Reading was on and off this month, but here’s what I got done. And reminding everyone, just because I have an opinion that is different from yours doesn’t mean either of us is wrong. We can like different stuff.
Let’s get into it:
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Um. For a book that had such positive reviews, I was expecting much more. If I’m honest, I didn’t like the book. I had seen the movie a long time ago, and I was hoping the book was better than the movie. Nope. Setting was odd, characters were off, and that ending was a poo. So…not a favorite. I don’t recommend this.
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
This book was in my personal library and I have no idea how it got there. It just showed up out of nowhere. Oh, well, if it’s there it’s there for a reason, so let’s read it. It was a rollercoaster of emotion involving a young woman foster home hopping after her mother goes to prison for killing a man. There is a lot of sensitive story-telling and not for the faint-hearted. But for those who like super dramas like this would enjoy the writing. The characters weren’t my favorite, and man did I loathe some people in that book, but the story was well-written. I do recommend this, as I said, if you enjoy dramatic stories.
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
Another classic I wanted to give a try. I’m glad I read it, honestly, even if I wasn’t a fan of the story. I have to give it its props though. The characters are good, the story is well-written, and I did enjoy the way the action was portrayed considering Wells had to write the action with invisible particles. So, it’s a good book…I’m just not a fan of sci-fi. But I do recommend it.
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey
Finally got around to this. I had planned to read this last year, but that didn’t happen. I knew the basic gist of this, but actually diving into the content made me realize how sad and dramatic it actually is. And how terrifying the mental health care system/institutions were in the 60s. Characters were the key point rather than story in this book, though. And for good reason. I enjoyed it, so I read the play version as well. Prefer the play version over the book version (theatre nerd), but I liked the story nonetheless. I recommend this very much.
The Gingerbread Lady by Neil Simon
I was in the mood for another play after OFOTCN. This was in my collection, though I hadn’t read it yet. This was another case of the characters trumped the story. The characters were, on their own, a mess. But together, as they were, made sense and made a cohesive story. I don’t want to go too much into it since it’s definitely a play that needs to be understood in entirety, and I can’t do that. I will say, though, if I drank and stayed in acting, I’m pretty sure that would be my future. My theatre friends, please read this.
Home by Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews is queen, so of course I was interested in a memoir. Unfortunately, I was kind of bored the majority of the time. Let me say this, her memoir is fascinating. Her writing style is eloquent. My issue was my preference to how memoirs and autobiographies should be written. With Queen Julie, she was long-winded. Everything in as much detail as possible on every sort of surface. So, her memoir wasn’t bad. I was just personally bored. If you like memoirs of this kind, then I absolutely recommend it.
The Ugly One by Leanne Statland Ellis
I was actually quite shocked how good this book was! Following a scarred girl in the Incan times in Peru (or around Peru), it looks into what it means to be beautiful and worthwhile. Highly recommend to those in middle school (and to everyone in general).
You Will Not Have My Hate by Antoine Leiris
I found this book at the Dollar Store, and while I got it at cheaper than cheap, this book is so worthwhile. An open diary of Antoine when his wife died in the recent Paris terrorist attacks, it’s a look into how despair affects everyone differently. And how you may not forgive, but you don’t hate. Very interesting thoughts, heart wrenching, and yes I recommend it.
While reading was sporadic, I did read quite a bit, and I’m thankful.
Next month, I’m planning on reading 1984, The Catcher in the Rye, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I think that’ll take up all of June.
Ambitious.
Let me know if you have thoughts about these books or if you read any of them.
Alexandra TG 