Wow, I couldn’t put this book down! The writing! The story! It literally consumed me for three straight days as I tore through it. It tells a story frWow, I couldn’t put this book down! The writing! The story! It literally consumed me for three straight days as I tore through it. It tells a story from the perspective of a self splintered by trauma. The gods/spirits/deities that have taken hold to protect a young woman speak directly to us, the reader, and it’s simply mesmerizing. I don’t know how to describe it, so here’s a quote, “ We could not allow her terror because we would not allow a bridge between her and the past sections of her. We had separated them for a reason. Many things are better than a complete remembering; many things we do are a mercy.” I watched a clip of the author on The Daily Show, and am fascinated by her. She has such depth running through her. And what? She’s written 7 books in the past 4 years. Will definitely be reading more from this author!...more
I wish there were a 10 star rating because books like this don’t come around too often! Unputdownable, unforgettable, and writing to die for! I don’t I wish there were a 10 star rating because books like this don’t come around too often! Unputdownable, unforgettable, and writing to die for! I don’t have a word big enough to describe how much this book affected me. A MUST read!...more
Wow! I was blown away with this book. The writing is amazing, Oshetsky is a wordsmith! I can see this author winning at every word game she’s ever plaWow! I was blown away with this book. The writing is amazing, Oshetsky is a wordsmith! I can see this author winning at every word game she’s ever played. She put words together that were so simple yet so descriptive. They drew me right in, and kept me riveted to the story. And what a story it is. A young girl is being raised by her mother and aunt. Before she is old enough to enter school something horrible happens to her best friend. Something she will blame herself for throughout this book. What an incredible look at how carrying guilt and shame can take on a life of its own. Loved it!...more
I can’t believe I’m giving this one five stars when it took me half the book to get into! I was rooting for her like it was a real match, and I’m stilI can’t believe I’m giving this one five stars when it took me half the book to get into! I was rooting for her like it was a real match, and I’m still not sure it wasn’t, ha! Highly recommend this one!...more
This book gets all the stars from me! Jenny Lawson is one heck of a writer. The book is all short essays (which I normally hate) yet each one was so eThis book gets all the stars from me! Jenny Lawson is one heck of a writer. The book is all short essays (which I normally hate) yet each one was so engrossing, I couldn’t wait to see what she’d come up with next. It’s been a long time since a book has made me laugh till tears were streaming down my face! But it’s not all fun. The illnesses she suffers from, especially mental illness was described in ways that gave me powerful insight into just what depression or anxiety REALLY feel like. I’ve suffered from anxiety myself, and could never have described it as well. Just a fantastic read that took me all around that crazy head of hers! ...more
I have lived through the dust bowl! Kristin Hannah’s amazing writing has once again taken me out of my world and into that of a different time and plaI have lived through the dust bowl! Kristin Hannah’s amazing writing has once again taken me out of my world and into that of a different time and place. Seriously, I can think of few authors who are able to transport me this way. In one of her previous novels “The Great Alone” I was transported to Alaska. And while the ending of that one frustrated me, this one was spot on. Loved it!...more
One of the best books I’ve read in quite awhile! Ever since I read “Silent Spring” years ago I wanted to save our planet and those wonderful animals wOne of the best books I’ve read in quite awhile! Ever since I read “Silent Spring” years ago I wanted to save our planet and those wonderful animals we share our world with. Working in a closely related field turned out to be disappointing for a number of reasons. This book brought back the passion I had lost. That’s a lot for a book to do! So happy I have a pushy friend (you know who you are) insist I read it! Loved it! ...more
I never would have thought with a title of “Two Boys Kissing,” and a not so great cover, I would have HOLY MOLY! This made my all time favorites list!
I never would have thought with a title of “Two Boys Kissing,” and a not so great cover, I would have loved this book so much. Also, I get a little perturbed when it’s always boys and not girls. But, this this is so universal it didn’t matter.
Levithan centers his novel around a true event, two boys kissing to break a world record. But, my oh my, the narrators are the previous generation of gay men, looking down with support, understanding, and even resentment.
I loved this early quote... “We were once the ones living and then we were the ones dying. We sewed outfits, a thread’s width into your history. We were once like you, only our world wasn’t like yours. You have no idea how close to death you came. A generation or two earlier, you might be here with us. We resent you. You astonish us.”
And, just OMG with the characters. Two boys meet at a gay prom (not in my day!) Two others are trying to negotiate a relationship, another has been assaulted, and one appears damaged beyond repair by his parents lack of acceptance. While this may be a YA book, the writing was phenomenal!
Personally I could relate to so many of the characters struggles as many of my own were painful. So yes, this book made me cry, but also filled me with hope. While this is about the gay experience, it also reminded me about the struggles of immigrants, Native Americans, African Americans, etc. That’s why I found this book to be so universal. It was also a great reminder of the price paid by countless others who came before to ease the way. Yup, can’t recommend enough!...more
Wow, what an incredible read! This is a tale of deceit and destruction told by an 8 month old fetus. Not only did I have no problem suspending disbeliWow, what an incredible read! This is a tale of deceit and destruction told by an 8 month old fetus. Not only did I have no problem suspending disbelief, but the descriptions of what it felt like to be inside a womb filled me with awe. In the first paragraph McEwan writes:
"I've no choice, my ear is pressed all day and night against the bloody walls. I listen, make mental notes, and I'm troubled.
The writing is rich, and not only tells a wicked story, but weaves in some profound life questions. There are few books that really stick with me, this is definitely one. Loved it!...more
Holy moly, this is McDaniel's debut novel? It is my favorite read so far this year, and spoke to me like few books do.
It's the 80's and McDaniel startHoly moly, this is McDaniel's debut novel? It is my favorite read so far this year, and spoke to me like few books do.
It's the 80's and McDaniel starts by reminding us of the hysteria over child abuse at the time. I remember the McMartain trial, the social workers giving children toy dolls, asking leading questions, dooming innocent caretakers as pedophiles. It was also the decade we learned of AIDS, how many believed God was exacting judgement for those who defiled Him. These memories set the stage for her own novel by showing us how hysteria and religious fervor are often all too human, but always lead us down a path of destruction.
We are introduced to the Bliss family, and their two sons Feilding and Grand. The younger son Feilding, now 84 years old, narrates the story as he looks back to his 13th year, and a summer that changed everything. His father was the town prosecutor. Always an even-handed man, he begins to wonder, is he really sifting out the "devils," or merely playing god. His desire to know leads him to place an add in the paper, inviting the devil to town. When the devil shows up as a 13 year old boy, and the town is facing its hottest summer on record, tempers begin to flare.
I loved how McDaniel took on all the questions that lie at the heart of who we are, and what we believe in. Questions such as where does our sense of morality, good and evil, right, and wrong, come from. This isn't a book questioning the existence of God or the devil, but rather how humans have interpreted both. She carefully weaves throughout many emotions and topics, such as pain and suffering, loss and death, family bonds and homosexuality.
What lies at the heart of this novel is mob mentality, how families are shattered through their ignorance, and how one man can affect others to blindly follow him through fear. As McDaniels states,
"It is the inability to choose by our own will that lessens us all. It is disease to our sanity, which sickens our good sense until we are the victims of choices we would not normally have been in the company of."
I was so reminded of our current political situation, and loved this statement as well,
"Fear is ignorance's first shadow"
McDaniel's writing is full of metaphor, and so beautifully written. Even the characters names were brilliant, ones I will never forget. Sometimes it takes a so-called devil to help us see more clearly. I think the novel seeks to show us that love is the only answer that matters in the end.
Thanks to NetGally for the early copy in exchange for a review.
Debbie "DJ"
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