Book: The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle

by Jeannette Walls

Length: 304

Format: Hardback
Price: Free via the library

How I heard about it: It's on my list.

Basic Premise: Jeannette Walls tells the troubling story of the nomadic, impoverished childhood she spent with her brother and two sisters, and her parents, who seemed to constantly be in a hurry, but never seemed to have anywhere to go.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here)
I really loved this book. I knew nothing about it prior to reading (which is the truth about most of the books on this list) and since I read The Silver Star a few years ago, I was expecting something similar. At once, I realized this was going to be VERY different. She opens with one of her earliest memories; boiling hot dogs on the stove in the family Winnebago at the age of three while her Mom painted outside. The water boiled over resulting in significant burns and a lengthy hospital stay, until her father "broke her out" of the hospital and the family skipped town. This was the family's pattern for most of her young life - stay until someone starts to wonder what's going on at home, and then flee. I loved this story because it gave me a perspective on what it's like to be a small child who has to grow up quickly. I have known many of these kids in my ten years of teaching, and reading this made me feel as if I understood a bit. Not much, but a bit.

I LOVED this book.

List Progress:

1. I Am Malala by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai review here
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky review here
   
3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood review here
4. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher review here
5. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
6. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving review here
7. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver review here
8.  Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah review here
9. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddonreview here
10. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (read before I started blogging)
11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
12. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie review here
13. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (read before I started blogging)
14. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
15. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer review here
16. Bossypants by Tina Fey review here
    
17. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey review here
18. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (read before I started blogging)
19. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (read before I started blogging)
20. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen *abandoned*
21. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell review here
22. She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb *abandoned*
23. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling - can we have a moment for whoever created this list? "Harry Potter" is not a book. It's a series of books. Sheesh.
24. Looking for Alaska by John Green review here
25. The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak review here
26. The Kite Runner by Khaled Housseini review here

Book: The Rainmaker

The Rainmaker

by John Grisham

Length: 608

Format: eBook
Price: checked out from the library via the Overdrive app

How I heard about it: I love the movie and have always wanted to read the book

Basic Premise: A recent graduate of law school, Rudy Baylor is struggling to make his way in the cut-throat world of law and lawyers - two things he is swiftly learning are not synonymous. When he finally lands a case, he has to decide to play it safe, or try his strength against the biggest in the business.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here)

I LOVED this book. Loved, loved, loved it. I have always been interested in reading it, and thanks to my recent stint on a jury, my interest was rekindled. I checked it out online and had it read within a week. LOVED it. It was my first John Grisham, and I found him to have just the right combination of suspense, vulgarity, believeability, and action. I feel like many authors get this balance wrong, but Grisham hit it right on the money. I'm interested to read more of his work and see if that's habit for him or whether it was just this book.

I love Rudy Baylor, and yes, I pictured Matt Damon as I read it. He's a good guy who wants to make money, but more, he wants to do the right thing. I love that about him. I found it interesting how different Miss Birdie was in the book from the film, and how much more desperate Rudy's situation was in the book, but overall I thought the film was a great adaptation. And, of course, I had to rent it and watch it again as soon as I finished.

LOVED this book. I think The Pelican Brief will be my next Grisham! Love me some Denzel.

Book: The Girl on the Train

The Girl on the Train

by Paula Hawkins

Length: 336

Format: Hardback
Price: Free via the library

How I heard about it: My book club decided to read it.

Basic Premise: Commuter Rachel Watson passes by her old life every day on the train - her old home, her old husband, her old neighbors - and it drives her to drink. She is startled one morning when she wakes up with no recollection of what she did the night before and finds herself a suspect in the disappearance of someone from her old life.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here)
I love a good page-turner. This book takes place in England (score) where a divorced woman who is still madly in love with her ex-husband commutes to London pretending to go to work every day so her roommate won't notice that she doesn't have a job. As if that wasn't pathetic enough, our protagonist is an alcoholic who frequently experiences blackouts, which explains why she can't remember anything from the night of the disappearance. Truly, everything about her life is a disaster. As the book goes on, the perspective shifts to the new wife, Anna, and the neighbor, Megan. The twisted storytelling was highly reminiscent of Gone Girl, as was the cast of utterly unlikable characters and the compelling plot. I'm excited to discuss with my book club next week!

Kindle Book: Jasper Jones

Jasper Jones

by Craig Silvey

Length: 313

Format: eBook
Price: Free via the Overdrive app

How I heard about it: It's on my list.

Basic Premise: Charlie Butkin is just a regular guy...until the town outcast, Jasper Jones, shows up at his window one night. Jasper urgently needs Charlie's help to help clear his name. A murder has been committed, and Jasper swears it wasn't him.

My Take: 8.5 out of 10 (scale here)
This book was GRIPPING. From the moment Jasper shows Charlie what he shows Charlie, it was hard to put down. Jasper Jones was very "Huck Finn"-like; indeed it was obvious the author was highly influenced by Mark Twain. About halfway through, I felt like I had it all figured out, but I was wrong (not shocking...I do not have good crime-solving instincts). I loved the pace and the easy grace of the writing. The content was dark, but it was well-handled and intriguing. In parts there was a little too much boy dialogue (talk about superheroes and sports), and being someone who reads every word on the page, this got a bit tedious. But near the end, I started skimming, even though it felt wrong. I observed no consequence, so I may employ this method in the future. I wish the ending had given me more, but I always wish the ends of books had given me more.

Unfortunately, there was too much profanity for me to comfortably have this on my shelf. :( But it was still a GREAT read.

List Progress:

1. I Am Malala by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai review here
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky review here
   
3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood review here
4. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher review here
5. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
6. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving review here
7. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver review here
8.  Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah review here
9. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon review here
10. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (read before I started blogging)
11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
12. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie review here
13. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (read before I started blogging)
14. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
15. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer review here
16. Bossypants by Tina Fey review here
    
17. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
18. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (read before I started blogging)
19. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (read before I started blogging)
20. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen *abandoned*
21. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell review here
22. She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
23. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling - can we have a moment for whoever created this list? "Harry Potter" is not a book. It's a series of books. Sheesh.
24. Looking for Alaska by John Green review here
25. The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak review here
26. The Kite Runner by Khaled Housseini review here

Kindle Book: Death Wears a Beauty Mask

Death Wears a Beauty Mask and Other Stories

by Mary Higgins Clark

Length: 368

Format: Ebook
Price: Free via the library via the Overdrive app

How I heard about it: My book club decided to read it.

Basic Premise: There were eight stories, all with varying degrees of creepiness...

My Take: 7 out of 10 (scale here)
I am not a murder-mystery-creepy-stories sort of girl, nor, I discovered, am I a short stories sort of girl. The first story, "Death Wears a Beauty Mask" was very good and the longest of all the stories. It didn't feel rushed (although the ending did feel a bit abrupt) and I really was left wondering who did it. It felt sort of like The Cukoo's Calling because the victim was famous and dead and it was the sibling who was pulling back the shards. The other stories went to quickly for me. I had hardly any time to connect with the characters, which made it hard for me to care what happened to them because I am the worst.

I did really enjoy the writing style. I loved the lack of swear words, blood and gore, and sexual violence. I loved that the stories took place before computers and cell phones took over the world. It was very refreshing!