Summer has seriously been crazy busy with outdoor activities. I'm back to biking and running and will probably start talking some more about that on here. And I've gotten through a few good books.

Weekly Reading With Ship Breaker And The Knife of Never Letting Go

Ship Breaker, Paolo Bacigalupi. In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota--and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life.

I read a review that says this book has a "middle-grade" feel to it, and I totally agree. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a fantastic book - it was - and one I enjoyed immensely. Nailer is a likable main character, with just the right amount of of youth hardened with living through tough circumstances in a World where he has to scavenge for scrap metal to survive. And let's talk about the World in this book for a minute - wow - totally plausible and believable. I think it was the strongest point of the book, because other than Nailer and his father ... and maybe Tool, I didn't connect well with any of the other characters.

I should note that my 12 year old son didn't love this one - he only finished it because he doesn't like to leave a book he's started unread. (Amazon| Goodreads)

The Knife of Never Letting Go, Patrick Ness. Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee - whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not - stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden - a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives. But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?

Definitely A+ for the interesting concept - everyone can hear each others thoughts - and the book was intriguing, suspenseful at times & the plot moved along at a fast pace. But it does seem like there were quite a few inconsistencies throughout (and they have to be pretty major for me to notice) - for example, the entire town & Todd's guardians managed to keep some pretty big secrets from him despite the fact that, of course, everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts - and yeah, I get that you can hide thoughts in noise & that kind of thing - but come on - everybody knows!!!! I also thought the book was a little one dimensional - we learned a lot about the main characters, and it was so interesting to watch their growth, but some of the secondary characters played major roles in the plot, and I would have liked to have learned some more about them.

And good God - the cliffhanger at the end! I was like - what!!! I'm not a fan of book endings that leave me hanging. Good thing I have the other 2 books in the trilogy lined up and ready to go - otherwise I would be so mad! So yes - I found this interesting enough to continue with the series, although admittedly, the fact that many bloggers have said it's FANTASTIC has a lot to do with it ... because I could really stop here. And again, my step-son didn't get into this one much - he's not continuing with the series. (Amazon| Goodreads).

This is my 1st "chunky book" read for The 2012 Big Book Summer Challenge hosted by Book by Book (479 pages).

Currently Reading

Three Strong Women by Maria NDiaye. This is the story of three women who say no: Norah, a French-born lawyer who finds herself in Senegal, summoned by her estranged, tyrannical father to save another victim of his paternity; Fanta, who leaves a modest but contented life as a teacher in Dakar to follow her white boyfriend back to France, where his delusional depression and sense of failure poison everything; and Khady, a penniless widow put out by her husband's family with nothing but the name of a distant cousin (the aforementioned Fanta) who lives in France, a place Khady can scarcely conceive of but toward which she must now take desperate flight. (Amazon| Goodreads)

Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3), George R. R. Martin. Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. (Amazon| Goodreads).