Monthly Recommendations: Family Focus

Finally! A Monthly Recommendations theme that I can actually provide good recommendations for ;) Over the past few months I've enjoyed the link-up but it just hasn't been my wheelhouse.

I almost forgot, Monthly Recommendations is a Goodreads group from Kayla  [Kayla Rayne] and Trina [Between Chapters]. They pick monthly topics and we all link-up...it's fun and you should do it too!

Family Focus

The Lunar Chronicles

I've only read the first 2 books of The Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Scarlet. These are sci-fi, steampunk-y stories but contains complex characters and family relationships. As a retelling of Cinderella, Cinder obviously deals with step-family relations. But there is also the relationship of Prince Kai and his father, which includes a royal legacy and responsibility. Scarlet is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood- there is a wonderful relationship with her grandmother, plus an interesting dynamic between the pack of "wolves" she ends up with.

Delirium

On basically the exact opposite end of the spectrum, Delirum involves a society where they have developed a "cure" for love. People are matched with a future spouse in their early teens, shortly after receiving the serum. The cure prevents them from loving not only their spouse, but their parents/siblings/and even children. Any sign of love or basically happiness at all is frowned upon, even criminal. It's not implicitly stated, but basically apathy is the goal. Apathetic people don't fight or fuss or rebel or care.

Secret Daughter

This book is one of my favorites that I've read this year. It follows different family members surrounding an adopted baby girl- the child, her birth mother, her adoptive mother, her adoptive grandmother...it examines culture and love and family and I just love love love love it.

The Light Between Oceans 

This is almost similar to Secret Daughter...but with some big differences. It made me cry and think and my heart bled for two families, but mostly for a little girl caught in the middle. To be perfectly honest, I did not like the ending...but overall it did a great job of showing emotional gray areas.

13 Little Blue Envelopes

 This was such a cute book. It involves a teenage girl and her unusual aunt...I like that it examined an important relationship with someone outside the immediate nuclear family. It's important to realize the importance of having someone to vent to.

What Alice Forgot

Another one of my favorites for the year. Alice wakes up one day thinking she is 29, newly married, and pregnant with her first child. Turns out she hit her head and is actually 39, in the middle of a divorce, and has 3 kids. It's wonderful and heartbreaking and wonderful again.

Lola & The Boy Next Door

Lola has two gay dads. They are great parents...but the real reason I like this book is because she has a very awkward and uncomfortable relationship with her birth mom. The birth mom is NOT made out to be a hero...which I like.

For the same reason, plus what it's like to love someone with mental illness, try Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.

  

The Song of Acadia series

This series is a little cheesy at times (Christian fiction) but involves a desperate mother's love and the duty of friendship.

The Prince of Tides

I just love Pat Conroy. This is a dark story (trigger warnings for abuse, child & sexual) but so good.


I believe families are messy, because people are messy. And it's love and commitment and time and shared experience that make a family- these stories reflect that.

What are your favorite family-centered stories?

Book Review: Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Yes, yes, I am still mostly on leave from the blog. But Tim's book release needed to be talked about, and now so does this (even though it's been out for a while, it's amazing and deserves attention). 

This New York Times bestselling novel and National Book Award nominee from acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon, a teenage boy in juvenile detention and on trial. Presented as a screenplay of Steve's own imagination, and peppered with journal entries, the book shows how one single decision can change our whole lives.

Fade In: Interior: Early Morning In Cell Block D, Manhattan Detention Center.

Steve (Voice-Over)
Sometimes I feel like I have walked into the middle of a movie. Maybe I can make my own movie. The film will be the story of my life. No, not my life, but of this experience. I'll call it what the lady prosecutor called me ... Monster.

-via Goodreads

I read this as the last book for my diverse books project.

Y'all, it was soooo good. 

I haven't read Myers before, but I definitely see why his work was included on the list.

Normally I am not a fan of books written in any format other than the standard, but this worked. I actually get really annoyed when people are very descriptive in their writing-I will gloss over entire paragraphs describing a living room or the size of a house. I'll even skip over character details sometimes (when everyone got really pissed about Rue & Cinna being black in The Hunger Games? And then everyone pointed out passages describing them as black? Did not care at all, but also didn't remember their descriptions). My brain fills in gaps automatically, too much detail just slows it down when picturing a fictional world.

The act of writing this as a screenplay somehow gave the perfect amount of direction without forcing me to give up my own instincts as a reader. 

The positioning of the jury, judge, etc clearly set the scene but without wasting time describing the lawyer's outfits/etc.


I could sit here and discuss every part of this story, and all the characters. They felt real, and believable-or at least as real and believable (maybe more so) than any trial blasted across our news stations in the past ten years.

The story touches on family, personal identity, the American justice system, age, race...and all with truly minimal amount of written words.

 My copy was 280 pages, but again it's a non-traditional format so think lots of spacing and big print (I also applaud the choice to have Steve's notes presented in a handwritten font- a risky move but again, it worked).

Myers truly proved to be a master with this book, and I highly encourage everyone to read it. I gave it a 5 star rating on Goodreads...which I never do. Out of 320 books, 14 have 5 star ratings (and some of those I would probably take back if I read today). It was just a truly engrossing read (I finished in just over 24 hours) and I was pleasantly blown away by the unorthodox format. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a book written in a non-narrative form even half as much.

Show Us Your Books Link-Up: March 2016

Time for the show us your books link-up!

I did much better than my 2 books for last month, coming in at 5 this month. TBF, one of these was an audio book (hubby & I have an Audible account and switch off months). But it still counts!
 
Even better, all of these books met one of my 2016 Reading Goals! They either meet my Diversity Reading Challenge, or my challenge to get rid of my IRL TBR shelf. 

 

The Meeting Place (Song of Acadia #1) 

by Janette Oke, T. Davis Bunn

I was really surprised at how much I liked this book. It was a gift from someone, and at first glance I was worried it would be too stereotypical cheesy Christian romance. Let's be honest- that genre can be frustrating at times. I thought I had a general idea of where the story was going. However I was pretty blindsighted at the end...I mean I saw it coming within the last 50 pages or so but it wasn't one of those where I could have predicted how it was going to end halfway through the story. I believe the next book was also gifted at the same time so I will be hunting it down on my shelves soon so I can see how things work out.

Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss #2) 

 by Stephanie Perkins

  I read this because it was recommended for my Diversity Reading Challenge. It fits the criteria for 12) Contains Same Sex Parents. So shout-out to Emmy for that recommendation- thanks Emmy! 

This was an interesting book for me, because I liked the author's style and felt the characters were really believable. That being said, Lola isn't really my kind of girl. I liked her and all...but there was just a disconnect that made her slightly hard to relate to. I would be more like Lola's best friend than Lola. One thing I did really appreciate was the way the things with Lola's family were handled. 

It may sound screwed up, but I love when people have screwed up families. It's so much better than people pretending everything is great and fantastic and people just get along regardless of what has happened in the past. I am grateful that Perkins wrote about an uncomfortable relationship with Lola's birth mother, and that the bio mom gave all the credit to Lola's dads. Also, the description of the dad's relationships with Lola's bio mother was also really interesting. It felt very realistic and high-stakes. Those family dynamics are what made this a 4 star book rather than a 3 star one, for me.

 How to be a Mermaid (Falling in Deep Collection) 

by Erin Hayes

  

 I got this back in...July, I think? It was part of my first LitCube box. This was a fairly short and simple books. Several of the books I received from LitCube specifically felt like they were from fairly new authors- slightly awkward in writing style, but creative stories. Basically this is the story of a girl's discovery of an underwater world that includes...mermaids! It took me back to a time in my childhood when I loved the idea of mermaids and imagined similar worlds myself.

 

A Farewell to Arms 

by Ernest Hemingway

 I purchased this book a while back because I felt like I should be able to say I've read some Hemingway. Gotta admit, after all the hype I'm sort of just sitting here going "Eh." He definitely has a specific writing style. It took a minute to get used to...but eventually I almost enjoyed it. Noteworthy- I often dislike reading war books, as it's hard for to keep up with the location and timing of things. These details of the surrounding culture are very important and add to the story, so I blame myself for missing some of this story. I can't say I necessarily liked or enjoyed the main character....he was okay, but didn't grab me. And his girl was super annoying honestly...but no one deserved that ending! WTF?! Ugh. I just couldn't.

Story of My Life 

by Helen Keller

 

I picked this up because it also covers one of my Diversity Reading Challenge requirements- strong character with a disability. Helen Keller is probably the most famous disabled person, and it almost felt like cheating since for some reason I feel like this was meant to search out newer works. But that isn't specified, so I got over it. This is a pretty short version, apparently (only 150 pages), I did not realize until I purchased it. Whoops. Anyway, it's really interesting to read about the different techniques Helen and her instructor used to communicate and learn. Her love of reading and gaining knowledge really connected with me. 

Have you read any of these? If so, what did you think?

And what you been reading lately? 

Link-up & Show Us Your Books! 

Show Us Your Books Link-Up

It's time for another Show Us Your Books Link-Up! I haven't read as much this month, but I do have one in progress and should still made my goal*.

• Simon vs The Homo Sapien Agenda
• This book has been all over the internet lately, with a ton of people who LOVE it. I enjoyed it, and there are tons of great things about it...but I didn't LOVE it. You can read a more in depth review of my feelings here.

• How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
• I purchased this at my local used bookstore, and it sat on my shelf for at least 6+ months. It will definitely be going straight back there once I finish enough books to warrant a trip (I can trade in books for credit- so of course I do). But hey, it meets my goal of cleaning out my IRL TBR.
• This book was really not worth reading. SvtHSA, I enjoyed but didn't love. This one...I literally had to force myself to read. It may be better if you recognize the author or people that he is talking about...I didn't (plus some of the names were redacted).
• Here's what I wrote on Goodreads:
• Can't honesty recommend this book. Towards the end there are some interesting observations, especially regarding Young's eventual introspection and comparisons of London v. New York (although he does say "America" a lot, and NYC is definitely not a good representation of the entire country). Based on the title and description I went in expecting a satirical and snarky view of celebrity culture from the inside. It's not really satirical so much as the matter-of-fact failures of a man to succeed in a shallow world that he legitimately valued. Even the end where he seems to have "grown up" so to speak seems more as though he got tired of sucking rather than truly underwent a serious mental change. Maybe I'm just reading it wrong but overall he seemed to take himself, and celebrity culture, all too serious while pretending he's above the BS. 

*My yearly goal is 30 books total, which works out to about 2.5 a month. So I'm actually pretty much right on schedule with that.

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

  

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

As I mentioned, I read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli for my Diverse Reading Project. This book has been all over the blogosphere and Book Tube, so I had high hopes.

I originally gave it a 3 on Goodreads, but I'm re-thinking it.

 My actual rating would be a 3.5. Maybe 3.75.

The author did a great job of really fleshing out the main character- you got to know Simon as a student, as a friend, as a son and brother...it's rare to get such a full view of a character. And the emails with Blue obviously showed an inside thought process that added to that.

The relationship with Blue is obviously the biggest plot point. The idea of getting to know someone anonymously and over the internet is becoming more and more common. This was done really well in this book, especially coming from a high school perspective. The relationship felt very authentic, and I especially appreciated the back-and-forth about meeting versus not meeting.

I was getting impatient to the Blue reveal, but it was great when it finally happened! Also enjoyed the butterflies that came with the start of the relationship. It did seem as though they jumped into things a little fast- the time alone at the end worried me for a minute. I get that they had known each other, both online and through school, but the relationship itself was still really fresh.

That could just be me turning into an old lady...I know pregnancy isn't an issue with two boys, obviously, but I believe there are more consequences to sexual behavior than that. 

Simon was a good main character, but I didn't necessarily feel like I connected with him personally. Once we found out who Blue was, I actually started thinking I would have liked to hear from his perspective more...that lack of personal connection is probably what stopped this book from being 4 stars for me. There are lots of people who totally fell for Simon and maybe it was all that hype that made him fall a little flat for me...or maybe it's just a personal thing (which is okay- you can't LOVE all characters just like you can't LOVE all people).

Similar to Blue, all of the secondary characters were believable and interesting.
 
I feel like I could have read a book focused on any one of the characters.

Which is a really strong statement, in my opinion.

Overall my favorite thing would have to be the idea of what all lies under the surface of people- the knowledge that in general we know so little even about those we are closest too.
 
I've seen this book hyped up a TON, so I feel bad that I didn't absolutely LOVE it, but I definitely enjoyed it. It was cute but meaningful, and a relatively easy/fast-paced read.

Diversity Reading Challenge Update

Starting off strong this month and finished 2 books that fit my Diversity Reading Challenge! This pushes me over the halfway mark, so hopefully the downhill portion will go much more smoothly than the first half which took way too long.

This month I finished Black Boy by Richard Wright, meeting goal #2: person of color on cover.

 I also read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli over the weekend. This takes care of goal #3: about coming out. 

I did not realize I went in order on those...not aiming for that specifically. Black Boy was also part of my IRL TBR that I am working on, because I'd just always heard it was one of those books I should read. And SVTHSA has been EVERYWHERE in the book/blog/vlog-ospheres lately, plus I wanted to give myself a break from the IRL TBR (I've finished 3 so far and it's not even 3 weeks into January). 

I'm trying make a list of books that could fit each  category, because I am more likely to complete the challenge when I feel prepared and also have time to research and look forward to the story. If you have any suggestions for the remaining categories, feel free to leave them in a comment! I'd love to hear it :)

4) Main or Secondary Character with a disability 
7) Illustrator of color 
    -I think this will be the hardest...since I don't really ever think of/read books that have illustrators
8) Any Walter Dean Myers book
10) Boy soldier/childhood in the Middle East
      -The Kite Runner (thanks for the rec, Teh Megan!)
12) Contains same-sex parents
      -Lola & The Boy Next Door (thanks for rec, Emmy!)

 

Diversity seems to have been a big factor in lots of 2016 Reading Goals- are you trying to branch out this year?