Category Archives: Books

What I’m Reading: The Girl on the Train

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22557272From Goodreads.com:
EVERY DAY THE SAME
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

UNTIL TODAY
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

My review:
Yet another book that I’m certain I’m one of the last people on the planet to have JUST read it. And I didn’t even realize it was being made into a movie until I downloaded and wondered why the F Emily Blunt was on the cover. Either way, I digress …

So, The Girl on the Train is/was referred to frequently as the “next Gone Girl.” I personally think that Gone Girl is the better read out of the two, but that’s not to say that The Girl on the Train was bad; the characters weren’t just as captivating for me as Gone Girl’s. I found Rachel to be messy and irritating, and Anna just drove me bananas. And what happened with the guy with the red hair? I felt he would’ve had a bigger role in the end, but apparently not.

Still, I found myself chewing through the pages because I just needed to know who did it, and the guilty person surprised me a little. Hawkins did a great job keeping me guessing, I just wished the characters were more likeable. There wasn’t a single character that made me think, “She/he COULDN’T have done it, I like them too much!”

Overall, I’m giving The Girl on the Train 4 stars out of 5, only a half-star less than Gone Girl.

 

 

What I’m Reading: Lily and the Octopus

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27276262From Goodreads.com:
This is a story about that special someone: the one you trust, the one you can’t live without.

For Ted Flask, that someone special is his aging companion Lily, who happens to be a dog.

My review:
I! CANNOT! RESIST! A! BOOK! ABOUT! A! DOG!

Seriously though, I spotted this book while the the bookstore a while back and made a mental note to put it on my “Want to Read” list. The description of the book didn’t reveal too much, but I was intrigued enough to purchase it for my Kobo.

Lily and the Octopus is all about the slightly awkward Ted and his dachshund, Lily, that has shown him a lifetime of unconditional love. As Lily ages, Ted is left contemplating the decisions he has and will need to make in his life.

It’s hard to go any further describing the book without giving it all away, but it it certainly tugs at the heartstrings and is relatable for all pet owners.While I didn’t find myself reaching for the tissues à la Marley & Me it still made my heart hurt because I’m a dog person for life.

Aside from my emotional attachment to Lily, I cannot say that I love loved the book. The analogies were a bit bizarre and it took me a couple chapters to figure out what exactly was going on. Really, it reminded me of something that I would read in high school and then write an analytical book report on themes and meanings and parallels.

Lily and the Octopus was a decent read and if you’re a dog lover life me, you should most definitely pick it up and give it a go. Overall, I’m giving it 3.5 stars out of 5.

 

 

What I’m Reading: After You

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25041504From Goodreads.com:
“You’re going to feel uncomfortable in your new world for a bit. But I hope you feel a bit exhilarated too. Live boldly. Push yourself. Don’t settle. Just live well. Just live. Love, Will.”

How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?

Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.

Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future…

For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.

My review:
Right after I finished Me Before You I just knew I had to read the sequel. More Louisa? Yes, please! Surely the sequel has to be as good as the first book, right? Wrong …

Unfortunately, After You fell short of my expectations. I found Lily’s character incredibly irritating, (“I hate my privileged lifestyle at home but refuse to do anything for myself! Feed me! House me! Bathe me!”) and while I’m not 100% sure why Lou put up with her, I’m sure it had something to do with the fact that she’s Will’s daughter. (Funny how we keep things around out of pure sentiment, like a sweater full of holes.) Lily didn’t help Lou in moving forward from Will’s passing, other than startling her off the roof which lead to Lou’s relationship with Ambulance Sam. In fact, I’m pretty sure Lily’s character could have been removed completely and I would have been okay with that; someone else could have found Lou on the roof and disappeared from the remainder of the book and everything would’ve worked out the same.

This book just screamed, “You can’t help those who can’t help themselves.” Lily didn’t want to do anything to better herself, Lou didn’t want to more forward with her life. Hell, the only person who seemed to be screaming “Carpe Diem” was Lou’s mom, and that was just a weird tangent of a storyline.

All that being said, I didn’t not like After You. It just wasn’t written to the same level as Me Before You. I still enjoyed Lou’s humour, but I just wanted a bit more from it. I’m giving After You 3.5 stars out of 5.