Sunday, June 26, 2011

The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell

Someday I will read another wonderful piece of literature, but I took a break. All writing should be considered literature because it's all reading, but I know from my English classes during university that a book such as this, would not have been a part of the syllabus.

Now that I've got that out, I really enjoyed it. I've read two other books by Candace Bushnell, and while I liked them, I didn't enjoy them like I did this one. It was more of a story. Sex and The City was a collection of articles. This was a story about Carrie in high school. The only familiar character was Carrie. I always think about the television series, and that's what I compare to all books involving these characters. I know it's supposed to be the other way around, but really, the book did come after.

The book is basically about Carrie's journey to both New York City and to becoming a writer. This is going to sound terrible, but the last chapter was my favourite because she gets to New York, and calls a familiar character from Sex and the City.

I'll be honest, I read it a month ago, and once again didn't write as soon as I should have. Therefore, I can't quite remember all the details. I think I just liked the way Carrie's mind worked. The way she reacted to things seemed very human, and maybe a little like me. The Carrie's history in the book is different than her history in the TV series, but because it's completely different writers, I guess that's understandable. Also -everybody may not catch it, but I've seen every episode more than once.

Anyway, it was good. I'd probably read it again. (maybe because it makes me feel young to read books set in high school).

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

No Second Chance by Harlan Coben

I was excited to read this book because if you've seen the other blog entries, I'm a fan of Harlan Coben. I've already written about one other book, but have read a couple more.

I enjoyed this book. It was another twist and turn mystery novel that doesn't really explain anything until the very end. I might read a couple more books and than try it again. Things just didn't seem to fit in the same way they usually do in his novels. I can usually see things coming -or guess why something was done the way it was, and in this book, things just kind of happened. I thought I had things figured out, and I didn't. I guess that's good, but I wasn't happy with this one. I still enjoyed it, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the others.

It's about a man trying to find out why he and his wife were shot at and left to die, and where his child is now. His wife died, and he did not. He's left alone to figure out who he can trust, and if he will ever see his baby girl again. As I write the plot, I realise how unoriginal it feels.

I will be reading more by him, and if I read this one again, I'll write about it again.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Before I start writing about the book, I just wanted to point out that for some reason, I'm unable to use Italics in the Title of my blog entry.

I finished this book before the weekend, but haven't written about it yet. Now I have two books to write about because I finished another over the weekend.

I bought this book before I knew it was turned into a movie. It always takes a little of the greatness away when I find out it's being turned into a movie. I guess because if I read it when it's just a book, I get that special feeling of finding it, and knowing that I can spread the news that everybody should read it. If it's a movie, people won't find it as important to read the book. Some movies have been done well, but in most cases, the book is always better.

Now to the book. I loved it. The only thing that I had trouble with was the fact that it wasn't true. I've only had this happen a few times while reading, and it's usually when the book is about something that seems like it could be true. This book was about the division of black and white in Mississippi. It's about how the maids are treated by their white employers. It's a great book, and it makes you think about how hard it really was. I was shocked at some of the rules they had about how the white people were to treat the black people. (this part was true, as I read the message from the author at the back.)

Kathryn Stockett grew up with a black maid, and although it's not about her maid, I'm sure that was a lot of the motivation. She was probably partially raised by this woman, and as a child did not see the unfairness. She obviously sees it now, and was able to write about it eloquently. It's a book about a book basically, and I guess I just wished that the book in the novel was real.

I will be suggesting this book to anybody I can because it's one of those books you like to discuss. (Which is one of the reasons I started this book blog.)