Tag Archives: Book Review

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??

What I’m Reading: All Fall Down

Posted in Book Review, Books, What I'm Reading by

What I'm Reading copy

From Goodreads.com:
Allison Weiss has a great job…a handsome husband…an adorable daughter…and a secret.

Allison Weiss is a typical working mother, trying to balance a business, aging parents, a demanding daughter, and a marriage. But when the website she develops takes off, she finds herself challenged to the point of being completely overwhelmed. Her husband’s becoming distant, her daughter’s acting spoiled, her father is dealing with early Alzheimer’s, and her mother’s barely dealing at all. As she struggles to hold her home and work life together, and meet all of the needs of the people around her, Allison finds that the painkillers she was prescribed for a back injury help her deal with more than just physical discomfort—they help her feel calm and get her through her increasingly hectic days. Sure, she worries a bit that the bottles seem to empty a bit faster each week, but it’s not like she’s some Hollywood starlet partying all night, or a homeless person who’s lost everything. It’s not as if she has an actual problem.

However, when Allison’s use gets to the point that she can no longer control—or hide—it, she ends up in a world she never thought she’d experience outside of a movie theater: rehab. Amid the teenage heroin addicts, the alcoholic grandmothers, the barely-trained “recovery coaches,” and the counselors who seem to believe that one mode of recovery fits all, Allison struggles to get her life back on track, even as she’s convincing herself that she’s not as bad off as the women around her.

With a sparkling comedic touch and tender, true-to-life characterizations, All Fall Down is a tale of empowerment and redemption and Jennifer Weiner’s richest, most absorbing and timely story yet.

My review:
I was really looking forward to this new book by Jennifer Weiner. It had been a while since I had read of of her novels, so when I caught wind last year that All Fall Down was being released in 2014, I got pretty excited for it.

As a whole, I thought All Fall Down was a decent read. I wanted the main character, Allison, to “win”, but I had a hard time sympathizing for her. Her situation really wasn’t as awful as she made it out to be; she just seemed like your typical Desperate/Real Housewife. Her “woe is me” story didn’t phase on me at all and I think she got off a little too easily with her mistakes. She lost nothing because of her mistakes, other than perhaps her husband, but it seemed like that was bound to happen regardless of her behaviours.

That’s not to say that the hidden message within the pages of the book isn’t important. Allison was lucky enough to be addicted to “just painkillers” before she got carried away into a darker world of heavier substances. I think the story could have been a bit more intense if Allison really did have a true “rock bottom.” Like I said before, other than her marriage, which was seemingly already circling the drain, and perhaps some serious judgement from her daughter’s teacher, Allison didn’t lose anything.

Maybe that’s the point that Weiner was trying to get across – that sometimes we don’t really notice how good we actually have it until you’re surround by others who are less fortunate.

It was different to read something other than your stereotypical chick-lit from Weiner, but refreshing as well. I like surprises from authors, and while I didn’t LOVE love All fall down, I did enjoy it overall. I’m going to give it 3 out of 5 stars. I felt a little duped at the end, that the story could have gone on for a couple more chapters so it didn’t feel like there were so many loose ends.