Wild -- Cheryl Strayed

Cheryl Strayed (the last name one she chose for herself after her divorce) is a woman with many troubles. Her past is riddled with violence and instability with one exception: her loving mother. But when Cheryl is 22, cancer takes her mother from her as well, and Cheryl spirals into a self-destructive spin of drugs and immorality.

Finally forced to face who she has become when she realizes she has made a mess of her life, Cheryl can conceive of only one solution to mend herself: hike the Pacific Coast Trail. Alone. With little to no knowledge about long-distance hiking, and even less experience. But Cheryl is determined. And so she sets out on a life-altering journey through California and Oregon to find herself. And who she finds surprises her.


***It is hard for me to rate this book, honestly. I read it for book club and am anxious/nervous to see how discussion goes. Strayed has a gift for words. She weaves her past into the story of the trail so seamlessly, and I constantly wanted to keep reading. At the same time, though, I was appalled by much of it. The language was rough. And I cannot identify with this woman at all. So much so that I have a hard time feeling bad for some of what she went through in life. Not sure I would recommend this to others and don't plan to see the movie.

The Fault in Our Stars -- John Green

Dying of cancer sucks. That's pretty much how Hazel Grace Lancaster feels about it. But she is dying of cancer, and she'd just as soon live out the remainder of her life the way she wants to: at home, reading the same book over and over, and watching TV with her parents. Her mother, though, wants Hazel to "have a life." And so, to appease her ever-hovering and loving mother, Hazel agrees to attend a cancer support group at a local church. And that's where she meets Augustus Waters, a cancer survivor with a charismatic smile and intriguing personality. Hazel never thought she'd be particularly interested in romance, given her own situation. But Augustus Waters changes all that the day he stares at her through support group.

As Hazel and Augustus' relationship develops, even as Hazel tries to prevent it, for she sees herself as a grenade who will explode and destroy the people close to her, they experience moments of a lifetime. They create their own infinity in a finite number of days. And Hazel comes to learn the power of love and to realize we can avoid oblivion.


***I thought this was a powerful and beautiful novel. The author has an amazing way with words and expresses some very deep and beautiful things through the characters in this novel. My only regret is I watched the movie first. One of my favorite quotes: "Love is keeping the promise anyway."