Book Review: 45 Pounds (more or less)

Here are the numbers of Ann Galardi’s life:

She is 16.
And a size 17.
Her perfect mother is a size 6.
Her Aunt Jackie is getting married in 10 weeks, and wants Ann to be her bridesmaid.
So Ann makes up her mind: Time to lose 45 pounds (more or less) in 2 1/2 months.

Welcome to the world of infomercial diet plans, wedding dance lessons, embarrassing run-ins with the cutest guy Ann’s ever seen—-and some surprises about her NOT-so-perfect mother.

And there’s one more thing. It’s all about feeling comfortable in your own skin-—no matter how you add it up!

I found the summary of this book to be quite interesting and this is what compelled me to read it. Well, that and the fact that it had a number in the title – perfect to cross off my 2015 Reading Challenge list.

45 Pounds (More or Less) by K. A. Barson is a memorable book to me even though it covers some themes that are typical of young adult books. It was a good, easy and relaxing read that was sprinkled with humour, a little romance and lots of life lessons. The book allowed me to examine things differently as it relates to body weight and acceptance, not just from the point of view of someone who is overweight but also from the point of view of someone who has “an ideal weight”.

Although parts of the book made me want to shout at Annie (the main character) for being such a complete dork, I guess that made it all the more interesting. Over the past few months I have gained more than a couple pounds and it’s not for a want of trying that those pounds are persistently there! The more I try, the more I gain it would seem. So, on a level I could relate to Annie’s struggle.

I cannot say much more without giving away too much of the plot of the book but you should check it out. I think most people would like it.

Favourite Quotes

“I change the channel to another movie. An old one, but new to me. And, ironically, a thin, gorgeous blonde—Meg Ryan, maybe—rides her bike on a country road. She smiles like she has no cares in the world. Like no one ever judges her. Like her life is perfect. Wind through her hair and sunshine on her face. The only thing missing are the rainbows and butterflies and cartoon birds singing on her shoulder.

Maybe I should grab my bike and try to catch up with Mom, Mike, and the kids. They can’t be going very fast. I would love to feel like that, even if it’s just for a second—free and peaceful and normal.
Suddenly, there’s a truck. It can’t be headed toward Meg Ryan. Could it? Yes. Oh my God. No! Meg Ryan just got hit by that truck.
Figures. See what happens when you exercise?”

“And while the shape of my family might not match other families – or even what I imagined it should be – some pretty amazing people make room for me, watch out for me, and love me. Sometimes, even when I don’t know it. Make it so I fit. No matter what.”

I would recommend this book to:

• Young adults/teenagers
• Persons who like Young Adult Fiction
• Persons with weight concerns
• Anyone who is looking for a good, easy read

My rating:
Really liked it – 4 out of 5 stars

Book Review: The Willoughbys

Question: What do you get when you cross Matilda by Roald Dahl and Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park?

Answer: The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry.

At least, that is what I think.

Abandoned by their ill-humored parents to the care of an odious nanny, Tim, the twins, Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and their sister, Jane, attempt to fulfill their roles as good oldfashioned children. Following the models set in lauded tales from A Christmas Carol to Mary Poppins, the four Willoughbys hope to attain their proscribed happy ending too, or at least a satisfyingly maudlin one. However, it is an unquestionably ruthless act that sets in motion the transformations that lead to their salvation and to happy endings for not only the four children, but their nanny, an abandoned baby, a candy magnate, and his long-lost son too. Replete with a tongue-in-cheek glossary and bibliography, this hilarious and decidedly old-fashioned parody pays playful homage to classic works of children’s literature.

The Willoughbys is a funny and entertaining book that you can read in a day (even with work and other obligations). The story reminded me of Matilda, a book (and movie) that I really loved as a child. Perhaps it is because I am an adult but I wondered how these parents had a child in the first place, furthermore to have all of four! They are worse than Matilda’s parents. However, I didn’t think the children were half as smart as Matilda was.

I didn’t like some of the ideas that came out in the book such as the fact that the children actually wanted their parents to die. In today’s society with children being as difficult as they are as it is, I am not sure if I would want them to get the idea that if you are in a bad situation and your parents die things will end up perfectly. I would never want them to even entertain the idea! Besides, wanting someone dead definitely doesn’t make you the better person.

On the other hand, if you (or your child) can recognize that the book is meant for fun and entertainment, then I am sure you will enjoy it. I absolutely loved the glossary! That is the part that reminded me of Junie B. Jones. The explanations/meanings given were hilarious but accurate. It is worth reading the book even if just to read that part.

I would recommend this to:

• Children
• Parents
• Persons who like children books
• Persons who need a light, fun, easy read

My rating
Really liked it – 4 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Where She Went

I have not often found that the second book in a series is better than the first but that is the case in Where She Went, the sequel to If I Stay by Gayle Forman.

It’s been three years since the devastating accident… three years since Mia walked out of Adam’s life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard’s rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia’s home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future – and each other.

Told from Adam’s point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

I absolutely loved this excerpt before the first chapter:

It well may be that in a difficult hour,
Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,
Or nagged by want past resolution’s power,
I might be driven to sell your love for peace,
Or trade the memory of this night for food.
It well may be. I do not think I would.
Excerpt from “Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink.”                                             BY EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY

With that at the beginning, one would expect a captivating book. And captivating it was. Unlike the previous book, written from Mia’s point of view, this sequel is written from Adam eyes and nobody dies this time. Even though it mainly focuses on what is happening now (that is, three years after the accident) it fills in the blanks for the  reader as to what has happened over those three years with both Mia and Adam. I liked Adam from the get-go and this book made me like him even more. You will find yourself wondering what happened between them and if and when they are going to get back together considering the fact that they now lead quite different lives. You will not be disappointed. The book was well-written and it is quite a sweet story.

My favorite quotes:

“Letting go. Everyone talks about it like it’s the easiest thing.”

“It’s just one day, one twenty-four-hour period to get yourself through.”

“And if I’m not forgiven, then at least I’m understood.”

“She holds me until I recover my Y chromosome.”

I would recommend this book to:

• Persons who have read If I Stay (required)
• Young Adult fiction fans

My rating:
Really liked it – 4 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Paper Towns

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew…

This is the first book I read this year – Paper Towns by John Green. After reading The Fault In Our Stars, I wanted to read this book to see if it was just as good. It was written just as well but… it wasn’t just as good.

Paper Towns could have easily been renamed “Finding Margo Roth Spiegelman”. That’s basically what the entire book is about. The book had a somewhat captivating start and this increased and peaked to the point where Margo leaves. After that the excitement started to decrease then it eventually leveled off.

Despite that, it was still an interesting book. Not one you race through because it’s so entertaining and fast-paced and you just have to know what happens next. It’s more one of those books you read when you are relaxing and enjoying the act of reading.

What I learnt from Paper Towns

This was one of the most interesting things to me:

Copyright traps have featured in mapmaking for centuries. Cartographers create fictional landmarks, streets, and municipalities and place them obscurely into their maps. If the fictional entry is found on another cartographer’s map, it becomes clear a map has been plagiarized. Copyright traps are also sometimes known as key traps, paper streets, and paper towns.

Favourite Quotes

“What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person.”

“I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.”

I would recommend this book to:

• Persons who like Young Adult Fiction
• John Green fans
• Anyone who is looking for a relaxing read
• Poetry fans, perhaps

My overall rating:
Liked it – 3 out of 5 stars

Paradox

He talks to me all night long,
But still, it's not the same.
He doesn't make my body shiver
Like when you say my name.

He's funny, he's good-looking,
He's smart and sexy, too.
He brings me sweet delights
But in my heart they're from you.

He tells me that he loves me
And that he'll always care.
He tells me I'm his special one
And no one can compare.

It may seem I have the perfect guy
But something is amiss.
I just don't feel that... that... tingling,
You know, that light-headedness when we kiss.

He writes me the sweetest letters
The kind you'd keep for years.
Yet, my heart is not with him
And it brings me close to tears.

He tries so hard to win my heart
And his attempts don't seem to end.
But, I'm in love with someone else...
Someone who says I'm just a friend.

I Saw You Today

Chatter.
Voices.
But I'm a million miles away.
I'm talking to a friend
And I hear the wrong words I say.
My heartbeat races,
A million beats per sec,
My brain is all confused
And you haven't spoken to me yet.
You take your time,
You make your way,
You say hello to me.
I hope my voice does not betray me
I try to speak nonchalantly.
My knees feel odd,
I'm scared to stand,
Though I long for the embrace.
But in these heels I wonder if
I'll fall flat on my face.
I take a breath,
I take a step,
Just a few more feet to go.
And then, I'm there
In your arms
And everything fades away.
I feel your body
Much more lovely
Than all I did imagine.
I pinch myself
I can't believe this luck that I'm having.
In that short time,
All in my mind,
I kiss your lips
And stroke your hair.
In that short time,
All in my mind,
No one else was there.

What Is It About You...?

What is it about you
That makes me want to
Bare my soul,
Let you know what you have missed...
Tell you all about me
And all the frogs that I have kissed?
I see in you a friend,
A confidante,
An ear,
An objective listener,
A friend I could hold dear...
Someone who just won't judge me
Or criticize at all,
Who I think would do what's possible
To cushion all my falls.
Things may change,
It's early yet,
And life certainly evolves.
A few more days,
Or weeks,
Or months,
And who knows where we will fall?
But, for now,
I appreciate it,
I'm happy for what we have.
And though I know I'll grow to love you
I'm taking all precautions
So that we never fall in love.