Other Books Read since December

I haven't updated this since December...mostly because I had gotten busy and because I didn't think many people were reading my posts anyway. But in case anyone wants to know, these are some of my goodreads reviews since I last updated:


I am the Messenger
by Markus Zusak
I adore Markus Zusak. He is my current literary crush. I avoided I am the Messenger because it didn't seem to have the same feel as The Book Thief, but I am so glad I finally picked it up! Zusak's poeticism is beautiful, and his combination of humor and tension is impeccable. Did I mention I adore him?

I still need to chew on the ending because I feel mildly cheated by it. It was brilliant in it's exploitation of reader predictions but a tiny bit "deus ex machina." In general, I see the necessity of the conclusion, and I love Zusak so much I don't particularly care how he chose to end it.


The Pox Party (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, #1)
by M.T. Anderson

 For the first several minutes of reading this book, my thought was, "What type of student would want to read this?" The book wasn't very action-packed...although it got better towards the end. The diction was challenging, and it didn't have the usual tricks to keep unmotivated readers wanting to read more. Besides my general desire to finish any book that I start, what kept me hooked through those first few chapters was the marvelous voice of the book-on-tape narrator. I've decided that the book leans towards a male audience with a proclivity for science, historical fiction, and disgusting details. (The main character spent quite a bit of time discussing the weighing of his feces.)

By the middle of the novel, I found myself sitting in my car to finish another scene. By the end, I was applying the novel to my understanding of racial injustice in America as well as the merits and faults of educational systems. Overall, a solid read, and I'll be looking for the second book to come out on "tape."

Crossed (Matched, #2)
by Ally Condie  

I listened to this book on a Playaway, which is basically a little box that you plug headphones into. Unfortunately, I think listening to the book reduced my enjoyment of it. The main character's name sounded too much like Ke$ha (which I just found annoying), and I kept tuning out while I tried to do other tasks around my house. My favorite part of the book was Condie's poeticism, and I think I would have enjoyed it even more if my eyes, hands, and mind were all involved in reading. 

Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro

This is a book I'll need to chew on for a while. The narrator's experience is so foreign yet familiar that I need to tease my thoughts and emotions out a bit. A very intriguing read, and I can't wait to talk about it at the Cedar Springs High School Book Club the Tuesday after break. 

The Secret Adversary (Tommy and Tuppence #1)
by Agatha Christie  

So, I'm rediscovering my love for Agatha Christie...mainly because the library near my house doesn't have much of a selection of books on tape. I ADORED Agatha Christie when I was in middle school, and it's fun to re-experience my complete inability to figure out who the bad guy is - even if I already read the book before. Also, I've realized that Agatha Christie probably was a key player in my interest in human nature and psychology. Until I read her books more recently, I didn't realize all of the analysis of human nature that goes on in a good Agatha Christie mystery.

This particular mystery was unique because it was NOT a murder mystery with a typical Agatha Christie detective solving the crime. It was more of a WWI conspiracy mystery without much murder at all. Really, only the bad guys die. I had some strong hunches about who the secret adversary was from the beginning, and even though I guessed wrong, then guessed that it couldn't be that simple, and then vaguely considered the right answer, I felt accomplished at my sleuthing work. In most Agatha Christie novels, I feel completely lost - either too many suspects with plausible motives or too few. It was a nice treat to actually feel some ability to narrow down the evidence! I also found this novel free on my Kindle...so bonus!  

 

Son of Laughter by Frederick Buechner

I read this book on recommendation from a friend. She loves this book and wanted to share it with me. Now, it was a far cry from the young adult literature that I have gotten used to reading, and I wondered what I was going to get out of it. Buechner beautifully crafted this earthy drama covering the life of the Biblical forefather Jacob. Although his writing style is terrific and I enjoyed his literary genius, the walk-away message for me came at the end of the novel: "[God] makes us no promises about life. I do not know what he promises to the dead if he promises anything...He gives us daughters and sons so our seed may live after us and the promise he has made us may be kept to the world's luck and blessing" (p. 273). Since Jacob's time, it seems that God has revealed more about death; however, I believe that God put us on earth to live here and help make it the best place it can be for the future. The book reminded me that as I go through struggles and challenges, God is working out his plan for myself and for generations after me. I have a responsibility to live this life well rather than to avoid it by staring only at the glories of heaven.

On a somewhat related note, tragedy and mistakes and deception and out-right evil are part of Jacob's story, but somehow it all turns to God's purposes. It reminds me of Tolkien's Iluvatar singing Malkor's discord back into the musical theme that created the world and cast its story. Hopefully, I have my eyes open to see how to live well now on this earth and to turn darkness back into light as best as I am able.