Hey, y'all. I've been out for a while (everyone has problems, and I'm no exception). But school's starting tomorrow and I'll be getting back in the swing of things, so here are a few new great books I've read this month.
Recovery Road - Blake Nelson
"Madeline is starting junior year in rehab. She hates the losers surrounding her - all except for Trish. Soon the two are escaping the halfway house every Tuesday to go to the movies with other recovering addicts. It is here that Madeline meets Stewart, another recovering addict, and the two teens are immediately drawn together. What follows is a story about being in love while trying to survive sobriety."
I loved this concept, and the ending was beautifully sad. There were a few issues - the plot/pacing is great in the first half, but about 2/3 of the way through, all the emotion dies out, making it read more like a list of what happened than an actual story. That said, the book was fairly realistic with a relatable, fiery main character - I've read lots of "girl-finds-love-in-rehab" books, but I would definitely give this a read for its intense storyline.
Gentlemen - Michael Northrup
"Micheal, Tommy, Mixer, and Bones aren't just from the wrong side of the tracks--they're from the wrong side of everything. No one at their high school takes them seriously, except for Mr. Haberman, their remedial English teacher. Mr. Haberman calls them "gentlemen," but everyone else ignores them--or, in Bones's case, is dead afraid of them. When one of their close-knit group goes missing, the clues all seem to point in one direction: to Mr. Haberman."
If you've ever seen River's Edge, then you may understand the chillingly nonchalant atmosphere of this thin read. Gentlemen's slow pacing (usually) adds to the suspense - you figure plot points out more quickly than the characters, and then have to wait for them to slowly realize what's going on. Usually, I find this technique incredibly annoying, but when what's being implied is this horrific, it just makes the book scarier. Unfortunately, I thought the ending fell seriously flat - after the boys (who, incidentally, are extremely under-developed characters, to the extent that they're total stereotypes) finish doing their dirty deeds, everyone's just waiting around for the inevitable to happen. On a side note: there is a rape scene, which everyone's all up-in-arms about being too graphic. Yes, it's graphic, but it just goes to prove how desensitized these characters have been to violence and the evil acts that surround them. Very sad.
If you're looking for a slim, atmospheric novel, don't ignore this one. It has some redeeming qualities. Just keep in mind that every book has its flaws, and this is no exception.
Hate it love it wanna recommend it? Hit comment down there and let me know what's on your mind! Guestbook coming soon.
"Madeline is starting junior year in rehab. She hates the losers surrounding her - all except for Trish. Soon the two are escaping the halfway house every Tuesday to go to the movies with other recovering addicts. It is here that Madeline meets Stewart, another recovering addict, and the two teens are immediately drawn together. What follows is a story about being in love while trying to survive sobriety."
I loved this concept, and the ending was beautifully sad. There were a few issues - the plot/pacing is great in the first half, but about 2/3 of the way through, all the emotion dies out, making it read more like a list of what happened than an actual story. That said, the book was fairly realistic with a relatable, fiery main character - I've read lots of "girl-finds-love-in-rehab" books, but I would definitely give this a read for its intense storyline.
Hungry Lionel gives this:
4/5
"Micheal, Tommy, Mixer, and Bones aren't just from the wrong side of the tracks--they're from the wrong side of everything. No one at their high school takes them seriously, except for Mr. Haberman, their remedial English teacher. Mr. Haberman calls them "gentlemen," but everyone else ignores them--or, in Bones's case, is dead afraid of them. When one of their close-knit group goes missing, the clues all seem to point in one direction: to Mr. Haberman."
If you've ever seen River's Edge, then you may understand the chillingly nonchalant atmosphere of this thin read. Gentlemen's slow pacing (usually) adds to the suspense - you figure plot points out more quickly than the characters, and then have to wait for them to slowly realize what's going on. Usually, I find this technique incredibly annoying, but when what's being implied is this horrific, it just makes the book scarier. Unfortunately, I thought the ending fell seriously flat - after the boys (who, incidentally, are extremely under-developed characters, to the extent that they're total stereotypes) finish doing their dirty deeds, everyone's just waiting around for the inevitable to happen. On a side note: there is a rape scene, which everyone's all up-in-arms about being too graphic. Yes, it's graphic, but it just goes to prove how desensitized these characters have been to violence and the evil acts that surround them. Very sad.
If you're looking for a slim, atmospheric novel, don't ignore this one. It has some redeeming qualities. Just keep in mind that every book has its flaws, and this is no exception.
Hungry Lionel gives this:
2.5/5
"Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black."
I've read this book twice now, once for a book club and once just for fun, and each time I liked it a bit more. I mean, it's a creepy dystopian world plus a pretty intense love triangle: a common archetype, nowadays, but handled with decent originality. Cassia starts out subservient to the Society, and completely fine with that, but as a reader, we get to watched her bloom into someone who sees the truth and has a will to fight. Her progress is kind of rushed, true, but it centers around events that are paced well, and an impossible love (that's always a nice touch). What I really loved about all of this, though, was that she didn't just jump into extended chapters of backstory - you were fed bits and pieces almost as an afterthought, because that's what a narrator would do, realistically. If you were telling an alien about your whole life story, you wouldn't go into explicit details about every facet of your life; you'd focus on the big things, adding details where necessary. Weird analogy, I know, but I'm just trying to explain ... that this is a great book. Read it.
It also has a couple of sequels, one of which I'm gonna start on today. It's a trilogy (hugely overdone, but I love them anyway), so expect the rest of the reviews done as I get ahold of the books.
Hungry Lionel gives this:
4/5
Those are the major books I've read recently, but I'm currently in the middle of many more. Here are some titles to watch for:
Crossed - Ally Condie
"Cassia is determined to find Ky after he has been taken by the Society into the Outer Provinces where the Society intends for him to be a casualty in the ongoing war. Soon her journey is not just about finding Ky but also joining the rebellion in hopes of changing the Society itself."
"How do you tell a dramatic story when you know that everyone alreasy knows the ending? Arrogance and innocence, hubris and hope--twenty-four haunting voices of the Titanic tragedy, as well as the iceberg itself, are evoked in a stunning tour de force."
Everybody Sees The Ants - A.S. King
"Lucky has a secret--one that helps him wade through the mundane torture of his life. In his dreams, Lucky escapes to the war-ridden jungles of Laos--the prison his grandfather couldn't escape--where Lucky can be a real man, an adventurer, and a hero. It's dangerous and wild, and it's a place where his life just might be worth living. But how long can Lucky keep hiding in his dreams before reality forces its way inside?"
All These Things I've Done - Gabrielle Zevin
"In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine - until Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family."
The Hanging Woods - Scott Loring Sanders
"Maybe it would have been better if Walter had never found out the things he did. Maybe he didn't really want to know. But then again, maybe he did."
"Maybe it would have been better if Walter had never found out the things he did. Maybe he didn't really want to know. But then again, maybe he did."
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
"It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery ... "
Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater
"For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again."
Looking at this list, I really, really need to finish some books.
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