The Weekly Read: 7

I've been at my brother's since Friday, so although I got a lot of reading done on the plane, I still didn't get as much done as I would have liked.


READ: Boys Over Flowers, Volume 35 | Yoko Kamio
READ: Boys Over Flowers, Volume 36 | Yoko Kamio

This series is one of the first mangas I read, and the tv adaptation was one of the first anime series I watched. That being said, I can't say that this is one of my favorites. Every once in a while, I would "check in" with the characters by reading a volume in the store, but I never felt compelled to buy them and take home for rereading. When I saw the series was ending, I knew I wsnted to find out how it all ended. This is an entertaining enough manga, but my issues with these two volumes is the same reason I was never obsessed with it - the action and relationships move too slowly. Volume 35 had almost nothing happen in it - it felt like it only existed to set up the same conflict as always to solve in the last volume - "Will they be together?" In the end, I am glad the characters are happy, and glad to know what happens, but I just don't feel satisfied, perhaps because I was never very invested in the characters.


READ: The Lovely Bones | Alice Sebold

I'd been wanting to read this one for a while, especially when I started seeing commercials for the movie based on it. it's hard to quantify enjoyment of a book with such a disturbing initial set up, and so I find myself at a loss for words when it comes time to talk about it. Certainly, what happens to Suzie is tragic and sad and disgusting, but the real heartbreak of this book is the various reactions of her family. They fall apart in varying ways, and their only hope is to somehow pull themselves back together again.  Susie can see everything that is going on, knows who killed her, knows what her family is going through, and yet can do nothing to change anything. Her only ability is observation, and we as readers are essentially in the same boat. The concept of heaven presented here is interesting- you can have anything you want, expect go back to earth (maybe). And there is a sort-of intermediary heaven that people exist in until they are ready to let go of their earthly connections and head up to the "real" heaven.   It doesn't all quite make sense, but it's entertaining none-the-less.  I certainly found it compelling to read - I couldn't put it down  and read until I finished it at 3:30 AM

STILL READING: The Children's Book | A.S. Byatt

As I am nearly done with this book (finally!), I am going to hold most of my thoughts for next week's weekly read. I will say, though, that I definitely have favorite characters, and it is interesting to see how favorites change as the book progresses. <3 Dorothy, Phillip, Karl. Also, there are definitely a few characters that I despise, and hope meet untimely ends before the end of the book.

STARTED: Bonk | Mary Roach
I've been wanting to read this one since I read Roach's book Stiff last spring and loved it. I picked it up from the library, though, so it's solely a read-at-home book. Hopefully it won't take too long to get through when I get home.

Next week, I need to finish some tasks for the Winter Challenge, so I'm planning on finishing up The Children's Book and Bonk, as well as reading P.S., I Love You, Magic Study, and The Doomsday Key, which I need to read by Sunday for my book club! Eek! I hope I have enough time for all this reading... Wednesday-Friday will be super-busy at work as I try to catch up and get everything done for our Missions convention starting Sunday. Saturday I am headed to the Best Picture Showcase at the AMC. I'll just have to make time, I suppose.