The Virgin Suicides

     The Virgin Suicides   is one of the books my book group and I have decided to read for ELA. Although I'm only 30 pages in, I know everything that's going to happen. This is because I have seen the movie. The movie of this book, so far, does a great job of portraying the book. However, I definitely regret seeing the movie. Although the book so far is still really good, I now have no surprises coming and I picture everything I read as it was in the movie. This is what has happened so far in the book: 5 blond sisters, the Lisbons live in suburban Michigan in the mid '70s. They are all teenagers, ranging from 13 to 17, who live under the strict Catholic no-boys policy of their parents. As bad is this sounds, it gets so much worse. Within the first 30 pages, Cecilia, the youngest, succeeds in killing herself.
         I think the writing is really good. The mood was expressed so well. Even though I have seen the movie and know what will happen, the writing and descriptions still force me to shudder and close the book. It's just so  horrific and miserable that you kind of have to. In describing Cecilia's limp body after her second, and successful, suicide attempt I just had to stop reading. However, before this part, it expressed sunny days that Lux, the fourteen year-old sun tanned outside. It expressed the awkwardness of some situations, like the party the Lisbon Girls were allowed to throw. Is just rushed from one mood to another so smoothly and nicely. I think this is great because this book is about teenagers from the point of view of teenagers, and teenagers have so may emotions.
     The perspective of the story is from a group of teenage boys who live near the Lisbon family. I think this is really cool. The boys think of the Lisbon Girls as goddesses. They think they are sacred, even though they have had really limited interaction with them. These boys hardly know what the girls look like from up close, yet they value their lives so much. Multiple times, some of these boys were blessed with the opportunity to enter the Lisbon house. When they went, they'd record every detail they could in their heads to tell the other boys. It's kind of humorous, yet moody and strange. 
     It's hard to describe the greatness of this books writing. But it is great.

Around the World in 80 Dates ( Blog posts 1 and 2, because I missed one last week.)

What I said in my blog post was  "80 dates in 6 months in 18 different countries. That's Jennifer Cox's challenge in the memoir, Around the World in 80 dates. At 38, Jennifer is at her breaking point. She can no longer just sit around in London, waiting for "Mr. Right" to come for her, going through bad relationship after bad relationship as she waits. So, she goes to find him. After much planning, emailing and quitting her job, Jennifer is prepared for journey." However, I have progressed very much in this book. Already, I'm up tp after date 55 in her journey. And this date is special. In this date, she finds her soul mate.
       I find it really interseting that this is gow Jennifer attempts, and succeeds in finding love. Many people just hope they will meet the person right for them, and continue there lives. Sure, some people make small efforts like going out hoping to meet someone, but Jennifer really takes this matter into her own hands. I don't really think she wants love any more than most people, just deals with it differently. Most people don't plan 6 month long trips  around the world dating many many various strangers.
      I think how Jennifer Cox handles her loveless life really says something about human nature. The fact that she wrote a memoir that people actually read, or just common knowledge, tells us that this really is different. And the fact that this is different really emphasizes people and how the regularly deal with love. Are we supposed to just sit around waiting for the right person for us to just show up? Or are we supposed to go out looking for them?
     Truthfully, I'm not sure.
Something I might disagree with Jennifer is that how do know there is "a one." Maybe they're are just people whom we can love and love to spend time with. But that doesn't mean there is one set person out there for you. There could be multiple, or no "Settness" at all. Just getting along, and loving it. However, I don't think we are supposed to go looking for them.  Yes, it's fine if you do. Because if you don't look for them, you may never find them. This is the case for Jennifer and her soul mate. He lives in Seattle, and she lives in London. If her journey hadn't started, then they'd never have met. But, as I said before, we probably don't have one set soul mate. If we did, yes, go look for them. But since we don't, we should just sit back and let them stumble upon us.






    Another Idea this got me thinking about is fate. My blog post above is talking about how they're may not be "a one soulmate." And the question my book brought up about whether or not you should search for love.
     Jennifer Cox did search for love. In her memoir, Around the World in 80 Dates, she's on a journey searching for her soul mate. However, i'm not so sure this is the way to go. I don't know if I believe in fate. But, the idea that we shouldn't go searching for our soul mate because we probably have multiple people to love got me thinking that fate could have a roll in that.
   Could the reason our human nature is to not go searching for our soul mate because we believe fate will bring them together, or not, depending on if they are actually meant to be together? I don't mean that stuff thats like " fate wants us to be together forever." No. I mean more like we are not supposed to go looking for our soul mate because we have multiple people we can love. And fate  will lend a hand and  help bring two people together. Fate doesn't determine who is supposed to be together. It brings them together. They determine if they're supposed to be together.
    So, I believe that if there is not a single soulmate for people, it's human nature not to go on a search for love because fate will bring a person you love to you.

Around the World in 80 Dates

      80 dates in 6 months in 18 different countries. That's Jennifer Cox's challenge in the memoir, Around the World in 80 dates. At 38, Jennifer is at her breaking point. She can no longer just sit around in London, waiting for "Mr. Right" to come for her, going through bad relationship after bad relationship as she waits. So, she goes to find him. After much planning, emailing and quitting her job, Jennifer is prepared for journey.

     One reason that I chose to read this book is because it's a true story. I'm a really nosy person, so I love to just know everybody's business and everything about them. So memoirs are just like windows into someone else's life, where you can just get full detail. However, with Around the World in 80 dates, not only do I get to see through this window, but I get to see into someone's life who I think has something very interesting to say. Jennifer Cox's dating quest for true love through the globe is not a common story. I have never traveled out of North America, so this is also like a travel guide for me, which I love. It's funny and gossipy, which I really love. And, last of all, I know that I'm reading about a true experience of a real person, and I think it's so weird that Jennifer Cox experienced this in such a more true way than I did.

    I'm not far into this story at all, so I have only read about her first 2 dates. So far, neither men fit her description of "Mr. Right." Will she find him?