You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day
It takes a lot for me to seriously consider reading a book a second time, and this is one of them. This book is written for people like me. The girl knows how to write comedy. It's hard to express that in a book form, without the benefits of timing, but she does it. Everytime I remember the book, I get warm fuzzies. It's like a hero's journey -- humble origins, a call to adventure, rejection of that call, supernatural aid (the internet), transformation, an abyss, atonement, and return. And like Wil Wheaton, she's not afraid to open a vein, because she knows talking about it helps others.
It's not a celebrity memoir and it's not a confessional and it's not a ego-feeder. It's an account of what it takes to be someone like her. You might think Felcia Day's too young for a memoir -- and I agree, her career's barely started. But that just means we're going to get more from her! I wish Felicia Day was my cool older sister.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
I didn't expect to like this book, but I also didn't know what I was getting into going in. Seems like it splits people just as polarly too -- they either hate it or think it's gold. I'm one of the gold diggers (wait, that came out wrong). I think the key was the powerful emotions involved. Somehow the writing style wrings every drop out of the dramatic tension. And the mystery keeps you wanting to read more. It's a perfect POV character, someone who wants to solve the mystery too, someone sick of the status quo. The arrangement keeps your attention span, like a finely arranged concerto, and the setting and characters make a great recipe -- one that's a great mix of all flavors. Satisfied and wanting dessert at the same time.
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
Survival, resilience, and redemption don't even begin to cut it. This guy's story is so incredible it could only exist in real life. It's like Forest Gump, covering an entire era, but not as funny. You know, cause he ends up in a Japanese prisoner of war torture camp...
Ahem...
Anyway, it's pretty rare for any non-fiction to make top marks in my book, so take that for what it's worth. This is the sort of book that makes you feel a multitude of emotions, because there is a multitude of stuff here. It's long, but it's all good, all interesting, and all important. It's a story of our history, seen through eyes of one man who experienced more than a few lifetimes of triumph and heartache. This author managed an overwhelming undertaking that needs more than what she's due for her effort.
No comments:
Post a Comment