Hey everyone, I hope you’re all having a good week! First of all, thank you for all of your great comments on Monday’s post! I appreciate your thoughts and would love to keep ’em coming!
I mentioned last week that I had read a LOT of books recently but hadn’t been reviewing them, so here are a few more reviews for you all today!
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Nicole recommended Before I Fall to me and I am SO GLAD that she did! This is a story told from the perspective of Samantha Kingston, a popular high school student with a big day ahead of her. Little did she know, she would live this day over and over again. The story takes a more serious spin on Groundhog’s Day in that Samantha, while trying to save herself, learns how much each action, small or big, can affect the lives of everyone around her.
With each morning that she awakes on the same day, Samantha goes through various stages of grieving and tests for how to handle this nightmare or make it stop. Finally she realizes her own power and effect and the consequences of many things she’s done in her life. This is definitely the kind of book that you just can’t put down and I absolutely loved reading her story.
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
I’m sure many of you have heard of The Virgin Suicides because of the movie remake of the book, but personally, I’d never read the book. A friend of mine told me she liked reading the book as well, so I decided to pick it up. Although suicide can be a depressing topic, I’ve always found this story somewhat fascinating. Part of me wishes I could just get into the minds of the girls and understand what they were going through and what they were thinking.
I enjoyed reading the book and seeing this version of the movie that I had previously watched, however I was still left with so many questions. Perhaps that’s the point. Many things happen in our lives that we can’t understand and never will, but are fascinated by none the less. I love that this story is told from the perspective of the neighborhood boys, who were dying to know the girls and their secrets, and never forgot about them even decades later.
A Scattered Life by Karen McQuestion
A Scattered Life tells the story of Skyla, a woman with an unstable past who marries a very predictable man, hoping for a life of predictability, safety and stability. Although this is the life Skyla hopes for, the small Wisconsin town in which she and her husband lives becomes too dull for the woman inside her and she soon finds friendship in the mother of a new family that has moved into the neighborhood. Although her husband disapproves, Skyla is drawn to her warm nature and the boisterous family of five boys that she raises. Skyla is inspired to find a job in a disreputable bookstore where she can finally be her creative self.
This book is a story of a woman who finds who she is and what she wants in life, while still learning to compromise with the man she loves. This was a cute story and definitely worth a read if you’re looking for a good book.
Any book recommendations for me?
Where do you find new books to read? Friends? Online? Bookstores?
What was your favorite childhood book?