Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mixed feelings. I was not impressed when I read this in high school. When I reread it over 20 years later I appreciated it much more. The writing is of the passionate Jane Austen style, Mr. Rochester is the ultimate in romantic bad boys, and the character of Jane Austen is simultaneously relatable and inspirational— no small trick.

But since I am familiar with Jane Austen now, Jane Eyre feels a little derivative of Pride and Prejudice, especially the awful cousin theme. Is there any meaningful difference in the cold soul of Mr. Collins and St. John Rivers? Also, I found the entire coincidence of Jane Eyre stumbling onto her cousin by coincidence nearly unforgivable.

Final decision: Mr. Rochester, liar though he is, is worth it. Jane and her character development are perhaps unequaled in classic literature.

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (#4) by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the one with both the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament. Mad-Eye Moody might be my favorite Hogwarts professor ever even if I also feel like I don't actually know him.

The second challenge in the Triwizard Tournament makes me cry. I'm a total sap!

Goblet of Fire is like 2016. It's when things get dark. When all the (anti-muggle and mudblood) racism comes back out of the shadows, and innocent people pay the price. I'm glad that Rowling has prepared a generation for this.

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Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Our May book club selection. I found the first half pretty boring despite of or because of how beginning spoiled the end, but I enjoyed the end a little more. Still, it was a little predictable, and didn't have a lot of deeper literary value.

It's interesting though that a lot of research went into the book to make both the experience of working on a circus and the actual elephant realistic. I respect that.

I also agree with my dad that the book could have used "more elephant."

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The Game by Neil Strauss

The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists by Neil Strauss
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is super weird. It's both interesting and gross. Like rubbernecking.

The book starts heavy on the gross side by following a group of sad pickups artists that basically gamify the ability to pick up women with great success. It's a little rapey though the author repeatedly gives women a chance to back out of any sexual contact and gives the "target" women a chance to say no or leave. But the rapey tactics include (from least to most): deception, psychological tricks, and hypnosis (?!).

But then the book starts to interest us in the individuals' problems and neuroses. Plus all the psychology is interesting even if I spitefully don't want it to be. The author also dishes on a number of celebrities he met while working his regular journalism job during this time period.

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