Bossypants

I got this book in audio format for one reason and one reason only: I was going to be driving from California back home to Utah, and wanted something to stave off the inevitable boredom that I anticipated on the drive. I wasn’t expecting miracles; all I wanted was something that would be more interesting than an endless stream of Pandora and my own thoughts. I was therefore wholly unprepared for the absolute treasure that this book represents! It’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard, and I loved every second of it. I was disappointed that the book only lasted six hours. I would have gladly listened to twice as much, and I doubt I would have gotten bored for even one second of the time.

Bossypants is a semi-autobiographical collection of musings by Tina Fey. Fey is a comedian/writer for shows like 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live. I’m not a huge fan of those shows, so I wasn’t expecting much. I mean, the Amazon reviews were spectacular, but what can I say, I’m a skeptic. Anyway, the book is just a bunch of stories, anecdotes, and observations on issues ranging from motherhood, to gay marriage, to women in the workplace, to beauty tips. The book obviously caters to women, but as a guy I still found it absolutely hilarious. I was literally laughing out loud at regular intervals throughout the entire experience. The book really has no plot or unifying theme, it’s just a bunch of funny stories told by a funny lady about the weird crap that happens to people, whether you’re famous or not.

I absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good laugh, and also highly recommend the audio version. It’s read by Fey herself, and getting her inflections, imitations of accents, and unique pronunciations of certain words (particularly when imitating Sara Palin) makes the whole experience just that much better. I will warn you, though, that the book does contain some crude language, as one might expect considering the types of shows Fey is typically involved with. If some profanity doesn’t bother, you, though, then you would do well to grab a copy of Bossypants and get ready to have a few good laughs.

Score: 9/10
Read this book if: You want a dose of liberal feminism wrapped in a package of absolute hilarity and basic common sense.
Don’t read this book if: You are bothered by a bit of coarse language, or are easily offended by liberal perspectives.

Three Men in a Boat

Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome, was initially supposed to be a serious travel guide for taking a boating holiday on the Thames. Instead, it turned into a snarky critique of "modern" society that is as hilarious and timely today as it was in the 1880s. The book is told from the perspective of our narrator, J, as he travels up the thames with his two friends, George and Harris, and a fox terrier named Montmorency. They boat around, complain about the weather, cause trouble, and generally make themselves into utter fools. There's really little else to be said for the book. It's really funny, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to those looking for a classic work of literature that's a bit on the lighter side. As a quick point of trivia, this book also served as a loose inspiration for the novel To Say Nothing of the Dog. If you like one, you will almost certainly like the other.

Score: 8.5/10
Read this book if: You like snarky Victorian humor.
Don't read this book if: You want a book with a strong central plot or rapid pace. The book doesn't plod, but it's still over a hundred years old.

To Say Nothing of the Dog

After so much time spent reading young adult novels, I felt it was time for me to branch out a bit and try a book that was actually written for normal people who aren't suffering from debilitating cases of teen angst and hormonal crises. I polled some friends, and was told that To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis was a fun book that somehow managed to blend Victorian literature with time travel. I was initially a bit put off by the length of the book (a whopping 493 pages) compared to the fluffy teen fiction I've gotten used to, but once I bit the bullet and dove in I was glad that there was so much book to enjoy.

The novel follow Ed Henry, a time traveling historian from the mid 21st century who has been drafted into an assinine project to rebuild Coventry Cathedral with painstaking accuracy. His particular mission is to track down a historical artifact from the Cathedral known as the Bishop's Bird Stump, a breathtakingly hideous vase that went missing during the German blitz. Too much time travel quickly causes Ned to come down with a bad case of time lag, one of the first symptoms of which is "a tendency towards maudlin sentimentality, like an Irishman in his cups or a Victorian poet cold sober." Due to his time lag he becomes confused and forgetful, and suddenly finds himself being sent back to Victorian England on a mission that he doesn't know a thing about. As might be expected, hilarity and confusion ensue as Ned tries his best to figure out his mission, while at the same time avoiding disrupting the space-time continuum and accidentally destroying the universe.

The book reads like a mashup of P.G. Wodehouse and Douglas Adams. It brilliantly captures the dry and restrained humor of Victorian satire, while weaving in just enough comic sci-fi to keep things fresh and interesting. The book doesn't look too hard at the mechanics of time travel, but it does play a lot with the unforseen consequences of small actions on larger historical events. To an extent this book is a comedy of errors, as Ned bumbles about England trying to accomplish his mission without offending Victorian sensibilities. The true humor and joy of the book, though, is in the characters themselves. Each character is a caricature of various literary stereotypes that are at once familiar and fun. Willis has such a strong mastery of her characterization, as well as of the generic conventions that she is parodying, that when her characters break with their traditional roles it is all the more surprising and delightful.

The writing flows well and is full of dry humor, apt litarary references, and enough wild speculation to keep any reader engaged and laughing throughout the novels considerable length. When I first heard of this book it was described as a novel that is perfect for Whovians (fans of Doctor Who) because it is a blend of Sci-Fi and history, with loads of British humor thrown in. I agree, but feel that this would apply to a much broader audience that the dear old Doctor. This is a book for anyone who loves literature, mystery, romance, or just wants to have a good laugh. Although the novel may not have engaged me much at an emotional level, the book completely delighted me from start to finish. It's probably the deepest book I've ever read that deserves to be called "light reading."

Score: 9/10
Read this book if: You like satire and parodies of either Sci-Fi or classic lit. Fans of P.G. Wodehouse, Douglas Adams, and Oscar Wilde will feel right at home. Also if you enjoy reading classic mystery novels or Victorian lit, and enjoy the occasional joke at the expense of the old literary masters.
Don't read this book if: You want a story that offers intense emotional engagement, will make you cry, or will change the way you look at the world. This is a great book, but it's just for fun.

Why We Broke Up

Why We Broke Up, by Daniel Handler (better known as Lemony Snickett) is a rather unusual but particularly interesting and delightful young adult novel about a relationship that is quite literally doomed from the start.

Basically the story is one big long letter written by the narrator, a girl named Min to her former boyfriend (and total tool) Ed. The letter supposedly accompanies a box wherein are housed a number of objects collected from the time the two were dating. In lieu of these objects the book is supplied with some very lovely illustrations of each, drawn by Maira Kalman. The presentation is unconventional and pleasing, and drew me into the story. Each chapter is accompanied by a relevant illustration, and the pictures essentially function as titles to the chapters.

The writing is quite good. I've read plenty of the Lemony Snickett books, and I can confidently say that this is nothing like them. In fact, I wouldn't have even guessed that the book was written by a British guy. It feels very American, and very young adult. It's clear that Handler has a really strong ability to adjust his writing for a particular audience and style, and I hope he continues publishing excellent stuff in several genres. The narrative style of the book is rather unconventional. It's epistolatory,  but one-sided. There's no actual exchange taking place. The narration is both first person and second person, which occasionally puts the reader in the role of the jerk ex-boyfriend. I rather liked that little trick, and I thought it was an effective way to engage the reader, and also to help the reader think about the issues complexly. I occasionally found myself trying to justify the actions of the ex-boyfriend, even though the guy was a major douche. I generally just love narrative trickery, though, so I enjoyed the style of the book.

I like that this book breaks with the general conventions of YA novels. Most YA books could be titled Why We Got Together, since they invariably involve love and romance at some level, and usually end when the two unlikely characters finally confess their love for each other! While this book has a bit of the same stuff, it only comprises a few chapters. Even these chapters aren't exactly gratifying, because the promise of a breakup looms over the entire book. This, in my opinion, is a very good thing. Too often YA lit seems to suggest that the solution to all of life's problems is a romantic relationship, or at least that once your problems are solved there will be some romance waiting for you. Anyone who is actually a human being realizes that this line of thinking is totally wrong. Life doesn't reward us with love at the end of every trial. In fact, often love itself is the trial. Handler approaches romance from this angle, and makes the inevitable breakup a moment of freedom, relief, and clarity. Why We Broke Up has joined Eleanor and Park as one of the only YA books that looks at romance realistically, making it a crucial addition to the body of YA lit. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Margaret Atwood: "Love blurs your vision; but after it recedes, you can see more clearly than ever. It's like the tide going out, revealing whatever's been thrown away and sunk: broken bottles, old gloves, rusting pop cans, nibbled fishbodies, bones. This is the kind of thing you see if you sit in the darkness with open eyes, not knowing the future."

My favorite element of the book was the friendship between Min and her best friend Al. Although it is a boy/girl relationship, there's no romance there. It's so refreshing to read about a healthy male/female friendship that doesn't end in a makeout session. In fact, I think this book has possibly the most accurate and moving depiction of true friendship of any book I've yet read. It reminded me of some of my closest friendships, and therefore really resonated with me. It was a fairly small part of the story, but was vitally important to the overall themes of the book.

A few other quick notes. The novel is chock full of film references, and will therefore likely appeal to film fans (Min dreams of being a director, and often looks at her life as if it were a film). However, the one catch is that all the films being referenced are completely fake. This isn't a problem, though. Once I quit opening my IMDB app every time a film was referenced, I just began enjoying the descriptions of all these "classic" films. I think it was a genius move using fake films, because Handler could describe anything, make it as relevant to the novel as necessary, and he never had to tick off any diehard fans of old cinema in the process by misrepresenting well-loved films. Although the films referenced are fictional, the descriptions are true to the feel of old movies, and any film buff should enjoy the read regardless of the erroneous nature of the cinematic allusions.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It's longer than most YA lit, feels a bit more grownup, is a bit less sappy, and contains a healthy blend of the real and the whimsical. It's definitely worth reading if you're into YA lit.

Score: 8/10
Read this book if: You like YA lit but are a bit sick of the standard fare.
Don't read this book if: You are looking for some really deep literature, or something really light and fluffy. This book is neither, which is part of what makes it so unique and lovely.

P.S. While uploading the cover illustration I noticed that little silver seal signifying a Printz Honor Book. That puts the novel in the esteemed company of novels such as Looking for Alaska, The Book Thief, and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. I certainly feel the award was well-deserved!

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

I honestly don't think I've ever read a book that David Levithan has had a hand in and genuinely loved. it. I generally find them reasonably entertaining, perhaps a bit too moody, and altogether forgettable. You would think I'd have learned my lesson by now, and yet I persist in reading his stuff. Here we have another fine example from the team that gave us Dash and Lily's Book of Dares. This time Rachel Cohn wrote Norah, and David Levithan wrote Nick. As I should have expected the book was nothing special. It kept me engaged while I was reading it, and has now been relegated to a box in the corner of my mind where I tend to store memories associated with visits to the DMV.

Nick and Norah is about two super-moody teenagers who have both been through rough breakups recently and find themselves partaking in a contrived five-minute relationship of total convenience, which of course stretches way past five minutes. The point of view switches from Nick to Norah and back again with each successive chapter, and while it's initially interesting seeing both perspectives the effect ultimately led to a sense of seasickness. I constantly felt that I needed to find my bearings within the minds of the narrators, and as a result I had a tough time finding any lasting engagement with them.

The plot itself is fairly straightforward, though I won't say much for the sake of avoiding spoilers. It was all very conventional young adult romance stuff, though, and nothing revolutionary. There were a few moments of real depth, particularly associated with Norah's past and her efforts to overcome it. The supporting characters ultimately provided the most depth and sincerity within the story, and I rejoiced any time Nick's gay friends showed up. Nothing makes for a good time in a work of young adult lit quite like gay friends! Unfortunately the supporting characters are just that: supporting. Their presence isn't consistent enough to pull the book out of the moody haze in which it primarily exists.

The novel's level of writing is fine for the genre. It's nothing extraordinary, but it also isn't distracting. The words are simply there to allow the story to exist. The words do their job without any fuss, and don't draw attention to themselves. My biggest complain with the book, however, is in fact a matter of language. The narrators are extremely foul-mouthed, and it seemed inappropriate and out of place. In a book for adults, wherein adults are having actual adult problems, I'm fine with some coarse language. But when it's a book about a couple of teenagers who are just worried about high school drama and romance, I don't think such crudeness is justified. It's as if the authors wanted to lend a sense of gravitas, but weren't able to create a story to justify it. Therefore they just threw in a bunch of profanity whenever they felt that the book needed to seem more mature. It didn't work for me, and I found it to be in bad taste.

Nick and Norah is a decently pleasant novel to read, but isn't one that will change my life. It was fun while it lasted, but now that it's over I'm kind of glad to be done with it. I suppose in that sense it's the perfect book for young adults, because that's exactly how I felt about adolescence as well. I'll tell you one thing, I sure wouldn't want to experience it again!

Score: 6/10
Read this book if: You have nothing better to do, and just want to kill a few hours with a book that won't leave much of an impression once you're done with it.
Don't read this book if: You have access to anything better.

P.S. For those who have seen the film, the two works are totally different. I'm guessing that the person who wrote the screenplay read the back of the cover, thought it was a fun idea, and ran with it. I thought the film, like the book, was fun in a sort of vacant way, but the two have almost nothing in common in terms of either plot of characterization.

Anna and the French Kiss

Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins, is decidedly a girl book. That doesn't make it bad, of course, it's just something to be aware of. The novel is, structurally at least, pretty standard fare in the world of YA lit. It's about a teenage girl who is sent off to Paris to a boarding school to complete her senior year of high school. At first she is miserable about leaving her friends and a budding romance behind, but once she gets used to Paris she falls in love...and not just with the city.

What immediately impressed me about this book was the care with which it had been written. The plot evolved delicately, and the characters demonstrated marked growth throughout the novel. The writing wasn't sloppy or hasty, and it demonstrated a maturity and confidence on the part of the author that I found very refreshing. What's even more impressive is that Stephanie Perkins is, for all intents and purposes, an amateur writer. This book was birthed during NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. Despite its rushed origins, however, the book is polished and complete. In fact, I believe the level of writing is superior to several of the books I've recently read by prominent authors, particularly Dash and Lily's Book of Dares. Though still unproven in many ways, I believe Stephanie Perkins has the raw talent and the attention to detail to become a truly excellent novelist.

My main problem with the novel is not the writing itself, but the plot. Though in the first portions of the novel the plot develops in a satisfying manner, complicating itself enough to stay interesting but not so much so as to become convoluted, it became overly simplistic as the novel reached its conclusion. Essentially things just sort of ran out of steam towards the end. It wasn't an unsatisfying novel, but the ending was rather predictable, and I felt it to be too conventional. Stephanie Perkins could have gone several different ways with the ending, but she just took the easy way out. This is fine, but is ultimately the reason that I think Anna and the French Kiss will remain a girl book rather than a book that a wider audience can enjoy. It was just a little too pleasing in the final analysis, and didn't demand enough of the reader or the characters to create lasting meaning. The novel's moral force fizzled in a wave of sentimentality. What's truly unfortunate here isn't that the ending was bad, it just wasn't as good as I was expecting it to be given how excellent the first half of the novel was.

On the whole this book is enjoyable, easy to read, and more carefully crafted than many other popular works of YA lit. It is, however, ultimately a fairly shallow book that demands little from its readers and offers little in return outside of a few hours of pleasant entertainment.

Score: 7/10
Read this book if: You like sappy romance stories, are enchanted by the romance of Paris, or are a teenage girl of any sort.
Don't read this book if: You are looking for a story that will take you on a meaningful emotional journey, or that demands a little work on your part to be fully enjoyed.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

This novel is a bit of a strange bird in that it has not one, but two authors. Rachel Cohn and David Levithan collaborated to create this charming little work, and overall I think their union was a success.

The novel focuses on two teenagers, Dash and Lily, who both live in New York. Lily finds herself alone for the holidays, and decides to leave a red notebook with some cryptic instructions between two of her favorite novels at a local bookstore. The notebook is then retrieved by Dash, also a conveniently alone teenager, and the two kids begin swapping dares, sharing adventures, and getting to know one another through the notebook.

By having their interactions take place within the bounds of the notebook the novel offers an interesting twist on the conventional teen romance. Physical attraction and hormones play no part in Dash and Lily's friendship, and the two are able to arrive at a true meeting of minds and emotions that they are incapable of achieving with any of their friends in the physical universe. Their relationship has a sort of purity and honesty to it that is very refreshing for anyone accustomed to the typical romances found in novels of this sort. The friendship that springs up between Dash and Lily is aided by the strength of the two characters, who are well developed, unique, and interesting. The novel also features a fairly good cast of supporting characters. Though many of the secondary characters are a bit flat, there are a few (including a wonderful great-aunt and a chap named Boomer) who provide both excellent comic relief, and a degree of depth to the novel.

Because the novel was written collaboratively, with David Levithan writing Dash's portions and Rachel  Cohn writing Lily's, the two characters have their own voices, thoughts, and styles. This also means that the novel will likely be just as accessible for boys as for girls. However, the collaborative nature of the work is also probably this novel's greatest weakness. I'm not sure how collaborative novels are written, but there are points in the novel where it is clear that the left hand did not know what the right hand was doing. David Levithan's writing tends to be faultless, if a bit bland. However, Rachel Cohn's writing revealed an alarming tendency towards poor editing and inconsistency. Although these problems generally just resulted in minor typos, they occasionally led to inconsistencies within the novel's plot itself. In a novel written by two well known and well respected authors, I consider such sloppiness absolutely unacceptable. That said, the story's plot and characters were sufficiently strong that I was willing to overlook the technical errors while reading the novel. However, now that I've finished the book I would be remiss to not at least mention that whoever edited this novel did a subpar job.

On the whole this novel is engaging, quick to read, and enjoyable. The strength of the novel rests primarily in the two main characters, who are well developed, likable individuals. The plot occasionally left me a bit incredulous, but I still found myself struggling to put the book down. It probably won't change your life, but if you're looking for a quick read that will give you a little food for thought, Dash and Lily's Book of Dares won't disappoint.

Score: 7/10
Read this book if: You believe in the magic of Christmas; like treasure hunts, riddles, and dares; or believe in the power of the printed word as a vehicle of truth, when appearances so often deceive.
Don't read this book if: You can't tolerate some sloppy copy editing, don't like cheesy romance, or are a purist for deep books.

Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances

I must have been getting nostalgic for winter when I picked up this little Christmas-centric piece authored by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle. Though the three stories are loosely related, they are essentially independent of one another, and I will therefore review them separately below.

The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson
This was a fun, fluffy little piece about a girl whose train gets stuck in the worst blizzard in 50 years. She meets a boy, they become friends, and awkwardness/hilarity ensues. I liked this little story. It was fun, it had some real heartfelt moments, and it offered some keen commentary on the one-sided nature of many of our relationships. The writing is nothing to shout about, but it didn't get in the way of the story and was pretty transparent throughout. Although there were some moments that were pretty cheesy, this was an enjoyable little tale.

A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle by John Green
This was probably my favorite piece in the collection, and not because it was written by John Green (who I have an avowed bias towards). This story is about three friends who are summoned to a Waffle House where await an entire train car full of cheerleaders who have become stranded due to the weather. What follows is a wild adventure as the three friends attempt to brave the storm in order to partake in the miracle of cheerleaders. Beneath the surface, however, is a story of loyalty, love, and friendship that will appeal to anyone who has been lucky enough to be a part of a group of friends who are wildly different, yet unfailingly loyal to one another. This story reminded me of high school, and gave me a renewed appreciation for the simple bonds of friendship that I've enjoyed over my life. It was a real pleasure to read.

The Patron Saint of Pigs by Lauren Myracle
Her last name my be miraculous, but her writing is anything but. The final tale in this collection was easily my least favorite. It focuses on a pouty, self-centered girl who has recently broken up with the love of her life for really dumb reasons. The whole story is just her trying to justify her actions to herself and others, with everyone (reader included) just rolling their eyes and trying not to lash out at her. Not only is the narrator irritating, but the plot itself is cheesy and plodding. Although not exactly painful to read, this story certainly wasn't nearly as pleasant as its two companion tales.

On the whole Let it Snow is a fun, fluffy, and quick read. If you're interested in some holiday cheer, or just like the instant gratification of not one, but THREE romances crammed into one book, give it a try. If you're after a book with real literary merit, symbolism, character development, or complexity you'll want to look elsewhere.

Score: 6.5/10 (This would probably be 7.5 if the book didn't include The Patron Saint of Pigs).
Read this book if: You're nostalgic for Christmas, find the prospect of getting snowed-in romantic, or are just looking for some (extremely) fluffy entertainment.
Don't read this book if: You want to read a work of literature that actually has literary merit. This is escapist fluff fiction through and through.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

Ah, the Cold War. Has there ever been any other historical event that has given us more excellent films and stories? I mean we've got The Hunt for Red October, Rocky IV, every James Bond film, as well as this little gem from John Le Carre. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is the story of Alec Leamas, a field agent with British Intelligence who is asked to do one last mission before he "comes in from the cold." This story tells about that last mission in the divided city of Berlin. There's really not much to say about the book beyond that. It's a fun read, and pretty engaging. Unlike the James Bond books (which I haven't read, but so I've heard) this book tends to be more psychological than action-packed. It addresses the moral conflict and ambiguity that exists within the minds of the agents who sacrificed their own moral compass for the sake of a greater good. The novel explores these questions elegantly and with pathos, and by the end you really care about the characters. This book is considered one of the best spy novels ever written, and I can see why. It's not an action thriller, but it has all the twists and turns of a good mystery, and will keep you engaged and guessing clear to the end.

Score: 8/10
Read this book if: You want a quick, fun read that has more psychological action than actual explosions-and-guns action, or if you like the Cold War.
Don't read this book if: You want explosions-and-guns action, or aren't in the mood for light reading.

The Prophet

Kahlil Gibran is generally associated with the countercultural movements of the sixties and seventies. When I think of avid Gibran fans I usually imagine long-haired pot-smoking bell bottom-wearing hippies listening to sitar music in the back of a VW bus while burning incense and talking about the hidden messages in the latest Beatles album. Imagine my surprise, then, when I googled Gibran and found him to be a clean cut, dapper gentleman. Indeed, though Gibran eventually came to be adored by the hippies, he was first a poet, philosopher, and author who created something absolutely lovely in the form of The Prophet.

Kahlil Gibran

I don't have much to say about this book. The plot is little more than a skeletal frame into which are inserted poetic essays on topics ranging from eating, to work, to teaching, to love. The essays are brief, a little bit elevated in language and style, occasionally obtuse in their meaning, but absolutely delightful to read. Much of it just went over my head, but I still appreciated the rhythm and flow of the words, and the beauty of the imagery. The book is immensely quotable, and portions of it have no doubt found their way onto calendars and greeting cards for decades. Here are a few of my selected favorites:
"Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul."
"Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding."
"For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill? Seek him always with hours to live."
There are loads more quotes in the book, which is quite impressive considering the whole book is only about sixty pages long. In the end this book is short, enjoyable, and pleasant. Occasionally I got the impression that there was more form to the language than actual substance, but it was still nice to read.

Score: 8/10
Read this book if: You love beautiful language and frequent metaphors, and enjoy philosophical explorations of the basic elements of daily life.
Don't read this book if: You want a plot, characters, or anything else that most books tend to have.

It's Kind of a Funny Story

I really liked this book. Basically it's about a kid named Craig who is bright an ambitious, works really hard to get into a prestigious private high school, and then finds out that he's quickly gone from being the smartest kid in school to just average. Thrown in with Manhattan's best and brightest Craig quickly starts to cave under the mounting pressure, until he checks himself into the psychiatric ward after nearly committing suicide. Once introduced to the motley crew of patients of "Six North" things get interesting, and that's where what could have been a very depressing read begins to turn into the funny story promised by the title.

The book's plot is simple, and most of the interesting action takes place within Craig's mind, and that's one of the things that makes this book so good. The toughest fights a person ever has are with himself, and once the internal battle is won the external actions are usually pretty easy. The book does a great job of capturing how one can become internally paralyzed by stress and a variety of other factors, and then explores the various external manifestations. The book provides a good look at the psychology of depression, and reveals what a vicious cycle it can be. Yet the book is also hopeful, showing ways in which self-destructive cycles can be effectively managed.

The other characters in the hospital provide good comic relief, but allow for the author (Ned Vizzini) to portray a variety of other mental illnesses in a soft and sympathetic light. In this way the book does a lot to overcome the stigma that's associated with mental illness, psychiatrists, anti-depressants, and so forth. The book also critiques socie
ty's tendency towards overmedication and hypochondria. Once admitted to the hospital Craig finds himself bombarded by phone calls from friends who think they should be taking anti-depressents and checking into the hospital as well. From the perspective of Craig, who has been through the trauma of near-suicide, these friends seem like ridiculous pretenders simply trying to capitalize on the social cachet of mental illness.

Of the various messages in the book, though, my favorite is related to the way in which some people hide their problems. One of the people Craig meets in the hospital is a girl who cut up her face with scissors because she was tired of the social pressure associated with being "hot." When she confides to Craig that she is worried that people will judge her for her scars throughout her life, Craig remarks "Everybody has problems. Some people just hide their crap better than others. But people aren't going to look at you and run away. They're going to look at you and think that they can talk to you, and that you'll understand, and that you're brave, and that you're strong." I firmly believe that everybody on this planet is a little bit screwed up, and that by pretending we aren't we simply perpetuate a lie that places extraordinary pressure on everyone involved. What this book does best is show that people can be messy, complicated, imperfect human beings, and still be great people. The book urges openness and honesty with yourself and those around you, suggesting that it is far better to be true to yourself than to conform to the model society lays out for you. This is a message that I feel would be of benefit to a lot of people, and the book did a great job of getting it across.

Of course no novel is perfect (though The Fault in Our Stars and Dandelion Wine come close), and I do have a couple minor complaints with this novel. The first is a matter of content. Within a hyper-conservative community such as Utah this novel would almost certainly never get taught in the classroom, and many parents would object to their children reading it because of some objectionable content. This is a real shame, because the messages in the book are so important to teens who are finding themselves under increased pressure to have their whole lives mapped out by the time they graduate from high school. My other quibble is more formal. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that a female plays an important part in Craig's recovery. While it would certainly be nice if everyone in the world could find a significant other just after going through a life-altering trial, this is an unrealistic expectation. I feel Craig's recovery would have been more significant, not to mention more real, if he had done it without any help from romantic sources. Still, can't have a young adult novel without romance, so I'll forgive it.

Overall this is a great book. I liked it, and if you can stand some "adult" content, I imagine most people would find it to be a good read.

Score: 9/10
Read this book if: You want to better understand the psychology of clinical depression (and assorted other mental illnesses), or want a reminder of why life is pretty awesome and worth living.
Don't read this book if: You generally don't enjoy young adult literature, or are put off by some coarse language and content.

All Quiet on the Western Front

This book is really excellent, but also super depressing. It's about the horror of World War I, as told from the German perspective. For those of you not keen on history, the Germans lost WWI quite badly, so you know going into it that it's not going to end overly well for those involved. While lots of books and films manage to show the horror of warfare, what makes AQotWF so good is that it also captures the toll of warfare on the individual souls of the soldiers involved. WWI was unique in that the war was  essentially being fought by children, with huge numbers of the soldiers falling under the age of twenty. WWI was also unique because it was the first war in which industry and technology really began to dramatically alter the face of warfare. Officers still carried swords, bayonets were still fitted to rifles, and horses were used in the cavalry; yet explosive artillery shells and gas attacks continually ravaged the front lines, while incessant machine gun fire and airplane attacks picked off those unfortunate enough to cross into no-man's land. The world was unprepared for war on the scale of WWI, and the cost was extremely high both in individual lives and in personal, individual internal scarring. The novel's narrator is frequently explaining to the reader how, in order to mentally survive the anguish of the war, he has to become less than human. War is shown to be an animalizing force, one which requires that a person shed themselves of any trace of humanity in favor of the primal forces that lead to survival. It's a choice between an animal life or a human death, even though many ultimately get neither. All Quiet shows the reader the ways in which modern warfare scar the land, the soul, and entire generations. It's writing is bleak, yet powerful. For anyone interested in history, this book is definitely a must read.

Score: 8/10
Read this book if: You are a history buff, or need a reminder of the negative aspects of technological progress.
Don't read this book if: You are easily upset by gruesome writing. This was a crazy bloody war, and the book isn't shy about depicting it in all its gruesome horror.

Divergent

I’m not really sure I’m allowed to review this book. I didn’t technically read it. Rather, I listened to it. Still, it’s a book that I’ve now consumed in some way or another, so I’m going to give my opinion. This book is decidedly okay. The plot doesn’t win any points for originality. It comes off as a mix between Harry Potter and Hunger Games. Despite the story’s less than imaginative setting, the characters were interesting and likeable. Most of the characters were pretty two-dimensional, which is to be expected seeing as this book is targeted to teenagers. These are minor quibbles, and don’t really get in the way of enjoying the story. What’s great about Divergent is the way in which it explores the need for social belonging and conformity, and the way our peers and cultural identifications influence our personal identity. This discussion is highly apropos for members of our modern society, where people are constantly being identified in general ways based on the groups they associate with. Teenagers and adults alike who find themselves torn between their own opinions and needs and the needs of society will find plenty of material to relate to. Plus there’s a little romance, which is pretty nice. Nuff said on that. Now we come to the deal-breaker. Any time Tris (the main character) handles a gun, and especially if she’s actually getting ready to use it, she “clicks a bullet into the chamber.” I’m sorry Veronica Roth, but if you’re going to write a book with guns in it you should really find out how guns work. Real guns don’t have some magic button that “clicks a bullet into the chamber.” Every time this line popped up it just drove me crazy! For that reason alone this book has lost my respect. It was an enjoyable read, but ultimately it was ruined by one single, really annoying little detail.

Score: 6/10 (would have been 7 but for the bullet clicking)
Read This Book if: You like exciting stories about people torn between individuality and societal conformity. Also if you liked Hunger Games and are willing to read something that feels similar but isn’t as good.
Don’t Read This Book if: You know how guns work, or favor stories that have truly original premises.

The Dark Knight Returns

My second favorite tool for finding new things to read is Amazon.com. I just hop on, go to the page of a book I love, and check out the "Customers Who Bought this Also Bought" section. It's a goldmine of good stuff that I know is going to be similar to things I already like. Second only to V for Vendetta on Amazon's Watchmen page was The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. Though I was initially skeptical to read a graphic novel based on more traditional comic book characters, this book proved to be a superbly written glimpse into psychology of heroism, and how that psychology can become as much a liability as an asset when the flesh becomes weaker than the spirit.

Set in a rapidly deteriorating Gotham that has been without Batman's influence for ten years, TDKR follows Bruce Wayne as he struggles to control the personae of the Batman inside of him. Unlike modern interpretations on the Batman story, TDKR looks at Batman almost as a separate entity that exists within Bruce Wayne, one that he initially fights against and ultimately succumbs to. Batman doesn't choose to come out of retirement because the city needs Batman, but because Bruce Wayne needs Batman. It's as if Wayne is a junkie, and Batman is his drug of choice. This book simply portrays Wayne having a relapse after ten years of sobriety.

An example of the epic full-page frames
that abound in TDKR.

The psychological implications of Batman coming out of retirement are augmented by the unavoidable fact that he's old. Bruce Wayne is in his late fifties, and though his return to action seems as unlikely as Rocky Balboa's, it really works. Rather than glossing over his age, the novel uses it as a central theme. Batman is constantly aware that he's slower, has less stamina, and isn't nearly as invincible as he used to be. Yet despite his awareness of his mortality, he has to keep fighting. He realizes that he's on a self-destructive course, but he doesn't even want to change his trajectory.

But just because this graphic novel deals with serious issues of personal psychology and aging, don't think that it's not a Batman book at heart. We've still got Robin shouting out cheesy one-liners, ridiculous villains in masks and face-paint, impossible gadgets that are so improbable they're cool, and of course the unflappable butler who remains unfazed regardless of how beat up Bruce Wayne is when he comes home in the morning. Though I expected these elements of the absurd to distract from the novel, they ended up giving it a sense of flavor and flair that lent a whimsical quality to an otherwise dark book. I wouldn't change a thing about it.

Although novels based on comic books aren't for everybody, I feel that people who are fans of the Batman films or comics would really enjoy reading this book. In a general sense graphic novels allow readers to embrace their inner child while still consuming media that is meaningful and complex. TDKR easily fits the bill. It has enough sense of wonder and fantasy to keep anyone enjoyably engaged, but also provides some serious commentaries on the psychology of aging and the need to feel useful. If you like Batman stuff, definitely read this book. It's easily as good as any Batman movie, and is worlds better than most of them. Beyond that, though, it's just a dang good book in its own right.

Score: 9/10
Read this book if: You like Batman, graphic novels, or want to read a story about aging that has cool pictures too.
Don't read this book if: You think comics are just for kids (but you'll be missing out).

Great Expectations

The title of this celebrated Dickens novel not only describes the state of the main character for much of the book, but also describes my feelings towards the novel when I began to read it. I had heard much praise in favor of Great Expectations, and had owned the book for years before my Dickens class finally got me to read it. One of my most trusted literary counselors mentioned that it was both his favorite Dickens novel, and the most critically esteemed. I should have learned ages ago, however, that high expectations are the seeds of disappointment, and tragically this was once again the case. The story of young Pip's fortuitous rise to wealth and status did little to hold my interest, and in the end my great expectations led me to little more that a great sense of relief when the book was finished.

Touted as one of Dickens's most critically acclaimed novels, GE has been taught more frequently than any other Dickens novel (with the possible exception of the outstanding A Tale of Two Cities). The novel follows Pip, a young orphan who is raised by his older sister and blacksmith brother-in-law, from the poverty of his rural life on the marshes to his cosmopolitan existence in downtown London. Pip's rise in fortune is made possible by the aid of a mysterious benefactor who bankrolls Pip's gentlemanly aspirations in exchange for total anonymity. When informing Pip of his good fortune the enigmatic lawyer Jaggers states simply "he has great expectations." Pip, like any ordinary person, doesn't ask questions and takes the money. The rest of the novel examines the moral and psychological effects that Pip's newfound wealth have upon him, until his benefactor is ultimately revealed and the true nature of Pip's "expectations" becomes apparent. Though the story has all the hallmarks of the rags-to-riches type of stories that we tend to enjoy, the absence of any labor on Pip's part, as well as the total lack of wisdom with which he utilizes his wealth, leave the reader uninspired.

I had the good fortune to be reading this book for a class, and therefore I feel as though I was privileged with information and insights from classmates that made the reading process more interesting. But the truth is that I think Pip is a fool who behaves in an immature and irresponsible way throughout the entire novel. Two-thirds of the book is Pip running around ruining his own life and the lives of those around him. The novel's saving grace is in the cast of supporting characters. Jo Gargery, Pip's brother-in-law, friend, and mentor, is a model of morality, forgiveness, and charity. Other eccentric characters add moments of amusement and delight, such as the ruined Miss Havisham or the pleasantly duplicitous Wemmick. If you like good supporting characters who shine all the more brightly when compared to a particularly dreary main character, this book is for you.

In the midst of all my Pip bashing, however, I must pause to give Dickens some credit. As a narrator and main character Pip isn't very likable, however I have to admit that he seems a lot more relatable and realistic than most of Dickens's other main characters. Pip is a prodigal fool who deludes himself into acting like an idiotic jerk half the time, while the other half of his time is spent thinking about what a rotten person he is. Sadly, I think this is a very human thing. I've certainly had my Pip moments in life, and as an indictment and analysis of the power of the human mind to deceive itself GE is a pretty powerful work. However, I personally don't hugely enjoy being reminded of the flaws in my nature, so I didn't find these ruminations pleasant. Dickens deserves some props for diving into the deep and dirty of human nature, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Of the three Dickens novels I've read over this past semester GE is probably my least favorite. There isn't much there to excite the imagination or inspire the human soul. The novel certainly offers some interesting insights into the nature of the gentleman, the morality of money, and the power of external influences over our individual natures, but none of these things necessarily contribute to a book I'd actually want to read. The characters within the novel are excellent, but Pip is so unlikeable for the majority of the novel that it becomes something of a chore to read long enough to enjoy the good stuff. I'm glad I can check this book off my list, but it's unfortunately going to be taking a place at the bottom of my Dickens pile.

Score: 7/10
Read this book if: You enjoy a book that deals with issues of Victorian psychology and social ideology, or if you like a strong cast of amusing secondary characters.
Don't read this book if: You prefer novels that have a strong central plot-line or a really likable main character, or your just looking to escape from reality for a little while.

V for Vendetta

Whenever I leave a movie theatre after watching a film based on a book my general though is "it was good, but the book was better." Now, however, in some odd reversal of fortunes, I find myself believing the inverse to be true. V for Vendetta is good, but the film is better.

I entered upon this read with extremely high hopes. My optimism was the result of two factors. First, V was written by Alan Moore, the man behind Watchmen. I seriously loved Watchmen, and was excited to read Moore's second-most famous graphic novel. Second, I'm a huge fan of the film adaptation of V for Vendetta, and have watched it every fifth of November since 2008. I believe that in approaching the novel with such high expectations I was actually sewing the seeds of my own disappointment. My two frames of reference were Watchmen and the film adaptation of V for Vendetta, and unfortunately I just didn't feel the novel was quite as good as either.

When compared with Watchmen, V seems to lack the complex delicacy and familiarity with which the political arguments are conveyed. Furthermore, though both written by Moore, the two books had different artists and colorists. Where Watchmen is vibrant and detailed, V looks pale and muted. As a result of the art I found I couldn't get sucked into V in the same way I could with Watchmen, since I was frequently losing the thread of the story because I couldn't make out what was happening to whom. The art wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, it just fell short of the spectacular drawing I'd become accustomed to in Watchmen.

It was a mistake from the outset to compare the book to the film. The two are radically different in plot, ideology, and execution. Perhaps if I'd read the book first I wouldn't have cared for the film, but being such a fan of the film I was disappointed when there were points of difference. And there are many points of difference. The film is a vibrant story with gorgeous cinematography and incredible dialogue. Although much of those elements are found in the novel, they feel watered down because there is simply so much more material there. The film seems as though it took the best elements of V for Vendetta, added even more good stuff, and then concentrated the whole formula. In comparison the novel feels rather plain. The other major difference between the book and the film is the maturity of the content. The film is certainly not for kids, but it's also a bit idealistic. The book, though, is dark, gritty, and seemingly hopeless. Furthermore, I have a difficult time accepting that anarchistic politics being espoused in the novel.

Overall V for Vendetta was sufficiently engaging for me to finish it fairly quickly, and it was a pleasant alternative to doing homework. However, all things considered I don't think I'll be recommending this book to many people. It is pretty well-written, pretty well-drawn, and pretty good. But there are so many books that are so much more than pretty good that it seems a waste to settle for anything less. Though the book contains occasional moments of sheer brilliance, in the end I was disappointed that the book didn't live up to my expectations, however unrealistic and unfair those expectations may have been.

Score: 6/10 (It was enjoyable, but just barely)
Read this book if: You find graphic novels interesting and don't have preconceptions about what this book might be like.
Don't read this book if: You like the film and are expecting a similar experience on the page, or you love your graphic novels to have vibrant and vivid illustrations.

N.B. I've received some criticism that my rating system is too soft, so for the last few reviews I've been a bit more liberal with the lower scores. For future reference, a 1 is a book that is basically all bad, a 5 is even parts that I liked/didn't like, and a 10 is a book where I love everything about it. So with this 6, I liked more than I didn't like, but there was still quite a bit that bugged me. You likely won't see many scores below 5 since I research the stuff I read to avoid lemons. This may not be the best system, but it's the one I'm gonna use anyway.

Watchmen

When Watchmen came on the scene in 1987 it was absolutely revolutionary. Here we have a graphic novel rooted in a forty year long tradition of superhero comics, that swiftly proceeds to deconstruct the genre until it is practically in ruins. Yet in the process of critiquing every superhero comic book that came before it, Watchmen created something new and wonderful: a beautifully written and illustrated graphic novel (complete with explosions, fights, and awesome gadgetry) that still offers deep and profound insights into human nature and political controversies.

As with much of the stuff I read, I discovered Watchmen from another book, the previously reviewed Eleanor and Park. The two main characters of E&P bond while reading Watchmen together, and the novel continues to reference Watchmen throughout, so I thought I'd give it a read. Little did I know that E&P was merely reflecting the greater light of Watchmen, as the moon reflects the sun. When I started reading Watchmen I almost immediately got absorbed into a dark and vivid alternate history where America has won the Vietnam War, possesses a huge tactical trump card over Russia, has abundant cheap energy, and is tearing itself apart at the seems.

The chronological events of Watchmen begin shortly after World War II, when police officers and retired soldiers choose to don masks and fight against corruption and vice within their communities. These masked adventurers are praised for their good deeds, and many of them enter the employ of the government. Eventually an accident involving experimentation with nuclear power creates the world's one and only true superhero, Dr. Manhattan, a blue baldy whose ability to control matter at the atomic level makes him all but omnipotent. In short, Dr. Manhattan changes everything. Technology leaps forward, long-term peace seems assured, and the world sits on a new frontier of prosperity. Yet in the absence of conflict and challenge apathy grips society, and spreads like a cancer throughout America. Corruption and rioting become rampant, the costumed adventurers are outlawed due to the Keene Act, and President Nixon uses Dr. Manhattan as political leverage to elevate himself to near-dictator status. From the moment of Dr. Manhattan's creation the timeline of the story begins gradually diverging from recorded history until the reader is left staring at a strange, and strangely familiar, alternate reality that is dark, chilling, and frighteningly close to the world we live in today.

Watchmen's captivating first page.

Not only is the story profound and thought-provoking, the characters themselves are compelling. My personal favorite character is Rorschach, a masked adventurer who refused to retire when the U.S. government outlaws costumed vigilantes. Rorschach's dogged commitment to punishing evil represents an odd sort of morality that is both repellant and admirable. Other characters like Dan Dreiberg and Laurie Jupiter represent a fascinating commentary on the process of aging and maturing, and how much of ourselves is bound up in what we do.

There is so much that I could say about Watchmen, but I don't want to spoil one minute of this incredible graphic novel. This book was amazing. If you are a fan of superheroes, politics, history, human nature, good writing, or good art, then you will almost certainly enjoy this compelling and chilling vision of what might have been and, if we aren't careful, what may yet be.

Score: 10/10
Read this book if: You are a fan of comics or graphic novels in general, and in particular if you like political commentaries that also tackle deeper questions about the nature of morality and humanity.
Don't read this book if: You are averse to cartoon violence. Though not bad by modern standards of violence, Watchmen certainly doesn't shy away from the graphic side of graphic novels.

Bleak House

Charles Dickens' novel Bleak House is considered one of his most ambitious works, and is lauded by critics as one of his very best. BH falls squarely into the 4B category, a Big Boring British Book. It's about the effects of the corrupt and inefficient British legal system on the lives of those unfortunate enough to be suitors at court, and the efforts of one young woman named Esther to beat the system.

The characters are interesting, especially when you dig down to discover their more sinister motives, and the descriptions of London are evocative and powerful. Dickens makes the city appear to be one seething cesspool of fog, mud, rain, and misery, with the courts lying at the very center of it all. Esther, on the other hand, is the proposed cure for the ills of the courts, and proceeds to clean up various domestic spaces in her attempt to purify England from the legal blight it is under. There are some interesting side plots involving Esther's dubious parentage, a handsome doctor, and a particularly determined police investigator. These asides (which actually are extremely important to the plot) provide a nice distraction from the central story, but don't contribute enough fun to salvage the plot from its own ponderous weight.

As is typical with Dickens the writing is dense and wordy, and the novel hardly makes for casual reading. Even the most ambitious literary aficionados will find it difficult to slog through the nearly one thousand pages of text. However, if you have a good group that you can regularly discuss the novel with, and the guiding hand of someone intimately familiar with the text (preferably a PhD) then you may find the novel to be a rewarding read. Outside of the classroom setting, however, I just couldn't bring myself to recommend Bleak House to anyone. It's too long, too boring, and too inaccessible for all but the most devoted and erudite readers of Victorian Literature.

Score: 6/10 (I realize this is awfully low. Please note that I don't think this is in any way a bad book, it's just boring and not very fun. From a critical standpoint it's great).
Read this book if: You like really long works of fiction with fairly slow moving plots that examine legal corruption in Victorian London.
Don't read this book if: You primarily read books for entertainment, and if you don't like having to frequent the dictionary in order to understand a text.

Three Week Update
The further away I get from the actual reading of this novel, the more I think I liked it. At the time I wrote my initial review I was so overwhelmed with the sheer length of the thing that I allowed many of the delightful details and elements to escape my notice. However, now that the pain of reading has subsided I have had time to think about just how many delightful and interesting characters, plots, and events are contained within this (still unreasonably long) novel. There is mystery, intrigue, a great detective story side-plot, and loads of characters that are downright hilarious. If you can stand the length, this is a very rewarding read.
Revised Score: 8/10

Eleanor and Park

Let's face it. There are tons of books about love out there. And most of them are terrible. Sure, they might be engaging, and heartwarming, and satisfying, and all that jazz, but almost none of them really tell it how it is. My brother often complains that books like this keep real life nice guys from getting girls, because these girls are too caught up on Edward or Darcy and therefore have unrealistic views about love. Then along comes Eleanor and Park (by Rainbow Rowell). At the outset this book seems like it's going to fall squarely into the category of books mentioned above. It's about a slightly chubby redheaded stepchild (literally) named Eleanor who ends up falling in love with her bus buddy, a half-Korean, semi-popular kid named Park. They bond over comic books and punk rock, and have what I consider to be the best fictional romance I've ever read. And when I say best all I mean is that it felt real. The novel captured all the wonderful things about love: the first hand-hold, the first kiss, the excitement of seeing your crush in unexpected places, the constant longing when they're not around, the need to get as much as possible when you're with them. However, E&P also addresses the less glamorous, and in my experience far more common, elements of romance. The constant doubt, anxiety, and jealousy that come with being in a relationship. Perpetual fretting about whether the person can possibly like you as much as you like them. The frustration of finding that there are still parts of a person's life that they want to keep private. The shame, selfishness, misunderstanding, anger, and worry that inevitably come with being in love. Like being in love, this book was both wonderful and disappointing. The reader develops a bond with the book that is reflective of the bond between E&P. It's good, but it's also a bit punishing. The novel is told from both Eleanor's and Park's perspective, a narrative choice that reveals how every insecurity that one party brings to a relationship is likely echoed by the other. It also demonstrated how wrong we can be about other people and ourselves. Being a guy I sometimes struggled to understand Eleanor's thinking (proving that women are, indeed, crazy), but this novel helped me better understand the mindset that contributed to many of my previous romantic frustrations. Now of course, this is a young adult novel, and so it has the obligatory broken home, domestic violence, verbal abuse, alcoholism, and teen angst. However, these banal elements do not sufficiently compromise the originality or integrity of the novel so as to render it unworthy. This novel perfectly captures what first love is like, but doesn't shy away from the painful truth that first love almost never lasts. It embraces that fact, and explores the intricacies of real love without drowning itself in a sea of sappy metaphors or make-out sessions. I enjoyed it, and I think anyone who can stand a little romantic disillusionment will as well.

Score: 8/10
Read this book if: You need a reminder that love, like life, is never perfect. Also if you're just looking for a little tug at the old heart strings. And possibly if you liked 500 Days of Summer, though that's not a guarantee (there are similarities, but they're also wildly different in tone and content).
Don't read this book if: You don't like reading foul language (cursing abounds, though no graphic content is present), you only go in for happy endings (you shouldn't be reading any young adult lit in that case), or you have no tolerance for a story driven more by characters than by plot.

Thirteen Reasons Why

I'm just gonna come out and say it. I didn't enjoy reading this book. The story was implausible, the writing was choppy, the characters were unrealistic, and it was depressing as all get out. Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher, tells the story of Clay--a high school kid who mysteriously receives a collection of audio tapes from Hannah, a peer who had committed suicide weeks earlier. The tapes were sent to thirteen people who had a hand in her decision to kill herself. The novel follows Clay through one sleepless night as he listens to the tapes and visits the locations they describe in some sort of twisted scavenger hunt, all the while emotionally berating himself for not having done more to help Hannah. All in all this novel felt like it was trying too hard to fit in with the (typically grim and gritty) genre of young adult literature by tackling head on the most damaging issues youth face. While I certainly appreciate novels that deal with troubling issues, I prefer them to take a slightly more hopeful tack. This novel lacked that redemptive quality, and therefore left me feeling unfulfilled. The conclusion of the novel does offer some sense of closure and optimism, but it can scarcely pull the book out of the morass of self-loathing that comprises its bulk. Yet despite my misgivings I couldn't stop reading it. I stayed up until 4a.m. to finish it. Despite being bleak and miserable, the novel is compelling. Furthermore, I realize that not every story in real life has a happy ending. Sometimes the troubled teen really does choose to end it all. Sometimes young love doesn't pan out. Sometimes we have to live with always wondering "could I have stopped her?" I feel that this novel is addressed more at well-adjusted kids who have friends who may be contemplating suicide, and it does a good job of inviting the reader to think about how our choices effect others both for good and (more frequently, in the case of this novel) for bad. For these reasons I feel this novel does have worth. However, my ultimate qualm with the book isn't its tone, but its lack of originality. Basically if you put Speak and Looking for Alaska in a blender, added just a dash of The Catcher in the Rye, and pressed liquefy, you'd end up with Thirteen Reasons Why. I don't regret having read the book, and I think it's a valuable reminder to us all of the importance of reaching out to others, but if I were to recommend a book to a teenager this would be far from the first thing I'd pull from the shelf.

Score: 6/10
Read this book if: You feel like depressing yourself and wondering about how many people in your life you may have helped drive to an early grave. Also if you need a reminder of why we should be nice to others.
Don't read this book if: You like books that make you happy, or you have access to anything written by John Green, Lois Lowry, J.K. Rowling, or Laurie Halse Anderson. They're better written, and deal with similar issues (okay, maybe not J.K., but her awesomeness overcomes a multitude of shortfalls).

David Copperfield

This is a tough book to review. It's also a fairly tough book to read. The language is typical Dickens: inaccessible and verbose. The plot isn't terribly tough to grasp. As food for discussion and dissection, this book is tops. As a pleasure read, not so great. It's 900 pages long, so there's that. Plus, it's just not that interesting from a plot perspective. It's about a guy who grows up. Sometimes he's poor, sometimes he's not, and it's all about how he gets from rich to poor to rich to poor to rich again. I admit that there's a decent amount of good old Victorian humor, and the characters in the novel are terrific. Mr. Micawber and Aunt Betsey have got to be two of the funniest characters ever written. Overall I am forced to admit that David Copperfield is a really good novel. The writing is great, the characters are wonderful, and the depth of the thing is just unfathomable. However, the real question is "is it fun to read?" The answer is...yes, with a few caveats. It isn't as easy to read or as pleasantly engaging as modern novels, particularly works of Young Adult Fiction. Furthermore, reading DC requires quite a commitment, since it's so long. However, if you have the patience to read a very long novel, and if you enjoy Victorian literature and aren't expecting Harry Potter levels of plot engagement, DC is a very rewarding and worthwhile read.

Rating: 8/10
Read this book if: You need an infusion of British class struggle while you wait around for the next season of Downton Abbey.
Don't read this book if: You can't handle long works of literature, big words, or books that require analysis and discussion to be fully appreciated.

Dandelion Wine

Ray Bradbury is best known for writing Fahrenheit 451 and other science-fiction novels. It should come as no surprise then that I was completely caught off guard by this simple, beautiful, heartfelt novel about a young boy’s experiences over the course of a single summer. I enjoyed reading this book immensely. Sometimes novels just tell you a story, and sometimes novels invite you into a world where even the most mundane and ordinary things become special. Dandelion Wine is one such book. Although the book doesn’t relate any events that are particularly amazing, the language used to describe the events makes everything seem magical and rare. A trolley ride or a summer afternoon in the woods becomes transmuted before the reader’s eyes into a fleeting moment of pure beauty caught on the page, preserving the very essence of what it is to be a child, and what it is to be alive. This novel reads more like a series of loosely connected short stories than one strongly cohesive narrative, but every story paints a vivid scene as if the words on the page were brushstrokes on canvas.  Much like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, this book reveals the beauty and wonder to be found in life, pure and simple. If you want a book that enchants you with the beauty of its imagery, the profundity of it’s ideas, and the simple clarity and joy with which the narrative unfolds, you would be well served by picking up Dandelion Wine.

Score: 10/10

Read this book: If you love beautiful language and stunningly vivid imagery, if you want to see the world with the wonder of childhood, or if you want to be reminded what a gift it is to be alive.

Don’t read this book: If you rely on a strong central plotline to maintain interest in a book. Although every story presented is delightful, they can sometimes seem of little relevance to the rest of the book. They do relate, but often only loosely.