The Lovely Bones

I started the Lovely Bones a couple of days ago. I've read chapters 1 and 2, and it will probably go slowly due to class readings. However, so far it is intriguing. Chapter 1 was a little rough with the content (rape and murder) and I have a feeling it is going to be depressing, but there has to be a reason why everyone likes it so much.

So far I'm very interested in Sebold's idea of heaven. Whatever Susie desires (within reason) can appear to her if she can explain why she wants it. She and Holly ended up with a duplex because they wished for it so hard. I'm also interested in what happens to Lindsey because her reaction to her sister's murder sounds like a reaction I would have. She has not had any sort of emotional reaction yet, has remained painfully rational, and has thrown herself into exercise. From experience, though, I know that this will eventually backfire, so I'll keep an eye on her.

This book is definitely pretty good so far; interesting enough to keep me reading, but not a page turner that will keep me from other things. We'll have to see how the other 90% of the book holds up!

Catcher in the Rye: Check!

This book started out ok and got progressively worse. I don't have a lot to say about it except that Holden was driving me crazy from like chapter 8 on. Everything was "depressing" but it wasn't things that were depressing. Holden got depressed watching people walk down the street or do normal things. Question mark?

I can't say that I'm disappointed that this book is over, although I didn't hate it as much as some people I know. It wasn't as offensive as I thought it would be. The language was bothersome but what I really hated was when he would call everybody "old so-and-so," even his 10 year old sister Phoebe. That was annoying. He was just so negative about everything and thought he was entitled to everything and I'm glad that book didn't go on longer than it did.

Another thing I wasn't particularly fond of was the fact that absolutely nothing happened. I could write a book about nothing. One day, I drove home from school. On the way home I stopped at the gas station, but I didn't talk to anybody. I really didn't. It was too depressing to fill up the car and spend all my dough on gas. Then I drove past the grocery story, only I didn't stop on account of I wasn't hungry. I didn't really want to go home, but I figured I'd chew the fat with my folks, so I drove to the house and went in. Man it was depressing. Too bad I miss my roomies, But don't worry, I ended up in the loony bin so it's all good.

WOO!! I'm done with that. That brings 2011's total up to 2 already. Good thing I have a head start, because from here on out I'll be reading exclusively for class unless I get a break or get everything done ahead of time. I'll probably update if I read anything really spectacular for class, but as far as I know it's a few young adult and picture books, so it could be hit or miss. Actually, one that I have to read is The Hunger Games, which is FANTASTIC (and also awesome because I've already read it...which means I have a head start in class too). So, I'll be reading for class for a while, and if I get a spare minute, I'll probably start Sherlock Holmes since that book is basically a book of short stories of <20 pages, or longer stories of around 100, which still is not bad. That way I'll be able to get through a book without focusing on it exclusively or having to remember what has been happening before. That plan, I believe, is a good one. Elementary, my dear Watson!

This is a goddam book, it really is.

Catcher in the Rye...oh dear...

A couple of summers ago, I was a nanny for a family with several young children (we're talking 4 kids that were in kindergarten or younger) and one of them would add "it really is" or some variation thereof after every sentence that was the absolute truth. As in, "my favorite food is soup, it really is," or "I drew this for you! I really did!". This particular 3-year-old, however, had a hard time saying "r", so really it sounded like "my favo-wit food is soup, it wheely is." I can still hear her voice in my head to this day. And when I'm reading The Catcher in the Rye, this is what I am hearing every time Holden says "it really is," or any of its variations.

So far, I'm a little over a quarter through it. This seems amazing, as the rest of the books I've read have been considerably longer and thus have taking more than 52 pages to get a quarter of the way through them. Jane Eyre, for example, took 114. Gone With The Wind took 260! (which happens to be 45 pages longer than Catcher in the Rye!) So this book has been a quick read so far.

Not much has really happened, except for "goddam" every 2 or 3 words. I'm not offended or anything, it's just annoying because linguistically it's unnecessary. But I do see Salinger's point of using, which is to add to Holden's character as an angsty, skeptical teenager. So far Holden's told us a little about his life, how he got kicked out of school, went to see his professor, got in a fight in his dorm, and then left for the city. On the train he ran into someone's mom that he knew from school and gave her a load of crap about how awesome her son was. This is not the greatest book I've ever read but it's quick and easy to understand, and I have to admit I'm interested in what is going to happen to Holden. I've heard of a lot of people who REALLY REALLY WHEELY (haha) hate this book. So far I'm not sure why, but I'll keep reading and see if I can find out.

My favorite quote so far:
"What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it." (p. 18)

Interesting thought, original, and sort of true. I'm not sure what I would ask the authors I particularly like, or if Salinger would count as one (I'm not sure, I haven't read the entire book yet) but I'm pretty sure I wish I were friends with Tolstoy and Suzanne Collins (of the Hunger Games...if you haven't read it, you should!) and probably J. K. Rowling too. We'll see what other interesting souls come out of this project.

Off to read more Catcher in the Rye and see what dilemmas Holden gets into next. I really am!

Jane Eyre: Check!

My first finished book of the new year!

Unfortunately Jane Eyre didn't finish before the end of 2010 but it was the first of 2011. Overall, I liked it alright...it wasn't the best I've ever read but definitely not the worst.

I liked Jane's strength even though she did not have a particular reason to be strong except her character. She was a poor orphan with no relations and could have easily given up, but didn't. Go Jane!!

So, I'm going to take Jane's conviction here and apply it to 2011. No longer will I be defeated in relation to the job search, money, housing, school, etc. In the new year, I'm taking the Jane Eyre approach!

Speaking of the new year, Here's the updated list of books I've read:

Prior to 2010: 14 Books
*Harry Potter Series
*To Kill A Mockingbird
*The Bible
*Wuthering Heights
*Shakespeare
*Anna Karenina
*Winnie the Pooh
*The Da Vinci Code
*Anne of Green Gables
*Of Mice and Men
*The Inferno
*Watership Down
*Hamlet
*Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2010: 9 Books
*The Hobbit
*Gone with the Wind
*The Great Gatsby
*Alice in Wonderland
*Animal Farm
*Life of Pi
*The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night
*A Christmas Carol
*Charlotte's Web

2011: Obviously at least 1 so far. Others I have available (aka waiting patiently on the bookshelf) include:
*Lord of the Rings (the rest of the series)
*1984
*Catcher in the Rye
*The Time Traveler's Wife
*Middlemarch
*(War and Peace: I have this waiting but I've decided this is going to be the LAST one I read in order to go out with a bang!)
*Chronicles of Narnia
*The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe
*The Lovely Bones
*Midnight's Children
*Oliver Twist (this one's at the library but I need to finish it I believe)
*The Secret Garden
*The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

So this year's goal is 12 books, which is 3 more than 2010. However, considering that I started in March, and took a month to read Gone With The Wind, as well as a month plus some hiatus time to read Fellowship of the Ring, I think this is definitely do-able. While my course load this spring may not be conducive to pleasure reading, I think I can make up for it in the summer, over breaks, and during the fall when there will be considerably less going on.

This is a difficult decision, but I think the next book I read will be The Catcher in the Rye, as well as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which is supposedly good...we'll have to see. In closing, I have high hopes for 2011 in many respects, including this project. Happy 2011 everybody!