A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

A Monster Calls follows the story of a thirteen year old boy, named Conor, who is learning to live with his mother's cancer diagnosis and her declining health.  With his mother's treatments also come nightmares for Conor.  Conor begins to be visited by a monster at 12:07 as he wakes from his nightmares.  The monster is formed out of a yew tree he can see from his bedroom window.  The yew tree monster tells Conor that he will tell him three true stories.  After the monster tells his three stories, Conor must tell a true story of his own.  If the monster determines that Conor's story is untrue, the monster will eat Conor.  The only problem is that Conor's story and his truth are not going to be easy to talk about.

The original creator, Siobhan Dowd, was terminally ill with cancer herself when she started working on this story.  She died before she could finish writing it.  Patrick Ness then took over and expanded the idea into the work it is today.  Ness also worked with a beautiful illustrator, Jim Kay, to really bring life to Siobhan's ideas.  The book has now been adapted to a film starring Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones, Liam Neeson, and Sigourney Weaver.  They also adapted it into a stage production in 2018, which looks phenomenal from the trailer and previews available online.

As soon as the story opens, you realize this is not going to be an easy, light-hearted read. Conor's mother is very sick, and the author isn't shy in showing the realities of cancer in a household.  For anyone who is sensitive to these topics or has experience with sick parents, just be aware that they don't sugarcoat the experience.  Make sure you have your tissues ready.  As someone who lost a parent to cancer at 17, I can so relate and empathize with Conor.  Especially his anger.  The ending of the book was so cathartic and something I really needed to read.  It really spoke to me on a personal level and helped me work through some of my own struggles surrounding my father's passing.  I don't cry often while reading, but I was crying through the ending of this book.  The ending was exactly what it needed to be.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5
* Positives: Not too long - 226 pages; Interesting concept and idea; Spot on in terms of reality of the story line (at least for me)

* Negatives: A part of me wonders if you have to have experienced grief like this to "get it."  I saw a few different reviews from people who were annoyed or unfazed by the story.  I'm thinking they are just in the wrong demographic (or soulless people who have no heart) but if someone has no concept of grief, then they may not understand where Conor is coming from.

Game of Thrones aka A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin


Prepare yourself for some overwhelming numbers here... The first book "A Game of Thrones" has 694 pages.
The second book "A Clash of Kings" has 768 pages.
The third book "A Storm of Swords" has 973 pages.
The fourth book "A Feast for Crows" has 753 pages.
The fifth book "A Dance with Dragons" has 1040 pages.
The sixth and seventh books are still in progress.
If you were to listen to the audiobook versions of the entire series, it would take you 198 hours and 53 minutes.

For those of you who have managed to avoid all of the hype surrounding Game of Thrones, I'll give you a brief overview on what to expect.  It is a mix of King Arthur and his knights of the round table mixed with Lord of the Rings.  You have swords, epic battles, and political overthrow while also mixing in high fantasy with names like Daenerys Targaryen, dragons, and a map in the front of the book showing you new continents like Westeros and Essos.

George R. R. Martin published the first book in the series in 1996, but he has been writing since the 70's.  All but the first book in the series has reached the New York Times weekly bestseller list.  However, George R. R. Martin is infamous for taking an extraordinarily long time to write the books.  Readers have been waiting since 2011 for the next installment in the series.

Also in 2011, HBO premiered the first episode of their fantasy drama adaptation of the books, which has since skyrocketed the series to fame and fandom.  The TV series has received 38 Primetime Emmy Awards.  This means that they have won more Emmy's than any other primetime scripted television series.

So the big question...
is it worth it to read the books?

First, I'll give you the overview of how I experienced them both.  Derrick and I joined the TV show bandwagon late.  We started watching right before Season 7 started.  For context, season seven started July 2017.  I set myself a goal to read the books before we watched the TV series.  Derrick bought me the box-set of the books for my birthday on July 2016.  I had one year to read the books and then hopefully watching the first six seasons of the show before the newest season started.  I thought I started out strong!  Book One, Book Two, and Book Three took about two to three months each to finish.  They were exciting, new, and I knew I had a deadline.  I have to be honest, the books can be confusing because they introduce you to a multitude of characters, background history, and they expect you to follow along with different story lines without getting confused.  I'm very much a visual reader.  Too many characters or story lines can make it difficult to conceptualize how the character's lives are meant to tie together or crossover.  Then we started watching the TV show, and things started to go downhill.  On one hand, I had a better understanding of the plot and character arcs with the visuals from the show.  On the other hand, the TV shows are made like movie productions.  The momentum was so much stronger than the books, and I started to lose interest in my reading.  I began to read the books merely for the sake of completing them versus any enjoyment in the book itself.  Nevertheless, I was able to finish Book Four and get about halfway through Book Five all while watching the first six seasons of the TV show.  We were able to watch Season 7 on time as it aired.  Around that time, I began to realize that the book plot and TV plot weren't necessarily lining up the same way.  I remember re-reading sections because they were so different from what I had seen on the show, and I couldn't image that George R. R. Martin would have signed off on such a drastic turn of events!  By the time the TV show ended, I had no desire to finish the last book.  Book Five sat on my bed side for 6+ months, with maybe a few pages read here or there in between other books, but no real progress ever being made.  Finally, in the last month, I decided to finish the book and just be done with it!  Now that there had been time away from the TV show and the book, I realized how far apart the book and TV show plot lines are at this point.  The TV show has delved well into the unwritten book's plot lines.  Yet somehow, previous crucial moments in the books never made it to the TV show.

You may be surprised by this, but I think there will only be two main instances where people will enjoy reading the books:
1) They love the fantasy genre.
2) They are die-hard Game of Thrones TV show fans.

Problem One: George R. R. Martin takes too long to write them.  If I didn't have to wait 7 years in between each book, then I don't think I would lose interest.  I can't imagine being a fan of the books and seeing an entire seven series TV show being produced before a new book could come out.  So disheartening!

Problem Two: High fantasy is tough.  I like to believe that most people read books because they like seeing themselves in someone else (struggling teenager sees himself in reading about a struggling teenager) or because they c an escape (struggling teenager can read about adventures and mystery instead of worrying about real life problems).  It is hard to feel like you're truly escaping into a book when you're trying to remember the differences between Khal Jhaqo and Khal Pono.

Problem Three: The TV show is such a high production event.  Each episode costs an average of $10 million to make.  With all the money and investment, they want the show to be interesting and exciting.  They are only going to show the most crucial and exciting parts.  While there are a lot of details that you miss while converting the books to TV, I don't think George R. R. Martin would allow critical moments to be exempt from the script.  Apparently, George R. R. Martin has told the showrunners "how it all ends" to ensure that they don't go too off script.  Even though the plot lines are so far apart now, I can’t determine if there will be a huge difference between the forthcoming books and TV show.  It’s probably a lot more exciting to watch a high quality HBO show than it is for the average person to read the massive book series.

My only fear is that he will have two different endings.  One for the TV show and one for the books.  Only time will tell us if that is the case!  There are also people who are concerned he may not ever finish the book series, as he’s currently 69 and not the healthiest person around.  Perhaps we may only have the TV show left if the book series is left unfinished.


Regardless, I wouldn't recommend the books to anyone outside of the two categories I mentioned before.  It is such an investment of time and energy to read through those books without any knowledge of the TV show OR without anticipation of a new season egging you on to finish the series.  Without hesitation I would tell someone to watch the TV series though.  They are fantastic, exciting, interesting, and it is well worth the HBO subscription!

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

My mom was catching up with an old friend, who is now a middle school English teacher.  She was talking about the books on her class syllabus this year being The Giver, The Hobbit, and Wonder.  My mom asked if the teacher had an extra copy she could borrow, which thankfully she lent us.  The Giver and The Hobbit are both stellar books, and the teacher raved about how wonderful Wonder was as well.  For it to be in the same category as the other two, I figured it would be worth reading.

We are introduced to August or "Auggie" Pullman, who is going into fifth grade.  To make that situation even more daunting, this is Auggie's first year in a public school setting.  He has previously been home schooled due to all of his vast medical issues.  Auggie was born with a condition called mandibulofacial dysostosis, which can result in facial abnormalities.  Throughout the book, he has to battle with the normal struggles of fitting in, making friends, and school work, all while his classmates whisper behind his back and are afraid to touch him because of how he looks.

Not only do we see Auggie's point of view during the school year, but we are given insight into a few different characters as well.  We see some view points of Auggie's friends, Auggie's sister (Via or Olivia), and a few other outer characters as well.  This allows the reader to see an outsider's perspective on Auggie's teasing and how his friend's and family react to his trials.  Auggie knows the difficulty he faces on a day to day basis, but I don't know if he realizes the difficulties his friend's and family face to be there for him the way they choose to be.

I think this is a fabulous book for a middle school English class.  It seems like it would be a wonderful way to drive home an anti-bullying policy instead of trying to lecture from the front of the classroom.  You feel invested with the characters and truly want to see the best for all of them.  I would love to see a future book about Auggie going to high school to see a follow-up timeline.  I do know that the book is being made into a movie starring Owen Wilson, Julia Roberts, and Jacob Tremblay, but I'm not sure when it's coming to theaters.  In the end, Wonder shows us the power of kindness, the strength of friendship, and that you can always overcome your adversities.  It's a lovely, heartwarming story that is well worth the read.

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Nicola Yoon is the current "it girl" of young adult literature.  Both of her books are New York Times Bestsellers, and her previous book was recently released as a film.  The cover art of this particular book is STUNNING.  Seriously beautiful.  I'm sure you've all heard the adage to "never judge a book by its cover" before, but I'm positive that people have picked up this book purely because of the beautiful cover art.  I wouldn't be surprised if this book is a movie in a year or two based on how well it has been doing.

"The Sun is Also A Star" is a story about Natasha and Daniel.  Daniel is scheduled to have a recommendation interview so he can attend Yale in a few years.  Natasha's family is going to be deported at the end of the day, and she is desperate to find a way to stay.  The book follows all of the details and happenstance moments of the one day they have together in New York City.  Natasha is a realist, cynic, and data driven pessimist.  Daniel is a hopeless romantic, a poet, and waits for the wind to blow him in the right direction.  Opposites truly attract in their situation.  Daniel falls head over heals for Natasha within moments of meeting her.  He then tries to convince Natasha that he can make her fall in love with him.  Throughout the day, we also catch glimpses into the backstory of why Natasha's family is being deported, Daniel's resistance to attending Yale, and other people they meet along the journey.

Similar to my "Catcher in the Rye" review, I think you will appreciate the book more if you truly enjoy the young adult genre and/or you are a young adult.  It had the tear-jerking, heavy make-out scenes, and easy-read style of a young adult book, but it doesn't have the same romantic capacity of a Nicholas Sparks book.  I thought it was really sweet and endearing to peak into the character's lives for a day instead of spending years following a relationship.  It makes it a much more casual read, but you still feel invested in the outcome.  I can understand why the young adult generation is raving about the book so wildly.

I think a lot of people are drawn to the book for her diversity in character development as well.  The typical blonde-hair, blue-eyed, popular girl is such romance novel trope character.  Seeing teenage characters that are actually outside that realm is refreshing and different.  The plot lines around deportation and family loyalty were such a lovely dynamic.  Granted, I haven't read a wide selection of other romance novels recently, so they may all revolve around similar themes nowadays.  Maybe I need to read other romance books to truly compare.  Perhaps that will be a future review for a different month!