2030: The Real Story of What Happens in America
by Albert Brooks
by Albert BrooksThis novel caught my eye with its subtitle of "what really happens in America." Isn't that intriguing to think about - this country in the year 2030 if we keep going the way we are going? I was hooked. However, when I read the brief description of the book and saw that cancer was cured and that led to good news for part of the population, and a nightmare for the rest, then I was sold. I wrote a complete review as a guest post on the Creative Boomer blog, since the Baby Boomer generation plays a pretty prominent role in the story as it is told. For more details about what happens in this book and how I felt about it, check out the post Creative Boomer: Is 2030 the new 1984?
Living Dead Girl
by Elizabeth Scott
by Elizabeth ScottThis book was recommended to me by a family member who knows about my attraction to young adult novels. She warned me that this story was different than the others we had both read and discussed in th past, but it was a "must-read." She has never, ever steered me wrong, so I dutifully obeyed.
This book, in a word, was haunting - and this is from an avid Stephen King fan. It was told from the perspective of a girl who was abducted and living in captivity. I didn't realize how on-edge I was throughout the entire book until reading one sentence just broke me down to tears. It was a very good book, but not an easy one for me to read at all. However, it is recommended for reluctant readers. This always baffles me, but my husband (the English teacher) vouches for the fact that many students, in his experience are drawn to these types of stories when they normally show little interest in other offerings!
This book, in a word, was haunting - and this is from an avid Stephen King fan. It was told from the perspective of a girl who was abducted and living in captivity. I didn't realize how on-edge I was throughout the entire book until reading one sentence just broke me down to tears. It was a very good book, but not an easy one for me to read at all. However, it is recommended for reluctant readers. This always baffles me, but my husband (the English teacher) vouches for the fact that many students, in his experience are drawn to these types of stories when they normally show little interest in other offerings!
Invincible #80
by Robert Kirkman
by Robert KirkmanComic books have been one of the hardest things to get back into since my vision got all screwed up with my crazy disease (Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension) - reading them in print is impossible and downloading them is sometimes no better, but always expensive (especially if my husband is buying the SAME issue in print!). Even so, I've been wanting to get back to comics for awhile now and when my husband sad that DINOSAURUS returned in issue 80 of Invincible, I knew I had to download it!
My husband and I agree, DINOSAURUS should totally run for President. He is a bit extreme with his techniques, but both times he has appeared in Invincible, his ability to take action to clean up the messes we have made for ourselves, is equally admirable and frightening. He is a mysterious character with no origin story (as of yet...), but one the Riveras want t-shirts of!
Excuse Me, My Brains Stepped Out
by Pandora Poikilos
by Pandora PoikilosThe last book I read in June was written by a blogging buddy of mine. This novel was special read for me, as the protagonist, Anya, was diagnosed with the same disease as I have (Pseudotumor cerebri is another name for Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension). The book captured much of what one goes through when diagnosed with a rare disease (or any disease, for that matter) and the type of perspective-shift that can come from it.
I was impressed by this book not only for its content, but also for its technique of delivery. In my review on Amazon I likened the book to that of Sandra Cisnero's House on Mango Street
, which, if you haven't read it - it s a series of short stories from the perspective of one character that seem completely inconsequential on their own, but taken together, give you a complete vision of the character and her environment. When reading Pandora's book I was, at first, in the same mindset as I shifted from chapter to chapter, thinking, "They don't seem to connect," until, the pieces started to fall together... until the story of Anya came to light. Really cool. Great book, I recommend it!
So that's pretty much it! I did a lot of recovering (June is not going in the record books as one of my healthier months this year), writing, TV watching and some movie going in June, too, so four books (well, three and one issue of a comic) is not too bad. We'll see how July stacks up against this!
I was impressed by this book not only for its content, but also for its technique of delivery. In my review on Amazon I likened the book to that of Sandra Cisnero's House on Mango Street
, which, if you haven't read it - it s a series of short stories from the perspective of one character that seem completely inconsequential on their own, but taken together, give you a complete vision of the character and her environment. When reading Pandora's book I was, at first, in the same mindset as I shifted from chapter to chapter, thinking, "They don't seem to connect," until, the pieces started to fall together... until the story of Anya came to light. Really cool. Great book, I recommend it!So that's pretty much it! I did a lot of recovering (June is not going in the record books as one of my healthier months this year), writing, TV watching and some movie going in June, too, so four books (well, three and one issue of a comic) is not too bad. We'll see how July stacks up against this!
Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts?
What books did you read in June? (I am ALWAYS looking for new reads!!)
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