Somehow, I’ve become a terrible reader.
They say that in order to write, write, write, you need to read, read, read. A few years back, I started writing again, and let reading fall to the wayside completely. Well, not completely. I still would read books here and there, like a bird hunting for food on a restaurant patio. But that’s not a great way to get fed, is it?
When I kicked the writing back into high gear after Talia was born, I started reading a bit again. Mostly flirting with reading. It was the easiest past time to enjoy when she needed attention at any given moment. But now that things are more settled and homegirl is sleeping through the night, I’ve taken it upon myself to awaken the voracious reading beast I knew in my youth. Dude must have been starved something fierce, because I’ve basically been knocking through a book per week since then.
What I’d like to start doing on the blog here are small, quick reviews once a month of the books I’ve read, assuming I keep this one-book-per-week pace. I’d do big, meaty reviews, but I think that might be tackling too much while I’m still doing so. much. writing.
Here are the last six books I’ve read:
Redshirts, by John Scalzi
Hilarious in a way that makes you think of life, the universe and why? Redshirts is a fantastic send-up of science fiction TV, the essence of a story — and just what makes our own life stories either compelling tales or worthless drivel.
Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline
People have been telling me to read Ready Player One since it first hit the shelves, and now I understand why. This book was essentially written for me. The cover jacket says it best: Willy Wonka meets the Matrix. It’s a story that takes place (almost) entirely in a video game, and is absolutely in love with the 80s and everything about that amazing decade. I’m a bit of a reference whore, so this book tickled me just the right way. In the nostalgia bone.
Robopocalypse, by Daniel H. Wilson
It’s the classic Skynet “humans overrun by machines” scenario, but told with an intelligence and voice that just leaped off the page. The book is divided into a number of vignettes a la World War Z, although the characters do eventually intersect along the way. While the structure aired out all the tension (the book starts at the end of the robot war), the thing is just written so damn well.
Mothership, by Martin Leicht and Isla Neal
The most over-used, but easiest, way to describe Mothership is this: Juno in space, with a side of Die Hard. The book’s main character, Elvie, gets shipped to an orbital school for pregnant teenage mothers — which then gets highjacked by a team of space commandos and aliens. Yes, it’s ridiculous, but it’s also one of the most laugh-out-loud hilarious books I’ve ever read. The voice is perfect, and it even manages to crank up the heartwarming factor to 11 when it really wants to. Also, pulls off some legitimate surprises.
King Dork, by Frank Portman
I basically wanted to read King Dork because it sounds like the book I’m currently working on, sans monsters. It’s the story of a 14 year old anti-social genius trying to survive his sophomore year of high school while also looking into the potential conspiracy of his father’s murder/suicide/accident. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, King Dork is extremely well-written, which makes up for the fact that most of the time, nothing is happening. The number one advice that writers often get is “show, don’t tell”, and King Dork is almost an entire book of telling. Seriously, there are really only a handful of scenes. But like I said, the writing itself is clever, super-smart and insightful.
Divergent, by Veronica Roth
Divergent is probably my favorite of the bunch. A combination of Hunger Games and The Giver, Divergent takes place in the ruins of Chicago, sometime after a great war in the future. Society is divided into factions, based on what each group thinks is the chief worst aspect of mankind — selfishness, ignorance, cowardice, violence, dishonesty. If you think selfishness is the worst aspect, you join Abnegation, the group devoted to selflessness, and so on. But what happens when someone can straddle multiple factions?
The writing in Divergent is spellbinding, and the plot moves along at a crazy clip. Roth really digs into some deep issues here, and there are a number of terrifying, heart-wrenching and exciting moments. It’s more cerebral than a thriller like the Hunger Games, but probably better. Seriously, be prepared to feel some feels.
————
And that’s the Booket List for October. Up next on my list: Leviathan, American Gods, Shadow and Bone, The White Cat and A Monster Calls.
What books have you finished lately? Any recommendations?
2 Comments