Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho

Everyone is indeed crazy, but the craziest are the ones who don't know they're crazy. ~ Veronika

I was walking around Barnes and Noble in West Hartford a few weeks ago killing time, looking for different books to read. I thought of Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, and decided to see what else he's written. He has a ton of books, but two struck me. I'm going to read the other one in a few weeks. Veronika Decides to Die sounds like a book about death. In reality, it's a book about living.

Veronika is a 24 year old who seems to have everything - college educated, a good job, caring parents, good looks. But at the same time, something is missing from her life. One desperate evening, she decides to end her life by swallowing a handful of pills. Except it doesn't work. She passes out, waking up in a mental hospital, being told she only has days to live due to damage to her heart from the pills.

In the mental hospital, she is surround by the insane, but also the not-so-insane. With only a few days to live, she has deep conversions about everything. What it means to be crazy. What it means to feel alive. There are countless conversations, quotes, and stories that are simply phenomenal. Veronika's stay in the mental hospital makes her realize who she truly is, and simultaneously brings out the best in the other patients. An awareness of life sometimes requires an awareness of death.

My rating for Veronika Decides to Die: 4 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. Nicholas Sparks' latest book, The Longest Ride, came out this past Tuesday. Should have a post on it next Sunday.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

 

The Book Thief was something different for me to read. Not usually into 'fiction that could be real'. A friend recommended it and given I didn't have much to read, I thought I'd try it.

The story is about a ten year old girl in Germany during World War II who has an affection for stealing books. On the train to her new foster family, her brother dies. At the funeral, she finds a book on the ground. Her foster father teaches her how to read. Her life is somewhat normal, going to school and playing soccer in the street. And stealing books. But this is Nazi Germany, and things are not normal. Soon, her family takes in a Jew, hiding him in their basement. The little girl becomes fond of the new guest, reading and writing with him. However, the war takes it's toll on the family and their town.

The story is told from the perspective of Death. That's right. Death is given human qualities and feelings. His job is to pick up the souls from dead bodies. You can imagine the stories he has from WWII. It's a unique way to tell a story. I thought it was effective and certainly gave an interesting perspective on things.

When I started reading the book, I was reading at a good pace. But I slowed down. The book is long (550 pages). It just wasn't doing much for me. As much as I struggled to get through it in the middle, I did want to know how it ended. Although I could tell it wasn't going to end well, and I was right.

Fun fact: It was written in 2006, but only recently became a big hit. A movie based on the book is coming out in November.

My rating for The Book Thief: 2.5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

 

"People, I have discovered, are layers and layers of secrets. You believe you know them, that you understand them, but their motives are always hidden from you, buried in their own hearts. You will never know them, but sometimes you decide to trust them." ~ Tris in Insurgent

I really liked that quote. It also sums up Insurgent pretty well. After reading Divergent, I didn't think I'd continue with the trilogy. What changed? I didn't have anything better to read. And I must admit, I was a little curious as to how the story would transpire. We learned in the first book that Tris elected to switch factions. She survives initiation, but there is chaos in all the other factions. Insurgent picks up right where Divergent left off.

The factions are strategizing and fighting with each other. The leaders are withholding secrets that Tris is dying to know (and so is the reader). It seems everyone is a friend or foe at one point or another. People are constantly switching sides. The author does a great job incorporating many characters and developing each of them. Suspense builds as difficult decisions are made and the factions converge on the brink of destruction.

My complaints of the book. First, where the heck are the adults? Every kid who went through initiation - and everyone in initiation is sixteen years old - somehow becomes a leader with super secret information. I don't get it. Second, way too much love between Tobias and Tris. I can't imagine watching this on screen. I guess the female readers probably eat up this lovey-dovey stuff. Not me.

I didn't mind the simulations in this book. I'm becoming more accustomed to it, and I didn't think any of it was over the top (well, maybe near the end). But outside of that simulation, the ending was superb. I don't think it could have ended any better. We learn so much about faction history and are opened up to a whole new world. Great cliff-hanger to the next book.

My rating for Insurgent: 4.5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. Allegiant, the third and final book in the trilogy, is due out on October 22nd. Be sure to check out the "Upcoming Releases" page!