The Truth about Forever

Sarah Dessen is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. Yes, the main characters suffer from what Lauren finds to be quite annoying - the inability and/or unwillingness to TALK to the people closest to them, but Dessen writes this out in a much more realistic way. This isn't a teenage girl who doesn't want to talk to her father about her teenage vampire boyfriend or the blood-thirsty monsters that are currently tracking her down - this is a girl who watched her father die and subsequently shut down emotionally and focused on anything that didn't remind her of her dad. Of course you would have trouble talking out those things. So it's not nearly as frustrating - it's "tragical" (which just happens to be one of my new favorite words thanks to this book). You can relate to the main character, Macy, because everyone has lost someone or something in their life and almost everyone has gone through a period of not talking about how that made them feel. It's hard and it's terrible and dealing with it is almost as bad as actually experiencing it.

Dessen let's Macy work through all of her grief in a very normal and realistic way - nothing unbelievable or extraordinary happens. It's summer, Macy's boyfriend leaves and she is stuck at a boring job with people she hates. She happens to find another job with nicer people who don't know about her situation and loves being anonymous and untroubled by what happened. Then they find out and end up being amazing people, supportive and loving.

My favorite of all is Wes (of course this is the guy she falls in love with because there is always a guy to fall in love with in books). He's quiet and sweet and artistic...I'm a sucker for those artistic types. He is the first one to really just let Macy say what she needs to say and the first one Macy will say those things to. He's one of the most perfect male characters I have read...flawed but better for it, attractive but unaware, kind and caring but protective and not overbearing.

I was surprised at how much I liked "Just Listen" and happy to find that I liked "The Truth about Forever" even more. I will definitely be reading the rest of her books in the near future.

Why does everything turn into a statement about the environment?

I finished Specials this week, the third book in the Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. So here are my thoughts on all of them.

Uglies. I liked it okay. It was a quick read and a very interesting idea. Westerfeld creates a fairly believable far distant future of the world based on our current trends/social foibles, although some of it bugged me, but that's bound to happen when you are dealing with a completely fictional state based off of reality - everyone has their own view and interpretation. The main character, Tally, was likable in this book, less so by Specials. I don't want to get into the whole story line because a lot of stuff happens - but I was hooked by the end of the story. I previously mentioned that the book ends in a cliff hanger (which annoys me so very much), but I owned the next two books so I just picked up Pretties and moved on with the story.

Pretties. Tally turns from an Ugly to a Pretty. Pretties are "bubbleheads" who basically spend their time partying...well, not basically, that's all they do. But Tally is different and her ugly past comes back to help her escape the life of a pretty. I like the new love interest, Zane, but Shay becomes more and more annoying. I think Tally's priorities start to change in this book, but I like the idea that Tally changes herself and doesn't need a "cure" to overcome what's ailing her. She is confident and determined and those are good qualities for the main, female character in a teen fiction novel to have. On the other hand, she's far too involved with/concerned about her boyfriends. And now for a tangent.

I think authors (especially in teen fiction) get caught up in trying to always have some sort of love interest for their main character. This is mostly annoying with the female leads as the way they associate with the boy they "love" often counters their previously established characteristics. A prime (and recent) example of this would be Bella in the Twilight series. We are told that she is mature, independent and strong-willed. When she is with Edward, though, none of these traits really shine through. The same can be said for Tally (possibly to a lesser degree) and also for several other teen heroines. Am I the only one who sees this or is bothered by it? Perhaps this is just human nature and all girls can be this way at times (ie. change themselves to make someone else happy), but I'd like to think that in a book, where everything is being created from scratch, that maybe the heroine could truly stick to her character/morals/beliefs and still keep her boyfriend, best friend, etc. happy. Maybe I'm crazy.

Finally, we have Specials. The pace was slower and Tally was annoying. Also, Shay was MORE annoying. Shay redeemed herself in the end, which was good. Tally never really truly "fixed" herself in this one though. She just leveled out everyone else. Plus other things happened that I was not happy with but that I don't want to write here and spoil for those of you who haven't read it yet. Then, to top it all off, the ending! The entire series is turned into a politically charged environmental statement and a poorly worded one at that. I am to believe that in the space of one year, Tally has gone from ugly to pretty to special, has brought down a corrupt government, alienated most of her friends, lost two boyfriends, AND then chooses to become a super secret environmental crusader?! Is it sad that I was fine with everything I listed before "chooses to become a super secret environmental crusader"? The ended just made it cheesy and annoying for me. It felt like an afterthought. Like Westerfeld needed to make a statement so he picked one, scattered a few convenient lines throughout the last book to corroborate the ending and viola!, that's it? Meh.

I think there is actually a fourth book in this "trilogy" but I am unsure about whether or not I want to read it? It's called Extras. Has anyone read it? Let me know.

Overall, I would probably recommend these books if you wanted something quick and light to read. I guess they would be a B- all together (I really enjoyed the first book, but was disappointed by the last).

P.S. from Miri

Miri has just read the trilogy mentioned in my previous post and made a post about it on her blog - just thought I would reiterate it here since it was interesting and well timed.

The Sweet Far Thing, etc.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

I just finished reading this book which was part of the Book Extravaganza of Christmas 2007 (ie: given to me by Krissie). Here's the synopsis:

It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritual world—lead to?

When I started the book I thought it would be as silly as the synopsis made it sound, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was a quick read, and silly at times, but I found myself getting pretty involved with the mystery of the story. It's relatively easy to relate to the "evil" things girls will do to one another, emotionally and socially as well as to the bond that is eventually formed within a somewhat mis-matched foursome. It also helped that I watched Phantom of the Opera (similar time periods - completely different settings, but it still set a mood) while I was in the middle of the book. The mix of the setting and subject was fun as well - there's a good juxtaposition on the girl's trials in preparing themselves for Society (dealing with suitors, facing their different societal roles, being proper) and their desire to break free from the rules (which results in the use of magic).

There were parts that were slow - things that could have gotten resolved much faster but were drawn out for purposes unknown to me, but overall I liked the main character, Gemma, and the story. Of course, now the sequels are added to my list of things to read. I can't read the first in a series and not follow up. Here's hoping they match up to the first installment.

And I have to add that I kind of love the cover art. It doesn't tell you anything really about the stories - other than it's probably set in the 1800s-ish time period - but it's simple and pretty and I like that. Although I think I like the last one (to the right) the best.

Stuff

I am very excited for/jealous of everyone's new books, and Lindsey, you got an amazing haul this Christmas! That is so fantastic. My unplanned-for splurging is usually books, but just before Christmas I had a rare clothes splurge, so now I can't buy any books for a while. But there are definitely several that are on my list.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
The Kite Runner
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Water for Elephants

There's also one that I saw at Borders a while ago and I can't remember the name of it but I know I really wanted to read it. It was by an Indian writer and I've read enough to know that I want to read the rest of it now. I'll let you know if I figure it out, and also if you have any thoughts on what it might be, please let me know!

There are also a few books on my bookshelf that I've been meaning to read for quite a while. These are the top of that list.

March
The Accidental Tourist

Right now, however, I am reading a book that I borrowed from Curt called You Don't Know Me. It took me a long time to start it but the style of writing is really interesting and I got into it pretty fast once I started. I'm also getting out Through the Looking-Glass again, because I didn't finish it when I read Alice in Wonderland, and I'm reading a book my parents gave me for Christmas called You Can Heal Your Life. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like, and it is a fabulous book. I don't even have to finish it to tell you that you could all benefit from reading it yourselves.

Along some previous lines, The Great Hunt is being put on hold... indefinitely. I'll get around to it, but not now. Something else I would like to get is The Sweet Far Thing, which I've been waiting for for a long time. I'll have to check it out from the library, cause I can't buy it until it's out in paperback.

I just finished The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It's been sitting on my shelf for several months now (I found it at Costco for about $7, which is amazing) and I finally decided to dive in because I want to see the movie. And friends, it was AMAZING. I absolutely loved it even though it was very sad in lots of places. Or maybe because it was. I don't know. But it was a really fabulous book, and I'm now very much looking forward to seeing the movie ASAP.
Also, I'm sorry that my posts aren't really very exciting here... I don't know why they aren't, but...oh well. Yay books!

Atonement by Ian McEwan

So, I finished this book last night. First and foremost, I LOVED it. It was a good read full of love and war and tragedy and lies. It had a "real" ending. Not the story-book ending I was furvently hoping for while reading the book, but a real life ending making the characters and events seem that much more plausible. For all we know, this is a true story. It isn't, but it could be. McEwan didn't compromise in this area and I like that a lot.

Secondly. I kind of fell in love with Robbie Turner. He's written so well. He makes mistakes - goofy, blind-in-love mistakes that every person has made, but the consequences of those mistakes are far more serious and disastrous than called for. Still, he never loses his faith in or his love for Cecilia. James McAvoy plays Robbie in the film and he said this about the role,

"I do really care about that character. I get angry about what happens to them in the way you would with a true story based on real events, y'know, and I have to remind myself it's made up and it actually didn't happen."

That pretty much sums it up for me. As I read, I knew what would happen (it's not a secret that Robbie Turner is falsely accused of rape) and I dreaded every moment leading up to it and the ease with which it was carried through. Then I was angry reading about the events following. They seemed like real things happening to real people. That's why McEwan is amazing.

Like I said, the romantic in me wanted the book to end differently, but I know it would have ruined the whole thing if it had. So overall, it was fantastic.

So Talk About Expanding Your Horizons...

I just finished reading The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan--the first book in the Wheel of Time series. Not something I thought I'd ever read, let's be honest. But the story is that Mike had just finished a book and needed something else to read, so I gave him The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen, and when I did he thought hey! I'll give you a book to read too! He gave me two, actually, the other one Eragon by Christopher Paolini. I'm sure I'll get around to that one sometime but it's not really on my top list right now. So anyway, The Eye of the World. Surprisingly good. Granted, I did have to learn to ignore a lot of little things that normally annoy the crap out of me, and just keep an open mind about different styles of writing and all that. And there were a couple things that never quite stopped irritating me (like they way they use the word "light," for example, as both an expletive and a prayer). But the book was actually really good, and I like it enough that I'm starting the second one now, The Great Hunt. I'm excited because both Megan and Mike say they remember this one being amazing, and hey, amazing is always good. I told Mike from the beginning that I am making no commitments past the first three, because--well, really. The series is eleven GINORMOUS books long and the writer died without writing the twelfth and final book, so I actually picked quite a lame time to get into the series. I like them, though, so I'm afraid that I'll read the first three and want to keep going. I guess we'll see how that turns out. I may be setting myself up for a looooot of reading and reading with no fulfillment at the end. Meh. What're you gonna do?

In other news, I am finally reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. I was at Borders with Mike and saw a display with some really cool looking books, and this one was one of them. I've been meaning to read Lewis Carroll for a long time now, actually, and these were such a unique series that I figured it was a sign that it was about time for me to get the book and start reading. I already finished Alice in Wonderland in like a day--it's very quick reading, and only 102 pages long--and now I'm starting into the second one. Good times, and also Lewis Carroll was a very interesting man. :)

Holiday Reading

Although I am sad that my friend, Sheryl, will not be here during the month of December, I am looking forward to catching up on my reading.

Right now I am finishing up the Goose Girl "series" by Shannon Hale. The book is called River Secrets and so far it is great. It's interesting to see how she writes a main MALE character and to see how much more I like him (Razo) now that he is the main character and is gaining some dimension.

By the way, Enna Burning (the second book in the lineup) was fantastic. Enna is so different from Isi. It's a great read.

Megan's unfailing faith in Ian McEwan's Atonement has renewed my desire to finish it and I'm hoping I will have the time to discover just what Megan loves about it. Don't get me wrong, the writing is fantastic, it's just a little slow moving at times and my patience level is never really all that high.

I still also have The Lovely Bones, I Capture the Castle, and tons of other books I haven't even purchased yet to get through. I am hoping and wishing for a Barnes and Noble gift card for Christmas so I can add to my lovely bookshelf.

I finished Atonement, and it was amazing. Definitely worth pushing through to the end. I also read The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine - very cute. I'm currently reading Enter Three Witches by Caroline B. Cooney - lots of fun, a play on Macbeth. That is all I feel like posting at the mo.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

This book has been mentioned on this blog now several times. Well, I finished it last night...mostly because I want my life to be difficult and thought finishing this book would be worth only getting four hours of sleep. I was wrong.

Now, it wasn't a bad book. It was well written and it was keeping me happy far past the point of no return (ie: that ominous chapter just past the middle of a book where if you reach it you HAVE to finish reading no matter how you actually feel about the book. Sometimes reaching this point is worth your while, other times it leads to you feeling hollow and frustrated). However, once I surpassed the point of no return things went down hill from my perspective. Here are some of my questions/concerns:

1. WHY was it okay for Stargirl to become Susan? I know she changed back but not for the right reason; not because Leo wanted her to.

2. WHY didn't Leo ever SAY ANYTHING?! If he really loved her or even just liked her and if he was happy hanging out with her WHY did he not only allow, but encourage her to be Susan? WHY didn't he take her to the ball? I know he was only 16, but frankly, he's a coward and I really liked him before all that. I kept expecting him to turn around and stand up for Stargirl; stand up for himself even! Especially after the oratorical contest. She was SO excited and had a right to be and he was SO proud of her UNTIL they arrived home. I kept thinking "do something, Leo!" "say something, LEO!". Maybe this just isn't that type of book.

I loved the character of Stargirl with her pet rat and sunflower bag - even when she was trying to be "normal" she was great. The idea that such a person could exist is uplifting - even if she only exists in the world of fiction. So, overall I liked this book...not LOVED, just liked. I wanted Leo to be a better person, but such is life. The book is worth it, though, if only for the part when Leo realizes he loves Stargirl. It's sweet and real and funny.

Things, Things, and More Things

Preliminaries
1. Lindsey, you are hilarious. I love sharing a blog with you because you say things like "get thee to a library. Seriously." Vair vair amusant.
2. I think, being the blog creator, you're the only one who can do the currently reading list the way you have it. We (or at least I) have only posting privileges, which do not extend to editing the format of the blog, and I don't know if you have the power to give us said formatting privileges. Probably the best we can do is post our lists, and if you wanted to you could get them that way and put them on the blog yourself. But they probably change so often that it would be more a pain in the butt than anything.

Meatloaf
Here's the adolescent lit scoop. I read Loser by Jerry Spinelli and I loved it. I also read Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen. I loved this one. I am now reading The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen, and I think I like it even more than Just Listen. I LOVED Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Loved it. I also read Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, and Holes by Louis Sachar. Stargirl was great, very happy hugging-bunnies kind of feeling. Holes wasn't as amazing a story, but I really liked the way it was written. It goes back and forth between Stanley, the main character, and his "dirty, rotten pig-stealing great-grandfather," and at first the stories seem kind of random but then as the book goes on you start to see the connections and eventually they come together at the end. Really cool.

I was going to write about some other things I've been reading but it turns out I have to leave the SWKT now (where I've obviously been working hard) so I will probably leave it here. Moral of the story: adolescent lit is way cooler than homework. The end.