The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Title: The Lovely Bones
Author: Alice Sebold
Rating: ☆☆☆☆(☆)
4/5 Stars

Oh man. It's been way, way too long since I blogged. I've gotten quite a few new books under my belt since March, and I feel so lazy to have waited until now to update. Here goes nothing! Expect a crazy outpouring of posts.

I read The Lovely Bones after having seen the recent movie adaptation, directed by Peter Jackson. This isn't (obviously) the best way to go about these two pieces of media; I would've preferred to read the book first. But, since the opportunity to see the movie sort of sprang up on me, I went ahead and watched it before reading Alice Sebold' bestseller. I have to take a quick sec to address the movie because, for me, it was one of the most incredible films I've ever watched. I started crying half an hour in and could not stop until the end. I think Peter Jackson did an incredible job of reinterpretting some ideas of the novel and making them translatable to the world of film. I also think he did a good job restraining the graphic elements of the book. I know he got a lot of flack for not overtly showing some of the more violent scenes from the novel, but I do believe that violence in books is incredibly different from violence in film. There seems to be a greater allowance for graphic scenes in a novel, and this just wasn't something I would've liked to see in a movie.

Now, on to the book! I was totally blown away by this book. It really captured my attention for hours at a time, and was certainly a page-turner. As cliched as all of that seems, I really felt like "The Lovely Bones" was one of those best-sellers that is also a work of literary mastery. The style was unlike anything I'd read before. I certainly wouldn't say it was inappropriate, although some people I know weren't feeling Sebold's style in terms of how she described Susie Salmon's rape and murder. I found the tone to be really appropriate considering the narrator is a teenage girl. Of course she doesn't necessarily have matured opinions about sexual abuse; she's still a kid. Susie's voice was what really kept me attached to this book.

I found I was strongly connected to the book because of the family dynamic. I come from a family of five. I am the oldest daughter, with a younger sister and an even younger brother. Susie's story was, at times, my own. Although this is obviously a very personal connection to one particularity of the story, I think what I'm getting at is the novel's appeal to anyone in a family. The vignettes for each of Susie's family members helps any reader to connect to at least one of the characters and become emotionally attached to the story.

ISBN: 978-0316044936
Price: $14.99, paperback
Pages: 368

BTT: Breaks

Do you take breaks while reading a book? Or read it straight through? (And, by breaks, I don’t mean sleeping, eating and going to work; I mean putting it aside for a time while you read something else.)

I used to be really awful about reading more than book at a time. I totally avoided starting a new book when I had another perfectly good one waiting for me. However, recently, I've found it's a little bit easier to do that. Now that I have to read 4 books at once for school, not to mention a free-reading book of my own, things can get kind of complicated. Despite that, I've been known to just pick up a new title and start whether I'm reading something else or not. I still finish the books I start, but if a book I've been waiting for suddenly makes it way into my hands, I can't say no! I have to start it right away.

The Thirteen Curses by Michelle Harrison

Title: The Thirteen Curses
Author: Michelle Harrison
Rating: ☆☆☆☆(☆)
4/5 Stars

Michelle Harrison's much anticipated follow-up was as great as I was expecting! It may have been a huge help that, as I was reading it, I was on a train rolling through the English countryside, but hey, who's complaining? Certainly not me. :)

The book picks up right where Harrison left off, with orphan Red trapped in the fairy realm in attempts to get back her kidnapped baby brother. Red's adventures take her right to the court of the fairies, where she is given a difficult task in exchange for the return of her brother. Meanwhile, Tanya and Fabian are in the human realm, back at Elvesden Manor. When Red, returns with the details of her quest, they help in the discovery of the 13 curses, each linked to a charm on Tanya's bracelet.

The plot itself was really fast-paced, and I really enjoyed that the twists and turns where sprinkled throughout the narrative. However, the ending felt really, really rushed. It wasn't until about page 300 that we even learn about the curses and Red's quest. And from there, the ending just wraps up far too quickly. It's as if Harrison sat down to write the story and wrote way too much introductory plot, realized she was 300 pages in, and threw the ending together in the last 150 pages. I really would've liked for the main story-line to kick in a little earlier.

However, I think this was a great second novel for Harrison, and I sincerely hope that she puts out some more books soon (and that they come to the States!).

ISBN: 978-1847384508
Price: £6.99, paperback
Pages: 464

Enchanted Glass cover art released!

Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones

Oh boy, I cannot wait for Diana Wynne Jones' new book to come out. I saw Enchanted Glass on amazon.com months ago and realized that, while working at Parenting, I could request a review copy for use in the magazine. SO, over winter break, I read Enchanted Glass and though not obsessed, I did really enjoy the book. Jones' writing style has always been a favorite of mine. I read my first DWJ book in the fourth grade and having been reading her books ever since. I really recommend you check out this title. Here's the link. And the lovely cover art for the hardback is above. Yay!

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

Title: Dead and Gone
Author: Charlaine Harris
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
5/5 Stars

Goodness knows once I have a Sookie Stackhouse book in my possession I can't resist it for long. I knew full well I wouldn't be able to let Dead and Gone sit on my shelf, waiting for me to finish my homework. No, last weekend, this book took precedence, and boy was it worth it.

In the 9th book of the series (and last published at this point) Sookie is facing the dangers of the Faerie realm. Her great-grandfather is involved in a war that is seeping into the human world, and Sookie is a target of his enemies. Meanwhile, the supes have decided to "come out," so to speak, and everything seems to be going well for them. That is, until a supe is found brutally murdered in the parking lot at Merlotte's. Sookie has to deal with this mystery, the growing Faerie threat, and her strained relationship with brother Jason, all well still trying to have a love-life! Oh boy Sook, you sure bit of more than you can chew (pun intended :D ).

What I liked best about this book was the return to the climactic structure. You could just feel this book building and building to the last 50 pages, which is exactly what I'm looking for in a guilty pleasure like this. The story was exciting and ended with a bang. Now, some readers (including a good friend of mine) might find it a little more violent than previous books. Truth be told, it was more violent and certainly not as happy-go-lucky as the other books. However, I feel like it was a move that the series had to make. We can't believe that Sookie will just keep having similar problems in even succession of each other, with right always winning out in the end. The series had to get darker to sustain readership, I think, and I'm certainly not unsatisfied with the change. I thought Harris showed a great aptitude for emotional story-telling in this volume, a far-cry from some earlier books in which I thought Sookie felt flat as a character.

I am so pleased that I've managed to catch up to the print schedule of these books and can not wait for the next book!

ISBN: 978-0441017157
Price: $25.99, hardcover
Pages: 312

Jupiter Williams by S.I. Martin

Title: Jupiter Williams
Author: S.I. Martin
Rating: ☆☆☆(☆☆)
3/5 Stars

Jupiter Williams was a free book given to me on my first day at NYU in London. All students are required to read it for a class we take together on Monday nights. When I was handed the book, I cringed a little. It looked like it might be a heavy, dense, literary story about African slaves in Britain. Not my idea of pleasure reading. What a relief to find that it was a children's book! Well, not necessarily children's, but certainly for a young audience. I found that I read it with much more enjoyment knowing it was right up my alley.

Jupiter, the title character, is attending an all boys black academy in London in the late 18th century. He is there with his brother, far away from their family in Sierra Leone. When Jupiter's brother is kidnapped, he must decide how he will uphold his father's honor and what his identity is in London.

Despite the my enjoyment in the genre, the book wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I do like historical fiction, but the context just wasn't my favorite. However, the story moved quite well and kept me very interested. I found that I became invested in Jupiter and hoped the best for him. The writing is sophisticated for a children's book, and Martine has a clear mastery of the facts behind his story. I liked it well enough to go to a launch party for the next book in the sequence, Jupiter Amidships. Meeting the author was an enlightening experience, and in introducing myself to his publicist, I may have secured an internship for the semester!

ISBN: 978-0340944066
Price: £5.99, paperback
Pages: 224

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

Title: From Dead to Worse
Author: Charlaine Harris
Rating: ☆☆☆☆(☆)
4/5 Stars

As I said in my last post, Charlaine is getting me even from London (which is evident by the fact that I finished this book and the last in such rapid succession that I didn't review in between). I'll keep this one a little more brief, since there's not much to say that won't give away some huge plot points.

After the conference in Rhodes, Sookie returns home to some bigger problems. The aftermath of a bombing at the Pyramids of Gizeh hotel has the vamps of Louisiana reeling and other vamp communities have taken note.

The book was just as exciting as others in the series, but it didn't have quite the same plot structure. Typically, you get a huge climax about 50 pages before the end and Sookie has to sort it all out and make it back to Bon Temps in the end. Here, there were a couple of climactic moments throughout, but nothing huge and revolutionary in the last 70 pages or so. There was no big reveal or twist, which left me kind of bummed. I sincerely hope that Dead and Gone (book number 9 in the series and the last one currently in print) can live up to my previous expectations of Sookie.

ISBN: 978-0441019397
Price: $7.99, paperback
Pages: 336