September Wrap-Up/October TBR

No reviews to link this time because I am going to review the first and last books together soon.
Here is how my reading went this month!

1. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor: They didn't lie, her writing is absolutely fabulous and it is effortlessly imaginative, even if the actual story underneath the world isn't too original. I just fell into the beautiful world; truly remarkabale fantasy, but many elements of the real world are retained to make it releatible, even if it's just everyday life in Prague. Of course, it did really feel like a set-up to a larger story and it is structured a bit strangely (I liked the first half better than the second, personally). The romance wasn't overbearing and there are explanations for it. I'm not sure it's my favorite because it didn't have that rare personal connection for me, but it is head and shoulders above most YA fantasy and a great way to spend my time. 4.5/5 stars.

2. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451 is one of my favorite novels of all time, and I recently realized I hadn't read anything else from Bradbury's impressive bibliography and made an agreement with myself to read as much as I can eventually. Like much of Bradbury, this is a collection of loosely collected short stories. I didn't fall into it as easily as Fahrenheit, but it was compelling and became more so as it went on. It's somber, bizarre, amusing...it's all about the human experience (more social than scientific, for example), and I should've seen the Cold War twist coming. 4.5/5 stars. (I really hate ratings.)

3. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells: I've been trying to read this on my Kindle for a while and I finally got going and finished it (the public domain Kindle format is very frustrating). It's definitely influencial and it does have a foundation in real science (something you don't see with SF nowadays), but I think it's my least favorite Wells novel. It doesn't have many other quandaries in it to think about (in contrast to the future split of humanity in The Time Machine and the lack of adhering to morals when invisible in The Invisible Man), and I just felt distanced from it. Of course it is pretty creepy, but isn't an all-out action blockbuster (which I don't mind). I just feel like it doesn't offer much beyond its concept, and since its concept has been so common in more recent storytelling, the bare bones is kind of underwhelming. Also, those aliens were really focused on the small part of the globe that is Great Britain. 3/5

4. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor: I was kind of on a Bradbury hangover during the first half of this book and I was also splitting my time between reading the War of the Worlds ebook, so it didn't grab me as much as the first book and I wasn't paying attention as much as I should have. However, I really enjoyed it after that, and I just love how different and immersive and beautiful this is. I figured I would like the war book more than the romance one, and I think it has a better structure as well. They're both very different, but they're both gems. More thoughts later. 4.5/5 stars.
It felt like I didn't read as much as I wanted this month, but I read some great books and it worked out in the end. Here's what I'll probably be reading next:

• I am currently reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley for school and it's fabulous.
• On my Kindle (where I got it once for free) I'm about 25% of the way through Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This isn't really the book I like to read and the writing feels a little bland to me, but I'm mostly intrigued by (and going to review it for this purpose) the fact that it's pretty much an intentional parody/attempt-to-be-better-than Twilight. It's actually pretty successful so far...every time I think it's gone to far, the main character talks about how he's a jerk and she wants to be better than him.
• The Illustrated Man and The Golden Apples of the Sun by Ray Bradbury: of course
• I still have The Da Vinci Code.
• And on my Kindle (because they were cheap) I have Cinder, Throne of Glass, The Warrior Heir, and The Darkest Minds.

Musings: Endings and To Kill a Mockingbird

 (Obviously there will be spoilers for To Kill a Mockingbird.)
I've always been that strange person who will love almost every ending. I think I just like the idea of an irrevocable closure. Debating over whether something fictional should have ended up that was simply does not interest me. I'd rather look at what's given instead of speculating.

As such, I haven't been more frustrated by the ending of a book in recent memory as I have been with To Kill a Mockingbird. This thoroughly surprised me. Not only is it a classic, but seemingly one that is easily beloved by a younger audience. And don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed parts of it, especially the courtroom scenes. Atticus is great. There are important points made about racism. But I was waiting for the punch-in-the-gut feeling that this was really good, that it was life-changing, and I never really got it. I thought I might when Tom was killed, when it seemed like Atticus was going to be hunted down...but then the ending just killed it.

Mostly what bugs me is this. Jem possibly killed someone. Sure, probably in self-defense, but he killed someone. Maybe. We never know. Does it matter? The book seems to imply that it doesn't. Atticus goes along with the Sheriff's story about Ewell falling on his own knife, even though it's unlikely. Jem may have gotten taller and moodier, but he's still a child and is protected by that, not even aloud to come to terms with what happened himself. He and Scout can forever be children, wise enough to understand the world around them already.

Aside from the lack of closure as to what happened, I just find this extremely ill-conceived. Jem probably is confused and guilty and scared, whatever the outcome may have been, but we are spared ever seeing any of this. Who said this was a coming-of-age story? Jem and Scout don't grow except physically. They aren't awakened to the harsh realities of the adult world. Sure, they witness some horrible things, but seem perfectly capable of handling it immediately or after a brief talk with their equally wise father. Never do they contemplate their role in society as white children or change their worldview; they seem to know who is good and bad immediately in a world that lacks complexities. Never are their eyes opened to the harsh realities of rape and abuse; they just simply take it in without further comment, only function as the eyes through which the meat of the story (the courtroom scenes) are told. They are forever shielded and rather detached as narrators.

So yes, I don't agree with what this says about growing up and childhood. But I've got another gaping problem with the ending. We are never shown any investigation, any angry family members looking for revenge, any attempt by Atticus to defend his son legally. But maybe he doesn't have to. Jem isn't just a child, but a white child. We've just spent most of the book seeing the injustice blacks had to endure, and are we really going to end with a white boy escaping any sort of guilt? Or perhaps it was a full-grown white man, as it could have been Boo as well. But no, the Sheriff thinks it's best that no trouble is taken, and unanimous good guy Atticus Finch agrees.

Maybe, just maybe, if Jem had privately confessed his guilt and horror to Scout and how he feels even worse that he (or Boo) is not subject to the same law that punishes innocent men, and the two realize how awful the world really is, we would have some sort of reasonable ending. Instead, we never know, there are inconsistencies, and Scout and Jem are forever idyllic children.

(Of course another option would be that the plan to assassinate Atticus succeeded, something I actually thought was going to happen, and I know I'm cruel for suggesting it, but it really would have made more thematic sense and awakened our characters and driven the point home. Though it doesn't do much for the black and white morality, though.)

I know many people aren't going to agree with this and I'm sure I'm not articulating this correctly, but I've hesitated much too long in saying something definite about it. Whether or not there are some uncomfortable racial issues underneath the whole thing (I personally am not sure I fleshed that out fully), I at least felt a vast hole in place of growth and complexities to Jem's character--or Scout, for that matter--that prevented the book for really peeling back the idyllic childhood glaze and driving its point home.

(Also I just firmly believe growing up is about realizing how horrible the world is.)

Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King: A Letter

Dear Everybody Sees the Ants,

I don't know how to begin this. Perhaps that is the reason I have stalled writing this review. It's just so hard to write reviews of things I really love. I mean, I'm not sure if you'll make my favorite books' list, but you are a diamond in the YA rough. You deserve to be more popular.

This is going to be one of my more personal writings. I love writing and reading about personal connections to media, but I always feel a tad egotistical for inviting others to read about myself. But oh well, you're just a book after all.

I can't say I've had a Nader McMillan in my life, but I have been bullied. I was picked on in choir class for God knows what, but it damaged my confidence and I'm just getting over hearing the sound of my own singing voice. And then I met my boyfriend, who was picked on for God knows what too, but it damaged his confidence, in this case about his physical appearance. I've been there. Many of us have.

I've never been suicidal, but Lucky isn't painted as suicidal either. He expresses a wry, sheltered point of view, something that isn't annoying and is compelling. He doesn't sound depressed, but he is. I love the nuanced portrayal of Lucky.  Because I've had troubles myself, during the summer, and during the time reading this, and during the time writing this. I'm a perfectionist and I get way too hard on myself. I also get too obsessive over making sure I appear strong enough and I feel guilty for dragging others down when I'm not. But I never contemplate suicide, for my own reasons.

I love my parents. I really do. They're not close to the friction between Lucky's parents, and I am grateful for that. But there are still disagreements and arguments and yelling between everyone in the household and sometimes I just want to get away. The adults in you are portrayed heartbreakingly flawed, and oh, I loved it.

You have some cruel plot twists, though. I say plot twists because they changed how readers saw the story, but they were probably more like character-twists because they were centered around the characters. The first one was just cruel but thematically resonant. The second one was just heartbreaking. And my jaw dropped on both.

I love how you aren't quite a love story. Lucky is fortunately self-aware about the nature of love and lust, and the relationships are complex. He knows that what he feels might just be movie-star love. He knows he's like a sibling to her, and it's that note he ends on. There's attraction and there's true caring, but nothing overpowers. Nothing is put into a box of "girlfriend" or "friend" or "sister."

I don't think I've ever read a book with magical realism before, but I enjoyed this. It isn't too strange, and it's just taking metaphors to a whole new level. I've always been interested in dreams and how they relate to our inner thoughts, and the ants! The ants were just plain amusing at times, whether they were forming a halo and singing, or throwing grenades, or spelling profanities. But that's not what they were about. They were about being the hardships that everyone must go through.

Everybody sees the ants.

To many happy rereadings,
Olivia

P.S. (from December 14, 2014): I realize I never actually wrote about specifically why I found this book so interesting and personal, and I still don't think I'm ready to share that. But to give you a general idea: this book put in me in the mind of someone who felt very real and very close to someone I know well, and so it was like learning a little bit more about him.

August Wrap-Up and September TBR

I previously just did this on tumblr to display all the links to my reviews, but I think I'm going to also do it here, especially because I'm not planning on writing a full review (at least not anytime soon) for To Kill a Mockingbird. So, here is a summary of my reading this month because I don't write a review for everything, but if I did, I'll link it. I'm also attempting to put ratings but I've got to say, I'm bad at them.

 Overall this was a pretty good reading month considering my time became limited by school.

1. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (review has spoilers): I can't say this is going to be a tip-top favorite of mine or anything, but I really enjoyed reading it. I personally thought it was a much quieter story than the hype suggested, and so while it wasn't what I expected I was actually pleasantly surprised by what it really turned out to be. 5/5


2. "Nothing O'Clock" by Neil Gaiman: This is that Doctor Who ebook short story written for the 50th anniversary and is the last one featuring the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond (in really early pre-Rory travels, actually). It's Neil Gaiman, Doctor Who, Eleven and Amy, and less than 50 pages, so how could I resist? It was really fun to read and I loved how creepy and abstract it was (really just tradition Gaiman, though). 5/5

3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: I don't know if I'll actually write a review for this one sometime. I'm still puzzled. This was one of the more widely-loved classics, even among the younger crowd. And yet...I didn't really feel it. Certainly very important points were made, it was well-written, and I loved the courthouse scene, but I wasn't a fan of the ending and how it handled childhood. Scout hardly developed and consequences weren't addressed, with the end seeming to imply that it's okay, you're just children, and you're going to stay that way. I guess I was expecting the punch-in-the-gut feeling I get from good books, especially about the growing up subject matter, and I didn't get it. 4/5.

4. Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King (review to come): Definitely a new favorite. This was my first read of King's and while it may be the consensus best, I'm going to be checking more out. I really wish her books (or at least this one) was more popular. This one is about bullying, problems with parents and relationships with others in general, and a loved one who has been forever MIA from the Vietnam War. I am going to be writing a full review, so for now I will just say that I loved the themes, the nuanced portrayal of the adults, how the relationship spanned and alternated between more than one kind of love, the plot/character twists, and the amusing description of the metaphorical ants. 5/5.

As for the books I'm planning on reading next month/the future:

• Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor: I've just started reading this. I also have the sequel, Days of Blood and Starlight, which I expect I'll be reading afterward.
•  Brave New World by Audious Huxley: I'm going to be reading this one for a class.
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown: Because I still have it on my shelf and haven't gotten around to it.
• I'm going to Barnes and Noble in a few to pick up their leatherbound Ray Bradbury edition, because I adore Fahrenheit 451 but haven't read anything else by him, but they really intrigue me. It is an omnibus of The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, and The Golden Apples of the Sun, though they are all short story collections anyway.
• On my Kindle I have barely started reading two ebooks that were free when I had downtime: War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells and Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout.
• This month I have also acquired Cinder by Marissa Meyer, The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima, and Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas because they were cheap on Kindle, and I hope to get to them eventually.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart: I think we were lied to

THIS REVIEW IS NOT SPOILER FREE. THERE ARE SPOILERS. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE READ THE BOOK. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU. (Sorry I just want to talk about the ending and what that means for the book as a whole. If you want to know what I thought: I loved it, and it probably won't be a favorite but I don't have much to complain about either.)

(Also I would like to point out that I am going back to school tomorrow, and I know my blogging and reading time will severely decrease. I'll still be around, just not as frequently. It's been a great blogging summer, so thank you all!)

They lied to us.
They said this was a different kind of book.
It wasn't.
I'm pleasantly surprised.

Okay background first: I first heard about this book near the beginning of the year on Barnes & Noble's blog, where it was listed among the most anticipated releases of the year. I think it had an original release date of February something? Anyway, I can't say I was very up-to-date in the YA world (and now that I have a little more knowledge, this doesn't change), but it sounded right up my alley. Lockhart's other books didn't really interest me and I did pick up The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, but had some issues with that one that I should really definitively write up somewhere. It didn't deter me from really wanting to read this, though.

From all the descriptions--which were all vague--this sounded like a tightly-plotted thriller with a twist ending where everything would fall into place. Lockhart in an interview even cited Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me as an inspiration because of how everything clicks into place. When You Reach Me also happens to be one of my favorite books of all time, and I can verify that its plot is expertly complex and multiple events come together at a particular point. Code Name Verity was also well-done like that. (I suppose they both of "twists," but perhaps with less emphasis.) So, I was expecting a complex thriller about deception.

Instead, We Were Liars is a very different book. And it rightly should be.

It's bound to be controversial because of a) the hype, b) the experimental writing style (I didn't mind, and I liked some of the crazy metaphors), and c) the twist. Because a lot of people believe that once you know the twist or if you figure it out, it's not any good. For some things, this may be true, but I think when done right, it gives you a whole new perspective on the story. And that is what We Were Liars does.

I'm going to be honest with you and admit I never saw the twist coming like some others because I was under the impression for some reason that Gat saw her right after the accident and then sort of sullenly walked away, not speaking to her again. Well, there is a reason my mental image of "I never heard from him again" is one where he is still present

But the twist in We Were Liars isn't something that just suddenly makes sense, the key to the mystery. It just slowly unveils itself. And it puts a spin on everything you've read before, but more more subtly than "oh now suddenly all those disparate parts make sense!"

It reveals that this book is actually about grief, guilt, loss, tragedy, and maybe even mental illness.

It is carefully written so that nothing contradicts., though I wouldn't call the careful editing "clues". No one else explicitly mentions the other Liars as if they are present like Cady describes. Which brings us to perhaps the biggest question: what were they? My original idea was that they were a coping mechanism, inserted in her writing so she could help herself deal with it. I still kind of like that idea. I also really like Ariel Bissett's theory about hallucination. If it is all in Cady's head, then I like how Gat's feelings are more ambigious: did he actually really like her, or does she just wish that? The appearances are much more detailed than you'd think hallucinations would be, but not quite as contrived and convenient as ghosts. Maybe it's a combination of all three. I'm not sure it matters at all, either. The book informs you from Page 5 with a very violent metaphor that not everything should be taken literally.

In essence, actually, We Were Liars is an episode of The Twilight Zone.  It has a twist ending. It is an amplification of a fear, and it is ambiguous. The question of whether or not it's supernatural is kind of trite. Sure, it isn't a perfect metaphor; there is a creepy, mysterious tone to it all, but not quite to the "this is so wrong!" extent of The Twilight Zone. Still, I think the comparison points out how much of a small-scale story We Were Liars really is.

Perhaps I am struggling  to convey my appreciation for this little story, but I've got to say, I read it at the end of a summer that was probably my worst yet. I had hardly anything to do and when I thought about what I wanted to do, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It got bad near the end, climaxing just before I finished this book. And I know this isn't about depression, not quite. But I could really sympathize with the way she behaved at times, and Mirren was also ill.

We Were Liars also touches a bit on classism and families, and how those with so much can be unhappy at the core--almost like The Great Gatsby in that way. It's a small story with a lot to say, none of which I expected, and none of which is overstated. Some people won't feel like it lives up to the hype, but I just think the hype was misguided.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Another spoiler-free review (this may become a regular thing for books I don't need to pick apart). I was going to add a marked spoiler section at the bottom to gush about the plot twists, but I'm not sure I really have much to add that would be more than a recap and fangirling.

This historical fiction is about two young women in England who become a pilot and a spy during World War II, and this is the account of a their mission in Nazi-occupied France that becomes a disaster. I really can't say much more than that. The historical atmosphere is lovely and the author even wrote a "debriefing" at the end explaining what liberties she did take, and a list of sources is also included. While female roles in the English military during this time were few, there were some of them, and I really liked how this book uncovered that instead of defaulting to the traditional all-male cast. It made the story much more unique.

I admit I had a bit of trouble reading this in places. I got a bit lost over the aircraft and spy descriptions sometimes and then couldn't visualize what was going on. This doesn't take away from my appreciation of the book, though. It's purely my fault and this one is already on my "should reread sometime" list.

The diary style that Code Name Verity is written it naturally lends itself to some suspension of disbelief: I know my diary is a jumbled mess of getting feelings and events down as quickly as possible. I don't take the time and write in prose form--I wouldn't trust myself to remember a lot of dialogue, for one--and in some places of the book you would think the narrator would be in a position to write something briefer, and certainly much of the story is closely tied to what is being written. Personally, for me, I didn't mind the style, but others may feel otherwise.

Now to the things I am not going to spoil. At the beginning it is easy to get caught up in the backstory--which is why I took a bit longer reading that because I didn't feel much momentum--but eventually you begin to realize that there is danger in the present tense. She is a prisoner, after all. And then there is a FANTASTIC use of an unreliable narrator and it takes off from there. I can't say I've read a lot of unreliable narrator books, but I did really enjoy these plot twists. Not all of them are related to the unreliable narrator trope anyway.

And at the core of all of this was a lovely friendship between well-drawn, amusing, and inspiring female characters. Amidst the twists and thrills, there is a true emotion to it all.

So I DEFINITELY recommend this. You may follow it the best if you're into history and/or aircraft, but there is an expertly plotted thriller that can hold anyone's attention.

Slice of Contemporary: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Anna and the French Kiss

Something different this time. Two books, two much shorter, as-less-spoilers-as-possible reviews. Can I do it? I think so...

These are both contemporary YA novels (well, one actually is more of a recent historical, but close enough). I stopped reading contemporary for a long time, but I'm starting to think I might have more luck with them in YA because they may lead to less romances that annoy me. Well, possibly...

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

This really wasn't high on my TBR list, but the library had it out and I picked it up when stocking up on books for vacation. And I am so glad I did.

A big movement circling around the Internet (and elsewhere) is a push for more diversity in YA and books in general. Aristotle and Dante is about two Mexican-American (although middle-class) teenage boys--which I didn't know about before reading the book--and there are also gay themes, which I did know before reading the book. I'm a white heterosexual female and could I relate to this? Oh yeah. And it's not like the diversity "doesn't make a difference," either, because I really enjoyed reading about these kids and their neighborhood and culture. It was different, and I loved that. Furthermore, it looks like it might be a bit autobiographical; Sáenz is Mexican-American and gay and while he may have grown up a decade or so before Ari and Dante, there is still something about this novel that seems really personal, and that is a joy.


I sort of enjoyed this so much that I forgot to take notes, honestly, and I don't want to give too much away. I loved the involvement of both sets of parents and I loved Ari and Dante's struggles of self-discovery and life in general. A very teenagery thing. They made bad choices sometimes, but that is expected and by the end they learn from it. The writing style was very quiet and succinct, but I did not feel distanced. There was kind of a subtle beauty to it all.

This one is definitely on my buy-in-the-future-to-reread list (along with The Giver).

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Something else that was not high on my TBR, although this time it wasn't because I didn't really know what the book was about, but because I didn't feel comfortable buying it or checking it out from the library...I've never been into romance or so-called "chick-lit" and never wanted to be associated with typical "girly" things since I was little. But when I discovered my library's ebook and audiobook lending database, this was what I went for to check it out. I didn't have much of a choice, really; I'd heard so much about it and Eleanor & Park was my first choice, but it was already checked out. Besides, this seemed like a quick read that could benefit from the ebook lending.

Supposedly, this was a light and "adorable" story and a go-to book if you're ever feeling down. This...is not really how I'd describe it. I did really enjoy the first half; Anna's situation was relatable; it's set in France and I study French so that was fun; and even though it was obvious St. Clair was the love interest from the start, he was his own person, shorter than Anna (although not ridden of cliches), and because he had a girlfriend, Anna was concerned with just being his friend. I am a personal fan of love interests becoming friends first and gradually getting closer that it develops into something more, so I enjoyed that aspect, as well as Anna knowing she couldn't have him and not trying, even if she felt jealous at times.

But unfortunately, for much of the second half, there was a lot of drama and it seemed to drag on too long, and they were constantly put in contrived awkward situations which isn't really my thing. Not to mention a sort of thing that "just happens" and fulfills all the [huh I never finished this sentence; I think it was talking about her kiss with the other boy?]. The drama I do not particularly enjoy reading, but I'm conflicted of course, because of course it happened and the emotions are valid and this stuff does happen in real life. And the characters learned from it by the end. And I did like how, really, a lot of the mess happened because they were awkward teenagers and had trouble communicating. So...I think I like it better on paper, but it wasn't feel-good and an "adorable" exploration of romance for me. I just didn't feel it by the time I got to the end. I'm not sure if I'll read Lola and the Boy Next Door and/or Isla and the Happily Ever After...

So, one stellar book and one that was not offensive but didn't deliver what I expected or wanted when actually reading it. Not too bad of a selection. Romance is always going to be a tricky thing for me, and I have my reasons, most of them personal, but I promise I will try. I think I'm just being harder because I have to write actual reviews and really I've never cared about romances in books and now I have to point that out and compare it to my own experiences, which are...atypical. (I love Oz/Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, though, does that count? Though Tara is equally awesome, don't get me wrong.)

Next up: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein