So I feel as though my first post should be explaining a bit about myself and also what the point of this blog will be. Hm well me, I love to read of course and am also trying my hand at writing a bit. I'm still in college at a school in Wisconsin, where I'm majoring in English and plan on continuing on to get my PhD and hopefully eventually teaching mythology at a university. This blog will mostly be focusing on young adult books and a lot of times specifically young adult fantasy books, but I like to change it up a bit so there will be other books that I just thought were good thrown in. Each week (hopefully) I will be reviewing two books and basically writing about what I thought of each. The title of the blog indicates that I will be telling you not to read one book and read the other but I like to think of it more like telling you which book I found to be better of the two.I'm in no way trying to tell you "don't read that book." So I may believe that it would be great to read both of the books for the week but which one I found to be more exciting. Please understand also that I am no professional critic and these are simply my musings and thoughts on the many, many books that I read and maybe a bit of other tidbits about random things I'm thinking about : ) I also would love to hear what other people thought of the books I will be posting on; it's a great way to start discussions. So for this week I have only one book for you because it is one of my favorites. It's a popular book and is sometimes considered a young adult book and sometimes considered an adult book with a teenage protagonist. It has been banned in many schools for its subject matter and I would recommend readers to be at least 16 for this one. The book is "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky. The book has certainly made it into my all time favorite list. The character of Charlie is so deeply emotional and perfectly written. Almost anyone can find a peice of themselves in his character or at least a situation he's been in. The plot and ending are so strong that that this story will stay in my heart forever. This book truly gives a voice to the voiceless and helps people like Charlie or who see themselves in him (as I did) to know that they are not alone. This is a book that is there for you when you have no one else and truly gives many people out there hope. The storyline is captivating and you will want to keep reading it (even if it was forced on you as it was me in school : ) ). Please give it a try and I'm telling you that you will not be disappointed, it truly changed my perspective on life. If anyone has any thoughts or comments on the book as well (good or bad) I would love to hear them. Happy reading and have a great week.
Oh one more thing, Michelle Zink, the author of another great book by the name of "The Prophecy of the Sisters" (which I will be reviewing on a later date) is holding a contest for some holiday swag if any of you are interested... here is the link:
http://michellezinkbooks.wordpress.com/2009/11/14/happy-holiday-swag/
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So you say that the character looks at the world in a new way? How does this character look at the world in a way in which you can relate to??
ReplyDeleteMom
Thanks for the mention of my contest and for posting on my Open Mic feature!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing your progress with your blog.
<3
Anonymous- The character is depicted as a "wallflower." He is constantly observing the world around him, which is so different from most people who are wrapped up in only their own world. I related to the character because there were moments when I thought of the things he observed and realized I had experienced the same thing myself but hadn't seen it as Charlie had, which is why I say it opened my eyes as well. Hope that answered your question
ReplyDeleteMichelle- Thank you SO much, it means so much to me just to have you read my blog at all : )