A giant of a book!

I just finished Fall of Giants, by Ken Follet. As with many of his books I have read, this was an epic novel, counting in at 985 pages!!!!! It took me awhile to read it, but I finished it last night, finally!!!!! I need some time to collect my thoughts about it, but then expect a giant post about it, because with almost 1000 pages, I think there will be a lot to discuss! But it was a great book!!

Going Home, by Harriet Evans

I must say, I was very, very disappointed in this book. It makes me so sad, because the first book I read from this author, "Hopeless Romantic" was an awesome book! But this book was just 400 pages of getting to the point, and then the point just not really mattering! It was all about this one thing, and then in the end, she decides it's not really a big deal anymore. There's love, lies, betrayal, drama, Brit speak (which some of it was just confusing and hard to understand....), and it is sooo much fluff that the whole center of the book becomes unimportant. It takes to long to get there, then it is gone. The ending is also really predictable and did nothing for me. Overall, this book blew. This post is kind of confusing, but that is how I felt when I read it! There are some other books of her I wanted to read, but I don't know now. This was her debut novel, and maybe that is why "Hopeless Romantic" was so much better, because she had this disaster under her belt. I give this book a D. =-(

Safe Haven, by Nicholas Sparks

This was your typical Nicholas Spark's book, but with a nice little twist! It was more of a mystery/thriller type story intertwined with the romance of it all. It was actually quite refreshing, although I had some problems with the "bad guy", but more on that later. As with most Sparks's books, it is kind of predictable. Girl moves into town, meets guy. Guy falls for Girl. There are some obstacles. Both overcome those obstacles and BAM happy ending! But since this was a thriller-esque book, it packed a little punch that kept me a little on edge. It was predictable in all the regular ways, but at the same time there was something new, which was very refreshing. After reading five or six of Sparks's books, you get kind of bored, but his books are always ones I grab when I feel like a good love story/cry.

Anyways. The story is set in North Carolina (shock) and centers around Alex, small town store owner, and Katie, a beautiful, yet mysterious stranger who has moved to town, and how they become connected. But Katie has a secret, and it seems throughout the whole story, as her past unfolds, that her secret will catch up to her. Great story line actually. They way Katie's narrative is told is great, because she does not want it to be told, so the reader only gets snippets of the story, only an idea of what has happened to her, until eventually she spills it all out to Jo (her kind of recluse neighbor). Without giving to much away, Katie ran away from her husband (Kevin), changed her hair  color and identity and became Katie. She never got divorced, so technically she is still married, so her relationship with Alex becomes tangled, because Alex doesn't know or understand Katie's distance and hesitation as they become closer. As (spoiler alert!) Katie's husband begins to search for her, the thrill of the story kicks in, because he stumbles on to her whereabouts by pure accident, and no one really sees it coming.

But the husband is where I have my issues with this story. Maybe because Sparks has not had to much experience writing thrillers, but this guy was a very weak character. He was very focused on Katie, but in almost a child like way. Like they way he would fixate on things, like the Bible, and what the Bible says a wife should do and how she should be, but it's written in such a way that is very childlike and unbelievable. I think if maybe Sparks had gone more into Kevin's past, before Katie met him, then maybe his upbringing would be more relevant to why he is the way he is. To me it seems as if Kevin has some kind of mental illness, maybe he is bipolar or just plain psycho (spoiler!!) as well as being an alcoholic. I don't know. If we knew more about Kevin, maybe his character would have been more believable and maybe even justified (even though I think he is psycho!).

Overall, this was a breath of fresh air from Nicholas Sparks. I didn't feel weepy or sad at the end of the book, just satisfied and happy. As always the way NC is described makes it sound like a place I would love to vacation at one of these days, because it seems to have everything, but only if I would be able to find a man Sparks's always describes, like Alex or even Noah (The Notebook!). Alas, I think I will have to live vicariously through his words only! But definitely pick this book up, even though its a little bit different then your typical Sparks's book, its always going to be a great, feel good read! I give this book a B+!!!

Room: A Novel, by Emma Donoghue

What an interesting story. This is a story about a little boy and his mother, told through the voice and perspective of the boy, Jack, who is 5, and the room they live in. It was really weird from the get-go, because there is not a lot of explanation as to why they are in this room, living as if it is normal. But this is because it is told by a 5 year old who thinks this is normal, because it is all he knows. The story unfolds and you learn about Old Nick, the man who put them in this room and supplies them with food and things they need to survive on the most basic level. A great plan unfolds to escape, and for that to happen Jack has to learn about the "Outside", which he has a hard time believing in because he always thought things like cars and streets and the sea were pretend! So when they break out of the room, he is exposed to all the new things, and we follow him as he learns how to deal with it all. It is a very interesting story, and I think it is based off a true life story, although I didn't look into it, so all I know is that something like it happened.

I found the story really hard to get into at first, because I just didn't understand what this kid was talking about, and the way they lived and why. It just seemed weird and with no explanation. I also couldn't figure out how this whole book could be about one boy in one room with all the things they do in the day...I thought it was going to be really boring. But once the story starts unfolding, I couldn't put the book down. When they got to the "outside" it was even more interesting because it was so different for both characters and for Jack to start to understand the real world and what happened to him, and wondering what mental effect this has caused him was really interesting.

Donoghue is the author is Slammerkin, which I own but have never read, but I think I might now because I enjoyed this story so much!!!!

The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera

This is the second Kundera book I have read, and I just love him! This book was no exception. The story was pretty simple, and one thing I loved/hated about it was the repetition. I am of two minds of this because I thought it was kind of cool how everything kept coming back around to the same things, but at the same time, I was like "Oka, I get it...baby in a bulrush basket..let's move on!!" But it is one of the things Kundera does, repetition, and he does it well. The story follows on couple, and a few people (plus a dog), who surround them in their relationship. It is a very quick read, because it is written simply, but that does not make the content whatsoever simple. It is actually very easy to get lost because of the simplicity. I found myself constantly re-reading a passage because I missed something, even if it is a repetition, you miss something by just breezing over. This book takes a close read, and I think maybe if I read it again, I will get a lot more out of it, just the way I felt with the first book I read from him, "Ignorance". After two readings of this book I felt like I enjoyed it the first time, and understood it better the second time.

Water for Elepants, by Sara Gruen

This book was recommended to me from a lot of people! I really liked it to. I liked how it was  set up in the present day with flashbacks. It almost reminded me of Nicholas Spark's "The Notebook", with the setting being in a assisted living place, the main character being elderly and his remembering of the past, of one huge event that pretty much changed his life. I think it was written very well, and from what I read, looking into the author, this first draft of this book was written for NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, which is held in November.
Anyways, this is a really good book, full of a lot of history about the circus and the 20's. At the end of the book there was an interview with Gruen, and she talks a lot about the research she did for the novel, and how many anecdotal stories were used and why. That is one of my favorite parts of the story; a lot of it is based on real stories that real circus people told her when she was researching! It is still a fictional piece of work, but to know that some of this stuff happened, someway, somehow, just makes even more interesting.
This book has already been made into a movie starring Robert Pattinson as the main character, Jacob, and Resse Witherspoon as the love interest, Marlena. I am not to sure about how the book will translate onto the big screen, especially Witherspoon as Marlena, because in my head, as I read the story, I just couldn't picture her in that kind of role. But I try not to put to much stock into movies made from books; they seldom ever make the mark. I do however try to go in with an open mind.
The novel itself was really engaging, I could hardly put it down. I read it in 2 days actually, and was really sad that I read it so quickly, because I just didn't want it to end. But i really liked the ending. I really didn't expect it, and it was just a good way to end it. I give this book an A for being a fun, exciting read that I just couldn't put down! I highly recommend it, just as it was recommended to me! And even though movies from books are not my favorite, I am looking forward to seeing what makes it into the film and what doesn't!

What I Read, How I read and Why.

I love reading. I just recently got my Bachelors's Degree in English, so needless to say I spend most of my college career reading and writing about what I was reading. I spent a lot of time reading a lot of things that I didn't really want to, but I was also introduced to a lot of authors and styles I never would have even looked at. One of my favorite classes was my senior seminar class on American Short Stories. I really admire short stories because so much is accomplished in a so few pages.
I read ALL the time, anywhere and everywhere, which I think sometimes annoys my boyfriend! But I usually always carry a book on me, up until lately that is. I got a Kindle for my birthday, so now that basically never leaves my side. Whenever I have down time at work I read, I read during my lunch and breaks, and I read during breakfast and every night before bed I read at least a chapter or two.
I read anything and everything. I like fiction mostly. I like losing myself in a book.
Some of my favorite books are:
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. I have read it at least 5 times and it never gets old. It is an amazing book.
A Prayer for Owen Meany, By Washington Irving. I read this in my freshman college English class. It took me a while to realize that it was what the movie Simon Birch was based of off, but it was so much better than the movie. This book is where I started noticing symbolism in books.
All the Harry Potter books. I am a Harry Potter nerd!!!!! Goblet of Fire is my favorite of the series.
White Oleander, by Janet Fitch. Every time I read this book, I notice something new, something I didn't see before. Love it.