2016 Reading: Night

#19 A book from Oprah's Book Club

This book has been floating around the library a lot lately. It was on the summer reading list for the high schools this passed summer and it was also the subject of a book club a few weeks ago and I thought it might be worth taking a look at. It was a very short read, I think it only took me a few hours, but wow... Intense.

Usually, when I read something about WWII, it is from a military standpoint; where the tropps are headed, men fighting in the trenches, troops marching on towns in France and Germany, but this is the first time (other than Anne Frank) that I have read something from the Jewish side.

The view on religion near the beginning of the book spoke to me greatly. I think that if I were the type of person to believe in a religion (I, myself, am not really decided on the front. I wouldn't consider myself an atheist, not entirely anyway. I just don't think that any particular religion is the RIGHT one that has all the answers that I look for when focusing on life and what, if anything, comes after it.) I think that this passage spoke to me the most:

"There are a thousand and one gates

allowing entry into the orchard of mystical truth. Every human

being has his own gate. He must not err and wish to enter the orchard

through a gate other than his own." (pg 5)

As the book progresses, the views on religion turn. The journey through the camps is so emotionally draining and utterly devastating and at the same time, you are going on this ride with the main characters as he slowly but surely begins to lose his own religion and has to deal with the fact that God basically abandoned him and those around him in the camps. It is very difficult to keep faith in a situation like that (I can only imagine).

Short as this book was, it was also a very good read and I am glad that I was able to pick this up and read it.

2016 Reading: The Vampire Lestat (Graphic Novel)

#22 A graphic novel

I had this graphic novel sitting on the shelf for the longest time and I always ended up putting it off because I figured since I've already read the book that the graphic novel would just be a disappointment. This was the perfect opportunity to tic that book off my unread list so that I can finally turn it the right way on my shelf. (Me and my brilliant ideas to turn the books that are still unread over on their sides still haunts my OCD to this day.)

The drawings were horrible. They made all of the vampires look old and ugly. No one would ever want to be a vampire if they saw these people walking down the street. I mean, look at Lestat...

Srs vmpyr bsns iz srs

2016 Reading: Gone Girl

#10 A New York Times bestseller

This book was never going to be much of a surprise to me since I saw the movie first, but I still think it is a really interesting story and I wanted to get a feel for this author's writing style because I wanted to know whether I should read Dark Places before I see the movie. Because I am definitely going to see the movie (mainly because my wife, Charlize Theron, is in it and I love my wife).

I love this book. The way it was written, going back and forth between the two main characters, skipping from different points in time. Usually, that kind of thing would bother me, but for this book, it fit so well with the style and with the suspense of the story. It NEEDED to be written like that.

The utter insanity of Amy, and Nick too when you think about it, is astounding. You all know that I love books, or anything really, about mental disorders and murder and serial killers, anything like that. This was amazing. To go through this story with Nick and watch him go through so many mental changes as time went on, from loving Amy, to resenting her, to hating her so completely, but then going back to loving her however briefly it was, and then just total and utter fear and pure hatred only to end up at tolerant with a hint of smugness that he thinks if he just waits long enough that she will slip. And then with her being so delusional about everything, knowing that as long as she keeps him afraid, she can keep him forever that way she wants him; compliant and loving even if it is fake.

This book was fantastic.

2016 Reading: Dad is Fat

#28 A book written by a comedian

I love Jim Gaffigan. I remember watching his half hour comedy special on Comedy Central and thinking that he was hilarious. Fast forward a bunch of years and he's gotten more comedy specials and he's in movies and TV shows and I still think he is so damned funny.

This book isn't really a story or anything. It's mainly a series of short essays that are all centered around his life and kids. It's pretty funny and he puts most of the jokes that he tells in his specials into writing for the essays (or it might even be the other way around, I don't know).

He has this dry wit that I find amusing and his writing is exactly the same as his speaking voice.

The guy has five kids! FIVE!

Hilarious.