yeah, it's a bit of an odd ball book. not one of my favorites, and I'm not even sure if I could put a finger on what I disliked about it. then again, the writing's quality was great and some parts of it were incredible. It's definitely something to try at least once, I guess. :P

as for exercise, you should try to get some in - it's good for you physically and mentally. maybe there's a way for you to go swimming often? I think it's supposed to be 20 minutes of exercise every day unless you want to start getting hurt. Sorry your parents kept bugging you about it, though. :(