- The Truth About Forever....This was either my second or third time reading this book and the last time i read it was probably 3 or 4 years ago. (If You Could Only See- Tonic) My point is that it's not one of the Dessen novels that i keep in my room and read every year, so I had forgotten a lot about it when K and I mentioned it at our book swap. So, i felt the need to check it out and do a quick re-read. I loved it. I don't remember enjoying that book as much the first 1 or 2 times. Wes is simply awesome as are most of Dessen's male characters. It had a decent but slightly lacking ending. (On a Plain- Nirvana) However, i do like the fact that Macy used to be a runner which is easy for me to relate to. Also, Kristy was a very fun character. However, it, like all Dessen books, had parts where i just wanted to reach out and shake the main character because they were acting stupid and isolating themselves from those they care about for whatever reason. (Mr. Jones- Counting Crows) This seems to happen a lot in Dessen novels: in Along For the Ride, Auden starts to like Eli and then she freaks out and isolates herself and dives into academics and her loser ex; in Keeping the Moon, Colie tries to run away from Norman because she gets freaked; in What Happened to Goodbye, Mclean kind of isolated herself and was going to accept moving away again; in This Lullaby, Remy breaks up with Dexter and later stops talking to him altogether and goes out with some jerkface; (I Miss You- Blink182) and finally, in Just Listen, Annabel pulls away from Owen for two months after the concert (although, i don't know why you would every do that!). Officially, in my order of Dessen guys it goes: Owen, Eli, Wes, Norman, Dexter, Dave. (i didn't include guys from That Summer or Someone Like You because i haven't read them. i didn't include the jackass from Dreamland because he wouldn't even make the list. i didn't include the dude from Lock and Key because i didn't like that book and honestly don't remember much about it.)
- Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler....I chose to read this book after a Dessen because i thought it might be similarly written. Boy, was i wrong. Ms. Ockler has nothing on Sarah Dessen. I hated this book. (Scar Tissue- Red Hot Chili Peppers) It's as simple as that. The main character was relatable, but the ending wasn't satisfying, the best friend was super annoying and i honestly don't know how Anna (main character) puts up with her for so long. Also, the guys in the book aren't exactly likable. Matt is awesome and I could definitely see the appeal. However, Sam and Jake seem like jerks to me. Also, i hated how the whole focus of the book seemed to be on Anna's virginity. I'm sorry, but i have better things to be reading about than a girl who's complaining about never having sex and a friend who's practically throwing herself and Anna at every boy that crosses their path in hopes of changing that. I really hated this book. Except for the stuff about Matt. That's all i have to say about that.
- After reading Twenty Boy Summer, i was being super picky because i wanted a good book after a crappy one. So, i started Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison because i'd heard that it was a really good series. However, i couldn't get past the third chapter because i didn't like the main character (which is always an issue), couldn't follow the heavy British slang, and didn't like the fact that the book was written as a series of journal entries. (About a Girl- Nirvana) So, i stopped reading it because, as my mother always reminds me, "So many books, so little time! Don't waste your time reading something you don't enjoy." After that, i picked up Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler. These are the same authors that wrote Dream Factory, which i love dearly, so i thought that this book would be on the same level. No. i got through less than one chapter before quitting because i don't like stuff about Renaissance Fairs and i hated that the girl called her mother by her first name and then proceeded to call her a wench. Also, it takes place at a fat camp, which i didn't exactly want to read about. So, for the second time in one day, i put it down and started another book: This Lullaby.
- This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen....The first time i read this book, i had a lot of homework and stuff going on, so i was only able to pick it up about twice a week, so i would often forget the dynamics of the book and forget most of what had happened. So, i ended up quitting it because i got bored by it. However, i told myself that i would read it again some day in its entirety simply because i owed it to Ms. Dessen to not give up on her books. So, i read it and finished it two days ago. Ahhh so good! It was a much needed change of pace after the depressingly terrible Twenty Boy Summer that i had just suffered through and my two failed attempts at starting a book that followed. (Hotel California- The Eagles) I loved Remy's attitude, hated her mother even at the end, got irritated by her brother and especially her brother's girlfriend, HATED Don, loved Dexter, and got confused often by which friend was which and which bandmember was which. However, as a whole, it was a great book. I still don't know why i stopped reading it the first time, because this time, i couldn't exactly put it down. I was intrigued by Remy's slightly bitchy attitude and heartbreaker streak. This book also included, as stated above, a part where i wanted to beat some sense into the main character and make her get back on the track again after doing something incredibly stupid, usually like 3/4 of the way through the book. The ending was kind of disappointing. However, when i was doing my analysis above with all of the Dessen books, i had to flip back through the concert scene in Just Listen and spotted a cameo of Remy and Dexter and the rest of Truth Squad, which slightly made up for the fact that This Lullaby ended on a not-so-satisfying note.
- Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta....So, on one of my many library visits, I asked one of my librarian friends for some book suggestions, as i was almost done re-reading all the Sarah Dessen books :). She told me that someone she'd talked to had said that Melina Marchetta's books seemed a lot like Sarah Dessen's. So, she handed me Saving Francesca. Also, she suggested a book she just finished called The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman, which i have a bookmark in but haven't yet started. I was very skeptical going into it because i didn't think anyone could even come close to comparing to SD because of my fierce loyalty to her books. In a way, i was right. I don't think that Marchetta writes like SD. However, she is a good writer and i loved her book. Francesca is one of thirty girls in a formerly all-boys Catholic school in Australia. She spends her junior year of high school dealing with heavy family issues, making and breaking friendships, and finding a special someone. I realize i'm being very brief, but i just don't want to give away too much. It's a book about girl power, family bonds, craziness, and cliques. (Fine By Me- Andy Grammer *I GET TO GO SEE HIM IN CONCERT TOMORROW!!!) What i first liked about the book was the narrative by Francesca. She's a very opinionated, headstrong character and i loved her for that. Also, there was cussing all throughout which i actually liked because it made her seem even more in control. Another thing i really enjoyed was the humor. I constantly found myself grinning, chuckling, and even laughing while reading it. Although the ending wasn't what i would've preferred, it made sense and it was do-able in my opinion. Well, that was super vague, but i just think you should all go out and read this book then tell me what you think! (especially you, K) This book obviously made The List which makes this number 17. Oh, and as far as my goal of 10,000 pages by the end of the summer, i'm at 9,672 so i have 328 pages left. (The Scientist- Coldplay *my favorite Coldplay song) Ideally, i'll just read The Book of Blood and Shadow, which is 432 pages long, and be done with my goal. However, i know me and i'll probably end up quitting this book and picking up a different one, so you never know. Also, for school, i'm being forced to read 1984 by George Orwell which i'm just THRILLED about reading. I made it to page 5 before getting bored and i decided to pick it up another time. I'm such a slacker, i know ;) Yup, that's all i've got for now. (Come On Get Higher- Matt Nathanson)
-M
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