From a corner in the library

Saturday, April 19, 2014

If I Stay

1:04 PM | Posted by isela | | Edit Post

Book Info

Name: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Date of publication: April 2nd, 2009

If I Stay was the only book I read this week that made me cry. I read it in only four hours because the writing was easy and it just flowed. I liked the flashbacks, they were well-placed and I think the author focused on telling what was necessary and didn’t wander into unnecessary details. It was really sad, and incredibly human. Accidents and bad things are just waiting to happen. People die, people get hurt. And it was really interesting to see tragedies from a different point of view. Definitely Teddy’s death was heartbreaking, but it was also a reminder that life is fragile. It reminded me that we have to cherish what we have now. And that, as long as we have the choice, we have to try and stay.

The scene of the accident was unexpected and just horrible, the details and the writing are incredible. I'm glad that Mia was not close to Teddy, neither in the aftermath of the accident nor when he died. Obviously, when she found out it was terrible. Her friend Kim is cool, I liked her and Adam too. Though they seem a little too good to be truth.
Her parents are amazing, her family as a whole is freaking cool. I loved the flashback to the Juilliard audition with her grandfather.
There is a sequel, Where She Went, that I'll read as soon as I have time again. However, I'm afraid it will ruin If I Stay for me. Anyway, this is one of my favorite books now. I read it in my Kindle, but I love it so much that I'll try to get it at the bookstore :D

And now there is going to be a movie!! That's AWESOME! You know what is more awesome than a If I Stay movie? That Chloe Grace Moretz is going to be Mia!

I love her and I just watched the trailer and it's going to be heart-breakingly awesome!

Rating: ★★★★★
Favorite character: Mia
Favorite secondary character: Mia's family. Her parents are cool and understanding, and Teddy is adorable :')
Favorite part: I loved the book and have a lot of favorite parts... but I think my most favorite part is when Mia and her family have the barbecue on that holiday that I don't remember right now... At night, they were around the fire and started playing the guitars and then asked her if she could play the cello with them. I love that part.
Favorite quote: “Sleep would be so welcome. A warm blanket of black to erase everything else. Sleep without dreams. I've heard people talk about the sleep of the dead. Is that what death would feel like? The nicest, warmest, heaviest never-ending nap? If that's what it's like, I wouldn't mind. If that's what dying is like, I wouldn't mind that at all.”
Least favorite character:
Least favorite part: The accident was terrible, just awful... the way the author describes the state they are all in is way too real. Also, the part when she realizes Teddy is dead. That part broke my heart.

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Reclaiming the Sand

12:26 PM | Posted by isela | | Edit Post

Book Info

Name: Reclaiming the Sand
Author: A. Meredith Walters
Date of publication: March 17th, 2014

Reclaiming the Sand is wonderful. I didn’t think the main character Ellie was annoying or unreal, as I read in some comments. I actually felt that she is one of the most transparent characters I’ve stumbled upon lately. She is messed up and confused and she regrets a lot of things. But she is also only a person. She has the right to be or feel like that. I love how she cares about her friends, even though they are sucky friends.

Flynn is just adorable. I read some comments that said that he is the only reason some people like the novel, or were able to finish reading it. He is likable and interesting and he is the one that helps Ellie through her problems. But I believe that it is Ellie herself who pushes through all the mess that is around her.

Flynn reminded me of the movie Adam (with Hugh Dancy *fangirling*) which is about a boy with Asperger who kinda falls in love with a girl (I watched it a long time ago and don't remember very well). I have always been interested in Asperger. I think Autism is fascinating, but in the good way. I find very interesting the fact that the brain can control our lives so much. It is amazing how Ellie can deal with Flynn's characteristics so well. I'm inclined to think that it is because they were friends when they were younger and, even though, she bullied him most of the times, she liked him and enjoyed being around him and didn't care about the weird things he did: like counting the seconds to get to his house or telling the truth with no filter.

I also liked that the author used to be a counselor for kids with problems, just like Julie Waterman! This gives me the peace of mind to know that she actually knows what she's writing about.

Dania is a shitty friend and I hated her most of the novel. She is just one of those people we get to know in real life that we just want to shake and fix their lives. But at the end, she is just human. Human beings are like that, messed up and selfish and awful. I was surprised and happy at the end of the book when she decided to give Brandon in adoption. I think that was really big of her.

This has been one of my favorite books this year. And while I didn't really cry while reading it (which for me is a big sign of loving a book!!), I enjoyed it and I have been thinking about it a lot since I finished it.

Rating: ★★★★★
Favorite character: Ellie
Favorite secondary character: Murphy (OMG!! At the moment Flynn told Ellie his dog had died I knew Murphy was going to end up in Flynn's house... I just thought Ellie was going to think about it before he went to he shelter.)
Favorite part: There are a lot of parts I really, REALLY liked, but I think the moment when Ellie goes to Flynn's and finds Murphy there, they play together and then they lie on the grass (yay, Flynn!) and then kiss... that's my fave part :3
Favorite quote: “Some people came into your life and they changed it completely and then they slipped out of it again before you could grab ahold of them. And their presence motivates you and strengthens you and devastates you all at the same time.”
Least favorite character: Dania... and Ellie a little bit. OK, confusing. Let me explain. I hated Dania most of the book, she was poisonous for Ellie. But I also despised Ellie for giving in to Dania's plans every time! It was really annoying.
Least favorite part: Pretty much every chapter that was from Flynn's POV. The bullying was just heartbreaking. It made me hate Dania (even more), Stu and Shane!

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Of Mice and Men

11:52 AM | Posted by isela | | Edit Post

Book Info

Name: Of Mice and Men
Author: John Steinbeck
Date of publication: 1937

Of Mice and Men has these amazing characters. But more important than the characters themselves, is their significance in the historical background. It is a classic, so there is not much I can actually say about it that hasn’t been said before. I love Lennie and how he is soft and destroyable. I loved how George tried to protect him through everything, until the end. And there is something that will stay with me forever: that is how Candy accepted to have his dog put down, only to avoid seeing him suffer; just the same way George killed Lennie to avoid the lynch that was coming his way.

I really enjoyed how Steinbeck used animals throughout the story. Most of them are always fragile: mice, puppies and rabbits. I think they are representing Lennie. He is also fragile, because of his innocence.

I hated Curley and his wife. First of all, she wasn't a great representation of women: she was a troublemaker and kinda slutty. And Curley was just insecure and was also looking for fights all the time.

I had to read this for school and we will analyze it next week...so I might add something else to this post later.

Rating: ★★★★
Favorite character: George Milton (the way he took care of Lennie, but at the same time he was an optimistic and realistic person... I loved that)
Favorite secondary character: Candy
Favorite part: That time when George, Lennie and Candy were all making plans to get the land and build a house and simply be free. That was optimistic!
Favorite quote:
“I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.”
Least favorite character: Curley's wife...
Least favorite part: Well, obviously the end, when Lennie accidentally kills the puppy and that woman comes and just messes everything else up. Though, by killing the puppy, Lennie knew he was in trouble.

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Shatter Me

11:30 AM | Posted by isela | | Edit Post

I have read many books since This Star Won't Go Out, but I haven't had a lot of time to post about them. Also, this week was Easter week... which meant no school or job and a lot of free time!!
I read 4 books in six days, which is pretty good because I has four books behind schedule on my Goodreads reading challenge. I'm going to write a little bit about each of them. Hopefully, I'll have time soon to write about It's Kind of a Funny Story and Ask the Passengers.

Book Info
Name: Shatter Me (Shatter Me series #1)

Author: Tahereh Mafi
Date of Publication: November 15th, 2011

Shatter Me has a great story if you are into dystopian literature. However, the author’s writing style and annoying metaphors put me off a little bit. I think the characters are likable, but the author does not give the reader enough to get attached to them. Juliette is a nice character; she has a lot of conflicting past and an interesting future to explore. But the way Mafi portrays her or makes her talk is very annoying. Aside from her, I think Warmer was the one who was more well developed, or at least the most interesting. He is annoying as hell, but he is confident and mysterious so that is attractive. Adam is kind of plain, so there is not much to say about him. I loved Kenji. He's mysterious and at the beginning you don't really know what's going on with him. But at the end, he turns out to be the good guy! He also has a cool personality, I think.

The last part, though... when they get to this underground facility and everything is running miraculously well and things are wonderful and safe, that reminded me of Stephanie Meyer's The Host.

This book's part of a trilogy, and the cliffhanger is way too evident... but I don't think I'll read the other two books. At least not now. Though I have to admit that I'm curious to know why some people are shipping Juliette and Warner. So, maybe when I find myself with time to spare, I'll give Destroy Me a chance.

Rating: ★★
Favorite character: Kenji (is that weird? He's not even one of the main characters.)
Least favorite character: Warner (though I'm curious as to why people who have read the trilogy like him... what could've changed?)

(image from a-nudge.blogspot.com)

Favorite part: Hmmm...
Least favorite part: Every time Juliette started describing things and making these weird metaphors and just repeating word three times. That was just awful. Also, the her weird fixation with numbers and the author's decision of writing with numbers and not with letters. And finally... whatever happened to punctuation!
Favorite quote: "In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters."

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