Loteria!

So last week (my reading time crazy right now) I read Loteria, written by Mario Alberto Zambrano. This book is by far one of my favorite books, it might just be my favorite ever. I think the fact that I could connect to this book at such a deep level made it that much more interesting to me. It was all kinds of awesome. Loteria is a game and it's basically the Mexican version of bingo. My family plays this game at every family gathering, whether it's just an ordinary dinner or a special holiday. The way the game works is pretty similar to regular bingo but instead of numbers on the card there are pictures the represent the way of life. By that I mean that every image has a really deep meaning behind it as to why it is part of our lives and universe (that's a completely different post on its own because some of the meanings are intense and life but I wouldn't actually write a post about that because no body has time for that). Also, the cards are not just called out, there are riddles that go with each card and whoever is calling out the cards sings the riddle and if you know what card it's talking about you can play that way but most people just look at the cards as they are being put down on the table. There are many different ways to win, the easiest is whoever covers their card completely but there are square, line, and corner patterns that can be used to win. Another common thing when playing Loteria is to play for money. Each person puts in the agreed amount a game is worth and the first to yell "loteria!", is the winner of the bag.

Now why we're all here, the book....

This novel had fifty-four chapters, one for each card. At the beginning of each chapter there is a picture of a card and the rest of the chapter is a memory that Luz, the main character, connects to. That structure it self was something to get used to. With some of the cards she connected them to memories of her family. For example, one card reminded her of her mother. After several chapters, readers discover that Luz's mother has abandoned their family and has left Luz to live with an alcohol dependent father and a sister who was clearly ashamed of her surroundings. The situation that Luz is in is intense. During the book, she sits at her desk with a journal and her deck of Loteria cards. She's not in her room though. After a series of unfortunate events, Luz is residing under state custody while Estrella, her sister, fights for her life in the ICU and her father sits in prison. I did not connect to the book through the memories Luz had because I've never experienced any of the pain she has but I felt a connection through the cards.

I think the reason I enjoyed the book so much was because of how some of the cards and their connections to Luz's life were written. For example, La Pera (the pear) was a memory of how one of their dear family friends passed away. As Luz and her family were entering the waiting room at the hospital she sees one of her cousins sitting on the floor eating a pear. It's the small connections that I enjoyed the most. The way I kind of see the book written, and I'm not sure if this was what the author wanted but I see each chapter as a riddle to Luz's life. Since each card has a designated riddle that goes with it, Luz also has her own relationship with each card. The book got really intense during some sections and there were a lot of twists and surprises. Definitely inspired me to read more fiction.


Some of the cards......
  

if i stay

if i stay written by Gayle Forman was an awesome book, so awesome that I finished it in two days. I'm sure you guys have heard Mrs. Romano talk about this book several times in class and she did recommend it to me. I've read quite a few YA novels but this has to by far be one of my favorites.

One of the reasons I couldn't put down the book was because of the time period change in between chapters. I'm a huge fan of writers who structure their books having a pattern of one chapter in the present then the next recalling memories. I think its an effective way of telling the story but also allowing readers to know more about the characters through their previous actions and this almost allows readers to predict how someone may act in the situation they are in. 

So basically, Mia, the main character, goes on a car drive with her family and they get into a terrible accident. Mia is the only survivor and has an out of body experience as she watches herself being transported to the hospital and rushed into surgery. She watches as her extended family comes pouring into the waiting room and witnesses Adam, her boyfriend, attempt to visit her in the ICU. While all the chaos in the hospital is happening, readers learn about her family and family friends through a number of stories. I liked this because even though her parents and little brother were killed off during the first chapter, I still learned about them throughout the entire novel so they were never really gone. Mia realizes that the reason she is in this spirit mode is because she is the one who gets to decide whether she wants to join her family or if she wants to live and find a way to continue her life with all that she has lost. She may not have her parents and little brother but she still has her grandparents and Adam and Kim, her best friend, and the cello. Mia is a gifted cellist and had a bright future in the music industry. I won't spoil the ending but it pissed me off. I just couldn't believe that Gayle Forman finished the book were she did and the excerpt from the next book that was included at the end had me a little peeved. I just don't understand why the author did that to the characters. I want to read the next book but I cannot bring myself to accept the story line.

My favorite part of the book was when Mia's grandfather had come to visit her. He was alone this time, without grams, and he just sat at Mia's hospital bed and silently cried. I'll admit, I teared up a bit. He went to on to tell Mia that he understood if she was ready to leave them and join her parents and teddy, but he also expressed how really did not want her to go. Gramps, always the strong and silent type, was pleading Mia to stay. I felt like I was on the other side of the bed watching everything unfold before my eyes. The entire novel was filled with these type of heart wrenching moments.

I clearly have mixed feelings about this book. It was a situation that I hadn't read  about before. The structure was cool and the characters were interesting. On the other hand, I hated the ending!!!! I'm not going to be able to let that go.