Little Women

Some of my favorite childhood books were a small passages taken from the classic novel, Little Women, and turned into picture books. Two years ago, my grandmother gave me the origional book. It, to my suprise, was not a rectangle- it was a CUBE!!! Clearly intimidated by it's size and language, I packed it away.

When I picked it up again this weekend, It was just as charming and heartwarming as I remembered- sufficiently gooey reading. The story follows the four March girls as they grow up during the civil war (A comming of age story!). Friends are made as well as matches, as many old fashioned stories unwind.

The four girls all have very different personalities- and it is interesting how many readers all dislike one of the characters the most: the youngest girl, Amy. (and of course she ends up with the best match! grrr) I think that her somewhat selfish, "helpless," and haughty attitudes are what bother me so much.

I loved this book- read it over a weekend. I recomend it to most JA fans. Five stars

Feed

Feed, by M. T. Anderson, is a futuristic novel that I found hauntingly familiar and plausible. In the story, the new "cell phone" is a feed, which acts as instant Internet, and all that is attached. Advertisements flood through the minds of the new world, all based on everything that they think about. Nearly everyone has a feed, and those who don't are degraded in the extreme. America's consumerism in the current stage makes this future a very possible outcome.

But in this world of feeds, there are also dangers. The feed is necessary to brain function for even the smallest things after it is attached. So what happens if it starts to malfunction? Normal boy Titus will find out as he spends time with new acquaintance Violet as her feed begins to fail.

I thought that this book was a great take on our future, but it felt like "A walk to remember" meets "Wall-e." But I also would have to say that it got me thinking. I would give this book three out of five stars.

Unwind

The futuristic novel that I have been reading is called Unwinds. It is a story about what might happen if America were to have a civil war over abortions. To end this civil war, the government came out with a "bill of life" which satisfied both parties. It stated that there could be no abortions, but when children were ages 13 to 18, the parents could choose for them to be "unwound." This unwinding is a process in which all of the person's organs and limbs and every part of them would be used for surgeries everywhere. So, in essense, all of the person was alive, just not... whole. It's one of those creapy, nasty books that you can't put down. I love how this book is really deep without leaning to either side of the abortion arguments. The writing is amazing, and I think that it opens doors to some life questions. READ IT!!!!!

Edgar Allen Poe: Poetry for young people

In a colorfully illustrated picture book, Poe's poems come truly to life. I really loathe E. R. Poe's short stories (frankly they make me sick), but his rhythmic poetry creates an engaging landscape of usually dark but occasionally bright worlds. In Annabel Lee (as seen on the left hand side of my blog), perhaps one of Poe's most famous poems, Poe describes a fantasized version of his wife's death, and his wishes and thoughts afterward. Annabel Lee is probably my favorite poem of all time, partially because of the personal moods and feelings Poe expresses and partially because of the original rhymes and steady rhythms he set the poem to.

Grace at Low Tide

Grace at Low Tide by Beth Webb Hart is a wonderfully crafted inspirational novel about an origional blue blood teenage girl, DeVeaux, gone bankrupt. All around her, old and new friends on "both sides of the tracks" grow up and change from who she thought they were. DeVeaux's father is hit hard by their downfall. With the bankruptcy in addition to his mother and sister dying, he becomes a whole new person seperate from the father DeVeaux knew in her childhood. In a world where temptation are around every corner, and desperation and hopelessness shadow her every move, DeVeaux struggles to hold on to her faith.

I absolutely loved this novel because I think that anyone going through hard times in their life, or have at one point, can relate to DeVeaux's struggles with herself. I would give it five stars!

Evernight

In my quest for a good vampire novel after the Twilight series ruined my opinion of all other vamp. books, I picked up "Evernight" off the shelf of Barns and Nobel, thinking that it would be a dud like all of the others. To my pleasant surprise, it is turning out fairly well (still not up to Twilight, but no one has it perfect).

So far, the main character, Bianca (weird name, I know) is dragged by her parents to a Gothic castle, converted into an exclusive private school, exclusive meaning... vampires (A little HP cliche, right? Big boarding school castle, kids with weird habits, meaning instead of magic and twirling wands, they've got blood sucking weirdos). Except that this year, they let in a handful of humans... why? Well, the book hasn't told me yet, but I think it's just a little obvious.

I hope "Evernight" will jump out of it's cliche shell soon, 'cause my opinion does not increase with repeated plots.

The Second Mrs. Darcy

In an inovated style of Jane Auston, writer Elizabeth Aston wrote the novel "The Second Mrs. Darcy" which follows the story of the (how do you say it?) the recently widowed second wife of the late Mr. Darcy (Jane Austen fans, do not be alarmed... Mr. Darcy was the P&P Mr. Darcy's cousin, an officer in the navy). Mrs. Darcy is left "virtually penniless" in her step-sibblings' minds, because her late husband's fortune, according to law, is handed to the closest male relative.

However, in an unsuspected turn of events, the second Mrs. Darcy aquires a fortune in her own right, which she, to the astonishment of all, takes charge of. But, of course, Mr. Darcy's cousin is really rather greedy, so he attempts to take hold of her new fortune. Mrs. Darcy wants only to be an independant woman in the man's world of the 1800's, and it is proving to be a very great challenge.

I really enjoyed this book, and I think that anyone who loves Jane Austen stories, but find the origional works a little dragging, would relish it just as I have.

Ghost Girl

When I recently joined book club, they handed me of a new release; Ghost Girl. The story was about a girl, Charlotte, who feels "invisible" to the world, but is always trying to fit in. One day, however, she chokes on a gummy bear (of all things) and finds herself a ghost with unknown and unfinished business to attend to (how cliche).

I liked the book, except for how nasty some of the scenes were- I really didn't need to know every thought and feeling that went through Charlotte as she choked! (morbid!) The style was also different from what I am used to. It felt like a childish novel in some ways, and a little sinister in others.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

This novel, by Mary E. Pearson, reveals to us in a futuristic world, the effects, maybe even consequences of a parent's affection toward their child. The main character is Jenna Fox, actually, only ten percent of her is Jenna Fox. The original was "killed" in a car crash, but her father saved the "most important part," ten percent of her brain called the "butterfly." With the butterfly, he was able to re-create his daughter out of synthetic organs and his invention, Bio Gel, which keeps the organs alive. The book begins as Jenna just begins to re-learn the world, remembering nothing of her former life, and knowing nothing about what her parents have done.

The re-creation of Jenna was actually illegal, because rules had been made dictating the amount of synthetic flesh for each person. As she was totally reconstructed, she was clearly an issue.

I really liked this book as a quick read, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Jane Austen

I really am bored by my biography on Jane Austen by Carol Shields. Non fiction is fairly monotonous to me, but I can also see how reading non fiction could be fascinating to some. For me, the format of the biography makes engrossing details about her life boring. But, it is interesting to learn the facts about Austen's life, instead of speculating on what information is reliable from movies like "Becoming Jane" (awesome movie by the way.... I cry every time I watch it).

For readers, having some knowledge of Austen's work really helps you make connections between her life and her novels. For example, in a few of her books, there is usually a wealthy man who falls in love with a non-suitable girl, and is removed from her life quickly by his family. Later, the man always comes back and they have a second chance at a happy life together. This same scenario is based on her own life experience with a young lawyer, Tom Lefroy. We can only assume that the endings of those novels are snapshots of what she was still hoping for in her own life. It's connections like these that help me force my eyes to continue line by line.

One thing I liked about this biography is that instead of just telling us what happened in her life, Shields tells us exactly why these things occurred as they did (social structure, time period quirks, personal experiences, etc.).

Jane Eyre

I needed reading material. Badly. My mom handed me a paperback copy of Jane Eyre. I was very doubtful about it's abilities to draw me in, but then again, I was desperate. It was long. It had small print. ick. But there I was, turning the cover and settled in for a long read.
Jane Eyre was boring. Then it got worse. I was literally falling asleep reading it. But then, Jane left her former school and got a job as a governess. That's when I got glued to the pages. Surrounding the large manor, Thornfield, is a mystery. Footsteps and maniacal laughter echo in the throughout the night. In addition, the master is nearly burned alive in his bed. Jane becomes entangled in the family's affairs, which nearly ruin her life.
I give it 4 1/2 stars. (1/2 taken for the start of the book which is rather gray)