Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York. His goal is to find the lock that matches a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11. This seemingly impossible task will bring Oskar into contact with survivors of all sorts on an exhilarating, affecting, often hilarious, and ultimately healing journey (goodreads).

Where do I begin? Seriously, if any of you have read this novel, you know exactly what I mean. I don't know for sure what I expected when I picked up this book, but it sure wasn't what I got. Usually, I go through and underline the phrases that I like, things that catch my attention a certain way. I didn't even bother to do that. If I would have, whole pages would have been highlighted and marked up!
It isn't a quick read, but I was sad when I was done. It was so creatively done, so intriguing. It always had my attention. It's a serious book, not much humor involved. But that's a nice change.

This book isn't young adult, so I don't recommend it to you if you're looking for some light fluff to read poolside. But it will get you thinking and it will captivate you. Jonathan Safran Foer is a genius.

Maybe - Brent Runyon

I really don’t know where to start. This book was amazing and profound on so many levels. It may even be my new favorite. However, it’s not a novel that I’d lend and rave about to everyone—there are some mature moments, and many filled with profanity. But it’s so worth it. It definitely isn’t something I’d recommend to my grandmother, but to my closest friends? Of course! This novel pulls in some really deep and real issues and brings them into perspective.

It’s so realistic compared to the actual high school experience, I was really able to relate. The movie The Breakfast Club changed the way I thought about life, high school, and various social situations. This book is a lot like that movie is to me. Harsh. Real. Honest. Heart-wrenching.

I don’t usually sit down and read a whole book in a day. I get too anxious, feeling like I should be splitting my time. However, I plopped down and plowed through this book! It was that fantastic!
I highly recommend for anyone looking for a fresh, realistic take on the world of teenagers.

Before I Die - Jenny Downham

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Before I Die was a heart-wrenching novel that kept my attention really well (which is a huge feat!). I can't even begin to explain how emotionally attached I got to each of the characters and how hard it was to actually finish the book and to just know that it would be over! There were times when I was angry and ecstatic and depressed and nervous all at that same time. A very great read.

I also really enjoyed the way the chapters were broken up. The very personal style of narration was also fantastic. I felt completely pulled into this girl's world. It was very easy to empathize with her. Her emotions and thoughts towards what was happening in her life was very raw and real. Huge credit to the author for being able to tap into that.

I highly recommend this novel for anyone. One of my new favorites.



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Book Review: The Wednesday Wars

Hello all! I know that I've been pretty MIA lately, but school has been keeping me unbelievably busy this year! This next book I'm reviewing, I actually read for an English project about the American Dream. Finally some homework that I enjoyed!

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt (who was actually one of my teacher's college professors)

While all his classmates are enjoying (?) religious instruction, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood shares

Wednesday afternoons with Mrs. Baker, his Camillo Junior High teacher. Not surprisingly, Holling lacks enthusiasm for mid-week appointments with an instructor who assigns him Shakespeare as out-of-class reading. Holling has other things on his mind besides English Renaissance drama. For his dad's sake, he's trying hard to stay out of trouble, but with hovering bullies and other impinging crises, that seems to be a full-time job. Fortunately, help arrives from an unexpected source. Another funny yet gripping novel from the author ofLizzie Bright and The Buckminster Boy. (Goodreads)

I'd not fully sure what i was expecting when I picked this book up, but I definitely didn't think I'd end up with a fantastic coming of age story that truly resonates through a culture.

The characters are strong. I love how Holling, the main character, grows throughout the year. And I loved seeing how his relationship with Mrs. Baker

grew, too. There's such a strong sense of community in the novel, and it really helps push forward the theme.

I also really enjoyed the constant struggle that Holling felt with his parents. They want and expect so much of him, and it's so realistic for the people who live in the "perfect house".

And the writing style is clever and humorous, with the serious bits mixed in there perfectly. A true talent. I highly recommend!

Make Lemonade: Review

Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff really left me with my head spinning.

LaVaughn needed a part-time job, something she could do after school to help earn money for college. Jolly needed a babysitter, someone she could trust with two kids while she worked the evening shift.
It didn't matter that LaVaughn was fourteen, —only three years younger than Jolly. It didn't matter that Jolly didn't have a husband —or a mom and dad—, because LaVaughn gives Jolly and her two babies more love and understanding than should be possible for a fourteen-year-old, because if she doesn't no one else will.

(Goodreads)

It covers so many really tough issues that not many authors dare touch. Things such as poverty, teen mothers, and single moms.

I'm not sure why I picked this book up. I think it was the cover, which is gorgeous by the way.

But this novel is beautifully written in verse that stunned me. As far as I could tell, there was no set rules of grammar that were being followed, which added to the immensity of the story. I could really feel the narrator through the verse and even begin to relate. Everything was said with such exactitude that left a strong, resonating ring through my mind.

If you get a chance, and are in need of something different, I highly recommend that you pick this one up! There is a sequel, and I might read it if I can find it!

How to Say Goodbye in Robot: My thoughts

After much prodding to read this book by a close friend, I thought I'd give it a try. And I'd say it was worth it.

For the life of me, I could not think of how to sum this book up in my own words. It was too different, much too like something I have never encountered before. Therefore, I cannot put into words what it is all about, so I'll let Goodreads handle that this time around.

"New to town, Beatrice is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day. But instead, the alphabet conspires to seat her next to Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet loner who hasn't made a new friend since third grade. Something about him, though, gets to Bea, and soon they form an unexpected friendship. It's not romance, exactly - but it's definitely love. Still, Bea can't quite dispel Jonah's gloom and doom - and as she finds out his family history, she understands why. Can Bea help Jonah? Or is he destined to vanish?"

In the first few chapters, my immediate reaction was that the dialogue seemed a little fishy. Especially between Bea and her mom, I was just left wondering if people actually spoke this way. Her mom seemed childish and annoying, sometimes odd; something very uncommon. Unrealistic. Questionable. Irrational.

Some of the characters, again parents, didn't seem fully developed, which made me wonder what kind of relationship the author had with her own.

But once I actually got into this, I was swept away and living in my own little world with Bea and Jonah. Definitely not the conventional love story, this novel with make your heart ache until the very last word. In fact, the ending gave me a feeling that was both unsettling and satisfied. That doesn't happen often.

I loved Jonah. He seemed pretty rounded, especially towards the middle of the book (not so much in the beginning). The descriptions of this boy made me feel as though I could go to school this fall and see him sitting next to me. His family issues and inability to wholly get over some things made him seem even more so.

Although there did seem to be some missing pieces, I got over that quickly. It's hard for me to even wrap my mind around the relationship between Jonah and Bea. I was left questioning why these people did what they did and said what they said.

It's new and fresh, something that doesn't come along all too often.

The plot itself is new. It's not so much one big event as it is a story of life in general. And I think that's what I liked most about it, and why I couldn't sum it up in my own words. It's life for one person in one time, and a significant even that changed her from then on.

Although I'm still not 100% sure how you actually say goodbye in robot, pick this one up for yourself and let me know your thoughts on how to say goodbye.