So this was an adventure.  This book was as funny as I expected, but also serious, which I did not anticipate.  It follows several people separately as a government made virus is accidentally released and infects cows at an abattoir in Scotland.  A terrifying government agent is sent to clean up the mess and tie up any loose ends. But a lone cow manages to escape the slaughter and sets off infecting animals along to countryside.

The various characters' stories all merge until they are one group trying to escape Britian and avoid capture, torture and death at the hands of secret government assassin.  All while trying to avoid slavering animals who were hell bent on screwing and then eating the uninfected to death.

There were some parts with the slaughtering that turned my stomach and made me put the book down for a bit.  But this was a good read.  I actually connected with some of the characters and was rooting for them to survive and get the true story out about how the virus was actually spread.  This book was a mess in the good sense. I'm looking forward to diving into the sequel. 

First person perspective quickly became a non-issue once I got a few chapters into this book.  This is probably the best first person story I've read.

All the feels.  So, so many feels.  This story was so profound.  I felt like I was Aristotle, or Ari to his friends.  He was a lonely, lonely boy, and though I had good friends--great friends growing up, I remember feeling such an aching loneliness at times.  I also remember being caught in my own private wars and living inside my head, keeping so many of my thoughts to myself.

Ari was a beautiful boy who was confused not only about himself, but about the entirety of his family.  His father returned from the Vietnam war a shell of his former self--not that Ari would know that because he was born after his father returned from the war.  It was as if whatever haunted his father was inherited by Ari.  He grew up being so bothered by the fact that he didn't know his father because he wouldn't let anyone in.  He grew up as practically an only child because his siblings were so much older than him.  He grew up hating that his brother, who was in prison, was treated as though he didn't exist.  He hated that there were so many secrets in his family, yet he didn't want to share any of his secrets either.  There was so much anger and confusion roiling around inside of Ari.  And it really came through in the writing.  I just wanted to hug him, and I remember being him.

And then Dante came into his life.  Dante was such a polar opposite of Ari, but like a light in the otherwise darkness of Ari's mind.  They were a strange pair, Aristotle and Dante, but they fit so perfectly together.  Dante taught Ari to swim, and became Ari's first ever real friend, let alone best friend.  He immersed Ari int art, and books, and a different family life than he was familiar with.  Dante made Ari feel things that he didn't want to.  He made Dante want to share his mind, which was something Ari just didn't do.

Watching them fall in love... It was amazing and beautifully written.  This was like a slice-of-life, but with a plot.  I wasn't always certain they were falling in love.  The author, in my opinion, keep me wondering.  I figured Dante out pretty easily, but Ari, as Dante called him, was "inscrutable".  Just when I thought maybe he returned Dante's feelings I was like, oh maybe not.  Even when Dante was beaten badly enough to be hospitalized, and Ari found out one of the boys who had done it, he went ballistic and returned the favor to the little punk.  Maybe I'm just clueless, but I certainly would destroy anyone who hurt my bestie, and I would definitely have pushed her out of the way of a moving vehicle.  That's what besties do, or at least I thought so.  Which is why it made sense to me when Ari continually said he hadn't done it on purpose, it had just been a reflex.  Protecting people you love-no matter the manner of love--is a reflex.  You don't think about it, you just do it.  I honestly believed for the longest time, that Ari loved Dante as a friend.  Their experimental kiss threw me off because the author tried very hard to make the romantic feelings seem one-sided...or as I said, I'm just clueless.

I'm not doing very well on this review.  This book has got me shooketh.  It was just a beautiful story, and I loved every page of it!  It was sad and funny and exciting and heartbreaking.  Dude, this book made me cry.  Not full-on ugly cry, but I got misty and that's a good as tears when it comes to me.  This book also triggered me a bit.  But it was a me-thing.  I was reminded, every time Ari thought about his father, of how much I miss mine.  And like with many other books on my shelves, I can't believe it took me so long to read this.  

Ugh! It's in first person.  This is like the third or fourth book this year. Second in a row.  That aside, it seems good so far.

This book is the beginning of Jack Aubrey's captaincy, and the start of physician Stephen Maturin's tenor as a naval surgeon.

Jack is made captain of the Sloop, Sophie.  In his excitement at finally being made captain, Aubrey seeks out Maturin, with whom he had an unpleasant meeting with the previous evening, to apologize and invite to share a meal.  During this time he learns that Stephen is a physician in need of employment as his current patient had recently died.  Jack was in the market for a ship surgeon.  It was kismet.

The Sophie engages in several battles, takes several prizes and Jack begins to make a name for himself; especially with what he has accomplished with such a small ship.  We see the start of the Aubrey/Maturin great friendship, and meet fun characters that will stick with him through his captaincy like Pullings, Bondin and Mowett.  All-in-all it was an interesting start to the long story f Aubrey/Maturin and I look forward to seeing how many books it takes for Jack to inherit the Surprise.

Finally got back to this one. I'm not even sure how long ago I started it [it's easily been years.]  I'm loving the early development of Jack & Stephen's friendship.