Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

From Goodreads.com:
   At the age of eighteen, Mary Shelley, while staying in the Swiss Alps with her lover Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and others, conceived the tale of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and the monster he brings to life. The resulting book Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, is a dark parable warning against the risks of scientific and creative endeavor, the corrupting influence of technology and progress, and the dangers of knowledge without understanding. Frankenstein was an instant bestseller on publication in 1818 and has long been regarded as a masterpiece of suspense, a classic of nineteenth-century Romanticism and Gothic horror, and the prototype of the science fiction novel. Though it has spawned countless imitations and adaptations, it remains the most powerful story of its kind.

   This year for Halloween I decided to read a classic horror novel that I've never read before. I was surprised by Frankenstein. I liked it but found myself sympathizing more with the "monster" than the human, that was unexpected. He doesn't want to be cruel, but feels he has no choice because he will never be accepted into society. He just pulled my heartstrings.
   The synopsis tells us this is a cautionary tale against technology and knowledge without knowing the effects. I think it also has a little nature vs nurture. The monster claims he only killed because without love, he could only cause fear.
   This book does not have a lot of dialogue. Dr. Frankenstein is telling a story, the story of his life. I would recommend this book as an audio book. I read it but the whole time I was thinking, this would be better to listen to. I rarely listen to books, I have only done it once or twice, but I'd audio this one if  I wanted to read it again.

The Stand by Stephen King

From Goodreads.com:
   This is the way to world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death.
   And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides or are chosen. A world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abigail and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man.

   I'll try to keep this short, once I start talking about The Stand it's a very short leap to The Dark Tower and it's down the rabbit hole from there.
   I've read this book multiple times; the first was when Avian Influenza was in the news a few years back, this time around it's Ebola. This is not a good book to read when outbreaks are happening. Or if you have a cold. Talk about paranoia, but I keep going back to read it again. It is one of my favorites.
   This book is not for the faint of heart. It is over 1,000 pages and takes some getting into. The first time I tried I gave up. The second time I took notes (yes, notes, for something I'm choosing to read.) I had trouble keeping all the characters straight for the first few chapters. Once people started to meet each other it became much easier to remember who they were. So make sure you give it some time before quitting.
   It has one of the worst (or best, depending on the point of view) villains. I have a trouble classifying Randall Flagg as a 'villain,' he is so much worse than your standard run-of-the-mill bad guy. Even those who choose to follow him can't look at his face. The way King describes him is perfectly horrifying. He is not a man I'd like to meet. (Is he a man? Is he even human?)
   At it's core The Stand is an epic battle of good vs evil. There are so many societal observations and the quote above is probably my favorite. Oh, and I don't want to forget to mention the dreams! Characters all have similar dreams after Captain Tripps (the nickname for the virus) destroys the population. The theory pops up that maybe all the technology used today is dulling the natural psychic abilities most humans have.
   I could go on and on, there's all sorts of goodness in this book. I can't go into each brilliant thing and keep this an acceptable length. And it's impossibly hard to pick and choose so I leave you here; If you like a challenge that will stay with you long after you finish the last page, this is the book for you.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

From the hardcover:
   Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them.
   But three years later, at sixteen, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else - an even more unpredictable new force in her life.
   The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to each other, they'd have a chance to remake their world.

   This book is stunning. I read the majority of it on a partially devoted Sunday just finishing it up after work today. I could not put this book down. I knew I'd have to finish it immediately after struggling through my work day. I could only think of how this book could possibly end. A lot of the YA I've read lately have not-so-happy endings *coughthefaultinourstarscough* so I was mildly concerned about half way through, when I realized I loved both Noah and Jude. "Mildly concerned," ha! I was a worried mess.
   One of my favorite things about I'll Give You the Sun is the way Noah sees people. Bursting at the seams with light, floating, the animals inside. Sounds a little strange, but he's an artist, and it's truly amazing. I could picture each description as it would appear on canvas, a work of art. I wish I saw the world through his eyes all the time.
      I laughed, I swelled with emotion, I even had trouble breathing for a short time. I hope I'm not spoiling anything because this book needs to be read. It is such a gorgeous tale of loss, family, and being true to you.

How to Tell Toledo from the Night Sky by Lydia Netzer

From the hardcover:
   Like a jewel shimmering in a Midwest skyline, the Toledo Institute of Astronomy is the nation's premier center of astronomical discovery and a beacon of scientific learning for astronomers far and wide. Here, dreamy cosmologist George Dermont mines the stars to prove the existence of God. Here, Irene Sparks, an unsentimental scientist, creates black holes in captivity.
   George and Irene are on a collision course with love, destiny, and fate. They have everything in common: both are ambitious, and yearning for connection. The air seems to hum when they're together. But George and Irene's attraction was not written in the stars. In fact, their mothers, friends since childhood, raised them separately to become each other's soul mates.
   When that long-secret plan triggers unintended consequences, the two astronomers must discover the truth about their destinies and unravel the mystery of what Toledo holds for them-together or, perhaps, apart.
   Lydia Netzer combines a gift for character and bighearted storytelling with a sure hand for science and a vision of a city transformed by its unique celestial position, exploring the conflicts of fate and determinism and asking how much of life is under out control and what is preordained in the heavens.

   This is my second book by Lydia Netzer. I fell in love with Shine Shine Shine a couple years ago so, when I noticed How to Tell Toledo from the Night Sky I had to pick it up. This took a little more effort to get into than Shine Shine Shine but was still brilliant. I told a co-worker, "it's strange but has so much potential, I can't give up," that was about three chapters in and I am glad I didn't quit.
   I find the idea that their mothers had to create twin souls fascinating. To make a soul mate by design, to create love using science. I think that's the main reason I liked this book so much. I mean, that isn't all this book has to offer, but that is what I was most taken with.
   It's told going back and forth between two times, visiting George and Irene's mothers as they grew up together and 'now' with George and Irene meeting. I admit I was a little lost on some of the science talk, but I got the gist of it. This book may not be as universally loved as many are, but if you like an intelligently written love story give this a chance.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

From the Hardcover:
Sometimes it's the little lies that turn out to be the most lethal...

A murder...a tragic accident...or just parents behaving badly?
What's indisputable is that someone is dead.
But who did what?

Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads:
   Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She's funny, biting, and passionate; she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beach-side community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline's youngest. (How is this possible?) And to top it all off, Madeline's teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline's ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?)
   Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn't be, with those rambunctious twins? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay.
   New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all.
   Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.

   This book is fantastic! It was a little slow to begin for me, but once I sat down with it and was able to become immersed, I didn't want to put it down. You know someone is dead, but WHO? That was the question that teased me the entire time I was reading this. Speckled with answers, from other parents, to unasked questions piqued my curiosity even more. 

  I liked that this book addressed many current hot topics, bullying, "helicopter-moms," domestic abuse, and new family structure, just to name a few. I was amused by the "kindy moms" and their drama. 

   As with any book worth recommending, I felt for these characters. Madeline is tough and doesn't take any crap, she may be stubborn to a fault, but she is also loyal. Celeste is lost in daydreams and has a private social anxiety, she questions almost everything she says along with her actions. When most parents snub Jane and her sweet son these two women stand firm next to her, Madeline going into battle and Celeste's more quiet support. 

   This is a good mystery, what adds to that is the fact that you don't even know who's dead! And I believe this would be a good book club choice. There are so many issues brought up that are worth discussing.

A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro

From the Paperback:
   The highly acclaimed first novel by the author of The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, A Pale View of Hills is the story of Etsuko, a Japanese woman now living along in England, dwelling on the recent suicide of her eldest daughter. In a story where the past and present confuse in a haunting and sometimes macabre way, she relives the scenes of Japan's devastation in the wake of World War II, even as she recounts the weirdness and calamities of her own life.

"Memory, I realize, can be an unreliable thing; often it is heavily coloured by the circumstances in which one remembers, and no doubt this applies to certain of the     recollections I have gathered here."

   Past and present twist together seamlessly in this book. Etsuko's youngest daughter is visiting after the suicide of her older daughter. The suicide brings back memories of an earlier time in Etsuko's life. She reminisces about her friend Sachiko and her daughter Mariko. The tale has an eerie feel to it, like something is just out of reach. I felt this the whole time I was reading about the past.
   This book was written with precision, the tone is almost formal. It was a little strange. I wouldn't recommend this book to the casual reader. If you like a book that piques your curiosity that isn't necessarily a simple read, this book could be for you.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

From the Paperback:
   Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no way or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community.
   When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now it's time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

"...Jonas had experienced real sadness. He had felt grief. He knew there was no quick comfort for emotions like those." 

    The Giver is a dystopian novel focusing on a world made perfect. Every child belongs to a age group, every December each group gains a year. Each year a child gains a milestone, a bike at age nine, free time (to volunteer) at age eight, and their place in society, their jobs, at age 12.
   Life is very organized, peaceful, each family unit talks about their dreams every morning, they speak of feelings at dinner, they talk about everything, no secrets. Life is a closely followed routine. Jonas is happy in this life, then in his twelfth December he is chosen to be The Receiver. There is only one Receiver and it is very seldom is a receiver chosen. Jonas is the the Receiver of memories. Memories of a time before sameness.
  This is a book that made me ponder the things that are taken for granted. To have almost every minute of your life planned out takes away most decisions. What kind of life would it be to not feel pain? What kind of life would it be to not feel anything? No decisions, no pain, no love, no choice. When Jonas learns the truth of the past he finally has a choice to make.