Book 13: Catalyst.
(also) by Laurie Halse Anderson
Farrar Straus Giroux
1999
Rating:
3.5
Amazon.com
Chemistry honors student and cross-country runner Kate Malone is driven. Daughter of a father who is a reverend first and a parent second ("Rev. Dad [Version 4.7] is a faulty operating system, incompatible with my software.") and a dead mother she tries not to remember, Kate has one goal: To escape them both by gaining entrance to her own holy temple, MIT. Eschewing sleep, she runs endlessly every night waiting for the sacred college acceptance letter. Then two disasters occur: Sullen classmate Teri and her younger brother, Mikey, take over Kate's room when their own house burns down, and a too-thin letter comes from MIT, signifying denial. And so the experiment begins. Can crude Teri and sweet Mikey, combined with the rejection letter, form the catalyst that will shake Kate out of her selfish tunnel vision and force her to deal with the suppressed pain of her mom's death? "If I could run all the time, life would be fine. As long as I keep moving, I'm in control." But for Kate, it's time to stop running and face the feelings she's spent her whole life racing away from.
What do I think?
I think I tried pretty hard to find an overview of the book that didn't give too much away.
I actually really liked this book. Whenthe tragety strikes, I cried. On the inside, but cried, nonetheless.
If you plan on reading this book, read Speak first. The main character shows up once or twice in this novel. It takes place in the same high school, too, which I thought was kind of a daredevl move. Nice touch.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Book 12: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.
Book 12: Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Farrar Straus Giroux
1999
Rating:
4.
Amazon.com Review
Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis." What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute...
Laurie Halse Anderson's first novel is a stunning and sympathetic tribute to the teenage outcast. The triumphant ending, in which Melinda finds her voice, is cause for cheering (while many readers might also shed a tear or two). After reading Speak, it will be hard for any teen to look at the class scapegoat again without a measure of compassion and understanding for that person--who may be screaming beneath the silence. -Jennifer Hubert -This text refers to the Hardcover edition
What do I think?
I think there is a pattern here. Two good books in a row, wall of suck. Two good books, wall of suck.
I can't tell you how much I liked this book. Read it twice, actually. In three days, which is incredibly fast for me. DEFFINATELY recomended.
What a lame personal review. I guess I'm already too interested in my next book to write a good review. More later.
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Farrar Straus Giroux
1999
Rating:
4.
Amazon.com Review
Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis." What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute...
Laurie Halse Anderson's first novel is a stunning and sympathetic tribute to the teenage outcast. The triumphant ending, in which Melinda finds her voice, is cause for cheering (while many readers might also shed a tear or two). After reading Speak, it will be hard for any teen to look at the class scapegoat again without a measure of compassion and understanding for that person--who may be screaming beneath the silence. -Jennifer Hubert -This text refers to the Hardcover edition
What do I think?
I think there is a pattern here. Two good books in a row, wall of suck. Two good books, wall of suck.
I can't tell you how much I liked this book. Read it twice, actually. In three days, which is incredibly fast for me. DEFFINATELY recomended.
What a lame personal review. I guess I'm already too interested in my next book to write a good review. More later.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Book 11: Sister Wife
Book 11: Sister Wife
by Shelley Hrdlitschka
Orca Book Publishers.
2008
Rating:
4.
"Product Description"
In the isolated rural community of Unity, the people of The Movement live a simple life guided by a set of religious principles and laws that are unique to them. Polygamy is the norm, strict obedience is expected and it is customary for young girls to be assigned to much older husbands. Celeste was born and raised in Unity, yet she struggles to fit in. Perhaps it's because of Taviana, the girl who has come to live with them and entertains Celeste with forbidden stories, or Jon, the young man she has clandestine meetings with, or maybe it's the influence of Craig, the outsider she meets on the beach. Whatever it is, she struggles to accept her ordained life. At fifteen she is repulsed at the thought of being assigned to an older man and becoming a sister wife, and she knows for certain she is not cut out to raise children. She wants something more for herself, yet feels powerless to change her destiny because rebelling would bring shame upon her family. Celeste watches as Taviana leaves Unity, followed by Jon, and finally Craig, the boy who has taught her to think "outside the box." Although she is assigned to a caring man, his sixth wife, she is desperately unhappy. How will Celeste find her way out of Unity? Torn from the headlines and inspired by current events, Sister Wife is a compelling portrait of a community where the laws of the outside world are ignored and where individuality is punished.
What do I think?
For the first time since John Green's Looking For Alaska, I found a book that I really like. Of course, I'm not a huge fan of the 'switching character narrations between chapters' thing, and don't think I ever will be, but it worked for this one. I think that if this ook was narated by just Celeste, it wouldn't have been as good as it is.
Highly recomended.
by Shelley Hrdlitschka
Orca Book Publishers.
2008
Rating:
4.
"Product Description"
In the isolated rural community of Unity, the people of The Movement live a simple life guided by a set of religious principles and laws that are unique to them. Polygamy is the norm, strict obedience is expected and it is customary for young girls to be assigned to much older husbands. Celeste was born and raised in Unity, yet she struggles to fit in. Perhaps it's because of Taviana, the girl who has come to live with them and entertains Celeste with forbidden stories, or Jon, the young man she has clandestine meetings with, or maybe it's the influence of Craig, the outsider she meets on the beach. Whatever it is, she struggles to accept her ordained life. At fifteen she is repulsed at the thought of being assigned to an older man and becoming a sister wife, and she knows for certain she is not cut out to raise children. She wants something more for herself, yet feels powerless to change her destiny because rebelling would bring shame upon her family. Celeste watches as Taviana leaves Unity, followed by Jon, and finally Craig, the boy who has taught her to think "outside the box." Although she is assigned to a caring man, his sixth wife, she is desperately unhappy. How will Celeste find her way out of Unity? Torn from the headlines and inspired by current events, Sister Wife is a compelling portrait of a community where the laws of the outside world are ignored and where individuality is punished.
What do I think?
For the first time since John Green's Looking For Alaska, I found a book that I really like. Of course, I'm not a huge fan of the 'switching character narrations between chapters' thing, and don't think I ever will be, but it worked for this one. I think that if this ook was narated by just Celeste, it wouldn't have been as good as it is.
Highly recomended.
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