The Start of You and Me

This is close to a five star book for me. Maybe if there was a dragon or two in it I would be there (lol). Note: I did NOT read the emails at the back of the book. I loved the ending and wanted it to just stop there; with all the unknown future ahead.

 

Title: The Start of You and Me
Author: Emery Lord
Genre(s): Young Adult, Teen
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

“The Start of Me and You” is a young adult book that appears to be the same old, same old story of some tragedy and the teen overcoming it. You may be (at least I was) excepting some in-depth comments or statements on life similar to those made in “The Fault in Our Stars”. You know the ones the outrageously philosophical one-liner that it’s very unlikely a teenage would ever think it. Or perhaps you are expecting a typical shallow girl YA book that uses tragedy as a crutch. In both cases you would be wrong. I surprisingly adored this book with its high school culture and awkward moments. 

I laughed, cried and felt joy with every moment of this book. And the best part is that the ending isn’t ‘all perfect’, it’s obvious it will be subject to the same ups and downs of any one person’s future. I can’t say much more about this book without giving things away. What I can say with absolute certainty is I know 20 years ago when I was a teenager I certainly had many of the same emotions, thoughts and experiences of our characters. And this book brought me back to that time and my emotions then. While difficult in some way to revisit my own experiences of: losing a grandparent when I was fifteen, watching an amazing friend slowly die one year later (from CF), and being a part of a high-school romance that was as tumultuous as it was endearing; I’m glad I could look back on those moments and realize that what I was reading was so similar to my own story. I validated in how I felt at the time. If any part of me was feeling like I did something wrong back then I am confident that Emery Lord has dispelled all doubt from my mind by showing that humans young and old all deal with tragedy in their own way. No one of us is right or wrong necessarily and eventually we all have to get through the firsts and lasts of those times in order to allow ourselves to move forward.  

If you lost anyone at all close to you as a teenager, or are a teen dealing with death, this is the book for you. Alternatively if you just want to read a realistic teen, no literary nonsense or bloating of situations book then pick this one up as I do believe there is something for everyone in “The Start of Me and You”. 

I believe in the future this book will hold a special place in my heart as a bittersweet reminder of my teenage friend Scott. I plan to purchase a printed copy of this book to add to my library.

All the Birds in the Sky

I read this book last summer and it really stuck with me. This is one of those unknown gems that if more people knew about it would be an instant bestseller in my opinion. All the Birds in the Sky is a futuristic story in which technology has become a physical part of humans existence. A reality in which AI has developed its own consciousness. At its core however this is a love story.  It not your typical annoying teen type. A slow burning realization instead.

Title: All the Birds in the Sky
Author: Charlie Jane Anders
Genre(s): Young adult, science fiction
Rating: 5/5 stars

Here's my original review from March 2016: 
It's difficult to decide where to start or how to classify this book. But it might be described something like this; the weird, possibly boring book a teacher forces you to read and write journal entries about each chapter. You get confused and feel overwhelmed in places, while in other places you are speechless. But then the final pages make you realize you just read something PROFOUND. Words and a story that will stay with you.
This is an "ah-ha" book.

For me my original "ah-ha" story was The Giver. Charlie Jane Anders has taken our world today, imagined it in the not-so distant or maybe really distant future and forces the reader to really think about life itself. Not just our lives, but life in all its forms. I believe this could easily be a teenagers "ah-ha" book and that any youth would be well shaped and inspired by its messages.

The core question of this book, can technology and nature co-exist, is (ironically?) put into place when you think that: we write on paper (made of trees using technology), using our brains (nature) to type (computers) a story that ultimately becomes a combination of both technology and nature.

If you start reading and feel lost, or get halfway and feel uncertain; trust me and finish this set. It's more than worth feeling a little lost as then when it all comes together you'll feel like it was worthwhile.

Once Upon a Time there was a bookworm...

Much like my stitching blog is called Epic Stitching because I do epic large stitching; this page is called Epic Reading as I adore science fiction and fantasy books. Large epics with lots of detail and characters are exactly where I like to be. I also read a lot of young adult/teen books these days as they are so often dystopian, fantasy worlds.

I've always been an avid reader. As a child I was more likely to have a book in hand than be hanging out with friends. Books have always been an important part of my life and anytime someone asks what luxury item I'd want to take on an island I have to debate between stitching and a book. I usually pick a book as it's something I can read over and over again.

GoodReads instantly became one of my favourite sites (and apps) as social media took over our lives. I have never, ever been able to find so many great books (or people) in one place before!
What started as a hobby to track my books read per year (which I did before GoodReads existed) and keep track of what I want to read but don't own quickly became a place where I could have my opinion/review of a book. In the last couple years I've being reviewing every book I read and loving spending the time in reflection on the book after closing the last page. Thus, I became a NetGalley reviewer and am now taking the next step in being a book reviewer by creating this page on my blog.

What you can expect to read on this page: 
- Reviews on books I've just read (pre-releases or older ones)
- Posts about past books I've adored and loved
- Hype for new books coming out that I've interested in

I'd like to thank all my stitching friends and current followers for being so supportive of this page being added to Epic Stitching!