#12DaysofReadThis 2017 | April
This was a particularly slow reading month for me. I think a busy month at work mixed with a little travel had a slowing affect on my reading life. I also slogged through The Wanderers. Goal for 2018- if I still hate a book by 50%, it's time to move on.
All Grown Up | Jami Attenberg | This was such a nice surprise. The book is slim at under 200 pages, but I enjoyed every section. Andrea Bern is the "captain of the sinking ship that is her flesh" and begins the book by painting the Empire State building over and over every day. People around her feel like she should be doing more. She's not unhappy, but not exactly happy either. This was honest, raw, and hilarious. Read this if you are a woman in your late 20s/early 30s whose only expectations that matter in life are her own. Rating, 5
The Wanderers | Meg Howrey | This book was mis-marketed. It was originally listed as "The Martian meets Station Eleven" but that changed after publication. It's ostensibly about three astronauts that are hand picked to be the first humans to step foot on Mars, who each chosen for their own particular strengths that stand out on their own but would mesh well as a group. We never actually get to Mars... and never actually get to see anything happening. it's a lot of internal dialogue and very little plot. Avoid if you like to read books that have a strong plot that moves the story. You might like if you interested in introspective complex characters reflecting on what it means to travel and pursue your dreams while having a family. Not for me. Rating, 2
The Hate U Give | Angie Thomas | One of my favorite books of 2017. The Hate U Give (THUG) is a book I want to put into everyones' hands. It's very of the moment- Starr Carter is a teen who lives on "the other side of the tracks" but goes to a nice school. She finds herself having to straddle both worlds, and does so fairly well until one day she's riding home with her childhood friend who is unarmed and gets shot and killed by a white police officer. This was an incredibly well done story with so many strengths- it looks at all sides of the situation, has strong characters, is written by a woman of color, calls bad police on their stuff while not being anti-police, and does so within the boundaries of being YA. The hype you may have heard about this is so warranted. Rating, 5
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