Story Lover

by Sara Zarr

I really like her stuff. And this book makes me think of lives I’ll never live. Mistakes that I may never make, but at times, you feel like they could have been your own. It kind of made me think of my own family. Diane and Brian have such a different relationship with my dad than I do and I think it’s because I don’t back down, I don’t muck around in the details. I’ve learned that over time all you really have to do sometimes is not back down. Speak your mind and not give up. I guess that’s how I do it with my dad. That’s how I did it with Casey. And I’m really glad I stuck with it, because a life without family would be a pretty lonely life.

And I do wonder, is there an expiry date on forgiveness? Is there ever a point when you can’t go back and confront someone who has hurt you? Sometimes I really wondered about that with the Reconciliation attempts they were doing in South Africa. Could forgiveness and the witnessing of sins be enough to move on? Can that make things right? I don’t think I’ve ever been asked for forgiveness, I know I have asked for it in the past. But I wonder, how long are you even able to hold on to things before they destroy you?

“And you will, eventually. Only, don’t mistake a new place for a new you. I’ve done that more than once. You asked me before why I stay here. Maybe that’s why,” he said, “now that I think about it. Might as well deal with myself right here. It’s as good a place as any.”

by Carl Hiaasen

I thought this book had a lot of the same qualities of Flipped. The simple, almost picturesque families and the moral hurdles that are often encountered during childhood, yet they might not seem like that at the time. I guess the thing that kept me going through the book, wasn’t so much to find out what happened to the owls. You kind of know that they’ll be okay. But I guess I was equally intrigued with this boy, Mullet Fingers. I guess I know what it’s like to find yourself drawn to a character that you just can’t really figure out. Someone who seems at the same time larger than life and just flawed. I wanted it to end well for the Roy. I wanted him to keep his friend and that magic.

One of the things that really caught my attention was Roy’s sense of obligation to his parents. He remembers a time when his mother was pregnant and that he would have had a little sister had things gone well. And somehow over the course of childhood, he felt like he owed it to his parents to live for both himself and his sister. Because without him, they’d have nothing. And I thought that that was very touching, yet at the same time, quite a heavy burden for a child. I remember similarly thinking of myself in those terms. How I should always live up to the gift I had been given. That I was one of the lucky ones, one of the children who got to have a family, got a second chance, got to have love. And I shouldn’t waste it or neglect it or take it for granted. Maybe that’s why I always feel so sad and empty when my family just can’t ever seem to get together.

by Wendelin Van Draanen

I saw the movie first, I have to admit. And I think they did a pretty good job of following the storyline of the book (almost verbatim). I read the paperback (on the left) from the movie, but I really like the original book cover a lot more (on the right). I remember seeing it in the bookstores and thinking it was was something totally different (don’t judge a book by the cover!), but now that I know what the story is, I think it fits much better.

I guess there comes a time in everyone’s life when they start to realize that the world extends much farther than their family. It kind of makes me think of The Family Stone and how they just were so in love with their own family and how it was, that they were very reluctant to having a new addition (marriage/boyfriend/girlfriend) that might somehow change it. Maybe I can relate. But in Flipped, it was really Julianna who found out that not all families are loving and work through their issues. That out there there’s hate and fear and failure that change people, that harden them. And also, the most important, that things aren’t always as they seem. Someone or something might look perfect from the outside, but there could be all tons of shit going on inside.

by Suzanne Collins

I thought the pace of this book was pretty sporadic. I think she skimmed over a lot (either that, or I was reading it so fast I skimmed over it too quick). I liked following the characters from Catching Fire into Mockingjay and following Katniss’s drive to kill President Snow. But without Peeta, she’s kind of lost. It’s like she doesn’t have her bearings or her foundation. I feel like Gale keeps feeling out the perimeter to see if he really does have a chance with her, even almost manipulating her through his behavior to get some affection. It’s like others understand her better than she does herself, and that leaves her open to manipulation.

But what I think is really interesting about this book is that their true characters kind of seep out of Gale and Peeta. Even though Peeta’s been hijacked and wants to kill Katniss in times of weakness and madness, his true spirit and soul still remain. He’s giving, he’s loving and he does it all with a sense of humor. Meanwhile, Gale is filled with such anger and hate that he uses it to think of horrific ways to kill people who happen to be on the other side of the fence. One of those contraptions end up killing Prim, disabling any chance he has of being with Katniss.

Sacrifices were made. Finnick died. Prim was killed. It all seems more realistic that way. I still think that stories where all three central characters survive is more for the audience, so that our hearts don’t break as much. But in reality, would three tight-knit friends or central characters really make it all the way to the end? I like how in the end, Katniss is able to heal and move on. And that the suffering and the loss of those who have died should never be taken for granted. We must in some way live a worthy life for all those who never got the chance. Remembrance is important. I almost feel ashamed that I grew up in a military community and I forget that sometimes. I have the luxury in benefiting from both sides, those who protect me and those who are used to yield the comforts that surround me.

by Suzanne Collins

The second book in the trilogy does not disappoint at all. Katniss and Peeta are still fascinating characters and the more we learn about Gale, the more I feel like, what’s so great about him anyway? Katniss and Peeta have to return to the arena, where President Snow is desperately trying to kill the two off through natural arena events. But behind the scenes there’s so much more going on. I think what I like the most about the second book are all the side stories and interactions between all the other characters, like Johanna, Finnick, Mags and even Nuts and Volts. It’s really in this book that I start to feel like Katniss really does love Peeta, it’s not just a show, but she still thinks she loves Gale most.

Other than all the arena action and the further character development, Catching Fire is really only a transition to the end. I kind of felt like nothing was really going to be figured out in this one, like there was only really going to be some cliff you’d be hanging off of. Luckily, I found these books after the trilogy had been completely published and thanks to my employee perks, I’ve been able to just borrow the whole trilogy, one after the other.

by Suzanne Collins

Very dark books. And it’s kind of amazing that such a violent book has been so openly embraced by such a wide community. I have to think, man our society has probably changed pretty dramatically from the times when our parents grew up. But perhaps not, with their Lord of the Flies. What I like so much about the book were the characters, Katniss and Peeta, and how they were both able to keep their souls through such a horrible experience.

Actually, I’m not sure what exactly I found so endearing about this book, but I loved it. And I think it’s one of the few young adult novels that has been able to attract both male and female audiences (besides all those Harry Potters). A little romance, a lot of gore and a whole lot of suspense.

Throughout the book, I kept really wondering if Katniss really liked Peeta. She seemed to do it all for the cameras and also to protect someone who in the past showed kindness, but somewhere inside, I think she never really knows how she feels for him. It seems like by default she just assumes that she doesn’t. And for whatever reason, she assumes that Peeta is just pretending in order to save both of them. It’s not till the end that she starts to clue in that it might not all be an act.

But what I hope comes through to the readers of The Hunger Games is how, we are the Capitol. Sure, we’re not making kids from other districts of our own country fight to the death, to kill or be killed. But are we any better than any citizen in the Capitol that sits around in their silly outfits, enjoying some reality TV? The rest of the world is suffering, while we reap the benefits in the 1st worlds. While we spend $20 on a book. While we eagerly await the movie adaptation. And we do very little about it, any of it. Wars, hunger, natural destruction have become entertainment, poached by the media. Celebrities have to get together and make a special version of a song (more entertainment) for us to care enough to donate money. We have to get something before we’ll agree to give anything. And then, only selective countries get that perk. We must look like the biggest, most self-absorbed idiots to the rest of the world.

by Judy Blume

I thought that when I was a kid, I read all her books. But I definitely didn’t read this one back when. I agree with her family, I think this was one of her best books. I’d like to be strong like Davey. To speak the truth in an honestly, without hurting someone’s feelings, but still shaking them up just enough to get them to see the truth. I want to feel confident again and able to do what needs to be done. Lately, I feel like I’ve turned into this little wimp and I’m not sure how to get myself back to where I was.

But maybe that happens over time. As if who we are can erode over the elements of our lives. In high school, we can singly focus on ourselves. Most of our time can be directed to grooming ourselves, to spending time with friends, to improving our grades or ourselves. But as we become adults, it seems as if our roles change and our commitments and responsibilities are no longer just to ourselves, but to our husbands, wives, children, businesses… And somewhere in there, we kind of lose ourselves. Maybe that’s what happened to Davey’s mother. And it was only when someone else was taking care of her and her responsibilities that she was able to heal and mend herself.

by Sara Zarr

I felt there was a bit of a disconnect between the title and cover design of the book and the actual story and content going on. Maybe, after reading the book, I get the bitten cookie, but the title still makes me think of something else. But the book was great. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for Cameron Quick. We all kind of just assume that children in this world are loved and taken care of, when in reality, a lot of them aren’t. And it really made me think twice about adopting an older child. Someone in the system who would be overlooked by the regular adopters, those who want a family from scratch. I can’t imagine what that must feel like for a kid, sitting in the system, waiting for someone to love them.

And it hurts to think of how many kids the system is missing and failing because they can’t reach them or don’t know about them. There really are too many messed up people having kids and abusing them. And it makes me scared to think, could I be such a horrible mom that I’d sacrifice my children for my own twisted happiness? I think a lot of these kids go unseen by most, almost like they work hard to not be noticed. Or we all work hard to not notice them. Because if we noticed, we’d have to do something about it, right?