I haven’t been reading a whole lot actually ( I am blaming the decent weather we have been having!) so I’ll include what I have finished over the last week as well.
I finished Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levitthan as a requirement for my Adolescent Lit course. I was kind of nervous to read because of the negative feedback I was getting from the other girls in the class who had finished it, but I didn’t hate it. I didn’t care for it in the beginning, and during the entire book I was expecting more than what it gave me… I’m not explaining this well at all! I guess what I’m trying to say is that this book wasn’t at all what I was expecting, but it wasn’t horrible. I would not have read it if it hadn’t been on the syllabus and I don’t know if I would recommend it.
I really don’t know what to say about this collection of short stories by Kelly Link… Magic for Beginners makes me feel like I’m missing something. Thank goodness we have class discussions on some of these contemporary pieces because I need other’s comments… My brain hurts from trying to finding meaning in these stories and I can’t seem to flip the switch to “Just read and enjoy” mode. One thing I can say about these stories is that they may be lengthy, but they are quick reads.
The Tenth of December by George Saunders is another book I read for my contemporary literature class this last week and it was enjoyable. Dealing with themes of emotion, love, relationships, breaking the rules and a lot more Saunders style was to put the reader into a disturbing situation. Then our jobs as the reader is to make some sort of connection out of these disturbances and determine whether these characters deserve our empathy… Strange; yes.
Oh my goodness I can’t believe that’s all I’ve read lately… I feel so ashamed.
What are you reading?
(And please tell me it’s more than I have)
Oh my goodness, I completely adored this graphic novel by Shaun Tan and it is by far my favorite I have read yet. The Arrival has no words at all but every page is worth 10000000 words; the beautiful 
illustrations are truly works of art and have a lot to say. The story seems to be set in a futeristic dystopian society, yet with old world elements. The protagonist is immigrating to a new country to settle in and make enough money so that his family can join him later on. He obviously doesn’t know anyone, and the land is much different than what he is used to. The city appears busier and more advanced technologically. He is also not familiar with the food, language, and customs. I don’t want to give away too much more, but this is at the top of my recommendation list for everybody to read!
Jaycie Cheatham 