Unfinished Books (2).

Woe as me! We have all had this experience. We hear the hype, we read the blurbs, we froth at the mouth for a book, (or we simply say "Hey this looks good. Why not?") and then letdown! we find we can't finish. This post covers what books I have recently had to bid adieu to before they were completed.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.

Francie Nolan, avid reader, penny-candy connoisseur, and adroit observer of human nature, has much to ponder in colorful, turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. She grows up with a sweet, tragic father, a severely realistic mother, and an aunt who gives her love too freely--to men, and to a brother who will always be the favored child. Francie learns early the meaning of hunger and the value of a penny. She is her father's child--romantic and hungry for beauty. But she is her mother's child, too--deeply practical and in constant need of truth. Like the Tree of Heaven that grows out of cement or through cellar gratings, resourceful Francie struggles against all odds to survive and thrive. Betty Smith's poignant, honest novel created a big stir when it was first published over 50 years ago. Her frank writing about life's squalor was alarming to some of the more genteel society, but the book's humor and pathos ensured its place in the realm of classics--and in the hearts of readers, young and old. -Emilie Coulter, Amazon.com

Honestly I picked up A Tree Grows in Brooklyn because it was the book for my book club, not because it seemed like one of my books. I was willing to give it a try; I like to venture outside of my comfort zone every once and a while too. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn has been hailed as a heart-warming classic, so I was intrigued. I started reading it on a boring day at the hospital I volunteer at (I get so much reading done when I volunteer). I got about fifty pages into it in a three hour period. I was extremely confused as to what the plot was. I'm one of those readers who needs the plot clearly stated somewhere. The whole story was a intricate tangle of anecdotes about Francie Nolan's family. I scratched my head, put the book down, and 'promised' myself I would finish it before our book club meeting. That never happened. I'm planning on going to the meeting and hearing the others' opinions on the book. Then I'll make the final decision on whether or not I should finish it.

unfinished books (1).

Woe as me! We have all had this experience. We hear the hype, we read the blurbs, we froth at the mouth for a book, (or we simply say "Hey this looks good. Why not?") and then letdown! we find we can't finish. This post covers what books I have recently had to bid adieu to before they were completed.

The Named by Marianne Curley.
Sixteen-year-old Ethan Roberts has more to worry about than his lackluster grades. As one of the Named, he is charged with secretly protecting history from the Order of Chaos--an evil group that seeks to alter the past to achieve ultimate power in the present. Ethan is given orders to train his first apprentice, 15-year-old Isabel Becket, in a few short weeks as his growing nightmares soon make it apparent that trouble is brewing on a cosmic scale. The two are helped by Arkarain--Ethan's violet-eyed, blue-haired, 600-year-old mentor--and their secret powers. Isabel is a healer. Ethan is a master of illusion.

Someone somewhere out there in the blog world talked about these series before. I can't remember who exactly. She said they were some of her favorite books when she was younger. She talked about how these books cover a story about a time-traveling boy, but she didn't really elaborate on much else in the plot. I instantly thought of a Pendragon sort of book going on, obviously different but with the same sort of boy saves the world motif. I love me some Pendragon, by the way, so you can see why I was intrigued. I scooted down to the library and picked this book up pronto. My dismay grew from the moment I cracked open the first page and continued, until finally I had to quit. Not nearly as well written or as interesting as Pendragon, for starters. I wasn't even comparing it to Pendragon as I was reading it, though. The whole thing reeked of a juvenile read to me, which may be why the book was that blogger's favorite when she was younger. I wasn't interested in the plot, I wasn't invested in the characters, and parts of it seemed ridiculous to me. I figured I was wasting my time if I couldn't even like the beginning.


Peeps by Scott Westerfeld.
A year ago, Cal Thompson was a college freshman more interested in meeting girls and partying than in attending biology class. Now, after a fateful encounter with a mysterious woman named Morgan, biology has become, literally, Cal’s life.
Cal was infected by a parasite that has a truly horrifying effect on its host. Cal himself is a carrier, unchanged by the parasite, but he’s infected the girlfriends he’s had since Morgan. All three have turned into the ravening ghouls Cal calls Peeps. The rest of us know them as vampires. It’s Cal’s job to hunt them down before they can create more of their kind. . . .

I have been wanting to read this book for a while. I love Scott Westerfeld; I think he is hilarious and has something unique to say that I like hearing. But I didn't realize this book was about a gruesome parasite. I just sort of picked it up and ran with it. I have to tell you that I am very squeamish. I obsess about these things for hours, whenever I hear about ticks or flatworms. Just, eww. I'm grossing myself out now. I thought that maybe I could get through Peeps because I really did think the plot was interesting. If it hadn't been for the details about other parasites in the alternating chapters. If it hadn't been for the fact that I had a terrible cold which made me cough up nasty things a few times a day. If it hadn't been for the chapter about worms that enter your body, lay eggs that you swallow back down when you cough up nasty things, and eats away at the lining of your stomach. Enough said.