Thursday, March 24, 2005

50 Book Challenge...continued and continued and continued

It's been about two months since my last post, but that doesn't mean that I've stopped with the 50 Book Challenge. I've certainly made empty promises about being better about updating my blog in the past, but this time I mean it. Really! I also have some property in this lovely place called Atlantis to sell you.

When I last commented on the 50 Book Challenge, I had read through books five and six. To refresh your memory, the 50 Book Challenge is a self-test of sorts in which you aim to read 50 books in the calendar year. That's less than one book per week, but given the busy world we inhabit today, it's certainly no easy task. Once a book is complete, your assignment is to write a brief review of what you've read.

Since January, I've actually made it all the way to book 21. The great news for me is that this means I have 15 automatic easy posts for the next few weeks since I can cover one of the books each day.

I left off the challenge after having read Christine Schutt's Florida, which, you might remember, I highly recommended. Next up was book seven, Vernon God Little by D.B.C. Pierre. It's actually a bit uncomfortable to discuss the book in the aftermath of the recent school shooting in Minnesota, but that's exactly what the subject matter deals with. A teenager named Vernon is present at a horrific school shooting, and just happens to have been best friend to the person who carried out the murders. As a result, most everyone believes that Vernon has been involved as well, and the story centers around his protestations of innocence and intimations on what might become of his life as a result.

The book is interesting, and the language is definitely unique, but there was still something about it that naggingly bothered me. Mostly, it's that the character, however innocent or guilty he may be, is simply vile. Anti-heroes don't bother me, but this one didn't have any redeeming qualities at all. Are teenagers really like that these days? I'm sure that they're not, but it sure leaves the reader with a grim impression about the prospects for the future. I can't wholeheartedly recommend the book, but I can't quite dismiss it either. If you're intrigued by books that make unusual usage of language and metaphor, this is one you might want to pick up.

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