Winter Reading

Here's what I read over my break:

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowery
Messenger by Lois Lowery
A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me about Love, Friendship, and The Things that Really Matter by William Deresiewicz
The Gift of Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Lois Lowery left me wanting more of the story; she has such a talent  for doing that. I recommend both of them especially if you enjoyed The Giver and desire to discover what happened to the boys on the sled. I liked the plug for looking at people's qualities instead of their outward demeanor.

I wanted to marry Deresiewicz by the end of the book because he understood Austen so perfectly, and he opened my eyes to parts of Austen which I had not fully comprehended. He bashed the movies for making all of her heroine's and hero's beautifully handsome which made me splendidly happy :). I loved how he wove the books through his life journey. Most times I find weaving books into your life cliche, but Deresiewicz (what a difficult name to keep typing and spelling correctly) accomplished it without being cliche. I adored A Jane Austen Education. I can't wait to have my own copy, so I can underline and write in the margins (I read the libraries copy).

Every time I read Potok I'm blown away. The way he tells a story; the way he writes; his characters; they all suck me in from the beginning. I rarely get completely lost in stories, but every Potok I've read catches me in a marvelous way. The Gift of Asher Lev is a sequel, well more of a continuing story of My Name is Asher Lev. My Name is Asher Lev gives a fascinating look into the Hasidic Jewish culture's beliefs and relationship to art. Potok deals with the age old question of art and religion. In The Gift of Asher Lev, the reader picks up Asher's story twenty years after the end of My Name is Asher Lev. Again, Potok deals with art and religion, but this time he includes worship through art. Potok shows Asher's struggle to explain his art to his children, to explain how he is still a Hasidic Jew and yet paints what he paints. Plus another interesting look into the religion and world of Hasidism. I could keep talking about this book, but I'll stop. However, I highly suggest Chaim Potok to anyone who loves reading. He is one of my favorite authors.

I wasn't overly impressed by Collins books. They were an interesting read, but I felt they were pretty fluffy. I agree with RuthAnn that the first person was an awful choice. I find Katniss annoying just like I find Harry annoying. Her struggles and angst were not at all enjoyable. I know you'll say when is angst ever enjoyable, but I enjoyed, somewhat, Mia's angst in The Princess Diaries. I found the books predictable. They didn't have anything new to say or any good characters (I did enjoy Katniss's designer) or story to make them more than just an easy read. Each book took me no more than three hours to read. I have Mockingjay on hold, and I'll read it. Hopefully the series will conclude in a decent way. Please no magical happy ending, but I guess they are young adult books, so that's what will happen. Don't get me wrong, I love my happy endings, but it would just be one more predictable thing for this series. I've heard Mockingjay is supposed to be the best of the three, so maybe I'll enjoy it more.

I may have read more, but those I'm not divulging with you or I can't remember them. You can decide which is true.

Tomorrow, I start my sixth semester of college, so I'll not be picking up another great book for at least seven weeks (spring break) or fifteen weeks (semester done). I will walk in and out of room and see all my books I want to read but don't have time for, and I'll bemoan my life for a while. I'll think about others who get to read, and how I soon will be able to read again. So read for me, and I promise I won't become jealous.

Well, maybe I'll be a tad jealous.