My Ramblings on Vacation Reads

I took a mini-vacation this past weekend to KY for a race, which means I spent a lot of time waiting for and flying in planes. Which means I had a lot of time to read. So without further ado... a quick rambling about my min-vaca reads.

The Bridge from Me to You by Lisa Schroeder

I loved this book. I mostly love everything that Schroeder writes, but I really felt like this book was a showcase for all the things she does best. This book combines poetry with traditional prose and it create a great give and take between the two main characters. This is a great story about figuring out who you are and where you belong and it again reminded me of what a great author Schroeder is.

Summary:
Lauren has a secret. Colby has a problem. But when they find each other, everything falls into place.

Lauren is the new girl in town with a dark secret. Colby is the football hero with a dream of something more. In alternating chapters, they come together, fall apart, and build something stronger than either of them thought possible--something to truly believe in. (goodreads.com)

The Raft by SA Bodeen

One would think that the last thing you'd want to read about while taking a 2 hour plane ride is a book about a plane crash. I get it, but... this was a pretty good little book, that is only minimally about a plane crash. It's more about how a girl goes from being a little afraid of the world, to discovering just how brave and resourceful she can be when she finds herself suddenly stranded at sea alone. There were a few things that were missteps for me. One was the journal she was reading and the other was how quickly she recovered after being rescued. That said- the parts of the story where she is adrift at sea and trying to survive on the island were great.

Summary:

Robie is an experienced traveler. She’s taken the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands where her parents live, many times. When she has to get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next cargo flight at the last minute. She knows the pilot, but on this flight, there’s a new co-pilot named Max. All systems are go until a storm hits during the flight. The only passenger, Robie doesn’t panic until the engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts at her to put on a life jacket. They are over miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max struggle with a raft.

And then . . . she’s in the water. Fighting for her life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that’s when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles. There are sharks. There is an island. But there’s no sign of help on the way. (goodreads.com)

Pretenders by Lisi Harrison

So here is a book that I mostly loved while reading it, and then wanted to throw out of the plane window when I finished. It's amazing how one page of a book can absolutely destroy all the good will built up in the previous pages. It's probably not fair, but alas, it's the way it is for me.

On the positive side, the book is very well written. Harrison does a great job capturing the personalities and writing styles of five very unique individuals and that is not an easy task. I loved the idea that the book is actually a series of journal entries by the characters as part of a writing assignment at school. It means that we are getting multiple perspective on the action and each person brings a different flavor to their tale.

What I didn't like was how it ended. Part of this might be the set up from the back of the book. It gives the illusion that this story is about these five kids and how they are the Phoenix Five. Instead the book ended with a "to be continued" and without resolving any of the issues of the book. It was a half-story. The book described on the back cover is not the same book that is between the covers and that was a disappointment, especially since the story was good, just incomplete. I think what was supposed to leave me wanting more, instead left me wanting to throw the book out the window.

Summary:

My picture is on page eighteen of Noble High's Phoenix yearbook. I am one of the Phoenix Five. You nominated me. You thought I was one of the most outstanding students in our freshman class. You were wrong.

Still, I accepted my award. I acted special. But I couldn't help wondering what it was like to be that way for real. So I broke into Ms. Silver's safe in the faculty lounge and stole all five of our journals. I'm not exposing them out of jealousy or anger. I'm doing this because I am tired of the lies. The bar is too high, and cheating is the only way to reach it. Instagrams are filtered, Facebook profiles are embellished, photos are shopped, Manti T'eo's girlfriend was a fake...is anything real anymore?

I found the answer in our journals. These are 100 percent real and 100 percent unedited. The proof is in the pages: