Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles

Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles is a YA novel that I won on LibraryThing's Early Reviewers' program. It took me about two hours to finish the book and I have to say for such a short novel, it certainly was a good read. The book centers on a group of kids in high school: Ellie, Corrine, Caleb, and Josh. Ellie is sixteen and finds herself pregnant as the result of a one night stand. Corrine, Ellie's best friend, struggles to understand why Ellie is always "hooking up" with boys who don't like her. Caleb has always been in love with Ellie since grade school, but cannot fathom the notion that she has slept with nearly all of his friends. And Josh, is the father of Ellie's baby, the boy who took her in the back of the van and then left her there afterwards to tell his friends he was no longer a virgn. All in all, quite an ensemble of kids, all coming to grips with the realities of sex and its consequences, first love, friendships, family and loneliness. We have kids who feel abandoned by their parents, who long to feel wanted by their peers, who use alcohol as a means to bond/escape and kids who wind up talking to a doctor about abortion - showing us readers the everyday battles that teenagers face. Knowles has written a simple, yet engrossing story that makes you realize just how complicated teenagers' lives can really be. I really did enjoy this book and even though its not my usual cup of tea, I'm glad I read it. There were some things that I'm not sure I was completely in agreement with, but in the end it is fiction. So, I guess another book off of my Clear Off Your Shelves Challenge! YAY! I'm on a role!! Okay, I'm off to read! Happy reading!!! Oh, and of course, Thanks to LibraryThing's Early Reviewer's Program!!! Cheers!!

Columbine by Dave Cullen

Finally. I am done reading Columbine. Wow! What a book. It took me so much longer to read this book then any other book, because I would only read small sections of it at a time so that I could slowly digest what I was reading. It was a bit weird for me to read it so slowly, because I usually just dive right in and finish books rather quickly, but this time was different. I don't know why it was so different, maybe because this is a true story and maybe because I could only take so much ugliness at a time. Either way, I did it, and I'm done. And as a result I was reminded of when I was in college and I read Philip Gourevitch's book, We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families , and how I couldn't stop imagining what I was reading and I couldn't grasp how as a nation we were well aware of this impending situation and yet we did not intervene prior, during, and/or after, and it just made me sick to my stomach and well it really opened my eyes to the ugliness in the world and not just in my backyard. Not to say that I was naive and unaware of the atrocities being committed on a daily basis overseas, but I just wasn't as aware of our role in these atrocities - so I suppose I was a bit naive with regards to politics (which was how I came to take a Political Anthropology course - I wanted to know what was going on in the world, not just in the US). But I digress, my point is that Dave Cullen's book, Columbine, brought me back to a reality that I had forgotten about - a reality that lurks in our schools and our towns and mortifies us when we are confronted with it. A reality that shakes us as a nation and screams at us to wake up! Cullen has produced a well written and gripping book that details the events leading up to April 20th, 1999 and the aftermath that followed. I remember watching the news that day and wondering to myself what would make these kids do such a horrible thing to their peers and themselves. I remember the pictures splashed all over the papers and news - kids running out of buildings, someone falling out of a window, people clutching each other and crying; I just couldn't believe my eyes. And then the facts came together and you find out that two boys were responsible for drastically ending/challenging/changing lives and a whole community - and you think to yourself, what the frack happened to these kids that they would even consider, let alone actually shoot up their school and then kill themselves. What the frack was going on in Columbine? The answer to that question is simple - read Columbine by Dave Cullen to find out. Okay, so the book doesn't totally answer all of your questions, but it nearly does, which is as close as we are ever going to get to understanding what happened that day. The research, interviews, and planning of this book must have been exhaustive to say the least, but in the end, Cullen has created a meticulous piece of writing that helps provide a clear understanding of how one day can completely shatter so many lives in so many different ways. The misinformation that we were fed by the media is cleared up within this book. We learn about Eric and Dylan (the two murderers), the people that survived and the ones who didn't, the community and how it was affected by such a tragedy and the police investigation into April 20th, 1999. Cullen includes excerpts from Eric and Dylan's diaries and websites and he discusses the Basement Tapes that both boys created as an explanation as to what they were planning and what they envisioned as a result. Cullen also included biographical information about the people involved in the investigation, along with detailing how evidence was bungled, information withheld and how on April 20th, 1999 the police could have responded differently to the chaos. There were so many surprising facts revealed in this book that you are left with the realization of how much information was fabricated by the media and how little truth was actually reported. This has to be one of the most eye opening books I have read in quite some time - it definitely left an impression on me. I would most definitely recommend this book to everyone, because even though it is disturbing to read, it is an important book that needs to be read. And so, I move on to my next reads, which are Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles, S&S&Sea Monsters, Handle With Care and In The Woods. I would have to say that this book qualifies me for one read off of my Clear Off Your Shelves reading challenge and I would place it as a RIP read, because boy did it scare me at times to read about two boys who were capable of such horrible acts. Alright, well, I'm off! Happy Reading to everyone!!!

2009 Clear Off Your Shelves Challenge

I have a super long list of books that I want to read. In fact, I tend to take them off of the shelves and place them in my bag, on my nightstand, on my desk, and basically anywhere I can think of that will remind me of these great books that are waiting to be read. And yet there are just too many that need to be read. In fact, I tend to ignore some of these piles and wind up buying new books to read. For example, I have, The Grand Sophy, Sense and Sensibility, Dracula, Columbine, In The Woods and Short Stories by Poe, all sitting in a stack on my nightstand. I am slowly getting through Columbine and In The Woods, so I am making progress there. However, I have just put them aside to read The Vampire Diaries (cheesy YA novels that I read when I was actually YA age, but for some reason I just had to read them again) and now I have just purchased Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters (which I am sure I will begin reading as soon as I finish this last book in the Vampire Diaries). Ugh! Don't get me wrong, the main thing is that I am reading and that is a good thing. However, I want to finish the two books I have already started and begin reading all of the books I have placed in piles around the house. So, I have decided to participate in Swapna's new challenge, Clear Off Your Shelves. Okay, so what exactly is this challenge? Well, here's the info I got from S. Krishna’s Books :

This is a challenge that is aimed at getting through those books that have been sitting on your shelves for months, even years! Any non-review books that are on your shelves and/or review copies that have been on your shelves for over six months. This means that recent review copies and library books are not eligible for this challenge! However, that doesn’t mean the book has to have been out for six months in order for the review copy to be eligible. Books you have purchased/traded for/etc. and are NOT review copies can be from anytime - even from during the challenge! Crossover with other challenges is welcomed, even encouraged!

When? This challenge will run from October 1, 2009 – November 30, 2009. T

Where? S. Krishna’s Books! The sign-up post for the challenge will be posting today as well. Come back to post your review links – there will be links to everything you will need in my sidebar!

How? This challenge will work a little differently than other challenges. Instead of picking a set number of books to read during this time period, you will pick a percentage. This means that a certain percentage of the books you read during these two months will have to qualify for this challenge. For example, let’s say you pick 40% and you end up reading 10 books in October and November. 4 of those books would have to qualify for this challenge in order for you to complete it. I am setting a minimum percentage of 20%. As a result, there is no need to make a list of books prior to starting the challenge, though please feel free to do so if you want to! Your wrap-up post should have a list of the books you read for the challenge, though, so please do keep track of what you read!

There you have it folks. All the info you need to participate in Clear Off Your Shelves 2009! Don't forget to sign up here. I'm really looking forward to this because not only will the books that I am reading for the challenges fall in line with this challenge, but mainly because I am hoping it will finally get me to clear off those piles I have sitting around. I am going to aim to read about 40% of the books. I think that is reasonable and feasible. All right, well let me get back to reading. Cheers!! Happy Reading!!!