The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

The one significant line that stood out to me from the whole book:
"My thoughts are stars I can't fathom into constellations." (only because I am obsessed with stars and the meaning and beauty behind them.)

As for the rest of the book, it sucked.

The author used the heart strings of the reader and the sympathies towards young adults with terminal diseases, especially cancer. It's a story of young love that is at the hands of fate and however long it allows these two main characters to suffer. Whether it is due to the hands of cancer or separation from the young lover that is lost. A tale that is played out predictably and not near as successful as the famous story of Romeo and Juliet. Although there are no warring families, it lacks the sincerity and passion that the classic provides. Nice try John Green, but it was a fail.

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Private LA

Private L.A. by James Patterson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Mediocre read, but boring. The bad guys were interesting but with the main characters being boring you can't have a book based on the bad guys being the only interesting component. James Patterson is starting to write the same stuff over and over again without any change. He's just not as mysterious as he used to be, he's more predictable. And his storylines are getting more predictable all the time.

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Running Blind

Running Blind by Lee Child
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Yet again GoodReads has me frustrated that I cannot give 1/2 stars. I would really rate this book 2.5 stars. It certainly dragged on, but I will admit there were some parts which were quite interesting, ie the killers way of killing (but that doesn't get revealed until the last few chapters). I also found that Jack Reacher in the book is completely different than the Tom Cruise character portrayed in film. In real-life Cruise is short, where as the book has Reacher portrayed as a man that is plus 6 ft and is approximately 230 lbs.

I was very disappointed with how Reacher came to the conclusion of who the killer was. It just didn't seem very logical to me and there was a lot of time being wasted. I have read a lot of books and I was pretty sure that I would be able to figure out the killer. I had my guess to who I thought it was and was totally out in left field. Then when I found out who the killer was, all I was saying to myself was WTF? The ending was a disappointment as well. Jeez Lee Child, you create a character like Jack Reacher, you've got to be able to have a story that meets his abilities. Reacher is a lone ranger, out on his own. Goes to the beat of his own drum. Then an ending like that just makes the whole story fall flat. Then there's the whole issue of the FBI. What a bunch of dummies. I'm left thinking, if that is how you truly think the FBI operates what a huge disappointment.

Now that I have written all this I am finding that the book doesn't deserve 2.5, a two will suffice.

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Wild

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I had a lot of hopes for this book. I enjoyed the idea of following Strayed on her hike across the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). I liked the idea of being immersed in nature and Strayed having to find her way and herself. This book had a lot of potential but in many areas it fell short. There was a lot of repetitiveness throughout the book. If you read something once surely you were going to come across it again. The were quite a few things that were bizarre, ie the Bigfoot dreams, having to shoot her mother's horse with her brother, as well as her wanting to be alone but than there were times where she would be yearning for company. Part of the book that made me a quite angry was how mad Strayed was at her mother for dying of cancer. She considered her mother's death a form of giving up and I don't really agree with that opinion or belief. Cancer is an awful disease and imposes struggles on people that some would consider insurmountable. It was very selfish of Strayed to say she hated her mother for dying. I wasn't really impressed with this book or how Strayed handled some circumstances. The best thing was the descriptions of the mountains and what Strayed got to see on her journey. They were mediocre descriptions but it was nice to travel the PCT without the hardship. Also, I found the ending very rushed. It was like there was a cap on how many pages it had to be so she wrapped it up really quick. She even gave a bit of detail as to what happened a few years after... but it wasn't very important information. Everyone could take a pass on this book... but that's just my opinion.


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Brain on Fire

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It totally grabbed in the way that books about foreign illnesses and diseases do. What Cahalan went through in a month, most people could not handle going through in a longer time period. It was interesting that this illness is still quite rare, and treatment can be successful in most cases. A big kudos goes to Cahalan for letting, us readers, into a very critical and scary time of her life. I was very impressed by the bedside manner of her doctor, Dr. Najjar. Without his help and passion to find out what was happening to Cahalan, she may not have survived the experience or been able to return to her life and identity. Information in the last few chapters was a little repetitive. Still, a very interesting and thought provoking read.

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The Final Testament of The Holy Bible

The Final Testament of the Holy Bible by James Frey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am a self-profound Atheist, but when I was reading the bio on this book it reminded me of Frey's other book Bright Shiny Morning. Since I loved that book, I thought this would be an interesting choice because of it's relation to religion and the comparison in how the story was told from the view points of various characters. I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed this book and the way that one character in the book was the sole purpose for how the other characters were linked. The story is written on the premises that this gentleman is the Messiah, and that he is to bring change and love to the world. Even though there is an intertwining of religions, it focuses on the fact that essentially all religions are based on the same philosophy of promoting change and love. When you are reading you feel like you get to know each character on a deeply personal level, and how the premise of the story relates to them directly and indirectly. A well written piece of literature that if you are curious about religion but do not believe in it, you may want to explore this avenue.

As much as OPRAH bashed Frey for A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard, he continues to prove her wrong by turning out fabulous writing that poses questions to topics that are of high priority. Kudos to Frey for continuing his love of writing.

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A Piece of Cake

A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this book captivating and it captured life in the Ghetto like no other book I read. There were lots of situations or occurrences that happened to Cupcake that I could relate to. It was nice to hear how she struggled with addictions all her life and then decided one day she was going to make the change. Cupcake was able to settle her differences with God and eventually have a very practical relationship with him. At times she was unable to believe the amount of help she would get when all she did was pray. (I FOUND THIS A BIT HARD TO READ SINCE I AM COMPLETELY ATHEIST AND DON'T BELIEVE IN GOD, BUT IT WAS NICE TO SEE HOW IT HELPED CUPCAKE)The best thing about this book was that all the hardships Cupcake faced paid off in the end and she became a success in more ways then she could every imagine.

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