Everything, Everything

Everything, Everything

Link to purchase from Amazon

Title: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delacorte Press, Hardcover 335 pages
Publication Date: September 1, 2015 
Genre: Teen and Young Adult, Contemporary Fiction

Let me preface this by saying that the following makes a little more sense if you've already read my review of THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR.

THINGS THAT I LIKED: 

• Nicola Yoon is still a pretty good author. I don't like the stories that she tells, but I can't say that she doesn't tell them well. As I said in my previous review of her work, I desperately want to enjoy Yoon, but she doesn't make it easy. 
• This is another fun(ish) and very quick read. 

THINGS THAT I DID NOT LIKE:

• This story is just too silly. You want to like it, because the characters are struggling and you want them to win... but it's impossible.  
• Teenage sex is a no-no; in reality it happens, I know, but to tell a story where two teenagers end up running off to Hawaii to enjoy what is essentially a honeymoon together... come on, now. It isn't realistic, and to spuriously glamorize it makes me feel so uncomfortable. You can tell the story just as well without the fornication, so why include it? It's like excessive swearing (which this book did not include, by the way)-profanity is acceptable and there is a time and place for it, but to validate the overactive potty-mouth just seems irresponsible. I don't mean to be a stick in the mud, but I also don't care if that's how you view my opinion on the matter; I want to support literature that pushes the reader and challenges the minds of all who consume it. Sinking to the level of  "sex sells" assumes that your reader has limited self-respect and is not completely in touch with the realistic side of society. 
• Without giving away the actual ending, let me say that I did not really appreciate it. There was a "twist" that was pretty good, but then the last chapter takes it a little too far (for me).
• There are quite a few more, but I honestly don't want to waste any more time than I need to on this book.

Once again, Yoon has me all uptight. I was hoping this book would be as good as other reviews that I've read on it, but it was a pretty colossal disappointment. The one good thing was that this was an insanely quick read (as in literally a couple of hours), so I didn't waste a lot of time on it and it was, admittedly, a nice break from some of the heavier stuff I've currently got my nose stuffed in. I had a lot of thoughts that I don't even feel like organizing... I'd rather just close the book and allow it to serve a higher purpose of dust collection. But without going into a lot of detail, I did want to share a few reasons I didn't like this book/improvements I would've made:

Please don't underestimate your reader. I know that I am not technically included in the target audience on this one, but I usually read books with the intention of sharing them with others who might enjoy them... I can't do that if you have no respect for your audience. I have read many a children's book (JACK) that I have found both thought provoking and also age appropriate, so let's be fair and acknowledge that it is completely possible to write a relevant story without exploiting your audience's "weak spot", so to speak. Please assume that we can follow complex thought processes (which I believe this author is capable of producing!), that we can keep up with your use of challenging vocabulary words (either by knowing them or being willing to learn them), and that we can enjoy entertainment that isn't littered with sex, drugs, profanity, etc. Some authors can't rise to the occasion, and neither can some readers... but when there's potential to be great, please don't sell us all short. 

So... NO, I won't be recommending this one. Frankly, there are so many other young adult novels that have a lot to offer, and this one really has nothing I'd care to endorse**. I can find basically no redeeming factors, EXCEPT that I do still enjoy Yoon's writing style... and that's just a personal preference, not something that I'd guess other people would likely relate to. 

I wish that this review were a little more cohesive, but I really didn't even want to write it. Sorrynotsorry! 

**I don't have that high of an opinion of myself that I assume that people care about my thoughts on anything, but the reality is that I have a lot of friends and coworkers who ask for book recommendations all of the time (this is why I buy most of my books--so that I can easily pass them around). A lot of my coworkers have teenagers that need books/recommendations for various reasons, so I keep up with young adult literature partially for that reason. I also just generally enjoy it...

STATUS UPDATE

So... it's after 11pm, February 11, 2017.

Of note: I usually find myself in bed before 9pm.

42 days into 2017, and I've just finished my ninth book of the year. I also finished my ninth review, which wouldn't be impressive except that there is a part of me that fully expects to give up the writing and stick to the reading. Although I really enjoy writing, it saps up much of the time that I used to devote to reading, which is something else that I much enjoy.

Anyway, to break down what I've read so far:

-3/12 biography/autobiography/memoirs
-1 historical fiction
-4 random pop fiction/children's books/new york times bestsellers, etc
-1/12 random work of non-fiction
-0/12 pre-releases, although one of the books that I read HAD been pre-released at some point last year. I haven't read or really even started either of the two that I have received for the months of January and February, partially because I have been temporarily separated from my Kindle... oops.

I have picked up and started in on several books this last week or two, so although I haven't been finishing a lot, I am making progress.

9 down, 41 to go. If there were any way for me to quit my job and devote those 40+ hours a week to reading, I would, but alas! That's not happening.

I feel like there was a specific reason I had wanted to write this progress report, but right now I can't think of what that could possibly have been. I do remember that I had decided (somewhere along the way) to do a monthly (or so) status update to keep track of my progress. Maybe in the future I'll put more effort into making this worth reading.   =)

THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR

THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR

Link to purchase from Amazon



Title: The Sun is Also A Star
Author: Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delecorte Press, 384 pages
Publication Date: November 1, 2016
Genre: Teens, Literature and Fiction, Contemporary


Immigration... it's the topic of debate, as of late. When I purchased this book, I didn't realize that the story was about an illegal immigrant facing deportation. Had I known, I likely wouldn't have picked it up. To be fair, it's right there in the description on the inside cover-I really could have known. But I'm pretty sure this book was suggested by either a friend or possibly by Amazon; it got great reviews, so I gave it a go.

That being said, I didn't give this book 3 stars simply because it deals with an issue that I really do NOT care to discuss. Illegal immigration is a major problem in America right now, and it is one of the issues that threatens to tear us apart at the seams, partially because people on both sides of the debate feel so incredibly passionate about it.

No, I gave this book 3 stars because it's silly.

THINGS THAT I LIKED:

• The story puts a face to the idea of illegal immigration. It reminds us that not all illegals are here to abuse the system and take advantage of the resources provided by those of us who live and work here legally; some immigrants were just children who were victims of unfortunate circumstances. 
• It's a cutsie kind of a story that is a quick and easy read.

THINGS THAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

• This whole story revolves around two 17 year old kids falling desperately in love over the course of just a few hours... it's a highly unlikely situation, and it just feels silly at times.

There are more to add to both the things I did and did not like sections, but I think it'll be easier to just include them in my overall summary. 

Yes, I found this book pretty frustrating. I don't believe in love at first sight. Although I am sure it is POSSIBLE, it is not something that I can wrap my mind around, so any time that I read these sorts of stories in which two humans just FALL in love in MERE SECONDS, I just find it unbelievable and sort of laughable. That's my personal experience, but it's likely the main reason I didn't love this book. I think that it is perfectly possible to fall into lust with someone, and later, if one would be so lucky, to see that lust turn into love, but that's not how this story pans out.

There is a point in the book in which a character talks about "koi no yokan", which is apparently a Japanese phrase that describes a love at "second" sight, as opposed to first sight. It is the concept that you may meet someone and know that you will eventually fall in love with them, even if you fail to do so from the immediate beginning... THIS, was one of my favorite moments in the book, and I truly wish it could've been more the focus. Love at second sight seems far more plausible, though that comes from someone who has yet to fall in love at all. You should be taking everything that I say about love with a grain of salt, by the way.

(I realize that I am rambling and that it has yet to make sense or tie into the book-this one was difficult for me.)

Natasha is a 17 year old Jamaican immigrant who faces deportation by the end of the day. She is skipping her last day of school in America to try and find a way to stay.

Daniel is the 17 year old son of Korean immigrants who is supposed to be going to a Yale entrance interview so that he can pursue his parents' dreams of him becoming a doctor and living the ever so elusive "American Dream". 

The two meet by chance, and spend the rest of the day falling irresistibly in love with each other. By the end of the book we feel as though they have spent their entire 17 years together, but in reality it has been only a few hours.

I DO LIKE that the author spends time giving us the back stories for almost every character involved. It's always a lot more fun to see why characters behave the way that they do. Yoon also does a good job of showing us just how coincidental everything is, which is fun, interesting, and entertaining. Although this book felt mostly like a waste of time, I have now ordered another of hers Everything, Everything, simply because I found her style so thorough. I think that Yoon is an extremely talented writer, I'm just hoping that Everything, Everything is a more plausible story. Even if it isn't, I feel like there is a part of me that will enjoy it.

I don't think I will be recommending this book. I will read Everything, Everything, and I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope that it is good, because I desperately want to love this author. Yoon is a great storyteller, but I need her to tell a great story. My fingers are crossed, but in the meantime, I'd hate for you to waste your time on this book. 

3/5 stars. I kept hoping for something to make this story more believable. She got 3 stars only because she has great writing style and ability. But if I wanted to read something so fantastical, I would've just picked up Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings... what I needed here was an unbelievable love story that is also completely possible. I was disappointed. 

Detour from Normal

Link to purchase from Amazon



Title: Detour from Normal
Author:  Ken Dickson
Publisher: CreateSpace, Kindle Edition 324 pages
Publication Date: December 9, 2013
Genre: Biographies and Memoirs, Psychology



This book is the story of how a perfectly normal and healthy, middle-aged man, goes from living an average life, to being a dangerously manic patient overnight. Dickson tells his own story as it begins with a bout of diverticulitis, and ends with a court appearance to fight for his own right to refuse psychiatric treatment. This is a medical horror story that you probably haven't heard before; typically when we think of medical malpractice or negligence in the United States, the images of an incorrect limb being amputated by mistake, or a life-threatening infection caused by unwashed hands usually come to mind. Never have I heard a story in which the psychedelic side effects from drugs used during surgery completely ruin a man's life... this was a first, and that is part of what makes it very interesting.



Things that I liked:

• I always enjoy a good page-turner!
• I've worked in the medical field for a few years, and I've often wondered about some of our "special" (i.e., crazy) patients. This memoir gives a pretty unique look into the mind of someone who went manic basically overnight after having an adverse reaction to one or more of the medications he was given during an emergency surgery. I feel like this sort of thing or other similar reactions to the trauma that a medical emergency can place on the body may be happening a lot more than we realize (or would care to acknowledge), so in a way it gives me a little more incentive to be gracious with some of our high anxiety and needier patients. Understanding where a person comes from is always a major step in the process of being empathetic and able to genuinely care for an individual who isn't particularly easy to deal with. It actually even softened my heart towards those who have ANY mental disability (including addiction and substance abuse), simply because it gives you a glimpse into what could be going on inside of their minds. It reminds you that they often have complex thoughts and feelings, and even when they seem to be losing their minds, there is also a lot of potential for sound and legitimate thought processes to be going on that perhaps only they would understand. It would be terribly frustrating to have formed a completely cohesive thought that no one else in the world can follow!
• Ken Dickson does a great job of telling his story. This is a fundamentally interesting narrative, regardless of who tells it, but something about the way that he writes is very captivating. I think that more than anything it's the reality of what's going on that really hooks you. Aside from a few chapters that went a little too deep into his personal manic world that he creates (there's just a little too much detail that lacks relevance), this book has you really anxious to get to the end and see what happens to this incredibly unfortunate individual. The inclusion of diary entries by his wife also really lend themselves to the intrigue. 
• In the final section of the book, Dickson offers a few follow-up chapters that sort of make sense out of everything that has happened up to that point. He gives some good insight that would be especially helpful to anyone experiencing this kind of sudden psychological change in a family member or friend. As I said above, knowing what goes through a person's mind can be the key to understanding how to tolerate their behavior, as well as lend yourself to their healing process. He gives good advice on how to catch the warning signs and prevent the worst possible scenarios from playing out. 

Things I didn't like:

• The only thing that I felt was "missing" in the book was the perspective of Dickson's children. They are mentioned a few times, but we never see their reaction to the completely bizarre situation. In reality, these kids lost their dad for the better part of a year, and he was considered to be unstable and dangerous for a long time. A sudden change in behavior like this would be a little traumatizing, so I'm surprised that he doesn't mention them or how they responded in any more detail.
• Parts of the story did feel contrived. I don't mean that in the worst way, just that some portions felt extremely natural and honest and real, and others felt like he forced the point a bit for the drama it would draw. I choose to believe that this was all told as close as possible to reality, but there's a part of me that thinks Dickson's memory (or lack thereof) would be pretty well contorted after all that he went through. Something about the overall ambience of the book lacks authenticity, simply because it seems too far-fetched to believe that he could truly remember that much and in such great detail, but who knows?! Perhaps this is PRECISELY how it happened.  

Would I recommend this book? Yes, and I have! To anyone interested in psychology, this is definitely a productive read. It would also be beneficial for others who work in various practices of healthcare, or those who have friends/relatives with a psychological diagnoses. Aside from those would would "need" it, it's just a pretty good book for anyone who enjoys reading/true stories/harrowing tales. 

On a scale of 1-5, I give this book 4 stars ONLY because it did leave me wondering how faithful his memory could possibly be on a few occasions. As I said before, I am choosing not to be a cynic on this one. I believe that-even if not 100% accurate-this story is the complete truth as Dickson remembers it, and that any detours from reality were unintentional and not in any way an effort to pad the story.