Kindle Book: The Great Gatsby

So when I heard The Great Gatsby was going to be a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, I decided I had to read the book before seeing it.  I didn't read it in high school, and having seen the trailer during Christmas, I thought I had plenty of time to read the book.  Of course, time ended up disappearing on me and here I am, finishing the book about a week after the movie's been out.

As soon as I started reading The Great Gatsby, I knew it was going to be a bit of a struggle; this book is not written for me.  But I persevered, and managed to finish it.  I could tell right from the beginning of the book that it was building to something, so that helped me persevere.

The Great Gatsby is the story of one summer in New York.  Nick Carraway moves next door to Jay Gatsby, an incredibly wealthy but mysterious man who throws outrageous parties.  As the summer unfolds, Nick slowly realizes just what it is that Gatsby is after.

I gave The Great Gatsby 2/5 stars on Goodreads because like I said, this book really wasn't for me.  I had a hard time wanting to read it (I only did because it was short and so I could go see the movie, which I'm hoping I'll like better).  It was an alright story but I much would have preferred reading something else.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: A Graphic Novel

I was extremely surprised to find that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a graphic novel. I discovered it while at my local used bookstore, The Bookshelf.

I'm sure almost everyone is familiar with the story, or at least the just of it. A boy is born as an old man, and as he ages he gets younger and younger. I really liked it as a graphic novel; the pictures really aided the words. But overall, I thought the story was just okay. It progresses in a very linear, predictable pattern, and so is nothing really special (although I really liked the art).