Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Many people believe that this book is a romance novel, and I won't say that the chemistry between Scarlet and Rhett isn't appealing, but I did not view the book this way. For one, I didn't like the main character at all. Scarlet was selfish and her actions proved to be so, and that resulted in me disliking her for a good 300 pages. I didn't like Rhett either but I doubt he would take offense anyway. He was the Cad that he was proud to be. Then the war came, and with it some difficult decisions for Scarlet.
She started the book in love with an idea, in the form of Ashley Wilkes. And stays in love with this idea throughout the story. But she wasn't in love with Ashley, she was in love with the idea of him, who she thought he was, a gentleman. This is interesting to note, because while she pines for Ashley, she takes care of his wife and kids, helping them survive the war and being a constant source of support and care for Melanie. She sacrifices many things without thinking about them, her dignity, morality and at times her emotions. Her only true companion throughout this journey is Rhett Butler, the one man who understands her and knows who she truly is.
This book had many layers.
One is allegory. All of the major characters have different personalities that represent different types of people. Scarlet is not like any other character except Rhett, and this is no accident.
Another layer of this book is psychological. Scarlet's transformation is stretched over time and even the end of the war isn't her final metamorphosis. She marries three times. Once for revenge or spite. The second time is for resources. And the third and final time is presented to her as fun. Each marriage teaches her something new about herself, and each decision is a turning point in her life. Whenever Scarlet reaches a turning point or a tough decision, she always says that she will think about it later. She only ever thinks about it later twice, when she swears never to go hungry again, and when she loses something she never believed that she had. Her goal is to survive, and take care of others.
The other layer is historical. The culture of the south is forever changed and so many changes happen that the people of Tara cannot bear it all. Scarlet's view of the war is bias and stays that way throughout the novel. Yet, Rhett plays both sides and thinks of the war, and so many other things, like a game that he can win no matter who loses. Much of the events affect Scarlet directly, but Rhett never seems burdened by them.
I guess it is fitting that a long novel has a long book review. I do recommend this book, and I consider it a literally work that is undervalued as a romance novel.
If you think of Scarlet, not as a woman, but has a human, and Rhett as a trickster or dark mentor, your view of the story changes dramatically. Why does Scarlet call Rhett her soul? Why does she not grieve during the war, but after Melanie dies she actually cries and feels remorse? What's the reason for her pining after Ashley? Is she selfish or selfless?

Naked Heat by Richard Castle

As much as I enjoyed the first novel, I couldn't stay interested in this one. It was strange with the rift between Rook and Heat, and the murder mystery overpowered the story between them. Sequels are always hard to compare to the original anyway, but it seemed like something was missing. Nothing changed about the characters, and the story wasn't as smooth as the first novel. The plot was similar to the T.V. show, but it wasn't as cleverly different as the plot in Heat Wave. I might read the next novel "Heat Rises" but I wasn't as engrossed in the plot and characters with this book as I was in the first one. The story dragged for a while, where the plot was nicely paced in the first book. This book is still fun, and obviously about Castle and Beckett, but it wasn't as entertaining as the first tie in.

Confessions of A Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

So normally I don't do this, but I saw the movie before I read the book. When I watched the film, I had no idea that it was originally a novel until I found it at a bookstore. So, as the case usually is, the book is very different from the novel. Rebecca Bloomwood never writes under the alias of "The Girl in the Green Scarf", but she does write an article that makes her debut on television and pay off her debt to the credit card company. The book is written in her point of view as she struggles to deal with everyday problems at work, and her ever growing debt. On one hand, the voice of the book is charming and chatty with wordy explanations, especially about shopping trips, but on the other it goes a little too far with the tone. Becky is highly opinionated, and the book reads like a diary where she tries to record her budget, life and her dreams. She is very imaginative and builds things up immediately with the assumption that everything will go her way, so it's difficult for her to deal with her shopping bills and credit card even though she is convinced that her life will magically get better with hardly any work on her part. Finally, reality steps in when Derek Smeath, the credit card company manager contacts her in person to make sure she will pay of her debt, and her sort of crush Luke Brandon is not happy with the article. This novel had it funny moments, awkward moments and downright ridiculous moments. Comparing it to the film however is not a good idea.
In the film, Rebecca had to work much harder to pay off her debt, and she has many other realities she has to face, including getting over her shopping addiction. The story balanced differently in Rebecca's

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

This will be updated once I can post the review.

Heat Wave by Richard Castle

So before I talk about the book, I need to explain the context. After having the ABC show CASTLE recommended to me by a few friends, I decided to watch it. Then I discovered that it actually had books, so naturally, after being drawn into the show, I was curious what Richard Castle actually wrote while tagging along with Kate Beckett.
This book works in a similar pattern with the show, matching humor and mystery through the tough girl Nikki Heat (believed to based off of Kate Beckett) and the tag along writer Jaime Rook (believed to be based off of Richard Castle). It's an enjoyable read, with witty banter going back and forth between the two, and the intense investigation of a murder. This murder is basically Rook's introduction to the world of the NYPD and Nikki Heat's most difficult challenge in her line of work. Her work in this novel is the murder of Matthew Starr, a well known real estate big shot who was found dead, thrown off a six story balcony and covered in bruises. With a major mystery on her hands, and the constant questions from Jaime Rook, including occasional invites to dinner, Nikki Heat has her work cut out for her, and must deal with the fine line between her logic and emotions.
In the context of the show, it's easy to picture Richard Castle writing this, thinking of his crush Kate Beckett and putting his own spin on the characters and the story. Though if Kate Beckett did read this before it got published, I don't think she would have allowed it.

God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert

This was probably the most bizarre of the novels so far, in that the protagonist, Leto II is plotting his own demise, and continues to welcome disaster in the face of peace. Being alive and worshiped for 3,500 years as both an emperor and God, he is no longer human, and he distances himself from the life forms that he observes as they travel right where he knows they will. He is bored with everything in life, and continually tells  Duncan Idaho's ghola that he would welcome it. He is in control of everything, even Siona, the only human he cannot see in the future. Many chapters begin with excerpts of Leto II's journals and each entry is deep and sad. His humanity slowly fades away, and he becomes more strange and scary with each entry. Once Leto II falls in love, he changes for a little while, from the distant and strange God to a lonely human. Everything that Leto looks forward to is a step toward his own death.
The most important characters were Leto II, Duncan Idaho and Siona. Each of their stories involved the question of what power really is, and if it is worth paying the price. Siona was a rebel, and everything that she did, even though it was monitored, was to resist the future that Leto wanted, "The Golden Path". Duncan Idaho was focused on who he was, and who he became. He had a difficult time understanding why he was resurrected over and over again. Leto's story was focused on the true meaning of life and what humanity was destined for.
I found this book to be the saddest of all the novels. Leto payed a heavy price in order to save humanity and  continue to provide the melange or spice to the Bene Gesserit and the Space Guild.
His narratives and journal entries were very melancholy and the fact that he was bored with life made him different from every character in the novel.
This is a tough read, but it concludes the story of Paul's family. I'm debating on reading Heretics of Dune.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Every time I read this book, it seems to relate to a fairy tale. The fairy tale in particular that I think of is Cinderella. But instead of Prince Charming, this tale features Edmund, a very complex character. Out of all Fanny's relatives, Edmund is the only person who treats her like a person, and she relies on this throughout the story. Everyone else, especially Mrs. Norris, treats her like a servant or someone far below their status. The characters are similar to fairytale characters, especially Fanny, the good and sweet girl who never does anything wrong. Edmund however, does many things wrong and he judges people, talking with Fanny about his opinion as if it was unbiased fact. Fanny, always reliant on Edmund's support agrees with him and both decide that they view the world in a similar way. The only things they cannot agree on are the Crawfords.  The Crawfords are obstacles that challenge Fanny's character and Edmund's judgement. Fanny feels intimidated by Mary Crawford and she constantly compares herself to Mary's behavior and manner. Edmund on the other hand, is oblivious and ignorant of Mary Crawford's faults but he slowly begins to understand how much Fanny means to him.
I have heard many different opinions on this novel. When we read this in my novel class, we talked about how passive Fanny is, and that passivity makes her an unsympathetic character, but if that is true, why do we see Cinderella as a hero and Fanny as a failure? Fanny's story relates to the popular Cinderella story arc that is still featured in many successful films today. Many superhero tales feature the underdog becoming the hero. I imagine that Fanny is a heroine in Jane Austen's eyes because she leaves her underdog status and rises to a more appreciated and cared for member of the family. Her views and morality, shared with Edmund, are her strengths compared to the deceit and vanity that Mary Crawford uses to win Edmund's heart.
Though she is not a favorite Austen character of mine, Fanny is a strong character because she never wavers from her true self.