Paper Towns

Paper Towns by John Green
Reason for Reading: YA Reading Challenge
Rating: 4.5/5

Paper Towns is the story of Quentin Jacobsen and an obsession. He's been in love with Margo Roth Spiegelman, his next door neighbor for pretty much his entire life, although they seem to move in different spheres at school. Until the night she climbs through his window dressed as a ninja, demanding he accompany her on a night of revenge.

It's hard to get into what happens next without giving too much away, but when things don't go as Quentin had hoped the next morning, he finds himself obsessed with discovering the real Margo Roth Spiegelman. If she's something that can be known.

Although Margo is absent for much of the action of the book, she casts a shadow over everything, the way she casts a shadow over Quentin's life. We start out seeing her through the lens of Quentin's (longing) eyes, but as he digs deeper into her life, we begin to put together a more complete picture of who she is. What motivates her. Quentin's two best friends are well-drawn, interesting characters, which makes up for his parents being a little flatly drawn. And Margo, of course. She's elusive. She's mysterious. She's at times amazingly mundane.

There are moments you want to tap Quentin on the head and remind him that this is puppy love and to stop being so obsessed, but who doesn't remember the obsessiveness of teen love? Don't worry, though, this never stoops to the tackiness level of say (hack hack Twilight hack hack).

The book keeps you guessing as to the ultimate outcome of the relationship between Quentin and Margo right up to the end, and it ends on just the right note.

Should I read it? Only if you like great fiction with interesting character studies.

This is an "I Love My Husband" post

I give you permission to gag now if that is you are against bragging about husbands. I'm bragging about mine today.

The story starts because I had mentioned off-handedly how I was calling draft one of my Great American novel final at last.

So he bought me flowers to celebrate finishing the first draft of my novel. Aww....

Ender in Exile

Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card
Reason for Reading: Sci Fi Experience
Rating: 2/5

I have so far read two of OSC's most famous books, Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. This not quite prequel, not quite sequel seeks to fill in the missing years between when Ender defeated the formics, saving the world, and when he discovered the Formic Queen on a distant colony world.

There are other loose ends being tied up in this book, from books in the Ender series I haven't even read yet, and it doesn't really offer much new to the series. To add a bit of tension, there is a ship's captain who thinks he is going to take Ender's job as governer when they arrive at the colony world, but of course Ender is much cleverer and quickly outwits him upon arrival to the colony.

There are some new characters, but none of them became as substantial or memorable as characters from the two previous Ender novels I've read. And then to make this story flow properly, it contradicts several details from Ender's Game, because of course when Card wrote Ender's Game 20 years ago, he wasn't planning to write this type of sequel.

I was most disappointed by the fact that Ender's brother, Peter was not given more ink in this novel, considering the fact he goes on to take over the planet in Ender's absence. Now that might have made things a little more interesting.

In the Afterword, Card admits to having to rely on fansites and companion guides to his Ender series to write this novel, because, "there was no way I had the time or the inclination to reread all those books. It would just depress me to notice all the things in all those books that now, being a better or at least more experienced writer, I would like to change."

And so, the result feels stale, like a few follow up stories that would have read better as short stories or even entries into an official Ender encylopedia.

Should I read it? Maybe if you are a diehard fan. If not, don't bother.

Pfew....

Today, I went to the gym, then the library, and I got home and ended up reading two books. I can't remember the last time I've managed to read two books in one day. Granted neither was exceptionally long, but still. I finished Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Corey Doctorow, and The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.

And I still had time to go see Slumdog Millionaire, which actually lives up the current hype. If you haven't yet heard of this one, it is about a man from the slums who ends up on the Indian "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", and improbably begins to win. Accused of cheating, he tells the story of his life, how he has gained the knowledge for the big win.

Husband and I both loved this one. It touched just the right notes, staying sentimental without getting gushy. It is a love story, and a story about brothers, about coming of age. And I just have to add, it has a totally awesome soundtrack which I have already downloaded.

How is your weekend going so far?

Book Memes

I've been tagged for like... forever for a couple of memes, but I was deep into nanowrimoing at the time. So now, only two months behind, here I am! Ta da.

Stephanie tagged me for the Seven Random Bookish Things About Me meme.

The rules are:
Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
Share seven random and/or weird book facts about yourself.
Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I am a book abuser. Not because I like destroying books, but because I have the tendency to like to read while doing activities that are incompatible with reading, such as eating, blowdrying my hair, etc.
2. I lose bookmarks at an outrageous rate.
3. More than one of my books has corners chewed or pages licked thanks to my book-loving puppy.
4. My dad can still recite the opening lines of my favorite childhood book, Katy the Kitty. Because he read it over that many times.
5. I never organize my bookshelves. My husband attempts this periodically, and I support this organization system by haphazardly tossing my recent reads wherever there is room, and when there isn't, stacking them in front of the bookshelf.
6. People who get all snooty about what kinds of books should be read by all "literate adults" drive me fracking nuts
7. Mostly due to my insane reading habit as a child, I had a very large vocabulary that I did not always properly know how to use. Or pronounce. I swear, picturesque really looks like it should be pronounced picture-a-skew not picture-esk.

Anywho. Trish presented me with the Bookworm Award/Meme.

Rules:
Open the closest book to you, not your favorite or most intellectual book, but the book closest to you at the moment, to page 56. Write out the fifth sentence, as well as two to five sentences following.

From The Road by Cormac McCarthy:

I should have done it a long time ago. When there were three bullets in the gun instead of two. I was stupid. We've been over all of this. I didnt bring myself to this. I was brought. And now Im done.

That is quite the bright and cheery passage, much like the rest of the novel, which continues on that delightful theme. Note: DO NOT read this before eating, immediately after eating, or right before bed.

And moving right on to Eva's Bookshelf Meme, which Nymeth thoughtfully tagged me for.

Tell me about...

The book that’s been on your shelves the longest: Digging around on my shelf, I discovered that I still have a copy of Sideways Stories From Wayside School. Do ya'll remember this one by Louis Sachar? Man I loved this book, and the sequels to it. The school was supposed to be thirty classrooms all next to each other in a row, but instead they were built one on top of each other.

And my favorite chapter, chapter 19:

"There is no Miss Zarves. There is no nineteenth story. Sorry."

A book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time, etc.): Oh man, Pride and Prejudice always reminds me of staying up late to finish it late at night because once I would pick it up, I couldn't put it back down.

A book you acquired in some interesting way (gift, serendipity in a used bookstore, prize, etc.): I got to pick up a copy of The Graveyard Book at a book-signing event with Neil Gaiman, and that was pretty darn awesome. And it was on my birthday.

The most recent addition to your shelves: My bro got me Papertowns by John Green for Christmas and I already done read it.

A book that’s been with you to the most places: 501 Spanish Conjugations has come with me to more Spanish-speaking countries than you can shake a stick at.

A bonus book that you want to talk about but doesn’t fit into the other questions:
I'm finally going to attempt Pillars of the Earth which I find to be excessively long and intimidating.

So there you have it. I'm going to be a loser and not tag anyone, but if you want to do these memes, please let me know and I'll come visit

Heatwave: Minnesota Style

Yeah, just so you know, we Minnesotans recently suffered from weather so dang cold (-30s, not including windchill) that it was WARMER in Alaska. By like 40 degrees or something outrageous. We are now experiencing a heat wave of weather in the single digits. My snot doesn't immediately freeze. My car actually starts on the first try. The puppy actually likes going outside.

TGIGTAITM

AKA Thank God I'm Going to Arizona In Two Months.

Out of this World Mini-Challenge

To coincide with the Sci-Fi Experience, Carl hosted an Out of This World Mini Challenge for the Dewey's Books Reading Challenge. The goal was to spend the weekend reading sci-fi short stories. Short stories are something I always mean to read, but tend to not get around to, so it was fun to take some time to do so today. And with no further ado, here's what I read and some quick thoughts about it.

The Father Thing by Phillip K. Dick is a chilling little story about what happens when a young boy sees that the man who walks around and looks his his father, is not actually his father. It isn't as if this an uncommon theme in science fiction, but I enjoyed Dick's take on it. Read it here.

The Cold Equations by Tom Goodwin is about what happens when the unexpected element of human nature is thrown into a cold scientific equation. Nail-biting. Read it here.

Neutron Star by Larry Niven is my first return to his "Known Universe" since I reread Ringworld recently. More about the Puppeteers, who send Beowulf Shaeffer to investigate a neutron star that has recently destroyed one of their supposedly indestructible ships. Funny, if some parts get a little too technical. Read it here.

The Egan Thief by Gord Sellar. What happens when every book, every story you try to write ends up sounding suspiciously like a book just recently written by another writer? How can someone steal your ideas before you even think of them? Read it here.

Thanks Carl for hosting this mini-challenge!