What Does It Feel Like? By Sophie Kinsella

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Evie Monroe is a best-selling novelist who has it all, including a case of writer’s block. She’s bored with the book she’s writing when all at once she decides to take her own advice to would-be authors:  write what you know, and write the book you want to read. Immediately she knows what she wants to write and the words just burst forth into her biggest selling novel yet, one optioned for a movie.  It’s a dream.

And then Eve wakes up in a hospital, not sure why she’s there or how long she’s been there.  Her devoted husband Nick is there and says he has been all along. Her children are being taken care of by their grandparents. There was an operation for a brain tumor.  Eve is going to have to relearn a lot of things, and Nick will be by her side.

The advice Eve gives is also the advice Sophie Kinsella takes in this short novel. In 2022, Kinsella was diagnosed with a stage four glioblastoma. She underwent surgery to remove the tumor and has since been undergoing treatment. As she explains in the afterward, this is not her memoir but it is her story. And what a story it is:  courageous, tender, loving, and against the odds, hopeful.  I found it to be both moving and uplifting; treating the story as fictional allows a distance for author and reader to connect in a way that’s personal but not intrusive. It’s very much a love story, but not really a tearjerker. It’s gently amusing, and gently thoughtful, dealing with questions we tend to avoid. 

This was a lovely book and deserves the accolades it has received. I know I will be recommending it to others.

Before I Go by Colleen Oakley

Reviewed by Meygan

Daisy loves her life, especially her husband, her dog, and graduate school. Oh, and being cancer free. Developing breast cancer in her early twenties was rough to say the least, but she is elated that she and her husband celebrate an anniversary (referred to as “Cancerversary”) for Daisy being cancer free. Everything seems to be falling into place for Daisy and Jack—so much that they have started discussing the possibility of having children. On the day before her third “Cancerversary”, Daisy goes to the doctor for a checkup. Daisy is beyond devastated to hear that not only has her cancer returned, but it is quickly progressing and spreading throughout her body. The doctors have given Daisy about six months to live—a year if she is lucky. Living in a house that needs to be remodeled, Daisy is constantly adding things to her To-Do List: caulk the windows, fix the floor, etc, etc, etc. As Daisy lies in bed one night next to Jack, she notices that there is yet again another pile of his dirty socks beside the bed. She states that if it weren’t for her, the pile could easily turn in to a mountain. Then that’s when it hits her—what will happen to Jack after she dies? Sure, he is about to graduate and will soon be a veterinarian, but he isn’t the best cook in the world and the house would never be cleaned if it weren’t for Daisy. As much as it pains her to think about Jack moving on after she dies, she knows that Jack must continue to live. So the next item she adds to her To-Do List is to find Jack a new wife, someone who can help lift his spirits whenever Daisy is no longer there to do so.

Let me say that there many moments where I laughed out loud because Daisy is so funny and honest. The characters felt so “alive” that I felt as if I knew them. Shockingly enough, I didn’t cry as much as I thought I would base on the book’s description. Yes, there were sad moments, especially when Daisy keeps reiterating that she will die and those parts were excruciatingly sad However, I thought Oakley did a fine job with making the book enjoyable, especially with such a serious topic. I highly recommend Before I Go and I hope to read more books by Colleen Oakley in the near future! 

Following Atticus by Tom Ryan

 Reviewed by Meygan

When Tom Ryan learns that his friend is diagnosed with cancer, he is devastated. They had been friends for years and he can’t believe that her life is going to come to a premature end. After his friend passes, Tom wants to do something in her memory. He decides he and Atticus will hike New Hampshire’s 48 mountains twice in one winter to raise money and awareness for cancer.  

At this point, you need to understand that Tom is an overweight, middle-aged journalist and owner of a local newspaper called The Undertoad, and that Atticus is a 20 pound schnauzer. In other words, these two wouldn’t be anyone’s idea of typical mountain climbers or hikers.

When the people of the town learn of his plan, they love the idea and ask Tom if he will dedicate each hike in name of a person who died from cancer. His personal quest becomes a community effort.

Now, Tom and Atticus are certainly not new to hiking, but hiking 48 mountains twice in one winter is certainly a challenge! But Tom looks forward to the fundraiser because he believes so much good will come from it. He also knows how much Atticus loves the mountains. (Tom often refers to Atticus as “Little Buddha” because Atticus seems to “reflect” during their endeavors in nature.)

His father is another factor in Tom’s decision. Tom doesn’t have a close relationship with his father. In fact, there are many years of silence and anger between them.  Tom knows that one of his father’s regrets is that he didn’t climb mountains himself before illness took control of his life.  Tom hopes that, by sharing his adventures with his father via an article in The Undertoad, there will be some sort of reconciliation.

Following Atticus is one of my favorite animal stories because even though there are parts that tug at the ol’ heartstrings, the ending will not disappoint. Readers will follow Tom’s and Atticus’ journey of loss and grief but, most of all, happiness. You can still follow Tom and Atticus online! 

https://www.facebook.com/FollowingAtticusBook 

 http://www.tomandatticus.blogspot.com/

 

Tom often posts pictures of Atticus and gives a brief description of where their next journey will be. I would recommend this book to animal lovers and nature lovers. Not only will you fall in love with Atticus, but you’ll feel inspired by the glories of nature. In fact, after reading Following Atticus, you may yearn to go on your own adventure!

If you like Following Atticus, try these:

Comet’s Tale: How the Dog I Rescued Saved My Life by Steven Wolf
Wallace: The Underdog Who Conquered a Sport, Saved a Marriage, and Championed Pit Bulls—One Flying Disk at a Time by Jim Gorant
Katie Up and Down the Hall by Glenn Plaskin
Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I learned About Love and Life with a Blind Cat by Gwen Cooper
Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron
Cleo- How an Uppity Cat Helped Heal a Family by Helen Brown
A Lion Called Christian: The True Story of the Remarkable Bond between Two Friends and a Lion by Anthony Bourke

(Note:  Meygan has just joined the staff and has volunteered to do reviews, so look for more of her work here!)

Pam Neal Talks John Green!

Welcome back to the bookblog, Pam Neal!  Today we are talking about The Fault in our Stars by John Green, a very popular young adult book which is also being made into an upcoming movie.

Kristin:  Hi Pam, tell our readers all about The Fault in our Stars

Pam:  The Fault in our Stars is about two teenagers who meet at a cancer support group and they fall in love.  I think people relate to Hazel Grace and Augustus.  They are teenagers, and even though they have cancer, they are trying to live normal lives.  It’s funny, it’s quirky, it works with the teen population.  It’s just a great book.  It’s well written—it’s John Green and he’s just great.  People just connect with the characters, especially Hazel Grace.

Kristin:  Augustus is such a big personality and he kind of overwhelms Hazel at first, but soon you see that he is totally captivated by her.  They are very real teenagers.

Pam:  Yes, VERY real teenagers and they are just trying to live very normal teenage lives even though they are sick.  I think Hazel Grace has dwelled more on her sickness because her parents do, but Augustus tries to say “Hey, you’ve got to live your normal life, even though you’re sick.”  He’s got such a happy-go-lucky attitude.  You just love them both immediately, and their friend Isaac too.  It was a feel good book, even though it’s not a feel good book.

Kristin:  So Peter Van Houten is the author who Hazel has been totally obsessed with—An Imperial Affliction is a fictional book by a fictional author.  The author is an American living in Amsterdam and Hazel has written to him wanting to know what happened to the characters after the book ended.

Pam:  I think that is just like true readers who get obsessed about a book.  Right now they are 

obsessed with John Green, and they write to John Green.  “Why’d you do this?  Why’d you do that?  What are you going to do next?”  Of course I related to their obsession with Peter Van Houten.

Kristin:  What do you think about the upcoming movie release for The Fault in our Stars?

Pam:  Sometimes I wish they wouldn’t adapt these really good books to movies, because your expectations are high and I hope this movie is good.  They are taking two of the main actors from Divergent, who played brother and sister, and that is going to be a little disconcerting!  Shailene Woodley—I think she can pull off Hazel Grace.

Kristin:  John Green writes such interesting characters.  Is The Fault in our Stars your favorite John Green book?

Pam:  Looking for Alaska is my favorite, because Alaska is a wonderful character.  I also liked An Abundance of Katherines.  I loved The Fault in our Stars, it’s probably up there in my top ten, but Looking for Alaska is my favorite.  I would love for my kids to get to meet John Green.  I met him at a book signing when The Fault in our Stars came out, but all I could talk to him about at the time was Looking for Alaska.  Getting back to The Fault in our Stars, he was inspired by a wonderful girl, Esther Earl.  I read her diary and it was phenomenal.  We have her book here in the library (This Star Won't Go Out.)  He hit a home run with The Fault in our Stars, mainly because it’s just so true to teen life.  He’s young, and the teens connect with him.  Boys and girls alike identify with the characters.  And it takes a turn in there that was totally unexpected.  You laugh, you cry, it brings out all kinds of emotions.  It was a very good book.

Kristin:  Just from seeing John Green speak one time, and seeing him on his vlogs (video blogs), I think he’s sort of socially awkward, and I think a lot of kids identify with that.

Pam:  They do, a lot of readers feel socially awkward.  I mean, I’m socially awkward.

Kristin:  Most of us feel that way.

Pam:  I’m reading a book right now called Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen.  Fantastic book, and it’s about a girl who is socially awkward, and she gets an etiquette book from 1951 and follows it.  She talks about the hierarchy of school life and where you fall in the caste system.  The library geeks fall very low in the caste system.  We were laughing about that in book group last night.  The library geeks and all the kids who like the Japanese anime were very low.  But it is a very good book.  It’s hysterical, and it was based on an etiquette book that was really written in 1951.  And of course they kids were saying “Ms Neal, do you remember that book?”  Now that was BEFORE I was born.

Kristin:  Thank you for sharing your thoughts on The Fault in our Stars!

Anthem for Jackson Dawes by Celia Bryce

Reviewed by Kristin

Megan can’t believe she has to be on the pediatric ward of the hospital.  After all, she is fourteen. Well, almost fourteen.  Having cancer is bad enough, but being in a ward with flying elephants on the wall makes it even worse.  The only other teenager is a rather forward boy named Jackson who seems to be loved by all the little kids, parents and nurses.  Megan just can’t stand how he is so cheerful in dealing with the fact that he is sick too.

Though Megan finds Jackson annoying, she is also drawn to him.  Even Megan’s mother is dazzled by Jackson’s appeal.  Jackson has a kind of charm and is able to convince the staff to let him wander about the hospital as he pleases.  The younger children enjoy his antics, and he is kind and comforting to them as they also face being sick in the hospital.  Megan’s friends have promised to text and to visit, but that turns out to be harder than it sounds.  Many of Megan’s friends find her illness hard to understand.  Even her best friend Gemma doesn’t quite understand what Megan is experiencing.  Megan begins to look forward to her interactions with Jackson, and finds herself missing him when he is not there.

Because the book is set in England, some of the language is slightly different.  The exclamations of “Rubbish!” and “Brilliant!” add to the flavor of the setting.

As is natural for all children and teenagers, (and perhaps any person dealing with a serious illness,) Megan is very egocentric and feels that she and her problems are the center of the universe.  Part of her growing-up process is realizing that there are others affected by her diagnosis.  Megan has the support of her mum, dad and 96-year-old grandad.  As the family is dealing with her cancer, Megan begins to see that the adults have vulnerabilities as well.  While the adults are in the background, this story focuses on Megan’s experiences.  The book does describe some of the side effects of her treatment, but it does not dwell on them.  The story is much more about the interactions between Megan and her home and hospital friends.

This is a coming-of-age book with a teenage girl going through a tougher than usual time.  Along the way she finds different friendships than she might have expected.  Because it is about young adults with cancer, this book immediately reminded me of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  Although this is a young adult book, I still found it to be a touching story that will appeal to people of all ages.  The characters remain innocent with only a touch of romance involved.  I won’t give away any huge plot twists, but I will say that this story will make you laugh and cry as the characters go through the ups and downs of illness and friendship