2011 Books (Part 1/2)
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I haven't been on LJ because I got a smallish job this winter break, and because I decided I'd read one hundred books in 2011. And I did! But my responses to those books were so long that I need two LJ posts in which to do it. So here's part one of two. I hid all of my reactions, spoilery or non-spoilery, so highlight the ones you want to read at your own risk. If you're interested, here are the books I read last year.
Keep in mind that my comments to the books are in no way scholarly. Sometimes there is capslock.
1. Timeline by Michael Crichton (Audiobook; January 4)
I don’t like that Marek’s staying behind was depicted as depressingly as it was. The movie may have romanticized it a lot, but I still liked that better. Speaking of the movie, I have a hard time reconciling the book with it, and vice-versa. They are so different, it’s unbelievable. As I enjoyed both, it’s sort of upsetting that they aren’t more similar. I did notice that while the movie seems to be more about time travel, the book is about this going between universes thing. Honestly, all the science stuff went over my head, and I tuned it out most of the time. I am SO glad Francois was not in this!
2. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne ([mini] Hardback; January 12)
I read this for an English class, and I was really surprised to find that I liked it a lot! I even read ahead, finishing it a couple days early. The Custom House introduction thing at the beginning was supremely boring, but once I got beyond that, I was good. I really liked Hester. Didn’t like Pearl so much, she seemed evil. It’s stupid that Dimmesdale died like that, although when he had Pearl and Hester go up on the scaffold with him, my jaw literally dropped. I didn’t think he’d actually do it! Also, I think I finally understand the difference between showing something and telling something in narration... because this book did almost no telling.
3. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Paperback; January 17)
I enjoyed this just as much as I did last year... but this time, I have to wait for the next three books to ship! I’d forgotten a lot. But I still absolutely love the chapter titles. Percy’s narration is so sarcastic, or perhaps... flippant... sometimes, it’s wonderful. The only thing that bothered me was that Riordan implies that Napoleon is evil, on the same level as Hitler... which, honestly, unless I understood sophomore history incorrectly, is completely off.
4. The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan (Hardback; January 19)
I can’t believe I didn’t read this sooner! The stories are fun, I was grinning idiotically through the whole thing. I also love the illustrations. They’re spot on, although I’d always imagined Athena with blonde hair just because of Annabeth. Grover’s picture is my favorite.
5. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (Paperback; January 21)
Yay! :D
6. The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan (Paperback; January 23)
Basically, the only thing I’ve ever hated about these books is that Bianca dies. It really isn’t fair. I’m excited for Pan, and getting to the labyrinth, though.
7. The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan (Paperback; January 25)
This one is definitely my favorite. It’s just... it’s kind of perfect. And I love the end so much, with Poseidon showing up. Pan’s death didn’t make me cry this time, but nearly; and I was looking forward to that scene for the entire book. That, and Mrs. O’Leary and a few others. So wonderful.
8. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (Hardback; January 27)
*happy sigh* Such a perfect way to end the series. I’m such a dork, but all of the rewards in “We Win Fabulous Prizes” made me tear up a little bit. I can’t help it. The only thing that bothers me a bit is the resolution of the Rachel/Percy thing. Though I am loath to make this comparison, it reminds me of Breaking Dawn, when it’s explained that the only reason Jacob ever liked Bella was because he was drawn to what would be Renesmee. I mean, I never wanted Rachel and Percy to end up together, it’s just... I don’t like relationships being used as stepping stones like that. I’m probably also a dork for looking forward to the scene with the sand dollar for like the entire reread.
9. Delfina Cuero by Florence Connolly Shipek (Paperback; January 30)
Read for my Intro to Native American Studies class. I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that Delfina was about thirteen when she had (and lost) her first child.
10. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (Ebook; February 4 [12:50 AM])
Nuuuuuuu! Percy! I want Percy! D: In all seriousness, I did enjoy this. Not sure how much I like Jason. I loved snooping in all the other cabins. I’m glad a child of Aphrodite is a main focus. But I really do miss Percy and everybody.
11. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris (Ebook; February 5)
The biggest piece-of-crap trash I’ve ever read. Filthy. I’d rather read Breaking Dawn than go through this a second time.
12. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Hardback; February 8)
Death (the narrator) tries to prepare you for the end, but you aren’t prepared. There’s no way you can be. Rudy, Hans, Rosa... Rudy. Otherwise a good story, but it’s so hard to read the end. :(
13. Across the Universe by Beth Revis (Ebook; February 11)
Oh, what the hell? - That was my first reaction to the book’s ending. The pacing was good, everything was interesting... and then the end. It resolved way too fast, even though there was no resolution at all. I like open endings, but I really don’t think this one was handled well. And it was pretty obvious that Orion was the one behind the killings; I think I guessed at one point that he might have been the old Elder, but I kept changing my mind about that. Ugh. Also, the Season creeped me out. And the rape. This was oddly sexual for young adult fiction, as odd as that might seem. (I forgot to mention that I liked that Amy was number forty-two. I wasn’t sure if that was intentional, but then when her one of her dad’s books was Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I knew. Amy is the meaning of life.)
14. Zombicorns by John Green (Ebook; February 12)
I should explain a little bit first. This book is an unpublished novella that I got out of the Project For Awesome, a charity thing run by John and Hank Green every year. John wrote Zombicorns for NaNoWriMo, then put a bound copy in the raffle. Everyone who entered the raffle (paying twenty-five dollars) would receive a PDF copy of the novella. That’s how I got this. As a rule, I don’t like anything to do with zombies, but John read the first chapter out loud on YouTube, and I just had to have it. He said it was complete crap, but it wasn’t. The ending was good. The whole thing was good. As twisted as it is, I love that Mia shot Caroline for shooting her zombified sister. I was really surprised to find out that the narrator was a girl, though. John Green never has a female narrator!
15. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (Audiobook; February 13th)
Okay, yeah, I know. I’m a total freak. This is the third time I’ve listened to this in a year... the second time in the last two or three months. I KNOW. But I can’t not love it. Whenever I finish it, I’m so sad that it’s over. I just love it so much. I just like being there, in the caves. I like watching Ian fall in love with Wanda, and Wanda fall in love with Ian. I love how Stephenie Meyer handles the issues, acknowledging the things that are messed up, instead of holding them up as the ideal. I see some parts as being a direct response to Twilight. I love that this is a love story, but not just about romantic love: love between siblings, love between friends. It’s just such a lovely little package. I actually went and bought the audiobook off iTunes.
16. Stardust by Neil Gaiman (Ebook; February 14)
Um. What? Why is the end so anticlimactic? Why is the epilogue so depressing? I guess it doesn’t help that I saw (and loved) the movie first, because I really thought all of its quirks could be attributed to Neil Gaiman. But alas, no. No Captain Shakespeare! No exciting ending! No bitchy Victoria! And not a whole lot of love, either. I admit I was surprised by some of the adult themes in here (and the language - Yvaine has a dirty mouth when she first lands); the movie isn’t exactly innocent, but it doesn’t seem to go this far. The scene with Dunstan and Una was kind of unexpected (and I was reading it in class at the time, so, uh...), but I suppose not altogether out of place. I guess I’m just kind of disappointed. Gaiman’s writing is lovely, though.
17. Cloaked by Alex Flinn (Audiobook; February 15 [2:30 AM])
I kind of want to punch this book in the face. Or maybe just Johnny, who has to be one of the stupidest people ever. This book was seriously predictable, and the fact that Johnny could predict nothing made it almost unbearable to listen to. The fact that he designs shoes does weird me out a little, too.
18. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (Paperback; February 16)
I read this book a few years ago, and I still really like it. Zevin’s conception of the afterlife is kind of comforting. I like that the book isn’t a love story, just a story that has a lot of love in it. (I’d totally forgotten about Curtis and Betsy, oh my gosh, when they first meet!!!!) I like how... understated Liz and Owen’s relationship is. Or... it’s somewhere between understated and flippant. It’s a good balance, though.
19. Siren by Tricia Rayburn (Ebook; February 17)
Damn. What a bleak ending. I really enjoyed most of this. I read a review that complains about Vanessa’s being able to hear her sister not being explained, and it’s true. I don’t get it. There are bits and pieces that I don’t get much, I think. Like, how the hell did Justine die? It makes no sense. The explanations don’t work. I like Vanessa, though, that’s she’s afraid of everything (or that she started out that way, at least). She reminds me of me, like that. I’m not sure how I feel about her being a siren. Unfortunately, I think there’s going to be a sequel. Why can’t authors (especially young adult authors) just write standalones?
20. Bernie Whitebear by Lawney L. Reyes (Paperback; February 17)
Read for Native American Studies. The guy was pretty amazing. The author (his older brother) doesn’t have the greatest (or most interesting or varied) writing style, but I guess with these things, it’s the content that matters. I guess I didn’t know there had been so many issues facing the Native American community for the last century, and still now.
21. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (Online; February 18)
I read this for an English class - 19th century American literature, pre-Civil War. I liked it - at least, I think I must have, because I couldn’t stop reading at points. Something drew me onward, even into the dead of night. But there are so, so many problems with this book. Stowe may be an abolitionist, and may strike out against racism, but she’s racist, herself. Most of the characters whom she entreats the readers to be sympathetic with act or look white. Eliza, a heroine, is white in all but name. She looks white, and she speaks like a white person. She’s obviously different from someone like Chloe, who speaks with a thick accent. The slaves that are looked up to might not necessarily look or sound white, but are looked up to because of their white, Christian piety or strength. Only when they become like a white person are they extolled. I think the only true character in this book is Cassy. Cassy is wonderful. She’s regal, bitter, scarred, and strong. She considers murder, she talks back to her master. I found myself connecting to her, if only because she is the only one who seemed real. Everybody else just seems to be like some sort of allegorical representation. A bit two-dimensional. Cassy transcends three dimensions. A lot of Stowe’s language is problematic. I mean, the subtitle of the book is, “Life among the lowly.” She constantly refers to Africans as an inferior race, or a lowly race; the adjectives she uses aren’t always necessarily negative, but they aren’t the most complimentary, either. There is still an implied inferiority in comparison to whites. I do like that St Clare calls Miss Ophelia out on her racism, though. A lot of people in the North, even abolitionists, were racist, and didn’t actually like black people, or were afraid of them. I was glad that this book reflected that, and had Miss Ophelia change her mind. Two other things that I can think of right now really bothered me: all the weeping, and all the death. Everybody cries what seems like once per chapter; just a huge, weeping mass of people. I’d like to think that men of the nineteenth century were a little more sensitive; however, I don’t believe that they would be prone to collapsing in fits of tears every few days. Weeping not like men, but like women. So then, the deaths. Why did everybody die? I get Eva’s death. St. Clare’s was stupid, though. He just so happens to randomly get stabbed in a bar fight. Okay. I hate that Tom dies. I guess it’s kind of necessary, because it’s from his death that we derive the title of the book, but still. Poor Chloe. One last thing. It was effective at first to jump between Tom’s story and Eliza’s story. But leaving off from Eliza’s story for about fifteen chapters was just not well-structured at all. When it did switch perspectives, it felt clumsy.
22. The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien (Paperback; February 20)
Good Lord. I am not a fan of Flann O’Brien. The ending made up for some of it, but the rest of it was really just putting the reader through the narrator’s hell. It was like wading through mud, just like reading Heart of Darkness. It took me all day to read two hundred pages. This is basically a book about nothing, which is all we’ve been reading in my Irish Lit class. And the thing is supposed to be funny, an inspiration for Monty Python. Well, I didn’t find it funny. I was amused a few times, but that’s not much, out of two hundred pages. I saw where Monty Python might have got the inspiration for riding horses without horses in The Holy Grail. I liked Joe.
23. The Medea of Euripides by Euripides, trans. Gilbert Murray (Google Book; February 24)
I guess this counts. I count plays. Uh. Medea is psycho. I don’t have much more to say, because I just wrote a 7.25-page essay about ancient Athenian theatre for my history class, and I am out of words.
24. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett (Paperback; February 25)
Read for Irish Lit, another play. It’s weird, supposedly really funny, but only a little funny. I kept tracking moments when it reminded me of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.
25. The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen (Paperback; February 28)
I read this belatedly for my Irish Literature class - belatedly, because I ordered it the first day we were meant to begin reading it, and it came two weeks later, long after we had finished discussing it. At the very least, I did pay enough attention in class to understand what my Professor had been getting at as I read along. I did think it read rather like a Jane Austen novel - though Austen would never say “damn,” nor do her heroines ever get kissed explicitly in the text. But it was better than one. Perhaps because it wasn’t about the romance - it was largely about, as many of the books for this class are, nothing, the stagnancy of things. I liked the writing style a lot, though; Jane Austen doesn’t pen many beautiful sentences, I’m afraid. What I found most intriguing about this book was the not-so-subtle lesbian undertones. Lois is completely gay for Marda, okay? It was ridiculously not subtle. Yes, I went in looking for it, because it was mentioned in class. But even if it hadn’t been, I would have picked up on it. Since this book was written in the nineteen-thirties or so, it’s all the more interesting, really.
26. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, trans. Alison Anderson (Paperback; March 1)
I... The ending is just such a shock. Such a slap in the face. I imagined everybody else dying, but not Renee. It is so unfair. She was just starting to find happiness, to become herself as she was meant to be. Poor Kakuro. It’s like killing off Cinderella. This is a very intelligent book, and I sometimes had trouble with the philosophical aspects behind it. I’d almost rather Paloma killed herself. At least I would have been prepared.
27. The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta by John Rollin Ridge (Ebook; March 4)
What a bloodbath, jeez! I hate that this was basically just a summary of events; I found everything - events, characters - just blending together, not really meaning much after a while. It was amusing, though, how many different ways Ridge came up with to say “he was hanged.” All the hangings just became laughable after a while. I do appreciate reading this, however, because it was for my English class (American literature from 1800-1865), and you don’t really think about this kind of thing being written then. You think of Uncle Tom’s Cabin; you think about the South and the North, but you don’t really think about the West. In literature at the time, it’s difficult to reconcile California’s existence with the rest of the country, in a way. That’s why the Professor had us read it - there isn’t much literary value to this book other than than it’s old.
28. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson (Paperback; March 4)
This is a novel that I genuinely enjoyed reading - the process of it, I mean. I found myself engrossed. It was sad, though; I got really attached to Carl. He seemed like such a good guy. But I like that his death was an accident. It enforced the idea of prejudice against the Japanese. Ishmael kind of bothered me. He was a little creepy. I don’t know how I feel about the end, especially the last two paragraphs. I don’t know.
29. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (Paperback; March 5)
First and foremost, the end is absolutely perfect. I was sad at first that James Vane was killed and wouldn’t be able to kill Dorian, but this way was so much better. What bothered me a lot, though, was all the hedonism, the indulging in fine things - ugh! Those long passages describing fine things made me nearly want to puke. And I almost threw the book against the wall every time Lord Henry spoke. Horrible man! His views on women were especially disgusting. I couldn’t help but think all the men were gay, though.
30. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg (Audiobook; March 8)
I get why this isn’t told chronologically: it seems more like an old lady telling a story, even when Ninny isn’t doing the actual telling. It didn’t really work for me, though. But maybe that’s just because I knew what was going to happen because I just watched the movie. I thought it was weird how people didn’t seem to have a problem with Idgie and Ruth being lesbians - like, for instance, when Idgie’s mom told Idgie’s siblings that Idgie had a “little crush.” There’s brutal prejudice against African Americans, yet nobody bats an eye at lesbians? It seemed unbelievable and overly optimistic to me. I also didn’t think that Evelyn’s story worked for me. Yes, she draws strength from Idgie and co., but it seems unnecessary to the plot. It just didn’t work for me. I enjoyed the story when it was about Idgie and co., because I liked hearing about them. But I didn’t like hearing about how some characters ended up dying - Smoky, for instance. And it just seems like the saddest thing to go from the Alabama of the twenties to the Alabama of the fifties through eighties. I just can’t imagine growing old and having to live in a world so different from the one you grew up in.
31. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (Paperback; March 8)
How wonderful! I’m so glad I reread this. I’d forgotten so much, especially in how it differs from the film. I like the differences, though. I like that they’re their own entity.
32. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George (Hardback; March 12)
Such a wonderful, glorious book! It is everything I wanted: fantasy, dragons, wonderfulness! I love Shardas, Feniul... basically, I loved all the different characterizations of the dragons. I also like Creel a lot. She didn’t annoy me at all, which is sometimes the case with first person narrators. The idea of the embroidery being so pretty is a bit odd to me - I think I’d have to see an example of it to judge it fully. Gah! Such a lovely book! Oh, and I like the ending: Shardas doesn’t actually show up, but it’s implied. An open yet closed ending... skills!
33. Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones (Paperback; March 15)
I confess I wasn’t enjoying this much at first. The flattering way in which Abdullah’s people talk - just the whole culture, really - rather put me off. That’s probably rather racist. Oh well. Anyway. Once everyone got into Ingary, I liked it a lot better. The end, though, made me love it! I already knew that Midnight was Sophie, because I’d been told this by a friend, but I can’t believe that everybody else was there, too! I mean, the magic carpet was Calcifer! Oh my gosh! I felt like clapping my hands with glee when everything was - oh, punny - unraveling.
34. House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones (Paperback; March 15)
This is the best of the three! The lubbock creeped me out, but other than that, I loved everything! I love Howl & Co.’s role in all of this - Twinkle, honestly! And I have to say, Diana Wynne Jones knows how to craft an ending - the climax and the ending. The blurb on the front of the book says that it’s “joyfully chaotic,” and that’s exactly it. Perfectly, joyously chaotic and funny. I don’t like the name Charmain, though. Every time (for four hundred pages!) I kept reading it as Chairman, and I was constantly thinking of Memoirs of a Geisha.
34.5. Ouran High School Host Club by Hatori Bisco (Online scanlations; March 26)
I wouldn’t normally count manga (even though I don’t read manga anymore), but I read eighty-three chapters in three days, so I think it should count for something. I loved this so much. It made me laugh and cry. The character development was wonderful. My favorites were the twins; their storyline was fabulous. I was rooting for Hikaru and Haruhi to get together, even though I knew they wouldn’t. (Why do I always do this?) And even so, I think the ending is sweet, and it’s right that Tamaki and Haruhi got together.
35. Voices by Ursula Le Guin (Paperback: May 6)
I remember I really liked this as I began reading it; unfortunately, about two hundred pages in, I let it sit for a while, and when I came back to it, I had forgotten a lot of characters and events, and didn’t get as into it as I had been. I’m rather disappointed to belatedly learn that this is the second in a series.
36. Exodus by Julie Bertagna (Audiobook; May 6)
Noooo! I just found out this is the first of a trilogy! Why does this keep happening? I could barely get through this one. It took me the equivalent of almost a whole quarter to listen to this. The beginning was just so slow, and Mara so annoying and unlikable. It took her three-quarters of the book just to get into New Mungo, which ended up being a cool place, but I like the Tree Nester’s place better. The romance seemed a little fast. I also didn’t like it being told in present-tense. It just didn’t seem to fit... I would sometimes “correct” it in my head, putting it in past-tense, and I liked it so much better. Mara coming in and being all colonialist on the ratkins was a little but uncomfortable, and mostly just arrogant of her. The concept of the story is cool, and for the most part I think it was executed well. It just wasn’t my favorite. It probably would have been better to read a physical copy, rather than listening to it.
37. Loop Group by Larry McMurty (Hardback; May 7)
What absolute trash. The writing and the people being written about are just trash. There are some amusing bits, but this story is just fully of whiny, bitchy women who deserved to get left by their husbands, or whatever. What the hell was the point of the road trip? They get to Aunt Cooney’s, are there for a few pages, then Cooney turns into a bitch and they leave? McMurty tried for some character growth, maybe, but that fell flat. I left this book half-finished for months because I was so disgusted with it. I was only determined to read the whole thing because I bought it new at the campus bookstore for ninety-eight cents. I mean, I knew it wouldn’t be good just because of that, but still. I almost want my ninety-eight cents back.
38. Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris (Paperback; May 7)
I usually don’t like stories about writers. Writers writing about writers always seems a little self-centered and self-indulgent to me. But this is Joanne Harris. The description lured me in. I knew there would be magic in it, because that’s what she always writes about: subtle magic. And I liked this a lot. I read all but the first sixty pages today. I realized the solution a few pages before Jay did, but I liked that that’s where he ended up. I like how Joe wasn’t just some psychological manifestation a la Edward in New Moon. I like that he ended up growing potatoes, and that being the way of him making money to support himself and the village. I didn’t realize it was set in the same place as Chocolat until a ways in; things had seemed a little familiar, but it wasn’t until Roux showed up that I knew.
39. Too Far by Rich Shapero (Paperback; May 8)
First, some background. I was coming out of Olson Hall one day when I saw a woman standing by a box, handing out something to people. Usually, I avoid people like this, so I dodged around her. But then I heard her ask other people if they’d like a “free novel,” so I (and the girl who’d cut across next to me) turned round and got one. It seemed a bit shifty, so when I got home, I looked up the author, and found out he’s self-published, and has his books handed out all over the world, for some reason. It seems like he just drops them off in places - one news story talked about people thinking the box of books was a bomb, so they had to send a robot in to check it out. I don’t know how the guy can afford to do this, but whatever, the story seemed interesting enough. And it was, sort of... My first reaction upon finishing it was Hm.... I don’t know. The writing was good, and I loved all the exploring of the Alaskan woods. But there was something off. I guess I expected it to be a children’s book, from the description, but it wasn’t. There was a lot of sexuality (even involving the kids, who are six) and swearing. The kids’ imaginations were also a little scary, in the sense that I wondered if they had actually got ahold of some of Grace’s pot. I guess that was kind of the point, because Grace tells Robbie she wishes she could be six again, but has to use drugs to get there, so there are parallels... But it was a little rattling. And the whole thing with Robbie and Fristeen being ‘in love’.... They just didn’t seem six. And I also don’t think there was enough resolution at the end. They just ran away, almost died, got found, and then were separated forever. Okay.
40. Farmworker’s Daughter by Rose Castillo Guilbalt (Paperback; May 25)
Read for my history class on immigration. It was all right. The end was too rushed.
41. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (Audiobook; June 8)
Yeah, yeah, I know.
42. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (Audiobook; June 26)
I loved the movie, and now I love the book, even though they’re different. Also, the reader is excellent.
43. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett (Audiobook; July 4)
Very fun and fanciful. I do wish I’d paid more attention, though; I got distracted, because I was working on crafts the entire time I was listening to this yesterday and today. But I know I just adored the picture imp.
44. Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (Audiobook; July 26)
I don’t even know what to say, really. Of course I was blown away. Maggie’s writing has such a sense of lyricism to it that makes it all the more wonderful to hear aloud, enhanced by such amazing readers (Cole! And then Maggie herself in the beginning!). She’s also so unafraid of doing things with and to her characters that you just don’t know what’s going to happen. I was so scared for the wolves and for Cole - I’m glad she didn’t actually kill him off, but I thought she might; I knew she had it in her to do it. I feel kind of like mush right now. I loved it. And I appreciate the open endings (for both Isabel and Cole, and Sam and Grace) very much. Shelby made me so angry throughout. Also, it must be said: I knitted a dishcloth and one-third of an earflap hat to this. Oh. God. I almost forgot. Olivia. I didn’t realize who Shelby had killed until Cole suspected it, and that was such a blow, even more than Beck’s death. (But I was glad Sam and Beck got to say goodbye, even if they didn’t know for certain that’s what it was.)
45. If I Stay by Gayle Forman (Audiobook; July 28)
Oh, man. I cried at the end when she woke up. I didn’t get the “story” at first, but then I did. All that backstory... it’s all about the question in the title: If I stay. It’s all that, weighing on her mind, what she’s lost, and what she still has to live for. And I love that.
46. Where She Went by Gayle Forman (Audiobook; July 28)
First: DAN BITTNER! Cole from The Wolves of Mercy Falls! Sex-on-a-stick-voiced Cole! Ahem. Second: I loved this. I love that it was in Adam’s point of view, I love that Adam and Mia got back together, because I was so sure they weren’t going to. I just love the style, and the aftermath of everything that happened in If I Stay. I just loved it.
47. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Audiobook/ebook; July 29)
I’m going to be a stuffy parent and say that Hannah really was ‘a troubled young woman.’ I don’t like people who commit suicide; it’s selfish, and it’s not the only way out. I like the premise of it, but Hannah really did kind of scare me. I also didn’t like the splicing of Hannah and Clay’s words/thoughts. Something about it didn’t work. And I also don’t like the end. I liked the book, but... I don’t know. What’s up with Skye? Why the hell is she suddenly so important? Is she a suicide risk, too?
48. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (Ebook; August 2)
I liked it, but of course it was messed up. I was absolutely shocked by Simon’s death - he was one of my favorites, and to have him killed like that was just awful. Also, Piggy’s death! God! I was surprised to... not find any cannibalism, though. Even Mom ‘remembered’ there being some, but there wasn’t, just the biting into Simon to kill him. But no actual cannibalism. Though Roger was planning on it in the end, I think. Kind of a shock for some random naval officer to find them at the peak of their hunt, though. Oh, and I can see where LOST got some of its ideas. The dynamic between Jack and Ralph was really interesting.
49. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Paperback; August 4)
I had the sudden, odd urge to reread this a few days ago; an urge, and a curiosity. It’s been about four years since I last read it all the way through, and I wanted to know what it would be like reading it, now that my perceptions of the series have changed. It was a lot more enjoyable than I expected. Of course, the writing itself wasn’t great - I was mentally correcting a lot of things. But I was surprised to find how much I liked Edward and Bella (even - gasp! - together). I’d forgotten their initial antagonism, and how different the movie actually is from the book. Mostly, I had forgotten Bella’s sarcasm. Her voice. It’s very interesting. I also wanted to add, perhaps a little shamefully - or a little... chagrined - how good the book felt in my hands. Familiar. It probably doesn’t make much sense, but I like the weight of it, how it seemed to feel right there. I don’t know. I missed it, I think. Old favorites are like that.
50. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Hardback; August 13)
Again, so much I’d forgotten. It’s really interesting. I’m really struck this time around by how depressed Bella is. Not just when Edward is gone, but in general. She’s depressed, and has zero self esteem. It’s almost heartbreaking how little worth she believes she has, so instead of being angry with her, I just feel bad for her. I was also struck by how much Bella loves Jacob. Just the way she talks about him, it walks the line between platonic and romantic love constantly, just in the comparisons she uses in some places. I do find myself annoyed at how unwilling Bella is to let everybody do their job - that is, how opposed she is to Edward and Jacob hunting Victoria. That’s what they do. They’re capable. And she’s being stupid about it. I understand that she wants to protect them because she loves them, but I really was annoyed by the intensity of it.
The next fifty...