The Unexpected

I think The Unexpected was the name of a radio program.  Maybe.  Yes!  It was!  The Girls was an expected listen for me.  I had it on hold from the Denver Public Library on audio and when it came in, I thought it was a teen book, but it wasn't.  And then I couldn't for the life of me remember how I had heard about it, but having read American Girls not too long ago, and it being October, the time of creepy things, I figured I would give it a listen.
Thing is, I didn't look too carefully at the cover and had I, I probably wouldn't have read it, because I am not a big fan of Janis Joplinesque, hippie glasses and long hair and all of that sort.  I don't know why.  I am just not.  Also I am a big fan of judging a book by its cover, though I know that has hurt me in the past.  Freak the Mighty, Hatchet, yes it has happened a LOT.  But in this case, had a judged the book by its cover and passed, I would not be any worse off.  Not that The Girls was bad.  It just wasn't my thing.  I think I just get bored of whiny middle age, unmarried women lamenting their loneliness.  It's all too At Seventeen for me.  Which just makes my stomach turn.  But the nauseating self-pity of the grown-up Evie was just way too much for me. Gimme a break.  First World Problem for sure.  I'm not talking about Evie's hook up with a cult as being a First World Problem.  Wait a minute-- it probably is, isn't it?  I mean, we get hooked up with cults and the like because of low self-esteem.  And in Third World countries, who has time for thoughts of self-esteem.  I am not big on "too blessed to be depressed" because I know depression is real and mental illness is real, but this gal just seems to have a case of the blahs.  If she had more than that, I am sorry.  I am.  But then, even as an adult, to still be thinking about her "pimpled face" as a teen and her "too thick thighs" as an adult?  Really?  Really?  Maybe start thinking about someone else other than yourself.
It was hard to like Evie at all.  This was very Ice Storm-ish, and maybe that is just a reflection of the decade?  But yeah, this was not for me.

Cricket Fans!

If you love the game of cricket, then you will love Jasper Jones.  I don't know many books that detail the game play as much as this book.  I have no clue how cricket is played but a lot of it is played in Australia, I guess, where Jasper lives and Charles, the main character, lives as well.
Jasper is the bad news dude in town.  He is always blamed for everything.  He is an outcast of mixed race and his dad is a drunk and well, EVERYONE knows that Jasper Jones is bad bad bad.
So when he knocks on Chuck's window in the middle of the night and begs him for help, Chuck is a little hesitant.  But Chuck's a good guy and Jasper seems nicer than all the rumors make him out to be and nothing has ever been PROVEN to make Jasper officially bad and Chuck doesn't believe all of the rumors and so he goes to help Jasper in the middle of the night.  Jasper leads him to his special hide out in the woods and there is the body of a classmate, the sister of Jasper's crush and the daughter of a prominent man.
Jasper swears he hasn't done it and begs Chuck to help him find out who did, because both he and Chuck know that EVERYONE will think that Jasper did it, without even asking questions.
And so begins a journey into small town evil secrets and rumors and young love and self-discovery.  And it is all really well done.  And it takes place during the Vietnam War.  And Chuck's best friend Jeffery is Vietnamese and he and his family face a great deal of prejudice from the jerk-offs in town.  Jeffery was my favorite character by the way and I love the dialog between him and Chuck.  Jeffery has a brave and bold wonderful spirit.
I liked JJ, and for it being NOTHING like books I enjoy and the first book I have read in ages, I have to say I enjoyed it.  Its a smart, smart book, very different and original.