Innovative embodiment

The Western technologies and East culture

VIA «Public health services high technologies»

I went to Daydreams, the comic book store in Iowa City a few weeks ago to ask for some really great comic books. The guy at the counter didn't wait a second to put a copy of The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye in my hands. I was intrigued-- I'm not a humongous zombie fan, although lately I've become more interested in how zombies represent humankind. This appears to be of interest to Robert Kirkman as well because in his introduction to the book because he says what he 's going for is not "goofy characters and tongue in cheek antics" but rather to "show us how messed up we are." And he does a great job of doing that.

Rick Grimes, a Kentucky cop, wakes up in the hospital after a gun wound to find that the hospital is completely empty. Or at least that is what it appears until opens the door to the cafeteria and finds the floor covered with zombies. He runs out of the hospital to find there are zombies everywhere, and returns to his house to find it abandoned. He then goes out on a search for his wife and son who could quite possibly be dead. The beginning of this story was gripping and I was turning the pages so fast to find out if he would find his family again, or if he would be taken over by zombies.

The comic book gets a little sour towards the middle though. This comic book doesn't have the most sincere dialogue around the middle parts. There is a lot of shouting and anger, but it all felt very stiff to me which made the whole experience of the comic book a little dull. Towards the end the characters talk about their life before the zombies and how they envision life in this new world, and that is when the book really starts picking up. The dialogue stays at this mature level for the rest of the comic book, and by the end I wanted to jump up from the bench I was sitting on to go get the next book and find out what happens next.

Overall this is interesting idea and I'm interested to see how it plays out. The artwork is fabulous, grayscale, and really detail oriented. I hope the mature dialogue carries through to the next book because there are so many ideas that could be explored if only the writing was a little stronger.

I'm giving Volume 1 a C.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

According to Environment, Energy and Climate Change Minister Yiannis Maniatis, the budget for the project amounts to 5,650,000 euros. The purpose of the initiative is to make improvements to the landscape surrounding this important archaeological site, including the addition of a herb garden with healing plants, new pathways for tourists, kiosks that will provide information about the history of medicine and promote local agricultural products with healing properties, etc.

Located in a small valley in the Peloponnesus, the shrine of Asclepius, comprises of three principal monuments, the temple of Asclepius, the Tholos and the Theatre – considered one of the purest masterpieces of Greek architecture – that date from the 4th century.

The vast site, with its temples and hospital buildings devoted to its healing gods, is a precious testimony to the practice of medicine in antiquity.

Source: Protothema [December 18, 2014]

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
  


• Open to a random page
  


• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  


• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  


• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser comes from CEMETERY DANCE by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child:

It was as silent as a tomb in the basement lab, with the faint hissing of the forced-air system like a steady whisper in the darkness. The nightmare at the hospital had spooked her-the dream had been so real.

Please share your teaser!

Anna O'Shea's life is falling apart. Her husband has just left her most likely due to her multiple miscarriages. Her job as a lawyer is taxing and unsatisfying. And after a trip to Ireland she finds out that her brother Patrick was in a horrible car accident and might not live. To top it all off, her nephew is in jail and it's up to her to go get him out. This is the beginning of Jacqueline Sheehan's Now and Then. After Anna rescues her nephew, Joseph, from jail they both go to her house and fall asleep. Since they are each thinking about going to the hospital to visit Patrick the next day their sleep is a little messed up, and Anna finds Joseph searching through her suitcase.

In a magical moment Joseph and Anna pass through the ocean and in to another world: 1844 Ireland. Unfortunately they are separated, or not so unfortunately for Joseph. Joseph quickly falls in love and becomes a famous wrestler, while Anna can barely walk and is desperate to find her nephew. In the end they are both torn between their desire to stay in the past and return to the present.

This book started out a little slow for me, but once Joseph's story turned into a love story it picked up a little more. The first half of the book was a lot of description about how weird it felt to be in another time period. I felt like this could have been cut down a little as some things were repeated frequently, sometimes within a couple pages of each other. This made me feel like Sheehan didn't trust her reader, which in turn made me less apt to trust her. On the other end of the spectrum, by the end of the book I felt like Sheehan had woven a wonderful puzzle and all the ends were tied together which was really important for this book. It was obvious Sheehan had done some research on 19th century Ireland, I just wish it would have been more apparent at the beginning of the novel.

I also felt like this book was struggling over what kind of book it wanted to be. Joseph is a sixteen-year-old American teenager, so obviously he cusses, but I felt like the somewhat frequent pottymouthing and slang was too stark against Sheehan's mystical voice. I don't have a problem with language, it just felt out of place. At the same time, Joseph's character made the book for me. He was a total outcast and really messed up in modern America, but he finds that in Ireland he is actually cool and really talented. I could related to Joseph because of this and I would always get excited when the chapters about him came up.

This novel earned a C.

This novel counts for the Reading Western Europe Challenge and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog. This book was provided to me by a publicist.

BOOK INFORMATION:
On a hot summer afternoon in 1972, three teenagers drove into an unfamiliar neighborhood and six lives were altered forever.Thirty five years later, one survivor of that day reaches out to another, opening a door that could lead to salvation. But another survivor is now out of prison, looking for reparation in any form he can find it.THE TURNAROUND takes us on a journey from the rock-and-soul streets of the '70s to the changing neighborhoods of D.C. today, from the diners and auto garages of the city to the inside of Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital, where wounded men and women have returned to the world in a time of war. A novel of fathers and sons, wives and husbands, loss, victory and violent redemption, THE TURNAROUND is another compelling, highly charged novel from George Pelecanos, "the best crime novelist in America." -Oregonian

Thanks to Valerie from Hachette, I have five copies of THE TURNAROUND to give away!

To enter, post a comment.
To be entered twice, blog about it (please include a link to your giveaway post in your comment)
To be entered three times, become a follower.
To be entered four times, tweet about it! (Be sure to include your tweet in your comment)

Winner will be announced on Saturday, April 18th.

Open to US and Canadian residents only. No P.O. Boxes.

This kind of crept up on me but today is a day I have been looking forward to for awhile. Today Fiona Robyn will begin posting her novel, Thaw, on her blog. The book is a diary, so it's really a great way to check it out! I'm doing this today in place of a review, I hope you all give the first entry a try. Here is the first page:

These hands are ninety-three years old. They belong to Charlotte Marie Bradley Miller. She was so frail that her grand-daughter had to carry her onto the set to take this photo. It’s a close-up. Her emaciated arms emerge from the top corners of the photo and the background is black, maybe velvet, as if we’re being protected from seeing the strings. One wrist rests on the other, and her fingers hang loose, close together, a pair of folded wings. And you can see her insides.

The bones of her knuckles bulge out of the skin, which sags like plastic that has melted in the sun and is dripping off her, wrinkling and folding. Her veins look as though they’re stuck to the outside of her hands. They’re a colour that’s difficult to describe: blue, but also silver, green; her blood runs through them, close to the surface. The book says she died shortly after they took this picture. Did she even get to see it? Maybe it was the last beautiful thing she left in the world.

I’m trying to decide whether or not I want to carry on living. I’m giving myself three months of this journal to decide. You might think that sounds melodramatic, but I don’t think I’m alone in wondering whether it’s all worth it. I’ve seen the look in people’s eyes. Stiff suits travelling to work, morning after morning, on the cramped and humid tube. Tarted-up girls and gangs of boys reeking of aftershave, reeling on the pavements on a Friday night, trying to mop up the dreariness of their week with one desperate, fake-happy night. I’ve heard the weary grief in my dad’s voice.

So where do I start with all this? What do you want to know about me? I’m Ruth White, thirty-two years old, going on a hundred. I live alone with no boyfriend and no cat in a tiny flat in central London. In fact, I had a non-relationship with a man at work, Dan, for seven years. I’m sitting in my bedroom-cum-living room right now, looking up every so often at the thin rain slanting across a flat grey sky. I work in a city hospital lab as a microbiologist. My dad is an accountant and lives with his sensible second wife Julie, in a sensible second home. Mother finished dying when I was fourteen, three years after her first diagnosis. What else? What else is there?

Charlotte Marie Bradley Miller. I looked at her hands for twelve minutes. It was odd describing what I was seeing in words. Usually the picture just sits inside my head and I swish it around like tasting wine. I have huge books all over my flat — books you have to take in both hands to lift. I’ve had the photo habit for years. Mother bought me my first book, black and white landscapes by Ansel Adams. When she got really ill, I used to take it to bed with me and look at it for hours, concentrating on the huge trees, the still water, the never-ending skies. I suppose it helped me think about something other than what was happening. I learned to focus on one photo at a time rather than flicking from scene to scene in search of something to hold me. If I concentrate, then everything stands still. Although I use them to escape the world, I also think they bring me closer to it. I’ve still got that book. When I take it out, I handle the pages as though they might flake into dust.

Mother used to write a journal. When I was small, I sat by her bed in the early mornings on a hard chair and looked at her face as her pen spat out sentences in short bursts. I imagined what she might have been writing about — princesses dressed in star-patterned silk, talking horses, adventures with pirates. More likely she was writing about what she was going to cook for dinner and how irritating Dad’s snoring was.

I’ve always wanted to write my own journal, and this is my chance. Maybe my last chance. The idea is that every night for three months, I’ll take one of these heavy sheets of pure white paper, rough under my fingertips, and fill it up on both sides. If my suicide note is nearly a hundred pages long, then no-one can accuse me of not thinking it through. No-one can say, ‘It makes no sense; she was a polite, cheerful girl, had everything to live for,’ before adding that I did keep myself to myself. It’ll all be here. I’m using a silver fountain pen with purple ink. A bit flamboyant for me, I know. I need these idiosyncratic rituals; they hold things in place. Like the way I make tea, squeezing the tea-bag three times, the exact amount of milk, seven stirs. My writing is small and neat; I’m striping the paper. I’m near the bottom of the page now. Only ninety-one more days to go before I’m allowed to make my decision. That’s it for today. It’s begun.

For the past ten years, Cat has been trying to forget her past. She's tried to hide from the pain by drowning herself in alchohol and moving from one meaningless job to another. When she receives a phone call from the sheriff of her home town, it all comes flooding back. Her mother has committed suicide, leaving a note sealed in a plastic bag, that reads "He isn't who you think he is."

Cat is forced to return home and face those things she's been attempting to forget: her abusive father, now in the hospital after suffering a stroke; and her first love, Addison. She must find out who the "he" is, and in doing so she has to relieve a very painful past.

The Last Bridge

alternates between the current time and Cat's memories of her youth. The reader relives the abuse Cat and her family suffered, right along with her. It is a truly engaging book; I was able to finish it in one evening.

The Last Bridge

is a very intense tale of love, pain, forgiveness and acceptance. It exudes suspense as well. The identity of the "he" mentioned in suicide note isn't revealed til the end. Little snipets of secrets are revealed throughout the book, drawing the reader in even more. I couldn't believe this is Coyne's first novel. She writes with a style and assurance that typically only comes with time and experience. Be forewarned, some of the recountings of Cat's abuse are quite vivid and detailed, but in this case I believe that level is necessary in ordered to accurately detail the abuse. A highly recommended book overall!

Thank you to Random House for providing me a copy of the book to review. Be sure to check out the official book web site!

Jane Hoffman and Gwen Baker have been friends for decades. Jane was there for Gwen when her husband, Theodore, left her to raise two young children alone. They’re raised their children together and through the years their friendship has endured as well. Now, they are in their 40s and are facing larger, more painful crisis. Jane comes home early to find her husband, Arnold, in bed with another woman. Their marriage has never been a strong one. Arnold’s always been an empty shell of a man, more concerned about his needs than hers. And when Arnold attempts to walk right back into her life, rather than conceding to him like she’s done for their entire marriage, Jane begins to think first about what she wants. And when their daughter, Caroline, comes to her with news that will change their lives, Jane must be there to support her in a way her own mother was never able to do.

Gwen has been in a relationship with Daniel, a married man, for several years. When he tells her that he’s going to leave his wife, she begins to wonder if this is what she really wants. She’d become used to having her own space, but now Daniel wants to move in with her. She can’t help but flash back to her marriage to Theodore and all she was forced to give up for that relationship. Is she ready to give up her independence again?

Schieber tells an endearing tale about the friendship of two women. Despite the many challenges they each suffered in life, they never take for granted their friendship. Through the years as their friendship grows, they both discover a bit about themselves as well. Shieber’s lesson is an important one: value the needs of others but never forget the value of one’s self.

About the author:

The first great irony of my life was that I was born in a Catholic hospital. My parents, survivors of the Holocaust, had settled in the South Bronx among other new immigrants. .In the mid-fifties, my family moved to Washington Heights. The area offered scenic views of the Hudson River and the Palisades, as well as access to Fort Tryon Park and the mysteries of the Cloisters. I graduated from George Washington High School. I graduated from high school at sixteen, went on to Bronx Community College, transferred to and graduated from Herbert H. Lehman College with a B.A. in English and a New York State license to teach English. I earned my M.A. in Literature from New York University and later my M.S. as a developmental specialist from Yeshiva University. I have worked as a high school English teacher and as a learning disabilties specialist . My first novel, Strictly Personal, for young adults, was published by Fawcett-Juniper. Willing Spirits was published by William Morrow. My most recent novel, The Sinner's Guide to Confession, was released by Berkley Putnam.

Contest:

Thanks to the author, I have an extra copy of Willing Spirits to give away!

To be entered once, comment about this posting.

To be entered twice, blog about it. Be sure to include a link to your posting in your comment.

To be entered three times, become a follower of this blog.

US and Canadian residents only, please.

Winner will be announced Saturday, March 28.

The narrator is a gorgeous porno actor that crashes his car while driving on a winding mountainous road. He wakes up in a burn unit with third degree burns over most of his body. To make things worse, if that is even possible, he spilled a bottle of bourbon in his lap right before his accident, and his “livelihood” is burnt beyond repair and has been removed. He wants his life to end. Throughout his recovery, rather than planning what he will do once he is released from the hospital, he plans his suicide. And then a beautiful ,but visibly disturbed, gargoyle sculptress appears in his room and is certain that they were lovers in medieval Germany. He is released into her care and he is ultimately convinced that the story she tells of their history must be true. This second chance at love is completely implausible, but I was drawn in from the beginning. Davidson’s tale of love is strange yet mesmerizing. This debut author has immense talent and I look forward to reading more of his work!

The Kid by Sapphire is a novel I really should have liked. I read and reviewed Push on the blog last year (click to read my review) and while I can't say that I loved the book, I definitely understood the point and was left with an overall feeling of purpose. The Kid, however, did not leave me feeling any of that. I am not going to give this an official review, since I didn't actually finish reading it, but I am going to leave you with my thoughts and explain why this was a book I found myself unable to complete.

Note — this review is going to contain spoilers for the first half of the book. I really struggle with not finishing books. I read quickly so it's usually not a big deal to push through a book I'm not loving. So for me to have really put this one down, I feel like I owe a thorough explanation. You have been warned.

The thing is, I tried. Really I did. I had every intention of finishing the book, even after I realized I wasn't enjoying it. In all honesty, if this hadn't been a review book I probably would have made the DNF decision somewhere between pages 5 and 50. I knew that early that this wasn't going to be a book I'd enjoy. But, because this is a review book and I felt terrible not finishing I ended up making it to page 207 before finally admitting defeat and admitting that I just... wasn't going to be able to do it. I intend to identify the scene that finally pushed me over the edge, but I want to talk a little more about the book before I do that.

One of my main complaints in my review of Push is what I felt to be an extreme level of graphic content. I said, "Although it is important for the direction of the story that we understand Precious has been abused both sexually and emotionally, I did not then, and do not now feel that the level of description was necessary. Some of the specific details the author included seemed in place merely for the shock and horror value." That feeling is amplified in The Kid. Extremely amplified. I honestly feel like Sapphire sat down and asked herself about all the hard, rough, graphic and extreme stuff she could possibly add to a story like this and then added it into the story. -Just add graphic rape, stir in a bit of cussing and VIOLA! Instant edge.

The story is told by Abdul (also called J.J.), Precious's son. And the narrative is incredibly difficult to follow. I don't know if that's because Sapphire is female and unsure how to write an authentic young boy character (something I strongly suspect...) or where it is merely her writing style. But I felt such a strong detachment and disconnect from the story I found myself completely unable to care about the story or Abdul. Even in the very beginning of the story, before we realize that Abdul is going to pass along the abuse he receives while in the system, I didn't care about him. And for serious — Who can't care about a nine year old boy?! Abdul has all these strange and very violent thoughts, where he screams in his mind things like Crazy Ass Roach Bitch and F*cking Bitch and on and on. And I wasn't always sure if he's only thinking these things or when they actually cross over into actual speech or actions. This is especially noticeable in the 13 year old section, but is also present in the beginning, when he's only nine. So, the story starts the day of him mother's funeral and Abdul is sent into the system. A boy in his first foster home rapes and severely beats him, landing him in the hospital for 3 weeks. They then decide to send him to a Catholic orphanage where two of the priests rape him on a regular basis. So, J.J. decides to return the favor and he rapes other boys in the orphanage. After being kicked out of the orphanage, for reasons that are a bit sketchy (unreliable narrator and as mentioned before, very awkward and detached narration) Abdul/J.J. is sent to live with the great-grandmother who should have been taking care of him for the last 4 years. But the priest at the orphanage decided he liked Abdul and wanted to keep him close. (barf)

This is where I finally accepted that this book wasn't for me, that I was going to have to call it quits on the story because I just couldn't stomach it or believe it anymore. I finally gave it up after listening to page after page after page after page of his great-grandmother describing, in graphic detail to a 13 year old boy how she had been raped at the age of ten, gave birth to his grandmother, ran away from home and ended up living and working in a whore house. Graphic detail. To a 13 year old. I was disturbed but still pushing through... And then — In the middle of this disturbing and inappropriate story from great-grandma, Abdul decides he is going to teach her a lesson, he decides he's going to really 'show' her. So he pulls his pants off and proceeds to masturbate to the point of orgasm while g-gma is still talking. He's 13 and he thinks that jacking off in front of his grandma is a good idea... Really? Really?! SERIOUSLY?!

I read a few pages past this but just couldn't do it anymore. I get that he's had a crappy life. Really, I do. I get that his life experiences are so far from mine that I can't possibly understand what he's gone through or what he feels. But I also felt that Sapphire failed her job as a writer, because she didn't write the book in a way that allowed me to understand or sympathize with Abdul. I was never able to understand his thoughts, his motives, anything. And I never cared to either.

Normally, in a book like this, I can find something good to say about the story. And I tried, really I did. I don't mind telling you what I don't like about a book, but I really like having something positive to say about the book as well. But, I have nothing. I was unable to find a single redeeming quality. I can't even say that the author's motives were pure or acceptable, because I can't figure out what they were.

And, I'm worried that given the nature of the book, given the subject matter this tries to tackle that people are going to be hesitant to say anything bad about it. I can see it. And I know that there are some people out there who will genuinely like this book. I get that. I know that not every book is for every reader. But I also believe that this book is going to be getting more praise than it deserves because no one wants to say something bad about a book like this. But you know what, there are great books out there that handle the topic of abuse. Great writers that manage to give credibility to their characters, their situations and their reactions, whether positive or not. In my opinion, Sapphire is not one of them.

Maybe some of you will be interested in this book. Maybe you will be better able to make sense of the jumbled and confused mess that is Abdul's narration. If so, I'd love to hear from you, love to hear what you think. But for the most part, this is not a book I would ever recommend.

*Disclaimer: A copy of this book was made available to me through TLC Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I'd been wanting to read a YA vampire novel for awhile when I picked up Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz. It came at the perfect time too, because I'd just finished The Jungle and I wanted to read something that wouldn't take a lot out of me. When I first opened the book I considered putting it back down, the first few pages are somewhat painful as far as writing. I decided to persevere though, reminding myself that I wanted something nice and easy. The writing does get better as you go on through the novel, or maybe you just get more used to it.

Typical to books about high school this cast as popular kids and rebels. I would say the main character is Schuyler Van Alen, a rebel. She lives with her grandmother and her mom is in the hospital with a coma. She has never really known her mom since she has been in a coma most of her life, but the doctors say she could wake up any day, so Schuyler visits her every weekend and reads the newspaper to her. Schuyler's best friend is Oliver who follows her around like a lost puppy. The friendship is really all about the two of them, but they let the new guy Dylan tag along because he likes them and because he adds to their mysterious aura.

On the opposite side is Mimi, the queen of the school who is ridiculously rich and fearless. There is also her brother Jack who is good at everything and gorgeous. Mimi and Jack seem to have some weird kind of Flowers in the Attic thing going on, but no one pays attention to them because they are perfect. On this side there is a new girl named Bliss. She comes from Texas and is trying to learn how to fit in the New York high class scene.

And this is how everything goes, until a mysterious death comes to the school and turns everything on its head. Soon people who are not supposed to talk are becoming allies. All because of The Committee. Everyone thinks The Committee is a place for the really rich people to hang out and plan parties, which is partially true but there is more to it than that. When Schuyler Van Alen gets invited to The Committee Mimi is furious. It doesn't help that her cousin Jack seems to be interested in Schuyler either.

So basically this is mediocre writing with a somewhat interesting plot. This the first in a series of books and I think I will probably read the next in the series. The plot really starts to pick up towards the end and I felt driven to finish the book so it wasn't all bad. It's just not The Luxe or anything.

This novel earned a C.
I read this book for the First in a Series Challenge.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

Intensive care: The twins will require around-the-clock attention
Because they share the same body, it is not possible to separate dicephalic parapagus conjoined twins.
The birth of dicephalic parapagus conjoined twins - who develop after a fertilized egg cell fails to divide fully - is extremely rare, with most cases occurring in southwest Asia and Africa.
Sister act: Conjoined twins are extremely rare, occurring once in 100,000 births, while the dicephalic parapagus form of the condition is almost unheard of
However, there have been instances of dicephalic parapagus twins being born in the West.
In July 2009, Lisa Chamberlain, from Portsmouth, gave birth to twins Joshua and Jayden, who shared the same single body. Joshua was stillborn while his brother lived for 32 minutes before dying in his mother's arms.
And in the U.S. dicephalic parapagus twins Abigail and Brittany Hensel have become media celebrities, appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show and featuring in television documentaries.
The sisters, now 21, from Minnesota, appear to share a perfectly normal single body, although in fact several of their internal organs are doubled up.
While each is able to eat and write separately and simultaneously, activities such as walking and driving a car must be co-ordinated.
Two-headed baby: Amazing conjoined twins born in China

Conjoined Twins, Abby & Brittany Hensel turn 16

source: dailymail

VIA Rare conjoined twins who share a single body born in China

Break by Hannah Mosowitz is a story about a boy who wants to break every bone in his body. It's a goal he is actively working on because he heard once that a broken bone grows back stronger and he needs all the strength he can get right now.

I'm really kinda torn about my feelings for this book. I want to say right now that overall I genuinely liked the book. It's one I would recommend and, for the most part, I found it to be believable with a believable and realistic main character. I really like books from the male POV and this book does a surprisingly good job.

I want to get my few grievances out of the way, before I move on to talk about the rest of the book and what I did like. My main problem with this book was the (IMO) extreme overusage of the f-word. I don't like a lot of profanity and I try not to use much, but the f-word more than any other bothers me. It's ugly sounding and I... well, I just don't like it. But Jonah uses it all the time, and it didn't feel natural. I know that teenagers swear. I promise. I get it. I've heard it, I know. But the cursing in this book didn't feel like natural swearing from a teenager. It sounded like the author intentionally put as much swearing into the book as she possibly could so that she could show the world how edgy and hardcore she is, because Look! I used the f-word. In defense of her writing, what I've seen of the author herself online gives me the same impression so it's probably more a part of her personality than her writing. But still. I didn't like it.

As for the book itself, I was almost completely a fan. There was some of the book that I wish had been more fleshed out. I felt, more than once, that there were important details that were glossed over. Like money — Jonah is constantly breaking his bones and giving himself concussions and all sorts of injuries, which means lots of medical bills. His brother is severely and deathly allergic to everything, and also spends a lot of time in the hospital, and they just had a new baby, which is not cheap. But in all the conversations about why what Jonah is doing is really bad and hurtful, they never once mention the financial strain it must be putting on his parents. Perhaps they are just ridiculously wealthy, but nothing else in the story made me believe that they were, and it would have been nice to see even one paragraph or even sentence mention that. This really is a small thing and I get that. It's why it didn't take away anything from my overall enjoyment of the story. It's just an example of details being glossed over or skipped and I wish there had been just a little more.

But the premise behind the story is very interesting and one that I found myself really captivated by. Jonah pulls stupid stunts all the time and breaking bones becomes his stress relief. Jonah's thoughts leading up to an accident (well, intentional accident) mirrored what I've seen in novels where the main character is a cutter. It's an extreme form of self harm that he has begun to use to give himself some control of his life and emotions. The kid is having a tough time. He's the older brother and he feels like it's his job to look out for and protect his brother. He has taken the weight of the world on his shoulders and it's a severe strain. Poor Jonah. My heart ached for him.

As for side characters — I thought Hannah did a great job giving these people their own personalities and their own blend of troubles. His brother, Jesse, has a really challenging life. He's so allergic to so many things that even touching some of the stuff could kill him. Jonah's best friend, Naomi, is horrid. I hated her. For the most part, she's actually a pretty great friend. But when Jonah hurts himself, she films it and laughs. I get it, at least in the beginning, you are being supportive of your friend and he's going to do it anyway, so you can drive him to the ER and etc. BUT. Later in the story Jonah starts to realize that this isn't healthy, isn't helping and isn't a good idea. So he tells her he's done. And she won't let it go! She hounds him and begs and cajoles him into realizing that he can't just stop. I wanted to punch her in the face.

There is an interesting psychology behind Jonah's reasons for hurting himself (that I'm not going to spoil) and learning more about what Jonah is thinking about was really interesting and definitely made me think. I wish there had been a little more depth and detail to some of the ending and his realizations as well, but overall, it was a strong debut, one that has definitely piqued my interest. Jonah is a strong and compelling character and the strengths of this novel outweigh any weaknesses. If it's one that has interested you at all, I strongly suggest grabbing a copy and giving it a chance.