Thursday, October 30, 2008

Review- Run by Ann Patchett

Tip and Teddy were abandoned by their mother as babies and adopted by Bernard and Bernadette Doyle. Four years later Bernadette dies of cancer. The story is set 12 years after their mother dies, Tip and Teddy are now university students, Tip studying to be an ichthyologist (fish specialist), and Teddy considering the priesthood (the Doyle's are Irish Catholics). Their father is the former mayor of Boston and is disappointed since his sons do not want to go into politics. One night they are scheduled to attend a lecture taught by Jesse Jackson with their dad, and after the lecture they get into a heated argument. Tip walks into the middle of the street and narrowly avoids being hit by an SUV, only saved by a woman named Tennessee who is with her daughter Kenya. It is then discovered that Tennessee is Tip and Teddy's biological mother and has been watching them all these years, carrying her daughter Kenya along with her.



Run brings together many concepts- interracial adoption, religion, politics, and family. It has many main characters, and everyone in this story is a protagonist. It has a lot going on at all times, and takes place over the span of just 24 hours. Though I did enjoy the book it is a little more chiclit-ey than I hoped for, and not something I would normally read. I'm not into reading about religion and I didn't enjoy that aspect, but I did like aspect of the Virgin Mary statue, and I think that tied in with the book well. Run is a book you're likely to find at an airport shop. It's perfect for long trips, or maybe a day on the beach.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Weekly Update

Hello everyone that has stumbled across my blog. I decided on Fridays I will do a little update of what books I've gotten this week and whatever else I feel is important. M'KAY


I got the following books this week:

Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos (Simon PulseIT)
We All Cant be Rattlesnakes by Patrick Jennings (Harper-Children Firstlook)
Run by Ann Pratchet (BookDivas)

I have read zero (0) of them so far! Yay me!

In other news- I accidentally ate the little push-in gem thing that went on the top of my lip stud. OOPS! I was so engrossed in that delicious pizza I didn't even notice until I started chewing on the stud itself and was like WTF MATE WHY IS THERE A BONE IN MY PIZZA. It wasn't a bone! So I am off to order a new one because I am definitely allergic to the metal in this ring I'm wearing now. I think this time I'll get the pink gem instead of red.

This is all very interesting, yes? I know you love reading about some random persons mouth jewelery. I do it all for you, my creepy stalker friend.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Review- Freefall by Anna Levine

“Absolutely nothing is fair in love and war”

It is 2006, and Abigail Jacobs has just turned 18. She now has to do at least two years of compulsory service in the Israel Defense Force. Aggie does not want a boring desk job so she decides to try out for the elite girl’s combat unit. The first boot camp is really hard, hauling sand bags up and down hills, eating meat out of a can and sleeping with no blankets or pillows on the floor of a little tent. She makes it through and even meets some new friends, she also runs into her crush, Noah, who is also on a combat force. When the Lebanon War of 2006 breaks out, Noah goes to the front-lines and Aggie goes to northern Israel to help her new friend Lily, whose house has been destroyed by a rocket. As the rockets go soaring through the sky, both of their lives are in great danger.

Freefall is a very interesting look at life in Israel. The beginning has a lot of fluff that I didn’t really enjoy, but the middle and end of the book were really good. I liked reading about the Lebanon War of 2006, and the impact it had on the lives of Israelis. Though there are some sad parts, it is mostly a very light-hearted book about war. It definitely could’ve pulled off being gut-wrenching but I’m glad it wasn’t. If you’re looking for a short and fun but informational read about a different culture, Freefall is definitely a book to check out.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

First review- Wake by Lisa McMann

Janie doesn’t dream. Well not exactly anyway. When someone around her falls asleep, she is sucked into their dream. She can’t control it and it’s getting annoying. When one of her favorite residents at the nursing home she works at dies and leaves her a mysterious note, Janie’s life is turned up-side down. Janie goes on a school trip to Canada and has a seizure on the bus. This forces her to reveal her secret to her crush, Cabel, who then admits that knew she was in his dream. Janie then goes on an adventure to discover her true powers and take hold of her life. But can she juggle being a “catcher”, her crush Cabel who is apparently selling drugs, and getting into college all at once?


At first I thought Wake was the perfect YA novel. It wasn’t scared of swearing, and tackling hard subjects. It was fast-paced and fun. But at the end it got really corny. The sex scenes were unbearably cliché, and the story-line became even more unrealistic than it already was. The author definitely did her research on dreams, but it didn’t have that paranormal feel I was hoping for. It was an OK quick read, and I’ll probably pick up the sequel at the library when it comes out, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Welcome

Helllooo....I decided to put all my book reviews on a blog. This is not my main blog. My main blog is on Xanga, and the link is on the right side. It's not very suitable for little kids to read though, because there's lots of swearing, and cursing of Jesus.


Please note that my reviews are not in-depth chapter-by-chapter analysis of an authors work. It is simply two paragraphs, the first a summary and the second an explanation of why I did or did not like a book. OK? Thanks.

 
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