The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have put off reading this for years, because I don't tend to enjoy ghost stories. However, this really isn't a ghost story in any typical or traditional kind of format. It lives in it's own unique space, and I was okay with that.

I confess there are some things that happen, particularly at the end, that I wasn't really okay with and didn't feel was necessary. That resulted in the loss of one star, but overall, this was a well-written story with an interesting concept.

Book 280 read in 2018

Pages: 328

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#BecRereads2018

It was fun to reread this one, though it's definitely different the second time through. The first time everything is so shocking and hilarious and in your face, but once you are used to that, the story reads a bit differently. I actually spent more time thinking about Greg and his issues this time, rather than just being amused at how ridiculous it all is.

The audiobook version was good, and it included a full cast.

PAGES: 295

Book 192 read in 2018

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#BecRereads2018

I both love and hate that I reread this gorgeous, funny story that fist punches people right in the soft places. The previous review still stands.

Book 5 read in 2018

Pages: 313


PREVIOUS REVIEW:

Eff.

This novel destroyed me from the inside out. I avoided it, because I thought it was going to be another Cancer Kid book that makes me cry. It is (a Cancer Kid book) and it did (make me cry), but it went way beyond that. I think it set a new standard that other authors in this genre will struggle to live up to.

I let this story into my life, all the gorgeous notions and metaphors and ideas and words. I almost wanted to be the characters, full of wit, humor, life, and individuality, despite how difficult, messy, and painful their lives actually were.

And then the grenade exploded. The shrapnel pierced me, and I stood by and let it happen. Because some stories are worth bleeding over, worth crying for, and worth screaming at the universe for.

The ache it leaves is a tragic side effect...of Epic Stories, not Dying. Well, both actually.

Read with caution: I think it left a new scar on my well-traveled reader's heart.

Benediction by Kent Haruf, read by Mark Bramhall

I first fell in love with Kent Haruf's writing in Plainsong.  Haruf writes sparely yet his characters are so well developed you feel like you're visiting with longtime neighbors.  Benediction takes you into the lives of Dad Lewis, wife Mary, and daughter Lorraine just when they learn that Dad has terminal lung cancer. If you can make it to the end of this book without weeping, you're made of sterner stuff than me.  272 pages. Unabridged audiobook.  8 hours 49 minutes.