ASoUE Appreciation - CLOSED

[Christmas Chief]

Discussed in this thread, and will go towards Daniel Handler's Birthday present. Why do you like ASoUE? Did it help your vocabulary? Did it give you an intrest in reptiles? Do you just love the series because of how great it is?

[Dante]

A Series of Unfortunate Events was my gateway to literature. More than anything else, it made me want to be a reader, and through that, it made me want to be a writer.
-Dante

[Christmas Chief]

A Series of Unfortunate Events has given me so much more than I can return, from characters and places and codes and allusions and so much more I could mention; I can only hope this will be one of your many Happy Birthdays, Mr. Handler.
--Sherry Ann

[blakegriplingph]

To be honest, I never really thought that I would end up getting into ASOUE, but the fact that the series is colourful and interesting enough made me appreciate it.

[tigerseye]

It was completely by chance that ASoUE first came into my life. And I'm glad it did! As well as being a great read, it has helped me a great deal with my English skills as I am more able to find hidden meanings and themes within books and my discussion skills have also improved! Every time I read the books, I find something new and interessting that I hadn't noticed before, that's what sets them apart from so many other books! They're just simply brillaint.

[Invisible]

I have a large number of reasons why ASOUE is my favourite book series, most of which are insanely ridiculous, but the following is the most important and personal to me. As an ambidextrous five year old, I began writing stories and even though the grammar was atrocious, it didn’t matter because I enjoyed what I was doing. Five years later, I had grown out of my ambidexterity, but I was still writing as eagerly as before. It wasn’t until my bookworm sister forced me to listen to the audiotape of The Bad Beginning that my writing style took a turn for the better. As if by magic, my writing style and grammar improved, and now that I’m getting older, but not necessarily wiser, I have been told that my stories have the potential to get published, and that would, literally, be a dream come true. You mean so much to me that I can’t put it into words – it’s indescribable. You give me this confidence that I didn’t think I had, and I don’t have a lot of it. For that, I am eternally grateful.


Lots of love,
Beth

[Deleted]

Being in a country where English is not the national language, reading has always been one of the ways I improve my English language skills. A Series of Unfortunate Events has definitely helped me improve my English language skills in so many ways (grammar, vocabulary, etc). Thank you for writing this great series, and many happy returns on your birthday.
--tk

[Vanja]

A Series of Unfortunate Events were the first books I read with enthusiasm, I had no interest in literature whatsoever before I read them. A Series of Unfortunate Events made me appreciate literature and opened my interest in literature and writing and now thanks to you, I have found my passion for writing.
-Vanja

[Emma “Emmz” Squalor]

I’ve been writing stories on and off since childhood, but it wasn’t until I began writing fanfiction for A Series of Unfortunate Events nearly three years ago that I began to see a significant improvement in my style and even grammar. Both you and your characters have been a huge inspiration to me and helped me to grow as a writer more than I ever imagined. Now I finally feel there’s a chance I might be able to get my original stories published. Thank you so much.

Out of all your characters, the one I relate to best is Jerome Squalor. I’ve always been a very shy and passive person, and so it’s very difficult for me to speak out/stick up for myself, even in my adulthood. But knowing there’s a character I love dearly who’s the same way makes me feel a lot less like an outsider. To be honest, it actually makes me feel quite proud.

Thank you for your fabulous books, and I hope your birthday is smashing.

Warmest Wishes,

Emma Squalor

[MyKindEditor]

aSoUE has taught me that the world I live in is so much more interesting, powerful and, (unfortunately) evil. It made me want to be part of a secret organisation, send coded letters, find clues and connections everywhere I look. aSoUE showed me how to look for meaning everywhere I go. It taught me to to read between the lines. And I did. And for that my gratitude is endless.
I hope you have a perfectly 'in' birthday.
-MyKindEditor

[Cafe SalMONAlla]

The misery and pain of life can often be eased by literature, and although A Series of Unfortunate Events has disturbed me greatly, it has also provided me with horrified comfort of some sort. Mr. Snicket's - well, let's be honest; your - work has taught me many important life lessens. I have learned many codes and techniques that have been useful to me in dire situations involving fast-food restaurants. Aside from the unfortunate books themselves, you have given me much important advice. I am now always careful of raising my hand when on a picnic, and guard my armpits with my life.

I cannot thank you enough for this creation of excellent misery; it has turned many innocent readers into amazed and distraught devotees – people who are, at least, Noble Enough.

I wish to take this opportunity to briefly tell you that, in honor of your work, I invented the phrase “wonderfully unfortunate”, and I wish you a wonderfully unfortunate birthday.

With all due respect, Lemona.

[Sophie-Senpi]

ASoUE has given me an appreciation of the name Beatrice (which I used to dislike but now I like enormously), an appreciation of typewriters, a few new vocabulary words, another good example of why I should never fall in love, and a sudden liking of root beer floats (and Mr.Helequist's drawing style has influenced my own)
- Ivey

[Antenora]

ASoUE set me on intellectual pathways I might not otherwise have taken. It sharpened the analytical and interpretive skills which I now find essential to my college career. It encouraged me to think about moral issues, which in turn has aided my understanding of politics and ethics. It also allowed me to be just about the only person in my high school Government class who knew who Antonin Scalia was.
-Antenora

[jemima]

I can't even begin to think of all the things A Series of Unfortunate Events has done for me. First of all, it led to the movie, which led to my mind being opened with the creativity of the costumes, sets, soundtrack, and plot. It led me to begin reading the series. I was intrigued with the macabre and intellectual tone of the story, the variety of the characters, the clever way of storytelling (such as the two black pages in The Ersatz Elevator, or the repeated page suggesting deja vu in The Carnivorous Carnival), the way I gained random but vital knowledge from vocabulary to European history to mathematics to linguistics, the puzzles in every book, and so on and so forth. But most of all, A Series of Unfortunate Events, in my obsession with the film of ASOUE, led me to 667 Dark Avenue.

667 has done so much for me in ways I cannot fully describe here. All I can say at the moment is that this forum gave me culture in my life when there was none. This message board has helped me mature in a way that I would not have been able to five years ago. 667, you have nourished me when no one else could. 667, you have given my life meaning when I felt there really wasn't any. 667, you spiced up my adolescence. And 667, you've given me memories I will never forget.

I am so proud that I've had to chance to meet you not once, but twice, Mr. Handler. I'm so proud that the first time I met you, in Ann Arbor, MI on October 31st, 2006, I didn't meet only you, but also another member of 667, and on my birthday. The second time I met you, in Cincinnati, OH on April 1st, 2008, I gave you a token of 667's appreciation for you, and our administrator finally talked to you for the first time. You have given me so much. What an understatement. I'm so glad, so elated, that I had the chance to give you a hug, because that is all I had ever wanted to do the first day I read The Bad Beginning.

Your books brought and bring people together, in mind and body. Your books aid us in growing mentally and just plain growing up, yet we simultaneously retain childhood. In brief, your books, Mr. Handler, make us feel good. And that's all anyone ever wants from the world.

With all due respect,

Jemima.

(or Cristina, y'know... since my real name's not Jemima.)

[Tiago James Squalor]

It's hard to find words that can fully express the love I have for A Series of Unfortunate Events but as a writer, I'll try my best. My first contact with the series was through the movie, which I loved on it's own. The dark themes attracted me like a moth to a lamp, and I really liked the story and characters, the overall look of the film. After that, I sort of 'forgot' about the series for a while until I realized they had been published in my country, Brazil. I started to buy the books and read them soon after, and I immediately fell in love with the series. Mr. Handler, I want to personally thank you for writing these awesome series. ASoUE is the best thing I've read in years. My favorite character is Esmé Squalor, because I find her very funny, but I really relate to the Baudelaires. ASoUE came to me in a turbulent period of my life, and it really cheered me up. But most of all, ASoUE awoke the writer in me. Now, I want to be a writer, and I only wish to be able to meet you, Mr. Handler and personally tell you how I admire you and your work, and what it means to me.

Never before have I felt such love for a series of books, to the point of not being able to remember what it was like before reading them, Mr. Handler. I joined 667 Dark Avenue and I have met great friends there. ASoUE makes me feel like I'm a kid again, and now at 19 years old, it's truly important that I'm able to do so every now and then.

My dream is to be a writer, and reading ASoUE has made me realize that I do have talent, and I just know I'll be able to write some day. Books are my life, my everything, and amongst all the great books I'll forever have in my heart, ASoUE lies in a shelf of honor.

Thank you, Mr. Handler, for giving us this great gift. Happy Birthday! I wish you all the best, for you and your family! ^^

Yours truly

Your sincere fan, Tiago Squalor

- Actually Tiago Soares hehe -