Out Of My Mind

Out Of My Mind, by Sharon Draper
Excerpt

I'm surrounded by thousands of words. Maybe millions. Cathedral. Mayonnaise. Pomegranate.
Mississippi. Neapolitan. Hippopotamus.
Silky. Terrifying. Iridescent.
Tickle. Sneeze. Wish. Worry.
Words have always swirled around me like snowflakes - each one delicate and different, each one melting untouched in my hands. Deep within me, words pile up in huge drifts. Mountains of phrases and sentences and connected ideas. Clever expressions. Jokes. Love songs.

From the time I was really little - maybe just a few months old - words were like sweet, liquid gifts, and I drank them like lemonade. I could almost taste them. They made my jumbled thoughts and feelings have substance.

My parents always blanketed me with conversation. They chattered and babbled. They verbalized and vocalized. My father sang to me. My mother whispered strength into my ear. Every word my parents spoke to me or about me I absorbed and kept and remembered. All of them.


I have no idea how I untangled the complicated process of words and thought, but it happened quickly and naturally. By the time I was two, all my memories had words, and all my words had meaning.

But only in my head.

I have never spoken one single word. I am almost eleven years old.

(Yvonne says: Perhaps not as uplifting as Wonder, but a worthy read nonetheless.)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the second movie in the series, and I missed the first, so I can vouch for the fact that the sequel stands on its own.

It's a good movie. Not much you can do with a story that's been told before, but they manage to tell it in an entertaining and thought-provoking way. The visual effects are stunning, especially in 3D.

Go see it.

Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. If that alone isn't enough to send you to the movies / dvd shop / netflics, read on.

Imagine Groundhog Day set in a futuristic world with a total military flavour (which I thought would kill the movie, but it worked). The movie's slogan: "Live. Die. Repeat" is very well chosen, but there's more to the story than action. The plot is smart, the acting superb, and the ending will make you think, and think some more, and repeat.

Don't be put off by the robot-like images on the posters. Just see the movie.

Love And Other Foreign Words

Love And Other Foreign Words by Ellen McCahan is a true gem. Although a Young Adult read, this book can be enjoyed by adults. I loved the quirky characters, the dialogue, the whole atmosphere of the book. Most of all, I loved the language.

Wonder - The Julian Chapter

I was very glad to find this addendum to the novel "Wonder". "The Julian Chapter" fits right in, with its themes of kindness and heroic deeds. I missed Auggie, but I loved the chance to see what made Julian tick. A lovely read.

Wonder - The Book

I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

Wonder by RJ Palacio. Every now and again a book comes along. It grabs your attention with the cover or the blurb or the first sentence. It grabs your heart on page one with these words: "If I found a magic lamp and I could have one wish, I would wish that I had a normal face that no one ever noticed at all. I would wish that I could walk down the street without people seeing me and then doing that look-away thing." And then it doesn't let go.

It makes you cry. It makes you laugh. It makes you appreciate your dog more. It shows you the meaning of heroism and courage, in such a fun non-patronising way, that you don't even realise it. And it really, really makes you want to be a better person.

You can read it to your 8-year old. You can read it for your own pleasure whether you're 18 or 80.

“... it's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed.” 
― R.J. Palacio, Wonder

Delirium and Matched

Because I so thoroughly enjoyed numerous Young Adult books (The Stars In Our Eyes, Hunger Games, One Day), I decided to go on a YA reading spree.

The novels that really spoke to me were Delirium and Matched. They're superficially similar: both dystopian romances, with curfews, marriages made by the authorities, and heroines who like running. However, Delirium is more complex, written in an almost poetic language, full of symbolism and twists. Not that Matched isn't an excellent read, though perhaps for a younger audience.

(Divergent left me underwhelmed by the writing style, though I did appreciate the originality of the idea.)