Review for The Art of Falling by Kathryn Craft

The Art of Falling is the debut novel written by Kathryn Craft.

a copy of this book was provided through NetGalley


i had written a review for this book just five minutes ago but it didn't save for some reason. i am lost with what i want to say even though i have already said it. the words are in my head and have already flowed through my fingertips onto the keyboard. but for the life of me, writing this a second time has become a serious challenge. forgive me if my words are rough and don't make any sense.

Penny is a dancer who has survived a fall fourteen stories high. during her recovery, she tries to put her life back together using her love of dance to see her through. movement is the only way she feels alive. i loved how Craft wrote Penny's feelings when she is dancing. she wrote them in a way that anyone, not just dancers, can relate. she was creating art with her body and i definitely saw that in this book. Craft has such powerful writing; she paints a beautiful picture of penny's life with ease. i was drowning in the imagery and hearing the character's voices through their dialogue. with writing like this, i am very excited to read more from Kathryn Craft.

this book is not about dance. although it is everything to Penny, it is also what causes her most of her pain. this book is about Penny learning to deal with her eating disorder. the book doesn't hit you over the end with the real issue. it slowly reveals itself instead, like a flower blooming. with Penny recovering from her fall and using movement as her motivation, she begins to deal with demons that she has been silently struggling with since childhood. it's obvious to everyone but her and i found that very realistic. most people who have any kind of eating disorder rarely admit it to themselves and are always turning a deaf ear to someone else's concerns about the issue.

i am very glad that i got approved for this book. whenever someone asks me for a recommendation of something to read, this book will be at the top of my list. it's one of the few books that will stay in my mind forever.


5 STAR RATING

Review for The Sun and Other Stars by Brigid Pasulka

The Sun and Other Stars is an adult fiction novel written by Brigid Pasulka.

a copy of this book was won through Goodreads


i don't like reviewing books that didn't give me any strong feelings about it. it's easier to write about a book that you absolutely love or completely loathe. this book was just...okay. i didn't hate it but i failed to fall in love with the story. it look me a long time to start reading it. it almost got to the point when i thought i would abandon it. i am glad that i stuck with it because i enjoyed reading it and once i started i finished in a day. i just wish this was a book that i would want to reread but once is enough for me.

the book is about Etto, a young man who is floating through life after losing his brother and mother back to back. things start to look up when calcio (AKA soccer) superstar, Yuri, and his family come stay in Etto's small village for refuge. Yuri's sister, Zhuki, begins to chip away at Etto's armor and show him how life can be worth living and it pays to let people in. i feel that even the summary was boring and i can't for the life of me remember why i wanted to read this book.

i was more interested in the side characters than with Etto's life. his romance with Zhuki was cute but i could not care less about whether they stayed together or not. if this would would have been told from multiple POVs, maybe i would have liked it better. but it's Etto's story so that would have made it a different book entirely. if this book were about a small Italian town and how everyone was affected by the death of Etto's brother and mother, it would have been great. the whole town was looking out for Etto anyway. i would have appreciated a look into their lives as well. the writing was good but all the Italian words were very distracting and took me out of the story. i didn't know what was being said half the time and after i while i didn't care anymore.

i read this book, some things happened, and yada yada yada i'm writing this review. i'm not saying don't read this book. if you think it's interesting then give it a try. i just can't bring myself to recommend it.


3 STAR RATING

Review for A Life in Men by Gina Frangello

A Life in Men is a novel written by Gina Frangello. It will be published early February of this year.


A copy of this book was received through NetGalley for a honest review

i need to give this book more stars. more stars for this amazing book that has kept me from sleep these pass few days. i was going into the book thinking that i was getting a novel about a girl's sexual awakening and what i got was much deeper and meaningful and devastating and real. the cover is totally deceptive, wrapping the book in a feel good vibe. the title, however, is beyond accurate. this is a title that will find it's way on some list called "The Best Books of 2014."

Mary and Nix are childhood friends that find their friendship forever changed by their vacation in Greece. it is the last time they see each other and from there, Mary tries to live her life fully despite the illness that promises to cut it short. we are taken on a challenging journey that will make you both relate and question Mary, all the while wanting more of her story. each chapter features a different man in her life, how he got there and his significance to the development of herself. as with all love stories, each is beautiful and tragic all at once. knowing how it will eventually end doesn't make it any less exciting or dangerous or meaningful. some men never reappear in Mary's life but most do and it's interesting to see them at different points in Mary's life. she is a different person yet the same naive girl who went to Greece with her best friend against her parent's wishes.

though Mary may be the main character, Nix is the driving force of this novel. what happened to her in Greece, causing her to distance herself from who she thought she was and her best friend, is apparent throughout the whole book to everyone but Mary. she is the ghost of lost innocence that haunts Mary, pushing her to most of life adventures. i love the chapters that takes you back to Greece, where it all basically began. and finally, the last chapter is of Hasnain. he is the only man in Nix's life who has a positive effect in her life. Mary spends a little time looking for him, hoping to reconnect with Nix in any way she can. it makes perfect sense that he should close out the novel, showing a side of Nix that Mary was never meant to see though she craved it.

in the end, i got that you can only live your own lie, not someone else's. thought Mary thought she was living the way Nix would want her to, with adventures and lovers and excitement, Mary finally realized that her life is her own and she has been very lucky to do the things she did. not just for Nix and their friendship but for herself. this book will stay with me forever. i will be buying it and reading it for the rest of my life. that is a promise.


5 STARS