A Review of 'The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake' by Aimee Bender

"On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein, a girl at the periphery of schoolyard games and her distracted parents' attention, bites into her mother's homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers that she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother's emotions in the slice.

She discovers this gift to her horror, for her mother-- her cheerful, good-with-crafts, can-do mother-- tastes of despair and desperation.  Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes a peril and a threat to Rose.  Anything can be revealed at any meal.  She can't eat her brother Joseph's toast; a cookie at the local bakery is laced with rage; grape jelly is packed with acidic resentment.

Rose's gift forces her to confront the secret knowledge all families keep hidden-- truths about her mother's life outside the home, her father's strange detachment, Joseph's clash with the world.

Yet as Rose grows up, she realizes there are some secrets that even her taste buds cannot discern.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is a luminous tale about the heartbreak of loving those whom you know too much about.  It is profound and funny, wise and sad, and it confirms Aimee Bender's places as a writer whose dazzling prose illustrates the strangeness of everyday life."

It took me months and months to finish this.  it's a relief that I'd finally completed it.

The concept of this book was interesting-- I've never read a YA novel where the protagonist could taste different things in food.  Not just what makes up the food she's eating, as far as ingredients goes, but how the chef was feeling or what they were thinking while they were making this food.  She could tell if the ingredients were organic or sometimes what the people who harvested the ingredients were like.  She could even tell where some of the ingredients came from.

When a friend showed me this book at Half-Price books, it definitely sounded interesting and I was excited to read it!  But as I got into the book, there were several things that made this a kind of disappointing read.

First, Rose was a very passive-feeling character.  She felt like an observer more than someone who actually engages and has an opinion.  She was timid, which is fine, but it might have been better if she wasn't the narrator...

It also didn't feel like there were any real enemies in this book.  Tricky personalities and some annoying people, certainly, but no character interactions that had me gnashing my teeth out of anger or anxiety.  Overall, the characters were nice, but I didn't get that emotional provocation that I just adore getting out of any book I read.  Take Benjamin Button, for example.  I hated almost all of the characters, primarily Benjamin as he got older.  But I thought that book was pretty darn good because it made me so emotional that I wanted to throw the book across the room a la The Silver Lining's Playbook.

I was also a little put off because the book didn't seem to have a goal in mind.  Rose didn't really understand her ability and her brother kept disappearing and you can't help but wonder, "what is this all about?"  But then you don't find out until the end and it's disappointing.  It's just characters going through life.  Rose doesn't have very many prospects for herself and her brother retreats even more than he did before...

Overall, this was a disappointing read.  I will probably try more of Aimee Bender's writing, but this book just didn't do anything for me.

I give 'The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'The Girl's Guide to Homelessness' by Brianna Karp

"Brianna Karp entered the workforce at age ten, supporting her mother and sister throughout her teen years in Southern California.  Although her young life was scarred by violence and abuse, Karp stayed focused on her dream of a steady job and a home of her own.  By age twenty-two her dream became reality.  Karp loved her job as an executive assistant and signed the lease on a tiny cottage near the beach.  And then the Great Recession hit.  Karp, like millions of others, lost her job.  In the six months between the day she was laid off and the day she was forced out onto the street, Karp scrambled for temp work and filed hundreds of job applications, only to find all doors closed.  When she inherited a thirty-foot travel trailer after her father's suicide, Karp parked it in a Walmart parking lot and began to blog about her search for work and a way back.

Karp began her journey as a homeless person terrified and ashamed.  Fear turned to awe as she connected with other homeless people whose remarkable stories inspired her to become an activist for the homeless community.

Deeply compassionate and darkly funny, this unforgettable memoir celebrates the courage and creativity of lives society would otherwise stigmatize."

I got this book for my 19th birthday from my friend Avery.  My birthday is in December, but I've only just gotten around to reading and finishing it.  I wish that I had started sooner!

This was such an engaging read!  Brianna Karp's writing style really flows and jumps at you-- it's just wonderful and that's partially what makes this such a great book!  But that's not all that's great.

I also like how Brianna is as a character (I know that she's a real person).  It's wonderful that despite every awful thing that turns up in her life, she just works with it.  That's not to say that she's happy or okay with those things happening, but she rolls with it.  Makes sure that she'll be okay when it's all over.  I admire her because I don't know that I could be as resourceful as she was and as snappy and intelligent as she was in the face of a crisis, like being kicked out of the house by her undiagnosed, abusive mother with no place to go, no job, and very little money to live off of.

I admired how she was able to narrow things down to the bare essentials, first taking care of her basic needs like shelter, food, a place to get clean, etc.  When she had to make choices between losing on thing or another (such as when her car and the trailer that she was living in were towed and impounded), she chose the one that would allow her to keep going the longest.  I feel like I would be too sentimental to do that.

Throughout this book, I was extremely angry as well as completely wrapped up in Brianna's story.  The other people in her life, with a few exceptions, were awful and crazy and irrational.  It aggravated me to no end.  Her mother ground my gears worst of all.  She was the worst and most irrational of everyone in Brianna's life.  She was beyond abusive and very manipulative.  I felt helpless just reading what she said and she's not my mother!  To me, she's just a character in a book.  But she's powerful, even from the page... that's a scary thought.

There are two things that I want to know more about after reading this book: (1) I want to read more about homelessness.  Brianna really helped to change and correct my views on homelessness.  Whenever I see someone on the street corner with a sign that says something like, "Need food for my kids.  God bless," I can't help but think, "That's going to be your drug money, isn't it?"  It could be true, but this person could also just be struggling to stay afloat and this is a last-resort effort.  They probably had a job and a home before something in their life happened and took one or both of those things away.  So while I'm still weary when I see someone on a street corner, I'm trying not to be so quick to judge their situation.  (2) I want to read more about Jehovah's Witnesses.  From reading this book, I've become extremely angry with this group.  But I want to understand their views.  Their views are very different from my own.

If you're looking for a challenging read, want to know more about homelessness, and/or are looking for a book involving a lot of struggle in life and overcoming that struggle, this could be the book for you!

I give 'The Girl's Guide to Homelessness':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth' by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean

"Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth' is a hard-hitting psychological horror story featuring Batman and virtually all the inmates of Arkham Asylum, the house for the criminally insane. Led by the Joker, the inmates-- Two-Face, the Mad Hatter, Killer Croc, Clayface, Scarecrow, and more-- take over the asylum and seize control of the staff.  They're willing to release the hostages, but only if their one demand is met: Batman must be turned over to them, and become one of their own."

I read this at the request of my boyfriend, who is a huge graphic novel fan.  I think this helps me meet my goal of 2-3 graphic novels for the year, although this won't be the last graphic novel that I read this year.  I still have two more on my pile.

This was such a strange novel... I think the story would have made more sense to me had I had a little more back story on Batman.  I knew what Arkham Asylum was (although this book carried a little bit of history, which was quite dark).  I knew why Batman decided to become Batman.  But I didn't know why Batman's presence was demanded at Arkham Asylum in the first place.  So I had to ask my boyfriend.  Apparently Joker is absolutely convinced that Batman is on the same level as everyone else in the Asylum.

Despite missing some relatively important information about this story (no one's fault but my own), I really, really enjoyed the art!  It's such an interesting style.  The panels on each page aren't like your typical comic book.  It's very much like viewing a movie in book form.  It was very accessible that way.  The art was really creepy.  I would describe it as sort of smoky, but perhaps dreamy is a better word.  It's like looking at a more precise version of impressionism.  You can make out details in the faces the way you can't really in impressionism.  It was very eerie... but I absolutely fell in love with it!

I would like to read this graphic novel again when I have a little bit more knowledge on Batman.  I think I'll be able to get a lot more out of this book.

This book will be good for those who are fans of DC comics, love Batman, and have a passion for art.

I give 'Arkham Asylum':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath

"The Bell Jar chronicles the crack-up of Esther greenwood: brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under-- maybe for the last time.  Sylvia Plath masterfully draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that Ether's insanity becomes completely real and even rational, as probable and accessible an experience as going to the movies.  Such deep penetration into the dark and harrowing corners of the psyche is an extraordinary accomplishment and has made The Bell Jar a haunting American classic."

I'm not sure what came over me, but I had a sudden and strong urge to read Sylvia Plath, having never read her work prior to recently.  So I went out to Half-Price Books and bought this book and one other Sylvia Plath book.  You can look forward to that sometime in the future.

After finishing 'The Bell Jar,' I'm still very confused about my feelings on this novel.

That doesn't mean I didn't like it though.  I could relate with certain parts of this book (not the alarming parts) and it was nice that there are characters in literature that feel the way I do sometimes, articulating the words that I can't.

I thought it was interesting how the independent events in this novel came together.  In a way, it felt a little disjointed, but they still managed to work.  One moment she's in New York, merely beginning her breakdown, the next she's back at home with her mother where her mental breakdown became more and more prominent.

It was very unsettling to hear Esther's thoughts about committing suicide and how she struggled with deciding whether or not this was what she wanted and how to do it.  I felt like 'The Bell Jar' was a clearer window into the mind of someone who struggles with suicidal thoughts.  In other books that I've read (with the exception of 'Thirteen Reasons Why,' I suppose) it felt very inauthentic because the thought process of those characters was basically, "I'm going to do it."  I have no personal experience with suicidal thoughts, but I have heard that it is like an internal battle.  You know that you probably shouldn't do this, but at the same time it's very tempting and it would be too easy.  I really felt that in 'The Bell Jar' and that's why it was such an unsettling read.

The ending was where I had a lot of trouble.  I was hoping that after Esther's struggles in the asylum that she would feel that she's good and ready to leave and return full time to the normal world.  We never do find out whether Esther leaves the asylum and if she does, what happens to her.  But even as she's walking into her interview to see if she can leave the asylum, she is not sure if she wants to leave.  Not because the asylum is the greatest place on earth, but because she's afraid that she'll sink below the surface again.  I suppose this was a more authentic ending and with future re-reads, I'll grow to appreciate the authenticity, but I was really hoping for a satisfying ending where Esther learned to be sure to herself again and knew what she wanted by the end of the book.

I suppose that type of ending only happens in fairy tales.

If you're looking for a book that will draw you in, even for a short while, or are looking for an authentic-feeling (I can't attest for actually authentic, but perhaps someone else who follows this blog can) book about the descent into depression, this book is for you!

I give 'The Bell Jar':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking-Glass' by Lewis Carroll

"'I had sent my heroine straight down a rabbit-hole... without the least idea what was to happen afterwards,' wrote Lewis Carroll, describing how Alice was conjured up one 'golden afternoon' in 1862 to entertain his child-friend Alice Liddell.  His dream worlds of nonsensical Wonderland and the back-to-front Looking-Glass kingdom depict order turned upside-down: a baby turns into a pig, time is abandoned at a disordered tea-party and a chaotic game of chess makes a seven-year-old girl a Queen.  But amongst the anarchic humour and sparkling word play, puzzles and riddles, are poignant moments of nostalgia for lost childhood.  Original and experimental, the Alice books give readers a window on both child and adult worlds."

Both 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking-Glass' were such strange stories...

Alice lives in a world that simply makes no sense.  This results in a light-hearted, hilarious, and really confusing story.

I liked Carroll's use of play-on-words/phrases.  I think that was what made these stories so funny for me to read.  I think it's also really funny if read aloud at a quick pace.

I'd be really interested in reading psychology books or, better yet, philosophy books attempting to decode this mess of a book.

This is probably one of the most difficult reviews that I've written so far.  There were points in the story where I felt that I absolutely understood what was going on.  I would think, "Okay, in some strange and lopsided plane of the universe, what they're saying makes sense."  But then I would turn around and think, "What is going on?!"

The stories are so short that it wouldn't take very long for one to reread them.  I feel like if you want to get even a hint of meaning out of these stories, you need to read them a handful of times.  They're real mind-benders, that's for sure!

If you're looking for something intriguing and challenging on a different level to read, this would be the book for you!

I give 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking-Glass':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'Imaginary Girls' by Nova Ren Suma

"Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. After a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers a dead body floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away-- away from home, away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns home at last, she finds a precarious and deadly balance waiting for her.  As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

Imaginary Girls is a masterfully distorted vision of family with twists that beg for their secrets to be kept."

This was such a strange read... let me explain.

The general story line was intriguing-- there's this subplot about the former village of Olive and this other small New York town that rests outside of Olive, now surrounded by a dam and flooded entirely.  Apparently everyone who has tried to swim across the two mile stretch of reservoir has never made it out.  Two sisters with the closest relationship I have ever seen reunite for the summer after being separated for two years after a girl drowns in this reservoir.

It's a great concept, but there are a few things that were lost in the execution of this story.

The relationship Chloe and Ruby share has almost a creepy feel to it, especially as one reads farther and farther into the book.  She asserts more and more control over Chloe and what's even scarier is that Chloe willingly and gladly complies with nearly everything Ruby tells her to do!  Chloe has no head of her own, which makes her such a flat character.

Ruby was definitely the most developed out of the cast of characters, although to carried an unhealthy amount of power over this one small town.  It was really uncomfortable...

I was really confused by what was going on at the ending.  It seems that Ruby is a sort of medium or psychic... it's never explicitly said, however.  There's no background information for the readers to glean this information.  I also wasn't clear how the reservoir played a part in the story for the longest time.  Nova Ren Suma kept mentioning it and referring to it, but for most of the book it wasn't clear what the role was.  Suddenly, it becomes a big thing and it's still not entirely clear why.  Is all of this drama all in Ruby's head or is it actually a thing?

Also, where are the parents when all of this is happening?  Chloe's father and stepmother have apparently been calling since she left, but did they never think to call the police that she'd run away or think that she would probably go to Ruby again?  If I were her parent, I would definitely drive up to that town, even if I didn't know where precisely she was.  It's not that big of a town.

Overall, this was a book that was alright and it really helped that it was a relatively quick read.  However, there were a few shortcomings that just wouldn't let me believe the story.

I give 'Imaginary Girls':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy: Hogwarts for Muggles' edited by Gregory Bassham

"Is it always wrong to use a love potion?

Is death something to be feared... or 'mastered'?

What can Severus Snape teach us about the possibility of redemption?

Is love the most powerful magic of all?

J.K. Rowling's wildly popular Harry Potter books may appear to be simple children's tales on the surface, but like Hogwarts, they conceal all seven books in the Harry Potter series.  The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy offers a powerful brew of insights about good and evil, love, death, power, sacrifice, and hope.  Is it true, as Dumbledore says, that our choices reveal far more about us than our abilities do?  Is there an afterlife, and what might it be like?  Here's a Pensieve for your thoughts.  So take a healthy slug of Baruffio's Brain Elixir and join Bassham's Army of talented philosophers in exploring the mind-stretching deeper questions of the Potter books and films."

As a long time Harry Potter fan and a recently declared philosophy minor, this was really exciting to find!

This book is a series of philosophical essays about love, death, political ideologies and everything in between, all in respect to Harry Potter.  It's really quite fascinating to hear fans of Harry Potter discussing and scrutinizing the books in this way.

There were some things that I agreed with and found absolutely fascinating (there is an essay about the quality of education Hogwarts provides its students.  As a future teacher, this was particularly interesting to read about), things I didn't necessarily agree with (one of the essays has what I believe is an invalid argument-- it's about whether Sirius is dominated by his dog instincts or by his human instincts.  The author clumps werewolves and animagi together, which wouldn't work, because different magic is involved), and things that I don't have knowledge for, but still managed to find fascinating (is Dumbledore a libertarian?).

If you are a fan of Harry Potter and are looking to get a different perspective on the series, this would definitely be a good non-fiction book to try!

I give 'The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy: Hogwarts for Muggles':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'Memoirs of a Geisha' by Arthur Golden

"Sayuri, one of Japan's most celebrated geisha, is both performer and courtesan, slave and goddess.  At nine, in a 1929 poor fishing village, she is sold to a geisha house, the buyer attracted by the child's unusual blue-grey eyes.  In Gion, the pleasure district of Kyoto, she works to pay back the price of her purchase, while learning music, dance, elaborate costumes and cosmetics, and maintaining a fragile coiffure with a special pillow.  With a magnanimous tutor and a venomous rival she survives the intrigues of her trade and the upheavals of war."

This book has been on my "To Be Read" list for quite some time, so I'm really happy that I managed to procure it and finish it!

I don't read very many books that take place in Asia, so this was a nice change to read an historical fiction about Japan circa World War II and earlier.

I thought that Chiyo/Sayuri was a good narrator.  I liked that we not only got her monologue, which is to be expected in a memoir (fiction or nonfiction), but she also speculated about others and tried to include the points of view of the other characters to the best of her ability.  This made the story more three-dimensional and believable, particularly because the characters were so different from each other and so vivid.  They were described well and they were memorable when they interacted with each other.  Just wonderful.  There was also quite a bit of detail included, which is just a bonus.

I was so happy that there were explanations of certain things throughout the book.  Geisha culture is so foreign to me that without these explanations, I would be hopelessly lost and feel very excluded, like I wasn't the intended audience for this book.  So it was nice to have kimono described.  How they were put together, the Japanese words for each of the pieces as well as the English explanations of these words.  I liked that the behavior of the geisha was described.  What was acceptable, what wasn't, how you could thrive with this kind of lifestyle or ruin yourself.  It was absolutely fascinating!

Though I was happy to have these explanations, there were things that I learned that just made me sad.  It's mentioned a couple of times throughout the book, because Mameha, Sayuri's "older sister" (meaning the older geisha that trained and mentored her), but being a Geisha usually isn't a choice for a girl at this time.  A lot of the time, daughters were sold into this lifestyle because their families were struggling (or in Chiyo/Sayuri's case, her family was dying rapidly).  What I also didn't like learning was how manipulative the geisha in this story were.  It was just uncomfortable to read about... Sayuri's own success was manipulation after manipulation after persuasion in order that she come out on top, entertaining the richest men (who were often quite sleazy too), getting them to bid against each other for one girl's virginity (mizuage), having them duke it out over who will be this girl's danna, making this geisha their mistress so long as he provided her every need and whim.  It was a little scary to think about...

What was nice to learn, because it shadowed the image of 'geisha' that I had in my head was that geisha are not the same as prostitutes.  They are entertainers who study dance, music, games, and the like.  So they're a little more innocent than I thought they were prior to reading this book.

The only real problem I had with this book was the ending.  It was nice that it ended the way it did, but it also felt too good to be true, for some reason... maybe because everything pretty much worked out for Sayuri.  She may have severed ties, but she was really enjoying herself when she moved to the United States.  Perhaps the book should have ended earlier than it did.

Overall, this was an incredibly rich classic that everyone should read whether they're merely curious about geisha culture (how it was in the past, at least), have an interest in history/historical fiction, or like books written in the style of memoir.

I give 'Memoirs of a Geisha':

\

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'Cinder' by Marissa Meyer

"Even in the future, the story begins with Once Upon a Time...

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing.  A deadly plague ravages the population.  From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move.  No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl...

Sixteen-year-old Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg.  She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past and is reviled by her stepmother.  But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction.  Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.  Because there is something unusual about cinder, something that others would kill for."

This is a book that I had to read for YA Lit class but I didn't finish it until recently.

Marissa Meyer takes an interesting spin on the original Cinderella story by setting it in the future-- it's the Sci-Fi Cinderella, almost.  What's cool is that there are elements of this story, but Meyer doesn't adhere to the original story, like a lot of authors who are trying to revamp the original fairy tales we all probably grew up with.

Cinder was a very enjoyable character.  She is a very strong female character.  She makes a name for herself and while there are some that she relies on, she finds that in the case of a number of people, she can't trust or rely on them.  She acknowledges that this is difficult sometimes, but instead of spending pages and pages complaining about it, she takes this knowledge in stride and lives with it to the best of her ability.  I found this to be refreshing.

I was not a fan of Kai though... I can't quite put my finger on it, but he just seemed a little young for someone who was supposed to be assuming power after the death of his father.  Once he did assume power, he was almost the opposite of what he was before.  Suddenly, he has a country that he feels responsible for in a way that he didn't before.

As far as the plot twist, I thought it seemed a little random as far as how it was presented in the story.  It's a good plot twist, but you can't tell me that the doctor just happens to know that Cinder is actually the lost Lunar princess.  And you didn't bother to tell her?  You didn't even try to explain?  No, I don't think so.

Despite these things, I know there is a sequel to this novel and I do look forward to reading it sometime!

I give 'Cinder':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

Happy Summer!

I thought that this looked pretty summer-y :)

Last night, I packed up my things in an assortment of boxes and bags and laundry baskets.  My dorm room was the cleanest it's ever been in the history of ever.  Seriously, that place has been scrubbed from top to bottom.  My dad and I loaded up my things into the car (one trip!  Woo!  Or at least it would have been had I not needed to come back for check-out and later to retrieve food that I had forgotten) and drove the (comparatively) short distance home.

Today, I left my house around noon to return to campus for my anthropology final (the last one of the semester).  Two hours of writing later, I am finished.  I have successfully completed my second semester of college!  So now, I'm halfway through my sophomore year (because of the credits I brought with me from high school).

I don't know what to say.

This past year has been the most emotional school year by far.  High school was never like this.  Never has balance been more critical to achieve, even partially.  I have been challenged on several fronts this past year and I've managed to survive them all this time around.

A second year is in my future, but for now, I'm going to settle just a little bit.  I have one class this summer and I'm working as an on-campus gardener!  I'm definitely going to be busy and it's going to be wonderful.

Happy Summer to you and good luck with finals if there is anyone left that fits into this category!

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'Why We Broke Up' by Daniel Handler

"This is the box, Ed.

Inside is everything.

Two bottle caps,
a movie ticket from Greta in the Wild,
a note from you,
a box of matches,
your protractor,
Joan's book,
the stolen sugar,
a toy truck,
those ugly earrings,
a comb from the motel,
and the rest of it.

This is it, Ed.

The whole story of why we broke up."

If you're familiar with Lemony Snicket, this will be a wonderful and slightly different read for you (if you didn't know, Daniel Handler and Lemony Snicket are the same person)!

This is such a beautiful book and I'm so glad that I have a copy of my own!  I loved everything about it.  The weight of the entire book, the glossy pages, the beautiful yet seemingly simplistic illustrations, the format of the story...

I'm in love with the concept of a break-up letter (hmm...).  I've never had to write one, much less break up with anyone.  It's really sad to see something like a relationship fall apart, but sometimes it is inevitable.  I can't decide if Min and Ed's relationship was destined to fail or not.  There were glimpses of both angles to this argument.  Min and Ed came from totally opposite worlds and neither seemed willing to share in the other's worlds.  Min hated attending basketball games, watching sweaty men run up and down the court.  Ed hated sitting in dark theaters for hours watching obscure foreign films.

Actually, I can't blame Min... basketball games sound awful... this coming from a person who has a hard time caring about sports of any kind.

In any case, I thought each of the characters was well-written and interacted with the other characters in interesting ways.  Min was definitely a good choice for the narrator, however, I'm wondering what this story would be like from Ed's perspective.  What would it be like for him to leave and be left by this really great girl and then have all of the things that this girl ever associated with you returned?

This book was quite an experience and I'm really glad that I have a copy of my own.

If you're looking for a love-story, a heart-breaking story, and something a bit simple, this would be a good book for you!

I give 'Why We Broke Up':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'Queer: The Ultimate LGBT Guide for Teens' by Kathy Belge and Mark Bieschke

"Teen life is hard enough with all of the pressures kids face, but for teens who are LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender), it's even harder.  When do you decide to come out?  To whom?  Will your friends accept you?  And how on earth do you meet people to date?

Queer is a humorous, engaging, and honest guide that helps LGBT teens come out to friends and family, navigate their new LGBT social life, figure out if a crush is also queer, and rise up against bigotry and homophobia.

Queer also includes personal stories from the authors and sidebars on queer history.  It's a must-read for any teen who thinks they might be queer-- or knows someone who is."

In an attempt to read more non-fiction, I came across this book, not really sure what to expect.  But it's quite great!

This book goes through just about everything.  Figuring out whether or not you're queer, what 'queer' means as far as definitions go (because it's often used as an insult, and that's not the case in this book) as well as what it means for a person to be queer, tips on coming out to friends and family, handling bigotry, getting involved with the LGBT community, advice on sexuality and dating... it's a very good starter's guide, I think.  But for teens who are discovering their gender and sexual identities, a starter's guide is most immediately needed rather than the expert's opinion in-depth.

The language in this book was simple, but I don't feel like it was simple in a demeaning, "insult to my intelligence" kind of way.  It was to-the-point.

I like that this book lays out options for those who read this book.  Of course the author's have their own viewpoint, and when it matters, they give it.  For example, when talking about sexuality, they really push safe sex, but they don't say that sex is absolutely where you need to end up.  It made being LGBT feel open to a variety of different pathways.  What I mean is that, if someone who is attracted to women just wants to get to know her and do other couple-y things, she can do just that.  Gender roles aren't defined, the couple needs to figure that out for themselves.

This struck me as a really cool thing!

If you are struggling with your sexual or gender identity, this is a great book to check out!

I give 'Queer':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

College Adventures: Thinking About the Future Again--Study Abroad

In about a year and a half, I am planning on embarking on one of the biggest challenges and adventures I think I will ever experience.  I will study abroad in the Netherlands, hopefully living in Leiden (check the map).

This trip is so far away, but I get waves of longing to be over there, even though I've never visited the country.  I don't know the language (Dutch) or really any history, but there's nothing like complete cultural and linguistic immersion!  Right?

I've been thinking about it, and this trip could potentially be a 5-6 country trip.  The tentative plan is that my family will fly across the Atlantic with me around Christmas and we'll spend some time in France, visiting our family friends, the Dhermands, and if possible, the other girl we hosted, Clementine.  Maybe even the family who hosted me a little over a year ago, though this may be a little bit of a challenge.  I haven't really spoken French with anyone since that time (I've been trying to write letters in order to keep up my French language skills).  French club will be a must next year!  It has to be.  Besides the fact that I haven't spoken French in a while, my sister is proficient in Spanish, my mom knows a handful of words and phrases, and my dad... I think he took German in high school.  The family who hosted me knows bits and pieces of English, though my host sister was excellent at consoling my homesickness in English, which I greatly appreciated.

My mom was talking about visiting England and/or Ireland, but I haven't heard anything more about this plan.  So who knows!

My boyfriend, as a reward for graduating high school will be visiting Germany for a week (?) three years after his graduation.  He would have traveled there last summer, but once he found that I was planning on studying abroad, he wanted to be able to see me before he wouldn't see me for three or four months.  So while he's spending time in Germany, I'll come and visit him.

After spending time with my family and my boyfriend, I will truly be on my own until I make friends at my college in the Netherlands.  The college that I'm looking to apply to for a semester is for international students (it's really strange thinking of myself as an international student, because I've never really been one of those before).

If all goes well during the application process, I will be living in Leiden.  My understanding is that it's a University town, which could be fun!  It's much smaller than the city I'm used to living in.  Any way, while I'm here, I'll have a two week Dutch language learning intensive course and then school will start (I might keep up Dutch for the semester... it sounds really neat!  A cross between English and German.  It's actually sounds kind of cute).

Because we're a school of international students, it's rumored on the website that there's usually a three day excursion to Belgium, so I'll probably be headed there, which will be great!

I still have a spring break while I'm there, so during that time, I really want to make the journey to Poland so that I can visit Warsaw, Krakow, and see Auschwitz with my own eyes.

I've got a lot of saving to do and tons of extra planning, but I think it will be so worth it!  I am very excited!

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude