Enchanted by this Book

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Grade: A-

Genre: Book

Set in a fictional land named Frell where ogres, elves, and giants are just as common and well known as prairie dogs in Colorado, Ella Enchanted is a spin off of the Cinderella fairytale and is, in my opinion, one of the best Cinderella stories ever written.

The book is about a girl named Ella who is given the gift of obedience by a careless fairy named Lucinda soon after her birth. Although obedience may seem like a great gift it forces Ella to do everything she is asked to do whether she wants to or not. I could not help but wonder why Ella’s mother or fairy godmother did not simply tell her to “stop being obedient.” That could have broken the curse early on and could have prevented Ella from being forced to do things she did not want to do. But, of course as in all litereature, the story would not have been as interesting if the problem was solved too early.

Soon after her mother dies when she is fourteen Ella is sent off to finishing school with the two girls who will eventually become her stepsisters. While there, the older sister, Hattie, figures out Ella’s curse and takes advantage of it to abuse Ella and force her to be her personal servant. Once Ella is more than fed up she sets out on a quest to find Lucinda and ask her to take back the gift. It may seem like an unusual Cinderella story. But in some ways that can be a good thing.

In most Cinderella stories we see today the prince and Cinderella characters decide to get married despite the fact that they have only known each other for a few weeks at the most. But in this story’s case, however, Ella knows Prince Charmont personally and is friends with him for at least two years before they even consider getting hitched, making the story seem more realistic. Charmont may be a bit too perfect in this story (he makes Edward and Jacob look overrated) but he also has his weaknesses shown in the novel as well and makes the book a fun read.

Once I got to chapter 5 I could not stop reading it without feeling extremely uncomfortable and irritated because it was unpredictable and full of adventure, and even had near death experiences for the main characters. Since the story is narrated in first person by Ella herself the reader can easily feel a connection with her and her struggles. And in a time when bestsellers are novels about whiny, clingy heroines who are in love with vampires it seems rare to find a novel about an adolescent girl who is smart, confident, brave, and independent. It is also just as great to find a witty romance novel that is not sappy as well.

*Image borrowed from http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EllaEnchanted

A Story of a Runaway’s Side of the Mountain

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Grade: B+

Genre: Book

I am sure that we all went through that phase when we wanted to run away from home to live in the wild. My Side of the Mountain tells the story of Sam Gribley, a boy who runs away from home to live on his own in the mountains. His story is rather interesting because he ends up living inside a tree trunk, trains a falcon to help him hunt, and lives off the land. The story is narrated in first person by Sam himself, giving the reader insight into his thoughts.

This book is written in a way that gets the reader attached to the character Sam and makes him feel real. It is also easy to become attached to the animals that he becomes friends with such as the Baron Weasel and his falcon Frightful. Even though he is very smart and clever that it is almost unbelievable, Sam seems so real just because of his emotions such as excitement and loneliness that occur throughout the book.

Of course, not everything in this story was all that believable. Sam did not run into any issues when he stored his food outdoors. I would have at least thought a bear would show up by smelling out Sam’s food supply and eating a portion of it. Or that he would have at least broken his leg from falling off a tree or gotten shot by a hunter during hunting season (after all, he did make and wear an outfit out of dear skin).

But nonetheless it was hard to put the book down because it is not very predictable and far from boring in my opinion. The ending was very surprising as well. This book made me want to run away from home myself to live in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado or to make acorn pancakes. But since that is not a possibility right now it was great fun to at least experience the adventures with Sam Gribley as I read this book.

*Image borrowed from http://www.scls.lib.wi.us/sun/SunPrairiePublicLibrary-SurvivalStories.html

Mother Knows Best

Promises I Made My Mother by Sam Haskell, with David Rensin

Grade: A

Genre: Book

I met Sam Haskell personally and can honestly say that he is one of the nicest and most positive people I have ever met, so I may be biased without realizing it as I am writing my opinion of his book. His book Promises I Made My Mother is an inspirational collection of stories from his own life. His book is not autobiographical but, rather, a collection of stories that relate to each of the lessons that he learned from a wonderful woman – his mother. His stories come from all stages of his life, from when he was a boy scout in Mississippi till after he retired from being an agent in Hollywood.

One such story that I really enjoyed reading about was the one of his undying faith that the “Cheer Man” would come to his house out of all the houses in the U.S. when he was a boy, and after many people mocked him for having such a wild dream the “Cheer Man” really did come to his house.

One aspect that I really like about how this book was written is how Haskell admits to all the mistakes he made in his stories and does not try to portray himself as a perfect human being. Even though it may seem like he grew up with the perfect life at first, the reader later reads of his hardships such as his parents’ divorce and the incidences that happened his last few years at the William Morris Agency. Knowing this, it is a book that everyone can relate to when they read it because they have the assurance that they are not reading some book written by some sheltered, naive person who grew up in the perfect life in the South. I think that anyone who reads this book can at least find one story they can relate to.

He may mention the faults of some of the people he encountered in his life, but it is only for the purpose of telling his stories which have a deeper meaning, rather than a way of making certain people look bad. He usually points out the strengths in people throughout his book. I really enjoyed reading about the integrity and great characters of some of Haskell’s clients such as Dolly Parton and Ray Romano as I read his stories.

This book definitely made me laugh and it also made me cry. It is the type of book that leaves you feeling positive and with a feeling that you can accomplish anything you set your heart to. All the way through this book I saw it as completely honest and well written. It is hard to find anything to complain about. It is definitely a worthwhile read.

Plums of Optimism in a Story of Struggle

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Grade: B+

Genre: Book

Imagine what life would be like if you permanently left your comfortable house to move to another state and live in a hole in the ground. For Laura Ingalls Wilder this is just another event in her life.

On the Banks of Plum Creek tells the story of Laura Ingalls after her family moved out of the little house on the prairie in Kansas to live in a creek bank dugout in Minnesota. Her father soon builds a house and plants a wheat crop which he hopes to sell to pay off the debt her family has accumulated. However, at the end of the summer a cloud of millions of crickets soon shatters their hope when it comes and destroys their crop. Unlike the books in the series that precede it, this book includes an account of the suffering that Laura and her family go through after the crickets arrive and when her father has to leave her family for weeks to find work in the east.

Out of the Little House books I have read so far, I loved this one the most. What I really liked about this book was that it is not just about Laura, her family, and their daily life in and around a log cabin anymore. In this book Laura and her sister Mary begin to attend school as well as church for the first time, and they meet and make friends with girls outside of their family. Laura also has to deal with a spoiled girl named Nellie who bullies her and her friends.

The only aspect about this book that I disliked was the slow beginning, but once I was able to get past it I was able to enjoy the great story that followed.

This book does an excellent job of drawing the reader into its world and feeling a connection with the characters and feeling sympathy for their struggles. Even though Laura and her family go through hard times in this book, it has an optimistic tone that leaves the reader with a positive feeling once he or she reaches the last page and it shows the importance of family and sacrifice. It is a wonderful book that provides hope even during our modern hard times.

A Completely Demented Story

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

Grade: D+

Genre: Book

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown tells the story of Robert Langdon, a symbologist at Harvard University. The story begins when he gets this unexpected call from the director of CERN (a nuclear research center in Europe) after one of their scientists has been murdered. He soon meets Vittoria Vetra, the daughter of the murdered scientist, and finds out that there is a bomb made up of antimatter hidden beneath Vatican City that will annihilate in just a few hours. He is then swept up in an adventure that turns into a race to catch a man who commits all these terrorizing acts against the Vatican and claims to be a part of an ancient group called the Illuminati.

This book did keep me on the edge of my seat, but I would not recommend it for anyone to read because of its excessive violence. The twist at the end of the story was easy to see coming, but it was more twisted than anything I have ever read in my life. It was almost like reading a very violent soap opera that attempted to be some great thriller. I was also bothered by the way the creepy, perverted terrorist, who was causing much of the commotion, was Middle Eastern. Our culture already gives Middle Easterns too much rap for terrorism and it is not healthy for people to have the idea that all terrorists are from the Middle East or that everyone in the Middle East is a terrorist.

This book was also just poorly written. I did find some of the facts about symbols and some historical events throughout the book interesting, but it was hard to appreciate them when they got in the way of the actual plot and when I was on the edge of my seat because Vatican City was about to blow up. I also found it quite annoying to be reading about Robert’s and Vittoria’s growing romantic attractions for one another, not only because these descriptions were in the middle of the action, but because Robert and Vittoria knew eachother for less than 12 hours.

I must add that the book would have ended much better with Langdon’s quote, “I fear it will remain a mystery forever.” However, Dan Brown had to get carried away with his own fantasies in the last few pages. I just hope that the sequel will have a better ending than this bogus which was a complete waste of time.

*Image borrowed from http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Angels-and-Demons/Dan-Brown/e/9780743486224

A Wickedly Awesome Novel

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

Grade: A-

Genre: Book

After growing up watching The Wizard of Oz I find it fascinating to read the story from the “bad guy’s” perspective. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West tells the story of Elphaba, the green girl who ultimately becomes the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz. I will just admit right now that I am the biggest fan of the musical Wicked and I did hear that it is nothing like the book. I heard from many people that the book it was based on was just terrible and most people I know who have attempted to read it could not stand to finish it. However, I already wrote this book on my list of books to read before 2011, so I decided to read it anyway.

As I was reading this book it was hard to find the Broadway hit musical in it. In fact, looking for the musical in this book was as useless as trying to find Starbursts in a bag of M&M’s. I could not find the song “The Wizard and I” because Elphaba loathed the Wizard ever since she knew who he was. I could not find the song “Popular” because Galinda did not care too much about Elphaba fitting in even after they became friends. And I could not find the song “Defying Gravity” because Elphaba did not learn to fly a broom till many years after she left Glinda in the Emerald City. In fact, I do not see how Steven Schwartz read this book and saw a musical. Nonetheless, even though the book’s story is not much like the musical’s, it can be given some credit on its own that not even the musical can claim.

The story is told in five different parts, each representing a different stage of Elphaba’s life and each making Ephaba just as mysterious as the one before. The book really drew me in, making me want to read more to find out what would happen next. And there were some chapters that forced me to stay on the edge of my seat. I also found it quite fun to draw connections between the book and historical events.

As I was reading this book I wondered why it took me so long to find it and decide to read it. It was the kind of book I have been looking for to read for years and I have not been this fascinated by a book since Harry Potter. I became very attached to the characters as I read and I could really empathize with Elphaba even though she did not have a great reputation by most people in Oz. The only complaint that I have is that the last few pages seemed to rush to wrap up the story.

I can understand why some people have a hard time reading beyond Part III because it can be what some people would call “smutty”. But I did not find the “smuttiness” to be much worse than what is in the “oh-so-clean” Twilight series. In fact, I think that the best of the book is in Parts IV and V because of all the revelations made and the questions answered, so people are missing out if they refuse to read past Part III. I found the book to be rather satisfying even though it did not quite end the way I wanted it to. I’m thinking I might want to read this book again once I am done with reading my list of 40 books, and maybe continue on to read its sequel.

*Image borrowed from http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n8/n41744.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/gregory-maguire/wicked.htm&usg=__-bF_irV-rro2vJajzS7PGNpgv_8=&h=475&w=303&sz=36&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=NNgz7JREWRDLYM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=82&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwicked%2Bthe%2Blife%2Band%2Btimes%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

I Used to Not Know So Much About History

Don't Know Much About History by Kenneth C. Davis

Genre: Book

Grade: B

I have to admit, I was a little bit discouraged when I pulled the book Don’t Know Much About History off the shelf at the library. “I have to read this whole thing?” was the first thought that came to my mind. For some reason, I thought that this book was going to be thin, like the other books I have read by Kenneth C. Davis, but this one was more than 600 pages. But since I hate to give up on my goals I decided to check it out and take it home with me.

When I began reading it, the first page of the introduction sparked my interest when I came across the George Washington quote: “Shift that fat ass, Harry. But slowly, or you’ll swamp the damned boat.” I eagerly kept reading because I had the feeling that this book was going to be good.

This book is definitely learning American history like I have never learned it before. I had no idea before I read this book that America would not be what it is today if it were not for tobacco. I had no idea that the girls who made the accusations that started the Salem Witch Trials possibly went crazy because of “mushrooms”. And I had no idea that it is a possibility that America did not need to drop the atomic bombs on Japan.

This book is for sure full of interesting facts, but it does have a weakness because not all of it is that interesting. I remember being bored as I read through the first half of chapter five because I felt that it was just going on about the dishonesty of the people running large businesses during the late 19^th century, and I felt as though I was running into typos about every 20 pages. But if there is one thing that I really like about the book, it is the way it avoids sugar coating history and shows that the people in it were real people with their own flaws.

This book has definitely changed the way I look at history and the current world. And I have to admit that after reading about the Bay of Pigs and the Vietnam War in this book I do not think that I will ever be able to trust the American Government the way I used to ever again. But this book shows how important it is for everyone to learn history. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone if they want an interesting way to learn about American history or if they want to brush up on what they learned back in school. However, if they are looking for a book that will “teach them history and stop harping about the past”*, they will have to look elsewhere.

*Quote borrowed from the musical Wicked.

**Picture borrowed from the website http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QKVYR3E4L._SL500_AA240_.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Know-Much-About-History/dp/0553502344&usg=__gR9XekHFjmqvm74lUGxXnmDj8vw=&h=240&w=240&sz=19&hl=en&start=12&um=1&tbnid=r1jKk1t99mfJ0M:&tbnh=110&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddon%2527t%2Bknow%2Bmuch%2Babout%2Bhistory%2Bbook%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1