My 2018 reading has been top notch. This has been another week of some great books. I always think it is interesting when you can read two books that seem unrelated and make a connection between them (this happened with the YA books I read).
Lisa Genova has a new book, Every Note Played, coming out in March. I really enjoyed Left Neglected and Inside the O'Briens by her (and I've read all but one of her books). Still Alice still sits on my shelf since it hits a little too close to home. This new book is good. Genova does a great job of showing how ALS affects a person - all the ways Richard loses parts of himself slowly to this disease. Genova is so good at giving information without it seeming preachy or educational, yet readers will leave with a greater understanding of how this disease impacts people. Richard's story is heartbreaking in that he is so young- just 45 at the time of his diagnosis - and his entire life revolves around his career as a concert pianist. The disease strips him of his ability to make music, his passion in life. It also forces he and his ex-wife into contact again as he is in need of care and without anyone else close enough to help him. I tore through this book in just a day and predict that there will be plenty of readers who fall in love with Genova's newest book.
Backlash by Sarah Darer Littman is the 8th grade girls latest book club pick. I started it on Tuesday and by Wednesday morning a girl stopped to tell me she was nearly halfway through- and there were some twists I should be prepared for. I stayed up late on Tuesday to finish it. Basically a high school girl who has low self esteem and had some rough times in junior high is finally finding some happiness. A guy she is friends with on Facebook has been chatting her up for a while and then drops her suddenly. His rejection turns her life upside down and after her suicide attempt, the police start investigating this online "friend." This is where the story begins to twist and turn - and will leave you with plenty to talk about. I can hardly wait until Tuesday to talk with the girls about this read. At this point their lives revolve around social media so hearing their take on it may be interesting.
Randy Ribay's After The Shot Drops comes out in March. This book is narrated by Nasir and Bunny, best friends who are struggling with their friendship as Bunny attends an elite private school and Nasir is left at their public school. Bunny is the star of his school's basketball team - a standout as a sophomore already heavily recruited by colleges. Yet he doesn't feel like he fits in at his new school. Nasir is angry Bunny left, and trying to help his cousin, Wallace, who lives with his grandmother and is facing eviction. Wallace is a hot mess - and makes bad decision after bad decision. It won't surprise readers at all to know that he is rooting for Bunny's team to lose - and that social media is involved in his plot to make that happen. This book fits right in with Jason Reynolds' books and Dear Martin by Nic Stone. It is fantastic.
I've been trying to slow my reading down a bit this year. I'm still reading far more than most people, but I've also been giving myself some time to watch a few things on Netflix and relax in that way. I've been loving rewatching season one of West Wing, and have so many things on my watch list, that I'll never catch up.
Happy Monday, everyone.
1 comment:
Good to know about Lisa Genova's new book. She has such a gift for putting a human face on some terrible medical conditions. And, yes, I understand about STILL ALICE. Perhaps one day. Or perhaps not. Hugs.
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