Should I stay or should I go?

As I was reading If I Stay, the lyrics to The Clash song kept buzzing around in my head. Should I stay or should I go? Not only does the book have a punk influence, but the lyrics also sum up the theme of this book.
If I were the last living member of my immediate family and I was in a coma, and I had a choice to live or die, which would I choose? Would I stay or would I go?
This book brought me to tears a couple of times. One time was when the grandpa tells her he really wants her to stay, but he understands why she would want to go. The other time is when her boyfriend begs her to stay, not for him, but for her. He wants to see her accomplish everything she wanted to, even if it is without him. I think these things made me cry because they were completely selfless.
This book is a really good, easy read. I read it in a day. I bought it to take on vacation, but I read it all before we even left.
However, I could have done without all of the punk-talk.
Highly recommended!!

This one is probably my favorite book ever...

I love Water for Elephants. For me, it was pure escapism. I was transported into a time when nothing was certain, when the circus was king, and when every cent mattered. I loved the dirt, the grit, and the grime contained in this book. At times, it was almost hard to read. It made me think about what I would have done if I were in that position. What do do when you don't have anyone to turn to? What do you do when you don't have a place to rest your head at night? What do you do when your boss insists that if you want to keep what you do have, you will do as he says, even if it means doing things that go against your moral being? Do you stand up to him and do what you think is right? What if you are in love with his wife?
So many questions.....
It's an amazing book that you will not regret reading.
My mom read it, I read it, my cousins read it, my nannie read it, and my sister read it.
Don't miss out!

Fascinating...

I recently read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and it was fascinating. I loved being able to see life from the protagonist's perspective. As a former para-professional in an autism program, I could completely relate. The daily struggles of the protagonist were spot-on. I knew kids who dealt with those very same issues, even though they wouldn't talk about them. I would always wonder what they were thinking, and this book provides great insight into that.

Great job! Highly recommended!

The Weight of Silence

The Weight of Silence is a hauntingly moving story of a dysfunctional family in the middle of a crisis. After witnessing a tragedy in the family, young Calli becomes a selective mute. She refuses to speak, yet she builds a strong friendship with a girl without using words. They seem to have an otherworldly connection in which Petra, her friend, can feel what Calli wants or needs. The book centers around the search for Calli and Petra who both went missing early one morning. It is told from each family member's perspective; it picks up with a different family member each chapter. The book becomes sort of a puzzle, putting together each piece of the story as you read and try to figure out what caused the girls to disappear. I highly suggest this book; it is great for a quick little weekend read.

What is the weight of silence? The weight of silence in this book is the heavy load that burdens the girl who will not speak. She has secrets to tell, but she cannot fathom opening her mouth until she has to speak up in order to try and save her friend. She does not speak up for herself, but rather for the life of someone else. Then she begins to tell her story. Have you ever had a secret you couldn't tell? Did it weigh you down in mind, body, and spirit? That is the weight of silence.

Don't be silent.

A Great and Terrible Beauty...

was anything but terrible. This book is captivating. It sweeps you off your feet and transports you to a time where, for girls, modesty ruled and scandal followed every little move. Gemma Doyle, the heroine, is thrust into a magical world where the line between reality and make believe become blurred. She discovers this world after being sent to an all-girls school per her late mother's request. It is at this school that she learns who she truly is and what she may become.

I absolutely loved this book. This is the first in a series, and it is the kind of book that made me want to curl up under the covers and escape into this 19th century world. I think what I enjoyed most was the element of forbidden romance. She develops, not by choice, a releationship with an Indian boy who is not from her social class. This dynamic really makes the book surge with romantic energy. I loved it.

Way too long...

I have gone way to long without posting. I started teaching last fall, and I just didn't have as much time to devote to reading. However, I have read quite a few books since my last post. I'll write an entry everyday until I get caught up. I'll start with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I read this over the summer, and I absolutely fell in love with the characters. Lisbeth Salander is someone to really root for. I actually hated the book at first; I couldn't understand what all the hype was about. Although, about 100 pages in I started singing a different tune. The pace really begins to pick up, and the pieces all start coming together in this thriller. I could not put it down. I immediately wanted to jump into the sequel, but I'll save my thoughts on that book for a later post.

A little less than a hundred pages to go...

So, I don't know how far along in the book you are and I don't want to give anything away. That being said, I wish the author would have saved certain details for later in the book. When I got to the part I am speaking of---I was mad. I mean I figured it was going to happen sometime, but the way it happened really sucked. Anyways, I am sort of understanding the whole time travel thing now. It has to be thought of as a continuous loop, like reruns of a television show and he randomly appears in different episodes, but can't change the episode or any other episode because they have already been written and he is just an actor playing a role. How is that for an extended metaphor lol. That is how I have to think about it or else I get lost intime travel and lose the story. Well, I am almost done. I will blog again when I finish it.