The Awakening (The Vampire Diaries) - L.J. Smith

The Awakening by L.J. Smith is the first novel in "The Vampire Diaries" series.  (I've looked it up, and I'm still not really clear on how many novels there are in the series.)  I know that The Vampire Diaries has been a bit hit on TV lately, so I thought I would give the first book in the series a try. (Also note that I haven't really kept up on the TV show since the end of the first season.)

This novel seems to be the introduction to the concept of "The Vampire Diaries."  Elena is a young girl who seems to be very popular and in demand among her male classmates.  When Stefan moves to town, she chooses him, but for some reason, unlike every other boy in the area, he doesn't show any interest.  Eventually, Elena and Stefan become a couple (once we figure out why he was avoiding her) and things seem to be going well, for the most part... Until weird things start happening around town and Stefan becomes the prime suspect. 

In terms of plot, there wasn't all that much happening in this novel.  I guess because it's part of a longer series, the relationships and characters are being developed to prepare for future novels.  By the end of the book (spoiler alert), Elena basically finds out that Stefan is a vampire and that his brother, Damon, is also lurking around town somewhere.  (For those who have seen even one episode of the TV show, this is no shocker.)  That's all that happens.  It's safe to say that I was a bit disappointed with the plot.  The novel also leaves you without a real ending, so I can only assume that it must blend right into the second novel.

That all being said, my expectations could be a bit skewed.  I've enjoyed what I've seen of the TV show, so maybe I was just expecting a little more from the novel.  The show seems to bring weekly excitement, so I was expecting a little more action in the novel.

It was definitely a young adult book and I think that the content and writing style would appeal to a younger audience.  (As an educator, I think that having books that appeal to a younger audience are important.  And although there are many Young Adult books that I am also interested in, I do know that I'm not the target audience and there will be some, like this one, that don't really appeal to me.) 

My recommendations for this book?  If you're a pre-teen, or a young teen, you will probably enjoy it.  As for everyone else, it's not on the top of recommended reads.

Handle with Care (Jodi Picoult)

I recently finished reading Jodi Picoult's novel "Handle with Care."  This novel was about a young girl, Willow, who was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), a rare genetic bone disorder that results in many bone breaks and fractures.  This disorder affects an individual for their entire lives and there is currently no cure.

Willow, though she is a very smart young girl, will always be small, will always have an unusually high risk of breaking bones, and will always require care or help from someone else.  Since Willow's mother, Charlotte, has been unable to work since Willow was born, her family is having a hard time covering the living costs for Willow, who constantly requires hospitalization, wheelchairs, and accessible vehicles.  After an incident while on vacation, a lawyer brings up the fact that, perhaps, Charlotte's doctor, Piper, should have been able to see early detection signs of OI in the fetus.  This early detection could have led to the termination of the pregnancy before any of these problems or costs became a problem for the family.  The book discusses the ups and downs of what occurs during this lawsuit.
 

When I was reading this book during my lunch break one day, another teacher walked in and asked what I was reading.  When she saw "Jodi Picoult," she said, "Those are always sad ones."  I must say that this book is no exception, since it does deal with such a serious subject.  Willow, though young, is smart enough to know that her mother is involved in a lawsuit where she is continuously saying that she wishes Willow hadn't been born.  I can only imagine how this would affect the home life in the O'Keefe's residence.  Charlotte's marriage is falling apart since her husband can't understand why his wife is putting their children and family through this experience, her friendships are ruined since she's suing her best friend (who also happened to be the doctor), and her other daughter, Amelia is also suffering as part of this torn household.  I always find that these kind of books require you to be in the mood to read something "deep." 

As with many of Jodi Picoult's novels, each chapter was written from the point of view of a different person.  One chapter would be from the point of view of the lawyer, whereas another chapter could be from the point of view of Willow's sister.  I find this helps the reader to get "in the heads" of the various characters in the book.  It's not centered on just the people directly involved in the lawsuit, but also on other people who are affected by it. 

Another thing I liked about this book was how it informs us about OI.  I always find books interesting when they are dealing with a medical condition that I know nothing about (kind of like how I enjoyed Left Neglected by Lisa Genova, and felt like I had learned a lot about Left Neglect while reading the book).  It's a great way to look into the lives of people who are dealing with different health challenges and raise awareness on these issues.  In this case, I had never heard of OI before reading the book, and I feel like I understand more about the challenges that face an individual with OI after having read it. 

I enjoyed reading this Jodi Picoult book.  It dealt with serious, real issues, and though I'm not sure that I would have handled things the same way as the characters in the book, it's fiction.  If you're a fan of Jodi Picoult books, this one won't let you down.

Mockingbird (Kathryn Erskine)

I picked up the book "Mockingbird" by Kathryn Erskine as I was browsing the books at the local library. I was initially in the "E" section looking for the next Janet Evanovich novel in the Stephanie Plum series, but instead fell upon this gem of a book. I judged it initially by the spine of the book, then by the cover (I know, how can you decide based on the spine of a book that you want to read it?!). It was a small book and had an interesting cover. While reading the blurb about the book, I decided that since the story was told from the point of view of a child with Asperger's, it was worth a read. 
 

The story is told by Caitlin, a young, elementary school aged girl (at the junior level, for all my Ontario teacher friends) who has Asperger's. Everything that she is dealing with in her world are things that would be challenging for any child, let alone one who has difficulty understanding emotions and the fine lines between what is right and wrong. Caitlin's family consisted of herself, her father, and her brother, Devon - that is, until Devon was killed in a school shooting. Caitlin doesn't know how to deal with the loss of her brother, her dad is an emotional wreck, and she doesn't have Devon there to help her through it anymore. She decides that she needs to find "Closure" for herself and her father.
 

I really enjoyed reading "Mockingbird." It was a short, easy read, but I found it really gives you a good look into the life of someone with Asperger's. Similar to "the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime," (by Mark Haddon) the language in the book follows the thought processes of the child and really opens your eyes to the situations that some of these individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) deal with on a daily basis. Being an educator, I have learned a lot about ASD since doing my Bachelor of Education, but I find it's books like these that really help you put yourself in the shoes of someone else.
 

I would definitely recommend this book! Read something different and put yourself in someone else's situation. It won't take you long to motor through this book and I guarantee you will look at things a little differently after having read it.

Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)

I just finished "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom. I read it more based on an "I need to grab something really quickly to read right now as I'm rushing out the door" instead of based on a recommendation or high praise. I remember that this book was getting quite a bit of publicity a few years ago, but I didn't read it at the time.

 

"Tuesdays with Morrie" is a true story told by the author, Mitch Albom, about one of his college professors. He became quite close to his professor, Morrie, during school, but then didn't keep in touch after graduating. One night, while flipping channels, he sees a show that features Morrie being interviewed because he has been diagnosed with ALS. Mitch starts to revisit and reignite the relationship between himself and Morrie, knowing that Morrie is in the final chapters of his life.  He visits Morrie every Tuesday to discuss everything from marriage to death to culture.

 

Immediately after finishing the book, I checked out the reliable goodreads for the thoughts of other readers. As with all books (or TV or movies, for that matter...), there are obviously those who are going to love and those who are going to hate. Many individuals thought that the book was very good and shed some good light on important life lessons, whereas others thought it was terrible (though this was mainly because of the readers didn't enjoy his style of writing).

 

What did I think? I agree that there are many good "life lessons" in the book. There were many quotable quotes that I jotted down while reading, and some questions or comments in the book that made me question some of the decisions that I am currently making in my own life or make you think a little deeper about the relationships you have with your friends and family. 

 

"Every day, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks, 'Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?'" (Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie)
 

This being the second Mitch Albom book I've read (the first one being "The Time Keeper"), I will say that I enjoyed "Tuesdays with Morrie" better than I enjoyed "The Time Keeper." This book was a little easier to follow and dealt with 'real situations.'

 

If you're looking for a book to help put things into perspective, this may be a good book for you. Who better than someone who knows that they are dying, to tell you what they look back on in their lives and wish they could have done differently? (Morrie did seem like a very well-respected teacher and friend, and you have to look at some of his qualities as you read and hope that you can be a little more like him.) As I said, there are many quotable quotes and many things to make you stop and think about whether you are living your life in the best way that you can.

"There is no such thing as 'too late' in life." (Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie)