The Merciless III: Origins of Evil by Danielle Vega
Ok, first I need to say that I didn't mean to title this post the same thing as part of the title, but honestly, nothing fits quite as well.
This is a prequel, so it should give an idea as to why the events in Merciless happen. This is about Brooklyn, who is the girl that the other girls try to perform an exorcism on. The ending felt rushed to me; like the author took too much time with other stuff and had to throw things together at the end. It was also grotesquely graphic, and I found myself cringing several times. I mean, a girl falls with a fork or spoon in her hand and the author describes the handle sticking out of the girl's eye. I have a thing about eyes, so that was particularly unsettling.
I am sure you're thinking, based on what I have said so far, that I disliked the book. That would be an inaccurate statement. I liked it, it was just too much for me in some instances. It is still worth the read, and I am looking forward to the fourth and final book in the series, which comes out in twelve days (though I will likely wait for it to come out in paperback before I make the purchase).
Anyway, Brooklyn, the girl who is so evil that her "friends" want to exorcise the demons out of her. Brooklyn has a good heart. The book starts with her in a school basement, having started a helpline to help people. Just before she leaves, she receives a call from a female claiming that someone is hurting her. Curious, she calls 911 and reports it, but nothing is done. Turns out the call comes from a church, and Brooklyn decides to check it out on her own. She ends up meeting and kinda falling for the pastor's son. She also befriends the pastor's daughter, who has strange cuts and bruises on her back.
Now this is what I mean by the ending seeming rushed. The meeting and befriending of the pastor's children takes up half the book. At that point, we still don't see why Brooklyn is evil. That doesn't happen until the last forty pages or so, and it is not 100% believable. Read it yourself and make your own opinions.
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Monday, May 28, 2018
P&P in the Simplest Form
Darcy Swipes Left by Jane Austen and Courtney Carbone
I love these little books of classic novels and plays told through text messaging!
This takes the classic Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice, and pares it down to something one could read in about an hour. While it doesn't provide the details of the source material, if someone was just trying to get the gist of the story, this would be a good way to go about it.
I did find it amusing to read prim and proper Mr. Darcy's texts, and Mrs. Bennett was not nearly as annoying as she is in the source material (or any movie version to date), which I know is hard to believe.
I love these little books of classic novels and plays told through text messaging!
This takes the classic Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice, and pares it down to something one could read in about an hour. While it doesn't provide the details of the source material, if someone was just trying to get the gist of the story, this would be a good way to go about it.
I did find it amusing to read prim and proper Mr. Darcy's texts, and Mrs. Bennett was not nearly as annoying as she is in the source material (or any movie version to date), which I know is hard to believe.
Guy Poetry
Dropkick Romance by Cyrus Parker
The poet of this book is married to another poet I enjoy, Amanda Lovelace. I came across this one on Twitter, when someone tweeted it next to Ms. Lovelace's work. Logically, at least to me, it made sense to give it a whirl. I'm glad I did.
While I wouldn't say I relate nearly so much to Mr. Parker's work as I do his wife's, I did enjoy reading his poems. The book is definitely divided into two parts; one where he was with the wrong woman who clearly cheated on him, and one where he was with the right one. The poems are emotionally deep, but not as gut-wrenching as others I've read lately. Still, this is one I recommend and will definitely purchase any future books he has published.
The poet of this book is married to another poet I enjoy, Amanda Lovelace. I came across this one on Twitter, when someone tweeted it next to Ms. Lovelace's work. Logically, at least to me, it made sense to give it a whirl. I'm glad I did.
While I wouldn't say I relate nearly so much to Mr. Parker's work as I do his wife's, I did enjoy reading his poems. The book is definitely divided into two parts; one where he was with the wrong woman who clearly cheated on him, and one where he was with the right one. The poems are emotionally deep, but not as gut-wrenching as others I've read lately. Still, this is one I recommend and will definitely purchase any future books he has published.
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Reminiscent of a Favorite
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
This was one of the books we chose to put on the list in our Banned Books Unit at school. I had never read it, so I ordered it. Strangely, none of my students chose it. Because of this, I wasn't in too big a hurry to get to it. Then the pile of unread books on my coffee table started to get too big and this was on top, so...
The first half of this book reminded me so much of Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, which is one of my very favorite books, and the one that made me want to be an English teacher. Maya/Marguerite reminded me so much of Cassie Logan that I couldn't help but love her. Despite the horrible things that happened to her in St. Louis, I was strangely drawn to Maya/Marguerite.
Then her grandmother, Momma, sent her to California to her parents, and reading became like pulling teeth. There were unnecessary stories, secondhand from Maya's stepfather that could have saved me several pages. Basically, California took the Maya I loved away. It ended up being a relief to finish, which is sad, considering the first 2/3.
I feel I should touch on the incident for which this book is most often challenged: the rape of Maya/Marguerite when she is eight by the man her mother was living with. Yes, it was a horrible situation. Yes, it should never have happened. Yes, it made me angry, but it was not graphic. It's a sad part of life for a lot of people, and by challenging/banning this book, we are taking a valuable learning opportunity away from students. Besides, students see and hear worse on network television these days, so why is it appropriate for them to see it on tv but not read about it in a book?
All in all, this was a decent book. Would I read it again, probably not, but I would not dissuade someone from reading it.
This was one of the books we chose to put on the list in our Banned Books Unit at school. I had never read it, so I ordered it. Strangely, none of my students chose it. Because of this, I wasn't in too big a hurry to get to it. Then the pile of unread books on my coffee table started to get too big and this was on top, so...
The first half of this book reminded me so much of Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, which is one of my very favorite books, and the one that made me want to be an English teacher. Maya/Marguerite reminded me so much of Cassie Logan that I couldn't help but love her. Despite the horrible things that happened to her in St. Louis, I was strangely drawn to Maya/Marguerite.
Then her grandmother, Momma, sent her to California to her parents, and reading became like pulling teeth. There were unnecessary stories, secondhand from Maya's stepfather that could have saved me several pages. Basically, California took the Maya I loved away. It ended up being a relief to finish, which is sad, considering the first 2/3.
I feel I should touch on the incident for which this book is most often challenged: the rape of Maya/Marguerite when she is eight by the man her mother was living with. Yes, it was a horrible situation. Yes, it should never have happened. Yes, it made me angry, but it was not graphic. It's a sad part of life for a lot of people, and by challenging/banning this book, we are taking a valuable learning opportunity away from students. Besides, students see and hear worse on network television these days, so why is it appropriate for them to see it on tv but not read about it in a book?
All in all, this was a decent book. Would I read it again, probably not, but I would not dissuade someone from reading it.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
This is the Princess I Want to Be
the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace
Between this poetess and Rupi Kaur, I am finding my love of poetry. Some would argue that this isn't poetry, but more along the lines of what an angsty teenaged girl would write. Whatever. I like it.
Once again, Ms. Lovelace has struck a chord with me and my life experiences. If nothing else, the reader should come away with the thought that no matter what life throws at you, you can survive. Better than that, you can survive but don't necessarily need someone else to help you survive.
I particularly like the poems about being a reader, since that is what I am. Anyway, it looks like Ms. Lovelace has another book coming out soon, so I know I will be picking it up.
Between this poetess and Rupi Kaur, I am finding my love of poetry. Some would argue that this isn't poetry, but more along the lines of what an angsty teenaged girl would write. Whatever. I like it.
Once again, Ms. Lovelace has struck a chord with me and my life experiences. If nothing else, the reader should come away with the thought that no matter what life throws at you, you can survive. Better than that, you can survive but don't necessarily need someone else to help you survive.
I particularly like the poems about being a reader, since that is what I am. Anyway, it looks like Ms. Lovelace has another book coming out soon, so I know I will be picking it up.
The Importance of Being Impulsive
Paris for One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes
I have become quite the fan of Ms. Moyes since reading Me Before You, even if most of the books I have read of hers are from that trilogy. At any rate, I saw this one at the store, read the back, and thought I would give it a shot. It was worth my time. Speaking of time, I had thirty hours in the car (though I drove 11 of them) that I could have read, but didn't. Instead, I ended up reading and finishing this on my puddle jumper flight from Kalispell, Montana to Denver, Colorado yesterday.
Like Moyes' other works that I have read, this focuses on a female protagonist. In this case, it is Nell from England who has impulsively (for her) booked a weekend excursion to Paris. She's the type of person who researches everything and makes lists of pros and cons before she does anything.
She's on her way to Paris on the train, and finds out her boyfriend is not going to go with her. Her first instinct is to go back home, but there is no room on the next train. Then, when she gets to her well-researched hotel, she finds that her room is double booked. Despite everything going wrong, she decides to stay.
As it turns out, this is the best possible thing for Nell. She finds a part of herself that she never would have if she had never come to Paris or if she'd gone home. This was a sweet story, and took up slightly more than half the book. The rest is taken up by some short stories. These stories were cute, but not the reason to buy this book.
I have become quite the fan of Ms. Moyes since reading Me Before You, even if most of the books I have read of hers are from that trilogy. At any rate, I saw this one at the store, read the back, and thought I would give it a shot. It was worth my time. Speaking of time, I had thirty hours in the car (though I drove 11 of them) that I could have read, but didn't. Instead, I ended up reading and finishing this on my puddle jumper flight from Kalispell, Montana to Denver, Colorado yesterday.
Like Moyes' other works that I have read, this focuses on a female protagonist. In this case, it is Nell from England who has impulsively (for her) booked a weekend excursion to Paris. She's the type of person who researches everything and makes lists of pros and cons before she does anything.
She's on her way to Paris on the train, and finds out her boyfriend is not going to go with her. Her first instinct is to go back home, but there is no room on the next train. Then, when she gets to her well-researched hotel, she finds that her room is double booked. Despite everything going wrong, she decides to stay.
As it turns out, this is the best possible thing for Nell. She finds a part of herself that she never would have if she had never come to Paris or if she'd gone home. This was a sweet story, and took up slightly more than half the book. The rest is taken up by some short stories. These stories were cute, but not the reason to buy this book.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Taboo Topics
Period: Twelve Voices Tell the Bloody Truth by Various Authors
This popped up one day on my Facebook feed saying that some of the proceeds of the sale of this book would go to help girls and women around the world have the menstrual supplies they need. I am a sucker for things that I perceive to be a good cause, and this was a good cause as far as I was concerned, so I pre-ordered it. I wasn't sure what to expect when it came in, and fully intended to wait to read it, as I had already started another book, but something kept drawing me to this.
I read this for about an hour before I went to bed last night. In that time, I read four of the stories. One was about an intersex woman who so wanted to start her period, but never did. One story was about two friends discussing how women could be more open these days about their periods with their friends than in generations past. One story was about a woman who started her period the day she was running a marathon, and made the decision to free bleed. And the last one I read last night was about a woman who is paralyzed from the waist down, and discussed how she deals with that time of the month. I went to bed feeling emboldened.
This morning, I had hall duty while the juniors took state exams, so I read this. I read the last seven stories, which included period firsts, male periods, periods of black girls, periods when a person is homeless, really bad periods, politics and periods, and periods in pop culture. Again, I felt enlightened and empowered. In fact, I nominated this book for the TAYSHAS list, which is a young adult book list in Texas, because I was so taken with this book.
I highly recommend this book.
This popped up one day on my Facebook feed saying that some of the proceeds of the sale of this book would go to help girls and women around the world have the menstrual supplies they need. I am a sucker for things that I perceive to be a good cause, and this was a good cause as far as I was concerned, so I pre-ordered it. I wasn't sure what to expect when it came in, and fully intended to wait to read it, as I had already started another book, but something kept drawing me to this.
I read this for about an hour before I went to bed last night. In that time, I read four of the stories. One was about an intersex woman who so wanted to start her period, but never did. One story was about two friends discussing how women could be more open these days about their periods with their friends than in generations past. One story was about a woman who started her period the day she was running a marathon, and made the decision to free bleed. And the last one I read last night was about a woman who is paralyzed from the waist down, and discussed how she deals with that time of the month. I went to bed feeling emboldened.
This morning, I had hall duty while the juniors took state exams, so I read this. I read the last seven stories, which included period firsts, male periods, periods of black girls, periods when a person is homeless, really bad periods, politics and periods, and periods in pop culture. Again, I felt enlightened and empowered. In fact, I nominated this book for the TAYSHAS list, which is a young adult book list in Texas, because I was so taken with this book.
I highly recommend this book.
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