I will be the first to admit I have been unmotivated to
blog. That doesn’t mean that I haven’t been reading; I have been doing plenty
of that. A couple of weekends back I finished one book and read a whole other
one as well. I have been so busy with work/life changes that when it came to my
“down time” all I wanted to do was curl up with a book. I felt like that was
the only way to get out of my own head and dive into someone else’s story. So
for this blog I decided to write short, little blogs on a variety of books I
have read lately. I promise to be better at writing from now on!
A Wedding in Great Neck
By: Yona Zeldis McDonough
Synopsis/My Thoughts: I recommend this
book for an easy summer read. It is about a family getting together in Great
Neck, Long Island for one of the daughter’s wedding, and it is filled with
misunderstandings, second chances, fighting, heart ache and love. The book
jumps back and forth each chapter so the reader is able to get a glimpse of the
day through various characters. I enjoyed the fact that I knew what was going
on with Gretchen and dealing with her marital problems, while her dad was
coming up with the courage to be there for Angelica on her wedding day while
also not breaking his sobriety. It is a book that reminds us that all families
have their wild and crazy moments, even when everything is supposed to go
right. At points I felt irritated with some of the characters and their
decisions, but I think that it just shows how well the author created the
characters because you feel invested in them. The grandmother, Lenore, was by
far my favorite character. She was definitely a ball-buster who decided to make
it her priority to get everyone in check.
Glaciers
By: Alexis M. Smith
Synopsis/My Thoughts: This is a very
quick read. It is a short book that revolves around a young, twentysomething
woman. Isabel works in a library working on damaged books and is in love with
Spoke, a young man recently back from the war and working in technology at the
library. This book is about Isabel’s love for Alaska, her childhood hobby of
collecting postcards, and how to find a way to portray how she feels to Spoke.
To be
honest, I just didn’t relate a lot to Isabel and her journey. I almost felt
guilty about this, really. The author clearly was opening Isabel up and putting
her out there in a vulnerable situation, but there was just no connect for me.
The author did a good job with portraying Isabel, but I think that at the time
of my reading this, maybe I just wanted something more exciting. The book
revolves around one day in her life, and I wanted to speed things up.
The Passage
By: Justin Cronin
Synopsis/My Thoughts: This book was
great! To be honest, I am not always into futuristic/post-apocalyptic books. I
was captivated with this one though. It revolves around a project being done by
the U.S. government and what happens when things do not go as planned. The U.S.
is never the same and those who survive are left to figure out how to save the
remaining few. I need to warn you that it is a long one. And it is one book in
a three part series. So when you get to the end don’t wonder why so much is
left unsaid with so many loose ends. The author did a great job with coming to
a point to end the book, but also keep the reader wondering what was going to
happen. He put in a great amount of detail and the book is broken down from
many different viewpoints. Definitely a fun read for the summer. It is, for the
most part, fast paced and will keep you on the edge of your seat!!
Me Before You
By: Jojo Meyers
Synopsis/My Thoughts: If anyone was to
ask me which one of the books they should read, if they only could read one,
this book would be it! I LOVED this book! It was so powerful, and impacted me
on so many different levels! The protagonist, Louisa, is out of a job and finds
herself applying for a job that will involve being a companion to a
quadriplegic during the day. Will used to be a powerhouse, adventurist, and
lived life completely. After an unfortunate accident he is bound to a
wheelchair and has to depend on someone else for everything- eating, drinking,
changing, MOVING! When Louisa comes to meet him and finds him moody, depressed,
and rude she doesn’t know if she will last the week. Over time though the two
of them become inseparable and share a bond that many people probably don’t
experience.
I read this
book in a day. I kid you not; I stayed up way past my bedtime because I just
had to finish it. I fell in love with these characters and was almost upset
with myself for reading this in one day. I wanted the book to keep going so I
could stay with the characters. By the end of the book I was balling almost
uncontrollably and knew that this was one of the best books I have ever read.
The author found this way to subtly get the reader to be invested in the
characters and make you able to relate to some of the struggles they were going
through. I think one of the things that I appreciated the most about this book
actually was reading about the struggles and difficulties Will goes through.
Being quadriplegic makes someone so extremely vulnerable, and reading about how
long it took them to dress him or take him to the races was so eye opening for
me. I learned appreciation for having the use of my body and be able to do
things that I have always taken for granted! This is a MUST READ! I will be
telling everyone I know about this book.
