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Friday, July 13, 2012

Review: Feed


Feed
Feed by M.T. Anderson

My rating: 0 of 5 stars



I was turned off by the dialogue and I felt no draw toward the characters. This book gets zero stars because I did not read enough of it to give a rating.



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Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo


The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Warning: Spoilers.

I think this just is not in my taste category. I tend to steer clear of mystery books and this book seems to be in that genre. I did decide to read it because of course it was getting plenty of attention a few years back. While the mystery of what happened to Harriet is appealing, I did not enjoy the characters. Lisabeth did not strike a "you go girl" feeling. (Basically I did not find myself rooting for her.) Then recently I watched the movie and did not find myself enjoying that, but the ending and mystery of what happened is pretty much ruined. I do know that Harriet is still alive and from looking it up on Wikipedia. I do know that she is supposed to be living in Australia. So I have rated this book based on what I did read of it. I rated it 2 stars because the book was OK, I did not LIKE it so therefore I cannot rate it a 3 star book. I basically put a rating up here because I felt that way about the book. Even having looked up the ending then skimming the last few pages I felt no draw toward the novel.



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Review: Carrier of the Mark


Carrier of the Mark
Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

My rating: 0 of 5 stars



Based on what I read of the book it seemed like an ok plot. Yet I couldn't find myself to care for the characters and want to finish the book so I stopped reading it. Perhaps I will go back and read it at some other point in time but at this time I have shelved it on the did not finish shelf and have given it no stars. (Anyone know if zero stars counts against a book?)



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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Review: Speak


Speak
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I have read one other Laurie Halse Anderson novel, [b:Wintergirls|5152478|Wintergirls|Laurie Halse Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275799515s/5152478.jpg|5219477], both Wintergirls and Speak have a way of grabbing me by the heart strings and making me believe I am in the story. There is something about the way Anderson writes that makes me believe I am Melinda (actually my name IS Malinda...) or in the case of Wintergirls, makes me believe I have an eating disorder because I am that dang wrapped up in the story. (True story, I had to eat a 10 piece Chicken Nugget from Mickey D's to convince myself otherwise.)

While reading Speak I found myself...not speaking. Seriously, I was that into the mindset of Melinda that I stopped really saying much to my family. I had to keep taking breaks in order to come back to reality. Sort of like when you play Sims for too many hours. (Once I played Sims 2 for so long that I kept trying thinking I needed to give my husband commands to make him do stuff...and Sims 3 is so much worse HaHa...I keep wanting to use the "motherlode" cheat when I need to buy something. Anyways back to the review.)

I checked this out from the library because I figured it was high time I experienced what most high school English classes are examining as part of their assigned reading. I went to high school in a small town and we didn't read things like Speak...we stuck to the older classics and Animal Farm. I wish I was a high school student again just so I could have someone to discuss this book with...indepth and for many hours.

You know how people say there is a difference between showing and telling in a novel? Well this definitely showed more than told. Definitely well worth the time spent reading. The characters were appealing, the subject matter was touching, and the voice or lack there of in the heroine's case was moving.

Melinda came across as a very troubled and emotionally shattered young woman. She found herself lost, and no one seemed to care. Now I know some would say that there is no way a girl could exhibit these signs of distress without someone noticing and trying to get to the root of the problem. That is not always true. Young adults slip through the cracks everyday because people can't tell who is just a moody teenager and who is showing signs of depression, mental illness, or any other emotional/physical trauma. It happens every single day....every single minute....every single second. And the heartbreaking thing is that it doesn't just happen with children and young adults...it happens with mature adults, senior citizens....even our animals.

That is what makes this book so mind-blowing....because we all could end up like Melinda. (Maybe not experiencing exactly what she did but experiencing some sort of trauma.)

All I can say is I am very happy I read this book. And it will be one of the first books I recommend to anyone who asks.



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