Read, Run, Ramble

The Song Remains the Same by Allison Winn Scotch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nell Slattery is one of two survivors of a plane crash - 152 other passengers died. However, she has no memory from before the crash - her past is essentially erased.

Throughout the novel, while recovering physically, Nell also tries to heal mentally in order to gain back her memory and try to remember who she is - who she really wants to be. Through a series of flashbacks and dreams, readers learn about Nell’s life leading up to the crash - there are some skeletons and loads of drama. She struggles to gain control while bouncing between who she thinks she was - who everyone says she was - before the crash and who she wants to be in the present day.

Allison Winn Scotch, in her novel, poses the question, who are we without our memories - without our past? How does one build a life, form goals, or grow/improve if she has no base from which to start?

I enjoyed The Song Remains The Same and it brought forth some topics to ponder. However, I never felt blown away or as connected to Nell as I would have hoped. I never felt overly emotional for or about Nell and her family. I was surprised and intrigued a few times and I was definitely interested in following through to the end for all the answers, but kept wishing that it would really GRAB me. 

Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not much to say by the 12th book in a series is there? Sookie is still getting herself into situations with the supes, and still struggling to figure out her relationship woes.

Harris added a few more twists and turns in this one (definitely enjoyed it better than the last one, Dead Reckoning, which was a bit stale). Deadlocked actually had me on the hook until the end.

The next book, #13, will be the last book. I must say, I’m happy to see the series coming to an end - there’s only so far one can take this story line though I have enjoyed the series for the most part. 

You know the kind. It grabs you from the beginning and never lets go. The characters make you love or hate them. The author weaves a story so touching, mysterious, or heart-breaking that you can’t tear yourself away. The scenery shows in your mind and the story plays as you read. Then when you close it, you’re tired, happy, amazed, shocked, sad, and at a loss for what to read next.

That hasn’t happened in a while. I’ve read some really good books this year, but I haven’t found that one.

Suggestions?

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Barely got 2 stars from me - I wavered a bit. Enough so that I don’t have the mental energy to write a long/big review.

The writing was horrible, and the story was non-original, redundant, and poorly organized.

From the first mention of this book, I had no interest in reading it. However, I caved to peer pressure (one of the very few times I let that happen) and now I remember why I very seldom go with the “crowd”. At the very least I can now, with experience, explain why I don’t like the book.

One thing I will say is that there were enough redeeming qualities in James’ two main characters that I actually have some hopes for them and would love to know how this trilogy ends. However, the first book wasn’t good enough to make me jump into the rest.

Okay - I caved. I’m reading Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. I wasn’t interested, but I’m being pressured by all my online and RW book friends to read it…so I’ll give it a go - we shall see??!!??

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Crazy Love is a not a preachy book and that I appreciated. The book is not lengthy and it is concise as well as easy to read and understand (not always the case with these types of books).

Chan puts the love we should feel for God and the way we should show it in easy to read terms and easy to apply examples. This doesn’t mean it is easy to make the change though. I think society as a whole had become complacent whether Christian or not and stepping outside the norm is uncomfortable.

This is a book I plan to re-read often. For this first read I simply read through it with no extra “tasks”. Next time I’ll go to Chan’s website and follow along with the prompts given by Chan in the book.

Informative, inspirational, and insightful Crazy Love was just what I needed. 

Raising Abel by Carolyn Nash
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is by far one of the most moving, heart-breaking, and painful novels I’ve ever read. At the same time it is also very hopeful.

Carolyn Nash has provided a very raw look at her experience as a foster turned adoptive parent. Raising Abel is a well-written book. Chapters are short and concise. She doesn’t add unnecessary detail or overload with more than needed background/descriptive information. That bares mentioning here because I think it would be easy for an author with this type of content to do so.

Nash hasn’t sugar coated anything either. Readers see into her past as well as Abel’s, and I’m not honestly sure how one could read this book and not get attached to them both (among other supporting roles). Abel and Carolyn are two of the most lovable people - courageous, loving, supportive, special.

I honestly think I’d put this book in the hands of anyone considering foster care or adoption. I think I’d put this book in the hands of ANY parent. I read passages with which I could relate and others I couldn’t, but every single one was helpful and insightful.

Carolyn and Abel couldn’t have been matched more perfectly - finding each other was nothing short of a miracle and a God-sent blessing.

During this book I experienced frustration, anger, heart break, insight, happiness, fear, tears, laughter, similarity, and above all hope.

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cara, Kendra, Andre, and Sean - they are the teens readers will meet in Perfect. Another gut-wrenching portrayal of the uglier sides of life by Hopkins.

This novel is an extension of sorts of Impulse. In this story, two of the main characters, Cara and Kendra, are closely related to Connor who plays a major role in Impulse. Cara is Connor’s sister and Kendra his ex-girlfriend. They both have secrets, both have troubled families, and both are left with confusion, hurt, and anger over Connor’s decisions and absence from their lives.

Sean, Cara’s boyfriend, has his own demons which he tries to keep hidden as he attempts to build what he thinks is the perfect future - baseball, Stanford, and Cara.

Andre, a young-man from an affluent family hides his secrets well also, trying not to disappoint his family or take the wrong path. His story intersects with Kendra’s (as well as the other’s) because he builds a relationship with her sister, Jenna. Jenna, who doesn’t have a narrative part in this story, still has plenty of her own secrets and issues which readers are made aware through the voices of the other teens.

All four teens hiding secrets, juggling who they ‘should’ be with who they really are - who it is they want to become. Struggling for balance, struggling for acceptance, struggling for their dreams…struggling, in essence, for Perfect. 

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Outsiders was a five-star book when I first read it in high school and it still remains a five-star book today.

Lots of dynamics at work in this story - rivalry groups/gangs at odds with each other, families facing dysfunction, teens struggling to find who they really are - against the odds, with the odds, despite the odds.

Hinton shows growth in each character - every one without fail. Emotionally, mentally, individually, and as a group - they all change, grow, learn, and adapt.

While we’ve come a long way since 1967, a long way since Socs and Greasers, we are really still there. As a society, we still break in to groups, cliques, sides. We still feud over ridiculous, uncontrollable elements. We still hate and are hated. This novel has so much to teach, so much merit.

I’ll end the only way any review of The Outsiders should end, “Stay gold Ponyboy. Stay gold…” 

Vampire Academy: The Graphic Novel by Richelle Mead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my first graphic novel and I loved it! I’ve read the actual novel, Vampire Academy, and this was a great condensed, visual representation of the author’s original work.

I liked seeing the characters drawn out even better than I like seeing them on TV or movie screens. Since the characters are drawn out as described and not represented by real people/actors (famous or not), they remain whole/untouched so to speak. Sometimes watching a movie erases completely what I’ve formed in my mind for a character - the graphic novel didn’t do that, it enhanced my visions instead!

I liked that the artist didn’t get over the top with the sexuality. We’ve all seen ridiculously large erupting cleavage in a comic book depiction or lots of blatant “nudity” because they can get away with it (not real people), but this novel didn’t do that. There’s actually a very sexy scene that I think was handled quite tastefully (while still being quite “hot”). This is still YA and I’m glad the author and artist kept that in mind.

This was the perfect Friday afternoon at the park read…oh and Dimitri is simply smokin, even in cartoonish form!