Blindness

Overall Rating- 4 out of 5 stars

It won the Nobel Prize for Literature. It's written by a foreign guy. It uses limited punctuation and refrains from quotation marks. Run-ons abound. These things should make an outstanding book, right? A true staple of 21st century literature! But does it?

Well, maybe.

I admit that my expectations going into Blindness (Harvest Book)by José Saramago were pretty darn high. I was expecting nothing short of a masterpiece. And what I got was... good, but not exactly a life changer. There were lots of very memorable moments, and some thoroughly haunting scenes, but I honestly couldn't help feeling a sense of deja vu by the end of the book. I've read so many books that show some big event bringing out the true nature of man in all its revolting glory, and this, although very good, seemed at times like more of the same.

The plot line was interesting, however. The idea was that the whole world goes blind through some kind of epidemic, hence the title. Through some stroke of luck, one woman is immune to the blindness and acts as a sort of guide to her husband, and later a whole group of blind followers. The book mainly talks about how, once everyone starts to become blind, morals and order go out the window, and every man is left to fend for himself. There is a lot of violence in the book, and there are some pretty disturbing scenes, some of them sexual.

I guess what really got me in the end was... the end. It was a little sudden. And a little confusing. I was expecting some kind of explanation or moral, but I didn't really get one. Maybe it was there and I just didn't get it. As it was, it made the whole blindness thing seem like an excuse to write about the horrors of human nature and the prevailing goodness that exists, etc. But, maybe I just need to read the sequel (Seeing).

Overall, it was a good book. Just not the fantastic marvel I was expecting. Please do tell me if you read it and loved it more than I. If you haven't read it, I would suggest you do, but be warned that it is not light and fluffy reading. As I said, some parts are pretty disturbing, and you are going to want to read it when you don't have a billion other things on your mind.

Ender's Game

Overall Rating- 5 stars

Another one of my favorites. I remember my one of my creative writing teachers once tried to explain the difference between genre-books and literature. He said that literature consisted of those books that don't just have a good plot, but that helped the reader see the world in a different way. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is, in my opinion, one of those books. It's a sci-fi book, but as I said, it is oh so much more. It follows the life of Ender Wiggin, a young boy genius. He is sent off to a school in space in the hope that he can save Earth from the "Bugger" invasion.

Ender's Game is the kind of book where you can take away whatever you want from it. You can just read it on the surface, and come away with a great adventurous, kill the aliens, yay for mankind story, or you can look deeper at the whole psychological aspect of the book. This is no happy-go-lucky kid, and there are some dark moments in the book. In fact there are a lot of dark moments in the book. Ender is just a troubled kid, but once you start seeing into his mind, you can't help but want to follow through with him until the end. There is a lot of symbolism in the book, but as I said, you can take it or leave it.

I've heard people compare Ender to lots of groups: gifted kids, unwanted children, etc, but I think the reason so many people like this book is because Ender's incredibly complex character allows so many people to relate to him. We've all at some time or other experienced the same kind of guilt, confliction, loneliness, and confusion as Ender. And his sincere, earnest nature makes him worthy of the empathy.

As far as maturity and everything, the book does deal with death, and as I said, there are some dark spots. But, dark as in the dark depths of the human mind. I first read this book when I was about nine, but every time I read it I take away something new. And also, in case you're worried, it's not all dark and depressing psychological baloney. There's plenty of zero gravity fighting and hilarious side characters. Great, great book from a great, great author. Definitely read it at least once.

The Secret Life of Bees

Overall Rating- 5 stars

I'll start out with one I absolutely love, The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd. It's a story about a white preteen girl, Lily, who grows up in the segregated south. Through events at the beginning of the story, she ends up staying with a black family of bee-keeping sisters in South Carolina. This is one of those books I don't want to ruin by giving too much of the plot away, but it's really not the plot that makes the book so darn good.

Lily's voice, as the narrator, rings true throughout the whole book. Lily's openness, and point-blank honesty with the reader makes her feel absolutely real, and makes you cheer her on the whole time. The book is mostly about Lily's journey to find forgiveness, and ultimately, love. Not a romantic kind of love, although there is some of that, but a love that comes from the people you make your family.

Kidd is basically a fantastic writer. Even the first few pages are just great. She has a real gift for creating an atmosphere. You feel like you are standing right there with Lily, even if you've never experienced the kind of things Kidd is talking about, like laying in a bed all alone with bees dancing around your head, or taking a first taste of sweet, purple honey. This is the kind of book you really get sucked into. Lily's comments about life made me laugh, and I cried like a baby more than once. There are some underlying currents in the book, racial segregation being the most notable one. However, the issue isn't pushy or obtrusive, and it gets across a really great message. As far as age range for the book, I would say any adult needs to read it, and kids should probably be in their teens. I'll put the maturity warnings at the bottom, but they are definitely spoilers, so if you don't need to know, don't look. Rest assured, there is nothing sexual.

Overall just a great book. If you want to buy it, and you definitely should, you can click on this link to get it on amazon- The Secret Life of Bees or you can hike on down to your local library :)


WARNING- deals with some mature content like death and suicide

My Mission~

Alright, so here's the basic idea: I started this blog because I find it so hard to walk in a bookstore today and walk out with something I know is going to be good. A lot of times, I just feel lost. I almost always have a clear idea of what I want to find: something exciting, different, maybe a little romantic, accessible but not IQ damaging, etc. Unfortunately, I often end up with a book that gets halfway read and then forgotten in the backseat of my car, never to be seen again. I mean, I have a life. And, I would venture to say, so do some of you reading this. I don't have the time or energy to spend on a book I won't remember reading two weeks from now. If I'm going to put aside the million other things I should be doing to read a book, I want it to do its job. I want it to take me to another place and time. I want to lose myself. I want to forget everything that's going on in my little part of the world and get taken for a ride. And I want to learn something: about other people, other places, other perspectives, and maybe even about myself.

And so I'm compiling this list. I'll write about the books I'm reading and the ones I've already read, and lay out what I think about them. I post some I think are great and some I think are not so hot, and you will have the information to do with as you will.

Of course, my opinion is not the only one that matters here. Feel free, obligated, in fact, to voice your own opinions. Comment! Tell me I'm wrong, tell me I'm completely right, tell me if you decided to read the book, and if so, what you thought about it. And, feel free to send a message my way if you know of a book you think the rest of the world should be reading. I'm posting and looking for accessible books. No Locke or Aristotle, and nothing above PG-13. Any genre, any age range.

This page is all about helping you, me, and our fellow man find a good book.