The Curious Inident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

*Possible Spoilers*

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon

Read: February 8-12, 2016
Published: May 18, 2004
Genre: Mystery

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.

This improbably story of Christopher's quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years. (Amazon)





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Why did you read this book?
This book was on one of my To-Read lists (40 Books You Won't Be Able To Put Down?) and I saw it at the library, so I grabbed. I didn't really know what it was about and I didn't do any research on it, so I went in without any expectations.

What did you like about this book?
I liked the concept of the book and I thought it was very well done in the first half. It kept me interested through most of it. The main character, Christopher, likes to count in prime numbers, so the chapters are numbered by prime numbers, which I thought was pretty clever. At first, I liked that it was told from Christopher's point of view, as I've never read a book from the point of view of someone who has Asperger's. 

What didn't you like about this book?
There was far too much math in this book. I didn't mind it at first, but it got really old pretty quickly. It was a short book, but I think it would've been to its benefit if it had been even shorter. Also, the plot was pretty weak and I didn't really care that much about any of the characters.

Bottom-Line:
This book was okay. I wouldn't reread it. I think it is a book very much for the 'literary snob'. I did read that it was for people that are fans of The Catcher in the Rye, which I am very much the opposite. So, no, I wouldn't recommend this because I have other books to recommend that I believe are better.



"Sometimes we get sad about things and we don't like to tell other people that we are sad about them. We like to keep it a secret. Or sometimes, we are sad but we really don't know why we are sad, so we say we aren't sad but we really are." -The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon



  

Me Before You by Jojo Mayes

*Definitely Spoilers*

Me Before You
by Jojo Mayes

Read: February 11-12, 2016
Published: July 30, 2013
Genre: Adult Fiction, Romance

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose...

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex-Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he's pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living. (Amazon)





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Why did you read this book?
I saw the trailer for the upcoming movie and being close to Valentine's Day, I thought I could use a good uplifting romance. Oh boy.

What did you like about this book?
I thought the characters were developed really well. None of them were perfect and none of them were completely horrible (except maybe Patrick...I didn't like him). This was also one of the most convincing slow-build relationships that I've read. It took a long time for Louisa and Will to start to like each other, and even longer for them to grow that friendship into something a little more. It was realistic. I also really liked Louisa's character. I could really relate to her. I don't have big dreams and I don't much care for living anywhere other than my beautiful small town. It's safe there. I liked reading about how she learned to broaden her horizons a bit with Will's help. I really did like this book, except...

What didn't you like about this book?
Small things first...there were times when it got a bit slow. There were some descriptions and scenes that were just unnecessary. And Patrick. He was the worst and I didn't like him. However, my biggest beef with this book was the end. *Huge Spoilers After This Point!* Now, I can handle it when a main character dies at the end. I handled it in The Fault in Our Stars and in Allegiant. There were reasons for the deaths. In one, death was inevitable and in the other it was a sacrifice to save a life. Will Traynor however was unwilling to continue his life even though his family and Louisa were pleading with him not to. He had Louisa's love, and he loved her, and that wasn't enough for him. I couldn't handle that. I would have appreciated this book much more if it ended with the same uplifting and hopeful tone that was consistent throughout. The end just made me so angry. It all felt pointless and hopeless in the end.

Bottom-Line:
I don't know. It was a good book, but I strongly disagree with the ending. There is a movie coming out in June, so I'm glad a read the book before so I'm not completely shocked and distraught in a theatre, so maybe I'd suggest it to someone who wants to see the movie, but likes to read the book first. Or to anyone that wants their heart ripped out.



"You know, you can only actually help someone who wants to be helped." -Me Before You by Jojo Mayes

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

*Possible Spoilers*

A Court of Thorns and Roses
by Sarah J. Maas

Read: February 1-2, 2016
Published: May 5, 2015
Genre: Fantasy

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin--one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.


As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it...or doom Tamlin---and his world---forever. (Amazon)




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Why did you read this book?
This is one of the many books that my cousin recommended to me and I'm finally getting to it. Also, I was in the fairy tale mood when I got it at the library a few weeks ago. And it's due Saturday, so I really had to get a move on and read it.

What did you like about this book?
This is one of my favorite Beauty and the Beast adaptations that I've read so far (I'll compare to them later). I liked the faerie aspect of the book. I've been kind of turned off towards the whole fae genre since I went through a fae genre frenzy by freshman/sophomore years of high school. This is the first I've read in a long time that I really enjoyed. As far as characters go, Lucien was probably my favorite. He was funny, but also really tough with a rough backstory. Feyre and Tamlin weren't as compelling to me, as characters, but I loved their love story. The best part about this book was probably the descriptions and the action scenes. Maas really has a way with words and her fighting scenes are excellent. It was really just a beautiful book to imagine, with the settings described so well I could see it.

What didn't you like about this book?
There seemed to be two climaxes to this book. The first was paced appropriately, but the second one was hard to get to. The whole build up to the main event at the end just took too long. I found myself skipping whole passages just because I was bored with it. I also had a problem with Feyre's character development. At the start of the book she was tough, and stubborn, and a provider...she was just awesome. However, as she fell in love with Tamlin, she lost the traits that I loved about her and by the first climax, she was a completely different person than she had been in the beginning. She was still portrayed as a strong, independent character, but I just didn't feel it like I did in the first chapters.

Comparisons:
As compared to Cruel Beauty, I enjoyed this one much more. The characters were better developed and it had a more driving plot and I cared about what happened in the end. When I compared this book to the original Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont, I was pleased to find small, basic similarities. There were the two sisters (although, the brothers were left out of Maas' book) and the sudden matter of Beauty/Feyre's father losing their fortune. The beast/Tamlin also sent Beauty/Feyre back home (although for different reasons). I just enjoyed the little similarities that reminded me that it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling. However, there were very, very few similarities to the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. No dancing cutlery, singing teapots, or animalistic footrests. The only thing that really reminded me of the Disney movie is when Tamlin took Feyre to the gallery, which was very similar to the beast showing Belle the library.

Bottom-Line:
I really did like this book. I'm not sure if I'll add it to my shelf, but I do know that I'll have to read the second one when it comes out in May. I will add that I'm a little leery of the second book (I've heard rumors of a love triangle. The horror!). However, I think this book can be read on its own. The ending is satisfying enough where you really don't need a second book. So I will recommend it to anyone that enjoys fairy tales. You may divulge in book two (A Court of Mist and Fury) at your own risk.




"We need hope, or else we cannot endure." -A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas