Calvin

April 20th of last year, my brother Eric posted a blog post of the book Calvin, by Martine Leavitt. Ever since then I've wanted to read it, but haven't had a chance to. Until now. I checked it out from the public library, and read it in less than a day's time.

Oh man. Oh man. To say this book made me cry is an understatement. I was heaving sobs at the end of it. I can't even tell you why (spoilers) but everyone needs to stop whatever they're doing and go read it right now. That ending just hit me somehow. You know how the best literature and film and such stay with you long after you're done reading it? That's what Calvin is. I re-read the last 60 pages over again twice so far, and will probably do it some more times before I have to return it to the library.

Now, I've cried at the endings of books before. Or at least I'm pretty sure I have. Books with beautiful, poignant endings. I cried at the end of Ender's Game. I might have cried at the end of the Bartimaeus Trilogy, but even I didn't, I loved loved loved the ending to that trilogy. I cried at the end of The Subtle Knife. This last time I read Deathly Hallows, ah dude, Dobby's death just hit me like a load of bricks, I cried so hard. I cried at the end of Dashner's The Kill Order. I cried at the end of Watership Down. Basically I cry at the end of a lot of good books.

Speaking of Watership Down, I know for a fact there are two things which Eric started but never finished but I have finished and I know he'd really like if he finished them: Watership Down and Stranger Things. The first 10 minutes of the last episode of Stranger Things? Not the best television drama. In fact, it's kind of boring if you have no idea who the characters are or anything. First 10 minutes of the first episode of Stranger Things? The best 10 minutes of awesomeness ever that should get you hooked (okay, so statistically it isn't the first 10 minutes, it is the second episode, because according to a stat I read about the show, 96% of people who finished the second episode ended up finishing all 8 episodes).

Anyway, Calvin is an amazing book and even if you've never heard of Calvin and Hobbes in your life, it is still an amazing book. Yes, it has references to the comic, but like Eric said, it easily stands on its own two feet.