As a child, I didn't like reading. Reading seemed more like a punishment than something that I was meant to enjoy. I would much rather play outside or watch tv for endless hours of the day. Although, that somewhat remains true, I have begun to appreciate reading as a time to forget about reality and let my mind wander. I started to love reading in my late teen years. There is a bookstore in Campbellford called Kerr's Corner Books, that I would always visit when we were at our cottage. It's a small town book shop and the owner is your typical book enthusiast. I used to love buying my books from him because, from a young age, I felt it was important to support our local shop owners. As well, his mind was filled with wonders and stories, so it was always great just talking to him. He had read a lot of the books in his shop, so he was able to give you real opinions and find books that would suit what interested you. A lot of my collection is derived from Kerr's Corner Books. Unfortunately, since we no longer own that cottage, I haven't visited the shop in a few years; but that hasn't stopped my developing love of reading. I wanted to share with you the books that I have been reading lately - whether I liked them or not. Maybe we can start a book club!
The first book of 2018 was #1 "Blind" by Rachel DeWoskin.
Why I chose this book: I'm going to be honest and say that I almost always judge a book by it's cover. The cover of this book is black with the word "Blind" written in braille in a rainbow of colours. For those of you that don't know, my paternal grandfather was blind. He was the light of my world; I adored him. Although his blindness didn't/doesn't define him, this book stood out from all of the rest because of that simple title. It promised a fictional story that would bring you into the mind of a blind teenager and how she experiences the world. I was only 17 when my grandpa passed away, so I wasn't able to ask him all of the questions that swirl in my mind when I think of him today. I hoped that this book would give me incite into how he might of viewed the world.
Book Synopsis: "Blind" is about a young teenager named Emma who loses her eyesight in a freak firework accident. She has to re-learn everything, including how to walk and dress herself. Just as Emma is about to re-enter high school after a semester at Briarly School for the Blind, one of her childhood classmates, Claire, is found dead from apparent suicide. While Emma tries to figure out what happened to Claire, she also has to discover what makes life worth living.
My Thoughts: This synopsis sounded really promising. Not only was I going to be absorbed in viewing the world with Emma, I was also diving into a suicide/murder mystery. Last year, I went through a major thriller book faze and I discovered my love of thrill. As most of you know, I'm not one to seek thrills in my life (i.e. I hate rollercoasters and scary movies), but apparently I love a great thriller book. So, I was excited when I was going to get the best of two worlds. Sadly, I was left disappointed when they never really explained Claire's death. Emma spent most of the book dwelling on Claire's death and even came to the conclusion that it may have not been a suicide, but it never went past that! They made a big deal of talking about Claire's death, but it was as insightful as me telling you what I had for dinner yesterday (soup). It almost seemed that the author just needed a filler, but never knew how to end that part of the story, so she just didn't. Honestly, Emma's whole story was a real buzzkill. Don't get me wrong, losing your sight is a horrible experience that I'm not trying to make little of, but I don't read books to listen to a 15 year old complain for 400 pages ... which is what I got. What I did enjoy was reading about how Emma described the world around her and how she "saw" everything. Other than that ... this book was about as interesting as my diary at 15 years old and it took me a long while to finish reading it because I just wanted it to be over (and I'm not a book quitter).
Final Thoughts: Not Recommended
#2 Everlife Series by Gena Showalter
Why I chose this book: I read and loved the first novel of the Everlife series, so when the next two came out I knew that I had to read them as soon as possible.
Book Synopsis: The series follows seventeen year old Tenley Lockwood who is imprisoned in Prynne Asylum by her parents for refusing to claim covenant to an Everlife world. There are two Everlife (Afterlife) options. One option, Troika, prides themselves on the theory that what we do in our Firstlife will greater affect our Everlife. The other option, Myriad, is more about gluttony and embracing their feelings. In the first book, a young girl named Tenley ("Ten" to her friends) is nearing the Age of Accountability where she will have to choose what Everlife she will align with or risk spending eternity being tortured in Many Ends. She is approached by each world's top Laborers to persuade Ten to choose their world. One becomes her closest friend and the other becomes the man she falls in love with. At the end of "Firstlife", she makes her choice and has to deal with the consequences of her choices as she tries to end the war between the two worlds. The second novel, follows Ten as she learns her roles in the Everlife and the responsibilities that come with the position. As well, she must deal with the repercussions with regards to her and her loved one's actions in the first novel. The final novel brings the story to a completion as the battle between worlds climaxes.
My Thoughts: My two book genres are fantasy and mystery/thrillers. Two very different genres, but two that I love. Unfortunately, people judge me for continuing to read teen series, but I can't help myself. I love diving into these fantasy worlds that just happen to be considered "teen novels". With regards to the series, Ten's obsession with numbers was an interesting aspect of her personality. Also, I liked that, although their were two main male characters, it wasn't a story based on a love triangle. Furthermore, the differing Afterlives were an interesting idea. The black and white contrast between the two worlds was an interesting concept to think of; especially when moments were in the "gray-zone". I can't say enough good things about this series except that I REALLY liked it.
Final Thoughts: Definitely Recommended
#3 In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward
Why I chose this book: Approximately every 6 months, my friend Paula and I buy books for each other as a sort of "book club". It was my turn and I chose this mystery book. So far, we've read a lot of gloomy books ... as you can tell from the cover ... this book doesn't differ from the rest. It has a very gloomy atmosphere, but mystery and murder usually doesn't include sunshine and rainbows. Anything that has to do with a suspicious murder, I'm all in! This probably has to do with my obsession with Dateline. This book not only involved murder, but also kidnapping and multiple cases that all seemed to be connected. I was a big fan of 'The Child' by Fiona Barton (great book by the way) and if you read that book, then you would be able to see a pattern for me.
Book Synopsis: This novel is about the case of a woman's apparent suicide and how the cold case regarding the disappearance of her 8 year old daughter may have played a role. In 1978, Rachel Jones and Sophie Jenkins were abducted, but only Rachel returned home. Now after years of putting the past behind her, Rachel, now a local genealogist, must relive the past to help investigators solve her kidnapping and how it may have played a role in the suicide of Sophie's mother. Halfway through the book, another woman from Rachel's past turns up dead from suspected murder and investigators have to piece together the cases to figure out how they are all connected. Spoiler alert, they are definitely all connected.
My Thoughts: At first I wasn't too sure about this book. It started off slow, but quickly picked up once the second woman's body was discovered. I became invested in figuring out how all of the pieces fit together in the puzzle. Due to the fact that Paula is (currently) still reading the book I won't give any spoilers away, what I will say is that it was fun following along in the investigation and playing detective while trying to connect the dots before everybody else did. All of the elements came together in a juicy story line that involved twists, turns, and surprises around every corner. It was a page turner and I ended up finishing this book quicker than expected because I couldn't put it down. I wanted to know what happened next and THAT is how you are able to distinguish a good book.
Final Thoughts: Would recommend
So, these are the books that I've read so far this year. After I finished the last of my first batch of books, I was stuck with nothing to read and was surprised by how lost I felt. I got used to reading non-stop every evening and it was a great way to end the night before bed. Fortunately, I just went to Chapters, which means that there will definitely be more to add to this list. So, if you enjoyed reading this, let me know and (maybe) I'll post another 'Book Nook'. What have you been reading? I'm up for any recommendations and it's always so fascinating to hear about what other people enjoy reading and what worlds their experience. Let me know!
Until next time ... keep reading!