Books I Read in August 2012

Originally posted 9/6/12 here.

August was spent watching waaaay too much Olympic coverage and also following the goings-on of Walter White: the most masterful character ever written and acted on television.  Hands down.  No question. OMG.  Bryan Cranston should just take his Emmy right now.  Just... Damn.  And Aaron Paul is nuthin' to sneeze at, making me ADORE Jesse Pinkman: drug dealer.  Consider that my mini review of Breaking Bad and if you haven't been sucked in, well, you should.

OK, on to the books:

Between the Lines by Samantha VanLeer (with her MOTHER, Jodi Picoult)

It was fun to read a totally different style of book from Jodi Picoult, well, I suppose it was written by her daughter.  I can't help think that in doing so, she was indulging her a wee bit... It was on the cheesy and predictable side. It's not a 'crossover' kind of novel, I'd put it firmly in the YA category.  Good for 12 year olds, truly, and not really for adults that love YA fiction.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

I always enjoy a good coming of age story and Julia's awkward junior high narrative was heartbreaking and identifiable to me. And the setting of the book, during a time when the earth literally begins to stop spinning, was really intriguing. I like a good sci-fi yarn, but I feel like she was just setting a scene (with some really creative and beautiful details of the most mundane, yet fascinating things that might happen if the world would cease to spin) and never brought any plot points to a conclusion.  I don't enjoy that. 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

OK, so everyone has already been told to read this book, yes?  If not, I will tell you now: READ THIS BOOK.  Definitely on my best of the year list.  Wow. Just, wow. I haven't been riveted by a book like this in awhile. I'm not really a fan of thrillers, but this is not like any I've ever read before. It reminded me of when I was reading Room, by Emma Donoghue. It gave me that same 'oh my God, I have to know what happens next' syndrome.  I love when an author uses more than one character's voice to tell the story, and the way this unfolded was jaw dropping, literally, for me.  The suspense just builds and builds.  Gillian Flynn is a genius at crafting a thriller and I've added Dark Places to my reading list.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Yes, I like to read a LOT of YA dystopian literature.  This was on a lot of 'best of' lists and I enjoyed the story and the question of whether love could be considered a disease.  Although, maybe I've read too much of this genre, because I saw a LOT of Matched, Divergent, Across the Universe, and of course The Giver in the themes of the book.  But, she gave it a different spin and I hate not know how something ends (OF COURSE it ends on a cliffhanger),  so I've put the second book on hold in what is probably going to be a trilogy.  Sigh.