Loved the book...

...but hated the ending! I just finished Trapped by Michael Northrop. If you got deja vu reading that sentence, it might be because Gentlemen, the book I just reviewed was also written by Michael Northrop.

 

I usually like to space out books by the same author, but that just didn't happen this time. Regardless, I liked this book more than Gentlemen, but I felt so cheated by the ending. The premise of this book is that seven students get trapped in their High School when a Nor'easter of unprecedented strength blows through their town. This book is taut and suspenseful, but I feel like the author could have done so much more with the story, plot and characters. Maybe sparseness is just his style. Hm. Actually having to use my imagination to fill in the gaps :) say it ain't so! I think the book could have been twice the length, easy. Despite these flaws, I would still recommend this novel. It would be a great choice for a book club, there is so much to debate and discuss.                           

Reba goes Graphic!

Finally! I'm happy to say that I have just read my very first Manga book! What series did I dive into, you might ask? Well, I just finished One Piece, Volume 1: Romance Dawn by Eiichiro Oda. And you know what? It wasn't that bad! I won't lie, it took me awhile to get used to reading backwards, and from right to left, but I managed. I will admit though, that I had already seen some of the Anime of One Piece, so I was able to follow the story along easier than I normally would have. And you know what else? I might actually read Volume 2!

A Long Way Gone...

Over vacation, I also finished A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. While this was a touching, albeit disturbing memoir, I felt like it could have gone much deeper. There were times, and scenes, where feelings and emotions were raw, but I still felt like a lot was also glossed over. I wanted to know more about the narrator Ishmael, and his mental and physical journey. Beah goes from being a 12-year old, happy boy who loves music and rap, to a child soldier, hopped up on drugs and killing with a fierceness and savageness, spurred on by the will to live and revenge for what happened to his family and his village. Can you blame me for wanting to know more about the boy who was strong enough to live through this and tell the tale?

This book should be a must-read for several reasons, but mostly for a reminder of how lucky most of us are, and to learn to appreciate everything we have. I would recommend this book to older readers, the descriptions of violence and war can be graphic and brutal, but never inappropriate. They are a necessary component to the book, if we are to ever understand a fraction of what life was like in Sierra Leone during their Civil War. This book certainly puts things into perspective, while shedding light on a Global issue that should not be ignored or swept under the rug.