Eleanor and Park

I read this Young Adult book because I loved Attachments by the same author.

The plot: Eleanor is a girl in an abusive family. Park is a cool kid who's actually cool (you know, thinks drugs are stupid and doesn't care what others think about anything). It's the story of their animosity turned friendship turned romantic.

Here's the harsh:

1. I didn't like high school. So I didn't like reliving it in this book. I could see how if you are a teenager you might like this book. But as an adult or an even moderately mature high schooler, this book is too dumb.
2. I go crazy when characters don't communicate when they should. When they stay silent and get misunderstood instead of speak up and things become clear. This happens a lot in this book. Drove me crazy and not in a good way.

Here's the not-so-harsh:

The characters were great. I loved the complexity of them. The plot was actually good. However, this book would make a better movie than book. And I heard that's going to happen.

Overall, the book was okay, but misses the mark as a YA novel I have (think Fault in Our Stars).

Grace for the Good Girl

This is a great book. I read it over the course of a year. I usually don't do books like this unless it's a part of a study where I'm talking about it with others. Reading deep books on my own is just not how I think. It took a year to read it because it's not how I digest things. A chapter will leave me thinking for a good month.

Anyway, this book is written for the "good girl". I was not that girl. While I don't know what defines a "bad" girl, I'd say I was borderline one. Drugs, alcohol, rock and roll, boys, the whole shebang. A general I-don't-care-what-the-eff-happens-to-me-so-I'll-partake-in-destructive-behaviors attitude.

I say all of that to give amazing credit to this book. It's not written for girls like me, but I related to it enormously. If I can get so much out of the book and it wasn't even written for girls like me, I can only imagine the depth that the good girl would get out of it.

The conversational style of Freeman makes it easy it follow and get tons out of, regardless of your learning style (a rare thing indeed).

I'd highly recommend this book to just about anyone (well, girls).

Redeeming Love

This is an Interesting modern story of Hosea from the Bible. It started out extremely strong. It captured my attention from the first sentence in the prologue. I have several friends who love this book and I have heard about it for years, but never had the courage to read it since it's "Christian Fiction" genre. I don't do Christian Fiction. It's usually cheesy and poorly written. This one, while a little cheesy in parts, is very well written.

It's the story of a man named Michael Hosea who "hears" from God to pursue and marry a prostitute. She eventually marries him, but continues to leave him and go back to her former life.

I thought the book was actually very informative about prostitution and why she would have gone back to it. Reading Hosea is scripture, I always was suspicious if that could actually happen in real life and always leaned more on the side of metaphor. But reading Redeeming Love made me change my mind that it actually could be possible that a woman would want to go back/forced to go back/etc. to the life of prostitution.

I will say this: there are parts that are very cheesy. The dialogue with God is forced and cheesy. I wish she would have toned it down a little. Not to say I don't like prayer or hearing direction from the Lord. But, this was just too blatant and not subtle enough.

It also got old and tedious at about chapter 21 and was a challenge to finish at times. But I think that's part of the point that our running away from God is tedious, old, and oh-here-she-goes-again. That is what makes the story of God's relentless pursing love so beautiful.

It was worth the read though and I'm glad I finally bit the bullet and read it. Now to get the courage for the Mark of the Lion series that is also highly praised by many of my friends.

The Birth House

This book looked so interesting, but it just wasn't. The plot wasn't compelling enough and the characters were drab. I got to page 30 before giving up. Didn't even make my 50 page minimum.

The Orphans of Race Point

This story is set in Massachusetts and has some interesting characters in it. It has a little bit of everything: religion, love, murder, suspense, etc, etc, etc. Hallie Costa and Gus Silva are the center of all of it. They meet as kids as a result of a tragic crime. They end up falling in love when they reach high school. On the night of their prom, another tragic situation occurs. As a result of it, Gus decides to become a Catholic Priest, thereby ensuring he and Hallie will never be together again. As a priest, Gus becomes involved with a woman and her child. More tragedy happens. Are you getting this is a book full of tragedy?

Here's the negative:
It had tons of language. I mean tons. Although I listened to it being read to me, so maybe it wouldn't feel like so much if I had read it myself?

Here's the positive:
It's full of twists and turns and what?!?! moments.

I like the alternating narrators.

Character development is beautifully done. The writing makes you feel like an insider. Like you are involved with the characters. Like you are there having a beer with them.

Fluff novel with depth and meaning. Super easy to read.

Ended just how it was supposed to but not necessarily the way you want it to.

While much of the religion in this novel was little more than meditation, there was an undercurrent of forgiveness throughout the book.  One of those books that the more you think about it the more depth you see especially in the ending.

So, as long as you don't mind the language or can move past it, it's a great book I'd recommend.

The Good Luck of Right Now and Me Talk Pretty One Day

I started this book and had high hopes. I got a good ways in, but then had to put it down. When I went to pick it back up, I couldn't do it. I had no desire to keep reading. I know it's supposed to be a good book, but it bored the heck of of me. From what I read, there was almost no plot and I didn't care at all about the main character. It's letters from a man to Richard Gere. That's all I can say about it. Maybe I just didn't read far enough, but it's not worth the effort to me to try again.

This bored the heck out of me, too. Had to put it down. It's about a high school guy with a lisp. That's as far as I got.

We Were Liars

This is a Young Adult book. I kinda like those books. They are usually easy to read, not too deep, and just plain fun. We Were Liars is all of the above.

This is a book where you feel like are getting a glimpse into the pedigree of a family. Rarely do you start reading a book and feel like the characters are real. But in this book, they are real. You are privy to their personal conversations, relationships and lives.

Lockhart has beautiful use of descriptive words. Oh, to be described as "sugar, curiosity, and rain". Or "bounce, effort and snark". Or "enthusiasm, ambition,and strong coffee". Just beautiful.

Author has a wonderful way of making you feel there. A part of. You know there is a twist coming and it is delightful suspense to wait for it. And then it comes. And you're like what?!

It's a great YA novel. Not Fault in Our Stars great. But worth reading.