Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Technical Difficulties
I'm sorry for my lack of posting lately. It was recently my sister's birthday so I was away because of that, and then I was having some serious issues with my laptop. Everything seems to be resolved now so I should be back to posting regularly this week!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Review: Fever by Lauren DeStefano
Fever by Lauren DeStefano
"We run, with water in our shoes and the smell of the ocean clinging to our frozen skin. I laugh, and Gabriel looks at me like I'm crazy, and we're both out of breath, but I'm able to say, 'We made it,' over the sound of distant sirens. Seagulls circle over us impassively. The sun is melting down into the horizon, setting it ablaze. I look back once, long enough to see men pulling our escape boat to shore. They'll be expecting passengers, but all they'll find are the empty wrappers from the packaged sweets we ate from the boat owner's stash. We abandoned ship before we reached the shore, and we felt for each other in the water and held our breath and hurried away from the commotion." -- Fever, Chapter 1
Fever is the sequel to Wither and is no less incredible than the first book in this trilogy. Rhine and Gabriel have managed to escape Housemaster Vaughn and now make their way to Manhattan and Rhine's twin brother, Rowan, hoping to find safety with him. But escaping from the house was not the only hardship they face. Vaughn is following them everywhere they go, and when Rhine begins to show symptoms of the virus at only seventeen years old, he may be the only one with an answer.
I just can not praise this author enough. Again, I could not put this book down. I finished it in about a day. The way DeStefano writes is so gripping, and so descriptive. It's been quite a while since I truly got lost in a book but I just fall right into this series whenever I pick it up. It literally pulls me in. The characters are realistic and believable, the plot engaging, and all of it just leaves me wanting more. DeStefano is very quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. The cliffhanger at the end of this book left me excited and frustrated -- I didn't want it to end! As much as I want to devour the next book and find out what happens, I'm also very reluctant to leave DeStefano's world behind. Expect a review of the final book in the trilogy, Sever -- but how quickly that review will be posted will depend on how much I'm grieving over finishing this fantastic series ;)
5/5
DISCLOSURE: I borrowed this book from the library where I work and received no compensation for this review.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Review: The Last Time I Wore a Dress
The Last Time I Wore a Dress: A Memoir by Daphne Scholinski, with Jane Meredith Adams
"Even now, it's always the same question: Why don't you act more like a girl? Makeup, dresses, a little swing in my walk is what people mean. The millennium is upon us and this is the level of discussion." -- The Last Time I Wore a Dress, Prologue
The Last Time I Wore a Dress is author Daphne Scholinski's memoir, recounting her childhood and the three years she spent in mental hospitals for being an "improper female." Physically abused by her father, sexually abused by many, and emotionally starved by her mother, Daphne spiraled out of control. She drank and did drugs, skipped school, and began stealing. She was put in a mental institution at age fifteen and diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder, among other things. She made friends, lost friends, caused some trouble, was on the receiving end of much trouble, and was shuffled from hospital to hospital until she turned eighteen -- all while being taught how to be properly girly.
I could not put this book down. I checked it out from the library yesterday afternoon and finished it last night. Daphne goes back and forth between talking about her time in the different hospitals and her childhood, changing it up about every other chapter. The way she tells her story pulls the reader right in. She opens up her soul to reveal the failings of mental health facilities in the 80s. From privilege points for wearing makeup to being restricted from seeing her best friend because of the possibility of a physical relationship, she shows the truth of what happened in these facilities that so many people are unaware of. And she does it in a beautiful, honest way -- there are no secrets in this book. Everything is laid bare. It's heart-wrenching but so important to realize that this used to be the treatment that girls received for being tomboys -- and that in some cases they are still thought of as somehow wrong.
4/5
DISCLOSURE: I borrowed this book from the library where I work and received no compensation for this review.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Review: We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
"I'm unsure why one trifling incident this afternoon has moved me to write to you. But since we've been separated, I may most miss coming home to deliver the narrative curiosities of my day, the way a cat might lay mice at your feet: the small, humble offerings that couples proffer after foraging in separate backyards. Were you still installed in my kitchen, slathering crunchy peanut butter on Branola though it was almost time for dinner, I'd no sooner have put down the bags, one leaking a clear viscous drool, than this little story would come tumbling out, even before I chided that we're having pasta tonight so would you please not eat that whole sandwich." -- We Need to Talk About Kevin, Chapter 1
We Need to Talk About Kevin is the story of Kevin Khatchadourian, a boy who murdered seven of his classmates, a teacher, and a cafeteria worker. The book is written from the perspective of his mother Eva, in the form of letters to her estranged husband and Kevin's father. She recounts the early days of their marriage, her pregnancy, and Kevin's childhood, slowly piecing together the life of "KK" the killer. Eva explains her ambivalence towards having children and the way that Kevin seemed to hate her from birth -- a hatred that she returned. As she reflects on both her and Kevin's interactions with each other, the reader is left to draw their own conclusion about Kevin: is he evil because his mother didn't love him, or is he unlovable because he is evil?
I loved this story, I honestly did. I loved the letter format and I loved the insight into Eva's mind as she looked back on her mistakes and wondered if she was responsible for how Kevin turned out. But that being said, I had a lot of trouble getting through the book. It's not that it wasn't enjoyable or well written; it was. But it didn't feel genuine to me. The language used didn't feel like someone writing to her estranged husband. I was very aware of the author's influence. When I read I like to be completely immersed in a book, and I really wasn't able to do that here. I commend the author for portraying such an emotionally-charged subject so well. And finding out just how much betrayal Eva faced from Kevin, exactly how much she was hurting, was a shock that I was actually happy to receive; it was a perfect touch. I'm glad I read the book. It's just not for me.
3/5
DISCLOSURE: I borrowed this book from the library where I work and received no compensation for this review.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
In My Mailbox
Library discards:
Generation of Vipers by Philip Wylie
What a Year! by Joe Alex Morris
What's in your mailbox this week?
Sunday, June 16, 2013
In My Mailbox
Books from the library:
The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard
Capital Punishment's Collateral Damage by Robert M. Bohm
What's in your mailbox this week?
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
"I wait. They keep us in the dark for so long that we lose sense of our eyelids. We sleep huddled together like rats, staring out, and dream of our bodies swaying. I know when one of the girls reaches a wall. She begins to pound and scream -- there's metal in the sound -- but none of us help her. We've gone too long without speaking, and all we do is bury ourselves more into the dark." -- Wither, Chapter 1
Wither is the first book in the Chemical Garden trilogy, and the first novel author Lauren DeStefano has had published. And it does not disappoint. Wither is the story of 16-year-old Rhine Ellery, growing up in a dystopian future North America where an incurable virus kills all girls by age 20 and all boys by age 25. Rhine, like so many other girls, is kidnapped and sold as a bride to bear children and keep the human race going. Not only does she have to deal with the pain of being taken from her twin brother and being forced into a marriage with the kind but clueless Linden, she must forge a relationship with Linden's other wives and his father -- but who in the household is really trustworthy? And how can she escape?
I admit I have a bit of a weakness for dystopian settings, but that aside, Lauren DeStefano is one of the most talented authors I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Her writing style just grabbed me from the start. I had a lot of trouble putting this book down; I think I finished it in two days. The characters are very realistic -- they're very human. It is easy to understand their feelings and motives. Even Housemaster Vaughn, the villainous person that he is, played at my emotions in a way that's hard to describe accurately. He is horrifying and his actions are inexcusable, yet he's understandable. It takes a lot of talent to write a character like that. I want to know more about this future that DeStefano has envisioned and the people who live in it. I was not ready for the story to end and I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy, both of which are available now, as well as a short story prequel available for purchase as an ebook on DeStefano's website.
5/5
DISCLOSURE: I borrowed this book from the library where I work and received no compensation for this review.
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