Every reader has experienced an occasion in which they are reading a book, loving it, but can’t stand the character(s). If you don’t like a character, does it change the way you feel about the book? Cause you to close the book and walk away? Or can you get past this and appreciate the book despite the character flaw?
Recently, I’ve noticed quite a few books I’ve been reading have characters toward whom I have very strong feelings. Here are just a few of them:
Snape (Harry Potter)-is he good or is he bad? I admit (close your eyes if you haven’t read the entire Harry Potter series) that I was pretty livid when it was Snape who killed Dumbledore. I mean…Snape was/is the quintessential good bad guy, right? We ALL hated him, yet without him the novels would lack so much.
“R” (Warm Bodies)-ok, not quite as much hate for “R” but you WANT to hate him. He’s a freakin’ zombie after all? Yet, he’s sweet, caring, has a conscious. Squint your eyes really tight and you won’t notice he’s decomposing.
Rochester (Jane Eyre)-Ok, I can’t find any redeeming qualities in this character. He locks his wife up in the attic and tries to have an affair with the governess. Yes, we must look at the time period and the state of affairs, but darn it, I hated Rochester.
Bett (The Bird Sisters) I just wanted to wring this girl’s neck! Yes, she’s got some drama going on at home but really? How dare she ruin the lives, the very futures, of Millie & Twiss? Grr!
So, tell me. Who are the book characters you love to hate? What makes you hate them? Do your strong feelings about a character sway your opinion of a book or are you able to look past these feelings?
“R”, as the reader knows him, is a young man with a bit of an identity problem. You see, he’s dead. Or technically, undead. A zombie. Wait, wait…come back. This isn’t your typical zombie novel. “R”, and the others like him, aren’t your normal zombies. They hold conversations (granted, to the Living human ear it consists of a bunch of mumbling) and they have a conscious. One of the biggest tragedies is they remember nothing of their past. They don’t remember their names, nor what they did when they were Living. They jokingly speculate about their careers and pasts based on the clothing they are wearing. Most difficult to “R” is not knowing his name:
“I miss my own and I mourn for everyone else’s, because I’d like to love them, but I don’t know who they are.”
It’s unknown how things ended up this way, but it’s been the case for some time:
“I think the world has mostly ended because the cities we wander are as rotten as we are. Buildings have collapsed. Rusted cars clog the streets. Most glass is shattered, the wind drifting through the hollow high-rises moans like an animal left to die. I don’t know what happened. Disease? War? Social collapse? Or was it just us? The Dead replacing the Living? I guess it’s not so important. Once you arrive at the end of the world , it hardly matters which route you took.”
“R” and hundreds of other Dead live in an abandoned airport. The Dead maintain many of the traditions they carried on while Living: They marry, they “have kids” (adopt, really), they go to church. The children go to school, learning what it takes to survive as the young undead. “R” spends a great deal of his time riding up and down escalators. Occasionally, he joins a group of others and they go off to the city and feed. Yes, they still require human flesh to exist. “R” craves the brain in particular, for it brings a spark of memory, a bit of life. He isn’t fond of many of the zombie’s “habits”, isn’t sure of why they have to eat in this manner, but he does what he has to survive. It is one of these visits to the city that “R” meets Julie, the girlfriend of Perry, the man “R” has just eaten. Flashed before him are Perry’s memories of his relationship with Julie. Perry’s memories become his own. But this time is different; they last longer than the typical few seconds. They hold on a little longer than normal. “R” takes Julie back to the airport and since “R” isn’t as decayed as most of other undead, he doesn’t appear as frightening as some of the others. A very unlikely relationship starts. “R” and Julie aren’t truly enemies. In a conversation with Perry, “R” sees he’s not necessarily the “bad guy” in this situation, just a victim of circumstance:
“You and I are victims of the same disease. We’re fighting the same war, just different battles in different theaters …My soul, your conscience, whatever’s left of me woven into whatever’s left of you, all tangled and conjoined…
This relationship, a modern day Romeo & Juliet, sparks change. A completely different future is in the horizon. The Undead begin changing, becoming more Living. It is then that “R” and Julie discover that they must be the vehicle for this change. The Undead can learn to live among the Living, to co-exist. “R” and Julie must stand strong against those who oppose him, generations stuck on living the life they same as they have for generations.
Warm Bodies isn’t your typical zombie novel, if you haven’t noticed. Instead, it is a look at our society, the fate that may be in store for us if we don’t stop and look at how our actions influence the future.
Mind you, this book isn’t all dark & serious, there are some pretty humorous scenes as well. One can’t help but fall in love with “R”, a handsome (ok, it may be a stretch but compared to the others) zombie with a conscious. He doesn’t want to continue living off of human flesh. He wants to live a happy, normal life. He, along with Julie, are saddened by the current state of society and strive to do something to change it.
They say that change starts with a on person. In this case that one person is “R”…willing to stop at nothing, including risking his Undead life, to see that it happens.
Highly recommended.
*Warning*-considering this is a zombie book, there are some pretty gruesome scenes. That said, they aren’t without a purpose. They serve to allow the reader to truly grasp the consequences of their actions. While it might not be “real” zombies that loom in our future, some characteristics of these creatures, including selfishness, greed, etc. are a real and true possibility.
Following are the literary road trip stops for the months of March/April. Be sure to check them out! Find out more about an author you already know or discover a new author!
If you have a post, review, etc. focusing on an author local to your area, be sure to enter your link into the Mr. Linky that I post at the end of each month!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It was created by J.Kaye’s Book Blog, but is now being hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books so stop by and join in!
Happy Mother’s day to all you mothers out there! For all others, happy Sunday!
After some pretty horrible weather last week, we’ve been granted some pretty gorgeous weather here! Last night the boys, hubby & I enjoyed our first bonfire of the summer, toasting marshmallows and enjoying the beautiful weather.
Last week was a busy one; my oldest son had strep so my husband and I had to alternate staying home with him. He’s much better now, thank goodness. He’s reading once again, right now he’s absorbing the latest Big Nate book.
I had quite the bookish week! Tuesday I led a discussion of Pictures of You at One More Page Books. It was quite the discussion, one of our best, I think. Thursday night I was back at One More Page for the Helen Simonson event. It was a packed event, standing room only. At last count, there were more than 60 people in attendance:
Helen was such a treat to listen to, full of wisdom and humor:
It was truly a delightful event!
Saturday, the boys & I went to (you guessed it!) One More Page where the boys created some adorable Mother’s Day cards for me. As we left, Justin insisted on ringing up his own purchases:
A future bookseller in the making! I’m quite proud!
Today I’m enjoying Mother’s Day with my boys & Husband, curled up on the couch, watching Harry Potter. The best mother’s day present ever 🙂
In case you missed it, here’s what happened on the blog last week:
Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week. Feel free to grab the button & join in! Be sure to include a link to your post in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post!
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks; First Edition edition (April 26, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0312544170
Source: Kaye Publicity
Patrick Davis sells his first screen-play and suddenly his life begins to fall apart. An actor on the set accuses Davis of assaulting him & sues the production company, forcing him to return to his teaching job. His marriage is also crumbling; his wife has an affair with a neighbor.
One morning, Davis is following his morning routine and goes outside to pick up the newspaper. As he picks up the paper, a DVD falls out. It’s the first of many DVDs, showing that he and his wife are being monitored by dozens of cameras hidden within their house. The monitoring equipment isn’t the kind that you can get at your neighborhood electronics store, implicating the government or some similar agency is the source. Davis is finally contacted by his stalkers, first by emails and phone calls. To get his life back, Davis must follow their every instruction.
Davis is desperate to find the source behind his misery. At first, he claims its the actor suing him for assault. But when he is killed and Davis is the prime suspect, his life sinks closer to disaster. Working with his stalkers is no longer an option; he must discover their identity and put an end to this wicked game.
They’re Watching is one of the many books that I can’t wait to read when it originally releases but unfortunately didn’t get the opportunity to. When I heard it was releasing in paperback, I couldn’t pass up the second chance to read it! I’m a long-time fan of Hurwitz’s work; he’s an incredibly talented writer, one of the top writers of this genre.
As with his previous books, They’re Watching is a stunning, fast-paced, suspenseful read. It’s not often that I pick up a book of this sort and find myself unable to identify the “bad guy” by at least midway through the book. I was literally stunned when the truth was revealed. I literally put the book down and clapped, I was so completely surprised and impressed at the execution of the novel. This book is destined to hit the big screen, the storyline, pacing & suspense make it perfect for Hollywood!
I highly recommend this book, along with all of Hurwitz’s other books. I guarantee, after completing this book, you’ll want to rush out and by all the author’s other books!
Be sure to enter to win a copy of They’re Watching here. Don’t doddle, the giveaway ends today! Also, stay tuned because Hurwitz’s next book, You’re Next, releases in July. I guarantee I won’t be waiting until the release of the paperback to read this one!
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One foggy night, two women both running from unhappy marriages, are quite literally brought together when their cars collide. April, mother of Sam, a severely asthmatic boy, is killed instantly. Sam escapes the accident by running into the nearby forest. While Isabelle is not held responsible for April’s death, she can’t seem to get over the guilt of killing another person.
As she recovers, Isabelle finds herself drawn to Sam and his father, Charlie. She walks down their street, she watches Sam at the playground. When Sam sees her, he recognizes her from the accident but believes she’s an angel, a messenger for his mother. He, in turn, follows her back to her home, ultimately forming the first of two very complicated relationships.
Isabelle introduces Sam to photography. Due to his asthma, Sam is unable to participate in any sports, have any pets, but photography is one thing he can do.
“Sometimes photographs show things that aren’t there. You have to learn to look deeper, to see what might be hidden.”
The second of the two complicated relationships is between Charlie and Isabelle. Drawn together by their shared feeling of loss and guilt, they struggle to find meaning and a place for this relationship. All three of the characters, Charlie, Isabelle, and Sam, struggle to find happiness. The true test is whether this happiness is found together, or apart.
Pictures of You is a beautiful and absorbing book of love, loss, and guilt. Each of the main characters uncover secrets or deal with painful pasts in order to seek the happiness they deserve. Leavitt does an outstanding job of capturing the loss, the grief, and recovery they suffer. Told in alternating points of view, while the reader gets to experience the accident in three different viewpoints, one can’t help but wonder which is the most accurate.
Admittedly, there were times in which I grew angry at the road the author was taking with the characters. I literally had to put the book down and take a break for a few hours, even a few days. Ultimately, however, I appreciated these choices & understood how integral they were for the overall storyline.
Pictures of You is the perfect book for a reading group discussion, as a matter of fact it was the May selection for the book club I lead at One More Page Books. There are so many aspects to be discussed, including how each of the characters deal with grief and recovery. Believe it or not, we went out on a tangent and compared this book with how the family in AMC’s The Killing deal with the loss of a loved one!
Publisher: Bantam; First Edition edition (March 22, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0553807226
Source: Publisher
Willa Jackson returns to the small southern town of Walls of Water, North Carolina eight years ago when her father passed away. Growing up, she was sort of a wild child, a prankster, known by her fellow classmates as the Walls of Water High School joker. Now as an adult, Willa promises to settle down in the town she once loved. She is now survived by her grandmother Georgie, who lives in a nursing home. She has a fairly successful life, owning her own organic sporting goods store.
As a child, she would look upon the Blue Ridge Madam mansion, the place her family called home generations ago until the 1930s when they became impoverished. She continues to look up on the old mansion, now under renovation, with a bit of reverence. She doesn’t know that much about the life her grandmother once had while living there.
Paxton Osgood is woman constantly on the go, obsessed with details. She’s determined to return the Blue Ridge Madam to it’s original glory. The Madam is the venue of a gala and Paxton is desperate to impress the Women’s Society Club. Paxton, in her thirties, still lives at home with her parents. Despite attempting to move out, she can’t seem to get out from under the wings of her mother. The closest she can get to independence is moving out into the pool house.
Sebastian Rogers is Paxton’s closest (and seemingly only real) friend. They make quite the interest “couple”-in high school Sebastian wore a purple trenchcoat and eyeliner. Paxton loves Sebastian and wants more, but due a scene she witnessed when they were both younger, realizes that is impossible. Bottom line, Paxton is a woman who has everything, yet has nothing.
Her twin brother, Colin, was able to escape the tight constraints of their parents. Now a landscape architect, he’s agreed to come home for only a month to help landscape the renovated mansion.
While moving an ancient tree to the grounds of the Blue Ridge Madam, the crew uncovers items that forever changes the view of the majestic mansion. Secrets long buried are unvelied, and the unexpected duo of Paxton and Willa (who as young girls despised one another) must unveil the mystery behind what happened in Walls of Water, so many years ago.
I’ve been a fan of Allen’s writing for some time now. As with her past novels, Allen succeed at painting a stunningly detailed vision of southern life. She never fails to provide a novel rich in details and well-constructed characters. The setting of The Peach Keeper is a beautiful one, rich in southern flaire. Unfortunately, also rich in snobby southern aristocrats. Young women forced to work hard to impress the other members of society is fairly typical for the South. So are deep dark secrets. Families would stop at nothing to protect the integrity of the family name…including murder.
I’ve been so pleased to have discovered quite a few books lately with mysterious storylines. The Peach Keeper is yet another one that I have discovered and become quite take with. Allen’s writing is full of rich detail. Following is just an example, a scene describing the move of a giant oak tree to the grounds of the Blue Ridge Madam:
Watching the actual planting was breathtaking, like watching a primitive battle between man and beast. The tree seemed like some great animal, fighting against the hunters trying to capture it. As the machinery lowered the gigantic root ball covered in burlap and wire, the men grabbed the roaps tethered to the limbs. They yelled, and the tree groaned and actually seemed to writhe against its restraints. the men holding on to the ropes moved in sync, running one way, then the next. They knew this animal; they knew its habits. they knew how to tame it.
This is just a brief sampling of the breathtakingly gorgeous writing within this novel. Reading each page is like reading a piece of music, the words flowing across the pages like notes of music.
If you love southern fiction with strong characters with a touch of mystery (and ghosts!) this is the perfect read for you. A story of love, family, a tinge of romance, and the true meaning of friendship, it’s a book that you can’t afford to miss. Highly recommended.
Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to participate in this tour. Please be sure to check out the remaining stops in this tour:
At one point in her life, Emily Wilson had everything she wanted: a bestselling novel, a handsome and wonderful husband, a bright outlook on her future. Ten years later, however, things have changed. While her novel was successful, it didn’t come from her heart. Her agent is pressing her for another book but the words simply aren’t coming. To make things worse, Emily and her “perfect” husband have filed for divorce. Everything that was important to her seems to be crumbling away.
When Emily’s great-aunt Bee invites her to spend a month with her on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily readily agrees. The beach has always been a source of comfort and reprieve for her. The calming setting would be the perfect location for her to start researching her next book.
Shortly after she arrives on the island, Emily discoveres a red velvet diary in nightstand of the guest room. The diary belongs to Esther, who details life on the island in 1943. Emily starts reading it, instantly realizing the author of the diary has ties to her and her family. Her family has always had its secrets; her mother & aunt have a strained relationship to say the least. It becomes Emily’s mission to uncover the secrets kept hidden for so long, and in doing so, reveals a bit about herself and her own hopes and dreams. She soon releazes it is her destiny to share the life described in this journal, to write the words the world was meant to read. Ultimately, the words revealed not only heal Emily, but other members of her family as well.
The Violets of March is a beautiful & stunning debut novel. Jio accomlishes the oftentimes difficult task of multiple storylines, in this case Emily and the reader are taken back in time via the text within the red diary. Jio taskes on this task with masterly talent that typically is only achieved through years of writing, yet Jio is able to do it in her first book.
The characters are very detailed and and complex; I fell for each of them individually within a matter of pages. It’s impossible to read this book and not feel sympathy for Emily. She’s tried so hard to lead a happy and perfect life that she’s forgotten what is most important in life: one’s own personal happiness. I rooted for her and the various opportunities at love made available to her, despite the fact that I’m not really a fan of romance in fiction. When she uncovered the diary, I was just as anxious as she was to learn more about the owner & the stories revealed in the text.
Aunt Bee? Who couldn’t love her? She’s strong in mind & spirit, never afraid to say just what she’s thinking. While she holds tight on to secrets that have been hidden for several decades, she’s prepared to reveal them to Emily when she feels the time is right (and it can no longer be avoided!)
The island itself is a character as well. Jio describes it so vividly that I can hear the tide rolling in, smell the sea water. She describes the feeling of sand between one’s toes, making me wish I was on the beach alongside Emily.
Bottom line: I can’t recommend this book enough. Family secret, second chances at life, love, mystery….The Violets of March literally has it all. It’s a book you will want to give to all the woman in your life: sister, mother, friend. I’m dying to read more from this incredibly talented author. Highly, highly recommended.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It was created by J.Kaye’s Book Blog, but is now being hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books so stop by and join in!
A Thread of Sky
by Deanna Fei
