Review of An Abundance of Katherines

Ahhh, so this is what a John Green book in third person is like, eh?


What the actual hell.

I've always been SUCH a sucker for John Green books, gushing over the witty and not super girly girls like Margo and Alaska, and the somehow nerdily sexy guys full of teenage angst. However this book just didn't do it for me.

What sucks is that it could've been a badass book. It totally fell flat though.

It's almost as if the characters weren't fully developed. I never quite felt as though I had a connection to them. There were also moments where I had no clue who was saying what..was that Lindsey? Or wait no maybe Colin, oh crap it wasn't either...it was Hassan.

There were also times when the scene changed awkwardly and I was totally unaware that the scene had changed. For instance at one point Colin, Hassan, and Lindsey were in the kitchen talking then all of the sudden Lindsey shouts 'Left here!'. Like...WHAT. THE F*CK. Did you get a truck into the kitchen, or are we on a road now? Damn these kids and their teleportation skills.

I also was really peeved when the narrator mentions Katrina to be super hot with massive boobs, but only hot in a super bleached teeth anorexic way. Hmmm....generally speaking girls who are suffering from anorexia usually don't have massive boobs because well when they stop eating as much *poof* goes the tatas.....and generally girls can't get boob jobs till they're over 18. But then the narrator goes ON to say that this is Colin's least favorite kind of hot. So waaaaiiiiit a minute here, is she hot or not hot. WTF.

Bleh.

Also I feel like this was almost an unfortunately flat attempt at being similar to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime....which was phenomal and about a child prodigy and also had footnotes as well as an appendix......

I would've stopped reading shortly after beginning but A) I got the book as a Christmas gift, B) I hate starting and not finishing a book, and C) I seriously thought this shit would get better.

The book has a decent message, but there could've been a better way to relay it.

Let's hope this is the only John Green book to dissapoint.

2 stars from me :/

A review of The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg

Firstly I want to give a MAJOR thanks to the publishers for allowing me to view a copy of this phenomenal book via NetGalley.

I always thank publishers at the beginning of a review when I've been fortunate enough to receive it in exchange for an honest review, but I'm seriously thankful because I'm in LOVE with this book....and now series.

The Paper Magician is a wonderful new story about a young adult female who is training to be a magician. I wont go into spoilers, but I'll just say 'WOW' does Holmberg have an imagination. She literally takes you through the heart of the book on a ride of your lifetime.

As far as the setting goes, I love a good period piece. I know alot of people may be saying that it doesn't feel in the right time frame, but I love the way Holmberg kept the setting distant, but still modern enough for modern folks to relate to. I honestly don't think it would've been as good if there was 1900's jargon being tossed about. Seriously though.

The book was so enrapturing that I read this in a day and a half (that being said I had a 4 year old running around whilst reading this so you may be able to read it faster....yeah it's that good).

I loved this and I think many others will too.

Personally I wouldn't be surprised if good old Tim Burton didn't pick this little diddy up. Just saying.

Five out of Five Stars from me :)

Review of A Grimm Legacy (1) by Janna Jennings

Disclaimer: I received this book via NetGalley and would like to thank the publishers for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

First things first, I think that this book had a great idea behind it. Like many others, I too grew up on fairy tales and loved the idea of a few of them intertwined together. The author had a great idea here.

That being said, I don't think that the book came to fruition. The opening two pages had me hooked but unfortunately the book couldn't keep my interest. Things felt choppy and rather unreal. I wanted to connect with the characters but wasn't able to. It was almost as if there was a brick wall between me and the actual characters. Any time the dialogue began to flow, the author would chop it up with narrative.

There's an old saying with writing/reading that goes like this: 'Show me, don't tell me'.

Aside from that there were obvious grammatical errors as well as issues with it being 3rd person yet still throwing out the first person vibes.

Personally I couldn't make it past the third chapter. I wanted to...I promise I did, alas I couldn't.

This gets 2/5 stars from me....only because I think the author has room to revisit the story and grow a bit.

Review of a Season for Martyrs by Bina Shah

Many thanks to GoodReads and the publishers of A Season for Martyrs for granting me with a copy of this book.


A Season for Martyrs is a truly beautiful book. Personally, I grew up in DC during 9/11 and had a dear friend pass on one of the planes. After that, I always wondered about life over in the middle east. I always wondered about the victims on Middle Eastern soil. What their lives entailed and how they were (a/e)ffected by bombings in their own country.

This book was a lovely read and gave me insight I had been curious about. To read into a life who was affected on her own soil by the turmoil surrounding her, was truly an appreciated opportunity.

I have no doubt that Shah will be an author to hear more from.

4/5 stars from me. 

Review of Animal Farm by George Orwell

Probably one of the most brilliant books I've read. Though it's a short read (not at all a bad thing), it definitely packs a punch.

While I wont waste time with spoilers, or give any little detail away, I will simply say that it will leave you thinking. Well...one little detail couldn't hurt eh? I nearly crapped my pants when a pig began walking around on his hind legs. Was I the only one who was intensely terrified by this? Seriously, chills up the spine at that moment.

Anywho. It's a grand read for anyone interested in thinking a little bit more deeply on the political and socio-economic happenings....especially given that these things are still relative, even decades after Orwell wrote.

5/5 Stars

Lentil Underground Review

I received this book as a Librarything giveaway and would like to start off by thanking Gotham Books for this copy.

This is a book about lentils....no really it is.

It's actually fairly interesting though and kept my attention much longer than any other non fiction I've read in a while.

Though I admit I didn't want to read 300 some odd pages about lentils and a great lentil farmer, I will say that the overall idea was interesting and was enjoyable given I like the idea of 'real' foods.

So with that being said, I give this book 3/5 stars :)

Review of 'The Pinecone: The Story of Sarah Losh, Forgotten Romantic Heroine--Antiquarian, Architect, and Visionary'

Before reviewing, I'd like to state that I got the book from a GoodReads giveaway and would like to thank the publisher for the copy.

Now to the review....

The best way I can sum this book up is this: It's a beautifully written text book.

I know that may seem silly, but it's quite informative and the writer has written some beautiful sentences to enlighten the audience on Sarah. That being said, I didn't ever truly feel like I new who she was. It gave great detail about the history, her family history, town history, the likes. I never felt as though I knew her.

This is the kind of book I like to call a 'coffee table book'. One you put on a coffee table to glance through on occasion. Personally I likened to the pictures more than the story itself.

All that being said, I will still give the book 3 stars due to the fact that, well, it is a nonfiction book and was well done in that style. I will be passing this book on to my dad though, because he loves history and I think given the fact that he travels abroad often for work that he might find interest in this.

Thanks again GoodReads!