Paper Towns

Paper Towns by John Green was interesting to say the least. I enjoyed the original format of the story, the witty characters, and the humor that was laced throughout the framework of the book. The main premise of this book is that in one way or another, the entire story revolves around the character Margo Roth Spiegelman. So to get things started, the story is told from the point of view of Quentin Jacobsen, a senior in high school who has been in love with Margo since they were kids, who just so happens to live next door to him. After recounting stories of how odd Margo is, she shows up in the middle of the night outside Quentin's window asking him to join her in a night of revenge filled escapades. What follows is an interesting evening where we get another perspective of Margo that even Quentin didn't know existed.

Once Quentin and Margo both go home after their joyous evening of fun, Quentin can't help but think if Margo will talk to him at school tomorrow, share their inside secrets, or even acknowledge his presence (she is a popular girl after all). Once Quentin gets to school he realizes that Margo isn't there- no biggie, he'll just wait to talk to her later at home. Hopefully she has another night of madness planned. However, four days pass and no one has seen any signs of Margo. The cops are called but her parents aren't worried seeing as this is her 6th or so attempt to run away. They think she'll come home when she wants to, but Quentin isn't so sure- especially when he finds a clue that references the night that they both spent together, which seems to be left specifically for him. What follows next is Quentin's attempt to find Margo, along with his best friends, through the chain of clues that she's left him, hoping that he can bring her back to him when she's seemed to fall off the face of the earth.

I really enjoyed reading the first half of this book, and parts of the second half as well. There were a lot of hilarious parts where I found I had to reign back my laughter because my roommate was asleep in the next bed. The middle of the story, the part where Quentin is trying to connect the clues and find Margo was a little slow, and parts of the story where he's looking for a specific clue could have been edited- it took too long to find Margo through her clues. I know the story is supposed to be somewhat realistic, but Quentin is seriously obsessed with finding her- it would have been nice if Green would have sped up the process to either make it seem like Quentin isn't obsessing over Margo, who seems really odd and wacky, or have him give up at some point.

The ending was not what I expected at all, and looking back, wished that Green could have come up with another ending. Once you find out what happens, it's kind of a letdown. Other than that, the story is enjoyable, and worth reading.

Practical Magic

Practical Magic has entered the realm of books on my favorites list. I just finished reading it a week ago and loved it even more than I would have if I had read it at another time during the year because it's a good summer read. The subject of magic and love and the descriptions of the East Coast surround you and transport you to the Owens' front yard.

To try to sum it up, this book is about the Owens women who have been branded by their little town as witches (which is not entirely untrue)- Gillian and Sally Owens were forced to live with their two Aunts when their parents were killed in a fire that destroyed their home. Though the girls are sisters, they could not be more unlike each other (in all things except for their beauty). Sally is dependable, rational, and cautious while Gillian is hell on wheels, a flirt and lazy. Through each girls' experience we learn about the Owens women and why it seems that trouble is always just around the corner for them. The girls quickly learn that in the Aunts' home, as long as they are kept alone to do their work, they can do whatever they want, which launches Sally into the role of a homemaker and Gillian into her role of spoiled brat (who leaves a wake of exes in her path).

The ideas of magic and love are tossed around throughout the novel, and as the book goes on we read how each sister approaches love: Gillian is stuck in an abusive relationship that she can only get out of with the help of her sister, and once Sally's husband dies, leaving her alone with two daughters (who just so happen to be mini-replicas of herself and Gillian), she bans any form of love that comes her way. If anything, this novel teaches us about love and magic, and what happens when we refuse to recognize either. I loved this book, and I loved it so much that I'm definitely considering reading it every year at about this time.

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.