Category Archives: Books

What I’M Reading: Who Do You Love

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From Goodreads.com:
Rachel Blum and Andy Landis are eight years old when they meet late one night in an ER waiting room. Born with a congenital heart defect, Rachel is a veteran of hospitals, and she’s intrigued by the boy who shows up all alone with a broken arm. He tells her his name. She tells him a story. After Andy’s taken back to the emergency room and Rachel’s sent back to her bed, they think they’ll never see each other again.

Rachel, the beloved, popular, and protected daughter of two doting parents, grows up wanting for nothing in a fancy Florida suburb. Andy grows up poor in Philadelphia with a single mom and a rare talent that will let him become one of the best runners of his generation.

Over the course of three decades, through high school and college, marriages and divorces, from the pinnacles of victory and the heartbreak of defeat, Andy and Rachel will find each other again and again, until they are finally given a chance to decide whether love can surmount difference and distance and if they’ve been running toward each other all along.

With honesty, wit, and clear-eyed observations about men and women, love and fate, and the truth about happy endings, Jennifer Weiner delivers two of her most memorable characters, and a love story you’ll never forget.

My review:
First of all, can I just say how pathetic it is that I haven’t read a book since April? Sad, sad, sad. Honestly, there just hasn’t been anything out there that has piqued my interest, but I knew Jennifer Weiner was coming out with a new book in the summer, so I held off.

I’m glad I did! Jennifer Weiner’s newest novel did not disappoint and was just what I needed as a post-baby pick-me-up. It was an easy read but an enjoyable one, and I finished the book (which I had bought and downloaded for my Kobo the day it was released) in just over a week! Not bad considering I only read it while I was nursing Norah; I even switched lamps around so I had better lighting and could see the screen, that’s how much I liked the book!

While the ending was rather predictable, as it is with the majority of romance stories of any form, I couldn’t help but still cheer for the two main characters, Rachel and Andy, to find their way back into each other’s arms. Their story of high school romance hit close to home for me, with Kyle and I being high school sweethearts, and I found myself with my fingers all crossed for them to cross paths just one more time.

What don’t I like about the story? Not much, however, I do wish that we got to know a bit more about Andy and his background. His “chapters” were more subdued, just like his character, and I wish more was revealed about his background. Still, I couldn’t help but love the way things worked out for both him and Rachel in the end.

Overall, I’m going to give Who Do You Love 5 stars out of 5. I can safely place it amongst my top three favourite Jennifer Weiner books.

What I’m Reading: American Sniper

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From Goodreads.com:
From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in United States military history. The Pentagon has officially confirmed more than 150 of Kyle’s kills (the previous American record was 109), but it has declined to verify the astonishing total number for this book. Iraqi insurgents feared Kyle so much they named him al-Shaitan (“the devil”) and placed a bounty on his head. Kyle earned legendary status among his fellow SEALs, Marines, and U.S. Army soldiers, whom he protected with deadly accuracy from rooftops and stealth positions. Gripping and unforgettable, Kyle’s masterful account of his extraordinary battlefield experiences ranks as one of the great war memoirs of all time.

A native Texan who learned to shoot on childhood hunting trips with his father, Kyle was a champion saddle-bronc rider prior to joining the Navy. After 9/11, he was thrust onto the front lines of the War on Terror, and soon found his calling as a world-class sniper who performed best under fire. He recorded a personal-record 2,100-yard kill shot outside Baghdad; in Fallujah, Kyle braved heavy fire to rescue a group of Marines trapped on a street; in Ramadi, he stared down insurgents with his pistol in close combat. Kyle talks honestly about the pain of war—of twice being shot and experiencing the tragic deaths of two close friends.

American Sniper also honors Kyle’s fellow warriors, who raised hell on and off the battlefield. And in moving first-person accounts throughout, Kyle’s wife, Taya, speaks openly about the strains of war on their marriage and children, as well as on Chris.

Adrenaline-charged and deeply personal, American Sniper is a thrilling eyewitness account of war that only one man could tell.

My review:
I’ll say right off the bat that I watched the movie before I read the book. I bought the book for Kyle (my husband, not the author, obviously) for his birthday after we watched the movie in theatre and he said that while he enjoyed the movie, he didn’t LOVE it because of everything he had heard/read about Chris Kyle and the controversy behind, well, everything. I’m not going to delve into the politics behind Kyle’s (the author, not my husband, lol) experiences or the war overseas in general because to be 100% honest, I haven’t paid too much attention to it all. This is just a review of the book. I digress … 

(And for the record, when I mention Kyle from here on out, I’m referring to the author, not my husband …)

Diving into the book, I found it to be a really interesting read, especially since reading it helped explain some of the events that occurred in the movie. The movie reflected the book almost perfectly, with the exception of a couple of events that were changed to make the movie more “Hollywood” I guess. (I won’t give anything away for those who haven’t read the book or watched the movie.)

It’s hard to really be critical about an autobiography, though, and this is only the 4th one I’ve ever read. I know a lot of skeptics have criticized Kyle for writing this book, but I think it’s a bold thing to do for someone who had so much first-hand, up-close-and-personal experiences with the war. You put a lot on the line when you lay out your life story like the way Kyle does.

He is also a relatable person, when you take away the war and the preconceived notions that he’s a “killer.” In the end, all he wanted to do was his job, and is that not what most of us want to do? Whether you live to sell stocks, bag groceries, or be overseas fighting for your country, it doesn’t matter; Kyle just wanted to serve his country and made that very clear.

I know everyone has their own opinion on the war, so before I start making things too political after I said I would refrain, I’ll nip this review in the bud. Overall, I still give American Soldier 4 stars out of 5. It was an extremely interesting and eye-opening read, and I definitely recommend those who are interested in the movie to read the autobiography instead.

What I’m Reading: The Fault in Our Stars

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From Goodreads.com:
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

My review:
What can I say about this book?

I picked it up after hearing much hype about both it and the movie. A firm believer in reading the books before watching the movie, I decided to put The Fault in Our Stars on my “Must Read” list.

I dove into it head first, expecting to feel all the feels and be sobbing by the end.

But let me just rewind a little bit and say that I did really enjoy reading this book. Hazel, while only 17, speaks so eloquently and so wisely; which is really not at all surprising. What else do you expect of a teenager who has had her days numbered by cancer? If there’s one thing I’ve learned about cancer, it’s that it not only makes you live life to the fullest, but also makes you grow up faster.

That’s not to say that Hazel doesn’t enjoy being a teenager. I really appreciate that John Green not only made Hazel wise beyond her years, but threw in hints of teenager behaviour as well, such as her love for America’s Next Top Model. And that just wasn’t with Hazel, but with other characters as well. There’s overreaction to breakups, trips to the mall and the likes.

Hazel and Augustus to me, almost felt like they were the same person. They spoke the same way, had the same feelings about certain things, both had cancer … but I suppose that’s why they were meant to be together.

Back again to what I liked about the book: Hazel and Augustus’ story of love is truly amazing, and knowing that yes, it’s possible to find love regardless of what your life’s situation may be is inspiring. I think I read the whole thing in about 3 hours (Over the course of a couple days, that is. Having a toddler really cuts into your reading time!)

But did it make me sob like a lost soul? Well, no. Perhaps it was the hype behind it, but I was expecting it to be gut wrenching and that I’d be reaching for the Kleenex more times than not. I feel a little guilty for not shedding a single tear, after all, it’s a story about kids with cancer, for cryin’ out loud. I’m sure if/when I watch the movie it will be a whole different story and I’ll bawl my eyes out, but the book just didn’t push me to that emotional level.

Still, I’m going to give The Fault in Our Stars 4.5 Stars out of 5. It was super intriguing and not just a book about some kids with cancer. I loved the characters and the message that their journey sent out.

Have you read this book? What did you think??