I'm behind the times in posting this as it is Saturday morning before our second class and we're supposed to have posted TWICE by now. Ooops? In this rapid-fire series of posts, I am first going to just say a bit on each of the novels I've read thus far and then, in the next post, I will discuss my disdain for The Outsiders; yes...disdain.
Here we go...
I've actually really enjoyed everything I've read so far (with the exception of The Outsiders, but, like I said, we'll get to that later). A few thoughts on each:
I Am the Messenger
I actually read this in 2008. How on Earth do I remember that you ask? Only because my boarding pass stub from my summer excursion to China fell out of it when I took it off my bookshelf a couple of weeks ago. Apparently I read it in the plane. To be entirely honest, I don't remember a lot about the book. I more or less remember the general premise, but the details are lost. I'm really excited to read people's posts about it as a refresher. I do remember that I really enjoyed it, though. I would recommend it. My little brother Sam recommended it to me in the first place, which is incredible because to say that Sam is not an avid reader is quite the understatement. I was shocked, but definitely pleased, with his recommendation. The Book Thief, also by Markus Zusak, also loved by my brother Sam, is supposed to be really excellent as well. Go check it out.
Oh, The Hunger Games. I bought the first book about six months ago with a gift card I had received in a I-don't-know-what-else-to-get moment of weakness. It had, until recently, been sitting on my shelf ever since...untouched. Note: This is how my Twilight addiction began as well. When I saw it on our reading list I decided that it was probably time to crack its spine. Through the first 2/3s of it, or so, I found it to be exactly what I had expected: obviously targeted writing that was predictable and generally unimpressive. AND THEN! Darn you Suzanne Collins! You got me! I can't pinpoint the exact moment it suddenly became a page turner, but it happened. And it will probably happen to you. So go read it. I now own all three books in the series (go figure), so let me know if you'd like to borrow them. If nothing else, the quick and easy read is probably worth being able to clue into the pop culture references.
OH. MY. GOD! Go read this now. I'm not kidding. Right now. That is all I have to say...
Ok, not really. I'll say more, but seriously...read this book. I laughed. I cried. I've been recommending it to everyone I know. It's an incredibly quick read, but I might change your life. Just a little bit.
Between Shades of Gray
This story is horrible and depressing and not for you if you really don't like and/or cannot handle stories about WWII concentration/work camps, BUT, if you can handle it it's worth a read. It's an incredible story about a population that is generally untouched, as far as I know, in literature set during WWII. The maps and timelines at the beginning of the book are fantastic and help develop your perspective on what the Vilkas family goes through. The ending was a tad cheesy, but I didn't think that it tainted the book overall.
Yep. So...there you go. That's what I've read so far. Now on to rants about The Outsiders...
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