Love Letters to the Dead

When we were creating our challenge, my friend wanted one prompt to be "A Book of Letters", which to me just sounded annoying. But, life is about compromises, so there it is. It's such an unusual format, I thought that surely this would be one of the last ones I would fill in, that I would be desperately combing Nook and Kindle for something that sounded survivable that met the prompt. And then, this popped up in my recommended reading, after I finished Marlena.

It was actually a pretty cool story device.

Laurel starts writing these letters as part of an English assignment at her new school. Initially she is hesitant about the idea (so we both agreed on that from the get go), but as she writes she begins to find catharsis in the process. Her family has just imploded, and as she writes her letters to famous dead people, we begin to learn how and why. The book is a wonderful combination of funny moments and sad, sometimes bordering on heart wrenching. 

All of these Young Adult books have really started me questioning my own teenage existence. Was I supposed to sneak out of the house? I didn't. It seems, based on the few books I've read this year, like I not only missed out, but also failed at some primary teenage objective. (Here's the sad part, the back door of the house was in my bedroom- I wouldn't have really had to do any sneaking anyway. Did I fail some test???)

This really was a fun book to read, and super fast. Highly recommend to anyone interested in the kind of My Girl genre of feels, because you will fall all in the "Thomas J  killed by bees" feels. And warning: those are tough feels to get back out of.


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My 2017 Book Challenge

Just a warning, the graphic is a little tough to read, but I mean, fuck it- it's glittery.  I've also included the text below so you can copy and paste if you want to try it out!

• A book that's been on your TBR list for too long
•  A book with one of the four seasons in the title
• A book that is a story within a story 
•  A book with multiple authors 
•  A book with a cat on the cover
•  A book by an author with a pseudonym 
•  A bestseller in a genre you don't normally read
•  A book about a person with a disability 
•  A memoir 
•  A book involving travel
•  A book with a subtitle 
•  A book published in 2017
•  A book involving a mythical creature
•  A book from a nonhuman perspective 
•  A novel set during wartime 
•  A book with an unreliable narrator 
•  A book set in two time periods 
•  An espionage thriller 
•  A book with a month or a day of the week in the title 
•  A book set in a hotel
•  A book that's becoming a movie in 2017
•  The first book in a series you haven't read  before 
•  A book about a difficult topic 
•  A book that takes place in an island 
•  A book based on mythology 
•  A book recommended by a librarian 
•  A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with 
•  A book based on a fairy tale 
•  A book set in your home state 
•  A book recommended by another challenger 
•  A book about a road trip 
•  The first book you see in a bookstore 
•  A book written  by a celebrity 
•  A book translated to English 
•  A book of letters 
•  A book that you started but never finished 
•  A book with a dark and mysterious cover 

Wishful Drinking (Carrie Fisher)

Is there anything as entertaining as getting the straight-from-the-mouth, crazy-as-fuck life story of a celebrity?

Let me start over... I LOVE Carrie Fisher. The work she did to bring light to the life of the mentally ill (and to try and help remove the stigma that goes with that phrase) is inspiring. I myself have dealt with several psychological diagnoses over the years, and I am fucking tired of being made to feel like less of a human because of it.

Still, there is no denying that the story of Carrie Fisher is pretty fucking fabulous, and the candid way she shares it is hilarious. From life with Debbie Reynolds as a mother to a particularly amazing story about Cary Grant attempting an intervention for drug use (I'm not even kidding), Fisher truly did not disappoint.

Of course, there is that shroud of sadness over the experience of reading the book. A woman who was so full of life, so exuberant about life, who never seemed suicidal in her drug use, is gone from us far too soon, and that is a light that will never be replaced.

My only real criticism would be that the writing often seemed scattered, and the syntax seemed strange. But you have to keep in mind this was a book version of her one woman show, and it reads that way. Other than that, it was a great, and quick read. I finished it in about 6 hours.

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A Case of Need (Jeffrey Hudson nee Michael Crichton)

A Case of Need

I cried when Michael Crichton died. He was such an incredible author, his choices for subject matter were thoughtfully chosen, and painstakingly researched. He was able to make you truly believe that we could one day live in a world with a dinosaur amusement park; I am now terrified of primates in general (including humans, tbh.)

One of the prompts on my book challenge this year is "a book by an author with a pseudonym." So, since the idea is generally that a book is written with a pen name so that people don't know the author's real name, this was a little tougher. I started by Googling author's with pseudonyms, and a list of "famous" authors who had used pen names at some point came up. After the ordeal with Stephen King's It I had no desire to read anything by him (especially since most of those books were from the same coke-binge phase.) I've already read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland a billion times, and Tom Sawyer is not one of my favorites. Then I saw Michael Crichton. Holy shit! I am so excited! Apparently he wrote a score of books while still in school that have been republished. I leapt at the chance.

This is somewhere between a whodunnit and a medical procedural, making it obvious what Crichton was studying at the time (medicine.) After his best friend is arrested for the death of a girl following an abortion, pathologist John Berry begins trying unravel what really happened and whether his friend had anything to do with it. The social twists and turns are gripping, and I stayed up late 2 nights in a row devouring every page.

It is obviously a more novice work compared to Micro, Timeline, or State of Fear, but I still highly recommend it, especially to anyone who is a fan of Crichton's later works.

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Face Off (Miscellaneous)

FaceOff

So there are lots of thriller series out there- everyone has a favorite. I love Cotton Malone and Grey Pierce myself, and of course the oldie but goody Alex Cross. Then one day this gem showed up in my recommended reads: an anthology of mashups of the genre's best series characters (which just so happens to put my two faves together!) It was fun to watch authors combine worlds and writing styles, not to mention the chance to sample other worlds I hadn't explored yet. Each story is a short action packed burst, and I definitely have a few new series I need to start into now!

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Psycho (Robert Bloch)

Psycho

You may have noticed a trend in the books I choose- I have a penchant for thrillers. So after the fantastic TV drama Bates Motel aired its final episode, I began to feel a sort of void. And since one of my challenges on this year's book challenge is "a book that takes place in a hotel" I thought there was no time like the present to get a little more Norman Bates.

I don't think I have to tell you the plot line, or that there's a moderately big twist at the end (I probably also don't have to tell you what that twist is), but it's still a pretty fun read.

Having already known where the story was going, I was able to really appreciate the work Bloch put into never lying. The naivete he paints Norman with is superb, the mental acrobatics he goes through to hold up his delusions.

I consider this a part of horror and thriller novel history, because it really was groundbreaking when it first came out. Even Ira Levin, author of Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives, was credits this as one the pioneering works that inspired him. It is hard, in today's society, and when you already have the knowledge of what is coming, to appreciate this book, I think. I would still recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the horror genre.

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Into the Water (Paula Hawkins)

Into the Water

So let me start by saying, I liked "Girl on the Train" but I didn't really love it. So, as excited as I was to read Into the Water, I also wasn't getting my hopes too far up. But I ended up totally hooked.

The story is a lot less convoluted than Girl, although it still starts deus ex machina. As the story progresses, the number of secrets and additional story lines seamlessly come together. It may have been a little hard to get into, but once I did I could not put it down.

We begin with Nell having committed suicide in the town river with a history of such unfortunate ends. Those who knew her, however, seem to question whether she would have done that. And so while the police are checking into the circumstances, her estranged sister begins trying to untangle the years that have separated them, while confronting her own memories of the old town.

Paula Hawkins is so good at creating real character depth, at giving you a reason to follow the characters and hope for a positive outcome (although in this case, you always know that no matter what the investigation finds, Nell will still be gone.) The cast of characters is varying and full of motives to "help" Nell into the river, so it's hard to figure out what the twist will be (and I sort of saw it coming, but not really.)

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As Old As Time (Liz Braswell)

As Old As Time

Oh. My. Gosh. I don't know if you've noticed, but I kind of have a thing for Beauty and the Beast. From the time I saw the 1994 Disney movie I was  in love with the idea of a strong female lead who not only refused to conform to the preconceptions her town felt she should follow, but she also LOVED TO READ!! She was my Disney Princess soul mate through and through.
And one of my all time fave genres for reading is fairy tales from a different perspective- think Wicked (Gregory Maguire).

When As Old as Time popped up on my suggested buys on the Kindle Store, I snapped it up (Side note- there's a whole series of these books which I can't wait to whip through!)

So you probably already know the basic premise of the fairy tale version of Beauty and the Beast: stuck up prince, cursed by an Enchantress to be as ugly on the outside as he is on the inside, and all of his servants... cursed to become their most used household objects? (I feel like there were plot holes even from the beginning.) His only hope is to get someone to fall in love with him despite his appearance (Personally, my first stop would have been a school for the blind but... I guess you don't have to be clever to become a prince.) Then our headstrong protagonist accidentally stumbles into their world and sort of turns it upside down. But beauty is found within blah blah blah, happily ever after.

But there's a lot we're missing out on. Where are the prince's parents? (And also, what prince answers his own door?) What twisted him to become the person who scorned the Enchantress? Who WAS the Enchantress? Why would she jump to such a rash punishment- and for that matter, why would she include everyone else in the castle if it was only the prince who pissed her off?

That, my friends, is where this book comes in. All of those questions are answered, we're given a much broader view of the world the tale takes place in. Keep in mind that it is a YA book, so it's not the most advanced writing style, which sometimes annoys me, but it is a fun and entertaining read.

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Since We Fell- Dennis Lehane

Since We Fell

There are few authors, I think, who have really managed to consistently write stories that grip you from the beginning. But I swear every time I pick up a Dennis Lehane novel that is exactly what happens to me. It started with Shutter Island for me, and many more since.
On top of being able to pull me into the story early, he has easily become one of my favorite masters of the plot twist. I swear, I never flippin' see it coming!

Here's the jacket synopsis:
"After a very public mental breakdown, Rachel Childs, once a tenacious, globe- trotting journalist, now lives as a virtual shut-in. In all other respects, however, she enjoys an ideal life with an ideal husband. Until a chance encounter on a rainy afternoon causes that ideal life to fray. As does Rachel’s marriage. As does Rachel herself. Sucked into a conspiracy thick with deception, violence, and possibly madness, Rachel must find the strength within herself to conquer unimaginable fears and mind-altering truths."

They are not kidding about madness! The real beauty of this book is how unreliable the narrator becomes by the middle of the story. That means that as the deception kicks into high gear you can't really tell sketchy actions from the paranoid delusions of a sick protagonist. It was my first #BookOfTheMonthClub book and man was it a great choice!

Honestly I have no complaints about this book!

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The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane- Lisa See

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

So, I've been obsessed with Lisa See since the moment I started reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, and that was probably 10 years ago. I've devoured all of her books since then with total fervor the second I could get my hands on them. And when I found out that she had a new book coming out this year I was SO EXCITED!!! I even preordered the e-book, which I haven't done since the last Harry Potter debacle.

There are two reasons I've loved all of See's other books: first of all is obviously the compelling characters and stories she weaves. I still find myself thinking back on Snow Flower and Lily, and the world of "laotongs" they introduced me to. I still wonder about the ghosts in china, like Peony, wandering and trying to find their way home despite the hard angles of the streets. I experienced the 1939 World's Fair, and the fear and blind hatred that came only a few years later. I followed Ruby to an internment camp and my heart broke. And of course I watched the multi-generational epic that was the life and family of May and Pearl. (I also delved into the fun mystery world of the Red Princess series.)

The other reason is the incredible detail with which she describes Chinese culture. The amount I learn, the feelings I experience, is spectacular. I was truly haunted while reading Dreams of Joy and seeing what life was like during the "Great Leap Forward" for those living in the far off farming communities.

And yet, I wasn't as absorbed in The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane as I usually am in See's work. Maybe I just wasn't in the right head space (after all I had just finished reading Stephen King's It, so I was feeling kind of cynical and jaded by all writers.) Or maybe I hyped it up in my mind too much, and gave the book an unfair bar to try to live up to. But the book felt slow this time.  I definitely learned about a unique and rarely talked about culture of China- I constantly had to remind myself that the book starts off in the 1980's and isn't happening at the same time as Snow Flower or Peony.

I still recommend this book, but it doesn't feel as smooth as many of Lisa See's other works.

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