Never Let Me Go is one of those books that does not benefit from you reading the book jacket synopsis.  No matter how hard I try I can never do it justice.  Not to mention that all of the blurbs I've read give you an entirely different impression of the book than what it actually entails.  Nevertheless,  I'm not going to let that stop me from trying my best to entice you to read this novel.  

Never Let Me Go takes place in the Nineties, but not the Nineties we think of with TGIF classics and boy bands.  This version has more of a dystopian feel.  Everything seems perfect when we meet the three main characters, Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, at their boarding school.  Unfortunately, we all know that when the words "dystopia" and "perfect" combine in the same sentence, some . . . or a lot . . . of chaos is bound to ensue.   Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy soon learn that their education is actually leading up to a predetermined fate, one that they might not be so happy reach.  As the characters reach adulthood and come to terms with their existence and their fate, you as the reader are left with questions regarding morality and the power of culture. 

No, this isn't a new book, but it's one I've been dying to read for years.  Something always pops up as more important or more pertinent to read, causing it to slip further down the TBR list.  I have actually owned The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in a lovely leather-bound cover since middle school, but have been too intimidated to read any or all of the five novels because of the sheer weight of carrying the thing around.  I'm so glad I finally read the first one, though, because it is one of those few books that actually make me laugh out loud.  I can't recommend this book enough, especially if you're a friend of kooky sci-fi or fantasy.  This one will have you wanting to grab a towel and explore the universe quicker than you can say "Zaphod Beeblebrox".

I first heard of The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating when I was searching for books related to chronic illness.  Then it popped up as one of the "chronic illness reads" for the Dysautonomia Support Network Book Club.  When I actually cracked opened the deckled edge, I found that this book was not quite what I expected.  It's part self-discovery, part nature memoir, part autobiography.  ETB finds herself bedridden with a severe chronic illness, the only companion she keeps is a snail on her bedside table.  In between ETB's descriptions of her snail's daily habits are deep thoughts about the differences between being a snail and being human, and more similarities than I thought possible.