To The Power of Three

This mystery is about three teenage girls who have been best friends since elementary school. From the outside it was the perfect friendship of contrasting girls; one the athlete, one the beauty, one the intellect. One morning at school they are found locked in a school restroom. One dead, one seriously wounded, and the other minimally wounded from a gun. The community is shocked and the stories about them are not adding up. I think the author, Laura Lippman, understands teenagers better than most and is able to write about themes like privilege and pressure very well.

Snow Falling on Cedars

First of all, I love this novel because it is set in the San Juan Islands, one of my favorite places. I also love it because a large portion is set during World War II. David Guterson has written a beautiful story about a white teenage boy and Japanese teenage girl who fall in love despite the fact that it is completely socially unacceptable. Soon after high school their small community is thrust headlong into the realities of the war and they are pulled apart. In the years after the war they have both moved back to their home island and are brought together again by a murder mystery. I highly recommend this book..and I liked the movie :) Who can resist Ethan Hawke when he isn't trying to be a petulant twentysomething?

Crime and Punishment

If you want to dip into Russian literature (and be able to say you've read some Dostoyevsky) but not be too committed, then this is a good start. Crime and Punishment is about Raskolnikov, a poor student who decides he needs to sell something for money. He ends up commiting a murder and realizes that he can get away with it. A good portion of the book is Raskolnikov talking to himself as he becomes paranoid and suffers from some delusions. Honestly, this is a pretty good place to read quickly. I found myself doing a little skimming and saying to myself, "Okay, he's going crazy, he's going crazy...ah, here's some more plot." During the state of paranoia he befriends a prostitute who helps keep him sane. I read a brief version of Dostoyevsky's bio after reading this book and it helped put the book into perspective. Dostoyevsky led a "wild" young adult life, which included some incarceration. He became a Christian, which is evident in the works that I have read, and underlines the redeeming nature of Crime and Punishment. I won't write anymore for fear of ruining it for anyone.