Y is for (Books About) Younger Self/ Older Self #atozchallenge

For A to Z 2018, my theme is Books About ____. If you’re stopping by from your own A to Z blog, feel free to leave a link. If you need help with how to do that, you can look here.

If you’re someone looking to read a lot of great blogs, here’s the link for the A to Z challenge.

When I started pondering this category, I realized there are more books than I would have expected where a younger and older version of a character get to communicate through some means.

A few years ago, I wrote a letter to 16-year-old me and posted it here, if you’re interested. Part of me really wishes I could have sent that letter, and part of me knows I probably wouldn’t have listened anyway.

I Remember You, by Cathleen Davitt Bell (YA fantasy/ romance): Juliet meets Lucas and starts to fall for him, even though he keeps saying weird things about how he remembers their relationship from another time when it happened a little differently. Juliet isn’t sure she believes what Lucas is saying, but she loves him, so she believes in him. This is such a lovely book about the power of love.

Every Ugly Word, by Aimee L. Salter (YA fantasy): 17-year-old Ashley is able to communicate with her 23-year-old self by looking in the mirror. Ashley of the future has already been through all the bullying that Younger Ashley is dealing with, but Older Ashley is hiding something from her younger self. This book made me feel so many things.

Landline, by Rainbow Rowell (fantasy/ romance): Full disclosure… I love everything by Rainbow Rowell. This isn’t my favorite book of hers, but it’s still a fun read. I listened to it on audiobook, and it made a long car ride much easier. The romance in Neal and Georgie’s relationship has died; work and kids get in the way. When Georgie has a big opportunity come up at work, and informs Neal that she can’t fly home with him and the kids for Christmas, he leaves without her. She’s not sure if it’s the end of their relationship, and, depressed, she goes to her mom’s house where she uses a magic phone to talk to Neal-of-the-past and remembers all the things she loved about him. It was a sweet romantic story that flashed between present and past. Sometimes we just need to be reminded about those we love.

Are there any books you like that are like this? What would you tell your teenaged self?

Book Challenges- Week 11

Popsugar Challenge

(11/50) Over 20%!

A book by someone of a different ethnicity than you: The Mothers, by Brit Bennett– I wrote about this book earlier in the week. I was so excited about it that I hadn’t even finished it before I had to write about it in my blog 5 Books I Regret Putting Off. The ending was, unfortunately, disappointing. Not enough for me to hate it, but just enough for me to wish the author had done something a little different. It was still a good book and worth reading, but instead of a 5-star book, it’s between 3.5 and 4 stars for me (which means it’s somewhere between “I liked it” and “I really liked it”).

A book about time travel: Fortunately, The Milk, by Neil Gaiman– This is a cute middle-grade book with illustrations, about a father who goes out to buy milk, stays too long, so makes up a story about being kidnapped by aliens. It was fun, and a well-needed break from reality.

While I Was Reading Challenge

(4/12) 33% done

The Unread Shelf

Running Total: 3

5 Classic Books

(0/5) No progress

Miscellaneous Reading

Uncommon Type: Some Stories, by Tom Hanks– I’m not sure how I heard about this book, but I’ve had it on hold at the library since last year. It finally came in the same week as another book I’d put on hold months ago. Because, of course.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but the stories are consistently sweet and funny, only tied together by the thread that every one of them contained a typewriter reference. I do love books of short stories, and this was an easy read with some unexpectedly poignant stories about life and love.

Yes, Please! by Amy Poehler– I was driving this week, so I needed an audiobook. In general, I prefer books by comedians. Maybe it’s because they’re used to making their voices accessible to everyone that they’re so easy for me to understand while I’m driving.  This book was interesting and funny and serious and not serious. Ms. Poehler talks about her life in funny vignettes and touches on serious topics like her divorce. She seems like the kind of person who’d be fun to share a drink with. One of the things I liked is that she’s pro-girl; she believes in lifting other women up and supporting them when possible and kept it classy without a single moment of cattiness.

Abandoned

None this week.

2018 Running Total: 29

 

Have you made any progress on your TBR or book challenges?