My Amazing Reading Habits of Amazingness

I actually haven't read that many books. I keep losing interest in everything, which leads me to wonder what kind of book I'm really looking for. I think I started off this year with a realistic fiction drama story thing. I actually really enjoyed reading about real life and not fantasy, and reading the touching issues of the couple in the book. After reading one realistic book, The Pact, I assumed I would love another just as much, and read a book by the same author. I didn't even blog about it; I simply didn't find it that enjoyable. Maybe I just need to base my preferences on what my mood is. So I went over to this novel that I read about online, Candle Man. It seemed interesting, and when I first started reading it, I was quite impressed with the storyline and how many connections I could make to society. Then, the protagonist escaped from the one part of the book that still had ties to real life, and the entire story became your typical random-child-with-god-like-powers-goes-on-a-magical-adventure-to-save-the-princess-to-find-the-truth-about-himself-and-blah-blah-blah. At that point, I pretty much stopped reading.
The fact that I only liked Candle man until the story truly became that of a fantasy novel tells me that, despite always thinking I preferred fantasy romance and such, I truly would like any book as long as I can make connections to it.
I think I liked The Pact the best though. I found the story to be very mature and the plot to be intense and heart-wrenching. It's one of those books that makes you want to wipe it from your memory so you can read it all over again without knowing what's going to happen.
*Anticlimactic ending of blog*

Candle Man Again

The story truly begins after Theo is taken away from his home. There's kind of this good-side-evil-side thing going on, and apparently everyone is trying to get control of Theo. The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance, which is actually sub-name of this book, is also the "good" group that takes Theo away from The Society of Good Works, with whom he's lived his whole life. Honestly, I feel like something will happen, and Theo will realize that both societies are pretty bad. Then again, I could easily be wrong, but it's just a thought. But surely it can't be such a black and white story. I mean, I know there's still the mystery of the candle man and all, but what would one society do that would be better than what the other wants to do. Aren't they both after Theo because of his power?
Well, I guess I'll just have to see.

Candle Man: Book 1 by Glenn Dakin

~The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance~
I need a break from realistic fiction. So, I started reading this book that I got for Christmas. I haven't read too much, but the book has been intriguing so far. I can't say it had me totally hooked, though. Something about the writing seems a bit... amateur-ish. Maybe it's just because of the text that I find to be larger than other books. Regardless, the book still has me hooked in some way.
In this story, a boy named Theo lives in eternal house arrest with several guardians. He is required to wear his gloves at all times, and only is let out of the house once a year on his birthday, and even then he is severely restricted with where he can travel, really only staying out for several to ten minutes. His entire life is censored, and he yearns to see the world.
I find the idea of the story to be refreshing and interesting. His life sorta reflects society in the way that the people that govern his life hide the truth from him, and his guardians themselves aren't as perfect as they pretend to be for him. It's that idea of secrets, censorship, and lies that pulls me in. I don't wanna go back into specific story details and give it away, even if I'd only be giving away what's in the first five or so chapters.
I have to say though, this book has some feel to it that, in my personal opinion, makes it seem like a less recycled story theme than other books.

Yay

The Pact ENDING *random cheers from the audience*

I don't know why people are so against Jodi Picoult. I've heard from someone that she shows no characterization. But, really? There's such an incredible amount of depth, I nearly cried at different points in the book, especially near the end. I'm so glad I read this book. I should read more of her books, but I guess I should do it outside of independent reading since I need to read a variety. Anyway, the last few sections of the book were so powerful. I really want to blurt out the ending, but I think it's better to pretend to be unaware of pretty much everyone already having read the book, and say that I don't want to give away the ending.
I love what Chris does though. He stands in front of the state, doing what no lawyer would ever have their clients do, and spoke the truth. I was totally rooting for him during that, because I really imagined how I would feel if I was him. I would hate to see all these people acting like they know more than me about a traumatic event when I was actually there and they weren't...at all.
I just can't help but love it. Chris risks the entire case because he doesn't want to win on lies, but rather on truth.
I love Jodi Picoult because of this book, regardless of shallow people that don't think she can't write for her life.

More Pact-ness

In all my slow reading, I'm finally starting to get to the end of this book. Everything is getting to the center of the story. In part, Michael and Gus are started to get a relationship, which is bound to ruin the two families. I also am starting to figure out what actually happened before Emily's death. It's intriguing, though, to listen to the two lawyers at the trial for Chris, and hear how Picoult has effectively set out the dialogue in such an intense manner. It's gotten me quite hooked into finishing this book, and it's caused me to really connect more with Chris. Reading about his past and how he hears Emily speak about suicide. The tension that builds up in Chris, the thought that someone so close to him is about to commit suicide, and he can't do anything to stop it. I really understand that helpless feeling, and it really, in a way, makes me feel like Chris in those sections. I don't know how it actually turns out, but I still am excited to find out the truth of this tragedy.

The Pact--Again

The book becomes increasingly interesting as I get deeper into the story of Emily and Chris. From a love that was pretty much started at birth, things have gradually changed. Emily locks herself up in her own emotion. She's afraid to talk to her parents, or even her "true love," Chris. Knowing Chris since childhood, she sees him as more of a brother, and doesn't want a sexual relationship with him. Conversely, Chris frequently tries to act sexual with her. Emily just wants to cuddle with him, like when they were kids, but that always leads to Chris' way. Emily only suffers through these actions because she knows when it's all over they can lie together, like when they were kids. It's a twisted relationship, but she can't bring herself to tell anyone. She's pressured by expectations of her parents and Chris' parents to be together.
Chris is blind to Emily's sadness, to be blunt.
Emily tries to ease into conversation with Chris at one point, about how he would deal with his future not going as planned, actually managing to hint that something wasn't right as she asks, "What if I didn't want to be...to be with you anymore?" Chris lightly responds with the claim that he would commit suicide, and kissed her, stupidly asking why they were talking about it with no real feelings of worry.
It's not much of a surprise why Emily can't talk about this with Chris. He shows very little understanding of who Emily really is, as she never truly showed her real self while under the pressure of her parents, and, even of Chris.

Back to where the base of the story takes place, Melanie goes into Emily's room, and takes down all things connected to Chris, along with Emily's diary, and burns them with her bitter feelings of vengeance.
The parents of Emily and Chris both wanted Emily and Chris to be together, so those two pretty much tied the family together. Now, with Emily gone, the link is severed, and Melanie's feelings of Chris, the boy she'd known since his birth, have gone in the complete opposite direction, as if it was as simple as everything he ever did in the past had just been lies.

The Pact--I'm such a slow reader >.>

Chris is all different now. And I don't really like it. In jail, his parents have been visiting him occasionally, though it seems like Chris isn't too big on the idea of talking to his dad anymore. At the same time, his relationship with his mom has been different. He became more independent, in a way, and doesn't want his parents help anymore. It's weird, but the way Chris went from being a frightened little boy to this kind of reminds me of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. When Ender's sister visits him after he's been in battle school for so long, he doesn't act like the same innocent boy as he used to, and it gives off a cold feeling to his sister. This book is showing the same feeling. I don't particularly enjoy it, though, because I don't like reading about relationships basically falling apart. I don't like reading about how everything was all in the past, and time can't be rewound.