The End of the World Running Club by Adrian Walker- Book Review

After the self publishing success of The Martian, there has been a search for what the next big self published hit would be. Enter The End of the World Running Club as the next big contender to The Martian throne! The book has been picked up by Del Rey and has been brought to the masses to enjoy. Looking at the reviews, it is definitely a hit.

A giant meteor shower hits the UK and destroys most of it. There are a few survivors clustered together searching for others. Edgar is the father in one of those families. He had a shelter and his family survived the onslaught.

It is months later and Ed finds himself with a small group of survivors who now must be trained as military to survive. While out on a scout mission, a rescue group comes and takes Ed's family and other survivors halfway across the country. With his small group, Ed must traverse the landscape to get back to his family. He will run into danger, people that help, and more danger. Will he make it back? To get there in time, he and his group must run 20 miles a day, hence the name- The End of the World Running Club.

I am going to start off with my criticism to just get it out of the way. While I enjoyed the book, I felt this wasn't a huge addition to the apocalypse genre. There were characters that could have been in other books, i.e. the cooky guy who lost his mind a bit and still tries to maintain his home, the apocalypse journey was somewhat typical, and I wasn't a huge fan of the main character.

With that stated, I still have to write that I did enjoy the book. While there were certainly some slower parts, all the other ones moved fairly quickly. Ed was going from one place to another at a good clip. The problem was the slower parts were really slow, which took away a bit from the pacing. The characters were well developed and the story was a good one. I can see why a lot of people enjoyed it.

I thought it was a bit on the slower side. As stated, I did enjoy it, but would have a difficult time recommending it to others as the next great apocalypse book. I think it is a genre that is not only plentiful right now, but has some pretty tough books to best, such as The Road. It is too much of a popular genre right now that I wonder if this book might struggle a bit as it hits the main publishing house. It comes out in September, so we will see.

I gave it 3.5 stars.

*I want to thank NetGalley for the early release. I received it in exchange for an honest book review.*

Pretend We Are Lovely by Noley Reid- Book Review

There are certain books that are read that are so worth reading, but once it is over, you never want to read it again. This is one of those books. The characters are great, the writing is incredible, but the story is such a rough one.

The story is told from 4 points of view- daughter Vivian who is 13, daughter Enid who is 10, dad Tate, and mother Francie. It is the story of a family trying to hold it together following the mysterious death of their son.

Tate and Francie are separated, yet they keep getting pulled back together as Francie struggles with an eating disorder. Tate has his own troubles as a college professor who has slept with his student. The two girls also float through school and have an unhealthy relationship with a next door neighbor boy who forces himself on both girls, yet the girls interpret it as being loved.

It is Francie's eating disorder that is at the center of the story as she starts to hit rock bottom. She chooses not to eat for several days bringing her to the brink of death. The family must somehow pull it all together to support their mother, even in the midst of their disfunction.

As difficult as this book is, I wound up tearing through this book. Having the story told from all four members of the family helped move the story along. Each member of the family has a unique point of view and is dealing with their own struggles. While Vivian recognizes what her father is doing, for example, Enid thinks of the college woman her father flirts with, as the donut girl.

The other intriguing part of this book is how the two girls take on the aspects of their parents. Vivian, for example, also knows how to count calories and often becomes mom for Enid when Francie is out of the picture. Enid has an unhealthy relationship to food because of her father's unhealthy relationship to food. He often sneaks food and overeats encouraging Enid to do the same. She starts gaining weight, which sets both Vivian and Francie off.

By the end, the main message is moving from an unhealthy relationship to food to eating food for nutrition, but it takes a full journey to get there. As stated, there is a lot of dysfunction within this book, so be prepared. I found the sections with the neighbor boy some of the more uncomfortable sections especially when he moves from Vivian to Enid. This is a tough book, but so good at the same time.

I gave this one 4 stars.

Pretend We Are Lovely by Noley Reid

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan

As stated in my previous review, I have been on a roll with books. I am going to label this one under fun books perfect for a good read. It isn't too heavy, has some odd twists, and is a lot of fun.

The book opens with a suicide. A bookfrog- Joey, Lydia's name for the bookstore regulars who spend all day at the bookstore, hangs himself in the bookstore and leaves everything he has to Lydia. Lydia is a book clerk with a mysterious past. She likes to live her life in secret and is pretty quiet about her life.

Lydia is the survivor of a brutal murder where she was left as the only survivor. Her father is the main suspect in the murder as his blood was everywhere, but no one has been able to connect him to the murders. Joey, it turns out, has been looking into her past.

From Joey's clues, Lydia will learn about her past, her father, and what happened the night she survived Hammerman.

There will be some moments in this book that will make the reader scratch his/her head a bit. There will also by some pretty big stretches within the book. With that written, I still have to say this was a fun read and a good romp. This is one of those summer books that is a great palate cleanser.

This does not mean it is an easy read. There is suicide, a brutal murder, and a dark story as we explore Lydia's past. It has a few layers to the mystery with some great reveals. It has an ending that might surprise you too.

I gave this one 3.5 stars.

Autumn by Ali Smith- Book Review

I have been reading all the Man Booker Long List nominees for fun this summer. If it were not for that list, I would have overlooked this book. It has a simple cover, the description is kind of bland, but this is an incredible book about the end of life and lifelong friendship between an older man and a younger woman.

The book is told from two perspectives- Elisabeth, who is the main narrator with most of the story following her life. Daniel, who is a century year old and dying. His narrative is told from within his dreams as he lies within a nursing home. It is the story of both of these friends and their lives together and apart. Elisabeth struggles with love as she loves Daniel, without it being an eros type love, so she struggles with people who don't care for her the way Daniel does.

The story is told within a back and forth nature dropping the reader within the moment without letting the reader know the narrator, nor what time period it is. This is a little off-putting at first, but once you get into the groove, it just flows.

The writing is the main draw of the story too. It is as if it were poetic, freeform, and flow of consciousness. Ideas that start within one chapter appear in another chapter. A passport picture follows Elisabeth throughout the book and adds a bit of comedy throughout the book.

The book's background within the present portions follow the Brexit vote. Half of one town hates the other and things have become complicated. Elisabeth struggles with this as well.

When I finished the book, I could absolutely see why this was nominated. This is a beautiful book and contemporary, yet dealing with issues that flow through time. I am wondering if it has a chance of winning, but don't pass on this one.

I gave this one 4.5 stars.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman- Book Review

I am going to tread carefully around this review as part of the fun of the book is the piece by piece reveal of why Eleanor Oliphant is not completely fine. To give you an idea of what this book is like, here was my midway reaction review on Litsy-
Oh, she is quirky like Amelie.
She sure is opinionated.
That is funny.
Wait, did I just read that?
I did just read that, where did that come from?
Oh, that just took a turn.
This is nothing like Amelie

Eleanor is hardworking as an office worker at her job. She has co-workers that make fun of her, she talks to her mother every Wednesday, and has the same exact routine every single week. She doesn't go out much except to the same few restaurants and she enjoys quiet evenings at home. To quote the book- everything is completely fine.

Eleanor is also extremely critical of others. She thinks her co-workers are oafs and doesn't quite understand their quirks. She believes everything has their proper place. She is also madly in love with a rock artist whom she has not met yet, but is going to marry. Everything is completely fine.

After meeting with an IT specialist, Eleanor and Raymond run across a man who has fallen with an apparent heart attack. As Raymond springs into action, Eleanor's life begins to turn. Raymond wants to keep visiting the man and wants Eleanor to come with him. Raymond begins a friendship with Eleanor from that moment on. The more the story unravels we will see that Eleanor's life is not completely fine at all.

This book was along my string of good books that I have been on. I have read quite a few in a row that have just been spot on for an entertaining read and Eleanor's story was just that- an entertaining read. This does not mean that it was exactly a fun read. Eleanor's life is very difficult. It would not be a spoiler to say her mother, for example, is extremely verbally abusive toward Eleanor on their Wednesday night calls. This is just one example of the difficult life of Eleanor. She also has scars along her face, which too will be revealed as to why. This is a good and entertaining read, but it isn't an easy read by far. Eleanor's story will slowly unravel through little bits here and there that come off as pretty shocking at times.

I enjoyed this book so much that it may be one of my top 10 of the year. I discovered the book from a list from Bookriot. They had printed a great books so far type list and several comments underneath stated Bookriot had missed Eleanor Oliphant and I would agree. This one is easy to miss as the title just screams that it is a book geared toward an older crowd who like Ove or Lilian Boxfish. This is a deep book though and not to be taken lightly.

It is about new friendship that can become deep friendship through the thick and thin. It is about healing old scars and walking with new purpose. It is also about overcoming abuse and healing. I gave this one 4.5 stars.

Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore- Book Review

I went into Reincarnation Blues cold after receiving it as a recommendation from NetGalley. I thought the cover looked like The Hike and thought it was going to be in a similar vein. It is a strange little book at times and kind of a fun adventure.

The book follows Milo as he faces death for the 9,995th time. Each time he dies, he wakes up on the shore and is guided by Suzie aka Death as he recovers.

Milo has begun to enjoy his deaths, but perfection still alludes him. He states that he has chosen not to chase that dream since he is having too much fun. The problem is he only has 5 more chances to get it right before becoming nothing. If he can achieve it, he joins the oneness of the universe and has eternal bliss.

The reason Milo enjoys dying is because he has fallen in love with Suzie and each time he dies, he gets to spend time with her. Suzie also loves Milo, but knows this is a relationship that cannot be because Death cannot love a human being.

This now lays out the adventure as Milo has 5 more chances and Suzie becomes conflicted so much so that she considers giving up her position. The book continues looking it Milo's remaining lives as well as his time in the bardo.

This was a fun book with some predictable parts and some very slow parts. Overall, I loved the whole concept and storyline of the book. There were some of Milo's lives that just bogged the book down a bit. He has some very fast lives which are more enjoyable than his very lengthy extended lives. I was wondering why Poore made some of the decisions he did as his interactions with Suzie were much more enjoyable than his time on Earth.

As a reader, Milo becomes a great character as you get to know some of his lives and the choices he makes. There are some moments where Milo is conscious of his previous lives and makes choices to listen or not to listen to his past lives' voices. That was a lot of fun.

I did wonder if Buddhists will not enjoy one of his lives as he comes to know Buddha and does something that may anger some readers. Again a question of why he chose that path as it didn't really effect the character's arc.

As stated, I did enjoy the book as a whole, but did find myself skipping and coasting through some of Milo's lives as I enjoyed the Bardo' storyline much more. I just wish Poore had spent a bit more time there.

I gave this one 3.5 stars.

*I want to thank NetGalley for the early release. I received it for free in exchange for an honest review.*

Dying: A Memoir by Cory Taylor- Book Review

This is the first book I have read this year where as soon as I finished it, I flipped to the front of the book to read it again immediately. I found the book that good. It is also incredibly short at 140 pages that the two readings took one day. The reason why I wanted to read it immediately again is the book is wonderful poetic and insightful. It is one of those books where you know the author is bearing her soul for the world to read and you just have the desire to honor that story.

Cory Taylor died two months after the book originally came out in Australia of melanoma. This book is her walk through the beginning stages of facing her own mortality. She knows she is not going to get better and the only thing that will happen is she is going to die. There is not a miracle drug, a procedure that will reverse everything, or anything like that and she knows it. This memoir is her facing death.

She does not hold back in this book, which is why it is so powerful. The book opens with her confession that she has purchased a suicide drug from China. She proceeds to question whether or not suicide is an option for her and what effect it would have on her family if she did it. That is the opening of the book!

Throughout the rest of the book, she covers topics such as euthanasia, becoming aware of oneself, remembering when she was first conscious, love, her family, and of course death. The way she writes is in this wonderfully poetic and conversational style that draws the reader in. It isn't cold or distant, but warm and inviting. It is as if you were sitting with a cup of coffee with her as she faces her death.

Death is not an easy topic to read about, but this book is so worth your time. There were three really great books on death this year that should be on any shelf- This one, Option B by Sheryl Sandberg, and On Living by Kerry Egan

*I received an advanced copy of Dying a Memoir directly from Tin House Publishing. I received it in exchange for an honest review*