2016 Reading Challenge: February

This month's pick is a book that was banned at some point.

About 4 years ago, I bought Slaughterhouse-Five on impulse at Target (I promise I don't buy all my books at Target. Note to self, don't read something from Target next month.) Ever since then it has been living in my "to-read" pile. It has moved with me when I got married, been at the top and bottom of the stack, almost donated, and finally this month I picked it up to read.

After double checking to make sure it was banned, I cracked it open and plowed through the tiny Vonnegut book. After two sessions I was done.

And I was... underwhelmed.

After all the things I read about why this book was banned I was expecting this gruesome, action packed, violent, inappropriate war novel. Instead I got aliens. Totally not what I expected.

Maybe it's because I live in 2016 and not in the sheltered 1969 world that the book was written in (although people are obviously still trying to ban it), but it definitely wasn't the most disturbing thing I've ever read.

Yes, it is a good (and probably one of the first) depiction of PTSD and how it affects those who are in combat.

I think I just had too many preconcieved notions about what to expect (especially since I read that Atlantic article first), but I wasn't blown away by any aspect of Slaugherhouse-Five. I do feel accomplished in the fact that the book is no longer living in my "to-read" stack anymore, though.

Better luck in book choice next month, I guess.

 

 Read the rest of the challenge:

• January: A Book Published This Year

2016 Reading Challenge: January

As I have mentioned before, I'm challenging myself to read 125 books this year, with 12 of those being from this reading challenge.

I didn't really know where to start on this list, but the first book jumped out at me during a trip to Target. Lindsey Stirling had just released an autobiography, and there it was on the end cap, 30% off and begging me to read it. So the first pick was "a book published this year".

Pause. I know some of you are saying, wait who's that? Here is your answer:

I owe my discovery of her to my husband, who first started listening to her music on YouTube around 3 years ago. We both quickly fell in love with her music and I've probably watched all her videos at least 20 times.

We even saw her in concert back in 2013:

Okay, I'm getting off topic, back to the book. I knew a little bit about how she got her break, but I figured it would be interesting. So I put The Only Pirate at the Party in my basket and it came home with me. 

I'm the kind of reader who has to read a new book immediately. However, I also have a rule where I only read one book at a time. So, I came home, finished what I was reading (a Pretty Little Liars novel, no judgment), and cracked it open. 

I was greeted with this surprise:

The publisher had scattered a bunch of limited edition autographed (it's in real pen, not printed, I checked) copies to distributors! 

I flew through reading this book. I'm a fast reader, but the tone this was written in made it so I didn't want to stop. I've read a lot of autobiographies and a lot of them are written in a way that screams "oh I'm so cool look at all the great things I've done." But, Lindsey's is different. She's open about the struggles she faced in her life getting started as a musician. She's also very open about her battle with anorexia, something most celebrities don't talk about.

The other thing about her book is that its like having a conversation with your cool, goofy, slightly disgusting(there's a very colorful description about meeting fans while having the stomach flu) best friend. 

One thing the media nerd in me has always found interesting is her climb to fame through YouTube. Until a few years ago, that just wasn't something that happened. People had to get discovered the traditional way, which she tried. She even made it to the semi-finals of America's Got Talent before being shut down by the judges. In the book she talks about how she kind of blazed her own trail in every part of her success. Dubstep violin music was a new thing. YouTubers who listened to their fans was a new thing. 

Overall, it was a fantastic read, and I highly reccomend it if you are interested in violins, music, humor, pirates, or just like reading books about YouTube sensations.

Rating: 5 Stars