Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I impulse bought this book at Sam's club while I was at work, because I had to know what happens next. I finished it pretty soon after I bought it, and I mostly just agree with Amanda. I think that the story is a great set up for book three, which is I am moderately confidant will be better than two.

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

I don't have time to blog tonight, but I'm doing it anyway. I finished "What I Saw and How I Lied" today and it was like kiddie Noir. I loved it. Something about this book brought to mind the flavor of Lauren Bacall's autobiography, it was that authentic. This book is rich, beautiful, and unguarded. I was also reminded of Sidney Poitier's description of Florida as well, how he described seeing it as a young man in his autobiography. The story is gripping, deep, and gritty. There were some obvious modern sensibilities and prospectives in it, but not so much that I felt that I was thrown out of the world of the book. I found the heroine, Evie, to be engaging though narrator, though the story was definitely told solely through her eyes it was still possible to see other perspective with a few hints from the author.

In the end there was so much in this story about choices: about how and why me make them, their repercussions, and how we live with the consequences. It was also about familiar relationships and identification. I did not want to put it down until I had turned the last page, I would definitely recommend it.

Love of Seven Dolls by Paul Gallico

I am of two mind about this story. On one hand it was beautiful, psychological, and fascinating. On the other it was sexist, racist, and unrealistic. A young, suicidal woman finds hope and redemption in a troupe of seven dolls, whose puppet master is fierce and cruel. The dolls reach out to her, talk to her, and encourage her. The puppet master has no sympathy, no kindness. People are drawn to the interaction between the young girl, whose nickname is Mouche which means mosquito, and the puppets, which increases the revenue of the show.

We eventually discover that the puppet master has rid himself of any ability to feel, that this is a post World War II world, and his only emotions are played out in fantasy with his puppets. It is the destruction of concentration camps that really helped me understand this story, to understand why the characters were so broken and so desperate. It was at times sexist, and racist, but this is to be expected of a novel from this period. If taken to be a literal story, the conclusion is juvenile. If seen as a psychological tale, it makes a little more sense. I really liked the theme from the movie, Lili, and picked up the book in curiosity. There were several things in the movie which made no sense that worked much better in the novel, and overall I enjoyed reading it.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

I was simply in awe of this book, because it teaches so much that you hardly notice the lessons. The story follows Marcus and his friends and gives you a glimpse of the probable near future both technologically and politically. This book teaches the history of hacking, yippies, hippies, the Civil Rights Movement, the Internet, codes, ciphers, code breaking, computer networks, and so much more but perfectly interwoven in a gripping and fascinating plot. This story delves into personal rights, first love, true friendship, and the dangerous trade off of privacy for security. I don't really know what else to say except read it.

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

This book was a haunting, fascinating account of a young woman and her journey towards suicide. Her name is Hannah Baker, and this dirty dozen of reasons is actually thirteen people. She has recorded her last thoughts on thirteen audio tapes to be sent to the people included and as each layer is peeled back you come to understand her a little more.

Considering the subject matter, this book was not as dark as I expected it to be. More than anything I found it to be a reminder of how important it is to be kind and considerate to others, to reach out to them, and that even a casual cruelty no matter how small or well deserved it may seem at the time can be absolutely destructive, and can create permanent damage to whoever you are lashing out at. There are so many people like Hannah Baker out there, people who seem fine but are teetering on the brink of despair. It has been a couple of months since I finished the book, but I still find myself thinking about it. I would highly recommend it to anyone.