I've decided to put the rest of the review for The Perks of Being a Wallflower up in one shot.

Also, I'm thinking of doing an author spotlight next, so check back soon! Anyhow, here we go:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Part III

Craig said the problem with things is that everyone is always comparing everyone with everyone and because of that, it discredits people.

I agree. I think it definite discredits people and it definitely diminishes the uniqueness of the individual.

He did ask me to visit him in his office after school to discuss it, which I did. He made tea, and I felt like a grown-up. He even let me smoke a cigarette in his office, but he urged me to quit smoking because of the health risks. He even had a pamphlet in his desk that he gave me. I now use it as a bookmark.

Cheeky and hilarious.

All night, he kept yelling, "Flaunt it, baby! Flaunt it!" which is his favorite line from his favorite movie, The Producers.

I adore The Producers. It's one of my favorite musicals, in fact. And it just happens that this is one of my favorite lines! If you've got it, FLAUNT IT!

Just before the scene, I thought about Sam, and I thought that if I touched her in that way on stage and meant it, it would be cheap. And as much as I think I might want to someday touch her like that, I never want it to be cheap. I don't want it to be Rocky and Janet. I want it to Sam and I. And I want her to mean it back. So, we just played.

God, I love Charlie. I love that he wants it to be special. That he wants to to mean something - to both of them.

On present giving:

I would give someone a record so they could love the record, not so they would always know that I gave it to them.

I know I should have been grateful because it was a very nice thing to do. But I wasn't grateful. I wasn't grateful at all. Don't get me wrong. I acted like I was. But I wasn't. To tell you the truth I was starting to get mad. Maybe if she would have given me the copy of the book that she bought for herself, it would have been different. Or maybe if she had just hand-copied the rain poem she loves on a piece of nice paper. And definitely if she didn't make me show the book to everyone we know.

I completely agree with Charlie. A present is given so that the person can love it always, not so that other people will always know that you gave it to them.


Part IV

I wish I could report that it's getting better, but unfortunately it isn't. It's hard, too, because we've started school again, and I can't go to the places where I used to go. And it can't be like it was. And I wasn't ready to say good-bye just yet.

When my best friend left for college, this was the quote that ran through my head over and over again. Moving on and moving forward is very hard to do, but alas not impossible. And sometimes the change is a good thing, even if you don't realize it.

It's much easier not to know things sometimes. And to have french fries with your mom be enough.

I agree. Sometimes the most comforting moments are the silent ones. Those moments when someone just knows. Not about anything in particular, but they just know how you're doing without you having to utter a single word. It's also good to shut down sometimes. To not know things and just be.

But things change. And friends leave. And life doesn't stop for anybody.

So true.

It was pretty straightforward, I thought, and the great part is that I took what the author wrote about and put it in terms of my own life. Maybe that's what being a filter means. I'm not sure.

That's exactly what being a filter means.

"I would die for you. But I won't live for you." Something like that. I think the idea is that every person has to live for his or her own life and then make the choice to share it with other people.

Gorgeous and flawless statement.

And we were talking about things that seemed important at the time. And we were looking up that hill. And then Patrick started running after the sunset. And Sam immediately followed him. And I saw them in silhouette. Running after the sun. Then, I started running. And everything was as good as it could be.

You have to love those infinite moments that repeat forever in your mind.

I realized that throughout the course of the evening, I wasn't happy about Craig and Sam breaking up. Not at all.
I never once thought that it would mean Sam might start liking me. All I cared about was the fact that Sam got really hurt. And I guess I realized at that moment that I really did love her. Because there was nothing to gain, and that didn't matter.

Oh, Charlie. I love you.

When I was driving home, I just thought about the word "special." And I thought the last person who said that about me was my aunt Helen. I was very grateful to have heard it again. Because I guess we all forget sometimes. And I think everyone is special in their own way. I really do.

I so agree. We all need a little reminder sometimes.

Then you're in the middle of the tunnel, and everything becomes a calm dream. As you see the opening get closer, you just can't get there fast enough. And finally, just when you think you'll never get there, you see the opening right in front of you. And the radio comes back even louder than you remember it. And the wind is waiting. And you fly out of the tunnel onto the bridge. And there it is. The city. A million lights and buildings and everything seems as exciting as the first time you saw it.

Timeless.

Under the books was a card that I wrote using the typewriter Sam bought me. The card said that these were my copies of all my favorite books, and I wanted Sam and Patrick to have them because they were my two favorite people in the whole world.

I love this idea of giving away the things that mean the most to you. I've done it myself on occasion. In fact, I gave away my original copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower to someone special and I'm really happy I did.

By the way, I ended up getting straight A's this whole year. My mother was very proud and put my report card on the refrigerator.

Uh-oh. Another grade posted on the fridge? Oh dear.

About love:

Charlie, don't you get it? I can't feel that. It's sweet and everything, but it's like you're not even there sometimes. It's great that you can listen and be a shoulder to someone, but what about when someone doesn't need a shoulder. What if they need the arms or something like that? You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You just can't. You have to do things.

If somebody likes me, I want them to like the real me, not what they think I am. And I don't want them to carry it around inside. I want them to show me, so I can feel it, too. I want them to be able to do whatever they want around me. And if they do something I don't like. I'll tell them.

Epilogue

On passing the blame:

And we could all sit around and wonder and feel bad about each other and blame a lot of people for what they did or didn't do or what they didn't know. I don't know. I guess there could always be someone to blame.

One brother grew up to be a successful carpenter who never drank. The other brother ended up being a drinker as bad as his dad was. When they asked the first brother why he didn't drink, he said that after he saw what it did to his father, he could never bring himself to even try it. When they asked the other brother, he said that he guessed he learned how to drink on his father's knee. So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.

I think that if I ever have kids, and they are upset, I won't tell them that people are starving in China or anything like that because it wouldn't change the fact that they were upset. And even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn't really change the fact that you have what you have. Good and bad.

I've always felt that all the above quotes are undeniable. Like I said before, people pretend their problems aren't their fault and try to pass on the blame entirely too frequently. Sometimes there's no one to blame. Sometimes things just happen for no reason. And sometimes the reason just doesn't matter anymore, it's the lesson that matters. I also think it's ridiculous to tell your children that such and such is going on in China or Thailand or wherever. They are still sad. They are still upset. And saying that doesn't improve the situation at all.

As we went into the tunnel, I didn't hold my arms like I was flying. I just let the wind rush over my face. And I started crying and smiling at the same time. Because I couldn't help feeling just how much I loved my aunt Helen for buying me two presents. And how much I wanted the present I bought my mom for my birthday to be really special. And how much I wanted my sister and brother and Sam and Patrick and everyone to be happy. But mostly, I was crying because I was suddenly very aware of the fact that it was me standing up in that tunnel with the wind over my face. Not caring if I saw downtown. Not even thinking about it. Because I was standing in the tunnel. And I was really there. And that was enough to make me feel infinite.

My heart strings? They exploded a long time ago. So beautiful.

Please believe that things are good with me, and even when they're not, they will be soon enough. And I will believe the same about you. Love always, Charlie

I love the optimism at the end of the book. It's such a reversal. So proud of Charlie and so happy for him.

I adore this book. If I had choose a book that really touched my life, this book would definitely be up there in my picks. This review was a bit more slack than my other ones because I just feel that the quotes speak for themselves. The passages above really are only a small portion of the amazing writing in the book. Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed my review and I hope you all pick up The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It truly is a completely engaging, heartbreakingly beautiful, hilarious and devastating book. The characters are each unique and compelling and it's frightening how very little things have changed in the course of a decade.


Rating for The Perks of Being a Wallflower: A+

P.S. I heard a rumor that this book was trying to be made into a film and I truly hope that never comes to fruition . It would just ruin it.

And I have returned once again from the land of sleep and mono for another installment! Rejoice! Anyhow, here we go:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Part II:

- In many ways, I think there's a little bit of Charlie in all of us. Now, I'm not one for trashy magazines about celebrity lives, even though I do enjoy the occasional photograph of Robert Pattinson (really, c'mon who can blame me? The man is gorgeous), but a part of me used to feel that I would do what the below quote says if posed with the same situation (I know now that I would actually act professional because, well, I'd want to keep my job. haha) :

I think I would be a very bad reporter because I can't imagine sitting across the table from a politician or a movie star and asking them questions. I think I would probably just ask for their autograph for my mom or something.

- A few quotes in reference to Sam:

To tell you the truth, I love Sam. It's not a movie kind of love either. I just look at her sometimes, and I think she is the prettiest and nicest person in the whole world. She is also very smart and fun.

It's like he would take a photograph of Sam, and the photograph would be beautiful. And he would think that the reason the photograph was beautiful was because of how he took it. If I took it, I would know that the only reason it's beautiful is because of Sam. I just think it's bad when a boy looks at a girl and thinks that the way he sees the girl is better than the girl actually is.

I am really in love with Sam, and it hurts very much.

Perfection. The way Chbosky describes first love is beautiful and devastating. Sometimes love is simultaneously wonderful and painful and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. I also really love when Charlie talks about Craig, Sam's boyfriend, taking a picture of Sam. It pulls at my heart strings when Charlie writes "I would know that the only reason it's beautiful is because of Sam." Sigh. First love - so pure and honest. There's nothing like it in the world.

- Reason to live for:

I love Twinkies, and the reason I am saying this is because we are all supposed to think of reasons to live.

I agree. Twinkies be greatness! haha

- Sometimes Charlie has some really interesting observations:

Anyway, what the scientists found out was that the rat or mouse would put up with a lot more voltage for the pleasure. Even more than for the food. I don't know the significance of this, but I think it very interesting.

How true. How many times in our lives do we put up with terrible situations just to receive even the smallest bit gratification? How many of us deal with a terrible job, but once that bonus for work well done comes in, we yet again find ourselves willing to put up with the mean boss and the monotony? How many of us continue to put up with bad relationships because we love the person and well, who can resist that smile or that kiss? As a people watcher, I find it all very interesting. It's like we are all secret masochists in a world that denounces masochism.

- The best kind of love:

Personally, I like to think my brother is having a college experience like they do in the movies. I don't mean the big fraternity party kind of movie. More like the movie where the guy meets a smart girl who wears lots of sweaters and drinks cocoa. They talk about books and issues and kiss in the rain. I think something like that would be very good for him, especially if the girl were unconventionally beautiful. They are the best kind of girls, I think. I personally find "super models" strange. I don't know why this is.

Don't we all wish it were like that? I do.

- About living in the moment and recalling it in the future:

I always wanted to be on a sports team like that. I'm not exactly sure why, but I always thought it would be fun to have "glory days." Then, I would have stories to tell my children and golf buddies. I guess I could tell people about Punk Rocky and walking home from school and things like that. Maybe these are my glory days, and I'm not even realizing it because they don't involve a ball.

I just hope I remember to tell my kids that they are as happy as I look in my old photographs. And I hope they believe me.

- Another favorite quote of mine in the book:

First, I am very interested and fascinated by how everyone loves each other, but no one really likes each other. Second, the fights are always the same.

So so so so so true. You can love someone with all your heart, but still not like the person they are. I've also noticed that once you get into a habit of fighting about a specific thing with someone, it is exactly the same fight every time with just some rewording involved.

When we were all getting ready to leave, I walked up to my grandfather and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He wiped my lip print off with his palm and gave me a look. He doesn't like the boys in the family to touch him. But I'm very glad that I did it anyway in case he dies. I never got to do that with my Aunt Helen.

When I was little, my mom used to always tell me never to leave anywhere without giving a hug to those you love and to never hang up the phone without saying I love you. You just don't know if you'll ever see or hear from that person again. Life is too short to waste one solitary minute. So, I really love that Charlie gives his grandfather a kiss just in case. I think it's very sweet.

- For Christmas, Charlie makes Patrick a mix tape and hopes "it's the kind of second side that he can listen to whenever he drives alone and feel like he belongs to something whenever he's sad. I hope it can be that for him." I present to you, Charlie's mixtape:




- Also for Christmas, this is what Charlie did for Sam:

Last came Sam. I had been thinking about this present for a long time. I think about this present from the first time I really saw her. Not met her or saw her but the first time I really saw her if you know what I mean. There was a card attached.

Inside the card, I told Sam that the present I gave her was given to me by my Aunt Helen. It was an old 45 record that had the Beatles' song "Something." I used to listen to it all the time when I was little and thinking about grown-up things. I would go to my bedroom window and stare at my reflection in the glass and the trees behind it and just listen to the song for hours. I decided them that when I met someone I thought was a beautiful as the song. I should give it to that person. And I didn't mean beautiful on the outside. I meant beautiful in all ways. So, I was giving it to Sam.

Sam looked at me soft. And she hugged me. And I closed my eyes because I wanted to know nothing but her arms. And she kissed my cheek and whispered so nobody could hear. "I love you."

-The kiss:

And she kissed me. It was the kind of kiss that I could never tell my friends about out loud. It was the kind of kiss that made me know that I was never so happy in my whole life.

Charlie later describes it as being peaceful and right. Those really are the best kinds of kisses.

- Now, if you've read the book, you know that the poem Charlie reads is very significant. So, I've given it to you all in three different ways. A video, an image (click to enlarge), or you can read it in prose. You choose your favorite.

Click here to watch!

Hi guys,

As you can probably tell, The Reader's Quill has gotten some ascetic work done. I realized yesterday that the blog was a bit difficult to read with the old black background, so I decided to change it up a bit. Hope you guys like it!

Working on the play list at the moment for The Perks of Being a Wallflower, so a little patience for Part II will be rewarded!

à la prochaine!

I have concluded that I am not made for staying in bed all day with nothing to do except taking the occasional nap. So to alleviate my colossal boredom, I have decided to post my review for Stephen Chbosky's heartbreaking novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

This is not a new book by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, it's nearly a decade old. I read it back when I was in high school because my friend, Peter, would not stop talking about how amazing it was. And guess what? He was right. Of all the 700+ books that I have read in my life (yes, sadly, I have made a list), this one sticks out.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of those books you can pick up at any moment of your life and find a quote that pertains to it. It is the devastatingly beautiful story of Charlie, a misfit, during his first year of high school. It follows him as he learns about family, sex, friends, love, drugs, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and mix tapes that make your world seem infinite. The story is written in epistolary form to a reader who's name we never find out. His letters range from hilarious to sentimental to downright dolorous. Chbosky welds the language to portray not what it's like to be a teenager, but what it's like to be human. Through Charlie's eyes, we see the world full of it's beauty as well as all of it's unpleasantness. It is impossible not to be struck by Charlie's observations. Chbosky is able to put into words those indescribable moments that take you're breath away.

There is absolutely nothing I dislike about this book, so for this review everything will just be under the category of "Things I love." From here on in, my review has some spoilers, but the book is written in such a manner that reading quotes really doesn't spoil the book in the least bit. In fact, it was due to my reading some of the quotes from Peter's copy, back in the day, that made me want to pick up the book. Enjoy!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Part I

- The book opens in 1991, when Charlie writes a letter to some unknown person who "didn't try to sleep with that person at that party" even though they could have. He tells us that he will call people by different names, so as to reserve his anonymity. I like that he opens the book like this because it gives us a hint as to the moral center of Charlie. I also, personally, believe that he is writing to another male, which is interesting in itself.

- One of my favorite passages:

So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be.

How true. Aren't we all just trying to figure it out? Trying to sort the good from the bad. Hoping that the good will outweigh everything else? In the words of Forest Gump, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

- From the very first letter, Charlie is straightforward. He tells us about his family, his friend Michael, and his Aunt Helen. I love how blunt he is about his fears of starting a new phase in his life - a theme, I'm sure, everyone can relate to, be it high school or marriage.


- When referring to Susan, a friend of his in middle school, Charlie writes:

Now, she acts a lot dumber in the hallways, especially when boys are around. And I think it's sad because Susan doesn't look as happy.

I know a lot of people who are like this. People who pretend to be dumber than they are, so as to fit in. This isn't just a high school thing. It's a life habit for some. I, too, think it's sad because they really don't look happy.

- I adore that Charlie's a reader. I also find that once I finish a book it "is now my favorite book of all time, but then again, I always think that until I read another book." Moreover, I love Charlie's English teacher, Bill. He reminds me of my English professor in high school, which was the single most significant teacher I ever had. I really hope that everyone has at least one "Bill" in their life because it truly changes everything. At least it did for me.

- There's a passage in one of the first few letters where Charlie talks about how mean his sister is to her boyfriend, how he never fights her on it, until one day he does and how that makes sense. I don't know why I've always loved that passage, but I just think that everyone should stand up to their bullies. Even if it's someone you love. However, this isn't to say that being physical is in any way correct. He also mentions The Smiths in this letter, which is one of my all time favorite bands.

- When we are introduced to Patrick and Sam, Charlie writes:

The nice thing about the Big Boy was the fact that Patrick and Sam didn't just throw around inside jokes and make me struggle to keep up. Not at all. They asked me questions.

Personally, I am a big questions person. I love finding out about people and I hate going places were people are "best friends" and you feel extremely excluded. I think the nicest times are when people are brought together, not pushed further apart.



- Hilarious Charlie quote:

I thought that in those movies and television shows when they talk about having a coffee break that they should have a masturbation break. But then again, I think this would decrease productivity. I'm only being cute here. I don't really mean it. I just wanted to make you smile. I meant the "wow" though.

- There are a few extremely significant quotes/passages in this book and this is one of them:

"Do you always think this much, Charlie?"
"Is that bad?" I just wanted someone to tell me the truth.
"Not necessarily. It's just that sometimes people use thought to not participate in life."
"Is that bad?"
"Yes."
.......
Bill smiled and continued asking me questions. Slowly, he got to "problems at home." And I told him about the boy who makes mix tapes hitting my sister because my sister only told me not to tell mom or dad about it, so I figured I could tell Bill. He got this very serious look on his face after I told him, and he said something to me I don't think I will forget this semester or ever.
"Charlie, we accept the love we think we deserve."

There has never been a truer statement about love. Period. There is also no truer statement about thoughts being used in order to postpone living.

-Another incredibly meaningful quote quickly followed this passage. When Charlie talks to his father about his sister's boyfriend problem, he tells his son:

"Not everyone has a sob story, Charlie, and even if they do, it's no excuse."

Wow. So very very true. A lot of people (especially as you grow older) make up excuses for their problems. I think it's a terrible dishonor to themselves when people hide from the realities of their life and pawn off their current situations to things that really have no fault in the matter. It really is a discredit to who they are as individuals. Unfortunately, it is done on a daily basis. I think half the reason the world is in the shape it's in is because people blame others for trials of their own making.


- At last we have arrived at the passage that has touched people so deeply that some even have it tattooed on their bodies:

Anyway, Patrick started driving really fast, and just before we got into the tunnel, Sam stood up, and the wind turned her dress into ocean waves. When we hit the tunnel, all the sound got scooped up into a vacuum, and it was replaced by a song on the tape player. A beautiful song called "Landslide." When we got out of the tunnel, Sam screamed this really fun scream, and there it was. Downtown. Lights on buildings and everything that makes you wonder. Sam sat down and started laughing. Patrick started laughing. I started laughing.
And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.

Click to watch video!

Perfection. In a few simple sentences, Chbosky has put into words those indescribable moments that happen to play in your mind forever.

I will try post Part II of The Perks of Being a Wallflower tomorrow along with the play list.