Another of my 2018 catch up reviews, be prepared to see a few of these, lol.

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Reading Everything, Everything for me was about making sure I read the book before I saw the movie or show based on the book. I am very dedicated to that little pledge. I wanted to love this book more then anything, sadly I just didn’t love it. On the bright side while I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. It was a solid story line and a unique and interesting concept.

I think a few of the points being a little too obvious and a little bit slow would be my biggest reason as to why I didn’t fall head over heels in love with this one. Beyond that, it was a good read, I did enjoy it and I would suggest someone who likes an interesting, fresh YA concept take a look at this book.

For me, I enjoyed the movie more. It had a bit more of an emotional punch for me. That does NOT happen very often, though sometimes because of how behind I am in reviews it may seem like it does, LOL. Either way, whether you love the movie and want to check the source material or want to read the source first, or just read a solid book despite the fact I wasn’t totally in love I do recommend Everything Everything.

My Gemstone Rating:

When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum’s classic tale we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious Witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil?

Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability, and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly, and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

An astonishingly rich re-creation of the land of Oz, this book retells the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, who wasn’t so wicked after all. Taking readers past the yellow brick road and into a phantasmagoric world rich with imagination and allegory, Gregory Maguire just might change the reputation of one of the most sinister characters in literature.

What can I say about Wicked? It has been one of my favorite musicals for as long as I can remember and the book, well it is one of my favorites. The only reason this isn’t a flat out 5 star for me is becomes sometimes the pacing is a little sluggish. This could be because of how in love with the musical I am, even the best written book can’t keep up with a musical that has numbers like Defying Gravity and For Good included on the list. With that said, whether you like the musical, don’t or haven’t seen it, I will champion this book as a read, it gives you a different look at the Wicked Witch of the West. I have a habit of wanting to know more about the “villains” in stories and when I look at that desire I can see it does go back a long ways, even when I was a kid watching the Wizard of OZ I remember wondering what made the Wicked Witch Wicked. I mean this girl from Kansas suddenly drops a house on this woman’s sister and basically steals her shoes, doesn’t she have the right to be mad? This story for me has always been a nice look at to the idea that no one starts off as a villain and no villain is the villain of their own story.

Then again, maybe I just have a thing for the bad guys, I mean I do rather adore Loki, but that is a different story and review. I have gone off on some tangents in this review, as I tend to when thinking of old favorites like this book. Bottom line it is a solid read and I think everyone should give this one a chance and put it on the top of their TBR.

My Gemstone Rating:

A spare yet eloquent, bittersweet yet inspiring story of a man and a woman who, in advanced age, come together to wrestle with the events of their lives and their hopes for the imminent future.

In the familiar setting of Holt, Colorado, home to all of Kent Haruf’s inimitable fiction, Addie Moore pays an unexpected visit to a neighbor, Louis Waters. Her husband died years ago, as did his wife, and in such a small town they naturally have known of each other for decades; in fact, Addie was quite fond of Louis’s wife. His daughter lives hours away in Colorado Springs, her son even farther away in Grand Junction, and Addie and Louis have long been living alone in houses now empty of family, the nights so terribly lonely, especially with no one to talk with.

Their brave adventures – their pleasures and their difficulties – are hugely involving and truly resonant, making Our Souls at Night the perfect final installment to this beloved writer’s enduring contribution to American literature.

Every once in a while you read a book that truly strikes a chord with you. Some could even say it might be a life changing book. For me, this book is one of those rare books. I read it as part of my commitment to reading books before I see the movie or TV show based on them, and I have never been so glad that I followed that rule.

Our souls at night is an amazing book, it really speaks to the human condition and just how do we cope when life as we know it blows apart. Two people in their golden years find companionship, fondness and love by just needing someone to talk to, the desire for companionship. It truly to me speaks out, we as people are social creatures. Sure, some of us would rather be alone, or we all go through times where it is easier to be alone, but at the end of the day we all need someone to talk to. We need something to hold onto and to keep us grounded in life. When our kids grow up and move out, when our beloved spouse of long years passes away, what happens. So many end up ghosting through life after events, or worse. The night hours, the long dark nights when everyone else is asleep can often be the worst. Our souls at night examines that corner of who we are as people, when many books and stories turn away. I don’t want to give the full plot away, but I have to say read it. Read it and know that no matter how things are, no matter how alone we feel there are ways to find that companionship. You can start new no matter what age you are.

My Gemstone Rating: