Franny & Zooey by J.D. Salinger

I know that some readers may hate me for this review. I was excited but then also wary about reading this book. I really liked Catcher in the Rye, but I remember not quite understanding it so I went into it thinking to take a closer look. Well, I guess I wasn't in the mood to think deeply and mainly just read for the story which of course was quite odd. There were moments of wonderful speeches and eye opening perspectives but I only glanced at them it seems.

Volume containing two interrelated stories by J.D. Salinger, published in book form in 1961. The stories, originally published in The New Yorker magazine, concern Franny and Zooey Glass, two members of the family that was the subject of most of Salinger's short fiction. Franny is an intellectually precocious late adolescent who tries to attain spiritual purification by obsessively reiterating the "Jesus prayer" as an antidote to the perceived superficiality and corruptness of life. She subsequently suffers a nervous breakdown. In the second story, her next older brother, Zooey, attempts to heal Franny by pointing out that her constant repetition of the "Jesus prayer" is as self-involved and egotistical as the egotism against which she rails.
Review by The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

This was a book club book and the girl who chose it is a J.D. Salinger fan and has read everything he has written and everything about him. She did an amazing job leading the discussion, raising questions that I hadn't thought about and shedding a bit more light on to the themes of the book. That helped me appreciate the book somewhat. I think I will read this book again someday when I feel like being deep and analyzing themes. Who knows when that will be. For some people, an understanding of J.D. Salinger comes naturally, but I am not one of those people.

Just to let you know...

I read 22 books last year!! I'm pretty proud of myself. I think I had a goal of 25 but still 22 is pretty good for me. I hadn't read for my own pleasure for such a long time.

Eldest by Christopher Paolini

This is book two in the Inheritance trilogy. I didn't really know it was a trilogy so about half way through I peeked at the back of the book to see if it said there would be another book coming. I was sad to see that there was. Only because this series is so good that I am sad that I now have to wait to read the third one.

The story continues with Eragon going to the Elf kingdom of Ellesmera to continue his training as a Rider. Meanwhile Roran, Eragon's cousin, has returned to home to find his father dead and house completely demolished. Anger towards Eragon builds up in him as the village faces hardships because of Eragon's decisions. Dangerous and magical creatures called the Ra'zac come to claim Roran but the village protects him and soon he becomes their leader in a deadly battle. I can't really tell too much because I don't want to give anything away. That's one thing I really loved about this sequel. You learn so much more about the different races of people throughout Alagaesia, while learning about Eragon and Roran and how they feel about the responsibilities placed upon them. Also, there are so many twists and turns. One thing that does bother me is that these books remind me a lot of Star Wars in some places but mostly the story is quite original. I don't have any quotes because I was so engrossed in the story I didn't want to stop to find a highlighter, but they were many times that I read something and thought that is mighty profound for a 21 year old to write. I highly reccomend this series. It's my first in coming back to fantasy and it has not disappointed.

A Room with A View by E.M Forster

I was a somewhat disappointed in this book. I have seen and love the movie but the book didn't evoke as much emotion as the movie did. It's been a little while since I've seen the movie so I didn't remember a lot of events in the book but some parts I can replay and replay in my mind. Most likely because I rewound the video several times to watch a particular part over and over again. The book did not do these favored sections justice. They fell flat. Okay so the parts I am talking about are the kissing scenes. Okay, I'm just a silly girl who adores a good kiss here and there (watching and receiving (:). In the movie you can feel the passion, as the music swells and he takes her in his arms. The book it was like, he crossed over to her and kissed her. How bland is that? I've gotten way better kissing scenes out of books before.

The rest of the story is fine. It's about a young girl who goes on a trip to Italy and sees some of the wildness of the world, in one aspect is this young man. The way she greets these experiences seems pretty dull. I felt like she was bored all the time or maybe it was just me. The book was not very long so it didn't take very long for me to read. Basically save yourself some time and just watch the movie with a caveat that there is some male frontal nudity, completely innocent in nature.