someday this pain will be useful to you

Someday this pain will be useful to you by Peter Cameron.

Summary
About a few days (weeks?) in James Sveck's life, an 18-year old who doesn't seem to know what he is doing.

Source
I read about this on Laineygossip.com, on which she shared pictures of the movie that is based on the book.

My thoughts
This was a very quick read. I don't know that I loved it, nor did I hate it. I can somewhat relate to James' lack of direction but I'm not sure I felt particular empathy with him. I think I felt more like he should just snap out of his funk.

I did mark this passage because I could relate to these feelings toward my own mother:
"I knew she wanted to help me. I knew she was my mother and loved me and I didn't want to be mean, but there something else inside me, something hard and stubborn that was mean."

Another passage I liked:

"I found this spectacle somewhat depressing, because I had always thought, or hoped, that adults weren't necessarily as hobbled by mindless conformity as so many of my peers seem to be. I always looked forward to being an adult, because I thought the adult world was, well - adult. That adults weren't cliquey or nasty, that the whole notion of being cool, or in, or popular would cease to be the arbiter of all things social, but I was beginning to realize that the adult world was nonsensically brutal and socially perilous as the kind of childhood."

While I understand his feelings toward adult, I would have expected these thoughts from someone more mature and I thought James acted quite immaturely often. I guess that's what being a teenager is all about, having very mature thoughts but not quite acting at that level

I feel a bit bad because it seems that from reading reviews, this book has touched many people. Obviously from the passages above, I did somewhat relate to the main character but I didn't always understand his actions, nor his surprise to the consequences of his actions. Maybe I wasn't supposed to?

Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

Summary
The third and final installment (The Hunger Games and Catching Fire) follows Katniss Everdeen in her most demanding challenge yet as a representation of the revolution against The Capitol.

Source
I was eagerly awaiting to read this and was still on the waiting list at the library but was able to borrow it from a friend.

My thoughts
I thought it was a proper conclusion to the series.

Room

Room by Emma Donoghue.

Summary
The narrator is Jack, a 5 year old boy who only knows the 11' x 11' Room that he and his Ma have lived in. Emma Donoghue came up with the premise of the book from the horrifying real story of the Austrian woman who was held for 24 years by her father.

Source
I heard about this book from Q107 in the morning and subsequently Lainey also reviewed it.

My thoughts
I was rather apprehensive about reading this book because of the gruesome premise. As I read about Jack and his Ma, I thought it was innovative how we get to understand their everyday life in Room, but at the same time kept looking at how thick the book was, worried that I wouldn't be able to read that much of their live in one room. I hope I'm not ruining the book for anyone, but I did feel an immense sense of relief that there is an "after" section.

One of the issues that I had with the book was with Jack being the narrator. Reading a 5 year old voice, you have to accept the lack of language skills but at the same time he would use really big words. I was glad to read that Lainey observed the same thing. I could say the same thing about Jack's thoughts; sometimes it was really hard to believe that a 5 year old would have such deep and observant thoughts. I kept wondering how realistic it was? Would a 5 year old in the same situation think, feel, say the same? They didn't seem like fair questions but the thoughts persisted in my mind.

Life on the Refrigerator Door

Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers.

Summary
Claire and her mother are both very busy. They exchange notes on the refrigerator door while going through the mother's struggle with breast cancer and a teenage daughter-mother relationship.

Source
I had heard about this novel and its novel premise for a long time. It's always been on the back of my mind. Trivia: Alice Kuipers is married to Yann Martel, who wrote one of my favourite books, Life of Pi.

My thoughts
I read the book quite quickly because of its short format. I was very impressed that a whole story could be incorporated in such an innovative way. At the same time, I just wanted to scream at the two main characters to stop leaving notes on the refrigerator door at such a crucial time in their lives and spend a significant amount of time together.

Pearl of China

Pearl of China by Anchee Min.

Summary
A fictional friendship between future author Pearl Buck and a Chinese girl named Willow.

Source
I heard Anchee Min discuss this novel on cbcradio's Writers & Company.

My thoughts
I thought some of the plots unrealistic: how Willow ended up marrying a top Communist, having a child so late in life, meeting Nixon, etc. Really? After all that, I still didn't feel much empathy for Willow. I would have wanted to learn more about Pearl Buck, but I think a more factual account of her life. I might look up a biography or re-read some of her novels. I was also intrigued by Madame Mao and may try to read Anchee Min's Becoming Madame Mao. I also learned a new word: proletarian, which is a key movement in the book.

Twenties Girl

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella.

Summary
The heroine Lara Lington is at a crossroad in her life and serendipitously meets her great-aunt Sadie. While Sadie can be very annoying, she also helps Lara find her way to true love and a successful work life.

Source
While I have read all of the Shopaholic series, I read about "Twenties Girl" Red Vines for Breakfast.

My thoughts
The premise is rather silly but Sophie Kinsella makes it work. I can always empathize with a heroine who struggles with her love and work life! What single woman can't?