Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My first grade teacher, Mrs. Doscher, read this out loud to us in class, and I think it was the first time anyone read out loud to me as a kid. In my memory, it took us a few months to read it, chapter by slow chapter. I don't remember crying in class, but this book is still one of the saddest books for me.

As an adult though, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Why would the people in the book assume a pig was writing on a spiderweb? Wouldn't they rightfully assume it was the spider doing it?

Update from 2020: I'm rereading this to my kids and I realized I'm such a dummy! The farmer characters in the book thought God wrote in the Spiderweb! It totally took me 35 to get that. Maybe because I never really thought about the literature of miracles when I was younger. I have been humbled by my own stupidity. Haha.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this last super exciting installation of the Harry Potter series. There are some powerfully courageous parts, wonderfully romantic parts, and devastatingly sad parts in this book.

I was perpetually counting the Horcruxes though, trying to remember what had or hadn't been destroyed. At the time, I was also a little confused by the subplot of the Deathly Hallows (though ultimately it makes sense). And slight spoiler (but it's been over a decade since publication): I was also confused by the fact that technically there wasn't a Gryffindor Horcrux and there were technically 2-3 Slytherin Horcruxes. I also thought Harry Potter jumped to some crazy conclusions sometimes, some that weren't even necessary to further the plot. This last one could have been slightly edited down and the plot could have proceeded a little bit more logically. None of that matters.

I loved it. I loved it just as much on a reread.

P.S. It might be my favorite of the 7 books. Here's my 7 books ranking: 7, 5, 4, 1, 3, 6, 2.

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (#6) by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's hard to believe that Harry is so clever about so many things, and he is not at all clever about the title of this book. Sigh.

Why does Dumbledore not have his own Marauder’s Map? Why does Harry tell adults everything he sees but not mention the disappearances?

This one is also more upsetting to read after having experienced the illness of a loved one than it was the first time I read it. In general, it's not a super fun one to re-read.

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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I owned this book for many years before I picked it up to read it because I moved to Brooklyn, though I live in Cobble Hill the main character Francie lives in Williamsburg. I felt less of a connection to the location- Brooklyn is not what it once was- and more of a connection to the main character. She loves books and she loves learning, and she tries to push her brother to learn too. I also enjoyed how the relationship between Francie and her mother develops as they both "bloom."

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A Separate Peace by John Knowles

A Separate Peace by John Knowles
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

We had to read this in high school and I hated it then. I recently reread it to see if I still hate it and I do. First of all, the main character has no sense of the significance of World War II. The only good part of the entire book is how well the author captures that sense of anger that those we love the most can inspire-- but nothing is ultimately made of it. The main character regrets his feelings and actions and even tries in a limited way to take responsibility but the whole literary exercise feels pointless, boring, and despicable all at once.

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