Two very different books this week:
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Greg Gaines is a slightly overweight, not-exactly-popular high school senior whose only ambition in life is to fly under the radar and survive the hell that is high school. He and his best friend, Earl, have little in common except for their love of amateur filmmaking and profanity. When Greg's mom forces him to spend time with Rachel, a girl he "sort of dated" who is dying of leukemia, he can't imagine worse torture.
Not much happens, either in the plot or with character development. Rachel's illness provides a thin plot thread, but really isn't the focus of the story. I kept hoping for Greg to learn something, but this is not that type of book. That said, the book is hilarious, especially if you aren't easily offended. If phrases like "Jesus Christ in a cockwagon" offend you, I would recommend giving this book a pass.
For a book with a more sensitive take on kids with cancer, I highly recommend John Green's The Fault in Our Stars.
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
Book three in the Inheritance series.
The adventures of Eragon and Saphira continue. The story is predictable--anyone who is familiar with Tolkien or Star Wars will be able to see the plot twists coming from miles away. I still found it entertaining, though more careful editing of some parts (much of the dwarven politics, for example) would have kept the plot moving a bit better.
The downside of listening to these books on audio is that you can't skip exposition and description like you can while actually reading. It took forever to listen to this monster.
Finally, I can get to the last book, the one actually on the challenge list!
Next up: Inheritance by Christopher Paolini and Every Day by David Levithan.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment