Tammi Reads Books!

I've read a few great books recently, let me tell you about them!

Vivian Apple at the End of the World by Katie Coyle

One of my favorite types of stories is apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic kinds of things. I heard about this YA book, Vivian Apple At The End of the World, from one of the blogs I read, and it sounded like just the kind of thing I would enjoy. The story takes place right after what seems to be a Rapture has happened. Various people who had joined a new sect of super religious Christians have disappeared with no trace. Vivian Apple's parents are among these, and she teams up with her best friend and a mysterious cute guy to go on a trek to figure out what really happened to them. As they travel across the country, we get more glimpses of how this cult, the Church of America, has changed the country. The cult hilariously claims that Jesus loves America, capitalism. It's pretty much what I would expect to happen in real life if evangelical Christians took over.



Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse-Five is considered an American classic, but I had never read it before. I have to say, I didn't really like it. I just couldn't get into it. It's about Billy Pilgrim, a war vet who becomes unstuck in time after being abducted by aliens who exist in all time simultaneously. He time travels to random moments in his life and relives them for a while, jumping around to the past and future randomly. I have a theory that he wasn't really time-traveling; rather, he was just vividly reliving memories. If you remember a moment in time vividly, doesn't it sometimes feel like you're there again? Anyway, the story was definitely original, but I just didn't particularly enjoy it.




We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

This book is about the mother of a teenage boy who goes on a killing spree at his high school. It takes place after the incident, and is told solely through letters to her estranged husband, which made it actually really interesting. She attempts to explain to him, and herself, how Kevin ended up that way - if it was her fault for not being nurturing enough (she hadn't wanted kids), or if he was simply born evil. It's a nature vs. nurture thing, and the dial goes back and forth between the two as the story progresses. It's kind of a disturbing story, but really compelling.



Lamb by Christopher Moore

The untold story of Jesus' years, as told by his childhood friend Biff. The Bible doesn't cover a huge chunk of Jesus' (or Josh, as he's known in the book) life - from childhood to age 33. This book hilariously posits that he spent those years traveling around with his BFF Biff, trying to figure out his purpose in life, exploring spiritualities, amassing followers. But this isn't a religious text, by any means. It's really quite hilarious.