Customer Reviews

Donut Days

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Donut Days is just like a donut, because it's filled with the good stuff and it's easy to eat (or read in this case) it right up. Though, the good part of this one is that's it not filled with bunches of calories. ;)

Donut Days tells the story of the compacted life of Emma. Not only has her preacher mother just announced to everyone in their congregation that Adam was a hermaphrodite and is facing the consequences from that, but her best friend isn't talking to her and she's still dealing with the whole Jake-problem. Though, now is not the time for that. Instead it's the time for her to focus on the scholarship Crispy Dream is offering to the student with the best written story about the opening of its newest store. And the thing is she needs this badly, but as it seems fate doesn't want her to have it because of all the newest dilemmas it's throwing in her way. So will Emma get the scholarship? Will she repair her friendships? And will her parents fix the problems her mom has created? Only time and more pages, as well as donuts, well tell.

Emma was such a lovable protagonist, definitely one of my favorites out of books I've read so far this year. I loved the fact that while she made mistakes she learned from them as well. Also, not only was she really funny but she had a heart of gold as well. Another favorite character of mine was Jake, the boy who has a past with. He was the typical swoon-worthy college boy. And I also enjoyed the friendships she made with Harley bikers and saw that you can't always judge people by first appearances.

While the plot of this was predictable, I never once stopped enjoying it for one second. I especially loved the way that Lara Zielin tended to foreshadow past events because it made me curious at what would occur next. Further more, I enjoyed the different questions and discussion this novel sparked about sexism in the church and about the creation of the world to what exactly makes you a 'religious' person. It was intriguing, insightful, and something that I truly think sets this apart from the typical teen read, and I also have to add that I loved the fact that while it talked about faith (which you can probably infer from what I previously said) it was never preachy.

And this review wouldn't be complete if I didn't talk about Zielin's writing. It was like addicting, sugary goodness, something that I'm most definitely looking forward to reading more of in the future.

In all, Donut Days is a fabulous novel that I can't help but highly suggest.

Grade: A-

Donut Days had a lot going for it. Emma is your everyday girl with her own set of problems but has a great sense of humor to get her through them. I really appreciated Emma's struggle over her religion, I feel like I don't see that side of religion enough. Like Emma talks about in the book sometimes things are glossed right over and not really talked about in the church. And I really liked seeing her question her relationship with God. And the book is written in such a way that you don't need to be a Christian to understand Emma's struggles. Along with that I thought Emma's fight with her best friend seemed real and brings up a good question. What do you do when you don't agree with your friend's viewpoint but want to be there for them as a friend?

I thought the setting of a donut camp for the opening of a donut store was fabulous. And yes, those really do happen, a few years ago I remember a lot of news coverage for a similar opening! I did find it a bit odd that her parents would let her stay overnight in a tent alone with a bunch of strangers around though at the donut camp. The group of evangelical bikers she meets there were wonderful characters. I loved how their experiences helped Emma think about her own faith and her own future.

Besides Emma, I loved the character of Jake. A friend that wants to be more. I actually would have liked to have seen more of him. But what a nice guy, in the book he does something that most people would probably not even consider but he knows it's right and does it. And he's just one of the great cast of characters there supporting Emma including a lovely bear of a biker, a cute little sister and loving parents.

Overall a great story of faith, friends and donuts!

Emma Goiner's father informs her one night that the only universities her college fund will help support are those that her parents approve of. In other words, any secular school is OUT.

Both of Emma's parents are pastors at Living Word Redeemer, so they expect Emma to be guided by their choices. But Emma knows they are disappointed in her. Since her baptism not so long ago, she's yet to speak in tongues. And she's inflamed that the church can be influenced by the wealthiest member of the congregation.

So it's with these thoughts in her mind that she's determined to win the Paul Bunyan Press contest.

The paper is holding a competition. Crispy Dream Donuts is opening a new store, and the paper is offering a college scholarship to the best story written about the opening. Emma isn't sure what angle she will take with her story, but she's going to camp out and interview people who are also camping there waiting for the celebration.

It's during her time at Donut Camp that Emma learns more about herself than she ever expected. She encounters a Harley group that turns out to be the most unusual group of Christians she could imagine. And she meets a couple that have been camping for thirteen days, hoping that with the RV Crispy Dream will give a prize to the person who has logged the longest time at camp. And, though she struggles with herself, she winds up calling on Jake, a boy who had declared his love for her not so long ago, only to have her remain speechless and leave him hanging.

During the time at Donut Camp, Emma's parents have to fight for their own dreams. Mr. O'Connor, the richest member of the church, has his own agenda, and when Emma's mom preaches that men and women are equal, it starts a cascade of events that soon envelopes everyone with their consequences.

DONUT DAYS is a great, insightful novel by Ms. Zielin. It reads quickly and touches the heart. Though Emma grows up in a minister's home, the story is so much more than that. Yes, Emma tries to make her parents see that she's her own person and wants a world beyond what they have in mind for her. But it's also a story of fighting for what you believe in and achieving your own dreams.

Emma is a strong character with her own insecurities - but a strong belief in herself and her dreams.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

A book about donuts has to be fabulous or at the very least entertaining. Donut Days was both fabulous, entertaining, and hunger-inducing. Before I start my review, I would like to warn those of you who are on diets: Donut Days will be a very difficult book for you to read! You should just give up counting calories for a day and indulged in some mouth watering donuts. You better believe, that is exactly what I did!

Donuts aside, Donut Days is a very compelling and thought provoking book. With interwoven themes of religion and friendship Donut Days is so much more than a book about a girl who likes to eat donuts.

Some of my favorite things about Donut Days were how to issues of family and religion are handled. This is truly high praise coming from me. I'm the girl who did a poster project on evolution vs. intelligent design for her anthropology class. I'm not the least bit religious, but it is still an interesting topic that fascinates me. Emma has always been at odds with many of the people at her parents' church- including her own parents. Emma doesn't dress up or act like any of the other girls and having faith is not something that comes naturally to her. I think that this is what made Emma such a believable character for me. Emma doesn't take things at face value. Emma questions everything including the belief system that she was raised with.

Some of the other secondary characters were tougher for me to relate to. Especially Emma's intelligent-design defending ex-best friend. There was one scene in the class room when, I wanted to leap into the book and smack her over the head with a biology textbook. Violent reactions aside, the story started to pick up for me when Emma meets a gang of born again bikers at the donut camp. I loved this group of people. They are the kind of people who actually do good things instead of just sitting around talking about it. Despite my non-religious status, I wanted to go riding around with them on their bikes. And... oh all the yummy donuts that were at the camp. I wish that there was a donut camp around here!

Donut Days wraps up nicely at the end. There is a love interest for Emma and a nice happy ending for a change. I didn't find the ending to be entirely practicable either. In fact, I was actually quite surprised by one development. I don't wan to give too much away, so go pick up a copy and find out for yourself!

I would recommend Donut Days to anyone who is interested in books dealing with religion,family, and friends.

This is the author's debut book and it is a fabulous start! The character is likeable, you can relate to her. The author's personality comes through clearly in the book and in the character herself. Once you start reading this book you will not be able to put it down! It wraps you up in the character and her world and you just want to stay. It's a great read, hands down. Besides, who doesn't like donuts?!?!?

If you haven't already, it is highly recommended to check out Ms. Zielin's other book The Implosion of Aggie Winchester. Another great read that you won't want to put down. Definitely an author worth watching for new books!

Simple Twists of Faith

DONUT DAYS offers a unique perspective on a significant subculture, that of people with evangelical faith who buck the tide on issues such as women in church leadership and interpretation of scripture. And it does so via a main character who is appealing and faces tough questions, such as what to do about her parents' imminent dismissal from their church community and how to finance her future education. A quick, entertaining read with insights and opportunities for reflection.

My thoughts...Hmmm, let me start by saying I liked this book. That being said there are a few things that I don't usually discuss with people, those are religion and politics. You have your beliefs, I have mine. Donut Days takes place in a VERY religious community. There is quite a bit of preaching to the main character Emma about her actions in relation to the Bible. She seems to be constantly disappointing practically everyone because she doesn't walk the straight path everyone expects her to. There was almost too much preaching for me to enjoy the book. I was turned off at times and frustrated with the characters. There were several times I almost quit reading, but I continued, and I am glad I did.

While Donut Days, in my opinion has some flaws, it does have some strong qualities. There is a wonderful story here about friendship, self belief, and self discovery. I enjoyed Emma's voice, she felt very believable. Her character was very strong and determined and she was not afraid to stand up for herself. Donut Days also offers readers a bit of a mystery to solve. Lastly, the book made me think, question my beliefs a bit, and smile at the end.

Donut Days is recommended for young adults. It is a very clean read. Great for a day at the beach!

Summary: Emma is the daughter of evangelical minister parents who is having quite the difficult time. Her mom may lose her position as co-preacher at their church, one of her friends is newly hot and in love with her, her best friend isn't speaking to her, and her parents have announced their financial support only if she attends a Christian college. This takes place over a three day period as people camp out to see the opening of a new donut store.

I really liked Emma-she was very likable and I enjoyed her feelings about her parents. She feels completely left out over the things that are happening that will affect her. But the end promises hope for a stronger family unit and reevaluation of how each views the others.

At the donut campout, I really enjoyed her interactions with Bear and his evangelical biker gang. They showed a more human face of Christianity. Most are able to realize that they are not perfect and they do not act like they are. They just try their best to live out Jesus' teaching and improve themselves.

Her friendships are not as important. Lately it seems like I've read a lot of books where the female main character is not speaking to her friends due to a fight and thus female friendship is not important to the book. I'm not trying to single this book out because I feel like I've seen that a lot; this just happens to be the review where I'm writing about it.

I also thought that not all of the subplots got enough attention. I would have liked more with the hot guy in love with Emma; I thought it got short shrift. I also would have liked more with her younger sister, who was adorable in the little we read about, and the sibling rivalries that always seem to appear in families. I also think the girl on the cover doesn't look old enough to be a senior in high school-she looks maybe 14. That doesn't detract from the story; it's just something I noticed.

Overall: 4/5 for funny (predictable) story with a sweet narrator and good message. Recommended.

Lara Zielin's Donut Days is fun, clean read for a young adult audience or adults who enjoy YA fiction. Donut Days' plot is well-constructed. Each of the minor characters who are developed have a significant relationship to the narrator, Emma Goiner. Emma is a likable narrator who learns and develops in the story along with her friends and family. What is especially pleasing about Emma is that she is truly humbled by what she learns, even though at the same time she humbles others by what she teaches them, a refreshing combination in a story.

As other reviewers have already written extensively about the plot, I won't repeat that here. I will reinforce that Emma's story revolves partially around her evangelical Christian family and community. However, this should not be taken to mean that this book is targeting a Christian audience over any other religious background; a good reader will recognize that it isn't. But Emma's very religious family and friends influence her life as much as any child's ethnic or religious background influences him or her- and Emma's family and friends are intensely involved in their faith. However, this background is used to allow Emma and others to explore their faith, question it, and ultimately try to see the world through multiple lenses, which is a lesson for any person.

I downloaded this book to my kindle, started reading, and didn't get up until I finished it. It's fabulous. I would recommend this book to young readers, and even older readers that just love to read. It was nice and refreshing to read a book that tackled the subject of teenage morals and ethics without shoving them down the readers throat. Check this book out. You'll be glad you did!