The Bell Jar

by Sylvia Plath

This is one of those books I felt like I had to read. It comes up in other readings and as a chick, I guess you're expected to have read it at some point. I went into it believing I wouldn't like it.

I was surprised to find out I actually enjoyed it. Yes, I found myself very irritated with Esther, especially when she acted childish and knew she was doing so. But for the most part, I was struck by how horrible a depression that deep is.

The book reminded me a lot of Salinger, a la Catcher in the Rye. I was surprised to find out that a friend of mine, who is a big fan of Catcher, hates The Bell Jar.

Where do you sit on the Bell Jar fence?

Stardust

by Neil Gaiman

This whole book just seemed incomplete. I keep thinking maybe I ended up with an abridged version, since this was printed after the movie came out. But I can't find any indication that anything was left out.

It just seems like a lot is brushed over. Like when they get on the boat . . . there's a paragraph that sums up their whole experience there. I thought that was odd.

The whole book just seemed really predictable and I just couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing something.