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.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Illuminae is not your standard sci-fi book. If you go to a book store and flip through the pages, this one will immediately stand out to you.  It does not have a standard narrative or traditional paragraphs.  Rather, it uses the non-traditional formatting of an epistolary novel.  For those of you getting ready to Google "epistolary", it means that it uses letters, diary entries, newspaper clippings, e-mails, or electronic documents to build the story.  To give you an idea, I found two beautiful pictures taken by a different blogger linked here.

Illuminae is a collection of files that builds a story behind the destruction of a planet called Kerenza.  It seems that they are trying to interpret the reasoning of the attack and any remaining evidence.  They're able to do this by reading through old conversation logs, emails, transcripted voice memos, and diary entries from people who were a part of the Kerenza attack.  The main voices are Kady and Ezra.  They broke up the day before the Kerenza attack happens but following the attack find each other alive on different ships.  They are able to communicate with one another to try and rebuild their relationship and also share information from each ship.

I started out very confused at the beginning of the book because of the formatting.  I was about a third of the way in when I realized there were dates listed on a lot of the communications.  I hoped that they weren't jumping around on a timeline and that the dates weren't too important because I certainly had not been paying attention to them.  I wish there were a few chapters thrown in every once in awhile that gave some more outline to the story because I wasn't sure where my focus was supposed to go.  Am I supposed to be focusing on the character growth of Kady?  The romance between Kady and Ezra?  The slow crumbling of the worlds around the characters?  Because it reads as files piecing together a puzzle, it took me a long time until I started to realize what the main focus of the book was.  Until that point, I just felt a little lost and unsure with the direction of the book and was unable to connect with the characters.  When I did start to understand, I found it enjoyable, an easy read, and I was invested in the character's fates.  The second half of the book was far better than the first.  Without spoiling anything, there were plenty of exciting moments full of drama and suspense to keep you flipping the pages to the end.

I read this as an e-book.  The majority of the formatting was correct, but I had an understanding of what the format was supposed to look like.  On occasion something would be split on two different pages when it shouldn't have been or I could tell the formatting was off on my e-reader.  I also heard that it also comes in an audiobook format.  But I think the beauty of these books is seeing the art they have created in the physical editions.  The cover and dust jacket alone are beautiful.  If you're interested in this book, or the whole trilogy, then I would highly advise you pick up the real-deal books to really enjoy the designs.

Rating: 3 out of 5

* Positives: Strong, intelligent female protagonist; Loved the second half of the plot and the resolution to the story

* Negatives: Confused in the beginning; Wasn't fully sold on the format, but I think some of that was my fault for doing the e-reader versus physical book.

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!

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Alice In Wonderland, 
The Chronicles of Narnia, 
Peter Pan, 
and Every Heart a Doorway... 

All follow a similar vein in which the characters are transported to another realm full of fairy tales and make believe.  Eventually, they are returned back to their homes wondering if they will ever find their way back to these mystery worlds.  In "Every Heart a Doorway," the children falling through these portals prefer the alternate world to their real-life home.  When they are returned back to reality, they are struggling to find people who understand what they have been through.  An even bigger issue is dealing with the disappointment and frustration of not being able to find their doorways again.  Their time spent on the other side of their doorway has changed them.  They will never stop looking for a way back.  Their confused parents, who mainly think their child is having a mental breakdown or suffering some traumatic incident, decide to send their children to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children.  Eleanor tells the parents she can fix the children.  In reality, she herself has experience with her own doorway, and she has since opened a school to bring support and community to other children who are suffering.

The book falls under the category of a novella.  The difference between a novella and a novel is the size.  The typical novel is around 80,000-100,000 words while a novella is closer to 30,000-60,000.  Although it is significantly shorter than the average book, it is full of world building, character development, and even includes a murder mystery.  To be honest, I didn't think the murder mystery was even necessary to the story.  The characters and the concept of these various fantasy lands is fascinating enough to carry the story.  The author gives you glimpses into different character's experiences, and you find yourself wanting to know and understand more as you read.  The murder mystery just creates movement for the plot line.

From the beginning, I loved the resemblance of the wayward children to people who read books.  There are a few individuals out there who stick to strictly non-fiction, but most of us enjoy a good story that transports us to another place.  I could be at Hogwarts with Harry Potter or on a boat at sea with Pi and the tiger.  When you finish a fabulous book, there is a part of you that feels disappointment that you won't be able to experience that world again.  I couldn't imagine a life where I read one book that truly spoke to my soul, finishing the book, and then realizing that I may never be able to read another one every again.  How devastating would that be!

Seanan McGuire currently has two other books out in the Wayward Children series.  The second books is called "Down Among the Sticks and Bones" and the third is "Beneath the Sugar Sky."  The fourth book is already in the works, and it sounds like she may have as many as seven by the end.  I finished book number two shortly after finishing the first.  I'm wait-listed for the third one with my library, but I can't wait to read that one!  I'm hooked.

Rating: 5 out of 5
* Positives: Fascinating story; love the characters and enjoyed their diverse representation
* Negatives: Too short!!  I want more!

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Strange the Dreamer has peaked my interest for a month or two now.  I've seen a lot of people talking about it and reviewing it, all raving about how wonderful the story is.  It also has a beautiful blue and gold cover that immediately draws your attention.  As I thought about my 2018 reading goals, I realized that reading "Strange the Dreamer" would allow me to tick off two of my boxes.  1) Listen to a book as an audio book.  "Strange the Dreamer" falls into the fantasy genre.  With fantasy writing, there tends to be some odd names.  Some of my struggle with reading fantasy is that it can be hard for me to follow because I can't grasp the pronunciation of the names, cities, and it makes the dialogue tricky.  If I can listen to someone do that for me, it may make it easier for me.  2) Read more "current" or "trendy" books.  A lot of people listed this book on their top reads for 2017.  I may be a little behind, but I'm hoping I can still ride the wave since it was just published March 2017.

I found an app called "Overdrive" for audio books.  I could plug in all of my library card information once, and then I had access to my library's e-book and audio book files without having to re-login every single time.  You still have to make sure that something is in your library's collection, wait for it to be available, and follow the check-out guidelines, but it just seemed more convenient than going through my library's website.

For me personally, I find it difficult to listen to audio books without the text in front of me.  I need the visual in front of me to focus.  Otherwise, I find myself a half hour into an audio book, and I realize I've been thinking about my grocery list, the laundry that needs done, how the weather is outside... and I have absolutely  no idea what I've just listened to.  But it was a massive help that the audio book narrator was the one who had to struggle through the foreign names and wacky pronunciations.  Luckily, I found the e-book online and was able to read along while I listened to the audio book to help keep my concentration and focus.  The only other issue I found with that, was that I visually read faster than the narrator talked.  Sometimes when a big plot twist was coming, I would spoil myself by speed reading ahead and then wait for him to catch up.

With about 50 pages left, I had to check to see if it was a stand alone or a series because there was NO WAY it was all going to wrap up in just a few pages.  It sounds like she is in the midst of writing the second book, and we aren't sure if it will be a duology or a trilogy by the end.  As of now, it doesn't appear that there is a release date for the second book.  Be prepared for things to feel unresolved at the end of this first book.

I loved the layout of the book.  It is broken into four parts, but I obviously don't want to spoil the book by covering all of them.  Part One covers the introduction and basics for one of the main characters named Lazlo Strange.  You find out that he is an orphan who has an affinity for this lost city of "Weep."  Weep actually had a different name at one point, but it was attacked and the true name of the city was stripped away and all that remained was Weep.  Most people don't really care or remember much about Weep, but Lazlo wants to learn all he can about it.  The book follows Lazlo's journey to learn about Weep as well as his own past.  You meet some other people along the way, but I think it's best to go into the book a little blind.  It helps when you let your idea of the world build with Lazlo's knowledge.
I thought the ending was really rushed.  I read that she had intended for it to be one book and then decided to extend it, and I think that really shows.  We also meet a love interest later on in the book, but I thought their dynamic was so-so.  I think the author was trying to portray them both as very innocent and naive but to me that came across as lacking depth.  The plot and character developments just started out so strong, and I felt it started to decline by the end.  Regardless, I'm still really looking forward to the other book(s) in the series!

Rating: 3.75 out of 5
* Positives: Lazlo's character growth and development, layout of the first half of the book, and really most things surrounding Lazlo.  I loved his character.
* Negatives: There were a few times I felt lost which were usually cleared up later, the rushed ending, and the "romance."

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

When people describe the fall season, some quintessential moments may be the chill air, crisp leaves in an array of colors, football games, apple cider, cozy flannels, and maybe even some scarier Halloween related activities.  Evidently, "The Night Circus" is a part of that category as well in the book-reading community.  I had heard quite a few recommendations for the book, but never really felt inspired to pick it up.  It just so happens that the book captures a lot of those classic fall motifs and really draws you into the spirit of the season.  Since reading the book, I have seen multiple readers coming out of the woodwork saying they are preparing for their annual fall re-read of this book.  I'm grateful that I happened to read it at the opportune time.  I highly recommend reading this book during the fall/colder season versus spring or summer.

It is reported that the author starting writing the book for NaNoWriMo, which is short for the National Novel Writing Month.  This is more of an internet spread idea in which people attempt to write a novel (50,000 words) during the month of November.  Wikipedia states that she wrote the book over the span of three NaNoWriMo's.

This is a fantasy novel written about a circus that will appear in different cities without warning and perform for a short amount of time before packing up and moving to a different unannounced location.  Within the circus, there is a competition that has been in the works for years.  There is mystery surrounding the circus performers, the rivalry, and a peculiar charm that seems to envelope the reveurs (devoted fans) of the circus.  I don't want to spoil the mystery and allure of the story, so I won't delve into the plot any further.

The writing is glorious.  I feel like I've read a lot of books that have been character driven lately, where the plot and "world" that the author creates were a little lack-luster.  It was refreshing to dive into a book that seems to sweep you away from reality.  You really feel transported to the Night Circus and can imagine being there, even with all of the fantasy aspects.  There are some people who may not appeal to the fantasy genre, but I think the fact that it takes place in a circus helps with that.  People expect wonderment, intrigue, and mind games in a circus so adding some additional fantasy story lines to the normal slight of hand tricks isn't too far of stretch.

It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I definitely think it's well worth the read if it sounds like it follows your normal interests.