Wrap Up: September

September was a slow month for reading and a fast-paced month for everything else. Here are the books I reviewed last month. I have to say that the best book of the month was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, the book toppled my rating scale. :)

What did you read this month? Share your wrap up posts below =)

Under an Orange Sun, Some Days are Blue

"When I first decided to go back and read those old notebooks, I was desperate for answers. But my old self said: Look closer. Read between the lines. I left you secrets. Secrets that will take you on a terrifying journey. And if you survive that journey, you'll have more than just answers. You'll have everything."

Hollywood screenwriter Ben Cross is broken-hearted after the death of his young daughter. Even though he knows it's impossible, he still wants his little girl to have the Hollywood ending she deserves. And so Ben begins a desperate personal quest, searching for some sign from her. Consulting self-help gurus, philosophers, and religion, he derives a set of principles that reinforce his belief that everything can still work out. First, he applies those principles to finding that sign from his daughter. Then he applies them to his writing--to his career--to everything else in his life. Along the way, he discovers which principles work and which don't.

Meanwhile, at Ben Cross's side, the reader finds himself transported on his own spiritual odyssey, learning fundamental truths about how to live, how to maintain a career, and how to overcome cruel and unexpected setbacks.

**

Irving Belateche brings the reader to Hollywood in his novel, Under an Orange Sun, Some Days are Blue, with the hope that the city will bestow all it's promised. But it won't. Told in first person, the reader sits in the shadow of a screenwriter fighting his way up from the deadworld. A world he submitted to after losing his daughter to leukemia. 

As a character, Ben Cross is nothing short of an epitome of Irving Belateche, as it's based on his own life. The books emits this feeling of realness and it settles onto the reader before the story has even began to unfold. Cross is full of strength and hope as he battles against depression and loss. 

The plot of the story revolved around Ben finding his way back to life after experiencing death. Belateche takes the reader through his home life, his career, and his internal struggle. Readers witness this near death experience and watch as Cross tries to drag himself up from the depths. Though the novel falls short in personal connection, as I would think that relationships are a key aspect in healing. I wanted more interaction with Rachel (his wife) and Jake (his son) in the story. 

Overall, Under an Orange Sun, Some Days are Blue was a great piece of fiction, though rather depressing at times. The story line begins lined in sadness but as Ben climbs from the deadworld, the sadness lessens and the novel evolves.

rating: 3/5 cups

Under An Orange Sun, Some Days Are Blue

on Amazon

WWW Wednesday (17)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

 

01. Currently Reading:
Under an Orange Sun, Some Days are Blue by Irving Belateche. After leukemia takes his daughter, Irving must look for a way to accept what has happened and move on in the world of the living.

02. Recently Finished:
Sleeping Roses by RaShelle Workman. A piece of fiction revolving around a woman who is in an abusive relationship. A good book because of the twists and mystery that Workman created, though it fell a little short on the character-reader connection.

03. Reading Next:
Pulled by A.L. Jackson. A novel that explores how strong love is after tragedy strikes a family. Really looking forward to this one!


Share links to your own WWW post! :) Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday (25)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Under an Orange Sun, Some Days are Blue (p. 11)
      - Irving Belateche

"He had told me the truth before I was ready to hear it and understand it. He'd tried to break through the black cloud of death that enshrouded me."



Should Be Reading @ Wordpress