Book Reviews: Neal Shuster-fest

Finally I got around to finishing the Skinjacker trilogy by Neal Shusterman--and after reading one book, you get an instant craving for another.

Goodreads Challenge 47/85:  Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

Neal Shusterman takes the empath to its extremes in Bruiser. Whew that was a painful ride! Painful because of my own empathic tendencies, though. As usual, Mr. Shusterman creates great characters, gives them all a voice, and poses a question for them: What if? What if a person could really absorb all the pains of other people? I thoroughly enjoyed Bruiser, and I really couldn't put it down until the story resolved on the last page. A real easy read told in the point of view of several characters, so the book flies by quickly. Enjoy yourself when you read it, but don't feel too much for the characters--it might be painful.

Goodreads Challenge 46/85: Smith of Wootton Major by J.R.R. Tolkein

A well-written, sweet little fairy tale by the hobbit master.

Goodreads Challenge 45/85:  Everfound by Neal Shusterman


The Everlost trilogy (Skinjacker, actually) presents a wonderful view of life after death. And I'd like to put emphasis on the word "life," because there's a whole world out there full of ghosts wandering in some kind of limbo, and all of them are children. What I love most about this world, though, is the idea that beloved objects and buildings can cross over into the afterlife. Each story is a walk down memory lane of loved objects.

In the last installment of this trilogy, Everfound, the character follow their own arcs that sometimes take an unexpected turn. In a kind of bittersweet trajectory we come to accept all that happens in the end---because that's the way it has to be.

I basically love just about anything Neal Shusterman writes--and with the Skinjacker trilogy, I love the world he created as well. Thanks for the ride!

Goodreads Challenge 44/85: The Sun Also Rises

I decided to read a book by Ernest Hemingway because I heard an article on NPR about the new Woody Allen movie, Midnight in Paris. They were interviewing the actor who played Hemingway in the movie, and I thought to myself--why haven't I read anything by Hemingway since  Old Man and the Sea in eighth grade? So I hit up the library.

I have many things to say about The Sun Also Rises. Where to start?

1. Hemingway's style is so simple I found it annoying. Reading this was like reading field notes by an ethnographic sociologist--which happens to be my graduate school specialty. That's not exactly what I'm looking for when I read a novel. Anyway--it's written in the voice of Jake Barnes--he's supposed to be a journalist, but he sure doesn't have a journalistic flair. I appreciate the subtlety but don't really care for it.

2. The "lost generation" characters were so unappealing that ultimately I was hoping they would all get gored by a bull. Everyone is either nasty or pathetic. Or both.

3. Having just come off reading In Cold Blood (a book where every word perfectly painted a picture), I just wanted to say: Is that all you have to offer, Mr. Hemingway?

4. On the other hand, the dialogue was realistic and amusing. It felt like reading a Seinfeld script, down to every despicable character. Nothing much happens, people complain a lot, and it feels like real life. (although these people get drunk an awful lot).

I wavered between three and four stars--the characters were so believably hateful I gave it four, plus the dialogue was superb. I don't really care to read another by Hemingway, though. Or maybe I'll wait another thirty years.