Book #208 – The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

There were quite a few options for Ohio, but in the end, I went with one that was almost, but not quite, in my hometown. I lived, for 20-some years of my life half way between Dayton and Cincinnati, which is the general sphere in which the book takes place. I was also listening to the audio book while driving along the Ohio River on my way to an early Thanksgiving dinner with family. So, whenever the woods were described, I had the convenient ability to simply turn my head and there were the woods being described. Or lack there of because route 32 has long stretches of fields with the woods off in the distance like nature’s fence.

The book itself was first published in 2013, and is the beginning of The 5th Wave trilogy. It describes the world after an alien invasion has wiped out most of the population through a series of events referred to as Waves. First Wave, EMP pulse takes out the electric grid and cars/planes cease working. Second Wave, tsunamis take out pretty much all of the coastal areas. (Or why Wright Patterson Air Force Base becomes central command, despite Cape Canaveral or Annapolis tending to be more well known). Third Wave, a plague that’s like a mix of Bird Flu and Ebola wipes out millions. Fourth Wave, trust no one because the Silencers look human. Cassie, the first protagonist introduced, is left to wonder just what the Fifth Wave could be.

Book #926 – Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

For my Pennsylvania pick, instead of doing something historic, like either of the David McCullough books on the List, I went with something a little more modern. I did originally have a different book planned for Pennsylvania, but decided that I needed a book that was entirely set in a state, not wandering aimlessly like the last 3. So, I switched to Me and Earl and the Dying Girl after a bit more research online.

This particular 2011 young adult novel was made into a movie in 2015 (which is kind of hilarious, because in the epilogue the narrator states anyone making a movie of the book is an idiot). It’s set during the narrator’s senior year of high school, and follows his friendship with Rachel, another student recently diagnosed with leukemia. Greg Gaines, the protagonist and narrator, is an amateur film maker, and much of the book is written in dialogue.