In My Skin by Kate Holden

In My Skin by Kate Holden is a memoir about her addiction to heroin and subsequent life as a prostitute to support her habit.

The very best thing about this book is the no nonsense storytelling. Holden doesn't come from a place of a victim who fell into this horrible life. She doesn't blame her parents or boyfriend or the big, cruel world. This book is very straight forward. Some might find it to be too unaffected, too unemotional, but I think it only adds to the story.

We all hear stories about how easy it is to fall into addiction, but this book really shows you. Drug addiction has played a big role in my life and family and I always appreciate a story that gives you insight into that life; how easy it is to fall. And it really is easy.

It's easy to get swept up into Kate's world, to root for her when she isn't rooting for herself and to stay with her until the end. My only complaint would be how easy it seemed for Kate to give up the drugs once she decided to. I felt like she just suddenly let it go. Maybe it really is just making up your mind. I just felt like the process was a little too easy. But maybe it's because that wasn't what this book was about.

Testimony by Anita Shreve

Anita Shreve is definitely one of my favorite authors. One of the things I like (and it's a weird thing to like) is that I don't always like her books. I wasn't a fan of A Wedding in December or Body Surfing, but I still love most everything she does and continue to look forward to new books from her.

Testimony was one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's the story of a private school scandalized by a sex tape (so hollywood!). You soon learn that the whole thing is precipated by a patch of black ice. It's very much like the Butterfly Effect (at least I thought of it that way). The story is told from many different character's perspective and it really adds layers. Some people only appear once, some people get a big voice, but every persepctive makes you see something you may not have thought of.

It really makes you think about how the choices you make can effect every person around you. Every action we take can ripple through our friends, family and sometimes, people we don't even know. It's this kind of story that makes you take pause before you do something reckless.

Any story that makes you think, is a story worth reading.