On The Girl Next Door

I chose to read The Girl Next Door this week because I've been curious about it. I had heard here and there by people who had read it that this is a horror story that sticks with you and never leaves. I completely agree with them now that I have read this, and I will never read it again. I didn't have any idea that most of what this book, as well as the movie, is based on events that happened to a young girl.
The most horrifying aspect to this book that makes it so distinctively disturbing is the fact that it makes you relate to the monsters that did this. The main character is assumed to be above the horrors that are placed upon the girl, and as the reader you relate him to yourself, as the story is told in the first person. This is, however, proven wrong toward the middle of the book, as it is explained that the boy's motivations are extremely self-serving, and not those of kindness. As the torturing of the girl continues, the boy realizes that he wants no part of it and attempts to help the girl escape, which in the end leads to her end. I believe it was inevitable that the torturing would escalate, but I never would have imagined that it would the way that it did. It's for that reason that I will never pick this book up again. The author very subtly makes the reader relate to both the torturers and the tortured, in an effort to horrify you through the sheer truth of human nature, and this completely works. It reminded me of reading Lord of the Flies, where one begins to question their perceptions of what evils one of really capable of. That said, it was a very thought provoking story, but the fact that most of it isn't just 'story' is what makes this book truly scary.

On Bone: One Volume Edition

The first time I picked up this book it was on my brother's recommendation. I thought the cover looked neat and I loved the expressions of the dragon. I've now read this story twice now, and despite its thick volume, it's a very easy read. The beginning is always my favorite part of this story, however. There's a sense of unknowing, of adventure and mystery. I can't help but feel that as the puzzle gets solved in this story, the world in which it is set becomes smaller and less interesting. I also feel that the end of the story tends to break down and become muddled toward the end, and isn't nearly as easy to follow nor as appealing to me as the beginning.
That said, I enjoy the environment that the Bones find themselves in. While the forest they land in is full of friends, it is also full of incredible dangers and mysteries. I also enjoy Thorn as a character, though I never really understood some of her motivations and personality. My favorite part of Bone is the setting itself, the forest full of creatures, and the small towns full of farmers and otherwise oblivious dwellers of the land. I always imagined these people's lives to be those of magic, but also of danger, as there are many monsters designed to threaten their existence. The characters themselves are interesting to me, but I always seem to look at this book for the beginning stages and the feeling of the forest as it is first being introduced to the reader.

On Ender's Game

The first time I read Ender's Game I was very young and interpreted it much differently. Upon reading it again I understand the underlying messages Orson Scott Card was trying to convey. When I first read the story, I believe I was twelve, and I read it as a kind of adventure book. I imagined myself in Ender's place, and I would imagine what it would feel like to be a leader, overseeing everything that would happen in the 'battles' and using everyone's greatest strengths to my advantage. Reading it again, I realize that the stories interpretation of what the position of leadership is, is one of altruism. In order to be a leader, one must 'win' using all of the pieces, not just handle your own. To be a team member you must be aware of others, yes, but to be a team leader you must be successful both individually and in a group.
I also felt it was interesting that the entire time that Ender was 'playing' the games, in reality he was winning battles using ships as well as lives. I wondered at the end of Ender knew this was happening. I don't think he could have guessed at the beginning, but during the final battles and afterwards when it was revealed that he had been fighting for real he didn't seem too surprised. I fact, it was almost as if he was tired because some part of him knew all along. I have always felt that the ending doesn't quite match the rest of the story for some reason, but maybe it's because I don't include it in the story itself. I believe that the real story happens only at the beginning and during the battles that Ender is battling, and during the learning process. The last few chapters have always appeared somewhat dry to me, because I think all of the lessons occur before then and the ending is functions as nothing but that, simply because the story cannot necessarily have an 'end'. I have a feeling this is one of those stories that I'll read now and then throughout my life.