Trash Talk Tuesday: Review of Susan Straight’s Between Heaven and Here

“It’s a thin line between heaven and here.”

-Bubbles, The Wire

It may be because I took a class with Susan Straight, or maybe she writes differently than I typically read, but I expected more out of this book. She is the second professor I’ve had a class with that I actually read the book for. One professor required it, and that was okay because his book was gorgeous and I cried reading it. Though I think the man is cocky for making his classes read it. But Susan, I expected more out of you. 

I believe my main source of complaint comes from there being too many characters. I couldn’t keep track of who was who, and who was related to who, and who saw what and when. This made all the point of view shifts difficult for me, and I generally love changes in narration. Almost all of my writing has at least two narrators. 

My main source of awe was the words. Straight is a hilarious woman, gifted in the craft of fiction (that was the title of the course!). There were moments that were clear and beautiful. I enjoyed the read. But would I recommend? Not to most people. 

I love characters and plot. This book had both, but I wasn’t connected to any of it. The plot mattered but I felt that we, the readers, knew more than we should too soon. 

The best part of the book, and the time that I felt most connected with the plot and characters was the last two sections/chapters. They were what I expected when she mentioned the book in her class. A boy who finds out his druggy mother is dead before his last chance to take the SATs; his last chance to get out of his shitty life and the shitty town. The opening and the middle weren’t about this, but some were, of course. But the book was mostly about a town and how this woman’s death shows the connection between all the people. Which sounds great, right?

But then my stupid ass brain couldn’t remember character names and even if some characters were a male or female. And in a book that has prostitutes, rape, and family, the genders matter a little. 

I plan to read other reviews of the book. The “about” section of the book states that some of the sections/chapters were originally short stories. Honestly, I’m sure they were better stand alone. 2 out of 5. 

If you read this Professor Straight, don’t hate me! I loved your class!

Tears Tuesday: A Review of The Book Thief

"I have hated the words and I have loved them, 

and I hope I have made them right." 

- Markus Zusak, The Book Thief 

The Book Thief is about the power of words in the face of death. Zusak shows the reader this throughout the novel not only by the characters using powerful words, but by using words in a powerful way himself. He also took a subject that almost seems overdone or predictable and does something completely new with it. 

 

The use of Death seemed like a cliché to me when I first heard the novel described, but it is woven into the story in a way that is both natural and fitting. 

There are points to be given on the feminist side of things as well. Liesel is surrounded mostly by men, but she is not defined by them. She loves and cares for them but the story is her own. She is the one with the power. Though they help shape that power and her personality, they do not make her who she is. She does. 

The amount of moments in this book that make you cry will shock you. If you know about Germany, WWII, and the Holocaust you will (like me) think it won’t faze you. You might think you’ve read, seen, or heard about every possible Nazi Germany story before. But Zusak does something with this book I’ve never read before. It is those words and all the impact they hold. Zusak uses them to slice you open and pour in emotion you’ve never felt. 

Overall report: read this book. I went in thinking I would give it a 3 but after closing the book with tear streaked cheeks, I’d give it a 5.

Wide Awake Wednesday: A Review of The Phantom Tollbooth

"'In this box are all the words I know,' he said. 

'Most of them you will never need, some you will use constantly, 

but with them you may ask all the questions which have never been answered 

and answer all the questions which have never been asked.'"

- Azaz the Unabridged, from Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth

Not realizing I was in many ways jumping to the Island of Conclusions, I judged this book by its cover for many years. I never gave much thought to reading it. But now that I have I'm quite glad I did. 

You know a book is good when every page is something you want to quote but the quotes are too long. The whole book needs to be read. You can't find the best parts in a few lines and be satisfied, because the best part is the whole book itself. 

Critics on the opening pages described this book as being similar to Alice in Wonderland and the Wizard of OZ. The art and writing style also reminded me of Roald Dahl whom I loved growing up. I have memories of laying in bed with my sister Kerry and my Dad, trying to read one of his books out loud while learning to read. They were shocked when I properly said the word "Tabasco". 

The sort of style Dahl and Norton Juster use is one I want to explore as a writer. The style is adorable and thought provoking even for a young kid. But I love that it still speaks to you even if you aren't a young kid anymore.

My 11 year old brother is getting a copy of the book for his 12th birthday this summer. He better love it even though he isn't exactly a little kid or an adult that needs life lessons refreshed. To me that's one of the best things about this book: It has lessons for any age. It reminded me of the lessons I needed to hear in my current place of life. So even if you've read The Phantom Tollbooth before, I suggest you reread it. You may need those lessons refreshed. But this isn't to say the book was like a self-help book. That's not the case at all! 

My overall review would be a 4.5. Only losing points for a lack of women.

Writing Wednesday: Darkly Dreaming Dexter, a TV show better than the original book? MADNESS.

"Another beautiful Miami day.

 Mutilated corpses with a chance of afternoon showers."

- Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Jeff Lindsay

As any aspiring writer should, I try to always read the original book of a movie/TV adaption. The only book I refuse to do this for is Big Fish because I'm too scared of the possibly of not liking it. But everything else, I want to read the original, I want to support the author. 

So naturally, as a fan of the Dexter television series I needed to read the book. I finished it Tuesday afternoon, and it took me far too long to read a book that short. I had a hard time feeling compelled to read it since I knew the outcome, at least until the book took a weird turn that didn't occur in the first season of the show. Now that I'm done, I feel weird writing a review of this book because I've never truly and completely liked a TV/movie more than the original book. Live-action and even cartoon adaptions never do the author's words justice. But that's not the case with this book. 

I could tell he was a newbie writer. Things were repetitive. For example, Dexter had to keep telling us he was an unfeeling monster. And we got it after the first chapter. It didn't need to be spelled out for us, after he murders someone. The book also felt rushed, and not thought out until the end. It was as though, Jeff Lindsay knew the beginning and ending but didn't know how to connect the two. 

The best difference is Deb. Even LaGuerta. I'm glad they get more screen time in the series, but they are better characters in the book. Rita too! Oh my gosh, she's in the book so little I almost forgot about her. There's stuff about each of the women that I love in the show, but things I love just as much (if not more) in the book that they changed. One thing I realized during the last season of the show is that it's pseudo-feminist. They try to tell us the women are strong and independent but the women all rely on the men for just about everything. The men rely on no one, not even each other. Deb is like that in the book, but LaGuerta isn't. She's more sexualized in the book, but a slight bit more badass. 

Overall, I would give the book a 2.5. Feel free to voice your opinions in the comments!

Also, I'm excited for the new season even though some think it should have ended early. What do you think?

Throwback Thursday: Two Weeks in Ireland

"If you're not drunk and half naked by this point, 

you aren't paying attention." 

- Diary by Chuck Palahniuk

 Over the summer, my family went to Ireland. My father is 100% and my mom is mostly Irish with a little bit of Italian. I like to pretend I'm 100% like my dad.

 

The photo above is a view of Dublin from the Guinness factory tasting room.

 Ireland was beautiful. The weather was what I expected. There was mostly rain but also a lot of sunshine. We drove for hours at a time so when I got sick of seeing sheep and rolling green hills, (and over a period of two weeks, the sheep were boring) I read a lot. I read Let it Snow which is three connected short stories by different authors, and I read Chuck Palahniuk's novel Diary.

So much drinking. Guinness was amazing at the factory.

Story #1: The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson, a review as quoted from my journal: 

"It was cute but no John Green story (who is next). My feminist side of my brain hated it. It was a girl with a crappy perfect boyfriend who feels confident when his around just because they are dating. She meets a boy, who helps her realize how awful his perfect ass is so she dumps him and makes out with the boy. I would have liked it better if she left his house, moved on from the shitty BF but did't fall for the new boy but that's just me."

    

Story #2: John Green's A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle, a review as quoted from my journal: 

"Before I say anything else, I want to say how I loved that these three stories connect in little ways. It is cute. So far the two were different stories but they intertwined in a slight way. Over a location- a waffle house with cheerleaders. 

John Green was better about feminism than the other story though mostly due to it being a male narrator. We didn't get the girl fawning over a boy inner monologue. I think when I write my young adult novels/stories I'm going to not be in 1st person to avoid this issue.

But I predicted the underlying conflict of the romance too quickly and easily. It was disappointing in that respect."    

 

 Story #3: The Patron Saint of Pigs by Lauren Myracle, as reviewed in my journal:

" It was the same as the others. Cute but not feminist at all.. A girl upset over a boy. It would have been less predictable if it wasn't connected to the other stories but I basically knew the ending from the first two short stories. Oh, well." 

So I think in July 2012, I would have given Let it Snow a 2. 

 

 

Harry Potter was filmed here!

Review of Diary by Chuck Palahniuk as quoted from my journal: 

"Just finished Diary and it was weird. Creepy even, and confusing. Those are its 3 words: weird, creepy, and confusing. I think I enjoyed it. It didn't blow my mind like Rant, Haunted, or Fight Club did. But it has a similar feeling. A feeling that creeps over and makes everything you used to find normal seem wrong. I guess that is what makes a good book. It changes how you look at life even when the book's story wasn't about that." 

I think I would have given Diary a 3. 

I loved Ireland, and I wish I could go back. But maybe with less family.  

Trash Talk Tuesday: More than a love story

"You gotta pay attention to signs. 

When life reaches out with a moment like this,

it's a sin if you don't reach back..." 

- The Silver Linings Playbook, Matthew Quick

 I was sold when the trailer for the movie version of this book featured Bradley Cooper throwing A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway out of a window. He was so upset by the outcome of the novel, that I laughed even though the ending to that same book made me cry hysterically. 

The movie version of the book was great, and after reading the novel almost all of my internal writing critic questions and judgements of the film were resolved. Being an avid lover of both film and novels I always pay attention to the differences and likenesses made in the process of adapting a book into a film. In general, the biggest change for The Silver Linings Playbook is that the novel is not a love story. It is a man overcoming and facing his mental illness and what led him into a mental breakdown. His breakdown has to do with love, and his ability to "move-on" from the breakdown has to do with love but it is not Tiffany (played by Jennifer Lawerence in the film) who solves the problem. It is not falling in love that saves Pat Peoples. In the movie, the problems of his past relationship is basically healed with a new one. But that's not the case in the novel, and I really appreciated that change. There is something that annoys me about that mindset, its like giving yourself an injury to distract yourself from an injury. 

My rating of Quick's The Silver Linings Playbooks would be a 3.5. I don't believe an English teacher would want to teach a class on the novel but overall I'm not embarrassed to mention my having read the novel to a professor. Feel free to argue my rating if you have read the book yourself. My reviews are completely my opinion, and I do not see myself as "all-knowing" in the realm of rating books, movies, or television. 

If you haven't read the book but you enjoyed the movie, then READ THE BOOK. 

Currently reading: Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test edited by Mark D. White
and Watchmen by Alan Moore