The Fever - Megan Abbott

The Fever

Title: The Fever

Author: Megan Abbott

Publication Date: 6/17/14

Pages: 320

Genre: Thriller / Fiction

How I Found It: I can't remember

Date Completed: 4/6/16

Summary: When a mysterious illness begins taking down female students in a small town high school, the response is intense. Abbott examines how the potential epidemic affects parents, administration, and students while they search desperately for the cause and cure. 

What I Thought: This book could have been good. It had the set up for it. Instead, I felt Abbott circled around and around unnecessarily. 

I liked that she told the story from the perspective of three family members: Deenie, the young girls whose friends are rapidly falling victim to the unknown illness, Eli, her older, hockey-star brother who also attends the school, and Tom, her teacher father who represents both concerned parent and school administration. Abbott did a good job changing the voice of each character (of course, it helped that the audiobook I listened to for part of the book had three separate actors). I appreciated how she told the story from three unique points of view. It lent more gravitas to the story, particularly when Deenie's perspective felt so teenage girl - dramatic and socially-centered. 

Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison

Invisible Man

Title: Invisible Man

Author: Ralph Ellison

Publication Date: 1952

Pages: 581

Genre: Classic / Historical / Fiction

How I Found It: 100 Best Novels list

Date Completed: 3/17/16

Summary: A young man comes of age in the 1930s and finds himself relocated from the south to Harlem. Despite his best efforts at becoming an upstanding citizen and successful professional, he cannot catch a break. He becomes involved in the Marxist movement and, ultimately, finds himself made symbolically invisible by his race.

What I Thought: It worked out well that I read this around the same time as Native Son. The two novels, published only about a decade apart, both tackle the racial inequality and institutional racism present in America. Sadly, their words, though written decades ago, hold largely the same efficacy today as they did upon first publication. 

Invisible Man is much more widely known, yet, I found that I enjoyed Native Son much more. For me, that story was more compelling and interesting. I did not dislike Invisible Man, but I found it much harder to connect to. For one, we are never given the narrator's name. Of course, this is an intentional literary device used by Ellison, but it makes it harder for me to identify with the protagonist right out of the gate.

How to Be a Heroine - Samantha Ellis

How to Be a Heroine

Title: How to Be a Heroine: Or, What I've Learned from Reading Too Much

Author: Samantha Ellis

Publication Date: 2/3/15

Pages: 264

Genre: Memoir / Nonfiction

How I Found It: I spotted it on display at Barnes & Noble and, after a brief look, added it to my TBR.

Date Completed: 4/1/16

Summary: Ellis looks back at the literary heroines she has admired over the years. She examines how these heroines have impacted her life and her perspective and just how accurately she was interpretting their tales. 

What I Thought: The very concept of this book was fascinating to me. As someone who has also spent much of her life engrossed in literature and idolizing the heroines therein, I found this idea entrancing. Ellis went through this process in such an intentional way, making the journey that much more engaging to read about.

The book is part memoir, part self-analytic reflection. Ellis spends each chapter examining a different literary heroine (and her compatriots) that held her heart at different eras in her life. Starting with the Little Mermaid and ending with Scheherazade she gets to the bottom of why each heroine connected with her in that time and how their stories shaped her real life. I found this reflection really interesting. Albeit, the chapters about heroines with whom I was already familiar were much more interesting. Some of the middle chatpers were about literary characters with whom I am not yet acquainted and, thus, I did not understand as much of the analysis of their effects on Ellis.

Eve - Wm. Paul Young

Eve

Title: Eve

Author: Wm. Paul Young

Publication Date: 9/15/15

Pages: 320

Genre: Faith / Literary Fiction / Fiction

How I Found It: I've read Young's previous work.

Date Completed: 3/31/16

Summary: Through the lens of a broken, young woman, Young explores the story of Creation and the subsequent wrestling between Love and evil.

What I Thought: Young's writing is definitely not for everyone. His breakout hit, The Shack, flustered a lot of evangelicals because of his allegorical portrayal of God as an elderly black woman. Sigh. People, if you didn't like The Shack, don't bother with Eve. 

Young writes allegorically. He clearly is starting from a place of faith and belief, but he opens himself and readers up to imagination, filling in the space between the lines. I do not find his work heretical. Rather, I see it as an expression of and response to some of the questions we all carry. There are many blank spaces left by Scripture. God never chose to give us all the answers. He retains so much mystery about His person, His ways, and His plans (using those male pronouns so repetitively in a post about Young's work feels a bit ironic). So, Young allows imagination to do its work within the information we do already have. If you cannot appreciate an exploration of the possible, even in a fictional, literary structure, then avoid this. Young embraces the poetic, not the literal. 

My perspective: so long as you know where you stand, what you believe, and are able to critically evaluate what you take in, then read away. There is always something to learn, something to consider, ways to grow...even if they may come from unexpected or controversial sources.

My Holiday in North Korea - Wendy E. Simmons

My Holiday in North Korea

Title: My Holiday in North Korea: The Funniest/Worst Place on Earth

Author: Wendy E. Simmons

Publication Date: 5/6/16

Pages: 312

Genre: Memoir / Political / Nonfiction

How I Found It: I received it in a giveaway hosted by TLC.

Date Completed: 4/3/16

Summary: Simmons loves to travel and wants to visit every country in the world. Her trip to North Korea, NoKo as she calls it, is documented in this, her first book.

What I Thought: I have been interested in North Korea since I read Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick back in 2011 (pre-blog days). Demick's look into the closed country is absolutely fascinating and very engaging. It lit a curiosity and concern in me. Adam Johnson's Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Orphan Master's Son sealed the deal. Now, whenever I see a book on North Korea, it hits my TBR pretty quickly. 

When I had the saw that TLC, my favorite organization with which to do book tours, was hosting a giveaway of Simmons' memoir, entering was a given. I was thrilled when the publisher contacted me and offered a copy. As usual, receiving a free copy doesn't sway my opinion on the book.

I received Simmons' book in the mail within a week and had devoured it within two days. She's irreverent and honest. She uses plenty of profanity, so if that's not your thing, I'd consider skipping this one. In spite of her sailor's vocabulary, she is hilarious. I laughed out loud many times, something you do not expect when reading a book about North Korea.

Island of the Blue Dolphins - Scott O'Dell

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Title: Island of the Blue Dolphins

Author: Scott O'Dell

Publication Date: 1960

Pages: 184

Genre: Classic / Historical / Young Adult / Fiction

How I Found It: I read it as a child

Date Completed: 3/17/16

Summary: First, her community is betrayed and attacked by Aleut seal hunters. Then, she ends up left behind on the small island, where she lives in solitude for nearly two decades.

What I Thought: I loved this book as a kid. It's not surprising it won the Newbery medal back in the day. It's an engaging, enchanting story that is written beautifully. Best of all, it's based loosely on a real woman.

As a kid, and as an adult, I loved this book because of its adventure and excitement. Castaway stories have always appealed to me for some reason - maybe it's the introvert in me longing for my own shot at true isolation. I wouldn't want to stay forever, I know, but a month or two completely alone on a tropical island...I don't think I would complain that much, provided I had brought a suitcase full of books and all the food and drink needed. O'Dell's Karana does not exactly choose this life, but she certainly thrives in it. She conquers nature time and again in an effort to not only survive, but thrive. O'Dell's writing style remains simplistic enough for young readers and beautiful enough in its simplicity for older ones. It's a classic and an award winner for a reason.

April 2016 Chapter

Welcome to the Read.Write.Repeat. monthly wrap-up.  Every month, I give a quick overview of what books I read, the progress made on the 100 Best Novels goal, a few book-related links, and general blog news.  

April News 

Oh, April. I am so glad to see you go. This month has been crazy and hectic and exhausting, as predicted. I feel as though Kevin and I have barely seen each other - never a good thing for a couple who enjoys spending basically all our free time together. On one hand, all the time on my own while he's been at work or class or traveling or whatnot has resulted in a huge reading month. I read so much in April. I think it's a new monthly record for me. Still, I am looking forward to happily trading some of that reading time for husband time again. Summer is always a good time for reading, but I like it best when I'm sitting next to my man poolside. So many of my favorite activities can converge in that scenario and I love it. Summer is coming!

Since summer is such a good time for reading, you may be on the lookout for some books of your own for the upcoming season. Good news! I'm officially here to help you out.

I am launching personalized reading recommendations for anyone who wants them. I absolutely love doing this for friends and family. Recently, one of my best friends suggested I start offering the service through the blog and I thought it was a great plan. All you have to do is fill out a quick survey and I'll send you a list of at least five books I think you will enjoy. It's a great way to get your summer reading list started. Check out the page here!

Here's your April update...