If I Stay-Gayle Forman

Ever since Sherman Alexie pulled me out of my bookslump, it's like the floodgates have opened and all these really wonderful books have come slip sliding my way. If I Stay is one of those wonderful books.

Mia, a seventeen year old high school senior, has a pretty good life. She's close with her family, she has a loving punk rock boyfriend, and it seems to be a given that she'll be accepted into Julliard. But that wouldn't make for a very interesting story would it? Course not. Enter the conflict.

"Everyone thinks it was because of the snow. And in a way, I suppose that's true."

A thin layer of snow falls, and, because this is Oregon, the schools shut down. The family decides to take advantage of the snow day by taking an impromptu road trip. One minute, they're trying to come to a consensus over which radio station to listen to, and the next, Mia is standing on the side of the road, surveying the terrible car wreck that has killed her family. Mia doesn't understand what she's seeing. She walks over to the mangled car and sees her own body there, mangled, the flesh of her leg ripped away to reveal the bone beneath.

Am I dead?

I actually have to ask myself this.

Am I dead?

Before the accident, Mia was struggling with which path to take. Does she follow her first love-music-to New York City and Julliard, or does she stay with her family and the boyfriend who loves her so very much? Now though, as she watches herself lay there in a hospital bed, deep in a coma, she has a much greater decision to make; Should I stay?

Oh man. This book just about ripped my heart out of my chest. Mia thinks back to time spent with her family, and while she's relating these lovely memories, I sort of forgot that her family is dead. When I remembered (rather, when Mia reminded me of the fact) I felt this giant whoosh of the wind being knocked out of me. No! I love them so much! They can't be dead!

It's why the book is so brilliant. Mia is so torn between letting go (it'd be easier, she's so very tired, and maybe she'd be with her family again. Life would be so hard without them) and staying for the things that are still here (Adam, Kim, her music.)She knows life will be so painful if she stays. If she goes, she knows she leaves behind people that love her, and need her to come back to them. What would you do? I honestly didn't know what Mia's choice would be. Of course I wanted her to live, but I would have totally understood if she decided to just let go.

I cannot say enough how beautiful this book is. After finishing the last page, I had the desire to sit alone in silence, just to be able to digest all the beauty and the pain.

Have I convinced you to read it yet??

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian-Sherman Alexie

So remember how I was complaining about being in a total book slump? THE SLUMP IS OFFICIALLY OVER!! And it's all thanks to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian.

I'm sort of ashamed to admit how hesitant I was to read this book. I'd even checked it out from the library a few months ago, but returned it unread. It had gotten such rave reviews, that I was a little wary. I've gotten burned a few times this year by the "omg you HAVE to read this!!1!" reviews on some other blogs. I'd rush out to read those books and, while there was nothing wrong with them, per se, they just suffered from my too high expectations. Anyway, I was cautious.

From the first paragraph, I was totally hooked. I could instantly hear Junior's voice in my head, loud and clear. He's smart, he's funny, he's sarcastic, he's confused and, well, he's awesome. Seriously, I would totally hang out with this kid.

I loved the honesty of it all. Junior pulls no punches in describing all the things that are wrong with the reservation and with the people on it. He traces every problem back to its source; booze. But though he acknowledges these issues, he's also attached through the strong bond of love and loyalty to the Rez. When his math teacher tells Junior that he has to leave the Rez in order to survive, Junior takes his words to heart and decides to go to high school at Rearden. Rearden is off the Rez and full of white kids. Though he knows he's going to be looked on as a traitor, Junior also knows that his teacher is right; if he wants a different life for himself, he has to leave the rez.

I really loved Junior's relationship with his family. They have their issues (dad's a drunk prone to disappearing for days on a bender, mom is an enabler and his older sister is sort of a hermit) but the love and devotion they all have for one another is wonderfully apparent. Who hasn't thought their family was totally weird and effed up, and loved them anyway?

It would have been easy for the story to devolve into stereotypes and absolutes. Instead, the story is beautifully crafted and feels incredibly real. This could be because it's loosely based on Sherman Alexie's own experiences growing up on a reservation. Still, it's the mark of a great writer when you can read their work and not think of the author all the time. Instead, you're thinking about the characters. After all, that's the point of story telling.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian is at turns heartbreaking and hilarious. A book can get me to both laugh out loud AND cry? How rare (and awesome) is THAT?

I finished this book in a day, and was totally bummed that it was over. Luckily for me, Sherman Alexie is "hard at work" on a sequel, tentatively titled The Magic and Tragic Year of My Broken Thumb. I can't wait to have Junior's voice in my head again.

The Book of Lost Things-John Connolly

I consume books quickly. I also have a terrible memory. Those things combined ensure that I’ve read a lot of books that I can't remember. Every so often though, I’m lucky enough to read a book that, upon finishing it, I know with total certainty will stay with me for a long time. The Book of Lost Things is just such a book.

Set in the beginning days of WWII, twelve year old David is consumed with mourning his recently dead mother. To make matters worse, his father remarries and relocates the family to his new wife’s old English country house. David spends most of his time in his attic bedroom, ignored and ignoring his new baby brother. Feeling so alone, he takes refuge in the books lining the shelves of the attic. Imagine his surprise when the books begin to whisper to him. Of course, a magical adventure follows, complete with a new world discovered beyond the walls of the old garden.

This is honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read, and I’m quite sure it’s going to be one I read yearly. It’s sweet, poignant and sad. Though it may involve a trip to a magical kingdom, werewolves, trolls and dying kings, it brilliantly captured the loss of childhood innocence on the road to becoming an adult.

The imagery was fantastic, and I could easily see this book being turned into a film.

Oh, and here’s a little secret, just between me and you; it totally made me cry like a little girl.