The Whitcoulls List Challenge Wrap-Up

I completed the Whitcoulls List Challenge earlier in the year. Here is my final list:

- The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (completed 5/16/09)
- Life of Pi - Yann Martel (completed - 1/23/09)
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time - Mark Haddon (completed - 1/07/09)
- Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult (completed 3/28/09)

I'll admit that because of this challenge I actually read some great books that I really had no intention of reading. I'm glad I signed up for it and got around to reading them as two of them are part of my top reads of the year. 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Death is the narrator of our tale - and as narrator’s go, I actually thought he was quite interesting. He’s not as depressing or as loathsome as you might think Death would be. He doesn’t wear a cloak or carry a scythe - although he does like that image of himself. And I found it quite beautiful when he describes how he would come for a dying person’s soul.

Our story takes place during World War II, Germany - where Death first encounters Liesel at 9 years of age, as he comes to collect the soul of her little brother. He becomes captivated by her, watching as she steals her first book. Liesel is on her way to meet the new couple who will be her foster parents and eventually her new family and home. I fell in love with Liesel and willed her to survive from chapter to chapter, and cheered on her relationships with her accordion playing Papa, a potty-mouthed Mama, a fist fighting Jew hidden in her basement, a boy with hair the color of lemons, a spitting neighbor, a depressed mayors wife, bonfires, air raids, drawing, reading, stolen books and the power of words.

Mr. Zusak has used a teenager as the voice for the struggling German people. When we think of Nazi Germany - we think of concentration camps, the millions of deaths, and a society that just went nuts. But this gives us a view of the German people and how they were affected by a leader who knew how to use words as his weapon - making them believe that his way was the only way for their country to prosper and be great. Liesel’s story focuses on what the situation really was like for normal-everyday German citizens.

I really can’t say I loved this story. Don’t take me wrong, I found it very interesting and I really did fall in love with the characters, but I found that I wasn’t fully engrossed by it. It was a bit difficult to get through the first couple of chapters and even took me a bit to accept that Death was our narrator. I also didn’t like that there was so much foreshadowing - meaning by mid-book I already knew what the outcome of most of our characters would be. When Death is your narrator - you sorta know what the outcome is. I also felt that the epilogue was a bit rushed, I would have liked more details - so it really didn’t leave me as fulfilled as I would have liked. But all in all, it is a book that I would still recommend. The story line, the details and the characters are well worth it.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five. In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.

Nineteen Minutes is set in Sterling, New Hampshire - a town where nothing ever happens – that is until the day that Peter Houghton walks into his high school and in 19 minutes kills and injures several of his classmates and teachers. The story is told through several perspectives and ranges anywhere from when before Peter is born until about one year after the deadly shooting. We hear from Peter’s parents, his old best friend Josie Cormier, who eventually became part of the popular crowd and abandoned her friendship with Peter, Josie’s mom, Alex - also the judge sitting on the case, Patrick the detective who was able to apprehend Peter after the shooting and, of course, Peter himself.

I was so caught up in this book while reading it - there were just so many emotions that I went through (anger, despair, heartbreak, sadness, etc.) The story is written in a way that helps you relate and even sympathize with all of the main characters. I thought it gave good insight into bullying, and the torture that some kids are put through while in school. The peer pressure, the complicated tumultuous life of teens - was perfectly captured.

This book will stick with me for a while, I think.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

When Pi is sixteen, his family decides to emigrate from India to Canada aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes. The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. And there begins our adventure..

Although the story mostly revolves around Pi’s will to survive his 7 month long journey at sea, there are a lot of other thought-provoking elements. It contains elements of religion, philosophy, zoology, and biology.

With faith, this novel becomes all the more meaningful. It enables you to absorb the thoughts and emotion that Pi experiences. At the end of the book, when he presents two stories about what has happened to him, it is difficult to decide which of the two outcomes is true, and/or which of the two you prefer. I absolutely loved the ending of this book, it made me look at the story from a totally different perspective.

My favorite part were the instructions on how to dominate a Bengal tiger on a boat - this had me in stitches.

I will forewarn you though, it was a bit slow at first - but persevere and you will be awarded with a beautifully crafted and very vivid story of human nature and survival.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Christopher Boone has one goal and that is to find out who the murderer of a neighborhood dog (Wellington) is. Although his search is for a dog-murderer, Christopher's quest ultimately uncovers some very important family secrets along the way.

It was fascinating to be able to read thru the point-of-view of an 11 year old child with autism - it definitely made for a compelling read. I loved reading about all the quirks (i.e. his hate of anything yellow or brown, his pain at being touched, how a certain amount of red cars or yellow cars would determine how his day went, how doing "maths" calms him down, etc.). Along the way, you also learn about his daily interactions with his father, teachers and neighbors.

This story provides great insight to those who want to understand what autism is. Most books revolve around people who care for an autistic person and I found this to be a fresh and profound view of living with autism. It was a quick and enjoyable read and an altogether great experience for the insight it provides.

The Whitcoulls List Challenge

Rules:
* Read Your Way Through The Whitcoulls Top 100 List.
* From November 15th, 2008 to November 15th, 2009.
* Pick one of the 4 "Top 100" lists linked below and decide how many books (at least 4) you want to read from that list.
* The initial 4 have to be 'new' reads (new to you, that is).
* Books beyond the initial 4 may be rereads.
* All books may be cross-overs for other challenges.
* Audio-books are A-OK :)
* You may change your list at any time.
* If you read enough books to actually complete one of the "Top 100" lists, I'll make a post in your honour.