Book Review: The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

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It was a strange moment when I found myself once again holding an unread J.K. Rowling book. There was a certain sweet nostalgia in the unfamiliarity, made all the sweeter by the fact that it had been questionable if I’d find myself in a similar situation ever again. And yet, there it was, grinning at me like a vintage movie poster. Or perhaps I was the one that was grinning, but I didn’t stay that way for long. I spent two solid days working my way through the 500 page novel that broke my heart over and over again.

The idyllic English country town of Pagford is the setting of The Casual Vacancy, and also its central character. The town is bordered by an unsavory council estate called the Fields. The residents of Pagford proper hold the Fields in contempt for their less than respectable ways. Yet the secrets they harbor behind their quaint doors are every bit as unsavory as what goes on in the Fields. At the opening of the book, Barry Fairbrother—town councilor, town activist, rowing coach, friend to all, and genuinely good man—dies of a burst aneurism in his brain.

Amsterdam and Anne Frank

This weekend in Amsterdam, I walked over one canal after another, was almost killed by at least nine aggressive bikers, marveled at the works of Rembrandt Master of Light, and had my first taste of Indonesian food. Amsterdam is a beautiful place, rich with history and culture and dripping with vibrant, interesting people. But there is a sadness to this great city that lurks beneath the waters.  As I walked the cobblestone streets between townhouses sagging under the weight of lush window boxes, I couldn’t help but think of a girl who walked them long before me.

Kelly Young

Most people in the world have probably heard of Anne Frank; many know her story or have read the famous diary she kept during the Second World War as she hid from the Nazis in Amsterdam. However, Anne’s writing is more than a means of understanding the life of those in hiding during the Holocaust – Anne also wrote her own fiction: fairy stories and an unfinished novel which she hoped to publish after the war. A young girl who often wondered if she was any good at writing, Anne’s experience of the Holocaust has been translated into 70 languages. 

The Frank family planned to go into hiding as conditions in Amsterdam became increasingly difficult for Jews.  Their plans were rushed in 1942 when Anne’s sister Margot received a letter requesting her to report to a labor camp. The family hid in a secret annex behind the offices of Anne’s father, Otto Frank, at 263 Prinsengracht—together with the van Pels family and Fritz Pfeffer—until August of 1944.  At this time they were discovered by the Gestapo and taken first to the Westerbork Transit Camp and then on to Auschwitz. Anne and Margot were later transported to Bergen-Belsen, where they died before the liberation. After the war, Otto Frank returned to his offices and the secret annex, where he retrieved Anne’s many writings.

The Book is Better

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A few months back a friend of mine—a very tech savvy person who goes to a technical college—received an e-reader for his birthday. He was pretty excited to be in possession of a new gadget. He told me about all the great books he was going to buy, and how awesome it would be because it would motivate him to read more. And because he would be reading more he would be able to converse with me, his token literary friend, on all things concerning the written word. “Besides,” he remarked with a grin, “who wants to, like, read a book anyway?”

Although I harangued him with arguments about the ills of technology (“human attention spans are now rivaled by a goldfish’s, thanks to Youtube”), I have to concede that my friend brought up an interesting point. What exactly is the difference between the experiences of reading a paperback and reading on an e-reader?

Book Review: The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron

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In the spirit of such tales as Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones and The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent comes a debut novel by Sharon Cameron called The Dark Unwinding.  This Young Adult fiction could not arrive at a more opportune time, with the fan-bases behind dystopian chronicles like The Hunger Games and Victorian-era Steam Punk romances ever growing. At first glance, The Dark Unwinding belongs to the over-marketed craze for downtrodden heroines controlled by socially secure foes, lost in technologically rich story-scopes—and yet beyond initial prejudices, it is a fun read with sinister complications.

Forced to investigate, or in this case verify, her Uncle’s insanity at his estate by a scheming Aunt Alice, Katherine is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her Aunt’s son, Fat Robert, as heir to the family fortune—in other words, to secure her own welfare. However, upon entering Stranwyne Keep Katherine realizes that her report could jeopardize the lives of far more than her and her Uncle. What’s more, she understands that classifying her Uncle as a lunatic would simplify his ingenious work.

It's All Greek To Me

For my Literary Foundations class, I had to read Homer's The Iliad. I thought I’d really enjoy it, being a huge fan of The Odyssey and Greek mythology in general. Yet, I ended up not caring for it much. It was an interesting story but I couldn't sympathize with Achilles or fully understand the ancient Greek motivations. It made me wonder why Troy, the movie based off The Iliad, was such a huge success. How could the story translate into a film and why would modern audiences even like it? Well, I’ll tell you why: because it was nothing like the book.

The Iliad:

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The book begins with Achilles (the godlike Greek warrior) and Agamemnon (the warlord) having a dispute. Agamemnon takes away Achilles' war “prize”, the slave girl Briseis. Achilles, mad at the warlord for taking away the woman that he thinks is rightfully his, decides to not fight in the war. Not only does he not fight, but he even prays to the gods to kill his countrymen. He figures that if enough Greeks die, they'll blame Agamemnon and turn against him.

Book Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

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I have never read a single book by Maggie Stiefvater. To be honest, I'd never heard of her before I ended up getting my hands on this book. And after reading the book, I have realized what a shame that is, because Maggie Stiefvater is a superb writer of YA fiction.

           

Her newest book, The Raven Boys, tells the story from multiple viewpoints of a few characters, but mostly from the viewpoint of Blue. Blue is the daughter of a psychic; yes, one of those reading-your-palm, pick-a-card kind of psychics. However, Blue herself lacks all psychic ability. Her only strange attribute is her ability to amplify the psychic abilities of those around her. However, she always ends up going with her mother to church on St. Mark's Eve to watch those who will die in the next year walk past. Blue had never been able to see these spirits pass–until the time she sees just one.

           

What's the Next Big Trend in YA?

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Dystopias have been the most recent trend in Young Adult fiction, but since the craze has reached its climax many readers are wondering what the newest YA journey will be. From the past trend of vampires with Twilight, to the most recent love of The Hunger Games, it looks like an interesting few years is in store for YA novels.

One trend emerging from the dystopian genre is Science Fiction. Stories like The Hunger Games take place in speculative societies. They ask the question: what if? Books like this existed before the YA phenomena with 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Both writers take their own spin on what could be the future. In this, they create a whole new world.

Boston Indies: Brattle Book Shop

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Chances are if you enjoy reading at all, bookstores are a personal heaven of yours. The smell of paper and the comfortable silence shared by fellow booklovers is intoxicating. However, large chain bookstores are unreliable—Is it okay to still be mourning the loss of Borders?—and companies like Barnes & Noble, coupled with the effects of Amazon, are making independent bookstores more rare and precious than they’ve ever been before. So, if you’re interested in supporting small business owners and spending a bit of your time relaxing in the company of books, consider making a point to explore Boston and find those little hole-in-the-wall independent bookshops.

Book Review: Magisterium by Jeff Hirsch

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I admit that when I first picked up Magisterium by Jeff Hirsch I wasn’t anxious to read it. Young adult sci-fi/fantasy has never interested me much, but it was only fair that I give it a try. This book tells the story of 16 year-old Glennora Morgan living in a dystopia some 200 years in the future. After an explosion in the year 2023, a rift was established, splitting the world in half, and no one in the Colloqium has dared cross the border since. That is, until Glenn’s father is arrested and she has no option but to escape to the other side where she discovers the mystery of her mother, who disappeared ten years earlier.

Book Review: Ripper by Amy Carol Reeves

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Ripper, by Amy Carol Reeves, presents itself as a time-period thriller with a supernatural twist. After a family tragedy, main character Abbie moves in with her grandmother in a posh section of London. She soon begins work at Whitechapel Hospital, but within days victims of a malicious serial killer begin turning up around the area; the work of now infamous Jack the Ripper.

Abbie’s association with the killer runs deep, as she begins to experience vivid visions of his victims moments before he strikes. Mystery and thrilling plot lines ensue as she must decide whom to trust and find a way to unmask the Ripper before he claims more lives.