Paper Towns (Final)

Paper Towns- John Green

This book was one of the books that I was sad about it being over. After what felt like such a short journey in Margo and Quentin's life, I want to keep following and know how their life goes on after the story ends. But, I can't, so I guess I'll just be imagining the perfect scenario for the ending for the two in my head. 

**SPOILER ALERT

Well, like in typical fiction, the prince found the princess and they fell in love and lived happily ever after. Sort of. Thanks to Margo's comment on the Paper Town forum, Q recognized that she was in a Paper Town. So he skipped his high school graduation (after spending the better part of the day before complaining about it being his last day) and him, Lacey, Radar and Ben all went off to come and rescue Margo. After driving over twenty hours straight driving, I can't believe they are all still getting along with each other, but then again Margo is their unifying force. If I drove that long with someone in the car, it would probably not end up well for either one of us. But I'm glad they stuck with it, because they found Margo in the Paper town, and Q's relationship and love for Margo grew in a matter of a couple days to something that It wasn't before. 

I was so pleased with the book. While I knew that they were going to end up together in the end, deep down that I knew that nothing Q could say would change Margo's mind and bring her home, but it didn't stop her brilliant lies. I was happy that they sort of were together at the end, but it wasn't definitive. The scavenger hunt to find her was good though, but many of the clues were confusing and I didn't even know where to begin with most of them. But that's mystery and suspense, what John Green was going for here.

Like I mentioned earlier, this is the first book that I've ever read by John Green. I kind of touched on this earlier in another blog post. but I love love love the way he writes. I think that it has the power to enable readers to connect on a personal level with the text, instead of just having a character simply because every story needs one. He adds a little humor to it, and reading it never felt like a chore. 

as a Tribute to all The Characters in the Book, and Especially margo, i'll Write my last Couple sentences the Way in Which she would Write it. for Any John Green fans or Not John Green fans, i would Definitely recommend This book to Anyone. it was Exciting, a well Written and Articulated book. personally, i Liked the Style the book Was written in, the Quirkiness that mr. Green Showed in His writing and It was very Enjoyable to read. highly recommend To all! maybe i'll Read another book Of his, The Fault in our Stars later when i Get a chance. goodbye Blog!

Paper Towns (Midway)

Paper Towns- John Green

Okay, I am seriously in love with this book. It's exciting, and it has me consistently wanting to read  more. I was a little wary going into it because someone told me that this book was by far "the most boring book of all the books that he's written." Well, if its the most boring book he's ever written, I want to read more of his stuff! I mean I do regardless, but I like the way he writes.

The reader is first introduced to Quentin Jacobsen, a shy boy who spends his time complaining about senior prom or playing Resurrection. Then the reader meets Margo Roth Spiegelman, an adventurous girl with a habit of sneaking out and running away. One night, as Margo needed some revenge on her friends after discovering her boyfriend cheating, she enlists the help of goody two shoes, perfect attendence schoolboy Q to driver her getaway car. The two head out on a task filled night (or should I say morning) and discover the fun times they used to have together. Seriously though, some of the stuff they do for revenge is a mix between terrible and awesome. Putting a fish to rot in someone's car (genius) unless its you car (totally not fun at all). And then Margo owns it, spraying an M on the places where shes made her mark.

There's something about this book, something that I can't pin my finger on, and that's what makes it so interesting to read. Maybe it's the way that John Green writes, the way in which he is so easily able to connect his point to teenagers (which I'm assuming is his target audience from the way he writes..?) 

I really like the whole idea of instead of just a mystery plot that the characters are trying to solve, it is not a plot the reader wants to know about, but more the character that was the underlying factor for the plot. Every move Margo makes impacts the plot, even if the reader doesn't know whats going on with Margo and why she keeps doing what she doing. The element of mystery and suspense works well for John Green's book, because you truly have no idea what might happen next. (Though I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that Quentin is going to end up finding her, bringing her back and taking her to prom. While it's predictable, it is a fiction book, and that's the fairy tale ending to go right along with it.)

But the real question I'm anxious to find out: Where's Margo and why did she leave?

Paper Towns (Intro)

Paper Towns- John Green

I've never read anything from John Green before. But many people rave about his books, including The Fault in Our Stars, Looking for Alaska, and An Abundance of Katherines. I don't really know much about the book itself, besides the fact that its about a boy named Quentin (Q for short) and a girl named Margo. From researching it online and reading reviews, it seems like a good book so hopefully I'll enjoy it. I'm unsure of what to expect in terms of what the book is about, because the title does not give away much. Maybe it has to do something with adventure or traveling. The little blurb on the back of the book describes Margo giving Quentin clues...but for what? Well I'll find out hopefully as soon as I start reading!

The Storyteller (Final)

The Storyteller- Jodi Picoult

***SPOILERS

Alright, this book turned itself around and in typical Jodi Picoult fashion, there was an unexpected plot twist at the end. I can't say that I knew how it was going to end, because the closer I got to the last couple of pages, I still had absolutely no clue whether or not Sage was going to choose to kill Josef Weber. But at the end, I got my answer as well as a shocking revelation that I totally did not see coming. 

In terms of the whole plot-line of Nana and Josef's Auschwitz tales, they were so fascinating to read. It was obvious that Jodi Picoult did her research here and looking into the stories of the Holocaust, because she gave many details. It was fake (obviously), but a lot of time was spent in developing these flashbacks to make it as real as possible. Personally, my favorite parts of the book were these parts because yes, although the reality of them was hard to grip, these parts of the book were the parts that especially made you feel like you were standing right next to Nana and Darija in the camp.

Towards the end of the book, right after the camp that Nana was in gets freed and she finishes telling her story of what she went through during World War II, she stated, "You will ask me, after this, why I didn't tell you this before. It is because I know how powerful a story can be. It can change the course of history" (357). This was significant throughout the whole book because everyone was trying to figure out each other's stories. Sage wanted to know her grandmothers hidden past, but she ended up learning Josef's dark past. The idea of a story was really prevalent through the book. I even learned that the vampire story did have significance, that it was symbolic of a Jew in a concentration camp.

Overall, in the end, I would have to say that the book got better, but it still isn't one of my favorite books by her. It was a slow start, and I honestly had no idea where she was going with the book, and at the end, I'm still not completely sure. It stunned me that Josef turned out to be Franz instead of Reiner but I finished the book thinking something was missing. Actually, there were a lot of things I wish that Picoult gave more of in the book. For example, she focused more on the love story between Leo and Sage, instead of talking about the back story of both Nana and Josef. To me, those parts of the book were so much more interesting to read than the parts where they were plotting to capture Josef. But in the end, he just died anyway and so did Nana so that whole plan foiled. The thing that Sage intended to do throughout the whole book ended up not being done. That was kind of a disappointment. After learning of his life as a Nazi, I secretly wanted him to rot away in jail somewhere.

I can't say I would recommend  this book to someone. It turned out to be a decent read, but there are other books by her that are so much better. Considering it was about the Holocaust, it wasn't light subject matter, and reading the story made me hurt for all the innocent victims of the Holocaust. If you're a fan of Jodi Picoult, I would recommend this book. But its not a fantastic book I would go around telling everyone to read.

The Storyteller (Midway)

And yet again, I find myself reading another story about the Holocaust. Except this one is different from Sarah's Key, because that focused more on a specific French event, whereas this book takes place recalls events from Germany. And also similar to Sarah's Key, this book is told in various perspectives and stories where paths cross and lives become intertwined.

One of the things I particularly like about Jodi Picoult as an author is the questions that she makes you think about, and how you would respond in the main character's situation if you faced the same dillema. For example, in this book how Sage must choose between helping or not helping 'Josef Weber' die. And while it seems like a simple yes or no question, the book poses many more obstacles and complexities that get in the way of Sage choosing. Honestly, if I were in Sage's position, I don't know what I would do. To let him live would be keeping your hands clean, and seeing him suffer his existence. But, to let him die would taint your hands, grant him his wish to be put out of his misery, but also your satisfaction in killing someone who once killed your own. Yeah, its a problem. Good luck to Sage, I have no clue what I would pick.

If I had to pick one line to portray the book thus far, it would be Sage's thoughts when she thinks, "If my grandmother could reinvent herself, why couldn't Josef Weber?" (67). Two of the reoccurring ideas in this novel were forgiveness and having a 'story to your scar.' In changing his life around, Josef seeks forgiveness by molding into a lovable grandfatherly figure well admired in the community. He seeks forgiveness in his part in WWII, and confessing his story behind his scar to Sage helps him to accomplish righting his wrongs. But in his mind, forgiveness only comes with death, as that is what he did to need forgiveness in the first place. As for the stories behind their scars, Nana has a hard time revealing her life in Auschwitz and her past as a survivor. Their pasts and stories are hidden, and both Josef and Nana wished to reinvent themselves, not letting the Holocaust define who they are now.

Overall, so far this isn't one of my favorite books that she has written. From the way this book was written, you can defintely tell that Picoult has done the necessary research surrounding her topic, but its been presented in a boring way. Not much has been revealed about the characters, except Sage likes to bake, Josef is a Nazi and yup, that's about it. The entire book thus far has consisted of Sage baking, Josef confiding his story, or Sage baking some more. Oh, and grief group. But there hasn't been much else.

And the whole vampire story serves absolutely no purpose in the book. Josek references this as a "political statement," but it was completely unintentional to her and I don't think Picoult did a great job introducing that aspect of the story to begin with, so it just left me confused. (About the same level of confusion you are most likely experiencing trying to comprehend this.)

I hope something unexpected will happen, because so far the book has just consisted of Josef trying to justify his Nazi actions and Leo and Sage just trying to convict him for it. After reading the back cover, it basically gave away the whole plot line thus far. With a couple hundred pages to go, this book needs to get a move on. And typically her books start to pick up at the end, or have an unexpected conclusion, so hopefully this one pulls through.

The Storyteller (Intro)

The Storyteller- Jodi Picoult

 

For those of you who know that I love Jodi Picoult books, it's not a surprise that I'm reading another one. But honestly, it wouldn't be reader's workshop without one so I had to include one in there. Anyway, I typically do research on books before I read them and search for reviews, but I didn't with this book for two reasons: 1) Jenna recommended it to me and 2) It's Jodi Picoult, it doesn't need a review for me to read it. This book is about a Nazi's relationship with the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor and an odd favor being requested. So, obviously there's a major conflict regarding their histories, but it's only deepened by the request the Nazi makes (I'm not going to give it away, but you can look it up if you want..) It's kind of funny how this worked out for me though, all of my books have had some tie in to history. This one has to do with a Nazi in WWII, the first one I read had to do with a Jewish roundup, and my non-fiction has to do with the middle east. Okay, I know this is short but I really don't know what else to say about this book besides I'm excited to start reading it!

Little Women (Final)

Little Women- Louisa May Alcott

****Don't read for spoilers!

After finishing this book, I must admit that I'm quite dissapointed in the way that everything turned out for the March family. First of all, it ended up being Amy who married Laurie (seriously? he was in love (and probably still is) with her sister and he decides to just settle for another sister??? That's not how fiction works!) Second of all, they made Beth die. C'mon that's 0/2 in happy endings here. And Meg ends up getting married to John, so that was a good thing, but it was expected earlier in the book. Then, just to top things off, Jo went and married Prof. Bhaer (still no clue how to say his class name...) It was kind of nice that the author made a change and decided not to have the two main characters fall in love and live happily ever after, but my real disappointment came from expecting that to happen the whole book. Ugh. I'm still bitter.

As a side note to other plot related things, the poem that Jo wrote about Beth right before she was dying was so cute. I'll admit it, I got a little teary eyed...but imagine if you were dying and your sister wrote you a poem expressing all your wonderful qualities. It's adorable.

On another side note, I finally figured out what Alcott meant when she titled the book, "Little Women." From the beginning of the book to the end, it was a span of nine years in which the reader watched the March sisters go from adolescents to "little women." Each sister takes a different path, and each learns something from their respective journey. For example, Meg learns to share her mother's belief that love can triumph over poverty, Jo learns about the struggles of being a female writer in the real world and Amy learns the wealth acquired from traveling. The title is a reference to how the girls morph into adults in the story, and how the reader watches it unfold. (Kind of sad I didn't put that together earlier, but oh well)

Continuing along the same thing of money not bringing you happiness, Alcott did a nice job of saying this when Meg said, "Wealth is certainly a most desirable thing, but poverty has its sunny side, and one of the sweet uses of adversity is the genuine satisfaction which comes from hearty work of head or hand.." (264). I like this line, for they are saying to find satisfaction in the things that one does have, and while it is okay to want something else, you should still appreciate the situation in which you're in.

But on the contrary, Amy presents a rebellious side to this message when she explains her reasoning for settling for Fred saying, "One of us must marry well; Meg didn't, Jo won't, Beth can't yet, so I shall, and make everything cozy all around" (311). Despite her saying this, and not having the purest intentions, it's kind of funny how she ended up marrying Laurie for good intentions, and he just happened to be wealthy too. Basically, Alcott's message to her reader was saying to be content with everything that one has.

I would most definitely recommend this book to girls who like classics and would enjoy a well-written story. It took a little bit of time to get into, but the author made it so the characters were relatable and as the reader, I found myself getting really upset at certain things.Despite it being a good book and a fantastic plot, there were a lot of parts where I found myself going back and re-reading a page because I didn't understand what the author said the first time. However, I understood after the second time. Considering that, I will probably end up reading this book again and it will be interesting to see what things I pick up on the second time that I completely missed the first. But as for right now, I'm moving on to another book!

Little Women (Midway)

Little Women- Louis May Alcott

So far, I'm actually really enjoying this book!  Considering it was a classic and I don't typically  reading these types of books to begin with, I was a little skeptical about me liking it at first, but not anymore.

The book begins with the March sisters complaining about their poverty, because of their inability to get Christmas presents. They end up pooling their money and getting presents for Marmee, and serving their breakfast to a family who is worse off than they are. This starts a string of lessons that they are taught through the course of a year. (Midway point leaves off a year later, on Christmas) The sisters, despite being plagued with their seemingly important problems, learn about how love should be valued over money, as well as how to deal with the problems they face throughout the year.

One of my favorite parts of the books is the dialogue and how the characters speak.Yes, I know it was written in the 1800's and they had a completely different (and more formal) way of speaking then we do now, but it's still fun to see the differences. For example, these commonly used phrases which would never be heard today:

"Dear me, how romantic" (61).

"Mercy on us, what has happened?" (114).

"I was sorry about Meg, and begged pardon like a man"  (207)

Okay, so they might be heard, but definitely not in a teenager's everyday vocabulary.

Besides the dialogue, my other favorite part of the books is the personality traits of the March sisters and how they all vary. When the reader enters the world the March sisters live in, these differing personalities make it easy for the reader to connect with at least one of the sisters.

But one of my favorite quotes, thus far was when Marmee said, "Rich or poor, we will keep together and be happy in one another" (44). It held true in the 1800's when this book was written and it still holds true now. So far, a lot of Marmee's little life lessons that she teaches the girls (and the readers through the girls) is how wealth does not correlate with happiness. The sisters all think that they will be content with wealth, when in reality that is not true. The books shows that happiness comes from love and family instead of something materialistic like dresses and money.

Right now, I'm anxious to see if Beth gets better, because she never fully recovered from her Scarlet fever. And Mr. March, we can't forget about him. I want to see the romance between Meg and John. Also, I really hope Laurie and Jo end up together because lets face it, that's how every story like this ends.  But the dumb people who think the March family is only using the Laurences for money need to be quiet. They don't know the situation between Laurie and the sisters and can't judge. I can't eait to keep reading and see what happens next!