Book Review: Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Title: Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
By: Cheryl Strayed
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My short and sweet review of this book. The  title is pretty self explanatory of the contents of this book. One, this is the author's experience of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Two, it is a memoir so she is basing many of the details off journal entries, memories, and other data points from the time she was doing this hike. Three, she is BAD ASS.

My first experience with Cheryl Strayed's story telling was with her collection of responses from her Dear Sugar column. It was such a great experience. Nonfiction writing is typically one of those things I struggle with as a reader, I know it's good for me and all that, but man, it can be SO boring. Not with Cheryl at the pen. Cheryl has a great way of transcending the pages. I felt like I was hearing her tell me the story. I am inspired by her strength at the young age of 26 and her brutal honesty about her life and how broken she felt. Wild is so incredibly written. I am in love. The journey she takes and shares with all of us is one of HOPE.

No, I do not want to go hike the Pacific Crest Trail, because that does not sound fun AT ALL. However, the lessons Cheryl learned and what she did for her life, was so incredibly inspirational. I enjoyed this book to the last sentence.

People who enjoy stories about people who are on a journey to 'find themselves' or 'heal themselves' will love this book. This is definitely an adult read, but so well worth it.

Mid-September Update

September has slowed down a bit, but it has been so nice in Colorado, that I have been finding myself having adventures with my family instead of inside my books. All the same, I have been able to complete 4 books so far this month.

Here is a recap of my books:

You Only Love Twice (London Steampunk: Blue Blood Conspiracy #3): ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
If I had to sum this book in one word it that word would be:
DELICIOUS!
I devoured this book in 3 days (6 hours of reading). It is an amazing continuation to the books previous. This is my favorite so far. I love the love story, but I also love the adventure and the mystery and the cliffhanger at the end. DANG IT. Such a good cliffhanger.

The Girl Who Knew DaVinci: ⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was pretty good. It is classified as a mystery/thriller novel and there was some of that, but there was also a lot more romance than I expected to see in this book. For someone who enjoys a good romance, this wasn't a problem, but it wasn't what I was expecting to read. If I pick up a mystery/thriller novel, I expect to be on the edge of my seat, not swooning over a love story. Also, this book is the first in a series, but I think it would have made an amazing stand alone book.

Turtles all the Way Down: ⭐⭐⭐.5/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
As my first John Green novel, I wasn't expecting a whole lot. I know his books have been super hyped so I went in with lower expectations than I would have if I had read any of his previous books. The way John Green depicts mental health is intense and really well written. It just seemed like there was a lot of existential thinking for angst-y sixteen year old kids.

Wild: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wild by Cheryl Strayed was great. It was just what I was looking for. My longer review will be posted in a couple days, but I left uplifted by Cheryl's words and story. I enjoy her writing style and I feel like I know her better now than when I read Dear Sugar. It was just fantastic.


I am currently reading Loyalty by Carol Deeley and it is an intense historical fiction that is definitely a slow burn. I am about a quarter of the way through the book and it continues to be intriguing at every turn. I'm looking forward to what comes next. My goal is to finish two more books in September. Hopefully Loyalty is one of them, and I have been DYING to read The Kiss Quotient

Book Review: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Title: Turtles all the Way Dowwn
By: John Green
Edition: Audiobook
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Recap:
Aza is the main character of this book. Along with her best friend Daisy, they are looking to solve a mystery. Daisy drags Aza along to have a 'chance encounter' with Davis. Aza has had a crush on Davis since they were kids. This book is mostly the inner monologue of Aza as she struggles to maintain a grasp on reality. She goes to psychologist visits, she kind of does what she is prescribed. All of this struggle builds up until it breaks, and Aza seeks help in earnest. All while trying to be a normal teenager and have relationships with Daisy as her friend, her mom as her daughter, and Davis as her...something.

My thoughts:
John Green did an amazing job depicting Aza's mental illness and how it doesn't just go away. It doesn't just get better. Aza is a very complex individual, she is clearly struggling with the grief of her father's death that was sudden, but happened years before the setting of this book. She gets so lost in her own mind, that she doesn't understand why she has friends. A lot of the typical teenage stuff happens, your best friend gets a boyfriend and stops hanging out with you. Your mom is hovering and you don't want to talk to her about it. There is all of that 'normal' stuff coupled with the obsessive tendencies Aza has and her struggle to "not be crazy."

It is hard for me to believe that Aza and Davis had such deep thoughts that seemed so far beyond their teenage years. So I struggled with that aspect of the book. I also thought the underlying Picket mystery just seemed so extra. It took a way from Aza's story. I can see how it is necessary to bring certain characters into the story, but it just didn't feel right to me.

I loved the way the story ended. I loved the way it read and the Audiobook was well narrated throughout the book, but especially the ending.

So this is my second completed book for September. My goal is six books, but we will see how it goes.

August Wrap Up: Let's see what I read this month!

August has been quite the month of activity. Every weekend was something different. I am amazed I managed to still squeeze in 5 books this month. All of them, with the exception of one, were AMAZING!

Here's the list:

30th Century: Escape ⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is about a woman who travels to present day to escape the mission plaguing her from the 30th Century. There is time travel, adventure, and romance. All the workings of a good sci-fi, but it fell hard.

Sandalwood ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sandalwood was a great book about a girl trying to unravel the mystery of the package she received from her estranged grandmother. I could have kept reading about Josie forever. She is a great character with amazing growth.

They Both Die at the End ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Such a sad book by Adam Silvera. This is the journey of two young boys finding adventure, love, and forgiveness on the last day they are alive. Brilliant read.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So much amazingness in this book. WOW! I loved it. It struck a cord for me. Loneliness is a real thing, depression is a real thing. Regardless of her feelings of loneliness and depression, Eleanor is still completely fine. This is the right answer, if you answer anything other than fine, people will run away or abandon you. READ THIS BOOK




You only Love Twice 🔥🔥🔥🔥/🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
A stunning addition the the London Steampunk series. This one tells the story of Gemma Townsend, the spy, the assassin, the brokenhearted. Will she be able to find love again? She falls in love with the one she wasn't supposed to fall in love with. Will they have a future? This story is quite fun, it is funny, it is action packed, and STEAMY as hell-O.


Overall, it was a good month. I am excited to see what September will bring.

Who has any recommendations for September reads? I am such mood reader, lists are hard.