my sister's keeper.

"why are terms of endearment always foods? honey, cookie, sugar, pumpkin. it's not like caring about someone is enough to actually sustain you."

-my sister's keeper

i started this book last week, at my parents' house. it was one of the books my mom bought my sister, Allison, for her birthday. Al had already finished it and was nagging my mom to read it so that they could talk about the story. it was lying on the table, calling out to me. so i picked it up and started reading.

the book is about a family of five with exceptional circumstances. the oldest daughter is continually in and out of the hospital--she suffered through leukemia and is now facing liver failure. the youngest sister has been genetically engineered to help her older sibling. the two are a perfect match, and the youngest has given blood, platelets, and bone marrow to keep her sister alive. however, in the wake of losing one of her kidneys to her older sister, she goes to a lawyer, whom she asks to help her sue her parents for the rights to her own body.

it is a rare occasion when i am hooked on a book after only a couple of pages. but this was one of those occasions. the story is quick and touching, and is told from various points of view, so it never really gets tiring.

i like that in this novel, there is no set protagonist. we hear from everyone--except for Kate, the sister who is sick and in need of a liver transplant. i don't think this is by accident. i think that if we were given access to Kate's side of the story, the views of everyone else would matter significantly less. as it is, we know nothing of her, and must rely on everyone else to guide us through the story.

i'm on page 216 right now--almost half way through the book. i'm hoping the second half is just as good as the first.

view the trailer for the movie version here.

the beginning of something wonderful?

i bought this book a while back:

in it, Nick Hornby keeps a pretty detailed account of the books he buys and reads over 28 months.

i'd like to do the same.

the thing is, i buy a lot of books. i read a lot, too, but not nearly enough to keep up with my buying habits.

i'm one of those people who is continually telling themselves that they should be reading this, or reading that. and yet, i never do.

i've torn numerous lists out of magazines: "100 books to read before you die." "21 books you should read before 21." things like that.

so i've decided to put myself to work. i have no delusions about my reading habits, so i'm not aiming to complete a mountain full of books. besides, i usually start about 10 books at a time, rarely finishing any of the books i dive into.

i'm going to keep a record of the things i read each day. i'll let you know how i come by each novel i crack open, and i'm sure i'll find myself relating the things i read to myself. this is an experiment. i'd like to find out if i can actually read all of the books on my shelf. after that, we'll see where the literary winds take me.

the challenge starts tomorrow.