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Becs (244 KP) rated Of Mice and Men in Books
Oct 2, 2019
Genre: Literary classic, historical fiction
Audience: I definitely recommend at least a high schooler or up to read it. As it’s a little controversial and a bit harder of a read for a younger crowd.
Difficulty Reading: I almost put this down to never pick up and read again. I was about a millimeter away from doing it. But I have a thing against never finishing a book or DNF. If I’m going to pick something up and start reading it, I HAVE TO finish it, something about having an unfinished book doesn’t sit right with me. So, the answer is yes. This was a bit more of a difficult read. Now that it’s finished, I’m glad I stuck through and read the rest of the novel.
Insights: John Steinbeck is a great author and writer. I’ve read a few of his other novels and have loved them. Of Mice and Men just does not compare to the others. Maybe it’s the way that the characters speak. Maybe it’s the topic. Maybe it’s just Steinbeck lost touch with his writing when creating Of Mice and Men. Who knows, apparently some think that this novel is a piece of art. I mean, it’s still being sold nationwide. That must mean it’s somewhat good, right?
Ah-Ha Moment: When I found out that Lennie has a bit of a mental handicap issue. (This honestly sounds so bad in writing but I’m not trying to be rude about people who are mentally handicapped. I use to work as a caretaker for them and I loved it.) To continue on. You typically don’t see this style of character in this novels era. It was refreshing and different from other literary classic novels.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
Favorite Quotes: “Trouble with mice is you always kill ’em. ” – Honestly, this is a perfect short, one sentence summary of the novel. If you don’t want to read Of Mice and Men, what happens is: you have George and Lennie, always traveling together. Lennie is mentally handicapped and likes to pet soft things. He gets in trouble in Weed by touching a female’s dress and not letting go when she screams. They run and come to find work bucking barley. Here, Lennie kills a newborn pup then kills Curley’s wife. George shoots Lennie in the back of the head and the novel ends.
***END OF SPOILERS***
“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.” – I mean, you’re not wrong George. Ranchhands are typically pretty lonely, especially in those olden days.
What will you gain: A love-hate relationship for this novel. Seriously. I love it so much I gave it four gold stars. But I hate it so much because man, it was a bit of a bore.
“Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.”
Kara Skinner (332 KP) rated To The One I Love in Books
Jun 12, 2019
Word Count: 3,880
Average Smashwords Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
My rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Through letters, Jonathan and Emily profess their love for each other. You can see snapshots of their lives as they meet and marry, and part ways. Time is fluid in this, with only the Chinese zodiac signs to give you an idea about how much time has passed.
This story was way too short and everything happened way too fast. It was like watching a television show for the first time and skipping entire seasons between episodes.
For instance, the mothers of the two main characters got into a fist fight at the engagement party and at least one of them was arrested for it. Why did the fight start? Do the mothers have a history of being violent? Maybe they have bad history.
The ending was abrupt. It implied a violent ending that had no foreshadowing in the previous letters. The story is a series of romantic snapshots into these people’s’ lives, but I would have preferred a little more reality with some context to what was happening.
The writing drove me crazy at times, too. Mostly it was witty, passionate and made me smile.
What other lovers? Whoever came before you fell out of existence at your first caress. You are my only…for now through eternity.
But sometimes it was pretentious and absurdly wordy.
“Fleeting and cold is my opinion of email, text and phone calls. I make no apologies for my old fashioned views on modern technology. It may not be instant, and might take a bit more effort (of which you are more than worthy!), but I prefer to sit and put pen to paper.”
It wasn’t bad. But it wasn’t great, either. Bascomville and Grind are both better literary romances.
Kyera (8 KP) rated Smash & Grab in Books
Feb 1, 2018
Lexi was not a vapid, rich girl but had a depth to her character. She goes through trials and doesn't just say, "oh woe is me" but actively attempts to remedy things. Yes, her dad might be guilty but he is not alone in his guilt nor was he the mastermind of the scheme. Lexi suspects her father's boss and is determined to do whatever she can to prove his guilt. This plan leads her to cross paths a number of times with a mysterious boy, our other narrator.
Christian is a bank robber. He and his crew, his cousin and a few other neighborhood guys, do jobs for the local Mexican gang. But if Christian had his way, he wouldn't be involved in any of that. He's smart, he loves to read and he wants to go to college. But his family was threatened and that's more important to him. That's how he gets forced into a job that will target the very bank that Lexi is attempting to infiltrate. The one her father used to work at. The one she conned her way into getting an internship at.
The two don't trust each other but know that in order to succeed they must work together. This is certainly a fun, easy summer read. Do not expect a literary classic, but it's definitely enjoyable. The story has good pacing overall, although the end was a little rushed. I recommend checking out this enjoyable read - especially if you want to find out what happens.