The Lovely Bones Character Overview

The main character in the novel The Lovely Bones, a fourteen year old girl named Susie Salmon, affects almost all of the characters by her actions or by her presence both in the other characters’ lives and in proximity.  One example of Susie’s actions that affect other characters, in this case her mom, dad, little sister and little brother, is her poor choice to follow her neighbor into the cornfield to see the fort he supposedly build for all the neighborhood children.  Susie’s actions here cause her to be late for dinner, which nearly sends her parents into panic attacks.  They were so worried about her that they called the police and barely slept until they reported any evidence to them.  When her family found out that she was dead, the news put her whole family into a deep depression and a state of shock.  This state of depression and shock is mostly seen in Susie’s father, who would lock himself in his study every day after Susie’s death.  Her mother was equally depressed, but handled it in a different way; she had an affair with the chief detective who was working on Susie’s murder case then left her husband and living children out of guilt for her actions.  Susie’s little sister, Lindsey, and Susie’s little brother, Buckley, were affected by both Susie’s actions and by their mother’s actions and had to take care of their heartbroken father.  Their mother’s actions also affected Lindsey and Buckley’s grandmother, who moved into their house after their mother left to help take care of them and their father.  That is how the main character’s actions affect other people in The Lovely Bones.

Recommending the Eragon series

Eragon, Eldest, Brisinger, and Inheritance, all written by Christopher Paolini, are extremely captivating books that explore a world of dragons, magic, and the comeback of extinct protectors of very different races against evil.  The series follows the adventures of a young boy named Eragon, who lives with his Uncle ,Garrow, and his cousin, Roran in Palencar Valley, located in the continent of Alegasia.  After hunting alone one day in the dense forest near his home, nicknamed The Spine, Eragon finds an oblong, blue stone and, thinking that he could bring home a little extra money for his family, he takes the stone in hopes of selling it at the market.  However, Eragon soon finds out that he hasn't found a stone at all, but an egg when it hatches unexpectedly and a small blue dragon appears.  He makes a special connection when he touches the baby dragon, whom he names Saphira, that is marked by a silvery tattoo on the palm of his hand.  This tattoo marks him as an ancient protecter of humans, elves and dwarves: he is now a dragon rider, but he is now in danger.  The king of Alegasia, Galbatorix, was the leader of a traitorous band of dragon riders known as the Forsworn who exterminated the dragon riders and will stop at nothing to ensure that they do not return.  All of a sudden Eragon finds himself caught in the midst of this century old war with no one by his side except his dragon, Saphira, and his mentor and former dragon rider, Brom. Eragon's connections with Saphira and Brom see him through this amazing world of magic that I strongly recommend for those looking for adventure, action, friendship, and romance all combined into four books that are impossible to put down.

Recommending The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones is one of the best books I have read so far.  It was sad, scary, somewhat disturbing, but it was also an absolutely amazing tale of a young girl's version heaven with a view of the world below.  The Lovely Bones is the story of a fourteen-year-old girl named Susie Salmon who was brutally murdered by her neighbor, Mr. Harvey, however only Susie, Mr. Harvey and the reader share that information.  Almost immediately after her murder, she is separated from her body and enters a heaven-like purgatory where she can watch the lives of her family and friends (in this book, there are two "levels" of heaven; Susie still wishes to watch those who are still living, so she is in the first level.  When the person who has died finally accepts their death and stops watching the world of the living, he/she moves into a different heaven, one completely void of pain, however the people who enter this level must freely give up watching the world of the living).  From this heaven, Susie is almost tortured by watching her family struggle with her death and with the dead-end police investigation of her murder over the years.  Honestly, the plot of this story is hard to explain, and reading this description of The Lovely Bones does not compare to reading the actual story.

The Hunger Games Trilogy Re-read*

I recently started re-reading The Hunger Games trilogy and I'm finding that they are just as exciting and as vivid as the first time I read them.  The reason that I love these books is because these are the very first books in which I can relate to the attributes, personalities and choices of two characters: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.  Katniss is a very strong, independent young woman who has taken up the role of the head of the household since her father dies, leaving behind Katniss, her little sister, Prim, and her mother to take care of each other.  Everyone would expect Katniss' mother to take care of her children, but she falls into a deep and immobilizing depression and the responsibility is left to Katniss.  I can relate to Katniss' newfound responsibility when her father died because I felt that I had the same responsibility when my father would deploy overseas for up to six months at a time.  Though my mother was not like Katniss' mother and I didn't have to hunt for food to feed my family, I felt extremely protective of my family, especially of my little brother, just like Katniss felt extremely protective of Prim.  Peeta, on the other hand, is a soft-spoken yet passionate and dependable young man who selflessly cares for Katniss, her wellbeing and her safety throughout the games.  I would say that I'm similar to Peeta in the sense that I'm very passionate about the people I love and the things I love doing and when it comes to being there for those who need me I would say that I'm dependable, but I would say that I'm not as soft-spoken as Peeta.  So, although I do relate to both Peeta and Katniss, I seem to have more in common with Katniss than I do with Peeta.