Ah...Heaven...

I give up!

The Declaration was not going well for me. I am putting it aside for now so that I can continue to read the rest of my books! I was looking at my time line and realized if I can't get these books read by the end of Spring Break I'm gonna be in trouble. I don't really want to take research again this summer, I could probably just pay for the class by the number of hours I'm going to take, but who wants to do that?! I'd like to be done so I can have the summer to myself. So I started The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. I started it yesterday and I'm already at the mid-way point. I'm astounded and excited by this one. I can't wait to finish it, although I know it probably won't be a real ending...it is book one of a trilogy.

Ehhh...

I'm not enjoying The Declaration. I raced through to get just past the half way point...but now I need a break. Being the empathetic reader I am, this book is pretty stressful for me. This happens from time to time when I'm reading, but not always. Candor, for example, could have been a stressful read. However the author did an excellent job of moving the story along, and engaging me in the WHOLE story. In The Declaration I'm just too focused on the two main characters, and right now things are only going so well. It's too much. I think I'm going to take a break and try reading from The Road again. Which seems depressing, but maybe not quite as stressful! I've got a horrible knot in my stomach whenever I look at The Declaration right now...what does that say about my research?

You are what you hear...

Cador by Pam Bachorz

Wow, I really enjoyed this book. I was interested in reading this book after reading the "blurb" on the cover and was pleased it made it into my research. Some books I've been indifferent to, a couple I've been excited to be able to read for this project, and at least one I am not looking forward to reading. I know I should keep my opinions to a minimum, but there's only so much I can do! I know what I like and what I tend not to like. Not that I don't find pleasant surprises once in a while. But that's just background, I need to talk about THIS book!

Candor, Florida. The perfect community. Problem with your kid(s)? Problem with your marriage? This tight knit community is the answer to all your problems! Of course the fact that things are only perfect due to subliminal messages running 24/7 isn't really mentioned, to the kids. Oscar is the perfect son of the founder of Candor. Only Oscar has found a way around things. He's got a pretty good business going, getting some of the kids out who can afford his fee...until Nia comes to town. She's different, more resistant to the Messages. And she's the first person who that ever trips up perfect Oscar Banks.

How much did I love this book? I liked this book so much I wanted to throw the stupid thing across the room when I finished. Now that's a good book. Oscar isn't your typical hero, he's majorly flawed. He's been making big money and perks from his clients, and he's just not the nicest person. Which initially turned me off. However, when you see what the "nice" kids are like, the mean ones start to look a whole lot better. In the end I liked him. I could see that he had grown as a person. He wasn't the same Oscar at the end of the story that he had been at the beginning. I'm shocked, but I really LOVED this book.