Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

"This is not John Green or Nicholas Sparks "boy and dying girl meet and fall in love" cookie cutter romance. It is a brutal, sometimes cruel, but honest look at that horrifically awkward phase of life, High School, and the connections we make that we're not even aware of."

3 Stars.

Pros: Definitely not your average "fall in love with the sick girl YA Romance" but at the same time it was honest, heartfelt and deep in its own way.

Cons: I understand it's from a teenagers POV and teenagers are just awkward in general but some of the terms are just...stupid.

Full Review:

***Spoiler Alert***

Greg Gaines has managed to make it through most of High School by existing on the periphery of all of the Social cliques. He doesn't really belong to any of them and yet he is not hated by any of them either. He exists solely on the outskirts, and he likes it that way. The one person who could possibly be considered a friend is Earl, a boy he makes horrific, indie films with. But it's at the start of his Senior Year in High School that his mother decides that that has to change.

There was a girl back in Hebrew School named Rachel that Greg was friendly with. But when someone offhandedly commented that they were a couple, Greg freaked and made up every excuse imaginable to not spend time with her. And that hasn't changed in the five plus years since they last saw one another. But at the news that Rachel is now suffering from Leukemia and needs all the friends she can get, Greg's mother takes it upon herself to demand that Greg start spending time with Rachel.

What's at first painfully awkward, so turns into the kind of strange, not exactly sure what you're doing kind of friendship that we've all experienced in high school. You hang out, you talk, nothing of much substance happens but at the same time you start to realize, subconsciously, that you care about this person and that you like spending time with them.

It isn't until the very end that Greg realizes that after awhile, he did care for Rachel. She wasn't just someone his mother forced him to spend time with. She was her own, unique, special person and it's not fair that she had such a short life and that he only got to know her at the tail end of things.

Sometimes brutal in its honesty, painting Greg as a human, he has major flaws but also strengths, this book is an interesting look at that horrifically awkward phase of life, High School, and how the people you spend time with can come to really mean something, even if you don't realize it until they're gone.

Comments

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

"Obviously targeted to writers but honestly, anyone could benefit from Bradbury's practical yet poetic advice, this was a collection of esasys by Bradbury about his writing process and reflections on some of his greatest works." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Bradbury, duh, though I'm biased, to me, the man's prose is pure poetry, every word beautiful/Since writing is not my career, it was an interesting way to view Bradbury's life. Writing was his job and he was the only income. If he did not produce material, he would not get paid. It help put things into perspective. Cons: The man can go on for a bit 😂/Bradbury's insane work ethic and endless endurance to just produce story after story seems insane and overwhelming but then again, this was his livelihood, so I'm sure it was insane and overwhelming. If he didn't write and get paid, they'd starve, so, it was a life or death situation. Full Review: This was essentially a collection of essays written by Bra...

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

“Rick Deckard is a Bounty Hunter who's on the trail of six "Andys" (Androids) who have come to Earth illegally. His job is to track them down and "retire" them. Something he found easy to do until he met her, Rachael Rosen. The Android that does the impossible, passes the "Voight-Kampff" test. The story quickly devolves into a slow, drawn out and frankly boring mystery that was putting me to sleep by the end." ⭐⭐ Pros: I was more interested in comparing it to the film, "Bladerunner."/At first I kind of liked the drab, dreary atmostphere but it soon became soporific. Cons: I had no real idea what was going on with Mercerism/The end there had me blinking in bewilderment, like with Herbert's 29th Dune Book/There was a lot of idle chit-chat while they were in murderous/intense situations, it just seemed odd. Full Review: Rick Deckard, a Bounty Hunter, contracted with the San Francisco Police Department hunts down and retires rogue ...

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

“The tale of Andy Dufresne and how he served his time at Shawshank prison, as told through the eyes of his friend and fellow inmate, Red. Dark and disturbing but also compulsively readbale. I finished it in 2 days. Also enjoyable is Frank Darabont's 1994 film adaptation, "The Shawshank Redemption." ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros : Red has a soothing, drawl, making the reading easy and flowing/Since I saw the film first, I couldn't help but compare the book though I was pleased to find that the two were very similar. Cons : Things got a bit rambling a bit at the beginning/Since I saw the film first I couldn't help but compare the book but this ended up not being a con. Full Review: The state of Maine has a prison. Shawshank Redemption. And Red is the guy that can get you things. He also happens to be the only guilty man in Shawshank but that's netiher here nor there. He meets Andy Dufresne for business purposes at first and he finds him to be a calm, cool man and Red likes him i...

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