I'm off from work this week, and have a stack of books lined up to read, including a few audiobooks. It's almost been a year since I started writing about my bookish experiences here, and last week, I really spent some time thinking about how I'm changing as a reader, and how this site is developing. My favorite thing has, of course, been Monday's Weekly Reading recap! This is my weekly "book discussions" and I'm so happy there's a link up at Book Journey so I can see what others are reading too.

Weekly Reading With Before I Fall {Audiobook Edition}

Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver, Sarah Drew (Narrator).
What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Location: Connecticut, USA

The book lies solidly in the category of "teenage drama" - which I'm usually not a fan of. Samantha, the narrator, is in a car accident with her popular girl friends, but she wakes up and starts relieving the day of the accident over and over again ... and I so wasn't interested in reliving the banality of her life - over and over again. I rolled my eyes a zillion times, and even did an internet search to find out the number of times I would have to endure her repeating her final day - 7!

But then, about the 3rd time she starts over, I got into it ... way into it. The strength of the book (for me) is in the exploration of the relationships. The idiosyncrasies of the friendship of the "mean girls", the relationship of Samantha with her popular boyfriend, her self-exploration, her relationship with a boy who she stopped talking to when she became popular and he didn't, and the relationships with the people they were cruel to. It was a fascinating journey to watch her see things in a new light, grow and change. I was really interested to see how the author would end the book - would it be happy, where Samantha got a chance at life again; or sad - does she die? ... I can't give anything away though, but it was good.

The audiobook narrator, Sarah Drew, did a solid job with the voice of the main character, Samantha, especially portraying the roller-coaster of emotions she felt as she tried to figure things out and cope. But the voices she used for all the other characters, especially the guys, didn't resonate well with me. All the voices sounded fake and made up. (Amazon| Goodreads)

Currently Listening To

The Help, Kathryn Stockett.
Octavia Spencer, Bahni Turpin & Jenna Lamia (Narrators)
If one more person asks me if I've read this book ... Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone. (Amazon| Goodreads)

I'm only a little ways in, but so far I'm enjoying - and I really didn't think I would. After I finish listening to it, I think I'll watch the movie to see how they compare.