On lonely books

It's simply beautiful how each book can invoke different emotions within readers. One that I feel is more difficult to capture (and pass on to readers) is loneliness - it's a complicated emotions and everyone experiences is slightly differently. However, here are some books that capture it really well.

• The Gunslinger by Stephen King - This book is full of Roland's first adventures and his solo journey towards the Dark Tower. He meets few people and these interactions never go well for him. It's a sad and long (and lonely) journey.

• The Road by Cormac McCarthy - Two people traveling down the road - that's basically the plot of this book. It's slow, it's sad, and it's a very quiet and lonely story.

• Persuasion by Jane Austen - So much of Anne Elliott's life is being pushed into the background and forgotten about. This book follows a very lonely and sad protagonist who finds happiness - it's the perfect book for a sad beginning and a satisfying happy ending.

• My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George - An old children's classic, this book follows a boy who runs away to the wilderness and the adventures he has living on his own.

What other books capture loneliness well? Have you read and enjoyed anything from this list?

The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings #1

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Today's book is Wizard and Glass by Stephen King - book 4 in the Dark Tower series.

Synopsis taken from Goodreads:
Roland of Gilead and his fellow pilgrims determine to reach the Dark Tower, but their quest is rife with confrontation, conflict and sacrifice - from a vast computer system which bargains in riddles to Roland's old enemy Walter and the wizard's glass.

Beginning: "ASK ME A RIDDLE," Blaine invited.
"F*** you," Roland said. He did not raise his voice.

Friday 56: More silence from Blaine. And maybe that was good. Jake wasn't sure how much he wanted to know about the Fall of the Hounds, or what went on beneath them.


What are you reading this week?

August: Best and Strangest

Can you believe it’s autumn already?! Only a few more months in which to finish up any reading challenges you’re doing - whether it’s a Goodreads Challenge, Book Riot’s Read Harder challenge, or any other reading challenge you’re doing to push yourself. Here’s what I read this month to keep up with my challenges:

BEST

• Saga Vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples - I’ve really loved this series and it’s consistently been a fantastic read. Saga is bizarre, hilarious, and so emotionally involved that I need a break before picking up the next one. I’m excited to keep reading it and thrilled that I have no idea what’s going to happen next.

• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - I’m surprised this is one of the best books I’ve read this month because it was good, but not excellent. My reading this month has obviously been a bit rough. Regardless, I’ve been hearing about this book for ages and I finally got around to reading it. I was delightfully surprised. While it’s very much a YA fantasy, I enjoyed it a lot and I’m excited to read Crooked Kingdom. If you like heist stories, this is a good book for you.

STRANGEST

• The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King - This series has consistently been really strange…..but it’s getting better. This book involves possessing other people’s bodies (kind of?), traveling through the desert with a wheelchair, and fighting lobstrosities (they’re actually called that in the book). It’s bizarre and exciting and unlike anything I’ve ever read before….in such a good way. Highly recommended for fantasy readers.

EVERYTHING ELSE I READ THIS MONTH

★★★

★★★★

★★

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★★★

★★★

★★★

What’s the best book you’ve read this month? The strangest?