Books, books, and more books

I read a couple more books in the last week or two. Here they are...

This was my second reading of John Krakauer's Into the Wild. The first time I read this book, for a section I was leading at the old work place (they made all incoming Freshmen do a common reading), I really couldn't stand the main character, Chris McCandless. I thought he was immature, stupid, and, in many ways, selfish. I wouldn't have reread the book at all were it not for my book club picking it for this month's book-into-movie selection.

For those of you who don't know the story of Into the Wild, it's the story of Chris McCandless; who after graduating college sets out on a Jack London type quest and ends up in Alaska. He dies there. It's on the cover of the book so I am not giving anything away here. After reading this book again, I feel a little more for McCandless. I still thought he was immature, stupid, and selfish but I felt compassion for him this time around. I guess what bothers me so much is the apparent careless attitude he takes with his own life. But I think the true sign that I have become an adult is that I feel so horrible for his family. I mean, his parents have no idea where he even until his body is found. It's just tragic. Anyway, I am not sure I recommend this book because I wouldn't say I exactly liked it. But it might be something you want to check out. I am interested to see what my book club folks think of it.

I also read Maureen Johnson's Girl at Sea. This is without a doubt my favorite book by Johnson. I just adored it. Adored it! So, the story is this: Clio has her summer planned out. She's going to work in an art store and she's going to get hot college boy Ollie to be her boyfriend. Only plans go awry. Clio is forced to go to Italy with her dad to live on a yacht with said dad and her dad's new girlfriend and the girlfriend's daughter. And for some reason Clio isn't being told the whole story about why they are on this ship. Are they looking for treasure? Or is something more dangerous going on? Oh, and also, how come her dad's girlfriend's grad assistant is making her forget all about Ollie?

Books Read in 2008:

Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson
Into the Wild by John Krakauer
Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
River Secrets by Shannon Hale
The House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon
The Attack by Yasmina Khadra
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
She Went All the Way by Meg Cabot
Dramarama by E. Lockhart
Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
Princess Mia by Meg Cabot
Pants on Fire by Meg Cabot
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart
Stowaway by Karen Hesse
The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart.
Spike: Asylum by Brian Lynch and Franco Urru