BOOK: Jacky Ha-Ha (2016)

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Jacky Ha-HaYear: 2016Author: James PattersonLength: 273 minutes / 4.55 hours As my children get into longer books (and can pay attention to audiobooks), I’ve appreciated some of the stories that they have chosen. One such book was Jacky Ha-Ha by James Patterson. The story of a goofy kid trying to find her purpose—or at least who interacted with adults who saw her promise—was an amusing coming of age tale. The problem with the narrative was mostly around the negligent father figure who was absent for most of the story. This subplot was my main qualm with the book. The titular character in Jacky Ha-Ha frames the story as an acceptance speech years in the future, where she no longer suffers from the stuttering that gained her this nickname. The presence of mentors at her school who saw her clowning as a potential for improv and acting is the engagement I want from those who are teaching my kids, so I appreciate that...
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BOOK: The Graduate (1963)

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The Graduate Year: 1963 Author: Charles Webb Length: 366 minutes / 6.10 hours If I could condense this book down to a single phrase, it would be “What?” It’s not that I didn’t understand this book, it’s more that this single word/question was used for every third line of dialogue. Not only was this incredibly annoying to read—as every character seemed to have hearing problems that required the other speaker to repeat themselves—but it just seemed to pad out an already weak plot. I have no idea how this book became so famous that it led to a much superior film adaptation, but now I know that nobody should bother reading this book because of its inspiration for the movie. Let’s talk about character motivations next. Nothing ever made any sense. Sure, there’s a bit of existential ennui involved with finishing something you excel in (school, in this case), but the actions of the main character only make sense up until a point. Once we hit...
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BOOK: The Descendants (2007)

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The Descendants Year: 2007 Author: Kaui Hart Hemmings Length: 550 minutes / 9.17 hours On paper, the plot of The Descendants almost sounds like a bad soap opera. A man who has the deciding vote that could mean wealth for him and his extended family is dealing with an unfaithful wife who is in a life-threatening coma. The execution of this plot, however, brings so much humanity to the forefront that I wouldn’t be surprised if any of these events were real. While I loved the movie adaptation of this book, the first-person narrative of the book helped add so much more depth to the story. It’s difficult to get into the main character’s head when there’s no internal monologue like in the movie. Of course, with such realistic and vulnerable characters, there were bound to be a few that I didn’t like. Ironically enough, I hated the comatose wife. Sure, her husband was probably a bit of a workaholic, but he always meant well and was...
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