Book Review: Thwonk

I was hiding behind a fake marble pillar. I was hiding because if he knew I’d been secretly photographing him for all these months he would think I was immature, neurotic, and obsessive.

I’m not.

I’m an artist.

Artists are always misunderstood.

I didn’t intend to read another book about a Cupid when I picked up Thwonk by Joan Bauer. I just wanted to read something fun and uplifting and since Hope Was Here is one of those books that manages to be serious and lighthearted (and awesome), I figured Bauer was the way to go.

Thwonk is about a girl (A.J.) who finds a Cupid and is able to have him grant her one wish: that popular, handsome Peter Terris falls in love with her.

This story is really a character study, and the book lives and dies with A.J. McCreary. She is a forceful character, a whirlwind of emotion, and the pinnacle of passion. A.J.’s passion is photography, and that passion shapes everything she does within the story. The conflict comes from her intense interest in beautiful objects–specifically, Peter Terris–and her desire to elevate her photography to the next level.

– I really liked that A.J.’s passion for photography informed so much of her character. Part of her obsession with Peter is that he’s beautiful, and she loves photographing him. He becomes an object for her, and all she knows about him is how beautiful he is. She falls in love with him as an object, not as a person, so when she desires him to love her back, she doesn’t really know what she’s getting herself into.

– The cupid (Jonathan) exists to teach A.J. a lesson. But the best part of his role is that he exposes all of A.J.’s crazy. She spends several scenes arguing with Jonathan–and no one else can see him. Do I need to mention that most of these arguments happen in front of other people? So he’s able to hit on those areas of her personality that draws out intense reactions. He doesn’t say or do much, really, but he operates as a great foil for A.J.

– A.J. also has an awesome best friend.

– The only thing I didn’t like is that A.J. is such a drama queen. She FEELS things SO DEEPLY. Probably why she is a great artist. I didn’t dislike it in the sense that I hated her, but I disliked it in the sense that…she’s a drama queen. I don’t know. It’s part of her personality but it just amps up her ridiculousness, which is part of what makes the story work. I don’t know. She’s just a nut.

In conclusion: A.J. is a nut. And that’s what makes the story work. I found myself reading it and marveling at just how intense she is. The lesson at the end is great, and the passion makes A.J.’s story believable. I found that the photography grounds the story and tempers A.J.’s over the top personality.

Support Your Local Library: 3/30; YA Reading Challenge: 3/20

Book Review: Teenage Waistland

“You all believe that losing one-hundred-plus pounds will solve everything, but it won’t. Something far heavier is weighing on you, and until you deal with that, nothing in your lives will be right.”

I’ll admit it. I was sucked in by the cover. I wasn’t sure exactly what Teenage Waistland by Lynn Biederman & Lisa Pazer would be about, but I was betting it would have something to do with teenagers and body image. I was mostly right.

The book is about three morbidly obese teens who participate in a clinical trial for Lap-Band surgery. In order to participate in the trial and get the surgery, they have to attend mandatory group sessions for a year. The book follows these three teens as they participate in the group session.

What I Liked

– It’s not about the weight. No, really. It’s NOT about the weight. Over and over the point is made that being morbidly obese (because these kids are not just overweight) is really symptomatic of a deeper issue. It is pretty clear from the beginning what some of those deeper issues are, so I really appreciate that the authors make it explicitly clear that it’s not about the weight, even though each chapter begins with the character’s weight loss status (e.g., +3 lbs or -7 lbs).

– The teens’ stories are also not about the weight. Yes, they want to lose weight. Yes, they have families that may be encouraging them to lose weight (or not as the case may be). However, they do not obsess over their weight, every detail is not paid to how they look. The story focuses on their emotional journeys and what happens as they face their issues.

– The Lap-Band is just a tool for losing weight, but the success of the surgery depends on the lifestyle changes each character makes. It’s just a tool, not the be-all end-all. Again, it’s nice that the authors make this explicitly clear.

– I really like the premise and the first half of the book. There’s some nice character development, everyone is portrayed with several sides to their personalities, and the relationships/friendships that form make complete sense. I love that a lot of the kids are resistant to participating in group, though they come to create a basis for support for each other. All of that is really nicely handled.

What I Didn’t Like

– Please note that I said I really like the first half of the book. Once the Big Secret is exposed, everything delves into melodrama. Lots of exclamation points, lots of FEELINGS that I don’t even care about, etc. The secret is a pretty devastating one, and I found myself completely unmoved by it.

– Once the book starts dealing with The Secret, the interactions feel forced and cheesy. Things happen too quickly, and it just feels unnatural.

– The resolution/epilogue is rushed and doesn’t feel earned.

– The romance is LAME. Ugh. There are a couple of reasons I find it icky, but mostly I think it was my disconnect from the characters at that point.

– The authors have the subtlety of a sledgehammer, I swear. Instead of trusting that the reader can figure things out, everything is over-explained.

In conclusion: This book is a mixed bag for me. I really dug the first half of the book and wish the second half had lived up to that potential. Unfortunately, I had to force myself to read the end because by the last third I was over it. It could’ve been SO GREAT. Instead it was mostly meh.

Support Your Local Library: 2/30; YA Reading Challenge: 2/20

Book Review: Cupid

Cinxia had been happy to assist Cupid. Although he was the god of love, he knew nothing about marriage.

Ironically, Cupid also knows nothing about love.

I picked up Cupid: A Tale of Love and Desire by Julius Lester because, well, it looked interesting. The book cover is striking and the back of the book has a break out quote about Cupid falling in love and not understanding. Which means it’s a retelling of the Cupid and Psyche story, and retellings can be superfun. Also, I had just finished Percy Jackson, so I was still riding a myth high. As you do.

Anyway, yes, so I picked it up, and I read it. And…I really didn’t like this book. I tried SO HARD, but it just didn’t work for me. I didn’t feel like there was really anything extra added to the story. I mean, it is decidedly longer than the Wikipedia summary but not in a way that makes me feel like I understand the characters any more. Cupid is the god of love but doesn’t really understand what that means, Psyce is beautiful but hates it because it causes people to worship her, and Venus is jealous. Okay, and…?

It seems like the story really exists for Lester’s narrator to narrate. After all, half of the story is his observations on love, beauty, and marriage. He often breaks the fourth wall (is that what it’s called in literature? TV Tropes tells me that it is!) to speak directly to the reader either about the story itself, the nature of stories, and, of course, life lessons. It’s kind of cute, but mostly annoying. I mean, I’d rather have the author acknowledge that he is imparting great pearls of wisdom than have what’s supposed to be a third person narrator do it, but it’s still a bit much. Plus, Lester uses it as an excuse not to fill in the gaps of the story, which…yeah.

From the first paragraph:

That information was not in the story when it came down to me. Sometimes, stories don’t understand; what may not be important to them is very important to us.

And then he proceeds not to tell us stuff that he’s saying maybe should be explained. It is frustrating.

Anyway, the book is an easy read, and it moves pretty quickly. I wish it had more character development since that’s my favorite thing about retellings. I also think the book kind of failed because it didn’t make me want to read more about Psyche or Cupid (or any of the Roman/Greek gods and goddesses really), and that’s one thing I loved about the Percy Jackson books.

POC Challenge: 2/15; YA Challenge 1/20; Support Your Local LIbrary: 1/30

Book Review: Healing Rage

The basic assumption of Healing Rage is that unresolved rage from childhood trauma is still locked in our bodies and minds. This blocked energy manifests as disguises of rage in our adult lives–ways we cope with life while denying an intimate experience with living. These disguises become such an ingrained part of our existence that we forget that the origins are rage.

Last year, I discovered I had some slight rage issues. Meaning that I’m full of rage. So when I saw Healing Rage: Women Making Inner Peace Possible on a table at the library book sale, it called to me.

The book is divided into four parts: Waking Up, The Six Disguises of Rage, Inner-Peace Practices, and The Journey to Now. Waking Up discusses how rage originates (childhood trauma–King explains the various types of trauma here) and how/why rage comes to be stored in the body. The ultimate conclusion is that we never truly are safe enough to feel, so we wear disguises of rage.

From King’s website, the Six Disguises of Rage are:

Dominance-You control to avoid being controlled. You distance from others and abuse power to manage your terror of tenderness.
Defiance-You use anger to divert your need to be loved, often by your perceived enemy.
Distraction-You avoid intolerable feelings of emptiness by filling yourself and your time with self-defeating diversions.
Devotion-You take perfect care of others, sacrificing your own well being to avoid knowing and receiving what you deeply need.
Dependence-You stay financially insecure and emotionally distressed. You deny your personal power out of your fear of losing love.
Depression- You would rather disappear than disappoint others. You shut down to avoid overwhelming feelings of grief and rage.

This section of the book (obviously) gives examples of the six disguises and discusses them in full.

Inner Peace Practices talks about the importance of meditation, journaling, dream working, and some other techniques for getting in touch with the causes of rage and the feelings of rage.

The Journey to Now covers how to live in the present once you’ve discovered your rage triggers (and even if you haven’t). There are tips for finding joy, getting support, and navigating current relationships.

As for how I felt about the book, I thought the middle dragged a bit. Like most books of this nature, reading through the descriptions of the disguises made it clearer which applied to me and didn’t. However, once I hit the Inner-Peace Practices it was quite a bit of stuff I already knew, so I felt as though I was treading old ground. That said, there were some tips I picked up that I didn’t know (especially from the affirmations), and I also would find myself considering various ideas in the book long after I put it down. The end picked up a little bit, and I really enjoyed the section on recognizing and finding joy.

All in all, if rage is something that you are familiarizing yourself with or thinking through, I would recommend the book. I didn’t love it, but I did find valuable information in it, and that’s really what these kinds of books are all about.

POC Challenge: 1/15; Off the Shelf: 1/5

2011 Reading Challenges

I have decided to sign up for the following reading challenges for 2011.

Quirky Brown Reading Challenge: The focus here is on books offering an offbeat black experience, which I’m taking to mean no hood lit and no books about slavery (although 47 counts as offbeat, I’m sure). I’m going to do Level II, which is three books.

Books Read for the Challenge:

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
The Man in My Basement by Walter Mosley
Sex, Murder and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis
Saving Maddie by Varian Johnson
32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter
Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money by Christopher Paul Curtis

YA of the ’80s and ’90s: You had me at YA. You won me at ’80s and ’90s. And that graphic! So much win all around.

Books Read for the Challenge:

A Star for the Latecomer by Bonnie and Paul Zindel
Tangerine by Edward Bloor
Static Shock Vol. 1: Rebirth of the Cool by Dwayne McDuffie, Robert L. Washington III, and John Paul Leon
If This Is Love, I’ll Take Spaghetti by Ellen Conford
Alias Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Best Friends Tell the Best Lies by Carol Dines

Support Your Local Library Challenge: No brainer. I get all of my books from the library anyway. I’m doing the mini level: 30 books. I don’t really get the image for the button there, but whatever.