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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Readerbuzz, and Book Date.

The Sunday Post #301

On The Blog Last Week

• On Tuesday, I tried to predict which modern books will become classics.

On The Blog This Week

• On Tuesday, I talk about the worst (and funniest) thing I've done to a book.
• On Wednesday, we look at upcoming April book releases.

In My Reading Life

Last week, I finished the audiobook of You by Caroline Kepnes. All the people who recommended the audiobook are correct: This story is much creepier when you can hear Joe's voice. He's talking directly to the reader and saying scary stuff. It's . . . an intense audiobook experience. This story is narrated by Joe, a stalker and murderer who becomes obsessed with a woman called Beck. He schemes up ways to insert himself into her life. This is a train-wreck novel. You know it will end badly for Beck, but you can't look away.

I'm kind of worried about my sanity because I love this book. It scared me. I think I love it because it brilliantly explores a nightmare situation. I understand why Beck is attracted to Joe. On the outside, he's helpful, funny, smart, sweet, and bookish. I'd probably date him too. Since the reader gets to hear his internal monologue, we know what Beck doesn't: He's violent, controlling, judgmental, and arrogant. It makes you wonder how well you can ever truly know a person.

I could not put this book down because I could imagine myself in Beck's situation. I wanted her to wake up and realize that Joe is a disguising human, but I knew she wouldn't. He's just too good at manipulating people.

I recommend this book. Read it if you want to be terrified.

Since I liked You so much, I immediately got the sequel from the library. It's called Hidden Bodies. Joe heads to California in pursuit of an ex-girlfriend who stole valuable books from him. His plan is to murder her, but he gets sidetracked by beautiful women and the Hollywood celebrity lifestyle.

I enjoyed this book because Joe is creepy and unpredictable, but the first book is better. This one seems less realistic and relevant. It was too easy for Joe to gain access to celebrities. He hasn't even finished moving into his apartment yet, and he's already getting invited to famous-people parties. Then he discovers a hidden talent for writing movie scripts. I had a hard time believing that the events in the book would happen so easily.

The plot twists and characters kept me up past my bedtime, but I wanted to be scared, and the sequel didn't do it for me. It's too far-fetched to be scary. I had fun reading it, though. Joe's body count seems to be growing quickly. I'm interested to see what happens to him in the next book.

I needed a break from serial killers, so I read Saints And Misfits by S.K. Ali. It's a young adult contemporary novel about a Muslim girl who divides everybody into "Saints," "Monsters," and "Misfits." Unfortunately for her, people don't fit neatly into categories. She knows that one of the "Saintly" teen boys at her mosque is actually a monster who committed sexual assault. She has to figure out how to make the people at her mosque see past his "Saint" mask and believe that he committed a crime.

I think teenagers will be able to relate to Janna, the main character. She's nerdy and awkward and imperfect. She makes impulsive judgements about people and doesn't always know what she wants from life. Her relationships with other teens are believable. I love that she gets crushes that grow strong and then fade. I don't think I've ever read a YA book that shows fleeting crushes. Usually, YA characters end up going to prom with their first crush and then living happily ever after. Real life rarely works out so perfectly. Sometimes crushes are temporary.

I like the characters in the book, but I struggled with the pacing. It's way too slow. The plot meanders, and I spent most of the book wondering what this story is about. What was I supposed to get from reading it? Mostly, it's a slow, quiet examination of teenage life. It shows the giant burden that's placed on teenage sexual assault survivors. They have to convince people they've been assaulted, and then their past mistakes are used to explain why the assault was their own fault. I can understand why assault survivors are reluctant to tell their stories.

Teens will find this book relatable, but they'll have to be patient with the pacing. It's a character-driven slice-of-life novel. I think some readers will get bored with it.

Then, I went back to my serial killer nonsense and continued with the You books. I'm currently reading You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. Joe has left Hollywood, so that's a promising start. I wasn't interested in the Hollywood stuff.

In The Rest Of My Life

Five things that made me happy last week:

1. I'm greatly enjoying the serial killer books.
2. Remember how I was applying for jobs I'm almost qualified to do? For one of the jobs, I made it through two rounds of paperwork and got to have an in-person interview last week. I'm pretty sure it was a disaster because I don't know how to do this job. The interview was all "What would you do?" questions. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do in those situations, so I just guessed and made crap up. I probably should be proud of myself for trying. It really sucked, though. I felt like an idiot.
3. I rewarded/consoled myself with new books and Cadbury Eggs.
4. I found a Netflix show called 100 Humans. It reminds me of Mythbusters, which is one of my favorite shows ever. 100 Humans does experiments on 100 humans to find out about human behavior. The "experiments" are closer to games than actual science, but it's surprisingly funny. The test subjects have a good attitude about all the stuff they're put through.
5. Going for long walks. The weather is perfect: Not too hot and not too cold.

Sometimes I Have Thoughts! (I Know, I'm Shocked Too)

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Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!