Delirium

Delirium

Lauren Oliver

 

  

This book went surprisingly fast for being ~ 450 pages. I had heard really good things about this book, and saw that Veronica Roth was all about it on Goodreads, so I thought I would give it a try.

In Cold Blood

In Cold Blood

Truman Capote

This was a hard read for me.

Before this book, I had never heard of the Clutter killings or about the convicted criminals. When faced with reading about the intricate details of the lives of a normal farming family, I knew not to get attached because this was a story about how they were murdered, but people often don't get that luxury when they know the subjects. The first thing that stuck out to me in this book is that it isn't just a case file. The author used great description in scenery and characters to make the story keep my attention as any other book would. It might be due to the book reading like a fictional piece, or just due to the fact that I've been used to reading fantasy and fiction for so long that having a brutal non-fiction about something horrible, but I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that this was real. My mindset was focusing on the 'world' the story was in, but I kept having to tell myself that this was something that actually happened to real people in the U.S.. With that being said, I wasn't sure what emotions the author was trying to portray. Usually, when thinking of murder, humans are horrified and barely want to hear about it, but this made the crimes sound like some sort of funny coincidental story (not that the situation was funny, just that there wasn't a true purpose to take the lives of 4 innocent people in such a way).

Dragonfly in Amber

Dragonfly in Amber

Diana Gabaldon

""For I have lied, and killed, and stolen; betrayed and broken trust. But there is the one thing that shall lie in the balance. When I shall stand before God, I shall have one thing to say, to weigh against the rest." His voice dropped, nearly to a whisper, and his arms tightened around me. "Lord, ye gave me a rare woman, and God! I loved her well.""

Oh, this one killed me.

The second installment in the Outlander series was definitely a rollercoaster ride for me. Not so much a continuation of the story, it certainly gave the details of what happened where we left off with Claire and Jamie in the Scottish Highlands. At the end of Outlander, we learn that Claire is pregnant but still very much stuck in 1700s Scotland (mostly by choice). This book starts by informing us that Claire travelled back to her time twenty years ago and gave birth to a girl, Brianna and reconciled with her first husband, Frank Randall. What we don't know is what happened between now and then, and Claire tells the story throughout the book.

What Milo Saw: BooklyBox

What Milo Saw

Virginia Macgregor

 

 This month's Adult Fiction choice from BooklyBox was What Milo Saw, a story about a boy named Milo who was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigementosa. Milo's eyes are deteriorating and at the time being, he only sees through a pinhole and does not have any peripheral vision, but even this will go away with time leaving Milo blind. Milo is the main character, but there are a few other voices we hear from throughout the book, including: his mom, Sandy, his gran, Lou, and his friend, Tripi. 

The Ballroom

The Ballroom

Anna Hope

 

*This review is based on an advanced reading copy. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read the book in exchange for an honest review*

"" There are plenty of mad women in here. I'm not sure I'm one of them, though." She shrugged. "You'll get used to it.""

 

I'm feeling a little neurotic reading all of these books that explore mental illnesses lately. This story takes place in an asylum in England throughout 1911, back when almost anything could land you with a one way ticket to crazytown. Each chapter is told through one of the three main characters' perspectives. Ella is the focus of the story, a woman who felt stifled in her workplace everyday and finally felt the need to be free. After breaking a window in the mill, Ella is sent to an asylum which she believes is all just a big misunderstanding and hopes she'll be released as soon as this is realized. The only problem is that no one cares to look for her or advocate for her sanity. John is also in the asylum, and his job is to dig graves for the people who could not come back from their illnesses. Originally from Ireland, John gave up on caring about anything after the death of his parents and his child, until he sees Ella trying to run away. Charles, a worker at the asylum, is determined to find a solution for his upcoming Eugenics conference. His focus is on playing music for the patients to find whether it helps to soothe them. After some time, though, he realizes that there is no helping these people and ultimately believes that they should not be able to breed.