Title: Yes Please Author: Amy Poehler Genre: Humor mixed with a little biography Quotation: “I don’t consider myself beautiful or famous, but my vagina is.” Would recommend to: those searching for guidance and appreciative of humor. There’s been a slew of books printed in recent years by great comedians, the latest of which being Amy Poehler’s “Yes Please.” I’d love to be original and tell you it wasn’t my favorite, but then I’d be lying. I absolutely loved it. I raved about it for week and recommended it to anyone who would listen to me. First let me talk about the design of the book. It’s the first thing that popped out at me as original and…
Which One Fails Better?
Title: The Giver vs. Anthem Author: Lois Lowry vs. Ayn Rand Genre: Dystopian Novel Quotation: “The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.” The Giver vs. “My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.” Anthem Would recommend to: readers who like to think about the past. Dystopian novels have always intrigued me. I find it compelling that people would right novels about what is wrong with the world to prove what humans should change about their patterns to avoid this type of world in the future. It’s a bit like…
Not Your Ordinary Dystopia
Title: J Author: Howard Jacobson Genre: Dystopia Quotation: “You don’t need to have your eyes open to see things.” Would recommend to: someone who likes to create his or her own story. “J” is an interesting book. It’s different from any other book I’ve read, and I’ve read a lot of books, especially dystopian novels. But interesting does not mean bad. As you may have gathered from my “little thoughts” post about “J,” I learned a lot while reading it. Not just vocabulary or about different writing styles but about myself and my reading preferences. I liked “J,” I liked it a lot actually. But it was very hard for me to…
A 24-Hour Bibliophile's Dream
Bibliophiles rejoice — It’s the summer book we’ve been waiting for. Title: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore Author: Robin Sloan Genre: Fiction with a Mystery twist Quotation: “A bell above a door and the tinkle it makes. A clerk and a ladder and warm golden light, and then: the right book exactly, at exactly the right time.” Would recommend to: those who know adventure can lurk in a book on a shelf. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan is the perfect novel for the 21st-century bookworm. Sloan mixes a narrative of centuries old mystery with codes and keyboards that any nerd will appreciate, to weave his awesome tale. It all…
A 24-Hour Bibliophile’s Dream
Bibliophiles rejoice — It’s the summer book we’ve been waiting for. Title: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore Author: Robin Sloan Genre: Fiction with a Mystery twist Quotation: “A bell above a door and the tinkle it makes. A clerk and a ladder and warm golden light, and then: the right book exactly, at exactly the right time.” Would recommend to: those who know adventure can lurk in a book on a shelf. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan is the perfect novel for the 21st-century bookworm. Sloan mixes a narrative of centuries old mystery with codes and keyboards that any nerd will appreciate, to weave his awesome tale. It all…
A Satirical Comparision
Title: Fight Club vs. Rant: The Oral Biography of Buster Casey Author: Chuck Palahniuk Genre: Satirical Fiction Quotations: “Nothing is static. Everything is falling apart.” vs. “Please, don’t kill it with big words.” Would recommend to: people who like a punch in the gut at the end of a mind-spinning novel. If you’ve ever read a book that left you questioning every word written in the entire novel, Chuck Palahniuk’s novels would be great for you. I’ve only read “Fight Club” and “Rant,” but each left me confused until the last 100 pages or so. (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/713q4LW2y0L.jpg) Probably like many of you, I hate watching a movie before I have read the…
We All Worry About the Bell Jar
Title: The Bell Jar Author: Sylvia Plath Genre: Autobiographical Fiction Quotation: “I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest…” Would recommend to: someone needing to be reminded that they are not alone. (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61XpVj1wRHL.jpg) WARNING: (If you don’t already know this…) Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar” is a semi-autobiographical piece of work that talks about her struggle with depression throughout her early adult life. I read “The Bell Jar” at a time in my life very similar to the main character, Esther. I had just moved to a new city (for the summer), was alone (I had no friends) and was working full-time (I had…
Dark Words
Title: Dark Places Author: Gillian Flynn Genre: Mystery Quotation: “The truly frightening flaw in humanity is our capacity for cruelty – we all have it.” Would recommend to: those who enjoy thrillers and mystery. (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5188jKh%2BNDL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) A couple months ago (and by that I probably mean a year ago at this point), I went to the book store trying to buy “Gone Girl” but settled for “Dark Places,” and I was not disappointed. When I tell you this book is amazing, believe me. Please, please believe me. It blew my mind. If you are not one for thrillers or mysteries, stop reading this post now and pick up something that won’t leave…
Pasta, Yoga, Sex
Title: Eat Pray Love Author: Elizabeth Gilbert Genre: Memoir Quotation: “But it destroys me to not be able to count on that affection when I need it.” Would recommend to: someone in touch with their faith who likes carbs. (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/6108ziyWLBL.jpg) This was an interesting read to say the least. It opened my mind to a lot of things I never thought about myself before. First of all, I’m not very spiritual. But I didn’t think that would be a problem for me since the book was only supposed to be 1/3 about spirituality. WARNING: If you don’t believe in anything, I wouldn’t recommend this book. Almost the entire book talked about…
The Perks of Being a Bookworm
For this week, I thought I would review “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky. (http://www.cinematicparadox.com/2012/12/my-15-top-obsessions-of-2012.html) Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower Author: Stephan Chbosky Genre: Teen Fiction Quotation: “But because things change. And friends leave. And life doesn’t stop for anybody.” Would recommend to: teenagers or young adults going through a transitional period. This novel follows a 16-year-old boy, Charlie, as he stumbles his way through his freshman year of high school. He’s a shy kid who prefers to watch the action around him than participate in it. Throughout the book, he makes good friends and experiences normal high school events. The novel seems mundane at the beginning, but…
