"Nothing" by Janne Teller

A fellow librarian told me to read this book, and librarians do give the best recommendations. I'm only a little biased.

Pierre Anthon is convinced that "Nothing matters." "From the moment you are born, you start to die."

Pierre is so confident in his beliefs; he leaves school and spends his days sitting in a tree, taunting his fellow classmates. He throws plums, and yells at everyone that there is nothing special about their lives, the universe or anything.

His classmates are determined to prove him wrong. They try to argue with him, but are unsuccessful. Throwing rocks at him doesn’t help him shut up either. So, they decide to create a pile of meaningful objects to prove to Pierre that life does indeed stand for something.

The students take turns adding their personal objects to the pile: books, a fishing pole, a pair of sandals….each contribution becomes more extreme and intense to prove their point, and the end result is both morbid and frightening.

What constitutes meaning? Do material objects hold importance? How do you determine what has value?

This is a wonderful, but chilling, look at ourselves, and how we attach significance to our lives.

This book is translated from the Danish by Martin Aitken.

"Bleeding Violet" by Dia Reeves

This book is whack. It’s really messed up. If you are looking for clean and uplifting, do not go anywhere near this book. But it’s also amazing… how did the author get these ideas into words?

Hanna is bi-polar and has not been taking her medication. She is prone to vivid hallucinations. Sometimes she even has conversations with her dead father.

Fed up living with her aunt, she bludgeons her on the head with a rolling pin, leaving her to die. Hannah then hitchhikes to Portero, where her biological mom is living. Hannah is ready to reconnect, but they haven’t seen each other in years, and they do not have a healthy relationship. It’s hateful, combative and destructive.

And that’s just the beginning chapters…

Hannah starts over in a new school where her hallucinations take on a new level. This town is not welcoming to visitors. Something (or someone) is living in the glass windows, the neighborhood is filled with mystical portals, and there is an abundance of body parts and blood everywhere. But is she really seeing things, or has everyone gone mad? And her mom is not acting like her normal, spiteful self. Something evil is contaminating their house.

This book is not for the faint of heart. Especially if you’re squeamish with blood, pus, and unidentifiable alien fluids. It’s raw, vulgar, and disturbing. But, there is a romantic vein when Hannah finds love and lust with her new boyfriend, Wyatt. He’s supposedly one of the “good guys.” But when people are possessed, demons are in the shadows, and charms work their magic, it’s hard to know who to trust. Luckily, Hannah excels at making irrational decisions. And, she has a horrific violent streak that she’s not afraid to use. The town of Portero needs to watch its back.

This book is geared towards teens. I would recommend for older teens, LOTS of violence, drugs and sex. Also good for adults!