Book Reviews: Life on the Refrigerator door & Cracked Up to Be

I caught up on homework and read this weekend. It was too cold to do anything outside, so I made a quick stop at my library and grabbed some quick reads ;) I read both of these in a day (I'm a quick reader).

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Life on the Refridgerator Door by Alice Kuipers wasn't what I expected. The daughter, Claire, is a teenager just like every other 15 year old girl you know. Dating a guy she is confused about, her parents are divorced and she does homework. Her mom works too much as a Labor & Delivery doctor at a local hospital. I must not have read the cover closely because I thought this was going to be a light read, which it was not!

It read quick, some pages only had a line or 2. Most pages had a paragraph to read. It really was just likes notes left on the fridge. I didn't care for the story and not really the ending. The notes didn't let you develop a great sense of the characters. Overall it was mediocore for me. 

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(YA) Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

I enjoyed this book, it really addressed issues teen struggle with. Parker was very identifiable and I could imagine her as popular, but she was more interesting as the loner. I didn't like how the book skipped around so much. It kept going back to "the night it happened", but there were times I felt really confused and just wanted to know what happened. I know why the author chooses to wait until near the end, but I'd have liked to have a better understanding ahead of time instead of going back and forth. I did have a hard time understanding the relationship between Parker and her ex, Chris. I never had any boyfriends that I stayed close with after a breakup, but I think he was still in love with her through most of the book. The author did leave it open for a follow up book, but I think it ended well and she should leave it.

I would recommend this book to any teenage girl (or boy, I guess) and I enjoyed reading it myself. I wish it had addressed more of the drinking issues, instead of just stating that she drank a bottle of Jack. I was more interested in that, then her meetings with a counselor at school.

Book Review: Between Friends by Kristy Kiernan

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Ali and Cora have been best friends since childhood. Now in their forties, the two women lead very different lives: single Cora is a professor who studies wind trends, while Ali is a wife and mother. When Ali was unable to get pregnant, Cora donated her own eggs so that Ali could have her miracle child, Letty, now 14 and in full-fledged teenage rebellion. Cora has returned to Florida with a terrible secret: she’s suffering from a hereditary kidney disease that she fears she’s passed on to Letty. While Cora works up the courage to tell Ali what her family may be facing, Ali is contemplating the possibility of having another child even as her marriage is showing signs of strain, and Letty is sneaking out to see her troubled boyfriend. (Courtesy of Amazon.com)

My take: This book tugged at my heart strings. I always thought, if I found out later that I can't have children, some of my friends would step in and have the babies for me. I never worried about diseases they could pass on or if I wanted more than one, would asking that same friend to donate more eggs be too much? Then when you think you know how the book is going to go, a twist is thrown in and made me want to reach into the book and hug each of them. I would recommend this book to read, it's not chick lit as I originally thought. It provokes questions that I still don't have the answer to.

Book Review: Glass by Ellen Hopkins

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Summary from Amazon.com
Grade 9 Up—Kristina Snow was a 17-year-old with high grades and a loving family. In Crank (S & S, 2004), one summer in California with a meth-addicted boyfriend destroys her life. Addicted, she's raped, and goes back home to Reno pregnant. Glass picks up a year later. She lives with her mother and works at a 7–11. Depressed about her post-baby figure, she goes back on speed to lose weight. Her mother kicks her out and gains custody of the baby. She continues to spiral to the last page, which sets readers up for a third novel. Glass is even more terrifying than Crank in its utter hopelessness; meth's power is permanent and Kristina is an addict whether she uses or not. Though her recount of events in the first book is dry and self-indulgent, the pace snowballs as soon as she takes her first toke of rock meth, and one desperate, horrifying measure or decision follows another. Like Crank, this title is written in verse, but certainly not poetry.

My response: This book was another quick read and I loved it. There were some gaps though because in Crank, the father knew about the baby, but in Glass she is trying to not let the dad know he has a baby. (I hate plot holes) Kristina is once again taken under by the monster and pretty much abandons her child in favor of getting high and finding out how to support her habit. Her lovely father makes a guest appearance to meet his new grandson, Hunter. Kristina, again, goes for the wrong guy and it leads her down a destructive path. I can't wait to read the next one and see where it leads. Again, not recommending to these books to anyone under the age of 18. Yes, it's cautionary, but a bit too graphic for my tastes.

Book Review: The Dopefiend by JaQuavis Coleman

This books follows the life of a junkie, Hazel (21 years old), around Flint, MI as she tries to get her fix and the extent she will go to for her next high. Her dad, Apple, is currently serving a life sentence in Jackson, MI (for drug trafficking) and his "mini-me" Seven tries to get Hazel clean (even though he is also a drug trafficker). Her best friend, Millie, is 10 years her senior and what is considered a "functioning addict" (or was at one point).

The first 3/4 of the book captivated my attention and made me really feel for Hazel. Her mother died young, so her estranged father became responsible for her and showed her how to run a drug business. It was quite sad and when he was imprisoned she was cared for by an elderly neighbor until she became a ward of the state. While in juvie, she became close with a drug counselor, Millie that introduced her to heroin and she became an addict.

Hazel does horrible things in order to get her fix. Stealing, robbing and selling her body are traded for the elusive drug. I didn't like the ending, it seemed to slow down and I found myself not caring what the outcome was. Without giving anything away anything, this is the second book in a triliogy, but I didn't feel lost not reading book 1. I won't go out of my way to read the other two books. It was graphic and not for anyone under 18.
I enjoyed the book being based in Flint (MI represent, lol) and Hazel's story was interesting, but devastating. Due to the ending, I really wouldn't recommend it.

"What are your feelings on losing followers? Have you ever stopped following a blog?"

Depends on the followers. I love when people comment on my blog, send me emails or just check in. If it's someone that wasn't participating anyways? Well oh well. I've stopped following a blog if they stopped posting (1 month, no posts) or straight reviews/giveaways. I've also used the little hide button if I wasn't participating on the blog anyways (and then they keep me as a "follower").

Book Review: Intervention by Terri Blackstock

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Another book? Ok, I promise to go out and get a life soon. I read this book over a 2-day span and overall it was decent. It's about a 40-ish widow, that has 2 children. Her 18 year old daughter, Emily, is an addict so she hires an interventionist to take her to rehab. The police find the interventionist dead in her car at the airport and Emily has disappeared. Interesting, right?

The plot sounded interesting, but you have to have an active imagination for this book to play out the way it does. There seemed to be too many coincidences throughout the book. If one detail had been different, anywhere in the book, the book wouldn't have made sense. There was also a lot of religious talk that I didn't expect from the summary of the book. I knew the 12 steps would be mentioned, but past that God became part of the book.

I would not recommend this book to others. It didn't grab me or keep me intrigued. About halfway through the book I just wanted to quit, but I was invested to find out what had actually happened.

Is anyone enjoying these book reviews? If not, I don't have to keep doing them.

"What is the one bookish thing you would love to have, no matter the cost?"
My answer: A window seat :) I'm simple

Book Review: Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock

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2 books in 3 days? It doesn't happen often, but it happened this week. I read the book Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock. It told a story of 2 young sisters, Carrie, 8 and Emma, 6. Their father died a few years ago and their mother has since remarried.
The stepfather physically abuses them with anything within his reach. The mother doesn't pay attention to them and uses her words to hur their spirits.
I was shocked by some of the extent this man takes to these girls. When they try to escape and are found, their stepfarther leashes them to the ground and feeds them dog food! This wasn't a fun read and it reminded me that things like this exist and are out there.
The book was written well and switched between present time and when the father was alive. There was some sexual abuse that was implied, but not confirmed. I tend to enjoy books better when they push the envelope and this one didn't do that for me. The characters were well developed and I was amazed by the young girls' courage and how they dealt with things. The ending shocked me, but when I thought of it, it made sense. No, I won't ruin it, so you may read it.
Overall, probably not a book I would recommend, but it kept me busy while I was under the weather this week.
Let me know what you think!

Book Review: Crank by Ellen Hopkins

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**No Spoilers**

I had read a few book reviews on this particular novel and even though it was a young adult book, I figured I would give it a go. After a long day at work yesterday, I made my way to our local library. I am lucky to live within a 5 mile radius of 4 libraries, but of course I went to the furthest (and nicest in my opinion) one.

I had never been to the YA section and it's upstairs in a corner and had some weird neon lights and beanbags. I think they decorated it to get more immature adults teenagers to read. Anyways, when I picked it up I was surprised to find out it was a pretty thick book and looked intimidating. I peeked inside and noticed the words were jumbled around and set up funny. If you read or have read this book, you will understand.

I started this book at about 7pm last night and finished it about 4 hours later. All 400+ pages of it, for me it was a fast read. I loved it, such an intimate and accurate portrayal of addiction and the downward, out of control lifestyle that can follow.

I have an odd fascination with addiction, from drugs, to alcohol to stamps to work. It all intrigues me and this book did not let me down. It shocked me to realize what someone in Bree's situation would do in order to get her hands on crank (or the monster). It was a hard read, in my opinion, for someone that fits the young adult category (I'm thinking teenage), but I can understand it as a cautionary tale.

I don't normally enjoy writing styles like the one in this book, but the pace and plot kept me intrigued I could not put it down! I would recommend this book to anyone, but due to the subject, I would probably recommend it to people over the age of 18.

From what I understand there is a whole series that follows Bree along her daily addictions and struggles, so I will probably read the entire series.

If you enjoyed reading this book, you may also like Down and Out on Murder Mile by Tony O'Neill. I read it about a year ago and still remember it well. It portrays the daily lives of a couple addicted to drugs and what they will do to get their fix. It is also recommended to those 18+ due to the subject manner and language.

So how was my first book review? Any comments? Suggestions? I would appreciate the feedback! If you've read the book, let me know what you think? Although I left spoilers out in case someone that hasn't read it wants to.