reading & read | cmr

Drop City, by T.C. Boyle

T.C. Boyle can write one helluva book. I loved Drop City, about a group of free-lovin', peace-wantin' hippies from the late sixties, early seventies. They started in California in a commune named Drop City. Could be because of the acid or the pretenses that were dropped, but either way, they were living the "high" life on the low road. "Livin off the land," was their dream and they were going to make it happen. Even Marco, who lived in a tree house he built himself. But in California, things don't go too smoothly and they have to find a new home, or bust.

Off to Alaska they go, where readers have already become familiar with what "Livin' off the land" really means. And it isn't a skate in the park, though it's romantic in its own right.

The two worlds collide. The differences between peace and love in California and peace and love in Alaska are stark; fishing versus shopping; killing versus raising; staying warm versus staying alive.

Leslie suggested this book for our MySpace book club called "Read in Baltimore." It was awesome. So awesome, in fact, that not only do I give it three thumbs up, but I definitely recommend you all read it. Up next: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. I'm sure it'll be awesome.

posted by christen roberts @ 2:59 PM 0 comments  

The Giver, by Lois Lowry

This year for Christmas, I got a very unexpected and delightful gift from a fellow Gemini, one lovely Gad Berger, a friend of mine from Rochester (in fact, when I was a figure model for RIT, Gad joined me on a job at the Jewish Community Center because I didn't want to go by myself. He was a real sport). The gift he got me: The Giver, by Lois Lowry, a young adult novel about a young boy named Jonas who lives in a community that is not at all like ours. They adhere to a life of Sameness, not understanding that differences even exist. In order to maintain Sameness, the climate is controlled and always ...the same. The people's skin color, hair color, are all ...the same. Their futures are planned, their learning is planned, their parents and families are planned... everything is exactly the SAME.

But then, at a ceremony, Jonas is given his job to become the Receiver, the one person in the community who holds all the memories of generations, back and back and back. So he's the only one, excepting the previous Receiver, to know about snow, color, independence, music, etc.

The book was fascinating to read. I love young adult books with great messages, easy reading, fun characters and when you're done, it was just as satisfying as taking a good nap.

posted by christen roberts @ 10:58 AM 0 comments