I just finished another book, and since I have time today, I thought that I would blog about it. Since I'm going back to school next week, this might possibly be the last book that I blog about for awhile. I may update every now and then with something cool I learn in class, or possibly reviews about what I'm reading for my literature classes, etc. It's been fun tracking everything I've read since April, and I'm not sure how many people read this, but thanks for sticking with me!

Novel #15
Title: Water for Elephants
Author: Sara Gruen
Grade: C-
Brief Summary: Jacob Jankowski faces a hard life ahead of him when his parents suddenly die during last month of college. Because of the Depression, Jacob sees no future for himself, and he walks out of his final veterinarian exams. He jumps onto the first passing train which happens to be for The Benzini Brothers circus, and they just happen to need a veterinarian. Jacob starts working with August, the equestrian director, and his wife, Marlena, who Jacob falls for. Can Jacob keep his feelings in check and take care of The Benzini's newest performer, an elephant named Rosie?
Review: I want to be perfectly clear: I did not start reading this book because of Robert Pattinson. I will say that seeing the commercials for the movie adaptation sparked my interest in the novel, but it had nothing to do with a certain actor. Ok, now that's been made clear, I can move on. I was very disappointed in this book. The storyline at first seemed very intriguing: an old man reflects back on the summer that changed his life, which happened to be when he traveled with a circus. So I started reading, and at first it was really great. Then, about 20-30 pages in, it started to get really racy and raunchy. That's when I probably when I should have put the book down, but I didn't want to give up just for that. There were only about two more racy scenes, and I dealt with that. What really started to get to me was the treatment of the character August. August seems to have a split personality at first, and later in the book you find out why. Now, I know that back in the 1930's, there wasn't a lot of sympathy for people with mental or emotional disorders. But wanting to kill a man because he has a disorder is not cool, and this is what happens when August, Jacob, and Marlena have a falling out. Jacob seems to be a caring man, and then all of a sudden, he wants to kill a man, even after he finds out that August has problems. That really ruined the book for me after that, because the one character that I felt sympathetic got a really crappy ending, while the other two characters had a better ending. I just felt like August's character was stereotyped, and I did not like it at all. There could have been much better writing on Gruen's part. I did like the ending chapter however, just because it ties old Jacob back to the beginning of his journey, and I love when authors finish a story that way. Other than that, I am really surprised and can't believe this novel is a New York Times Bestseller; it probably has something to do with Robert Pattinson.

Man, I didn't realize how far behind I was in my blogging! Here are my most recently read novels.

Novel #14
Title: Where the Heart Is
Author: Billie Letts
Grade: B-
Brief Summary: Unlike most superstitious people, Novalee Nation hates the number 7; it has always been unlucky for her. Case in point: while she is seven months pregnant, and 17 years old, her boyfriend leaves her stranded at a Walmart in a small Oklahoma town. Finding nowhere else to go, and finding that the store has everything she needs, Novalee lives in the Walmart. As she begins to explore the town more, Novalee befriends the townspeople and builds strong relationships, which help her on a journey, in which she learns about love and friendship.
Review: Once again, I have found a book where I actually liked the movie adaptation instead of the actual book. I picked this book up thinking "Well I liked the movie, so why not?" and put it down thinking, "Ok, I should have just stuck to the movie." The story tended to drag a little bit, especially because at points in the story, Letts describes what is happening to Willy Jack, Novalee's boyfriend/baby daddy. For me, I wasn't all too interested in his story. I'm not sure if this was Lett's attempt for us to feel sympathy for his character, but I definitely felt he got his in the end. There were some cute parts, some sad, but for the most part, the story just felt like it was going on forever and ever. I did like, however, that Novalee's character starts off as a pleasing pushover into a stronger and determined young woman; this could have been done in a hundred page shorter novel, though.

Novel #3
Title: About a Boy
Author: Nick Hornby
Grade: A
Brief Summary: Will is a cool, up-to-date, 36-year-old bachelor living in London. His biggest worry is coming up with things to do during the day, as living off his father's wealth means he doesn't work. Marcus is a peculiar, old soul, 12-year-old boy who is being bullied at school and is worried that his mother is crying at breakfast and coming home early from work. When Will pretends to be a single father to pick up single mothers, he meets Marcus, and an unlikely friendship begins. Will teaches Marcus how to be a kid, and Marcus teaches Will how to grow up.
Review: I found a copy of this novel at the Desert Industries in Rexburg, and I got so excited. I love the film adaptation of this novel and decided that I would read the novel (and being priced at 50 cents, I couldn't pass up the deal!). As I was already familiar with the story, it didn't take me too long to catch on to the plot. What I love is that in the book, you really get a sense of Will and Marcus' characterization, as the book is written in both their points of view. You immediately get the sense of Will's slightly arrogant and conceited personality, and Marcus's interesting, simplistic, and truthful view of the world. You can't help but love both of these characters. There are moments of laugh out loud goodness. If you are a fan of the movie, you'll be a bit surprised by the ending, as it is different than the movie. However, the ending in the novel is the perfect way of showing the growth of not just Will and Marcus, but as Marcus's mom, Fiona as well. This book is endearing and a good read for those wishing to rediscover youth, and in a way, this is a coming-of-age novel, as both Will and Marcus start to act more their age at the end of the novel. However, I would not recommend this novel to anyone under the age of 16, because there is a bit of language (the author is British, enough said about that) and there are a few conversations about sex.