Book Buying Obsession for April

So here are the books I bought for April, though there aren't as many as last month!

Ella Enchanted- by Gail Carson Levine (for my friend Darcie's graduation)
Ruby Holler- by Sharon Creech
Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand- by Gail Carson Levine

I definitely kept a hold on my book spending this month though I keep getting donations from the library, so in a way it compensates for not actually buying books. We'll see what May brings.

The Firm

The Firm was my first introduction to John Grisham, and let me tell you- his writing is powerful and his storyline and characters are vivid and capturing. I loved this book, and at times, found myself on the "edge of my seat" with the action. The Firm tells the story of Mitchell Y. McDeere a 20-something fresh out of Harvard Law School who is recruited by the law firm Berdini, Lambert, and Locke out of Memphis to work for their firm. If you've seen the movie, it's pretty much the same only I feel like there's more action (in the literal sense and the metaphorical) in the book. I don't want to give too much information away it you've never seen the movie, but I will say that as Mitch is working 90+ hour weeks, he finds out some secrets about the firm that have the potential to ruin the rest of his life. With the power of knowledge that these secrets give him Mitch is forced to choose to do what is right (in the law's eyes) or maintain the status quo.

If you're looking for a thrilling read, definitely choose this book. However, it was intended for an adult audience and so there are some "adult topics" that may be a little questionable. Other than that The Firm is excellent and a book that sealed Grisham as a bestselling author.

Summer Reading List

So now that school is over and I've turned in all of my assignments and taken my last final, I finally have time to officially make my summer reading list (even though I started it in the beginning of March) and actually read it. So without further ado, here it is (though I may make changes to it in the future):

John Grisham: The Client, The Pelican Brief, The Pelican Brief, The Rainmaker
Deborah Caletti
Sarah Dessen
Joan Bauer
Lauren Willig: The Seduction of the Crimson Rose, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
Joann Fluke: Strawberry Shortcake Murder
Janet Evanovich: Lean Mean 13, Fearless Fourteen, Finger-Lickin' Fifteen
Inkheart
Inkspell
Inkdeath
The Extraordinary Adventure of Alfred Kropp
Chains
The Luxe
The Book Thief
Paper Towns
The Graveyard Book
Generation Dead
Book of a Thousand Days
Story of a Girl
Princess Ben
Impossible
The Host
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe
Tender Morsels
Pretty Morsels
My Stroke of Insight
Criss-Cross
Savvy
The 13th Reality
What I Saw and How I Lied
Me, the Missing and the Dead
Memoirs of an Amnesiac
Ghosts of Kerfol
Lucy Giant
The Unrivaled Spangles
Sammy Keys series
Burn Notice: The Fix
Sold

Wintergirls

I just finished reading Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson over the weekend, and I gotta tell you- it's intense. It is definitely not a light read; man is this book hard to swallow (haha-pun not intended).

Wintergirls tells the story of two best friends, Lia and Cassie, who make it a competition to see who can be the skinniest. However, prior to the book's beginning, the girls have a falling yet (though neither can stop the competition), and Cassie ends up calling Lia 33 time prior to dying alone in a motel room. Lia doesn't get any of the phone calls/messages until after Cassie's death, and by listening to them, Lia begins seeing Cassie's ghost.

As the story continues, we read how Lia struggles with her weight (roughly 105 when the book starts and quickly dropping) and how she continues to force herself to lose weight even after 2 trips to rehab. Lia cares about no one (especially her relationship with her mom) except her stepsister, who she "tries" to set an example for. While trying to deal with everyday life, Lia constantly faces her own inner demons that only more weight loss and cutting can "resolve". As her inner thoughts believe, cutting and not eating are the only times she can feel something, and are the only things in her life that she can control.

I love Laurie Halse Anderson and the books that she writes, but this one was almost a little much for me, mainly because I'm trying to lose weight as well, and reading about how not eating and counting calories can make you lose a lot of weight definitely made me feel like eating extra amounts of food to keep both of us sustained. This book was a great look into the psyche of an anorexic/cutting girl, and made me appreciate my own sanity when it comes to food, weight, control, and feeling (anything). Though I'm not sure I would ever read this book again, it was a good read a definitely gave me a perspective on a life that I know I never will become.

Anderson said that the reason why she wrote this book was because she wanted to write something that could be a response to all the letters and emails she gets from teens across the nation about anorexia, bulimia, and cutting. In the acknowledgements she thanks all the doctors and psychiatrists that she worked with in helping her create Lia and making her believable as a girl with health and mental problems. Well done, Anderson, but prepare for intensity- it took me a while to finish just because Lia's problem is so heartbreaking and frustrating because she has the power to change herself; she just chooses not to.

Book marathon updated

So, are we really surprised that my roommate won the reading marathon? Not only did I lose because I didn't read as many pages as she did, but I also didn't read the two books of her choice- I lost legitimately, and by default. Wow. I had no idea losing could leave me this stripped of pride. I did, however, read some, and here's a list of what I read and how they rate:

What Jamie Saw- 2.8
3 Willows (check my post about it!)- 3
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (check my post about it!)- 3.7
Notes from the Midnight Driver (check my post about it!)- 3.5
Girls in Pants: the Third Summer of the Sisterhood (reread)- 3.5
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood (reread)- 4
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (reread)- 4.5

Here's the total amount of pages we each read:
Me- 1358
My roommate- 4454

Sad.
I know it wasn't a lot, but I had a ton of papers to write and midterms to take, so reading kind of fell to the wayside. We still haven't what my roommate's prize is going to be for winning, but I'm sure we'll find something out. I can't believe I've been showed up by my own competition.