Across the Universe by Beth Revis
I held off on reading this book for a long time because (as the title of this entry says) I didn't think I would like it. It wasn't because I thought that it wouldn't be a good read or anything, and I heard so many great reviews, but I'm not really a reading-sci-fi kind of gal. I can watch the sci-fi, but I've never been one to read it, mostly because the only sci-fi I'd attempted was too much aka what Roman DeBeers would refer to as hard sci-fi (p.s. that link has some "salty" language, just FYI, and also I MISS PARTY DOWN!). And that kind of book is usually just not my thing. However, in all those great reviews, I kept hearing that this was a sci-fi murder mystery. Part of that appealed to me, but I had a mental block up to the rest of it.
Then I went to the Breathless Reads event in Bethesda, where I got to meet Beth Revis. After hearing her speak about this book and her inspirations and seeing firsthand just how awesome she is, I ignored that mental block and finally picked up Across the Universe (just in time for Beth to sign it for me too!). It was the first book I read after the BR event, and I couldn't/didn't want to put it down. It is sci-fi, but it's also very good. I really shouldn't have pigeon-holed it as something I didn't like before I really gave it a chance. There's a lot more to it than that. I shouldn't get bogged down in genre, classifications, blah blah blah. Frankly, as long as the writing is good, most other issues can be overcome. And Beth Revis? She is an excellent writer.
I hope my lesson from this book sticks with me. I shouldn't always believe the hype (or ignore the hype). I should make the decision for myself.
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