eleanor & park

There is nothing like reading a really good book that makes you lose track of time. I was taken aback when I sat down for a few minutes and then looked at the clock an hour later. (Luckily, I did all my work yesterday so I have time for that sort of thing.)

Reading a good book gives me the same feeling as when I've just eaten a good amount of good chocolate. Not something chocolate flavored, like cookies or cake, but actual chocolates. And I started feeling this way about a quarter of the way into this book.

Basically, Eleanor & Park live in a bad part of Omaha. Not like gang-bad; more like poor people in bad situations bad. Park's family is good, while Eleanor has a stepfather from hell. This book also made me feel guilty for every time I've ever thought something rude about someone wearing strange clothes.

By the time I fell asleep last night, about halfway through this book, it felt like someone was sticking a knife into my heart and slowly turning it in a circle but IN A GOOD WAY. This feeling persisted to the end of the book. I'm not sure what I liked about it...but it was so good. I loved that they loved each other, and that they knew Romeo & Juliet well enough to occasionally make fun of young love.

Maybe I shouldn't review books. This is about how I felt, not how they felt. It wasn't passive, at least. Walter Benjamin would be proud. Overall: read this book. It feels like a small town story, but it's set in a city.
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Also in my life: I've started watching all of the Matt Smith episodes of Doctor Who again. It's a nice way to waste time and justify my Netflix subscription. I went to Wilson Park earlier; the weather was beautiful and there were many cute families there to enjoy it. I'm so glad there's a nice walking path there - it feels much safer than using the city trails. While I was walking, I realized that I won't get to Germany until strawberry season is over! What is Germany without strawberries so red they stain your fingers?!