Memoirs
I think I said OMG to myself more than I ever have when reading a book. You should remember this news story from 2013. Three women were imprisoned in a house in Cleveland by their kidnapper for a decade before escaping. The two women who were teenagers when kidnapped wrote this memoir of their experience, and what they lived through is horrifying. There are other contributors to the book so you learn details of the search for the missing girls and background information of their kidnapper, Ariel Castro.
The real kicker in all of this is the fact that all three women knew either Castro or his children which is why they agreed to get into his van and then believe his excuses as to why they should come inside his house. The youngest victim was actually friends with one of his daughters and had just been walking with her before he pulled up. We've been taught from an early age to never go with strangers and they didn't go with a stranger. Who can you trust?
This was sort of an impulse read. I saw it, knew who he was and thought it may be interesting. If you're a fan of Sebastian Bach, Skid Row, or '80s hair bands, you may like it. Otherwise, I'd suggest skipping it. In this book, you'll find quite a bit of discussion of the following topics: drinking, drug usage, girls, repeat. I mean, honestly, I'm surprised his liver is still intact and functioning.
What I did learn is that Bach can actually sing. He's a singer, not just some front for a band. And despite all of his indiscretions, he claims he's never performed trashed. This is when I love YouTube. Ah, yes, the memories of high school dances and I Remember You. I did find some live performances from the '80s/early '90s and yes, he appeared to be quite sober on stage.
If you're looking for someone with a truly bizarre upbringing, here it is. The author of this memoir was raised almost completely isolated from the outside world by her father who was obsessed with raising her to be a superhuman. She was forced to study and work around the house from early in the morning until late at night. She was also made to undergo torturous situations, such as being brought to the basement in the middle of the night and forced to sit on a chair while the rats scurried around her. At least this one has a happy ending.
Thriller/Suspense
Well, this turned into a huge disappointment for me. I enjoyed the first half. It was fast paced, kept my interest. And then I reached the second half and it turned into another book I read not too long ago. It was so much like the other book that I knew exactly what was going to happen and, yup, that's what happened. (I don't want to name the other book because I don't want to give anything away.)
This book kept popping up everywhere so I finally headed over to Amazon to see what it was about. Admittedly, when I read "Russian sleeper cell" I didn't think it would be something I'd want to read. I was wrong. It's fairly fast paced and kept me turning the page. It's actually an extremely quick read. I think I finished it in two days. If you like reading suspense and you're looking for something a little different, give this one a read.
Fiction/Literature
I think Ng is such a talented writer and storyteller but I didn't love this book as much as her first novel, Everything I Never Told You. I wasn't particularly attached to any of the characters and I'm not sure if she wrote it to be that way or not. In addition, when I reached the 20% mark in the book, I couldn't help but wonder if something was actually going to happen. I'm not the type of reader who needs for "something to happen" but the beginning felt odd to me. Ng's character development and overall descriptions are excellent though and I would still give this one 4.5 stars.
Self-Improvement
I typically do not read self-help books (but maybe I should.) There's a bit of a back story as to how I came to read this one. I liked this because I could relate to much of what the author was saying and I agree that she's right because I've seen it work at certain times in my life. Basically, this is how to find a way to do something you want. You don't know what you want to do? That's discussed as well. She talks about excuses and accountability and successful behaviors. I'll probably bring up parts of this book in other posts so no big discussion now but really, everyone could get something out of this.
To read my February 2018 Book Review, click here.
To read my January 2018 Book Review, click here.
For links to all the books I've read from 2014 through 2017 along with my reviews, click here.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. TGUH is a participant in the Amazon Services Associates Program LLC, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
No comments:
Post a Comment