Hi Readers,

Hope your 2019 is off to a great start! I’ve been meaning to discuss The Giver for a while now and finally, here is that post. This is one of the books I read last year that I LOVED. And yes, this is probably another one of those “should have read years ago” books, but I’ve read it now and that’s all that matters.

It is rare that you come across a book that is so simple and short yet so profound. The Giver struck me as one of those books. This book is appropriate in content and reading level for about children ages 11/12, but it is also appropriate if you are 95 years old, and anywhere in between. It’s also one of those books that you may love when you are 11 years old, but may read again when you are 20 or 30 and find new meaning.

The Giver is a strange book though, so you have to give it a chance. It is a dystopian novel and seems to take place at some time vaguely in the future. The setting for the novel is an isolated community where everyone has a role that is determined for them. The protagonist is Jonas, an 11-year-old boy who will soon participate in the “Ceremony of Twelve” when he turns 12 years old, where he will learn what role has been chosen for him.

There are also strict rules in the community that those within the community must abide by. And ultimately through each person’s role, he or she maintains the community as it is. As Jonas discovers, he is chosen for a rare and dignified role which holds great responsibility, but also great pain.

Dystopian literature is important because it warns us what our society could easily become. There is a sci-fi component to The Giver so it is not entirely possible, but the message is conveyed well. The Giver forces us to realize the basic things we have that make life beautiful, and to not take them for granted.

Pleeeeaaaase read this book if you haven’t!

5/5 stars!

As always, thanks for reading my blog!

Hi Readers,

As this year comes to a close, I wanted to take stock of the books I’ve read in 2018 and share with you my favorites, least favorites, and everything in between. Many of the following books have not appeared as reviews on my blog because I didn’t start the blog until October, but a few of these I will still post my thoughts about.

So, here is a summary of my 2018 in books.

Books I LOVED/books that were my favorites (5/5 stars):
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
Animal Farm by Georgo Orwell
The Witches by Roald Dahl
Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella
The Giver by Lois Lowery
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
The Wife Between Us by Green Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
What if It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Books that I really enjoyed (4/5 stars):
The Firm by John Grisham
The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand
You by Caroline Kepnes
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Books that I thought were good (3/5 stars):
Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
The Dinner by Herman Koch
Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
The Substitute by Denise Grover Swank
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
The Selection (Selection Series Book #1) by Kiera Cass
The Elite (Selection Series Book #2) by Kiera Cass
The One (Selection Series Book #3) by Kiera Cass
Sashenka by Simon Montefiore
White Fur by Jardine Libaire
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Books that I thought were alright (2/5 stars), at least good enough to finish:
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
Idaho by Emily Ruskovich
Sunburn by Laura Lippman

Books I disliked so much that I didn’t finish them (I didn’t finish them so I won’t exactly call them 1-star reads, but I will probably never actually finish a book that I deem to give 1/5 stars):
Less by Andrew Sean Green
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Family Trust by Kathy Wang
In 2018 I finished 46 books in total! I read some really great books that I will love forever. But I also read a lot of books that I thought were good, but not great. Don’t get me wrong though, I think the best way to find what you really like is to try out a book regardless of what the reviews say! Many of the books I gave 3/5 stars other people have really loved! And some of the books I gave 5/5 stars others didn’t think were that great. Just go for whatever piques your interest!

I don’t have that many specific goals or plans for what I will read in 2019, but I would like to challenge myself to read some longer and more complex books. As always, one of my goals is to expand my horizons and try some new types of books that I don’t usually go for.

Thanks for reading my blog and see you in 2019!!

Hi Readers,

I am a huge sucker for a good thriller. If I am ever in a reading rut, a good thriller and/or mystery will almost definitely get me out of it. Considering how much I enjoy thrillers, I figured that maybe I should try out a John Grisham book since he is so prominent in the genre. However, John Grisham books tend more towards action thriller, I would say. Or probably legal thriller, as they’ve been described. I usually read more psychological thrillers, thrillers that mess with you and have a huge twist at the end. But if it’s a book that gets my blood pumping and has me dying to know what happens, I am totally on board.

The Firm is recognized as Grisham’s first successful work, and it was the second novel that he wrote, published in 1991. Many are familiar with it because the book was adapted into a well-known movie starring Tom Cruise. I’ve never personally seen it, I’m more of a read the book or see the movie type of person. Otherwise I tend to get pretty frustrated and hung up on the differences between the two, instead of just enjoying them.

Anyways, here is a bit about the book: Mitch McDeere is a recent Harvard law school grad who impressively graduated third in his class and has job offers from top law firms. When a small firm that Mitch has never heard of called Bendini, Lambert and Locke, based in Memphis, offers him everything but the kitchen sink, Mitch is very impressed. Used to not having money, Mitch is greedy and he accepts the offer from Bendini, Lambert and Locke. At first, Mitch has no suspicions about the firm. He works long, long hours and keeps his head down. But in a short while, Mitch realizes that maybe the firm isn’t what it seems and maybe he has made a huge mistake…

This was one wild goose chase of a book and I enjoyed it very much. My only critiques are that I thought the book was a bit too long and I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the ending. I know that readers may be skeptical and think “why would someone as smart as Mitch be so gullible as to fall for a trap so obvious? I’m not sure I believe that.” I’ve been dying to talk about this because it hit very close to home. To me, it was believable because something sort of related happened to me. Of course, it doesn’t at all compare to Mitch’s situation or to Bendini, Lambert and Locke, but during desperate times I was almost charmed into working for a “marketing company,” despite some obvious red flags. I’m just saying Mitch falling for the charms of Bendini, Lambert and Locke is not unrealistic.

And I don’t think this spoils anything, but I thought these quotes were hilarious:

“For years he had led the prayer each Sunday at the First Methodist Church in Danesboro, and the other six days he had tirelessly practiced greed and manipulation”

“You guys plan to follow? Will you follow me or them? What if they follow you? What if we all get real confused and I follow everybody?”

I give this book 4/5 stars.

Thanks everyone!

Hi Readers,

It’s been a little bit! I have some reviews to catch up on including this one that I’ve frankly been putting off for quite a while. I actually finished reading An Abundance of Katherines in early November, but have been writing about other books instead of this one. I figured I should write something on it before I forget all about it!

So this was a “first” for me as there will likely be many “firsts” on this blog. This was my first time reading a John Green book. I, as an avid reader, and fan of young adult literature, am probably lagging behind. Probably because I’ve never read A Fault in Our Stars. I think since I know a little about the story, and already kinda know what happens, I have this huge aversion to it. Not sure. But I thought that I wanted to at least see what John Green was all about so I decided to start with one of his slightly lesser known books, An Abundance of Katherines.

This book is about Colin who is not a genius, but a prodigy. Until I read this book, I didn’t realize the difference. As the book seems to describe it, a prodigy, like Colin, is someone who learns things exceptionally fast. While a genius has more of a creative capability, or the ability to devise something new and groundbreaking. Colin, in a time of crisis, realizes that he has done nothing profound in his life but be really good at anagramming (rearranging letters in words to form other words), and date 19 girls named Katherine. And every Katherine he has ever dated broke up with him. As Colin puts it, he is the ultimate “Dumpee.”

Hassan, Colin’s best friend (and only friend), proposes that he and Colin go on a road trip so that Colin can get over his recent breakup with Katherine XIX. They end up in a small town in Tennessee where they make new friends and Colin begins work on the Theorem, the thing that will finally establish Colin as a genius. The Theorem is a mathematical equation that has the power to predict the events of a relationship, including who will break up with whom and how long the relationship will last.

I thought this book was cute and very quirky. Hassan, the best friend, took the ultimate cake. I kinda wished this story had been just about Hassan. I was not a big fan of Colin… How self-absorbed he was and all the self-pity…started to get very old by the end of the book. I get that he’s 18 in the book, and I remember how I was at that age, but Colin is over the top to where it gets kinda annoying. And for other reasons unknown to me, or maybe just that reason, it took me kinda a while to get through this book even though it is relatively short.

This quote though: “The reading quieted his brain a little. Without Katherine and without the Theorem and without his hopes of mattering, he had very little. But he always had books. Books are the ultimate Dumpees: put them down and they’ll wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you back.”

Books. That is all.

I give this one 3/5 stars.

Thanks everyone!

 

I think I want to start off this blog post with a general discussion of literature that falls within the Young Adult genre. First of all, the Young Adult genre is thriving and for good reason. Readers, if you were not aware of it already, there are some fantastic Young Adult (YA) books out there that are both enjoyable and insightful. Yes, the characters in these books are often in high school, and yes, the characters sometimes experience petty high school drama, but that does not mean that we as adults should discount these great pieces of literature. Many YA books out there also take on current issues with refreshing voices, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas being a prime example of this.

I feel though that I need to say this: writing a book for the YA genre, and therefore a lower reading level, is not an excuse for poor writing! I read a few YA books earlier this year (which I will not name) with amazing premises that had me intrigued, but the writing was very sub-par. I promise that excellent writing at lower reading levels can be achieved, and I think One of Us is Lying is a great example.

One of Us is Lying is a mystery novel that starts off with five students from different cliques all placed in detention for being caught with phones in their backpacks during class. Kinda sounds a bit like The Breakfast Club, right? Except for all five students claim that they were framed and the phones found in their backpacks were not theirs. And then all goes horribly wrong when one of the five students dies. And now the remaining students are prime suspects.

Simon, the student that doesn’t make it out of detention alive, was known for an app famous around the school for revealing the dirty secrets of his fellow classmates. Which, of course, if any of the other four in detention had something to hide, would give them a motive for murder.

The story progresses in time from the fateful day, until after the truth is revealed, and is told from four perspectives. I thought the character development was excellent and the writing was excellent. I love a good whodunnit mystery novel and I did not guess the culprit in this one. I mean, I didn’t find myself with my jaw hanging on the ground in shock after the big reveal, but partially because the reveal unraveled slowly. Probably better for my health because I wasn’t quite tearing through the pages with my heart beating out of my chest from the suspense. But this was a quick, fun read that I very much enjoyed. I will definitely recommend this book.

5/5 stars!

Thanks for reading my blog!

Hi Readers,

I interrupt this steady stream of book reviews to share with you this cozy reading blanket that I knitted! I’ve actually never knitted anything in my entire life before, so I’m very proud of this blanket! I know this is a detour from my usual blog, but I just had to share.

I knitted this by hand, without knitting needles, following a video that’s been circulating on Facebook by Goodful:

This project was tedious at times, but overall, I had a great time! AND, I was able to listen to an audiobook while knitting. I listened to Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, which I’m about halfway through. I’m still trying to get into audiobooks, but they are a great option for if you want to immerse yourself in a story while doing something else like knitting. Or, if you prefer to listen to some relaxing music while doing this project, I recommend this recording of classical guitar:

For my blanket, I used a different type of yarn than recommended in the video and I also knitted tighter loops than shown. I used the Bernat Blanket Extra Yarn in Burgundy Plum which is not as chunky, but really soft and fuzzy. Plus, it is machine washable and I found it pretty easy to work with. The other thing is that I used arbitrary dimensions for my blanket that differ from the video because I was going for more of a lap blanket.

If you’re interested in creating a more cozy space for reading, I recommend trying this project. If you aren’t super crafty, don’t let that deter you! The only thing is, the video above goes through the directions pretty quick, so you may have to rewind and watch some parts  again. Otherwise, there are some other really good videos out there on how to knit by hand that are worth checking out.

On a side note, I’ll be posting some more book reviews soon! I happen to be reading 5 books right now because what I’m in the mood for keeps changing.

Happy reading!

 

Okay so a small caveat: I hardly ever read books in the fantasy genre. I tried reading the Song of Ice and Fire series, which I discontinued partway through the second book, and never got into Harry Potter (although I attempted the series when I was young and may try it again). So with all that being said, I am a big fan of A Discovery of Witches. If you are like me and fantasy is not your usual thing, still give this book a shot. Another thing about this book is that it is quite long, and takes a little bit before the story picks up. But once it really gets going, this story is EPIC.

In the world of A Discovery of Witches, witches, vampires, and daemons live among humans. The story centers around Diana, a visiting scholar of alchemy at Oxford, who is also a witch. One day, Diana checks out a manuscript named Ashmole 782 from the Bodleian Library. Ashmole 782 happens to be bewitched and many witches, vampires, and daemons, or “creatures”, have been after it for many many years. As a result of having been able to access the manuscript, many creatures stalk Diana to try and learn how they might also obtain Ashmole 782.

Enter Matthew, a vampire who is also a scholar at Oxford, and who has a wide range of academic achievements contributed to his many centuries of experience. For reasons unknown, Matthew makes it his mission to protect Diana from all the creatures after Ashmole 782. But are his reasons unselfish, or does he also have a special interest in the manuscript?

There are many layers to A Discovery of Witches, and there is much more to the story than what you can learn from my summary here. As I’ve said in my other blog posts, I want to keep my reviews of the books I read brief, but hopefully intriguing enough that you all will be moved to read more books!

Another caveat: there is romance in this book and it is a pretty prominent part of the story. But personally, I like that because you get many genes all in one! And well, you could probably skip over a few of those parts if that’s not your thing and still get a great story out of it.

A Discovery of Witches is book #1 in a trilogy called the All Souls Trilogy. I actually read it about a month ago, but am just now getting around to writing this review. Just yesterday, I started the second book in the series called, Shadow of Night. I may or may not write a review on it because I don’t want to spoil the plot of A Discovery of Witches!

In the end, I settled on rating this book 5/5 stars!

Thanks for reading my blog!

Hi fellow readers,

So, I finished 2 books about a week ago, including this one, just a little delayed in getting my thoughts up here! This was another book I read on my phone through the Libby app. I must say that ebooks are growing on me. Never thought I would be one to say that!

I had heard some great things about Colleen Hoover’s books and this book happened to be available, so I was excited to try it. Colleen Hoover is one of the pioneers of a developing genre called “New Adult.” The New Adult genre was established for readers looking for something a little more mature than Young Adult, but not quite in the Adult bracket. Characters starring in this genre typically are in the 18-30 age range. *But this doesn’t mean those older than 30 can’t read books in this genre!!! After reading this book, the criteria I’d probably put on it is ~17 years old and up as there is mature content.*

Anyways, this book is also categorized as romance. I do not read many romance novels, but sometimes I get a craving for a book that’s easy to read and addictive, 2 things that romance novels tend to be. So I’ll get down to it: I LOVED this book. But It Ends With Us was unlike any other romance novel I have read. In the beginning of the novel, we find Lily Bloom (Bloom like me!!) sitting on a rooftop and reflecting after her father’s funeral. And then, enter Ryle Kincaid (what a name, right?). Lily and Ryle share a moment which may or may not lead to a romance. Sounds typical, right? Wrong. What follows in this book is not a typical romance. It is a beautiful book, but be prepared, there is some heavy subject matter. But I am so glad that this book exists. I will not write any more about the plot because I want you all to read it! This book is worth it!

5/5 stars!!

Thanks for reading my blog!

Fellow Readers,

This book was amazing. Full stop. I was a huge fan of Becky Albertalli’s after reading Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda earlier this year. Out of the books that I have read this year, I think Simon is easily my favorite. I think What If It’s Us comes in at a close second. I had not previously read any books by Adam Silvera, but had heard a lot about him and could not wait to get my hands on a copy of this book. Also, I am very intrigued by novels that are co-authored as it seems to add another dimension to the story. Both of the co-authored novels that I read before this one, The Wife Between Us and The President is Missing, I really really enjoyed. In the case of What If It’s Us, we have two characters: Arthur, written by Becky Albertalli, and Ben, written by Adam Silvera.

This story is about Arthur, a 16-almost-17-year-old summer intern at the New York City branch of his mother’s law firm, and Ben, a 17-year-old born and raised in NYC. Arthur is from Georgia and will only be in NYC for the summer. One day while on a coffee run, Arthur spots Ben heading inside the nearby post office and, struck by how cute he is, follows him inside. Arthur pretends that he is at the post office to mail something while he strikes up a conversation with Ben. It turns out that Ben is there to mail a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things after a recent break-up. Then, of all things that could happen, Arthur and Ben are interrupted by a flash mob that bursts into the post office out of nowhere. When the flash mob has dissipated, Arthur is left alone and Ben is nowhere in sight. Following this meet cute, Arthur and Ben find themselves thinking about each other, but without any way to contact each other, how will they find each other in all of NYC?

Both Arthur and Ben believe in the universe and that it ultimately will guide their paths forward. Will they ever meet again, or does the universe have other plans? Without spoiling anything (because I want to keep all my reviews spoiler free!!), I love that this book follows not only Arthur and Ben, but their friends as well, as they all figure out that relationships can be messy. Sometimes, a do-over is required as you don’t always get it right the first time. I also love that at the heart of this novel is the message that sometimes relationships change, whether romantic relationships or friendships. And that that is totally okay!!

Some of my favorite quotes:

“I don’t know if we’re a love story or a story about love. But I know whatever we are that it’s great because we kept jumping through the hoops in the first place”

“It’s not even that it’s kind of low-risk because I’m not sure how long Arthur will even be in my life – it’s more that I’m counting on knowing him for a long time and I want him to know the real me as soon as possible”

I loved this book so much. It is in the genre of Young Adult, but there is so much here to love regardless of age.

5/5 stars!!

Thanks for reading!

Okay so I tried a new thing and decided to rent this book from my phone using  an app called Libby. Libby connects to your local library and enables you to check out ebooks. As soon as an ebook copy becomes available, it automatically downloads to your electronic device. You can check out free copies of books from wherever you are! I love having hardcopy versions of books but this was convenient and kinda great.

So anyways… To our story. If you read my last post on Sharp Objects and are not a fan of dark books… Sorry to say that I have another one here for you to read about. But not to worry, I’ll be reviewing a super light and cute one tomorrow!

Behind Closed Doors, as the author described, is a psychological drama. And it would probably fit into the thriller genre as well. I was on the edge of my seat for sure. I think Behind Closed Doors has similar themes to Sharp Objects as the core of this novel is whether or not a person is who he or she seems to be, and whether things are as they appear.

It’s difficult to really review this without spoiling much of the plot, so I’ll do my best. This novel is about Grace and Jack who have been married for a little over a year and seem to be the perfect couple. Jack is a high-powered lawyer who defends women that are victims of domestic abuse, and Grace is a homemaker, although Grace and Jack do not yet have children. Grace has a younger sister, Millie, who has Down’s syndrome and boards at a private all girls school. When Millie turns 18, she will move in with Grace and Jack which the couple seems to be very excited about. Everything in the lives of Grace and Jack seems to be perfect, even the story of their meeting is a fairytale ending. But, what are their lives really like behind closed doors? Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.

This novel was an enjoyable read. I read it in two days and when I was done I said out loud, “The book is over already??” I can’t decide if some of the story was unbelievable, but you never know what you would do in a situation unless you are in that situation. I’ll warn readers that this is one of those books that in ways is deeply disturbing, but it’s one of those books that you just HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS. I am such a sucker for an engaging thriller.

I think I’d give this book 3.5/5 stars if I’m going by the 5-star rating system.

Thanks for reading!