This book was enjoyable all the way through, with a balance of humor and seriousness to satisfy any reader. I recommend Carpe Diem for readers who enjoy stories of adventure, exotic cultures, and travel, seasoned with lots of laughs. This book was also a valuable read because it broadened my interest and knowledge about Southeast Asian culture and travel. Rereading this book triggered my own memories of traveling abroad and domestically, experiencing new and novel things, taking in new cultures and mindsets, and expanding my perception of things. Once in awhile, I want to drop everything and “just LIM it!” Rereading this book made me step back for a while and think about my real priorities. I am also a hardworking student in high school and go to great lengths to focus on school, grades, and getting into college. I sense that Cornwall draws on her love for Southeast Asia and her own experiences traveling abroad to describe Vassar’s misadventures. She changes into someone willing to live in the moment, taking things in life as they come. Vassar prepares meticulously for challenges. Cornwell, however, exceeded my expectations and developed Vassar into a much deeper character. At first, the plot seemed predictable: a serious student learns there is a lot more to life than just books. I really, really enjoyed reading Carpe Diem. And as stated in the book’s summary, “Vassar Spore can plan on one thing: She’ll never be the same again.” While traveling, she learns about LIMing (Living in the Moment, as coined by Grandma Gerd), and meets a Malaysian cowboy/bodyguard, named Hanks. Her usually-conventional parents agree to let her go after being blackmailed by Grandma Gerd, who threatens to tell Vassar about “The Big Secret.” Vassar is abruptly thrust into a completely different world filled with dirt, pests, and people from all walks of life. Suddenly, all of her meticulous planning is flipped upside-down when her eccentric, bohemian Grandma Gerd demands that Vassar spend the summer backpacking through Southeast Asia with her. To reach all of these goals her next two summers have been completely planned out with Advanced Placement courses and extracurricular activities. Her life goals include graduating high school with a 5.3 GPA, (“the new 4.0”), attending the prestigious Vassar women’s college (which she was named after), marrying a PhD graduate, and receiving a Pulitzer Prize. Carpe Diem revolves around sixteen-year-old Vassar Spore, an academic overachiever. After a careful search in the library, I rediscovered a book I read a few summers ago.
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