The Bell Jar

Hello there!

This week's review is of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.

The Bell Jar chronicles the crack-up of Esther Greenwood: brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under -- maybe for the last time. Sylvia Plath masterfully draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that Esther's insanity becomes completely real and even rational, as probable and accessible an experience as going to the movies. Such deep penetration into the dark and harrowing corners of the psyche is an extraordinary accomplishment and has made The Bell Jar a haunting American classic.

I can see why this book is a classic. This book takes you into the downward of depression and leaves nothing out. As a victim of anxiety I could totally relate to some pieces of this story. Plath touches on subjects that not many authors (especially at that time) will touch and she does a fantastic. You can definitely feel a piece of Sylvia Plath's soul in this book. It was so raw and emotional. There are not enough words to describe how great this book is. I gave it a 5 out of 5 stars.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

James and the Giant Peach

Hello, hello, hello!

Here's an oldie but goodie, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was a champion of the underdog and all things little—in this case, an orphaned boy oppressed by two nasty, self-centered aunts. How James escapes his miserable life with the horrible aunts and becomes a hero is a Dahlicious fantasy of the highest order. You will never forget resourceful little James and his new family of magically overgrown insects—a ladybug, a spider, a grasshopper, a glowworm, a silkworm, and the chronic complainer, a centipede with a hundred gorgeous shoes. Their adventures aboard a luscious peach as large as a house take them across the Atlantic Ocean, through waters infested with peach-eating sharks and skies inhabited by malevolent Cloudmen, to a ticker-tape parade in New York City.

I have not read this book since second grade. This book does one thing that most children's books don't: it still appeals to adults. A lot of books I loved as a child I got bored with reading as an adult but not this one. I just love all the characters and the imagination in this book is stupendous. And who wouldn't want to travel in a peach. Maybe minus the giant bugs but seriously.When I read this it brought be back memories of my childhood and it was fantastic. There are no bad words about this book it's just all around fantastic. I gave it 5 out of 5 stars,

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Hello there!

I hope everyone had a nice holiday! My review today is on Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume.

If anyone tried to determine the most common rite of passage for preteen girls in North America, a girl's first reading of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret would rank near the top of the list. Adolescents are often so relieved to discover that someone understands their body-angst that they miss one of the book's deeper explorations: a young person's relationship with God. Margaret has a very private relationship with God, and it's only after she moves to New Jersey and hangs out with a new friend that she discovers that it might be weird to talk to God without a priest or a rabbi to mediate. Margaret just wants to fit in! Who is God, and where is He when she needs Him?

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Right from the start I'm going to say: This is a banned book and if you are offended easily please turn away from this page. Really though? I don't see a problem with it other than the reference of God and puberty. This is a book designed for middle schoolers. This book is a classic. My mom read it as a youngster as did my aunts and many people I've talked to. (And they weren't harmed by it) This was the first time I read this book and I'm 21. If you're not offended by God or puberty I would suggest you give this book to your daughter to read. What better way to get insight on living through middle school than reading someone else do it. This book is about how girls deal with what is handed to them and it is written so well. I applaud Judy Blume for taking on this topic and giving these young girls the gift of survival. It was a quick read and perfect for young middle school girls. I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Fahrenheit 451

Greetings!

My next book on review is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. This book does not fit into my challenge but it was a recommendation for me to read.

Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television "family." But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear, and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television. When Mildred attempts suicide, and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known. He starts hiding books in his home, and when his pilfering is discovered, the fireman has to run for his life.

Right into the review. This was closest to 1984 by George Orwell. Another dystopian society where books aren't allowed (how awful!). It was also very similar to Wall-E because of the amount people rely on technology and I feel like this parallels our world (similarly to all dystopian books). The title in itself is so clever. Fahrenheit 451- the temperature at which paper burns. Also, Bradbury uses literary devices extremely well. This book is so simple it's good, no real twist or anything drastic in the book but it's good. There were a few parts were I was confused. Some things just weren't explained enough. There was also a lot of disconnect between the characters and there was a lot of babbling and repetition. This was overall a really good book and it's a classic. It was also quick and easy to read. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

The Giver

Hello everyone!

I finished The Giver by Lois Lowry earlier in the week. I didn't know the movie was coming out so soon! In honor of the movie being released today I decided to also post my review of the book today.

Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

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I read this book in 7th grade and I don't think I really appreciated it then. rereading it made me realize what an amazing book it truly is. It's a typical dystopian society with that one rebel...yada yada yada. We've all heard it. But Lowry tells it so well. I can see Veronica Roth took some pages from this book as well as from Suzanna Collins. I did like some aspects of this society but obviously not many because it's dystopian and not good. This society was almost like the Holocaust though. They took away color and race and everything and made people exactly the same. It was very Aryan. In this book Jonas learns about the world and it shows the reader kind of how a baby would learn the world. The descriptions in this book were magnificent. Lowry takes simple things in life and reteaches them to us, as if we are seeing them for the first time. I gave it 5 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this book...to everyone!

Happy reading!

Mackenzie

The Handmaid's Tale

Hey there!

Next up is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. This was from one of my book clubs on Goodreads. Every once and a while I have a book and happen to not be reading anything when my book club starts a book.

And hooray! It fits! Oh how I can't wait to finish HEDGEHOGS so I can post pictures of mine!

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I really liked this book. I'm a fan of the whole dystopian society books. I'd prefer they don't come true but our world parallels so closely with some of these books. This is another book that I can see happening. Women are stripped of their rights and have specific jobs, similar to The Giver. You were given the world through the eyes of a girl who is low on the social totem pole, so it's okay that you don't know everything about everyone. But the girl tries to pry her fingers into everyone's business to give the reader (hopefully you) most of the picture. I'm usually against flashbacks and I wasn't for them in this book either. They tend to muddle things up and I don't know where or when I'm seeing or why.The names of the handmaids were genius I thought. At times it does tend to push a lot of faith in your face but not in a bad way. It almost shows you that too much faith can be bad. And of course, the ending...of course it couldn't end any other way. Now, this book came out in 1985, the year after Big Brother was supposed to have take over society in yet another dystopian society...coincidence...I think not! I think Atwood was waiting to see if 1984 came true and if not she pounced on the dystopian train and made her own possible scenario for our future. I gave this a 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads but after writing my review I'm leaning more towards the 3 out of 5 stars. 

Happy reading!

Mackenzie

P.S. If you don't have a Goodreads account, I suggest you get one. It is a great way to keep track of the books you are reading. And you can set goals for yourself. I'll talk about that in my next post!

Click here to create your own account!

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

Hey everyone! I just finished Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, which I'm counting only as on book. Sorry, it took me a lot longer than it should have. I've been so busy and sick lately. But this is a classic story most people have read about a little girl who gets lost in this crazy mixed up world and comes in contact with many different creatures.

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So I had never read this book before and I really wish that I had, but better late than never. This is definitely a book I will read again and again and to my children. The chapters are short so it makes it a quick read. Carroll is truly a clever writer to be able to create this world is crazy and twisted and exactly opposite of ours, which makes it so much fun and you can really escape reality in this book. The creatures were brilliant and so like the whole story so creative, and the descriptions were so well done you could really see what he was talking about. It's also funny, which it's hard to get an adult to laugh a children's book. I thought it was funny how everything was taken very literally, something that doesn't happen now a days because we don't say what we mean. I liked how there were real poems in there, not just ones Carroll wrote. I found myself forgetting I was in Wonderland and not in Oz. The characters and worlds are so similar. If you have never read it, go out and buy a copy and start right away. Such a good book.

My next book is a book called All Enemies, which was written by an old friend's dad. I'll give some more background in a later post. Also, I'll be writing a statistics post later this week.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Perks of Being a Wallflower

Hey guys!
Sorry, I haven't posted I was on vacation this weekend, which means that I forgot to mention that I started and finished reading Perks of Being a Wallflower. So I have used up all the p's and f's in my alphabet. Finishing Perks of Being a Wallflower gives me:

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So this book was incredibly good. Definitely as good as everyone tells me it is. It is a very singular and intimate book. What I mean by that is, that it is written in letter form to a person who doesn't know who the main character is, so as opposed to a diary, the main character, Charlie, isn't worried about being found out or having his diary found, so he can be very open with this person. It singles the reader out as if they're the person receiving the letters. This book does show you what high school is about and how fitting in isn't always easy, although most of us know that by now. It gives insight to the unwritten initiation into high school. Overall, this book should be on a must read list for most people. It may sound like the "typical" book for a teen, but it's so much more than that.

Another note: I'm not sure if I've mentioned that I've paused reading The Two Towers. I'm just losing steam with it. I'll definitely come back to it before this challenge is over. But I am reading The Happiness Project, and I think I may start my own happiness project, but I'll keep you posted on that.

Ta-ta for now!
Mackenzie