Thoughts: Looking for Alaska

Title: Looking for Alaska
Author: John Green
Year: 2005
Length: 221
Source: Owned
First Lines: "Everybody was sitting on sleeping bags, Alaska smoking with flagrant disregard for the overwhelming flammability of the structure, when the Colonel pulled out a single piece of computer paper and read from it."

Summary from goodreads: Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.

**********

 Looking for Alaska is, perhaps, one of the saddest books I have ever read.  Beautifully written, but overwhelming tragic.  This was my John Green novel.  I have only heard good things about his work.  I was not disappointed, just left feeling extremely sad for these characters.  Looking for Alaska felt very real to me, portraying one of the worst ways to come of age.  I think these kinds of situations happen all too often in today's world. 

On a lighter note, I loved that Miles could quote the last words of famous people.  It is that kind of quirky trait that makes characters enduring and memorable to me.  I look forward to my next John Green novel.  

I started Looking for Alaska without realizing how devastating the plot would become for Alaska, Miles, and the Colonel.  Although I hope for happier outcomes in Green's other books, I am choosing to remain in the dark about their storylines.  I think my lack of information about Looking for Alaska made the emotional impact that much greater, and it is refreshing to be that moved by a book.     

Note: I read this book in January.  I just found the thoughts I had written, but never posted.  I know it seems like I've abandoned the book blog.  I don't want to give it up completely.  I've just been more focused lately on trying to keep track of life in general at By Hand With Heart.

Thoughts: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Year: 2011
Length: 452
Source: Owned
First Lines: "My name is not Mara Dyer, but my lawyer told me I had to choose something.  A pseudonym."

Summary from goodreads: Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can. She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed. There is. She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. She's wrong.

**********

I do not usually read from the paranormal genre.  So, I was a bit surprised with the turn of events in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.  As you can see, the above description does not exactly indicate such a plot.  I guess I pictured something more along the lines of Before I Fall or If I Stay.  

By the end of the book, I found myself a little confused and wondering what the heck was going on!  Even though I am not in love with this book, I am interested in finding out what happens to Mara and Noah.  The second book, The Evolution of Mara Dryer, is set for an October 23, 2012 publication. 

Thoughts: Thirteen Reasons Why

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher
Year: 2007
Length: 288 pages 
Source: Owned
First Lines: "'Sir?' she repeats.  'How soon do you want it to get there?'  I rub two fingers, hard, over my left eyebrow.  The throbbing has become intense.  'It doesn't matter,' I say."


It took me far longer to read Thirteen Reasons Why than I ever expected.  I certainly wanted to find out what happened, but it was just so sad.  I could not bear to read it over the holidays.  So I put it down for a few weeks.  When I finally picked it back up in January, I finished it in a few sittings.  About halfway through, Thirteen Reasons Why really grabbed hold and propelled me to finish as quickly as possible.

Thirteen Reasons Why is a difficult, but moving book.  Suicide, especially by a teenager, is hard to understand.  There is so much life left to live.  To think that spark can be extinguished in an instant is frightening.  In this story, Hannah explains exactly why she decided to kill herself, specifically recording thirteen reasons which correspond to various people in her life.

I cannot imagine being on the receiving end of one of those tapes.  How do you handle knowing not only that you contributed to another person's suicide, but that that person also went to fairly extraordinary measures to ensure that you knew explicitly what you had done?

For me, this was the key point of Thirteen Reasons Why.  Your actions, however inconsequential they may seem, impact others' lives for better or worse.  Perhaps even more powerful is inaction.  I think that sometimes the failure to act or speak on what we know is right may be even worse than acting or speaking upon that which we know is wrong.

Elie Wiesel said it best:

The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.  The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference.  The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference.  And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.

Choose to read Thirteen Reasons Why and choose to challenge yourself. Everyone matters. We can each make a difference in another life.

Thoughts: Wither

Title: Wither
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Year: 2011
Length: 358 
Source: Public Library
First Line: "I wait."

The dystopian world of Wither is perhaps one of the most plausible to date, at least for me.  In this world, genetic engineering has gone to such extremes that people no longer live long, full lives.  Women die at age 20.  Men die at age 25.  I find this a little horrifying and a bit too realistic for comfort.  It is much easier for me to ignore the implications of other YA dystopian worlds.

Sadly, efforts to keep the population alive lead to the kidnapping of young girls who are forced into polygamous marriages.  They are, in essence, baby makers, which reminded me a little bit of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.  

Kidnapped Rhine becomes one of the wives of the somewhat pathetic Linden.  I alternated between despising Linden and feeling pity for him.  I never could reach a middle ground with him.  However, I admired Rhine's spirit and determination to escape her cruel fate. 

I heard about Wither through the ravings of other bloggers.  It took me a while to get into it; after I did, I flew through the second half of the book.  Naturally, this is the first book of a trilogy, The Chemical Garden Trilogy to be exact.  I am interested in finding out what happens to Rhine so I will keep reading.  Fever, the second book, is set for a February 21 release.  

Thoughts: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Year: 2011
Length:  338 pages
Source: Owned
First Lines: "I have three simple wishes.  They're really not too much to ask.  The first is to attend the winter formal dressed like Marie Antoinette."

I was a bit hesitant going in to Lola and the Boy Next Door.  It sat on my shelf for a couple of months.  How could it possibly compare to my love for Anna and the French Kiss?  However, last week, I craved something fun and light while on vacation from work.  And I was not disappointed.  I love Lola, too!

I did not realize that Lola is actually a companion book to Anna.  What a happy surprise to find Anna and Etienne happily running around in Lola's world!  I will not put off reading the final companion book, Isla and the Happily Ever After, when it comes out this year.  I cannot wait!

Back to Lola.  It took me several chapters before I fully gave in to loving Lola.  She is very different from me.  I will never be brave enough to have such a unique and imaginative sense of style.  Lola actually reminds me of a friend from high school.  She started off making her own clothes and continues to win fashion design competitions to this day.  Such talent!  So while I would not consider myself a Lola, I can relate to her and be her friend.  Kind of like Lindsey, Lola's best friend in the book.

On to the boys.  When the book begins, Lola is dating Max, an older musician of whom her parents do not approve.  I cannot say that I liked Max much either.  I guess I can understand the teen girl urge to date the bad boy, but I was prejudiced from the outset because I knew to expect someone better.  That someone is Cricket.  Yes, Cricket is a strange name for a boy.  But I loved him.  More than Etienne.  Shocking, I know. 

I am not going to delve into the actual plot, but I do want to mention the supporting characters.  They were so rich and memorable.  Each one obviously served a purpose related to the overall Lola story, but I could probably read a book about one of them, too.

Bottom line: Read Lola and the Boy Next Door so you can swoon like a tween girl at a Justin Bieber concert.  Except better, because the Beebs is not involved.  But first, you should read Anna and the French Kiss, if you have not done so already.  It will make you happy!

Thoughts: Anna and the French Kiss

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Year: 2010
Length: 372 pages
First Lines: "Here is everything I know about France: Madeline and Amélie and Moulin Rouge.  The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, although I have no ideas what the function of either actually is.  Napoleon, Marie Antoinette, and a lot of kings names Louis."


I read Anna and the French Kiss during the read-a-thon in October.  I LOVED it!  Love.  Love. Love.  It just makes me happy!  Seriously.  I can't even explain it.  Just go read it immediately!

And because the previous sentences did not actually explain anything, here is a brief description from Goodreads:

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

Thoughts: Divergent

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Year: 2011
Length: 487 pages
First Lines: "There is one mirror in my house.  It is behind a sliding panel in the hallway upstairs.  Our faction allows me to stand in front of it on the second day of every third month, the day my mother cuts my hair."


I went to Chicago for the first time this year and loved it!  I think my newly discovered appreciation for the city added a little something extra to my reading Divergent.  I suspect that the dystopian Chicago of the future intrigued me more than it would have had I not been there fairly recently.

I actually read Divergent at the end of October.  I must admit, I'm a little hazy on the details now.  All of the typical aspects of young adult dystopian novels were present.  I did enjoy reading Divergent.  It entertained me and then I moved on, I guess. 

I suppose Tris's bravery is the one thing that has stuck with me.  I am not sure I could make some of the decisions that this character makes throughout the book.  Side note: The tween girl inside me also liked Tris's relationship with Four.  Naturally, this is a trilogy and I do plan on reading the other books.

Many readers must like it because Divergent was chosen as the Favorite Book of 2011 and the Best Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy book in the 2011  Goodreads Choice Awards. 

Here is the description from Goodreads:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. 

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

Thoughts: The Road

Title: The Road
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Year: 2006
Audiobook Length: 6 hours 45 minutes
First Lines: "When he woke in the woods in the dark and the cold of the night he'd reach out to touch the child sleeping beside him.  Nights dark beyond darkness and the days more gray each one than what had gone before."




Let's be real.  The Road is not a happy book.  In fact, it is disturbing and terrifying.  Certainly, it does not portray a world in which I ever want to live or contribute to creating in the future.  The shear desolation depicted by McCarthy is remarkable.  I could all too clearly see the images that he crafted and feel the emotions of the nameless father and son as they trudged along the road. 

In McCarthy's post-apocalyptic world, the landscape is coated in gray ash that seemingly permeates every available space.  As the father and son slowly make their way down the road towards the sea, they must remain vigilant against "bad guys" with cannibalistic tendencies, while battling starvation, sleep deprivation, and endless hopelessness.

The brightest spot of the entire novel is the father's love and devotion to his son.  The boy does call his father "Papa," but we are never told any other names for either of them.  I think McCarthy's decision to leave the father and son nameless is a deliberate attempt to prevent the reader from brushing off the possibility that this pair could be one's self or loved ones.  This boy and his father represent all of us. 

I actually picked up this audiobook on a whim at the library, even though the book had been on my TBR since its release.  I wanted something for my commute the next day and grabbed it five minutes before the library closed.  This turned out to be a happy accident, as I found that the gruff, grim tone of the narrator's voice enhanced the effect of McCarthy's words.

Finishing The Road did not leave me with any positive feelings about the future or potential solutions to prevent such a world from existing.  It seems like most dystopian works have a sense of battling and overcoming the "bad" in some way.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.  I did not feel that here.  The Road is about the time in between the fall of one society and the rise of another.  It is hopeless, frightening, and heart-breaking, but also worth reading.

Thoughts: Dracula

Title: Dracula
Author: Bram Stoker
Year: 1897 
Audiobook Length: 15 hours 24 minutes
First Lines: "Jonathan Harker's Journal.  3 May.  Bistritz.--Left Munich at 8:35 P.M., on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6:46, but train was an hour late."


I read parts of Dracula on my Kindle and listened to the rest as a great multivoice audiobook from the library.  Truly, I am surprised by how much I enjoyed Dracula.  I also freely admit that I apparently had no idea about the book's actual plot. 

This is what I knew about Dracula before I started:

1. Dracula is a vampire. 
2. Dracula is a bad vampire (aka he probably doesn't sparkle in sunlight).
3. Yup, that's pretty much it.

 The first part of the book, when Jonathan Harker is in Transylvania with Count Dracula, represents my preconceived notion of the plot.  Much like I want to yell at people for entering creepy houses in scary movies, I wish I could have told Jonathan to leave the castle or even listen to his own skepticism.  A few examples:

• Dracula: "Welcome to my house!  Enter freely and of your own free will!"  (Me: Clearly, not a normal greeting, buddy!)
• In Jonathan's journal: "It is strange that as yet I have not seen the Count eat or drink.  He must be a very peculiar man!" (Me: Peculiar is one way of putting it.)

At first I didn't understand how the book could be so long since Jonathan's stay at the castle seemed to move at a pretty good pace.  Thus, I was delighted to discover all of the other characters.  The prominence of Mina Harker throughout Dracula pleased me.  I did not expect such a strong female role in a book written by a man in 1897. 

I also liked Dr. Seward's patient Renfield.  Yes, he ate bugs, but he also made me laugh (I'm not sure if this was the intended reaction.  Maybe I'm just weird).  My favorite lines from Renfield: "I saw the mist stealing in, and I grabbed it tight.  I had heard that madmen have unnatural strength.  And as I knew I was a madman, at times anyhow, I resolved to use my power." 

Although I usually don't like to read books that are written in the form of letters or journals, I thought that Stoker used this approach to his advantage.  Hearing from the various characters enhanced the suspense of the story.  Stoker developed such a unique voice for each of them that I felt like I could tell their words apart by the end. 

Reading Dracula reminds me of reading Frankenstein in high school.  I kind of dreaded reading both, but ended up really liking them.  Dracula has been an excellent "themed" read for October.  I highly recommend giving it a chance!

I was motivated to read Dracula because of the Group Read hosted by Allie at A Literary Odyssey.  Now that I've finished the book, I'm looking forward to reading what others had to say!

Thoughts: Tuesdays with Morrie

Title: Tuesdays with Morrie: an old man, a young man, and life's greatest lesson
Author: Mitch Albom
Year: 1997
Length: 199 pages
First Lines: "The last class of my old professor's life took place once a week in his house, by a window in the study where he could watch a small hibiscus plant shed its pink leaves.  The class met on Tuesdays.  It began after breakfast.  The subject was The Meaning of Life.  It was taught from experience."


Tuesday with Morrie is by no means a recent or unknown book.   It has received a lot of press throughout the years and been made into a movie.  Yet, every so often I find myself perusing its pages, skimming through Morrie's often simple truths.  As a short book (barely 200 pages in the 2007 reprint), Tuesday with Morrie could easily be devoured in a single sitting.  This time around, I read a chapter here or there over the course of a few months.

Despite the obviously sad overall theme, Tuesdays with Morrie is a book that makes me smile.  My background is in public health education and gerontology.  I spent most of my time in college with older adults, not exactly common for someone in my generation.  I have seen first hand the kind of impact a little quality time can have in the life of an older adult, especially those in assisted living or daycare facilities.  I am an advocate for intergenerational relationships, like that of Morrie and Mitch, and cannot stress enough the benefits to both age groups.

You do not have to have any special training or skills to have a great impact on the life of another person of any age.  If you are willing to give a bit of time, a little of yourself, you can make a difference.  For me, that is perhaps the greatest message of Tuesdays with Morrie.

In Morrie's (and Mitch's) words (pages 126-127):

"There's a big confusion in this country over what we want versus what we need," Morrie said.  "You need food, you want a chocolate sundae.  You have to be honest with yourself.  You don't need the latest sports car, you don't need the biggest house.  The truth is, you don't get satisfaction from those things.  You know what really gives you satisfaction?"

What?

"Offering others what you have to give."

You sound like a Boy Scout.

"I don't mean money, Mitch.  I mean your time.  Your concern.  Your storytelling.  It's not so hard.  There's a senior center that opened near here.  Dozens of elderly people come there every day.  If you're a young man or young woman and you have a skill, you are asked to come and teach it.  Say you know computers.  You come there and teach them computers.  You are very welcome there.  And they are very grateful.  This is how you start to get respect, by offering something that you have.  There are plenty of places to do this.  You don't need to have a big talent.  There are lonely people in hospitals and shelters who only want some companionship.  You play cards with a lonely older man and you find new respect for yourself, because you are needed.  Remember what I said about finding a meaningful life?  I wrote it down, but now I can recite it: Devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.  You notice," he added, grinning, "there's nothing in there about a salary."

Thoughts: Room

Title: Room
Author: Emma Donoghue
Year: 2010
Length: 321 pages
First Lines: "Today I'm five.  I was four last night going to sleep in Wardrobe, but when I wake up in Bed in the dark I'm changed to five, abracadabra."


Room has been somewhat difficult for me to read.  I'm really not even thinking about the overall subject matter when I write this, even though the premise of the novel is troubling and all too real in our world.  I actually found it difficult to get into Room because of the language.

Room is narrated by 5-year old Jack, who has lived his entire life in an 11x11 foot room with his Ma.  Because the objects within this tiny room are all that Jack knows, he thinks of them in the same way that I would think of other people.  I had a hard time reading the personification of Room, Rug, Table, Wardrobe, and so forth.  Donoghue presents an entirely different way of thinking that ended up being a barrier for me; however, it was easier to read as the book progressed.  

I can't say that I "liked" Room.  That would seem strange to me.  I appreciated the originality.  I found Room both challenging and thought-provoking.  The characters frustrated me, but I also felt empathy towards them.  Jack's innocence offered a refreshing perspective at times.  I'm glad that I read Room, as it forced me to think about the way in which I view the world.

Thoughts: Bossypants

Title: Bossypants
Author: Tina Fey
Year: 2011
Audiobook Length: 5 discs, 5.5 hours
First Lines: "My brother is eight years older than I am.  I was a big surprise.  A wonderful surprise, my mom would be quick to tell you."


I don't think it would be too bold to claim that Bossypants represents my ideal audiobook experience. There is truly something magical about hearing a book read by its author.  It doesn't hurt when the book is laugh out loud funny either.  Tina Fey is hilarious and listening to her only added to my enjoyment.

Bossypants is Fey's memoir and traces her rise to SNL and 30 Rock fame.  I actually learned quite a bit about Fey through her funny, often ridiculous, and sometimes profane stories.  She is obviously very smart and possesses an enduring ability to laugh at herself.  An additional benefit to listening to Bossypants is hearing the actual recordings of some of the SNL sketches for which Fey is known.

I will caution you not to listen to Bossypants if you do not want to hear foul language; it is used throughout the book.  I suppose it would be easier to sort of skim over it while reading, as opposed to hearing Fey scream it at you in the car.  Although I could have done without some of the language, I still appreciated Fey's wit and humor.  This was the perfect book to listen to on my drive home after a long day at work, especially when I needed a good laugh.

My Rating: 4 of 5

PS - 1. I admit the cover is pretty creepy.  2. I think one of the funniest parts of the book is titled "Suburban Girl Seeks Urban Health Care" (Disc 1, Track 5), in which Fey recounts her first gynecology appointment.

Thoughts: Eat, Pray, Love

Title: Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
Year: 2006
Pages: 334
First Line: "When you're traveling in India - especially through holy sites and Ashrams - you see a lot of people wearing beads around their necks."

I LOVE this trade paperback cover of Eat, Pray, Love.  It has always appealed to me.    The book itself?  Not as much.  Yet, with the recent release of the movie starring Julia Roberts (which I would like to see), I decided to give it a try.  I was surprised to find that I enjoyed reading Eat, Pray, Love and especially appreciated the way Gilbert structured her memoir. 

I know that many people dislike, even hate, this book.  I certainly didn't agree with everything Gilbert did or wrote about, but I can't fault her simply because she got paid to travel and write this book.  I would love for somebody to pay for me to do that.  The idea of traveling abroad by myself for a year is terrifying to me.  I wish I were brave enough to tackle such a feat.  I'm a bit of a homebody, but maybe one day I will do some traveling of my own.  One of the main reasons I liked Eat, Pray, Love is that Gilbert's life is so different from mine and she doesn't have a typical travel experience.  Despite any differences, I found her to be very likable.  Most of all, perhaps, Eat, Pray, Love made me want to go eat pasta in Italy. 

I want to share one of my favorite little stories in the book.  Gilbert has just attended a soccer game with her friend Luca while in Italy: 

"That's what sports fans in America would do if their team had just lost.  They'd go to a bar and get good and drunk.  And not just Americans would do this - so would the English, the Australians, the Germans... everyone, right?  But Luca and his friends didn't go out to a bar to cheer themselves up.  They went to a bakery.  A small, innocuous bakery hidden in a basement in a nondescript district in Rome.  The place was crowded that Sunday night.  But it always is crowded after the games.  The Lazio fans always stop here on their way home from the stadium to stand in the street for hours, leaning up against their motorcycles, talking about the game, looking macho as anything, and eating cream puffs.  I love Italy." (page 70)

I think I would also love Italy!

My Rating: 4 of 5

Thoughts: A Short History of Nearly Everything

Title: A Short History of Nearly Everything
Author: Bill Bryson
Year: 2003
Pages: 478
First Lines: "Welcome.  And congratulations.  I am delighted that you could make it.  Getting here wasn't easy, I know.  In fact, I suspect it was a little tougher than you realize."

A Short History of Nearly Everything is the first book I've ever read by Bill Bryson and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Slightly intimidating at first, A Short History of Nearly Everything proved to be surprisingly easy to read for a "science" book.  This is definitely not a textbook, but I finished with the sense that I had added to my knowledge base.  Bryson's wit and humor made sometimes less than exciting topics engaging.  It seemed that Bryson also infused some lesser known personal details about many of the famous scientists, which furthered my interest in the book. 

My Rating: 4 of 5

Thoughts: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Year: 2010
Pages: 398
First Line: "I stare down at my shoes, watching as a fine layer of ash settles on the worn leather."

NO SPOILERS HERE!
I don't know what I can say about Mockingjay since most people have already read it and written about it.  I liked Mockingjay, but not quite as much as The Hunger Games or Catching Fire.  It seemed a little slower than the first two books, but had several plot twists that I had never considered.  My only complaint is that it ended too quickly.  There should have been more than a few pages to wrap up the ending.  It left me feeling a little unsatisfied and almost cheated.  Nevertheless, I was happy with the way Mockingjay concluded. 

My Rating: 4 of 5

Thoughts: Olive Kitteridge

Title: Olive Kitteridge
Author: Elizabeth Strout
Year: 2008
Pages: 270
First Line: "For many years Henry Kitteridge was a pharmacist in the next town over, driving every morning on snowy roads, or rainy roads, or summertime roads, when the wild raspberries shot their new growth in brambles along the last section of town before he turned off to where the wider road led to the pharmacy." 


There was a somewhat extended period of time between the day I started reading Olive Kitteridge and the day I finished it this summer.  Elizabeth Strout structured the novel as a series of short stories, so perhaps that lended itself to my lengthy reading.  There were times when I would read several stories in a row and times when I would read one story a week.  Regardless, all of the stories related to Olive in some way, even without her physical presence in a particular story.

I'm not sure what I expected from Olive Kitteridge as the 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner.  However, the writing was gorgeous throughout the entire book.  It's the amazingly detailed descriptions that have stuck with me since I finished it, more so than the individual stories.  In fact, the stories were actually quite sad.  I can't say that I thought a single character was genuinely happy.  It seemed that the people of Crosby, Maine (the location of the novel) had more than their share of pain.

Olive, in particular, suffered a great deal.  In my opinion, she caused much of her own pain.  There were many instances when I just wanted to give her a good shake and tell her to stop acting that way, that she could help herself.  I doubt she would have listened to me, though.  There were also times that I sympathized with Olive, but mostly Olive showed me that I never want to be stuck in a self-defeating cycle of loneliness and anger.

My Rating: 3 of 5

Thoughts: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

I finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot last night since it was due back to the library today.  What an incredible book!  It is the story of Henrietta Lacks, whose immortal cells, called HeLa, have been essential in furthering modern medicine.  It is the story of Henrietta's family, particularly her daughter Deborah, and their quest to learn about Henrietta and her cells.  Yet, it is also the story of Rebecca Skloot, as her interest in HeLa cells spurred her desire to meet the Lacks family and tell Henrietta's story. 

This book has its share of joy and triumphs, but it is also filled with injustice, racism, and sadness.  I am so glad that Rebecca Skloot spent a decade of her life trying to learn about Henrietta and her family.  This is a story that needed to be told a long time ago, as you find out in the book.

Yes, a significant portion of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks deals with science.  But it does not read like a book about science.  So many of the Lacks family's personal struggles and stories are told that at times you feel almost intrusive.  However, you never stop rooting for Henrietta's family.  You empathize with the injustice and hardship.  Most of all, you are thankful for Henrietta's immortal cells and all the wonderful medical cures, vaccines, and research they have allowed. 

If you want to learn a little bit more about Henrietta and aren't sure if you want to read the book, I recommend reading this piece done by CBS Sunday Morning in March 2010.  It's a nice summary and hopefully will make you want to read the book!

Thoughts: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I first heard about The Hunger Games through other book blogs a few months ago.  I was on the waiting list at the library, but I finally got it last week.  A few chapters in, I knew I liked it, but I was able to stop reading.  I was worried about that before I started since I knew that people were so crazy about it.  That was Wednesday.  Then, on Thursday night, I decided to read a few more chapters...

I stayed up until 2am finishing The Hunger Games.  Not so much for the plot because I knew it would turn out alright, especially if so many people loved it and there are two more books in the series.  It was really more about the characters.  I wanted to keep reading about Katniss and Peeta.  I love both of these characters so much.  I was captivated by them, their situation, and their interactions with each other. 

I've already started reading Catching Fire, the second book in the series.  The third and final book doesn't come out until August, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do until then.  Maybe this plan wasn't that well thought out.  I probably should have waited a little while longer to start The Hunger Games.  :)

With a bit of coincidental timing, this review of The Hunger Games at English Major's Junk Food came through my Google Reader just before I started the book myself.  I like what she has to say and if you want to know a little bit more about the plot (which I have neglected to talk about), you should check it out. 

Thoughts: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

It's been a while, but I have been busy with finals and end of semester things.  I also graduated on Saturday!  Woohoo!  I did manage to read The Help by Kathryn Stockett this past week.

The Help is a fantastic book!  I think most of the book blogging community have already read it, but if you haven't, you should probably go find a copy immediately!  It was that good.   I was hooked after the first few pages.  The Help is told through the alternating perspectives of three women: Miss Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny.  Here is the description from Goodreads:

"Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women—mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends—view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t."

Thoughts: Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll

Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There is Lewis Carroll's sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which I wrote about here.  Going into Through the Looking-Glass, I was hoping to find more of the story presented in the movie adaptations of Alice.  Some more of the characters were introduced, but I didn't find much more of the movie storyline.  Though, this book does feature Carroll's famous poem "Jabberwocky." 

I especially liked this description of snow that Alice gives near the beginning of the book before she falls asleep:

"'Do you hear the snow against the window-panes, Kitty?  How nice and soft it sounds!  Just as if some one was kissing the window all over outside.  I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently?  And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, 'Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.'" (page 156)

Like the original book, this adventure takes place in a dream.  However, Alice questions whether it was her own dream or not.  Also present in this book are Alice's cat Dinah's kittens, Kitty and Snowdrop.  Kitty, a black kitten, and Snowdrop, a white kitten, become the Red Queen and the White Queen in the dream, which is based on a game of chess.  Much like the first book, Alice meets an array of bizarre characters who challenge and puzzle her with words.  Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There is a delightful continuation of the adventures Alice begins in Wonderland.