Paper Soul

Sheets is a unique comic about loss, grieving and understanding experiences that may not be joyous ones to tackle. Thummler introduces Wendell, a ghost that does not understand the current situation he is in and dealing with emerging himself into the ghost community. This same experience is reflected in the human/living world through Marjorie. Both characters struggle through belonging and understanding death. It is an interesting take on how ghost are perceived and how a spirit would interpret their situation. Having these two outlooks gives the reader a better understanding of death and moving one. Thummler also tackles serious issues such as; death, bullying, and responsibilities in an elegant way. Giving the main character time to grow and mature in her own time. The illustrations fit the context and made the characters more relatable and anchored to the storyline. I loved the sheet aspect to the ghost and the process of them attaining them. It gave a creative twist to the myth of the ghost sheet.

The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

Once your dead, you're dead. You cant over-die......

The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne

Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami

Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy

The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood

How could one tiny prank get to be such a big deal? Ok, Ok part of the school may have burned a little and there may be a mass panic at the school dance. But does that deserve a punishment of being confined to a food truck WITH...YOUR. NEMESIS?!?! Unfortunately, it's the situation  Clara finds herself in; one-way ticket on the KoBra… with Rose. Will she survive this summer in one piece and will there be enough of her to make it to vacation with her Insta-famous mom?

Pro:

Character Development: I will have to admit that first impressions of Clara were not good… not good at all. I really didn't like her, she was self-absorbed and mean. I couldn't understand why she just didn't care. But Goo did an excellent job in developing this character through trial and error. Through those trial and errors, she developed more maturely and became a better person. The experiences she went through molded her into a better and deeper character by the end of the book. I think my irritation of her was the forgetting what it's like to be a teenager… since I'm not a teenager. I just couldn't identify with her because I will admit I was more of a Rose. And Oh Rose, the ever hard-working overachiever Ballerina. She seemed like a BITCH but soon discovered it was a protective cover. She wanted friends but found it easier to not try than open up.

Diversity: Oh Goo! Thank you for the well written diverse characters in this book. There was no heavy-handed introduction of the diversity but a subtle one. Which made the characters seamlessly interact with each other. The race or ethnicity was not solely who they were but just a small part of their identity. It was a breath of fresh air to read about the diversity that truly exists in Los Angeles. The characters brought different insights and culture that added to the depth but was not apart of the struggle or conflict.

Parental Units: Cool chef dad vs Insta-famous mom… hard choices for a teenage girl, actually wait, it's not that hard. It seems the parents we interact with the most are taken for granted and the ones we see are held on a pedestal. Clara’s involvement and detachment of her parents is an interesting subplot. Yet it is a situation that is seen more often than not. Ok Ok not everyone has an uber famous mother but an absent part yes. The rebels that Clara does can be a projection of her mother leaving and deciding to be a distance mother. Also, how she reconciles the realities of parenting styles between her mother and father was a journey unto itself. Goo did a superb job in having Clara do the work in gaining the insight of how the interactions truly were.

Prince of Denmark’s Romance: While I love a good romance, I believe YA novels should not revolve around them but have a deeper plot. Goo did just that, Hamlet was not the center of the plot. Yes, of course, this is partly a Rom Con and everyone loves an underdog. But Clara really fought the attraction and Hamlet himself. Even when a problem arose, Clara handled it like a TEENAGER. By grossly over-reacting and doing what she should not of. Yet, she slowly understands what it means to be in a relationship but experiencing a vapid relationship. Through that, she realizes this is not what she wants.

Con:

Like I said before… Clara at the start… this is why I don't have children.

Last September I got the current resident class and some doctors hooked on the Ember in the Ashes series. One doctor was not happy that we started a series that had not ended, but she still loved the first two books. As you all know the third book just came out... A Reaper in the Gates. I was so excited about this book and so were the residents and doctors. 

I'm about a third through the book and totally captivated by it and excited to see how this series ends. Well, one of the doctors came up to me visibly upset and demanded I talk to her. The conversation went like this:

Dr: it's NOT THE LAST BOOK!!!

Me: 

Dr.: YOU LIED TO ME!!!

Me: 

Dr: I trusted you!!! Now we have to wait a year!!... {storms off}

Well...... I didn't know it wasn't the last one!! I thought it was!!! NOw I have to read this book because they are all talking about it but know that its not the last one! UHHHHHHHH Why SABAA TAHIR why must you prolong this!!! I need closure!!!

Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë

Its that time again to get lost in the story, let the game take over and experience Caraval. Before you decide to immerse yourself in the plot and characters remember it's all just a game…… or is it. For Tella, this Caraval may not be a fun experience but have dire consequences. Not just for her but for everyone involved in Caraval. Can Tell separate herself from a preset destiny she saw as a child or make her own future to save her mother and one true love? This time Caraval isn't just for fun but to discover your own destiny.

Pro:

• Tella…. Oh, Tella. I have to say that from both the sisters, I can relate to Tella the most. The rebellious and closed of girl who thinks her future has already been foretold. She fights against her feelings and tries to keep her emotions in check so she can try and recover her mother. She is playing a game that may be playing her. She is everything in a protagonist I want. Feisty, temperament, emotional, courageous and grows within the story. She is the opposite of her cautious sister and refuses to play by anyone's rules. She leaps before she looks which makes her a great player in Caraval. She is a bit selfish in how she thinks and can override other people's emotions and well being but these flaws only add to Tella’s dimension. Then there is Dante, the rebel without a cause, the only man who can undo Tella. Dante had me at the tip of his finger, he was the villain with a villains heart. Oh, and the knight in shining armor to rescue the day and sweep Tella off her feet! Yeah, there isn't one because Jacks is just as sinister as everyone else. All the main characters are strong and unyielding in how they approach situations. Which makes the interactions that much more intense.
• I've never read much about the Fates and enjoyed the Tim Burton style they are portrayed in. These are not the Greek Gods that wield power over mankind and will show mercy to a deserving soul. The Fates are ruthless and only desire power and human entertainment. Human entertainment in the form of pain and suffering. I enjoyed these darker entities and how they added darkness to the story.
• So there is a love story and triangle of sorts. It was a refreshing take on how love can be given and taken. There are different dimensions of love that were portrayed; a daughters love, true love, and the first love to break a heart. The true love is not what I expected and it was the love of an equal rather than lust and the usual romance take.  This gave the characters more room to develop and not lean too much on the emotional side. Tella especially fought will all these.

Con

• Garber has a way of uniquely describing situations, emotions, and landscapes. They do provoke certain images and senses yet at times they tend to go a little far……

Quotes

• Your Future can be whatever you wish. We all have the power to choose our own destiny.
• Love turned the world into a garden, so beguiling it was easy to forget that rose petals were as ephemeral as feelings, eventually, they wilt and die, leaving nothing but thorns
• Once a fortune is foretold, that future becomes a living thing and it will fight very hard to bring itself about
• But nothing felt like Death, except Death
• If you can convince yourself it’s true, you can convince anyone
• That’s what I would want, someone who would give me a piece of himself rather than scraps of fabric
• It was terrifying how such a small thing could hold so much power
• Monsters are going to be given power no matter how this story ends
• He was like a moment in time; he could be experienced but never held on to

Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison

I also bought the epub....

Because you know, a phone is less conspicuous than a 400-page hardback book

That girl. The one all the rumors are about. The ones that involve the boys, drinking and other taboo actions. What do you really know about her? Do you know the image that is constructed by the rumors, the hushed voices, and the glares? Or do you know the girl who wants to be accepted for who she really is? Which version do you Choose to know and interact? How do different versions of the same story portray the same person?

Pro:

• The protagonist Zarin is a courageous and complex character. Her story is told by her own voice and those of her boyfriends and classmates. Each version does not exactly relate to the story Zarin tells of herself. She is so closed off because of the labels her past has placed on her involuntary. She immediately decides to fully embrace her tainted reputation and embrace the status thrust upon her. She feels broken and misunderstood to the point that she may not even understand herself. At times she is ruthless and unempathetic with the people around her to the point of cruel. But as you get to know her, this is a way to hide her true self and the constant pain she undergoes. We have all been there, the rumor, the whisper, that person that people stare at. Yet she seems to be able to handle what is thrown at her with a sense of broken grace which makes her relatable.
• Bhathena touches on many sensitive subjects such as rape, drugs, abuse and male privilege. Many books have touched on these subjects but Bhathena adds another layer to these subjects by adding religion to the mix. Bhathena places her story in Mumbai and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia which adds the cultural restrictions of the Middle East. Zarin navigates through her culture by going against the grain. Fully embracing what is taboo and looked down on in her community and culture. From the simplest actions as smoking to riding in cars with boys, she rebels. The bullying that Zarin goes through is not stopped or disciplined but it seems rather as a way to make Zarin conform. Through the eyes of all the female students, male privilege and sexual assault are always hanging over them. Pressuring them to hide and submit. It is interesting to see a culture and society that is so different from America. It was interesting to read about a culture in which the protagonist was Americanized but fully apart of the culture.

Con

• There are several voices in the novel. All depict a different version of Zarin and the world she lives in. Showing how society works for different genders and economic levels. This gives the story depth and perspective in how individuals view others differently. This was interesting although Zarin’s voice and the story seemed to get lost through other people’s perspectives. This may have been the intention of Bhathena, in displaying how people’s perceptions can create a story for a person and unrealistic histories or expectations. At the end of the story, I was left with a bittersweet connection with Zarin. I wanted to know more about her and how she came to be.

Quotes

• Memories can be like splinters, digging into you when you least expect them to, holding tight and sharp the way wood did when it slid under a fingernail.
• Talking.. Only led to a revelation of secrets
• If you could make a girl laugh, you could make her yours
• A person’s home tells you a lot about who they are
• People came into our lives, people left
• Stories… would always change the course of our lives, the greatest ones being retold over and over again not to simply convey morals or life lessons, but to bring people together.
• You can never lie to another lier
• To live in this world, you need to follow a certain set of rules and behave in ways society deemed appropriate.
• Because a bird only learns to fly when its wings are broken
• Love is more important than anything else in the world. And you deserve love as much as anyone else

- Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck

A girl just wanting her favorite fandom done right... I get you, girl...I do ... I really do