July 2018

(Images are taken from the Goodreads website link attached to the title of the book)
(Included are my ratings and my personal descriptors of the book.)

July 2018:

Total Novels Read: 10

Total Pages Read: 3127 pages (101 pages/day)

 

1) The Impossible Light ~ Lily Myers (339 of 339 pages) (5/5 Stars)
(Addresses A Current Issue,
Realistic Plotline, Motivations, and Behaviours,
Poetically Captivating)

Recently, I have figured that more novels are exploring a new form of structure, and The Impossible Light is no exception. This novel follows the structure of many entries in the form of poems, and even though it follows this format, in minimal words, Lily Myers is able to craft it so that we are able to see the progression in Ivy’s motivations and character. I really enjoyed how Ms. Myers was able to tie the concepts of mathematics and life experiences together, which adds to the character of Ivy, along with the way Ms. Myers possessed the amazing ability to revisit things and juxtapose the way things were to the way things are in the present in the span of one page. Being a fan of poetry, this novel took my breath away at points and was able to see the emotions behind Ivy’s actions, where I was able to see the progressive spiral and then the recovery, which follows the nature of a plotline, but in a lyrical way.

 

2) The Boat People ~ Sharon Bala (416 of 416 Pages) (5/5 Stars)
(Addresses the Legal and Emotional Sides of the Refugee Dilemma,
Forces Readers to Consider Their Morals, Motivations, and Preconceptions,

A Thought-Provoking Read For All)

I believe I first heard of this novel on the radio once, and I swiftly checked this novel out because not only did the cover catch my eye, but also the complex issue this novel explores. A big idea that is addressed throughout the three narrators is the idea of perspective and through this process of being exposed to three perspectives (a refugee, a lawyer, and an adjudicator), the information we receive puts the morales of the reader into question. Often, I wondered what would I have done in the situation presented, whether it is the decision to flee, the decision to trust someone’s account, or the decision to let someone stay in Canada or deport them back to their country. It often was a conflict between the preconceptions and misconceptions we have when making decisions based on personal intuition or national security. I really enjoyed the rawness of how Ms. Bala structured the story, and how she effectively crafted the storyline and the way she characterized all three perspectives. I also must applaud Ms. Bala for incorporating historical events to make this novel as impactful as it has been, along with the ability to make the topic of law interesting. My only criticism is that I wished that each storyline was concluded in a better manner, but I will leave it at that to prevent spoilers. I would highly recommend this read, as it creates a moral dilemma on how you would approach this situation.

3) Anne of Green Gables ~ L.M. Montgomery (314 of 314 pages) (5/5 Stars)
(Imagery Fit for Imagination,

An Orphan’s Desire for Belonging,
Timeless Life Lessons For All)


This was a novel that I picked up at a nearby bookstore with the idea in mind to read more of literature’s classics, and I can certainly see why this is considered a timeless classic, especially with the imagery included that draws up our own imagination as Anne’s character encourages all of us to possess. Throughout the novel, I thoroughly enjoyed the uplifting and comical character of Anne, as she personifies the outcomes of a maintained and nurtured imagination, and the progressive acceptance of Anne in the lives of those around her. Anne’s story kept me enraptured throughout the entire novel, including the page-long paragraphs of dialogue because it gave more depth to Anne’s character and it exposed a lot of details and truths that not many had the audacity to say out loud, such as during the interactions with Marilla and Anne. I also wanted to mention the amazing emphasis on character progression in all those Anne comes into contact to, based on their initial apprehension of her from her arrival to the progressive acceptance and integration into the community. There were many lessons about human behaviour and the human conditions, which could be seen in Anne’s mistakes and the way the Marilla and Matthew parented Anne, especially in the realizations and lessons Marilla learned while in Anne’s presence. This novel was very playful and lifted my spirits, with the minor diction and details of how things were narrated and told. My only wish was to find out about Anne’s history before coming to Green Gables, but I felt that it would have interfered with the light nature of this novel

 

4) Vanilla ~ Billy Merrell (320 of 320 pages) (5/5 Stars)
(LGBTQIA+,

Paints a Complex Picture of Intimacy, Identity, and Honesty,
Realistic Reactions and Storyline)


Vanilla follows the same structure as The Impossible Light, where it is structured in the form of poetry. In this novel, Mr. Merrell explores the topic of the LGBTQIA+ community, where he addresses more uncommon areas of this community topic, and I am really happy that Mr. Merrell chose to pursue this route, as it was able to provide 
me new perspectives on the community. I enjoyed how Mr. Merrell characterized Vanilla and Hunter as we follow their storylines, in terms of how we could see the underlying emotions and the way their lives were intertwined during their relationship. I appreciated the incorporation of the small gestures between Vanilla and Hunter’s interactions, just as how an intimate relationship can be, along with the use of a through-line symbol of the honeysuckle throughout the entirety of the novel. I also really liked the realistic way the story played out, and we were not led to a stereotypical ending that we expect or feel obliged to receive as a reader, and instead, leaves us to question why each character did what they inevitably did. I loved the way Mr. Merrell formatted the novel, in terms of using many different ways to structure each entry, such as the use of spacing, the different types of fonts to represent different characters, and the unique use of a venn diagram once (which did take me a bit to get used to, but was really cool when I understood).

 

5) Soundless ~ Richelle Mead (267 of 267 pages) (5/5 Stars) 
(Chinese Folklore Meets Action,
Beautifully Crafted Storyline,
Highly Recommended)

This was another YA novel that I picked out because of the cool concept the story explores of deafness and blindness, which reminded me to be grateful for my own sense of hearing. Ms. Mead’s use of imagery was one part necessary for the plotline and one part extraordinary for readers to envision what the sensations would be like in Fei’s perspective. There were not many cliches, and I really enjoyed the few, but meaningful choices for setting, as it provided the story even more depth than it already has. This also extends to the time period that this novel takes place, even though it is never mentioned. There is some romance, but I can say that it was not relied upon to further the plot, nor was it exploited. Rather, it added to both to the characterization of Fei and Li Wei as well. Lastly, I loved the idea of creating that kind of society and being able to firmly establish the order and hierarchy of her village early on in the novel, and it made Fei’s discovery of her abilities much more impactful. This was certainly a very pleasant novel to read. 

 

6) Munro vs. The Coyote ~ Darren Groth (288 of 288 pages) (3 of 5 Stars)
(Disability, Internal Demons, Average)

This novel was another novel that I borrowed from the library, and this find was a miss for me. We follow the character of Munro who embarks on a student exchange to Australia after grieving the abrupt loss of his sister in order to mend his relationship with himself and his family. We also are introduced to Coyote, which I interpreted as an entity that exposes his own dark, internal thoughts, which can be seen as a connection to mental illness. I enjoyed the community he creates during his student exchange and the range of characters that are introduced; however, the reason why I lacked connection with this novel was the lack of depth, both in character development, plotline, which resulted in certain scenes being less believable. In terms of character development, there were some characters, such as Coyote, I wanted to see more depth and background history with, and at some points in the plotline, such as the flip-flop decisions of Munro’s parents, it felt unrealistic at points. Overall. I would say that it was not a bad read, but it did not achieve the same caliber as I expected it to be.

 

7) Right Where You Left MeCalla Devlin (256 of 256 pages) (4/5 Stars) 
(The Strength of Family, Perseverance, Resilience)

This is the second novel that I have read of Calla Devlin’s, and I must say that the way that she is able to craft a storyline like this is beyond words. I will not reveal much in my debrief, but I would like to highlight Ms. Devlin’s ability to have readers be emotionally invested and connected to the characters. In terms of the palpable turmoil and feelings that Charlotte experiences throughout the novel, that certainly kept me engrossed in the novel until the very end. And I really must highlight the phenomenal impact characterization has on a novel, because Right Where You Left Me highlights the importance of establishing a realistic character for readers to connect to. With the character progression of Charlotte’s mother, and the ways that Charlotte’s character coped with the issue at hand through photography (in which I must say that the imagery that was used to describe the shots she took definitely gave more depth to this novel) made this novel realistic. This is a YA novel I would recommend to others, and any other novel written by Ms. Devlin.

 

8) Every Day by David Levithan (322 of 322 Pages) (5/5 Stars)
(Inventive and Truly Unique Concept, Gender Identity and Sex, The Strength of Loving Unconditionally)

This was a novel that I had heard about a while back, and I found it the opportune time to read it as I found it on the YA shelf. We follow a character, A, who changes lives and the bodies he inhabits every day. He continues with this pattern of observation and maintaining the status quo of his life until he encounters a girl named Rhiannon. As A begins to fall in love with her, he begins on a journey of how much he is willing to break his own rules that he has set and how much he is willing to sacrifice. I enjoyed the journey that readers had with A, in which he desperately desires the feelings of belonging and love, but is something that he can never have. I have read some of David Levithan’s novels in the past, and knowing some background of him, I really enjoyed the diversity of characters we inhabited and the exploration we take in the societal prejudices of the individual and the conversation about many current issues, such as mental health, body image, and LGBTQ+ topics. Along with the use of Nathan and Reverend Poole to forward the plot of the novel, I must commend Mr. Levithan because every character was authentic and developed well enough that we did not experience any redundancies. Each person gave way to a new day and truly, a new life with their own memories, behaviours, tendencies, and relationships. This is a read that tugs at the heart because this novel brings to light what we take for granted each day. With A’s description of not having anything the next day when he began to open up to Rhiannon, and his jealousy during the funeral scene, it makes us more conscious of what we have each day, and what we should be more grateful for. 

 

9) Another DayDavid Levithan (327 of 327 pages) (4/5 Stars)
(Companion and Parallel Storyline to Every Day, Provided More Insight on Consequences of Actions, A New Perspective)

 


Because I knew that this novel was a companion book to Every Day, I knew I needed to read it, in order to feel fulfilled and complete. Initially, I was taken off guard that this novel was taking at the same time as Every Day in Rhiannon’s perspective, as I had expected it to continue after the end of the first novel. However, I would say that I enjoyed that Another Day did not follow the status quo of what we expect a series to be, and I interpreted it as a way for us to discover new perspectives, as A did in Every Day. Personally, I found that I was able to connect and follow the storyline a bit better with Rhiannon, as things were more linear, but what what was ore prevalent in this novel was the ways in which David Levithan encouraged readers to be more accepting, understanding, and to be more aware of our own biases and prejudices in love, appearance, and thoughts. Although it could have been preachy at points, Rhiannon’s character made it less so and more understandable. In addition, I really enjoyed the ways Mr. Levithan incorporated many meaningful and insightful one-liners and analogies. Such as the analogy of our body as a car and our true selves as the driver. A sneak peek at what I mean is when Rhiannon says,

“The car can smile all it wants, but that doesn’t mean you can see the driver’s expression” (216).

Some other impactful quotations I found were:

“Want costs you nothing, unless you try to spend it” (168).

“So I think the important part is to not get caught up in worrying about whether something will stay, and instead enjoy it for the time it’s here” (194).

“I would rather be hurt than be mean, Because I can live with myself if I’m hurt. I don’t think I could live with myself if I were mean” (223).

” ‘ Because that’s how you get through all the disappointment, right? You have to find it all funny’ ” (227). 

Otherwise, these two novels are a good read, not only because of David Levithan, but because of the lessons that he weaves in between the lines.

 

10) Are You Seeing Me? ~ Darren Groth (278 of 278 Pages) (3/5 Stars)
(Disability, Empowerment, Rebuilding)

Compared to Munro vs. The Coyote, I found Are You Seeing Me? a bit more enjoyable and easier to follow, without the loopholes and gaps in the plotline. We follow two twins, Perry, who is an individual that has a brain condition that causes him to be anxious when placed in new or unfamiliar surroundings, along with Justine, who is the caregiver and sister to Perry. We follow the two as they fly from Australia to Canada, and how one’s connection to family is the strongest kind of connection possible, even if it is necessary to nurture and/or to uncover and unearth. As I am slowly figuring out the inspirations behind Darren Groth’s writings, I am becoming more understanding of what his novels are about, and what he is trying to make more aware. Therefore, I am appreciative of the characterization of Perry, as it provides readers the insight and understanding needed for interaction and preventing further alienation and isolation for individuals like Perry. I also must commend Mr. Groth for being able to incorporate Perry’s interests into reality.

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