Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia by Marya Hornbacher

Why would a talented young woman enter into a torrid affair with hunger, drugs, sex, and death? Through five lengthy hospital stays, endless therapy, and the loss of family, friends, jobs, and all sense of what it means to be "normal," Marya Hornbacher lovingly embraced her anorexia and bulimia -- until a particularly horrifying bout with the disease in college put the romance of wasting away to rest forever. A vivid, honest, and emotionally wrenching memoir, Wasted is the story of one woman's travels to reality's darker side -- and her decision to find her way back on her own terms.

As someone who has struggled through anorexia nervosa, it is very difficult to read books like this. The irony is that I am drawn to them, needing to find some connection with what other people have gone through with eating disorders. This was a wonderful book.

I love the author’s voice. She makes sure to be as stark about eating disorders as possible, not allowing for any romanticizing of these diseases, which can sometimes happen with other authors. There is nothing pleasant or mysterious about bulimia and anorexia and she does a great job showing this. She writes with an honesty and with a lack of self-pity that is astounding.

I don’t cry with books very often, but this one brought out all the fears, all the old sensations that having an eating disorder can bring. It was a harrowing experience to read it, but it is a MUST for anyone struggling through these diseases.

 

 

 

 

 

Book Trailer: The Tearings by V.C. Repetto

My sister put together this trailer for my friend, Vic, who just published her debut novel. When my novel comes out, she's definitely doing mine as well, because this one is awesome!

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

From The Tearings by V.C. Repetto

"Inside, it looked like no ambulance I’d ever seen, although to be fair, I hadn’t seen that many. There was a wooden bench on one side and that was about it."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Musing Mondays

Do you know of any local authors in your area, and –if so– have you met any of them?


Since I live in Miami, I get the chance of meeting lots of local authors at the international book fair we have here each year. We also have Books and Books, which always has a great selection of local authors who come and read or do interviews. I've met Jeff Lindsay, the man who writes the books on which Dexter is based.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted here, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

A great friend of mine is having her debut young adult novel coming out on Friday by Evernight Teen, so, although I've already read it, I will be purchasing a copy bright and early Friday morning! Can't wait! You can see her webpage here and the you'll be able to purchase the book through the Evernight Teen website.

This is the blurb from my friend's website:

From the moment the black vans appear to take the sick away, Maya knows there is something wrong. A high school sophomore, she seems to be the only one to question the sudden disappearances at school and the masks everyone is forced to wear to keep from catching the new disease spreading through the entire United States. Even when word of the new “healing centers” reaches the public, no one dares to ask what is happening.

But when Maya catches the disease, the one they call The Tearings, and is taken to one of these centers along with her mother, the truth becomes all too clear. She is separated from her family and forced to work, becoming one of the more fortunate ones who is not sent to the testing wings. Bullied by the guards to the point of death, she meets David Summers, the enigmatic young Captain who appears to loathe his position of power in the camp and who seems as drawn to Maya as she is to him.

When Maya suddenly becomes the disease’s only survivor, she must put her trust on David to find a way to escape the camp and get the truth, and the cure coursing through her veins, out to the world.  

 

 

Feature: The Tearings by V.C. Repetto:

I'm very happy to be featuring my friend's book on my site. She is a wonderful writer and this book is sure to leave you in chills!
It comes out on Friday from Evernight Teen, so be sure to get your copy bright and early Friday morning.

From the moment the black vans appear to take the sick away, Maya knows there is something wrong. A high school sophomore, she seems to be the only one to question the sudden disappearances at school and the masks everyone is forced to wear to keep from catching the new disease spreading through the entire United States. Even when word of the new “healing centers” reaches the public, no one dares to ask what is happening.

But when Maya catches the disease, the one they call The Tearings, and is taken to one of these centers along with her mother, the truth becomes all too clear. She is separated from her family and forced to work, becoming one of the more fortunate ones who is not sent to the testing wings. Bullied by the guards to the point of death, she meets David Summers, the enigmatic young Captain who appears to loathe his position of power in the camp and who seems as drawn to Maya as she is to him.

When Maya suddenly becomes the disease’s only survivor, she must put her trust on David to find a way to escape the camp and get the truth, and the cure coursing through her veins, out to the world.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

From The Tearings by V.C. Repetto


"Now the teachers no longer waited for the later symptoms. Like the principal had suggested, a cough got you sent to the nurse’s office, where, if you continued to cough or sneeze, you’d be picked up by one of the many new ambulances that had begun to appear through the city. They didn’t look like the regular 911 ones."