Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Before I die

I finished reading this book last night, Before I die, by Jenny Downham. My friend, Sara, told me about it a while back and it sounded really good, but everytime I read the description on the back I didn't feel interested in reading it at all. But then I was at the library the other day and saw it sitting there on a shelf by the check out counter, so I asked the lady if I could check out one of the books on the shelf and she told me that should be alright, they had already been checked back in but hadn't been put in their shelves up on the second floor where they belong, so it must have been just waiting for me there. So without reading the back of it again I just checked it out of the library, went home and started reading it. Before I started reading it I did something I haven't done since high school, I read the last line, SPOILER ALERT!!!!
and by doing so my suspicions were confirmed. She is going to die. After reading the last line of the book I stopped to think about what I was about to do. I tend to make deep connections with fictional characters, so I am very careful about the books I read. Now, by reading the last line of the book I knew the main character was going to die, and I was most likely going to be very very sad about it. After about two minutes of careful thinking, I opened the book on the first page and started reading. At first I didn't mind so much that she was going to die, she was a brat, evil little teenager who made everyones life a living hell. But then slowly, she changes, and for my artsy little brain, the color of the book (the feeling I get from reading the book put into a color I find suitable for that specific feeling) went from being grey to being a pleasant sort of orange, and yellow, with some deep greens and blues inbetween along with some white and red. All of a sudden the book is filled with life, and the worst part was that I knew it was going to end.
I took a test once, which one of Jane Austins characters am I most like, and it turns out I am whats her face from Northanger Abbey, for all you non Austin fans, that basically means I am naive, but smart, rely on feelings more than my brain, am trustworthy, and picture myself as the heroine of every book I read, and for an artsy type person who has an overly active immagination that's probably not the best thing when you are reading about a dying girl.
By the time Tessa was told she only had a few days to live, to the time she dies, I cried! and let me tell you, theres a few pages between those two parts of the story. So basically, I cried so much that I had to drink two full glasses of water to make up for the loss of water while reading the end of the book.
It definately makes you appreciate life more, and realize you probably shouldn't just float through it! life it, enjoy it, love it!
Like Elder Wirthlin said, come what may and love it!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

i love finding books that unexpectedly really effect you. how true it is that we should all live life and enjoy it, come what may. :)

MoBo said...

AHHHH I cant believe you spoilered! now i have to read the book before i can finish readingq this thingy harharhar

Unifer said...

haha you guys are awesome!!