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February 2007

«ordinary»   His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

I read the His Dark Materials trilogy simply because I was going through a bit of Harry Potter withdrawal. These books weren't fantastic, but they definitely weren't terrible either. I sometimes felt a little like I was being hit over the head with religious metaphors, but other than that, these books were okay.
Finished: February 27, 2007
Summary: In the epic trilogy His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman unlocks the door to worlds parallel to our own. Džmons and winged creatures live side by side with humans, and a mysterious entity called Dust just might have the power to unite the universes--if it isn't destroyed first. The three books in Pullman's heroic fantasy series, published as mass-market paperbacks with new covers, are united here in one boxed set that includes The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. Join Lyra, Pantalaimon, Will, and the rest as they embark on the most breathtaking, heartbreaking adventure of their lives. The fate of the universe is in their hands. (from amazon.com)
Quotes: "We'll be alive again in a thousand blades of grass, and a million leaves; we'll be falling in the raindrops and blowing in the fresh breeze; we'll be glittering in the dew under the stars and the moon out there in the physical world, which is our true home and always was." (p 320, The Amber Spyglass)
"Being in love was like China: you knew it was there, and no doubt it was very interesting, and some people went there, but I never would. I'd spend all my life without ever going to China, but it wouldn't matter, because there was all the rest of the world to visit." (p 443, The Amber Spyglass)

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (reread)   «absolutely necessary»

One of the best books I think I've ever read. I read it for the first time a couple of years ago when it first came out. My sister-in-law and brother read it a few months ago, and in talking about book with them I realized I didn't really remember any of the details. After finishing the His Dark Materials trilogy, I wanted to read a book that was more mature and fantastically written. I can't say enough good things about this book.
Finished: February 16, 2007
Summary: On her way home from school on a snowy December day in 1973, 14-year-old Susie Salmon ("like the fish") is lured into a makeshift underground den in a cornfield and brutally raped and murdered, the latest victim of a serial killer--the man she knew as her neighbor, Mr. Harvey. Alice Sebold's haunting and heartbreaking debut novel, The Lovely Bones, unfolds from heaven, where "life is a perpetual yesterday" and where Susie narrates and keeps watch over her grieving family and friends, as well as her brazen killer and the sad detective working on her case. As Sebold fashions it, everyone has his or her own version of heaven. Susie's resembles the athletic fields and landscape of a suburban high school: a heaven of her "simplest dreams," where "there were no teachers.... We never had to go inside except for art class.... The boys did not pinch our backsides or tell us we smelled; our textbooks were Seventeen and Glamour and Vogue." (from amazon.com)
Quotes: "'How to Commit the Perfect Murder' was an old game in heaven. I always chose the icicle: the weapon melts away." (p 125)
"When the dead are done with the living," Franny said to me, "the living can go on to other things." "What about the dead?" I asked. "Where do we go?" She wouldn't answer me. (p 145)