Book # 19 The Things They Carried

Well, this reading this book brought me a lot closer to a few goals.

First, it brings me up to 19 books that I've read this year. I only have 41 books left to read!

Second, I can check the book off of D.A.'s recommended reading list!

and Third, this book brought me to 100 points in the sbc! I can check this goal off my list!!

I will continue to count my point for the sbc because the challenge helps me reach my other goals, but I am going to check that goal off my alpha list.

Ok, so here is my review of The Things They Carried:

Just finished reading this book last night. I read it for the category "book you started but never finished." I started reading it back in Dec. at my student teaching placement, but I left for Christmas break and was about 60 pages in. I wanted to finish reading the book because I liked how it was arranged, but just never found the time.

Well anyway, I found the time last night! There were some parts of the book that were very hard for me to stomach (one guy is beside himself in grief, so he takes it out on a little animal...then there is this whole saga about what happens in a nasty poo field), but I was totally moved by the ending of the book. I write, and what I loved about this book was how O'Brien wove into his story all these little writing tidbits (ie why he writes, why he writes the war, why he writes the war 1000 different times in a 1000 different ways).

I recommend this book if you're interested in the Vietnam war, the idea of memory and loss, or if you're a creative writer yourself. Its fantastic.