1 star -- I hate it
(See? I'm making up for all those blank days by reading as fast as I can for you!)
Wish You Were Dead is a really awful book. Part of my problem is that I get my books off of Amazon recommendations. Based on previous ratings, Amazon suggests other books. Sometimes the suggestions are fantastic. Sometimes they're only so-so. Sometimes I don't know why a book was even recommended to me.
But it's my fault too. When I feel like I might have a lot of time on my hands, I grab the more interesting-looking titles from my recommended list, put them on hold at the library, and take them home with nothing more than a title in my head. Sometimes I know the author. Sometimes I think the books that the recommendation is based on are stellar, and so the recommendation can't go wrong. Sometimes the cover is what convinces me to get the book. Sometimes I just want to try something a little more unusual.
In this case, the cover reminded me of Unwind, which is an unbelievably moving book. It horrified me, but it stuck in my head, which means its fantastic.
Anyway, back to this book, I checked it out without knowing a thing about it. The title could take the story any number of ways. And it was marked by the library as "Mystery," which I don't often read, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
(Bad pun...) I took the shot for you. You can remain unscathed by the awfulness of this book. I beg of you, don't read this book.
It starts off okay, and I think the only positive thing I have to say about this book is that the author manages to make everyone a possible suspect while keeping the true criminal hidden until the end.
But it was that "Everyone's a suspect" that eventually got to me. And once that started to annoy me, I noticed every other bad aspect of the book.
The writing is not phenomenal. It's very ... average. It's like reading a high school paper. Point A. Point B. Point C. Walk the reader to the conclusion with no surprises.
The plot is ... overdone. There is nothing original in this story. It's like a mash-up of a teen angsty book with a harlequin romance with a serial killer thriller. Everything you imagine in those books is in this book.
The characters are flat and lifeless. The criminal is not believable. I don't think the author did any research when he wrote this. I don't think he researched how long people take to die without water, how antidepressants work, or how bipolar disorder works and affects people. I don't think he researched multiple-personality disorder. I don't think he thought things through.
I get the feeling that the author doesn't really remember what it was like to be in high school -- or he's completely terrible at writing from a female's POV. For example, the main character, Lucy, is enamored of the new guy. She's Miss Popular, and she loves it. All of her friends are popular, and she loves them (every single one of them... she's so nice!). But she can't get antisocial trench coat-wearing Tyler out of her head. I don't know how it was in your high school, but in my high school, popular girls dated popular guys, and if a guy they were interested in treated them like shit, they moved on. And they weren't attracted to the loner Goth kid anyway.
Beside which, three of Lucy's closest friends disappear, and foul play is suspected. And she still can't get Tyler out of her head? When your longtime best friend from elementary school disappears, right after his girlfriend (coincidentally, also a longtime friend of yours) inexplicably disappeared, and then your most-recent acquisition of a best friend disappears as well ...? I don't care how hot the guy is, you have bigger things on your mind.
And the climax of the story is one of the most ridiculous things. One of the kids is found dead, with her eyes gouged out, and the police demand all kids go home from school with their parental unit, because it obviously ISN'T SAFE OUT.
So as soon as Lucy and mum get home, mum heads off to a meeting, because surely their house is safe. And Lucy? Lucy decides to go to their hot tub, in a glass pool house, NAKED.
That's right. I know that when one of my best friends is found outside my school dead from dehydration, the first thing I think about is how relaxing it would be to sit in my hot tub nude...
And of course, scary guy comes to the glass.... and of course, scary guy breaks through the glass.... and of course, stupid girl can't even call the police.
And then it turns out that scary guy isn't actually scary. He's just trying to help (of course). And he has all the answers that no one else figured out (except for one lone girl in school who wisely decides NOT to go to the police). And it makes so much sense for Lucy to just go with him (yes, she did put on clothes first) to find the killer without leaving a note for her parents and without calling the police. Why call the police when there's a serial killer on the loose?
And THEN (were you thinking the book just couldn't get worse?) when Tyler (who showed up on his own) breaks Lucy out (but not himself), and she has a pitchfork and the element of surprise on her side, she tries to SUBDUE the (multiple-personality) killer and bully her into giving herself up. And then Lucy ACCIDENTALLY stabs the killer with the pitchfork, unexpectedly (and unwillingly) killing her.
Reading this was like reading a bad horror film. Except you laugh at bad horror flicks. You expect the heroine to grab the banana instead of the cell phone. But, personally, I expect more from a book.
I wish Lucy had been killed. She certainly didn't deserve to live. And did I mention that Tyler was a 20-year-old passing as an 18-year-old on his own manhunt to avenge his sister?
I told you... this book has every element....
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan
4 stars -- I liked it.
I'm not a huge fan of short story collections, so I apologize if my review comes across as being less than positive. Red Spikes deserves a positive review.
The variety of stories in this book is nice (not a very good descriptive word, eh?). I read Red Spikes cover to cover like a normal book, but I have a feeling it would have been better if I had read one story at a time, taking the time to digest each story properly before moving on to the next story. The topics in the stories are such that it's hard to move easily from one story to the next. I frequently had to re-read the stories' openings to adjust my mindset and make sure I was properly in the current story.
Going back to the variety of the stories, a fantasy story about toys come to life (or perhaps dreams come to life) is followed by a very realistic story of love lost. This is followed by a story one would tell to children to scare them (and it is a fine story for that!). There is a story told from a monkey's POV; a story about faeries; a story about limbo, heaven, and hell; a story about a witch. There's a little bit of something for everyone in this collection, and every story is written very well.
Overall, for my dislike of short story collections, I was surprised at how much I liked this book. Certain stories stick out more than others, and I think a number of them lend themselves to becoming full-length novels if the author wanted. (I think part of the reason I don't like short stories is that they are, as their name implies, so short... there's so much more than needs to be said to leave a reader satisfied. But having written short stories, I realize it works much better to have that little tingle of, "What happens next?")
This would be a good book to have on your shelf. It's got a beautiful, intriguing cover, and it would be lovely for guests who come over and want something to pass the few spare minutes they have. Rather than getting stuck in the middle of novel they might never get to finish, this would be a great alternative that leaves them with having read a good story in just a few minutes (much like a magazine article, but much more entertaining, and certainly bound much better).
I'm not a huge fan of short story collections, so I apologize if my review comes across as being less than positive. Red Spikes deserves a positive review.
The variety of stories in this book is nice (not a very good descriptive word, eh?). I read Red Spikes cover to cover like a normal book, but I have a feeling it would have been better if I had read one story at a time, taking the time to digest each story properly before moving on to the next story. The topics in the stories are such that it's hard to move easily from one story to the next. I frequently had to re-read the stories' openings to adjust my mindset and make sure I was properly in the current story.
Going back to the variety of the stories, a fantasy story about toys come to life (or perhaps dreams come to life) is followed by a very realistic story of love lost. This is followed by a story one would tell to children to scare them (and it is a fine story for that!). There is a story told from a monkey's POV; a story about faeries; a story about limbo, heaven, and hell; a story about a witch. There's a little bit of something for everyone in this collection, and every story is written very well.
Overall, for my dislike of short story collections, I was surprised at how much I liked this book. Certain stories stick out more than others, and I think a number of them lend themselves to becoming full-length novels if the author wanted. (I think part of the reason I don't like short stories is that they are, as their name implies, so short... there's so much more than needs to be said to leave a reader satisfied. But having written short stories, I realize it works much better to have that little tingle of, "What happens next?")
This would be a good book to have on your shelf. It's got a beautiful, intriguing cover, and it would be lovely for guests who come over and want something to pass the few spare minutes they have. Rather than getting stuck in the middle of novel they might never get to finish, this would be a great alternative that leaves them with having read a good story in just a few minutes (much like a magazine article, but much more entertaining, and certainly bound much better).
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech
5 stars - I love it!
The Unfinished Angel is a wonderful book. It is for children or juveniles (a bit younger than I usually read), but it's really sweet.
I think what attracted me to the book is the cover... or rather, the back cover :) The front cover is a simply drawn rainbow-colored pigeon. On the back or multi-colored pigeon footprints. It's adorable. I love rainbows, and the simplicity of this cover (with its intriguing title) drew me in.
The story is told from the point of view (POV) of an angel, who readily admits he doesn't think he's all he's supposed to be. He doesn't have a mission; he doesn't know what he's supposed to do for people; nor does he have all the words he knows he needs to communicate properly. Reading from his POV is like reading a story told by someone who speaks English as a second language, but it's done well enough that you don't mind.
I really enjoyed reading his made-up words. Some of them are just so perfect. For example, "... below the mountains is a blue-green lake, and above the mountains at night is a blue-black sky all pokeled with blue-white stars." Pokeled is exactly how the sky looks at night! He describes the secondary main character, Zola, as having "crippy-croppy hair." It certainly puts a strong image in my head.
The book's plot is simple, and it doesn't end up finishing the angel or answering any of his many questions, but it's a sweet and simple story that I think would entrance younger children.
If you have a 7-10 year old, this is definitely something you can read to them or with them.
The Unfinished Angel is a wonderful book. It is for children or juveniles (a bit younger than I usually read), but it's really sweet.
I think what attracted me to the book is the cover... or rather, the back cover :) The front cover is a simply drawn rainbow-colored pigeon. On the back or multi-colored pigeon footprints. It's adorable. I love rainbows, and the simplicity of this cover (with its intriguing title) drew me in.
The story is told from the point of view (POV) of an angel, who readily admits he doesn't think he's all he's supposed to be. He doesn't have a mission; he doesn't know what he's supposed to do for people; nor does he have all the words he knows he needs to communicate properly. Reading from his POV is like reading a story told by someone who speaks English as a second language, but it's done well enough that you don't mind.
I really enjoyed reading his made-up words. Some of them are just so perfect. For example, "... below the mountains is a blue-green lake, and above the mountains at night is a blue-black sky all pokeled with blue-white stars." Pokeled is exactly how the sky looks at night! He describes the secondary main character, Zola, as having "crippy-croppy hair." It certainly puts a strong image in my head.
The book's plot is simple, and it doesn't end up finishing the angel or answering any of his many questions, but it's a sweet and simple story that I think would entrance younger children.
If you have a 7-10 year old, this is definitely something you can read to them or with them.
Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
2 Stars -- I didn't like it :(
I finished this days ago and didn't post. I can blame it on several factors: the holidays; I'm a procrastinator; and I just didn't like this book and didn't want to write about it.
Bloom comes across as a typical teen love story in the back-ad and description. I had it on hold at the library for ever, which I assumed meant the book was really popular. I was rather looking forward to it, because surely a book that's hard to get a hold of should be worth it, right?
Not so much.
Lauren is an average teen girl. Except she's dating the most-popular and most-attractive guy in her school. Her relationship with him is perfect. He treats her like a perfect gentleman would. Due to his religious beliefs, he doesn't even try to pressure her to have sex.
Lauren says her best friend isn't her best friend. They don't have anything in common (except their best friend boyfriends).
And then Evan steps back into Lauren's life. They lived together once when her father was dating his mother. When that relationship went south, Evan disappeared, and now Lauren can't get him out of her head.
It's a pretty standard set-up for a teen novel.
What really, really upsets me, though, is how completely internally focused Lauren is, how self-centered and immature she comes across. Her pseudo-best friend is clearly having issues at home that any normal person, once they were clued in, would attempt to help out with. Her passion for Evan would cause a normal teen girl to drop her current boyfriend in a second. The author plays it off as Lauren being worried about what others would think, but she has also spent the entire book pointing out how Lauren doesn't really care what other people think about her. She knows she's not popular except through her boyfriend, and she doesn't let it get to her. If she doesn't really want to be popular, why would she stay with the boyfriend when she finds someone better?
There's also the storyline about Lauren and her father. Her mother (his wife) abandoned them when Lauren was six years old. This is the cause for a lot of Lauren's low self-esteem. For the majority of the story, Lauren's father is oblivious, choosing to work rather than spend time with Lauren. Except toward the end of the story, he starts coming home more. This culminates in a "heart-to-heart" with Lauren that goes nowhere. He says, "Your mother loved you," and they cry, and it's emotional--except it's not. It's a complete flop as far as heart-to-hearts go. Nothing is solved; nothing is accomplished.
I really disliked this book. It's like the author tried to bring up deeper issues and just couldn't follow through. I hated the main character, and I know that wasn't the author's intention. She wanted her to be a typical teen girl that any other girl could relate to. And while teens certainly are self-centered, immature, and oblivious, they usually don't cut off everyone they know. And if they do, the conclusion isn't that some tears and hugs make things better. You'd lose your friends.
Don't read this book... unless you want to figure out how NOT to write your teen character.
I finished this days ago and didn't post. I can blame it on several factors: the holidays; I'm a procrastinator; and I just didn't like this book and didn't want to write about it.
Bloom comes across as a typical teen love story in the back-ad and description. I had it on hold at the library for ever, which I assumed meant the book was really popular. I was rather looking forward to it, because surely a book that's hard to get a hold of should be worth it, right?
Not so much.
Lauren is an average teen girl. Except she's dating the most-popular and most-attractive guy in her school. Her relationship with him is perfect. He treats her like a perfect gentleman would. Due to his religious beliefs, he doesn't even try to pressure her to have sex.
Lauren says her best friend isn't her best friend. They don't have anything in common (except their best friend boyfriends).
And then Evan steps back into Lauren's life. They lived together once when her father was dating his mother. When that relationship went south, Evan disappeared, and now Lauren can't get him out of her head.
It's a pretty standard set-up for a teen novel.
What really, really upsets me, though, is how completely internally focused Lauren is, how self-centered and immature she comes across. Her pseudo-best friend is clearly having issues at home that any normal person, once they were clued in, would attempt to help out with. Her passion for Evan would cause a normal teen girl to drop her current boyfriend in a second. The author plays it off as Lauren being worried about what others would think, but she has also spent the entire book pointing out how Lauren doesn't really care what other people think about her. She knows she's not popular except through her boyfriend, and she doesn't let it get to her. If she doesn't really want to be popular, why would she stay with the boyfriend when she finds someone better?
There's also the storyline about Lauren and her father. Her mother (his wife) abandoned them when Lauren was six years old. This is the cause for a lot of Lauren's low self-esteem. For the majority of the story, Lauren's father is oblivious, choosing to work rather than spend time with Lauren. Except toward the end of the story, he starts coming home more. This culminates in a "heart-to-heart" with Lauren that goes nowhere. He says, "Your mother loved you," and they cry, and it's emotional--except it's not. It's a complete flop as far as heart-to-hearts go. Nothing is solved; nothing is accomplished.
I really disliked this book. It's like the author tried to bring up deeper issues and just couldn't follow through. I hated the main character, and I know that wasn't the author's intention. She wanted her to be a typical teen girl that any other girl could relate to. And while teens certainly are self-centered, immature, and oblivious, they usually don't cut off everyone they know. And if they do, the conclusion isn't that some tears and hugs make things better. You'd lose your friends.
Don't read this book... unless you want to figure out how NOT to write your teen character.
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