Currently Reading: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Somehow I made it through high school without ever reading this book.

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I'm glad I did.

I felt the same way when I read Jane Eyre last year. I enjoyed it so much and was so thankful it wasn't tainted in my mind by a young me's underdeveloped brain.

Anyhow, I'm reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn...and I'm liking it!

Has anyone else read this? Or plan to?

Thanks Lauren for the recommendation!

Psst...have you read The Hunger Games? Leave a bit about your thoughts right here.

Spotlight on: The Hunger Games

Can we talk about this for a moment?

I know that many people are reading The Hunger Games right now, or have recently read it.

With the casting of the film making the rounds on entertainment sites, I thought it was the right time to open up this discussion on a book that I plowed through in a matter of days.

Before I had even ever heard of The Hunger Games (falling prey to that whole living under a rock thing), I’ll admit...I was into Twilight. What can I say? I’m all for teen angst. And vampires. And teen angst among vampires.

Right after Christmas, I met my sisters for dinner one night and Christine, my always up-to-the-minute go-to-girl for pop culture info and basically all things cool, mentioned The Hunger Games and how she was about to read the series for the second time.

The record skipped a beat.

Ok not an actual record, but the one in my head that sometimes plays.

Read it for a second time? Surely that’s only reserved for seriously good books.

She explained the premise of the book...that in a future North America, called Panem, 2 teenagers from each of the 12 districts are called to compete in The Hunger Games, literally a fight to the death in a government-made arena over the course of a few days or so. And the last one standing wins.

I think I just stared at her and said...soooo why would you think I’d like that?

But as she often is about these kinds of things, she was right. I liked it friends. In fact, I loved it. And I haven’t heard of anyone who read it who didn’t love it.

So I want to open up the discussion on The Hunger Games (the first book only)! Have you read it? Do you plan to read it? What are your thoughts on this book, that is being called the next Twilight?

And if that’s not enough, here are some questions to get the party started:

• What do you think Suzanne Collins (the author) was really commenting on when she devised the world of Panem?

• Is this next generation’s 1984?

• What do you think of casting Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta) and Liam Hainsworth (Gale)?

*Please note, this discussion is only for book 1 of The Hunger Games. Please do not post spoilers of the next 2 books for those who are visiting and have not yet read those books! Any spoilers outside of book 1 will be edited. Let’s keep it classy friends!

Review: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

On Saturday night, while Shaun was sleeping watching college basketball on the couch, I crept into bed to finish reading this book. That's how good it was.

 

The Glass Castle is a memoir of author Jeannette Walls' nomadic upbringing, from the desert to Phoenix to West Virginia to New York City. It's altogether heartwrenching to read about her parents - an alcoholic father and flighty mother - yet heartwarming in the way that she and her siblings banded together for a better life. It's written cleanly and matter-of-factly which only adds to the disturbing nature of the story...how her dad broke her out of the hospital before full recovery after severely burning her body at age 3, rummaging through trash for other students' scraps of discarded food.

At the core? It's a book about family...through the good and the bad. I found the relationship with her father to be the most fascinating.

And I liked it. A lot. Go out and read this book pronto. I'm already eyeing up her follow up, Halfbroke Horses. Has anyone else read The Glass Castle? If so, let's discuss in the comments!

Check out past review...

Shanghai Girls

Currently Reading: The Glass Castle

After a few recommendations, last week I started reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.

Anyone else reading this? I am really enjoying this book so far. Told from the author's perspective, it's the tale of how she grew up essentially as a nomad with her sometimes off-their-rocker parents {so far}. Her story starts with being allowed to cook hot dogs for herself at the age of 3 (which results in a hospital stay). If you are looking for a book to read, feel free to join me and we'll have a forum to discuss after we all finish the book!

Shanghai Girls

I spoke about Lisa See's Shanghai Girls in last week's Things Going on with Me post.

Well I finally finished it. Without posting spoilers, I want to tell you that I really, really enjoyed this book. If you don't want to read on (again, no spoilers here), I'll say up front that if you are in for a good albeit lengthy drama, I highly recommend this book.

This is not a happy-go-lucky, warm and fuzzy story.

The book starts during the eve of World War II, when Japan began its occupation of China (a piece of history that I, admittedly, was completely unfamiliar with) and follows the lives of its 2 heroines and sisters, Pearl and May, as they face various (and many) trials and tribulations throughout their lives. Not only is this book well-written, but its historical references are fascinating. In my limited knowledge of history in general, let alone this time period from the perspective of a young Chinese woman, I found this book to be extremely educational (even though it is historical fiction).

At it's core...and through Pearl & May's adventures...this is a book about sisters. Through good and great and horrifically bad, Shanghai Girls never strays from the complicated, unique and undying bond of sisterly love. I myself have 2 sisters who I consider to be my very best friends, so author Lisa See's story of ultimate friendship, love, and that I'd-do-anything-for-her feeling between sisters is not lost on me.

I'm not going to lie. A few things about this book left a bit to be desired. If you've read it, you may know what I mean. I won't spoil anything here. The downsides of the book were not enough to deter me or enough to lessen my ultimate recommendation.

Bottom line? I highly recommend. Be prepared for some heart-warming moments and for sure some tears. 2 essential elements of a good book in my opinion.

Has anyone else read this yet? Or wants to? Please dish in the comments! If you are going to post spoilers, please put a large disclaimer followed by multiple paragraph spaces so that those who don't want the story spoiled will know to skip right on past your musings. So let's open the discussion! I'll post a few questions about the book to get things rolling...

• What, if anything, surprised you about this story?
• How do you think the stark differences between the 2 sisters actually gave them strength throughout the story?
• How did you feel about the portrayal of America through Pearl's eyes?