Great Reads for this Spring

Ahhh. Spring. The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, and the sun is coming out of hibernation, glowing and spreading its warmth to Earth. What better time to enjoy nature, start fresh, or to dig into a great book? Never.

I’ve read, and heard about, so many great books lately that I feel that I must share them with you, the readers of The Bookshelf. I feel that I have compiled a list of books, new and old, fiction and true, to support you through the great season of spring. Books take you on adventures, provide you with guidance, and, well, are the greatest thing ever invented. Nothing compares to them. That’s right. Nothing. I hope you enjoy the following books as much as do and have a great spring reading and cherishing them.

Books that will make this spring the best one yet:

•       Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys: I, unfortunately, have not had the opportunity to read this book yet. However, I have not heard a single negative review of this historical novel. This book, which is already racking up tons of honors and slots on bestseller lists, explores the life of Lithuanians being forced into labor-camps during the Soviets’ rule. These camps, which are very similar to the Nazi concentration camps, prove to be foul, horrible places. But as the reader follows the journey of Lina, a sixteen-year-old    Lithuanian, it is discovered that courage and determination can conquer the odds. This harrowing novel is on the top of my to-read list, and I hope to review it once I am finished.

•          If I Stay by Gayle Forman: I read this book about a year ago, a month or so before the creation of The Bookshelf. Mia is an aspiring cellist and has hopes of making it into the prestigious Juilliard School, a preforming arts college in NYC. However, after a sudden car accident, Mia’s parents die, and she and her younger brother are taken to the hospital in critical condition. While comatose, Mia narrates the story, ultimately trying to make the decision to live or die. She is able to hear and see everything while she is in the coma and must face the difficult truth that if she were to live, her world would be completely different. This is a strong novel about life-altering decisions and willpower.

•          White Cat by Holly Black: Cassel Sharpe comes from a family of cure workers: people who are able to control the lives of others. Each curse worker is given the ability to control different things in people such as, emotions, luck, dreams, memories, physical pain, et cetera, all with the touch of a bare hand. Cassel, however, is the only one in his family that was not born a curse worker. Though Cassel is viewed as a con man or criminal like curse workers are, he still feels like one because he murdered his best friend. The reader is taken on an adventure of cons, shady pasts, lies, and unclear intentions as we the readers, and Cassel himself, attempt to discover what caused him to kill his best friend. A stellar read – review coming soon.

•           What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell: Another book that explores the art of lying and deception. Taking place after the end of World War II, Evie, an average ‘40s teen, is swept into a web of lies when her stepfather returns from war. Everything seems bright and cheery at first, but when Evie and her family go to Florida for a vacation, a whole other side is revealed to Evie of her once simple life. Many events occur that reveal shocking secrets about her once picture-perfect family. And when tragedy strikes, Evie must decide between what is right and what will ultimately save her family, whom, despite everything, she still cares for. The ending to this novel caught me by surprise as I’m sure the whole book will for you.

•          A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle: I am actually currently reading this classic book, perfect for all ages. What begins with the simple life of Meg Murry, quickly sky rockets into a time-traveling, space-defying tale of a genius four-year-old, three mysterious old ladies, and a being called IT. Originally published in 1962, this timeless classic will take you on an adventure and touch your heart.  

Well, there you have it; your ultimate list of what to read this spring – because no spring would be perfect without the presence of books!

Z for Zachariah: Alone in a Lonely World

Yesterday, I finished reading Z for Zachariah, by Robert C. O’Brien. Published in 1974, during the Cold War, this book takes place during the aftermath of a huge nuclear war that killed thousands of Americans. Told in a diary format, the narrator of this horrifying, yet inspiring, book is sixteen year old Ann Burden. Ann lives in a valley that was unaffected by the war and the tremendous amounts of radiation it gave off. All towns and cities near the valley are brown, wilted, and lifeless. The valley, however, remained intact and alive. Ann is the only person left alive in the valley and, so she thinks, the only person left alive in the whole world. Following the war, Ann’s family, who also survived the war, traveled to a nearby town, with the Kleins, the only other residents in the valley. Ann did not go with her family; she stayed home to tend to the farm. After days, weeks, of waiting, Ann’s family did not return. Ann had to face the difficult truth that when her family and friends traveled outside of the valley, they must have died from the radiation. She had to face the fact that, except for the chickens and cows on the farm, she was all alone. Even the family dog, Faro, ran away, desperately searching for the rest of his family. Ann came to realize that she was probably the only person left alive, living in the only place left alive. Her family always said that the valley had its own weather. Ann came to assume the same went for immunity to radiation, too.

The book begins about a year after the nuclear war that wiped out the country and changed Ann’s life forever. Ann has become a very independent person since she started living by herself; she works in the garden, takes care of the animals, cooks meals for herself, and is resourceful for the future. There is no electricity or gasoline, but she makes the best of things. She goes fishing, creates fires to keep warm, and visits the small store that the Kleins owned when something is needed. However, one day Ann’s routine life is turned upside down. She notices smoke rising in the distance, outside the valley where no one lives. Even stranger, this column of smoke is in a different place every day, as if someone is moving, walking towards the valley and creating a fire when needed. As if someone else is alive. Scared, Ann takes refuge in a hidden cave near her house. She hopes the mysterious person does not see the green of the valley. She has been living alone for a year, and has no idea if this person is a friend or enemy. Unfortunately for Ann, the stranger, a man, finds the valley. He arrives wearing an all green plastic suit, with a gas mask on his face, pulling a big wagon, also covered in green tarp, behind him. Still in hiding, Ann watches as the man rejoices in his new found discovery. She watches him use a Geiger counter, used to measure the amount of ionizing radiation, and how he takes off his suit when he realizes he has found an area unaffected by the war. He, having not been around life for a long time, eagerly jumps into one of two streams in the valley. However, unbeknownst to him, the one stream that he is in contains the only radiation in the valley. The radiation never spread to the rest of the valley, and, thankfully, there is a second stream for a water supply.

Ann, not being able to stand by anymore, comes out hiding and nurses the poor man while he is dreadfully ill. The man, John R. Loomis, whom Ann calls Mr. Loomis, appears to be kind and have good intentions. He tells her that he was once a scientist that specialized in radiation and creating plastics that withstand it, such as the green tarp he was wearing. Ann helps take care of him by making him meals, moving him into her house, and just being there for him. She is so excited to have another person with her, having thought everyone else was dead and that she would be forever alone. She does everything to make sure he lives, and he survives. However, Ann views Mr. Loomis differently after she overhears him talking in his sleep during a nightmare. A different side of Mr. Loomis is revealed when he becomes better, a side that makes Ann think different about having someone else live with her.

Ann realizes that Mr. Loomis is a manipulative controlling man that wants her to be his salve in this new and different world. He takes over every aspect of the valley. Ann, terrified, runs away and lives in her cave again. Mr. Loomis is determined to get her back and to make her be his servant. Even when the family dog miraculously arrives, alive, he takes him in as a weapon against Ann. Ann wishes she still lived by herself, and that Mr. Loomis never came to the valley.

This is an exhilarating book, and the fact that it is written as Ann’s diary makes it so much more personal and heart-wrenching. The reader is taken on the rollercoaster ride of emotions and problems that Ann had to face, and ultimately the results that came with them. This is a fantastic book about how different a world would be with only two people that have two very different ideas.

Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

The Results Are In! (Poll #5)

The readers of The Bookshelf have voiced their opinions, and the results of the fifth poll are in! After reading and reviewing I Am Number Four, which is now a movie, I was inspired to create a poll to see how other people like their favorite (or even not so favorite) books being adapted into movie form. I believe it is safe to say that no one thinks the movie adaptions are better than the books, but there are a few movies that stay pretty truthful to the book counterpart. However, in my opinion, the number of movie disasters that don't stay truthful to the books greatly outnumber those that do. Head on over to this post to read more about a very fragile subject, deep and personal to me...

On to the results! The question: What's your view on books being made into movies? And the results:

• They're great - I love seeing my favorite books on the big screen! 0 votes, 0%
• They can be pretty good, but often don't stay truthful to the book. 11 votes, 64%
• I don't watch them because I know they won't be good. 4 votes, 23%
• Two words: absolutely horrible! 2 votes, 11%

As you can see, option numero dos is the winner, with well over half of the votes. This is how I, and according to this poll, everyone else, think about books being made into movies; they can be good, but only if the Hollywood puts in the effort to stay truthful to the book. Thankfully, no one voted for option number one (it pained me to type that option). Second and third place were I don't see them at all and horrible!, respectively.

And the biggest win, well at least for me, was that seventeen people voted - a NEW RECORD for The Bookshelf. Thanks, you guys. I just may have to publish an extra, reward poll sometime soon (hint, hint).

Nothing: An Articulate Book About Meaning

As mentioned in the previous post, I recently finished reading a 2011 Michael L. Printz Award Honor book (try saying that three times fast), Nothing by Janne Teller. Originally published in Danish, this short novel explores the surprisingly fine line between meaning and nothing. Many critics have called this book The Lord of the Flies of the 21st century. I suppose I can see why it seems so similar to the provocative 20th century book. No, it doesn't tell a story about a group of boys on an adult-less deserted island, but it does have that feeling of being un-realistic realistic fiction. Much, like The Lord of the Flies, it explores life-altering topics and has deep undertones, but also, just like LOTF, it doesn't have much character depth. Which adds to the un-realisic aspect; the events that occur in this book could happen, but the absence of emotion and detail give it a surreal tone.

The book begins with the start of a seventh grade school year in a Danish school. Agnes, the narrator, recalls how one of her fellow classmates, Pierre Anthon, stood up and announced to the class, Nothing matters. I have known that for a long time. So nothing is worth doing. I just realized that. This leads to Pierre Anthon to begin living in a plum tee, shouting about how life means nothing to everyone who passes by. Annoyed by Pierre Anthon's behavior, Agnes and the other seventh graders begin to create a pile of things that have meaning. However, they quickly realize that they enjoy their most meaningful possessions too much to give away. This revelation causes the classmates to decide for each other what to add to the pile of meaning. Each classmate, after being forced to give something up, chooses another person and what they must add to the pile. What begins with a favorite pair of shoes or a beloved pet hamster, quickly turns into other, terrible, horrid things. A coffin with a dead body, a detached finger, and other unspeakable things are forced into the pile of meaning. Ultimately, this book leads to a shocking surprise ending, that leaves you thinking about it long after you have finished reading.

This novel creates many questions in one's mind. In the very end, Agnes reveals, while revisiting her memories from that year, that she doesn't know what the meaning of everything is, just that she knows it has a meaning. Which is the theme of the story; just because you don't know the meaning of something, doesn't mean it's not there.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Happyface: You Can't Run From Reality

While meandering through my local library, I came across a seemingly optimistic and friendly book, Happyface, by Stephen Emond. Only when I began reading the first few pages of this book, did I realize that this book is actually a deep, heart-wrenching look at what’s true and what’s fake in life.

I usually refuse to read novels with illustrations. Call it whatever you want: comic book, graphic novel, manga, picture book, I prefer my fiction in the written word. However, Happyface, which I thoroughly enjoyed, is in fact part words, part pictures. Of course, I enjoyed the words much more than the picture counterparts, but I found myself oddly attracted to the pictures that beautifully illustrate this story. Mind you, this book is not like a comic book with different panels and speech bubbles, but more like a story, a journal actually, that has both beautiful and whimsical drawings interspersed within the text (similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, for those of you who have read it). I found myself astonished at the fact that my view of graphic novels was very two dimensional and stereotypical. This book may have changed my view on graphic novels. I smell a new poll idea…

With that being said, let’s get to the story. Happyface starts off with an unnamed fourteen-year-old boy receiving a journal from his father, an aspiring author. He journals about his family life, his parents who are at odds with each other, his perfect older brother, Everett, and his only best friend, Chloe, with whom he also has a major crush. The narrator lives a quiet life, hiding in the shadow of his brother, disconnected from his parents, not talking to many people. Then one day, the boy’s parents split, and he moves to a small apartment with his mom. When I was reading this part in the book, I was baffled; the narrator went from living an okay life, to, all of a sudden, moving to a new place, leaving behind his dad, his school, Chloe, his brother. There was no reason given to the reader as to why he was moving, except for his parents’ marital troubles, especially with alcohol. I chalked this up to poor writing (which did not help my view of illustrated novels, at the time), only to realize later that something else happened, something major that the author was not ready to reveal.

The narrator begins life at his new school with a very cliche attitude: that he can recreate his life. He takes his once quiet, introverted personality and adds oomph to by doing one thing: smiling. Through many difficult situations he keeps smiling, which earns him the nickname, Happyface. He makes new friends, new enemies, and a new crush. He desperately wants Gretchen, a popular girl, to love him, but as the reader discovers, probably not for the right reasons. Happyface was traumatized by events that occurred in his past, and he feels the need to be known, wanted. He develops a false identity as an always happy person that doesn’t let anything faze him, and he quickly climbs up the social food chain.

Not only does he hurt himself in this big coup, but he also hurts the people around him. His real personality and past begin to shine through this mask he created for himself, and he is confronted by his demons.

This is a great coming-of-age novel that shows how different people respond to tragedies. Happyface runs from the truth and the pressure and guilt soon builds up, builds up so much that he almost explodes of falsity. He learns that he must face his past, the people that deceived him, and the people that he lost, in order to move on. He soon discovers that he can’t fix everything just by smiling.

Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars