Anne of Green Gables

The red haired orphan girl, Anne, is finally taken in by siblings Marialla and Matthew Cuthburt, even though she was a mistake: they wanted a boy. Because of her wide imagination, she gets into all sorts of trouble- everything from dying her hair green to getting her best friend, Dianna, drunk on accident, although she tries desperately to be responsible for her generous benefactors.

This novel, so far, is very descriptive; using majestic and overpowering adjectives to create an image for the reader. I think that the author must have tried to show us the world through the eleven year old's eyes. The paragraphs, as a result, become rather lengthy- anywhere from three lines to two pages long. I have taken to skimming many of the more wordy sections.

I like this book- Anne of Green Gables is very funny and creative. I would recomend this to any reader.

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.