Hunger Games Catching Fire

I enjoyed The Hunger Games Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins as much as the first book. It was extremely well paced; there were neither slow spots nor any confusion. I am eager to start the 3rd novel of the trilogy, for this one ended on such a cliff hanger. However, because Collins has such a specific style, I would prefer to read another book before completing the series, because Katniss’s (the narrator) voice can become tiring. The unanswered question that plagued me throughout the book was Katniss’s feelings for Peeta. Her actions suggest that she loves him, but she claims she truly loves Gale. I wonder if this will be pursued in the last book

The Elephant Vanishes: stories

The Elephant Vanishes: Stories by Haruki Murakami is a peculiar collection of short stories, each differing from its predecessor in its odd plot line, but I found the characters in each story to be oddly similar, yet poorly developed. For the most part, each was narrated by a male or female bored but content with their repetitive life style. In most of the stories, the narrator was married, but rarely had children. When describing their husband or wife, the narrator seemed detached and often uncertain of their love. The narrator was always comfortable, but their perception of that comfort differed. My favorite story in the collection is about a man who dreams of a dancing gnome. The gnome inhabits his body in order for the narrator to be able to dance to woo a pretty colleague on the condition that if the narrator speaks, the gnome will steal his body. The gnome turns the woman into a rotting mess of maggots and puss to encourage the narrator to speak, but the narrator triumphs. These deranged premises are unlike anything I’ve ever read and each had a message to uncover between the weird occurrences.

Extremely Loud and Indredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer is an incredible story of a young boy, Oscar, suffering from the devastating death of his father after September 11th, and the intertwining pasts of his relatives. Looking through his father’s belongings, Oscar finds a key in an envelope labeled “Black”. Oscar decides to find the key’s lock by contacting everyone with the surname “Black”, hoping to gain closure. The story is alternated with letters: letters written by Oscar’s mute grandfather to his son (which were never sent) and letters telling of the almost-love story between Oscar’s grandparents. Although I found this confusing at first, not knowing who was writing what and to whom s/he was writing to, but as the story progressed, everything cleared up. I think this added to the reader’s insight of how Oscar perceives events. When Oscar’s grandfather described his devastating memories of the bombing of Dresden, I found it interesting to draw parallels between this event and September 11th and the varying effects it had on its victims. The novel is extremely well written and depicts a very real situation with the emotion and sentiment it deserves.

Poisonwood Bible

Although I really like the concept and general plot of The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, I have decided to take a break from reading and temporarily abandon the book. The premises of the book—a southern Christian family moving to Africa—is fascinating, but the plot is too slowly paced. I also find the characters of the book to be interesting, as they rotate narrator. However, I really only particularly like one of the characters (Adah), as the rest seem to describe their uneventful lives, tainted with racism and complaint. I plan on returning to this book when I have more time to read.

Margaettown

Margarettown by Gabrielle Zevin is an interesting book, following the intricate love story between Maggie and a narrator called N. The book sought to express that nothing is what it appears at face value. It described that reality is simplistic and irrelevant. Mostly narrated by N. (it jumped between several subplots narrated in the third person) on his deathbed, the novel was a letter to his daughter, informing her to reject what people say about her mother. N speaks of the town in which Margaret and her “family” live in. Maggie’s family consists of variations on “Old Margaret”—the same woman at different stages of her life. Zevin literalized a metaphor, never distinguishing between reality and perception, while conveying that the distinction is unimportant. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the plot twists of Margarettown more than any other book I have read this year.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a faced pace read, exciting to the end. I found it to be a nice break from The Poisonwood Bible’s interesting but uneventful plot. Collins does a wonderful job describing a perverse peek into a future version of North America called Panem. Each scene brought a vivid picture to my mind. Because I knew there were books following the first, I assumed Katniss would survive to the end. I figured this might make the book less interesting, but I was constantly asking how she was going to survive, rather than if. Katniss’s relationship with Peeta intrigued me in midst of a game of survival. It would have been very interesting to read the novel from Peeta’s perspective, since his thoughts are never fully divulged. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

Of Mice and Men

I was mildly disappointed by the classic novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, although I did enjoy many aspects of the book. I disliked the anticlimactic plot line, but the growth of the characters is what caused me to read to the end. Although the book had its minor conflicts and resolutions throughout the book, there was no overarching problem that had the reader on the edge of his or her seat. However, while the ending was certainly sad, I enjoyed what Steinbeck accomplished by it. I felt it to be a refreshing change from the typical happy ending books. I like the message that Steinbeck portrayed when George killed Lennie; by killing Lennie, George killed their joint hope of their dream life, throwing George into the group of men lacking any sort of aspiration. I also feel that Lennie’s death allowed him to accomplish his dreams better than anything he would have done in life. Because he died thinking about their farm, Lennie perpetually will be with it. Although the novel did not have me turning pages to discover what’s next, I respect the way Steinbeck developed his characters and chose the ending.

Water for Chocolate

Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel is written in an interesting format, pairing the characters’ love affairs with meals. Each chapter described the latest news in the struggling relationship between Tita and her sister’s husband, Pedro, in addition to a recipe dispersed throughout the story. As the book’s cover describes it, it is “A Novel in Monthly Installments with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies”. In addition to the unique format, I also enjoyed how Esquivel used metaphors to explain what couldn’t really be explained. It seems as if the story was passed through several generations. For example, at one point in the story, Esquivel describes sparks flying between bodies to demonstrate the chemistry between Tita and Pedro. All of a sudden, the room that they are in catches fire because of the heat of their love. I thought these impossibly literal descriptions added to the novel’s charm. My only complaint of the book is how underdeveloped Tita and Pedro’s relationship was. From the start of the book, it is clear that they are in love, but their love is never shown through anything but acts of jealousy and passion. John, another man courting Tita, is described in depth about his kind hearted personality and his care for Tita. I wish that Pedro was portrayed as having a personality other than how he acts when with Tita. Despite this one flaw, I really enjoyed this book.

The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To

The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To by D.C. Pierson was an oddly entertaining read, although it was not usually the kind of book I tend to read. I think the best part of the book was how well developed the characters were. Pierson wrote about each as if he had known them personally. I think what bugged me about the book was that if the characters existed, they would be the type of people to bug me. That being said, the two main characters (Darren and Eric) did grow on me as the book progressed. In the novel, Eric confesses his inability to sleep to Darren. To release whatever it is that people do when they dream, Eric has “bad days” where he cannot differentiate reality from hallucination. During these days, parts of his hallucinations become reality—an idea difficult to grasp at first, but an interesting concept that Pierson explains well. I found it interesting that Eric may have, in fact, created his enemy in reality (a figure called “the man”). I think this is true on several levels. Pierson took the idea of creating one’s own problem to the most literal sense by personifying the issue. This is what intrigued me most about the book, although I wish it had been a theme throughout more of the book, rather than just the end.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

The Particular Sadness of Lemmon Cake by Aimee Bender was different than I expected, but I enjoyed it all the same. I first heard about the book several years ago on npr, and picked it up at a book store in hopes of fulfilling my memoir/nonfiction requirement. As I started reading, it followed the plot line I anticipated—a young girl claims to identify the feelings of the chef when she ate his or own food. Slightly bored by the narrator’s rants about how all food disappointed her, except for those from vending machines, the novel abruptly turned into a fulfillment of my fantasy requirement. I’m not sure exactly when it was that I realized that the book most certainly was not a true account of the author’s childhood—perhaps it was when she correctly discovered her mother was having an affair by biting into a homemade dinner. Maybe it was when she found her brother, after he disappeared for weeks, in his apartment with chair legs in his shoes, rather than his own flesh. Or maybe it was when her father told her that it seemed everyone in their family had a “power” of some sort, which caused him to never enter a hospital. He felt he would discover his power, which would bring unhappiness to him as it did to his own father.
As a reader, I never actually figured out what supernatural ability a hospital would bring about the father, nor did I really find out why the brother disappeared or why he was missing legs that one time. Similar to several other ideas in the novel, much was left unfinished. There were too many loose ends, in my opinion. Although the father’s issue was never divulged or even hinted, I admit I did enjoy pondering why the brother acted the way he did. From what the author did reveal, I drew my own conclusions which, looking back on, was part of the fun of reading.

Knife's Edge

Knife’s Edge by Malorie Blackman, a novel hypothesizing a world in which people with black skin (called Crosses) are superior than those with white skin (Naughts), was equally as exciting as its prequel, Naughts and Crosses. Although both books switched narrators with every chapter, the reader learned the aftermath of the first book from a different perspective. The first book was narrated by Callum, a naught and by his friend and love, Sephy, a cross. The book resulted in the execution of Callum, obviously eliminating him from the list of narrators in the sequel. Having the more one sided view of similar scenarios changed the readers’ minds as they read the sequel.
The only aspect of Knife’s Edge that I disliked was the very ending. After Sephy holds her baby, Rose, a bit too tight, she begins to choke. As Rose’s grandmother comes to perform CPR, the book ends with the grandmother shouting “please breathe, Rose”, leaving Rose’s vitality ambiguous. I understand the rationale behind leaving the reader with something to ponder, but I found this ending to be more of an annoyance than an excitement.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--- to the end.

The last few hundred pages of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson brought a much welcomed new intensity and excitement to the book. Although the book had its slow spots, the very end of the book had the reader on the edge of their seat. Although I enjoyed the surprise of finding out that Martin Vanger was the serial killer and rapist, I was slightly annoyed about the lack of foreshadowing up to the event in Martin’s basement. I realize the book is intended to be a thriller, rather than a mystery, but it would have been far more satisfying to be just slightly suspicious of Martin Vanger. I did, however, appreciate the surprise of Harriet being alive. I look forward to discover the interactions between Berger, Harriet and Salander in books to come. The three women seem to be polar opposites, but all seem to have unique relationships and feelings about one another. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series to see how this progression plays out.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo-- about 390 pages in.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson started out as a slow read, but has proven itself to be an interesting and complex mystery. I think that any book that has gained such a terrific reputation is bound to only skim the reader’s expectations. Extremely confused, initially, I wondered why my classmates and family were enjoying a book about financial and legal scandals. Once I got past that part, I started to really enjoy the book. I think the novel is so popular because it appeals to an audience not necessarily within the aimed demographic, like me. However, my eyes still do glaze over when dollar signs (or rather, Kronor signs) reappear.

My favorite character in the book is, of course, Lisbeth Salander. She intrigues the reader with mysteries she presents about herself, as she solves those of others. This causes the reader to question her past, rather than take interest in that of her cases. Salander is the outcast of the book, which makes her so relatable. I think this contributes to the books wide appeal. Everyone—from teenage girls, to my parents to my grandparents—can connect to being an outsider. She embraces this trait not as a flaw, but as something she just is. I look forward to finishing the book, hopefully learning more about Salander in addition to the Harriet case.

Eat, Pray, Love-- about 230pages through

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert has proven to be a somewhat cheesy, although meaningful novel describing the author's path to enlightenment as she travels the globe after a divorce. I think this book gained so much press and popularity becuase of how easily most readers can relate to it. Even as a teen not going through an early midlife crisis, I can connect to how the narrator (Liz) feels, when she describes this feeling of restlessness and need to just go somewhere. The difference between her and her empathetic readers? Liz actually gave into this restlessness and did go somewhere. She was at a breaking point in her life--everything seemed to be ending, while nothing was beginning. For Liz, the timing was perfect; for so many of her readers, it never will be.
What I found most interesting in this book is Liz's relationship with her sister. She often goes off on tangents about her sister's life and how it differs from her own. It seems as though it was "expected" that the rolls each of them play in this world was "supposed" to be reversed. This relationship alone describes the sentiment of the entire book.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon in order to fulfill one of my genre requirements—mystery. However, the book was more than just a mystery. In fact, the mystery stated in the title was solved just half way through the book. It was about a 16 year old boy named Christopher and his journeys: his journeys through taking “Math Level A”, finding out who murdered his neighbor’s dog and his ultimate journey of finding his mother. Each was a bit of a mystery in itself but together, each part of Christopher’s story created an interesting inscrutability.
The novel was narrated by Christopher, which is particularly interesting because of Christopher’s unique thought processes. It seems as if Christopher has a mental disorder, for he has difficulties with social skills but is an intellectual genius. His take on his world is different than how I would have ever viewed things. While reading, one must often look at something with different perspective, rather than Christopher’s, to discover the true significance of what is occurring. Because of Christopher’s distinct narration, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime is a fascinating book, putting the world in new light.

Nanny Returns

Taking a break from oppression in Afghanistan, I chose to return to New York and decided to read the Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. The book was mediocre in comparison to its prequel, The Nanny Diaries. Expecting a continuation of a college student’s journey after being forced out of the archetypal upper Manhattan nanny life style, I was surprised to be greeted by the same character, Nan, 10 years later and married. The book returns to the same family (the Xes) as its prequel, showing the results of a child growing up in such a life. It was interesting to re-meet Grayer, the child Nan nannied. He drops by unannounced, drunk, to uncover why the only person he looked up to as a child—Nan—had left him. I think while the neglecting of infants by their parents (creating the job of a nanny) is commonly acknowledged, the often unfulfilled need for love teenagers experience without parents that are around is often un-thought of. However, I would have liked to see the end of Nan’s struggles through college as she searches for a job after nanny-ing.

Samira and Samir- Abandoned!

What started out as a fantastic book, Samira and Samir by Siba Shakib gradually grew dull and monotonous. I think it was just the idea of the plot that intrigued me. The idea of a young girl (named Samira) in Afghanistan forced to grow up as a boy (called Samir), so not to ruin her father’s honor was something I had never heard of. The beginning was mostly about Samira’s parents, and the focus slowly turned to Samir’s relationship with her male friend, Bashir. At first, their peculiar interactions were exciting, but then they seem to stand still in age—nothing much happens developmentally, and the author begins to ramble. I couldn’t read more than 10 or so pages at night, for there was nothing to keep me going and the book is quite grim. Tragic tale after tragic tale was told and stories of rape were repeated. It wasn’t that I couldn’t keep track of what was happening, but I just lost interest in knowing. Unfortunately, I have decided to abandon this book, 201 pages into the 280 page book. Perhaps I will later return to finish up the last bit, but for now I will move onto a book with a lighter topic and more of a grab. However, I cannot credit this book for nothing. The topic still interests me, and is something I’d be willing to possibly read more about. In fact, the New York Times just wrote an article on how common females disguised as males so to avoid oppression are in Afghanistan.

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin offers a theory about what happens after one dies. Zevin describes an afterlife in which all age backwards until the dead reach infancy again. At infancy, the dead are shipped back down a river to be reborn on earth. Initially, I saw this theory as quite optimistic, but I was soon proved wrong. While this would be a wonderfully satisfying afterlife for one who already lived a long life on earth, it is only full of missed opportunities for a dead teenager such as the main character, Liz. Dead at 15, Liz never has the chance to get her driver’s license, go to prom or to her best friend’s wedding. She becomes addicted to looking through lenses at the observation deck, where she can see into the lives of her loved ones who are still alive, destroying her mental and social health. Although Zevin describes the after world (often called “elsewhere”) with great detail, she neglects to give Liz much of a personality. Liz has few distinct features. I can’t help but wonder whether this was intentional, rather than lazy writing. Possibly Zevin meant to make Liz’s life and afterlife applicable to every teenage girl, without turning her into a complete stereo-type or cliché. Zevin illustrates her ideas of life after death through a generic girl, putting a twist on the idea of heaven.

Naughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

Naughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman explores an interesting concept of roll reversal of skin colors. In the novel, people with light skin tones (nicknamed the Naughts) were second class citizens to those with darker skin tones (nicknamed the Crosses). Despite the advances that have been made in civil rights and in the mindset of the citizens, there are numerous ideas pertaining to skin color that many have never given much thought to. For example, the traditional color of a band-aid is tan, to blend with a white person’s skin tone. Blackman described a Naught applying a brown band-aid, which stuck out on his pale skin. Why is it that with all of the ethnic variety in America, no one has put other color skin tone band-aids on the market? The book made the reader question other products and ideas that he or she has just always accepted. It became clear throughout the novel that it was irrelevant who was being forced to live a second class life; all should live equally, although that is an unrealistically optimistic ideal.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Oder of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling is a book of many layers, each one revealed each time one reads it. My favorite aspect of this Harry Potter novel in particular is the way the reader gets a better feel for the true personalities of the characters. When reading the book the second time, I could focus on the little things about the characters rather than the plot. Specifically, Hermione’s goody two-shoes nature seems only to be from the comparison to Harry and Ron. Ron also branches out of his “side-kick” archetype, and begins playing Quidditch when Harry gets kicked off the team. Harry, on the other hand, is sinking further into his “hero” archetype, which is even used by his enemy, Voldemort, as his weakness. Voldemort intelligently uses this one weakness, and thereby magnifying the weakness to the readers. Harry’s fame-seeking side and desires to “save the day” are his krypotonite in this book, making his character not so lovable to the readers.