The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Stephen Chbosky

June's voted selection for sept mom book club. 

I was turned off by how "simple" the main character was. He had a nice personality but was such a pushover. 

How did he make it all the way to high school and never even hear of masturbation? I found out about that when I got my first period. My mom gave me the what's happening to my body book for girls. I asked my husband, who said he learned about it about 6th grade. 

And he didn't know that girl was being raped? What? Why didn't he say anything. It makes more sense at the end when you find out that he went through a traumatic experience, but through the whole book I was pissed off at him for not sticking up for that girl. 

My sister read it in two hours and said "they made him sound so stupid in the book. He was really normal in the movie."

The famous line "we accept the love we think we deserve" is very thought provoking and I love it. 

Overall I could take it or leave it. Ot didn't do much for me and I wouldn't read it again. But then, I didn't go to public high school (I homeschooled through high school to complete a year sooner) and I never did drugs even though I had a friend who tried to offer it to me on several occasions- so maybe I just don't understand. A lot of people really like this book, but it wasn't for me. 

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. Neil Gaiman.

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. Neil Gaiman. 

Voted selection for September mom's book club. 

I thought this book wouldn't be my style. I decided to try the excerpt, and it hooked me. The poor boy! I am so sad that no one showed up for his 7th birthday party. I about cried. Not too far in, I had this thought..

"What? The dude killed his kitten then himself. This poor kid!"

Oh the pulling of the worm had my stomach twisted. Yuck!!

My response to this book- I loved it!!!!!

I thought it was his dad's funeral, but I might have gotten that from a review I read before I started the book. 

I liked that he didn't have a name, it felt more like the story of someone I already knew, and therefor didn't need a name. 

The imagination in this book is so fantastic. I'm very glad I ended up reading it. I will definitely be suggesting it to others, and I'm thankful for who suggested it for our May book!

That's My Son

I loved this book. It was written for single moms. I am not a single mom, you do not have to be a single mom to get a lot of helpful information on boys, although I think this would be a fantastic gift for a single mother. (Any single moms out there-you have my respect. It's not easy raising kids.) The author said it how it is. It's a relatively short book, full of wisdom. There were really only two things I didn't care for:

•the chapter on sex annoyed me a little. My husband and I have talked about men and sex, and some of it contradicted what my husband told me. While men definitely have different character strengths than women, there isn't a "one size fits all" man. However, there are also a lot of great points made in this chapter. Sex should be seen as something special and I appreciate how he presents it. 

•there is a sentence that says something along the lines of - if a girl doesn't have a father around she will find love in the backseat of a car. - I'm from a broken home. The only man I've had sex with is my husband of six years. We have two amazing little boys and are very secure in our relationship. While I can see where he's going with this, it has never made sense to me to put it that way. Girls with fathers around have sex before marriage also. 

It probably sounds like the whole book is about sex by the way I've written so far, but it's not. Sex is only one chapter. Chapter four to be exact. This book talks about respect and other character traits a man should have and how to help your son develop these traits. I'm very thankful for this book, it's helped me understand my boys more. I'm so proud of the men they're becoming. 

Allegiant

Spoilers! (This is a book discussion more than a book review.) Veronica changes her writing style in Allegiant. It's now told from the point of view of Tris and Tobias. If I hadn't read spoilers, I might have found this annoying, but it's necessary and I liked hearing from Tobias' point of view. He's even more attractive when you can see what he's thinking and feeling. 

They have to pretend they've broken up because his mom doesn't like his girl. Evelyn wants control. No factions. Control by force. There is a group calling themselves the Allegiant, who want to continue with the original purpose of the city. Factions and sending the divergent out. Tobias takes tris on a "date" and it's so sweet. Tris and Tobias save Caleb, the brother who betrayed her family. And they all escape. Outside the fence. They are found by a group of people, including two thought to be dead, and trust them because they have a picture of Tris' mom in their world. The leader gives Tris a tablet with her moms journal where we learn some interesting things about her. The fringe turns out to be an informative place for how the government lies to everyone. Genetic damage is the big issue in this book. Divergent are genetically pure. Tobias is not really divergent. Genetically damaged want to be treated equally. Totally understandable. I love how equality is a factor in this book. Too many people judge. I'm sick of it. 

The first attempt goes wrong. Tobias was not given all of the information, and as a result helps with an attack that puts Uriah in a coma he will not wake up from. Later they formulate a better plan that ultimately works. Tris miraculously survives the death serum, only to get shot and killed. It ends with heartache as well as healing. Tobias' mom chooses him over power. The government is given a memory serum so genetics are not a dividing factor anymore. And everyone grieves over the losses of loved ones. I cried. I felt slightly betrayed. I loved it and hated it. Veronica, you ruined my life. ;)