What I Read Wednesday

Carry On
I loved Fangirl, so I was excited to read this book. At first, I was bothered by the fact that I was reading a ripoff of a Harry Potter ripoff, essentially, but I was quickly drawn into the continuation of Simon Snow and Baz's story. It was engaging and a quick read. That said, it wasn't a Rainbow Rowell novel that'll stick with me like others have, but I appreciated her telling Simon's story--and I definitely feel like there are a lot of thematic messages tied in that teens need to read.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven
I read this for a co-worker. It was actually less heavy-handed than I thought it would be. Eddie is an old man, an amusement park worker who enjoys his job but feels he missed out on a lot in life. Eddie dies beneath a broken amusement park ride, unsure if he saved a young girl or not. Upon his death, Eddie learns that everyone meets five people in Heaven. It may be people you know, but it may be complete strangers, the connection being that you've impacted a live in some way--whether good or bad. I enjoyed the thematic overture of this book, the idea that we all make ripples in our lives and never know how far they will reach.

Out of My Mind
Melody is a unique girl. She has cerebral palsy, a photographic memory and synesthesia. Oh, and she can't talk. At all. Plagued by people underestimating her whole life, Melody's world changes when her school decides to include the kids from self-contained rooms into regular classrooms. Despite proving herself again and again, Melody's classmates and teachers still assume that she is unintelligent and don't treat her as a normal child. Melody earns the number one spot on the school's quiz team at about the same time that she gets an adaptive device that enables her to "speak." This book was heavy, but good. It is definitely something I feel that everyone should read. Melody and her differently abled classmates are humanized, without a happy fairy tale gloss placed on everything. There were parts of this book that hurt me to read and parts where I could literally feel Melody's frustration.

Bone Gap
Sean and Finn are brothers, abandoned by their mother, who rescue a girl named Roza--or maybe she rescues them. When Roza is kidnapped, Finn is plagued by the fact that he's the only one who believes she was taken against her will, yet he is unable to describe the face of her kidnapper. In the midst of this, Roza is with her kidnapper, yet she's unable to place a grasp on where she is or what will become of her, knowing only that the man wishes to possess her beauty. This was a stunning story of magical realism, done so well that I was often unsure of what was magical and what was not. It was chilling. It was not easy to read at points, yet I could not put it down. It was magic interwoven with real life issues that shouldn't be dismissed.

The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 3 (Walking Dead Compendium Tp)
The latest installment of the Walking Dead graphic novel. Even if you don't like graphic novels, I would encourage reading this if you are a fan of the show. It's grittier and more violent, arguably more realistic, than the show. The thread of the show follows the novels in some elements, in others it veers away, but the overall idea that humans are more fearful than walkers remains.

What are you reading?