Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Title: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Hardcover: 465 pages
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Marriage can be a real killer.  

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?  

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet? 

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5

I started reading this book for a book club, and I have to say, I struggled dearly. Each time I tried to read it, I quickly found myself frustrated with the characters and the narration. If it were not for the book club, I would have dropped this book into the, “maybe someday, because everyone else likes it, I will read it” pile. But because of this wonderful club that I joined, I ventured further into this “web of deceit, narcissism, and sociopath cat and mouse game,” that I really enjoyed in the end.

As I stated before, the narration was, dare I say it, a nightmare. The author, Gillian Flynn alternates between the two main characters, Nick Dunne and his wife Amy. Nick’s story is told in the present but reflects quite a bit on the past and Amy’s story is told through a diary, alternating between different years based upon the theme, not chronologically. When Amy goes missing and Nick calls the police, I started to focus on the present-day clues, but the next chapter starts with Amy talking about when she married Nick. I had a hard time staying in the present, let alone focusing on the past.

In the middle of the book, I started to become interested. The whole, “is he lying or is he telling the truth,” theme started to draw me in. The media massacred Nick and I wanted to throw the book at him. I felt sure, with his sappy narration and his wicked thoughts, that he had indeed, carried out his wife’s murder.

I found the ending quite satisfying. But because I had to endure the beginning of the book, I didn’t feel it was right to give Gone Girl a five star review. I can tell you this: I’m getting rid of this book. It’s definitely not one that I would read again.

Book Review: The Truth about DIBELS: What It Is, What It Does by Kenneth S. Goodman

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Title: The Truth about DIBELS: What It Is, What It Does
Author: Kenneth S. Goodman
Publisher: Heinemann Educational Books
Paperback: 87 pages
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

In "The Truth About DIBELS" you'll find out why teachers, administrators, and reading researchers nationwide are emphatically resisting the insidious influence of "DIBELS." Well-known education writers - including P. David Pearson, Robert Tierney, Sandra Wilde, and Maryann Manning - tell you how DIBELS hurts students and teachers and why impairs learning and teaching. They present chapters that: dispel the science and methodology that "support" DIBELS critique the validity of the information that DIBELS spits out demonstrate how DIBELS warps instructional planning to fit its limited measurements - and to fit the political ends of its creators and supporters expose the fiction behind its supposedly miraculous success rates.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5

I think this is an important book for parents and educators to read -- DIBELS is an intervention program that is increasingly being used in schools, and Goodman gives a good overview of exactly what this test measures and the negative effects it can have on children who are learning to read. Basically, this test only measures fluency skills, not actual reading ability, and when children are being put into special programs based on that and then being taught to the test rather than being taught actual reading skills, it creates a lot of problems.

This book provides a great basic overview of the test itself, but it's fairly biased as far as books go. I think that DIBELS can potentially catch poor readers who need to be put into intervention programs to "catch up," but I also don't think that it should be the only tool used in assessing student reading ability. Also, it's important that parents understand exactly what their children are being tested for and what those test results mean -- information which I don't think is made very clear.

Again, this is just a resource for parents and educators to stay informed about the measures being used to test children and what effects those tests can have.

Review: The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman

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Title: The Sandman, Vol. 3: Dream Country
Author: Neil Gaiman
Series: The Sandman, Volume 3
Publisher: Vertigo
Paperback: 160 pages
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

The third book of the Sandman collection is a series of four short comic book stories. In each of these otherwise unrelated stories, Morpheus serves only as a minor character. Here we meet the mother of Morpheus's son, find out what cats dream about, and discover the true origin behind Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. The latter won a World Fantasy Award for best short story, the first time a comic book was given that honor.This volume includes issues 17-20 of the original series and features completely new coloring, approved by the author, of issues 17 and 18.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

I don't think that this volume is as strong as the previous two, but the stories Gaiman presents are still intriguing and present a different, strange view of the world. Mostly, I think my disengagement came from the fact that the stories in this volume don't heavily feature Morpheus, and they don't really fit into overarching story of the series. (Yes, the summary says that, but I missed that connection from the other two volumes.) Despite that, this is still an excellent read. If Gaiman can be counted on for anything, it's for presenting a surprising, twisted view of the world that will remain with you for weeks, months, even years to come.

Unlike with a lot of other graphic novels I've read, there has yet to be a story in The Sandman that I don't like. While I enjoy some more than others, there is always something that captures my interest within every story. I think this is mainly because Gaiman unflinchingly delves into the demented and twisted while also showing the beautiful side of things. My favorite story from this collection is "A Midsummer's Night Dream" which manages to be funny, entertaining, and horrifying all at the same time. Shakespeare and his troupe perform the play for the fae themselves, with disastrous results for some members of the party.

What I love about the stories from this volume is that with every one, I was put into a fantastical situation that seemed completely removed from reality, and I would think, "What an interesting idea!" And then, the further I got into the story and the more I thought about it, the more realistic it seemed. Despite the fantastical elements, Gaiman presents such clear, truthful representations of people that by the end of each story, I could imagine it all being based on true events. I love literature that can mess with my head like that and make me see the world from different perspectives. And really, Gaiman is the master at being able to mess with readers' heads.

So far, I'm enjoying The Sandman, and if you are at all a fan of dark fantasy, I think you should check this out if you haven't already.

Book Review: The Amethyst Road by Louise Spiegler

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Title: The Amethyst Road
Author: Louise Spiegler
Publisher: Clarion Books
Hardcover: 328 pages
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

In a society similar to ours in some ways and very different in others, 16-year-old Serena and her older sister, Willow, struggle to get by in a tough, crime-infested urban neighborhood. By birth they are half Yulang, half Gorgio, but are accepted by neither race. The sisters get no help from the Yulang, because Willow’s child was born out of wedlock and the family has been declared outcast. The Gorgios are even worse, trying to take the child away.  

A run-in with social services, aptly nicknamed the Cruelty, launches Serena on a journey that is at once an escape and a quest to reunite her family. With the help of a boy named Shem, who is on a quest of his own, Serena travels deep into the mountains, where precious gems are mined, and across barren plains, where white-clad Trident Riders are terrorizing anyone who is not Gorgio. Along the way, Serena finds the answers she seeks—and some she didn’t even know she was looking for.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

I can't believe this book isn't more popular than it is -- it's so good! I actually had a hard time deciding which genre it would fit into (in my opinion, always the sign of an interesting, complex story), but I think "alternate history" works best. The book follows the story of Serena, a half-Yulang, half-Gorgio who has been declared outcast because her sister had a child out of wedlock. When that child is taken away by the bureaucratic-loving Gorgios, Serena attacks two people working with social services (an agency nicknamed the Cruelty) and has to escape when she believes she kills one of them.  A boy named Shem offers to help her, and together they set off on a journey to get their lives going on the right path.

I am a huge fan of coming-of-age stories, especially when they involve a headstrong girl who needs to learn when to use her temper and when to curb it in order to survive in the world. Through her journey, Serena learns that there are actually good people in the world who are willing to help those in need, and sometimes, situations aren't as black-and-white as she'd like them to be.

The real strength of this book lies within the characters. They are so relatable, complex, and interesting. I liked that Spiegler didn't reveal everything about Shem in the beginning -- his motives for helping out Serena aren't fully revealed into rather late in the novel, and I appreciated the mystery his character represented. As always with coming-of-age novels (probably the main reason why I like them so much), the characters show a great amount of growth throughout the story.

Also, the storytelling is fantastic. Nothing is cut-and-dry, there are plenty of surprises and twists to keep you flipping the pages and wanting more answers. I don't think The Amethyst Road has enough action to be considered a true adventure book, but I felt like that's exactly what I was reading. I had a hard time putting the book down once I picked it up, because the stakes were high and I needed to know that everything was going to turn out all right.

There are some problems that I would expect from the first book of an author. Sometimes, we are told things instead of shown them, but they were really minor, especially compared to all the good stuff within this story.

If you can find this, pick it up. It's so worth the read. I'm planning on reading Spiegler's other book, The Jewel and the Key, and I hope she writes more.