May was a really good month for reading. I love when I’m reading a book that I HAVE to keep reading. You know what I mean. Shirking responsibility, putting off the to-do list, dodging sleep, all in the name of reading a few more pages. I even read an extra book! Vacations help with that, since all I do is drink Diet Coke and read. Without further ado – my four books of May!

Nineteen Minutes

A bullied student reaches a breaking point, after enduring years of torment and emotional distress. In nineteen minutes of his rage, a town is changed forever as lives are ended and turned upside down. Years of history between Peter, Josie, and their mothers are explored in flashbacks to reveal cause and effect, an attempt to explain this horrible event – and why Josie can’t seem to remember any of it. 

Two years ago I had a student who terrified me. Though I was filled with concern for him, I could never shake the suspicion that there was something dark within him. I started having incredibly realistic nightmares in which he brought a gun to school. The thoughts consumed me. I checked out the book Columbine and read it in about 2 days. I was equal parts fascinated and horrified by school shootings, and in the back of my mind I guess I was waiting for one to happen in my school. Thankfully it never did, but this mindset definitely lent an interesting layer to this book for me.

Good

• I kept reading. I just kept reading. Sometimes I felt like I wanted to put it down, that it was too predictable and sad and dark. But I kept reading. It’s definitely one that keeps the current moving.
• I really loved the dimension she gave Peter. As a teacher I learned firsthand how incorrect our impressions and assumptions can be. There was SO MUCH happening to Peter that almost no one knew about.
• The struggle of motherhood that Alex undergoes is multi-layered. She is a professional, and independent. She feels she lacks some of the traditional compassionate mom qualities (a fear I’ve also had), but she loves her daughter fiercely.
• Jodi Picoult did her research. It’s basically Columbine, but told in a very real, narrative way. It seems realistic to how a community and individuals would react in a similar situation.
• The blood and gore is mostly kept to a minimum. The actual shooting part is usually told secondhand from other characters, not first person.

Less Good

• I didn’t like Josie. I felt Picoult tried to make her a complex teen girl, but it felt… fake somehow. Her feelings about her mom and Matt and Peter and school just blah blah blah.
• The relationship between Matt & Josie was SO TOXIC and then ends up being this foundation for the plot, but it’s such a weird and uncomfortable sidestory for most of the book! I hated Matt more than Voldemort, probably.
• Not a huge fan of that ending. Idk. I’m having trouble explaining it, but it felt so weirdly out of place.
• There’s enough swearing, sex, and abuse that I felt uncomfortable and off balance most of the book. Enough that I would warn people before they read it.

Popular

Maya Van Wagenen is the opposite of cool. She has a best friend, a few friendly acquaintances, no sense of fashion, and a passion for writing. When she comes across a vintage handbook for becoming popular, she decides to follow it to the letter and see if it helps her gain the elusive popularity.

This is the adorable teen version of The Happiness Project is heartwarming and inspiring. I honestly wish I would have read this as a junior high teacher. I would have found some way to integrate it into my curriculum and make it mandatory for all of my kids to read. She starts out with the appearance stuff, which mostly just gets attention – no popularity. But when she starts doing the attitude and behavior stuff everything begins to change in a major way.

Good

• The overall message is SO IMPORTANT and relates to everyone. What really matters is friendship, compassion, and selflessness. Popularity is a construct.
• “Why are we so afraid of each other?” This line literally made me start to cry. We are all so afraid of each other, but we don’t really need to be.
• This was written by a 15 year old girl. Even if it was terrible I would love it just for that. But the fact that it’s poignant, funny, and GOOD makes me love it even more.
• The way she writes about middle school and cliques is a great way for anyone to put themselves in a teenager’s shoes. It’s a must read for teens and anyone who works with/raises teens.
• She just gives you so much hope in this rising generation, ya know?

Less Good

• It was written by a 15 year old girl, so there’s lots of tangents and sidestories that aren’t necessarily interesting or vital to the story.
• I wish she added more pictures of her outfits, makeup, etc. because I thought she was just adorable.

Me Before You

Louisa Clark lives in a dead end town, with a dead end job, and a dead end boyfriend. When her boss sells the cafe, she finds herself accepting the only job for which she is remotely qualified – taking care of a former-daredevil, now-depressed quadriplegic. Her quirky personality and his pretentious wit combine to change both for the better, at least for a little while. 

I’m having trouble dissecting my feelings about this book. I expected a sobfest, but I didn’t even cry. Which is weird, considering I cry all the time at every fictional thing I read/watch. Maybe it’ll be different when I see the movie. This book tackles the complex issues of quadriplegics and those who care for them, love, friendship, potential, family, what life truly means, and what death truly means.

Good

• I really liked Will and Louisa, individually and together. They’re just so lovable! They walk right off the page. Just like real people, you feel like you know how they’re going to react to something or what they’re going to say, but then they surprise you.
• While I’m at it, most of her characters are very interesting. Even when you hate them. Maybe especially when you hate them. The familial relationships in particular were SO SAD AND MEAN but then SO SUPPORTIVE AND SWEET.
• It’s hard to write about this without spoiling it, but it really makes you think in depth about the complexities of life and death. Watching several different characters struggle with these complexities is fascinating.
• Several passages made me literal LOL or smile ear to ear at how beautiful and happy they were, and those stuck with me, despite the mean, sad, or confusing parts.
• I enjoyed the ending quite a bit, though I know others haven’t. I was expecting to be disappointed, since I didn’t see the book ending in any way that would be satisfactory. But I was pleasantly content with the way it wraps up.

Less Good

• It is very sad, really from beginning to end. Putting yourself in his shoes (or wheels) is sometimes very draining and depressing. Living in Louisa’s trapped life is also pretty gray at times.
• There’s some swearing, and a description of sexual assault, though tastefully written. Just something I know people need to be aware of for trigger reasons.
• It was good, but I guess I just don’t get the hype? Maybe I should have read it ~before the hype? Idk. I’ll try to see the movie next week and see what I think.

Writing Down the Bones

In this handbook of sorts, Natalie Goldberg offers advice and instruction for writers of all types. It’s not a guide for syntax or citation rules, but a more flowing, emotional approach to writing. In a series of short chapters or essays, she writes about the primal, infinite practice of writing. She describes ways to get out of your own head, break out of ruts, find ways to describe anything and everything, and to take your writing to the next level. 

When I got this latest writing contract I felt woefully unqualified. I have two college degrees, but they’re both focused on education – not writing. My only writing experience is an unfinished novel and this dumb little blog. I asked around for recommendations from my writing friends and this one topped the list. I can see why – it breaks down writing to a very loose and meta art. I feel like I learned a lot from it, and might buy my own copy (the one I read was a library copy).

Good

• It reminded me of something I already know – you have to really ~feel it in order to write well. I’ve kind of lost that with this blogging 3x a week thing. I think it’s a good practice, but it also feels forced sometimes. My best blog posts are the ones I ~feel, violently hammering away at my keyboard to pour out all of my thoughts before they evaporate.
• As mentioned above, practice practice practice!! It made me feel better about my 3x a week blogging resolution, because even if those posts are garbage – it’s practice. It also motivated me to put some time each week into my book..
• I like that the chapters are unrelated. You can skip around. When I found one that didn’t resonate with me I just skipped it.

Less Good

• She’s weird. In a good way, mostly. But sometimes I just can’t help but think how I could never associate with someone like her.
• Several chapters got super meta or super boring, or both. I found myself skipping around a lot, and not really reading the entire thing.
• I don’t write poetry, so those parts just didn’t interest me. Never been a big fan.

Now for June I’m reading “Why Not Me?” by Mindy Kaling for Bon’s Book Club, “Still Alice” by Lisa Genova with the Delicious Reads Book Club, currently reading “Beauty” by Robin McKinley as an ebook as my time-killer on my phone, and I am part way through “Mother, Can You Not?” by Kate Siegel. Can’t wait!