Book 26 of 100 – “Letter to My Daughter” by Maya Angelou

I wish I didn’t need to read 74 more books so I could spend a few weeks combing through this book. I want to soak in every word and appreciate every bit of wisdom Maya Angelou felt necessary to impart upon me.

I wish Angelou would have kept writing this book forever. In the several short chapters I read, I got mini glimpses into Angelou’s life. As much as I loved this, I am still a bigger fan of her poetry than anything else she has written.

I chose to read “Letter to My Daughter” because in my opinion, if I can grow to have a life even a fraction as interesting and well fulfilled as Maya Angelou, then I will have lived my life well.

Everyone should read this piece. It may not take you long, you may notice some pointed opinions, but you will also notice a wise, well-lived life laid out on paper which you have no choice but to appreciate.

Book 12 of 100 – “The Year of Living Biblically” by AJ Jacobs

In this novel, AJ Jacobs takes on the ridiculous task of following every single rule that is outlined in the bible as closely as possible, then he documents his journey. I read this very interesting book at the request of a wonderful friend and I found it to be a great suggestion.

AJ Jacobs did not make his job easy. He chose to spend eight months following the Old Testament to a key and later spend four months following the New Testament from the bible. As much as I enjoyed this book and the humorous comments that Jacobs made, I found it somewhat difficult to read. There are times that he makes long, drawn out references that don’t completely make sense. He can get lost in how he feels about what he is doing or adversely lost in the micro challenges that he faces.

AJ Jacobs in his extreme detail told a story of something I know I will never be able to do. This was a fun book, but be careful not to read it with a fine-tooth comb or a critics tongue. Enjoy this book for the book and the challenge that Jacobs takes on.

Book 8 of 100 – “Dirty Rush” by Taylor Bell

I won’t shy away from saying that I read this book with a skeptic’s eye.

Dirty Rush is described as being written “true-to-life,” but I have a hard time finding that 100% believable.

For the past three years, I have been heavily involved in my sorority (technically a Women’s Fraternity), Zeta Tau Alpha. I have loved every second of it. I have found women who have become family and who are with me every step of the day. I have gained valuable leadership, philanthropic, and diplomatic experience and I have even had the opportunity to plan large scale events such as 5ks that raise thousands of dollars for Breast Cancer Education and Awareness.

Many people say that Taylor Bell captures Greek Life perfectly in her novel, and although we went to different schools and were even involved in drastically different sized Greek programs, I must say that Taylor Bell and I did not see the same rush systems.

This novel is just that, a novel. It is exciting, has ups, downs, sex, adderall, hazing, cocaine, alcohol, and hot boys. It has a rising action, a climax, and a falling action. Please do read this novel if you want something to entertain you for a few hours, but please DO NOT read this novel if you are looking for an accurate description of Greek Life, because this is not it.

Dirty rushing is something that most sororities will not do. Not just because it is discouraged, but because it hurts everyone. There is a reason for the rules, rules I have hardly ever seen broken. Bell also writes a lot about hazing. I would also like to talk about that in comparison with my experience. Very often, women will refuse to go through recruitment simply because they are afraid we will haze them. Books like this make it difficult for us to persuade young women that they will not be harmed, physically or mentally. The media, much like this book, blow up every scandal at every turn because it is a big money maker.

The truth is, if these women, who walk through the door, are truly my sisters: why would I even consider laying a hand on them? If I want them to be there for me as much as I am for them, why would I make them do pointless tasks to prove their loyalty? Some Greek organizations have hazed in the past, and a few may still do it, just like sports teams, clubs, and even work environments may haze. However, for a long time now, the Greek community has done their best to pull away from this stereotype and there are countless anti-hazing programs across the country. I cannot speak for other groups, but I can assure you that I was not hazed, I have never hazed, and I will never condone even the consideration of hazing (an opinion shared by the national council of Zeta Tau Alpha).

It is books like “Dirty Rush” that give Greek Life a bad reputation. It is books like this that I despise.

Bell did get one thing right in her book: going Greek will change you. It will help you become a better leader and help you find the big sister who will stand next to you during the most drastic event. It will help you find women who are willing to push men in the dirt so you can stop crying. Greek is good. It may be difficult to explain, and in my opinion, Bell doesn’t do a very good job of explaining the hard parts, but she does do a good job at explaining the part where you become so much better with the help of your sisters.

 

Do you have any book suggestions for me? 

Click here to send me suggestions for books and suggestions about my blog!

Click here to view my other blog!

Book 7 of 100 – “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” by Neil Gaiman

It is generally a safe bet that if you pick up a Neil Gaiman book you will enjoy it, but with “The Ocean at the End of the Lane,” I can almost guarantee it.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I picked it up and found it nearly impossible to put down. Very often I found myself smiling, scowling, and nearly crying along with the characters (although I mostly refrained from the last once since I read this book while at work). The near-poetic prose that Gaiman relies on to convey emotion to his readers is used perfectly in this novel.

If you want to be reminded about how beautiful childhood and imagination is, read this book. I found myself reflecting on my own childhood adventures and pulling for the character to stay in his and defeat his demons. I 100% recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick, yet effectively beautiful, novel to read.

Favorite Quote: “I do not miss childhood, but I miss the way I took pleasure in small things, even as greater things crumbled. I could not control the world I was in, could not walk away from things or people or moments that hurt, but I found joy in things that made me happy.”

Book 6 of 100 – “Heart Collector” by Jacques Vandoux

Get ready for my first harsh review of a book. This book was available free to me as an editors pick through Amazon, so I didn’t expect it to be perfect, but the reviews hyped it up for me and that made it easy for me to be let down.

I have one word to truly describe this book: disappointment. The murder-mystery concept that this book is based around is really awesome. There is a lot that could have been done with it to make this an exciting novel to read. However, after the first half of the book, I was done. There was a large amount of over-explanation in everything. Even if you love Victorian novels, you will still think there is too much here: the characters just kind of jump in and out while the scenes jump from one type of voice to another.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved the mystery and the supernatural aspect, but once I solved the mystery and the characters still hadn’t, I was bored. To be fair, this is a translated text, originally written in French. Perhaps, it needs to be read in French to be truly appreciated, but I fear I may have wasted more of my time with this one than I wanted to. If they go back in a re-edit this piece and submit a new edition, I would be willing to try again. However, this particular copy is not one that I will be willing to pick up again anytime soon.

If you have some free time and want to look into French culture, writing, or even supernatural myths, this book might be worth it. However, if you are just looking for something to entertain you, stick to Harry Potter.

Stay tuned for the next book! Hopefully coming soon!

Book 5 of 100 – “Titus Andronicus” by William Shakespeare

I’ll admit, I am VERY behind on this book challenge. It seems that starting a new full time job and getting back into the swing of things at school has thrown me for a loop. However, I am determined to catch up and I have a few books started currently. So, expect an influx of blog posts starting NOW!

Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare

OH! Titus Andronicus! I had to read this play (I’m still considering it a book) for my Shakespeare class. I know you must be thinking that I never actually do the reading for classes, but since this is the only class I need to graduate this semester I figured I would give it my best shot and actually read the first required play.

As soon as I started working on Titus Andronicus, it became my favorite of Shakespeare’s plays. This play is known as ‘ol Shaksey’s only revenge tragedy. That’s right, revenge tragedy. There is loads of blood, murder, rape, secrets, plots, and most importantly, revenge.  The play starts off with a murder, ends with a bunch of murders, and has murders and even a terrible rape in the middle. There is so much to be read about it and everything that is discussed in; if you aren’t going to read this play, at least watch one of the many AWESOME YouTube summaries.

Favorite Quote:

“Vengeance is in my heart, death in my hand, Blood and revenge are hammering in my head”

Book 4 of 100 – “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque

I read this book at the request of a very dear friend. I have been given many book suggestions. When someone gives me a suggestion, I usually just add it to my list and do my best to get to it later. However, this friend adamantly reminded me that this is her favorite book (for many months) and eventually she just handed me a copy and told me to read it. So read it I did.

It is not hard to tell why this is a favorite book. “All Quiet on the Western Front” is a beautiful novel written from the perspective of a WW I German soldier. It does not pick sides or tell us who was right in the war, but instead it shows us the horrendous parts of the war.

I cried when I read this book.

The imagery and language that Remarque uses is so perfect in that of a war scene. Everything seems as though it should be proper, the young soldier does his best to live on, but in the end, it is all just mud, clay, glass, bullets, and splinters. If you want a book that will make you think, cry, and read nonstop, then this is the book for you.

Favorite Quote:

“Our hands are earth, our bodies clay, and our eyes pools of rain. We do not know whether we still live.”

Book 3 of 100 – “Demon Moon” by Jack Williamson

If you have never heard of or researched Jack Williamson, you need to do so right away. Jack Williamson was a beloved science fiction author who happened to grace the halls of the wonderful school I now call my home. It was in the Jack Williamson Liberal Arts Building that I decided to become an English major three years ago. It was there that I learned about my love of reading and developed it farther than I ever thought possible.

“Demon Moon” also known as “Really Awesome Book with Unicorns and Stuff.”

“Demon Moon” is a wonderful example of the great work that Jack Williamson did. It is filled with unicorns, demons, fighting, food, adventures, werewolves, dragons, and much more. He even uses the book to discuss the complex issues that are created between religion and science and how there is, in fact, a middle place.

It took me some time to read “Demon Moon.” I was busy getting back into the New Year and I didn’t want to miss anything. Jack Williomson did a wonderful job of putting together intricate details to weave together a story. This is a read I highly recommend, along with any and all other Jack Williamson books.

Some links so you can learn more about one of the coolest writers ever:

His Wiki

His Library Page

A Cool Science Fiction Site Interview

What’s next? “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque

Book 2 of 100 – “Bad Feminist” by Roxane Gay

For my second book of 2015 I chose to finish up this beautiful collection of essays by Roxane Gay.

From Roxane Gay’s wesite: roxanegay.com

What did I think? I highly recommend that anyone and everyone (even if it makes you more angry than happy) read this book.

But Marissa, I’m not a feminist, why would I care?

Because this book is about more than just feminism. “Bad Feminist” talks about everything from the definition of “feminism” to the over-sensitization of it, to race, class and even scrabble. Roxane Gay knows that she is a feminist because she longs for equality, because she doesn’t want to be put down, and because she doesn’t want to be in fear of sexual violence. However, she knows that she isn’t perfect, and she is alright with that, hence the title: “Bad Feminist.”

Roxane Gay is so perfectly, unapologetically honest in this collection. She holds no bars. She has essays about race, sexuality, and even abortion. There were times that I didn’t 100% agree with her, but she still provided an interesting insight, one which will affect my future dealings with culture, feminism, race, class, and scrabble. I am a white, twenty year-old college student who has yet to experience a third of my life; Roxane Gay is in her thirties, she’s African American, and she has some pretty boss scholarly references: the learning curve was steep, but worth the crime.

I learned a lot from this collection and I love the way that Roxane Gay approaches feminism. Every single one of my friends and followers should read this book. At the very least, a few of the essays from it.

Favorite Quote:

“Feminism is flawed, but it offers, at its best, a way to navigate this shifting cultural climate . . . In truth, feminism is flawed because it is a movement powered by people and people are inherently flawed.”

What’s next? “Demon Moon” by Jack Williamson

If you like my writing and want to see what else I am up to, feel free to check out my other blog here where I do more than just book reviews.

Book 1 of 100: “Hollow City” by Ransom Riggs

The novel, “Hollow City” by Ransom Riggs is actually the second book in a series that, much to my dismay, has to be finished.

I read the first book in the series, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” at the end of last month. Although I found it to be somewhat slow at times, I still found it entertaining, original, and well thought out.

The same can be said for “Hollow City.” Ransom Riggs uses a meticulous writing style as he slowly develops big conflicts and builds upon the force that the children are fighting much like a TV show might. Just when you think things might be resolved, they become far from it and just when you think things cannot possibly get any worse, there is another twist.

The characters in the novel are described as “peculiar.” They have special abilities, but are alienated from society as well as forced to battle several enemies. Riggs uses this peculiarity to make profound statements about “otherness.” As a young adult novel, this is crucial as it gives young adults a fictional window into what has happened in society and is still happening now.

The main character (and narrator), Jacob is well developed, but he sometimes loses himself in his thoughts and makes it slightly boring. However, these moments are fleeting and usually followed by large events that quickly regain your interest.

The ending was good and very surprising. However, it was also, in my opinion, a very unfair cliffhanger. Ransom Riggs is a meticulous writer and has yet to even set a release date for the next novel in the series. As much as I want the next book desperately, I also want it to be just as meticulous and planned out as the first two, so I have made peace and resolved to wait patiently for the next novel to come my way.

Favorite Quote from the novel:

“I liked this idea: that peculiarness wasn’t a deficiency, but an abundance; that it wasn’t we who lacked something the normal had, but they who lacked peculiarness. That we were more, not less.” – Jacob (Main Character & Narrator)

Next I will be reading (or rather finishing) “Bad Feminist” by Roxane Gay.

Have you read this book and/or series? Do you have more comments about it? Do you like my review? Are YOU Ransom Riggs? Do you have book suggestions for me?

Feel free to comment and leave your opinion. If you like my writing and want to read about more than just books, check our my other blog here.