What I Read Wednesday

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
I checked this out and read it, then a coworker asked if I could check it out for her because her library doesn't have it. So basically, the librarians think I'm crazy. Anyway, this somewhat reminded me of The Circle but with a broader perspective. This book is narrated from three characters: Leila, Leo and Mark. Leila is doing humanitarian work in Myanmar when she stumbles into some sort of government conspiracy. Leo is the trust fund child of a board game family who descends into a drug and alcohol induced craziness. Mark is the celebrated author of a self-help book who admittedly plagiarized most of his work from other sources and is being sourced by the evil conglomerate ready to take over the world with all the data floating around out there. The three come together in the end to either take over or become part of the new data-driven world… it isn't quite clear. While I loved most of the book itself, the ending unravelled slightly and lost me. I could see this being great with 50 more pages or with a sequel, but I have mixed feelings on it at this point.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Is it really sad that I hadn't read this until now? I kind of feel that way. If you haven't read it, you need to read it. This book is written in letter form. Charlie, a high school freshman, writes letters to an unknown person. As he navigates his freshman year of high school, Charlie is befriended by two seniors: Samantha and Patrick. This book explores the struggles with drugs, sex, alcohol and gender identification with teenagers. I loved it. So much.

The Knife of Never Letting Go (Reissue with bonus short story): Chaos Walking: Book One
Book one of the Chaos Walking trilogy. Someone recommended this to me, and I loved it. Todd lives in a world where there are 13 months in a year and there are no women and men can read each other's thoughts. There is no escape from the noise caused by these thoughts, until one day, Todd and his dog Manchee find the quiet in the swamp. This sets his life into a frenzied motion, as he shortly thereafter discovers a girl. A real live girl. From this point forward, he, Manchee and the girl are on the run from those in his town who wish to control everything through lies and forced power. I especially loved the voice of the dog in this book--I fell in love with Manchee. I can't wait to read the rest!

Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore: A Novel
Debbie is a porn star. Until one day, her husband is found dead in the bathtub, in a compromising position with an underage girl. And the… Debbie doesn't do it anymore. She decides she wants out, that she wants more to life than the life she's been leading all these years. Rather, she decides to live the life the underage girl who died with her husband was never able to live. What follows is a quirky, poignant story that is almost like a coming of age for Debbie. I loved this book so much. Debbie's voice is great and the characters are well-developed and fun.

What are you reading?