Time for a review round-up! These are the books I read but never got around to creating a post about (or there just wasn't enough there to talk about). You can always check out my Goodreads for more reviews (and I often post hidden spoilers!).
Though it's over a decade old, I was only recently introduced to the cinematic wonder that is The Room, a movie that was written, produced, and directed by the elusive Tommy Wiseau, who also acted in the movie and footed the entire $6 million budget himself. TW is a man of mysterious origins and what I loved about this book was that it was mostly about the friendship between TW and Greg Sestero, who plays the back-stabbing best friend Mark in the movie. I would've never known that they actually had a connection before the movie. My only complaint was that I wish they had explored more of the post-release fame and attention that was given after people discovered this entertainingly terrible movie.
This book is a beautifully heart-breaking look at mental illness on a larger scale. Our MC, Cassie, has just released herself from the mental ward she was forced into a couple of years prior and is attempting to live a normal life. Her life never was normal, though, because of the complexities and illnesses that run within her family life. Though we only ever see what Cassie is going through, the reader can see past the blinders of Cassie's feelings and focus instead on how unhealthy her family (particularly her mother) is. Cassie is struggling with depression, and it's interesting to see how her illness is sort of neglected as a result of the illnesses that run throughout her family. TW: Sexual Abuse
YA is rarely a pick for Kindle Firsts, so I jumped at the chance to get a free YA novel. The fact that it dealt with mental illness was just icing on the cake. I love that mental illness is being discussed openly in YA. There were a lot of great observations in this novel (I have so many highlighted sections) and each person was dealing with their own issues (self-harm, anorexia, schizophrenia, etc.) while also trying to learn to live with those issues in a healthy way. Unfortunately, the book started to dissolve into the usual contemporary romance and I felt as though Grover's character (who came off more cutesy quirky than ill) was "fixing" Zander, and that's not how mental illness works. I loved the support system that was built between the small group of friends, because people can be helpful and it is important to know you're not alone. I just don't think that love or friendship should ever appear as the cure for an illness because that is never the way it works.
Fans of Gilmore Girls, Parenthood, and LG in general will want to get a hold of this! Graham has a great sense of humor and adds a lovely tinge of nostalgia as she recounts her life, her career as an actress and writer, and what it was like to play Lorelai Gilmore at two different stages of her life. Though I'm happy to have learned a bit about her career and life in general, I was expecting a lot more focus on GG. Because Graham could've never imagined how important the show would become, she didn't record every moment behind the scenes, and so her memories of the first go-around are hazy and I have to admit that I was disappointed. I listened to the audiobook and would definitely recommend that if you're into that option. My only complaint in regards to that format is that the disc has a PDF file with photos and I listened while I drove and she referenced the pictures but most people who listen to audiobooks are multi-tasking so I didn't like that.
I'm Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl - Gretchen McNeil
I have extremely complicated feelings about this book, not to mention the concept of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl and I definitely get into that more on my GR review here. I feel like I get what McNeil was going for (there's more to a person than what meets the eye, it's not about popularity but about putting yourself out there, etc. etc.), but I felt like the structure was off. I wasn't necessarily disappointed because my expectations were never high. However, I do see potential and I'm sad that it didn't get to where it could've been.
Lily and the Octopus - Steven Rowley
This book won't be for everyone and I fall into that group of people. This story, about a man who spots an "octopus" on top of his aging Dachshund's head, is one gigantic metaphor for facing the impending death of your beloved pet. If it really were an octopus, I'd suspend my disbelief. If we dropped the charade earlier, I would understand. Unfortunately, Rowley went back and forth, giving life to this octopus while also reminding the reader that it isn't really an octopus or is it though? I didn't even mention that Lily and Ted spend most of their time talking about all kinds of things and playing board games and doing other things that people don't (or, more importantly, can't) do with animals. It was confusing and there was a part where I put the book down for a couple of days without any intention of completing it. I was close to the end though, so I finished it in a moment of boredom. I have always struggled with magical realism, but it's especially hard when I can't tell whether or not I'm supposed to believe it or it's just some weird thing that the character will acknowledged never happened. Not my cuppa but I could see why some people, specifically pet owners, would enjoy it.
That's it for January's Review Round-Up!
See any books you've been wanting to check out?
See any books you've been wanting to check out?
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