Before I Die by Jenny Downham

I've been reading this book over the past few days. It's slow going. Why? The story is so damn depressing.

Basic storyline: Tessa is dying of cancer. She has a list of things she wants to do before she dies. She waffles back and forth between doing the list and just exisiting.

I want to finish this book, but don't know if I will. I'm only about one third of the way through it.

Does my head look big in this? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

This is another quick read. I finished it within 2 days of starting.

It is 2002, and Amal is the only Muslim at her private prep school in Australia. She is a fairly new student, as her previous school – a private Islamic school – only went to 10th grade. While watching a Friends episode during a break from school, she has an epiphany. She decides to wear a hijab (headscarf). It isn’t the first time she has worn it, but unlike before, this is her decision, not part of her school uniform. She faces opposition from family, from school officials and from classmates. She also receives encouragement from members of the same groups.

Not only does Amal struggle with the effects of wearing the hijab, but she also is challenged with a crush (she doesn’t believe in dating or kissing before marriage), school bullies/racists, friendships, and other typical teenage events.

Overall, it was an OK book. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. I did feel that it was a little to candy coated at times, and at others a little too preachy. Some of the conversations between Amal and her friends read as lessons on Islam and what it means to be Muslim. They just didn’t flow as a conversation between friends normally would. I was a little thrown by some of the references in the book, as I didn’t think of them as Australian things (“stuffed like a thanksgiving turkey”) or because the American version is different. An example of the latter – Amal states that a large body of water looked like a pool of lemonade. As I’ve recently learned (thanks to my sister’s trip to Oz and talking with a friend who lives there), lemonade in the US (yellow drink made of lemons, water and sugar) is different than lemonade in Australia (think Sprite). So, Amal’s vision of a pool of lemonade was a crystal and sparkling lake, and mine was of a lake filled with urine. Yeah…I think that was a bit lost in “translation”

Would I recommend this book? Eh, maybe. If someone was looking for a book with a strong Muslim female as the main character, then yes, as there is a short supply of such material for any age group. Just for something to read, I would probably suggest something else. Although I learned more about being a Muslim teen than I already knew, the entertainment value was missing from this book.

The Book Thief

I finished it. Last night, as I was driving home from work, I listened to the final chapters. It was all I could do to not weep as I drove down the road and listened to the final words. Such a wonderful story…full of love, laughter, joy, peace, hate, weeping, sadness and upheaval.

I pulled into my driveway with only 2 tracks left on the final CD. Although it was cold, and I had groceries in the trunk to put away, I sat in my car and listened to the final moments of the tale and cried.

Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess

This is one of the book discussion picks for December. It's a fast read...must be, as I finished in the same day I started it.


I enjoyed the story - as well as one can enjoy a story about a teenage girl who was raped by her father...who happens to be released from prison 5 years early. Although not explicit, the book is still not for the squeamish. It's a well written story, full of empowerment (and how hard it is to become empowered when faced with one's enemy). Too bad it seems a little far fetched.

Book Discussion Group

Tonight's group was fun. Then again, what isn't fun about sitting around eating good food and talking about books?

I've been convinced. I need to read Deadline. It's back on my list of books to read soon. The three books for next month's meeting are:

Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess
Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

In other reading news...

Tonight is the teen lit book discussion group. I only read two of the three books for this month. For some reason, I just couldn't make myself read Deadline.

I haven't touched in about a week the other books I had been reading - Flight and Elijah of Buxton. I can't get into Flight. I think it's time to send it back. Elijah, however, I am enjoying. It's just a matter of relocating the book. I have two fantasy books sitting on my shelf at work that are just begging to be read. I also have 3 audiobooks in my car that are waiting impatiently for me to listen to them. The lists of books to read are neverending!

The Book Thief

I know...it's been several days since I last posted. I didn't forget about it. I'm not slacking...yet. I was out of town for about 4 days, and didn't spend much time online. I did, however, spend several hours listening to The Book Thief.

I was on the road for about 6-6.5 hours. That meant I was able to listen to several CDs of this book. What irks me about the audiobook is that I was unable to tell how long it is. I don't know if the book is 15 hours long or 25. I do know there are 11 discs, and I am guessing that there is about an hour and 15 minutes or so of listening pleasure per disc. That being said, I am hoping to finish the book by early next week.

I am enjoying the story. It is funny. It is sad. It is a good tale. The narration is phenomenal.

The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak

On my way home from work last night, I started listening to this audiobook. Many months ago, I read through the book...not finishing it, but reading a decent portion before I ran out of time. The print version is a Printz Honor Book.

It's an intriguing story. Narrated by Death, he tells the tale of young Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living in Nazi Germany. Liesel learns to read and, as the title suggests, becomes a book thief.

I'm still on the first disc. Thus far, the narrator is doing a fabulous job reading the story. I think I am going to enjoy it a lot.

Twilight

Thanks to a trip to Columbus (it's a nearly 3 hour drive one way), I finished this book on Sunday. I admit...I've requested the sequels in audio. Now that my admission is out of the way, let me tell you what I thought of the book.

It did get better. Obviously, it must have if I requested the sequels. That being said, it didn't get so much better that I would list it as a favorite book. Not at all. As the action picked up, the story was less boring. I'm now interested in what happens next. I hope that the next two books are not as slow moving and repetitive as this one.

Speaking of repetition...for some reason, I got the idea that Edward is cold to the touch. Could it be how often the writer mentioned his cold hands...his icy lips...his cool chest. Also, at one point, the vampires are referred to as the Cold Ones or something along that line. Dude. You could have cut out at least 100 words from the book...maybe more. We get the picture.

So, that book is done and I am on to another. That, of course, is for another post.