Even though the ending is somewhat anti-climactic, I can't imagine a better ending for this book. Snicket does some amazing feats in the last books––conveying postmodern ideas/morals to children (what is good and what is bad?) and showing that good can can come out of adversity.

**SPOILERS**

I'm glad/sad that parents weren't alive, because that's how life is. Snicket conveys that you can find people to care for you in the most dire of situations, like how he's done for them. I'm glad the children decide to leave the island and go back to the real world, because it's true––you can't stay hidden from unfortunate events forever. These books are powerful, and I think adults could benefit from them as well as children.

I should own and re-read this series, especially in light of the author's role in the books! These will be favourites for a long time.

I love MacDonald. LOVELY writing, beautiful imagery. This was the fairytale missing from my childhood.

I didn't see this particular theme coming in this book, but once I caught onto the Brave New World/1984-ish ideas, I loved it even more.

Excellent, vivid writing. This book makes me weep for society.

While the ending was unsatisfactory (as Atwood probably intended), it was the best way to end the story.

At first, the sentence fragments drove me crazy.

Then I was halfway through the book.

The only thing I knew about this book was that it was dystopian and it won a pulitzer. The symbolism is subtle but stark when you realize it. The scenes are repetitive yet not, and McCarthy's language is incredible--I love his combination of weird words for obscure images. And at the end, I still have so many questions, which (IMHO) is evidence of excellent writing.

SPOILERS (mostly notes for myself):
-The way McCarthy handles Cannibalism is excellent. It's subtle, (I think, anyway), and you keep asking yourself "Is he really going there?" And it climaxes into the horrible (but short) scene of the abandoned spit over the fire. Such simple language gives way to quite possibly one of the most terrifying scenes in the book (Besides the basement. Dear goodness, that basement).

-I felt the environmentalist undertones were subtle, and fantastically so. I could get lost in the story without being bombarded with "save our planet" (a message we desperately need to hear, but sometimes can feel a little shout-y). McCarthy had an incredible balance here.

-The symbolism in colours (gray, white, and black), the road itself, were the ones that I felt when I figured them out seemed so obvious, but they weren't too overplayed (maybe the black, but that makes sense).

-I love open-ended endings. That's all I'll say.

-Unnamed characters was the way to go--I found myself strangely unattached to them, yet I wanted to know what happened to them. While I was surprised at how I felt at the man's death, I realized how angry I was that I didn't know his name. His handling of this scene was beautiful. McCarthy understands death.

-The beach scene flashback was where I first cried.

-No quotations: Still not sure why he did this, but it worked, and he made it work really well. It was surprisingly not confusing--maybe in 1-2 places, but it became powerful when the role reversal came in when the Man was about to die.

I don't usually need to sit with books for long, (I tend to process as I go) but I need to sit with this one for awhile. Excellent read. Well-deserving of a Pulitzer (pretty sure it won one?).

Pairings: A Clockwork Orange; The Giver.

Nowadays, Dracula and vampires have many forms in western culture, from the bat-to-human, anti-reflective, to the sparkly Stephanie Meyer category. That being said, it was interesting to see vampires presented/portrayed for (one of?) the first time.

One of my favourite things about this book was the presentation––the "documentary" form took me by surprise! Stoker's use of the grotesque was, of course, timeless and incredible. Many of these images (like the image of Mina and Dracula) will stick with me for life.

I wish I could give this book six or seven stars. :)

Connolly has captured my heart by writing about the obscure and the ordinary. His use of the grotesque is FANTASTIC and offensive...and just the way it should be. Though some of the story was muddled in parts, it seemed to be with a purpose.

Connolly confronts heavy emotions - his writing is raw, real, and original. His descriptions are short but vivid, and though slow(er) in parts, the story keeps moving. The beginning and the ending are both beautiful and true.

This is a beautiful book with an interesting, fresh point of view. I'm looking forward to reading more by him, and I probably need to own this book.

Pairings: Grimms Fairy Tales; Lion, Witch and Wardrobe; Things Fall Apart?;

Absolutely stunning.

Even though I lived nowhere near Sussex, I feel like this story could have been my childhood. Gaiman piques your interest and draws you in, and then you've suddenly reached the last page. Beautiful, transparent writing and imagery. Gaiman has mastered teetering of the cusp of reality and fantasy, and it's a beautifully blurry line. I love the many glimpses of childhood and adulthood. Gaiman hasn't forgotten what it's like to be a child, and it's really special when a writer remembers that.

I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a change, anyone looking for an unlikely adventure, or looking for something to rejuvenate imagination. At the time of this writing, I've only read this and Coraline by him, but I'm looking forward to reading more of his works. :)

Pairings: Book of Lost Things; Lemony Snicket books;