of other things that I just haven't come up with yet. Basically, I want this to be a place where all book lovers--whether they prefer Ringworld or Wuthering Heights--can come and share with me the joys of reading, writing, and everything in between.

As to the title of my blog... I'm actually not sure why I called it "Paper Palaces" and I don't even know whether or not this will be its permanent name. I guess I chose it 1) because I have to admit I LOVE alliteration, 2) because I love books and they are my "palaces" made of "paper". Yeeeah. The cheese just keeps coming.

Well, I think that's all for now. Anything you want to tell me? As Kenneth says, "There's a reason God gave us two ears and one mouth. Listening is more important than talking. But he gave us ten fingers... He must REALLY want us to poke things!"

Yeah, I know. I just quoted a TV show of all things on my blog about BOOKS. Sue me. 

-Calypso