I Was Here
Cody's best friend Meg is found dead in a hotel room, an apparent suicide by way of drinking cleaner. Meg's parents ask Cody to go to Meg's college and pack up her belongings, where Cody discovers there was an entire side to Meg that she never knew. What follows is a journey to find out exactly what led Meg to die in that hotel room and how and why Cody never really knew her best friend the way she thought she did. I enjoyed this story. It had some pretty strong themes about depression and not sweeping it under the rug or being afraid to talk about it, which I think every young adult (and adult, really) needs to consider.
Crash and Burn
Steven Crashinsky, mostly known as Crash, gains fame when he stops classmate David Burnett (or Burn) from blowing up the school. This story is told from Steven's point-of-view as he writes a tell all book about what David said to him the day he attempted to blow up the school. It fluctuates between the past and the present. I enjoyed this book, which could be heavy at times. The character of Steven annoyed me because he was so over the top that he sometimes came across as a teenage Wolf of Wall Street. I believe the author was trying to portray him as a flippant rich kid, which he did well, but it was a little too much at times. Still, I was drawn into Crash and how his life intersected with David's from elementary school, up to the fateful day that David showed up at school with an explosive timer strapped to his belt.
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
Steven plays drums in the jazz band and is writing a journal for English. Only, in the midst of complaining about having to write his journal entries, his little brother is diagnosed with leukemia and the journal becomes a way for Steven to cope. Watching Steven try to navigate between being a teenage boy, a parent to his parents and a caring big brother is engaging. While this book was a little too glossy for me, it still was a good, easy read.
What are you reading?
2 comments:
Not far from being done on The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I'm really enjoying it. I like how it is written through letters, so you get the insight into Charlie's thoughts and feelings. I have not seen the movie - well, a couple scenes in flipping through channels, but since I didn't catch it from the beginning I kept going. After this I'm not sure what I'm going to read...I have so many to choose from and my list keeps growing!
My reading suffers mightily this time of year.
I just finished An Unnecessary Woman. I didn't love it but I did like her voice. And I really liked the ending when she finds her epiphany through others (though I'm not certain she realized that).
I'm going to pass on your reads this week to a certain almost-14-year-old :)
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