OTHER books part 4

The Color Purple - Alice Walker

Another book not part of the NRHS curriculum, but one that I always wanted to read. I carried this book around in my purse last summer and pulled it out whenever I got the chance to read it. No wonder this book has so much acclaim. The pain that Celie has to overcome in her life and how she manages to go on each day in inspirational to me. It's a sort of "in your face" book screaming to you, "life is unfair, life hurts, life is full of struggles, but it is up to you to love yourself and make your life what you want it to be." At least, that's the message I pulled from it. Amazing book.

The Confessions of Max Tivoli - Andrew Sean Greer I wanted to reach through this book and hug Max (the main character) so many times while I was reading this. It's a story of a baby who is born looking like an old man, and physically matures backwards (eventually resembling a baby in his old age.) He knows the exact year he will die and tries to live by his mother's advice of "be what they think you are" but is conflicted by his emotions. It's a heartwarming story of a sweet person who deals with human prejudice the best way he knows how.

The DaVinci Code - Dan Brown

As mentioned above, I was not thoroughly impressed with this book. I didn't even read it all the way through. Eh.

The Dogs Of Babel - Carolyn Parkhurst

Another book I bought at borders for $4 (I have a knack for finding bargain books). A man comes home to find his wife dead in their backyard, her dog the only witness to her death. As he deals with the mysterious surroundings of his wife death, he believes that he can teach her dog to talk and release what it knows to him. It's a painful look at him clingling to his crazy belief and grief over his wife's death. You can't help but keep reading to see what will happen next.

The Giver - Lois Lowry

This is a book I think we read in 5th grade that I have probably read 3 or 4 times since then. I take that back. It was never assigned to me, it was assigned to my brother and my mom ended up picking it up and reading it all in one night. She told me the next morning how amazing it was and how it had made her cry, so I had to read it myself. I think the 2 of us finished it before my brother ever did (that is to say, IF he ever actually read it!) I think this is classified as Science Fiction (which I am NEVER interested in). The story is of a perfect society, where everything is equal, fair, your life is planned for you and you are satisfied with it. The main character, Jonas is chosen to recieve the memories of the community (which they are unaware of) from an elder, The Giver. This is a special job chosen only for him and he has to experience the whole gamet of human emotion, from good to bad. Awesome book. I'm not so sure 5th graders can grasp the deepness of this book though...