Paper Towns

Bibliography
Green, John. Paper Towns. New York: Speak, 2008. Print.
image from: www.amazon.com

Plot Summary (from back cover)
"Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Ruth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life--dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge--he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues--and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew."


My Thoughts
This is the last John Green book for me to read. I almost didn't want to read it, so I would still have it to read "one day." Alas, I did start it, and I was not disappointed. This was a cute, humorous read, typical of Green's style--awkward teen seeks to find himself and discovers a greater truth.

You see how fake it all is

When Margo and Q are having the night of Q's life, Margo explains what a paper town is. "From here, you can't see the rust of the cracked paint or whatever, but you can tell what the place really is. You see how fake it all is. It's not even hard enough to be made out of plastic. It's a paper town. I mean look at it, Q: look at all those cul-de-sacs, those streets that turn in on themselves, all the houses that were build to fall apart. All those paper people living in their paper houses" (Green 57). Later in the book, the reader learns a different description of paper town. It was a "fictitious village created...and inserted into tourist maps as a copyright trap, or paper town (Green 235). Hmmm....interesting. I didn't know that. Apparently this practice was common in mapmaking.
I loved the description of Q's friend's car. "RHAPAW was a fifteen-year-old Buick that had been driven with impunity by all three of Ben's older siblings and was, by the time it reached Ben, composed primarily out of duct tape and spackle...RHAPAW ran not on gasoline, but on the inexhaustible fuel of human hope" (Green 90). Oh, how I laughed here. When I was in high school, a neighbor took several of us to school in his Ford Fairmont. This car was in decent shape on the exterior, but it, too, ran on human hope. We would sit in the parking lot after school waiting for kids to leave before even trying to start the engine.

Another funny car scene is when Q's parents surprise him with a vehicle on his birthday. His reaction is SO FUNNY! (I don't want to spoil it here, but you'll understand when you get to that part in the book).

Almost the entire road trip the kids take had me laughing. The way Green logs the travels (and subsequent misadventures here) was funny. I could see it happening--all of it!

Good advice that Green shows through his characters "You know your problem, Quentin? You keep expecting people not to be themselves" (Green 194). Wow! That is so true. How often I have been disappointed in someone, only to realize I shouldn't have been. They are being true to their character.

One thing I did not like about the book, though, was the ending. I feel like I'd been on an adventure/mystery/scavenger hunt with Q, and then the ending is rushed. I've thought about how Green could have made the story end differently. I'm not sure I would like the alternative, either. Maybe this could have been a "Choose your own adventure" type ending. If you think X happens, turn to page ___. If you think Y happens, turn to page ____."

When Mockingbirds Sing

Bibliography
Coffey, Billy. When Mockingbirds Sing. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2013. Print.

image from: http://www.thomasnelson.com/when-mockingbirds-sing

My Thoughts
This was a free ebook download. I read it over the course of months, as I would find myself with a little time and my phone handy. There were several accolades in the front of the book claiming this to be a wonderful read. I was excited.

I kept wondering what was going to happen and how things would connect. This wonder kept me reading. There is a bit of mystery in the story, so I kept reading. The characters seemed a bit contrived, but I kept reading. The plot created unconnected episodes, but I kept reading. When I finally finished the book, I wondered why I kept reading. I know the theme of the book is hope, faith and rely upon God (or things unseen as God), but I was disappointed when I finished. The book slogged along forever, then abruptly wrapped itself up in a twister (pun intended).

I think this is supposed to turn into a series. I hope if it does, Coffey explains some things. For example, I'd like to learn more about why the dad's psychiatric practice was reduced to one patient. This patient circles back into the story, but at first it seems a distraction (Is this the metaphor that we often don't understand God's plan and things seem like a distraction?).

I also missed why the mockingbirds just showed up at various people's homes. Was this supposed to be an omen? Why mockingbirds? I think grackles are more ominous and annoying. Maybe I skimmed the explanation because I was just trying to get through the book.

Mrs. Poe

Bibliography
Cullen, Lynn. Mrs. Poe. New York: Gallery Books, 2013. Print.
image from: http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1378705735l/16130398.jpg


My Thoughts
6/24/14
Who wouldn't want to read a book entitled Mrs. Poe? I was thrilled to receive this as a birthday present. I started reading yesterday and knew I would like this book! The preface to Chapter 1 is Edgar Allan Poe's poem The Raven. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

7/3/14
I'm about half-way through the book now and am enjoying it. I love how the author pulls in so many factual people and places to this story. "Not now, Hawthorne! I'll read your draft of The Scarlet-whatever as soon as I can" (Cullen 120). The author is witty. This story makes me wonder if Francis Osgood really did exist (I've not heard of Poe having a mistress before this book). I like that I get to see Virginia Poe more as a person instead of "the wife of Edgar" and nothing else mentioned.
7/7/14
I finished the book and enjoyed it all the way through the story. I was amused at Poe's character and others' reactions to him. Some admired him so and fell all over themselves to be near him while others held him in disdain (and Poe didn't seem to care). I liked seeing the romance blossom and the infusion of different poems. I also liked the ending twist. Something happens that I've never heard of in connection to Poe. I need to do some research.


The story takes place over two years.

Twelve Years a Slave

Bibliography
Northup, Solomon. Twelve Years a Slave. Auburn: Derby and Miller, 1853. Print.
image from: http://i43.tower.com/images/mm124192110/twelve-years-slave-solomon-northup-paperback-cover-art.jpg

My Thoughts
I couldn't get through this book. I couldn't even make it half-way through this book, and it's only 138 pages long!

Solomon is a free black man. Through some trickery, he is enslaved and is headed to Louisiana. That's as far as I got. The story does not compel me to read more. It is certainly written in the style of the time--very descriptive and formal.

I watched the movie (did get through that), but it did not inspire me to finish the book. Maybe another day...probably not. 

The One

Bibliography
Cass, Kiera. The One. New York: Harper Teen, 2014. Print.

image from: https://p.gr-assets.com/540x540/fit/hostedimages/1380860857/3138132.jpg

My Thoughts
Well, it's been several weeks since I finished this book, but with the end of school and inventory and Upward Bound starting, I'm just sitting down to blog about it.

This is the third installment of America and Maxon's story. The book released May 6, and I bought my own copy that weekend because I couldn't wait until I could buy a copy for the library. This story was good and I had to find out which way did America choose--would she be Aspen's or Maxon's wife? I figured the title would help me know, but I was not banking on it, and with the turns Cass provided in this third story, I was correct in being suspicious.

It's down to four girls, "the Perfectionist, the Sweetheart, the Diva...and me" (Cass 213). Maxon & America learn more about their country's history when they meet August. They share a tension of what their future holds. They are anxious about admitting their love and anxious about learning of each other's past.

I marked some pages that I thought were interesting, but now that time has passed since reading this book, I'm not sure I want to share what I marked on this blog. This story is one to be experienced, and I'm afraid anything I write will spoil the story.

I will say that I'm glad I read a book "out" of my genre. This series has been delightful!

Through the Night

Bibliography
Theisen, Lynette E. Through the Night. Dallas: The P3 Press, 2010. Print.
image from:http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ZSBNUkasL._AA160_.jpg


My Thoughts:
A student loaned me this book to read. As often as I make recommendations to her, I was happy to oblige and read this, one of her "favorite books ever!"

Renee is a high school student bound for Harvard. She is not popular, pretty (she thinks) nor does she have a boyfriend--until the mysterious Italian new student arrives in her town. From there, things get a little ridiculous, cliched and unbelievable.

As I read this book, I realized why this book was self-published. It wasn't a horrible story, but it was full of bad writing. There were so many cliches that I was distracted. I would read sentences and think, "the author must be adding all of this description because her writing workshop said, 'add description.'" I'm not sure who Theisen's intended audience is with this book. At times she wrote the characters to be more adult. Then I'd read something that I thought, "sure, teenage girls would buy into this fantasy."

I was also bothered by the shifts in narrator. Most of the story is told from Renee's point of view. Then, it switches to a third person omniscient narrator that I guess was to propel the story. There also is an italicized conversation between two unnamed characters that showed up occasionally. At first, I thought is was Satan and one of his followers. However, later in the book, it seemed like God and an angel. I was confused.

One thing I did enjoy about the book was the mom's faith. She is strong and has a sense of peace about her, but did Theisen have to include cancer with this character? I think that was manipulating the reader. Maybe that's what I don't like most about this book. I would define this book Christian fiction (there are many scripture references and the main plot is God vs. Satan and good vs. evil). I wondered about the author's motivation. Did she write this and include the scriptures so that people would feel compelled to like the book (who wants to argue that a book filled with scripture is bad?)?

I think the story needs some more work. I also think that I've read this story before now.

Code Name Verity

Bibliography
Wein, Elizabeth. Code Name Verity. New York: Hyperion, 2012. Print.
image from:  http://cf.foreveryoungadult.com/_uploads/images/24099/codenameverity__span.jpg


My Thoughts
Plot summary from the book jacket
"When 'Verity' is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.

They'll get the truth out of her. But it won't be what they expect.

As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure, and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from a merciless and ruthless enemy?"

This was a hard book to read. The content wasn't difficult--following what was happening was. This is a story of a Scottish (NOT ENGLISH!) interrogator who has been captured by the Nazi's in France. She is to write down everything she knows. It was confusing because the text moves from present to past without much indication of what time the reader is in at the moment. There were a few visual breaks in the chapters, but not enough for me. It was also difficult following along because this woman "spy" often writes about herself in the third person. "I had not even noticed I was doing it until he [von Linden] asked" (Wein 58).

She writes about what is happening to her in the defunct hotel, Chateau de Bordeaux. She writes about what she hears happening to other prisoners.  She writes about what will happen to her "if I do not produce a satisfactory report in the time allotted--I will be sent to a place called Natzweiler-Struthof" (Wein 113). I've been there! It is a lesser known concentration camp located in France, mostly used for political prisoners. It was strange for me to actually read about this place in a fiction book. I think this gives credibility to the story.

"I am in the Special Operations Executive because I can speak French and German and am good at making up stories, and I am a prisoner in the Ormaie Gestapo HQ because I have no sense of direction whatsoever" (Wein 6). This is what the reader sees about the narrator early in the book. As I finished Part 1 (the first 200 pages of the book), and started writing this blog, I realized that even from page 6, I was not trusting the narrator. She tells us that she is good at making up stories. We should believe her. After finishing this part of the tale, I still didn't know if what I read was true or not, even though Queenie/Eva/Julia writes, "I have told the truth" over and over on the page (Wein 202). Page 162 provides some truth and page 199 gives her real, complete name!

This book is really two tales: Queenie/Eva/Julie/Katharina/Verity and Maddie/Kitty Hawk, a WAAF radio operator who wanted to be a pilot (Wein 30). Part Two of the book (beginning at page 207)started filling in the holes of part one's story. I began to see how it all came together to make a complete tale. Oh, a complete tale, indeed!

Maddie is a pilot and has flown many missions. One such mission ended in Julie evacuating the plane. Seeing Maddie's side of the story was great. I can't wait to see how Wein ties this all together. One thing that Maddie worries about while waiting in France is that she is Jewish. She worries that if she's caught, "I don't think Hitler will let me off for being godless" (Wein 215). She also worries and wonders about Maddie. "The missing face has been sucked into the engines of the Nazi death machine, like an unlucky lapwing hitting the propeller of a Lancaster bomber--nothing left but feathers blowing away in the aircraft's wake, as if those warm wings and beating heart had never existed" (Wein 227). What wonderful imagery in spite of the truth about it.

Maddie's lists of ten things she's afraid of has changed from Queenie's version earlier in the book. The lists appear on pages 53 & 223.

I have just finished the book (I wrote this post in stages so I wouldn't forget the story). OH MY! I am thrilled with how Wein created this tale. I kept flipping back into Queenie/Eva/Julie/Katharina/Verity's story to fit the pieces together. Not all is at it seems and some things that seemed insignificant became vital pieces to the story. I was shocked at several things that are explained in the second part of the book. I don't want to spoil the story here.

If you read this book, stick with it to the end.