For the last couple of months I have been on a reading frenzy! Maybe it’s because my book is almost finished and I like to see what a polished (or totally unpolished) product looks like. Apparently the last 20 something years did nothing to help me know “what a finished book” or “what a really really good book” looks like. Best way to understand your craft is to immerse yourself in it right? I did…I have been a readin’!!!!
First up is probably my favorite book. No joke this one hits the numero uno spot on my list:
The Martian, by Andy Weir
I love good suspense, I always find myself wanting to dive into the latest thriller action book. This one takes the cake of nail bitter story. It’s a science fiction, suspense, nail bitingly tense, oh my god I CAN’T STOP TURNING THE PAGE..... kind book. You start out with the main character Mark Watney (Who in my mind resembles someone like Domhnall Gleeson….no idea why. Mark isn’t a red head, and he is an American. But anyways that’s the face I imagined). So this Mark Watney guy, who is a total nerd in the coolest way, starts the story with an OH SHIT moment. He is completely stranded on Mars. He spends the next so many days (no need to spoil here!) trying to stay alive. The best part about most of his “I have to save my own arse” moments is they seem completely one hundred percent scientifically legit. There wasn’t a single time I thought, “No way, that just isn’t possible.” But then again, who am I to question a Mechanical Engineer/Botonist? Weir really twists a great story in with the on the edge moments, and he adds enough crazy wild “AHHHHH run for your life,” in with the “oh my god that is the funniest thing I have ever read,” that you never get bored. Even when he was talking his science mumbo jumbo I was hooked. This is a serious page turner, seriously funny, and on my top list as MUST READ!!!! Does Mark Watney ever make it home??? You will have to read this one to find out.
Second book on my must read list:
If I Stay, by Gayle Forman
Now, a totally different style than The Martian, If I Stay is a heartfelt slightly crushing story of a girl, Mia Hall, who gets in a horrible car accident with her family and through a miraculous state of in-between has the option to choose if she wants to leave all her loved ones behind, or if she wants to stay. (That isn’t a spoiler there, it’s on the back of the book pretty much). This is one of those books that doesn’t follow an A-Z timeline, it jumps back and forth through Mia’s life highlighting people she loves and why mean so much to her. Forman does a great job with the back and forth, I never lost myself in the timeline she supplied, it flowed so perfectly with the main characters arch that it was perfectly executed. This book kinda reminds me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower in that it focuses a lot of attention on music and how it changes our lives. Perhaps that’s why I love it so much! I originally picked up this book because I saw the trailer starring Chloe Grace Moretz. I got really excited and thought, “I need to read this before I see the movie!” I was right, this is a must read. There will be so many entities of this book that they won’t be able to get across through film. It’s definitely a tug on the heart strings kinda book, but it’s so beautiful written and focused that I have to put it on a top list of must read. One thing I will say, I actually enjoyed the sequel to this book. The author really knows how to pull you in deep with music, lyrics, and emotion and she fills the page with numerous quotable lines. I have a feeling this be a re-read in my near future.
Third Book on my must read list:
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
“Why John, why must you yank on my heart strings so harshly!!!!” My first reply (because yes I spoke out loud to the author when I read this one) when I finished the book. This one isn’t a surprise knock you sideways book, you know it’s going to be a ‘rough on the emotions’ read. Hazel Lancaster is a young girl who from the beginning you know has a difficult path in front of her, she has cancer and it isn’t going away. She struggles through her day to day lugging around a breathing machine just so that she can stay alive, but she ends up meeting a fellow cancer patient at a support group, and from there things get interesting. I will say this book from the beginning seemed like just another sad story, but I will tell you that I have NEVER read a more truly inspirational and quotable book in my life! (outside of books that are quoted all the time, those don’t count) This story is corky and sweet, the plot is simple but severely intense, and the characters are beyond lovable. Every page kept me wondering how it would end, every page made me ache and feel for the characters’ lives. If the story itself doesn’t grab you, then watch the MOVIE. Shailene Woodley is starring in it!! I dare you to try and watch the trailer for this amazing story and not shed a glistening tear…I failed miserably.
Ok, that wraps my MUST READS for the moment. I promise I will have more soon, I can’t seem to keep my nose out of books lately. Perhaps that’s because I am waiting for own to be edited….not pointing fingers, just saying. ;) (I love you editor!)
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