Huh?

I must admit that I'm somewhat confused over the hoopla surrounding The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. It was very violent and frightening to look into the hearts and minds of these adolescents who seemed to work without a conscience (and the adults were sometimes worse).  The main character, Jerry Renault, stood for independence and going against the grain but the message at the end seemed to be that going against the tide only results in misery.  In fact, the entire tone of the book seemed to be that if you don't do what you're told, misfortune will certainly befall you.  Perhaps a secondary message is that the world is cruel and unfair and bad things happen.  However, I read books to get away from the sad realities of life (and I don't think the world is all that bad anyway).  This isn't to say that I don't enjoy "darker" books but there's usually some ray of light at the end.  I will say that it was very well-written (excepting some typos which may have been the fault of the printer) and a page-turner.  If you're prepared for an agonizing tale of woe and despair, this book will not disappoint.

I have no idea what to expect from the next title on the list: Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard.  From what I've gathered from the back of the book (and the commercials for the tv show), this book focuses on four girls who have a very dark secret.  There's cattiness, lewd behavior, mystery, and probably lingerie.  The copy that I'm reading from looks like someone washed it, ran over it with their car, and then bent every single page.  I'm taking this to mean that it's a popular book so maybe it will really knock my socks off.  I'll let you know just as soon as I'm done!

The race is on!

Just in the nick of time for class tomorrow, I've finished up The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A true story of adventure, heroism & treachery by Steve Sheinkin.  I love a good nonfiction especially on a person or topic of which I am almost wholly unfamiliar.  I went into this book with only a vague recollection of Arnold being a traitor.  When I mentioned the name to a history major his response was, "That traitor!  Wasn't he hanged?"  I think this is everyone's first thoughts on hearing this most infamous name but what I discovered through reading this book is that there was so much more to Benedict Arnold.  He created America's first naval fleet, he was an extremely brave soldier, and General Washington respected him as a friend and compatriot.  Also, he wasn't hanged.  If I've intrigued you even marginally about the life of a well-known yet almost completely unknown iconic figure from American history, check out this book.  My only caution to you is that at times the prose is slightly over-blown which I think mostly comes from the author's excitement over the book's subject.

Now that I have the syllabus for my course (this is the end!) I now know that I must scurry quickly to stay ahead.  The next book I'm tackling is The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier.  I have heard of this book for many years and I know that it is very popular among both teenagers and teachers.  The only thing that I know about this book is that a seemingly innocuous act by a boy causes such an hullabaloo among members of his school that war is declared.  My dear friend (and fellow avid reader), Krystle, told me that this book affords a glimpse inside the minds of boys.  I'm at once intrigued and absolutely terrified but I will sally forth!

I hope you're all taking advantage of the hot weather to sit somewhere cool and read to your heart's content!!

Crikey, that's a lot of cricket!

Well, as you might have guessed by the new post, I've finished up Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey.  I suppose if I'd have looked at the author's biography, I could have guessed at the backdrop of this story.  However, I never like to look too much ahead and therefore I was completely at a loss until page 74 when it was explicitly stated that the story was unfolding in Australia.  That explains all of the cricket talk.  I mean there was a lot of talk about cricket. The game not the insect, of course.  I wouldn't have minded except that it was always discussed in great detail and in terms I had no way of being able to follow which I found detracted from the real meat of the story.  I have to say that while I didn't necessarily dislike the book, it is most definitely not going to top my list of favorites.  There were many twists and turns to the story which were quite thrilling but instead of thrumming up the anticipation of the main event (I don't want to give it all away), the author kept focusing on other things...like cricket.  So all in all it wasn't exactly my cup of tea.

The next book to be conquered is The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A true story of adventure, heroism & treachery by Steve Sheinkin.  This book has been awarded the YALSA-ALA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction seal.  Also, the edges of the pages have been made to look ragged and therefore ancient (I have a weakness for old books and this has already endeared me I'm afraid).  I'm pretty excited because over the last months I've come to love nonfiction books and I don't know much about Benedict Arnold other than that he's a traitor.  I'm hoping this might delve a little deeper (oh look I'm branching out into humor now).  The back cover has quotes from several different men, included George Washington, which range from lauds to censure on his character.  I can't wait to get started on it!!

I'm on a roll!!

I've finished Monster by Walter Dean Myers and despite my initial misgivings about formatting I really enjoyed it!  Once you get used to the way the text is delivered, the book moves on at a remarkable clip.  The story is told from the point of view of Steve Harmon, the young man on trial for felony murder.  He decides to treat the entire incident as if it's a movie and so it goes from script to diary like entries.  I found it gripping, well-written, and I couldn't wait to keep turning the pages to find out what happened next.  I highly recommend for those who enjoy a quick criminal novel along the likes of John Grisham (as this focuses on the trial aspect quite heavily at times).

The next on the list is Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey.  From what I read on the dust jacket, the book is about a young boy named Charlie who learns a terrible secret from his friend, Jasper Jones, that threatens to change everything in his life and in the lives of the town in which he lives.  From a cursory glance, it appears to be a spine-tingling mystery (of which I'm a huge fan) so I'm quite excited to get started on it.  If all goes well, I'll hopefully be finished with it quickly so I can give all of you a review. :-)

In the mean time, keep on reading!!

I just finished up The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and I quite liked it.  I was rather surprised by how racy it got at certain points considering that it's young adult fiction (Note: I've actually been informed it's an adult work that was seen as a crossover for young adults.).  Of course, I am not naive enough to believe that young adults read things which are all sunshine and kittens but it's always a shock (I remember VC Andrews as a child and I swear that stuff scarred me) to the system.  However, the majority of the book was full of mystery, magic (although the characters sneered at this particular word choice), romance, and drama.  The only things that made it somewhat confusing were the jumps in time and narrative voice.  If that's cool with you, then I think this might be a good match for you.

The next book from the reading list is Monster by Walter Dean Myers and it focuses on a young black man who is in prison.  I've flipped through the pages and I'm not crazy about the style that the book uses to tell its story.  It's a mixture of diary entries and script.  I confess I am dubious about it but I am forging forth nonetheless.  I have to light a fire under myself as class begins next week and I'm only done with the first book! :o/

Wish me luck, readers!!

Life intervenes!!

Ah yes school is on the horizon.  It kind of creeped up on me that I'm about to start an intensive 6 week course of Young Adult Literature.  However, when I received the list of required books I knew that I had to get a move on in a BIG way.  There are about 12 books on the list (two of which I've already read: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling & Twilight by Stephenie Meyers) and I don't have much time to get cracking.  As a result, Stephen Hawking will have to take a backseat.  This also means that my last entry was basically a rhetorical question as I now have a limited selection of titles to choose from.

For reasons I can't come up with, I've decided to start with The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  Based on the dust jacket, the book appears to be a fantasy novel about a magical circus that shows up without notice.  There is a romantic back story about two magicians who are competing (but don't realize it at first) and the outcome effects everyone affiliated with the circus.  Since this is a fantasy novel, I'm about 80% sure that I'm going to enjoy it.  I usually have an issue with some of the young adult books that are "popular" right now because they're often overly angsty and full of swearing BUT I'm happy to give it a whirl (oh and I kind of have to read it for class).

So I'll (hopefully) be reporting back soon(ish) with my review and a blurb about the next title on the list. :-)

I'm finishing up A Brief History of Time and contemplating my next read.  I'm thinking The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.  What do you guys think?

PS I hope you're prepared for the hot weather tomorrow!  Great reading weather!! ;o)