Gone Girl

Gillian, F. (2012). Gone Girl. Detriot:  Thorndike.

I have searched for this book for quite some time.  A few teachers I work with recommended Gone Girl for summer reading.  Gone Girl is of the mystery/thriller genre, so it's not something I would normally read.  Yet, I'm so very glad that I did.

Gillian Flynn's third novel is told from the point of view of a husband and wife, Nick and Amy Dunne ("done").  We all know that I love multiple perspective novels.  In the opening of the novel, Amy is missing.  Of course, Nick is the first and prime suspect in Amy's disappearance.  To add fuel to the fire, Amy goes missing on the couple's fifth wedding anniversary, and the couple has been having marital problems.  Amy's story, told through old diary entries, gives the reader background to the couple's relationship leading up to the conflict of their marriage.  Nick's story, told through present actions, gives the reader the current plot line.  The couple alternates chapters making the narrative line shift from past to present every other chapter.

I don't want to give too much away about the novel, or else I would ruin the plot entirely.  Gone Girl kept me on the edge of my seat during the entire reading, making me finish the novel in just two days.  While I am a fast reader, I rarely have the desire to read a novel so quickly.  I just couldn't put it down.

Gone Girl is definitely meant for a mature audience.  Some of the language is a bit much.  But the characters are wonderful and complex, leaving the reader to question what is right and wrong in a relationship.  There is already a movie in the works, due out this fall.  Nick is played by Ben Affleck, so I'm very excited!

The Poisonwood Bible

Kingsolver, B. (1998). The Poisonwood Bible. New York:  Harper Perennial.

Sometimes I get very tired of reading the mundane and overdone love stories.  I always enjoy a novel with a different perspective.  When two of my colleagues recommended Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, I decided to give it a chance.  Since Kingsolver is a Kentucky native whom I have never read before, I felt even more pressure.  And once in a while the novel appears on the Literature and Composition Advanced Placement exam.  I always want to find novels to recommend to my students that may assist them for the exam.  So, based on the above criteria, I just had to read The Poisonwood Bible.  And Even though it took several months to read (because of my very busy schedule), I'm so very glad that I read Barbara Kingsolver's amazing novel.

Jane Austen Ruined My Life

Pattillo, B. (2009). Jane Austen ruined my life. New York:  Guideposts. 

I love Pride and Prejudice. I have loved it from the moment I read it in my feminist literature course in college. I have watched several movies based on Austen's books. Yet I am no expect in the world of Austen. But now I want to be.

Jane Austen Ruined my Life is a modern novel about a woman, appropriately named Emma, who is a Jane Austen scholar. After the failure of her marriage, she travels to London in hopes to discover the lost Austen letters. Emma discovers a lot about Austen and herself. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It isn't the most thought-provoking piece of literature, but it is fun and lighthearted. I enjoyed seeing the references to Austen's novels and to places I have visited in London. Trying to identify Emma's Mr. Darcy was fun too. But Emma isn't like her Austen counterparts. Although Austen's characters are revolutionary for her time, the idea of true love is overdone in today's society. Emma is a modern woman who does differ from her idol's creations. 

Essentially Jane Austen Ruined my Life made me want to be knowledgable in Austen's work. So I'm currently reading an old copy of Emma. Next will be Sense and Sensibility and I plan to finish with Pride and Prejudice. I have never read multiple novels by an author consecutively other than serial writings. With me luck that I can stick with my plan!

The Paris Wife

McLain, P. (2011). The Paris wife.  New York:  Ballentine.

Ernest Hemingway is a name known worldwide for many different reasons.  Hemingway was a known alcoholic and notorious play boy.  He was part of the Lost Generation, which included voices such as Fitzgerald, Stein, Pound, Eliot, during the 1920's.  It was a time of breaking the rules to find oneself.  Hemingway was a love 'em and leave 'em kind of man.  But the first woman who trapped his heart was a woman named Hadley Richardson.  Together, the opposites lived a whirlwind life and tried to find consistency in a world full of chaos.

Paula McLain tells the story of the first of Hemingway's wives in her 2011 novel, The Paris Wife.  The novel is completely fiction but based on actual events of the Hemingways' life together.  McLain assumes Hadley's voice to tell the story through first person.  McLain truly and fully develops Hadley's character to the point that it seems that she's a dear friend telling a story.

Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns

Weisberger, L. (2013). Revenge wears Prada:  the devil returns.  New York: Simon.

I was extremely excited to read this book.  I immediately placed this book on hold at the library after I finished The Devil Wears Prada.  When the library called, I was every happy and rushed over to get it. I completed the book in less than twenty-four hours (something I can do, but haven't done in quite sometime); yet not for the reason that most probably expect.

The Devil Wears Prada

Weisberger, L. (2003). The devil wears Prada. New York:  Broadway Books.

My goal every summer is to read as many books as I can.  Sometimes these books are thought-provoking and emotional--The Bluest Eye.  Sometimes they are longer than most--The Help.  Sometimes they are a fun summer read--The Outcast.  The Devil Wears Prada falls into the last category.  I have read Weisberger's modern novel a few times now.  I have to admit that I saw the movie first, several years ago.  But like most, the novel is a hundred times better.

The Devil Wears Prada follows the story of Andrea Sachs, an employee as a personal assistant at the fictional Runway magazine.  Andy is forced to endure some rather difficult and humiliating (to say the least) "tasks" as she hopes to climb her way up the literary world's ladder.  Andy must often make the choice of job or her personal life.  Some of the scenes have the reader dumbfounded at the ridiculousness of the Runway world.

The Bluest Eye

Morrison, T. (1970). The Bluest Eye.  New York:  Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

The Bluest Eye has been on my reading list for a while. I read Beloved back in college and enjoyed Morrison's writing then. I'm currently preparing for my AP summer training. I received a list of books that the trainer wants us tone familiar with (one was The Great Gatsby! Surprise). The Bluest Eye happened to be on the list. So I thought, "Why not?"  

Jane Eyre

Bronte, C. (1847). Jane Eyre. London:  Smith, Elder and Company.

Jane and I have a love/hate relationship.  I have read this novel numerous times in the past ten years.  I first read Jane Eyre in my AP English IV class in high school.  Since this is the first year I'm teaching the same course, I thought it was an appropriate novel.  This time, the novel must have spoke to me, because currently, Jane and I are kindred spirits.  Or maybe the fact that my students are actually enjoying the plot made me like the novel this time.

1984

Orwell, G. (1949). 1984.  London:  Secker and Warbug.

I don't consider myself a very politically aware person.  Sadly, I don't even stay up with current events as much as I should.  I am trying to change that aspect of myself; I need to be more aware of the world around me.  But for some reason, I love teaching 1984.