Gone Girl
By: Gillian Flynn

Challenge:  RIP VIII

Published: 2012

# of pages: 415

Official description:  Marriage can be a real killer. 
One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work "draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction." Gone Girl's toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn. 
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer?
As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?
With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

Life of Pi
By: Yann Martel
Published: 2004
# of pages: 401
Quote: "Despite attending a nominally Christian school, I had not yet been inside a church—and I wasn't about to dare the deed now. I knew very little about the religion. It had a reputation for few gods and great violence. But good schools."

Official description: Life of Pi is a masterful and utterly original novel that is at once the story of a young castaway who faces immeasurable hardships on the high seas, and a meditation on religion, faith, art and life that is as witty as it is profound. Using the threads of all of our best stories, Yann Martel has woven a glorious spiritual adventure that makes us question what it means to be alive, and to believe.
Growing up in Pondicherry, India, Piscine Molitor Patel - known as Pi - has a rich life. Bookish by nature, young Pi acquires a broad knowledge of not only the great religious texts but of all literature, and has a great curiosity about how the world works. His family runs the local zoo, and he spends many of his days among goats, hippos, swans, and bears, developing his own theories about the nature of animals and how human nature conforms to it. Pi’s family life is quite happy, even though his brother picks on him and his parents aren’t quite sure how to accept his decision to simultaneously embrace and practise three religions - Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam.
But despite the lush and nurturing variety of Pi’s world, there are broad political changes afoot in India, and when Pi is sixteen, his parents decide that the family needs to escape to a better life. Choosing to move to Canada, they close the zoo, pack their belongings, and board a Japanese cargo ship called the Tsimtsum. Travelling with them are many of their animals, bound for zoos in North America. However, they have only just begun their journey when the ship sinks, taking the dreams of the Patel family down with it. Only Pi survives, cast adrift in a lifeboat with the unlikeliest oftravelling companions: a zebra, an orang-utan, a hyena, and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
Thus begins Pi Patel’s epic, 227-day voyage across the Pacific, and the powerful story of faith and survival at the heart of Life of Pi. Worn and scared, oscillating between hope and despair, Pi is witness to the playing out of the food chain, quite aware of his new position within it. When only the tiger is left of the seafaring menagerie, Pi realizes that his survival depends on his ability to assert his own will, and sets upon a grand and ordered scheme to keep from being Richard Parker’s next meal.
As Yann Martel has said in one interview, “The theme of this novel can be summarized in three lines. Life is a story. You can choose your story. And a story with an imaginative overlay is the better story.” And for Martel, the greatest imaginative overlay is religion. “God is a shorthand for anything that is beyond the material - any greater pattern of meaning.” In Life of Pi, the question of stories, and of what stories to believe, is front and center from the beginning, when the author tells us how he was led to Pi Patel and to this novel: in an Indian coffee house, a gentleman told him, “I have a story that will make you believe in God.” And as this novel comes to its brilliant conclusion, Pi shows us that the story with the imaginative overlay is also the story that contains the most truth.

The Woman in Black

By: Susan Hill

Published: 1983

# of pages: 192

Challenge: RIP VI

Official description:

What real reader does not yearn, somewhere in the recesses of his or her heart, for a really literate, first-class thriller - one that chills the body with foreboding of dark deeds to come, but warms the soul with perceptions and language at once astute and vivid? In other words, a ghost story by Jane Austen.

Austen we cannot, alas, give you, but Susan Hill's remarkable Woman In Black comes as close as the late twentieth century is likely to provide. Set on the obligatory English moor, on an isolated causeway, the story has as its hero one Arthur Kipps, an up-and-coming young solicitor who has come north to attend the funeral and settle the estate of Mrs. Alice Drablow of Eel Marsh House. The routine formalities he anticipates give way to a tumble of events and secrets more sinister and terrifying than any nightmare: the rocking chair in the nursery of the deserted Eel Marsh House, the eerie sound of pony and trap, a child's scream in the fog, and, most dreadfully, and for Kipps most tragically, the woman in black.

The Woman In Black is both a brilliant exercise in atmosphere and controlled horror and a delicious spine-tingler - proof positive that that neglected genre, the ghost story, isn't dead after all.

My opinion: This is the type of ghost story I enjoy! The Woman in Black is short, but is still a great example of the Gothic genre. The story has the feel of a novel written in the 1800s, so I was surprised that it was written in 1983. I feel like ghost stories nowadays have to be scarier and scarier, just like horror movies. People have become desensitized, which is reflected in literature and film.

Anyway, I was happy with the amount of supernatural suspense. There were times I was tensed up, just waiting...waiting... feeling so incredibly creeped out! But it isn't overwhelming, just the perfect amount. I highly recommend this well-written ghost story to lovers of Gothic tales, lovers of suspense, and anyone who wants to try reading a story from this genre. It's a good book to start with because it isn't going to be too much for someone who is sensitive.

Oh yeah, and can I just say that I liked the ending as weird as that may sound? It was unexpected and definitely rounded out the novel.

Look for the movie coming out in February 2012! Looks SO creepy, it gives me goosebumps to watch the trailer.

Why I gave this book 4/5 stars: It was very well-written and a great story. In order for me to give it 5 stars, however, I would want it to absorb me so much that I can't stop thinking about it and imagine myself in the novel alongside the main character. This didn't do that for me, so that's why I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5.

Other reviews:

chrisbookarama

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

By: Stieg Larsson

Series: Millennium Trilogy, Book 1

Published: 2005 - English version in 2008

# of pages: 631

Official description:

Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into a complex and atmospheric novel, with an unpredictable style, intriguing scenes, and giant twists to the plot in many places.

Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of iniquity and corruption.

It also could be described as another thriller with romantic affairs, that Salander cannot cope with.

My opinion: It took awhile for me to become interested in this book. It wasn't until about 80 pages in that I started enjoying it. I think it may be that way with most readers. The first part concentrates on the character Mikael Blomkvist's financial journalism career, so unless the reader is interested in financial affairs, this part won't be interesting. Although as soon as the mystery started unraveling I was hooked! I'm surprised I enjoyed this book so much because it's very violent and graphic. There's a theme of sexual abuse and violence against women.

However, I loved the mystery. It was intricate, but not too complicated. I was able to work out a couple of the pieces, but the whole thing wasn't spoiled. I couldn't put the book down because I just had to know what happened next!

The only thing I disliked is how there's a story within a story. There's the beginning and end which concentrate on Blomkvist's financial journalism career and then there's the middle, which consists of the mystery. Thankfully the mystery makes up most of the novel, but then again, that makes the end feel especially out of place. I felt like the book had already ended, but I still had to read a lot more before the actual end. It didn't tie together very well.

Why I gave this book 5/5 stars: Very well written (and translated since it was originally written in Swedish), good character development, unique and thought provoking subject matter.

Other reviews:
You Can Never Have Too Many Books

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Bridget Jones's Diary

Eat Pray Love

My Sister's Keeper
by: Jodi Picoult

Published: 2004

# of pages: 448


I enjoyed this Picoult novel much better than Plain Truth! It was very well written and the story was unique and thought provoking.

The story follows several characters and, similar to Plain Truth, narrated by the different characters. The main character is Anna, a 13 year old girl who sues her parents for medical emancipation. You see, Anna was specifically conceived to be a donor for her older sister Kate, who is 3 years older than she is. She has donated to her sister several times and finally sues her parents when she is asked to donate a kidney.

Anna hires a lawyer, Campbell Alexander, to help with her case. He's intrigued by the girl and says yes, not realizing how much he would be sucked into Anna's personal life, not just her case. I enjoyed his character a lot. He's mysterious and funny and I couldn't help but like him. He meets an old love (sounds a lot like Plain Truth) and has to analyze his feelings for her and overcome his personal fears.

It was interesting to see how this book was similar to and different from Plain Truth. I couldn't help but compare them. They were so different but then again...so alike. I read multiple books by the same authors all the time, but for some reason I had to directly compare these books. I guess because they did have so much in common. It makes me want to read more of hers. I plan to read Nineteen Minutes next since I started reading it at my mom's a few months ago, but had to put it down because I had so many other books on my list to read.

There's a movie that just came out on DVD a couple of months ago. I really want to watch it now that I've read the book, although I heard that they changed the ending and that it isn't as good. It makes me wonder just how they changed it. If you've seen the movie, did you like it? As much as the book? If you didn't like it, why not? Try not to completely spoil the movie for me though, since I haven't seen it yet!

Anyway, I recommend this to adults although with the same warning I gave in my review of Plain Truth, it's not for the very sensitive person. This one wasn't as hard for me to read since it didn't involve infant death, but it was still a touchy subject and still hard for a mother to read. I couldn't help but place myself in the shoes of Sara, Anna and Kate's mother. Oh yeah, this would be a great book club book!


Have you reviewed this? Let me know and I'd be happy to post yours as well.

The Golden Compass
by: Philip Pullman

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
by: Ann Brashares

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
by: John Berendt

Challenges: What's in a Name?

Published: 1994

# of pages: 400



This is a fascinating and engrossing book that I was amazed to discover is non-fiction! Berendt describes Savannah, Georgia as it was in the 1980s, including a large variety of eccentric characters. Jim Williams is the man who ties the book together. He keeps cropping up in the first part, at the end of which he is accused of murder, and the second part concentrates on his murder trial.

I remained interested throughout the entire book. The first part doesn't have a steady storyline, it jumps around and doesn't have a concrete theme. However, I still remained interested. I enjoyed hearing about the many people Berendt came into contact with while living in Savannah. The second part has a different atmosphere. I was eager to see what the outcome of Williams' trial would be and was also interested in the legal procedures that are described.

There was one chapter that concentrated on a woman named Chablis that I did not like. It was very crude. Her language and choice of topics didn't appeal to me whatsoever. Other than that chapter, I highly recommend this book to all adults, but especially those interested in Southern literature.



Have you reviewed this? Let me know and I'd be happy to post yours as well.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
by: John Boyne

Challenges: YA Challenge

Published: 2006

# of pages: 216

Quote: "And were they really so different? All the people in the camp wore the same clothes, those pajamas and their striped cloth caps too; and all the people who wandered through his house . . . wore uniforms of varying quality and decoration and caps and helmets with bright red-and-black armbands and carried guns and always looked terribly stern, as if it was all very important really and no one should think otherwise.
What exactly was the difference? he wondered to himself. And who decided which people wore the striped pajamas and which people wore the uniforms?" -Bruno pg. 100


If I had to describe this book in one word it would be: powerful. The descriptions of the Holocaust are vague and the reader doesn't really get involved, and yet, I can't stop thinking about this book. It doesn't have to be detailed and we don't have to connect to the main character to still be affected by the story.

The story takes place in Nazi Germany. Bruno is the main character and the story begins with his family being transferred to "Out-With" so that his dad, a high ranking Nazi officer, can run the camp after receiving a visit from "the Fury." Bruno finds the move a hard adjustment, one that is made even more confusing by the fact that he doesn't understand where he is and what's going on. One day he meets a boy the same age as him and they start up a friendship unlike any Bruno has ever had before. The boys can't play together because they are separated by a huge fence. So instead they talk, and as they talk, they discover how much they have in common...and how much they don't have in common.

It's fascinating how Boyne made this book so innocent when it is discussing a topic that is so NOT innocent. It's eerie to see everything through a child's eyes. Bruno mispronounces and doesn't understand words and so comes up with the terms "Out-With" and "Fury" instead of their proper pronunciations. I knew what "Out-With" was right away, but for some weird reason, it took me awhile to realize what "the Fury" was. However, in both cases I couldn't help but see how Bruno's versions of these words are actually more appropriate than the true pronunciations.

My copy of the novel has an interview with Boyne at the end and I was pleased with what he had to say. He's very aware not only of the injustices of the Holocaust, but of the countless genocides that have taken place since then. The reason why I would recommend this book to ALL people, regardless of age, is because I feel like it still applies to our lives today. And that's exactly what Boyne wrote it the way he did. We can learn lessons from the novel, lessons that are important for adults and children to learn. So although the subject of the Holocaust can be touchy because of the violence, I still think that children should learn about it at a young age to learn about injustice so that they will recognize it if it ever comes up in their lifetime. This book can be a tool in teaching them this lesson because of it's young adult style. However, although the story is simple, it's also one that adults can relate to, no matter how many other books they have read on the subject.



Other Reviews:
Booknotes by Lisa
Bloggin' 'bout Books

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The Hunger Games
by: Suzanne Collins

The Woman in White
by: Wilkie Collins

Challenges: TBR Challenge

Published: 1860

# of pages: 528


I was disappointed that it took me so long to read this book. I was reading some non-fiction books at the time and had a lot going on, but I think that affected my opinion of the book. I loved the first part and thought it was very well written and I was thoroughly hooked on the mystery. However, there comes a time in the novel where it feels like it should end...but it doesn't. After that it dragged for me. Although like I said, it may have been because I was already taking awhile to read it. But I think I would have been more motivated to pick it up and read if it hadn't been so slow.

The story is mainly told by Walter, an art instructor. Just before he goes to live on a private estate to tutor two women, he meets a mysterious woman dressed all in white on a dark road in the middle of the night. He helps the woman to town and finds her a carriage, but soon discovers that there are men from an asylum looking for her. The occurrence haunts him even after he goes to the beautiful estate to teach young ladies art skills.

Of course he falls in love with the beautiful, perfect, feminine Laura. Her half sister, Marian, is the opposite of Laura. Not so good looking, outspoken, outgoing, and more "masculine," but still very nice and considerate. These characters are a very interesting part of the novel. I found Laura's character to be very dull and washed out. She's the perfect woman for the time the novel was written, but she's treated like a child throughout the entire novel. Walter and Marian spend all of their time protecting her. Marian is a character that is full of life. So why the heck does Walter fall in love with Laura instead? I guess it's just because of her looks, or maybe he's really intimidated by Marian. It's awful because Marian is obviously not marriage material according to any of the men in the book. They admire her, but that's as far as it goes. I thought it was interesting that Collins wrote a character like Marian and I can't figure out if he's still sexist for making Laura the most "desirable" female or if he was trying to make a point that Laura was the dull, stupid one and Marian the smart one that actually thinks for herself. So maybe he wanted people to think that Laura shouldn't really be the attractive one???

Anyway, Walter soon discovers that he can't get away from the woman in white, even in his new situation. The woman becomes entangled with Laura and Marian and he soon finds himself investigating crimes and trying to save Laura from Sir Percival Glyde. There's a neat plot twist and I was impressed at the intricacy of the novel. However, like I said before, I became a little tired when Walter changes tactics from trying to save Laura to revenge on Sir Percival.

So I'm not really sure what I thought about this book. I liked it, but also found some of it to be very boring. I am also still frustrated at how Walter and Marian treated Laura and at Laura's character for being so weak. However, I still recommend this to lovers of the classics, Gothic tales, and mysteries.

The Secret Life of Bees
by: Sue Monk Kidd

Challenges: TBR Challenge

Published: 2002

# of pages: 320


It's been a long time since I read this, but I'm going to go ahead and attempt to review it anyway. Overall I liked this book, but I was disappointed in the ending. I felt like Kidd tried to make it deeper than it really was. Also, there were parts of the book that I found plain weird, but it wasn't until the end that I thought it was unnecessary.

The story is about 14 year old Lily, who lives alone with her father after her mother's horrifying death. Her father hires a woman down the road, Rosaleen, to help out around the house and be a nanny for Lily. Rosaleen's dream is to have the right to vote, and when black people are given this right, she goes into town with Lily to register. Along the way she is cornered by a group of white men and is put in jail after she fights back. Thus begins Rosaleen and Lily's adventure as they follow a clue on the back of a picture of a black Madonna that is all Lily has left of her mother. Rosaleen and Lily meet 3 sisters who live in a big pink house and make honey to sell. As Lily lives there over a summer she learns more about her mother, the truth about her past, and the hard reality of racism.

Although it has its depressing moments, the book is overall uplifting and empowering. Like I said, I almost felt that too much of an effort was made at the end to give readers this emotion. I recommend this to adults who enjoy Southern literature or contemporary fiction.

Practical Magic
by: Alice Hoffman

Published: 2003

# of pages: 304


Whew! It's been forever since I've posted! I haven't read a whole lot of interesting books since February, but now I'm starting to pick up the pace again so I'm back to blogging. I read this one a long time ago, but I'm going to go ahead and do a short review.

I honestly didn't care for this book. I like the whole magical realism genre, I think it's very interesting. However, I thought that Practical Magic had too much unnecessary crudeness and language in it. The overall story is fun though. I remember enjoying the movie, I think that if you are interested in this book you might as well just watch the movie. It's different, but I think it's different in a good way.

That being said, the story is very girl power. It's about two sisters who grew up with their two aunts, who are known to be witches. The two sisters go their separate ways as they grow up and one has two daughters. When the daughters are teenagers an event happens that brings the other sister into town. The 4 women become close as they live together over a summer. The daughters start becoming women, all of them start to find their place in the world as they confront their pasts, and they all start falling in love with four different men. Of course, the two old aunts have to come and be a part of all of this bonding so they come along at the end of the summer and everyone is happy.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter
by: Kim Edwards

Challenges: TBR Challenge, What's in a Name?

Published: 2005

# of pages: 432

Quote: "'I had twins, Bree,' Norah said quietly, conscious of her dream, the empty, frozen landscape, her frantic searching. 'No one else will say a word about her. They act like since I have Paul, I ought to be satisfied. Like lives are interchangeable. But I had twins. I had a daughter too --'" -Norah to Bree p. 43


My overall impression of this book is that it is hard to read. It touches such intimate subjects like grief, marital problems, Down's Syndrome, out of control teenagers, and the most intimate subject of all: secrets. I found myself relating to some of the characters in parts of the books and then being annoyed and confused with others. The novel covers a wide range of time as well as a wide range of subjects, making it easier to relate at some points and harder during others.

The story follows David Henry and his wife Norah. Norah delivers twins during a blizzard, so only David (a doctor) and one nurse are present to witness that one of the twins has Down's Syndrome. It's 1964 and this condition was not as understood and accepted as it is now. David gives the affected twin to the nurse to take to a special facility for children with Down's. After visiting the facility and seeing how the patients are treated badly, the nurse, Caroline, decides to keep the baby. Instead of telling his wife the truth about the baby, he tells her that her little girl died during birth. It's a secret he must live with the rest of his life, even as Caroline sends him letters and pictures of his daughter's progress over the years and he realizes that his family could have had a much better life if he had kept the girl.

He struggles with keeping the secret from his family although it is tearing them apart. He also struggles with the memories of his sister, who died at a young age because of a heart defect. Norah develops depression after learning of the "death" of her daughter. She's all alone with almost no support. In the 60s, depression was also a condition that was not as understood and treated as it is today. It was heartbreaking to read about Norah's grief and how she felt so alone. It also made me realize that there are so many types of grief that are still not properly recognized, even in 2009. I can imagine this "same" situation occurring today, one twin surviving and another dying, and how people would still avoid Norah and even say rude things about being grateful for one child at least. Not only do David and Norah struggle, their son, Paul, is also affected by David's secret and Norah's depression. He grows up feeling alone and turns to bad friends and situations in his teen years.

The whole story about the Henry family is very depressing. In some ways I understood David's actions, I understood Norah's grief, but I also disagreed with the way they handled it in the long run. At the end of the story it's hard to know who to blame, or if anyone should be blamed, but obviously David should have included Norah in his decision. If he had respected her intelligence and abilities, he could have explained the risk of raising a child with Down's Syndrome and told her what happened to his own mother when his sister died and then let her help decide whether or not to give the child away. If only he had done that, the whole story would have been different, but probably not worth reading.

On a positive note, Caroline and her adopted daughter, Phoebe, have lives the exact opposite. While they struggle, it is with hope and they have joyous lives filled with milestones and achievements. It is interesting to see how Caroline and Norah's lives parallel each other, but are completely different. While Norah's life is superficial and she always hides her emotions, Caroline is open and meets many new friends. Norah and Paul drift apart while Caroline and Phoebe remain close throughout the book.

At the end of the book there is hope, which made it hard for me to decide...did I like this book or not? Overall, I think it was too depressing for me. Others may not agree, but even with the hope and joy in the book, I thought the depressing situations were overbearing. What I enjoyed overall: learning more about Down's Syndrome and seeing the progress that was made in the acceptance of this condition in this country over time. The quality of writing was great and I thought the story was a good pace and easy to follow, especially since it spanned almost 30 years. So, I recommend this book to those who enjoy deep stories that are thought provoking and who can handle the depressing aspects.

I'm interested to hear what you thought about this book! If you have reviewed it, please include a link to your review because I want to link to it and read more myself.

The Grapes of Wrath
by: John Steinbeck

Challenges: My Year of Reading Dangerously, Classics Challenge

# of pages: 455

Published: 1939


I'm so glad I was able to finish this before the new year! This is a book I've wanted to read for a long time, but never got around too. It's going to be the last book of 2008 that I finished. And it was worth reading!

This novel by Steinbeck is so famous that most people already know what it's about. The story takes place during the Depression and follows a family from Oklahoma - the Joads. The entire family leaves their home and moves to California to enjoy what they imagine will be prosperity and comfort. Grampa talks about eating grapes when he gets there. It's all he wants to do and the whole family takes that as an image of the future, what they have to look forward to in California. The family slowly starts to figure out that their dreams aren't going to come true and that the California they imagined is just a myth.

In between the chapters about the Joad family, Steinbeck entwines his own narrative about the Depression and life in general during those times. He discusses the corruption of the rich and the generousness of the poor. He gives the reader facts about the Depression and scenarios of how the people made their way through buying a car to take them out west, their journey to California, their arrival, and the ways of their nomadic camp life.

Much of these things I learned in my 1930s American History class I took in college, but I enjoyed the review because of how great that class was. We didn't read this book in class although we discussed many of the things like the burning of perfectly good crops by the government, the Weedpatch camp, the handbills that were passed out all over the Midwest advertising work in California, etc. In our class we read Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, another great way to learn more about life during the Depression.

Although there were times when I wished Steinbeck had left his chapters about general life and his own opinions out so that the story would move faster, I was still interested and wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next with the Joads. I liked all of the characters (except Casy). I did think that Steinbeck was occassionally harsh. Although I agree that the insanely rich should have shared land and food with the poor, I can't say I blame many of the middle class Californians for feeling threatened and not wanting to help out much. It's easy to look back and say, "People should have helped the immigrants out more and not whined about getting pay cuts so that others wouldn't starve," but I know that most of us would do that in the same situation.

I already hear people complaining about outsourcing and immigrants taking "our jobs." In the 30s, America was a big place and there wasn't much connection between the people of each region. I think that now the world isn't all that big of a place, we should all help each other out and understand that helping out the people of the world will eventually benefit us all. The Grapes of Wrath is a timeless novel and Steinbeck's ideas of men and women helping each other out, sticking together, and standing against corruption will never go out of date. Generosity and kindness in the midst of pain and suffering are always inspirational and I think that even in 100 years, people will still read and relate to this novel.

Coraline
by: Neil Gaiman

Challenge: The Eponymous Challenge

Published: 2002

# of pages: 162

Quote: "On the first day Coraline's family moved in, Miss Spink and Miss Forcible made a point of telling Coraline how dangerous the well was, and they warned her to be sure she kept away from it. So Coraline set off to explore for it, so that she knew where it was, to keep away from it properly." -p. 5


This is the second Gaiman book I've read so far and I wasn't disappointed this time around either! I read Stardust back in June and loved it (and the movie!). I enjoyed this book in a different way. It's a children's book, but I thought it was a little dark and scary for kids. I actually found myself anxious and creeped out in some parts. I suppose I would have loved to read this in 4th-5th grade when I went through my ghost story phase, but I'm glad I didn't read it as a younger child because it would have scared me too much!

Coraline is a fun and adventurous little girl. As you can tell by my quote from page 5, I immediately related to her and was hopelessly entangled in the story right away. Reading the book made me remember when I was a kid exploring the woods around our neighborhood with my brother. As a matter of fact, once a neighbor warned us that there was a deep gully behind his house so not to go back there because we might fall in and hurt ourselves. As soon as he went back in his house we rushed back to that part of the woods to find the gully we had never seen before and probably never would have discovered if not for his "warning." I was definitely an explorer as a kid so Coraline's entire experience was not only interesting as far as stories go, it was also interesting because of how it reminded me of my childhood.

The illustrations encouraged the creepy vibe of the book. They even scare me a little! As Coraline explores her new home and finds the door that ends up leading her to an alternate reality and her "other parents" and "other flat," the pictures follow her adventure and get creepier and creepier as her surroundings become more sinister.

I liked Coraline's character and loved the cat she meets! Although the story is dark and too scary for children under 10 years old (in my opinion), it is entertaining and can transport children, young adults, and adults into an adventure. So save this book for a rainy day and when your kid complains of being bored, let him/her read about Coraline's rainy day adventure.

I was just reminded that this book is going to be a movie! I believe it's animated and you can go to the website under the picture to make your own button eyed picture.

Possession
by: A.S. Byatt

Published: 1990

# of pages: 555


Sooooo slow. I know I'm probably going to have a lot of people disagree with me on this, but this book was not good. I almost put it down several times. The only reason I didn't was because I thought it would get better and by the time I realized it wasn't better I had invested too much time and didn't want to waste it. The whole book could have been at least 150 pages shorter. I enjoyed the overall plot and would love to see it rewritten in a more readable manner.

I understand that Byatt did an amazing job with her research and creativity. The novel is very well written. I can't criticize her writing style and although it was wordy, I could keep up. I understood the literary and psychology references, so it wasn't like I was completely lost. However, I still think the book is too well written...it's superficial. As if Byatt was showing off her intelligence by including unnecessary references, words, and ideas. I don't understand who could truly enjoy the long letters and poems that are ingrained throughout the story, but maybe someone who is more learned and distinguished would. I appreciate these elements in novels, but I prefer them to be natural and a little more subtle.

The letters by the fictional Victorian poet, Randolph Henry Ash, were the worst. He is so boring and pompous sounding! Plus -- I couldn't stand -- the "--" every other -- word! I skipped most of his letters. His love interest, the poet Christabel, was better. I enjoyed her letters more because they seemed like real letters that someone would write and someone else would enjoy reading. Her poetry was also better, but towards the end I skipped hers too so that I could make my way to the end a little quicker. The letters I did read (all of the ones in the first half of the book and a few in the second) were pointless. They did nothing to further the plot and even less to further the sense of romance between the poets.

I enjoyed the mystery between Ash and Christabel. I could understand why Roland and Maud wanted to find out about their lives so badly. I liked the contemporary romance that was portrayed and only wish that the book had spent a little less time on made up poems (sorry Byatt, if I'm going to read poetry, I'd rather read the authentic Victorian stuff) and more on their conversations and interactions. I also liked reading Sabine's and Ellen's journals. They were realistic and interesting. They had intelligent thoughts, but didn't sound stuck up and full of it.

A fellow book blogger pointed out the fairy tales that are told in the book! I completely forgot about this aspect of the book in my original review. I have to admit to enjoying the fairy tales that are in the book. Christabel is especially interested in fairy tales and her poetry reflects this. Fairy tales are randomly placed throughout the book (I only wish there were more!) and Christabel tells or discusses fairy tales. In one section Sabine retells one in her journal. They weren't tales I was familiar with which I'm very glad about. I love hearing new fairy tales. Was this book worth reading just to hear these tales? I still don't know.


I've also changed my conclusion to be a little less harsh. I find it hard to believe that so many people LOVE this book, but I suppose that most people take the time to review and rate books that they enjoy while the people who put a book down after reading half may not take the time to go and do that. So I didn't mean to be offensive, but I still stand by my comments that surely I'm not alone in disliking the book overall. And I still wonder if some people pretend to like it just because it's intellectual. So, I recommend this book if you have a lot of time on your hands and can get through/enjoy all of the academic references and poetry!

Rebecca
by: Daphne du Maurier

Published: 1938 (Harper 2006)

# of pages: 386

Quote: "And time will melow it, make it a moment for laughter. But now it was not funny, now I did not laugh. It was not the future, it was the present. It was too vivid and too real." -p. 222


I started reading this on Halloween. It's a Gothic suspense, I think just perfect for being creeped out, but not too scared. And it's true, this was a great suspense novel that kept me on my toes. Apparently this is a very well known book, but I'm ashamed to admit that I've never heard of it before. Have you? There's even an Alfred Hitchcock film based on the novel that I'm going to check out from the library tonight. I'll let you know if it's good!

The story follows a young lady who falls in love with a wealthy estate owner, Maxim. She hears rumors about how he's been married before and although he admits it, he stays pretty quiet about the subject. He asks her to marry him and takes her back to his house, Manderley. The novel follows her as she adjusts to a new environment and the fact that Maxim had a beautiful and vibrant wife named Rebecca, who is still revered and respected by the household and their neighbors.

Mrs. Danvers is in charge of the household staff and is the creepy antagonist in the novel. The reader is constantly wondering what she's really up to. Maxim is slightly oblivious to household affairs and so the narrator is left to herself to discover how deep Rebecca's influence over Manderley is.

I had an idea of the big plot twist towards the beginning of the novel but then second guessed it. I think all readers will always be a step ahead of the narrator when it comes to some of the surprises she receives, but I think it's safe to say that when the big plot twist occurs you will be surprised. And even after the big surprise the reader is still left wondering what will happen. There's always a sense of dread throughout the book, even when things seem to be going well.

The narrator is sweet and timid with an overactive imagination. In some ways she reminds me of myself, especially how she makes up scenarios in her mind of what could happen. I'm glad to say that I'm not nearly so timid as she is. She's painfully shy and there were times I wanted to go in the book and just encourage her to step out a little and not be so scared of upsetting people. However, I think her character was realistic and am glad du Maurier chose her personality type for a main character.

I recommend this book to everyone. It's a well written classic that may be a little too serious for some young adults, but is great for high schoolers and adults.