Wallach chose to take a nontraditional approach to his novel, having the perspective switch each chapter between the four main characters--Andy, Peter, Anita, and Eliza. Each character with their own fate, but fate that changes when Ardor-- an asteroid is coming for Earth in two months. A sixty-six percent chance that everything will be wiped out, but with this sixty-six percent comes to an alliance between others. Wallach wrote, “Or would it be a second chance? Eliza held tight to her friends, laughing, and felt a pair of hands land soft as feathers on her shoulders, like the hands of a ghost, laughing and laughing as Ardor swept along its fated course, laughing and through the laughter, praying”(Wallach 370). Three high schoolers wait; standing together to see what fate brings, while the “ghost” of another is there, supporting. You will want to read this book to see whose fate was not determined by the asteroid. 

One noticeable thing throughout the novel was the characters. Each character played a certain stereotype of a high school student--athlete, outcast, nerd, and slacker/druggie. The choice of the roles each character played made the storyline more believable and relatable. Peter, the athlete, was beginning to question a lot at the time of Ardor. A conversation occurred, “‘How do you know if you're choosing wrong?’ ‘You tell me. Do you think it's better to fail at something worthwhile, or to succeed at something meaningless’”(Wallach 12). The setting of the book was something someone could feel inside of, especially high school readers. Wallach made the setting something almost every person could relate to, being in high school. Being able to feel inside of the story and setting made the book come to life more, and enhanced the storyline. The novel somewhat ended how I expected it to. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but once you begin reading everyone has the same expectation of the end of the book. Except the author left us with an uncertain answer, one we will just have to assume we were right about what occurs. 

Life is uncertain and unpredictable. One can never know when their last day on Earth will be, and if the life they lived had meaning, or if it was a waste. Tommy Wallach gives his audience a sense of what that may be like. This young adult, contemporary novel not only is a story about something that may happen someday, but a story others may relate to in other ways. Wallach produced a book that will leave a lasting impression on every single reader, especially ones who had an experience with high school. The stereotypes exist, the division, but this book shows how people, in this case, an athlete, outcast, nerd, and slacker/druggie came together in hard times. Labels are only labels. So if life is unassuming at the moment, or one just wants a glimpse into if life were to end, I highly recommend reading this book. 

Aaron Hernandez and his brother grew up in a football household, one where they both showed promise. With his huge build, Aaron became a monster, on the field and off, signing with the New England Patriots. But with Aaron’s father passing away during his high school years, Aaron lost not only a father figure but his support. As time would go on he would slowly lose his mental health, growing worse and worse as time went on, with seemingly no end in site. He learned to hide the pain he was going through to his teammates, as well as the public, only to crumble in front of others for no apparent reason. 

Hernandez’s story progresses through many different conflicts and stages. The theme of support comes up often, as the question is brought up; whether or not Hernandez would become the person he did if his father hadn’t died, or if he had some other form of support. D.J., his brother, as well as Shayanna, his wife, are suggested as some people that might’ve had an impact, but ultimately could not bring Aaron back to his former state. Another theme prevalent throughout the book was the effect of drugs and loss. Aaron made connections after losing his father that led to a mass consumption of weed, as well as other intoxicants. His love for drugs landed him a great friend in Odin Lloyd, who ended up being murdered.

 As I read through Aaron’s story, I was able to understand his life completely. Being able to empathize with the loss of a father early in one’s life, I could better understand why Aaron became so paranoid; he lost someone who was arguably the most important person in his life. Losing someone like that can lead to worries regarding other possible scenarios. Patterson started a chapter with this sentence, “The formation of Aaron Hernandez’s mask began at home, in a cottage on Greystone Avenue (17).” This one sentence struck me as I reread the first few paragraphs, as it foreshadowed much of what would happen as time went on. Aaron had grown protective of those he wanted in his life, and whenever they started to back off, Aaron would panic. Eventually his continued paranoia would harm him too often for those around him to help, as it would soon become obvious. 

Though I do not usually take time out of my day to read non-fiction, this book exceeded my expectations. I appreciated the amount of time that was taken at every phase of Hernandez’s life, with me being able to see his life altogether, not just the end of his life. Patterson understood that what happened early in his life changed him for good, and his writing reflected an empathetic recapturing of what he did. As Alison Cromie of Booklist would say, Patterson has “an accurate eye for real people”, through his lifetime experiences with those around him. I would recommend this book to young adults and older, as this book discusses grimmer topics, as well as describing a few murder scenes.

Works Cited

Patterson, James. All-American Murder: the Rise and Fall of Aaron Hernandez, the Superstar Whose Life Ended on Murderers' Row. Grand Central Publishing, 2019. 

"Newsmaker: James Patterson." American Libraries, vol. 46, no. 6, 2015, p. 29. Gale In Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A417737210/GPS?u=gran34254&sid=GPS&xid=fba83614. Accessed 14 Apr. 2021.

"James Patterson." Authors and Artists for Young Adults, vol. 25, Gale, 1998. Gale In Context: Biography, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1603000344/GPS?u=gran34254&sid=GPS&xid=e7aed421. Accessed 14 Apr. 2021.

Author: Bob Goff

Genre: Religious/Memoir

Released: May 1st, 2012

Awards: New York Times Best Seller

Love Does, written and told from the eyes of Bob Goff, is a light-hearted and entertaining book surrounding stories from the author’s life. Bob Goff is known for his crazy life experiences and is someone to look up to. After becoming a lawyer and opening up his own firm, he has also started a non-profit called Restore International that helps kids with human rights and education in developing countries such as Uganda. According to North Carolina´s States News Service, ¨Restore has worked with Uganda's judiciary in bringing over 200 cases to trial, as well as pursuing justice, intervention, and education for at-risk women and children in Uganda, India, and Somalia¨ . Uncoincidentally, he is also the honorary Ugandan consul. Bob has three children and is married to Maria Goff. 

If everyone treated life the way Bob Goff does, our world would be full of gumdrops and rainbows. For example, Goff encouraged each of his children to get in contact with leaders from around the world, to ¨hang out¨ and be friends. He also-- when not getting into law school right away-- sat in front of the dean´s office everyday until finally, they let him in. Another adventure was taking a sailboat out to sea, with five other guys and little to no experience, to race other boats to Hawaii. He had a stranger´s engagement hosted at his house, he pursued his wife for three years before she said yes to a date, and he claimed Tom Sawyer Island at Disney World to be his ¨office¨. Each whimsy anecdote Goff tells points to a truth from God. His main takeaway from all of his experiences is that love does. Love is action. Love pursues. 

I would recommend this to anyone interested in an easy pleasurable read. The humorous yet down-to-earth stories of this good man are worth consideration. Each story will make one reflect on one´s own life. Bob Goff makes life seem so fun-- everyone should try to live like Bob. 

Works Cited

Goff, Bob. Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World.

 Nelson, 2012.

"MEDIA ADVISORY: BOB GOFF, AUTHOR OF 'LOVE DOES,' TO SPEAK AT WAKE 

FOREST FEB. 8." States News Service, 23 Jan. 2015. Gale In Context: Biography,link.gale.com/apps/doc/A398575239/GPS?u=gran34254&sid=GPS&xid=ef0da1bb. Accessed 18 Apr. 2021.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner is the first book in The New York Times Bestselling Series, and it is the most popular one in the series. James Dashner was born in 1972 in Austell and attended college at Brigham Young University in Utah. His Major in college was finance before he decided to become a full time writer.

Thomas, the main character in the novel, wakes up in a box only remembering his name and nothing else. He looks up to see about 40 other teenagers staring at him as if he is a zoo animal. Thomas finds out that he is now going to be living on a farm in the middle of a giant maze. Everyone has their own job on what they call the Glade; there are farmers, there are cooks, and there are runners. The runners are the people that run through the maze throughout the entire day trying to map it out so everyone can escape. The hardest part is that every night, the walls of the maze move, creating new paths and different dead ends. Thomas is very curious, so he was eager to know what was inside the maze. He knew he was going to be the one to solve the maze. One night, one of the runners named Minho never came back from running the maze. Everyone stood by the door to the maze hoping he was going to get back before the doors closed. “Thomas knew he had no choice. He moved. Forward. He squeezed past the connecting rods at the last second and stepped into the maze”(Dashner 112). Thomas’s brave act instantly got everyone's respect considering that no one has ever survived a night in the maze before. At night, giant robotic spiders called Grievers enter the maze making sure that no one is in it. Thomas and Minho had to fight for their lives with no weapons in order to survive the night. 

The Maze Runner is a high quality novel that always keeps the reader involved. “Dashner offers up a dark and gripping tale of survival set in a world where teenagers fight for their lives on a daily basis”(Publishers Weekly). One issue the audience might have with the book is the lack of character development. Dashner was so focused on packing the book with action that he missed a lot of the little things. People also could say that this book is very confusing at times. There are moments where there are so many things happening all at the same time, and it can be hard to understand exactly what is going on.

The Maze Runner is a thrilling, fun read that can be enjoyed by pretty much anyone. The ending of the book is very surprising, and makes the audience create their own thoughts about our own world. Go out and read this puzzling book to find out what happens.  

Works Cited

Dashner, James. The Maze Runner. Delacorte Press, 2009.

"The Maze Runner." Publishers Weekly, vol. 256, no. 38, 21 Sept. 2009, p. 59. Gale In 

Context: High School, 

The plot of Tripwire revolves around the usual protagonist, Jack Reacher along with side character Jodie Garber. Reacher is minding his own business in Florida when a private investigator named Costello comes looking for him. Being apprehensive at first, Reacher hides his identity only to find Costello dead the next day. Feeling responsible for the death of a man he didn’t know, Reacher vows to find out why someone would hire a private investigator to find him. As he follows the clues, it launches him into an adventure far beyond anything he anticipated. Hook Hobie is quickly established as the main villain in the story, “ ‘They call me Hook Hobie’, he said. He sat there with his face rigid and the hook held up like an object for examination. Stone swallowed and tried to recover his composure. Wondered if he should offer his left hand instead.” Jack Reacher has to figure out how exactly he is connected to the information he’s chasing. A lot of this book also focuses on the fallout of the Vietnam war, some 25 years later.

Overall, I thought this book was very well written and kept me in constant suspense. Child certainly has a knack for creating action and thrills through words, it never slows down. Another thing about Child and this particular novel, the facts and accuracy of what he writes is always impressive. For example, being able to go into great detail -- about military procedures involving Huey Helicopters during the Vietnam War -- to the point where even the most uneducated reader can instantly comprehend is amazing. He truly makes the reader feel as if they’re inside the head of an ex-military policeman. This excerpt demonstrates Child’s ability to walk the reader through a situation; “There was a fire”, Reacher said. “How can you tell?” Asked Newman, like the teacher he always was. “The bones are calcinated,” Reacher said. “At least most of them are.” “Calcinated?” Newman repeated. Reacher nodded and went back fifteen years to his textbooks. “The organic components burned off, leaving only the inorganic compounds behind. Burning leaves the bones smaller, whiter, veined, brittle, and eroded.”  As for the plot, I found it very interesting. It starts out going one way and then makes an abrupt turn and heads in the complete opposite direction. To make it even more crazy, the true reveal is left in suspense until the very end. Hook Hobie is a really well written villain, the brutality and violent nature of the character is conveyed right away and you really do end up dreading him. The stakes are kept very high because of the simultaneous storytelling that Child does so well. On the one hand Reacher is chasing after a trail that will eventually lead to Hobie, while Hobie himself is performing a risky business transaction. The reader gets a sense that these two will eventually meet which builds up anticipation.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves action adventure stories. This novel is about as good as you will get from that genre. Child is a fantastic author and really puts you in the story. Any of the Jack Reacher books are great and Tripwire is no exception, it keeps you guessing until the very end and never lets up. Some might say it’s a reused formula from it’s two predecessors, but I think Child makes all the right tweaks to keep the story fresh while recycling a lot of the same themes. Even if you aren’t a fan of this type of book, I urge you to at least give it a try. I believe that Child’s writing style can pull readers in that wouldn;t necessarily be interested in this type of novel.

"I wonder if you would consider coming to my house sometime to sleep with me" (Haruf 5). Take into account that the proposal Addie offered was not for a sexual relationship, but a relationship between two friends that wanted the same thing: to cure the lonely feeling. For the last 40 years, Louis and Addie didn't have more than nodding interactions, resulting in Louis being caught off guard by her motion. He thinks about it - nothing happens right away- soon enough, they spend every night together. Yet throughout the whole arrangement, they never cuddled or touched; they laid beside one another and talked. They share their failures, sorrows, accomplishments, and long-lost dreams. However, aside from their dreams, hopes, and sorrows Addie and Louis had one thing in common: damaged children. Both of their children had experienced past trauma that was caused by their parents resulting in the way they live today. The deeper Addie and Louis got into their relationship, a certain someone did not approve, someone who was dear and near to the heart of Addie Moore. 

In September of 2017, Our Souls at Night movie was produced. After reading the book and then watching the movie, I noticed some similarities and differences. They both followed the same story plot, however, in the book when Jamie comes to stay with Addie, Louis and Jamie bond over mice that had nested in Louis’s yard. But in the movie, they bond over a train set that Louis stored in his attic from when Holly his daughter was a child. One thing I didn’t like about the movie was that there were no transitions from sense to sense, in a way it was choppy. While reading the book, I could feel the sparks fly between Addie and Louis, but in the movie,  the chemistry wasn't there. The book moved me to want to keep reading more and more to find out the secrets they were going to reveal to each other every night. 

Our Souls at Night is slow and silent. The littlest details revealed the biggest secrets. If I were to choose between the movie and the book, I would choose the book. It has much more characteristics and brings more events to life compared to the film. I do recommend the book to readers who love reading romance with real-life situations involved as well. In the end, the past is what separates the two of them, Addie Moore and Louis Waters deserve to live happily just like the rest of the world. 

The Fountains of Silence, a historical fiction novel written by Ruta Sepetyes was written with the purpose of showing the tremendous suffering of the lower class during the reign of  Generalissimo Franco. Sepetys has the ability in all of her novels to create characters that each have a compelling nature. One can’t help but care for the character that she writes into existence. Alexander Alter, a writer for the New York Times, wrote a review on Ruta Sepetys book Salt to the Sea, “A 15-year-old Polish girl without papers; a fearless 21-year-old Lithuanian nurse with a dark secret; a Prussian teenager smuggling a precious work of art; and a young German soldier.” Alter was talking about the diversity in character that the book included. The point is, if Sepetys can write from the perspective of a Hitler loving German soldier and still make the readers feel a connection to that character then it makes sense that all of the characters she writes about have such layers and complexities.

After I had finished reading the book I felt for a time satisfied. That was until I realized that I had to say goodbye to Ana, Daniel, Puri, Rafa, Julia, and Fuga. There stories were ones that I was completely enthralled in for more than a month. For that time I felt their anguish, I shared their celebration, and I understood their fears. I found myself wanting to see the Castellano Hilton and the packed streets of Madrid sweeting under the prying eyes of an oppressive regime. I longed to have a conversation with sweet, loving Ana and sarcastic, caring Daniel. Ruta is quoted in an interview with Everdeen Mason from the Washington Post saying, “I rely really heavily on that testimony because it has an emotional authenticity to it.” Since all of Sepetys stories are based on real life testimonies, like Ruta says, there is more emotion to the story. 

I would recommend this masterfully written book to everyone. History is an important part of this world and hearing the stories of the hardships people go through helps build compassion, even if the story being told didn’t happen. 1936 Generalissimo Franco came to power and Spain fell to his will. There were millions of families just like Ana’s that were suffering and this book, along with Sepetys many others, give history a connection to the people who went through it. Ruta Sepetys’ use of imagery along with her captivating plot and enchanting characters make her historical fiction novels the best I’ve ever read. 

Works Cited

Alter, Alexandra. "Ruta Sepetys." New York Times, 14 June 2016, p. C5(L). Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A455033674/OVIC?u=gran34254&sid=OVIC&xid=ef4b9ff2. Accessed 21 Apr. 2021.

Mason, Everdeen. "Ruta Sepetys's one-woman mission to unearth secret histories." Washingtonpost.com, 6 Aug. 2016. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A460045104/OVIC?u=gran34254&sid=OVIC&xid=f76393db. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021.

However, where did it all start? Where did these stories originate from? Look no further to The Brothers Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales. A six hundred and fifty paged book containing a compilation of original fairy tales collected and written by Jacob Grimm and Wilheim Grimm. 

The two brothers were born in the town Hanau in Hesse-Cassel, now modern day German. In 1796, their father and mother passed away, leaving Jacob to take care of Wilheim and the rest of their siblings. After attending high school in Kassel, they followed their father's footsteps by studying law at the University of Marburg. There, he met the poet Clemens Brentano. Brentana had asked the boys to help him in his quest of finding folk songs and poetry. This was the beginning of their interest in homeland, heritage, and native German oral tradition. 

 However, their form of higher education didn’t last for long. they were unable to receive state aid and stipends. This led them to be faced with humiliations trying to scrape a solid education. Due to the entirety of the German Kingdom of Westphalia becoming under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign, Jacob Grimm had to quit his quest for a higher education to come back home and support his family. Being recommended by the royal secretary, Jacob became the librarian of the new king’s royal library. Wilhelm later applied and got the job as librarians as well. Here, they were able to spend hours studying and searching for stories, poems, and songs. It was here where they decided to collect fairy tales and share them with the world. And in 1812, that dream came true with the release of The Grimm Brothers Complete Fairy Tales. 

The Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales was a huge success. Not only becoming popular, but influencing countless people across the world to create their own fairy tales. These stories have survived time itself. However, what has made the Grimm Brothers Complete Fairy Tale so well looked upon?

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Grimm Brothers Fairy Tale, the  Grimm Brothers Complete Fairy Tale is a compilation of multiple stories regarding magic, old kingdoms, and fantastical creatures. However, I think many don’t realize the original stories, in comparison to the Disney retellings of these fairy tales are very different. While many of Disney's retellings have character development, structures, and happy endings. The original stories themselves are a lot more quirky, odd, and much more darker than what recent retellings such as Disney. Many involve the main characters that are hard to relate to. Not to mention, many of their actions are odd and hard to justify their actions. Rarely do they reach a happy ending and when they do reach a happy ending, it isn’t without a little morbidity strewn throughout the story. 

In order to showcase the oddities and dark nature of these stories, I’ll be analyzing two stories in depth. Since there are over a hundred of stories in the Grimm Brothers Complete Fairy Tale, it would be impossible to describe each and every one. Only onestories stood out to me the most: Fowler’s Fowl.

Fowler’s Fowl stood out to me the most because of its absolute absurdity. It was so dark that it left such a lasting impression. The Fowler’s Fowl is about a wizard who takes the form of a poor man. He would beg from house to house in order to kidnap pretty girls. 

The story begins with the wizard appearing at the door of a man who had three pretty daughters. During this encounter, the wizard had taken the appearance of a beggar who carries a basket on his back. In “need” of food, the eldest sister gives him a piece of bread. Now, here is where it gets strange (as if it wasn’t strange enough): the man just simply touches the eldest sister and she is forced to jump into the basket. He takes her to his home and keeps her locked up promising a happy life and anything she desires. A couple days later, he unknowingly tests the girl. “ I must journey forth, and leave you alone for a short time; there are the keys of the house; you may go everywhere and look at everything except in one room, which this little key here opens, and I forbid you to go there in pain of death...Preserve the egg carefully for me, and carry it continually about with you, for a great misfortune would arise from the loss of it.” 

 Strange, right? It’s understandable as to why he has one room kept unavailable -he’s clearly hiding something, but what? What is hard to wrap my head around is the need to carry the egg when and wherever. When the wizard leaves, the eldest sister opens the forbidden. And what does she find? A basin full of blood stood in the middle surrounded by dead bodies, body parts and a wooden block with an axe. Terrified and shocked, she drops the egg she was carrying around into the basin. Unable to wash away the blood from the egg, the wizard was able to tell that the eldest sister had been in the forbidden room. That day, the eldest sister meant the same fate as those bodies in the forbidden room. Like I said, a very dark story. It still baffles me to this day that these were meant for children. 

With his first victim out of the way, he moves to the second sister. Using the same method to kidnap the second as he did the eldest, it’s frustrating to watch the second sister meet the same fate as her elder sister. She goes through the forbidden door and gets caught and killed. Like? If the same beggar shows up at your door, the last person you saw with your eldest sister, wouldn’t you show a sliver of caution? Not to mention, if you’re inside the same house as your sister’s kidnapper and your sister is not there? I feel like you could come up with a very solid conclusion as to what happened to your eldest sister but I guess not. I was very frustrated at the lack of brain these characters had.

Fortunately for the sisters and my sake, the third sister is clever. Or at least clever in the book’s eyes. When the wizard comes for the third sister and tests her just as he did her older sisters. Instead of bringing the egg with her around the house, she places it somewhere safe and out of harm's way. She enters the forbidden room, she sees her sister murdered and cut into more than one piece. And she comes up with the reasonable solution to her sister’s death. What is it? Why, it’s simply to just put the pieces of their bodies back together and they’ll come back to life! Miraculously, it works. I don’t know how but it works. 

With her sisters saved, she hides them in a little chamber where the wizard cannot find them. When the wizard returns, he finds no evidence of the third sister going through the forbidden door. She had passed his test. And so, the wizard says, “You have stood the test, you shall now be my bride.” The third sister compiles but not with a few rules of her own. In order for them to be wed, he must bring gold to her mother and father in a basket on his back. With the wizard in agreement, the third sister sneaks her sisters into the basket. 

Due to the fact that they are two grown humans in a basket, it’s not exactly light. The wizard struggles to carry the basket back to the sister’s home due to its weight. Whenever he would sit to take a break, the sisters in the basket would chant, “I am looking through my little window, and I see that you are resting. Will you go on directly?” The wizard, for some reason, believed it to be his soon to be fiance calling from his window and he would continue on his journey. When they finally arrive at the sister’s home, the two older sisters escape from the basket to get help for their younger sister stuck at the wizard’s house and prepared for the wedding. 

At the wizard’s house, she sends invites to the wizard’s friends for the wedding. During this time, she skull and dressed it up to look like her. And by disguising the skull as her, I basically mean she just put flowers on the skull in hopes to make it look like her. When she was done creating the decoy, the third sister opened a barrel of honey and rolled herself in some feathers to make her look like a bird? Instead of an amalgamation of honey and feather, she took form a wondrous bird...Sure, alright. With her disguised as a bird, the wizard’s friends couldn’t tell she was the bride of the wedding and escaped from the wizard’s house. 

When the wizard arrives back at his house, he sees the skull on the second floor and assumes it to be his fiance. He goes and greets his lovely skull “fiance.” While distracted, the older sisters brought help. In order for no one to escape, they lock the door and set fire to the house. This is the end of the story.

The Grimm Brothers Fairy Tale is full of strange stories such as the Fowler’s Fowl. The plots are the opposite of self-aware.  While this is a book full of magic and fairies, the stories don’t set up its concepts or rule of what you can and cannot do. Concepts such as bringing back someone from the dead in stories like Fowler’s Fowl. It isn’t established in the story that is a valuable solution until the need for it shows up. There are many times where characters use absurd tactics in order to benefit them outta of thin air. This creates a lack of self-awareness that takes you out of the story. 

There are very little themes or lessons the stories actually tell. You’re more likely to be along for the ride than learning valuable lessons from each story. It’s very hard to immerse yourself. It doesn’t help that none of the characters have personalities, traits, or goals that are more than what meets the eye. They’re given very little time to actually develop the characters and their beliefs and goals. They’re simply chess pieces on the board of what is a story. The characters are to relate to and it’s hard to root for a character that you can’t sympathize.

I wouldn’t recommend this book unless you are alright reading a fever dream. Not to mention, the stories become repetitive and therefore start to get really boring halfway through. Due to the fact that it is a collection of short stories, there is also nothing to keep you hooked. These stories have already made a lasting impact due to countless retelling and movies made from The Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales. However, I don't think these stories are worth the amount of hype they get. The retelling from Disney and other companies, honestly, does a much better job of creating a more immersive story with more developed characters. The characters are hard to relate to, the plots have no consistency, and there is a lack of self awareness that makes you wonder whether what you're reading is real. You’re honestly better off watching the Disney retelling of The Grimm Brother Fairy Tale.