2015 Reading: Dexter is Dead

I did not know this book existed! I thought that Dexter's Final Cut would be the last one! I was so excited when I saw this, I immediately checked it out and put it before all of the other books I had originally lined up to read next.

Ugh, I forgot how much I love Dexter's sassy inner monologue. There are some things that I know I've forgotten about the book series since it's been a while since I read the last one, but I got the hang of it eventually. I sometimes wish that the TV show had taken the same route as the books because, in some ways, I think that would have been a far more interesting track. I would love to see how the characters developed on the screen as they did in the book: Doakes with no arms or legs, LaGuerta dead WAY sooner, Brain surviving and being a part of Dexter's life, the kids becoming tiny serial killers... It would have been interesting, to say the least.

And now I'm sad. I knew that this was going to be the last book and, I mean, come on, the title says it all "DEXTER IS DEAD" but part of me still didn't want to believe that was the way it was going to happen. I don't want him to be dead. I mean, he and Brian finally got to hang out a little more and bond and kill people together and their Dark Passengers finally met and it was beautiful and I had the biggest smile on my face and IT'S NOT FAIR!!!!

I need him to come back.

One thing that I think I said about Dexter in my (ill-fated) vlog, or maybe I just thought about it in my head and never said it out loud, was that book!Dexter is a true psychopath. It was very obvious by the way he was very willing to give up his kids to Deb without really a second thought and all he was concerned about was his survival. Now, show!Dexter was merely a man-made (re: Harry-made) sociopath who was raised in a very unhealthy way. Show!Dexter had feelings! He cared about people other than himself and therefore was not beyond help. HARRY was the one who thought so and led him to the life of killing successfully. A little bit of therapy (which he should have had anyway considering the way in which he was found after his mother's death) and he would have been a high functioning member of society. Harry repeatedly told Dexter that he was a sociopath until he finally believed it to be true, but he wasn't. Show!Dexter cared about his family, his kids, his sister. He loved Rita and eventually Hannah... He experienced fear, pride, sorrow. All things that psychopaths and even sociopaths do not experience.

Book!Dexter was a killer by nature. Show!Dexter was a killer by nurture.

2015 Reading: The Lovely Bones

I had seen this movie for the first time a couple of years ago and I remember thinking it was absolutely magnificent. I loved everything about it; the setting, the look of the movie, and ESPECIALLY the fact that Stanley Tucci was the weird pedo-creepy neighbour.

This, I think, is the perfect telling of what happens to the survivors of people when they die. Thoughts are so fleeting sometimes and they can run from one thing to another very quickly, but after a tragedy, they always seem to always return to the sadness if just for a little while.

The times that Susie is watching is with each character are the times that they are thinking of her. That's why she flits from person to person and stays with them a certain amount of time. By the end of the book, she spends less and less time on Earth because her family and friends are finally starting to move on. It's all very beautiful when you think about it as well as being incredibly sad, but I guess that's the way life is sometimes.

I really enjoyed this book and I'm very glad that I read it because it explained some of the things that I really didn't understand in the movie (namely, the "heaven" scenes in the gazebo that just went over my head when I was watching it).

Onward!

2015 Reading: One Man Guy

This book was kinda cute. I personally thought that the characters were a little too young, but then maybe that's just because when I was 14 I had NO clue what the hell was going on. I was a late bloomer, okay? There are things I STILL don't know.

The one thing that I have to complain about (well, not really complain per se, but it's just an irk I had), was the emphasis on the nationality of the main character. Was it really necessary to the story to go on and on about him being Armenian? Did it really enrich the story? For me, no. I would have been just fine if that part had been left out.

Other than that, I thought that the characters were good and the writing was excellent and I reall enjoyed the story. It made me smile.

2015 Reading: Twisted

I DEVOURED this book.

I started reading it on my lunch break at work and the next thing I knew, I was 50 pages in. Then I came home and basically swallowed the rest.

This book was funny and heartbreaking and dark and I loved it.

There's something about stream of consciousness narration that makes things seems real. I know that it denotes an unreliable narrator and you only get to see one side of things that are going on, but I loved being in this kid's head.

And it didn't end all rainbows and puppies and shit. It just ended. Life was not suddenly better all around for everyone, but there was hope and then nothing. It left it open to whatever and I really liked that.

This author has done that before with me. I really enjoyed Speak and this was sort of in the same vein, only a lot funnier and more outgoing.

2015 Reading: Confessions of Son of Sam

I have been terrible at reading this year so far. I find myself ordering books and picking out books that I think are going to be awesome and that I am going to love, but then when I actually begin reading them, I lose interest right away and then they sit there while I watch NetFlix.

However, I stuck with this one and actually finished it. Probably because serial killers. 'Nuff said.

I had never really read in depth about David Berkowitz before. Sure I had read some of the case files about his victims and the nature of the crimes, but never about the man himself. This was a very nice change from that. Especially since it was written by someone who was in contact with him. There are several conversations transcribed verbatim within the book and I really enjoy that. I love getting in depth about people and their state of mind. Since this was written from the transcripts right after he was arrested and during his trial, the events are still fresh and the way he describes everything is very much in the moment instead of a remembrance from years after the fact.

It was fascinating to read about how David (because we're on a first name basis) tried to blame insanity and demons for his wanting to kill people and everyone wanted to believe that except for one psychologist. It's funny how no one ever wants to believe that sane people are capable of things like murder. They always want something else to blame because if an otherwise rational person can commit atrocities like that, then they fear that they are also capable and some people just don't like to think about that.

This was a very interesting read and I would definitely like to read more books like this in the future.

2015 Reading: The Prose Edda

This was just a really short little read in between things. I've been reading a bunch of books about Norse Mythology (I didn't credit any of them in the 2015 reading because I mostly skimmed them for the good bits and by 'good bits' I mean the parts about Loki) and this one is said to be the end-all-be-all of the tales of the gods.

Some of it can be a little confusing. I wish there were a timeline I could follow just straight forward instead of different tales that go over multiple time periods in one story, but that might be a bit much to ask for when thinking about Mythology. I like hearing about the things the gods did and the shenanigans they got themselves into by being stupid. It was a fun read.

I don't really know what I am going to read next, but I have some ideas.

2015 Reading: The Fermata

So, I think this book came up as a recommendation when I finished reading Crash. And now I know why.

The description immediately caught my attention and I knew it would be right up my alley. I also knew that it would be hell to get. I had to inter-library loan it from a college in Alabama because NO ONE had it.

This man has problems. However, I can't say that I wouldn't do some of the things he does if given the opportunity. Plus, you have to admit, he could have done a lot worse with this unique power of his. I don't even known what I would do if I had the ability to stop time. I like to think that the novelty of seeing people naked would wear off after a while and get kind of boring. Not for this guy, though.

This book took forever to finish because I finally got put on full-time at work and I am attempting to start exercising.

I don't know what's coming next, but we'll see.