Last night I went to bed around nine. If I'm not overly exhausted I'll read for a few minutes to a half hour at most. Last night I got out my Kindle and started reading The Walk. It was a free download. I still haven't bought any books for the Kindle. I have a hard time spending money on something that isn't something that can be put on the bookshelf when I'm done. Yes, I know that the Kindle is very convenient and that it holds thousands of books. Even the Kindle being free (a friend gave it to me after upgrading to get the latest, greatest (the first Kindle that only lets you read books and doesn't have color or a touch screen)) isn't enough of an incentive to buy a book for it...
Back to The Walk. I, too, would have problems figuring out exactly where I was or how to get out of LA even though I've also been there 100s of times. I guess the thing I liked the most about this book is I know the places he writes about. For instance, when he wrote about the shopping center in Calabasas and the Ralph's grocery store, I've been in that grocery store! The main character, Marty lived up the parkway in one of the neighborhoods that has the gate and security guard. I know the area. My cousins live up there. Each little neighborhood has a gate and security guard. So for me, it made the story more true to life.
What didn't I like about it? I missed the twist. In the movie The Sixth Sense I knew something was wrong the entire movie and figured out that Bruce Willis was a dead guy. Although it looked like everyone was conversing with him, only the kid really was. Why? Because the kid could see dead guys. But in this book, I blew it. I knew that Buck was annoying and so unrealistic, but it didn't hit me until the end of the book when they spelled it out. So, for that, the author did a good job. Me, I'm ticked off that I missed it. I knew something wasn't right but I guess I was too tired to figure out what wasn't right. If you have NO clue about what I mean, you'll have to read the book.
What else didn't I like about the book? It's R rated. Maybe PG-13 for some families but not mine. I wouldn't share this book with the grand kids like I did The Road Home.
You can download Kindle onto your computer if you don't have a Kindle. Then you can download this book for free. You can download a bunch of reading for free. What I do is get on Amazon and type in Kindle free books. They come up with a list of their 100 top free books. You can also just type in a book and see if it's free. Usually it isn't but many are only a dollar. Still I haven't bought any!
This is the night of digressing. I suppose it's because I read the entire book last night from start to finish, which meant I didn't turn the light off until 12:23 this morning! The grand kids came in at 8:15. Don't forget to get up. We have Sunday School and have to leave in 45 minutes. Of course they were in their pajamas and hadn't started their chores...
The book... I think the most important lessons learned from this book is that you have to dig deep down inside you to get that extra strength you need to get you through situations that are horrific. Just using normal logic doesn't always cut it, especially when other people are in the picture. Sometimes you have to move away from your straight line even though it can take you a little further away from your goal.
One other thing. Marty commented that he was prepared, especially after the 94 Northridge earthquake. They had food, water, and other items stored at home. He expected that when the next "big one" happened he would be home or close to home. He was less than 30 miles away, so he wasn't really very far but he had to travel out of the big city with high rises and streets that he wasn't familiar with before he got to the San Fernando Valley, where he immediately felt a calmness come over him due to the familiarity of the area. Marty's family is prepared for a few months to deal with a major earthquake since that's the disaster most likely to affect them. But what about other types of preparedness situations? Do most people who prepare pick their most likely disaster to prepare for and leave the rest behind? We all need to be realistic about our plans if disaster happens, especially when we are away from home and we need to get home to be with our families.
I just finished reading The Walk. You are right definitely R rated. I didn't like the book at all, except for the Clara part. The book was way too graphic for me. I already have an over active imagination LOL. Thanks for the recommendation. I read the Road Home too, and it was okay, kind of short. If you get a chance to read "Lights Out" by Halfast, I highly recommend it. It takes place near me ;-)
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