Silver Linings Playbook

  Silver Linings Playbook, by Matthew Quick and absolutely loved it. It only took me a couple days. This can be accredited to the outstanding characters that are developed in this book. They were all so strong and unique and powerful. I loved how relateable the characters were because they all had a lot of life issues and didn't always solve them in the best way possible.

     My favorite character in the book was Tiffany. Her life was just a big ball of problem. Her husband was killed and she blamed it on herself. She lived with her parents.  She was antisocial and didn't have strong communication skills.  I loved how the author showed how ugly guilt and other day-to-day issues can be. She doesn't deal with human interaction well either. Tiffany mets a guy named Pat who she likes. She doesn't know how to talk to Pat so she just follows him on his runs day after day. One day she finally is able to introduce herself but she is very abrupt and scares off Pat. It takes a very long time for them to finally build a relationship. The author portrays this in a way that is very humorous. Eventually she learns how to overcome many of her problems; she still isn't perfect though.  It takes her a lot of hard work and a lot of messing up for her to do so. I think it was admirable that the author went to the work to add so much verisimilitude and depth to the story.


     Pat is very humorous in this book. Just the way she does everyday task is funny. The author makes him seem very awkward but it's in the same way that you or I may be. Pat goes over to his friend's house to have dinner. He meets his friend's wife and Tiffany while having dinner. When his friend throws out in accurate facts about sports Pat talks about how hard it is to not correct someone when you know their wrong. I think we all experience this on some level. I'm sure when a little sibling spits out incorrect information you just want to say, "Well actually..." but Pat doesn't correct his friend. Pat says, “I am practicing being kind over being right.”(56). In this situation it is humorous because we can all relate to how hard this can be and how we all should probably work on this.

     The way the author creates the characters definitely makes this book worth while. The plot is great and it's a very funny book. I would recommend this book to anyone. There wasn't an aspect that I didn't love.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

     I just started reading The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (for a second time). The first time I read it was about 2 years ago. I absolutely loved it then but I never re-read book...that is until now. I love it even more this time than last time. I think the difference between me reading it two years ago and me reading it now is my appreciation and understand for more than just the story line.

     I love how Stein alternates between two plot lines. The narrator of the book is a dog who loves race car because that is his owners passion. Enzo, the dog, is able to tie lessons he learns for his owner racing to real life morals but in the beginning in seems almost like two separate stories. You don't realize until later in the story the impact of these life lessons.

     One lesson Enzo talks about is "That which you manifest is before you." He discusses this in regards to racing. He explains how you have you know how to react before the car even slips so that you are in control of the situation. Denny, his owner, reminds him that there are accident though and you can't always manifest that which is before you. You can't necessarily see this connection to the main plot line until Denny's wife, Eve, gets very sick. You see how Eve refused to go to the doctor so she was unable to react to the illness before it affected her. This resulted in a tragic ending which is what Denny expresses can happen on the race track when you don't manifest a situation.

     I think the lessons that Stein explains throughout the book are very powerful. They can be related to everybodys lives. Many of the moral are about how you should react and control situation but they are broad enough to be applied to everyone. I love that this story is told from a dog's perspective because it allows the author to be critical of human kind and analyze us as a species.

     Overall, I really love this book (even the second time around). It has a great underlying message and it is very well written. It has great life lessons to learn from and the author can be humourous at time. I would recommend this book to anyone.

The Musician's Daughter Book Review

     I just finished the Musician's Daughter by Susanne Dunlap. Honestly I didn't really like it that much, especially in the beginning. This is because the book seemed a little generic and slow. Also I didn't like the ending because it left you needing more information. The author needed to add an epilogue or another chapter because it ended so abruptly. Although I wasn't a fan of this book here's a summary in case you want to read it.

     This book was about a girl name Theresa. Her father was murdered (this is not a spoiler alert...they tell you this within the first 5 pages) and she goes on a journey to try and find her fathers most sacred poession-his violin. While all of this is happening, her mother is completely and utterly oblivious because she is getting ready to have a baby. She never notices her daughter is missing for days which is a little wierd but that's what happens. Theresa has to overcome discrimination because in this time period she isn't seen as an equal and she has to learn to be brave and do things for herself. This may sound like an okay plot but the author drags it out through about 300 pages so it gets boring but if you are very dedicated to book you may enjoy it.

     I would give this book 2/5 stars because I think if the book was about 50 pages long it may have been interesting but the long, drawn-out version did not keep me interested. Also I like the authors word choice because it was unconventional and she used new vocabulary to me. Overall, I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone unless they are willing and dedicated enough to finish a book when you are bored 75% of the time.