Book #22: Weetzie Bat

Book #22: Weetzie Bat
Author: Francesca Lia Block
Pages: 107
Grade: C
Buyability: 3/10
Status: Owned, but I think I donated it to a book drive recently

Review: I remember wanting to read Block's books when I was a kid...they are really airy, poetic stories, often retellings of fairy tales or myths or this or that, but set against the backdrop of new york or venice beach or something crazy. I never did read one of her bookst ill now, and this was for class - fairy tales - as its supposedly related to Cinderella. I made one note of them mentioning Cinderella but otherwise I didn't get it. I read this book in approximately 30 minutes it was so short - big type! Yay.

Regardless, the story is about a girl named Weetzie who befriends a gay guy, gets 3 wishes from a genie that give her and her friend lovers and a house. Eventually she decides she wants a baby so the two gay guys and her boyfriend all sort of try to impregnate her and one of them does - not sure who - and her boyfriend leaves when he realizes what's happened so the gay guys help her raise her kid and then the boyfriend comes back...the end is sort of abstract and weird but that is the gist.

The point of Block's books though, clearly, aren't the plot because there really isn't any. She manipulates words in a way that paints a world that I'd picture if you could permanently take hold of the feeling of a happy drug - like ectasy or something. Everything is pink and bubbly and floaty and indie and sparkling, yet everything is so realistic at the same time. Her writing is beautiful, but shrouds any hope of 'understanding' the books she writes (i've read a short story of hers for class as well so I get the gist of how she writes).

I can't say I 'reccomend' the book persay because it's so...airy. But if you're into an extremely quick read fantastical long-form poem, then pick it up.

Book #20: Ella Enchanted

Book #20: Ella Enchanted
Author: Gail Carson Levine
Pages: 200-ish
Grade: A
Buyability: 7/10
Status: Bought & owned

Review: This is one of the books I read for my fairy tales class as it's a short novel that retells the Cinderella story in the form of a full-length story about a young girl cursed with the duty of being obedient. She goes on adventures to try to break her curse but eventually is reduced to slavery by her stepfamily until the curse is finally broken...a prince, glass slipper, and a happily ever after are involved.

I really liked this book! Even though the Cinderella story is so tired for me after this class, I found Ella Enchanted strangely amusing and cute - the romance was well done, Ella was a good Cinderella role model as opposed to traditional versions, and the world created in the story was quite lovely. I could have done without some of the magic/ogre languages and so on, but overall it was a cool modern redo of the story where the fact they made it fantastical actually made it quite realistic.