Mid-May Bookshelf

I'm Still Here by Kathryn R. Biel

I'm Still Here is a novel I got for free through one of my daily e-mail newsletters (Man, I love those things!). It's about a woman named Esther, who gets into a pretty bad car accident at the beginning of the book.

After her accident, she thinks she hears the voice of her twin sister, who had died by suicide seven years previously. Esther is trying to fight through her recovery from her injuries, while trying to decide whether she's going crazy.

Throughout the story, Esther is building a new relationship, while ignoring the fact that her family doesn't want her. As Goodreads says: "Through humor and heartbreak, Esther learns that blood does not mean family, that absence does not make the heart grow fonder and that silence can speak volumes."

The ending to this story is not at all what I thought it would be. This book kept me interested and I always wanted to know what was going to happen next.

4.5/5 stars

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Suicide City by Julie Frayn

I have nothing but fantastic things to say about Suicide City. Wow, I got through this book so quickly, but I wish I could just keep going and reading more.

This book is about a girl named August, from a small farm in Iowa. She's tired of spending every day doing farm chores. She hates all the rules her parents have for her - chores all the time, no dating boys even though she's 16, hand me down clothes, etc. She wants to get out. She dreams of the lifestyle of Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's.

She runs away and ends up in Charlesworth, but she finds out that city life isn't what she thought. She meets a boy named Reese and has an instant connection. He helps take care of her while they're living on the street and their attraction for each other just continues to grow.

Reese has been on the streets for years. Although he's clean now, he used to be addicted to heroin and he deals with the urges to cut himself. You would not believe the things Reese and his friends have to do to stay alive.

This book really touched on the ideas of homeless youth and it was horrifying to read some of the things that happened - although I know they happen in real life.

5 out of 5 stars. One of my new favorite books.

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A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer

I've read A Child Called "It" once or twice before. It's an autobiography by Dave Pelzer, reflecting back on his childhood as a horribly abused little boy.

Dave spent most of his childhood not knowing when he would be allowed to eat his next meal, being beaten by his alcoholic mother, and not being able to lead a normal childhood.

He tells the story so vividly that as a reader, you are afraid of his mother. This story makes me cry every time I read it. This time, I plan to continue the series.

I've heard there's talk that this might not actually be a true story. I'm not sure whether it is or isn't, but either way it opened my eyes to child abuse which I know happens all the time behind closed doors.

4 out of 5 stars.