Wordless Wednesday

The Basilica of Saint Mary

Minneapolis, Minnesota

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

ISBN-13: 9781406311525

Publisher: Walker & Company
Published: May 2011

Format: Hardcover, 214pp

Source: Personal Library

I picked up Patrick Ness' A Monster Calls for Carl's R.I.P. VI Reading Challenge, thinking that the title and its cover are appropriate of the challenge's theme; and while they seemed to fit the theme, let me tell you that the story was mind-blowing and a tear-jerker as well.

Connor O'Malley, a thirteen-year-old boy, has always been the target of bullies in school. Back at home, things aren't as easy as he has to deal with the harsh fact that his mother has cancer but the worst of all is the recurring nightmare which has been tormenting him almost every night.

One night, he awoke hearing someone calling out his name and it turns out to be a human-like yew tree who walks and talks. This yew tree has been growing at the back of his house but Connor didn't take notice of it until now. The monster told him that he is ancient and has walked about the earth for some time. He also told Connor that he has three tales to share but he would want Connor to tell him the fourth tale after he has finished and that he wants the truth from his story.

At a glance, A Monster Calls may seem like an ordinary horror story but don't let that mislead you or stop you from reading it as I felt there is nothing horrible or scary about this story but more of an emotional journey of a boy who overcomes his guilt and loneliness, and learning about letting go.

(Image Credit)

When I first started this book, I was intrigued by the tone and Patrick Ness' amazing storytelling skill. However, the more I flipped through those pages that feeling of waiting for the story to unfold has slowly turned to a heartbreaking feeling for it reminds me the time when my mother was diagnosed with cancer and how we have to learn to cope and to accept the sad truth (she passed away in 2006).

That said, this story isn't about depression and feeling sorry for Connor. On the contrary, it is a spirit lifting story that is bound to make you think hard about life and all. What I liked about this story is it isn't told in a preaching tone and that there are also some great illustrations done by Jim Kay and they absolutely add life to this emotional-filled story.

I have a lot more good things to say about this book but as they always say, it is always best to experience that wonderful reading journey yourself so what can I say. . . Go read this book, now!

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

Rafe and I had grown from children who played together without noticing our differences into a teenage boy and girl who were no longer allowed to associate as friends. A social chasm had opened between us and we fell naturally into our proper roles.

(Pg 38-9, Shadow of a Quarter Moon by Eileen Clymer Schwab)

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This month's Mailbox Monday is hosted by Amused by Books.

Here's what I bought and received from The Book Depository:

1) Headhunters by Jo Nesbo

What books came into your house last week?

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

Like many young girls, I was given a copy of Little Women as a gift.  Lousia May Alcott's perfect roman a clef about growing up in genteel poverty during the Civil War has been universally adored by generations of young readers, and despite the drastic social changes that have taken place in the intervening years, Jo March's struggle for independence and freedom from the conventions of society still resonates with many young women struggling to find their way in a complex and often confusing world.

So it was with great excitement that I picked up a copy of The Lost Summer of Lousia May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees at a local discount store.  I had read glowing reviews of the book on many of the blogs that I follow, and I anticipated feeling just as taken with the fictionalized account of one youthful summer as all of those bloggers had been. While many authors over the years have used primary historical documents to write fictionalized accounts of the lives of real people, this book seemed to promise some kind of new insight into a hidden chapter of Miss Alcott's life.

The Lost Summer recounts the events of one summer when Louisa was 20.  She and her family go to stay in the house of a friend of their father's in Walpole, Massachusetts.  Her father Bronson Alcott, was a philosopher who was friends with many of the important intellectuals of the mid 1800s-Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Thoreau, and others.  Unfortunately for his family, he believed that working for money would sully his mind, and as a result the Alcott family lived off of the generosity of their friends and family, as well as whatever money the girls could bring in doing piecework or working as tutors and companions.  Louisa meets Joseph Singer, a young man trying to manage his father's shop during the older man's long illness.  There is an instant attraction between Joseph and Louisa, but he is already pledged to another girl, and she longs for the independence to write.  Despite never wanting to marry, Louisa feels herself falling in love with Singer, bonding as they do over Walt Whitman's recently released Leaves of Grass.

Reading the author's note, it becomes obvious that there is actually no historical evidence that Louisa had a love affair as a young girl the year her family lived in Walpole.  The entire affair is completely from the imagination of  McNees.  Which would have been fine, if the story of their love had been as gripping and tragic as some of those rhapsodizing bloggers seemed to find it.  My problem with it was that it didn't seem realistic at all.  They meet, make eyes at each other, read a few poems, and are suddenly consumed with an unquenchable love for each other.  Maybe it's a function of my age, but I just didn't buy the "love at first sight" thing.  Infatuation, yes.  Physical desire, sure.  But full-on, can't-live-without-you love?  Sorry, I just didn't get it.  As a result, while the book is very well written and I enjoyed McNees' descriptions of New England life in the 1850s, I can only say, "meh".

Wordless Wednesday

Nickelodeon Universe, an indoor theme park at the Mall of America

Minnesota

(No, my husband and his co-worker who went with him for the business trip didn't take any of the rides there, which I felt is a pity!)

Everything Beautiful Began After by Simon Van Booy

ISBN-13: 9780061661488
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: July 2011
Format: Paperback, 416pp
Source: Publisher

When the publicist contacted me awhile back and asked if I wanted to read Simon Van Booy's Everything Beautiful Began After, I've to confess I was a little hesitant at first; after all I've never read anything by this author. However, a little voice inside my head urged me to give him a try and you know what, I was so glad I did.

Everything Beautiful Began After tells a story about three different people and how their life changed after they met one another. At one glance of the blurb, one may dismiss it as a love story but let me tell you that there's more going on here than that.

Rebecca used to be an air stewardess before she comes to Athens to paint. When Rebecca was young, she and her sister lived with their grandfather as they were abandoned by their mother. At that time, she was also very intrigued by their grandmother since their grandfather barely mentioned her or her passing. Rebecca and her sister then grew apart when the latter got married and Rebecca began to travel around the world as an air stewardess. After working for a few years, Rebecca said goodbye to her job and arrived in Athens where she met George under coincidental circumstances.

While Rebecca seeks solace in painting, George, on the other hand came to Athens to learn ancient language. Before then, his life at New England boarding school is often lonely and only revolves around ancient language and alcohol. He began to walk out of his drunken stupor gradually, and he thinks meeting Rebecca is the best thing that happened in his life.

Henry is the last person to enter this story, yet he is the one who creates the ripples in both Rebecca's and George's life. Rebecca began to fall for him after their encounter over a book, and as you can tell their worlds collide and it is only a matter of time that the three will meet one another face to face and see where fate will take them.

Told in two different perspectives (second and third person), Simon Van Booy weaves an unforgettable story about love, friendship, loss as well as the mundane realities of life and how the characters cope when unexpected circumstances befall them. Simon Van Booy's writing is simply beautiful and lyrical; I was both entranced by his prose and his wonderful storytelling skills.

What I also liked about this story is there is an atmospheric feel to it; it is an emotional-driven story that would make you pause and think about life, and the people around you. It definitely made me think a lot about fate.

I will have to check out the rest of Simon Van Booy's books after reading this.