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Conner's Books & Reviews

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Currently reading

The White Tiger
Aravind Adiga
And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks
Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs
1Q84
Haruki Murakami
The Bachman Books: Four Early Novels by Stephen King
Stephen King, Richard Bachman
The Complete Stories
Franz Kafka
1Q84
Jay Rubin, Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami
The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso
Dante Alighieri, Robin Kirkpatrick, Eric Drooker
The Purgatorio (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)
Dante Alighieri, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Peter Bondanella, Julia Conaway Bondanella
The Interpretation of Dreams (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)
Sigmund Freud, A.A. Brill, Daniel T. O'Hara, Gina Masucci MacKenzie

Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 01

Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 01 - Bisco Hatori This series has a lot of sentimental value to me. I read the majority of it in a fragile period of my adolescence, mostly in a graveyard across from my high school while skipping class after checking out each new volume from the library. It has such a strong place in this formative phase of my life; picking up any of the volumes brings me right back to that graveyard (which, contrary to common expectation, is a very nice place to read), and I can remember how I felt when I read them there. I really felt like these characters were my friends.

Though it is ultimately a romantic comedy series, I always detected something distinctly melancholy underneath the lighthearted proceedings. Let me be clear, I am a very characteristically sad person. I've never been good at making friends and I've never been happy with my circumstances, always feeling that I will never measure up to anything; that life is happening elsewhere. So really I found a home and friendship with these characters that felt very special, but I also knew that it couldn't last. The latter volumes of the series left me with the sinking feeling that this was all falling apart, like I knew that it would from the beginning. "This isn't how it's supposed to happen" I would find myself saying into the pages. I felt frustrated that these characters weren't feeling the way they were supposed to, deviating from their original relationships and, maturing in that irreversible way that I saw my own friends maturing before me.

[Note that this next part will have slight spoilers for the full series]

Ultimately, this series started out being about these deeply aloof and socially inept characters finding a home in their friends. It became a story about being forced to grow up in an adult world that has no place for sentimentality and such deep connections through friendship. I found it getting more painful to read as it began reflecting things happening in my own life that I didn't want to happen.
Increasingly, during the final years of my education, I was finding out how flimsy these friendships I had formed with people really were. Friendship has always been the most important thing to me, and it hurt finding out that most people simply do not value other people in the same way. Humans are constantly changing, and they will never be exactly who you want, or have come to expect them to be.
That's why was frustrated when the characters started focusing on romantic relationships and neglecting the friends that depended on them to be there. I was angry when Haruhi made the decision to leave her friends and study abroad, because all this is what I saw my friends doing in real life, and I was angry at them for leaving me behind. But, this is the way our world works. The characters of Ouran have to make the same decisions that everyone their age has to make, at an age when they aren't ready to make them. Regardless of nationality or country of origin, ours is a society of increasing superficial connectivity, and one of deepening isolation on an individual level. We all feel really alone, and we all really want somewhere to belong and someone to belong to. This is what Ouran ultimately explores. It's hidden behind a shoujo label, but it's there, because I felt it.

Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives, Vol. 1

Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives, Vol. 1 - Ellen Schreiber, Rem This manga is cliched Shoujo at its cheesiest. The story is nonexistent, and the romantic element is alternately shallow and sappy. The dialogue tries very hard to be witty but doesn't quite hit the mark. It's only saving grace is that the artwork is actually quite good. The Gothic artwork is beautiful and the characters, while all extremely shallow and not developed at all, are very good looking. It's obvious that the character models and clothing were very well thought out, so it's a shame that the characters themselves were not. This is basically an imitation Shoujo that tries to incorporate romance and suspense, but fails in nearly every aspect of both of them.

V for Vendetta

V for Vendetta - David Lloyd, Alan Moore I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would, because this is no doubt an extremely intelligent graphic novel, and sadly, I felt like most of the symbolism and quotations were lost on me. But this is in no way a con for the novel. I will probably read this again in the future when I will hopefully understand it better. However, I can definitely appreciate the premise of the story and the genius storytelling from Alan Moore. I definitely did like it, but I feel like there was a lot buried in this story that I haven't been able to discover and I look forward to unveiling them in future readings.

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Vol. 1

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Vol. 1 - Shiro Amano The original KH manga has always been hopelessly inferior to the game. There was just no way a manga could capture the emotion and nostalgia that the game had in abundance, especially since it was so short and not very well done in the first place. But with Chain of Memories, the manga series has had a huge push in the right direction. It may help that the game in question (Chain of Memories) was always about the story and never about the gameplay anyway, because it's able to just present the story without leaving much out. There was also no voice acting in the original Chain of Memories, and most of it was presented in a text bubble format. Meaning the manga had a lot of room to develop its own character without the unreachable expectations of being as good as a full-blown Square Enix title. The manga is humorous, instead of taking the often dark and philosophical tone of the game, and while sometimes a little childish, I actually laughed out loud at points. It was overall very faithful to the original game, almost like a present to the fans of the series, since the original KH manga let us down so much.

Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation into Civilization's End

Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation into Civilization's End - Lawrence E. Joseph 2012 has been a pretty big topic recently. Everyone is a little worried about the world ending, even though some people don't like to admit it. Trying to talk about 2012 is always difficult, because the truth is, most people don't know the actual facts behind it. Most of what we know is obscure references to Mayan prophesies and Doomsday conspiracies. I was very interested in the topic, so I decided to pick up this non-fiction book that actually laid out the facts of 2012. For the most part, it was easy reading. Some of it was very scientific and difficult to digest, but for the most part, the author did a very good job of keeping the text entertaining with snippets of travel memoir and even a little humor. The book is fairly no-nonsense, it's scientific rather than being new-agey like other books about 2012, and because of that, it makes the apocalypse sound sane and feasible. There are many different theories described, but it's left up to the reader to decide which is the most likely to occur.

The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger Catcher in the Rye is the quintessential American novel for disaffected youth. At first glance, the writing might seem choppy and juvenile, but if you let go of your inner critic a little, it is emotionally spot-on. I read this book when I was fifteen or sixteen, and at the time I found the protagonist to be very relatable, which goes to show that it is still very much a text meant to connect with the phenomenon of teenage angst. At the time, I felt a very strong connection with Holden. This book takes you directly into the mind of an incredibly insightful and lost teenager. You struggle right along with him as you follow him through a few nights of being homeless after leaving a school that he flunked out of. Holden did not fail out of this school because he is stupid. It was almost a personal decision not to try (as I type that I can almost hear the voices of angry adults reading it to me) because he saw through the "phoniness" of the school and nearly every adult around him and didn't want to be a part of it.
Fully reviewing the book would be redundant with the amount of text already written on it, which still retains it's relevance despite being published in the 1940's (although some of the slang is outdated).
This book is one that requires multiple reads to really appreciate, and since it's so short, I think it was meant to be read that way.

Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher This book had an interesting premise and was written decently, but it didn't even come close to reaching its potential. I found the book to be very unrealistic. I don't think the writing did a good job dealing with the heavy subject matter of the plot, or the emotions of loss that the characters were obviously dealing with following Hannah's suicide (not a spoiler). The protagonist was a very weak character and not developed well at all. Disappointing.

Crank

Crank - Ellen Hopkins This lightning-fast read about a girl's meth addiction is absolutely riveting. At first I was a bit put off by the strange writing style (the book is written entirely in free verse) but I found that it was incredibly well-written. Not only was the poetry able to effectively capture rational thought, the streams of consciousness and ecstatic feelings of the protagonists highs, and the depressive emotions of her crashes or when she was deprived of her addiction, but the words were written in different patterns that pertained to each situation and made everything more interesting. The book looks long, but I literally couldn't put down the book from the second I picked it up, and read all 544 pages without stopping.
It goes without saying that the plot is mature, but it's not unheard of, especially since it's based on the experiences of the author's own daughter. This makes it even more genuine. It's the story of a "perfect daughter" and of how easily she falls into the maw of "the monster." It's no big deal at first, in fact, for a good portion of the book, meth is seen as simply an enjoyable, naughty habit. But things quickly turn bad, and without even realizing it's happening under the constant influence of the drug, her life rapidly falls into a downward spiral.
This isn't a cutesy, humorous, or inspirational book with a happy ending. Although the free verse makes it seem less heavy and makes the story go by a little breezier, it's still a mature story for older teens, and although it's fairly clean as far as profanity goes, it contains heavy drug use. However, it could be good for people to read this, because it shows exactly what drugs can do to you, as harmless as they may seem on the outside.
This book won't try to convince you not to do drugs, it won't try to ingrain the dangers of them in your brain, it certainly won't lecture you, it simply lets you go along with Kristina and experience her emotions for yourself, so that readers can choose to make better decisions than her. It's an edgy and surprising book.
Not to mention that it's a debut novel. Ellen Hopkins is among the very best of the best of Young Adult authors out there right now, and I am hooked on her writing style. I'll definitely be reading more from her.

Trinity Blood, Vol. 1

Trinity Blood, Vol. 1 - Sunao Yoshida, Kiyo Qjo I wasn't a huge fan of this one. While the Gothic art was very pretty, and the plot was certainly not bad, it could be a little manic and difficult to figure out what was going on. I may continue the series eventually, but the first installment didn't make me feel particularly compelled to do so.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist - Rachel Cohn, David Levithan I really loved this book. I actually think that this is probably my favorite, if not the best, YA book I've ever read. It's not really for the faint-hearted (it's raunchy and is probably the edgiest YA novel I've ever read) but I loved how honest the characterization was, and other than the slightly over-the-top profanity, the book just felt so real. Combine that with tons of music references and a great story set in a single night right in the center of the Manhattan music scene, and this book has a ton of of appeal to teen music-lovers. The authors really collaborate well, each taking turns writing the story from Nick and Norah's point of views (the story continues moving; they don't repeat segments of the story) and although I've never heard of either of them, I am amazed at their talent, and will probably check out some more of their material. I'm not usually a huge fan of 'romances', and while this certainly wasn't the traditional romance, I was surprised at just how good this book was. The love story was very believable (and since it was told in both Nick and Norah's perspective, it will appeal to both guys and girls) and though I was disappointed when the book ended, the pacing was impeccable, and there was never a single moment in which I was bored with the story. This was one of those few books that I couldn't stop reading, and read through in a single sitting. In fact, by the end, the story was still so fresh that I was tempted to flip it back over and start again from the beginning.
The thing with this book, why it seems to have a lot of low ratings, is while this isn't a YA book in the traditional sense (a book that's appropriate for younger audience), it's targeted towards teens because this isn't a book that most adults will get. It's a very niched novel targeted much more towards modern teens with a love of music, and with all of the modern band references and the very liberal Manhattan music scene, most adults just will not identify with this, won't appreciate what they don't see as authentic characters, and will not enjoy it. Mostly those are the people that are rating it low. And that's okay, because not everyone understands this type of literature. Also, this is one of those YA books with virtually no parental interference that reminds most of us just how much our lives suck. But that's okay, because without that this book wouldn't have been anywhere near as good.
Overall though, if you're open to new things and have an open mind, and want to see a different kind of love story instead of a cliched, traditional romance, this book is absolutely fantastic.

The Children of Húrin

The Children of Húrin - J.R.R. Tolkien, Alan Lee, J.R.R. Tolkien Bleaker than the Lord of the Rings, The Children of Hurin tells the tragic tale of Hurin's children from when they were cursed due to their father's disobeying of the first dark lord, Morgoth, to their eventual demise.
Obviously this book is a masterful work of art, since it was written by Tolkien. However, it was rather dull and difficult to get into, and the climax to the end of the novel was really the only time that the plot had me riveted. The Old English was difficult to stomach at times, and I couldn't read much of it at one time. It's easier to comprehend and certainly more accessible than his other works, for example, It wasn't as much of a struggle as, say, the Silmarillian, but it was still not an easy read. Also, I wasn't too fond of the characters, and the main character lacked any sort of relatability for me.
This book was not a completed work, per se, since it was never actually published by Tolkien. So I'm sure that there were revisions he should have made. I never felt attached to any of the characters, since Tolkien rarely takes us into their heads, and it seems that large segments of the book were skipped over at times. You really have to pay attention to this book and read each word closely to not become lost in the dizzying narrative.
If you're not a Tolkien fan, this wouldn't be one of my top recommendations, but if you are, you definitely shouldn't pass this up.

Point Of Impact

Point Of Impact - Stephen Hunter Frankly, I could hardly stand this book. Guns and shooting have never really been able to hold my interest, so this probably wasn't a good pick of book for me. Still, while the writing was altogether pretty good and descriptive, the book was not interesting for me. There were a few chapters that I really enjoyed reading, but aside from those, I was bored. Not that there wasn't enough action, there was certainly plenty of it, but the way it was described was with a kind of a brutal clarity….well, more like a clinical, detached precision, and they weren't that much fun. None of the characters were really all that likable. I couldn't really relate to any of them, with a maybe exception of one. There was never any point that I was afraid for a character, because I don't think the author did a very good job with creating characters that you could care about. The gruff Bob Lee Swagger was alienated and withdrawn, and while this could have worked with a different character model, he was just a brusque, mostly unsympathetic character that I had difficulty connecting with. While I do appreciate the move that Hunter was trying to make here, taking the thriller back to a very intelligent, cunning person instead of technology, I didn't like the characters that much at all.
The plot was just decent, and while I did enjoy seeing what nearly impossible odds Bob would beat with his wry wit, it was mostly a disappointing plot.
Altogether, I was very disappointed with this book, and while I don't exclusively regret reading it, there was definitely better material I could have read during the weeks it took me to struggle through this dull "thriller".
SPOILER ALERT!

Freewill

Freewill - Chris Lynch This is a short book that can be read in a single sitting, but it can also be pretty emotionally draining. I was a little put-off at first by the odd style of writing; the narrative is done in second person, but I got used to it after a while, and it does well with exhibiting the protagonist's implied schizophrenia. It was unlike any book I have ever read in the way the narrative was presented, the plot is never really explained, the entire narrative takes place in a very surreal way inside the protagonist's head, it's simply put there for you to figure out with a very unique semi-conscious and typically philosophical writing style.

Death Note, Vol. 1: Boredom

Death Note, Vol. 1: Boredom - Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata Deeply intelligent and devilishly inventive, Death Note is arguably one of the smartest and most cutting-edge shounen titles out there, and while it is a shounen title it pushes into seinen territory with its maturity. This is not a battle manga, despite appearances. The plot of Death Note is rich and dense; though it can be overly explanatory at points it manages to pack a huge amount of plot into a relatively small space.
Death Note lives and dies by its plot twists. It basically reinvents itself with every new volume, delivering one staggering plot turn after another. Keeping the reader on the edge of their seats is one of the things that this manga does best, and one of the reasons why it's so popular.
The artwork is overall very good. It's a blend of stark realism with gothic fantasy elements, the latter of which is most apparent in the cover art.
Another very strong point is its diverse cast of extremely memorable characters, many of which have large fan bases among anime fans. Ask any otaku about Light, L, Misa, Near, Mello, etc. and the responses will be varied, but nearly all of them will respond with recognition. The popularity of these characters rival those of, for example, Naruto, the protagonist of one of Shounen Jump's highest grossing animes ever.
People like and dislike the characters for different reasons, however. One thing that Death Note does that many other stories are not able to do effectively is make every single character likable and flawed in some way. Even the main character, Light, who can be easily viewed as a cold and heartless serial killer has a personality that people can empathize with. In fact, he is one of the most popular anime characters of all time. Some people absolutely hate Light, but like other characters, such as L, for different reasons. Death Note never tells you which characters you should like and dislike, or which characters you should root for, it lets you decide it all on your own.

One very interesting thing about Death Note is its view of morality. None of the character can be viewed as good or bad, justice or injustice. The two main opposing forces in this manga are just two people with strong senses of justice and very different ideas of how it is to be carried out. The main character can very easily be viewed as the bad guy, because although his main intentions are righteous, he has a very brutal and methodical way of carrying them out. The antagonist can be looked at as the one fighting against evil, but the methods he uses are questionable at best; he becomes obsessed with his search and is willing to do nearly anything to reach his goal regardless of the ethical questions surrounding it.
Because of this obscure view of ethics, Death Note has been pegged as a twisted and murky morality tale. However, the psychological aspects are obviously very well thought out and meant to cause you to try and decide who the good characters are, who the bad characters are, and whether or not there really is such a thing. It's up to you as the reader to decide who's right and who's wrong; the decision is never made for you, which is something that makes Death Note so much deeper and thought-provoking than most manga, or most books for that matter.

I read somewhere that in order to enjoy Death Note, you need to be a little twisted, but most anime fans are. If you like anime at all, there is absolutely no excuse for not reading this manga. It's one of the best of the best. If you haven't ever read a manga before, this might not be a good first choice because it's deeply psychological and takes a lot of paying attention, but Death Note is a force to be reckoned with in the world of manga and shouldn't be passed up by anyone who likes dark morality tales.

The Crazy School

The Crazy School - Cornelia Read An improvement over the previous installment in almost every way. The book ran a lot smoother and I got through it in about three days, as opposed to weeks with the first one. It could possibly be because of a more interesting plot and better characters. Madeline is still a fantastic narrator, and her unique narrative gives the book a very different feel. The characters are well thought out, and the dialogue is believable. I'm definitely planning on continuing to keep up with Ms. Read. She seems to be getting better with each installment, and I'm excited to see what she comes up with next.

The House Next Door

The House Next Door - Richie Tankersley Cusick This book was pretty good, a lot better than I had been expecting. Although it felt largly exaggerated at points, and the characters sometimes felt too animated to be real, the prose was well written, easy to follow, and difficult to put down.