What I Read Wednesday

I only read one book this week. It was 600 pages long and I followed it up with a 300+ page. Also, 8th graders don't want to read in the last week of school (shocking), so I lost my silent reading time. Which I guess is a nice transition to next year when I lost it all together (no, I don't want to discuss this).

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair: A Novel
I am torn on this book. It started off strong and I was sucked in. Marcus Goldman is a writer who trained under Harry Quebert, his professor and a famous author. After Marcus' first book is a huge success, he encounters serious writer's block and escapes to Harry's house to try and shake it. In the midst of this, a body is found on Harry Quebert's property and Harry is arrested for a decades old murder. As the story unravels, it seems the dead girl, Nola, disappeared at 15 and was involved with Harry. The story and the mystery itself was interesting… but this is where I get hung up on it. It could've been about 200 pages less. And the dialogue was absolutely appalling. To the point where I almost had to set the book down a few times. I want to chalk it up to the book being translated to English, but it was bad. Cringeworthy. It is not a great story, but it was a good story. It could've been better, much better, but I will say that the story drew me in the first few hundred pages, so that's a bonus.

What are you reading?

What I Read Wednesday

So last week, I kind of forgot about Wednesday, until all of a sudden it was Thursday night. Short weeks always mess with me.

To Rise Again at a Decent Hour: A Novel
Paul O'Rourke is a successful Park Ave dentist who loves the Red Sox, hates technology (except for message boards about the Red Sox) and is not a fan of organized religion. Then somebody fakes his identity online, creating a website for his dental business, a Facebook account, a twitter account, commenting on message boards and even emailing with him. This puts him into a tailspin, as he tries desperately to prove that he's not the Paul O'Rourke online--yet, he stops to listen to what this other person has to say about him and the way he's lived his life, too. I loved the voice in this novel, as well as the premise. It was not a read that I fell right in to, but it was a read that made me laugh out loud on occasion and one that made me think a little, too.

We Were Liars
Cadence, Johnny and Mirren are cousins who spend every summer at a private island owned by their grandfather, joined by Johnny's friend Gat--who comes from a decidedly less wealthy background. Together, they form the Liars and the bond they share is one that rekindles each summer. The fifteenth summer on the island is a little different, though. Cadence spends most of it trying to piece together her memory of what happened in a previous summer, knowing only that she was injured and now goes through horrific periods of migraines and other after effects.
I went in to this book having read only the synopsis on Amazon and was definitely the better for it. I didn't read any spoilers (seriously, stay away from Amazon) and just fell into the spell of the book and watching Cadence desperately try to repair herself and the Liars that I enjoyed the story and the turns it took. It kept me reading past bedtime because I wanted to know how it ended.

The Pigman
I sat in on an interview where I got to ask candidates what would be their ideal book to teach to middle schoolers. One candidate mentioned this book. I'd never read it and it sounded interesting. Written from the perspective of John and Lorraine, two teenagers, Pigman tells the tale of how a dare ends up with an unlikely friendship with Mr. Pignati. Except that by the time of writing, Mr. Pignati is dead and John and Lorraine say that it wasn't murder, not really. This book was not the most uplifting, but it had surprising humor in amongst the sadness and a really good lesson.

Delancey: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage
I don't read a lot of memoirs because I often think things like, "Why do I want to read about your boring life? I have my own." This one was good, though, and told the story of the opening of Delancey, the trials and tribulations of getting a restaurant off the ground and what it does to a marriage. I also loved that the author included recipes after each chapter. This led to Shane making a delicious fried rice with kale. Aside from that, it was really fascinating to read about how they took a dream and made it a success.

Boy, Snow, Bird: A Novel
Once there was a girl named Boy who ran away from her abusive rat catcher of a father, to fall in love with a man and become loving stepmother to a girl named Snow, until she has a daughter of her own, named Bird. Boy never dreamed she'd become a wicked stepmother, but when Bird is born with skin darker than her mother or father, it becomes evident that her husband's family are light-skinned African-Americans "passing" as white. Instead of sending away Bird, Boy sends away Snow so to avoid everyone comparing Snow and Bird forever. I loved the prose in this book, as well as the literary allusions. The point-of-view shift at the end lost me a little, but I still overall enjoyed this novel and the message it sends about the choices we make.

What are you reading?

Cedar Point: Roller Coasters, Dinosaurs and Family Fun

Luke has recently been asking if we could go to an amusement park this summer. Aside from the fair, we have never taken our kids anywhere with rides (I know, we're horrible parents), so I told him that would definitely be on our summer list. Imagine my joy when I received an offer to visit Cedar Point--it was only slightly below Luke's unbridled joy!

To begin with, Cedar Point has a beautiful setting. I am used to parks that can be seen from the highway, so I loved that you had to drive down the frontage road and take in the view of Cedar Point along with the stunning backdrop of Lake Erie. The boys noticed as we entered the front gate that the hedges were cut in the shape of various Peanuts characters. They had a blast pointing out which ones and choosing their favorites. I like that their excitement was triggered before we even entered the park.

When we walked in to the park (after a very quick wait in line--despite arriving right when the park opened, along with everyone else, it seemed), we spotted several Peanuts characters. The boys made a beeline for Snoopy to show him their shirts.

As you can see from their squints, we had the benefit to visit on a beautiful sunny day. Thank you, weather!

After this, we headed to Camp Snoopy. I want to add that I found it amazing how big Cedar Point is. It is a very spread out park, and they've done an excellent job of keeping a lot of shade trees and beautiful landscaping within the park. We definitely got an idea of size as we walked to Camp Snoopy, but it was a good way to plan out our rides for later in the day. Tommy and Luke rode a few of the smaller rides, then Tommy wanted to ride the Woodstock Express, which is a roller coaster with train cars. Now, I've been on kiddie roller coasters before. I never expect them to move or have much of a drop, but the Woodstock Express was pretty fast for a kid coaster. We loved it! Tommy screamed his head off, then immediately asked to go again. I like that there is this option for kids who are too little for the other roller coasters (Woodstock Express requires riders to be 36" and accompanied by an adult), but they still get the feel of a roller coaster. I want to say that Tommy rode this one at least five times.

Since Dinosaurs Alive is right next to Camp Snoopy, we headed here after a few more kid rides. Dinosaurs Alive does require a fee on top of the Cedar Point admission; however, it is very minimal (a family of 4 would have to pay $10 total). We went to the animatronic dinosaurs exhibit at Brookfield Zoo a few years ago, and this far surpassed it. As a teacher, I enjoyed that each dinosaur (there are over 40 dinosaurs) area comes with a sign and educational information about the different types of dinosaurs, where they were discovered, interesting related facts. We loved reading them and learning something new. There are also dinosaur related jokes scattered throughout, which Luke enjoyed reading. What I liked is that as you're viewing the dinosaurs, you wind back amongst the trees. Although you can see some roller coasters, the rest of the park blends into the background and it truly is like you're on a Jurassic island.




All told, it took us about thirty minutes to view the entire exhibit. We definitely could have spent longer, but Tommy didn't want to stop and fully read the signs like the rest of us. We all thoroughly enjoyed everything that we learned about the different types of dinosaurs. Because the additional cost is so reasonable for what you get, I would absolutely recommend tacking this on to a Cedar Point visit.

We did head to lunch next because the boys were starting to get a little punchy. Cedar Point graciously provided us with a delicious lunch that included fruit and chicken with artichokes and sun dried tomatoes (YUM), but there are so many options for dining within the park. You can pretty much find anything from hot dogs to diner style to casual fine dining and everything in between, either inside or directly adjacent to the park. I loved that they have such a wide variety of food choices. The boys also got Snoopy stuffed animals, which basically made their day, as you can see.

(Note the gorgeous backdrop.)

Luke was chomping at the bit to ride some bigger rides, but I told him he needed to let lunch settle first (okay, maybe *I* needed to let lunch settle first). We rode the ferris wheel, which is an excellent way to get a bird's eye view of the park at 136 feet in the air. What I loved about the ferris wheel is that you didn't just go around once. We went around five times total, which made it a really enjoyable ride. We also got stuck at the top, which Luke loved.


The view from either side was absolutely stunning.

Tommy opted out of the Giant Wheel, so Shane took him to the kids' area while we were riding. Cedar Point offers a lot of rides just for kids, where you have to be between two certain heights to ride. While we were in line for the Krazy Kars (kiddie bumper cars), I watched the attendant measure and turn away two boys who were two big. As a parent, I really appreciate this because there are bigger bumper cars and many of the kids on Krazy Kars (my own included) were still figuring out the mechanics of operating the cars, so it's nice for them to be able to do this without bigger kids smashing into them. Tommy declared Krazy Kars to be his favorite ride in the park.



Luke graciously rode a few more rides with this brother, then I told him we would ride a few of his rides. At seven, Luke is not quite tall enough for all of the roller coasters, but he is tall enough for some, which was very cool and exciting for him.
We rode Corkscrew first, a roller coaster that twists and turns right over the midway, so we'd already walked beneath it a few times. What I enjoyed about this was that the ride operators gave a brief history of the ride as you were waiting to ride it. It was neat to learn how high up it went, how much of a descent, when the ride was built and so on. Luke was mostly just thrilled at the prospect of going upside down not once but three times. He absolutely loved it, and I absolutely loved seeing his pure joy when the ride halted to a stop. At this point, I started having so much fun that I absolutely forgot to take any more pictures. Rest assured there were many smiles and much joy.

His next goal was to ride Pipe Scream, which is a new ride for 2014 (along with Lake Erie Eagles). Pipe Scream spins and coasts up and down the track. I am not a spinning person. Even merry-go-rounds make me motion sick, so this was a tough one for me. I ended up focusing on the center of the ride, so I missed a lot of the views. Luke, however, loved it and told me that being at the top of the track was amazing. Luke also wanted to ride Iron Dragon, which is a suspended coaster. This was fun because it takes you over the lagoon and through the woods, so you get a lot of different views during the ride.

When we got our map at the hotel the day before, Tommy noticed a train and was obsessed all day with the train. So of course, we had to seek out the Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad. I absolutely loved this. It was laid back and it covers about two miles of track, so you get a view of the park from a different perspective. We spotted rides that we hadn't yet seen! You also get the option of riding a full loop or getting off at a half-way point, so this may be a good way to get around the park without walking. The boys' favorite part is when the train goes through Frontiertown and you go through a whole area of a wild west type town populated by skeletons, some of which move and make noise. Tommy is still talking about the skeleton fireman spraying a house fire.

We rode a few more rides, then it became apparent that it was dinnertime and my kids were starting to feel our full day at the park, so we made a fairly quick exit (with a stop for Dippin' Dots). Unfortunately, we were unable to stay another night because Shane had a funeral to go to on Sunday. I will say this: when we return, we will absolutely spend two days in the park. There were quite a few more roller coasters that Luke wanted to ride but we didn't have the time to do so in finding the balance between he and his brother riding rides. There were areas of the park that we couldn't check out as much as we wanted or that we wanted to visit again. We spent eight hours in the park, but there is so much to do that we definitely needed another day!

Some tips on how to make the most of a visit to Cedar Point:

• Stay at a hotel connected with the park. We stayed at Breakers Express. It was relatively inexpensive and just a few blocks from the park. Unlike some of the hotels, it doesn't offer a shuttle, but we were given a parking pass at the front desk, so a shuttle seemed unnecessary to us. The rooms are just the right size for when you aren't planning to spend much time in a hotel room, and it was clean and quiet. There is also a pretty big outdoor pool area, which would have been great to run the kids around in if we'd stayed another night. Most importantly, the hotels connected with the park offer a discounted rate on tickets and you can also gain early entry to the park for select rides. You could also consider Lighthouse Point if camping is more your style or Sandcastle Suites if you were looking for a bigger room with amenities like a microwave or refrigerator. There is definitely a wide range of options to choose from, which I really like.
• Think about Fast Lane if you don't like waiting in lines or can't spend two days at the park. We never waited in a line for more than 30-40 minutes, which really isn't bad. However, I watched several people move right to the front with a Fast Lane pass and I kept thinking, "Why didn't I do that?" In our family, I can see how we would buy one for one of us and just Luke because it isn't really applicable for kids' rides (or necessary, they never had much of a line). Luke was pretty patient about waiting in lines once I explained that it's all part of the experience, but I can see the benefit in jumping to the front on some of the rides with longer lines--especially if you might want to ride them over and over. 
• Look into the All Day Dining Plan. My kids get HUNGRY when we're at parks and walking around all the time, so they want to eat constantly. The all day dining plan has an option where for $29.99, you can enjoy an entree and a side every 90 minutes at participating locations. I am pretty sure my kids would actually eat every 90 minutes. 

Finally, I know I have quite a few runners reading my blog, and I wanted to share that Cedar Point is this year hosting the inaugural Run & Ride Weekend, with a half marathon, 5k and a 1-mile fun run for kids. I am disappointed that I didn't know about this sooner because I definitely won't be half marathon ready by then, and it's absolutely something I would love to do. I am putting it on my to-do list for next year, though! Entrance to the race includes a long-sleeved tech tee, reduced parking, free entry to the park Friday after 5PM, all day Saturday and Sunday, plus discounted ticket prices for friends and family who may be coming with you. Like I said, I will definitely be planning on this half marathon next year.

I can't say enough good things about Cedar Point, obviously. We will be back sooner than later. Do you have any exciting summer plans?

Disclaimer: I was given passes to Cedar Point and Dinosaurs Alive, as well as provided lunch. All opinions are my own.

What I Read Wednesday

I recently discovered that many old horror movies were actually books first. This is good because I can't watch scary movies, but I can definitely read scary books (just not so much at night when I'm alone).

Rosemary's Baby
The interesting thing about books that were made into movies a long time ago is that they become a part of your collective mind. Although I've never seen this movie and never will, I knew that the general gist was that Rosemary wanted to get pregnant and somehow ended up pregnant with a demon child.
This book was fascinating. It was suspenseful in the way that Shirley Jackson is suspenseful. It's not overt and in your face, but by the end of the book, you're biting your lip. What the author did that was also brilliant is that as Rosemary's pregnancy progresses and she begins to suspect that her baby may be taken as a ritual sacrifice by those around her, all of whom she suspects to be devil worshippers, you feel Rosemary's mania. I found myself suspecting everyone, too, because it seemed that everyone was out to get Rosemary and her baby.

Psycho: A Novel
Just like the last book, although I've never read this one or seen the movie, I know who Norman Bates is. Some of the surprise of the novel was taken away by knowing the movie, but I still enjoyed this book. The glimpse into the mind of Norman Bates and those around him was horrifying. This novel is built mostly on internal dialogue and conflict, with a lot of psychological aspects. Again, it's a slow suspenseful build, but it's a good one.

Psycho II
I didn't realize that Psycho was an entire series, but the library helpfully gave me a compilation of all of them. I love libraries. In this book, Norman Bates is back and in an insane asylum. He escapes by killing a nun and dressing in her habit, then the story unfolds into an ambiguous narrative where you are unsure if Bates is dead or alive. Meanwhile in Hollywood, the filming of a movie on Norman Bates is interrupted by vandalism on the set and, eventually, murder.
I did not enjoy this one as much as Psycho. I felt like the author changed some nuances of Norman Bates' character, but it was still overall a good fluff read.

Psycho House (Tor Horror)
I don't know that I would have read this one if it wouldn't have been included in the compilation. In the final Psycho edition, a man has recreated the Bates motel to use as a tourist location. But as always, where Normal Bates is involved, murder follows. I definitely felt this was the weakest of the three books and was maybe a stretch for the author. Kind of like those Halloween movies--how many can you really have?!

I've also been slogging my way through Afterparty and I'm trying really hard to like it because it seems like the type of book I would like (dystopian), but it's just not clicking. I'm still trying, but it's slow going.

What are you reading?

Crownfest 5k

When I saw this one advertised, I knew I would sign up because I was going to the fest afterward. So why not? I also knew it would be a challenging course, despite being a 5k. The fairgrounds and the area surrounding the fairgrounds is hilly, so a month out, I started doing weekly hill repeats. I've been kind of lax about hills lately because I find them annoying.

The day of the race was perfect. 50 degrees, some wind, a little overcast---you couldn't ask for better running weather. And the best part? Barb was also running, which meant I had someone to chat with before the race. Shane was there, also, but it's funny to have a running buddy, too. The second best part is that instead of a t-shirt, you got a pint glass. I will use this much more than t-shirt. The race was small, only 110 people. When it comes to 5ks, I really prefer small, local 5ks. In a half marathon, if it's big, eventually you start to spread out. In a big 5k, you never spread out from the crowds of people and end up hopping around until the very end.

It was also very casual. We grouped up at the starting line, the director said, "On your marks, get set, go!" and we were off. I started out at the back of the crowd, but dodged my way to the back of the front pack pretty quickly. I wondered if this was a mistake, but I felt good, so why not? The cool thing about the course is that even though I'd just seen the course map that day, I knew exactly where it went because it was an out and back in Barb's neighborhood (past her house, actually). I liked this because I could visualize the course in my mind the entire time. Now, when Barb and I looked at the course map, it became quickly apparent that the course was going to take us on a gravel trail by her house. I've run this trail before--several times--but obviously never during a race. Gravel makes me nervous because I'm afraid I'm going to turn an ankle, so between the gravel and the hills, I could just see myself strolling across the finish line in last place.

Once I settled into my pace, I felt pretty good, although my legs were starting to protest early on in the race. Possibly at the upcoming hills. There was a short hill out of the fairgrounds, then it was across the street and into the subdivision. Now, we got to go down a really big hill, one that I sometimes do repeats on, but I knew we had to go back up it at the end, so I wasn't too excited. After going down that hill, there was a minor uphill, then we were on to the gravel path. I thought I would need to slow for the gravel, but it was pretty well packed down from all the rain we've had. I eyeballed the guy who was about 100 yards in front me and kept the same distance between us the whole time. Because of all the rain, one part of the path had water moving across it. The tall guy in front of me leapt it pretty well, but I splashed right through. It was cold. A benefit of knowing the course is that I knew that after the 1/4 mile on the gravel path, I would have to go uphill. I mentally prepared myself, but it was straight uphill on gravel and I was not feeling it, so I walked halfway up. At this point, I was at the back of the front pack where I would stay the whole time, and except for one girl pretty far back, I couldn't see any other runners. I felt like I was pretty safe to walk.
After this, I saw Barb's husband and son in her front yard. I shouted that the hill sucked, but it was really nice to see friendly faces halfway through the course. After this, we looped around and went uphill a little, then thankfully down a big, brutal hill.

When I got down a hill, I couldn't believe that we were about to loop back toward the fairgrounds. I still felt pretty good, no side stitch or anything, and it didn't seem like I was about to hit the two mile mark. Or what I assumed was the two mile mark because I didn't see any course markers out there there anywhere. After this, it was time to go back up the big hill. I made it about halfway up, then my legs started to cramp. Once again, there was no one behind me, so I figured, why not conserve my energy for the end? Although I walked part of the two hills, I started running as soon as I got to the top. After that, it was quickly back into the fairgrounds for a loop around the pond and back to the finish line. I didn't push while I was running around, but when the finish line was in sight, I could tell there was a low 28 on the screen and I wanted to end before 29. I reached down deep and pushed myself to crank forward as hard as I could. Some guy standing about 200 yards in front of the finish line shouted, "Good push!! Looking good!" which pushed me to move more. I ended up crossing at 28:32 and was the 10th female overall. Most people finished in under 40, so I feel pretty good about my place and definitely felt that if it was a flat 5k without gravel, I probably could've shaved off those 32 seconds. But for not doing any speed work and not monitoring my pace in… months? I'm thrilled with how I did. It is amazing to me how well watchless running works. I ditched my watch months ago because my feet were in a bad spot, but I'm not eager to go back to it. Last summer's 5k without a watch for two months before earned me an AG award. Last fall's half marathon without a watch earned me a 7 minute PR. I just do better without the technology weighing on my wrist. I feel better. I'm running. I don't know how fast or slow I'm running, I just know that I'm getting from point A to point B and I'm leaving all the pace obsession behind and that seems to work.

After finishing, Shane and I hung by the finish line and walked down a bit to wait for Barb to come in. I had Shane ready to get a picture of her crossing the finish line, too. The best part is that as I walked down to cheer her on, the same guy who cheered for me said, "Go Barb! Which one is Barb?" and started cheering and clapping for her, too. I love nice spectators.

Would I do this race next year? YES!! It was so much fun. Small, good crowd at the end, well organized, great swag, and a course that really made me push myself. I loved all of it.

What I Read Wednesday

Moon Over Manifest
Newbery Award winner! 12 year old Abilene has been a drifter with her father her whole life, until he puts her on a train so he can work a railroad job. She arrives dirty and suspicious of the town of Manifest, where her father grew up. She sets out to find out about his childhood, but no one is saying much of anything about him. In the process, she makes two friends, discovers a box of letters dating back to WWI and uncovers all the secrets Manifest has to old. This story was told through Abilene's viewpoint but also through flashbacks. It was really well-written and would be great for upper elementary and middle school, but I enjoyed it, too.

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures
Another Newbery medal winner. Flora Belle is watching her neighbor vacuum her front yard (yes, her front yard) when she sees a poor, unsuspecting squirrel tangle with the vacuum. She rescues outside to save him and in the process, ends up with a squirrel who has superhero powers (Ulysses). Ulysses doesn't quite know how to use his powers and know does Flora, but through the story, the two end up learning a great deal. I loved the illustrations in the book. It was a quick, funny read.

Young God: A Novel
I saw a comparison between this book and Winter's Bone. It's apt in some ways, but this book is far harsher and darker than Winter's Bone which at least left the reader with some hope. 13 year old Nikki loses her mom, steals a car and goes to her dad: once the biggest dealer in their area of the North Carolina hills. Nikki is thrown into a life of drugs and other ways to get money and falls quickly into the darkness. The prose of this novel was fascinating. Very short, choppy sentences, which almost made me think that it was written to emulate Nikki's life or the lives of those around her.

The Painter: A novel
I loved The Dog Stars, so I was super excited to see the author had a new book. Jim is a fairly successful artist with a storied past. He shot a man in a bar for making lewd remarks about his young daughter (the man was a known pedophile). His daughter was murdered. He's twice divorced. But now, that's behind him and he fishes and paints and mostly lives as a recluse, until one day when he comes across a man beating a horse and intervenes. This single act spirals him into a life of madness and violence that he isn't sure if he can escape.
This book was not The Dog Stars (but few books are--read it if you haven't), but I still loved Jim and Jim's choices and wondering what would happen to him and those around him.

Since You've Been Gone
Emily's best friend Sloane is her world. Emily believes that Sloane shines while she just gets to be in Sloane's light--and she's okay with that. Then at the start of summer, Sloane disappears and all Emily has from Sloane is a mailed list of the thirteen things she should do to spend her summer. Some are easy, like pick apples at night. Some are frightening for a rule follower like Emily, like steal something and go skinny dipping, but in the end, Emily grows and sees that maybe she can shine, too.
I loved this book. It's a YA novel, but it was so enjoyable and I think regardless of our age, we can all learn from Emily's summer.

What are you reading?

What I Read Wednesday

Little Star: A Novel
This is probably one of the more "set your teeth on edge" horror books I've read in awhile. It wasn't disturbing in a way that it was about zombies or vampires, more disturbing that it was about a man who finds a baby buried in a hole in the forest and when he picks her up, she sings a single, perfect note. Then he brings her home and insists to his wife that they're going to raise her. She agrees because, well, other her husband will probably smack her around and thus begins the series of awful people within this book. The little girl, called Little One, by her would be parents is kept in the basement until something tragic happens, when she's whisked away by their older son, Jerry. Jerry enters her into a singing competition (Sweden's version of American Idol) and his sister begins to gain fans--or followers--reaching out to them over the internet. The ending of this book is slow and the build-up is long, but the characters themselves were so unusual and in some cases, so awful, that it had me on edge even before the climax. I really enjoyed this one.

The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour
Tragically, the library request system was down all last week. Tragic because I had about fifteen requests I wanted to make. Fortunately, I'd borrowed two books from Barb's daughter, so I was able to get by.
The Red Blazer girls is a really cute mystery series for pre-teen and early teen girls about a group of girls who go to an all girls school in New York City and have to wear red blazers. They stumble onto their first mystery by accident, but their success in solving it leads them to form a crime solving group called The Red Blazer girls. What I like about these books is that they incorporate a lot of math and word puzzles and encourage girls to solve them within the books. They're also silly and fun and easy to read. They'd be good for upper elementary through middle school.

The Red Blazer Girls: The Vanishing Violin
This is the second book. This one definitely had a lot more word, math and logic puzzles in it than the previous book, some chapters not even giving away the answer to the puzzle in hopes that you would try and solve it yourself. Again, these are really cute books. I enjoyed it!

Love Letters to the Dead
The library request system went back up Monday and I requested all the books. This was one. Last night I was kind of keyed up and couldn't sleep and began reading this at a little past 8. I ended up staying up until midnight to finish it--oops. Laurel is coping with the death of her sister while struggling to fit in at a new high school. Her english teacher gives her the assignment to write a letter to a dead person, and she begins a year long process of filling a notebook full of letters to the dead. In some letters, she connects to that dead person, to Kurt Cobain on his parents' divorce, to Judy Garland and how she was forced to always perform, to e.e. cummings and his beautiful poetry. But she also fills in the pieces of her life, her broken heart and the events that led up to her sister May's death. Although it is hinted that something awful happened to Laurel before May died and although you can mostly put the pieces together, the author still builds to the moment in which she writes it in a letter. This book was beautifully written and stylistically unique. I loved it.

What are you reading?