how to buy a love of reading by tanya egan gibson ::: this novel tells the story of an awkward high school girl who's parents decide that as a show of wealth and privilege they will buy their daughter her very own work of fiction. carley's parents hire a young writer to figure out why carley doesn't like to read and make a book that conforms to her every interest and whim. gibson's novel goes on to describe, in great detail, the fabulous and troubled lives of society's elite, and how knowledge can be used as a tool of wealth.
i picked this book up at an office book swap a few months ago and was warned that it was being given away because it was a nearly impossible read. (the sentences are long, the characters quite unlikeable and the attempts at telling a fluid story are sometimes lacking.) i have to agree with most of these ascertains, but in the end i did find myself connecting to two of the main characters..although it did feel too late in the game to really change my mind after abhorring these same two characters for the most of the book.
the solitude of prime numbers by pablo giordano ::: another novel about teen angst and another book i was warned i may find depressing. in this novel's sadness was a great deal of beauty. the book begins with chapters describing the events that stunt mattia and alice's psychological growth and ability to connect with others. jumping ahead to their awkward teenage years, mattia and alice become close friends, forming an alliance over their childhood experiences. the novel follows the two from childhood to adulthood and explores the way the two characters can never escape their circumstances. giordano's background in mathematics shines through the novel, as mattia is a mathematical genius, but it never became too abstract for a 'words girl' like me. i really enjoyed this novel and though giordano did a wonderful job of fleshing out the two main characters so that the reader feels their shared pain.
what are you reading?
