Recent Reading

I'm back from a lovely New England vacation of museums, Declaration readings, theatre, yummy dining, and READING!  I had a 13 hour drive, so a few of these were books on CD but I did enjoy cracking open a few books from my ever-growing stack.  Here are my ever so brief thoughts...


Gone Girl was a bit too dark for my tastes, but gripping and full of a multitude of unexpected twists and turns.  If you're looking for a good crimer thriller, this may be your girl.

The Paperboy was my hopeful choice for our Rules/character unit.  The main character is an introverted boy with a severe stutter.  Overall though, I thought the narrative was less than compelling and the characters flat.  There is a sweet relationship between the main character, Victor, and his African American maid as well as a mysterious neighbor/mentor.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends is a MUST read!  Or even better, listen.  The audio book is read, rather, performed by Rob Lowe himself.  His story is incredibly captivating and at times a little unbelievable.  It's especially fun for locals as Rob grew up in Dayton.  He also spent a summer at the theatre festival we see in MA every year along with his buddy Christopher Walken.  True story: that part of the CD came up JUST as I drove by the theatre.  Maybe you don't find that as thrilling as I do, but it was cool.  Trust me.

 

The Fault in Our Stars is the latest hit in YA lit.  And it's no wonder.  John Green masterfully takes on a HS-aged female protangonist.  His insight and voice is so compelling, even without a heart-wrenching story of cancer patient Hazel Grace.  You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll thank me later...

Love Does is a heart-warming collection of short stories by Bob Goff, who argues that true love (not always in the romantic sense) is active.  It takes risks and gets engaged with life and ultimately should reflect the love of Christ.  He weaves stories with wit and charm that are instructive and poignant in the least cheesy way.  This may be my favorite of all my recent reads.  Or tied with Rob Lowe :)

I just started Where'd You Go, Bernadette? today.  But so far I am loving this epistolary story.  It's playful and amusing and already chock-full of dynamic characters.  I can't wait to read more of Bernadette's adventures.