This is happening sooner than I would have liked, but I’m sad to say that this will be the last post on Live Nude Books. It shouldn’t really come as a surprise to anyone who has regularly—or even periodically—checked back: I haven’t posted a review in over seven months, and I haven’t been updating the blog with news or updates on any consistent basis. Still, I planned on continuing.
At this point in my life, I’m not able to juggle this blog with teaching full time (it’s new to me), working on my own writing, and having a personal life. Maybe in the future, I will learn to manage my time more effectively. Until that happens, I will leave this site up, since some of the old reviews and interviews still get hits.
Speaking of which: I would like to thank all of the writers who were kind enough to answer my questions, as well as those who were unable to but responded graciously (this accounts for all of the writers whose books I reviews on this site). To the publishers who sent me ARC copies for some of the reviews I wrote, and to the people from other book blogs and presses who showed me their support: a huge thank you for all you did for my self-esteem! Finally, I would like to thank anyone who has checked out this site; I really appreciate you stopping by!
Before I go, I would like to mention three books that are definitely worth checking out. I had planned on writing reviews for each title, but that was before I got an offer to teach for the Summer Term. These were not ARC books; I purchased and read them, and I believe in their worth. If you’re looking for a novel, memoir, and/or young adult story to read, then here are some titles you should look into.
The Bird Sisters, by Rebecca Rasmussen (Crown Publishers)
This impressive debut novel chronicles the summer that slowly tore a family apart, while also providing glimpses into the lives of the two sisters—Twiss and Milly—half a century later. While they remain bonded to each other after all this time, these two have a polar history together—one that is not commonly known to their neighbors, the details of which have been kept from each other, too.
The Last Deployment: How a Gay, Hammer-Swinging Twenty-Something Survived a Year in Iraq, by Bronson Lemer (University of Wisconsin Press)
In his debut memoir, Bronson Lemer reflects on the final stretch of his military service, when his unit is sent to Iraq. While serving his country abroad, he is asked to suppress his identity in order to adhere to a political policy. Lemer doesn’t write with a bitter tone; instead, the prose in this memoir reveals longing—not only a longing to be himself, but also one that allows him to connect with others who shares a common understanding.
Stupid Fast, by Geoff Herbach (Source Books Fire)
Felton Reinstein’s body is changing. So’s his attitude. While this teenager begins to grasp the reality of his newly developed athleticism and the friends that come with it, he finds himself at odds with his mother, his brother, and his usual friends. This YA novel covers familiar territory: the confusion and angst that teenage boys experience as their minds and bodies hit that final growth spurt. This novel takes a turn from the ordinary coming-of-age story when Felton begins to learn the truth about his father.
Hope to write to you again, soon!