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We All Want Impossible Things
We All Want Impossible Things
Catherine Newman | 2022 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
What a wonderful book this is! I started reading with trepidation, but as I read, I realised that this isn’t just a book about dying, it’s about the living right up until you die. It’s a book about life - and about having a good death. It’s incredibly moving, I wouldn’t say it’s depressing or morose at all, in fact I would say that it’s life affirming.

Edi and Ash have been best friends since childhood. When Edi is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ash offers to take her home to where she lives, so that her young son doesn’t have to watch her final weeks.

The hospice that Edi stays in is full of interesting characters: from the patient who plays Fiddler on the Roof at full glorious volume, to the doctor who reminds Ash of one of the Sopranos, and a musician who can play any song you request.

This is a book of laughter and sadness, of letting go and moving on. Ash is a wonderful friend with a rather messy, frankly hilarious, sex life. Ash and Eli’s relationship is truly special.

We All Want Impossible Things is a touching novel that had me laughing and crying in equal measure, as well as bringing back memories of my own experiences.

This book really is worth reading. Utterly beautiful.
  
Abandon (Abandon, #1)
Abandon (Abandon, #1)
Meg Cabot | 2011 | Young Adult (YA)
8
7.6 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
Though I have been familiar with the name of Meg Cabot for awhile, this is the first book by her that I have actually read. I am a sucker for Greek mythology, and a retelling of Hades and Persephone has great potential. With a great cover and an even better premise to the book, I had pretty high hopes for the plot itself.
The way the book begins throws me -- told through the eyes of Pierce Oliviera, which is not that great of a name for a girl (instead of Persephone?), the author refrains from giving away hardly anything about Pierce's circumstances, what happened to her, what motivates her, etc. While it can be considered good writing to hold back on the major revelations as long as possible to build the suspense and draw in the reader, for me it was rather frustrating to read almost the entire book before Pierce finally realized who and what John Hayden is(also a crummy name for a death deity). Much of the actual events of the book are Pierce's memories, and what happens in real time is the culmination of these memories.
While I disliked the way that Meg Cabot chose to string all of these separate events together, I do like what the actual events create when put together. A girl who has a Near-Death Experience, or NDE, meets for the second time the man who runs her personal Underworld, instantly making her his consort thanks to a rare diamond necklace, though she does not yet know it. Her ability to skirt death makes her a target for the bad guys in the book, the Furies (not the same as the Furies of Greek mythology), who blame John for their lot in life after death. In addition, Pierce also has a host of quirks that alternately set her up for disaster or save her life, such as her addiction to soda and her paranoia that tassels are Evil.
While Pierce has a vast array of personality and behavioral problems that make the act of living difficult for her, I do think that this book fits well in the Young Adult category. Pierce does not have everything figured out, does not always know how to handle herself, and does not even recognize when she is in love. She is protective of her feelings, can be just as detached as the next person from those around her, and has to work at not being too self-absorbed. Sometimes an imperfect heroine makes for a better book. I look forward to the next installment in the trilogy, Underworld.
  
Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore
Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore is the story of a platinum blonde, African American porn star. She is someone you would recognize everywhere. When tragedy strikes, Debbie decides that she is no longer going to live this life and try for the straight and narrow. The road to get there though is long and has quite a few bumps along the way.

This was a very explicit novel by Walter Mosley. Every word imaginable to describe the male and female genitalia was used. This did not bother me at all, but I wanted to let others who may be offended by that type of language. This was a very real look into the porn industry for me. Sure I have seen some porn in my life, not an avid watcher at all, but it's interesting to know a back story. Debbie grew up as Sandra Peal in California. She met Theon Pinckney, her husband, when she was just a girl, and he changed her world forever. When Deb comes home from a most unusual movie shoot, she finds police and paramedics at her home. Her husband had been found dead in their bathtub, with another woman, or girl is more appropriate. This doesn't upset Debbie as you would think, she was used to this kind of behavior from her husband, especially being in the industry that they were in. The death of her husband also, to Debbie, meant the death of her career. She changed her whole look so that she was no longer recognizable on the streets or even to some of her "friends". She went back to using her real name instead of the stage name of Debbie Dare.

This book was quite entertaining. I found myself looking over my shoulder whenever the explicit words were announced to see if anyone around me was listening out. This book gives you a different look at porn stars and the life they lead. I recommend this book for anyone who is not easily upset by pornographic language.