The Great Reading Debate: What book should I read first?

Since our trip to the library this morning I’ve been contemplating about what book to read first. As I am sure many of you noticed, I had a few to choose from. After what seemed like a long and arduous task, I finally came to the conclusion that I would read impossible by Nancy Werlin. I had never actually heard of the book before, but Brenda the YA Librarian said that it was a great read, and there was a lot of positive comments from critics that I trust. Since the fall, my reading repertoire has consisted of primarily YA Canadian novels. I have a bit of a reprieve until we start previewing books for the 2010 Saskatchewan Snow Willow Book Awards, so now is my chance to get caught up on my “non Canadian” reading.

I initially gave this book to Rayleine, and she handed it back to me because she had no idea what it was about. I have to admit that I didn’t either. Sometimes it is almost better that way, because you have no expectations, or preconceptions about the book. The cover is somewhat intriguing, but what is most interesting is that the title of the book is not capitalized. I wonder why the author decided to do that, or if it was just purely for aesthetic appeal. Only time will tell.
For those of you that don’t know, I try to stay as physically active as possible, which is becoming seemingly more impossible to do now that I have started my M.Ed. So today I killed two birds with one stone, I read while I was on my indoor bike trainer. It was not the most effective workout because when the reading got intense I stopped peddling, and when I stood up to “climb a hill” it was hard to stay focused. I much prefer reading while being curled up underneath a cozy afghan, and in front of my crackling fireplace.

With that being said, I still managed to read the prologue and complete the first three chapters. The book is not at all what I expected. I had it in my head that this was a realistic fiction novel, but I have a feeling that there is going to be some magic/fantasy intertwined within the plot. In the prologue, the author brings in a supernatural element when Lucy finds a letter that says, “I look in the mirror now and see my mother and I am so afraid you will end like us: doomed, cursed....all sorts of melodramatic, ridiculous, but true things ” (5). I am currently on page 30 and there has been no mention of supernatural elements since the prologue. I know that the story is going to take a twist very soon because Lucy’s real mother, who is homeless and crazy, has been lurking around. Miranda, Lucy’s mother, clearly has a story to tell and something is not quite right. Why would she create her own lyrics to Simon and Garfunkel’s “Scarborough Fair,” and wander around the town singing them? I have a feeling that there is a connection between Lucy’s mom, and her foster dad. I know that they know each other, but I don’t know how. I do know that they both have their own version of “Scarborough Fair” that they like to sing, but what does that all mean?

There appears to be a lot of missing pieces to the puzzle, and I have no idea what is going to happen next. What I do know is that I am going to continue reading impossible, but I have an inkling that it might end up being “impossible” to put down once I get into it. Unfortunately, I have a major assignment due this Friday, so it will have to wait until my road trip to Calgary over February break.