Susie's Review - A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns takes you as the reader to Afghanistan during 40 years of its bloody, brutal history. Through the eyes of two remarkable women we get to see what life was like during the Soviet takeover, to the years of resistance, and then to the rise and fall of the Taliban.

The story begins with Mariam, a young illegitimate girl who's life revolves around her father's visits. Her father is a rich, respected man in Afghanistan and thus Mariam is kept at a distance because he doesn't want her to bring shame to his family. She lives with her mother in a hut but dreams of the day her father will take her under his wing and let her be part of his family. Her life takes an unexpected, terrible turn when her father forces her to marry an older man, Rasheed, whom she has never met when she is only fifteen-years-old.

Later on, when the Soviets invade Afghanistan, another woman is born, Laila, and the story shifts to her perspective. Laila's mother is in mourning for the death of the two sons who joined the jihad against the Soviets and were killed. The paths of Mariam and Laila cross only once in these early parts before their lives become irrevocably linked in Part Three.

Mariam's husband, Rasheed, is a harsh, twisted individual and the story of how Mariam and Laila become allies in trying to survive while taking care of their children makes a fascinating story. I was up till 3 or 4 in the morning turning page after page, getting angrier and angrier about what these women were forced to live with, and recognizing even more how lucky I am to live in this country. Women in Afghanistan had almost no rights, aside from when the Communists were in power. They had absolutely none when the Taliban ruled; they could be beaten at the whim of almost any man if they committed even the slightest of transgressions.

This story affected me on a number of levels. Most of us have no idea what it's like to live in a war zone, never knowing which hour will be your last. Hosseini's been through that in Afghanistan, and he draws that experience into his story in a way that's brutal but beautiful at the same time. It was also saddening to see just how some governments, when applying their form of Islamic rule, utterly destroy the personhood of women. The will to survive and persevere under crushing oppression from men really made an impact on me. It's hard to imagine that this "story" portrays what daily life is like for millions around the world. Finally, the concept of love and duty portrayed here is beautiful. Love isn't a warm, fuzzy feeling that comes and goes depending on whether you happen to feel good about the person you're with. Often it means sacrificing everything (including life) for them. While there wasn't much that was lovely in their lives, these women learned the true meaning of the world through their devotion to others.

My suggestion? Read this book if you get the chance - although some of it is hard to swallow, what you'll take away from it is definitely worth it.

Susie's Review - The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis

If you've ever asked yourself the question "Why does a loving God allow so much pain to exist?" then you really need to read this book. C.S. Lewis takes all those arguments that stump us (me in particular) and answers them one by one. I have to admit that a big roadblock in my faith has always been the dilemma of "If God were good, He would make His creatures perfectly happy, and if He were almighty, He would be able to do what he wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both." C.S. Lewis explains this in a way that I think anyone can understand and He uses clear Biblical principles.

This book isn't easy to read, the language is very heavy and elevated, but the overall message is a gift that is exceedingly valuable to the person who has always asked the questions I mentioned above.

Lewis' tackles heavy subjects like why God allows pain, why pain is inevitable even though God is powerful, why free will is necessary, and whether or not God is egotistical.

I've had countless arguments with other believers about the subject of pain, and why a loving God could allow it, and whether or not God is egotistical. I remember telling my mom that God must be egotistical, because He created us to praise and worship Him, and in doing so, has put us in a world filled with pain and suffering. We are tempted by sin constantly, yet He demands us to overcome it. It's all some big play that He gets to sit back and watch from a distance; if there is pain and hell then if God loved us so much He should just not have created us at all to save us from these things. That's what I really felt at the time anyway. I was never one to fall easily into the Christian faith. Faith never came naturally to me. I had to know for sure that I really truly believed it, and I wanted facts, not faith. Any loophole to Christianity that could be found, I found it. I wanted to believe, but for a while I gave up because it didn't make enough sense to me. Even though I've been a real legitimate Christian for four years I still have struggled with these questions. For someone like me The Problem of Pain is an invaluable book. Finally questions that have plagued me for my entire life have been made clear, and I really recommend this to anyone else who's had those same questions.

Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from the book. I warn you, they're quite long:

"When we fall in love with a woman, do we cease to care whether she is clean or dirty, fair or foul? Do we not rather then first begin to care? Does any woman regard it as a sign of love in a man that he neither knows nor cares how she is looking? Love may, indeed, love the beloved when her beauty is lost: but not because it is lost. Love may forgive all infirmities and love still in spite of them: but Love cannot cease to will their removal. Love is more sensitive than hatred itself to every blemish in the beloved..."

"Love, in its own nature, demands the perfecting of the beloved; that the mere 'kindness' which tolerates anything except suffering in its object is, in that respect at the opposite pole from Love."

One of the most memorable sections in the book (forgive me, this is long):

"My own experience is something like this. I am progressing along the path of life in my ordinary contentedly fallen and godless condition, absorbed in a merry meeting with my friends for the morrow or a bit of work that tickles my vanity to-day, a holiday or a new book, when suddenly a stab of abdominal pain that threatens serious disease, or a headline in the newspapers that threatens us all with destruction, sends this whole pack of cards tumbling down. At first I am overwhelmed, and all my little happinesses look like broken toys. Then, slowly and reluctantly, bit by bit, I try to bring myself into the frame of mind that I should be in at all times. I remind myself that all these toys were never intended to possess my heart, that my true good is in another world and my only real treasure is Christ. And perhaps, by God's grace, I succeed, and for a day or two become a creature consciously dependent on God and drawing its strength from the right sources. But the moment the threat is withdrawn, my whole nature leaps back to the toys: I am even anxious, God forgive me, to banish my mind theonly thing that supported me under the threat because it is now associated with the misery of those few days. Thus the terrible necessity of tribulation is only too clear. God has had me for but forty-eight hours and then only by dint of taking everything else away from me....And that is why tribulations cannot cease until God either sees us remade or sees that our remaking is now hopeless."

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

I've been working on this book for weeks. In fact, it was the first book I got out of the Swanton Library after moving here at the end of July, and needless to say, while reading this book I've also managed to finish Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Wings, as well as start Evermore, Maximum Ride, and well, you get the idea. It took a while to get into.

So, why did it take so long to finally reach that point where I couldn't put the book down?

1. Every even chapter in the book is non-fiction talks about parasites. Parasites? Yep. Mealworms, lice, tapeworms. They infect your blood, your eyes, your brain, your imune system. And all of it was true. As Scott Westerfeld says many times, "Ew. Yuck. Repeat."

Okay, in case that wasn't enough for me to stop reading, why else did I sluff off instead of read?

2. The book is sci-fi, not fantasy. Like Uglies, this book has no "magic" in it whatsoever. Everything is scientifically based. Even the giant worms. That can get a little boring to me sometimes. Especially when the book's theme is explaining vampirism through scientific theories. Yawn. Sleep. Repeat.

But, you protest, I DID read this book! In fact, I finished it about 5 minutes ago. So, here's my review:

Peeps was written by one of my very favorite authors, Scott Westerfeld. The first half of the book was slow in my opinion. Too much about parasites and vampire history (in a scientific way) and too little about the cute girl, Lace(y), who pops into our narrator's life as he tries to discover what happened to the girl who infected him. I read on and off for a while, enjoying the parasite talk (while imagining all the conversation's Scott had with his poor wife about the subject the year he wrote it), but hating the science.

However, once Cal tells Lacey what the heck is going on, things get interesting and I couldn't put the book down at all. Yes, I ate dinner while reading about mealworms. Fun times. But it was amazing! All the parasite talk fit in perfectly with the story so that by the end, huge worms from the underground made perfect sense and only aided in making the story BETTER! Yes, better!

I can't tell you what happens to Lace (although, even just from reading this review, you're probably guessing it's a) she's infected and becomes a cannabalistic vampire, b) she runs to New Jersey to escape and lives happily ever after or c) she gets eaten by a giant tapeworm).

I know this review is a bit basic, especially since I had to keep mentioning the parasites all the time (did I tell you there are giant worms in this book?), but remember: the book was highly fascinating, finally giving us a logical reason for Vampires and making them believable. (And no, in this book, becoming a Vampire does NOT mean you sparkle. Sorry!) It was funny (laughed out loud many times, as the narrator has my sarcastic sense of humor). It was romantic (despite all the raw meat eating going on). It was interesting (did I mention the giant worms?). And it was really really good.

So, thank you Scott, for writing yet another thoroughly enjoyable sci-fi adventure to blow my hatred of the genre right out of the water again. Even if it did include giant worms.

Christy

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

[SPOILER ALERT: The ending isn't given, but some interesting information not told until 1/4 way through the book is revealed in this review]

Trouble-prone teen Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out school - but that's the least of his problems. The gods of Mount Olympus and assorted monsters seem to have walked out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology texts and into his life - and they're not happy. Zeus' lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now, Percy and his friends must embark on a cross-country adventure to catch the true thief, save Percy's family, and unravel a mystery more powerful than the gods themselves.

In reading this book, I broke my two unbreakable rules:

1. Never read a book with a kid under 14 as the lead

2. Never read a book where the (even potential) romantic interest is under 16

However, ten minutes into reading--and Percy has shot water out of a fountain unintentionally spraying everyone around him while remaining dry himself--I was completely hooked. A kid whose dad is the god of the Sea? Um, that's just a no brainer to me. I absolutely love stories about demi-gods because they are partly human and partly super-awesome. So, I pretended Percy was 15 and the girl he befriends is 16 and all is well. In fact, I think that Chris Columbus, who is directing the movie coming out next February, had the exact same idea.

My review? If you love demi-gods and boys with a strong sarcastic sense of humor who also have water powers, and you can ignore the lame idea that kids like him go to "Camp Half-Blood" where they are trained in fighting and (yawn) magic items and stuff, then you will adore Percy Jackson. It's a fun, fast-paced, laugh-out-loud kind of book that keeps you reading to see what will happen to him next. What I truly loved about the book, aside from the fact that all the side characters were a hoot (especially Grover--Grover? where did that name come from???--his best friend and satyre), is that Percy himself is super lovable. At least, to me, because he's an out-spoken, spunky, dyslexic, ADD twelve-year-old, and those are my favorite kinds. Add in superpowers and I'm hooked for the entire series.

So, this review will excite you if you are exactly like me, and may turn you off if anything in here is just not your thing. All-in-all, you've got a story that is cute, entertaining and will teach you A LOT about Greek Mythology. Oh, and this is a little hint (that if I'm famous someday, people will wish they'd read this review): My next series will also be heavily focused on the gods of Greek Mythology.

I've included the preview for Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, coming out President's Day 2010. Enjoy.

Susie's Twilight Review

The first thing I said about Twilight after reading the first book was "this is not my kind of love story". I continue to stand by that. Stephenie Meyer is not a great writer, but to her credit, every time I felt like throwing a book across the room she introduced another cliffhanger that had me turning 'just a few' more pages. I also have some very close friends who love the series, so please take no offense to what I'm going to say.

Twilight managed to take the dark, dangerous world of vampires and turn it into a Harlequin romance. No, not all vampires are dangerous! In fact, if you can get past their overwhelming desire to kill you, they really are sweet, sparkly, sugary-scented supermodels. Bella is described as being mature beyond her years, but there is really nothing to back up that assessment. She stomps her feet, whines, grunts, hisses, cries, spits and faints. Somehow every male in the town of Forks is drawn to her, but we never really find out why. I have no problem with an introverted, pale, socially awkward teenage girl - I was one of those. I do have a problem with reading 300+ pages about how Edward is "godlike", "angelic", and how his perfectly perfect chest makes Bella get all warm and gooey inside. I have no doubt that Bella is 'irrevocably in lust' with Edward, but I don't need to read a 500 page book about it.

New Moon was semi-bearable for me. Why? Because they introduced a character with personality: Jacob. We get a good 300+ pages of an actual story; not just the 'Edward was hot and I want him so bad' nonsense. Bella refers to Jacob as her "sun" and he makes her laugh, makes her a motorcycle, and brings her out of the deep-dark depression that her obsession with Edward caused. There's some humor, some good writing, and for a while I could understand why people loved the series so much. Then...the return of Edward! Please, say it isn't so! We're back to the same old 'I love you', 'I love you more', 'no I love YOU more' melodrama....seriously....

At the end of reading Eclipse I was so bewildered that as I was getting up from the table I did a mortifying Bella-esque move and knocked a plate onto the floor and it shattered everywhere. UGH. Not good.

Back to the book....Bella is as annoying and self-absorbed as ever and Edward is only slightly more bearable just because he has no personality, so there's really no personality to hate. Bella's obsession for Edward is really extreme, to the point of becoming downright annoying, even unhealthy. She worships the ground he walks on, and is all too ready to ditch her parents and friends just so she can spend more time with him without growing old. She doesn't seem to have any serious problem with the idea of making her parents worry, or the thought of never seeing them again... she's willing to stomp over anything that isn't Edward, even things that can enrich her life. The character of Jacob has some merit, however. He wasn't perfect, but he was fun, honest, and very human, making big mistakes, but always trying to do his best. He was real, not a perfect porcelain doll with no flaws. Sadly, he was mostly wasted.

Breaking Dawn finally takes us to the big climax in Bella's life; can you guess what? However, they can't just leave it at her becoming a vampire; they have to throw in an unexpected pregnancy with ridiculously freak-ish results, and I don't mean freak-ish in a good way. As for the story development, my greatest frustration is that Meyer created a very intricate world, complete with detailed descriptions of what could and could not happen in it. Then she decided not to play by these rules. Yes, I am referring to the sudden and inexplicable ability of a vampire to father a child. This felt very contrived and unbelievable, and introduced such an absurd, nightmarish chain of events that I found myself wishing I could take back all the hours of my life I'd spent on this series. Bella has to drink human blood, while she’s still human, to save the life of her child - And she LIKES IT! The same Bella that turned green and almost passed out while doing blood typing in Biology class, right? Okay, obviously her aversion to blood was going to go away after becoming a vampire. But while she was still human? Really? I felt sick the whole time I read about her drinking gallons of blood a day to sustain the child. Blech. I still don’t get the whole scene where Edward asks Jacob to offer to make babies with Bella. Seriously?! Is this Meyer's attempt at showing us the extent of true love? It was twisted and disturbing.

My biggest problem with the book? This whole imprinting idea. They take the only redeemable character in the whole series (Jacob) and turn him into a pedophile....yes, I know, he doesn't think of her THAT way till she's um...what, seven? I don't care how you spin it, that whole storyline is just plain wrong and clearly contrived so that everyone has their happy ending at the end.

Meanwhile, a series of events which I don't feel like explaining happen which lead the Volturi to come to try to kill Renesmee; a.k.a. Spawn of Bella. Concerned, the Cullens gather seventeen other vampires as witnesses. Don't ask me why, I don't feel like explaining.

And of course all of these vampires get along, even though most of them prey on humans and a whole neighborhood of them live a few miles away.

And as if that weren't enough, all of them have superpowers, completely deflating one of Meyer's earlier claims.

So here they are, all gathered, we're ready for the final big battle scene, when suddenly the Volturi get convinced that Renesmee is not a threat and they all leave peacefully--though not without killing Irina, who ratted all of them out but did so on a false claim.

And then everyone lives happily ever after.

Yes, that really happened. The title of the last chapter was even "Happily Ever After."

OK, so to sum it all up this series is completely absurd, takes all the folklore about vampires and throws it down the drain so that we think they're 'angelic' as opposed to dark and dangerous. I have a bad habit of not wanting to leave a series unfinished, even if the series isn't worth my time, so I did read all four books. However, I would like to save anyone else the trouble and just suggest now not to waste your time.