Ruined: A novel

I just had one of those book moments when the suspense is so good I can't stop reading, and then suddenly, the book is over. It is always bittersweet--it feels good to have the story resolved, but I always feel like I want more---more details, more story, more of what happens next.

But what happens when you are given exactly what you want? It's kind of like eating that extra piece of Halloween candy when you've already gorged yourself. You think it will satisfy you, but really all you're given yourself is a belly ache. I always think of the final book of Harry Potter in that way. I wanted to know what happened to Harry after, but when Rowling describes Harry as an adult, it doesn't feel right to me. It seems like she wanted to tie the series up with a bow, and life isn't like that--I detest when a book/television show/movie feels the need to resolve everything in a "It all works out in the end" conclusion.

Not to make a dated reference, but the lack of such a conclusion is what I really enjoyed about the Sopranos finale. The show's ending left as many questions as it answered, and isn't that what life is all about? I'm not saying that I want the books I read to have the conflicts completely unresolved (What would be the purpose of reading then?), but I wish that writers would refrain from giving us epilogues in which everyone lives happily ever after.

At this point, you are probably looking at the title of this post and thinking, "What does this rant have to do with the aforementioned novel?" I won't be going into to detail about the plot of the novel, since I will be doing an audio booktalk (which you will be able to find on the PHS library website), but I will say I was really enjoying Ruined: A novel by Paula Morris until the last chapter and the epilogue. The resolutions happened way too fast, and while they made sense, for the most part, they just seemed tied up a little too neatly.

BUT I really liked the New Orleans setting of the book, and I relished reading a book that was a ghost story and a murder mystery all wrapped in one. However, the characterization of the main character Rebecca was somewhat complex, but most other characters were one dimensional.

Was this a good book? I've read better; I've read worse. It was a page turner, but would not be one that I would feel the need to read again.

The Knife of Never Letting Go

I just finished The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness this weekend, and as soon as I returned to school today I made a point of checking out The Ask and the Answer. How fast I get to a sequel is usually a pretty good indicator of what I thought of the book; so obviously I really enjoyed this novel.

This is actually the second time I checked out this book. I tried reading it earlier this fall, and I just couldn't get beyond the first chapter. Perhaps this is because I didn't give myself time to truly get into the book. Once I was beyond the first chapter, it really got good.

Todd lives in the New World in a town called Prentisstown. He is the only child in a community of all males. And if this wasn't bad enough, everyone can hear each others' thoughts, all the time. They can even hear animals, such as when Todd's dog tells him that he has to poop.

Yet. . .Todd finds a place where there is quiet, and by doing so, he is forced to leave everything he knows in Prentisstown. Once he's left, he realizes that what he was taught to believe might not necessarily be the truth.

I stayed up hours past my bed time reading this book; I definitely cared about Todd and his travelling companions. I am eager to continue reading the sequel tonight.