Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
“Killing isn’t free. It takes something out of you every time you do it. You get their life; they get a piece of you soul. It’s always a trade.”
I picked up this cheeky little steampunk novel after I found out that it was the winner of the 2011 Michael L. Printz award, which carries a fair bit of weight for us YA fangirls.
Nailer is part of the ‘light crew’ that helps strip the light materials from shipwrecks washed ashore. He and his friends live in constant anticipation of hitting a ‘lucky strike’ of oil and in constant fear of the opportunistic and ruthless people around them.
When a wealthy clipper ship is wrecked after a storm, Nailer finds everything he’s ever dreamed of and also more than he ever thought he could handle. The aftermath of his discovery has him on the run from a ruthless crew and even his own drug-addled father.
The story in ‘Ship Breaker’ is exciting, fast paced and vivid. You really feel the desperation and elation in equal measure as you see the dark events unfolding before Nailer. Whilst I didn’t find the prose particularly ‘flowery,’ there is enough intrigue to keep your attention and a pinch of fantasy thrown in to make it a really nice little read.
I Am Not Myself These Days by John Kilmer-Purcell
“And sometimes the show can’t go on.”
A glamorous but gritty memoir of Josh Kilmer-Purcell’s life in New York as a Drag Queen and partner to a crack-addicted male escort, turns out to be quite the enlightening read. Homophobes and the easily offended may turn away now as this isn’t the book for you. The rest of you liberal little souls out there should get your hands on a copy of this book immediately.
At times it’s hard to believe that this novel is not a work of fiction - it’s just that juicy. Whether it’s waking up on a subway car hungover and still in full drag or getting Japanese business men to buy you one-hundred dollar drinks, I found myself constantly entertained.
The book itself delves deep into the authors relationship with Jack, a Columbia educated, crack-addicted, male-escort living in the Upper East Side. Whilst at times worryingly co-dependent - with Kilmer-Purcell teetering on the edge of alcoholism and Jack coming and going at all hours of the day, usually returning high as a kite - you spend the whole book clinging the the hope that the two can work it out and stay together.
I found the novel refreshing but not for the faint-hearted, as it chronicles not only some fantastic parties in what is arguably one of the most glamorous cities in the world, but also other seedy aspects of the character’s lives. There is a very real sense of the author learning and growing from his time with Jack and you can’t help but feel oddly satisfied when you turn the last page.
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
“I want to change my punctuation. I long for exclamation marks, but I’m drowning in ellipses.”
Do not be put off this book due to the fact that it has good reviews from Stephenie Meyer. In fact, reading the blurb, even I was skeptical - a zombie/human love story? Seriously? But this is a definite case of ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’ (or blurb in this case,) as it is a brilliant read.
The protagonist of then novel is the zombie; R, yes his name is R. R resides in an abandoned airport and has fleeting thoughts of his almost forgotten humanity. During a food scavenge, R meets a girl that he feels inexplicably drawn to. Well, actually it’s actually kind of explicable when you know he ate the brain of Julie’s old boyfriend, Perry, and consequently has many mental conversations with the deceased Perry.
R and Julie become friends and she shows him the world the uninfected are living in - an abandoned sports stadium, that is overseen by Julie’s over-bearing father
Slowly but surely, R regains aspects of his humanity and the inner struggle of a zombie’s existential crisis is a thoughtful and at times a beautiful read. I thoroughly recommend reading this book, especially if you like dystopian future novels. The prose is surprisingly poetic and avoids any and all clichés that you might expect of a zombie love story.
Zombies, beautiful prose and a love story - what more could you ask for?
One Day by David Nicholls
“Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance”
I picked this book up at the counter at my local bookstore when buying a few others purely because it was on offer. It turned out to be one of the best books I have ever read.
The epic story between Dexter and Emma is bittersweet but hilariously funny. We visit them on St. Swithin’s Day each year over a twenty year period, and every year brings new laughs, new loves and new tragedies with it. This book is not afraid to show the dingy post-university life of an aspiring writer or the beautiful and blooming friendship between two people that gets tangled over many years. It it a book that anybody can relate to because Emma and Dex are tangible characters that will remind you of that one person in your life (or that is no longer there) that will always hold a special place in your heart - platonic or otherwise.
This book made me cry because such a long and enduring friendship is something everybody wants, or might even have. It chronicles the lives of two people that you will feel the loss of once you put the book down. But this book also has me in hysterics because of the mad phrases and crazy situations the characters got themselves into.
Dexter and Emma fall into a pattern of relying on each other for support that few other people in their lives can give them. They have blazing arguments, don’t talk to each for years, and yet are still the most important person in each others lives.
The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, by Ben Sherwood.
“You know, that amazing feeling that you’re whole, that you’ve got everything you want, that you aren’t missing anything. Sometimes when I wake up, I get it just for a moment. It lasts a few seconds, but then I remember what happened, and how nothing has been the same since.”
First things first, this book is not about death. Of course, the title may suggest otherwise and the central plot revolves around his brothers death, but really it is about life and how precious and wonderful it really is. It is about ceasing the day, accepting the bad stuff and embracing the good stuff.
The book was excruciatingly sweet and I found myself extremely emotionally involved with the characters, as it managed to sail the tricky pass between the believable and the ridiculous that so many books with a fantasy concept end up drowning in.
I’ll try not to ruin the plot of the book for you, but the main twist that happens about halfway through really had me going. I thought something was a bit fishy in Tess’ chapter but when the twist was confirmed I was devastated.
But thankfully this book got it’s happy ending, even if Charlie letting go of Sam was bittersweet, and I would recommend it to anybody.
