So, my last week worth of reading took me a little further than expected…that is to say I started and finished Before I Die within 24 hours of getting it. Needless to say, it was good.The visual content in this book wasn’t as good as some other books I have read, it concentrated more on the actions of the characters than where they were; for example I was about half way done when I found out that it was in London, not the US. I pictured Tessa as a tall, slender teenager with long brown hair…later on I found out that she was shaved bald (my imagination doesn’t always like to follow what the book says).I found it the hardest to create a full picture in my head the most when they were going somewhere, at any location I was good, but it was the in-between places that I struggled with.
In answer to the question “Why did Tessa do that?”, I thing she was so reckless with her life because she knew it was going to be cut short and she wanted to get about 25 years worth of life lived in a matter of months. She made the list to prioritize the top ten things she wanted to do most before she died, and just continued it as she finished stuff.
Tessa’s actions in the months leading up to her death are the stories events, they don’t just affect it. Nothing would have really changed if she hadn’t done a number of the things she did, she still would have died, but she wouldn’t have had as much fun and she wound have had so many people that loved her. BUT the lives of the people around her would have been totally different. Zoey probably wouldn’t have softened up, Adam might never have gone to university, and her mom and dad more than likely wouldn’t have gotten back together.Some of the characters in Before I Die underwent major life changes throughout the book. Because of Tessa having terminal cancer, she wanted to be wild. Zoey and Tessa went to a club, found some cute guys, and slept with them. Zoey really liked the guy she slept with and they continued to see each other, eventually she got pregnant. She turned from wild to just plain self destructive and wanted an abortion. Finally something clicked and she decided to keep the baby. Neither the guy, nor her parents liked this and they all abandoned her. Her only choice was to settle down and become more responsible for the baby she thought she could never love. When Zoey calmed down, it helped Tessa through to the end. I think if Zoey never calmed down she would have ended up abandoning Tessa.This was a really good book, but when you get closer to the end you might want to find a place to yourself with access to a jumbo box of tissues!

Well, this is my first blog. I am not very creative, but I will give it my best shot. It is for my English class, so I will be posting weekly about the book(s) I am reading.