50bookchallenge: Books 8-10
8. Her Blood is Gold: Celebrating the Power of Menstruation by Lara Owen -
This was very good, just the thing I always seem to find myself searching for during my period. It's been a good while since I've completed it, so my memory's a tad foggy, but Lara basically discusses an "alternative" view of menstruation, a spirituality and power in it that has long been forgotten in today's world of disposable products and commercials which seem to try to persuade women to act as though their period is something that doesn't happen. She notes in one of the chapters that she often "feels different" before/during her period, and not just in regards to cramps and mood swings and all the hyped-up PMS symptoms. I've felt the same a lot of times, and it's not something I was ever too great at putting into words. Sometimes it just seems carnal, wild, intense.
Anyway, yeah, I really enjoyed this. Thumbs up.
9. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux -
I've had this book since I was about 11, when my dad gave it to me during my Phantom-obsessed phase. Haha. I think I attempted to read it a couple times, but always gave up because it was written so strangely and I couldn't wrap my head around it yet. This time was different, and I'm glad I can finally stop saying "I have that book, but haven't read it..." The syntax made me giggle a bit, and the book seemed to have a slightly annoying habit of cutting to a footnote during what was thought to be a "scary" scene (which wasn't all that scary to me, but then I already knew the basic story and am reading it close to 100 years after its publication) with something humorous or qualifying or semi-unrelated. But yeah, I enjoyed the story, and it was a fairly quick read for me, considering the length of it. I also really enjoyed Leroux's description of Erik's (the Phantom's) torture-chamber! Andrew Lloyd Webber should have definitely put that in his musical! ;)
10. Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block -
Uh.
This was my first Francesca Lia Block novel. I'd heard good things, so I picked up this and another of her books in the past but am just now getting around to reading this. And man, I really didn't enjoy it that much. I wanted to. Maybe I'm missing something (and I got the AIDS reference--at least I think that's what it was), but this just seemed to be one of the most pointless stories I've ever read. Some of the prose was enjoyable, but it just seems overly ridiculous and like it's trying too hard. It's a YA novel, which I usually love, but the names of most of the characters are too childish-sounding to be taken AT ALL seriously, and the scenarios a little too adult at times for it to really seem appropriate for the young adult audience to me. I don't know. It just seems like it had no audience, and I didn't really find myself caring about the characters or the storyline much at all. *shrug* Two people on bookmooch want it, according to LibraryThing, so I guess I'll make someone's wish come true.
10 / 50
(20.0%)
This was very good, just the thing I always seem to find myself searching for during my period. It's been a good while since I've completed it, so my memory's a tad foggy, but Lara basically discusses an "alternative" view of menstruation, a spirituality and power in it that has long been forgotten in today's world of disposable products and commercials which seem to try to persuade women to act as though their period is something that doesn't happen. She notes in one of the chapters that she often "feels different" before/during her period, and not just in regards to cramps and mood swings and all the hyped-up PMS symptoms. I've felt the same a lot of times, and it's not something I was ever too great at putting into words. Sometimes it just seems carnal, wild, intense.
Anyway, yeah, I really enjoyed this. Thumbs up.
9. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux -
I've had this book since I was about 11, when my dad gave it to me during my Phantom-obsessed phase. Haha. I think I attempted to read it a couple times, but always gave up because it was written so strangely and I couldn't wrap my head around it yet. This time was different, and I'm glad I can finally stop saying "I have that book, but haven't read it..." The syntax made me giggle a bit, and the book seemed to have a slightly annoying habit of cutting to a footnote during what was thought to be a "scary" scene (which wasn't all that scary to me, but then I already knew the basic story and am reading it close to 100 years after its publication) with something humorous or qualifying or semi-unrelated. But yeah, I enjoyed the story, and it was a fairly quick read for me, considering the length of it. I also really enjoyed Leroux's description of Erik's (the Phantom's) torture-chamber! Andrew Lloyd Webber should have definitely put that in his musical! ;)
10. Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block -
Uh.
This was my first Francesca Lia Block novel. I'd heard good things, so I picked up this and another of her books in the past but am just now getting around to reading this. And man, I really didn't enjoy it that much. I wanted to. Maybe I'm missing something (and I got the AIDS reference--at least I think that's what it was), but this just seemed to be one of the most pointless stories I've ever read. Some of the prose was enjoyable, but it just seems overly ridiculous and like it's trying too hard. It's a YA novel, which I usually love, but the names of most of the characters are too childish-sounding to be taken AT ALL seriously, and the scenarios a little too adult at times for it to really seem appropriate for the young adult audience to me. I don't know. It just seems like it had no audience, and I didn't really find myself caring about the characters or the storyline much at all. *shrug* Two people on bookmooch want it, according to LibraryThing, so I guess I'll make someone's wish come true.
10 / 50
(20.0%)