52 in 52 Books 5 - 7: Shatter Me, Unravel Me, Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Things have been crazed in the Reilly abode, but trust me, reading is never pushed aside.  Next up in my quest for 52 books in 52 weeks is a series by Tahereh Mafi.  This series was picked out by my daughter whose voracious reading has been hampered by college, but still rears its head every time she has a break.  

The Shatter Me series is perfect for fans who crave action-packed young adult novels with tantalizing romance like Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Legend by Marie Lu.  If you're interested in a well told dystopian story, it’s for you.  The main character is Juliette, a seventeen year old who hasn't spoken to or touched anyone in 264 days. Why?  When her skin touches people, it kills them.  Bizarre, right? However, the concept is pretty interesting.  

At first, I was a tad put off by Mafi’s writing style. Juliette is in such a terrible place mentally that the author has her think in short, incomplete sentences and then crosses those sentences out as Juliette rewrites reality.  It was strange, yet gave me a better insight into who this character was and the things she was dealing with.  In addition, she her descriptions were somewhat weird at times “I want to cry into his eyes…”.  WTH does that mean, anyway?  If you can acknowledge flowery language every once in a while as a bit odd and move on, you’ll have no problem.  

Watching Juliette’s character develop over the three books was wonderful (another reason I’m a series junkie).  The antagonists are hateable and the protagonists are divine.  The twists and turns of the plot were a plus as well.  Usually when reading books like these or watching Criminal Minds, I can guess what’s going to happen next and am usually right.  Not so, here.  

52 in 52 Book 4: "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed

“I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me.”

― Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

During Christmas break, I saw the movie version of the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed.  Reece Witherspoon portrayed Strayed in a heart-wrenching, gritty autobiographical look at her life.  It was a movie that I couldn't quit thinking about, so I decided to read the book.  I’m glad I did.

While the movie was incredible, I found the descriptions and passages in the book drawing me in even more.  The theme of the book is personal confrontation, as Strayed honestly tells about her life and all the mistakes that led to her to make the decision to hike the PCT.  

Don’t forgo this read if you think it’s all about hiking.  Strayed admittedly made huge mistakes when hiking; wearing shoes too small and carrying a pack that was more than half her weight.  Obviously this is not a “how to” for hikers.  

What this novel is about, however, is a journey of self-discovery and exorcising personal demons she’d let take over her life.  Her physical perseverance is something to behold.  When she talks about her bloody feet and all the sores on her body from her pack, I cringed.  Each time she encountered another person on the trail, my heart was in my throat wondering what kind of psycho she was about the meet. I mean, it took guts and determination to do something like this alone. But it was the grief  that she described that resonated with me.  She was thoroughly  undone when her mom died of cancer, and she spiraled out of control while trying to come to terms with that.

“I didn't get to grow up and pull away from her and bitch about her with my friends and confront her about the things I'd wished she'd done differently and then get older and understand that she had done the best she could and realize that what she had done was pretty damn good and take her fully back into my arms again. Her death had obliterated that. It had obliterated me. It had cut me short at the very height of my youthful arrogance. It had forced me to instantly grow up and forgive her every motherly fault at the same time that it kept me forever a child, my life both ended and begun in that premature place where we'd left off. She was my mother, but I was motherless. I was trapped by her, but utterly alone. She would always be the empty bowl that no one could full. I'd have to fill it myself again and again and again.”

― Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

The PCT hike is an effort to get control of her life back and to get back on the road to being the person her mom knew she could be.  She leaves all her material possessions behind and gets back to nature where she reflects on her life, her choices and what she now knows is important.  Her grief is gut-wrenching.  Her writing is incredible.  The nuggets of truth that can be gleaned from this book are many.  Read it. You won't be sorry.

“I’m a free spirit who never had the balls to be free.”

― Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

52 in 52: Book 3 - Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl.  It grabbed my attention and kept me on the edge of my seat.  I loved it.  Although I haven't seen the movie yet, I am excited that it was released on DVD last week and plan to grab a bottle of wine, a bowl of popcorn and revel in watching the words that Gillian Flynn wrote come to life on screen.

I must say that I read Gone Girl a long time ago, so it's a bit of a head-scratcher as to why I didn't try other Flynn novels sooner.  I mean, she was  a fellow inhabitant of the flyover states, growing up in Kansas City.  She attended Kansas University (as a KSU Wildcat fan that's the only strike against her) and sets her novels in midwest towns.   She's relevant, interesting and her female character development is nothing short of brilliant.  Take this quote from Sharp Objects:

“Sometimes I think illness sits inside every woman, waiting for the right moment to bloom. I have known so many sick women all my life. Women with chronic pain, with ever-gestating diseases. Women with conditions. Men, sure, they have bone snaps, they have backaches, they have a surgery or two, yank out a tonsil, insert a shiny plastic hip. Women get consumed.” 


Wow, right?  If you want to know more about her, here's a video from CBS Sunday Morning.

Now for Sharp Objects...honestly it had quite a bit to live up to, but after the first few pages I realized that would not be an issue.  The novel find Camille Preaker reluctantly heading back to her hometown to cover the grisly murders of two young girls.  While that is enough to make your average crime reporter cringe, add to that the fact that Camille was just released from a stint in a psychiatric hospital.  Her addiction?   Cutting.  This was a bit shocking to me because not only does she cut, but she carves words into her skin when she can't handle what's happening in her life, largely due to her upbringing.  From Sharp Objects:
          
“I am a cutter, you see. Also a snipper, a slicer, a carver, a jabber. I am a very special case. I  have a purpose. My skin, you see, screams. It's covered with words - cook, cupcake, kitty, curls- as if a knife-wielding first-grader learned to write on my flesh. I sometimes, but only sometimes, laugh. Getting out of the bath and seeing, out of the corner of my eye, down the side of a leg: babydoll. Pull on a sweater and, in a flash of my wrist: harmful. Why these words? Thousands of hours of therapy have yielded a few ideas from the good doctors. They are often  feminine, in a Dick and Jane, pink vs. puppy dog tails sort of way. Or they're flat-out negative.  Number of synonyms for anxious carved in my skin: eleven. The one thing I know for sure is that at the time, it was crucial to see these letters on me, and not just see them, but feel them.

Sharp Objects is a tale of  how twisted the human psyche can be and takes the reader on a journey as Camille relives her childhood and reconnects with those who helped make her what she is.  Her discoveries regarding her personal demons as well as the murders made me want to avoid reading what was coming next but unable to stop myself.  To say it's creepy is an understatement.  The twists and turns in this novel that are both compelling and mind-boggling.  Give it a read; it's worth your time!

52 in 52: Book 2 - "The Martian" by Andy Weir

I read The Martian as book two in my "52 in 52" attempt this past week.  It came highly recommended by a friend whose reading list, other than a bit heavy on anything British, is quite interesting.  She and her husband had finished it recently, the latter remarking "the only bad thing about finishing the book is that now it's over".  To say I went into this novel with high hopes is quite accurate...those hopes, for me, dimmed a tad the further I read.

Was it well written?  Sure.  It grabbed my attention from the first lines: "

I'm pretty much fucked.  That's my considered opinion.  

Fucked.  Six days into what should be the greatest two months

 of my life, and its turned into a nightmare.

See, it sparks your interest, too.  Don't lie.   Did I want to continue reading to find out what happend to this poor guy?  Absolutely.  This novel is a compelling tale about what happens to Mark Watney when he's left, after being one of the first six people to walk on Mars, for dead due to a sand storm and a terrible mishap with his equipment.  It's a story of survival, isolation, and Murphy's Law, because what can go wrong for him, usually does.  I was rooting for him.  I wanted him to figure out a way to stave off starvation.  I wanted him to remain safe despite the myriad of problems he encountered  I was amazed and laughed out loud at his sarcastic outlook and ability to remain calm, all noted in this journal entries.

 That said, the endless technical details of this book began to wear on me after a while.  I've never been a fan of space nor engineering, so I found myself skimming the explicityly laid out details revolving how to grow potatoes or what happens when hydrogen, oxygen...blah, blah, blah.  While it added to the realism of the novel, I found it a bit too much.  Again, space and THAT MUCH science just aren't my thing.

All in all, I am glad I read the book.  It's a fresh take on movies like Castaway , novels like Hatchet, and stories like To Build A Fire.  The fact that it's set on the red planet, a place where survival is pretty much impossible, adds a new twist to a cool genre.  What's fun is it has been made into a movie starring Matt Damon.  This might be one of the few times that I, personally, might like the movie better than the book.

52 in 52: Book 1

So one of the goals I wanted to complete this year was "52 in 52:  Fifty-two books in fifty-two weeks".  I know it sounds lofty, but I'm hoping I can do it.  I might have to have a few guest bloggers to help me, but I think it's a worthy goal.

That said, the first title for this new endeavor should be something spectacular like Unbroken by Laura Hildenbrand or Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, right?  Um, well...it's not.  My daughter and I chose books right before Christmas break with the intention of reading/trading.  We've been through all the John Green books (Looking for Alaska is my very favorite), some Rainbow Rowell, Lauren Oliver and Kiera Cass to name a few.  It helps that  she discovers new authors all the time thanks to the gals over at Epic Reads (they are hysterical and interesting, too...give them a look) and other sites.  Anyway, I perused the YA shelves at my local bookstore and quite honestly ended up grabbing something from the "Must Read" display and called it a day.  How bad could it be?

The cover of the book read: Lux: Beginnings by Jennifer L. Armentrout.  I should have looked at it more closely.  It ended up being the first two books in a FIVE BOOK SERIES.  Oh dear.  The title of Book 1 was "Obsidian".   I started reading it and I have to say, I loved it.  Now remember, I am in no way a YA.  In fact I am a lot closer to OA. :-)  But as somebody who loved Twilight (the books, NOT the movies) I found this to be a lot of fun.  It was a quick read with an interesting plot line.  Here's a peek:

Obsidian

There’s an alien next door. And with his looming height and eerie green eyes, he’s hot…until he opens his mouth. He’s infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, he marks me. Turns out he has a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal his abilities and the only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to him until my alien mojo fades. If I don’t kill him first, that is.

Ok, aliens, romance and teen angst?  Sure, why not.  I actually like YA reads quite a bit.  I think it's a hold over from my 20 years as a middle school ELA teacher.  I enjoyed reading them so I could talk with the kids about what they were reading.  I'm glad I did, because there is a wide array of interesting, compelling books out there that I could have missed if  I had turned my nose up at the YA label.

I must admit, I'm a sucker for a series. I like the fact that I get to know characters and can follow them and watch them grow.   I have now read through book three in the Lux Series.  While it is reminiscent of Twilight, I found it quite a bit more charming and even funny in spots.  It's pretty tame so far too, so if you have a YA interested in reading it, no worries.

So that's #1 of 52 for 2015.  I have a rather eclectic taste in books, so no judgements.  Please.  ;-)