God is Dead by Ron Currie Jr.

Dear Readers,

Ron Currie Jr. is an interesting author. I enjoyed all of the books I read of his. Everything Matters was my favorite. I found meaning and incite in that book. His other books I have read intrigue me and make me think, but I am not exactly sure what to say about them.
God is Dead was good but quite horrifying to me. To some who are not religious and not believe in a God this book may not seem horrifying, but to those who find purpose in religion it might send a shock wave through their beliefs. Thinking about what would happen if something you believed in your whole life suddenly stops being true is a real mind trip.
I was raised in the Christian church. The Missouri Synod Lutheran Church to be more exact. When thinking about my religion it seemed to be a tall tower built off blocks. If one of the foundation blocks was suddenly removed the whole thing then seemed lucrative. Age has helped expand my beliefs and they are no longer restricted to tottering tower of blocks. Still thinking about what would happen if God was entirely removed from the world shook me.
The book is told from many different views; these views help show how all different sorts of people were affected. It unites the world and tears it apart at the same time. Suddenly everyone is in the same boat with no idea what the future holds. This should unify people, but instead violence breaks out. Then things keep going and people realize the they have to keep on living. Somehow the world keeps spinning. The unique stories in this book make you think about what happens to the human race after disasters of all types.
So many different points could be discussed from this book, but I really cannot do them all justice. Read the book and then you will see what I mean. It is a quick read. Short book, but it will provoke more thought than books triple its length.
Lindsey

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkekes

Dear Readers,
Romance and Chick-Lit are the comfort food of books. They are the bowl of chicken noodle soup on a cold day. They are the old baggy pair of sweat pants that you own. You love them because they are so comfortable, but you would never be caught dead in them in pubic. Something about the improbable stories sucks the reader in and even if they want to leave it won't let them. It doesn't matter if you know the end from the first page or if you have no emotional attachment to the characters, it is impossible to stop.
Perfect Chemistry was recommended to me a few years ago. I read a description of the book and thought 'hey that sounds like something I would like to read'. I instantly put it on my to-read book list. It has been on there for a while and I decided I should finally read it.
Perfect Chemistry was predictable and implausible like most teen romance novels. The plot was quick moving, almost to quick moving.The characters were slightly boring. A gang member who has a heart is not the most original character, and having him fall in love with the 'perfect' pretty girl with a hard family life was almost comical. The theme was pretty nonexistent, but I guess that is when you get from romance.
To young teen age girls living far from the big city and all of its bright lights the idea of a Mexican gang member with a soft side is probably very enticing. Just like pirates once where to love hungry ladies no where near the water. People have been gobbling up the same story forever. The bad guy falls for the good girl and she goes against everything she knows and falls for him. They both have secrets and they share them. They finally found someone to understand them and it was the complete opposite of who they thought it would be. Blah Blah Blah. It goes on and on.
Both of the main characters have secrets that they think make them special and set them apart. The pretty girl has a disabled sister and wack-a-doodle mother. She longs for something besides being perfect. The extremely hot bad boy gangbanger wants a quite life with no violence and safety for his family. They find each other thrown together and grudgingly they start to interact. A wall breaks down and they see each other for the first time. Its pretty much down hill from there. A cookie cutter romance novel.
I do give props to the author for actually killing a character. Some real suffering happened. Some people got the shit beaten out of them a few times. The gang violence wasn't all empty threats and missed bullets.
If you are looking for an escape you can find it here. It wasn't a long one for me. Only took me an afternoon to read, and then it was back to thinking about the very real mean Chicago street. Its cute. The ending is cute. I don't want to spoil it because there are so many possibilities.
Lindsey
P.S.
This book makes me happy because it makes me realize we are one step closer to this exciting future.
If gangsters can be love interests then they are on their way to being harmless just like pirates.

Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles by Ron Currie Jr.

Dear Readers,
I am stumped. Normally after reading a book I am filled with so many thoughts, questions, and revelations that it is hard to put it all in one blog post. For some reason Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles has left me with nothing. Not that the book wasn't good because it was. Not that is didn't interest me because it did. I just don't think there is anything I can say about it.
I am trying hard to give you a good review. I am trying to tell you what to expect, but I don't think I should. I think that you should enjoy this one for yourself. The writing style is very interesting. It switches between different streams of thought so you will never get bored. The story it intriguing. The characters are complex and relatable.
All I have left to say is read it. Enjoy it. It left me with something. Something that I really can't put into words. Hopefully you find something in this "true" story, too.
Lindsey