Being Anti-Social by Leigh K Cunningham

Being Anti-Social

by. Leigh K Cunningham

Rating ****

I admit that I did not know what to expect upon starting this book. The title is what drew me to it in the first place. How could I not love reading about another anti social individual? There is a reason that this blog is called The Book Recluse after all.

The book is well written. There were no major stand out flaws in grammar or that, although as long as it is not major in your face it is easy for me to overlook such things. The writing flowed well, which is harder for me to overlook. The main character really came alive, all her faults and admirations as you follow her through approximately a year of her life.

The novel is an adult coming of age story. Sometimes we do not have everything figured out once we hit the adult age, or even after we turn 40. There is still plenty of room to grow. It is this growth that the novel portrays.

My favorite aspect of the story is that it does not end all wrapped up and placed with a bow. Yes, the main character grows, but she knows that there is still so much more room for her to grow. Although, I must say that the ending is also very predictable, and not entirely satisfactory. Although I understood it was going to end that way, I did not think the reason given that it did was enough.

 


 

Book Review - Jane Eyre by

Jane Eyre

by Charlotte Bronte

Rating ***** (5 stars)

It has been a very long time since I had first read Jane Eyre. I mean I think I was about twelve at the time. I only had vague memories of the book, but I remembered it as a idealistic romance.

Wow was I a young naïve soul.

Jane Eyre is depressing. It was an updated (well for the time) version of Romeo and Juliet. Except for opposing families, there were different social classes.

I suppose in truth Jane Eyre ended on a less depressing not then Romeo and Juliet. There still left the hopeless romantic reader hope for a happy ever after to their young idealistic love. How young it was - Jane is only eighteen during most the main plot.

There are a lot of classics that you wonder why they ever were turned into classics. Jane Eyre is not one of these. It is a masterpiece that drags emotions from the reader and leaves you holding on for the end.

 

Book Review - The Silent Boy

The Silent Boy

by Lois Lowry

 

Rating ***** (5 stars)

I have been on a Lois Lowry reading spree as of late. It is one that I foresee continuing until I have devoured all of her books. I am uncertain how I made it through adolescence, with my obsessive reading habit, without having discovered her before now.

I seriously believe that Lois Lowry should go down as one of the greats. She should be hoisted right next to Charles Dickens.

The Silent Boy is another amazing novel. It is a book set in the early 1900s. The main character is a very young girl who wishes to be a doctor like her father. The young girl has wisdom beyond her years, which includes her ability to accept others for who they are. This is all accompanied by a ten year old temperament. She makes for a highly entertaining narrator.

One interesting character with whom she meats is Jacob, a fourteen year old boy who would most likely be diagnosed with Autism in today's society. It is fascinating seeing a character with Autism depicted in a less modern setting. While he helps out with his farm chores, like is expected of all the children, he also refuses to take off a woolen hat, is obsessed with the grinding stones at the mill, mimics sounds, is non verbal, and has a very strong connection with animals.

The ending is a bit sad, and you can see it coming early, some aspect of it from the first chapter. Yet that does not stop the reader from being swept up in the lives of the characters.

I think it is an excellent book for a middle school student, high school student, or adult. I do think it may be a bit difficult concept wise for early elementary school students.

Book Review - 50/51: The Magical Adventures of a Single Life

50/51: The Magical Adventures of a Single Life

by Kristen McGuiness

Rating **** (4 stars)

I love books. My entire life has revolved around books. While my interests my have been flexible, my passion for books has never wavered. I even minored in English JUST so I could tell my kids I was doing homework when I was reading. 

I have also always had an attachment to memoirs. I love reading about other people's journey in life. When I read a memoir I do not particularly care if I can relate to their story. What I do care about is if the story is presented in a well written and engaging voice.

I think my fascination with memoir's is that it allows me to connect with an individual, on an intimate level (what is more intimate the bearing your soul in a book), in a medium that I fully understand.

51/50: The Magical Adventures of a Single Life is about the dating misadventures of Kristen McGuiness, a sober alcoholic.

The story was written during the journey, so the book adapts and changes as the author grows. It expands beyond the dates with men she works hard to pick up, to encompass the many people already in her life. More importantly it leads to a an acceptance of self, who she wants to become, which is independent of a life partner.

The book is a soul barring, honest coming of age story for the thirty year old single women. I respect that McGuiness has bared so much of her journey in this book. Her voice is dynamic and captivating. The basis of her story, acceptance, is at the core of everyone's journey.

The memoir does not end with a happily every after. I do think that McGuiness was heading towards the realization that you have to find joy in whatever moment you find yourself in, even if it is not how you pictured your life.

I hope that McGuiness continues to share her story. I would happily read any future publications from her.