Four Recent Reads That I Loved

I read some great books over the past couple of months. In no particular order they are

First up, I read Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier when we were in Kauai. I hadn't read any du Maurier in years but this was just as good as Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel. It's quite gothic with brooding good guys and equally brooding evil ones. It definitely put me in the mood for rereads too!

I wanted to read Andy Weir's The Martian before the upcoming movie but had to wait for hubby to read it first since I technically bought it for him. (I'm sure I'm not the only one who does that!) It was a super compelling read and I loved Mark Watney. Now I can finally watch that movie teaser trailer!

After devouring all of the volumes of Scott Pilgrim this spring, it was time to read Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley. This was a super awesome story about second chances and unintended consequences.

I don't know why I finally gave in and read my last unread Gaiman but Anansi Boys called to me and I couldn't resist. It was as good as expected with great characters and mythology. But now I am without a Gaiman on my TBR shelf. I guess now he just has to hurry up and write something new!

Are any of these books on your favorites list?

Filling the keeper shelves,
K

New Release: Bad Kid

I have a bunch of books that are going to get group reviews as I play catch up again but I thought that Bad Kid by David Crabb deserved its own post. This is Crabb's memoir of growing up gay in San Antonio, Texas. He was bullied before he had even fully realized what set him apart from many of the other kids. The thing he latched onto as a safe and happy thing was music. (Each chapter is headed with a song title or lyric.) And this is the thing that drew me in to his story because we are exactly the same age (well, I'm 8 months older) and we listened to almost all the same music -- George Michael and Madonna, then Erasure and the Pet Shop Boys, and finally The Smiths, Depeche Mode, The Cure, and Nine Inch Nails. But, while I was a relatively innocent Mormon kid, hanging with my besties, going to church dances, and listening to music in my bedroom in a small city an hour east of Los Angeles, he was sneaking out, going to clubs, dodging skinheads, and experimenting with drugs. It was fascinating to see a life so different than mine that was happening at the same time and to the same soundtrack just a few states away. I may not have been able to relate to pretty much anything he went through or did but I still feel like I knew him somehow. We both had specific places we ate lunch with our friends at school, got excited when friends got cool new cars, and lusted after boys that smelled good.

Even if this wasn't your time period or your music, I think there's much to gain from reading Crabb's story, meeting his friends, tagging along to dangerous parties, and seeing how someone who doesn't fit in to the conventional world finds his own place to belong. The story is sweet and funny and frightening and even sad. I was in tears by the end. This is a quick read that would be worth anyone's time to pick up.

There is a light that never goes out ...
K