cancer
Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
4.5 stars to The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I found this book on the shelf in my building’s resident library and brought it home. I’d wanted to sample a Green novel but wasn’t sure which one. ‘Let It Snow’ was also there, so I took it, too! I added both to my Monthly Book Bucket List on my blog, and this was the book followers selected in my September Reads poll. Thank you so much. I adored the novel and was very excited to see so many other fans.
Cancer and death are rough topics. Kids or teens with the disease are even harder. Throw in an author whom Hazel is dying to meet (pun intended) and her first love, could this have any more tug on our heart strings? Maybe a little, hence the 4.5 stars, but I’d still recommend this book as one to get to when you can. I read a few of the negative reviews where they talk about the characters feeling like cardboard or the plot being too much too handle. For me, I thought it was all quite powerful and had lots of depth. There were a few surface qualities, but they’re easily overlooked when 90% of the book is definitely solid.
I knew there would be death. I wasn’t sure who, and I was somewhat surprised by when and how. I also was shocked at the incident with the author in Amsterdam. I never saw it coming — neither the initial meeting or the one weeks later. Wow! He’s got quite a personality… I’m not sure I’d have the strength to deal with writing about this topic in a book. It’s painful and horrifying. I wouldn’t want to interview patients with cancer as I’d feel too much of the emotion and the fear. I don’t think I’d do it justice in my words, but many times, Green conveys exactly what I would think if it had been me. Kudos to him for doing it justice on many levels.
The metaphors are strong. The language is simple. The messages are clear and direct. In the end, I found the whole thing charismatic (in terms of liking the characters) and emotional, though it didn’t actually make me cry like a few other books have in the past. I’m a little off in my reviews this week, probably because I’ve been reading a book a day and can’t seem to come up with the right words afterward. That said… I’m glad I read this one and definitely look forward to another Green novel. Suggestions on what’s next? Oh, I guess I need to see the movie, too… right?
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews… here’s the scoop: I’m Jay, an author who lives in NYC. My novels, Watching Glass Shatter and Father Figure, can be purchased on Amazon as electronic copies or physical copies. I write A LOT. I read A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you’ll find the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge – words and humor. You can also find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators. Follow my blog with Bloglovin.
Book Review: Will You Remember Me? by Amanda Prowse
Although part of a series, it can definitely be read standalone as the series seems to jump around from character to character. I didn’t read the first book, Poppy Day, which focuses on the same lead but I have a feeling it’s okay to go out of order. Poppy is 32, married to the love of her life, has two wonderful children and a great sense of happiness for the future — until she finds a small lump in her breast, and nothing is ever the same again. Prowse takes us thru the journey as Poppy begins to realize everything she will lose. From telling her husband to searching for her unknown father, finding a new family member and saying goodbye to people for the final time… this tale will have you holding your breath, tearing up, and gritting your teeth with anger and disappointment. Things don’t always work out. Sometimes they do but on a different level. What fine balance in this beautiful and heartwarming piece of brilliance.
My only minor hesitancy in giving a full 5 stars is that there were a few moments where I wanted more details about her relationships with her mother, doctor, and son. There was a lot to cover in the book, and it was the right page count but it was a tad short on some details and a bit full on others that didn’t add 100% value. All very, very minor and just a personal taste for me. I definitely recommend this book especially with the sea of stories out there probably full of similar tones and styles. What’s different for me in a novel by Prowse is the genuine understanding of what the person is suffering from. It’s not just words strung together to make a reader sad and empathize. It’s as if you’re sitting there with the same pains and wishing only for a way to make it better for both you and the one suffering in the book. That’s an author I respect and plan to read her full canon as quickly as I can!
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews… here’s the scoop: I’m Jay, an author who lives in NYC. My novels, Watching Glass Shatter and Father Figure, can be purchased on Amazon as electronic copies or physical copies. I write A LOT. I read A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you’ll find the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge – words and humor. You can also find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators. Follow my blog with Bloglovin.
365 Challenge: Day 49 – A to Z Least Favorites
A to Z Favorites: A list of 26 things that I hate, one for each letter, a challenge posed to any readers who would like to participate
As a follow-up to last week’s favorite things from A to Z, this week we’re focusing on our LEAST favorite things, continuing the trend of the seventh day, ending the week on Sunday, as a list (we know I love them) of sorts that provides more in depth knowledge about me.
Oh, But I love both!
Rules
- Pick something that starts with that letter and add it to your own list. Don’t think about it… just come up with a couple ideas in under five seconds and choose the best of the bunch.
- It can be a thing or place, but not a named person. We don’t want anyone to feel left out!
- This week it’s your LEAST favorite things… but next week will be something else. Add in any extra comments if you need to explain.
- Nominate 5 people at the bottom of your post that you want to re-post with their 26 items. Pick at random – no favorites!
- It’s a fun game, but if you are nominated and DO NOT want to participate, you don’t have to. Just ignore it! Totally OK.
- You may not have been nominated, but you can totally participate by following these rules.
- Post it as a reply on the person’s blog where you found it. Also post it on your own blog as a new post.
- Should we use a tag so we can see all the responses? Suggestions…
- This may not go anywhere if there is no participation other than me. And that’s OK. The 365 Daily Challenge was about me to start, so I cannot expect or force anyone else.
- Have fun and get to know your online friends. Tell us when you post your 26 items. Thanks!
My A to Z LEAST Favorite Things
A – Arguments
B – Bedbugs (never had them, but friends have… not pretty!)
C – Cancer (too many loved ones have died)
D – Death
E – Eggplant (tastes like dirt)
F – Fake plants (I abhor them… won’t let them into my home… only real ones)
G – Grinding my teeth (can’t seem to stop myself lately)
H – Heat (just when it’s too hot in the summer)
I – Illness (who likes being sick?)
J – Jellyfish (they sting)
K – Killers
L – Loudness
M – Mushrooms (taste worse than dirt)
N – Nonsense (when people do stupid things on purpose, I get annoyed!)
O – Octopus (tastes like rubber)
P – Pretenders (just be real people)
Q – Quid Pro Quo (that saying annoys me, just a fancy way of saying “can you do me a favor?”)
R – Reality TV show (those people drive me crazy)
S – Stealing (it’s not very nice, is it?)
T – Tickled (I absolutely can’t stand being tickled… feel so unprotected)
U – U-Turns (I much prefer using a traffic circle… easier)
V – Vandalism
W – Wasps
X – Xerox (this was a hard one… I like the company, but I hate when people say “I’ll make a xerox.” Just say “I’ll make a copy.”)
Y – Yelling
Z – Zilch (ugh… the word sounds awful. Just say “zero.”)
People You Are Tagging
About Me & the “365 Daily Challenge”
I’m Jay. I am 40 and live in NYC. By profession, I work in technology. By passion, I work in writing. I’ve always been a reader. And now I’m a daily blogger. I decided to start my own version of the “365 Daily Challenge” where since March 13, 2017, I’ve posted a characteristic either I currently embody or one I’d like to embody in the future. 365 days of reflection to discover who I am and what I want out of life.
The goal: Knowledge. Acceptance. Understanding. Optimization. Happiness. Help. For myself. For others. And if all else fails, humor. When I’m finished in one year, I hope to have more answers about the future and what I will do with the remainder of my life. All aspects to be considered. It’s not just about a career, hobbies, residence, activities, efforts, et al. It’s meant to be a comprehensive study and reflection from an ordinary man. Not a doctor. Not a therapist. Not a friend. Not an encyclopedia full of prior research. Just pure thought, a blogged journal with true honesty.
Join the fun and read a new post each day, or check out my book reviews, TV/Film reviews or favorite vacation spots. And feel free to like, rate, comment or take the poll for each post.
Review: The Mother’s Promise
4+ of 5 stars to Sally Hepworth‘s The Mother’s Promise, a touching story that will give you a tremendous amount to consider. I received this ARC from St. Martin’s Press as a giveaway through Goodreads, choosing it because it had a gripping summary and a similar sentiment as the book I’d recently written. It definitely was worth the read: a ride through your emotions with several eye-opening questions to ponder.
Story
Alice and her 15-year-old daughter, Zoe, have lived on their own in California most of their lives. Alice assists the elderly with day-to-day errands and health matters while Zoe battles her social anxiety disorder. When Alice discovers she needs to have a tumor removed, and then learns the cancer will need extensive chemo and radiation, she’s at a loss as to who will help take care of her daughter during the recovery period. Enter Kate, a 30ish patient advocate / social worker who’s trying to have her own baby but has had several miscarriages. Kate realizes Alice has no one to help care for her and brings in another aide, Sonja, to help find a solution. Sonja’s got her own problems with a husband who has increasingly become combative and potentially abusive. Each of the 4 women figure out how to face their problems, working on their own and together at different times. Each suffers a major blow to their future and doesn’t know where to turn. Will they come together somehow in the end to help each other out, or is it too late?
Strengths
1. I could clearly picture each of the 4 women in my mind and felt connected to their plight. They were strong and weak, tragic and flawed, beautiful and hopeful. I watched them take 2 steps forward and then 1 awful step backward. And thru each mini-journey, I wished I could be there to help them figure out how to find a connection.
2. I expected this to be a tale of emotional sorrow. I expected this to be full of questions and a push for me to decide how I’d handle such a situation. But two little bombs are dropped along the way (no spoilers here) in such light, easy fashion, I literally dropped the book from shock. I didn’t expect those 2 moments to hit when they actually hit. It wasn’t as though everything was going well and suddenly something bad happened… I was already sad / worried for the character and then the carpet was ripped out… with no notice. Was a fantastic trick on Hepworth’s part, and I won’t say more because every reader should feel that sucker punch I felt.
Suggestions
I think the book ended a little too quickly and was possibly a little too wrapped up. I would have liked to see some of the final drama drawn out a bit more, a reflection on what happens afterwards, a glimmering hope for something positive beyond the immediate ending (which may or may not have been painful — I am not saying right now).
Final Thoughts
I will absolutely read other books by this author. It was humming along for the first 30 to 40 percent, and I liked it, but I was fine putting it down to read another book at the same time. I can only take so many emotional roller-coaster stories at one time, so incorporating a cozy mystery or a happy book is often necessary. Then I hit chapter 48 (note, they are short chapters) and I filled with rage, angst and fear… I read for 2 hours non-stop, putting it down only for 30 seconds to post another update on Goodreads to say “What???? A second gut punch… I can’t…” And that’s exactly how it happened. That said… the questions to ponder:
It’s great to know there are people in the medical field so willing to help and connect with their patients on a personal level. Is it really common?
I had many memories of losing my godmother to cancer when I was about 20. My mom was her caregiver, and I saw lots of pain… but I cannot imagine what it is like to be that person helping the patient who knows they only have a short time left. They are the heroes and heroines of the world.
Who would you trust to raise your child if you had no one in your life and were about to die?
