YA in Review: A Monster Calls (Patrick Ness)

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however comments by other users may possibly contain information that spoils portions of the plot, so read at them your own risk. This book is the sixth one that I've completed for my 2018 TBR Challenge. I'm finally getting through them at a decent pace, which is making me feel so much better. There's a chance in heck I could actually finish now.

booktopia.com.au

What it's about:

Conor is dealing with a problem - a really big problem. His mother is very ill and has to go in for treatment once again, he's being bullied at school, and, worst of all, he is having the nightmare of all nightmares. But all of those things Conor can face - he has to. Until one day the yew tree from behind his house lifts up its roots and comes walking. As time passes and Conor's problems get worse and worse, the tree shares with him three important tales of when he has come walking before. But for this, he demands one story from Conor in return - the story of truth that he cannot face.

Maudie

If you don't know anything about Maud Lewis, know this: she had a heck of a life.

nytimes.com

What It's About:

Maud Lewis, when she is simply Maud Dowley, is considered a burden to her family. Plagued by juvenile arthritis, she is unable to do much to be self-sufficient and is not given a say in her own affairs. Upon seeing Everett Lewis, a fish peddler and odd job man, place an advertisement for a live-in housekeeper, Maud sees this as her chance to make her independence. However Everett is ill-mannered, sometimes cruel, and has little patience for Maud's eccentricities. Yet somehow these two find how well two misfits can coexist. Amidst doing her daily duties, Maud paints every surface she can find - the walls, shelves, postcards, etc. and when one day a customer of Everett's wishes to buy one of Maud's paintings, her life is changed forever.