Summer Reading Review

Alright people. 

Here it is. 

My review of all the books I read this summer. 

Since I was a stay at home wife for 2 months followed by 2 months of living with my in-laws I had a lot of time to read which was very refreshing. I loved reading as a child but high school (as it does with a lot of people) ruined my love of reading. But a class I took at BYU last winter resparked my interest in reading. The class was Children's Literature. It may sound elementary but I got the chance to read 40 minutes everyday from a huge range of books. Remember that "children's literature" also includes the juvenile section and even young adult. 

Well, with a long, lazy summer ahead I was excited to read. I can't say that I read anything near what my mom can read in a summer (she is a book-a-holic) but I tried my best!

THE VIRGIN SUICIDES

The book opens as so, "On the morning the last Lisbon daughter took her turn at suicide--it was Mary this time, and sleeping pills, like Therese--the two paramedics arrived at the house knowing exactly where the knife drawer was, and the gas oven, and the beam in the basement from which it was possible to tie a rope."

 The story is narrated from the perspective of a middle-aged man retelling the story of his obsession with the 5 Lisbon sisters during his adolescence. With the help of his friends, and over a span of 20 or so years, he has gathered a collection of evidence to try and understand the Lisbon deaths. Through their attempts, they recall all of their memories of the Lisbon girls and what created their long-standing obsession.

I have to say that this book was pretty strange. It was one of those reads that keeps you intrigued. Not in a I-can't-put-this-book-down kind of way but in a this-book-is-so-weird kind of way. The story doesn't amount to much more than that up front but I walked away from it with a head full of intriguing ideas about suicide, life, adolescence and love. Keep in mind that is from the perspective of young boys in reference to girls so their is some crude language. 

(I will apologize up front for the next one)

BREAKING DAWN

I started reading the Twilight series...well, I honestly can't remember when I started reading it. It wasn't when they first got big, that's for sure. I tend to reject those kind of books when they first come out (Harry Potter, Twilight, etc.) But after hearing good things from friends and family all over the place, I finally gave in. It took me a long time to read all four books though. And I finally arrived at Breaking Dawn just before summer and I'm counting it since I finished it on our drive out to North Carolina. I won't say much about the book since it's number four in the series and probably most of you have read it and if you haven't, you probably have no desire to do so (mom). So, I'll just give my feelings about the series in general. I think that Stephanie Meyers has a really fun imagination. I can't say that she is a wonderful writer and I can't say that they are my favorite books but I really enjoyed the story. They are simply for pleasure. And let me add to this that I think that the Edward obsession is kind of ridiculous. Not once when reading the books did I ooh or aah over Edward. I found him awkward, weird and completely unappealing (cold, hard skin, weird eyes). Anyways, sorry to those of you who really love the books/Edward. That's just my opinion. 

CONFRONTING THE MYTH OF SELF-ESTEEM

Now before you get worried, I don't have a self-esteem problem. I had heard wonderful things about this book and thought it would be a great inspirational summer book. Ester Rasband is a Mormon author of six books, a number of Ensign articles and some other publications. 

The main point of her book is that the idea of searching for self-esteem is a fallacy. Through her book she is trying to help the reader understand the difference between true confidence and what the world calls self-esteem. True confidence comes when you understand your divine role in life. The world uses self-esteem as another way to focus on yourself (a strategy that will never land you true confidence). She helps you understand how to look outside of yourself and make your focus on God and others through 12 simple steps. Because how you view others is a reflection of how you view yourself. Until you love God and others unconditionally, you will not find true love for yourself. 

I actually took a highlighter to this book and I highlighted everything that I thought was profound or really helped me understand myself better. It was such an inspirational read and it will really help you understand what it means to have true confidence and love for yourself. 

THE LIFE OF PI

The Life of Pi was probably my favorite read this summer. If you are looking for a relaxing summer-feel kind of book, this is a great one. I didn't know anything about the book going in, just that it was well known and was supposed to be a must read. Well, I understand why. The story is about a young boy named Pi living in India. He is the son of a zoo keeper and has been around animals his entire life. Because of political reasons his family decides to leave India and move to Canada. When the ship (holding Pi, his family and a bunch of zoo animals) sinks Pi finds himself on a life boat with the most unfortunate company; a large Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The rest of the book is Pi's story of how he survived his long journey on the sea with Richard Parker. 

It can be slow at parts, but trust me you will definitely want to read to the very end. When I finished it I must have discussed it with Josh for hours! Unfortunately, after that conversation I tried to convince him to read it and he just assured me that he didn't need to anymore since I had relayed the entire story to him :) Whoops! But seriously, if you haven't read this one, put it on your list. And let me know when you read it so we can discuss it. 

HARRY POTTER AND

the Sorcerer's Stone

the Chamber of Secrets

the Prisoner of Azkaban

the Goblet of Fire

Like I mentioned before, I tend to reject those overly popular books at first. And considering Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (#1) came out in 1998 (in the US), it took me a while to get around to reading these. Well, again, since it's a series, I won't go to much into the plot or story but I love them. I really do. I had read the first book before in middle school and I could never get into the second one for some reason. Well, no problem this time. I have nearly finished number four and plan on trudging through the last 3 at the same rate. 

I am not big on fantasy books, at all. Really the only fantasy I have ever enjoyed has been the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I have tried other things and have never been able to get into them. And so I guess I assumed Harry Potter would be the same. Wrong. I think the biggest reason I have problems with fantasy is the ridiculous names and lands that seem so distant from the real world. But with Harry Potter the real world still exists (same as the chronicles of narnia). Hogwarts and the wizarding world are simply another world beyond our own. And Narnia is the same way. I think that's why I enjoy it. I can't go beyond that in fantasy reading. But since Harry Potter creates a new world that simply builds off of the world we already live in, I love reading it. It becomes closer to reality to me. 

So if you haven't read Harry Potter, I suggest you try. If you really hate fantasy, than it might not be for you but they are very fun and they really stretch your imagination. 

Well folks, that's about it! i think I started a couple other books but couldn't get into them. So that's my list of completed books from the summer! :) I can't wait for next summer when I can do the same thing. 

(and yes...that is me reading in the tub)