Becky has
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| # | cover | title | author | isbn | isbn13 | asin | num pages | avg rating | num ratings | date pub | date pub (ed.) | rating | my rating | review | notes | recommender | comments | votes | read count | date started | date read |
date
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date purchased | owned | purchase location | condition | format | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
63
| 
| 0715642936
| 9780715642931
| 3.33
| 247
| Jun 01, 2011
| Feb 16, 2012
|
I really enjoy Max Brooks' stories. I love his insightful way of looking at the zombie culture, what it represents, what it means for us, what we woul...more
I really enjoy Max Brooks' stories. I love his insightful way of looking at the zombie culture, what it represents, what it means for us, what we would, or could, do about it if it were to occur. I recently recommended Max's World War Z to a friend, and loaned him my copy so he could read it. (Don't worry, it's back in my possession now, and unharmed. :D) He returned it with the comment that it was probably one of the best stories about society in crisis he'd ever read, and that the realism was incredible. I completely agree, which is why I recommended it to him in the first place. ;) So anyway, my point in mentioning this is that Max Brooks' books have been on my mind recently, and so when I was browsing Audible last night looking for something to listen to so I could clean the kitchen (What? Like you don't...), I discovered Closure Limited. I'd never heard of it before, so I was kinda excited by the thought of new material. So, I downloaded, listened, and cleaned... in that order. Priorities, people. O_o Overall, I liked this - maybe not AS much as Zombie Survival Guide or World War Z, but close. I think part of what detracted from this a bit was the format and the reading. For one thing, the reader sounded a lot like Max Brooks himself to me. I have heard Max read on the WWZ audiobook (the abridged one - I've yet to listen to the newer unabridged version), and I've seen him on that one zombie documentary show that I can't think of the name of... *IMDBs* "Zombies: A Living History". So for the intro, the reader's voice worked fine for me... but in the stories themselves... it wasn't the best match. That's not to say that the performance wasn't good... It was good, but I am kinda picky when it comes to audiobook readers, and I wouldn't say that Christopher Ragland is among my favorites. The male voices were OK - but the females were... not. And three times he had to do accents: one from The Netherlands (if I remember right?), another from Vietnam, and then a woman from China. Oddly, the Chinese woman's voice distracted me the least, which was kind of contradictory to how I felt about how he read other women - maybe it was the more staccato way in which he read her that helped. Not sure. Before I talk about the individual stories, I'll just mention one other thing that detracted from this book for me, with regards to the audio version. That issue is that each story is headed by a chapter. "Chapter One: Closure Limited". I didn't actually NOTICE this, though, until midway through the 2nd story, when I was wondering what the hell the events I was listening to had to do with where I thought the story was going. I'm used to stories jumping around at chapter breaks. It gives a different perspective, and progresses the story, etc, so I heard, "Chapter Two: Steve & Fred" and didn't think anything of it being a NEW story, but a 2nd chapter in the story I was listening to already. It was a little distracting, the be honest. Probably in print form, this wouldn't be an issue, because I'd know, getting to the next story, that it's not really "Chapter Two". Anyway, so when I eventually realized that it was a different story, it made a LOT more sense. Moving on to the stories themselves, I really enjoyed them. Closure Limited: Think about a zombie apocalypse... You know that the undead are everywhere, and that they are relentless killing, and turning, machines. Think about your loved ones, the ones that are now out of contact with you in your safehouse, or compound, or whatever. You don't know whether they are alive or dead or undead. You hope that they are alive, but the odds are... slim. After a while, the wondering starts to get to you... it starts to be harder to live with NOT knowing than it would be to just mourn. That's where Closure Limited comes in - they allow you to end that uncertainty. They provide a service that gives just what their name says: closure. Granted, there's a certain amount of self-deception that's required, because, after all, you HIRED this company to give you closure... but if you just need the symbolic aspect, you're all set. This one really made me think... It is kind of awful in its way, and extremely risky, but could I really say that I wouldn't want something like this to exist if I was in the situation of needing it? At the very least, it would be cathartic to destroy the hope that just stubbornly hangs on and insists on tormenting us... Steve & Fred: When I listened to this one last night, I was... not impressed. It didn't help that I didn't realize it was a new story (as I mentioned above), but to add to that the story also has a shift of its own. So, to be fair, I listened to this one again this morning, and I've changed my initial opinion. This is a GOOD story. It's like a little polaroid of a story, one that is still working on developing toward the middle. There's not much to this one - it's 22 minutes long, so, maybe I'd estimate a similar number of pages if the reader goes through 1 per minute. Maybe double if he reads slower. I dunno. But either way, the way it expands to show the whole situation is impressive, and enormous in its capacity for dread. And the irony of the story-within-a-story aspect is not lost on me. This is good stuff. The Extinction Parade: This one is probably my least favorite of the lot, and oddly enough for the "unreality" of this zombie story containing vampires. Yes. Really. I mean, it's not that I'm against vampires and zombies in the same story; in fact, usually I'm good with that. But in Max Brooks' universe, zombies invade the normal, everyday world due to a virus. There's nothing paranormal about them. So the insertion of the paranormal here just felt... out of place. That being said, if I put that aside, the story is still a good one. It brings to light the concept of resources - that if suddenly a previously thought continually renewable resource suddenly starts to dwindle, would those who rely on the resource notice in time to stop it... COULD they stop it even if they did? The Great Wall: This story, previous to my re-listen to Steve & Fred, was my favorite of the four. Now, I'd say they are tied. I loved this story for everything that it represented in terms of human resilience and stoicism and courage. It brought tears to my eyes, both of pride and sadness, and I loved every second of it. This one is definitely a keeper for anyone who enjoys zombie lit, or who is a fan of Max Brooks, or both. I definitely recommend it. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Apr 05, 2013
| Apr 06, 2013
|
Apr 05, 2013
| Paperback
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64
| 
| 0615718795
| 9780615718798
| 3.32
| 77
| Oct 24, 2012
| Oct 24, 2012
|
I received a copy of this book from the author for review. I haven't been accepting many books for review lately, because I dislike the feeling of obl...more I received a copy of this book from the author for review. I haven't been accepting many books for review lately, because I dislike the feeling of obligation that accepting a book for review brings with it, especially the past chunk of time, with my reading so erratic and all. But Therese emailed me, and I checked out the book and it intrigued me. The cover drew me in, and the description left me wondering, and both are good things. So I accepted a review copy, but then all that erratic reading happened again, and I sat on this one for over a month. I picked it up last night, and I'll admit that right off the bat, I was a little apprehensive. This is written in 1st person present tense, which is honestly my least favorite narrative style. I thought right away that I was going to be constantly distracted by the narrative. I will admit that there were a few times that repetitive wording or phrasing jumped out at me ("If there's a choice, I don't see it" and "If I have a choice, I don't see it" both showed up within 9 pages of each other, for example), but once I got into the story, I was engrossed, and read the majority of the book in one sitting this afternoon. Which is pretty impressive, since, as I've mentioned, I have Erratic Reading Syndrome (ERS). I am pleasantly surprised by how much I actually did enjoy this story, considering my first impressions last night. I thought that the characters were all well done, and understandable, if a bit frustrating. I truly felt as though I was trying to figure things out with Eliza as she went along - not just about the mystery, but also who Eliza is, or wants to be. I got the feeling that Eliza had done a lot of growing up in a short time, even before the start of the book, and didn't yet realize it. Her interactions with Fiona just held that awkwardness of friends who are drifting apart but are unsure why or how. This is one of the things that I liked best about the book. We're not in Eliza's head a lot - just when she's actively questioning or piecing things together - but it never feels like there's any narrative missing. She is understandable and relatable, even if I don't always necessarily agree with her reactions, so it's easy to keep up with her moods and changes. The story itself is interesting, and kept me reading through to the end to find out the answers to the questions, but also to find out what the repercussions of the answers would be. I felt for Annie, after learning what she had gone through, and though the subject matter was grim, the writing was never manipulative or overly sentimental. I liked that quite a bit. Let the story speak for itself. If you've written a good one, it will. This one did. Overall, I really enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to someone looking for a good way to spend a rainy afternoon. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| May 10, 2013
| May 10, 2013
|
Mar 20, 2013
| Paperback
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61
| 
| 0747591067
| 9780747591061
| 4.55
| 929,051
| Aug 01, 2007
| Jul 21, 2007
|
*Sigh* It's over, once again. Once again I read this book through a stream of tears. I just can't seem to help it. It's just... the end, the losses, t...more *Sigh* It's over, once again. Once again I read this book through a stream of tears. I just can't seem to help it. It's just... the end, the losses, the trials, everything. I just can't seem to turn off the tear ducts. But my goodness, I love this book so much. Not only does everything come together, but we learn so much more about Dumbledore's history, and what he means when he says that it's choice over ability, what he means when he says that love is the most powerful, what he means when he says to trust in others. As a counterpoint, Voldemort only equates trusting with necessity and regret. This book isn't perfect - it's just NEARLY perfect. I noticed this time around that there were an awful lot of colons strewn about. Places where I think a semicolon or comma or period would be better. But that was only a little distracting. I would also have liked a bit more of the epilogue, to know about everyone that I've loved all this time and how they are doing. And, I might have missed it, but I don't know how Harry and the others could have gotten to Shell Cottage, since Bill, Secret Keeper, hadn't told them about it. Technically, Ron shouldn't have been able to name it. But. But, in light of the otherwise amazingness of this book, I can overlook one tiny little misstep plot hole. I mean, maybe Dobby had to really apparate them there, because Elf magic is different. But I still don't know how they'd have been able to speak the name of the place without Bill having first told them. Anyway. I love the way that the Horcruxes and Hallows are blended here. Both are vital and important to Harry's success, and both must be sought for the right reasons. Not for personal gain or invincibility, but to help other people, to protect them. I've read this series... many times. But it amazes me how I'm still affected by it, every time. I still get nervous for Harry, I still ache for his losses and fears. My heart still pounds every time Hermione is dragged off to be tortured and Ron screams for Bellatrix to take him instead immediately - no hesitation. It makes me love him even more because he doesn't even think about it - it's just a natural urge to protect her. This book makes my soul ache. Love love love love it. I can't help it, I just wallow in it, and as much as I sob my way through it... it's in a proud way. I'm so proud of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Of Neville. Of all of them. Fantastic. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Feb 23, 2013
| Feb 25, 2013
|
Feb 17, 2013
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
60
| 
| 074758110X
| 9780747581109
| 4.46
| 895,731
| Jul 16, 2005
| Jul 16, 2005
|
I remember when this book was originally released. I'd gotten into the Harry Potter phenomenon late, after the 5th book was out, and during the time b...more
I remember when this book was originally released. I'd gotten into the Harry Potter phenomenon late, after the 5th book was out, and during the time before Half-Blood Prince was out, I'd read and re-read the first 5 books... A LOT. So then comes the 6th book's release, and by this time, I'm just as rabid for it as everyone else. I need to know what's happened. I need to know whether Sirius... but no. What I really need to know is What Will Harry Do Now? The day comes, and, at the time, I was working a late shift. I got out of work at 11:15pm, raced to the bookstore for the midnight release... and found it closed, dark, and the parking lot nearly empty when I got there at 11:30. OH! I was LIVID. I immediately, literally standing in the parking lot, called the bookstore and ripped the manager a new one. The book releases at MIDNIGHT. I HAD A PRE-ORDER!! You don't get to sell it early just because you don't feel like being there into the early hours of the morning! I was so angry that Mr. Sheepishly Apologetic Bookstore Manager even offered to reopen the store for me. I refused on principle. (What? He made me mad and I just wanted him to know it. Though, honestly, if I was really feeling vindictive, I should have made him re-openThe summumabeech.) What does this story have to do with anything? Nothing much, except to establish my almost desperate frame of mind... I NEEDED that book. But I knew they'd be available everywhere. That night, there were so many copies of Half-Blood Prince around that I could practically have snagged one off of a passing owl. And just as an aside, I'll tell you that when the 7th book came out a couple years later, that bookstore was open and selling them properly. I take personal credit. Not that I was there... I went to a different store, again on principle. Because I hold grudges like that. ;) Anyway, with my new acquisition, I raced home, told my boyfriend he had to go out with his friends so that he didn't disturb me, and I devoured the book in hours. And it was like... a cool drink of water after you've been thirsty for a long time. I HAD A NEW HARRY POTTER BOOK! But after finishing, I was like, "Eh, it's just a filler, bridge to the last book, book." I wasn't disappointed - don't get me wrong. I had loved it. But I am admitting that it took me a couple reads to really, REALLY appreciate it properly. All the things that we learn, all the ways that this book brings all the things that we'd seen in the first 5 books together, how Harry finally realizes what it all means and what he'll have to do, how he can't just hope to keep defending himself and those he loves, but knows he'll need to go on the offensive if he hopes to win... It was all amazing, brilliantly woven together into this awesome next-to-last book. When Harry tells Ron and Hermione about the real prophecy, and he is grateful to them for not shrinking away from him as though he'd suddenly turned leprous, it hits home just how alone Harry truly is. I never expected them to do differently... but Harry feared they might. It shows how much of a complex Harry has about his role in everything - he's always been alone, separate, so it surprises him that his friends would stick by him. And even at the very end, he is again surprised when they refuse to let him shrug them off and take the Horcrux Hunt onto his own shoulders completely. Harry. Harry... You have better friends than you can possibly know. What I wouldn't give for friends that would stand with me like that, time after time after time, and in the face of such danger and fear. Silly boy. I also love Snape in this book. He's as much of a jerk as always, but in the chapter where he's running from Hogwarts, when he screams at Harry not to call him a coward, how his voice is described, how he's STILL trying to teach Harry, but Harry is too full of blind rage to hear, to think, to learn... It's... brilliant. Harry reaches his conclusions and refuses to see any other alternative, despite what Dumbledore has exemplified year after year - openmindedness, trust, understanding. Damn, I love this book. Just amazing. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Feb 22, 2013
| Feb 23, 2013
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Feb 17, 2013
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
59
| 
| 0747569401
| 9780747569404
| 4.37
| 889,871
| 2003
| Jun 21, 2003
|
I remember the first time I'd ever read this book, and how I felt at the end - after everything that was lost... and I still feel that way to this day...more
I remember the first time I'd ever read this book, and how I felt at the end - after everything that was lost... and I still feel that way to this day: shocked, hollow, heartbroken, and furious. OK, maybe not 'shocked' anymore, because now I know what's coming, but my point is that this book has the power to affect me... EVERY SINGLE TIME. And as loud as the emotions can be (Harry rampaging about being kept in the dark all summer when he finally is brought to Grimmauld Place, and After (capital A) in Dumbledore's office), it's the small things that gut me. Lupin's voice being full of pain, Harry's crushing realization that he wouldn't be kept waiting, especially when he was clearly in need. Even writing this makes me tear up. I know that there are a lot of people who dislike the angsty-ness of this book, but I think it's perfect. Harry is 15, right in the thick of his moody teen "I'm So Misunderstood" years, as Phinneas Nigellus is wont to point out, and I loved it. I don't mean to say that I LIKE it, because it is a tad frustrating, but I love it because it's realistic. Harry has been through more than most full-grown wizards, hell, more than some AURORS have been through, and he's left in the dark for so long that it's completely realistic that he should be frustrated and angry about it. I love this book, and I love the way that the circumstances really become real to Harry in this book. After Cedric last year, and then the Longbottoms - I mean, I know that Harry knew what happened to them last year, but really SEEING them this year had to make it tangible how dangerous Lord Thingy's supporters can be, and then Sirius solidified it. There's a lot that comes together in this book as well, most that becomes clear in the last two books, but it's starting to meld into a picture of the link that was formed that day in Godric's Hollow. Brilliant stuff. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Feb 10, 2013
| Feb 21, 2013
|
Feb 10, 2013
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
58
| 
| 1551927063
| 9781551927060
| 4.44
| 931,900
| 2000
| 2004
|
Once again, this book is awesome. It's the turning point in the series. The place where SHIT GETS REAL. We see Harry go through some real challenges i...more Once again, this book is awesome. It's the turning point in the series. The place where SHIT GETS REAL. We see Harry go through some real challenges in this book, and not just the ones that Voldy cooked up through his devious evility, but challenges that any normal teen may go through... jealousy, a strained-to-the-breaking-point friendship, a crush, and bullying... and that's a day in Harry's life BEFORE anyone tries to kill him. There's something about these books that just pulls my heartstrings, too... and his name is Ron. I love love love love Ron. He is my favorite character, by far, of the series. It breaks my heart a little to see him wearing too-short PJs, and it's embarrassing to me, both on Ron's behalf and for Harry, to know that Harry sees it, acknowledges and pities Ron for it, but disregards it in his anger. And Ron's reaction to Harry's anger, or lack of one, speaks volumes, and breaks my heart still more. And this is the kind of thing that I love about JKR's writing. That scene seems so simple on the surface - Ron interrupts Harry when he's trying to talk to Snuffles, and since Ron has been acting like a jerk, Harry uses the interruption to vent his frustration. But what's implied, and what's NOT said are what makes the scene so emotionally powerful to me. And every single time I tear up. There are some things that I noticed on this 374th reading of the book that stood out as improbable, like how does Voldemort keep his wand for 13 years of being incorporeal? Someone else would have had to have held onto it for him, but if that's the case, why wouldn't they have helped him arise again? And likewise, I find it hard to believe that Voldy did ZERO magic between killing Lily Potter and then killing Bertha Jorkins 13 years later. Priori Incantatem shows the spells that a wand has performed... It showed the hand that Voldemort had conjured for Wormtail, and screaming to indicate the Cruciatus curse he used on Harry, so why did it not reflect any of the magic he'd have had to do to get to Bertha's memories? Likely this is just due to the amount of time that it would have needed to show them all, but some sort of explanation would be better than none. But still... I love this book, and there's a reason why it was my favorite for so long. I love the emotional impact of this book, and how draining it is to read. I love that I finish this book with tears in my eyes and an ache in my heart for the things that I know are coming... but I can't help but want more. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jan 26, 2013
| Feb 11, 2013
|
Jan 26, 2013
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
57
| 
| 045146379X
| 9780451463791
| 4.26
| 26,070
| Jul 26, 2011
| Jul 26, 2011
|
I'm going to assume that if you're reading this review, you've read all of the Dresden books up to and including Ghost Story. So, if you haven't, don'...more
I'm going to assume that if you're reading this review, you've read all of the Dresden books up to and including Ghost Story. So, if you haven't, don't complain if I spoil this for you, because I just don't think I can vague-ify this one. Here we go... Reaction immediately after finishing Changes & Aftermath (from Side Jobs):  Reaction while reading Ghost Story: Reaction after reading Ghost Story:  So like... if you know me, you'd know why this motherfucker right here got 5 stars. It made me cry. Many times. I don't really know how many because I didn't count, but I was kind of surprised it happened at all. I mean, I'd recently finished Changes, and I remember how emotional that one was, how much Harry lost, how much his world, his life, changed. How he gained a daughter that he could never know, how he had to murder someone he loved to protect that daughter. I remember these things and the way they affected me. And it was good. I'd never felt that way reading a Dresden book before. But this one upped the emotional ante and (dare I say it?) went all in. I'll probably be turning right back around after Cold Days and saying, "Remember how I said Ghost Story was fucking raw?? Well, color me fucking short-sighted..." If that happens, I admit it, I'll be thrilled. Because I'm deranged like that and love when books gut-punch me. By the way, Ghost Story was fucking raw. I loved all the little ways that this hurt me. From Murphy's distrust that Harry's shade was really Harry, to the way Molly changed after losing Harry, to the fact that it was 10 pages before the end of the story before Harry lets himself think of Thomas... and all that those things imply, the emotional aspect of this one was ratcheted up. I loved (and hated) feeling Harry's loss through his friends, through the city itself, and how it's gone wild in such a short time without Harry's influence there, and I feared what permanence might mean. I loved Harry's growth and insight, and his concern for his friends even after death. I loved all these things, and how they all tied in together to show how much I'd grown to love Harry over the course of twelve books. I mean, I knew I'd loved him... but I don't think I knew how much until I lost him. Yeah... I said it. Cliche FTW. This used to be a series that I enjoyed, but to me it was like candy. Really good candy, satisfying candy, but candy nonetheless. I like it, but I don't need it, I can't live on it. Now the emotional impact has been upped and this is ranging more in the soup and a sandwich zone. It's now got substance and nourishment and it's filling... but leaves me wanting more a few hours later. Pleasepleaseplease let Cold Days graduate to dinner! I'm hungry! Technically, aside from the details, this was kind of what I expected... had I expected anything. Dang, that sentence really doesn't make much sense. I mean, once it started and I knew what kind of story I was working with, the storyline kind of went where I thought it would. Or... rather, where I was fingers/toes/legs/eyes-crossed/hair braided hoping it would. The route it took to get there was unexpected and different, but still. I'm thankful it DID get there, and didn't go the closeish route of having Harry join Captain Murphy's team. While I'm sure that would have been interesting, and Harry'd have found some method of interaction, I was hoping for the full Monty. THANK YOU, Jim Butcher, for letting me have that. I can't wait to see where Cold Days goes. (I'm a little frightened too, though.)(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Nov 28, 2012
| Dec 04, 2012
|
Nov 28, 2012
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
55
| 
| 0778328791
| 9780778328797
| 3.85
| 12,552
| Jan 18, 2011
| Jan 18, 2011
|
This is another Audible gem. They were having a "Buy One, Get One" sale, and These Things Hidden was my "Get One" book, chosen on a whim. But for that...more
This is another Audible gem. They were having a "Buy One, Get One" sale, and These Things Hidden was my "Get One" book, chosen on a whim. But for that sale, I probably never would have read this. (I've been kind of unofficially avoiding YA lately, being sick of the love triangles and the YAPNR and the blah blah blah.) But had I missed this one, it would have been a shame, because this book is fantastic. I almost don't want to talk about the plot of the story at all, because I'm afraid of ruining it. The way this is written, from four different perspectives, is perfect, and the story evolves in just the right way, at just the right pace. Each chapter reveals just a little more about what happened to land Allison in prison, and each chapter reveals just a little bit more about how one mistake in an otherwise perfect life can cause ever widening effect ripples in Allison's life, and her family's and community's lives. At the point when the crime was revealed, I was shocked and dismayed. Not only for the nature of the crime, but for how early in the story the revelation came. I remember thinking, "Oh no... This is too early! The rest of the story is going to flop now that there's nothing left to wonder about." I was so wrong. Not only did those ripples keep widening and showing us more of the story of That Night, but the story was so compelling, so heartbreaking and so honest that I couldn't stop listening. I had to know what happened, and what would happen next. This is a relevant and gut-wrenching story about mistakes and their consequences, about decisions we make, and how they affect us and everyone around us. It's a story of second chances, responsibility, and how sometimes things go horribly, horribly wrong just when we think that everything is going perfectly, but that life goes on anyway. I feel like this is a book that needs to be read and re-read to really feel the full impact. My perceptions of the characters in the story kept shifting constantly, like mercury, but I never felt manipulated, which is the mark of a great writer, in my opinion. For an author to move me around like a chess piece but make me believe it's the board moving rather than my feet, they've made themselves a fan. This girl, right here. If I had anything to complain about, it was that the readers sometimes sounded a little stiff and choppy, but I'm not holding that against the book, because almost as soon as I'd notice the reader, she'd be gone again and I'd be drowning in the story. This book may not be for everyone, but for me, it was just what I didn't know I needed to pull me out of a summer long reading slump. This book reminded me why I love reading, and why sometimes the best things show up when we least expect them. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Aug 20, 2012
| Aug 21, 2012
|
Aug 20, 2012
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
56
| 
| 0316228532
| 9780316228534
| 3.26
| 77,138
| 2012
| Sep 27, 2012
|
 JK Rowling was not even fucking around when she said that this book was for adults. This is about as far removed from a story for kids as it's possibl...more JK Rowling was not even fucking around when she said that this book was for adults. This is about as far removed from a story for kids as it's possible to get. There's no pigeonholing the mighty JK Rowling, that's for sure. She's like an authorial ninja... she comes out of nowhere, lays the smack down in a style of awesomeness you would never expect, and then goes about her business, leaving you reeling.  BLAMMO! Even though I was expecting an "adult" book... I don't think it really hit me how different it really would be. I mean, like most other Potterheads, I've read the books dozens of times and I'm used to the worst language from JKR being mudblood, git, and bitch. So to see words like fuck, whore, and cunt being thrown about like it ain't no thang, I admit that it was a little bit of a surprise. But it's fantastic. Really. It's a book that I feel like I'll need to read again (rather than just wanting to, which I do), because Rowling is so skillful with her pen that I'm not sure I caught every reference, every nuance or intended meaning. It took me a long time to read this book. Longer by far than it should have taken, because I have a lot going on in the world outside of books. That scary place called "reality". *shudder* I'm in the midst of packing for a move so reading has been pushed to the back-burner. But even so, whenever I picked up the book, be it hours or days later, I was right back in Pagford as if I'd lived there all my life. There's no main character in this story. It's told in constantly shifting points of view from several key members of the Pagford community. And at this juncture, I'd like to offer a little comparison. While reading this book, I had to take a break to read my real life bookclub selection The Time Traveler's Wife. Both books are told from multiple POVs, but Time Traveler's Wife abruptly changes back and forth between Henry and Clare's POV. The Time Traveler's Wife's POV switches are clearly delineated by a paragraph break (at the very least), and a header with the new narrator's name. Every time. But there were times reading The Time Traveler's Wife that I had no idea which person was narrating and would have to go back and check. There just didn't seem to be enough difference in their voices to really follow the narration switches without the headers available for reference when needed. This is not the case with The Casual Vacancy. TCV doesn't abruptly change narrators, instead the narrative flows effortlessly among them all. Sentence to sentence the POV can change, but I never, not one time, had any difficulty following it. In fact, I'd read about 1/3 of the book prior to seeing JK Rowling in New York for her interview and signing, and this aspect was mentioned by Ann Patchett. It was like a lightbulb went off in my head, because I felt that there was something a little different about the narrative, but couldn't put my finger on it. After it was identified (Seriously, thank you Ann Patchett!), I could watch the narrative changes in action, and it was really amazing to see the shifts happen but at the same time forget that they were happening at all because it was just so easy to keep up with. If I had one complaint about the narration style, it would be the use of parentheses. There were often asides notated in parentheses, and I really didn't think they were necessary at all, given the flowy almost stream-of-Pagford-consciousness style of the narration. The parentheses broke up the narrative and felt like an interruption to me. The info was necessary, but I wish it would have been worked into the text more seamlessly. A little bit about the characters. First... Oh my. I would NOT want to live in Pagford, that is for damn sure. It may seem idyllic and homey and welcoming... until you actually talk to the residents. There was only one really likeable character in the whole story, and he's the one Rowling killed off about 3 pages in. Everyone else is a complex jumble of neuroses and anger and manipulation and selfishness. It's interesting to me that the teenagers in the story, though having their own set of issues semi-intertwined with the adults' issues, were actually the more civilized among the parish. And that's taking into account the bullying, the ostracizing, the usual teen drama stuff that happens everywhere. Which, I think, should tell you something about this town. One of the characters had this kind of affectation of being "authentic". He'd pretty much just do and say anything at all that he wanted, thinking that each action (or non-action) was the "authentic" one of the moment. But there were times when his "authenticity" seemed so staged and planned that I couldn't help thinking that maybe there was a page missing in his dictionary between "Asshole" and "Authentic" and he got them confused.  I really could mention something about every character - about how they lie to themselves as naturally as they lie to each other, about how they have more faces than Janus, about... well, many things. But I don't want to ruin it for anyone. There are many themes in this book, most pertaining to pain of some sort. Mental illness, depression, addiction and dependency, abuse - both physical and emotional, death, etc, and the way that they were handled was pretty much spot on. Idealism has no place in Pagford, and we rarely get happy endings in the real world. This was a sad story, in a lot of ways, but never manipulative. One of the parts that made me cry was so unexpected that I had to laugh at myself for it, because usually my waterworks are fairly predictable. My favorite character (what? I can like unlikeable characters!) is, of course, the one struggling so much against the current of Pagford's selfish will. I always root for underdogs. But, in this case, it was painful. It was heartbreaking to watch, because each scene kept escalating things, and the two forces (the character and Pagford) were at odds with each other, though not really directly and every time a step forward would be made, there would be two pushes back the other way. Honestly at times I wanted to reach through my nook to slap people... but it only would have made me feel better temporarily and wouldn't have helped the situation. It was just so frustrating! But I loved it. There were moments of humor, but more often I was reading with a grimace of disgust at the horrible things that people can say and do to each other. But then, the mark of a great story is its ability to affect the reader, and this one definitely affected me. Highly recommended. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Oct 15, 2012
| Oct 30, 2012
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Jul 28, 2012
| Hardcover
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53
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| 0307238024
| 9780307238023
| 3.68
| 361
| May 01, 1991
| Jul 25, 2006
|
If it weren't for my bookclub, I probably would never have even heard of this book. But it was chosen, and so I read it. I finished it in less than a...more
If it weren't for my bookclub, I probably would never have even heard of this book. But it was chosen, and so I read it. I finished it in less than a day, so it's compelling enough, I'm just not sure I can say exactly why. This is just the story of a family, the Hazens, trying to make it season by season, year after year, living close to and off of the land, and with faith. They don't work 9 to 5 jobs so that they can go down to the Super Wal-Mart to pick up the things they need. Instead, Susan grows their vegetables, Gary and their sons hunt or fish for their meat, they barter for goods, etc. That's not to say that they are completely cut off from modernity - Gary does odd jobs for money to buy generators and freezers and such, and surely to pay taxes, though that wasn't mentioned specifically, but they try to live by an ideal of respect for the land and simplicity. The two boys, Gary David (24) and Kevin (19) were raised to this life... but Kevin is itching to get out of it. He's the first in their family, ever, to go to college, and hates that he feels trapped by obligation to live a life he's no longer sure he wants. He's got a liberal vegetarian girlfriend who doesn't believe in killing animals for any reason, including meat, and she tries to get Kevin to refuse to hunt in the upcoming season. Gary David is more accepting of the lifestyle they choose to live and responsible, a role he sees as being necessary as the first born, but in his own way he's rebelling too, by choosing a life with someone not North Country born, and in a position of authority over the Hazens - an Environmental Conservation Officer, investigating the Hazens for a reported hunting violation. The story begins with a prologue from Susan's perspective, recounting the early morning departure of the three men on hunting season opening morning, and leaves us with a sort of aimless sense of foreboding. The remainder of the book takes us through the weeks leading up to that day, and we get to see how the Hazens live and interact with each other and their community. Gary and Kevin are drifting apart. They both want life on their own terms, but their terms are completely opposite, and so they butt heads and each resent the other for making things difficult and not understanding the other's perspective. Gary's lifestyle is a tradition based on necessity that's no longer truly necessary in this society of modernity. He doesn't understand how life could be fulfilling in any other way. His lifestyle gives him purpose and a sense of accomplishment, as well as an ingrained respect for the nature around him. Kevin just sees it as a ball and chain holding him back from his own chosen path. To tell the truth, not very much happens in this book. There's not very much conflict, aside from the familial type I mentioned above. There are a lot of beautiful descriptions of the Adirondacks and the community in which the Hazens live, but for much of the book, what I've written above just about covers it. It's definitely a slowly building story, which makes the end and the resolution feel like it was on super fast-forward, unfortunately. This book's told in quite a lot of different perspective chapters, all in 1st person narrative except for Kevin's chapters, which are in 3rd person. I honestly do not have any idea why Kevin was singled out for a different narrative style. It really doesn't make sense to me. The only thing I can figure is that we're supposed to associate the difference in narrative with the foreboding from the prologue, and it's supposed to generate some suspense and worry about what will happen to Kevin. And I guess, in a way, there was that, because obviously it came to mind, but mainly it just stood out like a sore thumb. And even now, after finishing the story, I still have no idea why the choice was made to change the narrative for Kevin. His perspective could easily have been written to match the others, and in my opinion, would have worked better that way. Third person created a distance from him that I didn't want. I wanted to know him as I knew everyone else in the story. Why should I get to hear the innermost thoughts of a waitress that is only in the story for a few pages here and there, but be kept distant from one of the main, pivotal characters? Frustrating. Coming back to the ending, I have to admit it was a bit of a let-down. There was all this build-up, all this manufactured suspense, and then the main event is completely skipped, and we only see the outcome, with an explanation of what apparently happened from those who weren't there. And then the epilogue is just a pat, too conveniently perfect resolution, one that doesn't fit what I know of the characters. Honestly, I wish that the epilogue had been left off. I think the ending would have been better that way, even if it was problematic. One other note about the writing. Some of the phrasing and sentence structure was a bit awkward, and I'd have to read a line 2 or 3 times to get what was being said. It felt like it was trying too hard to be beautiful prose, and it didn't need to try at all. In fact, considering the stark way of life they chose, less would have been more. Overall though, I can't say that I disliked the book. I read it in less than a day, and something about it kept me turning the pages. I don't know what that was, but it was there. (less) | Notes are private!
| Kenny
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1
| Jul 07, 2012
| Jul 07, 2012
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Jul 07, 2012
| Paperback
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52
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| 1439159491
| 9781439159491
| 3.13
| 143
| May 01, 2012
| May 01, 2012
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I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review. My first impression of the book, even before cracking it open, was that it would be a gu...more I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review. My first impression of the book, even before cracking it open, was that it would be a gut-wrencher. The description mentions "Tara and Sky share a mother, but aside from that they seem to differ in almost every way. When a series of tragedies strikes, they must somehow come together in the face of heartbreak, dashed hopes, and demons of the past." which sounds right up my alley. I love a good tear-jerker - they can be so cathartic. And then there's the cover. So gorgeous. I want to have it framed. I love it. I love the colors, the silhouettes, the way the figures are together, but distant, and we're prevented from truly seeing who they are. I love everything about it. Unfortunately, once I got the book, I did not love touching it. I don't know what it is, but the texture of the dust-jacket just does not feel nice. It's like... grimy, somehow. I don't know how else to describe it. I had to take it off the book while reading, because I just didn't like touching it. Such a shame, because it is really beautiful. Regarding the story itself, I have mixed reactions. On one hand, I really enjoyed the concept and the story's format of alternating point of view chapters with parallel chapter titles, but there were quite a few things that just felt "off" to me. The beginning of the story was fantastic. I was drawn into Sky's grief for the loss of her friend, drawn into her family life and her history, and I really felt for her. When she suffered yet another tragedy, I was completely heartbroken for her. Which is exactly what I would expect. But things shifted after Sky went into her newer mourning cycle. I couldn't believe that she was the same person! I know that everyone grieves differently, but I couldn't help but be annoyed with the complete selfishness and narcissism that Sky displayed. It was just mind-boggling. I wanted to grieve and heal with her, but I just couldn't go with her to the level she was at, because not only could I not understand it, I couldn't justify it or condone it. I'm not trying to be heartless, but grief isn't an excuse to dredge up the most horrible things you can think to fling at someone. It's not a license to hurt others. People can be cruel, yes, but this was just beyond the pale, and I just couldn't go there with her. Tara, Sky's younger half-sister, is there for Sky every step of the way. She went to lengths to rearrange her and her crew's tour schedule to help her sister decide what to do and help her get it done. I identified with each sister differently, and at different stages of the story. But I will admit that I had trouble reading Tara's sections at times, because her dialogue was very uneven. At times she'd talk in a kind of valley-girl way, saying "like" all the time. At other times, it would be a kind of ghetto slang. Then others she'd use a sort of metaphor-heavy prose style, usually when talking about her family. And then when she wasn't "being" any of those other people, she was just herself and just talked. Maybe this was intentional, though. Tara isn't sure who she is, so maybe the dialogue was a way to illustrate that point. But it didn't feel right to me and was a bit distracting. Also distracting was Tara's self-congratulatory musings. By this I mean that she'd often say something like "Do you see how I go out of my way for my sister?" I do see that, without you pointing it out, thanks. Finally, the second half of the book got a bit bogged down in the "meaningful" stuff. It was full of Hallmark moments, people telling each other how much they loved them, appreciated them, how proud they were of them, or other deep, meaningful thoughts that just felt staged or forced. Meaningful moments are great, but they should be used sparingly or they begin to feel cloying and fake. These complaints aside, I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and I really loved the crew. I liked that they helped Sky out as much as (if not more than) Tara herself. I kept turning the pages, and I wanted to know what would happen to these sisters and their families, and whether they'd make it or not. I would pick up another of Pearlman's books - even with the flaws I mentioned, it's one that will likely stick with me.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jun 25, 2012
| Jun 28, 2012
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Jun 25, 2012
| Hardcover
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50
| 
| 1852424672
| 9781852424671
| 4.02
| 45,608
| Mar 25, 2003
| May 09, 2006
|
I've started this review 6 times now, and each time, I've deleted it because it doesn't quite convey the right thing. I think the problem is that I'm...more
I've started this review 6 times now, and each time, I've deleted it because it doesn't quite convey the right thing. I think the problem is that I'm not sure just what that thing is. But one thing I do know is that I love books that make me feel like this... that "I don't know what I need to say but I need to say something, to talk about this with someone because this book won't keep quiet in my mind" feeling. I guess it's lucky that this was chosen for our latest group read then, because I filibustered there with every jumbled, messy, half-formed thought that my tired-because-I-stayed-up-until-nearly-2am-with-this-book-then-worked-a-full-8-hours mind could think of... Because this book won't keep quiet in my mind. I finished it last night around 1:30am, tears streaming down my face, hurting for everyone and furiously heartbroken over something so unnecessary and so seemingly unavoidable as what was depicted. Then I slept, and I dreamed about this book, with hazy, distant figures without names or faces, but bigger than life aspects. It's rare that I dream about books. It doesn't matter if I read it up until the minute I drop off; I only dream about a book I'm reading, or have read if it pulled me into its world first. I dream about the books that touch my soul. *cue dramatic music* This book was just... wow. If I were to nitpick anything, it would be that Eva's pen wandered a tiny bit too much into the outside world. I wanted to see her world, the world of her family, or her lack thereof. It took a little bit to get there, and for a while, there were hints but the narrative meandered along in its own time. But oh my, once it got going, it really got going. I don't think it was just my last minute mad dash to read this the day before my bookclub meeting that helped me to read 75% of this book in one night after work... it was unputdownable. Once I glimpsed this family's world, I couldn't look away. There is... so much to talk about in this book. And I don't think that I could even attempt to do the topics or themes any justice (as I didn't in my bookclub, not for lack of trying). This is a book that begs to be turned around to the beginning again and immediately re-read. It's like one of those optical illusions. At first, the picture is simple, but then once you see the hidden picture within it, you gain a new appreciation for the whole. This book was beautifully written, insightful, questioning and heartbreaking. It was nothing at all like I expected, and even guessing the things that I guessed (which turned out to be true), it didn't make the impact any less. This book was so incredible at making me sympathize and empathize with each person's perspective, though we only see these through Eva's brutally honest memory, that it was impossible for me to lay blame anywhere, even though the potential for assigning blame was huge. This was expertly executed (pun intended), and it is not one that I will forget any time soon. (less) | Notes are private!
| Jen
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1
| May 21, 2012
| May 22, 2012
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Apr 25, 2012
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
54
| 
| 0805066691
| 9780805066692
| 4.18
| 26,210
| 1970
| Jan 23, 2001
|
Unlike Fox News, this book doesn't claim to be "Fair and Balanced", though it still manages to come closer to that mark than Fox does. This isn't a bo...more
Unlike Fox News, this book doesn't claim to be "Fair and Balanced", though it still manages to come closer to that mark than Fox does. This isn't a book intended to be fair or show the big picture of the American political climate or whatever, this is a book intended to give voices to those who were victimized and murdered, over and over and over again. As I listened to this book, I kept thinking back to that old adage that history is written by the victors. And it's true. Look at all the old Western movies showing Native Americans as wild, bloodthirsty, unpredictable threats to innocent and defenseless settlers. Look at my Jr. High history class. I kept thinking of how people always try to color that which they don't understand as "the enemy", and try to color their actions against that "enemy" in positive light. And I kept thinking of how pervasive that perception has been. And it's heartbreaking to me. And it's a lesson that we still, over 100 years later, haven't learned. But what's to learn when we're the victors? Nevermind hundreds of thousands of innocent, peaceful lives lost in a show of astounding greed and ignorance and hatred. Nevermind the thousands of years of history and culture lost forever. Nevermind all that. We can haz all the things! We are white! Sometimes I'm so fucking ashamed of America's history (and present, let's be honest) that it's sickening. Needless to say, this book made me angry and sad. I couldn't even take solace in the fact that it's fiction, because it's not. I tried to think of how it could have been different, how we might have learned to live together... but we're unable to be at peace. We don't know how. The events depicted in this book were inevitable from the moment we landed in the New World. I'll step off my soapbox now and talk about the book a bit. I thought that the writing was pretty good, though non-fiction does tend to be a little dry. But my main issue was that it felt a little heavyhanded, whacking me over the head to make sure I get the point. The subject matter is cyclical: Whites need land, whites try to bargain with Indians for it, Indians cede land to whites for trinkets and pennies, whites then decide they need more land, steal the rest of it and massacre the Indians who dare try to fight back... and even those who don't. Move to new land and repeat. And while this does serve to show how relentless the Americans were in lying, stealing from and in general just plain harassing the Indians, and the passages are powerful and heartfelt, I just couldn't help thinking that a bit more skill and subtlety would have served it better. The reading by Grover Gardner was a little dry, and I wish he would have brought a little more to it. But still, overall, it was a decent performance. I definitely think that this is a book that should be required reading. I can't say that I enjoyed this book, because I don't generally enjoy listening to repeated accounts of cold-blooded murder, but it was worth it, if only to remind myself of what we're capable of, and to shore up my resolve to stand against atrocities whenever possible... even if - especially if - my government is the one perpetrating them. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jul 30, 2012
| Aug 19, 2012
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Mar 06, 2012
| Paperback
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48
| 
| 0547550766
| 9780547550763
| 3.77
| 926
| Jan 17, 2012
| Jan 17, 2012
|
I've been in a little bit of a funk lately. It seems that the last several books I've read have all just not lived up to my expectations, and I've rea...more
I've been in a little bit of a funk lately. It seems that the last several books I've read have all just not lived up to my expectations, and I've really just wanted to read something that, well, made me feel something (other than annoyance). So I picked up "Never Eighteen". It's slim, so I thought it would be a quick read (I was right - I finished it in a little over two hours), and that it would make me feel that 'something' I have been missing (right again). In a lot of ways, this book was great. I couldn't put it down once I started and sped through it like the wind. I wanted to know about Austin, about those people around him that he cared about and wanted to help, about how he was going to help them. I wanted to know about Kaylee, about these best friends' history, their future, everything. I loved seeing little bits of Austin's life being revealed with each visit, but I won't deny that it felt rushed, the visits short and direct. I don't really count that as a bad thing, though. This book should feel rushed. Austin is dying, and he knows it, and he's trying his best to not only live as much as he can in the little time he has left, but also trying to help the people he loves to live their own lives to a fuller extent. Each visit to someone felt short, to me, but Austin probably felt like there was a giant ticking clock following him, slowly (but far too quickly) counting down to when his time will run out. The visits were short, but his situation seemed to speak the introductions, so he could just get to the point. Sometimes we just don't have the luxury of beating around the bush. I felt for Austin trying to find the courage to speak up about his feelings for Kaylee, too. It's so easy to think, "Jeez, what do you have to lose?" but I completely understand his reticence. She's been his best friend for 9 years, and he doesn't want to risk tainting their remaining time with hurt feelings or rejection. I also could understand from Kaylee's perspective, too, not wanting to have that pressure put on her. I would not envy someone who finally opens up their heart knowing it can't last and that it will only hurt more when it ends. I don't know if it is better to go for it. They say it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, but who are these "they" people anyway? I did like that not everything was fixable, or worked out how Austin wanted. This would have felt incredibly unrealistic if things just worked out perfectly because Austin is a sympathetic character. It was enough that he tried. Enough that he cared enough to try. That says a lot about him, as well as the people around him. I mostly loved the writing in this book, as well. It was simple, but evocative. Not overdone, but honest. I felt like some of the dialogue was a bit wooden and unnatural in some spots, particularly for 17 year olds, and I thought that the 'The End" chapter was a little awkward. (view spoiler)[It felt strange to be listening to Austin talk about his death in the past tense. (hide spoiler)] There were some "young adult" situations: drinking, cursing, sex, drug use, etc, and some other issues, abusive relationships and rape, mentioned as well, just an FYI. Overall, I really enjoyed this one, and I'm glad that I read it. It definitely makes me look at my life in a new way, and makes me appreciate the time I have here. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Feb 16, 2012
| Feb 16, 2012
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Feb 11, 2012
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
62
| 
| 0525478817
| 9780525478812
| 4.52
| 252,985
| Jan 10, 2012
| Jan 10, 2012
|
3.5 stars Ok, so a little background, just to get a base point for some of my reactions to this book. In late 2010, I read Green's "Looking For Alaska"...more 3.5 stars Ok, so a little background, just to get a base point for some of my reactions to this book. In late 2010, I read Green's "Looking For Alaska". I ended up liking it more than I thought that I would, but for a long time I'd avoided it based on incorrect preconceived notions regarding what the book was about. It wasn't until I'd watched some of John and Hank Green's Vlogbrothers videos that I decided to go for it. And that made a difference. I could see John in the story - in the quirky intelligent teen characters, in the irreverence, and I liked it. After that, I bought "An Abundance of Katherines" & "Paper Towns", but I haven't read anything but their synopses yet. So, flash-forward to present day. "The Fault In Our Stars" is chosen to be read among friends, and so I read it. And immediately, I'm struck again by the quirky intelligent teen characters, and the irreverence... But now, it's not so different, because now it seems like a pattern. A style. And that makes it less meaningful. When everyone is profoundly quirky and intelligent, it begins to seem a little trite. So here again we have quirky intelligent characters, including a host of 16 year olds with ridiculously sophisticated vocabularies, and including an "extremely sophisticated twenty-five-year-old British socialite stuck inside a sixteen-year-old body in Indianapolis". These are midwest teenagers who sound like they're members of the Intelligentsia. Everything is profound and has "metaphorical resonance". It just didn't feel realistic to me. Case in point: At one point there's correspondence with an author of a book that the main characters found profound, and I had a hard time differentiating between the voice of the Profound Author and the teens. That shouldn't be the case. Ever. When one of the teens mentioned rhetorically whether the other thought they'd made up the Profound Author's letter, whether it sounded like something they'd come up with, I thought, "Yes!" It's just too much for EVERYONE in these stories to be so quirky. Where are the average teens who just hang out with each other and don't use $10 words to say hi to each other? It was just unrealistic for me, especially in a book trying desperately to show that kids with cancer are just normal kids who shouldn't be treated deferentially just because they are sick. The problem here is that these weren't normal kids. These were extraordinary ones. Like everyone else. *sigh* It took about half the book for this annoyance to peter out. It was like, at this point, the quirkiness and $10 conversations took a backseat to the story, finally. And that's when I really started to love it. Coincidence? I think not. Extraordinary characters are great and all, when, as a friend put it, they have "an ordinary background to shine against". I couldn't agree more. I was far more affected and heartbroken by the simple, no-nonsense way that Hazel talked about her parents and how they were coping (or failing to cope) with her cancer prognosis than by her constant multi-syllabic conversations about the metaphorically resonant quality of... whatever. There was a line near the end of the book that kind of summed this up perfectly: "He wasn't perfect or anything. He wasn't your fairy-tale Prince Charming or whatever. He tried to be like that sometimes, but I liked him best when that stuff fell away."I loved all the bits of this book that were in between all of the uber-profound stuff. The bits about loving and losing in terms of how much both hurt in stark terms of pure aching. Fancy words are fancy, but sometimes the beauty is in simplicity. When all the pretense fell away, and it was just two people wanting to spend as much time as they had left together, it became the story it always should have been. This ended up being a moving and heartbreaking book, but I think it would have been a much better one had it been written more simply. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Feb 26, 2013
| Mar 02, 2013
|
Feb 10, 2012
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
49
| 
| 0385341008
| 9780385341004
| 4.09
| 220,135
| Jul 29, 2008
| May 05, 2009
|
When I started this book, honestly, I had no idea what to expect. I know that lots of people have loved Guernsey, and a friend of mine raved about it,...more
When I started this book, honestly, I had no idea what to expect. I know that lots of people have loved Guernsey, and a friend of mine raved about it, but I was dubious. I mean... the title just seemed silly to me. But now having read the book, the title makes perfect sense. Not only what it means, but also everything that it represents, and I can't really imagine the book having a different title now. In addition to being dubious about the title, I've also been really impatient with books lately. They have to get to the good stuff quickly, or I find something shinier. Guernsey took a bit of getting used to - the format, being epistolary didn't help that much. The first letter, from someone named Juliet to someone named Sidney about someone named Susan Scott and something called English Foibles and the 'Society to Protest Against the Glorification of the English Bunny'. Right then. I read a couple more letters, and thought, "Maybe later," and tried a couple other books. (Nook ownership encourages book polygamy, I swear it.) But I kept thinking about the letters, and who the people writing them were, and so I came back, and as soon as Dawsey wrote his first letter, I was hooked. I still think that the beginning is a little slow, but it did the job. Overall, I thought that the epistolary style was great. It allows the characters to be themselves, for the reader to get to know them through their own thoughts, rather than an intermediary (a narrator) telling us about them. At times I thought that things were a little one sided, the letters providing responses to things that the reader wasn't privy to, so the reader would need to fill in the blanks, but I didn't mind this so much overall. It's better to pick a style and commit to it, in my opinion, than to try to be all things to all readers. Another benefit of this style is that it's far more personal - written by a real person to be read by another real person. They aren't literature, they are bits of someone's life and thoughts and experiences. And that's exactly what they felt like. I loved how they kind of skittered around the Occupation, while still showing exactly what it had been like. These people weren't whiners. They took the Occupation as another bump in the road and lived their lives around it. Their letters are full of the ways that their lives changed with the coming of the Nazis to Guernsey, but they were just telling someone who hadn't been there what it was like, not fishing for sympathy. That's a fine line, but I think this book walked it, and did it beautifully. All that being said, I can't give this book 5 stars, although I wish I could. I didn't feel that the book was finished when it ended, and I feel a little bad for saying this, but that the book lost a bit of focus toward the end. Granted, the reader can fill in the blanks, but I was truly hoping for a more decisive non-romantic resolution. It's all well and good for the romance to have been wrapped up - but for me that was a side detail. That's not why I felt that we were in Guernsey. I wanted to see publication of the work-in-progress. I wanted to see the GL&PPPS read it, and commiserate over it, and begin to heal the griefs of their losses through it. Especially this last for Kit. As it was, it was a beautiful book. Very quotable and moving and definitely worth reading. But I feel like the end could have come full circle and been much stronger. (less) | Notes are private!
| Felina
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1
| May 10, 2012
| May 12, 2012
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Jul 31, 2011
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
41
| 
| 0399155341
| 9780399155345
| 4.44
| 771,681
| Feb 10, 2009
| Feb 10, 2009
|
I love this book. I have reviewed the audio edition and everything from that review still stands. This is personal and lovely and heartbreaking. If yo...more
I love this book. I have reviewed the audio edition and everything from that review still stands. This is personal and lovely and heartbreaking. If you haven't read this one yet.... read it.(less)
| Notes are private!
| none
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1
| May 30, 2011
| Jun 04, 2011
|
May 30, 2011
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
42
| 
| 0385199570
| 9780385199575
| 4.30
| 218,882
| May 1990
| May 01, 1990
|
This has always been one of my favorite books. There's just so much to it... so many characters that I love, so much uncertainty and fear and hope. I...more
This has always been one of my favorite books. There's just so much to it... so many characters that I love, so much uncertainty and fear and hope. I don't think that I'll really be able to do it justice in my review, so this will just be a quickie. This is one of my comfort books. The characters are like family to me, and I feel like I know them all as well as I know myself. There is something magical in the way that King writes that allows his characters to just step right off the page and into reality. He creates these 3D characters that are identifiable and understandable, even when they do the most awful things. There's a lot of commentary in this book. About technology, society, group-think, individuality and choice, religion and faith, and of course, the biggie: good vs evil. There's a lot to think about if one is inclined - or one can just enjoy the story for the story. I could say a lot more, but it all boils down to this: I love this book. If you haven't read it, what are you waiting for?(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jun 15, 2011
| Jul 02, 2011
|
May 20, 2011
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
40
| 
| 0679766758
| 9780679766759
| 3.78
| 26,351
| Jun 11, 1996
| Apr 29, 1997
|
2.5 Stars *****This review may contain some vague spoilers****** I love to read gut-wrenching books. Almost everything that I'd heard about this one pra...more 2.5 Stars *****This review may contain some vague spoilers****** I love to read gut-wrenching books. Almost everything that I'd heard about this one practically guaranteed that this would be gut-wrenching, so when I saw it, I picked it up. And I thought the first third of this book was great. Seeing life through Precious's eyes was horrifying. Her turmoil and her pain and frustration and anger were very real to me and I felt like I could identify with the experiences she's had, even though her life is very different from my own. I thought that Sapphire did a great job with the first 1/3 of the book. She did a great job portraying an uneducated girl, sexually abused, hating herself, her mother, her father, not able to trust anyone, desperate for a better life for herself and her kids. Unfortunately, the middle and last third were not nearly as good. I thought it lost focus a bit in the middle and I wasn't sure where it was going, but mainly I had two major issues... No resolution, and inconsistency of the writing. This is the kind of book that doesn't really require an ending all tied up in a bow, because we're supposed to infer that Precious will keep fighting and keep trying until she accomplishes her goals. That's fine with me. It's an unresolved, but hopeful, ending. But what I felt was lacking was the resolution of Precious's mental and emotional states. This is a girl who has been abused in every possible way all of her life, at the hands of both of her parents. The very people who are supposed to protect her are the ones hurting her, and fucking with her head as well, as if it is her fault that the abuse is occurring. Naturally, she has a plethora of issues to work through, but she doesn't trust the therapist assigned to her in the halfway house, so she never works through them. She never even opens up about them in session. She starts to once or twice at outside support groups, but never fully lets anything out. She's described as going into a sort of frozen state - unable to move or speak or do anything... She's just trapped in her own body and mind. I really wanted to see some sort of resolution regarding this aspect, even if it was just that she found a new therapist that she trusts. It is true that her journal is an outlet, but it's not enough. She needs someone to help her understand what happened to her, to help her understand that it was not her fault, and how to deal with her feelings of abandonment and betrayal and self-loathing, and how to move forward in her life. It is not enough for me to assume that Precious eventually gets her GED and an apartment and a job that doesn't entail changing some elderly person's diapers and that everything is golden from then on... I need for her emotional and mental progress to match her progress with learning to read and write. And it did not. Which is disappointing to me. And this brings me to the second point that I found disappointing - the inconsistency of the writing. Sapphire wrote this in 1st person, so it is understandable to me that the writing style would mirror the speaking style of someone who is illiterate or just learning to read and write. I expect to see words spelled phonetically, slang, slews of misspellings and errors and incorrect grammar, etc. All of that is expected, and I think that initially, it added a reality to the story it would have lacked had it been written in more formal prose. But the issue I had is that the writing didn't progress evenly with Precious's education. For instance, most of the book the word "mother" is misspelled as "muver", but early in the book, it's spelled correctly, and then again towards the end, and sprinkled throughout the book is "mutherfucker". Same sound, same word... three different spellings. Words directly quoted are spelled and written perfectly, but the same words coming out of Precious's mouth are misspelled or slang, etc. I can see this being used to show the disconnect between Precious's situation and the situation of the person she's quoting (educated vs uneducated, etc), but it felt off to me, because this is Precious writing all of this in her book. I don't believe that SHE would have made that choice, or that she'd have even known she could, to write herself one way and other people another way. It seems to me that she would write what other people say the same way she writes what SHE says. Another example is when she would write back and forth to her teacher, she would write, and her teacher would write the correct version underneath. Some words would be correctly spelled or used, and then almost immediately misspelled again. It was very inconsistent to me, and was distracting. This book could be very powerful to some people. I can definitely agree with that. It was compelling and I could understand Precious's inner struggle and her will. I loved that. But I found the story to be a bit lacking in a very important aspect, and the writing style to not completely work. I did really enjoy the final section, the school book section, with the girls' stories. That's some heartbreaking stuff there. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| May 21, 2011
| May 28, 2011
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May 18, 2011
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
45
| 
| 0142000663
| 9780142000663
| 3.85
| 273,962
| 1939
| Jan 08, 2002
|
Wow. That's just really all I have to say. ...No it isn't. I'm a big fat liar. I have lots to say about this. I just don't really know how. So I'm goi...more Wow. That's just really all I have to say. ...No it isn't. I'm a big fat liar. I have lots to say about this. I just don't really know how. So I'm going to tell a little story, and hopefully that will be enough. Once upon a time, there was a princess who was the most beautiful princess in the whole world and all the other princesses hated me because-- What? Oh, sorry, wrong story. Just seeing if you were paying attention. You pass. Anyway, real story now... and it go a little sumthin' like this: Once upon a time, there was a girl who read The Pearl and thought that she didn't like John Steinbeck. "Steinbeck?" she said, "Meh." But then, one of the girl's friends chose a Steinbeck book for a book chain, and the girl read it, and was very surprised to find that she liked it. That book was Travels with Charley: In Search of America. Now, this girl considers herself to be decently well read, but she tends to choose fiction over non-fiction, simply for the fact that non-fiction can be so dry and boring, so she was very surprised to find Travels engaging and interesting and humorous. Cut to today, Thanksgiving Day in the US, as the girl in the kitchen prepared The Traditional Feast while listening to a full cast audio production of The Grapes of Wrath... and she found herself moved to tears several times, thinking of the hardships that not only the Joads endured, but so, so many people during the Depression. She thought of the table full of food she would soon set down, and the days worth of leftovers she'd have afterward, and thought of the Joads and their like starving, moving over and over and over, trying, trying, trying to make it... and it broke her heart. The Grapes of Wrath wowed her, and Steinbeck's portrayal of these sharecroppers-turned-migrant-workers was as real as the food on her table. The style and language were simple but evocative and beautiful in their own way, and the girl knows that complexity doesn't always equal greatness. Honesty and courage and perseverance almost always do, though. Now, this girl thinks she might just be a little in love with Steinbeck. Fin.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Nov 23, 2011
| Nov 24, 2011
|
May 01, 2011
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
38
| 
| 0810984172
| 9780810984172
| 3.87
| 6,192
| May 01, 2011
| May 01, 2011
|
I've never read any of Lauren Myracle's other books. I'm not much into the whole "txt-spk" thing, so those books have never sparked my interest. Not m...more
I've never read any of Lauren Myracle's other books. I'm not much into the whole "txt-spk" thing, so those books have never sparked my interest. Not my cup of tea. Other than those, I couldn't have named another book Myracle had written before today. But this... this book called out to me. Not only because of the absolutely gorgeous cover, but because of the premise, and because it's set in the South. I love me some books set in the South. And because it has Issues. Issues with a capital 'I'. And boy, did this deliver. If it hadn't been written with such grace and honesty, and a light touch and sense of innocence, it could have gone so very, very badly wrong. The Issues in this book are the kind that outsiders abhor and denounce, while those living in and around and with them are almost oblivious to their existence as an 'Issue' at all. To those people, it's just life. Normal. Everyday. This book touched on a lot of things. Poverty, addiction, class division, alcoholism, abuse, homosexuality and homophobia, fear and hatred, small-town politics, friendship and loyalty, etc. So many things that some could have easily gotten lost and confused. But even with all of these issues entwined throughout the story, I never felt that it forgot what it was. I loved the way this story was written. I love the way it was parceled out, little by little, edging closer to the truth and the consequences and the brokenness, like a hungry mouse sneaking closer to a crumb not far from the cat's bed. The mouse knows that rushing will cause it to lose its chance, to be hurt -- but caution and stealth may win it a chance to survive. This book was like that. It crept along, building momentum, until it reached where it needed to be. I instantly fell in love with these characters, especially Cat and Patrick. My heart broke for the things that they lost, both before and after Patrick is beaten and left for dead. I loved their friendship, and the simple acceptance of it. I loved Mama Sweetie, Patrick's Grandma, and her kindness and wisdom and faith. I usually find it hard to accept religion in books, because so very often it comes across as preachy. That was not the case here. It was less religion and more a matter of faith - a simple knowledge that there's something and someone there for us. No judgment, no fire and brimstone, no recriminations for every little thought, just a sense of "If you want, you can - if not, that's OK too." I liked that. This book is gorgeous and amazing from cover to cover, and I was so wrapped up in this community and these lives that I almost didn't want to see, but I couldn't look away. I found one thing, one little thing, about the very end to be a bit unbelievable, but I understand it, and I wasn't disappointed. All in all, I loved this book and I think it's one that I will need to own, to re-read and absorb and love. It's that good. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Mar 04, 2011
| Mar 05, 2011
|
Mar 03, 2011
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
39
| 
| 0399254129
| 9780399254123
| 4.33
| 22,754
| Mar 22, 2011
| Mar 22, 2011
|
This is a beautiful, but heartbreaking story of a teenage girl who is dragged from her home in the middle of the night and deported to Siberia. I read...more This is a beautiful, but heartbreaking story of a teenage girl who is dragged from her home in the middle of the night and deported to Siberia. I read this in one afternoon. It was so well written and compelling that I needed to know what happened. I needed to know whether Lina and her brother and her mother made it through. I could really identify with the characters in this story. They were all incredibly real and honest, and even when I disliked them, I felt that they could have easily stepped off the page and started walking around. I loved Lina's mother, Elena, most of all. I loved how she refused to give up hope, how she refused to let the situation change her or make her bitter or cruel. She was able to see the humanity in people who treated her as if she was less than garbage, and I admired her for that. I would have really liked to find out more about what happened at the end, in the epilogue, since the ending was rather abrupt. But even for that, this story is amazing. I would definitely recommend it. Read with tissues handy. And be forewarned, the writing is beautiful, but the things that are shown are not. Just like in real life. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Mar 13, 2011
| Mar 13, 2011
|
Feb 10, 2011
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
37
| 
| 1551929767
| 9781551929767
| 4.55
| 929,051
| Aug 01, 2007
| Jul 21, 2007
|
This is my 3rd time reading this one, and each time I read it, I love it more. It's just so brilliant. I know that I've said that about all of the boo...more
This is my 3rd time reading this one, and each time I read it, I love it more. It's just so brilliant. I know that I've said that about all of the books in the series, but it's true. This series is so amazing, in so many ways. I really don't understand how people can write it off. That's just crazy to me, considering how good these books are... CRAZY I SAY! This book ties everything in the series together, it wraps up all of the loose ends, it explains everything. It shatters all of the preconceived notions that we might've had about the books and the characters, and it cements this series into MUST READ territory for all time. This is an amazing end to an amazing series. If you haven't read it... DO IT NOW. I'm waiting!(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Dec 31, 2010
| Jan 05, 2011
|
Dec 31, 2010
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
44
| 
| 0763655597
| 9780763655594
| 4.34
| 16,264
| Sep 27, 2011
| Sep 15, 2011
|
Oh man, oh man, oh man. If you know me, you know that I love books that make me cry. The messier the cry, the better. But I have a couple requirements...more Oh man, oh man, oh man. If you know me, you know that I love books that make me cry. The messier the cry, the better. But I have a couple requirements for those books. 1) It must be honest. 2) No emotional manipulation. 3) It must have a point OTHER than being a tear-jerker. I think that pretty much sums it up. I've read books, like Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby that might edge up on the emotional manipulation bit, but still get a huge recommendation from me because it's sort of appropriate to the book. There, the aim is to get people's attention, to educate, to send a message that the horrible things depicted in that book are happening EVERY DAY, and so bringing the pain is OK if it does that. This book though. Oh man. It's got all the requirement bases loaded and hit the effing awesomeball out of the park. I don't usually resort to sports analogies, but it's apt here, so I'm leaving it. I'm not going to talk about the specifics here, because I think that this is best experienced for oneself. I will say that this story touched me on many different levels, and was so... visceral. Intimate and real. The characters were very real and sympathetic and interesting as well, and the parallels between them and the story-within-a-story (which I don't usually like) were cool too. Like little nudges in the ribs regarding Conor's point of view. There's a bit of horror, a bit of the fantastic, but it's interpretable, and was brilliantly handled. As was everything else in the book. After listening to the audiobook (which was easily among one of the absolute best readings I've ever heard. THANK YOU, Jason Isaacs!), there was a short interview between Isaacs and Ness regarding the book. There wasn't much said about the story, but a little bit said about the reactions to it and the intentions Ness had in telling it, and I found myself nodding. Wiping tears and nodding and thinking, "Nailed it." This was based on a story idea that Siobhan Dowd began before her death. I've never read any Siobhan Dowd, but now I think I have to. Just to see. Read this book. Just... read it. It's one of THOSE. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Oct 30, 2011
| Oct 31, 2011
|
Dec 30, 2010
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
36
| 
| 1855496879
| 9781855496873
| 4.37
| 889,871
| 2003
| unknown
|
Love this book... Harry's angst and frustration are palpable, and things really get dark and ugly in this book. Order of the Phoenix contains some of...more Love this book... Harry's angst and frustration are palpable, and things really get dark and ugly in this book. Order of the Phoenix contains some of my favorite scenes - with McGonagall telling off Umbridge, and Harry's grief in Dumbledore's office, and the Weasley twins tormenting Umbridge. I also love how relevant these books are to the real world... how those in power will go to any lengths to keep it, how those people who see clearly and follow their own path are labeled as crazy and unstable, and how we're blind to everything that we fear. I love these books. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Dec 23, 2010
| Dec 26, 2010
|
Dec 23, 2010
| Audiobook
| ||||||||||||||
34
| 
| 157270036X
| 9781572700369
| unknown
| 4.22
| 1,438,435
| 1960
| Apr 01, 1997
|
My goodness I love this book! I read this book way back in school, 8th grade perhaps, I don't recall, but I remember loving it. It's been years since...more
My goodness I love this book! I read this book way back in school, 8th grade perhaps, I don't recall, but I remember loving it. It's been years since I last read it though, and so this time around, on audio, it was like the first time. As an adult, I picked up on so many nuances and subtleties and adulticisms that Scout and I missed way back when. Scout's a good reporter, in that she is a wonderful observer and has a keen memory, but she's still just a little girl, and as enlightened as she is, she doesn't understand everything she absorbs. But she is a bright, wonderful character, and without her, literature would have a gaping hole right where its heart should be. Cliche, perhaps, but things become cliche because they were true first. Honestly, there is so very much to love about this book, I don't even know where to start. OK, yes I do. Atticus. I LOVE Atticus. He is such an amazing character. Honest and courteous and upstanding and kind to a fault, I'm sad that he doesn't actually exist. I love how, through Scout's eyes, Atticus is an old man who doesn't do anything, who is always working, who is distant and simply civil to his kids as he is to everyone else, but from the outside looking in, you see that he actually takes an extremely active role with his kids, reading to them, and treating them as people rather than children incapable of understanding anything (at best) or insignificant inconveniences (at worst). He knows them and trusts them and gives them freedom to be who they are and grow into who they will be. He is straightforward and honest with them, and doesn't shy away from telling them the truth, even if it is above them. He leads by example and shows them what true bravery is. There are hundreds of Atticus quotes that I would love to include here, but my favorite, I think, is "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win." I love this quote, and it shows just what kind of man Atticus is. He doesn't take the easy road, he takes the RIGHT one. I love the innocent observations on equality through Scout's eyes. This book does such a brilliant job of showing how children see people as people, and have to be taught their prejudices and to see others' differences. Scout sees people for who they are, but her elders would have her see people for WHAT they are: white or black, well off or dirt poor. I love that Scout is quick to defend those she feels have been wronged, no matter what the situation is. People can't help what they are by the accident of their birth. In this respect, ALL of us are mockingbirds - we've never harmed anyone by our mere existence, but some will still hate and fear based on prejudice and ignorance that they've acquired along the way. The children recognize this in Boo Radley, whom they've feared all their lives, but who teaches them that ignorance is no reason for fear. This is just such an amazing book. I almost want to start it over again right now. If you haven't read it... You should. It's the type of book that can be life-changing. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Nov 18, 2010
| Nov 23, 2010
|
Nov 18, 2010
| Audio
| |||||||||||||
35
| 
| 0375868704
| 9780375868702
| 3.87
| 6,174
| Apr 05, 2011
| Apr 05, 2011
|
I requested this book thinking that it would be a fun and magical children's story aimed at 8-10 year olds, like with the Percy Jackson series, but I...more
I requested this book thinking that it would be a fun and magical children's story aimed at 8-10 year olds, like with the Percy Jackson series, but I was really surprised by the complexity and depth in this book, as well as the darkness, and loved every minute of reading it. I'm actually a little disappointed that I'll now have to wait for so long to read the next book and see what happens. Kate, Michael and Emma have been shunted from orphanage to orphanage for 10 years, since being removed from their parents' house one Christmas Eve with a kiss and a promise that they'll be reunited again... one day. Then, after missing their last chance at placement with a foster family, they are sent to Cambridge Falls, where they stumble on an adventure that has been both 15 and thousands of years in the making. This story reminded me of other children's stories - but only little bits and pieces. There was nothing I could really point to and say, "Oh, he was inspired by THIS story here," or anything like that, it was more just an impression that I had. I was reminded of Harry Potter, only kind of in reverse, with the opening scene of the children being taken away from their home. I was reminded of E.Nesbit's stories as well throughout the book, mainly by the tone and the family loyalty theme. I was reminded of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe a few times, and The Hobbit a few times, etc. But again, these were more like impressions that I had, rather than feeling like anything was actually borrowed from what came before. Despite feeling a vague sense of familiarity with these books, I felt like The Emerald Atlas was very original and different. I loved the concept of time travel, and how it actually came about. I thought it was just the right level of complex to logically and magically work, but was still explained in a way that everyone could understand and follow. The storyline was exciting and the creatures and characters were all interesting. I loved the characters - they were all believable and identifiable to me, and I couldn't help but love them and their loyalty. Kate is the eldest, and promised her parents that she would watch out for the others. She's got a load of responsibility on her shoulders to match Atlas (which is pretty significant, actually), and she's got a heart of gold. She just can't stand seeing anyone suffer or hurt, and instantly falls into a nurturing role when needed. Emma was my favorite, I think. She's the youngest, and the type of girl who's strong and forceful because she cannot take being hurt, not when that's all she's ever known. She's quick to love though, and her love is a little desperate and fierce. I loved her and I can't wait to see her next adventure. Michael, the middle child, was hilarious. A studious Dwarf-scholar, he is the smart and logical one of the trio. He was constantly making me laugh by his bald-faced awe in a lot of the situations they were in. I truly loved how each of the children brought their own unique aspects and each played and intricate role in the story and worked as a team. I was glad that they had trials, because they each had time to shine. There was a lot more that I loved about this, but I think that I'll just recommend that you read it yourselves. I highly recommend this one - for readers of all ages. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Nov 26, 2010
| Nov 27, 2010
|
Nov 08, 2010
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
43
| 
| 0007191375
| 9780007191376
| 3.85
| 15,522
| Sep 09, 2003
| unknown
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There's something about stories like this that just make me cry from sheer pride and happiness. I love when people are who they are, and when they're...more
There's something about stories like this that just make me cry from sheer pride and happiness. I love when people are who they are, and when they're willing to fight to be happy and not live in someone else's world, but make their own if that's what it takes. It's the opposite of the gut-wrenching, soul-crushing, hollow-me-out-and-leave-me-weeping stories that I love. These fill me up with such pride I just want to SQUEE! all over the place, but end up always with something in my eye instead, making it all watery... So, I loved this one. This is a celebration and examination of so many things... What it is to be gay, what it is to be a teenager, what it is to be in an unhealthy relationship, what it is to love, what it is to be something other than what is expected of us, what it is to be brave and stand up for what's right, what it is to be a friend... Gosh there is so much in this little book, I don't know how Levithan fit it all in. Maybe he writes really small. I loved this community. Everyone, well, MOSTLY everyone, is so unbelievably accepting and quirky and fun. It's like Perfect Small Town Community, Exhibit A. There's the park with a lake with paddleboats with names and personalities; there's the I Scream Parlor, which serves up horrifying ice-cream concoctions while playing horror movies; there's the music shop run by a couple with polar opposite taste, and the shop reflects that by being split down the middle; there's the movie rental place run by the guy who won't rent to anyone he doesn't know, won't help people find anything, and categorizes based on his own personal thoughts about the movies... and VHS format only. The football team quarterback and the Homecoming Queen is the same person, a drag queen called Infinite Darlene, and our main character's kindergarten teacher outed him for being gay on a progress report and nobody thought this was strange at all. I loved the community, but at the same time, I couldn't help but be a little distracted by the unrealistic perfection of it all. If the world were really like that, it would be amazing. Unfortunately, it's not, so the paragon of acceptance shown here comes off feeling a little cartoonish, a little too-good-to-be-true. This, and one unresolved issue, are the reasons why I can't give this 5 stars. The next town over, where Tony lives, is much more realistic, and this is where most of the stuff got in my eyes and made them water a lot. Tony's parents are of the religious variety, and aren't exactly accepting of their son's preference for boys. Seeing Tony struggle with the two aspects of his life, his parents and his heart, was hard for me. Paul's friendship with Tony was invaluable here. He provided the support that Tony needed to cope with these two warring forces in his life. There were some amazing lines in this little gem of a book. So many quotables that just stand out and shine. I'm surprised that this book doesn't glitter like Edward Cullen on a sunny day. (Actually, this is a library book, and there's something spilled on the back of it, and it seems like it's the image of a Sasquatch. He seems friendly though, from his stance.) Anyway, right. I could kind of quote this whole book, but then it would be plagiarism and that's not cool. But here's one of my favorite sections in the book: "The first time I met you," he says, not directly to me, not directly to the floor -- somewhere in between, "I honestly couldn't believe that someone like you could exist, or even a town like yours could entirely exist. I thought I understood things. I thought I would get up every morning with a secret and go to sleep every night with the same secret. I thought my life would start only when I was out of here. I felt that I had learned something about myself too soon, and that there was nothing I could do to undo the truth. And I wanted to undo it, Paul. I wanted to so bad. Then I met you in the city and on the train, and suddenly it was like this door had been opened. I saw I couldn't live like I'd been living, because now there was another way to do it. And part of me loved that. And part of me still hates it. Part of me -- this dark, scared part of me -- wishes I never knew how it could be. I don't have the courage that you do."It's kind of heartbreaking, right? Beautiful though. I really loved this book for everything that it is. On the surface, it's just this happy little boy meets boy book, a little whimsical, and fun, but underneath, it's so much more. I highly recommend it. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Jul 23, 2011
| Jul 23, 2011
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Oct 20, 2010
| Hardcover
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29
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| 014241543X
| 9780142415436
| 4.00
| 70,332
| Jan 01, 2009
| Apr 06, 2010
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I admit it: I judge books by their covers. There, I said it. If it weren't for the cover of this edition, with the girl staring up into a blue-grey sp...more
I admit it: I judge books by their covers. There, I said it. If it weren't for the cover of this edition, with the girl staring up into a blue-grey space, I'd have missed this book entirely. There is just something haunting and beautiful about the cover of the edition I read, and to me, it implies that the story within will be haunting and beautiful too. Covers are important. This is the first impression that a potential reader has of your book, and so the cover must convey what you want it to, and communicate to a reader what your book may have to offer.  This cover makes me feel like the story inside will be playful and fun and it reminds me of birds, and spring and happiness. It's a lovely cover, but in my humble opinion, doesn't do well to represent the story. I've passed by this book, dozens of times with hardly a glance at the blue cover. But my eyes were instantly drawn to the haunted quality of the image on the edition that I bought. My next cover related comment will pertain to the little "note" on this edition, which says, "Will appeal to fans of Stephenie Meyer's TWILIGHT." --USA Today This too is somewhat misleading, because my initial thought was that it would indicate that there's a supernatural element to the story (vampires or werewolves, etc), but that's not the case. There is a quality of the story that is a bit paranormal, but not in the way that people would associate with Meyer's story. Rather, this comment is about the romance aspect of the story, but I feel like it would have been better left off altogether. I didn't even realize the quote was regarding Twilight when I bought the book, as there was a price sticker over almost all of it. I could see "Will appeal to fans of" and "A Today". So this thought is what occurred to me after reading the story and then removing the sticker. I don't normally talk about the covers much in my reviews, but this one just has so much bearing on how the story can be seen, especially if one is inclined to determine by a cover if a book looks like it might be to their taste, that I wanted to talk about it. After first cracking the book, and reading a little bit of it, I have to admit that I didn't think that the writing really warranted the praise lavished on it. The writing was simple, and direct, even somewhat vulgar, seeing as how much of the story pertains to the punk music scene, which is full of colorful language, but isn't exactly flowery. I read, waiting for the "achingly beautiful" parts to kick in, and was thinking that I'd be writing in my review about how, yes, it was sad, but I wouldn't exactly call the writing beautiful. And then I realized that it IS beautiful, in the unflowery, punk-rock and down-to-earth way that fit the story perfectly, and made my heart break for all that it represented. I loved the way that Mia, the main character, showed us her life, and her family, and her world. Interspersed with "now" events were her memories, which showed so perfectly all that she no longer had due to an unfortunate accident. One minute everything is fine, and the next, everything is gone, and Mia has to decide if she wants to live in a world without the people she loves the most. I loved the characters, and how they were all unique and true to themselves. I loved the way that they each represented a choice in how they wanted to live, and made that choice almost without effort. This seemed to contrast the decision that Mia has to make, and the difficulty and pain that it causes, both to her and her friends and loved ones. I could really identify with Mia's grandfather, who tells her that it's OK if she needs to let go even though he desperately wants her to stay, because I had a similar conversation with my grandmother when she was in the hospital a few years ago. It was incredibly hard to remember that feeling, reading this, but it was honest and true, and made sure that I understood the depth of Mia's family's love for her to want to let her be free of her pain. Mia's boyfriend, Adam, was perfect. I almost don't want to talk about him. He is the kind of boyfriend that girls dream about: gorgeous, a little wild and dangerous and unpredictable, but sweet and honest and caring and sensitive too. His speech to Mia was so... raw and painful that I could barely see the page to read it. It's a good thing I was sitting up, or I'd have to wring this book out. Adam's request to Mia rivaled Wentworth's letter to Anne, and that is saying something. This story was beautiful, achingly so, so it absolutely deserved the praise that it received. I was very surprised by this book, by it being so musically oriented, and how big of a role that played in the lives of everyone in the story. I was surprised by the roughness of the story, but glad that it was written this way, because it more real than any poetic prose could offer. Life is ugly and dirty and unfair and mean, so why shouldn't a story about these things be the same way? I thought it was beautifully done, and can't recommend this book highly enough. I'm off to call my parents and tell them I love them. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Jul 02, 2010
| Jul 03, 2010
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Jun 18, 2010
| Paperback
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30
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| 0765353040
| 9780765353047
| 4.24
| 1,062
| 2006
| Jul 31, 2007
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In one of the Goodreads groups I’m in, we do a bookmark swap with other members. For one of the rounds, we each chose three favorite books for the boo...more
In one of the Goodreads groups I’m in, we do a bookmark swap with other members. For one of the rounds, we each chose three favorite books for the bookmark maker to choose from. The person that was chosen as my recipient, Kellee, chose “The Giver” by Lois Lowry, “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, and “Hurt Go Happy” by Ginny Rorby. I’d read the other two books, and as much as I love them both, decided against using them as they are both so popular and well-known. “Hurt Go Happy” on the other hand, I’d never even heard of, and the premise interested me, so I decided to use it, sight-unseen. I read a preview chapter on B&N.com and when that was AMAZING, I ordered a copy. Thirteen year old Joey is almost completely deaf and struggles to read lips in a world of hearing people because her mother refuses to allow her to learn sign language. Her mother is full of excuses, everything from “It’ll make you lazy so that you won’t be able to read lips to understand people who can’t sign,” to “It’ll show everyone that you’re disabled and they’ll pity you.” So, needless to say, Joey is isolated and largely ignored by people who aren’t able to communicate with her, until she meets Charlie, an elderly man who lives nearby and his chimpanzee, Sukari. This chance meeting changes all of their lives. All I can say is “Wow”. If you know me at all, you know that I love a gut-wrenching story, one that breaks your heart and hollows you out. This book did all that and more. This book made me something of an emotional train-wreck. I feel like I need a thesaurus to even correctly assign my emotional states. I couldn’t breathe through the last half of this book, and I could barely even see. I can’t remember ever having cried so much during a book as I did with this one, but I didn’t feel manipulated or that Ginny Rorby was playing with my emotions. Rather I felt that she took this story, and all that it represents, incredibly seriously and portrayed it as honestly as possible. The fact that it crushed my soul is inevitable, because both subjects in the book are ones that nudge my overactive empathy gland into the mass-production red-zone. I’m an animal lover, and protector of small and defenseless things of all kinds, and so the events that occurred in this book were painful. I’m not deaf, but in her love for Sukari, I identified with Joey to the point where what happened to her felt like it was happening to me. And it felt incredibly real. Whew. OK. Picking this back up later. I wrote all of that on June 24th, but I couldn’t stop being a weeping mess, so I set it aside. I couldn’t post it until Kellee’d received her bookmark anyway, which was definitely a good thing because it gave me a chance to put a little distance between this story and my heart, even though all I wanted was to rush in to talk to her about it, because it had affected me so strongly. I don’t want to talk about the story itself in this review, although I will say that it is one that made me both proud and ashamed of being human. Proud because we have the capacity for learning and growth and empathy and understanding one another, but ashamed because we don’t use it, and worse, we exploit anything and anyone to reach an end. And regardless of how supposedly noble that end is, exploitation to reach that end is wrong. Horribly. I want everyone to read this book. It’s incredibly important. I know that many of you will read this review and say to yourselves, “Why on earth would I want to read that? She said it CRUSHED HER SOUL! O_O” but sometimes we need to have our souls crushed so that we can rebuild them better and containing more caring, compassion, and understanding than they had before. That’s all I’m saying. Read this book. (less) | Notes are private!
| 1
| Jun 23, 2010
| Jun 24, 2010
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Jun 05, 2010
| Paperback
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