Matched by Ally Condie

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher, Year: Dutton Juvenile, 2010
Other Works: Crossed (out in 2011)
Flags: Teen angst
Rating: A, or Great Read
Premise: A teenage girl begins to question the things she's always accepted as fact when her Society's proven method of "matching" up marriages seems to go awry.

I went into this book sort of tentatively because there was someone I talked to who had read it, I can't remember who now, but they said that it was a creative story, but the writing wasn't that great. I couldn't disagree more. I thought the writing was excellent! A breath of fresh air, honestly. Condie's writing is smooth as silk. It has a musical quality to my ear.

Imagine a place where the Society (central government) directs every aspect of its citizens lives: what to eat, what to wear, where to go, and especially those important decisions like who to marry and what career path to follow. We first meet Cassia, a teenage girl getting ready for her all-important Matching Ceremony, where she will find out who she will marry one day. She is thrilled and surprised to discover that she’s been matched with her best friend, Xander. Such a match doesn’t happen often as most couples are formed from different areas of the country where you’d have no opportunity to know anything about your match before the fated day. However, when Cassia enters the chip into her computer to learn what it says about Xander, a new face flashes across the screen. Another boy she knows, Ky, and now her curiosity about him cannot be suppressed. As her mind is filled with questions, she begins to realize that perhaps things she has accepted since childhood about her surroundings are not all that they seemed to be. +/-

Although I liked Cassia overall, I liked Ky as a character much better. He is a person true to himself. While Cassia is still trying to figure out who she is, Ky has never been more certain of the metal he’s made of. As Ky’s past unravels, I find myself, along with Cassia, greedy for more. He was just the right mixture of vulnerability, strength, and mystery. I loved how Cassia had to figure out in stages what his game was. How he wasn't always what he appeared to be.

I am always amazed how these writers can come up with such an interesting alternate reality. At first, it takes a little time to buy into it. To accept the terminology, the system, and the pills without raising an eyebrow. However, once I was on board, the story and all its little intricacies started to come together, and I realized how creative it was. I have always had this experience with these type of books, and I really am happily surprised that there are writers out there who can keep reinventing the dystopic wheel.

Although I enjoyed the novel, I wish there had been stronger motivation for Cassia to start thinking outside of the box when it came to the Society. I think in several cases, her loyalty to what she’d been taught since birth about her country/government would have been more difficult to break. I had a hard time believing that Cassia would flip on the society so quickly when she'd been brought up with its ideals for so long.

Secondly, I tire of these love triangles sometimes, especially when both parties don’t get a fair shake. Honestly, I can't say whether I like Xander because I simply don't know enough about him. Cassia and he obviously have a long history together, which she knows, but we aren't privy to. I don’t feel like, for me, the inner tension between the two characters is strong enough. I need to really waffle between the two, and, at least from my perspective, there is a clear choice. If there's going to be a love triangle, then I'd at least like the opportunity to weigh both on their merits equally and see which is really the one found wanting. Perhaps this one-sided-ness is by design, and we will get to hear more about Xander as the story continues; I hope so.

Overall, Matched is a fantastic story, a quick and easy read, but one you can really sink your teeth into. A real winner in by book. And the sequel is out this fall!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Genre: Young adult, fantasy
Publisher, Year: Scholastic, 2008
Other Works: Catching Fire
Flags: Teen angst, adult themes
Rating: A+, or Must Read Now!
Challenge: Library, Countdown
Premise: A new government controls what used to be North America and holds the Hunger Games, a gladiator-style, to the death fight between competitors, as punishments for the districts' rebellion. Each year, families are forced to send one teenage boy and girl to the games and watch them die on television.

In my opinion, this book is worth all the hype and attention its received and then some. It’s an easy and fast read, but the topics and issues it discusses are deeply relevant and probing.

Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12, a part of the new government of a war-torn North America Panem. Because of the districts’ failed rebellion, as a constant reminder of their weakness and total lack of control, the government invented the Hunger Games. A Roman gladiator–style, pseudo reality TV program, where “tributes” (two teenagers from each district selected at random) are forced into an “arena” (some destitute place, rigged with manipulatable traps and cameras) where they fight to the death until one person is left standing. When Katniss’s sister, Prim, is called to step forward and join the games, her protective nature forces Katniss to volunteer to take Prim’s place. She, along with Peeta, her companion male tribute, makes her way to the Capitol to fight for her life. +/-

Like everyone else on the planet, I instantly fell in love with this book. It’s a heart-pounding tale from beginning to end. Katniss is a strong and powerful heroine, flanked by a stellar cast of supporting characters, from her loyal co-tribute Peeta to her hunting companion Gale to her unlikely friend Rue. She is a woman who knows how to take care of herself, having grown into the leadership role of her family after her father’s sudden death, her mother completely incapacitated with grief and her little sister too young and frail to fight. She enters the arena with important skills: knowledge of edible plants, successful hunting techniques, and living on very little. These things make her strong, but the limits of that strength will be tested to a breaking point.

Throughout the story I just kept turning over in my head why the tributes couldn’t just refuse to participate. How come they couldn’t just ban together and find a way to keep alive until the audience would tire of the game? This book answers that question in lots of ways; it’s almost like an experiment of force and control. The whole point of the games is the psychologically manipulate an entire population of people by demonstrating their ability not only to kill them, but also to convince them to kill each other.

And the reality TV aspect cannot be overlooked. After putting this book down, it really made me rethink the reasons why I like the shows I do. I’ll never look at The Biggest Loser the same. In so many ways these shows are rigged for drama, because that’s what we love to see. We want to witness shouting and fighting and people losing control. Perhaps we haven’t gone so far as fighting to the death—but could we really rule that out as a possibility?

I quickly set out for the second book in the series, and it will be a trilogy when all is said and done. I also think this book has great potential for a prequel at some time. We know there’s been a war and that this civilization is the result of it, but we really are given very few details, especially about a mysterious District 13, which was completely eradicated during the rebellion by the Capitol. I would love to get more back history on this place. Hopefully, the author might consider it. =)

I think this book has been placed in the correct categorization, being young adult, but it’s a really great story for any age, and adults can learn just as much from it as teenagers. If you haven’t read it yet, amend your ways! A really great read.

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

Genre: Mystery, historical bent
Publisher, Year: Mira, 2007
Other Works: Silent in the Sanctuary
Flags: Adult themes, tenuous references
Rating: B, or Decent
Challenges: Countdown, Library
Premise: Lady Julia Grey employs the mysterious Brisbane to find her husband's murderer.

It wasn’t love at first sight with this book, for me. I was very intrigued by the opening chapters, and I was looking forward to a delicious mystery. Although I think Raybourn is a skilled writer, I’m not totally sure mystery is the right genre for her.

The novel opens with the death, in wonderful mystery fashion, of Lady Julia Grey’s husband Edward. A man of sickly constitution, no one is surprised that he’s met an early end—except for one man, Nicholas Brisbane, who claims to have been hired by Edward to investigate chilling death threats. Lady Grey finally comes to put stock in Brisbane’s story when she finds her own piece of evidence to confirm suspicions. And then, the race is on to find the killer! +/-

First of all, I loved her descriptions! Raybourn knows how to paint a picture with words. I could literally see the dresses and hats as she described them in my mind’s eye, which I think she quite a feat--taking into account that it’s hard to do anyway, but the complicated fashion of the period only made it that much more of a challenge. Julia has a wonderfully strange family who surround her. The bickering, the snobbery, the bizarre characters--I really thought it was a nice backdrop. I liked Brisbane, or maybe I wanted to like him--there was something wonderfully Healthcliff-esque about him. But at the same time, he was so brusque that those few tender moments didn’t seem to fit his character.

There was no lack of twists in this story, but I’m sorry to say that in this case I didn’t find it to be a good thing. I felt like these “shocking” moments started to become contrived and predictable . . . to the rolling of the eyes. But, there were redeeming qualities of that as well. Raybourn calls into question our assumptions about certain characters with these revelations. There’s nothing quite so unsettling as finding out that someone you thought you knew well is actually someone else altogether. I haven’t had this experience much, but enough to understand those feelings of betrayal and disloyalty, not to mention that it makes you question a lot of things about yourself and your life as well. We, as the readers, are forced to reconcile what we know of conflicting reports, and then try to figure out true identities. It gave a nice dimension to the story.

This book was slow moving for me. It was not hard at all for me to put this book down, not even when on the verge of another of Julia’s scandalous discoveries. This book did not have the heart-pounding twists that I’m used to and that I also adore. There were things I didn’t like about the book, but it wasn’t all bad. Anyone who enjoys Victorian-period lit I think would quite enjoy this book. For me, it just wasn’t a homerun.

The Thirteeth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Genre: Fiction - Mystery
Publisher: Atria, 2006
Other Works: Debut novel
Rating: A+, or Must Read Now!
Premise: Margaret Lea is a self proclaimed bibliophile and a great writer as well. She gets on offer to write the biography of a lifetime--that of Vida Winter, a wildly imaginative and eccentric author whose past is shrouded in mystery.

I read this book for a book group and really didn't have any expections going in. I was pleasantly "wow-ed" by this author!

The book carries a feeling of mystery and ominousness, ghost-story-around-the-campfire style, that I found quite thrilling. Because of this, the dialogue could seem stilted, but instead the author has used the language to create a foreboading tone. This is something I enjoyed all the way through the book to the very last sentence.

A young, nose-in-the-books daughter of a bookshop owner, Margaret Lea, receives a request to become the biographer of a prominent author, Vida Winter, whose life story has been sought after by many. She's a stubborn and harsh woman, whose piercing green eyes Margaret cannot seem to escape. As much as Vida's life story is shrouded in mystery, even more so is one of her books, which was reprinted as having 12 tales, after being published a few times claiming to have 13. And so, the 13th tale was never uncovered. +/-

As Margaret struggles through the research for the biography, she not only discovers the truth about Vida Winter and her tales, but also more about her own history. She gains insight into her own painful and complicated life as she pieces together the twisted past of a pathological liar, otherwise known as a storyteller.

Thrilling until the last moment with no lack of twists, I would recommend this book to just about anyone.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Genre: Fiction, slightly historical
Publisher, Year: Algonquin, 2006
Other Works: Riding Lessons
Flags: Moderate Language, Adult Themes, VERY Explicit References
Rating: B- or Not Sorry I Read It
Premise: An old man looks back at his summer with a traveling circus: tyrannical ringmaster, beautiful horse dancer, Rosie the elephant, cantankerous little person, and a thatch of bright red hair. Finally, one fateful night brings Jacob’s adventurous three months to an end.

I surprised myself with this book. I actually ended up quite liking it, although I enjoyed the second half much more than the first. Gruen is an amazing and talented writer—I thoroughly enjoyed her style. She has a great vocabulary. I just got the feeling that every word I read was distinctly and perfectly correct, like each word had been pored over and debated, until just right: baby bear’s chair to Goldilocks. It was really something.

That being said, she lost me in the beginning. She’s lucky I made it past the 4th chapter, which contains an all-too-well-documented strip tease. And there were several more speed bumps to hit before I felt I was home free. I don’t think authors realize the power of the imagination. I don’t get why everything’s got to be so spelled out all time. +/-

A perfectly beautiful story, ruined by gratuitous sex (yet again). I can get the picture without every gritty detail. And I suppose that was the point—to paint a picture of just how gritty “circus” culture was, but I get it already. Leave something to the imagination. I just don’t think it adds to the story. But, I have to admit that I’m glad I made it past. I really loved these characters. They were engaging and interesting, and terrifying. And I can’t say I’m sorry I read it.

I loved the frame story, I thought it added so much to Jacob’s character. To go back and forth also gave me some sort of relief, as young Jacob’s life became more and more turbulent, I knew old Jacob would be around the corner, tucked in his wheelchair with a little cup of Jello. It led me to believe that everything would be alright in the end, and I think that made it possible for me to become more invested in the story and allow myself to connect with the characters.

That being said, elderly Jacob is not at all content, and I think Gruen did an amazing job of describing that period of life when the body begins to fail while the mind is still sharp. It’s hard for me to imagine such a time, and I think it’s hard for any young person to really grasp what that must feel like. Gruen captured it perfectly, and the tragedy of old age became so tactile for me.

I really enjoy a book that explores the differences between illusion and reality, and how they can get tied up together and mistaken for each other. There was so much deceit and trickery surrounding these characters, sometimes it was hard to know which way to turn. I want to say that we’ve changed since then, that things are better now: that humans act more human. But, then, there is just as much greed and selfishness in the world today as there ever was. It just manifests itself in different ways. I guess the comforting thing about that is, that if there is just as much evil, there must also be just as much benevolence. There must be as many caring, generous people, too.

I think Water for Elephants, although brutal and cruel, also carries that message of hope. A hope for mankind, but also on an individual level, a Ulysses if you will. There is always an adventure waiting to be discovered, no matter how what the circumstances. Because of the explicit content, unfortunately I would not recommend this book.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Genre: Young Adult
Publisher, Year: Knopf, 2000
Other Works: Love, Stargirl, Maniac Magee
Rating: A or Great Read
Premise: A sort of sweet, loopy girl is new at school. Her odd ways draw a lot of attention, and not all of it positive. A frank look at high school politics and the power of popularity.

In the opening chapters of the book, we meet the title's namesake, Stargirl. And from the start, we know there's something strange about her. Some might say, we know there's something wrong with her. But, this book just might make you rethink what's wrong and what's right, what's normal and what's strange.

She dresses like a hippie one day, then wears a kimino the next. She sings in the cafeteria with her ukelele, her pet rat, Cinnamon, peeking out of her shoulder bag. At first, the other teens are enthralled with her, fascinated by her "originality." But that can't last forever. And when they turn on her, we all are surprised by what transpires.

Spinelli takes on so many difficult themes with this book, including self identity, self esteem, empathy, and the capricious nature of human beings. If you think about it, high school is a fantastic model of the world to learn all of these things. I remember thinking that once I got out of the high school “drama”, as it's been called, real life in the real world with grown-up people would be different. I don’t even think I need to state the obvious that high school is simply a microcosm for the “real world.” +/-

Stargirl tried to defy all those preconceived notions of what’s normal or proper. And, I have to admit, I think I would have found her a little bit offensive at times and a lot odd. At one point, Stargirl shows up at a funeral of a person she’s never really talked to with a family she’s never really befriended, and it made me consider how I would feel if she showed up with her big sunflower bag and pioneer dress at my own father’s wake, even though she’s completely empathetic and not there to make light of the situation. I can’t say for sure what I’d do. I would be confused, that’s for sure. But maybe confusing others was part of the whole purpose. She makes us step back and think about our social conventions and, not only what they mean to us, but why they have meaning. Why do we want to exclude or hurt others? Why can’t we be accepting of taking part in each others’ lives as a community? They are intriguing questions.

Stargirl finds a friend, and eventually a love interest, in Leo, a boy in her grade. He is fascinated by Stargirl, just like the other kids, but for some reason, he is drawn to her more than the others, and he can't put his finger on it. He is torn between his need to be accepted and his attration to Stargirl. In a fit of frustration, he accuses Stargirl of being a saint. It’s interesting that in our minds, as a society, you have to be a saint in order to be selfless. When you boil it down, that’s really what Stargirl is about, setting aside her rather quirky personality, she really just likes people. She likes people more than anything. She just wants to learn about them, and be part of their lives. She wants to celebrate with them when they are happy and cry with them when they are sad. Why should you need to be a saint to do that?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Genre: Fiction, with a historical basis
Publisher, Year: Dial Press, 2009
Other Works: Ivy & Bean series (Barrows)
Rating: A, or Great Read
Premise: On the island of Guernsey, a small place in the English Channel, a group of neighbors and their story of survival during the German occupation in World War II are discovered by an English writer on the mainland.

This was another book club pick, and it was well worth the time. If I could sum up this book in one word, I think I would have to choose charming. I’ve read a couple of books now in the journal/letter format, and it works for me. I heard it described as Austen-esque, and I think that is a very apt description, as letter-writing was also then taken as a serious and authoritative, and also sometimes humorous, form of communication.

Juliet Ashton wrote a regular newspaper column during the war. We meet her as she’s touring to promote a book made up of her collection of columns. She soon receives a mysterious letter from a man named Dawsey. He lives on the island of Guernsey—a small island located in the English Channel—and found a book that used to belong to Juliet. They strike up a friendship through letters, where she learns about the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and becomes intrigued by it. She ultimately decides that she must go to Guernsey and make it the subject of her next book. While visiting, she meets in person that unlikely circle of friends she’s been corresponding with. She finds herself welcomed into a community of people who epitomize the pain and loss of war, the healing power of friendship, and the strength of the written word. +/-

I really liked the main character, Juliet. Although, I’ve read reviews of people who thought her shallow, I quite liked her quick wit and adventurous spirit. And, although Guernsey was a place of sad stories and hard times, it was also a refuge for a strange mixture of people, bound by the ties of true friendship and community. I loved the cast of characters in Guernsey and how they could still find reasons to smile and laugh. It reminded me of how people can become great friends even when they have nothing else in common except for being thrown together in the same place. I also loved how they used literature for an imaginative escape from their dreary reality. And, Juliet jumps into this world feet first. It’s like she always belonged there, like she’s coming home.

Elizabeth, a strong, creative woman and young mother, was sent away from Guernsey during the occupation before Juliet gets to meet her. Although she is not a “voice” in the book, her presence is expressed through each member of the Society. I think it could be argued that Elizabeth is the central character in the book, rather than Juliet, although Juliet is our heroine. It was Elizabeth’s bravery and lust for life that kept Guernsey going and fueled her neighbors’ dying hopes. In the end, I think that sentiment is the one that shines through: hope for Guernsey and for us, too.

It was a quick, easy read, and I really enjoyed every minute of it. I would definitely recommend this book.

Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky

Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher, Year: Knopf, 2006
Other Works: David Golder
Flags: Adult themes
Rating: A+, or Must Read Now!
Premise: The book is written in parts and follows the stories of several people as they flee and cope with the German occupation in France. The author was captured and killed before she could complete it.

Honestly, this book took me quite by surprise. I had all kinds of ideas of how it would play out before I turned the first page, but it was so different than any other WW II book I've ever read. I really got lost in Némirovsky's language; I can hardly believe it was a translation.

At first, it was a little difficult for me to follow all of the characters and keep their stories straight, but once I was past the first few chapters, it started to come together for me. I hardly even know what to write, seriously this book has me sort of bewildered. All of the people she profiles in the novel are so different but at the same time so similar. Such a stark picture of humanity, showing the good and the bad, the pride and the humility, side by side and tumbled together. +/-

The thing I liked about Dolce was how confusing it was. How different people viewed the occupation and their motivations. That was one thing I think Némirovsky captured so perfectly in both parts of the novel: people's motivation and nature. The occupation was such an emotionally charged subject, I think the author expertly presented how muddled and complicated it was.

In a way, it seems right that this book was written during the war, and not altered (even though I still wish it could have been completed). It seems like reality tends to get distorted when it's reflected on from memory. It's human nature to want to think of yourself and your people as brave and strong. But this book reveals something more intrinsic to our core values, something more selfish and self serving, especially in such desperate times. Perhaps that's why heroism is so treasured in society—because truly there are few who, when faced with such dire tragedy, would act unselfishly. That's a strong bit of truth to swallow.

It was hard for me not to think about Némirovsky's untimely death as I was reading the novel. Really the most heartbreaking thing about this book is that it is unfinished. It makes me wonder how her book would have evolved had she been given the time to finish it. At one point in the book, Jean-Marie, during his rehabilitation, finds time to write:

He wrote with a chewed-up pencil stub, in a little notebook which he hid against his heart. He felt he had to hurry: something inside him was making him anxious, was knocking on an invisible door. By writing, he opened that door, he gave life to something that wished to be born. Then suddenly, he would become discouraged, feel disheartened, weary. He was mad. What was he doing writing these stupid stories, letting himself be pampered by the farmer's wife, while his friends were in prison, his despairing parents thought he was dead, when the future was so uncertain, the past so bleak?

When I read that I couldn't help but wonder if that was how Némirovsky felt about her own life, about this book she was working on. I think she must have worried that no one would read it. But, she had to give life to it anyway, because this story wished to be born. And, I'm so glad she did. If you haven’t visited this site yet, I strongly urge you to do so. =)

This is definitely one I think I will re-read in the future—there’s so much I think I missed in my whirlwind reading.

Three Cups of Tea by Mortenson and Relin

Genre: Nonfiction
Publisher, Year: Penguin, 2007
Other Works: Listen to the Wind (picture book)
Rating: A+, or Must Read Now!
Premise: Greg Mortenson was a mountain climber. After failing to summit K2, he finds himself in the hospitality of a remote village. He notices one thing that he must change: there is no school for the children.

Three Cups of Tea chronicles an amazing journey, requiring equal parts bravery and determination. I can't even imagine doing something like this with my life, but what a difference one life can make. Wow.

Mortenson, a seasoned mountain climber, fails to summit K2, one of the world's tallest peaks. He gets lost on his delirious trek down and finds his way to a small Pakistani village called Korphe. There, as the villagers kindly nurse him back to health, he learns that the children do not have a school. He promises these people who have been so kind to him that he will return and build a school for them. As Mortenson becomes more and more involved with Pakistan, this one school turns into many as he boldly takes on the challenge to educate Pakinstan's youth. Mortenson takes us on his journey of triumphs and setbacks in his quest. +/-

At the end, it made me wonder how this little seed of an idea (the school in Korphe) grew into this life-long passion. Honestly, I can't imagine being this passionate about something; it's really remarkable. I enjoyed the voice and language of the author, and how he kind of turned it into a story with interjected quotations. The descriptions, I felt, were very rich. It made the book read more like a novel, which was fun.

I never realized how difficult it is to start a non-profit and keep it going. Juggling the work to be done, trying to recruit donors, managing what is effectively a business, all while trying to improve conditions in what can be a hostile environment--a tall order by any standards. That's what so great about this story though. I feel like the author didn't try to hide what was hard or what Mortenson's weaknesses were, while at the same time praising his strengths and incredible sacrifices.

The story wasn't told looking through rose-colored glasses, so to speak. It also revealed Mortenson's neglect of his own family, his inability to manage a business, and the people who created seemingly insurmountable problems for him. But then, told how these obstacles were overcome. At almost every point in the story I thought, "Ok, that's it--this is where it's all going to fall apart." But it didn't, because of one man's commitment and because of the people who allowed themselves to be led by his vision.

I can't say enough about how impressed I was with Mortenson's courage. He put himself into impossible and dangerous circumstances time and time again. It was amazing to see him push forward, no matter what happened. He was undaunted. I'm sure there were difficult days for him when he felt like giving up, but he always bounced back with amazing optomisim and love for the people he worked so hard for. It was really incredible to see how that determination can bring about success. He never accepted failure, no matter how bleak things looked.

Most of all, I enjoyed the stories of actual people and their families in Pakistan. The personal touch of getting to know about someone and their struggles and triumphs. I feel like I know the people of Korphe personally, and all the other Pakistanis Mortenson worked with so closely. When I read about Parvi or Baig or Haji Ali, I get a warm feeling in my heart for them. =) It just teaches me that no matter where you go in the world there are good people to be found, who have as much integrity and courage to fight for what's right and good as could ever be found in mankind.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweetby Jamie Ford

To start off, I just want to say that I really enjoyed this book. I think Jamie Ford is going to be an author to watch! I’m interested to see what he will come out with next.

This book was real and poignant, but at the same time incredibly pleasant and satisfying. I suppose that’s why the title is so perfect. The bitter and sweet tied together—such is life.

The book is set in the 1980s, but switches to flashbacks of Henry’s life in the 40s during WWII. In his youth he meets a sweet Japanese girl named Keiko, and they become fast friends. However, the two are separated when the Japanese are sent to internment camps away from Seattle. Henry fights against his strict Chinese parents to see and correspond with Keiko, much to their dismay. Years, later, when some possessions from Japanese families are uncovered from the Panama Hotel, Henry begins a journey that will mend old long-forgotten wounds.+/-

I really enjoyed the characters in the book, especially Sheldon. He’s a jazz saxophone player, and he and Henry develop a close friendship. Since Henry’s parents have a hard time understanding him (figuratively and literally, since he is only allowed to speak English at home when his parents only speak Chinese), Sheldon becomes a sort of pseudo-parent. He is the friend Henry could turn to when the rest of his life was falling apart. I also liked Mrs. Beatty and Mr. Okabe and, of course, Keiko.

Ultimately, I think the message of the book focuses on the crucial relationship between fathers and sons, and how that relationship can be a difficult one to develop. I think it’s interesting to contrast the relationships of Henry and his father with that of Marty and Henry. It’s amazing to me how similar they are, especially since Henry resented his father so much.

Henry’s father is controlling and manipulative and expects him to follow a certain pattern in his life, a pattern ruled by his Chinese heritage. And although Henry resents his father, he feels the immense guilt heavily when Henry fails to please him. No matter what Henry does to fight against it, he ends up entrenched in his father’s master plan. The mother was always the connecting thread between them, although Ethel’s death brought Marty and Henry closer in the end, while I think Henry’s mother’s death would have had catastrophic effects on Henry.

And while Henry always hated his father’s dictatorship, he still perpetrated some of those same expectations on his own son, Marty. It was obvious to me that, even though he disagreed and fought with his father as Henry had with his, Marty still desperately wanted to please Henry. He wanted Henry to be proud of him and accept him. I loved how Henry’s standoffish behavior began to change as he finally understood that Marty viewed him as the same controlling figure that his father had been. And as Henry opened up to Marty and shared his life with him and as Marty did the same, their relationship began to change. I think Henry and Marty were both able to let go of pain as their respect for each other increased. It’s unfortunate that Henry and his father were never able to come to that sort of truce.

Switching gears, I think the book did a good job of highlighting the realities of the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII. It’s not something I ever remember learning about in school; in fact, I don’t think I actually knew it even happened until I was in college. And although I am happy that something like this did not happen after 9/11, I think this book is a good example of how prejudice works when a country is at war. The fear that makes people do things they shouldn’t, and wouldn’t do, if they were in their right minds. It’s frightening to me to think that it’s so easy to be ruled by that fear, even an entire nation that stands on a precipice of freedom.

I researched a little about the internment after I finished the book, and it really astonished me just how many camps there were; how many people were displaced and their lives were destroyed so that they had to start all over from nothing again when they were released. Ford’s descriptions of Japantown really made this come alive for me—how it was still there but it was never the same. I loved the part where Henry goes looking for Keiko in Japantown, and he describes all the mayhem of the neighborhood, finally finding her in the park among the cherry trees. And then, how that bustling chaos of community was gutted and abandoned. Only to be rebuilt an entirely different way. It made me understand the loss in absence. Keiko and her family could go home if they wanted to, but they’d probably have to buy their property again, since it had been seized and re-sold, and their neighborhood would be completely different. That happy time could never be recovered.

In a way, I think Japantown represents Henry. It was bittersweet to see Henry change from a scared and uncertain little boy, to a curious preteen, to a stubborn teenager, to a quiet and accepting adult. He had to grow up fast; I think every child living in that time had to. And although Henry endures the secret stabbing pain of what ifs, his life is still a full and satisfying one, though tinged with a certain sadness of a life turned down a different path. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is just that, but the end is a gratifying one, and we are all reminded to take joy in the sweetness of life, no matter at what time or how hard or easy it is to find.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Unfortunately, I did not feel like this book lived up to my expectations. In fact, at some points, I think a much stronger word than "disappointed" would be appropriate, but I'll stick with that for now.

First of all, I think Niffenegger's idea was extremely creative--not one I would ever have thought of. And the plot, as it twists and turns through time, I thought, was really quite amazing. I have to give her major points on that one. It also got me thinking about how cool it would be to go back in time and have a little chat with my husband as a six year old. I would love that. =)

However, I got very tired, very quickly, of the author's reliance on eroticism as a source of describing Clare and Henry's love for each other. This bothers me because I feel like +/-

it's a very weak thing to rely on, in entirety, to describe love in it's deepest form. Honestly, I didn't see what it added to the plot or the character development. And, closely linked with it, I found a few of her comparisons/jokes (i.e., "not quite Auschwitz-skinny") to be in poor taste.

The other thing I found disappointing about the novel was the character development. I didn't feel like the characters had separate, distinct voices. Sometimes, if I wasn't paying close enough attention, I would forget who was speaking, and have to flip back and look, because Clare and Henry were interchangable. I felt the other characters were also mostly this way (meaning Clare and Henry's friends and relatives). I know it's good for an author to write what he or she knows; apparently our author was very versed in punk rock parties! But, I felt she could have branched out with her characters a little, and that she should have done so. Although there are a few exceptions, for the most part, I felt that all the characters were more or less the same person, just with a different name. It made the story fall somewhat flat, I felt.

But, it wasn't all bad. I felt that the end of the book was very moving. I felt like she illustrated that horrific prospect of seemingly endless separation with such emotion and insight, it would be very difficult not to be moved by it. The theme of "waiting" was certainly explored in the most creative way I have ever seen. I felt like I got inside that kind of longing, frustration, and despair. That feeling of expectation, and then knowing that it can't last forever. I think everyone wishes, at some point in life, that they could bottle a happy moment and keep reliving it without ever letting that moment slip away.

Although chrono-displacement disorder (or whatever it was called) is a ficitional disease, there are lots of diseases that people have to cope with that cause similar emotional responses and frustrations. I can't imagine what that would be like. Niffenegger showed me exactly what that would feel like, and it was devastating. It was heart-wrenching for me to see that from the inside. And it got me thinking about what I would do and how I would react, how I would cope.

For these reasons, I'm glad I read the book, but I didn't feel like it made my "must read" list and I wouldn't recommend it.

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

My first reaction to this book was confusion. Because the characters each live within separate worlds, it makes the story feel disjointed--eventhough they are all connected through a central character. I read that someone described the novel as several short stories strung together, and I definitely agree with that.

However, as the story moves forward, I felt like I was able to catch McCullers's vision. I realized that there's so much more going on than you can figure out at first glance. It definitley got my wheels turning . . . so much to think about. Here are just a couple things I picked out:

1. Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

It's ironic that each character is so isolated because they certainly have things in common. Each character felt the urgency of desperation: Mick and her music/youth, Copeland and racial relations, Jake and social justice, and Brannon and his search for meaning. Yet, when they all get together, friendships do not blossom, just the opposite--they feel disconnected and uncomfortable. +/-

Perhaps that was why Singer was so surprised that his four friends could find nothing in common when introduced together in a room. At the same time, I think for me it was significant that these people did have chances to reach out, but their differences prevented them from fully appreciating their similarities, or perhaps their inability to allow people into the "inside room," as Mick calls it. Their defenses were so well fortified, that no one could sneek past, except a few. I liked what Portia said to her father, explaining the reason that he could not get along with or love his children:

"You think out everything in your brain. While us rather talk from something in our hearts . . ."

But, is it too harsh to say that Mick, Jake, Dr. Copeland, and Biff were all lonely because they chose to be so? I think it is and isn't at the same time. That's what's so great about this book. It places before you a conundrum and dares you to solve it.

2. My Special Friend

I found Singer a very interesting character, and I still haven't quite figured out what meaning to draw from his role in the story. He was everything to everybody. He was the chameleon to their problems. He was a symbol of hope, understanding, and compassion. And yet, he had troubles that no one ever saw. To all, he was serene, the only one who could understand them, when in fact, he understood little but his own pain.

It's interesting, because it made me think of a friend I had once. I felt like she really understood me and I really understood her. I thought our friendship was something special. Like we had a meeting of the minds that rarely occurs. But of the time we spent together, we were rarely around other people, and as those situations arose, I realized that I wasn't her special friend, and she had never seen me that way. It was a bit of a barb, I have to admit. How interesting our assumptions can be, those alternate realities.

Overall, I loved the book. I think there are many things there that I have yet to uncover. I can understand why McCullers was so well received, because although I think her book is revolutionary for its time (even now), I think one can clearly see how she has taken our society and shown us its dirty secrets. I also enjoyed her writing style, once I got used to it.

These Is My Words by Nancy Turner

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into it as stories of the early American West are not really my preferred genre, but I really loved it. I thought, since Sarah’s writing went from rough to more refined, that I might have a hard time getting into it and following what was happening. But, although Sarah’s vocabulary might not be very large in the beginning, this has no effect on her ability to be articulate and engaging. I found Turner’s diary-style story very easy to slip into and hard to put down.

I think the reason I liked it so well was because, when you boil it down, These Is My Words is really a love story. One the front cover, there’s a quote from USA Today that says, “Jack and Sarah are as delicious a couple as Rhett and Scarlet.” And I would have to agree, except that not only did I like Jack and Sarah a lot more, but I really thought, even though Jack sometimes seems an unrealistic character, their love felt real. I loved Captain Elliot the moment I laid eyes on him. And I mean that in the most literal sense. =) +/-

I was not surprised to find out that there was no “real life” basis for Jack Elliot as there had been for Sarah. I read a bit of Turner’s comments in the back of the book and found out that her husband likes to think that she based Jack on him. And she did say that her husband was in the army and fought in Vietnam, and that she spent a lot of nights worrying if he would come home alive. I found that to be very tangible in her writing. Every time he went off on another assignment, I felt a little tingle in my stomach, wondering if this would be the moment he would die and Sarah would be left alone again.

I also enjoyed Savannah and Sarah’s relationship. I wonder if the author made their names so similar as if to elude to the idea that maybe they were the two halves of the same person. Sarah, although she thought of herself as “low down” compared to her sister-in-law, was more of a passionate and independent person, I think. And Savannah reminded me a little bit of Jane Bennett from Pride and Prejudice—always saying the right thing with quiet acceptance, bordering on being good to a fault. Then, slowly, as their relationship grew and they felt the influence of one another, Sarah became a little less wild, although still controversial, and Savannah became a little bolder, although still blushing. As if the perfect woman maybe lies somewhere in between.

Another thing that I think really shines through Turner’s writing is Sarah’s courage and tenacity. I think the fact that she is based on a real person and on real events (although not all actually happened, denoted by the title of “fiction”) makes her story an incredible one. At times, it was difficult to read some of the hardships she and others endured, and it gave me a new perspective on that time and the difficulty of the human experience. Overall, a great read!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Fiction dealing with the era of World War II is not in short supply. To address this topic with the correct sense of seriousness and respect I think is no easy task. Similarly is it difficult to approach the subject with a fresh perspective, a point of view that adds dimension to what’s complicated—to impress upon readers with new force the grotesque criminality of the wrongs committed, the valor of those who recognized that great evil, and the strength of the downtrodden, whose lives were so terribly taken away. Zusak drives these points into our hearts, and they rest heavy there. We are reminded that this time in the world’s history left hoards of victims, including the unlikely, in its wake.

Zusak, above all, is a poet. What emerges from his words are incredible images (Carl Sandburg): eyes like coffee stains, a tightly knotted rope with a dripping yellow sun, a body like a wardrobe and a face like creased cardboard. The images keep coming. Because of the gravity of the subject matter, I found Zusak’s writing style surprising—not to say that Zusak’s style itself is surprising, but that such a style worked surprised me. +/-

The story is narrated by Death. In instances where Death is the main character, he is usually cruel, greedy, morbid, manipulative, rejoicing in his ability to snatch human lives from their grieving families. Zusak’s personification of Death is ingenious. His Death is empathetic, tired, burdened by his duty. And although he is not kind, he is compassionate. He finds the creatures he carries away bewildering. Humans kill humans, that and chance—he does not. His job begins as their bodies fail, and he carries away their souls, wrapped in warmth. And in the end, we realize something so foreign to the character of Death, that it is equally confusing as it is apparent—Death fears humans. He is the perfect narrator for the story, because fear had prime billing in World War II.

Fear was the weapon, and words were the tool. World War II was fed by a war of words, and the after effects of those words were great because they produced diseased minds. Hitler counted on the illness of his people and on the contagious nature of an epidemic. I think it’s important to note that he was close to succeeding. What power is endowed in words. Liesel, our heroine, discovers that power and teaches us about it.

Zusak’s characters are well written and hard to forget. They are well rounded and have complicated relationships in difficult situations. The story is well developed and is presented in short chapters, with interjected short asides from Death’s omniscient perspective. I will be seeking out other Zusak works.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

I really enjoyed this book. I have to say I was getting a little confused by the end because I’ve heard from so many people that it was a great book, so I was waiting for the punch. I knew it must be coming. =) I was waiting for that moment when it would surprise me and everything I thought would be turned on its head. And I have to say, I was not disappointed!

I really enjoyed Coelho’s use of spiritual imagery as well. At first, it was a little startling, but after awhile, I felt like he was able to create a sort of “every” religion, if you will. I think people of all faiths can relate to his sense of spirituality, and I think that is a really difficult thing to do, especially without causing controversy. +/-

Honestly, my favorite part was the time he spent with the crystal merchant. Fleshing out his “beginner’s luck” with a person who doesn’t like change and is mostly pessimistic about life. The juxtaposition of the two, the crystal merchant and the boy, made the merchant seem foolish to me. Without the optimism of the boy and his eagerness to make life better, I would have thought the merchant prudent, maybe, but mostly reasonable and practical. But considering what the boy was able to do for his business, it made me think of all the times I’ve felt like I’ve had a good idea, maybe even experienced a little “beginner’s luck,” but then shook my head and said, “No way, won’t work. Nevermind. What am I thinking of.”

The merchant also believed that he’d rather have his unattainable wish because otherwise he would have nothing to dream of. Once you get the carrot on the stick, it no longer propels you forward—a very interesting theory. I think I identified the most with him, erring on the side of caution too much. Just think of what the boy would have missed out on if he had given up his quest.

*spoiler ahead*

And that brings me to my final thought. I absolutely loved the end of this book. It was beyond perfection. And, I really think, although Santiago finds his chest of gold at the end of the long journey, his real treasure was just that. If his dream had told him that the treasure was under his nose all along, he never would have learned what he did or found true love. Although he would have avoided heartbreaking disappointment and pain, his life would have been considerably emptier. His treasure was not only the experience, but the effect that that experience will have on the rest of his life. The only trouble is you can never tell what will pay off; it’s inexplicably frightening, walking into the unknown. And that is the true beauty of taking risks and following a dream.