the_deep_magic | "Favorite title" had no competition

Nothing but books tonight, since I'm feeling oddly wrung out, even though I didn't have anything approaching a stressful day. Le sigh.

Day 26: Most surprising plot twist or ending – Her Fearful Symmetry, Audrey Niffenegger

Prisoner of Azkaban, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Geek Love, and yes, even The Poisonwood Bible could all fall under this category. But I’m actually going to go with a huge plot twist I didn’t like. Ever been halfway through a book and suddenly it takes a left turn that slams you up against the side of the metaphorical car, and you never quite find out why that turn was necessary? I won’t spoil anything about the book, but not only are there two major plot twists, the book pretty much changes genres right smack in the middle. Pretty disappointing after The Time-Traveler’s Wife, but hey, they can’t all be fried gold, right?

Day 27: Favorite title – The Island of the Sequined Love Nuns, Christopher Moore

Do I really need to explain that?

Day 28: A book everyone hates that you like - ???

I couldn’t really think of one book, but I do read the occasional trashy romance novel. I don’t guess that falls under the “everyone hates” category, since a lot of people love them, and they’re more looked down upon than hated.

I loved The Brothers Karamazov, even though it was a really tough read that took me about three months (though I squeezed some lighter stuff in there at the same time, which I rarely do). I can imagine some people who are forced to read it for school might want to set it on fire.

Day 29: A book that changed your opinion on something – The Solace of Leaving Early, Haven Kimmel

I don’t know that it changed my opinion on something specific, but I read this in college and liked it okay, then reread it after the Thesis Debacle and suddenly it was like a punch to the gut. The main character actually does write her doctoral dissertation, but ends up walking out in the middle of the defense, packing up, and moving back to her hometown and her parents’ house (this isn't giving anything away -- it happens in the first five pages of the book). I hope I’m not as pretentious and aloof as she is, but the message to me was pretty clear – academic smarts don’t make you better than anyone else and happiness can be found by forgetting about yourself for a little while to help someone else. The book isn’t as nearly as corny as I’m making it sound, but that’s what I got out of it. And, hell, it just made me feel better about ditching the thesis.