Room by Emma Donoghue

321 pages

"To five-year-old Jack, Room is the world. It's where he was born, it's where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. There are endless wonders that let loose Jack's imagination - the snake under Bed that he constructs out of eggshells, the imaginary world projected through the TV, the coziness of Wardrobe below Ma's clothes, where she tucks him in safely at night in case Old Nick comes.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it's the prison where she has been held since she was nineteen - for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in that eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But Jack's curiosity is building alongside her own desperation - and she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer." -Dust Jacket

On the recommendation of a good friend who loves good books, I went to the library and checked this out. I haven't been outside the children's section of the library in years; I just love buying books, and finding good deals on those books. I think sometimes I keep Amazon in business single-handedly. Or not, since I usually buy books for $0.01 and pay $3.99 in shipping. I will be buying this book but I didn't want to wait for the right price.

I couldn't put this book down. I ended this book sobbing, but in a good way. I think the last paragraph on the dust jacket sums up how I feel perfectly:

"Told in the poignant and funny voice of Jack, Room is a story of unconquerable love in harrowing circumstances, and of the diamond-hard bond between a mother and her child. It is a shocking, exhilarating, and riveting novel - but always deeply human and always moving. Room is a place you will never forget."

One thing did nag at me as I was reading: why on earth would a 19-year-old girl fall for the "my dog's hurt/going crazy" routine from an older man and willingly get in his truck? Maybe a young child, but a college student? The reader never learns Ma's full name. I liked that. I think it makes it easier to envision this brave young woman as being anyone and no one in particular. She could be any young mother. Jack loves her and she loves Jack, so much so that she creates a heaven for him out of her hell. I think the way Jack feels about Room is a testament to her courage and compassion. She gives him as normal a childhood as their circumstance allows, creating games and retelling stories, making him feel loved and happy and keeping him safe. I like that this story is told from Jack's perspective. I think the author does a great job writing the thoughts and feelings of a five-year-old and making those thoughts and feelings believable. Jack's voice creates a tender innocence for a horrific situation. It keeps things PG-rated and it lets you find beauty in tragedy. His using proper nouns for items like Rug, Wardrobe, Table, made those things come alive and made you feel how important they were to Jack in his small world. Told through Ma's eyes this story would have been a completely different read. Their very different feelings about Rug are proof of that.

{SPOILERS}

I liked the flow of this story. Jack and Ma escape halfway through, which leaves the second half of the book to deal with the aftermath and emotions of seven years in captivity. Jack and Ma both have adjustments to make to being free. Jack has only ever known Room and Outside is overwhelming for him. Ma has the emotional and physical trauma to deal with of having had her life stolen from her. It is not an easy road for either of them and they both have to find a new way. Ma's strength lies in the fact that she gets back up and keeps going. The ending was a full-circle moment, and again a testament to Ma's character. Jack wants to visit Room again and she takes him so they can both say goodbye.

I love books that make you feel and sometimes think differently about life. This one does that the whole way through. It's one you won't soon forget. And can I just say that I love Steppa? He keeps it real.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

122 pages

"Ebenezer Scrooge is not a nice man. He is mean to his employees and mean to his family. He doesn't understand Christmas at all. Then three ghosts appear, haunting Scrooge. One shows him Christmas past. One shows him Christmas present. And one shows him an eerie Christmas future. Now Scrooge has one last chance...before it's too late." -Back Cover

What can you say about Charles Dickens? Except perhaps that I ought to read more of him more often. I've seen versions of this movie several times, probably every Christmas, but I'm not sure I've ever read the book. Unlike many of his other books, this one's short. I feel a new holiday tradition coming on.

A Christmas Carol is a story of redemption. Ebenezer Scrooge is as cranky and dispassionate as they come. He has no tolerance for the suffering or condition of others. Yet the lessons of the three ghosts, four if you count Marley, are not lost on him. The thing I love about Scrooge is that he's really not a bad person. He's just lost his way, and become all consumed with things that aren't important. Yet he's also quick to embrace change. I've sometimes wondered why Marley would appear to him in the first place, to give him a shot at changing the course of his life. They didn't seem to have been that good of friends while he was alive. I think it's probably because Marley wasn't a bad person either and didn't wish his fate on anyone.

I love Scrooge's nephew and his zest for life and cheerful countenance. He's the type of person that spreads joy wherever he goes. I love that Scrooge has some fun with him and with Bob Cratchit on Christmas Day. You know that the change Scrooge has experienced is a permanent one and that the message of A Christmas Carol is for everyone.

Crossed by Ally Condie

367 pages

"RULES ARE DIFFERENT OUTSIDE THE SOCIETY.

Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his sure death - only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices everything to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again." -Dust Jacket

I had to re-read Matched before I could start this one because I couldn't remember much of it. I've read a lot of dystopian fiction this year and there are similar elements in all of them (read: love triangle). Crossed was a typical filler book, like a lot of seconds in a trilogy are. I like it but it was sort of slow going. It set up some interesting things for book 3, I hope.

{SPOILERS}

WHAT I LIKED: The switching points of view. We already know Cassia fairly well and in this book we get to know Ky. He discloses bits and pieces of his story and how he became an Aberration. I thought it was an effective way to show how his and Cassia's experiences overlap while they're apart and then to show their thoughts and feelings when they're together. Ky is much more interesting than Cassia is.

Ky. I really like him. I think he's smart and clever and resourceful. In this book it's revealed that he's at least as good a sorter as Cassia is. You also learn just how adept he is at blending in and playing people to his advantage. I like his potential. I liked the history that he has with Xander.

The new characters - Indie, Eli, Hunter, and Vick. I thought they were a good addition if they have parts to play in the last book.

The poetry. I love books that show love for the written word, and in this world the written word that is not part of the Hundred Poems is considered valuable enough to trade. I like how poetry is used as a secret code and to express love.

The potential for book 3. I have high hopes for the last book in this series. I think Ally Condie's set up some great ideas and story lines. I like that Cassia has rejoined the Society and will work from the inside even though I didn't like how she got there. I like that there are so many unanswered questions. I like that Ky is wary of the Rising.

WHAT I DIDN'T REALLY LIKE: Xander's involvement...or lack thereof in this book. Love triangles have become a part of every story it seems like since Twilight and love triangles are all pretty much the same: you want the reader to like both guys and anxiously wait to see who the girl will pick. Xander and Ky are both likable guys, so this series will inevitably create Team Xander and Team Ky. The author does a good enough job that I'm undecided, although I do tend to lean towards Team Ky. I would have been okay with Xander's absence since Cassia is in the Outer Provinces looking for Ky and he's back in the Society, except that the dust jacket says "ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again." Xander shows up one time in this book. He gives Cassia a packet of blue pills with secret messages hidden inside. The blue pills, it turns out, are poisonous, but he doesn't know that. The secret messages, except for one, are just a recap of his Match information. On that one it's revealed that Xander has a secret. The reader gets reminded of that over and over until you finally learn that the big secret is that Xander has been recruited by the Rising and that Ky knows because he was approached too. Frankly I wasn't surprised that Xander's part of the rebellion. If he wasn't, his part in the story would become irrelevant.

The Rising. It's so vague which makes me not care much about it. You don't really know if they're good or bad, you just know that they're supposedly fighting the Society and have been for some time. Cassia and Indie eventually make it to the Rising only to be immediately sorted and Cassia sent back to the Society, this time to the Capital. The Rising reads her data and sends her on her way, so by the time Ky makes it there she's already gone. I just thought it was awfully fast and abrupt for a newcomer.

Several loose ends. Cassia escaped from her work group and yet can somehow rejoin Society, in the Capital no less, and begin working there. Her status as a Citizen hasn't changed, which makes you think that there's someone on the inside watching and helping her. Someone put Ky's face on the port screen for her to see. There's more going on with Cassia's mother and her work than we know. There are a lot of questions about the Society.

Bottom line is that I'll really love this series if all the loose ends are wrapped up in the last book.

Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan

419 pages

"They were mysterious. Some claim they were merely the stuff of legend - the Rangers with their mottled green-and-gray cloaks and their reputation as defenders of the Kingdom. Reports of their brave battles vary, but we know of at least ten accounts, most of which feature a boy - turned man - named Will and his mentor, Halt. There are reports, as well, of others who fought alongside the Rangers, such as the young warrior Horace, a courageous princess named Evanlyn, and a cunning diplomat named Alyss.

Yet this crew left very little behind and their existence has never been able to be proved. Until now, that is...Behold the Lost Stories." -Dust Jacket

Book 10 of this series ended in a satisfying way, sort of an "and they sailed off into the sunset" way, which I thought completely fit the series. So, although I was content, I was completely excited for this book. Will, Halt, Horace, Alyss, Evanlyn, Gilan, Duncan, they're all characters you don't want to leave behind. They endear themselves to you as the reader and if this series were to go on and on I would be the first in line.

The Lost Stories begins with an archaeological dig near Castle Redmont and the discovery of Will's former cabin. There Professor MacFarlane unearths carefully hidden pages - the lost stories of the Rangers. At first I was kind of...stunned, I guess. Will and Halt are larger than life and it was hard to imagine a fictional world in which they don't exist. They are legendary. It was hard to think of them having grown old and passing away. Which is probably precisely why the author chose to go this route.

The Lost Stories is meant to be a gift to the readers of Ranger's Apprentice, and it definitely is. Some stories are a result of reader questions and comments. I loved every one. Some gave back stories, such as Will's coming to the ward at Castle Redmont, Halt's becoming a Ranger, but most take place after book 10. I felt like each one added that extra special touch to a fantastically entertaining journey, the icing on a great cake. Where I was satisfied with the ending before, I'm now completely satisfied. I might have even gotten a little teary-eyed towards the end. The way the author introduces the reader to his new series at the end was a fun addition. I'm excited and I'm hoping the new characters will be just as lovable as the old, though right now that's hard to imagine. I'm sure John Flanagan will make it happen though.

Ranger's Apprentice has become one of my all-time favorite series and one I know I'll revisit over and over again. It's a great story of loyalty, bravery and friendship - perfect for all ages.