The Fault is in Our Stars - John Green ★★★★1/2

Hazel Lancaster, at 16, has Thyroid Cancer. She is terminal. She no longer goes to school.  Her days usually consist of going to a support group (which she hates), watching America's Next Top Model and reading An Imperial Affliction (over and over and over again). Until Augustus Waters enters her world.  Augustus is in remission and a one legged, blue eyed, gorgeous 17 year old. Together, they discover new things, novels, Amsterdam....love. Things couldn't get any better...until, Cancer sucks the fun out of everything.

I give this book 4.5 stars. The Fault in Our Stars made me view things a bit differently and that is, also why I gave it 5 stars. Just like Hazel, I wanted to know how "it ends." What happens to Issac (Recently Blind)? Her parents? Van Houten?

Hazel and Gus seem to be old souls. They do not speak like the typical 16/17 year olds. I, at 28, haven't even heard of some of the words that they used but I think that in this type of story it fit. I recommend this book. Its sad. Its witty. Its metaphorical.

The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein ★★★★



I did not want to like this book. It's heartbreaking. You develop a fond attachment to Enzo. I repeat, I did not want to like this book, but I did. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, is about a dog named Enzo. It starts off with Enzo knowing that it is his time. You then are taken back through Enzo's entire lifetime, living on the farm, with Denny (his owner), etc. and how everything ties into racing. Enzo wants to be a racecar driver, but he knows he cannot...because he does not have thumbs. Then of course, not really a spoiler alert, because its the inevitable....you come full circle to the end of Enzo's life.  I can read books with humans passing away. Good people, bad people...no big deal. I can watch movies and 95% of the time, its still not that big of a deal with someone dies. But when they put animals into that situation? It becomes one giant sob-a-thon. I get the ball in my throat, the water eyes and shaky voice. I just feel so bad and helpless..Why do the animals always have to die?
I liked this book because its in the point of view of a dog. Some of the things Enzo talks about, I think to myself; So that is why my dogs do that?! Enzo understood everything people were saying and even trying to stop Denny from making the biggest mistake of his life...a few times. Enzo's story is a good one. The Denny story, I did not see that coming. The entire book, although good, was rather sad. Denny had it rough (and his in-laws were the biggest Aholes ever!! I wanted to punch them in the face...repeatedly).
I would probably recommend this book to someone who wants to read something a little different (a dogs POV) however I would just suggested to not read the 7th and 8th to last page...Those are the lump in your throat pages.

Enzo, you will be a great human.

Little Star - John Ajvide Lindqvist ★★★★

 

Disturbing? I highly think so. I read this book because I won it in a Goodreads.com first reads book consent. As awkward as it may be, I have to say I did enjoy Little Star. Yes, it was a little disturbing at times, but overall it was a good read. To briefly describe Little Star, A former popstar finds a baby in the woods. Rather than doing the "right thing" and turning her over to the authorities, he ends up keeping the baby in the basement. Thirteen years later, she goes Rogue. Jerry, her "brother" ends up taking her to live with him. The baby, who is now known as Theres, meets up with Teresa and together, they form a bond that is unbreakable, til death do them part.

I first started reading this book and was a little confused as to why the man who found her, his wife, nor Jerry ever did the right thing by Theres. They were by no means capable of raising a little girl. I suppose, they had what was coming to them. The details that Lindqvist writes about is - the only word that keeps coming to mind is - disturbing. I recall reading certain events with a scrunched up "Eww" face. Despite all the gruesomeness and unethical happenings, my attention was still held and I kept on reading, even after the "smoke" came.

I do not suggest this book for those with morals. HA! Be warned, there is mistreatment, death, blood, guts, weirdness and all the other shiny objects that come with it.

In the end, I was hoping for a bigger "bang."  

SPOILER ALERT!!!

I figured the girls would end up being dead in the end, but I wanted to know if they were fraternal twins that were separated at birth because then it would explain the unnatural love affair.

Beautiful Disaster - Jamie McGuire ★★★★

Tattoos, underground fight clubs and being the one that can change a man is every girls dream. Abby Abernathy is just another ordinary girl; until she goes to a underground fight club one evening and comes face to face with Travis "Mad Dog" Maddox. From that first moment, Travis is interested in her, but she wants nothing to do with him. One little bet changes everything, causing Travis to go against every reputation he has and Abby becoming who every girl wants to be.

I gave Beautiful Disaster 4 starts, because by page roughly page 22, I already had a book crush on Travis. Once you get a book crush, the ratings automatically go up. He seemed "perfect" with the tattoos, the boxing (I thought of Tyler Durden :::swoon:::), he says the right things and even wears his pants in that OMG! way. Then he goes and screws it up a few times. Mainly by bringing some girl back to the apartment and also ending up being a vagina. He seemed way to clingy and totally dependent on Abby. For being this big tough hot shot, he seemed a little desperate for Abby. It was a little annoying. Man up! But in the end, I still have my book crush on Travis.

My only other comment...where the heck were the authorities? Cops never seemed to be around and I must say, you would think cops/campus security/The Dean would step in when someone is punching someones face in at the schools cafeteria. A few things just seemed very unrealistic, but the rest of the plot makes up for it.

More than likely, I will read #2. Walking Disaster, even though it is the same exact story just told from Travis' point of view.

Let's Pretend This Never Happeend (A Mostly True Memoir) - Jenny Lawson ★★★★

Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson....I don't even know what to say about it. You read through the intro, then the first chapter and all is fine...then you get to Chapter 2 - My Childhood: David Copperfield Meets Guns & Ammo Magazine and Jenny Lawson talks about wearing a dead like a sweater. You think to yourself....ok this girl has got to be making this stuff up, because seriously? But then I recall my childhood and what we saw hanging in the garage and although, I've never done it, I could see the potential of running inside a carcass as well. So then I was like..Alright, that's believable. So naturally, if wearing a deer for a sweatshirt is possible, then I guess the rest of her story is too. 
At times, Lawson tends to go off subjects and on rambling tangents that really have nothing to do with the story and one could possibly get confused or uninterested in the book but 1. you get use to it and 2. if you have a sibling (sorry, to through you in here sister) that has a similar personality to Lawson then you understand completely how blurting out your own credit card number (incorrectly) and polar bears tie together. Some stories were very disturbing (chasing vultures with machetes) and some were hilarious, that even when I look at the picture, I still crack up like crazy (Knock, Knock Motherfucker). I'd most likely read Lawson's second book because what other shenanigans can she get into? And major props to Victor, for not murdering her yet. Jenny - He's a keeper!

Heaven is for Real - Todd Burpo ★★★ 1/2

Heaven for Real by Todd Burpo (with Lynn Vincent), is the true story of 3 year old Colton Burpo, who underwent emergency surgery and during that time he ended up going to heaven for 3 minutes. The story then continues over the next few years of Colton telling more about his experience in heaven - who and what he saw while he was there.

Heaven is for real did hold my attention. It is understandable that there were a lot of bible references, not just because its about Heaven/God/Jesus, but because Todd Burpo is a Pastor - so he relates a lot of what Colton saw to the Bible. That part helped me a lot because for me not being very religious, I don't really understand what certain bible scriptures are about, but Burpo explains what each bible reference meant or at least pointed out the main point that he was trying to get across. It helped me understand what the importance of why the Burpo's were in jaw-dropping shock when Colton mentioned certain things. For instance, Colton mentioned Jesus not having wings but moves like an elevator. I didn't find that to be of any importance. Then Burpo explains that how in the book of Acts, the scripture has a part that says, "Jesus was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight..." then two men dressed in white stood beside the people and said "This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Todd then writes, "Jesus went up. And will come down. Without wings. To a kid, that could look like an elevator." After reading those paragraphs, it made more sense of the importance of Coltons' description.
I would probably suggest this book to a few people I know that are into this topic. I did mark this as a book that I would "eventually" read, but it wasn't anything on the top of my list. However, after a summer reading program at one of our local libraries, I ended up getting this book for free and that is the only reason why I read it as soon as I did. I kept debating on whether to give Heaven is for Real, 3 or 4 stars, so I finally decided on 3.5 only because Colton mentions rainbows and for personal reasons, rainbows mean the world to me, Since they are a representation of my Grandma who has passed - When I see a Rainbow, its my Grandma<3 telling me Hello.

Moose - Stephanie Klein ★★★★

Moose is the true story of Stephanie Klein from when she was 13 and had a summer of firsts...at fat camp. When you think of things that happen at camp, stereotypically you think band camp. American Pie even popularized the phrase, "one time, at band camp..." but the things that Klein writes about... band camp has nothing on fat camp. Stephanie reminisces about new friendships, hickeys, and finally fitting into goal jeans....I liked how she wrote the story with a no holds bar. She didn't hold much back or sensor what went on. You can tell she wrote the truth. She made Fat camp seem so much fun, (sans food limitations) and although there were a few times Klein wished she could go home, she still had a summer she'll always hold close to her heart. I wish I had that. Despite all the sexual festivities, I wish I could of gone to a summer camp. The way Klein wrote this, with everything descriptive just enough, it makes you feel like you were bunk mates with her, kate, ham and the rest of the girls.  Here's ★★★★ to fat camp champs!