The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
written by Sherman Alexie



Not that this book doesn't already have enough praise, but I'm going to add some to the pile.  When I hear a book has won awards and comes highly recommended by some arbitrary people with power in the book industry, I am usually wary.  These tend to be highly formulaic books with some life lessons, usually involving an absent father, some kind of death, probably a dog, and some hopeful gathering at the end.  Which isn't to say this book doesn't employ those tropes, too, because it does, but it does so with a truly funny, genuine narrator, not some flat-voiced 11 year old living in a rural area, but a boy, an authentic, witty boy that readers of all shapes, sizes, ages, walks of life can relate to.  And this boy is wise beyond his age, and it pains me to know that some children out there won't be able to experience his sarcastic wisdom because apparently honesty is grounds for book banning for some people out there.  It's a book about a fictional boy telling a not-so-fictional story, and bless Sherman Alexie for writing it.

Ship Breaker

Ship Breaker
written by Paolo Bacigalupi



I read Ship Breaker at the recommendation of Internet-famous and all-around awesome guy, Hank Green.  I really wanted to like the book.  It started off painfully slow, pontificating lengthily on irrelevant details.  The story thankfully did pick up the pace, and once the action started and more characters were introduced, it turned into a pretty decent read, almost unrecognizable from the story it started out as.  I've never understood the writing tool of "show, don't tell"--I felt that this book, even once the story picked up, showed too much and told too little.  I think Paulo Bacigalupi could have taken a page out of Scott Westerfeld's book and added some illustrations to really bring the story to life.  This is a book that would have benefited from visual imagery to supplement (and hopefully bypass entirely) some of the verbal descriptions.  It's nearly impossible to find a good young adult novel whose plot doesn't somehow revolve significantly around a romantic subplot, and while there are bits and pieces of romance here and there, it's not overwhelming and made for a refreshing change.  I thought the ending went and did a 180 on the beginning, as the plot felt rushed, and some characters (Tool, most notably) didn't get the full resolution they deserved.

Rating: 3/5

Going Bovine

Going Bovine
written by Libba Bray

 

I'm at a loss for what to say about this book.  It's a testament to Libba Bray's writing talent that such a bizarre book has such a large readership, and that is meant as a compliment.  I'd wondered why the book had such vague, disconnected summaries, and then I read the book, and it made sense.  It's a vague disconnected book with the full randomness of life thrown in your face.  There are some jewels of wisdom within the "random", but if you're looking for a plot that makes sense, this isn't the book for you.  Throughout reading, my thoughts could best be summarized as "What on earth is this weirdness and why is it so good?"  I can see how some readers could easily see the ending as a cop-out, and it is an undeniably strange book that messes with your mind but in doing so, delves to the core of who we are as human beings. 

Rating: 4/5