The Uglies series ~Scott Westerfeld~; Cry the Beloved Country ~Alan Paton~

there were a few books i read over the summer of 2015 that i never reviewed,
and i don't think it would be fair to them to write their review so late,
after their influence on me has simmered.
but here are the books,
because they should be mentioned
for their impact at the time:

-the Uglies series:
                      Scott Westerfeld

-Cry, the Beloved Country
                       Alan Paton

Four ~Veronica Roth~

I read the Divergent series a couple years ago, but I hadn’t ever had the chance to read the extra book Veronica Roth wrote to go along with the series, Four. I didn’t think I was going to like it. I’ve always liked Four (I prefer Tobias) better than Tris, and so I was afraid that after reading this book in which his thoughts are uncovered, I would like him less. But I didn’t. He’s great. Still.

I love the way he thinks. It’s calculated. He relies on emotion some, but he doesn’t let it control what he does and how he acts. He’s strong, yet learns to be vulnerable and love. I loved seeing how he viewed Tris. He saw that she was small, but he didn’t think of her as fragile at all.

After watching them together from his perspective, it’s heart breaking to think of Tobias post-Allegiant. Heart-breaking. Ahhhhhhh....go away, pain. I’m glad I read this book, and got this new perspective, because now I feel some of that pain that others did at the end of Allegiant. Phew. Breathe. Ah.

Nights in Rodanthe ~Nicholas Sparks~

The reason I read Nicholas Sparks' books is because of a.) their endings and b.) the fact that his books are very easy reads. When I don't feel like reading anything extensive or in depth, Nicholas Sparks is a good author to turn to. Nights in Rodanthe was that kind of book, an easy read. It had some beautiful quotes, because it's Nicholas Sparks and that's what he does, and it also has a beautiful love story. I love the ending, which comes as no surprise, because I tend to like how Sparks wraps up his stories.

This book is about a lady whose husband leaves her, and leaves her as the only one to raise their children and pay the bills. It is also about a man whose wife leaves him, and leaves him to deal with his selfishness and workaholic attitude on his own. When both this man and woman meet at a sea-side inn, they fall in love, not because they view each other as perfect, but because they admire the flaws they see in one another.

The end of the novel had me in tears, which also is no surprise, since I tend to do that when Sparks wraps up his stories.

My favorite quote of the book, and one that is a total mirror of my thoughts recently is, "Outside, rain was falling. Listening to the gentle tapping against the glass, she was thankful for its steady sense of familiarity. Remembering those days always aroused a mixture of emotions in her-something akin to, but not quite, nostalgia. Nostalgia was often romanticized, with these memories, there was no reason to make them any more romantic than they already were."

Beastly ~Alex Flinn~

I saw the movie trailer for this book a long time ago, and thought it sounded really interesting. Living in Brazil I didn't have access to a good library, so I've only recently had the chance to borrow the book. At the last moment, I borrowed the movie too so I could read the book in the day and watch the movie that night.

Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite Disney movie because I love the theme of redemption that is intertwined throughout the story. Beastly is a modern day version of the Disney classic that depicts that same theme: redemption.

Kyle is a high school student who is popular, rich, and extremely self-centered. When he plays a prank on the social outcast at school, she reveals her identity as a witch and condemns him to life as a beast.

Kyle turns into a large beast with shaggy hair and giant claws. His dad locks him in a mansion in NYC where Kyle spends his time studying and gardening. The witch gave him until his white rose dies to find a girl who could love him for his heart, and not his beastly appearance. When Kyle catches a robber in his house, he frees the man on the condition that he bring his daughter Linda to live with the beast.

The beautiful story that has lived in my heart for so many years was given a modern twist and I loved it. It's exactly what I dream about: a modern day fairy tale.

The writing quality of the book was not my favorite. It was poorly written, and the dialogue was, frankly, rather cheesy. I felt that the plot overshadowed that though. So, check, loved it despite its flaws.

I watched the movie the night after I read the book. Alex Pettyfer, who is major eye candy, plays Kyle, and Vanessa Hudgens, who is very cute and charming, plays Linda. My favorite thing about the movie versus the book was the form the beast took. When the witch transforms Kyle into the beast, he stays a man but is completely covered in horrid tattoos, facial disfigurations, and deep cuts. I felt that the change from a literal beast to this disfigured man fits the modern retelling of the story super well!

My least favorite part of the movie is that Kyle made the greenhouse for Linda. In the book, he made it for his own enjoyment. In Kyle’s story, it is a major changing point in his life because it shows his character development. He is learning to appreciate beauty in that which the world considers less worthy. He makes the greenhouse to grow roses because he appreciates their beauty, not because he wants to impress someone, like the movie depicts.

Just like the fairy tale story I love, this story shows me that redemption is a real thing. No matter the beast I feel like, Christ is my redeemer! He can take that which the world does not value, and use it for His glory. He makes beautiful things out of me.

Wuthering Heights ~Emily Brontë~

I first felt like reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte after reading the Twilight series. You see, each Twilight book is based off of a classic novel. The first book is based off of Wuthering Heights, which really ignited my curiosity in the classic.

I thought the book was very depressing. Albeit, the depression had a very melancholic beauty to it; but still, I was not anticipating the intense hatred, revenge, and brokenness the book entails.

In Twilight, Edward relates himself to Heathcliff. Therefore, I was expecting Heathcliff to have some attractive qualities. He doesn't. In fact, I hate him.

After he deems his life ruined and his soul destroyed, he proceeds to enact that same destruction he had received on everyone else. He is selfish, and he is unattractive in every way. The most appalling scene for me was either when he bawls all over Catherine/savagely kisses her/bruises her/acts like a wild dog. An equally appalling scene is when he tears open her grave to see if her body has changed (gag). Basically, all that to say, Heathcliff is definitely not my favorite guy.

Catherine the mother is also extremely annoying. What a brat! She is a good example of how not to act in life! She has no strong loyalties, no sense of morality, and no courage. If she was loyal, she would've stayed with the people who had always been there for her: Nelly, Heathcliff, Edgar, and Isabella. If she had had a sense of morality, she wouldn't have hurt everyone near her. She would have lived a life of love, and joy--not of anger and depression. And if she had courage, she would've chosen Heathcliff, even though his social status was lower than hers. As is obvious, I didn't like her character either.

Edgar bothers me in the beginning of his life. He dotes on every wish of Catherine's, appearing spineless. I like who he became though after Catherine's death. He is a good father to Catherine the daughter. He raises her to love others, and not to live self-centeredly. Him and his daughter have a beautiful relationship; it is my favorite relationship in the book. Though Edward related himself to Heathcliff because of his obsession with Catherine the mother, Edgar reminds me of Edward more than Heathcliff does. Edgar loves Catherine the daughter so much that he is willing to give her up to Linton for her happiness, just like Edward gave up Bella for her happiness.

I also like Hareton. I felt serious compassion for him. Everyone looked down on him because he wasn’t educated. But it wasn’t his fault! Grr...Heathcliff, blaming you again! Anyway, I love how Hareton learns to be content with who he is, not trying to be like someone he’s not just to please the people around him---great character development!

The book was beautiful in it's sadness. And I like books like that. So, I guess this book gets a 'thumbs up' from me. I guess. It's characters drive me crazy though.

Great Expectations ~Charles Dickens~

We read this book in English class and it gave me a whole new perspective on life.

.Parallels.

STAGE ONE: INNOCENCE

Running down the cobblestone streets,

Chasing appreciation and love,

Pip saw the beauty in the world.

Running on jungle trails,

Chasing more appreciation and love,

I saw the beauty in the world.

Running through life, growing up to fast,

Chasing true appreciation and love,

Ollie saw the charade beauty played in the world.

STAGE TWO: INNOCENCE DESTROYED

In Pip's chase,

He met a star that guided him into pride, and conceit.

His priorities twisted: 

Those he had loved, he betrayed, 

Those that condemned him, he worshiped.

And he was destroyed.

In my chase, 

I encountered a part of myself that I had hidden: a dark, sick part.

My priorities twisted:

Those I had cherished, I pushed away,

Those I embraced, had disgusted me.

And I was destroyed.

In Ollie's chase,

Innocence seeped out from his life, with every drink, girl, and choice.

A ship twisted his priorities:

Those he loved, he loved.

And the enemy, himself, he hated.

And he was destroyed.

But our stories didn't end there.

No, then hope met redemption, and 

Here we are.

STAGE THREE: REDEMPTION

Pip changed how he viewed love.

Love is not based on status or worth,

But because others have loved us first.

I changed how I viewed love.

Love is not gratification, 

But contentment.

Ollie changed how he viewed love.

Love is not selfishness,

But sacrifice.

The Best of Me ~Nicholas Sparks~

Generally I'm not a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks. I used to be when I was more into reading the 'romance' genre, but as of late, his writing seems cheesy to me. Because of this reason, I went into this book with low expectations.

I'm not going to say it exceeded my expectations by far, since the first half of the book was poorly-written; however, as the book proceeded, I enjoyed it more. Because the book is about the relationship between two lovers, one who is married, I was afraid that the relationship would turn into a sexual one. But it didn't. Which is rather surprising. Especially because Nicholas Sparks has a habit of over-adding sexual innuendos and coitus.

Therefore, I was pleased when the book had some enjoyable elements. One of the reasons that I like Nicholas Spark's writing is that a love story from a guy's perspective tends to skip the nitty-gritty lovey-dovey details; whereas, a woman romance writer tends to write like "when he touched me I felt like the most important thing in the world" or "his lips were soft" etc. Gag.

I also liked that Sparks changed perspectives so many times throughout the book. It kept me in suspense, but more importantly, it showed me even the minor character's thoughts and ideas. It was interesting to see a person's view of someone vs. who they actually were.

I like the name Dawson. And the lead male character's name is Dawson. So, I liked that.

The end of the book had me in tears. I was expecting a happy ending, and so when the book ended with a heart-wrenching plot twist, I put on some music and cried. All in all, I'm glad I read the book because it was a fun change and also, I feel like my worldview on love is maybe a little bit different now.

Not sure if it's a good thing or not that Nicholas Sparks is changing my worldview on love, but it happens.

 “Because you aren't just someone I loved back then. You were my best friend, my best self, and I can't imagine giving that up again." He hesitated searching for the right words. "You might not understand, but I gave you the best of me, and after you left, nothing was ever the same.” 

“I gave you the best of me, he'd told her once, and with every beat of her son's heart, she knew he'd exactly done that.”  

“Love, after all, always said more about those who felt it than it did about the ones they loved.”

 ~Nicholas Sparks

"Everybody stares, as she goes by
'Cause they can see the flame that's in her eyes
Watch her when she's lighting up the night
Nobody knows that she's a lonely girl
And it's a lonely world
But she gon' let it burn, baby, burn, baby
This girl is on fire." 

-Alicia Keys (Koryn Hawthorne version)