The Silence

The Silence
by Tim Lebbon

So I watched the netflix movie The Silence first and then found out it was based off of a book.  I liked the movie so I thought I would like the book too.

The novel rotates between a teenage girl Ally who became deaf in a car accident when she was nine.  And now the whole family is fluent in sign language.  (Very handy when you want to communicate with others and need to remain silent.)  The other side of the story is through her father's eyes as he struggles to keep his family safe and worries about them.

Mysterious creatures have escaped from a cave that has been shut off for a very long time.  These creatures are blind, but anything that makes noise they attack.  And then they leave their eggs in their victims and multiply like crazy. You must be silent or they attack and kill you.  Scary.

I liked at the beginning of the chapters you would have little snippets of different things around the world, whether it was a BBC news broadcast, a Facebook update, tweet, etc, from around the world.  This gave you an idea of what was going on in the rest of the world or how the creatures were spreading.  It was bad.  And scary.

This reminded me a bit of Bird Box, and I liked both stories, both original in their own way.  I noticed while reading the book, I myself wanted to stay quiet.  I almost didn't even want to talk in between reading the chapters.  It was an interesting idea.  It makes you think what would happen to you and your family if this had happened.

UnSweetined

UnSweetined
by Jodie Sweetin

I grew up watching Full House and the past few years I have enjoyed watching Fuller House.  Interesting to read how the sweet Stephanie character was quite different from the real person.  She seems to be the very definition of a child star gone bad.  It's so sad to see such a talented person throwing their life away on drugs and alcohol.  However, she cleaned up and stopped taking drugs when she found out she was pregnant.  

This book was written a decade ago, so I am curious as to what has happened since then. Is she still clean?  I hope she is.  She's been on Fuller House since then, so I think she is, but she's an actor and does her job well.  Candace Cameron Bure seems like a pretty straight arrow and if Jodie is working with her, I would guess she is still sober and doing well.

It was an interesting read.  It came across as very honest.  What it was like to grow up working on a show that became a huge success.  She became typecast in that one character and struggled to move on.  It's a story of someone becoming successful, hitting rock bottom, and then coming back and doing well again.  

The Jewel

The Jewel
by Amy Ewing

This one caught my eye as the cover reminded me of The Selection series and I really enjoyed those.  In this novel, Violet's country is divided into different sections, the poorest living on the outside, the richest in the center part called the jewel.  By a blood test, Violet is selected to be a surrogate to the rich, she does not have a choice in this.  The surrogates are sold like slaves and treated as property.

Soon Violet is stuck in a world much different from what she is used to.  She is led around on a leash, with a collar around her neck.  Jealousy is raging among the different rich families and some surrogates are getting murdered as these rich families fight to be on top.

There were a couple of twists and surprises at the end.  I liked this one, it was a fun book and I'm looking forward to reading the next in this series.

Ugly

Ugly
by Robert Hoge

Robert Hoge was born with a giant tumor on his forehead and legs that were dis-formed.  This was in the 1970s and his parents were not expecting their child to come out like that.  This was not their first child, so they were shocked.

The mother struggled with if she wanted to take this baby home or not, or what would be the best for the whole family.  What a shock this would have been to be there delivering your baby, not expecting multiple deformities. The doctors were telling her to just leave the baby in a home, that would be the best for the rest of her family.  To just forget this child.  

But that is not what the family does.  After a short time, and discussing it with her entire family, both husband and other children, they all decide as a family to bring Robert home.  He looks different, but he is loved.  

Robert goes though multiple surgeries to remove the tumor, and then surgeries to try to fix his face.  And then there are surgeries on his legs.  

 And Robert is so positive about his life.  Just because he looks different people might treat him different, or even as a child make fun of him.  Or assume that something is wrong with him mentally, when no he's all there.

Very inspiring.  His life could have been a lot different had his family not brought him home.  Or he could have been bitter about the hand he was dealt, but he doesn't seem to be bitter at all.  He seems happy.  

The Farm

The Farm
by Joanne Ramos

I was pretty excited to read this one, having heard good reviews about it and I was not disappointed.  It is about a place which some people call "The Farm."  Basically the rich who either are not able to be pregnant, are just too busy with their jobs to be pregnant, or otherwise just don't want to carry a baby pay someone to be a surrogate for them. 

The novel rotates between several characters, but mainly Jane.    Jane is an immigrant from the Philippines.  She has a young daughter and she is there at the farm to try to make a better life for her daughter.  Her cousin is watching her child while she is gone.  Jane really struggles with not seeing her child, she worries about her.  And she is not allowed to see her while she is pregnant, as the child she is carrying pretty much takes over everything.  To the farm, the child she is carrying is more important than Jane.

The novel also rotates to other women at the farm and their reasons for being there.  Mainly they are there to make the money to have a better life.  The pay is good.  

Another perspective in the novel is Mae, the woman who is running the place.  That was interesting to see a different perspective.  What's motivating her?  And you find out some secrets you otherwise wouldn't.  She's not a terrible person, but she is also motivated by money.

It was an interesting look between the rich and the poor.  I mean only the rich would be able to pay for these surrogates.  And the women who are the surrogates normally tended to be poor and there to make money for a better life.  Or otherwise they were there to make money for a new life.  

This was such an enjoyable read.  I went in thinking this was some thriller and there were sinister secrets at this place.  There were secrets going on, but they were not what I thought.  Even though it ended up not being what I thought, it was a good book.  I was genuinely enjoying the story and it's one of those books while I'm reading and enjoying it, it's one of those books that makes me love reading so much.  

Chernobyl's Wild Kingdom: Life in the Dead Zone

Chernobyl's Wild Kingdom: Life in the Dead Zone
by Rebecca L. Johnson

In 1986 there as a nuclear explosion.  This zone filled with radiation is now known as the Dead Zone, this book looks into what is now happening to the wildlife in the area.  Scientists believed the area would be a dead wasteland, but the wildlife is coming back, even though anything in that area is radioactive.  Scientists are researching the area and how the plants and animals are able to survive in the radiation.

I picked this book up after we starting watching the new HBO show Chernobyl and I wanted to learn more.  This was a really interesting book, filled with picture and facts about the wildlife.  The book also briefly went into what had happened before moving on into the wildlife in the present day.

Apparently scientist are divided a bit on the topic of radiation.  Some believe the low levels of radiation could actually be beneficial and help the animals be healthier while other scientists believe the low levels of radiation is deadly.

There was a map of all the present nuclear power plants around the world and I was shocked there were so many.  The book is a few years old by now, so the map could be off a bit, but it gives you a general idea.  

It also mentioned how people like the nuclear power plants since they are able to produce so much energy, even if they are dangerous.   The author went on to point out that otherwise most of our energy is coming from burning coal, which leads to more carbon dioxide in the air, and eventually more global warming.  The population keeps growing and we need more electricity and the demand keeps growing. 

It was a really interesting book about what is happening to that area that is filled with radiation. 

The Elusive Mr. McCoy

The Elusive Mr. McCoy
by Brenda L. Baker

A man collapses in a coffee shop and two wallets are found on him, both have his picture but they have different first names.  Is the mystery man David or Eric?  Soon it's found out that David and Eric had completely different lives.  

Both are married to different women.  David was married to Lesley and he was a wilderness guide.  Eric was married to Kendra and he was an analyst for Middle Eastern politics.   They are unable to get answers from David/Eric because he is in a coma.

Both women are devastated when they find out that their husband lied to them, cheated on them, and married another woman.  Not only that, they go on to find out that he lied about who he even was to both of them.  He is not a wilderness guide and he is not an analyst for Middle Eastern politics.  He doesn't work as either one of those.  They  have no idea who this man is, he just pretended to be whoever he thought that they wanted him to be. 

The book eventually does have a few chapters of David/Eric so you are able to learn more about when he was younger and how he got to where he ended up marrying two women and lying about his whole life.

I felt bad for the two women, they still seemed to care about him.  Even after I read about his past, I still really didn't like the guy.  He was a selfish jerk.  He could have divorced his first wife, instead of doing what he did.  It wasn't necessary to tell lies nonstop about his life to them either.  

It was an interesting book, the story was something a little different.  And the same character having two different fake lives, who he really was and the two different women could have been confusing since so much different stuff was going on, but it wasn't hard to follow.

Underwater

Underwater
by Marissa Reichardt

Morgan is a teenager who is currently struggling with being able to even get out of her front door.  It paralyzes her with fear.  She wasn't always this way.  Something bad happened at her school a year ago and changed her life.  She is now finishing her school online and sees a therapists twice a week.  

A new boy moves across the street and this changes things for Morgan.  They become friends and he helps motivate her to want to work through her problems  and want to actually get better and be able to have a life again.

I thought it took a while in the book for you to find out more about what had happened at the school and why she felt so overwhelmingly guilty about it, so I don't want to go into to much for those who have not read the book yet.  But when you do find out more, wow, I can see why she became overwhelmed with guilt.  It was not her fault, not at all, but I can see why it affected her so much.

This one was an interesting look into agoraphobia and somebody working to process a tragic event.

Saving Red

Saving Red
by Sonya Sones

Molly, a 14-year-old, is volunteering at an event for the homeless when she meets a girl a few years older than her.  Something about Red intrigues her, she is different and Molly feels a pull to reunite Red with her family.  It will be Molly's something good to do.

Molly and Red do have something in common.  Red won't talk about her past, which makes it difficult to reunite her with her family if she doesn't talk about them, or give Molly their number.  And at the same time, something happened in Molly's past that she isn't talking about either.

Molly soon learns that Red hears voices and she is sick and should be taking medication.  Molly wants to help her even more as they become friends.

When I picked this book up, I wasn't sure if I would be able to get into it.  I wasn't aware that it was written in that poetry prose verse instead of just a regular novel.  I don't like poetry, but decided to just read a few pages to give the book a chance. I was pleasantly surprised, while I would have preferred a regular novel since I just feel like so much more depth could have been accessed there, it was still a good book.  This might make me actually give other books written in this format an actual chance.  

Inspection

Inspection
by Josh Malerman

J is one of twenty-six students, named A-Z.  They all call the same man D.A.D.  The school is all they know, they know nothing of an outside world.  Soon J is starting to wonder if there is more out there, but to think like that he can get into trouble and get put into the corner and disappear, never to be seen again. 

Next you meet K, a girl in a similar school across the forest.  She is a talented artist, wondering the same questions as J.

What J and K also both have in common is that neither have ever seen the opposite sex or is even aware there is such a thing as a boy or girl.  J has never seen a girl and K has never seen a boy.  

Why are boys and girls separated?  What is the point of making each other unaware of the other's presence.  How does the knowledge that the other even exists spoil them?

I have read a few Josh Malerman books now, and what they all seem to have in common is they are very imaginative and take you into a different world.  He's a good storyteller.  So far my favorite by him has been Bird Box, but I would say so far, this is probably his next best book. I haven't read all his books yet, so that could change down the road.

Want

Want
by Cindy Pon

Want is the first in an imaginative series where society is divided into two.  The rich are able to afford these expensive suits that protect them from the pollution.  The poor, who can't afford these suits, must breath the polluted air and they die much earlier than their rich counterparts.  

Jason Zhou is on the poor side and recently lost his mother.  With the help of his friends he is able to infiltrate Jin Corporation, the rich company that is making these suits and is pretty much in charge of everything.  He meets Daiyu, the daughter of Jin Corporation's CEO and well, she's different.  He likes her.

For some reason this one took me a little while to get into, I was starting to wonder if it was going to go in my did-not-finish list, but I'm glad I read just a few more pages, because then I was able to get into the story and I enjoyed the book. 

It was imaginative, you had your good and bad side.  What can they do about this pollution?  How do they make it better where the poor are able to live longer?  What is Daiyu going to do when she finds out who Jason really is?  I liked our main characters Jason Zhou and Daiyu, and I'm looking forward to reading the next one in this series to see where this goes.

Tin Heart

Tin Heart
by Shivaun Plozza

A year ago, Marlowe was considered the dying girl at school.  She needed a heart transplant and well, she honestly was going to die unless she received one.  She did and now she has a second chance at life.

Marlowe wants to know more about the person who donated her new heart, and more about their family so she tries to hunt them down.  

It was a look into how a transplant can safe a life.  If that person hadn't signed that donor card, Marlowe would have died.  There was also a part where the doctor was looking out the window and it was raining and they mentioned how basically for her to get a heart, someone would have to die in an accident.   A bit morbid, but that is true.  Marlowe wants to live, but she realizes that for her to get a heart, something very bad has to happen to someone else.

The best character in the book was her younger brother.  He was quirky and just such fun.  He dresses fun, has a positive attitude, is outspoken and not shy.  I liked hearing about his crazy clothes.

An interesting look into donor transplants and how that effects multiple people, the donor family and the person who can now live again.

Melissa Explains it All

Melissa Explains it All
by Melissa Joan Hart

This one came out a few years ago, Melissa mentioned her book in a Facebook post,  which I then went out and wanted to read her book.  I enjoyed watching Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Melissa and Joey and thought it might be interesting about hearing some of the behind the scenes and other tidbits from her life.

Melissa started young as a child actress working in commercials, and her siblings are all actors too.  I did not know that, but I've never looked into her life before.  She goes on to tell about Clarissa, the different television movies she was on, and the hit television shows.  

I looked at other reviews when I started this book and there was a lot of negativity.  I enjoyed her book.  I liked hearing about the behind the scenes of her different shows.  She would name different celebrities as she had come across them and give us her honest opinion, she's a real person and I like that.  Not everybody is great to work with, that's realistic and honest.  And then she compared where she was in her career to where Sarah Michelle Gellar was in her career, for me that helped visualize what else was going on at the same time.  

I also liked how she gave us the names of the movie or television series she was working on, she has been in even more shows than I had realized.  

Towards the end of the book she talks about the struggle of working long hours on the set of Melissa and Joey and missing her family.  I would have liked to hear more about her as a mother, but perhaps she could share more about that down the road in her next book.

There was one chapter I didn't really are for, it was the one about her husband's  football team that he likes.  Honestly, I pretty much skimmed that chapter and the book went back to stuff I found more interesting.  

Overall, I enjoyed the book and found in interesting.  

The Safest Lies

The Safest Lies
by Megan Miranda

Kelsey, a 17 year old teenager, lives with her mother who hasn't left the house since Kelsey was born.  When her mother was 17, she was kidnapped, she was gone for a year and came back 4 months pregnant.  She doesn't remember what happened that year, but she is afraid to leave the house now.

Kelsey is in car accident and her picture and name are in the paper.  Shortly later her mother disappears and people are after her.

It had suspense, you wondered if they were going to get away okay.  I was also wondering what had actually happened to her mother when she disappeared for that year.  You assume the people that came back are the same that had originally kidnapped her mother.  Why are they back 17 years later?  What happened?  What was so important that they would come back so many years later?  You eventually do find out and honestly I was a little disappointed, it was like, oh, okay.  But overall it was still a pretty good book and I enjoyed it.

Fear of Missing out

Fear of Missing out
by Kate McGovern

Astrid, a teenager, has survived cancer one time, and now her worst fear has come true, the cancer is back.  She doesn't want to go through another round of chemo, the sickness, losing her hair, fighting for her life.  She just wants to be a normal teenager.

She hears about cryopreservation and is intrigued.  Is this a way that she could continue on and have a life down the road?  She take a road trip with her boyfriend and best friend to learn more.

The cryoperservation seems a little far fetched.  And it's expensive, her friends start a GoFundMe page to help her pay for it, if that is what she decides to do.  

She's so young, already having cancer twice.  It's just sad for her and her loved ones, particularly because the cancer came back strong.  Her mother would like her to give a drug trial a try, but Astrid is just tired of fighting the cancer.  It was a sad book.