C = Contemplate

 "I wanted my life to count for something, but not because I wanted to be important. People can be important and not have their life count for anything." - Justin Blaney, Evan Burl and the Falling.

Review quality on my blog is not always consistent.  A lot of this has to do with the substance of the book, whether or not it's a metaphor or whether or not the author integrated his or her own life views into the story, or some other message of moral or lifestyle lesson.

There are stories like The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith that tackle everything from cyberbullying to various types of bigotry under the guise of a who-done-it novel. There are stories advertised to be exactly what they are, contemporary fiction like Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi that cover cultural separation and systemic racism. They produce reviews like novellas, with endless content to study.

My reviews for The Cursebreakers trilogy by Brigid Kemmerer were quite small. They were light, young adult reads and as a result my reviews were also on the light side. But young adult reads are very important, intended for a people not yet set in their ways, still learning. Her first book in the series, A Curse So Dark and Lonely instead of presenting us with the perfect girl, introduces a handicapped heroine who is quite the force to be reckoned with and reminds us of the power of hope. The last book in the series, A Vow So Boldy and Deadly touches on the subject of mental health, but whether that's on purpose or by accident I couldn't tell.

One of my personal favorite-of-all-time books, is Call of the Wild by Jack London. He offers a different set of lessons. Many of his stories carry central themes of man vs nature, but this tale of human hubris is told from the point of view of a dog. Buck starts his life the picture of domestication and turns slowly but surely into a wild beast. The humans who pass in and out of his life, are either wild themselves or too domestic to survive the harsh conditions of the Yukon. There is cruelty and compassion in this story of survival as Buck fights to be the best at evolving and adapting. Without adaptability, there is no survival.

Every author has a story to tell us, whether they intend to or not, if we take the time to think.

Have you ever read a book with a message that stayed with you? What was the book? What was the message?

(All links in this blog post redirect you to my own reviews)