Now I See You by Nicole Kear

In my last post I told you that I had started reading Now I See You for my book club.  Well I have finished it and even got a chance to discuss it with the club.  Can I just say that I really enjoy my book club?  It's nice reading books that I probably never would have picked up.  Being able to talk about the books really makes me enjoy them more too.  In school I got to discuss books in the many English courses I took.  But discusses books in English class is more like "what symbolism did the author use" and "what is the theme of the book" as opposed to book clubs which is more "what  did you think of this character" and "did that annoy you as much as it annoyed me".  Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the English courses I took.  But I struggled to find the symbolism in EVERY SINGLE BOOK  I read in school.  Sometimes I just wanted to bash on a character or critique a decision that was made.  And that is why I love book club.

Now back to the book.  Now I See You is a memoir about a young woman who learns that what she thought was a bad case of near-sightedness and clumsiness is actually the beginnings of an eye disease.  She discovers at the ripe old age of 19 that she would probably be blind in the next 10-15 years.  The book tells the story of Nicole coping with that news and trying to get as much done on her bucket list before she loses sight.

 Now I See You is not a "woe is me, everyone feel bad for me, my life sucks" kind of memoir . It is hilarious and shows that even with a grim diagnosis life can be joyful and enjoyable. While her eye disease plays a huge part in this book and her life, Kear does a great job about making the book about the struggles every young adult faces: finding a job, falling in and out of love, getting married, and having children.  Everyone that met to discuss the book at our recent club meeting was able to relate to some story that Kear tells.  

I don't read a ton of memoirs.  I find myself drawn to stories about people I have heard of and know a little bit about, whether that be a historical figure or celebrity. On one of the flights I took this summer I read an article in one of the in flight magazines about Kear.  I thought her story was interesting, but didn't really think anything of it until this book was mentioned as a possibility for the club.  I thought it would be a great opportunity to read a genre that I don't read a lot of and see how I liked it.  I must say I enjoyed it.  Everyone has a story worth telling.  It's all about finding the angle or lens to tell that story through.  Kear did a great job finding a way to tell her story and make it interesting. If you can look past the language (which I think gets a little bit more under control as the story progresses) it is definitely worth the read.

I have started reading a book called The Little Women Letters on my own time.  I found this book on the bargain rack at Barnes and Noble. I'll be sure to keep you posted on how that turns out.

The next book up for the Book Club is Room by Emma Donaghue.  One of the ladies in the club read it before and said it would be a great book for discussion.  I'm definitely intrigued and will start reading it probably later this evening. 

Happy Reading!

~Tara

Summer Reading

Hello fellow readers!

It might not seem like it, but I have been reading all Summer long.  While I don't remember every book I finished this Summer, there are some that stick out in my mind that I will share with you here.

The first is my all time favorite book ever: Little Women.  I had started this book a while ago and finally finished it while camping in New York this summer.  I don't know if I had only read abridged versions or if I had just forgotten some of the details of the book, but there definitely seemed to be some additions that I had never read before, which was a surprise bonus!  I love reading a book I have read before and discovering new details and treats!

Another book/book series I read (and am currently finishing) is the Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson.  I initially picked up Mistborn because the book club I am in was reading it.  It is definitely not a book I would have picked up on my own.  But that's the beauty of book clubs!  They open your eyes to new books that you never would have read otherwise.  I'm glad I purchased this book and decided to read it!  It is AMAZING!  The series follows Vin and her group of friends as they try to overthrow their ruler and establish a new government.  Vin has "magic" powers that she discovers and perfects with the help of her mentor and friend Kelsier.  I am currently reading the 3rd book in the series and have yet to be disappointed.  The second book starts out a bit slow, but DON'T GIVE UP!

I have also read a few books on couponing as I am trying to get better at it.  I won't bore you with those details, but if you are interested in learning more or want to know the books I read just let me know!

I am currently reading Now I See You by Nicole Kear for my book club.  So far I am enjoying it, although there is some language.  I'm not opposed to cursing, but sometimes I feel like it is a bit unnecessary.  While I know that there are some things that can only be expressed with a well placed expletive, the extent to which she swears is starting to annoy me.  I think that writers especially should be able to express themselves and their emotions more eloquently than using curse words every other line.  I am willing to ignore it because this is a memoir and not a book written by a well established author.  That is my only criticism so far.  

I will be sure to blog about Now I See You and will do my best to stay up to date with my blogging from here on out.  I've had a busy summer, which you can read about here.  

Here's to recommitting myself to blogging!

Happy reading!

~Tara