Classics Challenge - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

For the classics challenge this month, I read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

There is a lot of comparison to split personality disorders and this novella. The allegory hidden in the writing definitely points to that. But most visual portrayals of this book make Mr. Hyde a hideous creature, almost ape-like and deformed. Robert Louis Stevenson did not write him that way. None of the characters could describe why he made them uneasy, there was nothing wrong with his appearance. It was the evil shining through that made them cringe.

Stevenson wrote this book after having a nightmare, and he wrote it in a hurry. Not having known him, or much about him besides what Wikipedia says, I'm not sure why he would write this book. I think there is an innate sense in every human to explain the unexplainable and perhaps that what he was doing here. Maybe he felt that his mind was cracking in two and the only way to stop it was to put it outside of himself.

Drabble Dienstag - Falling Rain

There’s nothing quite like a rainy day. I wake to pattering raindrops and smile, stretching in my bed. The light coming through the window is glossy, filtered, hazy. I make coffee and call in sick; it’s a mental health day, a stay-at-home day. I tie my hair back and pick a book off the shelf. Coffee in hand, I cuddle on the couch and don’t move. Every once in a while I pop in the kitchen and grab an apple. When the rain stops and the sun sets, I make dinner and crawl back in bed to finish the book.

Bumped by Megan McCafferty - Book Review

Bumped is controversial. I was worried that it would be crass. The premise is that a virus causes humanity to lose fertility after age 18. Sixteen and Pregnant, in other words. Teenagers are selling babies, both as amateurs and as pros - paid up front. Melody is one of a set of twins, and she is set up for a very expensive pro contract, but she hasn't been paired yet. Harmony, her sister, was raised separately in a very religious community and doesn't believe in sex before marriage.

The first few chapters were a bit of a jolt. The slang was confusing, Melody and Harmony were very difficult to tell apart, but the world was fully formed and I just needed time to settle in. Once I understood the world I was sucked in. It wasn't girly and silly or too R-rated and sexified.

The ending. My normal pet peeve. It closed somewhat, but was so open-ended. When are YA writers going to stop writing books like they are just a way to sell a series and make more money? Writing is an art, books are complete stories. The art of finishing a story but making me fall in love with your writing so that I will read more of your books is your goal.

Have you read this one? What did you think? Controversial or normal YA?

DIY Challenge for the Year

I have a few challenges for myself this year. I'm participating in the Classics Challenge by November's Autumn and I'm running my own challenge for fairy tales.

In 2011 I finished a 101 Goals in 1001 Days challenge with fairly successful results. So to better myself this year I want to do a crafty project once a month.

In January I will be in Colorado and I will probably load up on some supplies that aren't easy to find in Germany. I will mostly be working from my Pinterest DIY list. If you have any ideas I should add, shoot them my way!

My Dog

When I was 11 I begged and begged and pleaded and begged my parents for my very own dog. I sent a letter from an anonymous source saying why I deserved a dog. I researched what kind of dogs there were. Then I begged some more. Finally I was allowed to get a dog, he was a corgi and his name was Buddy.

Last November we went home to Colorado and my dog was 13 years old. He wasn't doing so well so I took some portraits of him.

My sweet puppy had to be put down in February. I don't think it will really hit me until I'm back home again in just three weeks. I'm dreading the moment I walk in the door and he doesn't come to greet me.

He used to greet me off the school bus (yes, just like Lassie). We could leave a bag of carrots within his reach and he would go get one out of the bag, take it to a comfortable spot and munch it, then go back for one more. He barked at the vacuum, and he absolutely loved snow (like me!).

I miss him.

Drabble Dienstag - Hidden Among Us

Ever wondered what really lives among us? Getting coffee in line in front of you is a wizard disguised as a homeless man. The woman behind you on the sidewalk is a fairy masquerading as a stay-at-home mom.

A grown woman, I flit among the leaves, relishing the feel of sunshine dappling my skin. My heels stick in the mud, and I swing my briefcase as I twirl.
A twig snaps.
I stop, crouching to stay hidden. Once I’m sure there is no one there I begin dancing again. I take off my suit coat to move easier and lay it across a bush. I spin, and it’s gone. A child is holding it, eyes wide. I make sure to tuck my hair around my pointed ears and yank the garment away, striding out of the woods, dignified.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver - Book Review

Delirium by Lauren Oliver is a testament to what we are as humans. What makes us tick? According to this book, it's love. And in the future someone figured out how to cure us of love.

Lauren Oliver is extremely perceptive about humanity as whole. A few lines:

"You know you can't be happy unless you're unhappy sometimes, right?" (Page 21 Kindle)

"No wonder the regulators decided on the segregation of boys and girls: Otherwise, it would have been a nightmare, this feeling angry and self-conscious and confused and annoyed all the time." (Page 57 Kindle)

She brings all kinds of things from our world into the mix including blogs (or isn't that what she's describing as banned here?):

"...people can't just write whatever, or post things themselves, or write up false information or 'inflammatory opinions'..." (Page 93 Kindle)

The characters have traits that make them seem extremely human. Like how Lena, the main character, has gum wrappers and paper clips and random junk in her locker and her backpack. Or when Lena says something that she didn't consciously realize until it's coming out of her mouth. I do that all the time.

The change in Lena is gradual. She is gung-ho for being cured. It's all she's ever known and it's safe. But her best friend, and so many other circumstances, make her realize that safe doesn't mean best.

It ended without ending. I hate open endings. I know it's a sequel, but I want to be hooked by the writing not by the fact that the story isn't finished. That was my one and only pet peeve.

Have you read it? What did you think?